ON THE SHOULDERS OF HOBBITS – Louis Markos (2012)

0802443192_lPeople flocked to see the new Peter Jackson motion picture, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – based on the novel by J.RR. Tolkien on December 14.  The film grossed nearly $85 million in the first week alone and continues to garner interest among movie goers.

Several books have been released in recent years that attempt to interpret the musings of Tolkien and make direct or indirect applications to the Christian life.  One recent book to hit the shelves is On the Shoulders of Hobbits by Louis Markos, a helpful primer that not only serves as a tour guide for readers on Tolkien’s path but also introduces important highlights from the works of C.S. Lewis.

Sometimes readers are tempted to skip past the introduction portion of a book.  However, skipping the introduction in Markos’ work would be a big mistake.  The author maintains that we find ourselves in a postmodern culture that is adrift: “We are, in many ways, a civilization adrift on the stormy seas of relativism and existentialism.  The first “ism” has robbed us of any transcendent standard against which we can measure our thoughts, our words, and our deeds; the second has emptied our lives of any higher meaning, purpose, or direction.”

The author presses further by remarking that we need in the final analysis is a return to stories.  For instance, he posits: “The true Christian is not just someone who believes certain things; he is someone who participates in a human-divine narrative: what many today refer to as a metanarrative or overarching story into which all of our individual stories can be grafted and from which they derive their ultimate meaning.”  Somewhere along the way, we determine to either neglect the stories or as the author notes, “refuse to be shaped by them.”

Writers like Tolkien and Lewis show us the importance of stories.  On the Shoulders of Hobbits does not set out to interpret every detail in the writings of Tolkien or Lewis.  Rather, it seeks to remind us that we are awash “in the stormy seas of relativism and existentialism.”

Markos guides readers on a journey that uncovers the importance of the Christian journey and the dangers that accompany every Christ-follower.  He alerts readers to virtues that emerge in the works of Tolkien and Lewis.  Theological virtues are explored; virtues like faith, hope, and love.  Finally, Markos take time to develop the problem of evil from the perspective of Tolkien and Lewis.  What some consider to be the so-called Achilles heel of the Christian faith, is in the final analysis another reminder that God is sovereign over all things – including evil.

3.5 stars

A WARNING TO PROFESSORS – Jonathan Edwards

imagesMaking a profession of Christian faith is simple.  It is a matter of merely mouthing the words; it is a matter of making mental ascent to a set of doctrinal standards.  However, one should never minimize  the importance of professing one’s faith and embracing a body of doctrine.  Indeed, Paul reminds us, “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Rom. 10:10). To make a profession of faith is to be converted.

Jonathan Edwards understands the importance and value of making a profession of faith.  His concern in his piece, A Warning to Professors is that many profess faith, but practice wickedness in the final analysis.  He sets forth the doctrine as follows:

Doctrine – When they that attend ordinances of divine worship allow themselves in known wickedness, they are guilty of dreadfully profaning and polluting those ordinances.

Edwards argues that the sacraments are ordinances: “So public prayer, singing of praise, the preaching of the word, and the hearing of the word preached, are divine ordinances.”  It is the profaning of these ordinances that has the Puritan divine on “the edge of his seat.”  He remarks, “Persons who come to the house of God, into the holy presence of God, attending the duties and ordinances of his public worship, pretending with others, according  to divine institution, to call on the name of God, to praise him, to hear his word, and commemorate Christ’s death, and who yet, at the same time, are wittingly and allowedly going on in wicked courses, or in any practice contrary to the plain rules of the word of God, therein greatly profane the holy worship of God, defile the temple of God and those sacred ordinances on which they attend.”

Edwards responds to the hypocrite; he responds to the person who makes a profession of faith; and he lays bare the motives of such presumption: “But by their actions they all the while declare the contrary.  They declare, that they have no high esteem of God, but that they despise him in their hearts.  They declare, that they are so far from repenting of, that they intend to continue in, their sins.”  Edwards is not serving up some legalistic standard that is so often wrong attributed to the Puritan mindset.  He is deeply concerned with the false professor.  He is concerned with the man who is sober on Sunday but is a drunkard the rest of the week.  He is concerned with the man who practices homosexuality but claims to know God.  He is concerned with the one who makes a public profession of faith, but is in the final analysis far from God.

“Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord,” (Jeremiah 2:11–12, ESV)

Edwards ends his piece with a challenge to the false professor.  He calls each one to examine himself: “You come into the holy presence of God, attending on those ordinances, which God, by sacred authority, hath hallowed and set apart, that in them we might have immediate intercourse with himself; that we might worship and adore him, and express to him a humble, holy, supreme respect; and that in them we might receive immediate communications from him.”  God will not be mocked.  Every sin will be exposed that is not covered by the precious blood of Christ.  And every sin will be justly condemned and judged.

He concludes with a final warning: “It is a wonder that God suffers you to live upon earth, that he hath not, with a thunderbolt of his wrath, struck you down to the bottomless pit long ago.  You that are allowedly and voluntarily living in sin, who have gone on hitherto in sin, are still going on, and do not design any other than to go on yet; it is a wonder that the Almighty’s thunder lies still, and suffers you to sit in his house, or to live upon the earth.  It is a wonder that the earth will bear you, and that hell doth not swallow you up.  It is a wonder that fire doth not come down from heaven, or come up from hell, and devour you; that hell-flames do not enlarge themselves to reach you, and that the bottomless pit hath not swallowed you up.”

Let us enter into the New Year by examining ourselves in light of God’s holy standards.  May false professors turn from their evil ways and may God be glorified in granting salvation to each person who receives the gift of his Son by grace alone, through faith alone – all to the glory of God!

CHRIS TOMLIN – BURNING LIGHTS (2013)

31AihiI9AKL._SL500_AA280_I always look forward to a new Chris Tomlin release.  Anyone who follows contemporary worship music will admit that Tomlin is a tremendous talent.  But his talent is not the main attraction.  Sure his music is good but what makes him a special artist is the depth of songs he writes and sings.  Some themes come to mind that seem to keep making their way into Tomlin’s music: the majesty of God, the gospel, the cross of Christ, the sinfulness of man, and the grace of God.

“Whom shall I Fear” is driving song that points saints to our trustworthy God:

My strength is in Your name, for You alone can save/You will deliver me, Yours is the victory/Whom shall I fear?/Whom shall I fear?/I know who goes before me/I know who stands behind, the God of angel armies is by my side/The One who reigns forever, He is a friend of mine/The God of angel armies is always by my side.

And nothing formed against me shall stand/You hold the whole world in your hands/I’m holding on to Your promises/You are faithful, You are faithful.

“White Flag” is an anthem that invites rebels to surrender to the King of the universe.  With a U2 feel, the song is a bold affirmation of the penal substitutionary atonement and the sufficiency of Christ’s cross:

The battle rages on as storm and tempest roar/We cannot win this fight, inside our rebel hearts/We‘re laying down our weapons now/We raise our white flag, we surrender all to You, all for You/We raise our white flag, the war is over, love has come, Your love has won.

Here on this holy ground, You made a way for peace/Laying your body down, You took our rightful place/This freedom song is marching on!/We raise our white flag, we surrender all to You, all for You/We raise our white flag, the war is over, love has come, Your love has won.

Tomlin has a gift for reintroducing the great hymns of the church with a contemporary feel and even adding some new lyrics that complement a given hymn.  For instance, “Crown Him With Many Crowns” is a hymn that Tomlin reframes on the disc:

Crown Him with many crowns the Lamb upon His throne/Hark how the heavnenly anthems drones  all music but its own/Awake my soul and sing, of Him who died for me/And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity

Majesty, Lord of all, let every throne before Him fall/The King of kings, oh come adore!  Our God who reigns for evermore!

Crown Him the Lord of life who triumphed over the grave /And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save/His glories now we sing, who died and rose on high/Who died eternal life to bring and lives that death may die.

Majesty, Lord of all, let every throne before Him fall/The King of kings, oh come adore!  Our God who reigns for evermore!

My favorite song, “Sovereign” reminds listeners that God reigns on high.  He is the King who is owing of our allegiance and trust:

Sovereign in the mountain air, sovereign on the ocean floor, with me in the calm, with me in the storm/Sovereign in my greatest joy, sovereign in my deepest cry, with me in the dark, with me at the dawn.

In your everlasting arms, all the pieces of my life from beginning to the end, I can trust You/In Your never-failing love, You work everything for good, God whatever comes me way, I will trust You.

All my hopes, all I need – held in Your hands, All my life, all of  me – held in Your hands, All my fears, all my dreams – held in Your hands …

My family and our good friends from Christ Fellowship had the pleasure of worshipping with Chris Tomlin last summer at the County Fair in Lynden, Washington.  As we worshipped, I noticed the carnival in the background.  Hoards of people enjoyed the rides and screamed as the zipper soared and the roller coaster roared.  The thought struck me, “Everyone is a worshipper.”  And while God’s people drank deeply from an inexaustable fountain, the people of the world found their delight in lesser things.  The scene reminded me of the well-known episode in John Bunyan’s epic work, Pilgrim’s Progress where the people reveled in Vanity Fair.  It was a surreal moment that I will not soon forget.

Chris Tomlin reminds Baptists and Presbyterians that hand clapping is not only permissible – it is commanded!  He reminds Charismatics that a good beat is a good thing – but never good enough.  It must be accompanied by sound doctrine.  Burning Lights is a none other than a radical call to God-centeredness; a call to worship.  Thanks go out to Chris Tomlin for leading the people of God to the throne of God for the glory of God!

CREATURE OF THE WORD – Matt Chandler, Josh Patterson and Eric Geiger


Our lives are wrapped up in the gospel.  Sinners have escaped the wrath of God, that is to say – they have been saved and they are being sanctified all because of the gospel.  In short, 1433678624_l“the gospel is God’s reconciling work in Christ – that through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, God is making all things new both personally for those who repent and believe, and cosmically as He redeems culture and creation from its subjection to futility.”  Sinners who entered into the kingdom of God owe their lives to the gospel.  The church, as a result should be Jesus-centered and gospel-centered.  These are the primary themes of Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church.

The authors set the stage in the opening chapter by noting that God has a purpose in bringing people to Himself: “Truly, God’s plan of redemption is about more than me and you and our neighbor down the street.  It’s about men and women from every tribe, tongue, and nation on earth becoming a part of His covenant community.”  They stand on the shoulders of the Reformers who believed that it was God who “spoke the church into existence,” what they referred to as the “Creature(s) of the Word.”  This church “is a place where individuals are transformed and empowered to join God’s corporate family and participate in God’s plan to reconcile all things to Himself.”  So from the outset, readers understand that the gospel stands at the center of God’s purposes.  Therefore, the gospel ought to stand as the central and defining element of the church.  The remainder of the book builds upon this reality.

The authors demonstrate how the Creature worships, how she relates to one another in community, how she serves, and how she multiplies.  Perhaps a few citations will capture the attention of some and motivate them to pour over the pages of this excellent work.  Notice, again how Jesus and His gospel stand at the center of the church:

“If a lack of serving pervades a church culture, the answer is not to crank up the guilt and arm-twisting but rather to instill a new, intense focus and awareness on the gospel.”

“A healthy gospel-centric culture turns the church from an institution into a movement of truth and grace where people’s lives are continually formed in the gospel.”

“It must be a continual priority to infuse the totality of our churches with the beauty and awesomeness of the gospel.”

“Without prophetic leadership centered on Jesus, the church will drift theologically either to legalism or to liberalism.  Without priestly leadership immersed in the gospel, the people (in practice) will be either pampered with false love or led without grace and mercy.  Without a kingly leader saturated in the gospel, the church will philosophically wander without clarity or will be clear on something other than Jesus.  The culture of a church suffers if one of these critical leadership functions is missing or if one of them is not immersed in the gospel.”

Creature of the Word: The Jesus Centered-Church is the antidote to the pragmatism that is being pandered in the church.  It is a not so subtle reminder that the church has veered off course and needs to return to its first love.  The authors beautifully summarize their arguments on the last page: “The gospel reality awakens us to pleasures evermore and causes us to abandon our prior delusions of grandeur to readily accept the inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for those who believe (1 Pet. 1:3-5).  In short, a successful church is motivated and empowered by the gospel to remain faithful to Christ and His mission to make disciples.”  Read and absorb Creature of Word: The Jesus-Centered Church and use it as a litmus test in your church to gauge gospel-centeredness.

4 stars

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? – Mark Driscoll (2013)

_225_350_Book.756.coverMark Driscoll has what is foreign to many other writers, namely, a virtually unlimited platform. Driscoll combines a free-flowing writing style with an informed biblical framework and an eye on culture. These qualities make him accessible to everyone from the student to the scholar.  Driscoll brings these qualities combined with a cutting edge wittiness to draw in readers from every stripe.

In his latest book, Who Do You Think You Are?,  Driscoll uncovers the true identity of every Christ-follower.  He makes it clear that many Christians have ignored or neglected their true identity in Christ.  The result is ominous, for “many who lose their individual identity idol simply choose another one, rather than turning to Jesus Christ.  Consequently, they repeat the entire painful process over and over in their lives.  Such people go from one addiction and compulsion to another, one religious commitment to another, and one relationship to another, continually seeking the answer to the question, ‘Who am I?'”  Calvin rightly identified that the human heart is an “idol factory” churning idols and worshiping lesser gods.  Driscoll merely alerts readers to the painful reality of idolatry that has taken root in the hearts of people.  The book, then, sets out to point readers to their true identity in Christ.

After an introductory chapter, the author unpacks fifteen theological realities; rock-solid biblical truths that mark every follower of Christ.  In this review, I am purposefully omitted the theological realities that concern our identity in Christ.  My hope is that readers will purchase the book and pour over the chapters, asking God to reveal himself afresh and remind them of who they are in Christ.  The net result will be a stronger walk and a fresh resolve to live in light of biblical truth.  Surely, the church and local communities will benefit from Christians who know and practice the truth of God’s Word; Christians who live out their identities which are rooted in Christ.

I have read several of Driscoll’s books over the years.  This new release is a decisive moment of depth, maturity, and pastoral wisdom.  While I have greatly enjoyed and benefitted from Mark’s other books, Who Do You Think You Are? will not only make a significant impact on the local church; it should silence the naysayers and perhaps build bridges with pastors who have been critical of Driscoll in the past.  You know who you are!

Thanks to Mark Driscoll for writing a book that will unleash a new army of Christ-followers who walk in the power of the Spirit and minister to people for the glory of God.

I received a complimentary book from the publisher and was not required to write a positive review.

4 stars

BESTS READS OF 2012

Several good books were published in 2012.  My top reads are listed below:

1.  A PURITAN THEOLOGY: DOCTRINE FOR LIFE – Joel Beeke & Mark Jones (2012)

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A theological feast and reminder that the Puritans still matter.

See my Review

 

 

 

 

2. THE CONVICTION TO LEAD – Albert Mohler (2012)

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The most important leadership book of 2012 and one of the best I’ve read in some time.

See my Review

 

 

 

 

 

3.  THE MAN CHRIST JESUS – Bruce A. Ware (2012)    

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A tremendous Christological work.  Highly recommended!

See my Review

 

 

 

 

 

4. GOSPEL WAKEFULNESS – Jared C. Wilson (2012)

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The most important book on the gospel in 2012.

See my Review

 

 

 

 

 

5. KINGDOM THROUGH COVENANT – Peter Gentry & Stephen Wellum (2012)    See my Review

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The middle path between Dispensationalism and Covenant theology.  The book I needed in Seminary twenty years ago.

See my Review

 

 

 

 

6. THE RACKETEER – John Grisham (2012)

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Proof that John Grisham is not done writing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.  KILLING KENNEDY – Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard (2012)    

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A fascinating historical look at the Kennedy assassination.

See my Review

 

 

 

 

 

8.  SOJOURNERS AND STRANGERS  – Gregg Allison (2012)

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The best work on the church in years.

See my Review

 

 

 

 

 

9.  THE NEW REAGAN REVOLUTION – Michael Reagan (2011)    

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The book President Obama needs to read!

See  my Review

 

 

 

 

 

10.  THE SNOW CHILD – Eowyn Ivey (2012)

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A captivating read.

SOJOURNERS AND STRANGERS – Gregg Allison (2012)

1581346611_lDr. Gregg Allison leaves no stone unturned in his newest work, Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church.  Allison’s fine piece of work is the latest installment in the Foundations of Evangelical Theology Series, edited by John Feinberg.

Six majors themes form the skeletal structure of  Sojourners and Strangers.

Part One: Foundational Issues

Allison introduces the subject of ecclesiology and underscores his presuppositions at the outset: “I firmly maintain that the source – the sole source – and the starting point of our theology is Scripture, the Word of God.  He presents the basic idea of the church, which is “the people of God … the communion of the saints … and is composed of particular people: ‘sojourners and strangers.'”

The author presents his methodology for ecclesiology.  Realizing that one’s approach in this area has broad implications, Allison contrasts theological methods that embrace continuity and discontinuity between the testaments.  He stands somewhere in the middle of this debate by describing himself as one who embraces a moderate discontinuity, what some have described as progressive dispensationalism.  His conviction has a bearing on his view that concerns the origin of the church and the relationship between the church, Israel, and the ordinance of baptism.  This hermeneutical criteria is a helpful backdrop that serves the rest of the book well.

Part Two: The Biblical Vision – Characteristics of the Church

Here the author studies the inception of the church and her relationship to Israel and the kingdom of God.  Allison makes his position clear: “Because of the identity of the new covenant partners – God and Christ-followers – I draw the conclusion that the church began at Pentecost and did not exist prior to  that monumental event.”  While writing from a Reformed framework, the “line in the sand is drawn” by distinguishing himself from main stream Covenant theology.  The argument is straightforward: “But these faithful and obedient followers of  Jehovah, these people of God, did not  constitute the church.  Yes, God’s work of redemption began with Adam.  Yes, God’s promise to bless all human beings through a particular nation was made to Abraham.  Yes, God’s covenant with the particular people of Israel was given specific expression on Mount Sinai with Moses.  But the people of God post-Adamic covenant, post-Abrahamic covenant, and post-old/Mosaic covenant – up to the new covenant – did not constitute the church.”

Allison’s hermeutical presuppositions are refreshing to be sure because while on one had he distinguishes himself from the covenantal framework, he also distinguishes himself from classical dispensationalism, i.e. “the church stands in both continuity and discontinuity with the people of God in the past.”  Near as I can tell, he is an agreement with the essence of the proposal but forth by Peter Gentry and Stephen Wellum in their excellent work, Kingdom Through Covenant.

Additionally, the orientation of the church is established in part two by examining seven characteristics of the church.

1. The Church is Doxological – oriented to the glory of God.

2. The Church is Logocentric – focused on the Word of God.

3. The Church is Pneumadynamic – empowered by the Holy Spirit.

4. The Church is Covenantal – with God and in covenant community with one another.

5. The Church is Confessional – united by a common Christian confession or creed.

6. The Church is Missional – called to proclaim the gospel and advance the kingdom of God.

7. The Church is Spatio-Temporal/Eschatological – a historical reality with a grand future.

Allison explains each characteristic in great detail and suggests practical suggestions for abiding by the biblical model.

Part Three: The Vision Actualized – The Growth of the Church

Part three demonstrates how the vision set forth in the previous section will be fostered and protected.  This vision will be actualized by maintaining the  purity and unity of the church.  Additionally, the commitment to church discipline plays a key role.  Church discipline is defined as “an anticipatory and declarative sign of the divine eschatological judgment, meted out by Jesus Christ through the church against its sinful members and sinful situations.”  Churches who neglect or reject church discipline do great harm to its members and the testimony of God’s people.

Part Four: The Government of the Church

In this critical section, Dr. Allison unpacks the offices of the church.  First, he examines the office of apostle which is “no longer operative” in the author’s view.  He continues to explore the office of elder and deacon, noting the biblical qualifications and responsibilities of each.

The subject of church government is set forth in a clear and understandable way.  Episcopalianism, Presbyterianism, and Congregationalism are explained in their historical context. The author presents his proposal for the governance of congregational churches – a model that is elder-led and congregationally affirmed – which appears to be the biblical model.

Part Five: The Ordinances of the Church

The various views of baptism and the Lord’s supper are presented in light of church history.  Disagreements that the author has with other views are set forth with charity and graciousness.

Part Six: The Ministries of the Church

Finally, Allison overviews the various spiritual gifts, a biblical theology of worship, and various ministries that emerge in the local church context.  The church should be “for the world and against (the sinful corruption) of the world.

Summary

I cannot recommend Gregg Allison’s work highly enough.  His treatment of ecclesiology should be applauded for its depth and breath.  And it should be celebrated for its gracious approach to disputable matters.  Readers will be remiss to find a shred of compromise or capitulation; yet his gentle approach weaves throughout the fabric of the book.  Sojourners and Strangers should be required reading for every Ecclesiology class for Bible College students and Seminarians alike.  This book will not only instruct and educate; it will help stem the tide of errors and mis-steps that have so characterized the last several years of church history, especially the blunders that have come out of the emergent and seeker-sensitive church.  I would also refer readers to his excellent work, Historical Theology for a superb look at the development of Christian theology in church history.

5 stars

LINCOLN BREWSTER – Joy to the World (2012)

000768512029_l_2318354Today, I’m awakening to the reality that there is a reason why much of what passes for Christmas music is so boring – no guitar solos!  Apart from the epic Christian metal band, Theocracy, who has a tradition of releasing a new Christmas song every December, the prospect of a good guitar solo in a Christmas song is about as likely as a witnessing a reindeer flying through the clouds.  However, the wait is over with the release of Lincoln Brewster’s new album, Joy to the World.

Lincoln treats listeners to a musical cacophony that is sure to please many kinds of music lovers, especially fans of sweeping Stratocaster guitar licks that have made him a household name.  The album begins on a triumphant note with Brewster’s version of Joy to the World.  The arrangement is fresh and pulsates with the vitality that Isaac Watts surely meant to convey.

Hark the Herald Angels Sing is a reverent rendition that moves with a majestic series of notes and a killer guitar solo.  I can see Charles Wesley slouching down in his chair and smiling to himself, caught up in the truth the song intends to convey:

Christ by highest heav’n adored/Christ the everlasting Lord/Late in time behold Him come/Offspring of a Virgin’s womb/Veiled in flesh the Godhead see/Hail the incarnate Deity/Pleased with man to dwell/Jesus, our Emmanuel/Hark! the Herald angel’s sing/Glory to the newborn King!

Miraculum is a 6 minute Christmas feast for the ears.  The tune makes eager listeners wonder when Lincoln will release a solo instrumental album.  This is Lincoln Brewter at his best – a blues influence, laced with arpeggios that has a Keaggy feel to it.

The rest of the album is musically rich, doctrinally sound, and points listeners to the birth of our Savior.  This is Christmas music at its finest!

5 stars

 

A PURITAN THEOLOGY: DOCTRINE FOR LIFE – Joel Beeke and Mark Jones (2012)

A comprehensive  assessment of A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life by Joel Beeke and Mark Jones is something akin to sharing one’s thoughts or emotions while gazing at the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, the Statue of Liberty, or the Lincoln Memorial.  This magnum opus is like oxygen for the barren soul, light for a blind man, a symphony for a deaf man, and a Super Bowl ring for a lame man.

A Puritan Theology is exactly what it suggests.  The authors meticulously walk readers through each branch of systematic theology and discuss the typical view that was embraced by the Puritans.  Where the Puritans disagree, the authors are careful to represent each side with graciousness.  The book is nothing to trifle with.  It is a veritable tome that just falls short of 1,000 pages.  But readers should not be intimidated by the sheer volume; rather they should make their way through this valuable book, noting key insights and marking Puritan writers they were previously unfamiliar with.

While the entire book is worthy of a careful read, several chapters stand out as especially significant.  I enjoyed Chapter 4 – Stephen Charnock on the Attributes of God, Chapter 5 – The Puritans on the Trinity, Chapter 6 – John Owen on Communion with the Triune God, Chapter 10 – The Puritans on Providence, and Chapter 44 – John Bunyan’s Preaching to the Heart.  A few additional chapters are worth examining in some detail.

Chapter 26 – The Puritans on Understanding and Using God’s Promises

The authors remark, “The promises are the pathways where Christ meets the soul.”  It it critical to have a correct understanding of God’s promises.  Additionally, it is important to distinguish between different kinds of promises.  For instance, “Absolute promises make known a certain and sovereign purpose, while conditional promises reveal what God will do if the fulfillment of those promises glorifies Him and is best for His people.”

Christians must make right use of God’s promises.  The Puritan Andrew Gray is cited in this regard and notes ten specific ways to make right use of God’s promises:

1. Believing the promises greatly promotes the difficult work of mortification.

2. Believing the promises helps a Christian in the spiritual and heavenly performance of prayer.

3. Believing the promises upholds a Christian afflicted by spiritual desertions and temptations.

4. Believing fosters patience and submission in the midst of the saddest afflictions.

5. Believing helps a Christian distance himself from the world and live more as a pilgrim on earth.

6. Believing is the mother of much spiritual joy and divine consolation and helps a Christian to express praise.

7. Believing is a notable means to attain spiritual life.

8. Believing raises a Christian’s esteem of the thing promised.

9. Belief is the door through which the accomplishment of the promise enters.

10. Believing secures the advantages mentioned in 2 Peter 1:4: we are brought to the blessed conformity with God that we lost in the fall, and we put off the ugly defilements that are Satan’s images on our souls because of the fall.

The authors point to the Puritans who urged their readers to pray the promises of God which involves submission to the will and way of God.

Chapters 42 and 43 – The Puritans on Preaching 

My two favorite chapters in this work focussed on the biblical mandate of preaching God’s Word.  The Puritans, the authors note, “had a profound sense that God built His church primarily by the instrument of preaching,” an appropriate place to begin, given the reluctance of so many men to preach strong, dogmatic, theologically-informed, expository sermons.   “The Puritans were earnest preachers who made it their aim to please God rather than people.”

The authors point to the power of Puritan preaching who “preached out of a biblical framework to address the mind, the conscience, and the heart.”  Beeke and Jones add, “The Puritans thus reasoned with sinners through plain preaching, using biblical logic to persuade each listener that because of the value and purpose of life as well as the certainty of death and eternity, it was foolish not to seek and serve God … The Puritans understood that  a mindless Christianity fosters a spineless Christianity.

There is no doubt that the Puritans aimed straight for the mind – but never to the exclusion of the heart: “Puritan preaching wooed the heart passionately … The Puritans used compelling preaching, personal pleading, earnest praying, biblical reasoning, solemn warning, joyful living – any means they could – to turn sinners from the road of destruction and to God via the mind, the conscience, and the heart – in that order.”

The Puritans were convinced that preaching must by definition, be doctrinal preaching: “The Puritans believed that to live well, people must know doctrine.”  J.I. Packer concurs: “Doctrinal preaching certainly bores the hypocrites; but it is only doctrinal preaching that will save Christ’s sheep.  The preachers job is to proclaim the faith, not to provide entertainment for unbelievers.”

The Puritans simply believed that preaching was the primary way to nourish the flock of God.  John Owen writes, “The first and principal duty of a pastor is to feed the flock by diligent preaching of the Word.”  The author concur and offer a challenge to readers: “It is not enough just to read the Puritans.  We need the authentic, biblical, intelligent piety of the Puritans in our hearts, our lives, our sermons, and our churches.”

The Puritan approach to the pulpit is a powerful antidote to the sappy preaching that is so prevalent, especially in American pulpits.  It is a vivid reminder that preaching stands at the center of God’s purposes for the church.

Chapter 52 – Puritan Theology Shaped by a Pilgrim Mentality

J.I. Packer notes, “Puritans saw themselves as God’s pilgrims traveling home, God’s warriors battling against the world, the flesh, and the devil; and God’s servants under orders to do all the good they could as they went along.”  The author pick up on these pilgrim portrait by showing how the Puritans lived the Christian life in practical terms.  First, they had a biblical outlook.  Thomas Watson (my favorite Puritan) and John Cotton are given as examples of men who sought to live their lives in a biblical framework.

Second, they had a pietist outlook – that is to say, they feared the Lord.  Beeke and Jones continue, “The genius of genuine Reformed piety is that it marries theology and piety so that head, heart, and hand motivate one another to live for God’s glory and our neighbor’s well-being.”

Third, they had a churchly outlook.  The authors explain, “We can learn much from the Puritans, especially when so many churches today give scant attention to purity in worship and put all their emphasis on what pleases people rather than God.  The Puritans did the opposite.  Their goal was to please God through holy worship.  The question was never, ‘What do I want in worship?’ but always, ‘What does God want in worship?'”

Fourth, they had a warfaring outlook.  There was a battleground mentality that the Puritans embraced, striving always to battle “the triple-headed enemy” by the power of the Spirit, through the instrumentality of God’s Word.  The authors reflect the mentality of the typical Puritan: “The Christian fights against the devil, the world, and his old nature by looking to Jesus and using the armor of His provision to stay upright as he progresses from this world to the next.”

The Puritans were indeed on a spiritual pilgrimage.  In the final analysis, the authors note: “They can teach us, as no other group of writers in church history, how to live a disciplined life to God’s glory without falling into dead orthodoxy or deadly legalism.”

SUMMARY

A Puritan Theology is a labor of love that should be cherished by the church for years to come.  It should be read for helpful theological insight.  It should be read devotionally.  The contents are bound to equip, encourage, and rebuke.  For me personally, the Puritans have been a deep source of encouragement, especially concerning the nature of God, the promises of God, the sovereignty of God, the lordship of Christ, sanctification, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  Of course, no one surpasses the courage demonstrated by the Puritans as they sought to faithfully live the Christian life in the power of the Spirit.

It is not uncommon for people in our generation to marginalize and malign the Puritans.  Even more disturbing, it is not unusual to find people who caricature the Puritans or assign them false motives.  I know of one personally who accused the Puritans of becoming Unitarians!  Much to the contrary, the Puritans were a godly lot who battled sin and believed the promises of God, forever faithful on their Christian pilgrimage.  Oh, that we would learn the lesson of church history well and seek to emulate the Puritans.  May their love of Christ and his gospel permeate our hearts and minds.  May their hatred of sin enter the area of our lives.  May their disdain for the triple-headed monster – the world, the flesh, and the devil be weaved into the fabric of our worldviews.  And may their passion for God’s Word and holiness become a part of the warp and woof of our lives.

5 stars

Highly recommended!