Veritas et Lux

A Company of Heroes: Portraits From the Gospel’s Global Advance – Tim Keesee

keesee Tim Keesee, A Company of Heroes: Portraits From the Gospel’s Global Cause (Wheaton: Crossway, 2019), 286 pp.

Most young people aspire to be like someone. The people they emulate are athletes, rock stars, and actors. These people serve as heroes to the upcoming generation. But Tim Keesee has a different set of heroes in mind. Keesee is thinking about heroes who embrace biblical values, live according to a Christian worldview, and keep eternity in their range of sight. The kingdom of God is at the forefront of their minds.

In A Company of Heroes: Portraits From the Gospel’s Global Cause, Keesee presents a series of journal entries that he has written over the past several years. The entries tell the tale of a cadre of Christians who value the kingdom of God and strive to share the gospel with the nations.

The book is comprised of seventeen chapters that chronicle stories of God’s grace in the lives of His people. The brave warriors surveyed in this volume come from different backgrounds and serve in different parts of the world – from London to Leningrad and from Afghanistan to Armenia. Yet each hero has a common goal. Each hero has a passion to spread the supremacy of Jesus to every ethnos for the glory of God!

One sentence sums up the whole book as Keesee refers to some missionaries faithfully gave their lives for the sake of the gospel. Here’s the glorious sentence:

When I first visited, these missionaries were blazing trails both linguistically and literally as they traveled as far as the road would take them – and then walked on in order to spread the fame of Jesus to every corner of this remote borderland.

This sentence may as well appear on every page of the book. For the gospel pulsates on every page. Jesus is exalted in every story. Resurrection hope permeates this volume.

A Company of Heroes should be devoured by Christians who cherish the gospel and have a passion for the nations. This book will help shape readers’ passion for evangelism and world missions. It will inspire, encourage, and may even convict a few people.

The gospel’s global cause is growing and the mighty work of the Holy Spirit cannot be stopped. So let the nations be glad!

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.

How to Eat Your Bible – Nate Pickowicz

Nate Pickowicz, How to Eat Your Bible (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2021), 143 pp.

Reading the Bible is one of the most neglected spiritual disciplines in our day. Well-intentioned people set the Word of God aside for a multitude of reasons, none of which are valid excuses. How to Eat Your Bible by Nate Pickowicz provides a biblical corrective as well as a prescription for moving forward in a way that promotes spiritual health and vitality.

One of the great strengths of this book is its simplicity. It reads like a first-year Bible College text books for students needing some basic encouragement. Pickowicz begins by challenging readers to affirm the great worth of the Bible. Appealing to the Reformed principle of sola Scriptura, he urges readers to see that God’s Word is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16). But he also shows how the Bible radically changes God’s people when they read it, study it, meditate upon it, and memorize it. It changes our minds, spirits, emotions, and wills. Indeed, as Pickowicz writes, “The Word of God is sufficient to minister to every part of our condition and has the power to transform us in all the way of godliness.” The conclusion: The people of God should hunger and thirst for Scripture.

The author also adds some basic exegetical and hermeneutical help that will serve readers well as they dig into Scripture. With that, he introduces the seven- year Bible study method. This approach is distinct from the typical strategy that encourages Bible readers to move from Genesis to Revelation in a year’s time.

Pickowicz presents a strategy that he developed (inspired by John MacArthur’s method). The strategy involves reading books of the Bible multiple times with an eye on detail and a motive for understanding and transformation.

How to Eat Your Bible should be required reading for every new Christian. But people who have been walking with God for some time will receive benefit from this excellent volume as well. In the end, the author is pleading for people to open their Bibles and be revolutionized. How to Eat Your Bible is just what the doctor ordered!

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.

The Unity of the Bible: Unfolding God’s Plan For Humanity – Daniel Fuller

The Unity of the Bible by Daniel P. Fuller sets out to discover the theme that gives coherence to the teaching of Scripture. It presents the logic behind God’s unfolding revelation from Genesis to Revelation. Dr. Fuller writes, “Only by seeing the whole of God’s purpose in creation and redemptive history can one appreciate God’s individual actions in realizing this purpose.” The author sees a need to summarize the whole Bible along the time line of redemptive history, instead of getting trapped in timeless categories that have been popularized in the discipline of systematic theology. The bottom line: God does everything in the creation of the world and its history in order to uphold the glory of his name (Isa. 48:9-11).

Part One

Dr. Fuller maintains the Bible proceeds according to a plan. Beginning with the creation of the world, it then relates and interprets a series of historical events that lead to the grand climax and goal of the world’s history. He overviews the formation of the Old Testament canon and points out that God has always been in the business of working for the benefit of his people so long as they trust in him (Isa. 64:4). The emergence of the New Testament canon is presented with careful attention given to the closing of the Apostolic age.

Part Two

Part two is devoted to explaining the foundations of redemptive history by doing an inductive study of Genesis 1:1-3:24 and by demonstrating God’s necessary work of being a Trinity. Fuller argues persuasively that God’s purpose in creation and redemption is “that the earth might be filled with the glory of his desire to service people and … to do them good with his whole heart and soul.” The author proceeds to explain man’s responsibility in responding to God’s purpose and outlines the purpose of hell (for those who fail to respond to God’s purpose) and the riches of God’s mercy demonstrated on the cross.

Part Three

Part three details the Abrahamic covenant and a comprehensive treatment of faith’s futuristic and past orientation is presented. Specific steps are given for battling attitudes of unbelief. The author argues that the justified and forgiven sinner always perseveres in faith. The purpose of the law is also discussed and is seen by Fuller to be in continuum with the gospel rather than in contrast.

Part Four

Part four explain the plan of God in getting the gospel to the world and includes an important discussion on the kingdom of God and the conversion of Israel.

Summary

Dan Fuller writes with clarity and backs his views up with solid biblical theology and thorough exegesis. The author maintains a Berean mindset as he surfaces key points which challenge my Bible study habits and encourage me to dig deeper. This book like no other has challenged my thinking in significant ways and has influenced my approach to studying redemptive history and teaching practical issues of the Christian life. The Unity of the Bible is an underrated masterpiece. It is a true encouragement for those weary of classical dispensational charts that are riddled with proof texts. This work offers a better approach – a true biblical theology that is sure to encourage many in the days ahead.

Some Pastors and Teachers – Sinclair Ferguson

ferg Sinclair Ferguson, Some Pastors and Teachers. Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2017, 802 pp. $45.00

The day that Sinclair Ferguson’s new book, Some Pastors and Teachers arrived, I was like a kid in a candy store; a monkey in a banana factory; a shark in blood-infested waters. Gazing at the table of contents caused my heart to race, which is a testimony of my deep love for the church, theology, and pastoral ministry.

It was immediately apparent that Dr. Ferguson was attaching a high degree of importance to the past by acknowledging some of the great pastor-teachers in church history – men like John Calvin, John Owen, John Murray, and the Puritans.

Some Pastors and Teachers is a mixture of biography, systematic and biblical theology, and pastoral theology. Ferguson writes with theological precision and pastoral compassion and experience. He writes with a gravitas that is both weighty and inspirational.

While each of the thirty-nine chapters are commendable in their own right, chapter thirty-seven, was especially meaningful to me. Ferguson argues with great force that “all truly biblical preaching is preaching to the heart.” This kind of preaching is marked by several characteristics:

A right use of the Bible which must first be directed to the mind. Ferguson adds, “When we preach to the heart, the mind is not so much the terminus of our preaching, but the channel through which we appeal to the whole person, leading to the transformation of the whole life.
Nourishment of the whole person. Ferguson makes it clear that spiritual nourishment must be carefully defined: “There is a difference between a well-instructed congregation and a well-nourished one.”
An understanding of the condition of hearers.
The use of the imagination.
Grace in Christ.

This behemoth of a book is filled with rich material that promises deep pastoral encouragement, comfort, and instruction. This “doxological Calvinism” is the best of all worlds. Such a theological framework strengthens minds, nourishes hearts, and ultimately equips pastors to feed, lead, love, and protect the flock – all for God’s glory.

A WALK ACROSS THE SUN – Corban Addison

In the nineteenth century, the British politician, William Wilberforce began a movement that led to the abolition of the slave trade. His robust Christian faith fueled his resolve to see tyranny destroyed and people created in the imago Dei set free. Today, there are 27 million slaves in the world. 1.2 million are children, enslaved by the sex trade industry in India. These horrifying realities are a painful reminder of the sin that pollutes our world; they harken back to the days of Wilberforce. Yet today, very few appear willing to pick up the cause that Wilberforce began.

First time author, Corban Addison delivers a heart-wrenching, mind-rivetting, spine-tingling thriller that exposes the human trafficking/sex trade industry in his novel, A Walk Across the Sun. Readers should be forewarned that this novel is not for the faint at heart. The author paints a grizzly portrait of the underworld; a world that exploits women and children and panders to the diabolical deeds of men.

I can’t say enough about Corban Addison. He writes with Grisham-like precision which ultimately leads to a redemptive end. He gives enough details to educate readers to this horrifying industry which carries the ultimate aim of involvement, reformation, and the obliteration of slavery around the world. The book is a mixture of unmitigated evil and unvarnished beauty.

Many thanks to my friends, Ron and Mark for alerting me to this book. I’ll never doubt you again!

The Doctrine on Which the Church Stands or Falls – Matthew Barrett , Ed.

doc Matthew Barrett, Ed. The Doctrine on Which the Church Stands or Falls (Wheaton: Crossway, 2019), 912 pp.

Martin Luther boldly declared, “Justification is the article upon which the church stands or falls.” John Calvin argued that justification is the “hinge on which religion turns.” In the sixteenth century, scores of people found these arguments both biblical and compelling. The Roman Catholic Church deemed Luther and Calvin as heretics.

Fast forward to the current generation. While much has changed over the past five hundred years, the biblical wisdom of Luther and Calvin still stands. Many in the church trumpet the grand reality of justification by faith alone. But some continue to deny or discount this critical doctrine. Tragically, some of the dissenters are preaching in Protestant churches. At stake is more than a mere doctrine, important as that is – what is at stake is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Doctrine on Which the Church Stands or Falls is edited by Matthew Barrett. Dr. Barrett comes with impeccable academic credentials and is supported by a cast of world-class scholars and theologians. This book both a theological tome and a treasure chest. It is not for the faint-hearted. And it is certainly not designed for the armchair theologian.

The Doctrine on Which the Church Stands or Falls is arranged in four parts:

Justification in Biblical Perspective
Justification in Theological Perspective
Justification in Church History
Justification in Pastoral Practice

This book leaves no stone unturned. The team that Barrett has assembled has examined every theological, biblical, and historical angle that pertains to the doctrine of justification. The fundamental standing of position before a holy God is addressed with depth, breadth, integrity, and God-centered wisdom. The combined efforts have yielded a work that should be used for generations to come and will be of great service to pastors, professors, and followers of Christ.

Those who discounted Luther and Calvin in the sixteenth-century did so at their own peril. Of greater importance is the repudiation of the doctrine of justification by faith alone. To discount this cardinal doctrine is not only dangerous; it is tantamount to theological treason.

I commend The Doctrine on Which the Church Stands or Falls and trust that it will receive a wide readership.

Highly recommended

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.

Reenchanting Humanity: A Theology of Mankind – Owen Strachan

owen Owen Strachan, Reenchanting Humanity: A Theology of Mankind (Geanies House: Christian Focus Publications, 2019), 418 pp.

I was recently asked by a parishioner to evaluate a professing Christian author. My response was tenuous as the author under consideration is notoriously difficult to nail down. Is he a Calvinist or an Arminian? A Complementarian or an Egalitarian? Does he affirm the authority, inherency, and infallibility of Scripture? One may never know. Frankly, it would be easier to nail jello to a wall than decipher the theological commitment of the author in question!

One of the many reasons, I appreciate Owen Strachan so much is that he is the polar opposite of the author above. Agree or disagree, readers always know where Dr. Strachan stands. His latest book is no exception.

Reenchanting Humanity: A Theology of Mankind is a book that is desperately needed by the church in our day. Many in the church have lost their bearings (some appear to have lost their minds). The journey to the Celestial City has been sidetracked by compromise, theological error, and political correctness. Instead of sailing to our heavenly home with biblical fidelity, scores of people have surrendered their oars and are dog-paddling in a different direction. Rather than affirming what the Scripture affirms about mankind, they embrace the ideology of the zeitgeist. Instead of tethering their view of mankind to Christ, they cling to the flimsy and flawed view of culture.

A Theological Antidote to Compromise

Reenchanting Humanity is a theological antidote to the rampant compromise which is currently polluting the church and corroding the pillars of the Christian mind. But Reenchanting Humanity is more than an antidote. It is more than a defensive reaction to the godless ideology that infects the church. Rather, it is an offensive biblical bombshell that destroys error and bolsters the Christian worldview.

The lofty aim of Reenchanting Humanity is “to give future pastors of Christ’s church great confidence in the doctrine of man.” Strachan’s hope is that “those facing many challenges to this doctrine from inside and outside the church, will gain strength from or rigorously biblical and theological study of theocentric anthropology.”

Rooted in the Imago Dei

Dr. Strachan’s goal is achieved in the space of 418 pages. He anchors this tour in anthropology by demonstrating that creatures are made in the imago Dei. In other words, we have been created by God – for his glory. As such we have intrinsic value. He rightly notes, “Mankind is not an accident; mankind is the special creation of almighty God. By recapturing the biblical account of human origins, we recapture human dignity, human worth, and our own identities.”

But the Bible clearly describes how creatures sinned and fell far from God. Strachan skillfully shows readers the many consequences of the fall and helps them decipher where work, sexuality, race and ethnicity, technology, and justice fit in a fallen world.

The chapter entitled, Contingency is thought-provoking, challenging, and illuminating. The author writes, “Humanity was, is, and will be contingent. We are wholly dependent on God, wholly under divine control, and wholly and unalterably beings made by God.” He continues, “We need God. We depend on him for existence, but just as significantly, we depend on him for purpose, meaning, and the discovery of hope. Take away the Lord, and all is futile.” And so the fact of contingency weighs heavily on creatures. Tragically, however, many either refuse to acknowledge their contingent status or give up entirely. But Strachan reminds us, “The biblical portrait of man’s temporality drives us not to despair but to worship God. Once reconciled to the reality of our finitude on the earth, we may reverse our natural instincts and adopt a mind-set of savoring all the wonder, mystery, beauty, pain, promise, challenge, and purposefulness of our God-given days.”

Consistent, Compelling, and Countercultural

Reenchanting Humanity is clear, consistent, compelling, comprehensive, and countercultural. These important attributes will likely make the book vulnerable to criticism and mark out the book as a target for detractors. But readers who maintain their allegiance to Scripture will appreciate Strachan’s approach, which is relentlessly biblical and faithful to the truth.

Quite frankly, I found Reenchangting Humanity enthralling. Strachan never backs away from controversy and he is unafraid of telling the truth about the condition of mankind. But the book concludes with a majestic crescendo as the author guides readers to the Lord Jesus Christ and the story of the second Adam: “Truly, he is the new humanity, and he is leading a new exodus to the new heavens and the new earth. He is the salvation and ontological restoration we so desperately need; his new covenant blood washes us clean, makes us new creations, and gives us new names.”

The Nature and End of Excommunication – Jonathan Edwards

The Nature and End of Excommunication is a timely and practical sermon. For many churches in our generation simply refuse to exercise church discipline on the unrepentant. This act of passivity is not only cause for grave concern; it is a violation of Scripture.

Edwards utilizes 1 Cor. 5:11 as his text:

“But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.” (1 Cor. 5:11, ESV)

Doctrine: Those members of the visible Christian church who are visibly wicked, ought not be tolerate in the church, but should be excommunicated.

Edwards explains and articulates three main headings which support the doctrine.

1. The Nature of Excommunication

Edwards wastes no time explaining the essence of excommunication: “It is a punishment executed in the name and according to the will of Christ, whereby a person who hath heretofore enjoyed the privileges of a member of the visible church of Christ, is cast out of the church and delivered unto Satan” (c.f. 2 Cor. 2:6).

Ultimately, church discipline is meant for the good of the person in question and seeks their repentance and restoration to the body of Christ. Edwards, adds, “Excommunication itself is to be performed as an act of benevolence. We should seek their good by it; and it is to be used as a means of their eternal salvation.”

2. The Proper Subjects of Excommunication

Those who walk through the process of excommunication are the “visibly wicked.” Two things mark such a person:

By gross sin
By remaining impenitent in their sin

3. The End of Excommunication

Three specific ends are delineated by Edwards:

That the church may be kept pure, and the ordinances of God not be defiled.
That others may be deterred from wickedness.
That the persons themselves may be reclaimed, and that their souls may be saved.

Application

5 points of application are set forth by the preacher from Northampton:

That you tolerate visible wickedness in your members, you will greatly dishonor God, and our Lord Jesus Christ, the religion which you profess, the church in general, and yourselves in particular.
Your own good loudly calls you to the same thing. From what hath been already said, you see how liable you, as individuals, will be to catch the contagion, which is easily communicated by reason of the natural depravity, in a degree at least, remaining in the best of men.
The good of those who are without should be another motive.
Benevolence towards your offending brethren themselves, calls upon you to maintain discipline in all its parts.
But the absolute authority of Christ ought to be sufficient in this case, if there were no other motive.

These powerful reminders should beckon every church to seriously consider the high calling of operating in a God-glorifying way. Edwards wonders out loud, “Now, how can you be the true disciples of Christ, if you live in the neglect of these plain positive commands?” He concludes, “If you strictly follow the rules of discipline instituted by Christ, you have reason to hope for his blessing; for he is wont to bless his own institutions, and to smile upon the means of grace which he hath appointed.”

In this short sermon, Edwards demonstrated the necessity of carrying out church discipline on unrepentant church members. How very far are so many churches from this biblical model? How long will it take to come in alignment with the teaching of Scripture?

The True Excellency of a Minister of the Gospel – Jonathan Edwards

In this masterful sermon, Jonathan Edwards sets forth what sets apart
a minister of the gospel.

He establishes his doctrine at the beginning of the sermon:

‘Tis the excellency of a minister of the gospel to be both a burning and a shining light.

Six propositions guide the doctrinal assertion:

I would show that Christ’s design, in the appointment of the order and office of ministers of the gospel is, that they may be lights to the souls of men.
I would show what is implied in their being “burning lights.”
I would show what is implied in their being “burning lights.”
I would show that it is the proper excellency of ministers of the gospel to have these things united in them, to be both burning and shining lights.
I would apply these things to all that Christ has called to the work of the gospel ministry, showing how much it concerns them earnestly to endeavor that they may be burning and shining lights.
Show what ministers of the gospel ought to do that they may be so.

The sermon shines brightest in the first proposition as the Puritan divine explains the three-fold use of light, namely – to discover, to refresh, and to direct.

Indeed, pastors have a weighty responsibility, especially in the preaching task to show forth the light of the gospel in ways that are understandable, and in keeping with the truth of God’s Word.

Divine Blessing and the Fullness of Life in the Presence of God – William R. Osborne

William R. Osborne, Divine Blessing and the Fullness of Life in the Presence of God (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2020), 159 pp.

The notion of “blessing” is familiar to most people. It has a broad range of meaning that ranges from the theological to the pragmatic. Yet, if we are honest, most have failed to probe deeply into the real meaning of what biblical blessing entails. William R. Osborne unpacks the true purpose of blessing in his excellent volume, Divine Blessing and the Fullness of Life in the Presence of God. Osborne’s volume is the most recent offering in Crossway’s Short Studies in Biblical Theology, a series that aims to capture the attention of untrained laymen.

Dr. Osborne explains the goal of his volume at the outset: “The purpose of this book is to establish a biblical-theological foundation of blessing by presenting a concise biblical theology that leans into how we view ourselves as living blessed lives as citizens of God’s kingdom.”

Two aspects of God’s benevolence are explored by way of introduction: “Divine blessing in the Bible is always physical and spiritual because it is fixed upon what the title of the book promises, namely, the reality of the fullness of life in the presence of God.” This critical principle underscores the importance of the blessing and helps readers view the topic through a decisively biblical lens.

The book shows readers how God’s blessing unfolds redemptive history for all the families of the earth – something that is intended to be material, spiritual, and relational. Experiencing such blessings comes as a direct result of living under the terms of the covenant. In the end, as Osbourne adds, “God’s people would come to experience the fullness of life in God’s presence, but not because God’s people would enter a land – their true King would come to theirs.”

Osborne summarizes the blessing: “From Genesis to Revelation, God’s plan has been to create life for his people in his presence … God’s plan to bless reached its fulfillment in the son of Abraham, who was the Son of God. For those of us united to Jesus by faith, we are to live as a blessing to the world in this present age while longing for our eternal blessings in the world to come.”

Divine Blessing and the Fullness of Life in the Presence of God is a fresh breath of theological “air.” It brings the people of God where they truly need to be: marveling at his grace and his gifts. Indeed, he is our covenant God and King!

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.