“…But one book is missing from the Packer canon: a systematic theology. He has been teaching systematic theology at Regent for years, so he certainly has done heavy lifting for such a book. Will one be forthcoming? ‘I have a plan,’ he said. ‘But I may not have the time. I would like to leave the world theology that was both catechetical and definitive. But we shall have to see what God has in store.’”

—Warren Cole Smith in his feature of 80-year-old J.I. Packer titled “Patriarch” that appeared recently in WORLD Magazine (Dec 5, 2009, Vol. 24, No. 24). Online here. Pray for health and longevity!

R. Scott Clark answers a question regarding the agreements and differences between Reformed and Lutheran Orthodoxy.  In writing about the differences and doctrines that the two hold in common, Clark mentions something important and helpful citing from the Belgic Confession on Sanctification and a couple of books covering Gospel-Driven Sanctification.  Quoting now:

I think this agrees with the Reformed doctrine of progressive sanctification. In the Belgic Confession (Art 24) we confess:

We believe that this true faith, produced in man by the hearing of God’s Word and by the work of the Holy Spirit, regenerates him and makes him a “new man,” causing him to live the “new life” and freeing him from the slavery of sin.

Therefore, far from making people cold toward living in a pious and holy way, this justifying faith, quite to the contrary, so works within them that apart from it they will never do a thing out of love for God but only out of love for themselves and fear of being condemned. So then, it is impossible for this holy faith to be unfruitful in a human being, seeing that we do not speak of an empty faith but of what Scripture calls “faith working through love,” which leads a man to do by himself the works that God has commanded in his Word.

These works, proceeding from the good root of faith, are good and acceptable to God, since they are all sanctified by his grace. Yet they do not count toward our justification– for by faith in Christ we are justified, even before we do good works. Otherwise they could not be good, any more than the fruit of a tree could be good if the tree is not good in the first place.

So then, we do good works, but nor for merit– for what would we merit? Rather, we are indebted to God for the good works we do, and not he to us, since it is he who “works in us both to will and do according to his good pleasure”60– thus keeping in mind what is written: “When you have done all that is commanded you, then you shall say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have done what it was our duty to do.’ “

Yet we do not wish to deny that God rewards good works– but it is by his grace that he crowns his gifts. Moreover, although we do good works we do not base our salvation on them; for we cannot do any work that is not defiled by our flesh and also worthy of punishment. And even if we could point to one, memory of a single sin is enough for God to reject that work.

So we would always be in doubt, tossed back and forth without any certainty, and our poor consciences would be tormented constantly if they did not rest on the merit of the suffering and death of our Savior.

In the brief essay to which I referred above, David doesn’t say which “Protestants” he has in mind but the Reformed churches agree that believers are no longer under the curse of the law. We agree that we are not sanctified by the law, but we confess that the law is the norm for our sanctification. As Walter Marshall explained in The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification, and as Mike Horton has recently explained in The Gospel-Driven Life, the gospel is the power of the Christian life. The law never gives us the ability to do what it commands. Only God the Spirit does that, through the word of the gospel. Nevertheless, as the Epitome says, we are not idle. Sanctification is by grace alone, but that grace is operative in us and through us and enables us to cooperate toward Christlikeness in this life.

Full post here: http://heidelblog.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/differences-between-lutheran-and-reformed-orthodoxy/#more-6124

A section from Horton’s book God Of  Promise: Introducing Covenant Theology here: http://iustitiaaliena.wordpress.com/2008/10/20/the-gospel-gives-what-the-law-commands/

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I intended this review to go out shortly after Easter, but the Lord dismissed my intentions with the gift of a son and a busier ministry. So now it’s Advent, but a time just as appropriate. During this season we are made all the more aware of the theology of the cross as we prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ, and so the review…

“Read it every year for the first ten years of your ministry…”

Going through college and seminary, it was not unusual for professors to step away from their lectures for a moment to offer some practical advice from their own experience in the pastoral ministry. Quite often those discussions were some of the most valuable lessons we learned from those professors. I recall one Seminary professor  in one of those moments give the advice above regarding Dr. C.F.W. Walther’s The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel.

Great advice for young men entering the pastoral ministry. In that collection of Walther’s lectures, one not only finds lesson after lesson about distinguishing between Law and Gospel, but one also finds there a treasury of practical pastoral advice that applies as much in the 21st Century as it did in the 19th. It’s a classic of Lutheran theology that should be on the shelf and on the annual reading list of every Lutheran shepherd.

Rarely does one find such a treasure like Law and Gospel that deserves as much of the shepherd’s time and attention  year in and year out (besides Scripture and the Confessions, of course!). Yes, there are plenty of classics out there worth your reading, but few that a shepherd and his flock should be reading over and over again. The time has come, however, to make that recommendation about another book that came out about a year ago, a book that I am convinced deserves to be regarded as  a treasure of Lutheran theology for many years to come — The Theology of the Cross: Reflections on His Cross and Ours by Prof. Em. Daniel M. Deutschlander (Northwestern Publishing House, 2008).

I had the privilege of sitting at the feet of Prof. Deutschlander for German and history courses throughout my college years. Like many others in the pastor track there, I  also spent plenty of time talking with him in his office. I would have to say he had one of the greatest impacts on me being the pastor that I am today. Theology of the Cross is not unlike sitting in his classroom or in his office, and it comes as a fruit of the labors of a faithful shepherd who served in the ministry for 40 years.

Theology of the Cross is a book that is an in-depth study of a vitally important, though oft-ignored, teaching of Holy Scripture – the cross of the Christian in his life of faith and the centrality of Christ’s cross in the life of the Christian and the church. In this day and age, that’s not a popular teaching in Christianity. “Who wants to hear about suffering and struggle and loss and cross anyway?” With that attitude, many Christians, congregations, and church bodies go the way of the theology of glory. There the prophets of glory promise success and ease and outward results if you only follow their forty easy steps, seven simple rules, or at least set aside all that negative talk of self denial. Such a theology of glory plays right into the hands of our sinful selves that want nothing more than to gratify themselves in any way they can, but in reality such a theology not only rejects the cross, but also Christ.

In his rich devotional and teaching style, Prof. Deutschlander takes the reader back to Holy Scripture, where one finds not the theology of glory, but the theology of the cross as displayed in the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. That’s why this book is so appropriate to be read in church seasons like Advent and Lent. While the rest of the world focuses on the tinsel and twinkling lights of Christmas, the Church ponders the reason why a Savior had to come in the first place, not to take his place on a throne of glory, but to become the sinless Substitute for damned, undeserving, ungrateful sinners ultimately taking up the cross to save them from their sins. The chapter on “The Theology of the Cross and the Hidden God” emphasizes this reality: “God remains hidden in and under the cross, in weakness and in struggle, and he chooses to be found nowhere else.” (pgs. 113-114)

Unlike most books that take up such a dogmatic or doctrinal subject, this book is not simply geared for the trained professional shepherd. It is just as edifying for the layperson. Now don’t get me wrong. As one would expect from Prof. Deutschlander, Theology of the Cross is not light, fluffy writing that will make you feel good about yourself. In fact, the chapters on “Slivers on the Cross” and “Slivers Under the Cross” leave the reader feeling positively wretched for all those times when he or she has allowed the sinful self to gladly consider dumping the cross for an easier journey through this life. Yes, this book has some heavy theological lifting and is not to be read quickly, but it’s worth every minute, because the theology of the cross is so vitally important for the present day.

Prof. Deutschlander provides an in-depth, practical discussion of the paradox of the cross (including how it plays into the doctrines of the means of grace and justification), a look at the “slivers” on and under the cross (including self denial in the life of a Christian, and a theology-of-the-cross look at 1 Corinthians 13 and Luther’s Table of Duties from the Small Catechism), and an insightful look at the hiddenness of God in the life of Christ and the Christian. Arguably the most valuable sections of the entire book are found in the last three chapters, where Prof. Deutschlander examines “particular and changing aspects of the cross in the life of the Christian and in the life of the church.” (pg. 2) In particular, he devotes one whole chapter to the special crosses of pastor and the visible church. That chapter alone makes this book a must-read for every Lutheran pastor or  called worker, as well as every Lutheran leader. Prof. Deutschlander also provides a summary of Hermann Sasse’s “Luther’s Theology of the Cross” and a Lenten sermon series that Prof. Deutschlander wrote for Lent 2007.

There are applications in this book that can be used for every setting of ministry, for every generation, and every Christian who wants to grow in his faith and understanding of Holy Scripture. I have personally found that to be the case. Prof. Deutschlander writes with a devotional style that is both refreshing and edifying. I read the book for the first time during the forty days of Lent, simply reading about 5 pages a day between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Every time I re-read this book, the Lord has provided better focus in my preaching, teaching, and counseling of God’s people, not to mention the spiritual growth I personally enjoyed along the way. Below are a few quotations that I’ve shared on this blog as I read the book during Lent. Take time to check them out…

• A Reflection on the Theology of the Cross (20 February 2009)
• The Liturgy: Healing for the Cross-Bearer (23 February 2009)
• The Facts About the Cross (24 February 2009)
• The Essence of the Cross (26 February 2009)
• Strengthening the Cross-Bearers (9 March 2009)
• The Precious Gift of the Cross (10 March 2009)
• A Sliver on the Cross: Spiritual Laziness (16 March 2009)
• Following Jesus Beneath the Cross (20 March 2009)
• Saved…Through Hidden Glory (27 March 2009)
• When the Cross Becomes Hidden… (30 March 2009)
• Sing, My Tongue the Glorious Battle (10 April 2009)
• The Nativity of St. John the Baptist – A Festival for Shepherds of the Cross (24 June 2009)

This book is truly a classic of Lutheran theology. It should be in the library of every Lutheran shepherd and  in every Lutheran home. A Lutheran shepherd should read it every year for the first ten years of his ministry and then at least every couple years after that as life and ministry constantly change. This is a book that should never gather dust and is worthy of study among pastors, church staff, church councils, and Bible study groups. Need I say more? Others have. Here are some reviews from other Lutheran pastors and professors on the web:

• Prof. James Korthals of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary
• Pr. Johann Caauwe @ A Shepherd’s Story
• Pr. Johnold Strey @ Pastor Strey’s Weblog

Here’s a link to an interview Prof. Deutschlander did on the theology of the cross on Issues, Etc. Finally and most importantly, here is a link to the book on the Northwestern Publishing House website. (NPH also offers a 20% discount for pastors, teachers, staff ministers, and seminary students!) Good reading!

“Theology” might be defined as the study of the true nature of God. It is a word which is derived from the ancient Greek word for “God:” “Theo;” and from the ancient Greek word “logos,” meaning a “discourse” or “systematic discussion of.” Theology, as practiced by the wisdom of man, can be very dry – boring even.

Therefore, theology must never be divorced from our greatest source of information about God: the Bible. This source is neither boring nor dry. In fact, it is living, powerful, fear-inspiring, and love-producing. The Bible contains the very Words of the living God, including His laws, principles, and His righteous dealings with sinful man over the centuries (His judgments.) (Psalm 19:9)

How people treat the Bible is a good indicator of how they feel about its Author. Are you willing to forsake opportunities to gain personal wealth in order to spend time studying God’s Word? Do you desire to be instructed in revealed righteousness more than you desire your favorite foods? Money and food may provide sustenance (temporary life), but the judgments of the Lord point toward Christ Jesus, the Provider of eternal life.

More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Psalm 19:10

If you’ve spent any amount of time with Wayne Grudem in his Systematic Theology you will know how valuable it is.  If you haven’t spend any time there, then you need to!  And now you have no excuse, because there is a free podcast in iTunes with talks from the man himself covering pretty much all the chapters from his mammoth tome.

So head on over to iTunes NOW and get beefing up on yer doctrine!

This year for our Thanksgiving Eve worship at Cross of Christ, we focused our giving thanks on the blessings the Lord provides through God’s gift of vocation in the areas of the home, the community, and the church. So for your Thanksgiving blog reading enjoyment, here is the third and final commentary of the three-part series. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Giving Thanks for Our Callings in the Church – 1 Peter 2:4-10

Did you hear it in there? “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” The Greek word used there – ekklesia – was a word used when citizens of a town “called out” of their homes for a town assembly. It was a word the early Christian church used to describe the church, because everyone there had been “called…out of darkness into [Christ’s] wonderful light”.

When it comes to our callings in the church, it’s important that we keep that in mind. Christ has called us out of darkness through the wonderful light of his Gospel. His Holy Spirit worked through that good news of sins forgiven, death destroyed, and salvation won to create faith in our hearts, to bring sight to our sin-blinded eyes, and to free us from the captivity of sin—to call us out of darkness into the light of life through Christ. Through the waters of Holy Baptism, Christ called us out of slavery as he welcomed us into his holy family. Through the Holy Supper, Christ calls us back from the sins that plague us with the forgiveness found in his body and blood with bread and wine. When we get careless with our vocations or take them for granted or see them as drudgery, we need to hear God’s Law condemn us for our carelessness with his gifts, but then we also need to hear the good news of Christ’s forgiveness to cleanse our hearts and motivate us to faithfully serve. But where does God provide those blessings of grace?

He pours out those blessings in the church through pastors called to proclaim the Word of God in its truth and purity and to administer the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion as God intended. They are called into public service to shepherd God’s flock and equip us to see our vocations as opportunities to serve the Lord by serving our neighbor. The Lord also pours out those blessings of grace through faithful teachers of Lutheran schools and Sunday Schools, so the Shepherd’s little lambs are taught to follow him to eternal life.

The Lord also pours out those blessings through faithful, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, who provide models of service or encouragement, support, wisdom, and admonition from the Word of God when we need to hear it. It could be a preschooler reveling in the knowledge that Jesus loves me, a sister in Christ providing a loving shoulder for those who weep, or an elder providing admonition when we stray from Christ and his church.

The Lord pours out his blessings through our callings, not because we have earned or deserved them, but because he purchased us with his holy, precious blood and his innocent sufferings and death. It is that good news that called us out of darkness and it is that good news that we are called to share. What greater way could the Lord bless your neighbor—whether at home or in the community—than to use you to share the good news of Christ Jesus with them so they enjoy eternity in heaven with him and you forever! May our gracious Lord continue to bless you through the callings he has given you, and for those blessings we give grateful thanks!

This year for our Thanksgiving Eve worship at Cross of Christ, we focused our giving thanks on the blessings the Lord provides through God’s gift of vocation in the areas of the home, the community, and the church. So for your Thanksgiving blog reading enjoyment, here is the second commentary of the three-part series…

Giving Thanks for Our Callings in the Community – Jeremiah 29:4-7

Why in the world would the Lord give such a command to his exiled people? They were strangers living in a strange land where they spoke a strange language. How could God command them to settle down there?

Yes, they were exiles. They were in the world, but not of it, but God was not calling them to be hermits out in the desert or to hide away behind locked doors. No, the Lord was calling them to put his love into action—a tall order considering their “neighbors” in the community had been their enemies.

You and I are “strangers in a strange land” on a pilgrimage to our heavenly home. Like those Jews, we’re not home yet either, but also like them, God does not call us to lock ourselves away in a monastery, live alone out in the wilderness, or simply avoid the community around us by holing ourselves up in the church like some fortress of solitude.

No, the Lord calls each of us to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city…”, to “pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” So how does that play out in our daily lives? How does the Lord use us to bless the community around us? There are two basic areas where most, if not all, of us are called to serve—as workers and as citizens.

Work has been a gift from the Lord from the beginning. Adam was called to tend the Garden of Eden until he and his wife, Eve, fell into sin. Then work became a struggle, toil, labor, but since that time, the Lord has used vocations of work to benefit every one of us, whether it’s using our own work to provide products or services to customers who need them or using our employment to provide income for us and our families or other ways.

When we faithfully carry out our calling as employee or employer, the Lord provides countless blessings, which we often don’t think about—like how the bread on our table got there. At the same time, God’s hand of blessing is often most evident when work is faithfully carried out. The Lord commends faithful work, even taking on the vocation of carpenter before his ministry began. No legal, God-pleasing job is excluded from his use to bless us and others. Whether it’s the dairy farmer or the tech guru, God uses them all.

Every one of us is also a citizen. God commands us to show honor and respect for the governing authorities, submitting to their will unless commanded to sin against him. We do this by obeying the laws, paying taxes, and even praying for those in positions of government whether on the town board or in the White House. Jesus himself taught, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Matthew 22:21). Through his apostles Paul (Romans 13:1-7) and Peter (1 Peter 2:13-17), he commands us to faithfully serve those in authority.

God blesses us through the local, state, and federal government as he provides blessings like paved roads, military protection, and various freedoms. At the same time, in our governmental system, the Lord also provides us with the blessing and responsibility of being active citizens in our nation. The Lord blesses a nation when its Christian citizens take an active role, not to legislate morality, but to stand up for what is God-pleasing. As worker or student, soldier or citizen, may our gracious Lord continue to bless you, and for those blessings we give grateful thanks!

This year for our Thanksgiving Eve worship at Cross of Christ, we focused our giving thanks on the blessings the Lord provides through God’s gift of vocation in the areas of the home, the community, and the church. So for your Thanksgiving blog reading enjoyment, here is the first commentary of the three-part series…

Giving Thanks for Our Callings in the Home – Ephesians 5:21-6:4

You hear the word “vocation” and I would guess you think of a job. You hear the word “calling” and perhaps you think of someone like a pastor who serves in the church. The fact is, every one of us has been called by the Lord to serve, not just here in church though. No, he calls each and every one of us to serve our neighbor out there in the wide world.

Who is that elusive “neighbor”? Every person God has seen fit to bless through the callings he has given to each of us in three basic areas—the home, the community, and the church. That neighbor could be the person next door, the customer of your business, the child under your care, or the sibling in Christ with you here. Basically God blesses your neighbor, whoever that is and wherever they might be, through you. At the same time, you serve the Lord when you faithfully carry out those God-given callings.

Think about it. You wouldn’t be in church if the Lord had not used the callings of others to get you here, whether the parents who raised or raise you, the pastor who shared the Gospel with you, the factory workers who built your vehicle, or the farmers who produced the food you ate for supper. God uses all these callings to bless us and all our callings to bless others.

So why talk about them on Thanksgiving? It should be obvious. The Lord in his grace could use miracles, but normally he uses our vocations to provide blessing to us and others. As we gather to give thanks for those countless blessings, we ought to also give thanks for God’s blessings of our vocations.

The most basic of all those vocations is found in the home—the family. Every one of us has been called into a family. Now our callings in that family may change from child and sibling to spouse or grandparent or extended family, but we’re still blessed by being part of a family. In fact, the Lord uses the family to provide the basic building block that gives structure to society and even provides the basis for our callings as citizens and workers. God cares very much about the family. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t devote so many verses and so many chapters throughout his Word to the family.

Within the family, we have the blessed gift of marriage. St. Paul lifts up marriage as a beautiful illustration of the intimate union Christ has with his Church—Christ with his servant-leadership willing to sacrifice it all out of love for his bride, and the Church willingly submitting out of respect for Christ’s headship. Struggle and strife and pain can come when marriage isn’t seen this way, but by God’s grace through marriage, God provides countless blessings to husband and wife. He provides loving companionship without comparison, sexual happiness that is only allowable in the intimate union of husband and wife, and children.

Yes, children are a blessing and the family is a blessing to them. Through the family, God cares for children as parents are called to be the source of his blessing, even when diapers need to be changed, flu bugs attack, shoes need to be bought, or kids go off to college. Parents, especially fathers, are also called to train their children in the ways of the Lord, so they know about their Savior, starting when parents bring them to Baptism.

Children have a holy calling too. They are to obey their parents as if they were obeying the Lord himself, which really they are. As all the family members, then, carry out their God-given callings within the family, they are to do it in Christ-like love by which God blesses the family and society. All this is possible because God values the family, even putting himself into a family when Jesus became a son. May our gracious Lord then continue to bless you through your callings in the home, and for those blessings we give grateful thanks!

Yesterday I wrote a response to a Oneness Pentecostal theologian who placed emphasis on the lack of “Father-Son terminology” in the OT (see here). After I posted my thoughts I begin to ponder the hermeneutical approach to the OT exemplified both by the NT authors as well as the early church fathers. Here are some of the ideas that crossed my mind that I would like to place here in order to hear responses from others:

(1) The ‘Son of God’ terminology in the OT referred primarily to a human. It was usually used of the Davidic king, but it could also be used of Israel in general. Yet Christianity, especially Johannine Christianity, placed special emphasis on ‘Son of God’ as a category of deity rather than mere humanity. Did the NT authors and the early church fathers abuse the original terminology to prove their a priori conclusions or did they recognize the sensus plenior of this statement thereby recognizing that the true ‘Son of God’ must be deity?

(2) If we allow for the NT authors and the church fathers to read back into the OT using a Christocentric hermeneutic why can we not allow for this same approach when we reinterpret the OT in regards to the Trinity? For instance, in the Gospel of John and the Epistle to the Colossians it is obvious that there is a sense in which Genesis 1:1-3 has been reread through Christology. In John 1:1-3 the “Word” which was with God as well as being God is clearly derived from Genesis 1:3 where God speaks creation into existence. Furthermore, in Colossians 1:16-17 we see the transference of the wisdom of God–which Jewish literature depicts as God’s creative agent–to Christ. If Christ is the agent of creation he is understood to be the Word/Wisdom of God that was from the beginning.

(3) Equally, the Holy Spirit in Romans 8:1-28 us depicted as the agent of new creation. The Holy Spirit is redeeming the “sons of God”. In vv. 19-25 it becomes obvious that part of the Holy Spirit’s creative activity is new creation, or recreating. The whole cosmos groan and patiently wait for the children of God to be redeemed. Inherent in this text is the idea of resurrection. Christ is the “firstborn” from the dead; those who rise again to glorification are his siblings. The whole creation awaits this latter half because at that time it will be released from its own current bondage (hence, newly created itself).

It appears pretty obvious to me that the Apostle Paul understands the Holy Spirit as having a role in recreation. It is likely that the Holy Spirit as creator derives from Genesis 1:2 (at least). There the Spirit hovers over the face of the waters.

(4) If we maintain the hermeneutical approach of Oneness Pentecostalism regarding the doctrine of the Trinity, thereby closing off the OT to any discussion regarding the Triune nature of God, we cut off a hermeneutical approach shared by the NT authors as well as the early church fathers. If these people could see God as Creator, Word, and Spirit in Genesis 1:1-3 and then apply these attributes to the personified expressions Father, Son/Word, and Holy Spirit, why can’t we do the same?

(5) Although it is true that the NT writers never used the word “Trinity” it is not true that the concept was not there. It is admitted by Oneness Pentecostals that there is some “personal” distinction between the Father and Son. The Father is understood to be God-transcendent; the Son as God-incarnate. But the Spirit is equally personified by Paul in Romans 8:26-28. The Spirit intercedes for us. Oneness theologians often used the incarnation to explain the prayers of Jesus (which is partially true since prayer was needed because of his incarnate state), thereby making the body/flesh pray to the transcendent Deity (often falling into Nestorianism). But what do we do of the Spirit’s intercession on behalf of Christians to the Father because the Spirit knows the will of the Father?

Usually Oneness theologians do a bit of exegetical gymnastics here. I have heard “The Spirit knows the will of the Father because the Spirit is the Father”. Ok, why didn’t Paul just say that? It would have cleared up a lot of confusion!

(5) Finally, I want to throw this out there although it is somewhat unrelated. Why do Oneness Pentecostals argue that the Trinity is an “extra-biblical development” (as if all theology isn’t?) yet affirm the Protestant canon? Let us be clear about this: the canon is equally a later development as the Trinity. Oneness Pentecostals rightly affirm that the Scriptures that became canon where already canonical but had to be recognized. Yes, and I say the Trinity was proto-orthodox, it just had to be clarified.

Anyways, those are my five thesis. I am not Martin Luther. But I hope for some feedback if anyone has any thoughts on these matters.

Here.

HT: Peter Chen

Here’s what is on the back cover:

Michael Horton’s highly anticipated The Christian Faith represents his magnum opus and will be viewed as one of—if not the—most important systematic theologies since Louis Berkhof wrote his in 1932.

A prolific, award-winning author and theologian, Professor Horton views this volume as “doctrine that can be preached, experienced, and lived, as well as understood, clarified, and articulated.” It is written for a growing cast of pilgrims making their way together and will be especially welcomed by professors, pastors, students, and armchair theologians.

Features of this volume include: (1) a brief synopsis of biblical passages that inform a particular doctrine; (2) surveys of past and current theologies with contemporary emphasis on exegetical, philosophical, practical, and theological questions; (3) substantial interaction with various Christian movements within the Protestant, Catholic and Orthodoxy traditions, as well as the hermeneutical issues raised by postmodernity; and (4) charts, sidebars, questions for discussion, and an extensive bibliography, divided into different entry levels and topics.

It is already out for display at Christianbook.com here.

Okay, so I had to take a slight break from social media in general as I was finishing my first semester with LU. I passed. I’ll be back in a little bit with a new post, and hopefully slide into my normal routine!

Scroll to the bottom of the Library page and you’ll see that I have added both classic and modern systematic theologies.

William Paul Young initially wrote the story of “The Shack” for his children. It was just going to be his gift to them.  That is why he only made 15 copies the first time he printed it.  However, somehow other friends got a hold of it, read it, and passed it on to others.  By their encouragement, he self-published 10,000 copies.  The story of “The Shack” gained moment and now has over 4 million copies in publication.  His story of redemption has turned out to be a gift to millions.

I will admit up front that the genre of “The Shack” is not my particular style. There has not been a lot of “Christian Fiction” that has captured my attention outside of C.S. Lewis (or J.R.R. Tolkien, if you include him in that category).  I never got caught up into Frank E. Peretti’s series surrounding “This Present Darkness”.  However, I was amused by how many people, Christians and non-Christians, took Peretti’s fictional writing and attempted to build a theology of demons and angels out of it.  I kept wanting to scream, “It’s just a story, folks!  Hello?!  Fiction!”

That being said, I did find the story of “The Shack” interesting. For a self-published work, I thought it was done very well.  There were a few places in the story line that could have been edited a bit more tightly to make for better flow or believability.  However, over all, I found it to be well written.  I enjoyed Young’s personal style that draws the reader into the story and characters.  I found the occasional humor well placed and made the book more captivating and readable.

A search on the internet will reveal a number of people – particularly Christians – who have problems with the story theologically. They have taken the time to pull apart the story and reveal its “heretical” tendencies.  Once again, I would like to inform these people that it was not written as a theological treatise, but as a fictional story.  As such, nothing in the story should be taken as prescriptive but descriptive.  In other words, it was written to describe things that are difficult for the human heart and mind to understand.  It was not written to prescribe for us what we are to believe.  It is not a systematic theology or biblical theology for seminarians.  Nor was it written to become a new theology of some sort for New Agers.

Such fruitless endeavors by well-meaning individuals does nothing to build up faith in others let alone “protect” them from error. I think that such individuals would probably find something wrong in C.S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia” or John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress”.  These, too, were written as fiction.  They were meant to be parables or portrayals of the human spiritual struggle.  Every sermon illustration, story attempt, or parable breaks down at some point.  It does not give us the whole truth, only a fuzzy picture at best of part of it.  This is the case for “The Shack”.  Taken as such, I believe there are some great illustrations or pictures for us of what God wants in a relationship with his creation, particularly humankind.

One of the major complaints against “The Shack” is its portrayal of the trinity or triune godhead. This belief is a cornerstone of orthodox Christian theology.  However, one must remember that even the best theologians have had trouble for the past 2000 years to come up with a credible and simple definition or illustration of the trinity.  All efforts at illustrating it – the egg, the apple, the three states of water, etc – all break down and fail at some point.

Wm. Paul Young’s attempt at portraying this relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is just as difficult. Some critics have trouble with the picture given to us by the author of “Papa” being a large African-American woman at the beginning of the story.  (“Papa” does later in the story, however, reveals himself as a man to Mack.)  I for one was really disappointed that God the Father did not turn out to be Morgan Freeman again…okay, I’m kidding.

Rather than getting caught up in what gender or ethno-cultural identity God would really have if he really appeared to us in human form, one should enjoy the story for what it is…God attempting to relate to a man with a broken heart and past.  In a fictional story, I suppose God can reveal himself in about any way he likes…such as Aslan the Lion…a talking lion none the less.  The real point of what the author is trying to get to is lost in such a myopic attempt to critique the story.  Why not just enjoy the story for what it is?

Personally, I really appreciated how Young attempts to portray the close relationship between the trinity. I thought he did an admirable job attempting to portray the unique characteristics of “three persons in one being”.  This would be difficult at any level!  The church has suffered some nasty self-inflicted bloody noses trying to answer this question – how do you describe the triune nature of God?  A casual reading of church history will reveal some colorful and bloody fights in the early church councils trying to answer this very question.  Therefore, I think we should cut the author some slack in attempting to portray this to the 21st century person.

American Falls 2, July 2003 ©Weatherstone/Ron Almberg, Jr. (2009)

I really like the author’s picture of Jesus. Personally, I have always appreciated a picture of Jesus that was more joyful than one that was ascetic and morose.  The picture I get of Jesus in the gospels is of an individual who really enjoyed being around people, liked celebrations and parties, and had a great sense of humor at the expense of the religious stiff-shirts.  Paul Young, to me anyway, portrays a believable Jesus in the story.

There were a couple of places in the story that I found to be a little unbelievable – a little too science fiction for me. However, it is the prerogative of the author in fiction to take his readers on a journey.  And if one will just enjoy the journey then the story can be enjoyed for what it is rather than critiqued for what it is not.  Nevertheless, the interaction of Mack with Sophia was a little “out there” for me as was the vision Mack was given of God’s view of the world and his meeting his father.  But, that is just me.  You may like those parts of the story.  Remember, it is just a story.

Some critiqued the book for attempting to tell us that sin does not need to be punished. However, I looked carefully for any place the author seemed to say such a thing.  I did not find it.  Instead, he points out that sin has its own consequences.  He reasserts what Jesus said, the world is already condemned and he, Jesus, did not come to condemn the world but through his sacrifice save the world.  Sin, in fact, was judged and the punishment for it paid on the cross.  This the author makes very clear.  The story of the cross and the redemption of humankind through Jesus’ sacrifice is clearly communicated.

The story does not include a portrayal of hell or eternal judgment for those who reject the offer of relationship with God through Jesus. However, as a story, that does not seem to be the direction the author wanted to go or dwell upon.  As the author, that is his prerogative!  He is not writing a theology but a story.  In telling the story, a certain amount of theology or thoughts about God, humankind’s relationship to God and vice versa, and ultimate meaning in human tragedy and suffering is offered for us to think upon.  We are free to draw our own opinions.

If you are looking for deeper and more complete theology, I suggest reading the Bible. The help of a few good theologians may come in handy.  But do not attempt to make too much of out of another person’s fictional story.  Instead, enjoy the story for what it is and embrace those parts that give joy and meaning to you.  I think Jesus would read “The Shack” and say, “Well done!  Good story!  Got another one?”

©Weatherstone/Ron Almberg, Jr. (2009)

Been about a month since I’ve posted; in that time, we’ve started a student outreach on Friday nights at church, we went to the island of St. Vincent and taught systematic theology, and we’ve looked to God for answers in going to seminary. I’ll be taking classes at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville part time this upcoming semester, with the intent of moving down this summer and taking classes full time.

In short, a lot has happened, and this blog has been greatly neglected. I’m planning (key word) on continuing through Calvin’s Institutes, even if it means I take five years to get it done. Reading through Calvin and A Theology for the Church again… after you’ve taught systematic theology, the big textbooks come alive again as you read them. I remember the first time I picked up Grudem’s Systematic Theology, and how impressed I was with the practicality of it all. Now I’m finding that to be even more true. It’s quite the blessing.

Looking forward to getting back to writing…

Sermon for the 1st Sunday of End Time: The Festival of the Reformation – 1 November 2009

It was one of the busiest days of the year in little Wittenberg. Travelers from all over Europe streamed into the city. Children chased each other through the crowds. Vendors hawked their wares and pilgrims snapped them up. Wittenberg was abuzz with people gathered to celebrate All Saints Day over at All Saints Church, known as the Castle Church because it looked like a tall castle. It wasn’t the appearance of the church that drew the crowds, though. It was the relics—vials of milk from the virgin Mary, straw from Christ’s manger, wood from the cross, and other relics that were supposed to take off years of punishment in purgatory with every pious viewing. All Saints Day drew thousands every fall to the city of Wittenberg.

Over the noise of the crowds, the clear voice of a hammer striking a large nail rang out. Martin Luther—a local university professor, Augustinian monk, and pastor over at St. Mary’s down the street—was nailing a large roll of parchment to the door of the Castle Church, which served as the community bulletin board.

Little did he realize, but that parchment would start a fire that still burns today. He had written 95 theses arguing against the practice of selling indulgences, pieces of paper sold to willing buyers with the promise of forgiveness for a price. Those pieces of paper had quickly become licenses to sin. Out of pastoral concern for God’s people, Martin Luther offered a debate on indulgences and other abuses in the church. Pastor Luther wanted the clear voice of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—to be heard. He wanted his flock to enjoy real freedom from sin and guilt in Christ.

With the ring of a hammer 492 years ago, the clear voice of the Gospel soon was heard once again. Since the earliest days, that clear voice of the Gospel has sounded in spite of attempts by Satan and our world to confuse or silence it. The Romans tried to persecute its proclamation into silence. The Papists nearly silenced it with false teaching that turned Christ into an angry judge and made man responsible for his salvation. Countless voices try to drown it out today with the denial of Holy Scripture as the Word of God, the denial of absolute truth, and the denial of the need for Christ, yet THE CLEAR VOICE OF THE GOSPEL STILL RINGS OUT!

Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” – Revelation 14:6-7

It was a dark time for the Apostle John. Seventy or so years had passed since the Lord had called him to leave his fishing nets beside the Sea of Galilee and follow him. The years had flown by, yet with God’s help, John had proclaimed the good news of Christ Jesus. Now he was an old man, the last living apostle, and sentenced to end his days in exile on the tiny Greek island of Patmos for his Christian faith. Darkness loomed.

Throughout those many years, though, John had seen how the light of the Gospel broke through the darkness of sin and guilt and unbelief. He had seen how pagan unbelievers who had once reveled in awful lifestyles now stood firm in the Christian faith even in the face of death. He had seen the light of the Gospel break through the darkness of unbelief in lands all across the known world. The Holy Spirit had used John’s writings to strengthen God’s people with the clear voice of the Gospel. Now the Lord had one more letter for him to write to prepare the Church for the challenges ahead, and to encourage God’s people with the final victory already won by Christ.

God’s people needed to know that the Gospel rings out with a clear voice. Without a clear voice, the Gospel wasn’t the Gospel—the good news of all sins freely forgiven and salvation won through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Plenty of other voices threatened to overwhelm that clear voice of the Gospel. Some threatened to rob Christ of the glory he deserved by giving man a role in his salvation, that Christ’s saving work was incomplete without man’s cooperation. Some threatened to overthrow Christ’s authority with their own. Some argued that Jesus was just a man and not God, while others twisted Holy Scripture for their own personal gain. Some tempted God’s people to desert Christ in their hour of suffering or persecution or hardship, arguing that the Gospel was powerless.

Into all this darkness, the Savior shined the pure, clear light of the Gospel, shattering the darkness and putting the clear Gospel out of reach of all its clamoring enemies. In so doing, he assured his Church he will never abandon her. John wrote, “Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.”

The Word of God would not be overcome by Satan or his hellish forces. The “eternal Gospel” would endure forever ringing out with a clear voice. Those of us sitting here can attest to that fact since that Gospel brought us here, but still today so many misleading voices clamor to drown out the Gospel’s clear voice. They deny absolute truth. They transform Christ into just another moral teacher. They trade Christ and his cross in Christianity for the latest pop fad, and promote the worship of self as my sin, my lifestyle, my choice, my life, my body, my will take priority over God’s holy will. These voices diminish the importance of what Christ did on the cross so it doesn’t offend, and remove the teachings of sin and hell for a message that sounds pleasing to the ear, but is poisonous to the heart. These voices clamor for unity amidst diversity, even if that unity includes watering down the pure teaching of God’s Word or condoning sin as a matter of choice or an alternative lifestyle. Woe to those who follow those voices!

Sadly we so often do. A congregation allows a little error to stand or looks the other way when it comes to unrepentant sin, and the clear voice of the Gospel is lost. Gospel-taught Christians like you and me become ashamed of that Gospel when faced with an awkward situation or a little heat for our Christian faith. At times, you and I put more confidence in our own abilities, our own wisdom, or our own intelligence rather than the eternal Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed from heaven. When we’re so bombarded with those misleading voices, we easily let them confuse the clear voice of the Gospel.

We need to know that the eternal Gospel rings out with a clear voice! It rang out clearly when God in his grace forgave our first parents who disobeyed him. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers. He will crush your head and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) It rang out clearly when the cry of a baby conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin rang out in a Bethlehem stable. It rang out clearly when that baby grew into a man and began three long years of difficult ministry with one sole purpose—to proclaim the good news of sins forgiven, of guilt wiped away, of death destroyed. It rang out clearly when a hammer pounded nails through the hands of the Son of God pinning him to a cross. It rang out clearly when that same Son of God cried out with his dying breath, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) It rang out clearly when three days later an angel told some frightened women, “He is not here. He is risen!” (Matthew 28:6) It rang out clearly when the risen Christ entered the heavens victorious and sent his Holy Spirit so his followers could clearly proclaim his Gospel. It rang out clearly from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. It rang out clearly when the Lord raised up Martin Luther and others to restore the truth of the Gospel to his church. It rang out clearly when that message traveled across oceans to the Americas. That clear voice of the Gospel still rings out today!

In all those places at all those times, the clear voice of the Gospel overcame every misleading voice with the truth of God’s holy Word. The clear voice of the Gospel has always outlasted every attempt of sinful man, Satan, and the sinful world to overcome it. The clear voice of the Gospel brings forgiveness from Christ for your guilt, confidence and strength for your weak and struggling heart, truth and clarity for the confusion of our present age.

The Gospel still needs to ring out though. The angel proclaims the purpose for proclaiming that Gospel, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” He doesn’t command us to be terrified of God, but to give him glory in childlike awe and respect. Yes, God’s holiness terrifies our sinful natures, but his gracious love makes us his beloved children who respond with praise as the Psalmist wrote, “With you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.” (Psalm 130:4)

There is no time but the present for this to take place “because the hour of his judgment has come.” With every passing day and hour, the Last Day looms closer when there will be no more opportunity to proclaim the Gospel.

So who will go? Who will proclaim that good news? God in his grace has provided pastors and teachers to proclaim this Good News, but the truth is, we pastors and teachers have never been able to go to every nation, tribe, language, and people. That messenger with the eternal Gospel, then, is also you. God gives you the simple message of Christ crucified for you to forgive your sins and save sinners like you. The Lord doesn’t call you to blow people away with some complicated kind of shock and awe, but to simply confess what you know and believe, to sound the clear voice of the Gospel in an age of confusion and error and lies. The Gospel needs to ring out if people you know and love are to join you with all believers in Christ around the throne of the Lamb of God. Find strength and ability to do that, then, by spending time in the Word and at the Lord’s Table. Wake up each morning remembering your Baptism with repentance and living each day as a forgiven child of God equipped with the clear voice of the Gospel.

We live in times that grow darker with each passing day. The Last Day is coming soon, when Christ will come to judge the living and the dead. Hostility grows against those who hold to Holy Scripture as God’s Word and who live out their Christian faith, but Christ will never abandon you, even in your darkest hour, even when it seems the misleading noise of the present age will overwhelm the clear voice of the Gospel once and for all. Instead let that clear voice of the Gospel be heard. Let it ring out with the message of freedom from guilt and despair and death in Christ. Let it ring out with the good news of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone found in Scripture alone. May the eternal Gospel ring out clearly through you and all believers in Christ until He returns at last! Amen.

[Graphic #1 Source: National Geographic Photography]
[Graphic #2 Source: Wikimedia Commons]

Systematic Theology Outlines

• Systematic Theology
  • Introduction to Systematic Theology
    1. Part I: Definition and Its Place with other Theologies
    2. Part II: Why Should Christians Study Theology?
    3. Part III: Objections to Systematic Theology
    4. Part IV: How Should We Study Systematic Theology: Issues of Source and Authority
    5. Part V: How Should We Study Systematic Theology: Practical and Personal Considerations
  • Doctrine of Divine Revelation
    1. Part VI: General Revelation
    2. Part VII: Special Revelation
  • The Authority of the Bible
    1. Part VIII: The Self-Authorizing Scripture
    2. Part IX: God’s Word & God’s Character
    3. Part X: Heretical Views of God Undermine Authoritative Revelation – An Apologetic Tool
    4. Part XI: Objections to Culture and Traditions As Authority
  • Doctrine of Inerrancy
    1. Part XII: Doctrine of Inerrancy Part I
    2. Part XIII: The Nature of Debating Inerrancy in Light of the Doctrine of Biblical Authority
    3. Part XIV: Scriptural Response to Two Common Objections
  • Part XV: Doctrine of Biblical Clarity
  • The Self-Attesting Word of God
    1. Part XVI: Meaning and Philosophical Issues
    2. Part XVII: The Biblical Case
  • Part XVIII: The Doctrine of Illumination
  • Part XIX: The Eternal Word of God
  • The Canon of Scripture
    1. Part XX: Introduction to the Canon of Scripture
    2. Part XXI: Foundation of the Canon from the Doctrines of the Bible
    3. Part XXII: Missing Books in Light of Anti-Supernatural Presuppositions
    4. Part XXIII: Against the Ecclesiastical Authority of the Canon
    5. Part XXIV: Inerrancy and the Canonical Coherence Test

In some recent conversations, including one with some fellow pastors, I’ve heard the familiar statement, “God hates the sin, not the sinner”. For some time now I’ve been thinking about that statement and have wondered if that’s really a proper Scriptural statement we can make.

It seems to me that that something is missing from that statement. Now I realize that when a statement is made in such a pithy way, there’s usually more that could be said or at least more explanation.  The missing component in this particular statement, “God hates the sin, not the sinner”, however, seems to make this statement not quite scriptural or at the very least vague enough that it could be easily misunderstood.

The component that seems to me to be missing is the fact that apart from Christ, does not God, who is holy and just,  hate the sinner because of the sin? At the same time, does not the same God, who is also gracious and loving, love the sinner because of the Savior? Perhaps such questions could be put into a pithy form that is clearer than the statement above:

God hates the sinner because of the sin.
God loves the sinner because of the Savior.

Like I said, I’ve been mulling over this for some time. Still perhaps I’m off-base on this and misunderstand. What do you think? Your thoughts are welcome!

Update – 11/02/09 – Thanks to Issues, Etc. host Pastor Todd Wilken for picking this post as his “Blog of the Week” on Friday, 30 October 2009. Here is an audio link for the ”Blog of the Week” segment.

(Initial HT: A Boomer in the Pew)  For the last several years, Wayne Grudem — Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary and the well-known author of, among other things, the…oh, I don’t know…perhaps 50+ lbs tome Systematic Theology — has been using the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) annual conference (and, more recently, his Christian Essentials class at Scottsdale Bible Church) to test-drive his thoughts in the area of political science.  Earlier in 2009, in the fourth part of an interview with Sovereign Grace Ministries’ C.J. Mahaney, Grudem admitted that if he had not gone into ministry, there was “no question” that he would have become a lawyer and entered the political realm.

At ETS in 2005, Grudem presented on “Why do poor nations remain poor? Economic Causes and Biblical Solutions” (short synopsis here).  Next, he offered a rather controversial analysis of the Bush administration: “The Bush Presidency: An Assessment of the First Six Years in the Light of Biblical Principles” (press account here; summary outline here).  In the next two years, he not only tackled the ethics of lying but also suggested a “new blueprint for Christian political engagement.”  Next month at ETS in New Orleans, Grudem returns to the subject of political economy and development, offering 50 “internal factors” that determine a nation’s [does he mean state's] wealth or poverty level (a precis of which can be found here).  All of this has been in preparation for a book, scheduled for release sometime next year, provisionally titled Politics: According to the Bible.  In it, as he remarked to Mahaney, he will be “discussing Christian worldview issues from the Bible, and how they impact over 40 specific political issues.”

Every once in a while over the next few weeks — yes, I’m giving myself considerable wiggle room, considering I have a toddler, a book review to write and (fingers crossed) a conference paper to start researching and writing — I’m going to be examining Grudem’s quest for a “Biblical” political science.  I’ll be using the above-referenced material, as well as additional work by Grudem, to analyze how Grudem systematizes political phenomenon and how he applies Scripture in support of his propositions.  Grudem has been very clear in his Sunday school class that there are “many different views” about politics within evangelical Christian circles, yet such a caveat notwithstanding, does Grudem’s approach lend itself to the interpretation that there is one, set “Biblical” way of acting within a political community?  Moreover, is Grudem attempting to craft a “regulative principle” not of worship, but of Christian political understanding and action?

An overweening intellect is like an unweaned baby.

Psalm 131
1 LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or awesome for me.
2 But I have stilled and quieted myself, just as a small child is quiet with its mother. Yes, like a small child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD — now and always. (NLT)

There is an immaturity in the mind that refuses to accept some things are simply beyond the grasp of the human intellect. It may be a complexity of systematic theology, or it might be a thorny problem we are trying to sort out for ourselves.

The mind that refuses to accept its limitation before the Lord is like a newborn that wants what he wants, when he wants it. A mature mind places its trust in the Lord and walks beside him, instead of demanding to be fed simply because it is hungry.

In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul says he couldn’t teach the believers in Corinth like he could have if they had been spiritually mature. Instead he had to give them baby’s milk. He said that one proof of their spiritual immaturity was that they quarreled among themselves. Sound like any church members you know? Any systematic theology buffs?

A proud heart is a fallible mind that tries to force finite truths to explain infinite, infallible truth. Haughty eyes look upon a pastor or teacher and complain, “I’m just not being fed by this man.” Why would we be surprised quarrels occur when people refuse to grow up and start eating meat instead of mother’s milk?

The pride is so deeply rooted in some hearts that they believe they are eating solid food, when in fact they are still sucking at the teat. Ever known a systematic theology buff who was so proud he had mastered the minutiae of another man’s thoughts? Ever known a church member so spiritual that she criticized the pastor for not teaching deep truth from the pulpit – or for teaching deep truth instead of preaching Gospel basics every Sunday?

Paul says some believers are like children who ought to be eating solid food but instead still need milk. “Solid food is for the mature,” he says. (Hebrews 5:14)  He exhorts immature believers to stop going over the same truths again and again and move on to maturity in understanding. (6:1)

He also warns of dire consequences for refusing to grow up. He warns that turning away from maturity amounts to rejecting the Son of God and holding him up to pubic shame. A field that insists on yielding thorns and thistles, instead of the crop planted by the farmer, is worthless and in danger of being burned off.

We need to confess our pride and admit that some things are just beyond our grasp. We need to quiet ourselves before the Lord and leave to him the matters that are too great for our finite, fallible minds. We need to walk with the Lord and let him teach us truth himself, instead of sitting at the feet of other men and taking their insights as the Gospel itself.

We need to in humility put our hope in the Lord – now and always – instead of placing it in human abilities that are bound to fail.