A Body of Divinity

Title: A Body of Divinity
Author: Thomas Watson
Publisher: Banner of Truth, reprint 2008
Pages: 316
Begun: August 23, 2009
Completed: November 14, 2009


A Body of Divinity, first published in in 1692, is a compilation of sermonic treatises on several questions/answers from the Westminster Catechism. Some of the questions that Watson expounds on are:

What is the chief end of man?
What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him?
What was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created?
Did all mankind fall in Adam's first transgression?
How does Christ execute the office of a priest?
How does Christ execute the office of a king?
Wherein did Christ's humiliation consist?

Basically, Watson covers key doctrines in his expositions of the questions. Most of his discussion focuses on Christology, soteriology, anthropology, and theology proper. Though not extensive, Watson gives good overviews of these doctrines.

Watson's writing style is simple, straightforward, and highly accessible compared to other of his Puritan contemporaries, Specifically John Owen and Thomas Brooks.

This work was a blessing and highly recommended.

The Problem of Pain

Title: The Problem of Pain
Author: C. S. Lewis
Publisher: Harper Collins, 1940
Pages: 164
Begun: September 10, 2009
Completed: September 15, 2009

I must confess that this book was a monumental disappointment to me. This was probably partially due to the fact that I had high expectations in approaching this book. Yet it was a good exercise in plowing through to the very end despite the temptation to put the book away a quarter of the way through.

The book, in short, is a collection of philosophical essays and ramblings on the subject of pain, though he does not address the subject until about half-way through. I found it difficult to grasp his train of thought as he was constantly changing courses.

The most problematic chapter was The Fall of Man, where Lewis discusses his belief in theistic evolution. He explains the stages of transformation that man went through to become the "man" he is....."For long centuries God perfected the animal form which was to become the vehicle of humanity and the image of Himself." He goes on later to describe man as the "perfect animal."

Another troubling, yet almost laughable, chapter was Animal Pain. Lewis comes close to suggesting the immortality of the animal kingdom. I suppose this makes sense to Lewis in light of his theistic evolutionistic position. If man is merely a glorified animal, then animals must be made up of basically the same stuff as man (i.e. emotions, conscience, pain, etc.).

The denial of total depravity on page 61 on the grounds that man has the innate ability to do some good was also theologically off course. Lewis also repeatedly stresses the free will of man's conscience, while ignoring the sovereignty of the Almighty.

This was a very interesting, yet disappointing read.

Preaching the Cross

Title: Preaching the Cross
Authors: Various (Dever, Duncan, Mohler, Mahaney, Sproul, Piper, and MacArthur)
Publisher: Crossway, 2007
Pages: 168
Begun: August 29, 2009
Completed: September 10, 2009

This work is a compilation of lectures given at the 2006 Together For the Gospel Conference (I believe Bob, Tim, and maybe Daniel were present). A wide array of topics are addressed, but the crucial theme throughout is preaching the gospel of Jesus. It is difficult to review the entire book given its unique format, so a very brief, personal reflection will suffice.

Al Mohler's address on "Preaching with the Culture in View" was perhaps the most thought-provoking for me. Mohler, being well-versed on the subject of culture, provides helpful insights in ministering to and preaching to people giving consideration to the culture. Piper's lecture on expository exultation was the most stimulating. Mahaney's "Watch Your Life and Doctrine" was the most convicting. His emphasis on the need for community was right on.

A good, solid collection of gospel-saturated messages which were delightful to read.

The Law and the Christian

Title: The Law and the Christian
Author: Ken Casillas
Publisher: Bob Jones University Press, 2007
Pages: 72
Begun: August 27, 2009
Completed: August 28, 2009

The BJ Seminary has recently undertaken a project to yearly publish a couple of short books by its own faculty. One of the first books published was this one by Ken Casillas, also pastor of Cleveland Park Bible Church, of which I and my family had the blessed privilege of being a part. This brief work is intended to be a survey of the relationship between the Old and New Covenants and how both covenants affect the Christian. This subject can easily take up a compendium of material, but Casillas has well distilled it to its essential elements.

He begins by introducing the competing historical views of the relationship between the Covenants: 1. Reformed Theology, 2. Theonomy, 3. Dispensationalism, and 4. Lutheranism. After evaluating each perspective, he argues through the end of the book that "because all the laws in the Torah are based on timeless truths regarding God's character and will.....we must continue to use the law paradigmatically as we seek to imitate and please God in the New Covenant age." (68) Giving examples in the NT (especially Christ's teaching and Paul's epistles), Casillas shows the connection of both Covenants, yet points out the significant distinctions and the glory of the New Covenant.

Casillas does a fair treatment of a important subject. If one wants to just "get his feet wet" into a study of the covenants, this is a good place to start.

Ministries of Mercy

Title: Ministries of Mercy
Author: Timothy J. Keller
Publisher: P & R Publishing, 1997 (2nd edition)
Pages: 236
Begun: June 23, 2009
Completed: August 27, 2009

Keller begins his work with a brief exposition of Luke 10:25-37, Christ's giving of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. He uses this as a launching pad for the primary thrust of his book: the Church must take seriously it's mission to minister mercy (i.e. financial aid, counseling, education, job counseling, etc.) to those inside and outside the Church. Though I in principle agree with Keller's thesis, I was bothered by his strained exegesis of Luke 10 and the applications he drew from it. He came close to "spiritualizing" the Parable and making a big point of every single detail of it and relating it specifically to an action of the Church. This hermeneutic troubled me during the first half of the book. Keller dropped any reference to the Parable and honed in more on methodology and implementation of mercy ministries.

Keller makes some thought-provoking statements, specifically in regards to the general absence of mercy ministries in churches. I appreciated his theological focus throughout in pointing to God as the Model of mercy ministries. Another positive aspect of his thesis is his emphasis on the gospel as the driving force of mercy. The gospel must never be divorced from financial aid to the poor or from counseling a single mom or from helping a husband/father find employment. The gospel and mercy are inextricably linked. The word of mercy and the deed of mercy, states Keller, work synergistically.

The book, especially the second half, reads more like a manual, hence it is difficult to follow at times. A helpful book overall.

The Life and Diary of David Brainerd

Title: The Life and Diary of David Brainerd
Editor: Jonathan Edwards
Publisher: Hendrickson, 2006
Pages: 371
Begun: May 3, 2009
Completed: August 21, 2009

The book is composed of two sections, Brainerd's personal, daily diary and his journal of evangelistic activity among the Indians to whom he ministered. Though only twenty-nine years old when he died of consumption (probably some type of respiratory disease), God worked through this man to make many disciples of Jesus among the Delaware Indians in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. His diary speaks of his passionate love for God and the gospel which he gave his life to. But he also repeatedly writes of his "extreme vileness" (his favorite term to describe himself).

"I thought there was not one creature living so vile as I. Oh, my inward pollution! Oh, my guilt and shame before God! I know not what to do. Oh, I longed ardently to be cleansed and washed from the stains of inward pollution! Oh, to be made like God, or rather to be made fit for God to own!" (130)

This is the one concern that Edwards had for Brainerd as recorded in Edwards' preface to the diary: that Brainerd's low view of himself tended to go to its extremes to severe depression. It is true that many of Brainerd's entries indicate a deep depression that would last sometimes for weeks or months. There were days such as January 6, 1744 where he found relief by relishing in God's mercy:

"Feeling and considering my extreme weakness, and want of grace, the pollution of my soul, and danger of temptations on every side, I set apart this day for fasting and prayer, neither eating nor drinking from evening to evening, beseeching God to have mercy on me. My soul intensely longed, that the dreadful spots and stains of sin might be washed away from it. Saw something of the power and all-sufficiency of God. My soul seemed to rest on his power and grace; longed for resignation to his will, and mortification to all things here below. My mind was greatly fixed on divine things: my resolutions for a life of mortification, continual watchfulness, self-denial, seiousness, and devotion, were strong and fixed; my desires ardent and intense; my conscience tender, and afraid of every appearance of evil." (105-6)

Probably the most engaging section of his diary are the final months in which his life was slowly ebbing away. He was confined to his bed in the home of Jonathan Edwards while Jerusha, Edwards' daughter, cared for him. Brainerd admitted on his deathbed that he was finally able to take his focus off his vileness and to satisfy himself with Christ's righteousness.

"My heaven is to please God, and glorify him, and to give all to him, and to be wholly devoted to his glory: that is the heaven I long for; that is my religion, and that is my happiness, and always was ever since I suppose I had any true religion.....There is nothing in the world worth living for, but doing good and finishing God's work, doing the work that Christ did. I see nothing else in the world that can yield any satisfaction, besides living to God, pleasing him, and doing his whole will." (252)

Brainerd requested to Edwards that he be buried in Northampton, Massachusetts where Edwards' in-laws' (the Stoddards) remains lay. His request was honored. It was appropriate that a couple of years later, Jerusha Edwards (who also succumbed to consumption) was laid to rest next to Brainerd's grave. An attachment had developed between them while Brainerd was confined to bed. Brainerd's entries hint at this and Jonathan Edwards confirms this.

An excellent and highly recommended read.

The Gospel For Real Life

Title: The Gospel For Real Life
Author: Jerry Bridges
Publisher: NavPress, 2003
Pages: 172
Begun: March 17, 2009
Completed: August 13, 2009

Bridges' primary objectives in this work is to dispel erroneous views of the gospel and to articulate what is the pure gospel. The widely held, but erroneous, understanding of the gospel is what Bridges' calls, "a truncated view of the gospel." This is the view that the gospel is "a door we walk through to become a Christian." In other words, this view says, "the gospel is only for unbelievers." Another unbiblical view of the gospel sees the gospel as what it can do for me. It is the "fire insurance" that protects me from eternal flames and promises me joy in this world. Bridges dubs this the "utilitarian view" of the gospel. Bridges sums up these views:

"We fail to see the gospel as the solution to our greatest problem--our guilt, condemnation, and alientation from God. Beyond that, we fail to see it as the basis of our day-to-day acceptance with Him." (15)

In the following chapters, Bridges presents the gospel in its glory as expounded in the Scriptures: man's totally depraved nature, the curse of sin, God's unmitigated wrath against sin and sinners, the cross, redemption, Christ, reconciliation, adoption, propitiation, sanctification, and glorification. Without plummeting too deep in theological turf, Bridges strikes a fine balance of communicating the essence of theological truth.

The gospel is, then, the power of God to salvation. The gospel is not about man. It's not just a good alternative or the best option out there of many choices. The gospel is about God and His glory. I appreciate this following statement for its biblical focus:

"This Godward focus of Christ's atoning work tells us that it is the integrity of God's moral government and the upholding of His honor and glory that is the primary issue in our salvation. It is true that it is the love of God for sinful people such as you and men that is the wellspring of our salvation, but it is also true that his love could only be shown in such a way that the glory of His holiness and the honor of His Law would be magnified." (89)

An excellent read and a great book to use for Bible studies.

On Being a Pastor

Title: On Being a Pastor
Authors: Derek Prime & Alistair Begg
Publisher: Moody Press, 2004
Pages: 310
Begun: April 13, 2009
Completed: June 6, 2009

Prime and Begg have produced an impressive work on pastoral theology in On Being a Pastor. Mostly written in an informal style and very practical in content, the two pastors share their experiences in the pastorate. Prime ministers at Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh, Scotland and Begg currently ministers at Parkside Church in Cleveland, OH.

The two men discuss myriads of situations a pastor must face in his ministry including a minister's devotional life, his family life, pastoral care, study, counseling, delegation, interpersonal relationships with his congregation, and interpersonal relationships with his fellow elders. Overall, I found the work helpful. There were many good ideas as well as some that I really didn't care for. Though I do not entirely agree with all their suggestions or practices, I appreciate their overall thrust and philosophy. Here are a couple of statements from the first part of the book (the more objective section):

"Before ever we are shepherds and teachers, we are first and foremost sons of God, and our spiritual life demands to be nurtured...God wants us and our fellowship with Him more than He wants even our pastoral and teaching ministry, important as it is." (85-86)

"Right teaching always leads to Him and shows the relationship of all other truths to His saving work and His supremacy in God's purposes." (56)

Heaven On Earth

Title: Heaven on Earth
Author: Thomas Brooks
Publisher: Banner of Truth, 1996
Pages: 320
Begun: January 21, 2009
Completed: May 2, 2009

First published in 1654, Heaven on Earth is a treatise on Christian assurance. Brooks explores in great depth the roots, essence, and fruit of assurance within a genuine child of God. Brooks' contemporary Joseph Caryl summed up Brooks' treatise quite well: "All saints shall enjoy heaven when they leave this earth; some saints enjoy heaven while they are here on earth. That saints might enjoy two heavens is the project of this book."

As difficult as it is to review a treatise with some deep theology, it will suffice to extract some provoking thoughts from the pen of Brooks. Consider some thoughts about how God uses suffering to strengthen a believer's faith and to give him assurance of His love:

"Suffering times are times wherein the Lord is pleased to give His people some sense of His favour. When they are in sufferings for righteousness' sake, for the gospel's sake, then usually God causes His face to shine upon them. Now they shall hear best news from heaven when they hear worst from earth. God loves to smile most upon His people when the world frowns most. When the world puts its iron chains upon their legs, then God puts His golden chains about their necks; when the world puts a bitter cup into their hands, then God drops some of His honey, some of His goodness and sweetness into it." (65)

"The suffering siant may be assaulted, but not vanquished; he may be troubled, but can never be conquered; he may lose his head, but he cannot lose his crown, which the righteous Lord hath prepared and laid up for him.....The Lord causes His goodness to pass before His people, and His face to shine upon His people in times of suffering.....for the praise of His own grace, and for the glory of His own name." (69)

The last half of Brooks' treatise is a detailed analysis of "the eight special things that accompany salvation:"

1. Knowledge
2. Faith
3. Repentance
4. Obedience
5. Love
6. Prayer
7. Perseverance
8. Hope

Of knowledge, Brooks writes,

"Divine knowlege fills a man full of spiritual activity; it will make a man work as if he would be saved by his works, and yet it will make a man believe that he is saved only upon the account of free grace." (178)

"Notional knowledge may make a man excellent at praising the glorious and worthy acts and virtues of Christ; but that transforming knowledge that accompanies salvation, will cause a man divinely to imitate the glorious acts and virtues of Christ." (179)

A difficult read, but an extremely rewarding one!

Feed My Sheep

Title: Feed My Sheep, A Passionate Plea For Preaching
Authors: Eric J. Alexander, Joel R. Beeke, James Montgomery Boice, Sinclair B. Ferguson, Don Kistler, John MacArthur, R. Albert Mohler Jr., John Piper, R. C. Sproul, R. C. Sproul Jr., and Derek W. H. Thomas
Publisher: Reformation Trust, 2008
Pages: 155
Begun: April 8, 2009
Completed: April 12, 2009


This book was originally written and published in the late 90s by Soli Deo Gloria Publications and then was republished again in 2004 by Ligonier Ministries. The newest publication of the book is the second edition published by Reformation Trust now in an attractive hardback cover. The work consists of eleven chapters, each chapter written by the eleven contributing pastors listed above. The overall theme as indicated by the book's subtitle is "a passionate plea for preaching." The book, then, is a biblical defense of preaching in general and of the lectio continua method in particular. Specific topics discussed are the primacy of preaching, the foolishness of preaching, expository preaching, experiential preaching, preaching to the mind, preaching with authority, and evangelistic preaching.

The two chapters that made the deepest impressions upon me were Ferguson's on "Preaching to the Heart" and Piper's on "Preaching to Suffering People." Ferguson gives five characteristics of heart preaching:

1. A right use of the Bible.
2. Nourishment of the whole person.
3. An understanding of the condition of the hearers.
4. The use of imagination.
5. Grace in Christ.

I like what he says here: "Preaching to the heart, then, is not merely a matter of technique or homiletic style. These things have their proper place and relevance. But the more fundamental, indeed, the more essential thing for the preacher is surely the fact that something has happened in his own heart; it has been laid bare before God by His Word. He, in turn, lays his heart bare before those to whom he ministers. And within that context, the goal he has in view is so to lay bare the truth of the Word of God that the hearts of those who hear are opened vertically to God and horizontally to one anther." (104)

He goes on to say: "In the last analysis, this is what preaching to the heart is intended to produce: inner prostration of the hearts of our listeners through a consciousness of the presence and glory of God. This result distinguishes authentic biblical preaching from any cheap substitute; it marks the difference between preaching about the Word of God and preaching the Word of God." (104-5)

In discussing grace in Christ as it affects the manner of our preaching: "For while preaching involves bringing the world of the Bible to bear upon the world of our contemporaries, it also involves bringing the message-in-words of the Scriptures through the message-in-manner of the preacher. There needs to be a marriage between the message and the manner; therein lies the heart of the mystery of preaching." (114)

Piper, in his chapter on Preaching to Suffering People, begins with five assumptions:

1. Preaching is expository exultation.
2. Preaching is a normative event in the gathered church.
3. The aim of preaching is the glory of God through Jesus Christ.
4. God is most glorified in our people when our people are most satisfied in Him.
5. Suffering is a universal human experience, designed by God for His glory, but endangering every Christian's faith.

If all these assumptions are true which they are, then "our preaching must aim, week in and week out, to help our people be satisfied in God while suffering. Indeed, we must help them count suffering as part of why they should be satisfied in God. We must build into their minds and hearts a vision of God and His ways that helps them see suffering not merely as a threat to their satisfaction if God (which it is), but also as a means to their satisfaction in God (which it is). We must preach so as to make suffering seem normal and purposeful, and not surprising in this fallen age." (131)

God uses our own suffering as preachers to affect our preaching to suffering people in the following ways:

1. God has ordained that our preaching becomes deeper and more winsome as we are broken, humbled, and made low and desperately dependent on grace by the trials of our lives.

2. God has ordained that when we preach from weakness and suffering sustained by joy in Christ, the people see that Christ is treasured and they are loved.

3. The suffering of the preacher helps him see from Scripture what he must say to his suffering people.

Piper's conclusion: "We must preach with a passion to produce people whose satisfaction in God is so solid, so deep, and so unshakable that suffering and death will not make our people murmur or curse God, but will help them count it all joy and say with Paul, 'To live is Christ and to die is gain.' How will that happen? I said that the preacher must suffer. That is what I have tried to show thus far. And then the preacher must rejoice. He must be hurt in the ministry, and he must be happy in God." (138)

I have found this a helpful resource on preaching that I want to reread in the future. It was greatly convicting and encouraging at the same time. I would highly recommend it to my fellow preachers.

Worship Matters

Title: Worship Matters
Author: Bob Kauflin
Publisher: Crossway, 2008
Pages: 259
Begun: February 9, 2009
Completed: April 8, 2009

Bob Kauflin, director of worship development at Sovereign Grace, has penned his thoughts on worship and music for the 21st century church. Though I do not entirely agree with some of his applications, especially in the music realm, I appreciated his obvious passion for biblical worship. He writes some excellent chapters on biblical worship that made the reading well worth it. I would describe his approach in this book as being philosophically practical. He shares a number of illustrations from his personal life. Consider some compelling statements:

"The Great God values not the service of men, if the heart be not in it: The Lord sees and judges the heart; he has no regard to outward forms of worship, if there be no inward adoration, if no devout affection be employed therin. It is therefore a matter of infinite importance, to have the whole heart engaged steadfastly for God." (26)(This is actually a quotation by Isaac Watts.)

"The better (i.e. the more accurately) we know God through his Word, the more genuine our worship will be. In fact, the moment we veer from what is true about God, we're engaging in idolatry. Regardless of what we think or feel, there is no authentic worship of God without a right knowledge." (28)

"There are many things we can proclaim during and after a time of corporate worship. God's glory is unending, and his perfections are infinite. But the fuel of our praise will always be the gospel of Christ who has redeemed us and brought us to God." (134)

All in all, this was a good read. A drawback for me personally was his wordy and rambling writing style. But that is a relatively minor thing compared to the core message of the book.

In the Splendor of Holiness

Title: In the Splendor of Holiness
Author: Jon D. Payne
Publisher: Tolle Lege Press, 2008
Pages: 115
Begun: March 11, 2009
Completed: March 16, 2009

The subtitle of this book is "Rediscovering the beauty of Reformed worship for the 21st century." Payne is the pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Douglasville, Georgia. This fairly brief work is a compilation of his weekly pastoral letters to his congregation on the subject of corporate worship. Payne organizes his material by beginning with an introduction and then laying out a chronological order of a church's liturgy with Scriptural teachin on each section of the liturgy. From his introduction, I like his observation on the state of worship that tragically marks innumerable churches:

"In general, evangelical worship has become radically informal, presumptuously innovative, and biblically impoverished. Much of this is due largely to the abandonment of God-centered, biblically-regulated liturgy. What has been shelved is a Protestant liturgical heritage which, for centuries, has faithfully led Christians to worship God biblically and nourish their faith upon Christ through the ordinary means of Word and sacrament" (16).

The Second Chapter, in my opinion, is the best written and articulated chapter of this book, and is one of the best exposes on worship I have read. Payne lists eight qualities of Biblical worship:

1. Biblical worship is Biblical
2. Biblical worship is God-centered, not Man-centered
3. Biblical worship is Dialogical (a dialogue between God and His people)
4. Biblical worship is Simple
5. Biblical worship is Expressed in All of Life AND at Sacred Times
6. Biblical Worship is Reverent
7. Biblical worship is Trinitarian
8. Biblical worship Sets Forth the Person and Redemptive Work of Jesus Christ

Under the first quality, Payne says:

"Worship must, however, in its form and content be rooted in teh authoritative Word of God. Theology, and not a pragmatic philosophy for church growth or the weekly quest for a mountaintop experience with God, must drive our worship....Indeed, to worship God in a way not prescribed in His Word is to undermine His divine authority and rob Him of the glory due His Name" (22, 24).

This is a great book for both pastors and laypersons. I like Payne's deliberateness to be unashamedly Scriptural and Gospel-focused in every aspect of the worship service. It's especially refreshing in a day when churches conduct their worship services with little or no Scriptural thought to them. Why is it that some so-called Gospel-preaching churches engage in mindless, tradition-centered, man-centered "worship?" It is because there is a famine of the Gospel and/or lack of understanding of the Gospel in the church. Where there is a want of the Gospel in the church, there is no true worship. Worship is not about traditions, men, or fads, but as Payne states, "authentic Christian worship, when carried out according to what God (the ultimate governing authority) has instituted in His Word, is the context in which God is honored and His people flourish" (25).

The Gospel & Personal Evangelism

Title: The Gospel & Personal Evangelism
Author: Mark Dever
Publisher: Crossway, 2007
Pages: 119
Begun: March 10, 2009
Completed: March 11, 2009

In times past in reading books on witnessing and evangelism, I internally cringed at the plethora of "easy-believism" theology and at the "user manual" approach to soul-winning. This book, however, was refreshing for its emphasis on the Gospel, God's sovereignty, and God's glory. Having read Dever before, I like his deliberateness and the way he plainly articulates the Gospel. Consider some of his statements on how a true understanding of the Gospel compels us to herald it to others:

"We should stop blaming God. We should stop excusing ourselves from evangelism on the basis that God is sovereign. We should not conclude from his omnipotence that our obedience is therefore pointless. We should instead read from the Word that God will call a great number to himself from every tribe, tongue, and nation, which will encourage us in evangelism....Again, if you will realize that conversion always accompanies proclaiming the gospel and the Spirit's work, then you will stop trying to do the Spirit's work, and you will give yourself to proclaiming the gospel." (28)

"When we don't sufficiently consider what God has done for us in Christ--the high cost of it, what it means, and what Christ's significance is--we lose the heart to evangelize. Our hearts grow cold, our minds grow smaller (more taken up with passing concerns), and our lips fall silent. Consider that God has loved us as he has. Consider that God is glorified by our telling others of this amazing love of his....If we would be more faithful in evangelism, we should fuel the flame of love toward God within us, and the flame of gratitude and of hope. A fire so enflamed by God will have no trouble igniting our tongue." (29)

The book is in seven fairly brief chapters. In my opinion, the Second Chapter is the best, entitled, "What is the Gospel?" I would read the book again just for this chapter. The Appendix, A Word to Pastors, is also very good. Dever exhorts the pastor to cultivate a Gospel-culture within the church:

"It is our task as pastors to lead all believers in accepting, embracing, and using the opportunities that God richly gives them. In all of this, we should work not so much merely to implement programs as to create a culture in our church. We want our congregations to be marked by a culture of evangelism." (118)

I highly recommend this book. It doesn't take long to read, and Dever is easy to follow. You will find it, as I found, provocative and stimulating.

A Tale of Two Sons

Title: a Tale of Two Sons
Author: John MacArthur
Publisher: Thomas Nelson, 2008
Pages: 210
Begun: February 7, 2009
Finished: February 19, 2009
Rating: *****

The title of MacArthur's book on Christ's parable on the Prodigal Son is not only riveting, but the subtitle is equally gripping: "the inside story of a father, his sons, and a shocking murder." Yes, the "shocking murder" aroused my curiosity, but I resisted the urge to peek at the end of the book to find out about this murder (it occurs on page 195). More on that later.

A Tale of Two Sons is a series of sermons MacArthur preached on the parable of the Prodigal from Luke 15. MacArthur does a masterful job in detailing the plot, the characters, and explaining cultural and historical backgrounds for the parable. He begins in his introduction by immediately laying out the central message of the parable:

"The central message of the parable, then, is an urgent and sobering entreaty to hard-hearted listeners whose attitudes exactly mirrored the elder brother's. The parable of the prodigal son is not a warm and fuzzy feel-good message, but it is a powerful wake-up call with a very earnest warning."

After the introduction, the book is divided into five parts:
1. The Parable
2. The Prodigal
3. The Father
4. The Elder Brother
5. The Epilogue

Interwoven throughout the book, MacArthur explains the method of interpreting parables. The 10-page appendix is actually an article entitled: "Storied Truth: Learning to find meaning in parables." This was an explanation of a historical-grammatical approach in handling parables. I felt it was an appropriate way to end the book. From that appendix:

"Whether the true meaning of this or that symbol is patently obvious or one that requires a little detective work, the point is still the same: Jesus' parables were all illustrative of gospel facts. The stories were not (as some people nowadays like to suggest) creative alternatives to propositional truth statements, designed to supplant certainty. They were not dreamy fantasies told merely to evoke a feeling. And they certainly weren't mind games contrived to make everything vague. Much less was Jesus employing fictional forms in order to displace truth itself with mythology" (200).

"But on the question of whether each parable actually has a single divinely inspired sense and therefore a proper interpretation--an objectively true sense--there has never been any serious dispute among people who take the authority of Scripture seriously. The corollary of that idea is an equally sound principle: every possible interpretation that contradicts the one true meaning of a passage is false by definition" (201).

And to the shocking murder at the end of the parable? MacArthur explains:

"Don't forget that Jesus told the parable--including the abrupt ending--chiefly for the benfit of the scribes and Pharisees. It was really a story about them. The elder brother represented them....The Pharisees' ultimate response to Jesus would write the end of the story in real-life. Since the father figure in the parable represents Christ and the elder brother is a symbol of Israel's religious elite, in effect, the true ending to the story, as written by the scribes and Pharisees themselves, ought to read something like this: 'The elder son was outraged at his father. He picked up a piece of lumber and beat him to death in front of everyone'" (194-95).

This work was a gripping and sound treatment of the parable. He brought out interesting cultural facets and exegetical tidbits to shed light on the parable. An engaging and recommended read!

The Summer of 1787

Title: The Summer of 1787
Author: David O. Stewart
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2007
Pages: 284
Begun: February 3, 2009
Finished: February 7, 2009
Rating: *****

This work is an in-depth analysis of the making of the United States Constitution during the Summer of 1787. From the initial meeting of the Convention in Philadelphia on May 25 to the final meeting and signing of the Constitution on September 17, Stewart traces all the proceedings of the Convention and relates biographical sketches of the 55 delegates from 12 colonies (Rhode Island refused to send delegates).

Each chapter details the discussions and debates among the Framers of the Constitution during a given week. On average, each chapter covers about one week of meetings. Throughout the narrative, Stewart intersperses some insightful background on some of the key delegates in order that the reader would gain an understanding of a particular position that certain delegate took.

Stewart's approach in his account is straightforward and unbiased. As one would assume, he draws heavily from the journals and private writings of James Madison and a couple of other delegates to give the account. The result is a fascinating story of the countless hours, heated debates, and philosophical panderings that transpired in Independence Hall.

I was taken aback again by the ubiquitous issue of slavery during those meetings and the constant tension it would cause in the decision-making (from states' rights to taxes to representation). I was also struck by the selfishness involved among probably all the delegates as it related to pushing their own agenda for their personal gain. There was probably much more politicking and duplicity involved in creating the Constitution than most historians would want to admit. That is not to say that everything that transpired within those halls was crooked.

One section is worthy of posting here for its only reference to something of a religious nature in the book:

"Finally, Dr. Franklin [Benjamin Franklin] urged the delegates humbly to recognize the role of the Almighty by beginning each session with a prayer. Exhibiting the political tone-deafness that afflicted him through this phase of the Convention, Hamilton [Alexander Hamilton] opposed prayer. Its commencement, he cautioned, might lead the public to form 'unpleasant animadversions' about their progress. In any event, another chimed in, there we no funds to pay for a minister to lead them in prayer, so none was brought in" (103).

This was a very interesting and captivating read. Stewart has a scholarly, yet conversational style in his writing. I felt he fairly and unbiasedly treated the material. I am looking forward to his new book to be released in May entitled Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln's Legacy.

Pastoral Ministry

Title: Pastoral Ministry
Authors: John MacArthur and The Master's Seminary Faculty
Publisher: Thomas Nelson, 2005
Pages: 313
Begun: September 13, 2008
Finished: February 3, 2009
Rating: ****

The subtitle of this work is "How to Shepherd Biblically," which is well-fitting to the purpose and content. MacArthur and the men of the Seminary address various issues of ministry ranging from the Lord's Table to staff meetings, from discipleship to pastoral relationships, and from preaching to worship. The book is divided into four sections with an average of 4-5 chapters per section:

I. Biblical Perspectives
II. Preparatory Perspectives
III. Personal Perspectives
IV. Pastoral Perspectives

Each chapter begins with biblical data and a theological framework on the topic being addressed followed by practical application. A sampling of statements from the opening chapter, entitled "Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry," gives a flavor of the thrust of the book:

"The real contrast in competing ministry models is not the traditional versus the contemporary, but rather the scriptural compared to the unscriptural" (4). Mayhue argues that the right approach to ministry is "a redemptively centered, God-focused, biblically defined, and scripturally prioritized ministry" (4).

"The statements of this chapter are not a call for a user-friendly church, a culturally ignorant church, or a seeker insensitive church. We have no desire to 'unchurch the unchurched' or to promote an irrelevant dinosaur of a church. On the other hand, neither do we want to substitute the latest theories in sociology and psychology for the truth of theology. We do not want to confuse the common sense benefit of demographic statistics and analysis of culture with the far more important understanding of God's will for the church, both for Christians and non-Christians. We ardently desire to let the important consideration of God and His revealed will in Scripture be the major focus" (13).

The only drawback of the book is that it is written by eleven men. That becomes clear about a quarter of the way through the book. There lacks a cohesiveness throughout due to the various and differing thoughts/ideas of the authors. Often the men would contradict each other or would repeat an idea in a strinkingly similar phrase as another author. If you can put that weakness aside (which was difficult for me to do), you men will find it a good read overall.

The Deliberate Church

Title: The Deliberate Church
Authors: Mark Dever and Paul Alexander
Publisher: Crossway, 2005
Pages: 202
Begun: January 18, 2009
Finished: January 23, 2009
Rating: *****

The subtitle of this book, "Building your ministry on the gospel," explains the title and the purpose of all 21 chapters. These authors' statements in the introduction give a flavor of what is to follow for the rest of the book:

"The structure we're building, then, is fundamentally God-centered--it is a Godward structure, designed to display the glories of God's character and the truth of His Gospel (26). The Gospel itself is God's constructive power for building the body of Christ. The Word builds the Church (27). The Gospel alone contains the theology that must drive our ministry methods" (28).

The authors divide the book into four sections: 1. Gathering the church, 2. When the Church gathers, 3. Gathering the elders, and 4. When the elders gather. Each section begins with a theological framework from which Dever and Alexander flesh out with specific applications and helpful suggestions. Throughout the book, the focus on the Gospel as the foundation and driving power of the Church is never lost. Consider these statements:

Regarding personal discipleship, "Members need to know that spiritual maturity is not simply about their quiet times, but about their love for other believers, and their concrete expressions of that love. A healthy by-product of non-staff members discipling other members is that it promotes a growing culture of distinctively Christian community, in which people are loving one another not simply as the world loves, but as followers of Christ who are together seeking to understand and live out the implications of His Word for their lives" (38).

"Yet the Gospel is not ultimately about me. It is about God making His holiness and sovereign mercy known. It is about God's glory, and gathering worshipers for Himself who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. It is about God vindicating His holiness by punishing Christ for the sins of all those who repent and believe. It is about making a name for Himself in the world by gathering a people and separating them to Himself for the spread of His fame to the nations" (56).

"The biblical hallmarks of church health--holiness, faith, love, sound doctrine--are cultivated in us as we are captivated by Him" (195).

"What is needed most today is a commitment to being deliberate about setting forth the truth plainly, because the truth as we gaze on it in Christ is what transforms us, what builds us up and sets us free" (197).

"The local church is the major player, under God's providence, in the accomplishment of God's purposes in human history, and His ultimate vision for the church actually surpasses even the global stage" (200).

I could continue with a plethora of other thought-provoking statements, but these represent the core message of The Deliberate Church. I found the book insightful, encouraging, and stimulating. Anyone currently involved in church ministry (including laymen) should seriously consider reading and studying The Deliberate Church.

A Call to Spiritual Reformation

Title: A Call to Spiritual Reformation
Author: D. A. Carson
Publisher: Baker, 1992
Pages: 226
Begun: October 15, 2008
Finished: January13, 2009
Rating: *****

Carson, in A Call to Spiritual Reformation, lays a theological framework for prayer by surveying and unpacking the prayers of the Apostle Paul. The subtitle of the book summarizes Carson's purpose: "priorities from Paul and his prayers." The First Chapter is practical in which Carson shares some personal thoughts and considerations on one's prayer life.

"We will not grow in prayer unless we plan to pray......Prayer is His ordained means of conveying His blessings to His people. That means we must pray according to His will, in line with His values, in conformity with His own character and purposes, claiming His own promises" (19, 32).

In Chapters Two and Three, Carson leads his readers through 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 in which Paul petitions God in behalf of the Thessalonian Church. Through Paul's prayer, he stresses the theocentric nature of prayer. This theocentric focus in praying affects the way one prays for others as described in Chapters Four and Five.

About half-way through the book, Carson hits it on the head with this statement which pretty much sums up the thesis of the book:

"The more we learn about God and His ways and His perspectives, the more we improve our grasp not only of elemental theology but of prayer as well. All praying presupposes an underlying theology; conversely, our theology will have a decisive influence on our praying" (95).

In Chapter Seven Carson gives the most common excuses Christians use in covering up their prayerlessness. Then in Chapter Eight he unpacks Philippians 1:9-11, a passage giving hope for spiritual barrenness.

The closing chapters center around the seemingly conflicting facts of God's sovereignty and man's responsibility to pray. These chapters are especially well worth the read of the book. Carson explores a number of passages in Scripture revealing these two truths.

The closing pages of this book yield some convicting thoughts:

"We want to experience power so that we can be in control; Paul prays for power so that we will be controlled by God Himself. Our deep and pathetic self-centeredness is precisely why it takes the power of God to transform us, if we are to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge and grow to the maturity the Scriptures hold out before us" (197).

This book is not and should not be a fast read, so be prepared to glean it and benefit from it.

The Promises of Grace

Title: The Promises of Grace: Living in the Grip of God's Love
Author: Bryan Chapell
Publisher: Baker, 2001
Pages: 171
Begun: January 15, 2009
Finished: January 17, 2009
Rating: ****

As children of God, we are sometimes prone to doubt the sovereignty, love, and grace of the Father, especially during times of intense pressure and testing. What gives us unshakeable hope and assurance in the midst of the furnace is the promise of God's grace to His own. That is the central theme of this book. Chapell puts is this way in the introduction:

"The benefits of God's grace are so overwhelming, so sure, and so powerful that they defy the ability of the troubles of this world to dampen our faith or spoil our joy" (9).

Written in a devotional style and a highly accessible reading level, The Promises of Grace is a study on Romans 8 and is divided into four parts: 1. Calming Storms, 2. Spirit Signs, 3. God's Grace, and 4. Jesus' Love.

Chapter One of Part One hones in on the first verse of Romans 8: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Nothing, not even sin, brings condemnation to those who are in Christ. "Spiritual health never comes from belittling sin, but from a willingness to bathe its filthy entirety in the compassion of God. Our hearts will not be whole, nor will our lives be more holy, if every room and dark corner in them does not echo the promise, 'There is now no condemnation'" (26).

Chapell continues in the Second Chapter with a look at doubting one's faith and self-rejection. It is the Christ's gospel that liberates us from the chains of doubt:

"When Christians' hearts grive in sorrow over sin, they are witnessing the presence of the Spirit in them, because apart from the Spirit there could be no such grief.....my antipathy for my sin is my assurance of God's love. The storm of self-rejection cannot destroy my peace because its blasts prove I am anchored in God's acceptance" (38).

Chapell in Part Two visits the work of the Spirit. In Chapters Three and Four, he discusses joy in the Spirit and prayer through the Spirit.

Part Three is the core of the book dealing with grace itself. Chapell explains:

"God adds the grace necessary to mark you as His own and to make you after the likeness of His Son. He provides whatever grace is necessary to conform your life to the model of His design. Because your destination is God's own kingdom, you are of infinite value to Him, and He provides the grace necessary to make you reflect His own glory" (76).

"We will never be loved any more by God, and we can be loved no less, for God already loves us as He loves His own Son who resides in us. We have all of God's love" (91).

This grace and love is spiritually motivating: "A biblical view of the unlimited, unchanging love of God is the only path to healthy holiness" (93).

Part Four concludes on the love and mercy of Christ with a focus on Romans 8:38-39:For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Chapell closes well with these statements:

"We are too weak to hold onto God....our grasp is bound to fail if we rely on our own strength to maintain our hold on God. The message of grace in Romans 8 is as simple as our predicament is plain. Because we cannot hang onto God, He holds onto us.....Godliness thrives when God holds us in the promises of grace" (170-71).

Those of you interested in The Promises of Grace may find it a good resource for small group Bible studies or classes. Each chapter has review questions and Chapell provides a suggested schedule in studying this book on pages 172-73. This book well communicates and elevates the Gospel and grace for living.

Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins we Tolerate

Title: Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate
Author: Jerry Bridges
Publisher: NavPress, 2007
181 pages
Begun: December 29, 2008
Finished: January 4, 2009
Rating: ***



"Respectable Sins" is a study on the subtle sins that God's people often overlook in their own lives. Bridges spends the first six chapters of the book unpacking the doctrine of sin in the Scriptures. He pretty well hits it on the head in Chapter Three in describing what sin is:

"Therefore, when we sin, when we violate the law of God in anyway, be it ever so small in our eyes, we rebel against the sovereign authority and transcendent majesty of God. To put it bluntly, our sin is an assault on the majesty and sovereign rule of God. It is indeed cosmic treason" (27).

In the very next chapter, Bridges articulates the remedy for sin:

"The remedy for our sin, whether scandalous or acceptable, is the gospel in its widest scope" (33).

In Chapters 5 and 6, Bridges summarizes the doctrine of sanctification by explaining the work of the Holy Spirit against the flesh. In this regards, he lays a principle which he calls the principle of dependent responsibility:

"We are responsible before God to obey His Word, to put to death the sins in our lives, both the so-called acceptable sins and the obviously not acceptable ones. At the same time, we do not have the ability within ourselves to carry out this responsibility. We are in fact totally dependent upon the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. In this sense, we are both responsible and dependent" (41)

Bridges in Chapter 6 again describes sin in light of the gospel:

"We should always address our sin in the context of the gospel" (47).

The remaining chapters of the book, Chapters 7-21, confront specific sins including ungodliness, anxiety, discontentment, unthankfulness, pride, selfishness, lack of self-control, impatience, anger, judgmentalism, envy, and worldliness. For each chapter, Bridges briefly surveys Scriptural teaching and examples on the specific sin he is dealing with. At the end of each chapter, he reminds his reader that that particular sin is an egregious offense against Christ and the gospel.

He closes in Chapter 21 reiterating that the gospel is the believer's greatest need in this earthly life:

"The way to grow in our new affection for Christ that Chalmers preached about is to grow in our awareness of Christ's love for us as revealed to us in the gospel. The apostle Paul wrote that it is Christ's love for us that constrains us to live for Him. Such love for Him that will drive out our love for the world can only be a response to the deep, heartfelt sense of His love for us" (178).

Be prepared to be convicted as you read "Respectable Sins." Bridges tends to be a bit formulaic at times in his approach to dealing with sin, but his overall emphasis on the gospel is appreciated. The end-result of reading this book should be a greater love and loyalty to the gospel. If that is the end-result, then a reading of "Respectable Sins" is worth it.

Posted for Brian (since Bob hasn't sent out the invites yet!)