Book review: reformed theology.

It is as the preacher Charles Spurgeon once said in a sermon on election: "It is no novelty, then, that I am preaching; no new doctrine. I love to proclaim these strong old doctrines, which are called by nickname Calvinism, but which are surely and verily the revealed truth of God as it is in Christ Jesus." And most assuredly these words, we must agree with completely, as they communicate the very heart of the Gospel of grace as we see it in the scriptures. It is only by means of God sovereign grace that sinner may be saved and given new life. What a blessing it is! 

The Apostle Paul put it in this way in Titus 1 when he says: "for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time revealed His word in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Saviour." (vs. 1-3)  Now it should be evident that Salvation is not only an act in which all three members of the Trinity are actively at work; but it also shows that it alone is a work of  the Triune God alone. That is to say, we do not figure into the process of how one is saved in any manner. There would none saved if it were left to us. 

The above book I have chosen, are in my opinion, some of the best explanations of the core elements of salvation as reformed theology defines it. The writers are as follows: James Robert White for one; and James Montgomery Boice and Philip Graham Ryken for the other. Let us now turn to our review of these works. 

God's Sovereign Grace

Our first writer mentioned above put this work out in 1991 and it is a rather short book at only 156 pages; but that is not speaking to its significant place in the reformed camp. Inside we find that there are 9 main chapters and 3 appendices. These are the following: (1) the basis of inquiry: the word of God. (2) A six sided pedalled tulip: all important starting point. (3) man in sin: a hard truth to accept. (4) grace of God in salvation. (5) was anyone saved at the cross. (6) a dead man's tale. (7) secure in the Father and the Son. (8) a little history: Luther, Calvin and Arminius. (9) conclusion.  In these chapters, James White masterfully expounded each truth by means of examining what the scriptures teach. And in each case: the doctrine is made clear and fully understood. 

Now after given us the main body of these truths. He goes on to provide 3 appendices on different matter: (a) foreknowledge: a biblical case. (b) the denial of the doctrines of grace leads to grave error. (c) answer to a few common objections. Now in the introduction he makes this statement as to why he felt it was important to give this subject it's full merit: "the only proper attitude for this discussion is one that is based upon, moulded by, and directed towards a sincere, deep desire to know the truth of God, no matter what it means." In other words, this is one subject which our own bias and prejudice must be check and left at the door. We need to have the frame of mind in which only God's truth is the paramount thing.

Let us mention a few important chapters in this; these are ones that stand out to men. The first one is the second main chapter which deals with God's being and character. Or to put more simply His sovereignty. It is a 26 page chapter (pg. 5-31) and from pg. 20-31 we deal with matters which pertain to his rulership and kingship: (a) sovereign ruler. (b) decrees of God. (c) providence of God. (d) theodicy. And it is worth the read for all these matter; but the one point is the last one from a reformed perspective.   The following words ring true if evil is not a part of God's purpose and that He defines that purpose: "it is a God who is not in control, one who wishes things could different, but is powerless to bring it about. " (pg. 28)   "this means, of course, that evil itself will result in God glory. How? We cannot always tell. We see such a small amount of the entire story. But should we not remember Joseph's words to his brothers in Genesis 50:20?" (pg. 29) There then is some statements on that matter. It is a solemn topic. 

There are few other stand out sections (the appendices) which bare some consideration. The first one is dealing with foreknowledge: in this we see that he is dealing with the New Testament word "prognosis" which means biblically "to have intimate awareness of another" or to love beforehand. He goes through the Old Testament back ground to establish this reality. It is an important investigation. The second one is on dealing with erroneous position that have been raised against reformed theology by Arminians (pgs. 123-152): (a) the prior knowledge view. (b) the openness view. (c) the adaption view. Each one of these are contradicted by scriptures none more so than by the classic section in Isaiah 40-45 and this is how the chapter ends with a 19 page examination of that section. That is our thoughts on this section. 

The doctrines of Grace

Our second book is by two men written in 2001 and it is average in its length being 226 pages. This work is a standard for anyone who is looking for a more historical and practical demonstration of this biblical position. Now that is not say that there is no theological treatment of this system because there is. we have 9 chapter which are set under three categories: (1) The Doctrines of Grace: a history. (2) the five points: a theology.  (3) rediscovering God's grace: a practical view point.  This work was something which flowed out of another work that Boice wrote "whatever happened to the gospel of grace?" he said: "it served as a prologue to this present volume." Therefore, this book stands as a great treasure for all who read it. Now each of these three section has something important to offer; but I will only concentrate on the chapter which I believe need to be noted. 

In the first section, we have two chapters and both are important. The first being "why evangelism needs Calvinism?" There is a clearly a polluted message out there which has a pragmatic basis and structure to it. We are told that this destructive idea leads to this conclusion: "they seek the world's wisdom, believe the world's theology, follow the worlds agenda, adopt the world's methods. According to the standards of worldly wisdom, the bible is unable to meet the demands of life in these postmodern times." (pg. 20) It has been 2 decades since this was stated and it has only gotten worse with self-help pet talks and idea that are passing for Christian talks these days. And I agree that only a good strong dose of Calvinism can rectify things. The second chapter gives us a great historical lesson in what has taken place when reformed doctrine is upheld. We are given several campions of the position, and it starts with Calvin Himself; the puritans; the great awakening: Edwards and Whitefield; Kuyper's Holland. And ends with the descent from Reformed theology to Liberalism and the present evangel crisis. 

In the third section, we have this most glorious chapter entitled "the true Calvinist" which extolls the grandness of what it is means to be a Calvinist (reformed adherent). It can be summed up in these words: "the true Calvinist ought to be the most outstanding Christian-- not narrow and unkind, but grounded in God's grace and therefore generous in spirit." (pg.180) That is what must be true; and if it not, then the problem lies not in Calvinism but in the person who has not understood this truth. Boice continues on to give us six important foundations: (1) A God centred mind. (2) A penitent spirit. (3) A grateful heart. (4) A submissive will. (5) A holy life. (6) A glorious purpose. There it is: a grand picture of what it means to be a Calvinist. 

Now both of these books I would highly recommend.