Book Recommendation-Discovering God’s Will by Sinclair Ferguson

I don’t normally take a lot of notes when reading a book, but with this one I took a lot. The topic is an important one for believers. How can we know God’s will? Sinclair Ferguson puts forth the idea that God’s will is shaped by the big picture-God’s ultimate purposes for us and creation.

Early on he advises us, “In the first place, we need to recognise that we do not find God’s guidance for our lives by reading a book on guidance!” What he is trying to say is, there is no easy answer. He warns us, “There is no avoiding and no substitute for, the sometimes long, arduous experience of discovering the will of God in our own lives.” This does not deny absolutes, but is stated for any who may be looking for simple formulas to apply. “We learn about guidance primarily by learning about the Guide.” (italics in original.)

Once he introduces the topic, Ferguson starts to look at God’s ultimate purpose. He advises us that the idea God guides us implies God has laid down a path for us, our lives have purpose now, and destiny for the future. He then breaks these points down and looks at them biblically. In speaking of God’s purpose, Sinclair tells us, “There is, in fact, no more basic question for us to ask than this: Will this course of action tend to further the glory of God?” (italics in original) From here he digs into what it really means to imitate Jesus.

Then the book looks at guidelines. He warns us against the illusion that God’s will can be learned overnight. I have come across many believers who want just that—to know exactly and to know now. But it doesn’t work that way. So Ferguson looks to the Bible and tells us how three ways scripture provides us with what we need to know about God’s character and wisdom. He looks into scripture himself and gives examples. He also outlines how scripture helps us

After that come warnings about the heart, and our need to guard ours. Our motives may be suspect for starters. Ferguson addresses the conditions in the heart, particularly what we need to have.

The book continues in this vein through our lifestyles, conduct, calling marriage, and waiting. He addresses the reader who may have been hoping this book would tell would provide all the answers and do it now. What can that reader do now that it is apparent this is not a self-help book or a simple list of “what to do.”

I always seem to enjoy and profit from reading Sinclair Ferguson. He communicates clearly, and biblically. This is a breath of fresh air given a lot of what is written by contemporary authors. It is tempting to merely post a multi-part series summarizing this book, but instead I will recommend you get yourself a copy and devour it for yourself. I think you’ll learn more that way.

Discovering God's Will is published by Banner of Truth.

Book Recommendation #2-Willing to Believe by RC Sproul (A repost from 2005)

Whether or not man has free will, and what free will means is often a fiercely debated topic in the church, and yet many do not know about the history of this debate, the development of various doctrines concerning it, or the implications of what they believe. Consequently they may hold to a faulty view they’ve never worked through or examined in Scripture. WILLING TO BELIEVE by R.C. Sproul is a wonderful historic survey focused on this debate. Starting with Pelagius and Augustine, (Both born in AD 354), and going up to Lewis Sperry Chafer, (Who died in 1952), he looks at major players on all sides of the debate, (And some who tried to straddle it). None of the ideas related here have totally died out, as each generation either builds on the past (For good or bad), or ignores the past and repeats its mistakes. Unfortunately some of the false views are common in the church today.

This debate is important and has consequences. As Sproul points out in the introduction, “How we understand the will of man touches heavily on our view of humanity and God’s character…Any view of the human will that destroys the biblical view of human responsibility is seriously defective. Any view of the human will that destroys the biblical view of God’s character is even worse.” The debate also involves how we view man’s depravity and God’s effectual grace.

We encounter Pelagius, Augustine, The Council of Ephesus (AD 431), John Cassian, The Synod of Orange (529), Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Finney, and Lewis Sperry Chafer. Sproul tracks history for us, both good and bad.

Sproul concludes by pointing out the close connection between one’s view of the fall, regeneration, and free will. They all affect each other. He praises God, who is salvation. Sproul’s approach and the historical context make it easy to follow.
It lets you sort things out for yourself.

Willing to Believe is published by Baker Book House & is 224 pages.
(Originally posted Septemebr 21, 2005)

LOTW September 17, 2007

Well I'm back with a new "Links of the Whenever", formerly "Links of the Week"

First--since our congregation is using John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" as a basis for Christian Education, here's a link to the book online. If you don't have a copy of your own-check it out here. It's at the CCEL website, which has many classic Christian writings, there for your perusal and study. It's an excellent resource for Christians.

And on the silly side, here's a fun fan site for the 1960's Batman TV show. Just for fun.

Another Reason to Love Books

As if I needed another reason, now there's a report that states our literacy skills aren't set after school, but actually decline starting about age 25.

Literacy skills fall as we age.

Now it's only about one grades worth, but still that could make a difference. This part made me think I should be okay-"The reading people do at work helps, but not nearly as much as reading a variety of materials for pleasure at home."

Sounds like me.

I should stop though before it sounds like bragging, and I get prideful.

Let this be another encouragement and reason to read.


(And here's a related link-Literacy Statistics. Now go do some more reading.)

Book Recommendation-Spiritual Warfare & satan’s schemes by Rev Darrin Lauder

There it was, a small book sticking out among the others in the spiritual warfare section. Some were books that blamed everything on demons and told how to get deliverance. Some told how to address the demons, while others saw demons under every rock, and around every corner. This one looked to Christ and His Word.

In his first book, Darrin Lauder uses a devotional approach presenting 31 meditations on spiritual warfare. It’s an easily accessible book that is practical and biblical. I like the approach as it allows Rev Lauder to target several areas and aspects of true biblical warfare. And while he urges us no tot be ignorant of the devil’s schemes, (2 Cor 2:11) he points us to Christ in every chapter.

This book grasps the reality of God’s sovereignty and our responsibility. The Lord is our strength, and we fight the battle in His power. He helps us to persevere. Yet we can not ignore the situations where we may stumble and fall. This is every day Christian living, not dramatic demon hunting. It may not seem as dramatic, but following Christ has its own drama.

I do know of people who minister in cultures where demons are given undue attention. They do encounter more dramatic situations than most of us do. I am glad I do not have the encounters they do, but the devil’s schemes are no less dangerous in my life. They may be more so in some ways as they can be much more subtle.

Reading this book I was reminded of C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters. In that book he points out the devil’s two main schemes are get us to ignore him or even deny he exists, or to go the other way and obsess about him. Unfortunately much of the Church does one or the other. But this book presents a good balance-we are not ignorant of his schemes, but we focus on Christ, and go to Him.

One of the chapters I enjoyed the most was one on perseverance through pain. (Those who were reading this blog in November and onwards know, at least in general that I lived through that.) While he wrote this book before I experienced my pain, Rev Lauder wrote words I could relate to so well. With the Lord’s grace I made it through.

I also enjoyed the chapter on James 4:7. That is a wonderful verse that sums up how to deal the devil. Submit to God and resist the devil. Of course if we submit to God we will resist evil and sin. Unfortunately we don’t always submit.

I certainly recommend this book. You could use it as a devotional, as a starting point for study-individually or in a group, or just read it as any other book. But digest the words and go to the Word and pray. And yes, the author is an old friend of mine, but it is encouraging to see growth in him from many years ago, and to see familiar patterns in his writing.

You can find the book online, and there’s more info at his church website.

Links of the Whenever

For those who came in late-this used to be "Links of the Week".
However due to time constraints I wasn't always able to post these weekly. Even when I posted weekly or more often than weekly I sometimes left them out, so LOTW changed from Links of the Week to Links of the Whenever--as in whenever I post them.
So on with the show.

First--Hipster Calvin-
This is from a blog that hasn't been added to for a while. But it is humourous, so I'm posting it here. It's by a guy nmaed Sean McCausland. Sean is a member of a sister church-Woodgreen Presbyterian Church. This was done as an ad promoting the church library.
Hipster Calvin
There are others he's done posted here.

I don't know if Sean ever checks these for comments--but drop by & check it out.
Sean also has other stuff online--including Church in the Lurch, which I link to under blog links, and study notes on Romans and one on Mark (Which I can not find the link to right now.)

Next--I previously linked to a similar site that had helmets for all sorts of football teams. This one was inspired by the earlier one, and he presents some different leagues and themes.
Helmets, Helmets, Helmets

Books, Books, Books

I have a weakness for books.
In many ways that's good, as you can learn a lot.
On the other hand there are a lot of bad books out there.
That's one of the reasons I review books here that I recommend.
(I plan on posting a new review soon.)
Also on the bad side is a temptation to make idols of my books, and not just my theological books.
I don't mean in the sense of "bibliolatry" that Roman Catholics have accused me of, nor making idols of favorite authors--I mean the actual books themselves, and the idea of books. (Although "bibliolatry" could be interpreted as "worship of books.")
I love books in general--all sorts of books.

The last time I moved there were jokes about how many books we were moving. But they weren't necessarily jokes after a while.

And there were questions-

"This box is more books?"
"How many books do you need?" (The answer is "At least one more.")
"Have you read all these?" (The answer is "Not enough of them.")

I re-read books, some many times.

I don't like marking up my books.
I have a list of them on file cards, and would love a program like the public library uses to list them and look them up by topic or author or even publisher.

I'm bringing this up because I was in a great mood when I got home today. Why?
I ordered two books from Banner of Truth back in late March, and they were on order so they took longer than usual to arrive. Well today there was a larger than normal envelope in the mail for me.

It was my new books. (New being a relative term-one was written in the late 1600's and the other in the early 1800's.) My mood was lifted.

These books will hopefully make it here as recommended reading.

For those of you curious about them I got-
Truth's Victory Over Error by Dave Dickson. It's a commentary on the Westminster Confession of Faith. Their description of it is "This book is not merely of historical interest; it is also of considerable value now because many of the errors refuted within its pages have surfaced again in the 21st century church under new guises. Christians today can learn a great deal from the faithful witness of former generations who experienced ‘truth’s victory over error’."

The other is Hugh Martin's Shadow Of Calvary, where he looks at Christ from the Garden of Gethsemane through to his arrest and trial.

I should probably log off and start reading...

Book Recommendation-A Heart for God by Sinclair Ferguson (a post re-run)

(This is the first book review I posted on this blog, it was originally posted September 14, 2005)

I love this book! It excites me. Sinclair Ferguson shows how having a heart for God comes from knowing who God is. I have heard people talk about the depth of their relationship with God, yet they seem to know very little about Him. None of us know Him perfectly, but this still seems contradictory to me. If I say I know somebody, yet I know little about them, how well do I truly know them? This applies to God. To have a relationship with someone means you need to know them to some degree, the more intimate the relationship-the greater the knowledge. In fact, in the Bible “to know” indicates a form of intimacy.

Ferguson does not ignore the need of saving faith, but points out that saving faith comes by knowing. He shows the importance of knowledge in a believer’s life, “The knowledge of God is the heart of salvation and all true spiritual experience. Knowing Him is what we were created for. It will occupy us throughout eternity.” He tells us knowledge of God is almost the same as salvation, quoting Jesus from John 17:3-“Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” He wraps that up by saying, “To be a Christian is not a mindless experience, but involves knowledge and understanding. It means a personal relationship and personal acquaintance with the Lord.” He is unfolds a proper balance between the heart and mind. The two are NOT mutually exclusive.

Throughout the book Ferguson goes to the Bible to show us who God is. Each chapter has a main passage, backed up by several others. He looks at
-the knowledge of God
-the Trinity
-God as creator
-God as Covenant maker and keeper
-God as The Ever Present One
-God as Saviour
-God’s wisdom
-“The Holy One of Israel”
-God’s faithful providing
-Worship

He wraps up the book by looking at how the ancient Hebrews forgot God and strayed, and he sees parallels today. Ferguson then prescribes the same treatment Moses did to the Israelites before they entered Canaan. “First, a heart wholly satisfied with the Lord’s provision keeps us fresh and eager to remember and serve Him...The other essential cure for spiritual amnesia is a heart wholly submitted to the Lord’s will.”

This book wasn’t earth shattering for me in what it revealed, but it was significant in how it was revealed, and how it got me to see some things more deeply and fully. I have often heard people use the expression, “He’s got a real heart for______.” (Fill in the blank with anything/anbody than God). That may be a good thing, but the more important question is, “Do you have a heart for God?”

The Banner of Truth edition is 144 pages.
For a sample of Sinclair Ferguson check this out-

A Spiritual Apettite

(Additional link-
More on Sinclair Ferguson)

A Book by a Friend

The other night, Darrin Lauder, an old friend of mine phoned, and due to the oddities of voice mail we almost missed each other. He was calling to let me know he'd written a book, and it had been published. We talked for a while about the book, and what was going on in our lives. It was good to hear from him, and exciting to hear he had a book.
I've picked up a copy and after I've finished it I plan to review it on the blog.

The book is called "Spiritual Warfare & satan's schemes", and it's written as a devotional with 31 short chapters. I'm reading several chapters at a time, with some reflection on each of them. So far it looks good. It's not a "find a demon under every rock", or "talk to the demons" type book, but looks like straight forward biblical application.

There's information about the book on his church's website, (He's the pastor.) Go to the "Meet the Pastor" link on the left, and then to the link for the book. It's available on-line, and in some bookstores.

If you'd like to check it out I found it I found it for a wide range of prices here and here. (It's an 84 page book counting the Scripture Index--so the copies over $20 seem over-priced when you can get it for less.)

One thing about when I read books by people I've heard speak--I read the book with their voice in my head--with this book that was even more true, as I know the author better than any other author I've read. It was a little freaky in a way. I'll let you know how the book goes.

Book Recommendation-Can You Run Away From God? by James M. Boice

Subtitled, “If God is sovereign, how can people rebel against Him?”, this is a wonderful 96 page book about the Old Testament prophet Jonah. The book of Jonah is fascinating in the number of lessons we can learn from its four short chapters. Boice looks at God’s sovereignty, but also at God’s mercy and faithfulness. If you haven’t read Jonah before, or if it’s been awhile since you’ve read it, I’d like to encourage you to read it first, and then read Boice’s wonderful book.

Boice starts by defending the historicity of Jonah (He’s mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25, and Matt 12:39-40 for starters). Jonah is a true story, about a real person. After establishing this, Boice looks at the themes of God’s sovereignty and His mercy, and at the connection between Jonah and the Great Commission.

He then moves through the book of Jonah showing these things. He looks at how Nineveh experienced a great revival simply after hearing Jonah’s short message, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.” (Jonah 3:4). That’s all we’re told Jonah preached. From here Boice looks at revival, particularly in light of Nineveh’s repentance.

He points out how there is much to learn from Jonah, and how we should come away from his book asking questions such as, “Is God not right? Is He not great for showing mercy?” He ends with an appeal for believers to show others the mercy they’ve been shown by God.

Even if you don’t read Boice’s book, read Jonah, keeping the following in mind: God’s sovereignty and mercy, our obligation to share the word, and our attitude to God and His works. Also consider how Jonah represents God’s people in general, and each one of us specifically.

For those who would like to check out more of James Boice, you can check him out here and here.

Book Recommendation-On Being Presbyterian by Sean Michael Lucas

That I was reading a book called, “On Being a Presbyterian” amused a newer attendee of our congregation. Certainly I should know what it means to be a Presbyterian-after all I have been one for many years. I advised the book was on loan from our pastor, and I was interested in seeing how the author stated things. It would also be a good review, and in the history portion it could provide new information. I would also know if it was a book I could recommend, and I highly recommend it.

The subtitle of the book also indicates the sections in it, “Our beliefs, practices, and stories.” Lucas is dean of faculty and assistant professor of church history at Covenant Theological Seminary, so he is no stranger or outsider to Presbyterianism, or the PCA.

In Part 1 he looks at Presbyterian Beliefs. He does look at what we would have in common with other Christians, but the bulk is looking at the distinctives. This section has 5 chapters, but it is not one for each of the letter of TULIP, as some might assume. The five points of Calvinism do appear, but in Chapter 2 where he explains the Presbyterian beliefs on grace. This is where they belong. They are part of the picture, but not the whole picture. The chapter subjects are God’s sovereignty, grace, covenant and kingdom, the Church and sacraments. The chapters are well done looks at these beliefs. He doesn’t merely state what the beliefs are, but looks at how they affect the others, and us.

Part 2 is on Presbyterian practices. These do involve beliefs, and so this section flows out of the last one. In the first chapter of this section Lucas explains why he uses the word piety, and what he means by it. It’s on how we practice our beliefs, but also who we base them on. It’s a well done look at how God is connected to them.

In Part 2 he also writes on worship and church government. The chapter on worship is refreshing in that he looks at all worship, not just music and singing. Too often we use worship too narrowly. This short look at worship is instructive in how worship is more. The chapter on church government is also instructive as some feel this distinctive is a bigger difference between Presbyterians and Baptists than sacraments.

Part 3 is on Presbyterian stories. He presents an interesting historical look at how we got from the Reformers to what we have in North America today. Calvin and Knox loom large n the first part. He looks at the divisions, reunions, and new denominations as well. It gives a clear picture at how we got where we are today.

I highly recommend this book for all Christians, not just Presbyterians. I would also recommend it to any who are interested in church history. Its more obvious benefits would be for those who are new to Presbyterianism, or those who are considering attending or joining a Presbyterian church. But Christians with no intention of being Presbyterian could also benefit by better understanding of their brothers and sisters. I would read the same sort of book written by non-Presbyterian Christians if they were available. (This one is published by P&R Publishing.)

Book Recommendation-Genesis and the Decay of the Nations by Ken Ham

This time around it's a short post, and a short book, but one still worth your time.

This book is a “sequel” of sorts to an earlier Ken Ham book I recommended a while back in a post on evolution and creation.

Ken Ham’s major point here is showing how the book of Genesis is a foundation to the Gospel and Christianity, and the importance of Genesis as a result. He considers claims of Christianity and the Bible in light of Genesis and how it is not taken seriously by many—even in the church. Well, ideas have consequences-and when we start to disregard where we came from, and how we got here, we get into trouble.

One complaint about sequels is that they are not as good as the earlier works, and that’s true here, but the 79 pages here are still valuable things to consider as a Christian-where have we come from, where are we going? We should consider that for ourselves and the Church as a whole. Therein lies this book’s strength.

This book also contains a valuable list of recommended reading for anyone who wants more detail on creation and evolution. Ken Ham’s ministry-Answers in Genesis- has a website that is a good source for this subject as well. The articles range from basic to complex for all levels of readers.

Recommended Reading Index

I am moving this post up higher to make it easier for me to update.
I'll be listing the books in alphabetical order by title-although in some cases by topic if I recommended more than one at a time. The link in the right column has been updated to this list for your convenience.

These books can often be ordered by the publisher, or through such sites as www.monergismbooks.com

A Basket of Fragments by Robert Murray Mc’Cheyne

Can You Run Away From God? by James M. Boice

Creation & Evolution-(The Lie Evolution by Ken Ham & "In the Beginning, God... by Homer C. Hoeksema)

Discovering God's Will by Sinclair Ferguson

Eternity in their Hearts, Lords of the Earth, & Peace Child By Don Richardson

The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness By John MacArthur

Genesis and the Decay of the Nations by Ken Ham

A Golden Treasury of Puritan Devotion by Mariano Di Gangi

Gospel Truth/Pagan Lies by Peter Jones

A Heart For God by Sinclair Ferguson

I Believe in Jesus by John MacArthur

In the Beginning The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture by Alister McGrath

Introduction to Defending the Faith by Robert A. Morey

The Invisible Hand by R.C. Sproul

John Plowman's Talks by Charles H. Spurgeon

The Life of Arthur W. Pink by Iain Murray

"Oh Worship the King" & "What Wondrous Love is This?" by Joni Eareckson Tada, John MacArthur, Robert & Bobbie Wolgemuth

On Being Presbyterian by Sean Michael Lucas

Onward Christian Soldiers
Protestants Affirm the Church-Don Kistler General Editor

The Passion of Jesus Christ-Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die-by John Piper

The Revived Puritan-The Spirituality of George Whitefield-Edited by Michael A.G. Haykin

The Roman Catholic Controversy & Mary, Another Redeemer? by James White

The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross by Arthur W. Pink

The Sovereignty of God by Arthur W.Pink

Spiritual Warfare & satan’s schemes by Rev Darrin Lauder

Trust and Obey-Obedience and the Christian General Editor Don Kistler

The Vanishing Conscience by John MAcArthur

Willing to Believe by R.C.Sproul

Book Recommendation-The Vanishing Conscience by John MacArthur

(This is adapted from the first book review/recommendation I wrote for the Church Newsletter about 7 years ago. Hopefully any changes are for the better.)

The Vanishing Conscience is a book well worth reading. It combines characteristics I find most useful when they are all present. It is challenging, convicting, exhorting, and encouraging. When a book combines all four of these characteristics it can give me a fuller picture of who I am in Christ, and where I’d be without Him. I can see my sin and see my Saviour.

The Vanishing Conscience is in some ways the most difficult book I have ever read. It is not written at a highly technical or scholarly level. Its style is very readable. The difficulty lies in how it challenged and convicted me. I often had to stop reading and examine myself and pray. This can be very profitable, as you are not allowed to be complacent. In fact, I would say if you can read this book without feeling challenged and convicted, you need to examine yourself to see if you really do know the Lord. Some sections did not bother me at all, but others cut deeply.

In the first section, MacArthur looks at society’s notions about sin and guilt. He shows how they are not only tolerated, but often condoned and even celebrated. He outlines the “victim mentality” and challenges you to examine yourself to see if you fall in with the world this way. He then proceeds to define the conscience and look at how it can be cleansed and strengthened (This is part of the encouraging the book does.) He then turns his attention to how sin can silence the conscience and lead to moral decline. We need to ask if this is happening to us.

In the next section MacArthur looks at the nature of sin. He begins by examining the doctrine of total depravity, using the first three chapters of Romans. He looks at how society focuses on self, not God. He moves on to how we try to justify our own sin, and then looks to Christ as the only answer. He outlines the need for repentance and being born again. He brings in the gospel. To believers this is wonderful encouragement. He then looks at misguided attempts to deal with sin, looking primarily at those who say we can be perfect in this life. Sanctification is a life long process. On various occasions MacArthur has stated, “It’s not the perfection of your life, but the direction.” It is important to see this. We are not perfect in this life, but we ought to be moving in that direction.

In the final section MacArthur deals with handling sin. He brings up the often neglected biblical teaching of mortification. Mortification is putting to death the deeds of the flesh. It is not effective if it’s only half-done. MacArthur explains mortification using I Samuel 15, which tells what happened after Israel had defeated one of their fiercest enemies, the Amalekites. God had told them to destroy everything connected to the Amalekites, but Saul didn’t fully obey. He even spared the Amalekites’ king. This was the final event that led to God rejecting Saul as king of Israel. It is well worth your time to read this section, as the full impact of this illustration can not be properly conveyed here.

MacArthur goes on to overcoming temptation. He explains the difference between temptation and God’s testing of us. Through Christ we can endure both. The most convicting part for me was the chapter on keeping a pure mind. If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit our minds are the place we sin the most. Most visible or outward sin starts in the mind. If our sin stays in the mind, no one knows about it (except God, but we often ignore that). If the sin stays there we think we got away with it, but eventually it will catch up with us. MacArthur exhorts us to watch over our hearts and guard our thoughts.

The final chapter looks at how many in the church have substituted forgiveness of our sins, and the seriousness of sin with “feeling good”. He ends it with practical application for recognizing and dealing with sin in our lives. This is indeed the sort of encouragement we all need. The book also contains three appendices well worth reading.

Throughout the book, MacArthur looks to the Bible and to God. Jesus Christ and the gospel are prominent. He challenges us to examine our attitudes. The conviction I felt came from the Holy Spirit as God’s word was opened up and showed me my sin. I was encouraged in the application parts of the book, and in looking to Christ and what He has done. It is so easy to be lazy regarding our conscience and therefore how we live. This book deals with the heart and mind. It follows the idea of reformation starting with ourselves and working outwards. The Vanishing Conscience is a much needed and profitable wake up call I recommend for every Christian.

Book Recommendation-TRUST AND OBEY Obedience and the Christian Don Kistler General Editor

Reading "Trust and Obey" for the first time, all those years ago, was an eye-opener for me. It is a compilation edited by Don Kistler ofSoli Deo Gloria Publications. S.D.G. (now part of Ligonier Ministries) reprints many writings by the Puritans, and those who followed in their footsteps. They also publish books like Trust and Obey, featuring contemporary authors writing on the same theme. Here the theme is stated in the sub-title, “Obedience and the Christian.”

On the book’s back cover is this comment by John MacArthur, “The relationship between faith and works is one of the most puzzling questions every Christian must face. Here is where doctrine and theology get most intensely practical.” The book’s introduction states, “It is our intention as publishers of this work to remind the church of the propriety of good works...though our works of obedience are of no consideration in procuring justification, or in obtaining a title to eternal life, they are most important in offsetting those fatal and opposite extremes, legalism and antinomian licentiousness. The former infringes on the glory of grace, exalts self and wounds our peace. The latter turns the grace of God into wantonness, hardens our conscience, and renders us worse than unbelievers.” These statements summarize the book quite well.

“Oh How I Love Thy Law!”, by R.C. Sproul, starts off the book. He shows the connection between the Old and New Testaments. Both testaments speak about law and grace, and the difference between them. The gospel starts in the Old Testament and is fully developed in the New. He addresses those who would say, “Are you crazy? We live on this side of the cross. We don’t sit around and delight in the law of God.” He answers, “If you are a Christian, you do. (delight in God’s law). And if you do not delight in the law of God, don’t deceive yourself into thinking that you are a regenerate person. Don’t think that the gospel which frees you from the curse of the law is a license for you to despise the law or ignore the law.”

Michael Horton is up next with, “Filthy Rags or Perfect Righteousness?” He looks at metaphors Scripture uses to describe salvation. He focuses on the metaphor of wearing someone else’s clothes. Starting with Adam and Eve, he shows how we wear Christ’s righteousness. It is not our good works that save, but that we are wearing His righteousness. He goes on to show the relationship between truly wearing Christ’s righteousness and obedience. If you are truly saved you are being sanctified, and it shows. He comments, “Thus, the whole of our Christian life is a constant process of realizing God’s judgment and justification, moving from self-loathing to fixing ‘our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith’ (Hebrews 12:2)”

John MacArthur’s chapter, “Obedience: Love or Legalism?” is quite similar to his books “The Gospel According to Jesus” and “Faith Works”. Both of these books are also well worth reading. MacArthur writes about some of the reaction to “The Gospel According to Jesus,” and addresses whether we obey God out of love or out of duty. He writes, “I agree that it is possible to place so much stress on the duty of obedience that we lose sight of the joy of it. After all, the Christian’s obedience should be a delight...Nonetheless, the danger of overemphasis is very real on both sides of this truth. It is not quite right to say ‘We obey out of love for Christ...and not out of duty.’ Duty and love are not incompatible motives.” In dealing with how duty can become legalism he deals with what duty is and it is not. He wraps up by showing how Christian obedience is different from legalism.

In “The Obedience of Faith,” John Armstrong deals with obedience as a fruit of faith. He looks at what came out of the Reformation in regard to obedience. He also looks at various aspects of salvation. I do not agree completely with Armstrong in all of what he writes here, but I do agree that the various aspects of salvation can never be fully separated. True repentance will bear fruit. Even the thief on the cross in Luke’s gospel has fruit. He defends Christ.

“Legalism and Antinomianism: Two Deadly Paths off the Narrow Road,” by Jonathan Gerstner was the highlight of the book for me. Starting with the final judgment he quotes Jesus’ words from Matthew 7:23, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.” Gerstner sets up his look at the two sides by writing, “Christ does not warn those He knows of the danger of departing. He warns His disciples to see if they are truly His disciples. One can do remarkable, even miraculous deeds in Christ’s name, have a complete confidence that one is in a state of saving grace, be bold enough to greet Christ on Judgment Day, and never have a living relationship with Him.”

His chapter has descriptive titles for the sections including, “Legalism: The Ugly Bribe to the Holy Judge” and “Classical Antinomianism: The Heresy of the Justified Pig”. He also looks at the legalism Paul addresses in his letter to the Galatians, abuse of the term “legalism,” and modern twists on both legalism and antinomianism (including the unbiblical interpretation of the carnal Christian). He brings it back to Judgment Day, and gives us the flip side of “Depart from Me”-for believers-“Abide with Me, I always knew you.”

In “Glad Obedience”, Joel Beeke and Ray Lanning look at what they call the didactic (teaching) use of the Law in showing us how we ought to live. They include a look at the Sabbath. This can be a controversial topic. I do not agree with all of their conclusions, but agree with the spirit of what they are trying to do. They end by quoting John Calvin, “Let us therefore live for Him and die for Him. We are God’s: let His wisdom and will therefore rule all our actions. We are God’s: let all parts of our life accordingly strive toward Him as our only lawful goal.” (from “Institutes of the Christian Religion” 3.7.1.)

Overall this is a thought provoking and informative book I highly recommend. It needs to be read to be fully appreciated. I found the best chapters to be Gerstner’s and MacArthur’s, and the weakest to be Armstrong’s. With references to scripture and hymns, Don Kistler wraps up the book in a postscript. His concluding words are well worth repeating-“Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). “Do not be deceived. Judas heard all of Christ’s sermons, yet he is in hell today, tormented by that which he heard and to which he failed to respond. Those who will one day see Christ are those who obey Him from the heart-not to earn His favor, but evidence His favor. Soli Deo Gloria!”

The Return of LOTW

Here are the new Links of the Whenever (whenever I post them--formerly Links of the Week)

First up-
Christian Classics Ethereal Library. You may be aware of this already, maybe not. It's a compilation of Christian Writings across centuries of Church history. It's useful for research, learning, and devotion. There's both good and bad here-but mostly good. The not-so-good and bad is interesting from the historical viewpoint. It shows we keep making the same errors, giving credence to the saying that those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it.

Second up-
Logoserver. I've already expressed my interest in sports logos, here's a site that has a large number of new, old and in between logos. The quality isn't always great, but it shows a lot of logos and also shows the graphic development of logos over the years (for example, many late 60's to early 70's logos are obvious to guess when they were designed). It also shows the logo characteristcs of various sports-for example:
1)Baseball & Basketball logo designers seem more prone to gratuitous use of baseballs and basketballs in their logos than hockey logo designers feel compelled to throw in a puck.
2)Roller Hockey logos tend to be garish and/or tacky.

It's not the necessarily the best logo site out there--but it is probably the most exhaustive.

Book Recommendation-The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross by Arthur W. Pink

This is one of my favorite books by Arthur Pink. He goes through each of the seven sayings of Jesus on the cross as recorded in the Gospels. The sayings shed light on the character and work of Christ. We can learn much studying them. As you might suspect, this book contains seven chapters with an introduction. The crucifixion and atonement are very much in view here, and Pink never forgets the character of Christ, which shines through.

Chapter One is “The Word of Forgiveness.” It looks at Luke 23:34-“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Pink points out how man has crucified Jesus, and yet He prays for His enemies to be forgiven. Pink writes, “The first of the seven cross-sayings of our Lord presents Him in an attitude of prayer. How significant! How instructive!...Surely He has left us an example!”

Pink also outlines the following points about this saying: 1)It fulfills prophecy (Isaiah 53:12); 2)Christ identifies with His people-previously Jesus did the forgiving Himself, here He petitions His Father; 3)Sin is often through ignorance-yet it is still sin; 4)It shows the blindness of the human heart; 5)Jesus exemplifies His teaching on forgiving others; 6)We see man’s great and primary need; and 7) The triumph of redeeming love.

Next is, “The Word of Salvation.” (Luke 23:42-43)-The passage ends with Jesus’ words to one of the thieves He was crucified with “...Today shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.” Pink writes, “It was no accident that Lord of Glory was crucified between two thieves.” God had it set up that way. Pink takes us through the following points: 1) A representative sinner; 2) Man has to come to the end of himself before he can be saved; 3) The meaning of repentance and faith; 4) A marvellous case of spiritual illumination; 5) The Saviourhood of Christ; 6) The destination of the saved at death; and 7) The longing of the Saviour for fellowship.

Chapter 3 is “The Word of Affection” from John 19:25-26-which is the account of Jesus leaving Mary in the care of the Apostle John. Pink shows how this fulfills prophecy (See Luke 2:25-25). He also shows how Jesus fulfilled the commandment to honour your parents.

When Jesus was arrested the disciples fled-but here we see John has come back. Pink writes,

Here is encouragement for you. Christ did not rebuke John on returning: instead, His wondrous grace bestowed on him an unspeakable privilege. Cease then your wanderings and return at once to Christ, and He will greet you with a word of welcome and cheer; and who knows but what He has some honorous commission awaiting you!

Pink covers other aspects of Jesus’ relationship with His mother, John and by extension all His people as well.

Next we find “The Word of Anguish”-“Eli, Eli, lama sabachtani? That is My God, My God, why has Thou forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). Pink writes early on in this chapter, “The crucifixion of the Lord of Glory was the most extraordinary event that has ever happened on earth, and this cry of the suffering One was the most startling utterance of that appalling scene.”

In these words, (and the context in which Jesus said them), we see the seriousness of our sins. We get a sense of God’s holiness and the penalty required. Also shown is God’s love for His people, Jesus’ fidelity to His Father, and also a foretaste of the consequences of rejecting Christ. It is only a short sentence, but it tells us a lot about Jesus.

“The Word of Suffering” is next as Pink writes on Jesus’ words in John 19:28- “I thirst.” The very idea Jesus suffered can be mind boggling when we consider who He is, and also why He suffered. The points Pink makes here are 1) this shows Christ’s humanity, he explains why this is important. (As a side note-many of the heresies throughout Church history have either denied Christ’s deity or His humanity). 2) We see the intensity of His sufferings. 3) We see His deep reverence for the scriptures. 4) We see His submission to the Father’s will. 5) We see how He can sympathize with us in our sufferings. 6) We see the expression of a universal need and 7) Pink shows how this thirst ties in with Christ being eternal water.

A familiar passage to many Christians is John 19:30-“It is finished”-Pink calls this, “The Word of Victory.” We turn from the tragedy of Christ’s sufferings to triumph! This is a big part of what the gospel is all about-Christ has accomplished payment of the sins of His people-and it is finished! Pink shows what is finished and what that means for believers.

The final chapter is “The Word of Contentment.” This is from Luke 23:46-“Father, into Thy hands, I commend My Spirit.” These words have a very strong impact. The first recorded Christian martyr, Stephen, refers to them when he is stoned to death. (Acts 7:59).

Pink’s points here include seeing the communion between Jesus and the Father being restored. We also see a contrast as before Jesus was in the hands of men-He was there willingly-but now He is in the Father’s hands. We see our salvation as well by extension, and the absolute uniqueness of Christ.

These words are well worth our time in reading, studying, and meditating upon.

Book Recommendation-Introduction to Defending the Faith by Robert A. Morey

Since my header reads-

A listing of recommended reading, links, random thoughts and comments from a reformed Christian perspective. And it's Western Canadian too.

Maybe I should have another book recommendation.

I can't recommend every book by Robert Morey, but there are some well worth reading.
When he's good, he's very good.

The format of this book is a little different than most—as it’s not one you would just pick up and read like most books. (You could do that-but it's not structured that way.) Instead it is made up mostly of outlines-(with details added)—and charts, all intended to show the importance of defending the faith. Then he deals with how to get started doing it. As the title suggests it is introduction, but it does contain a “Suggested bibliography” if you want to dig in further. The suggested books are aimed at various levels of readers.

Morey looks at the basics of and the application of the gospel and the Christian world view. He uses ethics, marriage and the arts as examples of application.

One of Morey’s strengths is getting at the real reasons for people’s views. What’s behind them? What presuppositions are behind them? Morey takes a pre-suppositional approach to apologetics (the fancy word for “defending the faith”). Briefly, this approach realizes all people have presuppositions-so instead of just banging people over the head with evidence—it gets at the reasons people hold the views they do—and takes into account how those pre-suppositions affect how they interpret the evidence.

Taking that into account it shouldn’t be a surprise I found the appendix highly useful. In it Morey addresses objections non-Christians often use against Christianity and the pre-suppositions that are often behind the objections. Therefore Morey refers to the objections as “surface objections”-they aren’t the real reason that person rejects Christianity. Morey doesn’t leave it there as he also gives the Christian answer to the real reasons/pre-suppositions.

This book is valuable for its defense of defending the Faith, and it’s outline approach to getting you started.

Book Recommendation-Gospel Truth/Pagan Lies by Peter Jones

Once upon a time Peter Jones was invited by my congregation to present a series of talks on the New Age movement and the Gospel. Those of us there heard much of the same content as this book -in slightly altered style. For all of us, this book is a wonderful way to see what the gospel is. (We do tend to forget things over time, unless we are reminded.) It also exposes teachings in the world, and the Church, which are opposed to the Gospel.
Jones proposes there are really only two world views—the Lie and the Truth. As the title suggests-this book compares the two. After some introductory information he looks at 5 areas to compare the Truth and the Lie.
The five areas are numbered as Pagan Lie #1-5 and Gospel Truth #1-5. #1 deals with whether God is all-and all is God or whether God is One and He is creator –and distinct from His creation. #2 looks at all people as one-or all believers as one in Christ alone. #3 compares all religions as one with only one truth-other religions are false. #4 compares what we think the problem is—is it that we have forgotten our divinity or that we sinners. #5 is on the way to escape—do we look within ourselves, or do we look to Christ? The first option of each point above is widely held by many today—even those who profess Christ. The second option of each point, however much in the minority it is, is the Biblical view which Jones explores and then summarizes. At under 90 pages this is a short, but useful overview of worldviews-pointing us to Christ and the Gospel.

More information on this book, as well as the New Age movement and the DaVinci Code can be found at Peter Jones' website.
www.cwipp.org/