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Recently, a couple of reviews of Deep Discipleship for Dark Days have been published. Jack Taylor, author and long-time pastor, writes in The Light, “Dirks is a proficient and studious prophetic voice on the cultural and spiritual realities impacting the followers of Jesus…. Deep Discipleship is a […]
Deep Discipleship for Dark Days (D4) should be available this week and I look forward to having copies in hand soon. If you are local, I would love to personally sell you a copy or two as authors tend to make far more per copy off […]
Chapters 17 and 18 cover technical language, expanding on one of three styles of speech in Scripture used to describe God and his attributes. Anthropomorphic language (speaks, loves, sees) Language of creaturely comparison (light, rock, fortress) Technical language (infinite, immense, immutable) As I’ve noted several times, […]
Regarding regenerate infants within Frame’s paedobaptistic understanding, there would seem to be a weakness regarding what he has already said. Frame recognizes that, considering 1 Peter1:23 and James 1:18, conversion is through the instrument of the word of God. But I would strongly disagree with Frame […]
Mostly quotes below in a good and relatively thorough chapter on Leviticus. The only thing I thought missing was the insight that some authors, especially James Jordan and Peter Leithart, bring to an understanding of the different sacrifices and their components.
Frame’s views on regeneration emphasize his view that the ordo salutis is not clearly linear. His triad on salvation (fig. 43:1) is: Justification Regeneration/Conversion/Sanctification Adoption Thus he is able to posit a very strong connection between the “subjective” aspects of salvation, such as regeneration and sanctification, […]
On page 31, Schreiner has an excellent paragraph on the interaction between God’s sovereignty and Pharaoh’s obduracy in the matter of the hardening of his heart: I think the contours of the above are generally correct. But the distinction between the missions/calls of Israel and the […]
The relations between man and female form a mediatory triad. Like the creation of the heavens, the first remark about man’s creation (as male and female) is that they are both made in the image of God, sharing equally that image: Substantial Relational Functional “So God […]
Next weekend, I will be gathering with a few men from our church to instruct them on preaching. I have been trying to emphasize the role of the Holy Spirit in preparation and in delivery, and that many models of preparation and preaching inadvertently steal opportunities […]
I am taking a break from Kostenberger’s Biblical Theology, and am starting on Thomas Schreiner’s, called The King in His Beauty. Interesting, it has no introduction, highly unusual for a work this significant and a volume this size (736p). It just starts right into Genesis. However, […]
This is a phenomenal project, worth four minutes of your time.
I was reminded in conversation recently how trauma, especially childhood trauma, can lead to a deep and lasting sense of worthlessness. In the Reformed tradition, there is an emphasis upon the fact that we are unworthy sinners before a holy God. There is no cause for […]
Recently, I re-tweeted a small thread of ideas from a brother which echoed almost perfectly my own views, including some subtle criticisms of a method of sermon preparation that has prevailed in my circles over the last twenty years. The author, “Bryan of Alexandria” cites Matt […]
The idea of “conscience” or “consciousness” is one of rational reflection, or self-reflection. It’s etymology, according to TDNT (#4893), helps us understand that historically, this reflection was oriented towards one’s thoughts, and not (at least initially) towards one’s actions. It would seem to me that the […]
In chapter 13 things get really good. I’ve already mentioned some of this. There are several further insights here and a meaning triad Poythress takes from Kenneth Pike (Linguistic Concepts). He then states, I think he is on shakier ground when he says, especially based on […]
Among this excellent and well-balanced treatment on jealousy and anger, my only niggle is that, without explicit qualification, these are presented as inherent divine attributes. It ought to be noted, however, that jealousy and anger, like grace and mercy, can only be attributed to God relative […]
As Poythress moves from some basic and grounding material in parts 1 and 2 (p1-78), his treatise gets into some really meaty ideas, albeit always in accessible language. I have no doubt that some people, among the “flat” trinitarian camp, will scoff at Poythress’s speculations, but […]
This morning I was reading in Psalm 96 and 97 and I came upon an example of an important triadic principle, namely that the 3rd place in the triads, reflecting the Holy Spirit, often convey the idea of plenitude. “Let the heavens be glad, and let […]
The following are some expanded thoughts relative to a sermon I will be preaching this Sunday looking at the logic of David’s prayers in Ps 6:5, 30:9, and 115:17 on the idea of the end of the saint’s life being, in some (limited) way, a loss […]
Very Poythress’ The Mystery of the Trinity is a fascinating book structurally, but I’m only a hundred pages into it, so I will reserve comment until I am further into it. Regardless of any shortcomings structurally however, Poythress’s even-handedness and clear communication makes it, along with […]
Excellent, and well-balanced section here: Regarding the covenant of creation or works, I remain committed to this idea, and believe it forms the second part of an overarching triad of covenants: Eternal Covenant Creation Covenant New Covenant For one excellent defense of the covenant of creation […]
I don’t know who needs to know this, but James B. Jordan’s commentary on Daniel contains an extensive chronology from Josiah through Nehemiah that might just be worth the price of the entire book. Jordan is, in my opinion, the best living Christian chronologist and his […]
Teaching once again on justification this Sunday, this time from Psalm 32, I felt like I needed to go back to 2 Corinthians 5:21 and settle in my mind, once and for all, its meaning, especially in regard to becoming “the righteousness of God in him.” […]
“God reveals his standards to us in his deeds and personal self-revelation, but most explicitly in his revealed law. His law is not arbitrary, but is based on his own nature. The moral law is not something above him, that has authority over him. Nor is […]
I am a John Owen fan. I can think of other theologians with whom I would agree more often, like Jonathan Edwards, but I have probably read more pages of John Owen than any one other author, including Edwards. Having said that, it has been a […]
I consider John Frame to be among the very best of contemporary theologians and, as I have noted elsewhere, his tri-perspectivalism was seminal in my own triadic thinking, even though at many points my system has deviated from his. Frame’s Systematic Theology is quite a fascinating […]
Augustine of Hippo, “On the Trinity,” in St. Augustin: On the Holy Trinity, Doctrinal Treatises, Moral Treatises, ed. Philip Schaff, trans. Arthur West Haddan, vol. 3, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, […]
I think the criticisms noted here of Aquinas (whom Emery defends) are indeed valid, but only relative to Bonaventure. If I were to be pugilistic, I might answer (overemphasizing, surely) that we should not take Aquinas “at his word” because the Trinity does not shine through […]
This is the first subdivision in which I think the authors significantly misread a book. I will give some additional comments below “The body of the book features stories about twelve leaders (2:6-16:31), with the stories arranged geographically, from Othniel in the south and moving further […]
This coming Lord’s day I will be preaching on Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-19, a passage with significant Trinitarian grounding and emphases. Due to the fact that, in God’s grace, we will be celebrating baptisms, I will probably shorten my sermon somewhat, and try to leave […]
A wondrous passage on the glories of adoption from Samuel Willard. Note the intimate language drawn from the Song of Songs. “This teacheth us that the Glory of the sons of God must needs be wonderfully and astonishingly great: For why? Have they not already in […]
Out of the stacks at the SFU Library, I picked out a book by travel author (I don’t know if there is a better term for his writing) Colin Thurbron. The reason I was interested in the book was geographical. I am interested, mostly historically, in […]
On Faith and Repentance (p951-962) I found this section by Farme to be quite helpful, in spite, again, of some inconsistencies. There were some helpful triads, a couple with which I find myself in complete agreement. Keep in mind that when I relate a Frame triad, […]
On Union with Christ (p913-917): “The intimacy of this language justifies the use of this topic as an ‘existential perspective’ on the work of Christ. For in this aspect of his work he is, in a distinct sense, ‘God with us,’ Immanuel. As in chapters 2–4, […]
Great section on the parallels between Joshua and Moses on p161-162: “His likeness to Mosses is seen when he intercedes for sinful Israel (7:6-9), just as Moses fid (Deut. 9:25-29). Like Moses, Joshua makes speeches that follow the covenant form (Josh. 23-24). At times, he is […]
I am unsure what it was that caused me to open Lessing: Philosophical and Theological Writings and peruse the table of contents in the SFU library stacks. But it was chapter 5, Leibniz on Eternal Punishment which caught my attention. Leibnitz’s Theodicy is perhaps one of […]
Freaks of Fanaticism is a book I pulled off the shelf at SFU while doing some perusing on mythology and symbolism in literature. Full disclosure is that I constantly feel pressed for time, and although I would like to build up a knowledge base of historical […]
I am no longer surprised that there are excellent Christian books in larger, secular libraries. I have long been interested in Martin Bucer, along with Luther and Melancthon, one of the earliest Reformers, known for his irenicism. I had previously skim-read Lugioyo’s Martin Bucer’s Doctrine of […]
I read Puritan Eschatology, edited by Peter Toon, over the course of a couple weeks while on vacation and found it enjoyable. Although I wouldn’t say that the book was “enlightening” or “valuable,” there were several insights worth reflection. The greatest was probably the degree to […]
Puritan Eschatology, the name on the spine of a collection of essays on the subject (although see the citation above), edited by Peter Toon, is a book I pulled off the shelf in my wanderings of the stacks at the SFU library. I recognized Toon’s name […]
From Leibniz’ Theodicy “Hitherto we have been illumined by the light of Nature and by that of grace, but not yet by that of glory.” (p34) This strikes me as a clear F-S-HS triad: Creation/Nature (F) Grace/Redemption (S) Glory (HS)
Numbers (p134-139) The section devoted to the book of Numbers is small, comprising a mere five pages. Having preached through much of the book at one point, I felt it lacked some depth, and was surprised that the clear parallel structure in the wilderness travelogue to […]
Exodus (p118-127) “What would later become Johannine terminology of faith/signs punctuates the [plague] narrative (Ex. 4:1, 8, 9, 30, 31) and finds a climax in 14:31 (‘Israel saw the great work which the Lord did against the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD and they […]
In the Systematic Theology course I am teaching at our classical Christian school, COMPASS Community Learning Centres (https://compassclc.com/), I start with an epistemological triad. The question is “how do we know?” In most systematics, two aspects loom large: special revelation (and specifically for us, Scripture) and […]
Consistent with their canonical focus, the authors argue on p199-200 that there are dangers in relying upon context within the latter prophetic books (eg. Amos) themselves: I think that the authors have over-stated the problem, and that the canonical approach for which they are advocating, while […]