Mail Call: Notable From InterVarsity Press

A handful of excellent books have been published recently by IVP Academic and I would like to take a minute and tell you about them.

The first two books couldn't have come at a better time and have proven to be very helpful and thought-provoking.

1. David G. Peterson, Transformed by God: New Covenant Life and Ministry (IVP Academic, 2012), 192 pages.

Peterson's Transformed by God is a fine example of the biblical-theological method tracing the NT use and application of the New Covenant introduced in the OT Prophets. His structure is clear and his content exhibits careful scholarship with an eye towards pastoral application. This work is divided into six chapters, each focusing on a different portion of Scripture in which the New Covenant is either introduced or explained. The chapters are as follows: 1) The New Covenant in Jeremiah [and the other prophets], 2) Israel and the nations renewed [Luke/Acts], 3) The renewal of worship [Hebrews], 4) New Covenant ministry [ 2 Corinthians], Hearts and lives transformed [Galatians and Romans], and 6) The transforming knowledge of God [Gospel & Letters of John].

To be fully transparent with you, I found the academic portions of this book to be the most helpful and stimulating. Drawing pastoral applications seemed to come naturally as I read and meditated upon the texts under consideration along with Peterson's help making proper connections. The concluding sections of each chapter, which serve as Peterson's platform to draw out specific pastoral applications, were helpful but they did not deliver on the pastoral level as effectively as I had anticipated. I approached the conclusion of each section with enthusiasm but came away with a longing for more illustration and fleshing out of the principles under consideration. However, this did not hinder me from going back through this book again to glean from its richness. As for a more illustrative and explicitly application-oriented study of New Covenant transformation I would recommend Jerry Bridges's Transforming Grace. These two books together have helped me tremendously. I am grateful to have gained a better understanding of grace by having walked with David Peterson through this study of New Covenant life and ministry. This book will richly repay a careful and thoughtful reading (and re-reading).

2.  Michael Reeves, Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith (IVP Academic, 2012), 135  pages.

Michael Reeves is a witty scholar for sure. To attempt to write a book on the doctrine of the Trinity in fewer than 150 pages is an amazing accomplishment in itself. To do so with contagious excitement and delight is nearly unimaginable, but I believe that Reeves has delivered without a doubt. Prior to reading this book, I found, downloaded, and listened to the first of three lectures presented by Mike Reeves on the Trinity. Reeves's style is engaging and his ability to humbly, clearly and enthusiastically speak about the Trinity utterly amazed me. I found myself delighting in the beauties of the Trinity along with him as I listened to him speak, and then as I read his book.

Here are the links to the three audio lectures available at the Theology Network:

1. Enjoying the Trinity 1: A Delightfully Different God
2. Enjoying the Trinity 2: The Spreading Love
3. Enjoying the Trinity 3: This Changes Everything!

The heartbeat of this book is stated clearly and boldly in the Introduction. Reeves writes, "If the Trinity were something we could shave off God, we would not be relieving him of some irksome weight: we would be shearing him of precisely what is so delightful about him. For God is triune, and it is as triune that he is so good and desirable" (p. 9).

The following quotes stand out to me as excellent summaries of the delightful goodness of the Trinity:

The Father, then, is not about sprinkling blessings from afar, and his salvation is not about being kept at a distance, merely pitied and forgiven by our Creator. Instead, he pours all his blessing out on his Son, and then sends him that we might share his glorious fullness. The Father so loves that he desires to catch us up into that loving fellowship he enjoys with the Son. And that means I can know God as he truly is: as Father. In fact, I can know the Father as my Father. (p. 71) 

The life the Spirit gives is not an abstract package of blessing; it is his own life that he shares with us, the life of fellowship with the Father and the Son. Thus the Spirit is not like some divine milkman, leaving the gift of "life" on our doorsteps only to move on. In giving us life he comes in to be with us and remain with us. Having once given life, then, he does not move on; he stays to make that life blossom and grow. (p. 90)

Through the giving of the Spirit, God shares with us--and catches us up into--the life that is his.  The Father has eternally known and loved his great Son, and through the Spirit he opens our eyes that we too might know him, and so he wins our hearts that we too might love him.  our love for the Son, then, is an echo and an extension of the Father's eternal love.  In other words, through the Spirit the Father allows us to share in the enjoyment of what most delights him--the Son.  It was his overwhelming love for the Son that inspired him to create us in the first place, and all so that we might share in that highest pleasure of his. (94) 

[As a side note, these two books compelled me to go back to another IVP Academic book that was published in 2009, namely, Donald Fairbairn's Life in the Trinity: An Introduction to Theology with the Help of the Church Fathers.  Yes, I recognize that this subtitle is a bit intimidating, but do not be put off by it.  This book is also rich!]

3.  Genesis 1-11, edited by John L. Thompson. Reformation Commentary on Scripture. Old Testament; 1. (IVP Academic, 2012), lxx + 389 pages.

A more recent book that I received in the mail is Genesis 1-11, edited by John L. Thompson (Reformation Commentary on Scripture. Old Testament; 1), IVP Academic, 2012.  I have been reading about this series, but this is my first hands-on view of it.  My first impression of this volume was its aesthetic appearance.  It is a beautiful volume from the crisp and elegant dust jacket to the clear and inviting layout of the text.  The spine  is glued, but in such a method that I am confident it will hold for many years to come.  One draw back is the fact that this type of binding does not allow for the book to lay flat on its own.  So, you will either need to use a weighted page holder, or just hold the volume in your lap as you read.  This is a manageable trade-off for a more affordable printed book.

As far as the contents of this volume are concerned, I have only begun to read a small portion.  I can say that I found some help already.  The General Introduction written by Timothy George is excellent.  The Timeline of the Reformation and Bibliographical Sketches included in the back are excellent resources.

On Genesis 1:2, "Darkness was over the face of the deep," note Wolfgang Musculus's comment:

In the works of God there are deeps and darkness.  That manifestation warns us that God's works are unsearchable in themselves unless they are revealed when light breaks in.  Without it we will ponder them in vain.  Indeed, the human intellect cannot penetrate the depth and darkness of the divine works by its own understanding.  Wherefore one should pray that he who works wondrous things may illuminate and reveal his works by bringing light. (p. 18)

4.  John Jefferson Davis, Meditation and Communion with God: Contemplating Scripture in an Age of Distraction (IVP Academic, 2012), 168 pages.

This book just arrived today in the mail and I am looking forward to digging into it!  Flipping through my eyes caught this statement which ties meditation on Scripture with the triune God:

When we meditate on the Scriptures in faith, we can actually experience the real presence of the triune God, who is present to us through the Word and by the Spirit.  In meditation we can experience real-time communion with God, our loving heavenly Father, the Father who welcomes and joyfully embraces the returning prodigal son (Lk. 15:20).  We can experience communion with Jesus, the eternally beloved Son of our Father, who experiences joy in being loved by the Father....  We cam experience communion with the Holy Spirit, who pours the love of the Father for the Son and for us into our hearts... (p. 68) 

Mail Call: Notable From InterVarsity Press

A Challenging Book

I recently finished reading Jerry Bridges’ new book Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate. Bridges, of course, is not really referring to any sin as “respectable.” He simply means sins that believers don’t think are so bad and, as a result, tend to not deal with. The book is not about the openly gross sins of society, but about the subtle sins of believers.

I found this to be a challenging book, not because of the level of reading difficulty (it’s written on a popular level and very easy to read) but because the subject matter hits so close to home. It’s not easy to see yourself and not like what you see. The author urges the reader to take a close look at himself in the light of Scripture and realize what an offense even our subtle sins are to God. Bridges points out how the Bible exhorts believers to be what they really are—saints!

Near the beginning of the book Bridges addresses a problem he calls, “The Disappearance of Sin.” What he means is the disappearance of the idea of sin. Many people today have no concept that the wrong things they do are really wrong. Public apologies today (of which there seem to be many) typically include the prominent use of the word mistake. But the word that always seems missing is sin. This attitude affects Christians as well, and Bridges is calling on God’s people to recognize this in ourselves and forsake any self-righteousness that might blind us to our need.

Though dealing with such a dark subject, Bridges avoids a morose or caustic tone that might leave us depressed and tempted to throw the book down. Instead, he encourages us that “God has not forsaken us. For those who are true believers, God is still our heavenly Father, and He is at work among us to call us to repentance and renewal” (p. 22). How God works in us to produce this “repentance and renewal” is expounded in the book, and I hope to say more about that in future posts.

The men’s group at my church will begin reading Respectable Sins in February. I hope it will affect them as much as it has me. Preachers and lay people alike will be helped by reading this book and putting Bridges’ counsel into practice.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

~Philippians 1:6

A Challenging Book

Beauty in Adversity—Part Two

I hadn’t planned on revisiting this topic, but I had another idea on the way home from work today. When I left the workplace this afternoon, looking forward to another drive home past the trees in their fall glory, the first thing I noticed was there wasn’t as much color as there had been 24 hours earlier. Then I noticed how hard the wind was blowing. Also, we had rain last night. Many leaves, which were at their peak yesterday, are lying on the ground today.

My previous article on “Beauty in Adversity” mentioned the fact that patient, submissive suffering displays God’s glory to others. This especially seems to be the case when a faithful believer discovers that he or she has a terminal disease and accepts the Lord’s will with grace and joy. But what about when a vibrant Christian’s testimony is suddenly cut short through death or through circumstances that diminish his public usefulness? What if you don’t get your chance to “shine”? Or, you were shining and your avenues of service disappeared? Is there glory when no one can see Christ through you because they can’t see you? And that’s because something beyond your control happened. The leaf in full color is lying on the ground.

I’ve struggled with this when experiencing “setbacks” I didn’t understand. “Where’s the glory in this?!! It doesn’t make sense!” I couldn’t see how God was getting any glory out of my circumstances.

Though we know from Scripture that we shouldn’t seek to be “seen of men,” we still tend to think that if they don’t see us, God gets no glory. When we think this way, we are short-sighted. We can have our spiritual myopia treated by pulling back the curtain of space and time and gazing into the heavenlies. In Ephesians 3 the Apostle Paul reveals why God’s grace was given to him:

to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places (Eph. 3:8-10 NASB).

There are other spectators to the outworking of our faith than just the earth-bound. When serving God in the dark, when suffering for His sake in a barren land with no human in sight to appreciate it, have we ever considered the scriptural truth that others are watching? And that God is being glorified in the heavenlies because of our faith? It is “through the church” that God’s manifold wisdom is now being made known to the angels.

The church is the mirror, that reflects the whole effulgence of the Divine character. It is the grand scene, in which the perfections of Jehovah are displayed to the universe. The revelations made to the Church—the successive grand events in her history—and, above all—the manifestation of “the glory of God in the Person of Jesus Christ”—furnish even to the heavenly intelligences fresh subjects of adoring contemplation. (Charles Bridges, The Christian Ministry, p. 1)

If our desire is to obey and glorify God, does it matter whether we are in a prominent place or a desolate place? If we are yielded to our loving heavenly Father, does it matter to us if our testimony is unexpectedly stifled through perplexing circumstances? What do we do when we want to serve in a particular way, but we feel like a bird with its wings clipped? Perhaps we look at the colorful leaf on the ground and think, "What a waste!" But that leaf is exactly where God put it. And that’s when the quality of our submission is really revealed. It’s easy to submit when we agree with the conditions. But when God crosses our purposes, are we willing to remain under what He has ordained for us?

The servant is not above his Lord. He does not “talk back” to his Lord. He has no will of his own; he is fully absorbed with his Lord’s will. If his Lord says to stand in a room all by himself, the servant obeys. He loves his master and will not depart from Him. The servant learns to lean not on his own understanding, trusts that his Lord is good and wise, and cares more for his Lord’s honor than for his own desire for “fulfillment.” God’s perfections are displayed and He is glorified in the heavenlies when His people gladly follow His orders, whether waving brilliantly in the trees or lying silently on the ground.

Beauty in Adversity—Part Two

What Grows Disciples?

There is an interesting article over at the Christianity Today blog. It concerns a multi-year study done by influential mega-church Willow Creek to determine the value of its program-driven philosophy of ministry to grow professing Christians into mature disciples of Christ. According to Willow Creek pastor Bill Hybels,

Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back it wasn’t helping people that much. Other things that we didn’t put that much money into and didn’t put much staff against is stuff our people are crying out for.

What Hybels concluded is,

We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.

While one wonders if this will bring about any serious shift in the philosophy of Willow Creek, it is encouraging, though not surprising, to find professing believers eventually “crying out” for something for which they sense a real need. So how has this “felt need” been met in the past? Anglican minister John Newton, counseling a young Christian on patiently persevering in spiritual growth, has this to say:

In a sense, we are often hindering him by our impatience and unbelief; but strictly speaking, when He really begins the good work, and gives us a desire which will be satisfied with nothing short of himself, He will not be hindered from carrying it on: for He has said, I will work, and none shall let it…. It is our part to be abased before him, and quietly to hope and wait for his salvation in the use of his appointed means. The power, success, and blessing, are wholly from himself…. Men indeed often plan what, for want of skill or ability, or from unforeseen disappointments, they are unable to execute. But nothing can disappoint the heavenly Builder; nor will He ever be reproached with forsaking the work of his own hands, or beginning that which He could not or would not accomplish. Phil. 1:6. (Letters of John Newton, pp. 217-219, The Banner of Truth Trust, 2007, original emphasis)

Spiritual growth is the special work of the Lord. However, as Newton points out, we should be using the divinely appointed means of Bible reading, prayer, worship, service, etc. to strive toward maturity and, at the same time, be trusting the Lord to provide in due time what He has promised. Growth is gradual, and, eventually, we will begin to notice lasting changes in us that can be ascribed only to the quiet, inner working of the Lord. Believers need to be taught this, and the programs should be developed as the need arises to help Christians in the use of these time-tested means.

I’d like to commend to you the Letters of John Newton for rich scriptural counseling. Whether you are in the position of needing good counsel or the position of providing counsel to others, Newton will help you. He always points the reader to the Scriptures and has a well-rounded view of scriptural teaching.

Thanks to Justin Taylor for the tip about the Christianity Today article.

What other solid works on Christian growth would you recommend?

What Grows Disciples?