iustitia aliena

Lovely sister brought these four books to me.  Now, I have to read them.  Happy reading.

The Dawn of the Reformation – Heiko Oberman

Luther: Man between God and the Devil – Heiko Oberman

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lord and Servant: ACovenant Christology – Michael Horton

The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible – B.B. Warfield

Currently reading through Concise Reformed Dogmatics by two Dutch theologians and learning a lot from it.

Here below are some snap shots of important points that Genderen and Velema make in the section titled The attributes of Holy Scripture on the Authority of Holy Scripture:

What does Scripture itself say? The autopisty of Scripture implies that we appeal to Scripture itself to establish its authority.  As in the case of theopneusty, it is not a matter of a single text, but of the entire Scripture as we have received it.  As the Word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit, Scripture speaks to us with authority.  In it God addresses us with his absolute authority.

The Old Testament was to our Lord Jesus Christ not merely a collection of human writings.  What authority would it have had for Him, who himself spoke with authority (Matt. 7:29), and could say that his words in no wise would pass away (Matt. 24:35)?  He accepted the authority of Scripture without reservation:  ”It is written” (Matt. 4: 4, 7, 10).  To him this was the end of any dispute.  ”Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35).  He saw his path of suffering spelled out in Scripture: “But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?” (Matt. 26:54).

It is incorrect to suppose that Jesus’ appeal to Scripture would reflect no more than an acceptance of Jewish tradition or an uncritical adoption of a contemporary opinion with respect to the authority of the sacred books, and in particular the books of Moses.  This would be hard to believe, because he invariably opposed the views of his contemporaries whenever this was called for.

When Jesus declared in the Sermon on the Mount: “But I say unto you,” this may not be viewed as undermining the authority of the law of Moses.  In contrast with the scribes, he demonstrates its deeper meaning.  He has not “come to destroy the law or the prophets…but to fulfill them.  ”One jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matt. 5:17-48).

Also in the apostolic epistles we read repeatedly: “It is written.” There is no room for bargaining, for Scripture has a normative character to its authors and to its hearers or readers.  While introducing a quotation from the Old Testament, Paul can write: “as God hath said” (2 Cor. 6:16).  The testimony of Scripture is the testimony of the Spirit (Heb. 10:15-17).  It is of great importance that in the short summary of faith in Christ, which was delivered to Paul and which he passed on to the church, the words “according to the Scriptures” occur twice. Yet no specific Scripture passage is mentioned.  The apostle implies that the facts of redemption are in agreement with all of Holy Scripture (1 Cor. 15:3-4).  (86-87, CRD)

In connection with various misunderstandings that can arise when the divine authority of Scripture is recognized, it is necessary to reject the view that the Bible is a book of law with clauses for all possible eventualities.  Neither is the Bible a reference work from which isolated quotes can be selected without having to pay any attention to their context.  Frequent citation from Scripture is in and of itself no proof of being faithful to the Bible.  Whenever we refer to Scripture passages, we need to take into account their meaning, purpose, and context.  The authority of Scripture is not the authority of a list of truths or pronouncements, but the authority of the entire word of God, of which Christ is the center, and that as the reliable Word of God calls for faith.  (95, Concise Reformed Dogmatics)

In the section on the clarity of Scripture:

Scripture is “a light that shineth in a dark place” (2 Peter 1:19).  It is so, because it is full of him, who is the Light of the World.  This is an element that Luther emphasized in his polemics with Erasmus.  The greatest mystery has been revealed:  Christ, the Son of God, having become man; the triune God nevertheless being one; Christ having suffered for us and yet being Lord forever.  ”Remove Christ from the Scriptures and what wilt though have left?” (WA, 19:606).  When Christians have come to know the core content of Holy Scripture, i.e., Christ, the Son of God, everything else take on significance and becomes entirely transparent (cf. WA, 44:510).  (99-100, CRD)

Here’s a section from chapter 4, Concerning God: Knowledge Of God

Knowledge of God can never mean that God is comprehensible.   With our minds we can try to understand things pertaining to this world, but the Bible says of God that he is incomparable (Isa. 40:18) and that his greatness is unsearchable (Ps. 145:3).  Elihu says:  ”Behold, God is great,  and we know him not” (Job 36:26).  God far exceeds our understanding.  God is always greater than we think (Deus semper maior).  God is God.  ”We may not form any earthly conceptions of God’s heavenly majesty (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 46).

Like Augustine, who was deeply convinced of the ineffability and incomprehensibility of God and found it easier to say what God is not than what he is, we know that we need to stop here. “Although we cannot say anything profound about God, yet he tolerates the obedient service of the human voice and desires that by means of our words we rejoice in praising him” (De doctrina christiana, 1:6).

God’s incomprehensibility does not render knowledge of God impossible.  This is then knowledge of a unique nature.  Knowledge of God is already a key concept of the prophetic proclamation.  In multiple ways the New Testament testifies to the fact that people know God in Christ.  (118, CRD, Italics mine)

Next up is some notes from Horton’s catechism class (which was available through audio) at the Christ Reformed Church on the Heidelberg Catechism question and answer #1, and then post some more snap shots from Concise Reformed Dogmatics regarding atheism and the problem with proofs and then move onto the chapter on the Holy Trinity as revealed in Holy Writ.

i.l.

Here are some quotes from Concise Reformed Dogmatics, you gotta love these two confessionally Reformed Christian theologians they carry the good news.  I’m finding this book very beneficial, encouraging, and a good learning resource of the Christian Faith.

Here the authors are writing  about Herman Bavinck’s Dogmatics:

In subsequent editions of his work, in which this preface was omitted, it is noted that the first duty of every practitioner of science, and particularly of any theologian, is to be humble and modest.  He may not think himself to be wiser than he ought to think.  (17)

5.2  Special Revelation

When a distinction is made between general and special revelation a description or definition of special revelation is in order.  Bavinck provided the following one:  It “is that conscious and free act of God by which, he, in the way of a historical complex of special means (theophany, prophecy, miracle) that are concentrated in the person of Christ, makes himself known–specifically in the attributes of his justice and grace, in the proclamation of law and gospel–to those human beings who live in the light of this special revelation in order that they may accept the grace of God by faith in Christ or, in case of impenitence, receive a more severe judgement. One might opt for a shorter formulation: it is that revelation of through which, by special means which have their focus and climax on Christ, he has disclosed a way of life for sinners, whom he grants to live in this light.  (52, 53.   The Bold is mine)

What changed in the light of the Reformation was described in Klare wijn (clear wine, 1967) as follows:  Luther and Calvin are suddenly enflamed with passion.  To them the Bible is not in the first instance a source of information from which they obtain truths and precepts, but in Scripture they encounter the living God and his message.  (70)

In referring to the concept of revelation in theology, we saw that it was typical of Calvin to believe that God adapts himself to our capacity to understand (accommodatio).  God can speak to us in a throughly human manner.  It resembles the teaching of small children.  He is like a king whose majesty we must not take lightly, but who wants to have an intimate conversation with us.  When he communicates his Word to us through human mouths, in human language, he thereby takes our needs into consideration.  (72)

The Old Testament is seen as the book of retribution.  The Old Testament would present the religion of holiness and the New Testament faith in God’s love.  But this view is not really tenable.  It is indeed the case that in the Old Testament we encounter God in his exaltation and holiness.  But he is also “merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.”  This is how the announcement of his name begins in Exodus 34:67.  Thus the LORD manifests in Christ but also refers to his wrath (John 3:36).  ”Our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29). “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).   Already the first few chapters of the book of Genesis are of fundamental significance for self-knowledge.  Man, created in God’s image, fell away from him, but God considered his state and sought him out.  Thus man stands there as creature of God and sinner before God.  God, who is the creator, also seeks to be his redeemer.  God both demands and grants the atonement for sin (Lev. 17:11).  Via the subsequent preaching of atonement through sacrificial ministry and through prophecy, all lines lead to Christ, of whom the New Testament says:  ”Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).  When Paul refers to Christ as the last Adam the unity of the Old and New Testaments is underscored (cf. 1 Cor. 15:45; Rom. 5:12-21).  (69)

I went to the bookstore today in Seoul looking for a good, thick systematic theology to keep me busy.  This one, folks, is from the Netherlands penned by Reformed confessionals J. Van Gendern and W.H. Velema.

Here are a couple of book puffs from the Westminster California faculty:

At a time when there seems to be renewed interest in the Reformation and, specifically, the Reformed stream, this concise theology is a wellspring of the best that our confession has to offer in the desert of American religion. This is a treasure to be read again and again, making the heart leap for joy!- Michael Horton.

For all but a few English speakers, insight into the world of contemporary confessional Dutch Reformed theology is limited to occasional glimpses. This tradition opens a helpful, orthodox, window on discussions in the Netherlands and beyond and is a welcome contribution to the renaissance of Reformed dogmatics in our time. – R. Scott Clark

I skimmed the book and came upon this gem:

50.3 Law and Gospel

1. The Word of God comprises law and gospel. In the law God reveals his will to us.  His law encompasses much more than the “ten words” of Exodus 20 (Deut. 5), although the Decalogue is indeed of fundamental significance for the relationship between the Lord and his people.  The core of the commandments is the commandment to love (Matt. 22:37-40).  The gospel proclaims to us salvation in Christ.  It comes to us in the promise of the gospel.

Through Luther the distinction between law and gospel became an important theological theme.  It cannot be equated with the distinction between the Old and New Testaments, although it was customary to do so from the early centuries of Christianity till the Middle Ages.  The result was that the gospel came to be viewed as a new and more perfect law.

Luther reacted to the legal interpretation of the Gospel, which he associated largely with Rome, by contrasting the law and the gospel.  At no price could the law be confused with the gospel.   Luther defined both the law and the gospel in terms of their roles:  The law serves to identify sin and the gospel serves to forgive sin.  While the gospel contains the promise of Christ, it is the role of the law to demand, to accuse, and to condemn.  According to Luther, this is not the only, but definitely the most important role of God’s law.

For the classic Reformed view we refer especially to Calvin.  According to this Reformer, the distinction between the law and the gospel is consistent with the unity of the Word of God.  In the covenant of grace, demand and promise, law and gospel go hand in hand.  The gospel grants what the law requires.

(pages 771-772, Chapter 14 The Means of Grace, The Word as a means of grace.  The italics belong to the authors)

The Gospel gives what the law commands.  Amen.

From the White Horse Inn at www.whitehorseinn.org

“The Narcissism Epidemic

Is Narcissism on the rise? And if so, has it affected American Christianity? On this edition of the White Horse Inn, Michael Horton talks with Dr. Jean Twenge, author ofGeneration Me, and co-author of The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement.”

http://heidelblog.wordpress.com/2009/05/06/audio-horton-on-the-gospel-driven-life/

“God helps those who help themselves.” The emphasis on divine rescue has to be watered down to divine assistance. And I tell you it will make a lot of difference perhaps not today, especially those of you who are younger, maybe some of you have not yet had anything but your hamster die, and that was a crisis, really, but you are going to face a lot more, and you may be sitting here thinking it does not matter that much what you believe about God. Who cares the sick soul religion or the healthy minded religion. It will matter right now which religion you embrace down the line when you face those trials and those circumstances, whether you are tossed back and forth with every blow of life circumstances, or whether you are an oak tree rooted by the streams of living water even when life blows really hard at you. The religion of the healthy minded is pervasive in our time, and it’s pervasive in the pagan West all the way back to the time when the apostle Paul said, “the Gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing.” The Greeks are looking for wisdom for living: how could I be happier, healthier, wiser, how could I get further in life, what’s the best root to my own personal happiness? And the Gospel answers the question: how can I be accepted before a Holy God? And it answers it by saying, this Jew over here who was cursed by God in your place, so that you would not be cursed and He was raised on the third day for your Justification. He is your hope, He is your righteousness, He is your wisdom, He is your sanctification, He is your life. The Greeks said the same thing that Nietzsche said: Christianity is a slave morality, Christianity is for the weak, for the hopeless, you don’t put one of our criminals on a cross, and worship Him. What a weird religion that is when you think about it. The irony is that the religion of Nietzsche’s superman, which the 16^th century Reformation dubbed as a theology of Glory when the medievals tried to pull it off, is its own kind of slave morality. It makes the weak subservient to the powerful, it makes the consumers subservient to those who can manipulate the market. It makes the common person the servant of the genius, and all of this is easily supported by a church that depends on the market place for its own power stake in popular culture. Again, this is not to advocate pessimism because of God’s common grace, all spheres of human endeavor are not as bad as they could be, we are not as badly off as we could be, however, a religion of healthy mindedness which ignores the reality of the Fall in all of its aspects renders itself finally nothing more than a form of therapy in times of plenty, and absolutely irrelevant in times of tragedy. There is no answer. People who have the religion of healthy mindedness move in times of tragedy very quickly and very easily to atheism, there is just nothing holding them down. See, what we need is not therapy, but news, Good News, because a radical problem needs a radical solution. Not for us to be reformed or improved, but for us to be slain by the law and raised up by the Gospel.” 

Dr.Michael S. Horton 2004 Faith & Life Conference in a lecture (46 minutes) titled “Good News For Losers.” 

Foreward and Introduction as a free .pdf here.

Enjoy! 

This portion is directly taken out of “The Gospel for Those Broken by the Church” by Dr. Rod Rosenbladt.  The page numbers are the page numbers of a booklet which was on the book rack provided by Oceanside United Reformed Church.

It seems to me that the key question here is a very basic one: Can the cross and blood of Christ save a Christian (failing as he or she is in living the Christian life) or no?

I hope that most of us would say that the shed blood of Christ is sufficient to save a sinner? All by itself, just Christ’s blood, “nude faith” in it, “sola fide”, “faith without works”, “a righteousness from God apart from law,” a cross by which “God justifies wicked people,” etc. So far so good, right?

But is the blood of Christ enough to save a still sinful-Christian? Or isn’t it? Does the Gospel still apply, even if you are a Christian? Or doesn’t it? It seems to me (1) that the category “sinner” still applies to me, (2) that the category “sinner” still applies to you, (3) that the category “sinner” still applies to all Christians. (If you are a Wesleyan and have reached perfection, what I have to say here doesn’t, of course apply to you.) But for the rest of us, it seems that what Luther said of the Christian being “simultaneously sinful and yet justified before the holy God” is critical. Is what Luther said Biblical? Or isn’t it? Is it Biblical to say that a Christian is “simul justus et peccator” or no? Are we Christians saved the same way we were when we were baptized into Christ, or when we came to acknowledge Christ’s shed blood and His righteousness as all we had in the face of God’s holy law? That all of our supposed “virtue” – Christian or pagan – is just like so many old menstrual garments (to use the Bible phrase)? But God imputes to those who trust Christ’s cross the true righteousness of Christ himself? We are pretty sure that unbelievers who come to believe this are instantly justified in God’s sight, declared as if innocent, adopted as sons or daughters, forgiven of all sin, given eternal life, etc. But are Christians still saved that freely? Or are we not? We are pretty clear that imputed righteousness saves sinners. But can the imputed righteousness of Christ save a Christian? And can it save him or her all by itself? Or no? I think the way we answer this question determines whether we have anything at all to say to the “sad alumni” of Christianity.

We Lutheran pastors haven’t done a great job of getting across the central nature of righteousness by imputation alone. I hope you’ve done a better job at it than we have!

Decades ago, a gigantic survey of our clergy and laity showed that we Lutheran pastors hadn’t even convinced our own members of the sufficiency of Christ’s cross and blood and death for them! (And I mean Lutheran members who might never have sneaked out to attend some evangelical revival, might never have spent 5 minutes watching crazy Trinity Broadcasting Network). Proof: A Study of Generations [results: 75% gave perfect Roman Catholic answers!]

• “When you die, are you sure you will enter heaven? [“I hope so.”]

• “I was president, tithed, sang in the choir, taught Sunday School,” etc.

• Perfect Roman Catholic answers! And this survey was done decades ago!

What the “sad alumni” need to hear (perhaps for the first time) is that Christian failures are going to walk into heaven, be welcomed into heaven, leap into heaven like a calf leaping out of its stall, laughing and laughing, as if it’s all to good to be true.

It isn’t just that we failures will get in. It’s that we will probably get in like that! We failures-in-living-the-Christian-life-as-described-in-the-Bible will probably say something like, “You mean it was that simple?!” “Just Christ’s cross & blood?! Just His righteousness imputed to my account as if mine? You gotta be kidding!” “And all of heaven is ours just because of what was done by Jesus outside of me, on the cross—not because of what Christ did in me” – in my heart, in my Christian living, in my behavior?! “Well, I’ll be damned!” But, of course, that’s the point isn’t it? As a believer in Jesus as your Substitute, you won’t be damned! No believer in Jesus will be. Not a single one!

• “Be of good cheer, my son. Your sins are forgiven.”

• “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

• Fear not, little flock. It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

• “Come to Me, all you who are heavy laden. Take My yoke upon you, for My Yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

• “And He, when He comes, will neither break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoldering wick.”

• “When You return, remember me.” I tell you, this day yhou shall be with Me in paradise.”

• “It is finished!”

• “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…” • “God made Him to be sin who Himself knew no sin…”

• “…for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as man of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

• “For by grace you are saved, through faith, and that [faith in Jesus is] not of yourselves, but it is a gift of God, lest any man should boast.” • “And to the man who does not work but trusts the One who justifies the wicked, his faith is counted as if it were righteousness.” • “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith, apart from works of the law.”

• “….knowing a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.” • “But now a righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,…the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.”

• “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” • “There is now, therefore, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

(pages 18-21, 27-28).

Danny Hyde has written an excellent piece on a very misunderstood subject. Through effective combination of biblical, theological, and confessional discussions, he has presented the Reformed view of the second commandment winsomely and attractively. He helpfully emphasizes not the negative prohibition of making images of God but the positive facts that God has revealed himself now so generously in Word and Sacrament and will one day reveal himself visibly in the most perfect and authentic way.

—David VanDrunen, Robert B. Strimple Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics, Westminster Seminary California

Here is the link to the Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Living-Color-Images-Christ-Means/dp/0979367735/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240578164&sr=1-7

For the Table of Contents and Endorsements see this page: http://dannyhyde.squarespace.com/journal/2009/4/24/announcing-in-living-color-images-of-christ-and-the-means-of.html