A Little Book on the Christian Life I was surprised to find out how utterly readable John Calvin is when I first delved into reading him myself. As I stated (in other words) in my review of Simonetta Carr’s biography of Calvin, his immense contribution to Christianity made me think that somehow his writing would … Read more
Love him or hate him, John Calvin remains “The Theologian” who is often dismissed, pigeonholed, or lionized without actually being read. In John Calvin: For a New Reformation, editors Derek Thomas and John Tweedale ask us to reconsider Calvin.
In this series, we have been looking at what God’s Word says about adoption as both an earthly call to care for orphans and as a picture of how He saves undeserving sinners in need of a right relationship with Him. You can read Parts I, II, III, IV, V, VI, and VII here. In … Read more
In my GBTS class on ecclesiology the other night, Dr. Jeffrey Johnson told us the story of John Calvin’s pastoral ministry in Geneva during the plague of 1542. I was able to check out Harry Reeder’s work in John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion Doctrine & Theology (edited by Burk Parsons) to learn a little more. … Read more
Below is Calvin’s commentary on 2 Peter 3:9. Though I would disagree with his exegesis here, I do agree with the theology and find it supported by the rest of Scripture, namely that, though God will not save all men, He does have a genuine desire for the salvation of the world. We must be … Read more
The Doctrine on Which the Church Stands or Falls takes its title from the Reformation era conviction that justification by faith is the dividing line between the biblical gospel and man-centered efforts to earn favor with God. Matthew Barrett serves as editor and co-author with several significant theologians. In the forward, D.A. Carson writes that nothing is more important than the subject of this massive volume (15). The book is organized into four parts, grouping the chapters by looking at justification according to what the Bible itself teaches, theological perspectives on the doctrine, church history, and pastoral practice.