Thomas Watson wrote:
What need does he have to complain of losses who has Christ?  He is His Father’s brightness (Hebrews 1:3), His fullness (Colossians 2:9), and His delight (Proverbs 8:30).  Is there enough in Christ to delight the heart of God?  And is there not enough in Him to ravish us with holy delight?  He is wisdom to teach us, righteousness to acquit us, sanctification to adorn us. He is that royal and princely gift.  He is the bread of angels (according to Bernard), the joy and triumph of …

Hand to the Plow is Alexander Brown’s new website. Alex is an intern at Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah, Ga. I encourage you to visit it periodically to see what’s new!

The latest issue of Modern Reformation has unleashed the reformed conspiracy theorists.  As visitors to the Reformed Forum are well aware, the differences in the reformed world concerning the precise relationship of the benefits in the ordo salutis have been well-documented. Within the orthodox camp (NPP and FV proponents excluded) various explanations of the relationship between justification and sanctification are often boiled down to two primary groups.  Michael Horton is one of the most visible and widely published of the first group in the discussion.  Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. is …

I am finally pleased to report back on Douglas A. Sweeney’s book Jonathan Edwards and the Ministry of the Word: A Model of Faith and Thought. This is a delightful book that is engagingly written for the non-specialist.  This book has the merit of being written for Christians so that the true place of the Scriptures in the life and thought of Edwards is not only not ignored or denied or explained away, but is put on display for all to see.  I only have two gripes.  The …

We’re taking some time off this summer but it’s impossible to put Bavinck down. A set of Bavinck is difficult to stuff in a backpack, or suitcase and taking it through airport security is a joke. Fortunately Westminster bookstore has reprinted a great little Bavinck title and it’s the ideal size for travel. In just under 100 pages The Certainty of Faith makes a deep impression on the value and importance of knowing and understanding theology for the pulpit and in visitation. Here is a short quote on the practical …

Where was this when I was in seminary? Could you image the note taking possibilities if you have a corporate note taking endeavor using Google wave?

When I was in seminary, my Hebrew professor, Dr. Benjamin Shaw, recommended an old hermeneutical volume on the Psalms–William Binnie’s The Psalms: Their History, Teachings and Use . The value of this work is that Binnie does not set out, first and foremost, to give a verse by verse commentary on the book of Psalms; rather, he categorizes Psalms and draws out principles of interpretation. For instance, he has a section on Messianic Psalms in which he considers those Psalms that are explicitly mentioned in the NT in regard to …

The Reformed Forum is going to host John Fesko once again on Christ the Center.  This time he’ll be discussing his newest book, The Rule of Love.  The interview will be streamed live along with an open chat room at http://www.reformedforum.org/video.  The Reformed Forum is working in conjunction with Reformation Heritage Books to give away two free copies of the book. In addition to the giveaway, anyone who listens to the interview live will be able to purchase the book for only $10.00 + FREE shipping! In order to be eligible for a …

As some of our readers will know, I have a special interest in the Song of Songs. I am greatly indebted to many of the Puritan expositions, not to mention the work of Jonathan Edwards, on this most wonderful book of the Bible. It is an understatement to say that it is bothersome to me to find so many in our day “stripping it” (pun intended) of its spiritual and Christological purpose. We, in the Reformed camp are quick to affirm that the Old Testament is about Christ and the …

As a guitarist and songwriter I have, for quite some time, been  fascinated by the life and music of Nick Drake. If you are not familiar with his music you really should watch the videos below. The first two videos are my personal favorite songs. Nick’s life exemplified both the the shear creative ability of the Imago Dei and the tragic hopelessness of a life without Christ.

I am pleased to share with our readers that a classic of Presbyterian polity is finally back in print.  Originally published in 1858, Stuart Robinson’s The Church of God: An Essential Element of the Gospel has just been reissued with a new cover and typesetting and introduction by Rev. Dr. A. Craig Troxel.  The Committee on Christian Education of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church has produced a beautiful edition.  Robinson was professor of church government and pastoral theology at Danville Theological Seminary in Kentucky when the book was originally …

J.I. Packer, in his masterpiece A Quest for Godliness , highlights what he believes to be the three major principles of biblical interpretation in Puritan expositions. These are three principles we would do well to imitate:

1. Puritan exegetes…do not bring to the Bible the pervasive sense of difference and distance between cultures and epochs that is so much part of today’s mind-set; nor do they bring with them the imaginative ideas of religious evolution that cripple so many modern biblical scholars and corrupt so much of their expository work. …

Falkirk Free Church has a very helpful audio resource page with sermons and lectures by Edward Donnelly, Sinclair Ferguson, John L. Mackay and D.A. Carson. Among the audio you will find the following lectures by Sinclair Ferguson:
Daniel 1 “Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon came to Jerusalem to besieged it.”
Isaiah 6 “I saw the LORD”
There is also a series there on the Ten Commandments by Edward Donnelly:
The purposes of the Law
The preface to the Ten Commandments
The first commandment
You shall have no other gods
How do we worship God?
The sins of the Fathers
Misusing God’s …

Here is a thoughtful post by Josh Walker, in which he seeks to refine a term used to emphasize the multiplicity of blessings that come to us in Christ in the ordo salutis.

In the previous post Bavinck suggested that religion has more of a connecting point to real life than people give it credit. Sacrifice was the hinge on which the everyday working life and the door of salvation turned in the ancient world. For Bavinck this is the stock and trade of all theology: the vicarious atonement of Christ. Dogmatics has (historically) had a difficult time processing and presenting this momentous truth, yet there is no doubt to its certainty. The humility of Christ assuming human nature supports this. Believing it, …

Richard C. Gamble, former OPC and present RPCNA minister and professor of systematic theology at Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh and senior pastor of College Hill Reformed Presbyterian Church in Beaver Falls, has authored the first of a three volume set that brings together the riches of biblical, historical, and systematic theology.  The Whole Counsel of God: Vol. 1/God’s Mighty Acts in the Old Testament has been much anticipated.  Dr. Gamble does theology as it ought to be done.  He brings the various disciplines of the theological …

Ligon Duncan just finished lecturing on Calvin’s doctrine of Christian living, or piety. Here is a summary of the lecture:
Many are familiar with Calvin’s Institutes as a handbook, a manual, to compliment his commentaries and sermons. Calvin understood the need to be both biblical and theological. You can be theological without being biblical but you cannot be biblical without being theological. There is almost no where better to go than to Calvin’s commentaries to see rich biblical expositions. Calvin did not understand the Institutes to be a comprehensive sum of …

One of the most influential individuals in my life is Dr. John Carrick. Dr. Carrick was my Homiletics Professor at GPTS. I listened to one of his sermons yesterday and realized why I am so grateful for him. Dr. Carrick is one of the clearest, most articulate, and most edifying preachers I know. My preaching has been, in large measure, shaped by his example. I recently noticed that many of his sermons are now available online. You can find them here. I want to recommend these sermons to you as …

The following video was filmed at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. The lecture was given at a special Thursday evening service at PRTS.
The Church That Christ Builds

The Church That Christ Builds

The Barna Group has a recent article Americans are Exploring New Ways of Experiencing God on the culture shift in American Christianity. One of the things that they note is that "The rapid growth of the house church or simple church movement has been especially significant." The article goes on to note that "Barna has just released a new book, co-authored with simple church pioneers Tony and Felicity Dale, entitled The Rabbit and the Elephant. The book discusses the growth of the simple church movement, describing home-based churches as …

Dr. James White recently played clips of a debate between William Lane Craig and Christopher Hitchens on The Dividing Line.  This was a great program that touches on several points in apologetics.  Dr. White’s lucidity and ability to isolate the issues is always appreciated.

Within the last few days a long standing member of the congregation I have the privilege of serving went home to be with the Lord.  She was promoted from the church militant to the church triumphant.  In God’s providence, I and other members of the session and congregation had been with this member last Sunday in order to pay a visit and administer the Lord’s Supper.  It was a privilege to be able to read from Revelation 21 and 22.  We noted that the Lord’s Supper is a looking back …

Has anyone out there compared Hendriksen’s translation of Bavinck on the Doctrine of God with the new translation? If so, could you tell us what the differences are and the benefits of one over the other?   Thanks, Jim
I very much appreciate the two responses I’ve gotten.  Perhaps a clarification will help.   I am doing a fairly intensive study of the doctrine of God.  I already own Hendriksen’s edition.  Is there significant gain in buying the first volume of the Bavinck set?  I do not anticipate  buying all …

Nick Batzig recently sat down with David Robertson pastor of St. Peters Free Church in Dundee, Scotland at Twin Lakes Fellowship where he lectured on Emergent Calvinism.  This interview has just been released through Christ the Center.  David spoke with Nick about his book The Dawkins Letters: Challenging Atheist Myths. David has been actively debating Dawkins supporters throughout the UK and shares his experience. This is an interesting discussion about how apologetics hits the road.
But wait, there’s more!  This interview is a double-feature.  Later on Nick asked David …

Elisabeth Elliot comments on  Jonathan and Rosalind Goforth:
Rosalind Bell-Smith, born in London in 1864, was twelve years old when she heard a sermon on John 3:16 at a revival meeting.  The love of God was presented with such fervor and intensity that she yielded herself absolutely to Christ and stood up, along with others, to confess Him publicly as her Lord and Master.
Her father having been an artist, she grew up with a great love for art and went to art school in Toronto.  But there …

The past three weeks have been spent on the Incarnation. All posts prior to these were an exciting prologue. The Incarnation is the very center of dogmatics and one must first understand the person of Christ before ascertaining what it is he does. Christ came to fulfill the law, establish grace, reveal the Father, send the Spirit, and atone for sin. And that just for starters. Bavinck says that this is an area which has seen little (satisfactory) treatment in dogmatics and for that we need to get busy.
 
There is …

There is a fascinating inclusio in 1 Peter 3:18-22 where Peter develops his doctrine of baptism and salvation. The text begins with a reference to the death and resurrection of Christ and ends with a reference to the resurrection and ascension of Christ.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly …

Here !

I am really excited about the recently released book Heralds of the King: Christ-Centered Sermons in the Tradition of Edmund P. Clowney. Edited by Dennis Johnson, professor of practical theology at Westminster Seminary California and author of such classics as Let’s Study Acts , Triumph of the Lamb , Him We Proclaim , and The Message of Acts in Redemptive History , this book serves as a tribute to the late Edmund Prosper Clowney of Westminster Theological Seminaries East and West. Eleven preachers, …

Christ the Center recently interviewed Michael Haykin of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary about the value of studying the early church fathers. If there was an area where Reformed scholars have failed to give a subject its due attention it is here. The Reformers and the Post-Reformation Reformed Scholastics knew their church fathers and we would do well to follow their example. Fortunately some recent books from InterVarsity Press have made that more likely. The first set I would like to commend has actually been around for …