Exegesis and Theology

The Blog of Brian Collins

Calvin, Accommodation, and Creation

by

Augustine held that an omnipotent God did not need six days to create, that God created all things simultaneously (in a single moment), and that the revelation of God’s creative activity in terms of ‘six days’ was an accommodation to human understanding designed to convey certain logical or causal relationships among the creatures. See Augustine, The Literal Meaning of Genesis, vol. 1, trans. John Hammond Taylor, SJ (New York: Newman Press, 1982), 36-37, 154. Cf. Augustine, City of God, trans. Henry Bettenson (Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin Books, 1980), 435-36. Calvin disagreed, maintaining that divine accommodation does not always have to do with what God says but sometimes with what God does. That God too six (literal) days to complete his work was itself the divine pedagogy. See John Calvin, Commentaries on the First Book of Moses Called Genesis (Edinburg: Calvin Translation Society, 1847), 78.

Bruce L. McCormack, "Introduction," in Mapping Modern Theology: A Thematic and Historical Introduction, eds. Kelly M. Kapic and Bruce L. McCormack (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2012), 5.

The Christian Derided

by

Faith in the doctrines of Christ, and conformity to the strict commandments of the Gospel, must expose us to the taunts of the unbeliever and the worldling. Yet, where the heart is right with God, the " derision of the proud," instead of forcing us to " decline from the law of God," will strengthen our adherence to it.

Charles Bridges, Exposition of Psalm CXIX, 131.

Warfield on Agnosticsm

by

"In effect, therefore, agnosticism impoverishes, and, in its application to religious truth, secularizes and to this degree degrades life. Felicitating itself on a peculiarly deep reverence for truth on the ground that it will admit into that category only what can make good its right to be so considered under the most stringent tests, it deprives itself of the enjoyment of this truth by leaving the category either entirely or in great part empty."

B. B. Warfield, “Agnosticism,” in Selected Shorter Writings, 1:36

Bridges on Delight and Obedience

by

Acceptable obedience must however flow from love, and be accompanied with a measure of " delight." And surely at the very time that we are " abhorring ourselves in dust and ashes " before our God, we have every reason to delight in his ways ; and it cannot be entirely right with us, until something of this " delight in God’s commandments " is felt and enjoyed.

Charles  Bridges, Exposition of Psalm CXIX, 123.

Land: Genesis 1

by

Land emerges as a prominent theological theme in Scripture from the very first chapter. The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ occurs in Genesis 1 more times than it occurs in most other chapters of the Hebrew Bible. Only four chapters surpass Genesis 1 in number of occurrences (Gen 41 [27x]; Gen 47 [22x], Lev 26 [23x]; Jer 51 [22x]), and only three equal it (Lev 25, Num 14; Jer 44).

The very first verse of Genesis, and thus of the Bible, declares that God created the heavens and the earth [אֶרֶץ], and verse 2 focuses the reader’s attention on the earth. In these opening verses אֶרֶץ clearly refers to the entire globe: the world, the earth. In verse 9 a second sense is clarified. אֶרֶץ may also mean “dry land” as opposed to the oceans. Both these senses occur throughout the chapter, the context revealing which is in view.

The chapter climaxes with the creation of man. Here the narrative slows down, poetic lines are introduced to emphasize the significance of the creation of man in the image of God. In this climatic part of Genesis 1, the land theme remains prominent. Repeatedly in these verses mankind is given dominion over the earth [אֶרֶץ] and over the animals and plants on the earth. Craig Bartholomew comments, “It is important to note that the whole point of Genesis 1 is to present the earth as the context for human habitation, for implacement. The earth is one of the major actors in the narrative, but so too is the human, and one of the motifs of the narrative is how humans are to interact with the earth.”[1] The creation blessing indicates that a significant aspect of this interaction can be described in kingdom terminology.

[1] Craig G. Bartholomew, Where Mortals Dwell: A Christian View of Place for Today (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2011), 10.

Christian Liberty & the Law

by

Psalm 119:45. “And I will walk at liberty ; for I seek thy precepts.”

The way of the Lord, which to the man of the world is beset with thorns and briars on every side, to the child of God is a way of liberty. Without fear or anxiety, in the gladness of his heart and the rejoicing of his conscience, he walks on the king’s highway. Even in "seeking these precepts," there is " liberty" to be enjoyed, unknown to the worldling, the sensualist, or the professor. . . . What must it be, then, to walk in the full enjoyment of the precepts of God ? " They shall sing in the ways of the Lord " — " for how great is his goodness! how great is his beauty!"Are we then obeying them as our duty, or " seeking " them as our privilege ? Oh ! beware, lest allowed un faithfulness in any part of your walk with God, straiten and cripple your soul. The glow of spiritual activity, and the healthfulness of Christian liberty, are only to be found in a persevering and self-denying pursuit of every track of the ways of God.

Charles  Bridges, Exposition of Psalm CXIX, 117.

Books and Articles Read in July

by

Books

Owen, John. "Duty of Pastors and People Distinguished." In The Works of John Owen. Vol. 13. Edited by William H. Goold. New York: Robert Carter, 1852.

The most practical benefit that I gained from reading this article was a biblically-based list of petitions to pray for the pastors of my church. This work also contains a helpful excursus on why New Testament ministers are not priests.

Jones, Bob. The Perils of America, or Where are We Headed? 1934.

Interestingly, at the beginning of this sermon Bob Jones speaks in the same fashion that preachers today are wont to speak of the internet or Facebook: The world is coming to young people as it never has before; they have more access to ungodly influences than ever before and so forth. But culprits that Jones identifies are paved roads and the automobile. Jones notes that in the past many Americans lived in the country and were not affected by the degeneracy that could be found in the cities. But with paved roads and automobiles, the cities were now easily accessible and their baleful influences were spreading to the countryside.

The three great perils that Jones identifies are the breakdown of the family, the religious changes, and secular education. Regarding the first, Jones highlights the rising divorce rate; regarding the second, Jones uses his concern with the rising influence of Roman Catholicism with its "voice of authority" to critique the liberal Protestant abandonment of biblical authority; regarding the third, Jones discusses the rise of secular education that is hostile to the Christian faith.

Ridderbos, Herman N. The Coming of the Kingdom. Translated by H. de Jongste. Edited by Raymond O. Zorn. Philadelphia: P&R, 1962.

It’s hard to say whether this is a study of the kingdom theme in the Synoptic Gospels or whether it is a theology of the Synoptic Gospels that takes the kingdom of God as the central theme that all other themes in the Synoptics relate to. Either way, it is an excellent study of the kingdom theme.

Ridderbos’s detailed exegetical discussions of parables and miracles and key events and teachings are rich and thoughtful. When studying any passage from the Synoptics, it would be worth consulting the Scripture index of Coming of the Kingdom to see if Ridderbos has discussed the passage.

As to his view of the timing of the kingdom, Ridderbos holds that the kingdom arrived with the coming of Christ but that a gap opened up between the coming of the salvation of the kingdom and the coming of the judgment of the kingdom. We live in this gap and proclaim the gospel of the kingdom so that men and women can be saved from the coming judgment.

Lewis, C. S. The Silver Chair . HarperCollins Audio Book.

Lewis, C. S. The Last Battle. HarperCollins Audio Book.

Articles

Muller, Richard. Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics. 3:417-31

Muller provides an excellent description of Molinism, its effects, and Reformed critiques of it in these pages

Graham, Matthew. "Divine Foreknowledge: Two Accounts," Christian Apologetics Journal 8, no. 1 (Spring 2009): 55-69.

Graham provides a helpful overview of Molinisitic and Thomistic accounts of foreknowledge. He favors the Thomistic view. He rejects the Molinist viewpoint due to the "grounding objective." The grounding objection argues that the Molinist has not basis on which hypotheticals may be ontologically true. They are not true because they correspond to reality because they are hypotheticals. A Molinist would reject that idea that they are true because God decrees them to be so. A Molinist would also reject that idea that they are true because a person in a given situation with a given nature would make a specific choice because Molinists embrace libertarian free will. Since Molinists have not provided an answer to the grounding objection, Graham does not find it a viable account of foreknowledge.

Moody, Josh. "Edwards and Justification Today," in Jonathan Edwards and Justification . Edited by Josh Moody. Wheaton: Crossway, 2012.

Moody makes the case that Edwards’s view of justification falls within Reformation orthodoxy. He points out that Edwards’s references to infusion refer to regeneration not to the Roman Catholic concept of infused righteousness.

Hodge on the sinfulness of sin

by

It is obvious that no severity of mere human suffering ; no destroying deluge ; no final con flagration, not hell itself can present such a manifestation of the evil of sin and of the jus tice of God as the cross of his incarnate Son. It declares in language which is heard by the whole intelligent universe, that sin deserves God’s wrath and curse.

Charles Hodge, The Way of Life, 81.

Hodge on the Gravity and Consequences of Sin

by

Men flatter themselves that they will escape the evil consequences of their transgressions by appealing to the mercy of God, and obtaining a suspension of this law in their behalf. They might as reasonably expect the law of gravitation to be suspended for their convenience. He that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption, as certainly as he who sows tares shall reap tares. The only link which binds together causes and effects in nature, is the will of God; and the same will, no less clearly revealed, connects suffering with sin. And this is a connexion absolutely indissoluble save by the mystery of redemption. To suspend the operation of a law of nature, (as to stop the sun in his course,) is merely an exercise of power. But to save sinners from the curse of the law required that Christ should be made a curse for us ; that he should bear our sins in his own body on the tree ; that he should be made sin for us and die the just for the unjust.

Charles Hodge, The Way of Life, 78-79.

Christian Worldview and Personal Piety

by

There can be no doubt that Bavinck is far from poking fun, in the well-known manner (whether with supercilious arrogance of sardonic irony, from the vantage point of a real or imagined cultural superiority), at this Pietistic life style, as at an anachronistic curiosity. He is, rather, of the opinion that this Pietism hold up the mirror to ourselves and opens our eyes to the dangers of an unbridled and unbroken cultural optimism—dangers that Bavinck knew only too well were certainly not imaginary in the circles of his occasionally overzealous fellow-Calvinists. It was his conviction that ‘this movement [Pietism] gives evidence of an appreciation and concern for the one thing needful, which is only too often absent from us in the busy rush of contemporary life.’ Against the Pietists, nevertheless, he maintains the significance of the Christian religion may not be restricted to the redemption and salvation of a few souls. ‘The religious life does have its own content and an independent value. It remains the center, the heart, the hearth, out of which all his [i.e., the Christian’s] thought and action proceeds and from which it receives inspiration and warmth. There, in fellowship with God, he is strengthened for his labor and girds himself for the battle. But that hidden life of fellowship with God is not the whole of life. The prayer room is the inner chamber, but not the whole dwelling in which he lives and moves. The spiritual life does not exclude domestic and civic, social and political life, the life of art and scholarship. To be sure, it is distinct from these things. It also transcends them by far in value, but it does not constitute an irreconcilable opposition to them; rather, it is the power that enables us faithfully to fulfill our earthly vocation and makes all of life a serving of God.’

Jan Veenhof, Nature and Grace in Herman Bavinck, trans. Albert M. Wolters (Dordt College Press, 2006), 29-30.