I have begun reading The Elder by Cornelis Van Dam (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2009). It is 283 pgs including the index. It is one of five (more to come) volumes in the Explorations in Biblical Theology series.

My professor, mentor, and friend, Robert A. Peterson, is the editor of the series, and I am thankful that he gave the book to me. I am sure that I will make some more comments about the book after I complete it, but I am excited about how the book will strengthen my walk with the Lord and service to his church.

Also, if the book is as I expect it to be, then I will use it for elder training in the future. The book covers the OT and the NT teaching about the biblical office of elder. It comes with study questions (243-251) and an excellent bibliography for further reading about the office (253-255). Please check back soon for my evaluation of the book.

Christ-Centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape Our Practice

Natalie purchased a copy of Bryan Chapell's new book, Christ-Centered Preaching: Letting the Gospel Shape Our Practice, from the Covenant Seminary Bookstore yesterday. I have only read a couple of pages so far, but I am extremely excited about this book.

I would recommend that all Reformed pastors purchase a copy and begin reading today. The book asserts that the gospel should shape the practice of corporate, public worship.

In addition to this book, Reformed pastors should also be sure to own a copy of The Directory for Publick Worship (1645) and Robert Rayburn's O Come, Let Us Worship (1980). There are certainly other titles on Reformed worship, but this is a good place to begin.

Recommended Read: Christ-Centered Preaching

A couple of months back I finally finished a book that had been on my reading list for some time: Christ-Centered Preaching by Bryan Chapell. Chapell is the president of Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. In his work on preaching, he presents a useful and helpful homiletical model that will benefit both the seasoned preacher and seminarian alike. It goes like this:

Explanation---> Illustration--->Application

The careful preacher will weave a web of all three components to most effectively communicate the content of God's Word.

There is a singular statement that stands out to me in Chapell's book: "Explanation is for application." While application cannot properly be done until the Word is explained, application is not merely some component of exposition that can be eschewed under some misguided solus spiritus principle. The audience has the right to ask, "So what?" Many well-meaning, young Reformed preachers (of whom I am one) would do well to heed Chapell's advice here because the temptation to turn a sermon into an "oral essay" is strong. By following Chapell's model of redemptive preaching, sermons will avoid this pitfall. However, by emphasizing each chain of the so called "double helix", the preacher will avoid turning his sermons into therapuetic drivel as well. In his irenic way, Chapell avoids the extremes of turning preaching into either a lecture or a psychological pep talk. To put it simply, he is balanced and that alone should make his discussion of preaching appealing.

Many homiletic texts read in a cumbersome fashion because of the technical language that the discipline involves. Chapell's style, however, is both at once meticulous and perspicuous. He writes in a way that is understandable without marginalizing the reader who is coming to such concepts for the first time. In addition to this, Chapell provides useful helps in the appendices at the end of the book. It does not matter if you are a young preacher or a veteran preacher. Get this book in your library!

Peace Between God and Man

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!'" (Luke 2:13-14; emphasis mine)

In the middle of the Advent narrative in Luke's gospel, we find this marvelous promise of peace. Yet while the angels sung of peace to the onlooking shepherds, Herod was in Jerusalem plotting to kill the promised Messiah. And the threat of death did not end while Jesus was in the cradle but continued until he faced the cross. Such tumult hardly conjures up thoughts of tranquility!

Even today, we find ourselves in a state of instability. As Americans, we face instability of all kinds. We face the instability of economic uncertainty. We face the instability of political unrest. We face the instability of terrorism. In light of these facts, the question emerges: did Christ fail in his attempt to bring peace?

Before we can answer this question, we must define peace. The peace that the Scriptures claim that Christ brings is not peace among men. It is an objective peace. It is not a subjective, inward feeling. The peace that the Bible speaks of is one between God and man. When Christ came, he came as the God-man, fully God and fully man. He represented the two parties which were at war. This is something that we need to remember in the church today: God was the enemy of man and man was the enemy of God. Reconciliation presupposes that both parties are adversarial to one another. Christ brought reconciliation when he faced the gauntlet of God's wrath at the cross. Thus, peace was accomplished once and for all by Christ on behalf of his people (cf. Matthew 1:21). Keeping this in mind, let us briefly consider three characteristics of this peace Christ brings.

1. This peace is effectual.

The peace that Christ brings through the gospel is not an ineffectual offer that has no capacity to save anyone. The peace that Christ brings was accomplished at Calvary. Divine satisfaction was made at the death of the Son of God. Tetelestai means that Christ's work needs of no addition. As we read in Luke 2:13-14, Christ came to bring peace. Either he succeeded this or he did not. To say that Christ brings the potential of peace for all but he does not actually accomplish it for anyone is to dishonor our Lord and Savior.

2. This peace is enduring.

Romans 5:1 says, "Having been justified by faith, we now have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. " Notice that the apostle says we "have peace with God." It is present tense. Peace for all those who are in union with Christ cannot be removed. Every sphere of salvation occurs in Christ. We are justified in the justified one: Jesus Christ. Just as Christ will always be justified, so also will those who are united to him also will always be justified. And to be justified before God means to be at peace with him.

3. This peace is for our enjoyment.

Justification and reconciliation are not ultimate. Justification and reconciliation are means to an end. The good news of being declared righteous before God and the good news of having peace with God is that we get God. The gospel is God! Justification and reconciliation would not be good news if it were not for the fact that the purpose and design in justification and reconciliation is to remove every barrier that hinders us from enjoying God for eternity. You cannot enjoy God if he is your enemy. You cannot enjoy God if you are not at peace with him. The aim of peace then is to bring us into an uninhibited delight of God!

Rejoice this Christmas that Christ has brought us peace. Soli deo gloria!

For Further Reading: The God Who Justifies, by James White

The Lord's Supper

Today, the church where I serve celebrated the Lord’s Supper. I must confess that I cherish the Supper because it is a real means of grace to the believer. More importantly, the Supper, among other things of course, is a sacred occasion for believers to feast on the body and blood of the risen and exalted Lord Jesus.

Unfortunately, the Lord’s Supper is a sacrament that the contemporary Reformed church has neglected in both doctrine and practice. Historically, however, Reformed Theology has made significant contributions to the doctrine, practice, and piety of the Lord’s table. For example, when I read John Calvin, I am amazed at his reflection upon the spiritual presence of Christ in the Supper. Of course, Calvin did not invent the doctrine that Christ is really and spiritually present in the Supper. He learned this truth from Holy Scripture. The Bible teaches that the Lord’s Supper is communion (Grk. koinonia) with the risen Christ.

Although most people think that 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 is the only Lord’s Supper passage in the book of 1 Corinthians, this simply is not so. Paul also speaks of the Supper in 1 Corinthians 10:16, which says, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation (koinonia) in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation (Grk. koinonia) in the body of Christ?” Paul’s two questions anticipate an affirmative response. "Yes, the cup of blessing that we bless is indeed a participation in the blood of Christ, and, yes, the bread that we break is indeed a participation in the body of Christ." In other words, when the believer receives the bread and the wine by faith, he communes with the risen Christ. There is real participation. There is real communion. There is real fellowship.

So then, as I celebrated the Lord’s Supper with God’s people this morning, I was feasting on the body and blood of Jesus Christ, not physically but spiritually. The body of Christ remained at the right hand of the Father, but by the Holy Spirit my spirit was raised by faith into heaven where I feasted on the body and blood of Christ. The body and blood of Christ were as real to my faith as the bread and wine were to my senses. Even more significant, I can say that I ate and drank the gospel. The gospel is that real.

The Supper is precious to me because it reminds me of the reality of Christ and the gospel. Christ really exists, and the gospel is really true. That is objective and outside of me. Nevertheless, God wants me to taste and see that Christ is good (Psalm 34:8). He wants me personally to appropriate the benefits of the broken body and shed blood of Christ. That is why Jesus says to us, “Take, eat. Take, drink.” We must personally appropriate the body and blood of Christ by faith, and Christ has given us the Supper as a sacrament to strengthen our faith. When we celebrate the Supper, our faith is nourished and strengthened, and our union with Christ is invigorated. All this comes from the Holy Spirit who makes the Supper a real means of grace, namely, a real communion with the risen Christ who is seated at the Father’s side.

If you want to read more about the Lord’s Supper in Reformed Theology, I highly recommend Keith Mathison’s book, Given for You: Reclaiming Calvin’s Doctrine of the Lord’s Supper (Presbyterian and Reformed, 2002). I would also encourage you to read Robert Letham’s The Lord’s Supper: Eternal Word in Broken Bread (Presbyterian and Reformed, 2001). Finally, there is the classic text by Ronald Wallace, Calvin’s Doctrine of Word and Sacrament (Eerdmans, 1957). Happy reading!

Recommended Read: Communion with God by John Owen

Outside the Bible, John Owen's Communion with God is one of my favorite books. I usually do not recommend "the abridged and made easy-to-read" version of any Puritan work, but in Owen's case I make an exception. Puritan Paperbacks made a wonderful contribution with this volume (transl. R.J.K. Law, Banner of Truth, 1991, repr. 2000). It is 209 pages of sheer glory. Owen is infamously difficult to read, and I would rather the contemporary church read Owen abridged than no Owen at all.

The whole book is a biblical, theological, pastoral, devotional, and practical exposition of 1 John 1:3, which says, "...Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ." Owen's thesis is that the believer has a distinct communion, fellowship, participation (Grk. koinonia) with each person of the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. After explaining the nature of communion with the Trinity, Owen proceeds to expound upon the unique fellowship that the believer has with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Owen's tone is warm, intimate, and gracious throughout. The book is truly a pleasure to read and ponder. I highly recommend that you acquire this book as soon as possible and begin savoring its precious truths.

On a practical level, I recommend praying through books, especially works of theology (Puritan theology works best). I developed this spiritual discipline many years ago, and I actively practice it to this day. So then, as I read Owen's biblical descriptions of the Father's love (pgs. 28-30 - eternal, free, unchangeable, selective), I make the theological content into a prayer. For example, I may pray, "O Father, may I know, feel, and believe in my heart that your love is eternal. As far as I can look into eternity past, which is not far, you love, and as far as I can see into eternity future, which is not far, you love. You love beyond my gaze. Your love is infinitely larger than my perception of your love. I also adore your free love for me in Christ. You were not bound to love me, and your justice incited your holy hatred. However, you are love, and you choose to love. Your love is free and unbound. It is a sovereign love. I am also humbled, Father, by your selective love. Jacob have you loved, and Esau have you hated. You chose to love me before the foundation of the world. You have debased my pride and exalted your grace. You loved me first..." And on and on I would pray.

The reason that I practice this discipline, and the reason that I recommend it to you, is because it helps us to avoid a stuffy, sterile, academic and theoretical knowledge that only puff up pride rather than builds up love. Reading theology is dangerous. If we do not read with an aim for the glory of God, a love for Christ, and a desire to grow in grace, then we only increase our condemnation on judgment day. Beware reading theology to inform the head instead of reading to transform the heart. Again, Owen is a good place to start. Read. Learn. Commune.