The Gospel Coalition

As one who works in book publishing, I know that some books succeed and other books don’t succeed. And then there are books who do both—they succeed at being excellent expositions but they may not sell well.

I have no idea how many copies were sold of David Clotfelter’s book, Sinners in the Hands of a Good God: Reconciling Divine Judgment and Mercy (Moody, 2004). As far as I can see, it’s the only book he’s published, and I have rarely heard people mention the book. But it may be one of the best books you’ve never heard of.

For those struggling with the doctrine of hell, it would be, I think, my first recommendation—in part because it’s not a book on hell. It is, but it’s much more than that. It’s a book on God’s justice. And God’s mercy. It’s a book on salvation and judgment, heaven and hell, election and choice. It answers why Jesus had to die and why he didn’t save everyone. Clotfelter rightly sees that you can’t answer any of these questions in isolation from the whole storyline of Scripture and the whole tapestry of faith.

It’s also written with a winsome, pastoral spirit, even including prayers at the end of each chapter. I remember being quite affected by it when I read it several years ago.

Here were two blurbs written for the book:

“Sinners in the Hands of a Good God is a wonderfully clear, readable, understandable study of the sovereignty of God and the problem of evil. David Clotfelter powerfully expounds the biblical doctrines of sin and grace—something desperately needed in a generation when both concepts have become terribly vague and confused in most people’s minds.”—John MacArthur

“One of the most winsome, discerning and compelling presentations of the seriousness of sin and the grace of God. It is among the few potentially life-changing books—to believe it and live a careless Christian life should be an impossibility.”—Iain H. Murray

I just checked at Amazon and at time of writing they have the book marked as a “bargain price” at 67% off, so you can get it for $6.32 (67% off).

The latest 9Marks eJournal takes up the difficult doctrine of hell, from a number of angles (pastorally, theologically, exegetically).

I’ll reproduce the contents below, but in the next post I’ll recommend a book that they don’t have listed but that would be my first recommendation for people struggling with this topic.

Pastoral Perspectives on Hell

Mark Dever, Pastoral Fearmongering, Manipulation, and Hell

Our culture sneers at fear, as if there really is nothing to fear but fear itself. Yet Jesus told people to fear hell, and pastors today should do the same.

Kevin DeYoung, There’s Something Worse than Death
The doctrine of hell is ballast for our ministries, which will help us sail straight toward our most urgent task: proclaiming the gospel.

Sinclair Ferguson, What Then Shall We Preach on Hell?

Hell is an awful and overwhelming reality. Yet where Scripture speaks, pastors must not be silent. Here’s some practical help for this demanding calling.

Hell in Biblical and Theological Perspective

Greg Gilbert, Why Hell Is Integral to the Gospel

Some think that by minimizing or ignoring hell, they are making God more glorious and more loving. Far from it! The horror of what we have been saved from only intensifies the glory and wonder of our salvation.

Andrew David Naselli, Hellfire and Brimstone: Interpreting the New Testament’s Descriptions of Hell

The New Testament graphically and horrifically describes hell, which raises a thorny question: how should we interpret those dreadful images?

James M. Hamilton Jr., How Does Hell Glorify God?

Hell glorifies God by vindicating his holiness and faithfulness to his word, demonstrating his infinite worth, and magnifying his mercy and love toward the redeemed.

Gavin Ortlund, An Annotated Bibliography on Hell

This article contains brief reviews of seven key books on hell.

You can access the whole journal as a PDF by clicking the image below:

Ray Ortlund explores the difference.

With all of the talk of “mission,” “missions,” “missional,” etc. these days, an important book that deserves a prominent place at the conversation table is Eckhard Schanbel’s Paul the Missionary: Realities, Strategies and Methods (IVP, 2008). I know that his massive two-volume Early Christian Mission (IVP, 2004) is widely considered “the most complete and authoritative contemporary study of the first-century Christian missionary movement,” but at 2,000 pages, it is likely to daunting for most of us, no matter its merits.

From what I have read thus far, Paul the Missionary is an accessible work with great relevance that deserves a wider audience.

It should be noted that Schnabel not only surveys the example and teaching of Paul in great detail, but spends the last chapter (84 pages) exploring “The Task of Missionary Work in the Twenty-First Century.” Like Peter O’Brien, who has also written on mission, Schnabel was a missionary before he was a scholar.

Below I’ll outline his answers to some key questions. Remember, of course, that these are essentially conclusions, and that the book has a whole is at pains to defend and unpack every point.

What is “mission”?

Schnabel defines “mission” or “missions” as “the activity of a community of faith”

[1] that distinguishes itself from its environment in terms of both religious belief (theology) and social behavior (ethics),

[2] that is convinced of the truth claims of its faith; and

[3] that actively works to win other people to the content of faith and the way of life of whose truth and necessity the members of that community are convinced. (p. 22)

Schnabel sees movement and intentionality as two core components of mission.

For example, “Jesus asserts [in Luke 4:18-19] that he has been sent by the Lord God to the Jewish people (movement) in order to bring good news (intention).”

“Paul describes his own mission in terms of movement (sent to the Gentiles) and in terms of intentionality (to proclaim Jesus Christ) [cf. Gal. 1:1, 15-15].” (pp. 25, 26-27, my emphasis)

What is the threefold reality of missionary work as modeled by the apostles? (pp. 28-29)

1. “Missionaries communicate the news of Jesus the Messiah and Savior to people who have not heard or accepted this news. . . .”

2. “Missionaries communicate a new way of life that replaces, at least partially, the social norms and the behavioral patterns of the society in which they new believers have been converted. . . .”

3. “Missionaries integrate the new believers into a new community. The new converts become disciples. . . .”

Here is how Schnabel sums up this section.

[1] Missionaries establish contact with non-Christians,

[2] they proclaim the news of Jesus the Messiah and Savior (proclamation, preaching, teaching, instruction),

[3] they lead people to faith in Jesus Christ (conversion, baptism), and

[4] they integrate new believers into the local community of the followers of Jesus (Lord’s Supper, transformation of social and moral behavior, charity).

What were Paul’s goals as a missionary? (pp. 34-37)

1. “Paul knew himself to be called to preach the message of Jesus Christ.” [Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 2:2]

2. “Paul knew himself particularly called to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to Gentiles, that is, to polytheists who worshiped other gods.” [Rom. 1:14; 1 Cor. 1:23; Rom. 1:16]

3. “Paul’s goal was to reach as many people as possible.” [Rom. 1:14; 15:19, 23-24]

4. “Paul seeks to lead individual people to believe in the one true God and in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, Savior and Lord.” [1 Thess. 1:9-10; 1 Cor. 1:18-2:5]

5. “Paul established new churches, communities of followers of Jesus Christ—both Jews and Gentiles, men and women, free and salves—and teaches the new believers the Word of God, the teachings of Jesus, the significance of the gospel for everyday living.” [Col. 1:25-29]

What were Paul’s missionary methods? (pp. 34-37)

1. “The oral proclamation of the gospel was a fundamental element of the missionary work of the early church.”

2. “Geographical movement from city to city, from region to region, and from province to province was a principal element of missionary work in the first century.”

3. “Since the goal of missionary work is to reach as many people as possible with the gospel, Paul went to any locale in which people would be willing to listen to the message of Jesus Christ.”

4. “Since Paul wanted to reach all people in a given location, matters of ethnic identity, class, culture, or gender did not control his missionary focus.”

5. “As people in antiquity were accustomed to encountering and listening to traveling orators, the expectations and the procedures that are triggered in such encounters had to be considered.”

The full table of contents for the book is listed after the jump:

Continue

If God is a God of words, and if Jesus and his gospel are inseparable, then how should we—those who seek to follow him—use our words?
The book of Proverbs is an excellent place to start, giving pithy statements about what godly and ungodly speech looks like. For a sampling, consider these contrasts [with thanks to Vern Poythress for the original chart]:

Here are some Pauline questions we can ask ourselves about the words we are using:

• Are these words gracious? (Col. 4:6)
• Are these words seasoned with salt? (Col. 4:6)
• Are these words corrupting? (Eph. 4:29)
• Are thee words building up the church for good? (Eph. 4:29)
• Are these words giving grace to those who hear them? (Eph. 4:29)
• Are these words fitting and appropriate? (Eph. 4:29)
• Are these words true? Are they spoken in love? (Eph. 4:15, 25)

[Adapted from Justin Taylor, "Introduction," The Power of Words and the Wonder of God, ed. John Piper and Justin Taylor (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2009), p. 18.]

Here are a number of attempts to answer that question—in one sentence.

I enjoyed this conversation with friends Kevin DeYoung, Collin Hansen, and John Starke to talk about the importance of writing well and how to improve as a writer.

The two books I recommend as resources for improving writing are:

• Joseph Williams, Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace
• William Zinsser, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

Kevin mentioned Roy Peter Clark’s Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer.

Beginning with Moses is an excellent site—filled with articles and book reviews—related to biblical theology. They’ve relaunched it today. It’s worth returning to regularly as a resource.

Jeremy Pierce explains some of the things he really hates in a worship song.

A powerful video here from Darrin Patrick and Re:Lit related to the new book Church Planter:

More info on the book—including a related Acts29 boot camp—here.

In the book of Acts and in the Epistles, the gospel message

—the good and glorious news that

“another true and obedient human being has come on our behalf,

that he has lived for us the kind of life we should live but can’t,

that he has paid fully the penalty we deserve for the life we do live but shouldn’t” [Graeme Goldsworthy],

with all of the personal and kingdom implications that that entails—

is referred to as “the Word.”

As you read God’s Word and consider the deep implications of the gospel for your life, you’ll begin to discern a pattern [with thanks to Tim Keller for this way of framing the issue]:

1. God has holy standards for how we are to speak words and listen to words.
2. This side of heaven we will never fully measure up to God’s holy standard regarding the use of our tongue.
3. Jesus fulfilled what we (along with Adam, Israel, and every prophet, priest, and king) failed to do: his words were perfect words, without sin. By his punishment-bearing, substitutionary death, his words can become our words.
4. Our day-by-day failure to use our tongue as we ought—for God’s glory and for the good of his people—comes from a functional rejection of Christ the Word.
5. It is only as we look to Jesus, rejoicing in him and in his atoning provision, that we are freed to walk—and talk—in his way.

Tomorrow we’ll sum up the discussion with a brief glance at what Proverbs and Paul say about the importance of the tongue.

[Adapted from Justin Taylor, "Introduction," The Power of Words and the Wonder of God, ed. John Piper and Justin Taylor (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2009), pp. 15-16.]

Well, that didn’t take long. Here’s an MP3 for “Heb Hop” (pronounced Heeb-hop)—the Hebrew alphabet to a new tune with a little “Drop It Like It’s Hot [now Tav]” thrown in there.

The song was written by Dave Kulp and Matt Howell (when they were students at RTS-Charlotte) and was sung and produced by Matt Howell. Posted with permission:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

HT: Jordan Olshefski // Reid Jones

With apologies to Kanye, here’s an MP3 for learning the Greek alphabet, from beginning Greek student Michael Graening at Southeastern Seminary (posted with permission):

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

When God’s Son eventually enters into human history as the God-man, he lives by God’s Word (Matt. 4:4), keeps God’s Word (John 8:55), and preaches God’s Word (Mark 2:2).

The Father gave Jesus words, Jesus gave them to his followers, and his followers received them (John 17:8).

Jesus’ words are inseparable from his person and thus can be identified as having divine attributes. [Jesus frequently refers to who he is and what he says as a package deal: “me and my words,” e.g., Mark 8:38; Luke 6:47; John 12:48; 14:24.] To be ashamed of Christ’s words is on the same level as being ashamed of Christ himself (Luke 9:26).

His words are eternal: unlike heaven and earth, Christ’s words will remain forever (Matt. 24:35).

They have power: Jesus could cast out spirits with “a word” (Matt. 8:16); he merely had to “say the word” and someone could be healed (Matt. 8:8).

Jesus’ words are “spirit and life,” “the words of eternal life” (John 6:63, 68).

Jesus’ words dwell or abide in those who are united to Christ and abiding in him (John 8:31; John 15:7; Col. 3:16).

Only those who hear and keep Jesus’ word receive blessing and eternal life (Luke 11:28; John 5:24; 8:47, 52).

Those who heard him were “amazed at his words” (Mark 10:24), hanging on every word and marveling at his gracious speech (Luke 19:48; 4:22).

They recognized that his words possessed a unique authority (Luke 4:32).

But Jesus critiqued those who used the words of their prayers to conceal the hypocrisy of their hearts, heaping up “empty phrases” and wanting to be “heard for their many words” (Matt. 6:7).

He accused them of using their traditions to make “void the word of God” (Matt. 15:6).

His own words found no place in their hearts—some couldn’t bear to hear his words, and some heard his words but refused to keep them (John 8:37, 43; 14:24). In response, Jesus’ enemies “plotted how to entangle him in his talk” (Matt. 22:15).

Jesus warned that how one hears and responds to Jesus’ words reveals the ultimate dividing line within salvation history: on the day of judgment we will each give an account “for every careless word,” being either justified or condemned by our words (Matt. 12:36–37), for “what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart” (Matt. 15:18).

If you hear and practice Christ’s words, you are like a wise man building a house on a rock-solid foundation that can remain standing even during a torrential storm. But hearing Christ’s words and failing to do them is like building a house on sand, which will crumble to the ground in the midst of the storm (Matt. 7:24–26).

[Adapted from Justin Taylor, "Introduction," The Power of Words and the Wonder of God, ed. John Piper and Justin Taylor (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2009), pp. 16-17.]

The following is adapted from the section on Mormonism (or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) in the ESV Study Bible article on religious cults. The attempt is to be concise yet still accurate. I’ve added questions in bold to break it up a bit.

What do Mormons believe about apostasy and restoration?

Mormons claim that “total” apostasy overcame the church following apostolic times, and that the Mormon Church (founded in 1830) is the “restored church.”

What’s the problem with this understanding?

If the Mormon Church were truly a “restored church,” one would expect to find first-century historical evidence for Mormon doctrines like the plurality of gods and God the Father having once been a man. Such evidence is completely lacking. Besides, the Bible disallows a total apostasy of the church (e.g., Matt. 16:18; 28:20; Eph. 3:21; 4:11–16), warning instead of partial apostasy (1 Tim. 4:1).

What do Mormons believe about God?

Mormons claim that God the Father was once a man and that he then progressed to godhood (that is, he is a now-exalted, immortal man with a flesh-and-bone body).

What does the Bible teach about the nature of God?

Based on the Bible, God is not and has never been a man (Num. 23:19; Hos. 11:9). He is a spirit (John 4:24), and a spirit does not have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). Furthermore, God is eternal (Ps. 90:2; 102:27; Isa. 57:15; 1 Tim. 1:17) and immutable (or unchangeable in his being and perfections; see Ps. 102:25–27; Mal. 3:6). He did not “progress” toward godhood, but has always been God.

What do Mormons believe about the Trinity and polytheism?

Mormons believe that the Trinity consists not of three persons in one God but rather of three distinct gods. According to Mormonism, there are potentially many thousands of gods besides these.

What does the Bible teach about the Triune God?

Trusting in or worshiping more than one god is explicitly condemned throughout the Bible (e.g., Ex. 20:3). There is only one true God (Deut. 4:35, 39; 6:4; Isa. 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:18; 46:9; 1 Cor. 8:4; James 2:19), who exists eternally in three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14).

What do Mormons believe about human exaltation?

Mormons believe that humans, like God the Father, can go through a process of exaltation to godhood.

What does the Bible teach about humanity?

The Bible teaches that the yearning to be godlike led to the fall of mankind (Gen. 3:4ff.). God does not look kindly on humans who pretend to attain to deity (Acts 12:21–23; contrast Acts 14:11–15). God desires humans to humbly recognize that they are his creatures (Gen. 2:7; 5:2; Ps. 95:6–7; 100:3). The state of the redeemed in eternity will be one of glorious immortality, but they will forever remain God’s creatures, adopted as his children (Rom. 8:14–30; 1 Cor. 15:42–57; Rev. 21:3–7). Believers will never become gods.

What do Mormons believe about Jesus?

Mormons believe that Jesus Christ was the firstborn spirit-child of the heavenly Father and a heavenly Mother. Jesus then progressed to deity in the spirit world. He was later physically conceived in Mary’s womb, as the literal “only begotten” Son of God the Father in the flesh (though many present-day Mormons remain somewhat vague as to how this occurred).

What does the Bible teach about Jesus?

Biblically, the description of Jesus as the “only begotten” refers to his being the Father’s unique, one-of-a-kind Son for all eternity, with the same divine nature as the Father (see note on John 1:14; cf. John 1:18; 3:16, 18; see also John 5:18; 10:30). Moreover, he is eternal deity (John 1:1; 8:58) and is immutable (Heb. 1:10–12; 13:8), meaning he did not progress to deity but has always been God. And Mary’s conception of Jesus in his humanity was through a miracle of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:20).

What do Mormons believe about our eternal destiny?

Mormons believe that most people will end up in one of three kingdoms of glory, depending on one’s level of faithfulness. Belief in Christ, or even in God, is not necessary to obtain immortality in one of these three kingdoms, and therefore only the most spiritually perverse will go to hell.

What does the Bible teach about our eternal destiny ?

The Bible teaches that people have just two possibilities for their eternal futures: the saved will enjoy eternal life with God in the new heavens and new earth (Phil. 3:20; Rev. 21:1–4; 22:1–5), while the unsaved will spend eternity in hell (Matt. 25:41, 46; Rev. 20:13–15).

What do Mormons believe about sin and atonement?

Mormons believe that Adam’s transgression was a noble act that made it possible for humans to become mortal, a necessary step on the path to exaltation to godhood. They think that Christ’s atonement secures immortality for virtually all people, whether they repent and believe or not.

What does the Bible teach about sin and atonement?

Biblically, there was nothing noble about Adam’s sin, which was not a stepping-stone to godhood but rather brought nothing but sin, misery, and death to mankind (Gen. 3:16–19; Rom. 5:12–14). Jesus atoned for the sins of all who would trust him for salvation (Isa. 53:6; John 1:29; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18; 1 John 2:2; 4:10).

What do Mormons believe about salvation?

Mormons believe that God gives to (virtually) everyone a general salvation to immortal life in one of the heavenly kingdoms, which is how they understand salvation by grace. Belief in Christ is necessary only to obtain passage to the highest, celestial kingdom—for which not only faith but participation in Mormon temple rituals and obedience to its “laws of the gospel” are also prerequisites.

What does the Bible teach about salvation?

Biblically, salvation by grace must be received through faith in Christ (John 3:15–16; 11:25; 12:46; Acts 16:31; Rom. 3:22–24; Eph. 2:8–9), and all true believers are promised eternal life in God’s presence (Matt. 5:3–8; John 14:1–3; Rev. 21:3–7).