In this blog, I will cover the second half of A.W. Pink's work, The Sovereignty of God. Now that I have finished the book, I would recommend this book to anyone who has any questions about the subject addressed. Pink addresses questions that a most pertinent to the subject and gives an insightful and clear answer. When I was reading this book (from a grammatical standpoint), there were times when I thought I was reading C.S. Lewis. Obviously, there would be some theological distinctions, but my point is that it is a rare thing to find clear and concise writers ( unlike myself!).

I picked up Pink again in chapter 8 where the question of man's will and God's sovereignty are weighed. Pink argues that Man does have free agency, but man's will is bent towards sin and would never choose God. Furthermore, Pink argues that Man's will is not sovereign over the mind. In fact, this type of language is not used in Scripture! Scripture refers to the inner man as the "heart." It is the heart that governs the will and not the other way around. This was very insightful for me because it seemed that this topic was so difficult and beyond understanding, whereas Pink makes a clear and compelling argument. Between the Arminian and myself, it comes down to presuppositions! Overall, I recommend this chapter to whoever is wrestling with this "dilemma."

In the next chapter, Pink balances God's sovereignty with prayer and how they are agreeable with each other. Pink addresses a problem within the church. Many believe that our will is able to trump the will of God! In other words, many Christians will assert that prayer will change the purposes of God and completely undermines Scripture in Ephesians 3:11. In my mind, a God who changes His mind by every whim of a prayer is very disconcerting, nor is it the God of Scripture. Our God does have a plan and it will not be thwarted. Pink points out this may be our misunderstanding of the chief purpose of prayer. He states that the chief purpose of prayer is to honor God. Asking God for our needs is not primary.

For the next two blog posts, I would like to focus on an author that is not known to many in the evangelical world. In fact, this author was not well known until his death in 1952.

However, his writings have endured. Pink wrote many great books and the one I would like to focus on is The Sovereignty of God. There are a couple of elements I would like to point out. First, Pink is easy to understand. It is obvious that Pink was a down-to-earth pastor before anything else. Secondly, Pink is very pastoral. He is not simply trying to give the reader a nugget of theological truth, but is calling and compelling the reader to adhere to the truths. His words read like a sermon, much like our contemporary pastor today, John MacArthur. In this blog, I would like to briefly cover the first seven chapters.

The first chapter attempts to answer the question: is God in control or is the Devil? Simple question, but it one that many Christians ask. The question can be answered differently based upon one's view of God. Many view God as One who can be disappointed and One who can be caught off guard. Pink's answer to this "dilemma" is well said: "...it all depends if you are walking by faith, or by sight" (pg. 7). From this point on Pink directs us to Scripture. Pink's conclusion is that all things are worked together, both good and bad, according to the will of God. Pink is right! Scripture is full of passages explicitly stating that everything (yes, everything!) is in His control. The question then that comes to mind, "is this your view of God?"

In the next chapter, Pink defines the sovereignty of God as such:

"To say that God is sovereign is to declare that God is God."

This is a very simple, yet most profound statements I have read up to this point in his book. To say that God is sovereign is to declare all of God's excellencies! To say that God is sovereign is to declare that God is in control and there is nothing you can do about it (I do not mean that in a negative sense, but in a matter of peace). What a joy it is to know that God knows what we are going through because He is the One doing it!

The following chapter is the shortest of them all (4 pages total!); however, the truth is profound. Pink's flow of argument is if God is the Creator of all the cosmos, then He must have absolute sovereignty over it. God made all things according to His own good pleasure. When people ask, "Why did God make the mouse or the elephant the way He did?" Because He wanted to. He did it because it brought Him pleasure.

In the next chapter, Pink develops this idea more. Not only did God create the cosmos, but He is actively involved in how it is to operate. If God were not actively involved, it would be reasonable to conclude that creation would eventually destroy us. Who holds the waves of the sea? Who prevents hurricanes from developing year around? Pink goes further in stating that God governs animals and even governs man! Are we to say that Man is out of God's control? Scripture is clear in this point as well. Now, how that plays out with man's free will, that will be discussed next week.

In chapter six, we get to the heart of Pink's book: the sovereignty of God in salvation. This is the next rational step if we are to accept the truths from the previous chapters. Scripture is clear here as well when it states that God is the One who is calling a people. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. Pink brought up the issue of foreknowledge which I found very enlightening. There are some who argue that God's election is based on God's foreknowledge that some would come to believe in Christ. I understand where this position is coming from because they are trying to preserve man's free will, but I think it is still unbiblical, as Pink points out. How can one who is dead (Eph. 2:1) in sin make a choice to accept Christ, or for that matter, do anything that is not sinful? Dead people and things are unresponsive, it is God who must perform the greatest miracle: saving a soul from hell. This causes me to be overwhelmed with gratitude and joy, knowing my God chose me!

Finally, Pink discusses in the next chapter the decrees of God. Many would not have a problem that God foreknows all things, but it is something different if God fore-ordained all things. To illustrate this, Pink pulls from 1 Peter 1:20 to argue that God decreed before the foundation of the world, the crucifixion would take place, even before the Fall. With this in mind, Pink give a great definition for prophecy:

"The hundreds of prophecies which are found in the New and Old Testaments are not so much predictions of what will come to pass, as they are revelations to us of what God has purposed SHALL come to pass."

Pink then distinguishes between how God deals with the righteous and the wicked. For the righteous, God is empowering and enabling them to carry out His will. For the wicked, God is preventing them from performing more wickedness than they would naturally do and sometimes will use what wicked men meant for evil and mean it for good. We see this in the story of Joseph in Genesis.

In the next post, we will wrestle with the notion of God's sovereignty and how that plays into our free will.

Throughout my walk with Christ and study of His Word, I have often pondered if it is possible for God to be completely sovereign and still allow man to be completely free. Basically, can man have free will and God elect a remnant?

In this work Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, J.I. Packer delves into this question: how can we truly evangelize if God has already chosen a people to save? Can these two ideas be reconciled? Packer makes the argument that they can!

The book itself is small and succinct, totaling 135 pages (if this book were in a standard size publication, it would probably be around 80 pages). Even though it is succinct, no words are wasted and every sentence counts. The book is divided into four chapters: 1) Divine Sovereignty 2) Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility 3) Evangelism 4) Evangelism and Divine Sovereignty. I would like to address each of these chapters in this entry.

Divine Sovereignty

In his opening sentence, Packer informs the reader that he will not spend time giving biblical truths in support of this notion. He assumes that if you're reading the book, you are a Christian and you already believe in the sovereignty of God. This is proven by Packer in two areas: 1) the Christian's prayer life 2) the Christians salvation story. In prayer, the Christian is not trying to force God's hand or resort to a type of magic formula. Instead, the Christian prays because he is dependent and is in need of God's grace and help. In the Christian's salvation story, it is not God who gives thanks for your salvation, but just the opposite! The Christian always thanks God for saving their soul and not the other way around. With these presuppositions aside, Packer moves into the next chapter.

Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility

In the opening dialogue, Packer acknowledges there is a dissonance when these two ideas are brought together. The word used is antimony, which means "a contradiction between conclusions which seem equally logical, reasonable or necessary." Packer argues that there is an antimony in theology, which seem to be irreconcilable, but can neither be denied. The unfortunate reality is that we have finite minds and we are trying to grasp a divine reality. Packer uses the illustration of light. Physic also face an antimony concerning light. One side says that light is a wave whereas the other side says light is a particle. Both sides have ample evidence for their view and it seems that they cannot be reconciled. How do we deal with this theological antimony? Packer gives us an answer:

"Accept it for what it is, and learn to live with it. Refuse to regard the apparent inconsistency as real; put down the semblance of contradiction to the deficiency of your own understanding; think of the two principles as not rival alternatives but, in some way that at present you do not grasp, complementary to each other." (28)

Paul recognized this issue and addressed it in Romand 9:19. What was Paul's answer? "But who are you, O man, to answer back to God?" We have this idea that God is not consistent with His thoughts. What makes this idea ridiculous is that this charge is coming from finite, sinful men! God does not need to answer to us; rather, we need to answer to God! Isaiah 55 also states that God's ways are higher than man's ways. Packer states that this is a reality that we have to deal with: we are not going to have a nice, clean-cut answer for our corrupt, finite minds. Rather, we should trust in the Lord and acknowledge that He is in control and is working out all things for good.

Evangelism

Packer opens the chapter with the question: what is evangelism? Packer pulls from the Archbishop's Committee, which is overall a good definition, but Pack says it can be simple. Simply put, evangelism is just preaching the gospel. Packer then uses Paul as a paradigm for what evangelism is more specifically. For example, Paul saw evangelism as a task appointed to him by Christ (1 Cor 1:17). Paul also saw evangelism as teaching the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result, Paul's aim in evangelism was to convert his hearers to Christ. How dos this look for us? Packer goes on in the rest of the chapter to give examples of how this mission of evangelism can be carried out (ex. personal evangelism, home bible study, etc.). Now the question must be asked: what is the message of evangelism, or the gospel? Packer simply states the gospel is a message about God, sin, Christ, and a call to repentance and faith. Packer then asks the question: what is our motivation to evangelize? First, it is to glorify God. Second, it is an outpouring of a love for our neighbor. Finally, how do we carry out sharing this message? There is controversy concerning the method, but this one truth should remain: the complete gospel should be presented.

Divine Sovereignty and Evangelism

Some may think there is an antimony between these two realities, but there is not. How are people saved? By the presentation of the gospel. There is no other way God brings a people to Himself without the direct hearing of the good news. This also does not lower the urgency of sharing the gospel because the fact still remains: people are going to hell. Also, knowing that God is sovereign gives us hope that this is not a feeble approach to save people, but is the work of Christ and it will be accomplished.

It has been some time since my last post, so I hope to make up some lost ground. This is the last installment of my reading of Fred Sanders' The Deep Things of God: how the Trinity changes Everything (pictured right). The last three chapters cover three topics: (1) how is our relationship with Jesus trinitarian? (2) Scripture and its relation to the trinity. (3) Our prayer life in relation to the trinity.

Let us begin with the first topic: how is our relationship with Jesus trinitarian? There are some who are cautious how some evangelicals are so focused on Jesus, that it seems they ignore the Father and the Spirit. However, Sanders argues the opposite: if one has a right view of Christ, then it is a natural move for one to include the Father and the Spirit. Too often evangelicals fall prey to holding Christ without a proper integration of the other persons. In essence, our salvation is not simply the work of Christ alone, but the working of the trinity. Sanders properly sums up our salvation as such:

" The Father puts all the blessing of salvation into the incarnate Son, and the Spirit unites us to that." (173)

In the next chapter, Sanders examines how evangelicals view Scripture in light of the Son and the Spirit. He calls on one preacher and expositor named Adolph Saphir (1831-1891). Saphir was concerned with Christians who held to a type of "Bibliolatry" and not to a real relationship with God. Too often do Christians focus on studying the Word, as if that was the chief end. Instead, Saphir urges Christians to study Scripture to draw us past it to God and a deeper relationship with Him. When I first read this, I was concerned that he did not hold to a high view of Scripture. However, Saphir did state that the Word is of the utmost importance and is the means by which God draws people to Himself. Through the rest of the chapter, Sanders pulls from hymn writers of the past, like Charles Wesley and the like, to show their understanding of Scripture and how it is uniquely trinitarian.

Finally in the last chapter, Sanders examines how even the Christian's prayer life is uniquely trinitarian. He comforts the reader by stating there is not a proper formula or paradigm for praying to the Godhead. In fact, the trinity is actively at work in every prayer. When one prays, it comes from the Spirit, through the Son, to the Father. This is a very comforting reality. In fact, the Spirit prays for us even we do not (Rom. 8.26)! Praying correctly has been a struggle for me: I want to pray like Jesus and the apostles in a coherent and godly way. The following quote was comforting to read:

"If you have ever become weary of working up the right response in prayer or worship, you can glimpse the relief of being able to approach prayer and worship with the knowledge that the party started before you arrived." (215)

The persons of the trinity are constantly at work in the prayer life of the believer. What a joy it is to know that the Spirit knows my needs and can make it known to the Father!

As I stated in my previous post, Sanders approach to this book is unique and unlike any other book I have read on the subject. I stated that Sanders explores how much Trinitarian theology is a part of the Christian life, whether we acknowledge it or not.

However, Sanders delves further. In the fourth chapter, he argues that even if one were to explore the Gospel, one would run directly into the Trinity. In fact, one cannot discuss the Gospel without discussing the Trinity. In Sander's own words, "...the Trinity is the gospel."

To support this notion, Sanders explores (the beast passage on the subject, in my opinion) Ephesians 1. This passage is rich with how the Trinity and the different persons are actively involved the salvation process of the believer. This makes the gospel, "God-sized." There have been many forerunners who have discovered this reality: A.B. Simpson, R.A. Torrey, and C.H. Spurgeon. All these men, as well as Sanders make a valid point:

" They [evangelicals] have a vision of the scale and scope of salvation, because they understand that salvation must be measured against the competence and capacity of the one doing the saving." (105)

In other words, your view of salvation is only as big your view of the Trinity! This was a strong point (in my opinion) and it is unfortunate that many believers today do not see it through the lens of the Trinity. I am glad this chapter is in the book because it gives us a better understanding of the greatness and the love God has for the elect. This, in turn, provokes us to a posture of worship. F.B. Meyer says it best:

"Do you want to know how much Jesus loves you? Ah! soul, before thou canst master that arithmetic thou must learn another mode of computation. Tell me first the love of God the Father to His Son, and I will tell thee the love of the Son to thee."

Initially, when I pondered the Trinity, it seemed to be something that was very foreign - something that I could never grasp and ultimately, discouraged me. I would explore all the possible illustrations in order to help me grasp the concept. As a result, I was left disappointed and the illustrations often broke down quickly. Hence why I posted this picture - it summarizes how I felt after my feeble attempt to understand this theology. However, this was because my approach was foreign and boring. I started to think: how much of the trinity affects my christian walk? The more I thought about it, the more that the Trinity is a part of my everyday life! For example:

Why do we pray, "In Jesus' name?"

This is also seen in many of the excellent hymns:

"Holy Holy Holy"

"All Creatures of Our God and King"

These issues are brought up in the opening chapters of Fred Sanders' book, "The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything." Sanders points out that most Christians are Trinitarian, whether they see it or not! The whole concept of the trinity is so engraved in the theology of the church we sometimes oversee it. Sanders' thesis for this book is to show how the Trinity and the gospel relate and how the Trinity is part of our spiritual discipleship. Sanders also addresses the history of the church's study of this doctrine and how some felt this concept of the Trinity was not important or as important as the gospel. Sanders argues from the opposite perspective: the Trinity has everything to do with the gospel! How profound is it that there was perfect harmony and perfect relations within the members of the Trinity, now we, who have been saved by grace, can now partake in that same relationship! What a profound truth!

I am looking forward to what Fred Sanders has to offer. He does teach at Biola University, but I never had the opportunity to sit under his teaching. So far, this is an exciting read and I am looking forward to what Sanders has to say in the future chapters.

In this portion of my reading, I read three different chapters covering the following subjects: God's providence, miracles, and prayer. Each of these subjects can be treated at great length, but I would like to scratch the surface and give you the basic points Grudem makes on each.

After reading through the chapter dealing with God's providence, I was impressed with Grudem's layout, specifically, the simplicity he brings to the subject. In this chapter, he covers the debate between the Arminianism and Calvinism, the problem of evil, and free will.

When I think of these subjects individually, I know there are numerous books and essays that deal with the subject in great detail. However, Grudem writes it in such a way that makes it very readable. This is a chapter that I will use in the future if I ever have to teach on the subject, specifically with young people.

Grudem is not shy to state that he holds to a Calvinist conviction. However, he does an excellent job in explaining what Calvinism is and what it is not (see the footnote on p. 315-16). Wording is very important and Grudem and this is seen when he explains what is meant by "free will." There is much more that can be discussed, but suffice to say that I recommend that every Christian read this chapter as an introduction to the subject.

Grudem's chapter on miracles is very brief compared to other chapters in his systematic theology. What I appreciate about Grudem in this chapter is that he is not willing to build a box around God and say what God can or cannot do. He does acknowledge that miracles are not a common action of God, but when God does perform a miracle, it is to bring all the glory to Himself. Another point that Grudem brings concerning if miracles are for Christians today is the purpose for which miracles are sought. Many in modern times seek miracles for fame, money and power, rarely for the amplification of God's glory. Overall, this chapter was very helpful to begin thinking through this issue.

Finally, in the chapter concerning prayer, Grudem is very succinct and to the point. He covers why we are to pray, how we are to pray, and most importantly, praying according to God's will. The reason I say the last point is most important is because this is the one that is most attacked today.

Throughout my time in high school youth group, we always set aside time for prayer and praise. Too often did many high school students pray self-centered. For example, "I pray that I can get a car." This statement seems to be a popular one. What I appreciated about my youth pastor (who also happens to be my dad) was he took time during these requests to correct ad guide the students to pray in a way that God's glory was primary. Instead, pray this way, "Lord, if it is your will and if it brings you glory, I pray that I may receive a job in order to purchase a car." This payer is not an exact prayer, but you get the point: Man is the center of the first prayer, but God is the center of the second prayer.

These chapters were very enjoyable to read. I would recommend these chapters to anyone in the church.