Reformed Forum

Lane Tipton speaks about his new book, available now through Reformed Forum. Drawing from Genesis 1:1 and subsequent biblical revelation, Lane Tipton argues that before creating the visible world, the immutable triune God created a heavenly temple dwelling, filled that heavenly dwelling with the unchanging glory of his Spirit, and sanctified that heavenly dwelling as the realm of everlasting Sabbath rest. Adam, as the created image of God and federal head of his posterity, could have advanced through perfect covenantal obedience beyond probation on the mountain of God in earthly Eden into the heavenly dwelling of God in Sabbath rest. This God-centered and heaven-focused theological backdrop enriches our understanding of the person and work of Jesus Christ, as the second and last Adam in the covenant of grace, who in his humiliation and exaltation has opened the gates of heavenly paradise for his church. Copies are available now at https://reformedforum.org/product/foundations-of-covenant-theology-paperback/

Jacob’s search for a bride parallels two other searches, all of which point us to Christ who offers the water of life and becomes a servant to secure his bride. We therefore must become servants of Christ that as his bride we might receive the water of life.

Rob McKenzie speaks about the Christian life and a variety of apologetic encounters he has woven into his book Seeker’s Progress. In this novel, McKenzie explores the world that John Bunyan created in his classic book, The Pilgrim’s Progress. There is another man from the City of Destruction who follows after Christian also seeking to find truth. With the help of Evangelist, Seeker follows the King’s road on his way to the Celestial City. Along the way, he visits many of the same places that Christian visited and meets several of the same people that Christian met all the while trying to catch up to his friends, Christian and Faithful. His experiences are very different than his predecessors. His journey takes him to some places that Christian never went, such as the towns of Morality and Fair Speech. Seeker wrestles with the questions, “Don’t all roads lead to the Celestial City?” “If the King loves everyone, wouldn’t He save everyone?” Rob McKenzie is a ruling elder at Westminster OPC in Indian Head Park a

Dr. Stephen J. Nichols speaks about the life and legacy of Dr. R. C. Sproul. Dr. Nichols has written a biography of Dr. Sproul, which has recently been published by Crossway. This biography details R. C.’s family history and early life in Pittsburgh, through his seminary education and early ministry all the way to the end of his life, reflecting on the many institutions Dr. Sproul founded and helped to shape. Dr. Stephen J. Nichols is president of Reformation Bible College, chief academic officer for Ligonier Ministries, and a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow. He holds a Ph.D. from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He is host of the podcasts 5 Minutes in Church History and Open Book. He is author of more than twenty books, including Beyond the 95 Theses, a Time for Confidence, and R.C. Sproul: A Life and coeditor of Crossway’s Theologians on the Christian Life series.

Camden Bucey speaks about Murray Forst Thompson’s tract, The Auburn Betrayal, which provides historical and theological context for the Auburn Affirmation, an important document in early twentieth-century American Presbyterianism. The tract was published in 1941 by the Committee on Christian Education for the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

We turn to the third sermon in Grace and Glory, a collection of sermons Geerhardus Vos preached at the Miller Chapel of Princeton Theological Seminary. In “Seeking and Saving the Lost,” Vos preaches from Luke 19:10, wherein Jesus describes his ministry to redeem sinners and to bring them into communion with the one true and living God.

Lane Tipton is in the studio with Camden Bucey to discuss the doctrine of salvation and union with Christ from the eschatological perspective of redemption accomplished and applied. On the heels of recording a new course on the topic with Dr. Tipton, they discuss the foundational categories of _historia salutis_ and _ordo salutis_ as well as how Jesus’s resurrection was simultaneously his justification, adoption, sanctification, and glorification. They then connect the death and resurrection of Christ to the application of his work by the Holy Spirit to individual believers in history.

In Hosea 10 the prophet likens Israel to a vineyard and and garden - but not a very fruitful one. In fact, her covenants with the nations has given rise to terrible idolatry, which is spiritual adultery. She is faithless and therefore fruitless. But the judgment and curse God pronounced upon her would not finally fall upon her, but on him who is the true vine. And now as branches in that vine, we have redemption and the grace to bear good fruit. 

Drs. G. K. Beale and Benjamin Gladd speak about their book The Story Retold: A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament (IVP Academic) in which they seek to couch every major passage of Scripture within the broad history of redemption, making sense of the New Testament in light of the Old. New Testament introductions typically either emphasize the history behind the text through discussions of authorship, dating, and audience or explore the content of the text itself. This introduction is unique in that it considers the Old Testament background to the New Testament and the overarching narrative of redemption throughout all of redemptive-history. Dr. G. K. Beale is Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Benjamin L. Gladd is Associate Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. Links G. K. Beale’s website Essential Studies in Biblical Theology series edited by Dr. Benjamin Gladd (IVP Academic

Durham, James. Commentary on Revelation: Volume 2, Lectures on Chapters 4–11(Reformation Heritage Books, May 2021). 504 pages. $50.00. Hardcover. Guinness, Os. The Magna Carta of Humanity: Sinai’s Revolutionary Faith and the Future of Freedom (IVP Academic, May 2021). 288 pages. $25.00. Hardcover with jacket. Lynch, Michael J. John Davenant’s Hypothetical Universalism: A Defense of Catholic and Reformed Orthodoxy (Oxford Studies in History Theology series) (Oxford University Press, June 2021). 272 pages. $99.00. Hardcover. Hampton, Stephen. Grace and Conformity: The Reformed Conformist Tradition and the Early Stuart Church of England (Oxford Studies in History Theology series) (Oxford University Press, June 2021). 424 pages. $99.00. Hardcover. Bruening, Michael W. Refusing to Kiss the Slipper: Opposition to Calvinism in the Francophone Reformation (Oxford Studies in History Theology series) (Oxford University Press, June 2021). 384 pages. $99.00. Hardcover. Powlison, David. The Pastor as Counselor: The C

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob continue a discussion of John Bunyan’s, The Pilgrim’s Progress, Book 2. In this episode, we discuss how the Christiana, Mercy, and the boys make their way past the place where Christian's burden fell

We turn to pages 255–256 of Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the ways in which the Old Testament prophets use anthropomorphism to describe God. The “emotional” or “affectional” dispositions of Jehovah’s nature is the next set of attributes. He says, as a guiding principle, “we are here in a sphere full of anthropomorphism” and says that “an anthropomorphism” is never without an “inner core of important truth” that “must be translated into more theological language” where we can “enrich our knowledge of God” (255). Vos makes an absolutely critical observation here that needs sustained attention to the theological issues he raises here. They are as important in our day as in Vos’ if not more so. Anthropomorphic language ascribes the qualities of the creature to God’s acts in time. But such language is never intended by Reformed theologians to be taken in a univocal way, as though God literally possesses creaturely qualities. God’s acts in time do not require him to be tempo

DeYoung, Kevin. Men and Women in the Church: A Short, Biblical, Practical Introduction (Crossway, April 2021). 176 pages. $19.99. Paperback. Gronewoller, Brian. Rhetorical Economy in Augustine’s Theology (Oxford University Press, April 2021). From the Oxford Studies in Historical Theology series. 224 pages. $99.00. Hardcover. Tripp, Paul David. Marriage: 6 Gospel Commitments Every Couple Needs to Make(Crossway, April 2021). 384 pages. $24.99. Hardcover with jacket. Kruger, Michael J. Surviving Religion 101: Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College (Crossway, April 2021). 272 pages. $16.99. Paperback. Gallagher, Robert L. and Smither, Edward L. Sixteenth Century Mission: Explorations in Protestant and Roman Catholic Theology and Practice (Lexham, April 2021). From the Studies in Historical and Systematic Theology series. 504 pages. $29.99. Paperback. Crisler, Channing L. and Plummer, Robert L. Always Reforming: Reflections on Martin Luther and Biblical Studies (Lexham, April 2021). Fr

We welcome Dr. Rita Cefalu to speak about the rich biblical-theological themes regarding Christ in Acts 2–3. Dr. Cefalu has written, “The Sufferings and Glory of Jesus the Messiah in Acts 2–3,” which appears in The Seed of Promise: The Sufferings and Glory of the Messiah: Essays in Honor of T. Desmond Alexander (Glossa House), co-edited by Dr. Cefalu and Paul R. Williamson. This book is a festschrift presented to T. Desmond Alexander on the year of his 65th birthday. In distinction from other volumes of this type, this book is structured around the biblical theological theme of the seed promise of Genesis 3:15, with its sub-theme focused on the sufferings and glory of the Messiah. Accordingly, biblical scholars (both OT and NT), who have in some capacity benefited from Dr. Alexander’s scholarship and are known for their work in particular books of the Bible and/or the discipline of biblical theology, investigate these particular themes in light of their respective books.

Camden Bucey and Lane Tipton discuss Lefferts A. Loetscher, The Broadening Church A Study of Theological Issues in the Presbyterian Church Since 1869 (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1954). From the Publisher: The far-reaching social and intellectual changes in the United States since the Civil War have had a definite effect upon the religious thought of American churches. In this volume, a distinguished scholar and theologian has undertaken an inductive study of theological issues in one of the major denominations, the Presbyterian church in the United States of America. Since this church was in the thick of the social and intellectual ferment that changed the living and thinking habits of Americans, much that transpired in it finds broad parallels in other leading American churches. Thus, the story of the Presbyterian church is, in essence, a kind of theological barometer of American history. Avoiding sweeping generalizations, Lefferts A. Loetscher briefly traces the history of the Presbyterian church fro

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob continue a discussion of John Bunyan’s, The Pilgrim’s Progress, Book 2. In this episode, we discuss how the Interpreter prepares Christiana, Mercy, and the boys for the pilgrimage that is before them.

Dr. Crawford Gribben speaks about his book, Survival and Resistance: Christian Reconstruction in the Pacific Northwest (Oxford University Press), which describes the migration of conservative evangelicals to the Northwest of the United States, where they hope to resist the impact of secular modernity and to survive the breakdown of society that they anticipate. Discussing the theological and cultural influences of figures such as R. J. Rushdoony, Douglas Wilson, and John Wesley Rawles, Gribben explains their growing influence and impact upon local political and economic life within the larger context of national and global trends. Dr. Gribben is professor of the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics at Queens University, Belfast.

Jim Cassidy reviews Scott Swain, The Trinity: An Introduction (Crossway) From the publisher: The Trinity is one of the most essential doctrines of the Christian faith. The eternal God existing as three distinct persons—Father, Son, and Spirit—can be difficult to comprehend. While Christians often struggle to find the right words to describe this union, the Bible gives clarity concerning the triune God’s being and activity in nature (creation), grace (redemption), and glory (reward). In this concise volume, theologian Scott Swain examines the doctrine of the Trinity, presenting its biblical foundations, systematic-theological structure, and practical relevance for the church today. Scott R. Swain (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) serves as president and James Woodrow Hassell Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. He is the author or editor of several books, including The God of the Gospel and Retrieving Eternal Generation. Scott and his wife, Leigh, resi

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob continue a discussion of John Bunyan’s, The Pilgrim’s Progress, Book 2. In this episode, we discuss the Christiana and her company traveling to the House of the Interpreter and that is revealed to Chr

Rev. Dr. Bruce Pass discusses Herman Bavinck as a sytematic theologian and the role Christology plays within his theological system. Throughout his career, Bavinck identified different central dogma but developed his theology around Christology as a “middle point” to which all other doctrines relate. Dr. Pass holds a doctorate in systematic theology from the University of Edinburgh. His thesis has been modified and published as a The Heart of Dogmatics: Christology and Christocentrism in Herman Bavinck (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht). This is Christ the Center episode 695 (https://www.reformedforum.org/ctc695)