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BOOK HIGHLIGHT – Reasons for Faith by K. Scott Oliphint

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Kim

Reasons for Faith: Philosophy in the Service of Theology by K. Scott Oliphint

384 pages | Direct Price: ~~$24.99~~ $18.50 | Published: 2006

Summary: Philosophy poses questions and problems that are often thought to undermine Christian faith. Christians need not shy away from these discussions. There is “philosophical good news for the Christian,” says K. Scott Oliphint. The Christian position is “not simply a plausible alternative,” but “the consistent, cogent, and altogether reasonable position that is able to offer solutions to the problems posed.”

About the Author:

K. Scott Oliphint (MAR, ThM, PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is professor of apologetics and systematic theology at Westminster Seminary, Philadelphia. He has written numerous journal articles in the field of apologetics, is author of The Battle Belongs to the Lord, Christianity and the Role of Philosophy, Should You Believe in God?, is the editor of Common Grace and the Gospel, Second Edition, The Defense of the Faith, Fourth Edition, and is coeditor of Revelation and Reason: New Essays in Reformed Apologetics.

Endorsements:

“A wonderful book. If given the attention it deserves, Reasons for Faith should change the discussion in matters relating revelation to reason from now on. Oliphint interacts with many of the major questions raised in the areas of metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics, and in every case shows himself to be thoroughly conversant with the issues. Most significantly, he is able to show how theology in the Reformation tradition provides the only credible basis for resolving the problems. Reasons for Faith will leave no one indifferent, and many profoundly grateful.”

—William Edgar, professor of apologetics and department coordinator, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia

“Since Van Til, no presuppositional apologist has given us such a deep and detailed analysis of the relation of Christianity to philosophy. Oliphint is at home in the philosophical literature, from the Greeks to Aquinas to Plantinga and many others, and he sheds light on many issues of importance to Christians. This volume is an exploration, much open to further discussion.”

—John M. Frame, professor of systematic theology and philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando

NEW RELEASE – God’s Gospel by Jill Nelson

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Kim

God’s Gospel by Jill Nelson

128 pages | Direct Price: ~~$16.99~~ $13.00 | Series: Making Him Known

Summary: In God’s Gospel, Jill Nelson guides parents and their young children through the basics of the gospel, exploring even complex theological topics in easy-to-understand, kid-friendly language. At the end of each ready-made lesson, Nelson includes additional questions for reflection and family activities that will help children to remember what they have learned. This full-color, illustrated book is an ideal devotional tool for families with young children. Covering such questions as “What is sin?” and “Why did Jesus die on the cross?,” God’s Gospel leads kids through God’s plan to save his people from their sins, directing readers to Jesus as their personal Savior.

About the Author:

Jill Nelson taught Sunday school for more than twenty years before becoming a Sunday school curriculum writer and a blog director for Children Desiring God. She and her husband, Bruce, have two adult children and a growing number of grandchildren.

What Others Say About This Book:

“Tackling the difficulty of helping children understand the significance of the cross, Jill Nelson clearly and carefully leads her audience through their plight (the bad news of sin) and the rescue promised in the garden (the good news of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus). God’s Gospel presents the breadth of the gospel by including teaching on the Creator, sin, God’s promise, sacrifice, the law, the birth of Jesus, the sufficiency of Christ, the death and payment for sin on the cross, and the resurrection and promise of eternal life to those who repent and believe. By emphasizing key biblical truths written winsomely in a style children can understand, God’s Gospel is an excellent primer on the good news of salvation in Christ.”

—Sally Michael

More Books in the Making Him Known Series:

God’s Names (120 pages), God’s Promise (128 pages), God’s Providence (128 pages), God’s Wisdom (128 pages), God’s Word (128 pages), God’s Battle (128 pages)

BOOK HIGHLIGHT – Saved by Grace by Richard D. Phillips

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Kim

Saved by Grace: The Glory of Salvation in Ephesians 2 by Richard D. Phillips

240 pages | Direct Price: ~~$14.99~~ $11.50 | Subject: Biblical Reference, New Testament

Summary: If there’s ever been a time when Christians could benefit from a careful study of the second chapter of Ephesians, that time is now. With its clear and comprehensive exposition of the Bible’s doctrine of salvation, Ephesians 2 is the Rosetta Stone for untangling much of the doctrinal confusion found inour churches today. A careful study of these verses is indispensable to all Christians in clarifying our relationship to God and magnifying his sovereign grace in our minds and hearts.

A companion to Phillips’s Chosen in Christ, on Ephesians 1, this volume thoroughly works through all the doctrines of salvation in Ephesians 2, and examines, in light of current controversies, all aspects of our salvation.

New believers seeking a solid grasp on this issue and pastors seeking to teach with clarity on salvation can hardly find a more useful place to study.

Ephesians 2 also shines gospel light onto the doctrine of justification (answering the questions raised by the so-called “New Perspective on Paul”), the vital matter of union with Christ, the relationship between individual and corporate salvation, and a host of other topics. More than that, a renewed emphasis on Paul’s teaching in this pivotal chapter will greatly serve the cause of gospel vitality in our churches and our lives.

In the words of Philip Ryken, “Ephesians 2 is a celebration of life in Christ after death in sin—not just for us individually, but for the whole new community of the people of God.”

About the Author:

Richard D. Phillips (M.Div., Westminster Theological Seminary; D.D., Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary) is the senior minister of Second Presbyterian Church of Greenville, South Carolina. He is a council member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and of the Gospel Coalition, chairman of the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology, and coeditor of the Reformed Expository Commentary series.

Richard Phillips

Endorsements:

“In this careful, complete, and passionate exposition, Richard Phillips has offered us the gift of a whole book on one of the greatest chapters in the entire Bible.”

—Philip Graham Ryken

Why Do You Need a Fighting Faith?

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Admin

By: Aimee Byrd

Bruce Lee isn’t exactly someone we would think of as a Christian role model. He was an atheist. But he said something about the martial arts that reminds me so much of the exhortation to persevere in Hebrews 10:23. Behold Bruce Lee’s wisdom:

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

Think about that for a second. Who cares if you’ve practiced 10,000 kicks one time? You’re still an amateur. It is far better to master one thing than to be slipshod at 10,000. To master something you must exercise it over, and over, and over again. Muscle memory develops so that the movement becomes instinctive. Your body just knows it. In the realm of martial arts, an opponent who has practiced one kick 10,000 times really is someone to be feared. He or she has reached a level of fitness and stamina to exercise a particular skill with great strength and perfection.

So, what is the connection with Hebrews’ message of perseverance? I believe the preacher to the Hebrews is saying the same thing as Lee. His sermon-letter was written to exhort the intended first audience of Jewish believers to persevere in the Christian faith and not to turn back to their old-covenant sacrificial system and ceremonies. And yet this message was not only written for a congregation over 2,000 years ago. It is God’s Word to us now.

After studying all the sermon says about who God is and what he has done in Christ, I was captivated by a particular command that the preacher lays out to press the reader to persevere:

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (Heb. 10:23)

To persevere, we are told to hold fast to the confession of hope that this preacher has already faithfully delivered.

Christian, what do you believe? This is a very important question, because your answer, and your ability to hold tightly to a proper confession, is directly connected to your perseverance in the Christian life. All Christians need to know what they are persevering for, whether they are suffering through great adversity or just trying to make it through ordinary everyday life. We need to rehearse the truths of our faith like a fighter who practices a kick 10,000 times.

Perseverance involves theological fitness—that persistent fight to exercise faith by actively engaging in the gospel truth revealed in God’s Word. We’re motivated in holy living not just by remembering some Bible verses about God but by trusting in his person, work, and promises. This is what we are exhorted to exercise in Hebrews 10:23. (I break it down further in my book Theological Fitness.)

Faith is a gift from God, but faith is a fighting grace. We may never be as tough as Bruce Lee, but Christians are fighters too. Every day we fight to persevere.

We want a healthy spiritual life just as we want physical health. But we have a problem: the flesh is always working against us in our fight to be healthy, whether we are pursuing physical fitness or making a vigorous effort to know God. John Owen explains that the command in Hebrews to hold fast insinuates an opposing force, a “great danger” even. “To ‘hold fast’ implies the putting forth our utmost strength and endeavors in the defense of our profession, and a constant perseverance in so doing.”¹

One thing is for sure—you cannot hold fast to a confession of hope that you know little about. To see how your knowledge of the person and work of Christ helps you to fight to endure, try partaking in a little theological fitness training with me. I hope to both motivate and equip you to practice your kick another 9,999 times. And some more times after that.

About the Author

Aimee Byrd is just an ordinary mom of three who has also been a martial arts student, coffee shop owner, and Bible study teacher. Author of Housewife Theologian and Theological Fitness, she now blogs about theology and the Christian life and cohosts The Mortification of Spin podcast.

About the Book

Your spiritual life should be a battle! The writer of Hebrews tells us to “hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering” (10:23 ESV). Learn about the “fighting grace” God has given us, and discover how we are equipped to live lives of obedience even amidst the suffering and irritations of ordinary life.

“Wonderfully practical and readable . . . grounded in good theology.” –Thomas R. Schreiner, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

The Biggest Road Block to Compassion

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Admin

If you are going to feel correctly about others, you have to think correctly about yourself.

Unfortunately, it is often very difficult to think correctly about yourself when you are trying to help someone else. When someone has a problem you may be tempted to use what’s happening to her as an excuse for feeling better about yourself.

We are so intent on exalting ourselves over others that we will even use their sin to do so.

How sad! Unfortunately, this becomes especially tempting when other people are struggling with different sins than you do. When whatever is tempting them isn’t a temptation for you, you can easily start thinking of yourself as being a little better than they are. And if you are thinking like that, you are setting yourself up for a big fall because, though you may be a different kind of sinner than they are, you are still a sinner like they are.

There is a direct relationship between humility and compassion

This passion for self-exaltation is part of what makes genuine compassion such a rare thing. There is a direct relationship between humility and compassion, and between pride and a lack of it. Thoughts and feelings of self-importance based on self-ignorance are a major hindrance to compassionate relationships. So mark it down. Apart from Christ, we are nothing spiritually.

Spiritual life is as much of a gift as Physical life!

Imagine standing in a cemetery surrounded by hundreds of gravestones and shouting, “Look at me, I am so much better than you, I am alive!” No, physical life is a gift. So is spiritual life. Instead of being proud when you are around unbelievers, you should be overwhelmed with gratitude for God’s grace. And really, the same is true when you are with those who know Christ. If you have moved ahead spiritually or know more than they do, it is only because of help you have received from Christ. Every spiritual gift is a result of grace. How can anyone become proud of himself for that (1 Cor. 4:7)? If you have more gifts than someone else it is only because you have been shown more mercy (Rom. 12:3), which means that you, of everyone, have the most reason to be humble because you have received more grace.

If you are going to feel compassion for others, you need to show no compassion toward pride.

When someone comes to you with a problem, you can assume pride is going to come as well. Pride often uses occasions to show compassion as opportunities to promote itself instead. Suppose there is a needy person who is asking for your help. (Or maybe she is not asking for your help, but you think, really, she should.) If God in His grace has given you the wisdom you need to help such a troubled person, give thanks to Him and use your gifts to serve her. But watch out that you don’t start taking yourself too seriously. If you have the answer someone else needs, it is very tempting to start believing you are the answer that is needed. This is very dangerous because, once you start thinking of yourself as the Messiah, you stop acting very much like Him.

How to fight pride

One way you can begin to fight this war on pride is by seeing other people’s problems as your opportunities. Their problems are opportunities for you to do something even more important than give them the answer they need. Their problems are opportunities for you to pursue the humility you need. Before you begin to look for a solution to somebody else’s problem, slow down and make sure you intentionally deal with your most significant problem, and that is pride. Commit yourself to doing something bigger than just saying the right thing. Commit yourself to feeling the right way for that person.

About the Author:

josh Joshua Mack (MA in biblical counseling, The Master’s College; MDiv, The Master’s Seminary; DMin, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is pastor-teacher of Living Hope Church in Pretoria, South Africa, and executive director of 1Hope Ministries International. He and his wife Marda have five daughters as well as two boys and one girl in permanent foster care. He is the author of Compassion: Seeing with Jesus’ Eyes.

About the Book:

Compassion is the emotion most frequently attributed to Jesus in the Gospels. But compassion is more than an emotion—it is a God-centered, God-inspired way of looking at the world.

“One of my very favorite books.” – Heath Lambert, Executive Director, The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors