We all think we would be content if we could just have more money. What if we won the lottery? Now that we have enough money to do anything we want, would we not have so much less to worry about ?
Burroughs, in this great little book, shows us that it is even harder to live for God when we are prosperous than when we are in need. When we need something, we tend to cry out to God. We hear many testimonies of how people were at the end of their rope when they turned to God and were saved. Even Jesus said that only the sick need a doctor.
You may say, "Why do I need to read a book written for the rich, I am not rich?" Are we in America not rich compared to the rest of the world? Many of those below poverty level still carry cell phones, eat a regular meals, and have a TV. We are blessed. It is very seldom, we hear of someone in America starving to death.
That is not to take away from the command to help those who are worse off that us. We are to have compassion for those in need.
How should we deal with all the stuff we are blessed with? Everything we have is from God. He has blessed some of us with great riches and others with only daily bread, some with large houses, others only a roof over their head, some with a $50,000 car and others with a 15 year old model. No matter what situation we are in, we are to thank God and be content.
Material possessions should not take us away from God. But in many cases those who have a lot tend to forget where these blessings came from. Many times it takes tragedy to drive us to God. Our love for God is even greater when material things can not pull us away.
Many of the Rich have more worries than middle class or poor. A poor man comes home from a hard days work and enjoys his family. The rich man is probably away from his family on a business trip. He has money invested in many different places and has to pay attention to all those things. The average person does not have those worries.
I loved this book. It was a great read and I will definitely reread it in the future. It should convict you no matter what your net worth.
This book needs to be read SLOW! - not because it is a hard read, but because it is so full of wisdom, you do not want to miss anything. The Puritans tend to write in a way that each paragraph is so full of information that the reader has to take time with each sentence to get the full impact.
I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 stars.
I received this book, free of charge from Reformation Heritage Books and Cross Focused Reviews, in exchange for an honest review.
This is the third book in this series I have read. The previous volumes have been very good, and this one is no exception.
Not as many people know about Knox as they do Calvin and Luther. Knox dealt with a lot of controversy. His book, "First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women", could have literally got his head cut off. McDonald takes us through the different stages of Knox's life and shows us how it molded his beliefs.
Like other reformers, he wanted to bring church back to the Gospel. He felt the church had turned from Biblical worship to idolatry. Their worship was created in men’s mind as opposed to Biblical worship that comes from God. If we worship in any way the Bible has not prescribed we are sinning.
Knox's biggest struggle was with Roman Catholicism. He believed the ceremonies used in the mass were idolatry. The bread and wine were not the literal blood and body of Christ and bowing would be worship to an idol. He believed in the Reformation doctrine of justification by grace alone in opposition to the Roman Catholics. They added other things like penance and indulgences.
He desired to overthrow the Government because it was forcing people to worship in a Roman Catholic manner. He sought theologians of his day to ask if it was biblical to rebel against an ungodly government. He believed that any time the government backed idolatry, the citizens should resist. He also wrote much against women being in authority. He even called Mary Tudor a Jezebel.
He spent time with Calvin in Geneva and considered it, “the most perfect school of Christ that ever was on earth since the days of the Apostles.” He wanted to see the same kind of society in other countries.
This book was a good summary of Knox's life. I enjoyed the book, but feel that it is a little out of place in the Armchair Theologians series. I dropped a star because, even though it is a great little biography, the Theologians series is usually more about theology than biography.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
I received this book free of charge from Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I will be reviewing at least three books in this series. This is the second I have read and they have been very good reads. There will be some overlap in my reviews. This is so those who see a review for one book will get a general overview of the format the whole series takes.
This book in the series takes us through the doctrines of scripture. The Bible is God's Word. It is without error. It is sufficient. It is understandable. It is God breathed.
Rhodes shows us how the canon was recognized, looks at manuscript evidence and archeology, shows how the bible was copied, how it was translated, what the dead sea scrolls have to do with the bible, and much, much more.
There are 28 chapters, each discussing a different aspect of the doctrines of Scripture.
Here is also a list of chapters:
Introduction
1. An Overview of the Bible
2. God Reveals Himself
3. Scripture is Inspired
4. Scripture is Inerrant
5. Eyewitness Testimony
6. The Books in the Bible
7. Manuscript Support
8. Manuscript Differences
9. The Dead Sea Scrolls
10. God’s Preservational Providence
11. Archeological Support
12. Extrabiblical Secular Support
13. Extrabiblical Christian Support1
14. Christ’s View of Scripture
15. The Apostles’ View of Scripture
16. Prophecy as a Proof
17. Assessing the Miracle Accounts
18. Theories of Bible Translation
19. The Interpretation of Scripture
20. The Bible is a Jesus Book
21. God’s Promises in Scripture
22. The Application of Scripture
23. Assessing Alleged Contradictions
24. Assessing Objections to the Bible
25. Assessing the Apocrypha
26. Assessing the Gnostic Gospels
27. Assessing Other “Holy Books”
28. Assessing Tradition
Postscript: The Full Sufficiency of Scripture
Bibliography
Like the first book I read, it makes for a good reference tool. When someone claims the Bible is just a man made book, you can turn to the section on inspiration. There will be 2 pages of information to use in your discussion.
Like the other books in the series, there are some great quotes at the end of each chapter.
I will keep this book handy to look up those verses I need when defending the Gospel.
There is also a great Bibliography at the end for farther reading.
I highly recommend it and give it 5 out of 5 stars.
I received this book free of charge from Harvest House Publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I will be reviewing at least three books in this series. I started with this one hoping to get a feel of what the rest will be like. If they are all like this one, they will be very good reads. There will be some overlap in my reviews. This is so those who see a review for one book, will get a similar general overview of the format the whole series takes.
Years ago I had read a few books by Ron Rhodes and knew he usually writes with very little fluff added. He was frequently a guest on the “Bible Answer Man” and may still be. I have not heard the show in a good while.
This book is a good summary of the doctrine it explores. In this case the doctrine is “God”. The book is set up to be read through with a bible in hand. He shares an attribute, tells what it means, gives scripture proofs, and a quote from a Theologian or minister. The quotes are not always from those in the Reformed faith, but that is OK.
After finishing it, it will be a great reference tool in the future. There are 28 chapters. Each chapter has 2 pages that contain the following sections (my explanations added):
The Big Idea - The doctrine we are studying
What you need to Know - Explanation of doctrine & scriptural support
Verses to contemplate - List of important scriptures
Fast Facts - Facts concerning the subject
Truths that Transform - a conclusion of all the information provided
A Quote to Ponder – a short quote from a theologian of minister.
Here is a list of chapters:
1.Reasons to Believe in God
2.God Is a Revealer
3.God Is Triune
4.God the Father
5.God the Son
6.God the Holy Spirit
7.The Living God
8.God Is a Spirit
9.God Is Personal and Relational
10.God Is with Us
11.God Is High Above Us
12.God Has Many Names
13.God Is Self-Existent
14.God Is Eternal
15 God Is Everywhere-Present
16.God Is All-Powerful
17.God Is All-Knowing
18.God Is Sovereign
19.God Is a Planner
20.God Is Holy
21.God Is True
22.God Is Righteous and Just
23.God Is Loving and Gracious
24.God Is Merciful
25.God Is Unchanging
26.God Is Glorious
27.The Worship of God
28.Face to Face with God
Postscript: God and His Promises
Bibliography
I am not sure how many books are going to be in the collection but it would be great if there was a book for each major doctrine of the Bible.
I liked this book and am looking forward to more in this series. I will keep it ready for reference when I need to look up a doctrine quickly. I also believe it would be a great gift for those who are new in the faith, so that they can get an orthodox view of the doctrine of God.
I highly recommend it and give it 5 out of 5 stars.
I received this book free of charge from Harvest House Publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The title of this book says it all. When we think of Luther, he is the personification of boldness. In his day, he stood up to the most powerful man in the known world, the Pope.
Luther loved the word of God. When we hear each of the "sola" slogans of the reformation, it is like reading a biography of Luther. Luther was a preacher at heart. Like Paul, he was “not ashamed of the Gospel”. He was far from perfect, but aren’t we all. He was a world changer.
Unlike most books about Luther, which are just about his life, this book is more about Luther's beliefs and teaching. I enjoyed it more than any book I have read concerning him. Lawson brings out the things Luther loved most, the Bible and preaching.
To Luther the Word of God is all sufficient and preaching brings that word alive. Without either, there is no salvation. Scripture, being the very word of God, is without error. He believed in the perspicuity of scripture; that it can be understood by anyone who takes the time to study it.
Luther was an expositor. He preached through complete books of the bible, explaining them verse by verse. He felt that study was important and was mentally harder than working with the hands.
When studying, we should go to the Bible first, before consulting commentaries. He was not against commentaries, but felt that they should not be used as a crutch. We should only consult them after we have spent time in meditation on the scriptures. He believed in a literal interpretation of scripture. The Bible means what it says. It can still contain allegories and metaphors, but we can understand from the text what the author means.
Luther studied in the original languages and believed all pastors should know Greek and Hebrew. With that said, because the congregation does not understand the original languages, they should not use in sermons. If they were used it would seem prideful. Above all the preacher should rely on the Holy Spirit to illuminate the scriptures. Without that it is just dry logic.
All through this book, we get glimpses of Luther's love for the Gospel. He was a man raised up by God for such a time.
I loved this book and highly recommend it and give it 5 out of 5 stars.
I received this book free of charge from Reformation Trust in exchange for an honest review.
No one is an island to themselves.
I have heard people argue, "As long as it doesn't hurt anyone, it doesn't matter what I do in private". In America, we are so used to doing everything alone, that we do not know what it is to live for others. That individualism is nothing but an illusion.
Brauns book is about this very subject. He shows that we are all connected in some way. Everything we do has some consequence on others.
What about the alcoholic? If a father stays drunk most of his waking hours, what bearing does that have on his wife and children? Even worse, what if he is driving drunk and kills someone else. This tragedy will hurt not only his family, but the other family involved. It doesn't stop there. The friends and loved ones of both families are affected. There are thousands of illustration that could be used to prove the message of this book. Brauns uses many good ones.
Brauns shows that this connection we all have has both negative and positive results. With mans fallen state, we would think that the negative would win out. But he shows the positive outweighs the negative.
The ultimate negative comes from Adam. When he disobeyed God we received the results of that disobedience. We are all born sinners. The positive comes from Christ. Because He died in our place, we now receive forgiveness. He replaces the sin on our account with His righteousness.
I heard Martyn Lloyd-Jones make a statement one time (also quoted in this book) that if we can not accept the idea that Adam's sin can be accounted to us, we can not have Christ's righteousness accounted to us.
Even though we reap the fruit of what others do, we are still accountable for our own sins. Adam will be punished for his and I will be punished for mine. There is a mystery here of the same variety as the Trinity. Our finite minds can not understand it fully. But we see enough of it in the world that we know it is true.
This book is a must read. If you have a problem understanding how we are accounted sinners because of something Adam did or righteous because of what Christ did, this book has the best explanation I have found. He uses many real life illustrations to prove that we are all connected.
I highly recommend it and give it 5 out of 5 stars.
I received this book free of charge from Zondervan, Cross Focused Reviews, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Justification is a great doctrine to study in the Bible. It is so fundamental. Without it our salvation would be non-existent.
There is so much logic to how God accomplished our salvation. God can not disregard the Law that He gave. The Law shows the very character of God. He can not deny Himself.
- How can God justify the guilty?
- How can He forgive their sin and still be just?
- Can a judge forgive the guilty without destroying justice and without becoming an unjust judge?
Vickers answers these and other questions in this wonderfully written book.
It was a joy to see God's plan unfolded in each page. All glory is given to the one who accomplished our salvation. It is not about us and what we do. It is about what Christ done. He is our righteousness. He took our punishment. We are righteous through Him. Works come because we are justified, not to accomplish it.
It is not of ourselves, so that we can not boast. We are totally reliant on God, who is both Just and the Justifier.
I had already read Vicker's book, "Jesus’ Blood and Righteousness". That book was about imputation. This book covers some of the same ground, but focuses more on Justification.
I enjoyed this book. It is packed with good exegesis and I love a book with footnotes! It is neither a simplistic read nor a chore. He takes some deep truths and explains them to the satisfaction of the new and mature believer alike.
His section on James is great.
I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 stars.
I received this book free of charge from P&R Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
