Let the light of Christ shine.

Season of Epiphany: Epiphany of the Lord – Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12 Let the light of Christ shine. ‘Arise, shine; for your Light has come... the Lord will be your everlasting Light’ (Isaiah 60:1, 19-20). Jesus Christ is ‘the Light of the world’. When we ‘follow Him’, we ‘will not …

Theological Anthropology

It might be argued that Berkouwer’s concentration on man’s relation to God is no more than the adoption of a particular religious theory of man rather than dealing with the real man. Berkouwer insists that, from the standpoint of Christian faith, the situation is quite the reverse. He insists that we are not dealing with …

A Spiritual Journey (10): Job 38

This is the tenth post in a series of ten posts. You may be wondering why this spiritual journey is ending in Job 38. If you read the post, you will see that this spiritual journey isn't ending in Job 38. It's ending in Romans 8:38-39, "Nothing will be able to separate us from the …

A Spiritual Journey (9): 1 Kings 18

This is the ninth post in a series of ten posts. Here, we see the triumph of the Lord over Baal: “the fire of the Lord fell… ” (verse 38). We read about this, and we are encouraged. We remember Jesus’ disciples at the time of his crucifixion. It looked like it was all over, …

A Spiritual Journey (8): 2 Samuel 11 / Psalm 51

This is the eighth post in a series of ten posts. David is shown his sin. David confesses hi sin. We can learn so much from David’s prayer: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore …

A Spiritual Journey (7): 2 Samuel 11

This is the seventh post in a series of ten posts. basn’t all victory for David. Sometimes, it was defeat, If, when we read David’s Psalms, we’re ever tempted to set David on a pedestal and think of him as some kind of superhuman hero, we should read about David and Bathsheba. When we read …

A Spiritual Journey (6): 1 Samuel 17

This is the sixth post in a series of ten posts. Here, we read about David’s victory over Goliath. It was a mighty victory over the Israelites over the Philistines. It was a a great triumph for the God of Israel over the gods of the Philistines. We do not, however, look only at this …

A Spiritual Journey (5): Exodus 20

This is the fifth post in a series of ten posts. Following on from Israel’s deliverance from their Egyptian oppressors. there’s the giving of the law on Mount Sinai. Again, we look beyond the Old Testament story. We look at where the Old Testament story is leading us. It’s leading us to “Jesus Christ.” We …

A Spiritual Journey (4): Exodus 3

This is the fourth post in a series of ten posts. Here, we see God’s great plan of salvation, taking a huge step forward. God indicates to Moses that something big is about to happen. The people of Israel are going to be brought set free from their slavery in Egypt. This is just the …

A Spiritual Journey (3): Genesis 22

This is the third post inb a series of ten posts. “God himself will provide the lamb” (verse 8). These are words that point us forward to Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

A Spiritual Journey (2): Genesis 3

This is the second post in a series of ten posts. Everything began so well, but things didn’t stay good for very long. This is the story of sin. It’s the story of separation from God, but there’s also the promise of salvation. Satan will not triumph over the Lord. The Lord will triumph over …

A Spiritual Journey (1): Genesis 1

This is the first post in a series of ten posts. Let’s start at the very beginning. It’s a very good place to start” (from The Sound of Music). We begin with God, not with ourselves. He was there before us. We came later.

Carl Bangs, “Arminius: A Study in the Dutch Reformation”

In this post, I will draw comparisons between Arminius and Berkouwer.  * Bangs points out that the historical situation in Holland was not a simple one - Calvinism coming in, Arminius nearly ruining it and the Synod of Dort restoring it: “The earliest Dutch Reformed leaders don’t seem to be Calvinists at all. They rise …

Berkouwer’s reinterpretation of election – not a devaluation of divine sovereignty

Berkouwer emphasizes that his reinterpretation of election "has nothing to do with a devaluation of divine sovereignty. It is not motivated by respect for the autonomy of the free man" (A Half Century of Theology, p. 95). He sought to affirm divine election while avoiding the dangers of determinism. Describing the process by which he …

I Believe in the Church

More about Berkouwer, see The Theology Of G C Berkouwer Concerning the confession 'Credo Ecclesiam' (I believe in the church), Berkouwer insists that the church's objectivity is not subjectivized by the affirmation that "the only framework in which the Church can remain the Church of the Lord (is) the framework of faith, prayer, obedience and subjection" …

A humble and courageous defence of Christianity

“There is room for a humble and courageous defence of Christianity. The combination of humility and courage is the combination that Christianity in our day sorely needs.” — G. C. Berkouwer

Malachi

MALACHI1:1-2:17 –  God looks upon us in our sin. What does He see? He sees ‘the Wicked Land. He sees ‘a people always under the wrath of the Lord’ (1:4). He looks at what Christ has done for us – ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’; ‘While we were still sinners, Christ died …

Zechariah

ZECHARIAH1:1-2:13 –  God promises to bless His faithful people: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there My House will be rebuilt’ (16). God looks upon His House, and He sees His glory – ‘I will be the glory within it’ (2:5). He sees the glory of His presence – ‘I will live among you’ …

Haggai

HAGGAI1:1-15 –  ‘“Why is everyone saying it is not the right time for rebuilding My Temple?” asks the Lord’. His reply to them is this: ‘Is it then the right time for you to live in luxurious homes, when the Temple lies in ruins?’ (2-4). God’s people had forgotten about God. They were pleasing themselves – …

Zephaniah

ZEPHANIAH1:1-2:7  –  ‘The great Day of the Lord is near – near and coming quickly… That Day will be a Day of wrath… I will bring distress upon the people… because they have sinned against the Lord’ (1:14-17). This is God’s Word of warning. He is calling us back to Himself: ‘Seek the Lord – …

Habakkuk

HABAKKUK1:1-2:14  –  ‘How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but You do not listen?’ (1:2). There are times when it seems that God is not listening to us. What are we to do when we feel like this? Are we to give up on God? Are we to stop praying? No! We must …

Nahum

NAHUM1:1-2:9  –  ‘Fulfil your vows’ (1:15). God is calling us to be faithful to Him. We are to be faithful in worship. We are to be faithful in reading His Word. We are to be faithful in prayer. We are to be faithful in giving. We are to be faithful in witness. Our faith is …

Micah

MICAH1:1-2:13  –  Micah was a fearless preacher of God’s Word. His message was not popular: ‘Let the Lord God be a witness against you’. He was a forthright preacher of God’s Word. He knew that the people wouldn’t want to hear what he had to say to them. He demanded that they listen to him. …

Jonah

JONAH 1:1-2:10  –  ‘Salvation comes from the Lord’ (2:9). We can never save ourselves. We can only be saved – by the Lord. Left to our own devices, we ‘flee from the presence of the Lord’. We ‘run away from the Lord’ (1:3). Sin – This is the story of our life. Salvation – This is the story of …

Obadiah

OBADIAH 1-21  –  ‘The Kingdom will be the Lord’s’ (21). When God’s Kingdom comes, there will be both salvation – ‘The house of Jacob will possess its inheritance’ – and judgment – ‘There will be no survivors from the house of Esau’ (17-18). ‘Not by works but by Him who calls’ – This is the great contrast between ‘Jacob’ …

Joel

JOEL 1:1-2:17  -  ‘Joel’ means ‘the Lord is God’. The Lord is our God. He is ‘gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love...’. Let us ‘return to the Lord our God’. Let us ‘return to Him with all our heart’. Let us look to Him for His ‘blessing’ (2:12-14). Alongside God’s promise …

Hosea

HOSEA 1:1-3:5  -  ‘Hosea’ means ‘salvation’. Married to ‘an adulterous wife’, Hosea spoke with great compassion to  ‘the land’ which was ‘guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord’ (1:2). He  brought God’s Word of love to the people: ‘I will show My love to the one I called, “Not My loved one”’. …

Berkouwer’s "A Half Century of Theology"

In his post, Theological autobiography, Ben Myers writes, "Although there hasn’t been much theological autobiography in the past century, G. C. Berkouwer’s A Half Century of Theology(1977) deserves mention. It’s a stimulating discussion of major developments in twentieth-century theology from the perspective of Berkouwer’s own experience and development."

The Holy Spirit – Learning from 1 Samuel

Everyone was so happy - ‘Long live the king! (1 Samuel 10:24). Everything seemed to be so promising - ‘The Spirit of God came mightily upon Saul’ (1 Samuel 11:6). God’s people were victorious (1 Samuel 11:11). God’s people ‘rejoiced greatly’ (1 Samuel 11:15). This is not, however, the whole story. Things were to get …

Esther

ESTHER 1:1-2:18  –  This is a very human story. It is the story of a man – Ahasuerus – and two women – Vashti and Esther. It is the ending of one love and the beginning of a new love (1:19; 2:17). It is also a very important part of the Divine Story. God is …

Nehemiah

NEHEMIAH 1:1-2:18  –  ‘You see the trouble we are in’ – How do you react when the going gets tough? Do you collapse in despair and succeed only in making your troubles seem even bigger than they really are? There is a better way of dealing with our problems. Believing that ‘the hand of  his …

2 Chronicles

2 CHRONICLES 1:1-2:18 – ‘Give me wisdom’ (1:10). What is the greatest wisdom of all? – It is the ‘wisdom’ which leads to ‘salvation through faith in Christ Jesus’. Where do we find this wisdom? – Read ‘the Holy Scriptures’. Ask God for wisdom – ‘Open my eyes that I may see the wonderful truths …

1 Chronicles

1 CHRONICLES 1:1-54 –  What are we to make of this long list of names? – A waste of space? Are we wasting our time looking for God’s Word here? No! God has a very important message for us! Do you ever feel insignificant – just one among so many? Here`s God’s Word for you …

2 Kings

2 KINGS 1:1-2:13 –  ‘He took up the mantle of Elijah’ (2:13). Elijah’s ministry had ended. Elisha’s ministry was about to begin. It was the beginning of a new era. This may have been a new ministry. It was not, however, a new message. Both men preached the Word of the Lord. Elisha continued Elijah’s work. …

1 Kings

1 KINGS 1:1-53  –  David’s reign was coming to an end. He would be replaced by Solomon (30). No one goes on forever. Every day takes us one day closer to the day of stepping down and handing over to someone else. We must pray that the future will be ‘greater’ than the past (37,47). …

2 Samuel

2 SAMUEL 1:1-27 – ‘How are the mighty fallen!’ (19,25,27). The tragedy of Saul was there for all to see. He had made a right mess of things! What are we to think when we read of this tragic figure? He started out so well. He ended so badly. There were high hopes – but …

1 Samuel

1 SAMUEL  1:1-28 –  Hannah ‘wept’. Hannah ‘was no longer sad’ (7,18). What made the difference? No child had been born. She had not even conceived. These things did not happen until later (21). Why was there such a change in Hannah? She believed. God’s Word had been spoken (17). Hannah believed His Word. She …

Ruth

RUTH 1:1-2:23  –  Ruth meets Boaz. It seemed like a ‘chance’ meeting – ‘she happened to come… ‘ (2:3). It was more than that. God was at work. Ruth had committed herself to the Lord (1:16-17). She was being guided by the Lord (Psalm 37:3-5; Proverbs 3:5-6). Ruth was unassuming and grateful, hard-working and responsible …

Judges

JUDGES 1:1-2:5  –  ‘You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? (Galatians 5:7).  Everything seems to be going well – ‘From victory to victory His army He shall lead till every foe is vanquished and Christ is Lord indeed’ (1-18; Church Hymnary, 481).  Things went badly wrong.  God commanded His people to ‘drive …

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 1:1-46 –  With the exception of Caleb and Joshua, the older generation – including Moses – was not to enter the land (34-38).  For the new generation, there was a challenge.  There must be no more failures.  One wasted generation was enough.  This was the time for real commitment to the Lord.  He loved them …

Numbers

NUMBERS 1:1-54  –  ‘Every man able to go forth to war’: This is the key phrase in verses 1-46. God is looking for ‘soldiers’: Soldiers of  Christ! To live for Christ is to be engaged in warfare. It is spiritual warfare. We need ‘the whole armour of God’ (Ephesians 6:10-20). We must remember that ‘the …

Leviticus

LEVITICUS 1:1-2:16 –  Jesus Christ, ‘the Lamb without blemish’, has ‘made atonement’ for sin through the shedding of His ‘precious blood’ (1:3-5; 1 Peter 1:18-19). This offering of Christ – He ‘loved us and gave Himself up for us’ – is ‘a pleasing odour to the Lord’, ‘a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God’ (1:9,13,17; …

Exodus

EXODUS 1:1-2:10  –  Things were difficult for Israel yet ‘the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied’ (12). Difficult times can be the making of God’s people! Pharaoh (and Satan!) is murderously anxious about the growth of God’s people (15-16; John 10:10). God is about to move in saving power – His ‘midwives’ are …

What are we to say about ‘biblical criticism’?

Berkouwer presents a view of biblical criticism which promises to overcome theological polarization. Keeping the Gospel at the centre of his thinking, he maintains that it is possible to acknowledge that there are “hesitations and doubts … present at many points (which) do not in themselves indicate a deep and final uncertainty” (A Half Century …

The Spirit, the Scriptures and salvation

In his post, The perspicuity of Scripture, Ben Myers quotes from Berkouwer's "fine book", Holy Scripture (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1975), p. 275.He begins his post, "Reformation theologians spoke of the "clarity" or "perspicuity of Scripture ... According to Reformation theology, the message of salvation shines out clearly from Scripture through the power of the Holy …

Christ died for us. Let us live for Him.

Thursday in Holy Week: Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17 Christ died for us. Let us live for Him. Here, we focus attention on two verses which emphasize the importance of being saved by the Lord and going on to live for Him: ‘when I see the blood, I will pass …

An Introduction To Theological Anthropology

Link to the original article with footnotes - An Introduction to Theological Anthropology What lies behind the idea of producing a theological anthropology? Why is it so important that there should be a distinctively theological anthropology? Anthropology concerns itself with understanding human experience. Theology is concerned with God. God and humanity -should not the two be …

G. C. Berkouwer On Spiritual Commitment And Social Concern In The Old Testament.

Serving God is incomplete if it doesn't lead to serving others.  "The service of the God of Israel and total concern for life within our horizon are inseparable... His people can truly give all their attention to him without being lured away from their neighbors."(G. C. Berkouwer, A Half Century of Theology, p. 193). Serving …

Exodus 15:1-16:36; Matthew 28:1-20; Psalm 21:8-13

The great Old Testament events of redemption have taken place – the Exodus from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea. Now, the Lord’s people must make their way through the wilderness. The great New Testament events of redemption have taken place – the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To His people, the …

Genesis 11

This chapter contains the story of the tower of Babel, and another long list of names. What are we to say about the tower of Babel. It's a story that's been repeated over and over again. It's a story that's summed up in the words, "Tower and temple fall to dust." These words are taken …

Genesis 10

This chapter contains many names. As I was looking over this long list of names, my eyes fixed on the last sentence of the chapter: "The nations on earth spread out from these after the flood" (verse 32). "The nations": This made me think of a great verse in the book of Revelation. It's Revelation …

Genesis 9

Here, we read about the faithfulness of God and the frailty of man. We begin with the faithfulness of God. "And God said, 'This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, …

Genesis 8

The flood is over. The time of judgment has come to an end. As I was thinking about the flood and what lay beyond the flood, I found myself thinking of some words from the hymn, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." Here's a lyric video of the hymn. …

Genesis 7

Terrifying: that's what it was like outside of the ark. Reassuring: that's what it was like inside the ark. Outsde and inside the ark: this is the way God said it would be. The word of warning and the word of promise: this is what is saying to us, today. The flood: this is the …

Ezekiel 17-19

Ezekiel 17:1-24  -  To those who adopt a ‘rebellious’ attitude to Him, God speaks His Word of warning. They shall ‘not escape’ His judgment (12,18). To those who abandon this  attitude of rebellion, there is a way of salvation. In verses 22 to 24, we have a prophecy which looks forward to the coming of  …

Genesis 6

These were dark days, but God was still there. There was judgment, but there was, also, salvation. There was the flood, and there was, also, the ark. We live in dark days. Everywhere we look, it seems like there's a 'flood' that's sweeping away everything that stands in its way. Is there any hope, for …

Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God – our Saviour

Genesis 21:1-23:20; Matthew 8:23-9:13; Psalm 7:10-17 As we read of the testing of Abraham in regard to God's call for Isaac to be sacrificed, we have a hint of God's provision of Jesus Christ as the Saviour who was sacrificed for the sins of the world. By faith, Abraham says, "God himself will provide the …

In Christ – salvation, sanctification and service

Journey through the New Testament: Colossians ‘In everything’ Christ is ‘pre-eminent’ (1:18). In Him, there is salvation - ‘redemption, the forgiveness of sins’ (1:14) - , sanctification - ‘mature in Christ’ (1:28) - and service - making Him known (1:27). ‘You have been raised with Christ... You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God’ …

Genesis 5

So many names and so many years: what are we to say about all this? There are two names that jump out at us. The first name is Enoch (verses 21-24), and the second name is Noah (verse 29). What do we learn from Enoch and Noah? While we learn more about Noah in chapters …

Genesis 2

This chapter speaks to us with childlike simplicity. It builds on the teaching of the first chapter: God is our Creator. Chapter 1 shows us the bigger picture. Chapter 2 looks, more closely, at the creation of human beings. We were made by God. We were made for God. To say that we were made …