Pride and Faith in Berkouwer’s Studies in Dogmatics

This post contains part of an article that I wrote in 1994. At the end of the post, there's a link to the original and full article.__The Bible speaks of sin. It also speaks of salvation. The gospel is directed toward ‘the restorationof the image of God’. In this connection, Berkouwer cites Eph. 4:24 and …

Pride and Faith in Berkouwer’s "Studies in Dogmatics" (introduction)

‘The great theologians from Paul and Augustine to G. C. Berkouwer and Karl Barth ... have been able to explain what the faith does not mean as well as what it means.’1 This is a short study in the writings of one of those great theologians named here by D. G. Bloesch. G. C. Berkouwer, …

Pride and Faith in Berkouwer’s "Studies in Dogmatics" (God’s provision of salvation)

The Bible speaks of sin. It also speaks of salvation. The gospel is directed toward ‘the restoration of the image of God’. In this connection, Berkouwer cites Eph. 4:24 and Col. 3:10 which speak of ‘the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness’, ‘the new nature, which is being …

God’s Eternal Love – In Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

Here, we see Abraham in his relationship with the world (Genesis 21:22-34) and his relationship with the Lord (Genesis 22:1-14). Abraham deals honestly and wisely with the pagan king, Abimelech, who acknowledges Abraham's closeness to God - ‘God is with you in all that you do’ (Genesis 21:22). We are to be honest and wise …

God’s Word calls us to come out of our sin and into His holiness.

“The prophet, along with my God, is the watchman over Ephraim” (Hosea 9:8). Being a watchman will involve speaking strong words of warning. It’s not easy to speak God’s Word. It’s not easy to hear His Word. His Word calls for change. It calls us to come out of our sin and into His holiness. …

Pride and Faith in Berkouwer’s "Studies in Dogmatics" (The believer’s experience of salvation)

Central to Berkouwer’s exposition of Christian experience are three books which might be called a kind of trilogy - Faith and Justification, Faith and Sanctification, and Faith and Perseverance. These titles emphasize the importance of faith in the theology of Berkouwer. From beginning to end, the Christian life is a life of faith. In each …

Their unbelief amazed Him … His grace is so much more amazing.

"Their unbelief amazed Him" (Mark 6:6). The Lord has done so much for us. Why do we persist in unbelief? There is no real answer to this question, other than this: "The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. Who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). Our unbelief may be amazing. His grace is so much more …