Monthly Archives: September 2016

The Cruciform Shape of Paul’s Kingdom Theology by David Burnette

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David Burnette (Ph.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) works
as an editor for Radical, the resource ministry of David Platt

Abstract: Unlike Jesus, Paul is not often associated with the theme of the kingdom of God. While some scholars have claimed that the kingdom is insignificant for Paul, most have simply failed to examine it closely. This article highlights the significance of the kingdom by demonstrating that it is a foundational component of Paul’s proclamation of the cross. This thesis is based primarily on a close examination of 1 Corinthians 4:20, a verse in which Paul contrasts the talk of certain leaders in Corinth with the power of the kingdom. Based on the way Paul uses the term power (δύναμις, dynamis) in 1 Corinthians 1-4, this article contends that the power of the
kingdom mentioned in 4:20 is a reference to the power effected through the word of the cross. Other Pauline kingdom references are cited to support this kingdom-cross connection, including Colossians 1:13 and Galatians 5:21. As with the Gospels and Scripture as a whole, Paul’s theology of the kingdom is bound up with a message that cuts against the grain of the world’s wisdom—the message of Christ crucified.

Key Words: kingdom, cross, Paul, power, and 1 Corinthians.

Paul’s Doctrine of Justification: Ecclesiology or Soteriology? by Aaron O’Kelley

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Aaron O’Kelley serves as a Pastor at Cornerstone Community Church in Jackson, TN and as Director of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Jackson Extension

Abstract: The new perspective on Paul places the doctrine of justification primarily in the category of ecclesiology, as a declaration of covenant membership that is common to Jews and Gentiles alike. However, Paul’s use of key terms in the realm of “righteousness” terminology, as well as the phrase “works of the law” indicates that Paul’s doctrine of justification belongs in the category of soteriology, referring primarily to the standing of individuals before God. Nevertheless, this traditional Protestant understanding of justification has significant implications for the doctrine
of the church, which the new perspective has rightly pointed out.

Key terms: new perspective on Paul, justification, righteousness, works of the law, soteriology, ecclesiology.

Review of The Whole Christ by Sinclair B. Ferguson

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Review of The Whole Christ by Sinclair B. Ferguson

Ferguson, Sinclair B.  The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, and Gospel Assurance – Why the Marrow Controversy Still Matters.  Wheaton: Crossway, 2016, pp. 256, $24.99, hardcover.

In an age characterized by both self-indulgence and anxiety, Sinclair Ferguson addresses in The Whole Christ the always pressing issues of legalism, antinomianism and assurance of salvation.  Ferguson served as senior minister of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina and is professor of systematic theology at Redeemer Seminary in Dallas, Texas and author of a number of books, including The Holy Spirit and In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel-Centered Life.

Here Ferguson looks back to an instructive moment in Protestant church history – the “Marrow controversy” in early eighteenth-century Scotland – in order to glean insights for handling the relationship between God’s grace and God’s call for obedience in the believer’s life.  The introduction and first chapter shed light on the background and significance of the Marrow controversy, which centered on a book entitled The Marrow of Modern Divinity that was deemed antinomian by some Scottish Presbyterians but was and is believed by traditional Reformed and Presbyterian theologians to contain a sound presentation of the relationship between God’s grace and God’s law in the Christian life.

In chapter two, Ferguson draws from the Marrow controversy to emphasize the importance of the free offer of the gospel to all persons.  Chapter three explores the harmful effects of “preparationism,” according to which the hearer must exhibit certain fruits of election before hearing the gospel.  Ferguson identifies this approach to evangelism as an assault on the goodness and generosity of God.

Chapter four considers the nature of legalism, the root of which is a failure to see and trust in the goodness of God.  In chapter five, Ferguson then sketches an ordo salutis – a discernible logical ordering of the benefits of salvation in Christ, like justification, sanctification and so on.  In God’s economy the “indicative” (what is true of those who are in Christ) precedes the “imperative” (what God calls believers in Christ to do).  Chapter six points up various signs to help diagnose legalism in one’s heart and actions.

Chapter seven focuses on antinomianism and maintains the normative function of the Decalogue in the Christian life.  The eighth chapter contends that antinomianism ultimately emerges from a legalistic heart and envisions a positive (Pauline) place for the law in the life of faith.  Finally, chapters 9-11 deal with the problem of assurance, examining whether it is included in the essence of faith and explaining how one can possess assurance under the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

A number of helpful features in The Whole Christ stand out.  First, Ferguson argues that at the foundation of a right view of grace, law and assurance is a right view of the good and loving God of salvation.  Many Christians struggle to trust in the goodness of God and will be encouraged by Ferguson’s insistence on it.  Second, Ferguson’s emphasis on union with Christ throughout the book is salutary.  Whenever we separate the benefits of Christ (faith, justification, sanctification and the rest) from the Savior himself or from one another, we develop a lopsided and pastorally hazardous understanding of salvation.  Third, in chapter ten Ferguson introduces readers to the illuminating distinction between the “direct” and “reflexive” acts of faith.  The former refers to the believer’s trust in Christ and his saving work, while the latter refers to the believer’s confidence that he or she belongs to and is secure in Christ.  The former is primary and “contains within it the seed of assurance” (p. 197).  The latter is never the instrument of salvation and may be had in greater and lesser degrees throughout the Christian life.

On a minor critical note, I wonder whether the arrangement of the material might have been better if the historical sections on the Marrow controversy were gathered up into one chapter for the sake of clarity and proportion, instead of embedding parts of the historical description in different chapters and sometimes rehashing the events (e.g., pp. 77-8).  Also, a few turns of phrase might, if he or she is not careful, leave the contemporary reader confused for a moment.  For example: “repentance is not a qualification for coming to Christ” (p. 97).  Does this mean that repentance is not in any way included in one’s initially coming to Christ (as in Mk. 1:15; Acts 2:38)?  To be fair, one need only read on and ascertain that Ferguson is simply emphasizing that there are no pre-requisites for hearing the gospel and initially turning to Christ and that faith in Christ logically precedes repentance (pp. 98ff.).

To locate this book in the broader field of theological study today, a few comments are in order.  First, it can be read profitably as a study in soteriology and the Christian life.  Its historical, exegetical, and dogmatic reflections will be beneficial for students of Scripture and Christian theology and practitioners in pastoral ministry.  Second, it models nicely a decidedly theological (rather than a self-help or pop psychology) approach to understanding discipleship.  Too often Christians look to trendy books with “steps” to success or happiness and will find a book of this sort to be a welcome break from such shallowness.  Indeed, The Whole Christ exhibits well the fact that what may seem like strictly theoretical considerations in fact powerfully bear on one’s daily Christian experience and will repay our attention.

Third, The Whole Christ illustrates the importance of understanding church history.  That there really is nothing new under the sun is borne out in the history of the Christian church, and studying the past gives us access to debates and controversies where ideas, concepts and patterns of thought have run their course and proven to be either fruitful or spiritually harmful.  Rather than reinvent the wheel every time we approach an exegetical or ministerial problem, we do well to know what the generations before us have already learned and passed on to us as wisdom for today.  Fourth, Ferguson writes as a Calvinist, and “Calvinism” is a frequently used and sometimes poorly understood term in contemporary Christianity.  In this connection, some readers may be pleasantly surprised to learn that mainstream traditional Reformed and Presbyterian theology would so adamantly speak of the goodness and fatherly love of God in saving sinners.  Fifth, “grace” also is a frequently used and sometimes poorly understood term, especially when some evangelical leaders have recently reduced sanctification to a matter of simply believing more in justification by grace.  Ferguson strikes the balance in instructing us both to rest in Christ alone as the basis of our salvation and in reminding us that those who are in Christ must and will grow in loving obedience to the Father.

Other available resources can help readers explore the issues covered here in more historical and technical detail, including the relevant chapters of Joel Beeke’s and Mark Jones’s Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life and volume 4 of Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics.  However, for students and, indeed, for any Christian seeking to grow theologically and spiritually, The Whole Christ is a great place to start.

Steven J. Duby

Grand Canyon University

Review of Theology as Discipleship by Keith L. Johnson

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Review of Theology as Discipleship by Keith L. Johnson

Johnson, Keith L. Theology as Discipleship. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2015, pp. 192, $20, softcover.

Theological dialogue is standard practice among scholars engaged in the halls of academia. These conversations are necessary and helpful, and it benefits the church greatly for scholars to remain steadfast in their specific academic pursuits; however, the church is not served fully if theology is restricted to the solitary confines of scholarly engagement. Theology must be applicable to the whole of life, and the church needs scholars to speak in this important conversational space as well. Keith Johnson (Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary), associate professor of theology at Wheaton College, addresses the need for theology to be recognized as far more than an academic discipline. Johnson helpfully shows that theology is central to discipleship for believers. Theology as Discipleship is an excellent work that will help thoughtful students beginning theological studies.

Johnson’s book was born out of questions and conversations Johnson encountered from students in his introductory theology courses at Wheaton College. His students questioned the relevance of theology to daily Christian living, and they also expressed legitimate concerns that theology might stifle one’s daily walk with Christ due to the tendency of quarrels and divisions that all too often arise out of theological inquiry. Johnson rightly notes that these questions are common as students grapple with the various nuances of theological reflection. These questions are a direct consequence of the theological ignorance which exists in the church. Johnson notes that “It is possible for a Christian to participate in the church for years and never engage in disciplined theological thinking about core Christian doctrines or the history of the church’s debates about them. It is also possible for academic theologians to devote their entire careers to the discipline and never be asked to translate or apply the content of their scholarship to the concrete realities that shape the daily life of the church” (p.12). These possibilities reveal an unnecessary bifurcation between theology and life. Thus, Johnson’s approach in this volume is to offer a corrective solution.

Johnson’s thesis is clear: “Theological learning is pursued rightly when it occurs within the context of a life of discipleship, because the practices of discipleship enable and enrich our pursuit of theological knowledge” (p. 26). The negative press that is all too often associated with theology occurs when theology is approached as a discipline and not a form of discipleship. When viewed rightly, Christians will view discipleship as a natural extension of theology, and theology as a godly manifestation of discipleship. The relationship between discipleship and theology cannot be overstated, according to Johnson. He argues, “The act of learning how to think and speak rightly about God is an act of faith and obedience that involves our participation in the mind of Christ and our partnership with Christ by the power of his Spirit. In this sense, the practice of theology takes place as an act of discipleship to Christ” (p. 37). Throughout the rest of the book, Johnson builds a case for the close relationship between theology and discipleship. The book consists of seven chapters: Recovering Theology, Being in Christ, Partnership with Christ, The Word of God, Hearing the Word of God, The Mind of Christ, and Theology in Christ. The chapters are organized so that they stand alone. One could read a chapter of this volume independently and not be hindered by the lack of knowledge of the rest of the book. In each chapter, Johnson introduces the subject, engages various theologians, and provides substantive interaction with relevant biblical texts.

This book has a number of positive features. First, Johnson knows his subject matter well, and readers will benefit greatly from his interactions with other noteworthy theologians. Johnson interacts heavily with Calvin, Barth, and Bonhoeffer, and readers will also benefit from interactions with other theologians old and new: Gregory of Nazianzus, Aquinas, Augustine, Basil the Great, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Robert Jenson, Herman Bavinck, J. Todd Billings, N.T Wright, and John Webster to name a few. For the intended audience, these conversations are helpful in modeling how Christians can approach a text and/or issue and engage the issues with precision and charity to others. Second, Johnson engages theological arguments biblically. Readers are often taken to Scripture to wrestle with the text and its implications. Students will benefit greatly from this approach because it forces students to build theology out of the Bible. Third, Theology as Discipleship reminds readers of all theological levels of the necessity of theology’s application to walking by faith in daily union with Christ. Johnson helpfully illustrates the dangers of theology in the abstract which tends to have little effect on human emotion and ethics. Fourth, Johnson helps to recover a healthy and more robust understanding of discipleship. Too often in contemporary settings, discipleship is reduced to superficial anecdotes, which lack any corresponding biblical foundation. Fifth, Johnson’s final chapter should be required reading for students pursuing ministry. In this chapter, Johnson describes nine characteristics of what theology as discipleship entails. For example, the ninth and final characteristic is “We practice theology as disciples when we pursue our theological work with joy” (187). This joy is part ecclesial because it emerges from our desire to use theology as a means for the church to know and love Christ more. These positive features are just a few of the reasons why Johnson’s book should be required reading for students pursuing ministry.

There a few valid criticisms that emerge. First, at times, Johnson seems to assume that his readers have a working knowledge of the theologians with whom he interacts. It is in these sections that Johnson’s audience appears to be much broader than students new to theology. Johnson seeks to engage academic theologians to reorient their view of theology as an aspect of discipleship. In these instances, beginners may get lost in the verbiage and not grasp Johnson’s purpose. Second, Johnson seems to grant most of his effort rehearsing and teaching theology more than working out its implications for discipleship. To be fair, Johnson’s final chapter addresses these issues, but there is not consistent development throughout the book.

In addition to this book, I recommend students to read Alister McGrath’s short volume (256 pages) Theology: The Basics (Wiley-Blackwell, 2011), or his larger volume (536 pages) Christian Theology: An Introduction (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010). Additionally, students will benefit by reading Johnson’s colleague at Wheaton, Beth Felker Jones, who recently published Practicing Christian Doctrine: An Introduction to Thinking and Living Theologically (Baker, 2014). Each of these volumes are well suited for undergraduate and seminary students beginning theological studies. Johnson’s work admirably connects theology to discipleship, and for this reason, students should read this helpful work.

Justin L. McLendon

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ