Humility: True Greatness

by J. C. Mahaney

It’s a little intimidating to write a review of a book on humility. I mean, where do you begin? I decided, therefore, to start with myself, that is, to apply this truth to my own life, as did the author of his life, and C. J. Mahaney’s book is challenging, indeed.

This is one of the best contemporary books I’ve read in quite some time. There’s no pop-psychology here, no feel-good clichés, no humanistic philosophy, no diluted Gospel, so if that’s what you prefer, you won’t enjoy this read. If, however, you want to be challenged about the destructiveness of pride and God’s hatred of this very “core of all sin” (as the author points out), then I encourage you to read this diagnostic book.

I would even humbly suggest a method for reading this book. While it’s actually quite short and a quick read, I urge you to resist reading it straight through. Its twelve brief chapters yield themselves nicely to a chapter a day approach, an exercise that will be of far more help to you than today’s popular so-called “40 days of purpose.” Instead of puffing you up and elevating your self-esteem, here is a book that confronts you with the sinfulness of self and the greatness of God.

In Part I, the author outlines the battle between humility and pride, demonstrating that pride is “when sinful humans aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him,” and that humility “is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness.” Part II looks at our Savior and the secret of true greatness by demonstrating that the latter is “serving others for the glory of God.” In Part III, the longest section of the book (eight chapters), the author offers many practical suggestions and principles for practicing true humility. Some of those that struck me the most profoundly are: reflecting on the wonder of the cross, beginning each day acknowledging our need for God, and studying the attributes of God and the Doctrines of Grace (including the doctrine of sin). Those will, indeed, keep us humble.

As excellent as this book is, I dare to submit humbly that it could have been better. One of the characteristics of most books written today is a lack of Bible exposition. While there is some here, such as a wonderful study of Habakkuk, there could have been much more. I wish, for example, that the Greek words and historical concepts behind “pride” and “humility” had been examined, which is a key to good exposition. Additionally, while the many principles offered in Part III are good, several of them need more Biblical support. Several key verses on this issue were also surprisingly overlooked, such as: Mk. 8:34, II Tim. 3:1-5, Rom. 1:25, and I Jn. 2:16.

While I’m confident that the author knows that both “pride” and “self” are never, not once, used in a positive way in Scripture, I was disappointed that this point was not made clearly enough. A common teaching today is that there is “positive pride,” that we can, for example, be proud of our children when they do good, so I think it should have been made crystal clear that such attitudes are unbiblical because they lift up self instead of God alone. I also found the author’s thoughts on sports a little weak. While he rightly points out, as a “discerning fan,” that “sports heroes” are not “great” in God’s eyes, as they are in the world’s, I don’t think he goes quite far enough. There are few things in our society (if any) that elevate man’s pride as much as athletics.

Also, while I know it’s a popular teaching, I still have a problem with the notion that the lists of spiritual gifts recorded in Scripture are not exhaustive but are just a “sample” of the gifts that God gives, a view the author mentions in passing. The Bible simply doesn’t say that, and I find it a weakening of the sufficiency of Scripture that ultimately places the recognizing and defining of any other so-called gifts in man’s hands. 

In spite of those observations, I highly recommend this book with all my heart and mind. It was a deep blessing and pointed challenge to my own spiritual life, especially in one particular area where I admit to and struggle with pride. In a day when pride characterizes our personal lives and drives our entire culture, here is book that meets it head on and condemns it for the sin that it is. I encourage you to read it and meditate upon the principles it humbly offers.

Pillars of Grace

By Dr. Steven J. Lawson

[NOTE: This title is on sale for only $.99 in ePub and Kindle until Reformation Day (10/31) at : http://www.ligonier.org/blog/pillars-grace-99-ebook-sale/]

In our last post, we reviewed the first of five projected volumes in Dr. Steven J. Lawson’s series, A Long Line of Godly Men. That first volume, Foundations of Grace, masterfully traces the Doctrines of Grace from Genesis to Revelation. “The teaching of sovereign grace,” Lawson writes, “literally stretches from cover to cover in the Bible” (p. 36). Beginning with Moses, moving on to the historical writers and prophets, and then marching on to the Apostles, early Church Fathers and their descendants throughout Church History, and finally up to modern defenders of the faith, the doctrines of sovereign grace are shown to be biblical and historical beyond the slightest shadow of a doubt. As I also recently wrote (Issue 67), this is on my “Top Ten” list and is an absolute must.

Well, in the long-awaited Volume 2, Pillars of Grace (Reformation Trust), Lawson does what he did in the first volume, this time covering the 2nd- through 16th-centuries, noting such “pillars” as: Clement of Rome, Irenaeus, Jerome, Augustine, Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin.

As does the first book, this one demonstrates that any notion that “sovereign grace” was the novel creation of John Calvin (“in an ivory tower in Western Europe,” p. 19) is ludicrous. It is rather rooted in Scripture and historic theology. In fact, “concerning the doctrines of grace,” Lawson contends, “virtually nothing new was taught during the Reformation era. No teaching of divine sovereignty was proclaimed during the sixteenth century that had not already been developed and taught in previous centuries, to some degree, by the Church Fathers, Monastics, Scholastics, and Pre-Reformers. The renowned Scottish church historian William Cunningham notes, ‘There was nothing new in substance in the Calvinism of Calvin.’” (p. 20). As Calvin believed (and I am convinced correctly so), the medieval Roman Catholic Church had abandoned the true Gospel. To him the Reformation was simply a return to biblical theology, which included the Doctrines of Grace as the core of the faith.

Chapter 1, “Pillars of Sovereign Grace,” is in itself a gem. It is a complete nine-page (plus end notes) overview from the Church Fathers (AD 100–500), through the Medieval Leaders (500–1500), and finally the Protestant Reformers (1483–1575), encapsulating the faithful men who embraced the biblical truth of the sovereign grace of God in salvation. Chapters 2 through 24 then detail each of these: Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyons, Tertullian of Carthage, Cyprian of Carthage, Athanasius of Alexandria, Basil of Caeserea, Gregory of Nazianzus, Ambrose of Milan, Augustine of Hippo, Isidore of Seville, Gottschalk of Orbais, Anselm of Canterbury, Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Bradwardine, John Wycliffe, John Hus, Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, William Tyndale, Heinrich Bullinger, and finally John Calvin. Each modest length chapter also provides study questions, and there are Scripture and Subject indices.

“From Clement of Rome in the first century to Calvin of Geneva in the sixteenth,” Lawson writes, “there is a progression in the church’s understanding of the doctrines of grace, a gradual maturation in the comprehension of these glorious truths. What began as mere restatements of Scripture grew into fuller descriptions of God’s sovereign grace in salvation.” While Lawson makes clear that “these  stalwarts  had  feet  of  clay” and “were capable of holding views that contradicted their own teachings”—such as baptismal regeneration that was held by several of the Church Fathers—they nonetheless “helped bring great clarity to the church regarding many essential truths” (p. 37).

Some readers might feel a little repetition at times, while others will simply view this as consistency. There is the occasional omission, such as Bernard of Clairvaux’s devotion to the Virgin Mary, but as noted above, Lawson admits the “clay feet” problem upfront. For my taste, there could have been a little more detail of each person’s theology and overall contribution—then again, the book is already 530 pages.

In short, as with Volume 1, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is absolutely essential reading for students in training for ministry and pastors who are already there. In a day when we are running away from history and biblical doctrine, these volumes remind us that we are giving up the ship.

(To comply with Federal Trade Commission rules, I would note that I will receive a free copy of this book as compensation for my review. Such, however, in no way effects my honest review.)

Foundations of Grace

By: Steven J. Lawson

While some teachers insist that the Doctrines of Grace are “a twisting of Scripture” or are a teaching that is simply “based upon a few isolated proof texts,” there is in reality nothing that permeates the Bible more than these doctrines, doctrines that proclaim God’s sovereign grace. From Genesis to Revelation, in literally hundreds of verses, these doctrines call, capture, and command our attention.

That is the theme of Dr. Steve Lawson’s Foundations of Grace. I mentioned this book in our top ten list back in February (TOTT #67), but I wanted to expand that review. I recently recommended this book to a friend and colleague who had not yet heard of it. The next time we talked his first comment was that next to the Bible this was his favorite book. There is good reason for that, and I think this will be true of many readers. This book is nothing less than a modern classic.

“The teaching of sovereign grace,” Lawson writes, “literally stretches from cover to cover in the Bible” (p. 36). Beginning with Moses, moving on to the historical writers and prophets, and then marching on to the Apostles, early Church Fathers and their descendents throughout Church History, and finally up to modern defenders of the faith, the doctrines of sovereign grace are shown to be biblical and historical beyond the slightest shadow of a doubt.

Of Erasmus, Luther declared: “Your God is too man-like” (cited in Sinclair Ferguson, “The Fear of the Lord: Seeing God As He Is,” Discipleship Journal 52 [1989], p. 42). One of the saddest developments that has again overtaken Christianity is the rejection of the historical Doctrines of Grace in favor of a man-centered “theology.” But there are no doctrines that are more life-changing, character-transforming, evangelism-driving, and Christ-exalting than are these. I would dare predict that anyone who currently rejects these doctrines (either in total or just “certain points”), if they would just quietly and prayerfully read Lawson’s book, they would reconsider and very possibly be transformed forever. The Doctrines of Grace are not part of a system imposed upon the Bible, rather truth that is infused within it, and Lawson’s masterpiece repeatedly demonstrates this with clarity, comprehensiveness, and conviction—while “masterpiece” is perhaps an overused label nowadays, I have no hesitation whatsoever using it here.

A few chapter titles well illustrate this wondrous subject. Old Testament chapters include: “Where the Long Line Begins” (Gen.); “Sovereign Grace in the Wilderness” (Exod.); “Spokesman of Sovereign Grace” (Isa.); and “Heralds of Divine Regeneration” (Jer., Ezek., Dan.).

The New Testament chapters begin with one that might offend some: “Christ, the Calvinist” (Matt., Mk, Lk.), which graphically and accurately presents how “our Lord boldly proclaimed the sovereignty of God in the salvation of men wherever He went” (p. 242). As Lawson reminds us for history’s sake, quoting James Montgomery Boice, “The doctrines known as Calvinism are not something that emerged late in church history, but rather are that which takes its origins in the teaching of Jesus.” Other chapters then include: “The Mount Everest of Theology” (Jn.); “By His Grace and for His Glory” (Rom.); “Preacher of the Doctrines of Grace (1 & 2 Cor. and Gal.); “Before the Foundation of the World” (Eph.—2 Thess.); “Evangelism and Divine Sovereignty” (Acts and Heb.); and “Sovereign Regeneration” (the epistles of James John, and Jude).

As a book reviewer, the publisher (Reformation Trust) sent me a PDF copy for this review, a very unique approach. Upon final approval of my review, they will send me a hardcopy as “compensation.” My review doesn’t have to be “positive,” only “serious, substantive, and fair.” My comments, therefore, are not motivated by “compensation,” rather by true excellence. Believe me, if I didn’t like it, I would tell you so.

This volume is actually the first of five in Lawson’s series, “A Long Line of Godly Men.” Again, this first one (Foundations of Grace) covers 1400 BC through AD 100, tracing the doctrines of grace throughout every book of the Bible. Volume 2 (Pillars of Grace) will cover the 2nd- through 16th-centuries (Irenaeus, Jerome, Augustine, Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin). Volume 3 (Forces of Grace) will cover the 16th- and 17th-centuries (Knox and the Puritans). Volume 4 (Progress of Grace) will cover the 17th- through 19th-centuries (Edwards, Warfield, Hodge, Princeton Seminary, and Shedd). Volume 5 (Triumph of Grace) will cover the 19th-century through the present (Spurgeon, Ryle, M’Cheyne, Kuyper, Pink, Lloyd-Jones, and MacArthur). We eagerly await each one.

In a day when doctrine is not only on the decline, but on the defensive, having to prove itself to be “relevant,” it is books like this one that underscore the need for truth and the necessity of its proclamation. There are few books that I can recommend as highly as this one. Read it, my dear Christian Friend, and be blessed.

(To comply with Federal Trade Commission rules, I would note that I will receive a free copy of this book as compensation for my review. Such, however, in no way effects my honest review.)

The Doctrines of Grace: Rediscovering the Evangelical Gospel

By: James Montgomery Boice

While a simple, straightforward title, it could not convey more clearly the point of this wonderful book. More precisely, it is the subtitle that is critical, for the Doctrines of Grace are, indeed, the Evangelical Gospel. Evangelicalism, in fact, “stands or falls with” these doctrines (p. 18), and “their abandonment generally leads to liberalism” (p. 12).

I have studied dozens of books on these doctrines, and God has even been so gracious as to enable me to publish a short one of my own with another more complete one on the way. Boice’s book, however, is the best single volume I have seen that both clearly delineates these truths and convincingly answers the challenges that are leveled against them.

Boice makes a crucial and pivotal point early in the book: “It is perhaps more accurate to describe this theology as ‘Reformational’ rather than ‘Calvinist’” (p. 19). This is critical because those who attack what is commonly (and in a way regrettably) called “Calvinism” are usually ignorant of the Reformation and the understanding of theology that it brought back after 1,000 years of the darkness of Pelaganism and its siblings. It was through the preaching and teaching of the Puritans, in fact,

that England and Scotland experienced some of the greatest and most pervasive national revivals the world has ever seen. Among these Purtians were the heirs of the Scottish Reformer John Knox: Thomas Cartwright, Richard Sibbes, John Owen, John Bunyan, Matthew Henry, Thomas Boston, and many others. In America many thousands were influenced by Jonathan Edwards, Cotton Mather, and George Whitfield. (p. 19)

While these doctrines are often accused of destroying evangelism, no statement could be more contrary to the facts. “the modern missionary movement,” Boice continues,

received its direction and initial impetus from those in the Reformed tradition. The list of those pioneers includes such great missionaries as William Carey, John Ryland, Henry Martyn, Robbert Moffat, David Livingston, John G. Paton, and John R. Mott. For all these men, the doctrines of grace mere not merely an appendage to Christian thought; rather, these were the central doctrines that fueled their evangelistic fires and gave form to their preaching the Gospel. (emphasis added)

Boice follows that statement by rightly pointing out that these doctrines “did not emerge late in church history, but find their origins in the teaching of Jesus, which has been preserved throughout the church in many periods.”

I was thankful that Boice mentions Charles Spurgeon several times, since Arminians often ignore (or at least explain away) the fact that he was “one of [England’s] staunchest defenders of the doctrines of grace.” Boice then quotes Spurgeon:

I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the Gospel . . . unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we preach the Gospel unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of his elect and chosen people which Christians wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend the Gospel which allows saints to fall away after they are called. (p. 24)

All that and more is why Boice’s first chapter in Part One is titled, “Why Evangelicalism Needs Calvinism.” As he outlines in another section of that chapter, “Today’s False Gospel,” a whole plethora of trends have made today’s church weak, including: little emphasis on theology, casual Christian conduct, entertainment, group therapy, political activism, signs and wonders, personal happiness, secularism, humanism, relativism, materialism, pragmatism, and the general “dumbing down” of popular culture. In short, Boice submits, “evangelicalism has become worldly. . . . What has replaced the gospel of grace is a message that is partially biblical but ultimately self-centered” (pp. 20–23).

Also in Part One is the chapter, “What Calvinism Does in History,” which recounts four noteworthy periods in history that underscore how these doctrines have had “a salutary influence on the life of the church” (p. 40). Boice then goes on to demonstrate how setting these doctrines aside led to liberalism and the state of the church today.

In Part Two, Boice then outlines and carefully delineates these doctrines from Scripture. Avoiding the traditional TULIP acronym (which we agree has weaknesses), Boice wisely chooses instead to speak of radical depravity, unconditional election, particular redemption, efficacious grace, and persevering grace.

Finally, in Part Three, Boice puts all this into practical perspective, such as how these doctrines change how we think and serve the Lord. “What is most on the Calvinist’s mind,” Boice insists, “is the glory of God” (p. 180). This principle, in fact, is what most puzzles me about those who get upset (and even angered) by these doctrines. Why get upset when it is God alone who is getting the glory? To alter or weaken these doctrines literally robs God of glory. God alone is to receive glory, and these doctrines of salvation are the only ones that give Him alone that glory. That is why Paul wrote three times in Ephesians 1, “To the praise of His glory” (vv. 6, 12, 14). The one who embraces these great doctrines “has seen this,” Boice writes, “and thus keeps God at the center of everything he does. God is the center of his worship, for in true worship attention is drawn away from earthly things and reverently fixed upon God and His glory. God is also the center of [his] thinking. . . . His vision of sovereign majesty shapes his entire mindset, filling his mind with thoughts of God and His glory, and in this way the God of grace becomes the center of his whole life” (p. 183).

While Philip Graham Ryken is the co-author and finished the book when Dr. Boice was too ill to do so, half the book was already written and the rest outlined with extensive notes (p. 11). This book, in combination with Boice’s Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace? (which we reviewed in our previous post), provides today’s Church with one of the best introductions to the historical Christian faith available. We should thank God for these two gems left behind by a true man of God.

Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace?

by James Montgomery Boice

Our first review is one previously posted on our website but one that bears repeating. While not all our reviews will be this lengthy, we believe it is justified here.

On June 15, 2000, God took James Montgomery Boice home to glory. He left behind some great books. His final book, however, which was actually published after his promotion, could not have been more appropriate or a more fitting legacy. Titled Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace? with the added subtitle Rediscovering the Doctrines That Shook the World, this book well addresses the contemporary church and how it has drifted far from its biblical and historical foundations. (Boice was also working on The Doctrines of Grace: Rediscovering the Evangelical Gospel, which was completed by Philip Ryken and which we will review in our next post.)

In Part 1, Boice outlines the problem in two chapters: “The New Pragmatism” and “The Pattern of this Age.” He masterfully demonstrates how secularism, humanism, relativism, materialism, and pragmatism have not only infiltrated the church but have now inundated it (my words). It is his contention, and I think it impossible to refute him, is that the church as a whole is, in virtually every area, embracing the world’s wisdom, theology, agenda, and methods (his words). That sets the stage for what follows.

Part 2, “The Doctrines That Shook the World,” is the heart of the book. In five chapters, Boice lays out in wonderful detail the five solas of the Reformation. Concerning “Scripture Alone” (sola scriptura), he writes:

The most serious issue [facing the church today], I believe, is the Bible’s sufficiency. Do we believe that God has given us what we need in this book? Or do we suppose that we have to supplement the Bible with human things? Do we need sociological techniques to do evangelism, pop psychology and pop psychiatry for Christian growth, extra-biblical signs or miracles for guidance, or political tools for achieving social progress and reform?” (p. 72)

Concerning “Christ Alone” (Solus Christus), after discussing three essential words for understanding what the Cross was about—satisfaction, sacrifice, and substitution—Boice then concludes:

It has been a popular idea in some theological circles that the Incarnation is the important truth of Christianity . . . and that the Atonement is something like an afterthought. . . . To focus on the birth of Jesus apart from the Cross leads to false sentimentality and neglect of the horror and magnitude of sin. . . . Any “gospel” that talks merely about the Christ-event, meaning the Incarnation without the Atonement, is a false gospel. Any gospel that talks about the love of God without showing that love led him to pay the ultimate price for sin in the person of his Son on the Cross, is a false gospel. The only true gospel is the gospel of the “one mediator” who gave himself for us (1 Tim. 2: 5, 6). If our churches are not preaching this gospel, they are not preaching the gospel at all, and if they are not preaching the gospel, they are not true churches. Evangelicalism desperately needs to rediscover its roots and recover its essential biblical bearing . . . (p. 105)

I was very glad for what I read in “Grace Alone (sola gratia) concerning Jonathan Edwards’ contribution to the “free will” debate in his book The Freedom of the Will, in which he actually proved it is not free. As Boice recounts, while most people think the will is its own entity and therefore free to make a choice, Edwards viewed the will as part of the mind, which means that we choose what the mind thinks is most desirable. Boice goes on to further report that Edwards discussed not only the mind but also motives, which drive the mind to choose the things that are best. The crux again, however, is that man’s mind does not want God or His sovereign rule because he doesn’t think that is better. He wants his sin and invariably chooses it because he thinks that is better.

Of “Faith Alone” (sola fide) Boice addresses today’s abandonment of the very essence of true, biblical faith:

For many evangelicals faith is only mental assent to certain doctrines. It is something we exercise once at the start of our Christian lives, after which we can live more or less in any way we please. It does not matter in terms of our salvation whether or not this “faith” makes a difference. Some evangelicals even teach that a person could be saved and secure if he or she possessed a dead or dying faith or, incredible as this seems, if he or she apostatizes, denying Christ. In contrast to such an eviscerated faith, throughout church history most Bible teachers have insisted that saving, biblical faith has three elements: “knowledge, belief, and trust,” as Spurgeon put it; “awareness, assent, and commitment,” as D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said (pp. 137–138).

Concerning “Glory to God Alone” (Soli Deo Gloria), Boice writes:

No people ever rise higher than their idea of God. Conversely, the loss of the sense of God’s high and awesome character always leads to the loss of a people’s highest ideals, moral values, and even what we commonly call humanity, not to mention the loss of understanding and appreciation for the most essential Bible doctrines. . . . We deplore the breakdown of moral standards in the church, even among its most visible leaders. But what do we think should happen when we have focused on ourselves and our own, often trivial needs rather than on God, ignoring his holiness and excusing our most blatant sins? To listen to many contemporary sermons one would think man’s chief end is to glorify himself and cruise the malls (pp. 151–152).

Part 3, “The Shape of Renewal,” offers two chapters—“Reforming Our Worship” and “Reforming Our Lives”—that challenge us to renounce the “circus” atmosphere and the “what’s in it for me” attitude that pervades today’s churches and return to true Christian worship. While there are a couple of things in this section that bothered me—such as a praising of Brother Lawrence, for example—these do not diminish the pointed and powerful challenge for reformation. As for the individual Christian, Boice challenges in that last chapter that

the five areas in which the lives of today’s Christians most need renewal are: 1) a fresh awareness of God’s presence, 2) repentance, 3) an ordering of our lives by that which is invisible, 4) Christian community, and 5) Christian service. Significantly, these things will be developed in us as we begin to recover and actually live by the essential doctrines that I have been exploring in this book: [the five solas] (p. 192).

I cannot recommend this book highly enough and strongly encourage every Christian (especially leaders) to read it, heed its warning, and follow its counsel. As Boice writes, “I would like to see the beginning of a new Reformation in our day, and I hope you would like to see it too and are praying for it” (p. 65). Well, our dear brother did not live to see it. Perhaps we will. Are you praying for it?

Tas Membranas: An Encouragement to Read

In the Apostle Paul’s final letter, he writes a fascinating statement: The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments (2 Tim. 4:13). As he sat in his prison cell, he asked Timothy to bring him three items. The first was his cloak. While some view the Greek word phelonēs as a “book bag,” that seems extremely unlikely since he mentions books later. The evidence (e.g., “winter” is mentioned in v. 21) would indicate that this was an outer garment, a knee-length circular cape, probably made of tough Cilician goat hair with an opening for the head in the center, which would have provided at least some comfort in Paul’s cold, damp Roman cell.

But even more importantly, Paul wanted his books and parchments. The word books, of course, is the common Greek biblion, which refers literally to papyrus rolls and could refer here to several things: portions of the Old Testament, the Gospels, classic writings, books by other Christians, or Paul’s own writings. As many commentators agree, it is simply impossible to know exactly what Paul refers to.

The same is true of parchments, which is the Greek membrana (English “membrane”). Unlike biblion, however, this word is not at all common, occurring only here in the New Testament. It means membrane, skin, or parchment. Our English word parchment, in fact, comes from the Latin pergamena, which literally means “from Pergamum” (cf. Rev. 2:12), the ancient city where the process of using animal skins for writing material was invented. But again, like biblion, we cannot be sure what Paul is referring to. Because of the modifier especially, some think he means Old Testament scrolls. Other conjectures include: a copy of the Septuagint, legal documents (such as proof of Roman citizenship), notebooks for Scripture study, letters from other churches, or Paul’s own letters, notes, journals, and/or blank sheets for writing.

While we might be tempted to frustration at our ignorance of Paul’s exact reference, in the final analysis that is really not the point here. The point is, we submit, that whatever these documents consisted of they were crucial to Paul. Despite the hardships of ministry, the discomfort of his cell, not to mention impending death, study was nonetheless the priority of this aged saint and servant. While he didn’t have a sermon to prepare or a lesson to outline, he didn’t sit and do nothing; his desire was continued reading and studying.

The rebuke to many Christian leaders here is both obvious and pointed. Much preaching and writing today is as shallow as a puddle because reading and study are not the priority. But this also “gives to all believers a recommendation of constant reading, that they may profit by it” (John Calvin, emphasis added). As Paul writes elsewhere, neither he nor anyone else has attained the final goal but should be constantly wanting to know more of Christ and “press[ing] toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:10–14).

Using the term Tas Membranas (“The Parchments”) in a general sense, then, the purpose of this blog is to offer recommendations for good reading. While there are other ministries that do the necessary job of reviewing both good titles for recommendation and bad ones for warning (e.g., Southern View Chapel [http://www.svchapel.org/resources] and Discerning Reader [http://www.discerningreader.com/]), our desire here is to point God’s people solely to what will promote growth and depth.

J. N. Darby was once asked if this verse was not of just temporary value and if anything would have really been lost if Paul had never written it. He promptly replied: “I would certainly have lost something; for this is the verse that saved me from selling my library. Every word, depend upon it, is from the Spirit, and is for eternal service.”

Let us all desire Tas Membranas as much as Paul did and never take for granted the blessing of good books.

[NOTE: Our first review will be posted in about a week.]