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.)