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- 1057Life in the SpiritThis week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob discuss living in this present evil age while living life in the Spirit. How does a Christian live in the midst of the chaos and the confusion, the virus and the violence? Is God sovereign over the affairs of men or not? Is the Spirit of God at work in the lives of his people? What does that look like? Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo
- 1058Vos Group #65 — The Nature and Attributes of GodWe turn to pp. 238–243 of Vos’s book, Biblical Theology, to speak about the Old Testament prophets and their understanding of the nature and attributes of God. Vos affirms that God is Spirit. This brings into view not that God is immaterial per se, as Vos notes, but rather the “energy of life in God.” This is critical to appreciate. That God is Spirit reminds us that while he is immutable in his being, he is impassible in his actions. He acts, and his actions condition all that he acts upon, without he himself being mutually conditioned by that on which he acts. That is, God is pure act in the sense that he immutably and sovereignly acts in such a way that he is not acted upon, and in that action, changed by the creation on which and in which his actions terminate. Vos says in his Reformed Dogmatics, there is no time distinction in God, yet his acts fall in time. And they fall in time as the acts of an all-conditioning God, who is living and active, but in a way that he is not acted upon or changed by the creature. The Westminster Shorter Catechism states that God is a Spirit, “infinite, eternal and unchangeable.” This helpfully distills the essence of what Vos is after. While immutable, God is active and living and all of his acts express his immutable being and purpose. So, a key here is that immutability and spirituality require one another: God is immutable in his life; immutable in his purposes; and his agency in creation expresses immutable but living and acting Trinitarian persons, who are exhaustively and entirely the one true God. Isaiah 57:15 is a key text: “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’” Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton
- 1059Karl Barth and IdealismJim Cassidy speaks about Karl Barth and his relationship with idealism. On the heels of Lane Tipton’s recent course, Introduction to the Theology and Apologetics of Cornelius Van Til, the panel compares and contrasts Barth’s ontology and doctrine of revelation in the Christ-event with Van Til’s critique of idealism and warnings of correlativism. Participants: Camden Bucey, Jim Cassidy, Lane G. Tipton
- 1060The Fruit of the SpiritOn this week’s episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob discuss the fruit of the Spirit in light of Paul’s exhortation in Galatians 5 to “walk in the Spirit.” Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo
- 1061Vos Group Excursus — Grace and Glory: Sermons of Geerhardus VosIn 1922, Reformed Press published six sermons by Geerhardus Vos in a volume titled Grace and Glory. In 1994, Banner of Truth published the same collection with ten additional sermons, which were discovered and edited by James Dennison. Banner has now brought this full collection back into print with a new edition: Grace and Glory: Sermons Preached at Princeton Seminary. Danny Olinger, author of Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian, joins us to speak about Vos’s sermons in their biblical context as well as the historical context in which they were written and delivered. Rev. Olinger is General Secretary for the Committee on Christian Education of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Participants: Camden Bucey, Danny Olinger, Lane G. Tipton
- 1062The Shape and Shaping of the Book of the TwelveWill Wood, Assistant Professor of Old Testament at RTS Atlanta, discusses the shaping of the book of the twelve, the canonical collection of the minor prophets (Hosea through Malachi). The Book of the Twelve is a grouping of twelve individual prophets into a single intertextually related and thematically integrated work that spans the course of a few centuries and can be appropriately called a “book.” How did this book take shape? What was the historical process by which it came to the canonical form we have today? Handout Participants: Camden Bucey, Will Wood
- 1063The Fruit of the Spirit: JoyOn this week’s episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob pick up their discussion of the fruit of the Spirit in light of the troubling and confusing days we currently live within. What is joy and how is it that we might have it? Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo
- 1064Hosea 7 — The Love of God and the Stubbornness of ManJim Cassidy shows us how Israel’s folly and sinfulness renders her incapable of obeying God. In order to obey the Lord, she needs the Lord to grant to her the very thing that she herself can not do. Hosea uses striking imagery to show us Israel’s rebellion, but equally striking and parallel imagery to show the Lord’s mercy and provision for redemption.
- 1065Van Til Group #1 — The Defense of the FaithIn the spirit of our Vos Group episodes, we begin a concurrent venture into Cornelius Van Til’s book, The Defense of the Faith. Carlton Wynne joins Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey to discuss the theology and apologetics of this significant twenty-first century Reformed apologist. Participants: Camden Bucey, Carlton Wynne, Lane G. Tipton
- 1066History and Theology in the Thought of John WitherspoonJohn Witherspoon (1723–1794) was an eighteenth-century Scottish-American Presbyterian minister and signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. In this episode, we speak with Robert S. Null about Witherspoon’s theology and understanding of history through four unstudied manuscripts of his lectures at the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University). In his dissertation, John Witherspoon’s Forgotten “Lectures on History and Chronology”: Recognizing the Important Role of History in the Development of His Thought and Theology for Navigating Eighteenth-Century Late Protestant Scholasticism, Revivalism, and Enlightenment, Null writes: Witherspoon had to contend with the legacy of late seventeenth century Protestant scholasticism, newer forms of revivalism, and more rationalistic developments in eighteenth century enlightenment thought. A detailed but fading emphasis on the decrees, preparation for grace, and the application of redemption merged with a more secular emphasis on free thought involving induction, empiricism, idealism, and common sense philosophy, as well as challenges from new theological movements in holiness, revivalism, and pietism. Revolutions in politics, science, logic, and theological priorities were frequent and significant. Changes in both the worlds of theology and philosophy would continue throughout the eighteenth century. The relationship of history to theology became foundational for Witherspoon not simply as an extension of late Protestant scholasticism, an expression of Christian piety, or an excessive reliance on, or aversion toward, a specific enlightenment philosophy. In his writings, theology itself was undergoing change, and specifically in Witherspoon’s case, toward integrating an important awareness of history. This awareness demonstrates the importance of history very early in the rise of Princeton theology. Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, Robert Null
- 1067The Fruit of the Spirit: PeaceOn this week’s episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob pick up their discussion of the fruit of the Spirit in light of the troubling and confusing days we currently live within. What is peace? How does the peace that we have with God translate into have a sense of peace in your life? Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo
- 1068The Resurrection in ActsDr. Brandon Crowe speaks about the centrality of the resurrection in the book of Acts. Dr. Crowe has written The Hope of Israel: The Resurrection of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles (Baker Academic, 2020) in which he explores the historical, theological, and canonical implications of Jesus’s resurrection in early Christianity and helps readers more clearly understand the purpose of Acts in the context of the New Testament canon. Other episodes with Brandon Crowe Deuteronomy and Christology in the Gospel of MatthewThe Virgin Birth of ChristThe Message of the General EpistlesThe New Testament Foundations of Trinitarian TheologyThe Last Adam: A Theology of the Obedient Life of Jesus in the Gospels Participants: Brandon Crowe, Camden Bucey
- 1069The Fruit of the Spirit: PatienceOn this week’s episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob pick up their discussion of the fruit of the Spirit in light of the troubling and confusing days we currently live within. What is patience? Where do we find this patience? How do we live this patience? Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo
- 1070A Diaconal Ministry “Proportioned in Number”C. N. Willborn describes the importance of a faithful and active diaconal ministry within the church. Building upon contributions from Thomas Chalmers and other insightful theologians, Willborn describes a ministry “proportioned in number,” or segmented in order that the diaconate may faithfully carry out its duties both to the brotherhood and the neighborhood. Willborn argues “for a thoroughly active office, defined, designed, and dispatched along Biblical lines.” Rev. Dr. Willborn is pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and adjunct professor of Historical Theology at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He is the author of many works on history and theology, including the focus of this conversation, “The Gospel Work of the Diaconate: A Ministry ‘Proportioned in Number’” in The Confessional Presbyterian, volume 10 (2014): 23–32. Links John G. Lorimer, The Deaconship: A Treatise on the Biblical Office (foreword by C. N. Willborn) Participants: C. N. Willborn, Camden Bucey, Glen Clary
- 1071The Spirit of Schleiermacher in PreachingIn an age of skepticism, Fredrich Schleiermacher wanted to cast religion in a manner that would be relevant and respected. In Episode 86 Jim Cassidy and Mark Winder discuss how the father of modern liberal theology continues to manifest an influence in pulpit speech today. Does the drive to make preaching more “relevant” and “practical” today manifest a spirit of Schleiermacher in the pulpit? Is the quality of a sermon determined by its relevancy to our current age? Participants: Jim Cassidy, Mark A. Winder
- 1072A History of DispensationalismRev. Michael J. Glodo, Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Dean of the Chapel at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida, speaks about dispensationalism and its development in light of several historical, sociological, and theological contexts. Rev. Glodo is the author of “Dispensationalism” in Covenant Theology: Biblical, Theological, and Historical Perspectives edited by Guy Prentiss Waters, J. Nicholas Reid, and John R. Muether. John Nelson Darby (1800–1882) introduced dispensationalism as a theological system, which bears several key characteristics, including an insistence upon a “literal” hermeneutic or “plain reading” of the biblical text in addition to separate divine purposes for Israel and the church. Yet several features of “classic dispensationalism” have since been modified or altogether eliminated. Glodo remarks that “from its beginnings until the middle of the twentieth century, dispensationalism grew rapidly in popularity and underwent several refinements.” Links Vern Poythress, Understanding DispensationalistsO. Palmer Robertson, The Christ of the CovenantsO. Palmer Robertson, The Israel of GodTheology Simply Profound series on dispensationalism Participants: Camden Bucey, Michael Glodo
- 1073Hosea 8 — When More Is LessHosea brings a word of judgment upon Israel, threatening to send them into exile and judgment for their sin. Christ as the true and obedient Israel secures for his people the promised deliverance from sin’s guilt and power. Christ calls us therefore to exclusive fidelity to him. Participants: Jim Cassidy, Mark A. Winder
- 1074The Fruit of the Spirit: KindnessOn this week’s episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob pick up their discussion of the fruit of the Spirit in light of the troubling and confusing days we currently live within. Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo
- 1075A Critical Biography of Herman BavinckDr. James Eglinton speaks about the life and thought of Herman Bavinck. Eglinton has written a superb biography of Bavinck that has been published by Baker Academic. Bavinck and other Dutch people of his era were accustomed to chronicling their lives. Herman Bavinck’s father wrote an autobiography. Herman wrote in journals. These became primary sources for James Eglinton as he wrote a critical biography of Bavinck. The Bavinck family faced questions about their place in society. Where does an orthodox Calvinist fit in modern society? These questions animated their lives—particularly as they related to monarchical rule and the relationship of the church to the state. In sum, Eglinton describes Herman Bavinck’s life as characterized by two things: conservative Calvinist orthodoxy and active participation in modern society. For Bavinck, these two were not mutually exclusive. He was a Calvinist who was simultaneously a man of his own day. Participants: Camden Bucey, James Eglinton, Jim Cassidy
- 1076The Fruit of the Spirit: GoodnessOn this week’s episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob pick up their discussion of the fruit of the Spirit in light of the troubling and confusing days we currently live within. What is goodness? Is God really good? What does that mean? How might be share this goodness? Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo
- 1077Matthew 1:1–18 — The Royal Line of ChristAs the Gospel According to Matthew begins we are introduced to the royal line of Jesus, where Matthew presents Jesus to us as the Davidic king, the universal king, and the final king through whom all of God’s purposes are fulfilled. Participants: Joel Fick, Mark A. Winder
- 1078Vos Group #66 — God’s Relation to Time and EternityWe turn to pages 243–244 of Geerhardus Vos’s book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to discuss the prophet’s view of God’s relation to time and space. In terms of God’s relation to time and space, two relations occur. What we have to affirm first of all is that God is everywhere present in all of his fullness. But Vos speaks of a special relation to Zion (on earth) and heaven itself as the temple dwelling of God. Two things help us grasp the significance of this: the notion of covenant and the location of the fellowship. Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton
- 1079The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church – Chapter 5This week on Theology Simply Profound, Bob continues a reading of Geerhardus Vos’s 1903 book, The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church. In chapter 5, Vos discusses current misconceptions regarding the present and future kingdom. Participants: Robert Tarullo
- 1080A Critical Edition of the Westminster Confession of FaithDr. John Bower speaks about constructing a critical edition of the Westminster Confession of Faith using four historical authoritative texts and several other sources. Bower has done a tremendous service to the church and the academy. Both will benefit greatly from his careful scholarship. With Chad Van Dixhoorn, Dr. Bower is co-editor of Principal Documents of the Westminster Assembly published by Reformation Heritage Books. The Westminster Confession of Faith: A Critical Text and Introduction appears in that series. Participants: Camden Bucey, John Bower
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