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I am currently reading Donald McKim's new book, Daily Devotions with Herman Bavinck: Believing and Growing in Christian Faith (P&R Publishing, 2023). Here's an excerpt, from day #6...  The Heart and Core of Our Confession Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matt. 28:19) BASIC TO CHRISTIAN faith is our belief in God as the divine Trinity. We confess one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe in one God in three persons. The Trinity is three distinct persons in the one divine being. This belief emerged in the early Christian centuries. On the basis of the Old and New Testaments and consideration of the overall witness of the Scriptures, the church affirmed its faith in the triune God: God as three persons in unity. In the familiar Apostles' Creed, we confess that we believe in God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit as the three persons of the one God. Th...

  "The conclusion, therefore, is that of Augustine, who said that the heart of man was created for God and that it cannot find rest until it rests in his Father's heart. Hence all men are really seeking after God, as Augustine also declared, but they do not all seek Him in the right way, nor at the right place. They seek Him down below, and He is up above. They seek Him on the earth, and He is in heaven. They seek Him afar, and He is nearby. They seek Him in money, in property, in fame, in power, and in passion; and He is to be found in the high and the holy places, and with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit (Isa. 57:15). But they do seek Him, if haply they might feel after Him and find Him (Acts 17:27). They seek Him and at the same time they flee Him. They have no interest in a knowledge of His ways, and yet they cannot do without Him. They feel themselves attracted to God and at the same time repelled by Him. "In this, as Pascal so profoundly pointed out, con...

  Bavinck on the autonomous self. "It is by all means 'the will to power', the 'I want,' that lifts itself up against the 'You shall.' Being bound to laws is felt to be coercive not only in religion but also in morality, in law, in the family, in society, in the state, even in nature and in science. To the modern autonomous person, to have to think of logical laws, to see nature as ruled by laws that are independent of it, and to recognize the truth as a power that stands above him and that lets itself be found only in a defined way seems to be unbecoming. "It is this autonomy and anarchy that the Christian worldview resists with all its strength. According to it, the human being is not autonomous but is always and everywhere bound to laws that were not devised by him but that are prescribed to him by God as the rule of his life. In religion and morality, in science and art, in family, society, and state, ideas are everywhere, norms above him, which mu...

"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."  (Mark 10:45) "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" (John 14:6)  I've just finished reading B. B. Warfield's classic article, "Christless Christianity" (1912) available online here . This long journal article is worth the time invested in reading. Warfield's research influenced his own student, J. Gresham Machen, especially as reflected in Machen's Christianity and Liberalism (1923) and What Is Faith? (1925).  What makes this relevant to us today is that orthodox (by that I mean, historic) Christianity has always needed to defend the unique position of our Lord Jesus to Christian faith itself. Ever since the Enlightenment skeptics have sought to separate Jesus Christ (or the Jesus of history) from Christianity. This is done a number of ways, for example, ...

"...then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature."  (Genesis 2:7 ESV)  "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."  (Philippians 3:20-21 ESV)  The future hope of the Christian is "spiritual" in the sense that God's Spirit will indwell, give life to, glorify, and mediate all creation with God's holy presence.  But the new creation will not for that reason be primarily immaterial or ethereal (like harps and clouds), though there is an immaterial dimension to it.  Jesus in his resurrected body -- better, in his resurrected Self -- ate meals with his disciples, walked and talked with them, and allowed them to touch his wounds from the cross.  This was real and physical and...

And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."   (Matthew 28:9-10 ESV) The  resurrection of our Lord Jesus is ... 1)   Proof of Jesus’ messiahship, the coronation of the Servant of the Lord to be Christ and Lord, the Prince of life and Judge (Acts 2:36; 3:13-15; 5:31; 10:42). 2)   A seal of his eternal divine sonship (Acts 13:33; Rom. 1:3). 3)   A divine endorsement of his mediatorial work, a declaration of the power and value of his death, the “Amen!” of the Father upon the “It is finished!” of the Son (Acts 2:23-24; 4:11: 5:31; Rom. 6:4, 10).   4)   The inauguration of the exaltation he accomplished by his suffering (Luke 24:26; Acts 2:33; Rom 6:4; Phil. 2:9). 5)   The guarantee of our forgiveness and justification (Acts ...

"...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."  (Romans 10:9 ESV) "Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name."  (Hebrews 13:15 ESV)  Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck wrote in a lyrical prose that always tempts me to arrange it poetically.  So, here's my  framing of his words about the believer's confession of Christ...  As surely as we are sincere believers,      we confess this faith throughout our whole life,  for faith cannot do otherwise:       it must confess.   It does not ask whether good works must be done;       but before the question can even arise,       it has already done them.   Confession with mouth and heart,      ...

"He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to  dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."  (Colossians  1:18-20 ESV)  Christianity is often seen and portrayed as being exclusive rather than inclusive, and culturally narrow rather than ethnically broad.  And yet, it  is precisely because Christianity is universal that it is therefore exclusive.  It is because Christ's work is so complete that all other ways are only  partial at best.  Herman Bavinck explains,    "Christianity is therefore the absolute religion, the only essential, true religion.  It does not grant that other religions are of almost equal worth  alongside of it.  It is, according to its nature, intolerant, even as the truth at all times is and must be oppos...

Moses said, "Please show me your glory."  And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy."  But, he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live."  (Exodus 33:18-20 ESV) "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!"  (Romans 11:33 ESV) "...he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen."  (1 Timothy 6:15-16 ESV) We know what we know about God because he chooses to reveal himself to us.  Though we may know him truly -- and we do -- we do not know him exhaustively .  We should always be aware ...

"I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians."  (Exodus 6:7 ESV) "What gift is greater than that of God himself?  What more can he give than himself--himself with all his virtues and perfections, with his grace and wisdom, with his righteousness and omnipotence, with his immutability and faithfulness?  For if God is for us then who will be against us [Rom. 8:31]?  Whatever we encounter, he is and remains ours, in distress and death, in living and dying, for time and eternity.  Indeed, he is not the God of the dead but of the living [Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38].  Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord [Ps. 33:12]!" ~ Herman Bavinck, The Sacrifice of Praise (Hendrickson, 2019) 

"It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."  (Romans 3:26 ESV) Is there an antithesis or conflict between God's justice and God's grace?  Both belong to God's moral order, according to Herman Bavinck...   "The moral order, rather than being in conflict with the order of justice, upholds, demands, and supports it.  Justice is an important component of morality.  Justice above all is the way in which the grace and love of God are maintained and made to triumph.  Those who, with Marcion, assume that justice and grace are antithetical to each other deny the connection between the moral order and the order of justice and do not understand the majesty and glory of the law.  Accordingly, God's justice by its very nature has to be judicial and hence be 'remunerative,' on the one hand, and 'retributive', on the other.  It is not that a creature could ever ...

"In a multitude of people is the glory of a king..." (Proverbs 14:28a ESV) "The believer, therefore, never stands apart by himself; he is never alone.  In the natural world every human being is born in the fellowship of his parents, and he is therefore without any effort on his part a member of a family, of a people, and also of the whole of mankind.  So it is also in the spiritual sphere.  The believer is born from above, out of God, but he receives the new life only in the fellowship of the covenant of grace of which Christ is the Head and at the same time the content.  If by virtue of this regeneration God is his Father, the church may in a good sense be called his mother.  In the world of heathendom also there is no believer or no gathering of believers except by way of the mission which the church of Christ sends them.  From the first moment of his regeneration, therefore, the believer is, apart from his will and apart from his own doing, incorpo...

"The Gospel is a joyful tiding, not only for  the individual  person but also for humanity,  for the family, for society,  for the state,  for art  and science, for the entire cosmos,  for the whole groaning creation."   ~ Herman Bavinck  From "The Catholicity of Christianity and the Church"  Calvin Theological Journal. 27 (2): 220–251 (1992).

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving  seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall  accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."  (Isaiah 55:10-11 ESV)  "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."  (Romans 1:16 ESV)  Herman Bavinck writes,  "Through that word, we are always led and guided, admonished and comforted, encouraged and ashamed, convinced of sin and pointed to  Christ.  It is the very atmosphere in which we breathe from our birth; it is the food, the drink, the air, the sunshine, the rain for our spiritual life,  and that all combined together at one time.  "That word is always the ...

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands..."   (Revelation 7:9 ESV) In preparing believers to partake in the Lord's Supper for the first time, Dutch pastor and theologian, Herman Bavinck gave a series of meditations on how and why we publicly confess our faith in Christ.  The sixth message was entitled, "The Diversity of Confession".  Below is an excerpt (underlining added) ... "To be sure, people are already endlessly different from each other in the natural life.  Gender and age, talents and character, education and  environment, country and people, time and place, class and position, and diversity of gifts of intellect and heart all bring about the greatest  changes in the opinion and view of things.  No two people are exactly alike. "And th...

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..."   (Matthew 28:19 ESV) "As the Father is God, so is the Son,  And as the Son is God, so is the Holy Spirit;  And the Three are likewise One God when seen together.  Each is God because they are of the same essence,  And they are One God because of the single principle of Deity. And when I see the Three together, I see only one torch,  And I cannot divide or share out the Undivided Light." ~ Gregory of Nazianzus (AD 329--390)  [Cited by Nick Needham in Daily Readings – The Early Church Fathers ] Image above: an icon of the three Cappadocians -- Gregory of Nyssa, Basil of Caesarea, and Gregory of Nazianzus.   Continuing this Sunday: "Highlights in Church History", a summer adult class, meeting first hour (9:45 am) in the fellowship hall.  Topics include Council of Nicaea, Chalcedon, the gre...

"For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, 'I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.'"  (Hebrews 2:11-12 ESV) "Christ was not ashamed of us at His incarnation.  To be sure He had many reasons to be.  For He, Himself, was the only begotten of the Father, of one essence and glory with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, yea, the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of His person -- who thought it not robbery to be equal with God.  And we were laden with guilt, unclean from the crown of our heads to the soles of our feet, and subject to corruption.  But still He was not ashamed to call us brothers.  He was ashamed of us neither before God nor before the Holy Angels.  He accepted our flesh and blood, went in unto our nature, became like unto us in everything, sin only excepted.  And ev...

So, I made a list of the twelve best books I read this past year.  I don't know why I do this, but it seems appropriate to share this, rather than, say, my favorite dog videos or Instagram photos of what I'm eating tonight.  So, in no particular order I'll dive in:  Setting Our Affections upon Glory: Nine Sermons on the Gospel and the Church , by Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Crossway, 2013).  At least once each year I  find myself reading a book of sermons preached by Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981).  Simply put, he's just in a category by himself and his  sermons always feed my soul, as well as stimulate thought and affections.  Snippets: "There is only one thing [ the Christian can ] do with time, and  that is to take it and put it into the grand context of eternity."  And, "The great need of the church today, in our sadness and in our slowness, is to  discover the secret of the burning heart." The Christian View of Man , by J. Gres...

"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"  (1 John 5:4-5 ESV) I finished reading Bavinck on the Christian Life , by John Bolt (Crossway, 2015).   The excerpt below is from a sermon given by Dr. Bavinck in Kampen (the Netherlands) on June 30, 1901.   It is the concluding chapter in Bolt's excellent book.  The excerpt below comes after Bavinck reviews the victorious faith of believers down through biblical history.  He asserts that this faith is not merely psychological faith, nor faith in general, but a specific faith...    "Acknowledge this history therefore as witness to the world-conquering power of faith!  But history does not bear this kind of testimony to every kind of faith -- not to the faith that is only a psychological phenomenon without refere...