Book Review: The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today by Wayne Grudem

The topic of spiritual gifts has been a heated debate for some time especially in the last few years. There have been articles, books, podcasts, debates, and even documentaries addressing if certain spiritual gifts have ceased or are they still continuing in the church today. 

The gift of prophecy has been one of those gifts that have been debated on. Some of the criticism of those who believe this gift has ceased is they have based it on false teachers who have given false prophecies. Those who believe that the gift of prophecy still continues have drawn their conclusions from Scripture and their personal experience. 

One theologian who believes the gift of prophecy is Wayne Grudem, known for his classic work on Systematic Theology, which has been read and studied by many Christians whether in seminary or small group studies. Grudem has written a book, which was revised in 2000, dealing with prophecy and how it was used in the New Testament era and the church today, titled, The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today.

In this book, Grudem addresses the difference between prophecies in the Old Testament versus the New Testament. He also addressed the teaching of prophecy in 1 Corinthians which seems to be charismatics go-to when it comes to the continuing of Spiritual gifts such tongues and prophecy. Grudem writes on if all will have the gift of prophecy, which you do not have to be a cessationist to know that not everyone gets the gift of prophecy. He even makes suggestions that the gift of prophecy is a sign of God's blessing on the church and that having prophecy in the church will give people in worship a sense of awe knowing that God is in their midst. 

To be fair, Grudem does defend his positions with scripture which we should not expect anything less from someone who has written a massive theology book. Yet there are times it seemed some of his conclusions were a bit of a stretch when it came to applying his findings to the church today.

When I began reading this book, I knew about Grudem's stance when it came to prophecy so his teachings on this was no surprise. Yet, Grudem seems to be going against the Bible when it comes if a prophet misspeaks. Deuteronomy 18 is clear if a prophet speaks and it does not come to pass; it was not from Yahweh. Grudem would suggest that the New Testament, in particular 1 Corinthians 14, that a prophet can be wrong, he can speak wrongly about he claimed to hear from God, and that be challenged. This is not what prophecy in all of the Bible teaches nor do I see anything that a prophet can be wrong and put words in God's mouth he did not utter.

Grudem is a gifted theologian, and I have benefitted from many of his writings. However, this was not one of them. I am not saying this as a cessationist, I am saying this as one who loves the Bible and knows that God never studders when giving a message to His people.

I received this book from Crossway in exchange for an honest review. 

Book Review: Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique

 

Most people have heard of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and the controversy surrounding it. However, there are very few in the church that have heard of theistic evolution which is basically saying that God created us but did it by evolution. Sadly, there are many prominent pastors and scholars that hold this view on creation which can and has caused confusion in the church today.

How does theistic evolution compare to Darwin's theory and is there Biblical grounds to accept it? In the book, Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique, we will see these questions and more answered. This book will take a look at theistic evolution through the lens of science, philosophy, and theology. 

We begin with the scientific critique of theistic evolution. We chapters dealing with why people of faith should reject Darwin's theory of evolution also looking into the fossil record and even the evidence of the uniqueness of humans.

The next section deals with the philosophical critique of theistic evolution. This section addresses theistic evolution and the problem of evil. It also looks at God as creator as well how science and the Bible interact today. Then we see the grand old battle of theistic evolution versus intelligent design. One chapter in this section deals with how C.S. Lewis's views on evolution which draws "on Lewis's public and private writings" showing that Lewis has some concerns regarding theistic evolution while raising questions concerning evolution itself by "showing how science itself depends on many nonscientific assumptions." 

Finally, we look at the biblical critique of theistic evolution. As pointed out in the book theistic evolution is incompatible with the teachings of the Old and New Testament, it undermines the doctrine of creation, and inconsistent with historical Christianity. One thing that pointed is that those who hold this view make creation as non-literal. It is more allegory than anything. Adam and Eve were not real. As you can see just by this brief review that theistic evolution is against the Bible overall. The book also calls out evangelical leaders who have embraced theistic evolution. Two of the one mentioned are pastors and authors who many have benefitted from, John Stott and Tim Keller. 

The last chapter of the book addresses the belief that B.B. Warfield held to theistic evolution which I know would be a issue for many in the reformed community. However, as we will see in this chapter it seems Warfield was open to evolution but was very critical about it which eventually he did move away from that theory along with theistic evolution.

I strongly encourage anyone who loves the truth of God's word to get their hands on this book whether a hard copy or e-book. Theistic evolution is a plague that is not going away, and the church needs to know what this and why it is a false teaching.

I received this book from Crossway in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Christian Ethics by Wayne Grudem

How Should Christians live? That is a good question in our day and time. What should Christians do when facing a moral dilemma? As our culture continues to be hostile toward Christian beliefs, we must be people who stand on the word of God and speak in truth.

Christians have been known as people with moral principles even though some may not agree with them. In our day and age, there is an increase awareness of what our ethics should be. Wayne Grudem has written a brand new book just for such a time as this as Christians need to know what we stand for and where it comes from. The book is appropriately titled, Christian Ethics: An Introduction to Biblical Moral Reasoning.

In this book, Grudem defines what our morals are as Christians and the source of them is from God. Where we get our morals is from the Bible. The Bible is final authority for faith and practice for the believer which includes ethics. The goal of everything we do including living a moral live is to give glory to God. This world will never understand why we do the things we do or live the way we live, but we are not here to please them. We are here to please our Father who does not change even though the culture we live in does.

The rest of the book deals with how we live in relationship with God by not having no other gods before Him and how we live in relationship to one another. The Ten Commandments shows us that we must honor God and care for one another which Jesus say loving God and others sum up the whole law. How do we care for one another? First, we respect those in the authority which include our mother and father and the civil government. Grudem does state if anyone in authority challenges God's authority, we should not listen to them.

We should also protect human life which Grudem does get controversial as he mentions war and capital punishment. Grudem addresses marriage and how the Bible, not society, defines marriage. Grudem also deals with our moral standards concerning work, retirement, and recreation. There was so much Grudem covered that it would take me all day and a long page to write about. I encourage you to pick up a copy of this book and challenge yourself with what Grudem says.

Thanks Crossway for letting me review this book.

My Journey Through 1 Peter

Earlier this summer, I decided to tackle the book of 1 Peter not for the purpose of sermon preparation or leading in a Bible study, but for my own edification and personal growth. After the Supreme Court's decision to legalize Gay Marriage, I felt 1 Peter became a very important book because it is addressed to those who are "elect exiles" (1 Peter 1:1). A couple of weeks ago, Tim Brister issued a challenge to memorize the entire book of 1 Peter in the same manner that a challenge was made to memorize Philippians, which I failed miserably, but by God's grace will strive for again.

Why should a Christian memorize scripture? First, God's word tell us not to let his word depart from our mouths and meditate on it (Joshua 1:8). Second, those who have been blessed by God, let His word be their delight (Psalm 1:1-2). Third, Jesus memorized scripture and used it quite a bit in His earthly ministry. For example, when tempted by the devil, he counteracted the temptation with scripture. Fourth, there will be a time when you won't have a Bible handy. You may have an app on your phone, but there could be no service. You could be on an airplane where cell phones are not allowed to used. You never know when or where you will not access to a Bible, so memorization is important. Finally, having scripture memorized will be good as you meditate on the goodness of God and remind yourself of the gospel.

This past Sunday, I started my journey to memorize 1 Peter which I know will be a challenge but at the same time will be rewarding. I will continue to study through 1 Peter even as I am memorizing it. I will also be revisiting places that I have already to remind myself of the things that I learned in my previous studies. I just found out that the ladies in our church are reading 1 Peter along with Jen Wilkin's book, Women of the Word, which my wife will be involved in. What a great opportunity for my wife and I to grow together as we read God's Word together.

If you wish to join me on this journey or if already have been, praise God. Let me give you a few resources which Tim has already given a couple, but I would like to share what I have been using in my study of 1 Peter.

Wayne Grudem's commentary on 1 Peter

R.C. Sproul's commentary on 1 Peter which also contains 2 Peter

Everyday Church by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, which a study of 1 Peter in the context of being a gospel community.

Greg Gilbert over at Third Avenue Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, recently began a sermon series on 1 Peter. Here are the sermons in the series thus far:

Salvation 101

Be Who You Are

You Belong To God

Fear God, Honor the Emperor

John Piper released a couple teaching videos that covered 1 Peter 1:1-2, which says,

To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:

May grace and peace be multiplied to you.


The first one is about the letter to the exiles followed by being known by God before we were born.

1 Peter 1:1–2, Part 1 // A Letter to Exiles from Desiring God on Vimeo.

1 Peter 1:1–2, Part 2 // Known by God Before You Were Born from Desiring God on Vimeo.

You Won't Get The Bible Immediately

Have there ever been times when you learn a subject at school, you get after one lesson. I wish that was the case for me in a lot of subjects. For many new Christians, they wish they can get the Bible all at once and I am pretty sure many maturing believers feel the same way.

You would think after reading the Bible year after year and hearing great sermons, you would understand it all. Unfortunately, that will not happen due to our fallen nature and the fact God created us an finite creatures. Osmosis does not work either. I think too many student tried that in school before an exam and it did not pay off.

Wayne Grudem wrote about this very subject recently on Mars Hill Church's blog:

The doctrine of the clarity of Scripture has deeply affected my entire life.

Now, how should we understand this doctrine? The doctrine of the clarity of Scripture is easily misunderstood and, I think, commonly misunderstood. Here’s how I understand the clarity of Scripture.

Scripture affirms that it can be understood, but

Not all at once,
Not without effort,
Not without ordinary means,
Not without the reader’s willingness to obey it,
Not without the help of the Holy Spirit,
Not without human misunderstanding, and
Never completely.
Understanding Scripture is a process.

Picture the clarity of Scripture as something of a journey to a distant mountain. We see the mountain clearly from far away, but we will see more detail—and understand more of what we see—as we journey toward the mountain over many months and years. We can see it from the beginning of our Christian lives, and we truly see and understand something about it, but a lifetime of seeking deeper understanding will be repaid with a lifetime of growth in knowledge and wisdom.

Read the entire post here.

Recommended Resources by Wayne Grudem

Systematic Theology

Christian Beliefs