I may, I suppose, regard myself, or pass for being, a relatively successful man. People occasionally stare at me in the streets—that’s fame. I can fairly easily earn enough to qualify for admission to the higher slopes of the Inland Revenue—that’s success. Furnished with money and a little fame even the elderly, if they care to, may partake of trendy diversions—that’s pleasure. It might happen once in a while that something I said or wrote was sufficiently heeded for me to persuade myself that it represented a serious impact on our time—that’s fulfillment. Yet I say to you, and I beg you to believe me, multiply these tiny triumphs by a million, add them all together, and they are nothing—less than nothing, a positive impediment—measured against one draught of that living water Christ offers to the spiritually thirsty, irrespective of who or what they are. What, I ask myself, does life hold, what is there in the works of time, in the past, now and to come, which could possibly be put in the balance against the refreshment of drinking that water? (Malcom Muggeridge, quoted from DA Carson, The God Who is There, p148-49, emphasis mine).
Christmas, Cross, Crown
Keep in mind this Christmas season that the incarnation leads to the cross. But don’t forget that the cross also leads to the resurrection which in turn leads to glory. The gospel story doesn’t end with Matthew 27. This is only the foreword. The story doesn’t really get going until we live out Revelation 21-22 for all eternity.
Review of The God Who is There by D.A. Carson
There is a simple rule that I live by and try to impart to others: If a book has the name D.A. Carson on it you probably should own it. Carson is an absolutely brilliant bible scholar, but he is also very humble and engaging. There are very few books written by seminary professors and bible scholars that will include words like “chap” or include whole paragraphs on the theory of nudist colonies.
One of his latest books, The God Who is There, reinforces my rule, it has the name D.A. Carson on it and it is brilliant. You need to own this book. It is fourteen chapters of engaging systematic theology that also serves as an apologetic for Christianity. It is written for unbelievers, new believers, or believers that have never realized the “big picture” of Scripture.
Carson starts in Genesis and ends through Revelation. It is a tad weak on a few sections of Scripture (minor prophets) and could maybe tie together the story of the Bible a little better. It is obviously fourteen talks that are related but sometimes the book feels like a fourteen part series and not as much a unified whole. But, honestly, this book is not really written with me in mind.
If you are like me this book will not have a ton of new information. But it is still very needful. There are illustrations that are wonderful and my understanding of many aspects of Scripture is deepened. More than anything I learned how to engage these topics.
One of the best ways to disciple someone is to spend time with them. If you want a new believer to grow in a passion for evangelism and help direct him in how to share the faith one of the best things to do is take him with you as you share the gospel with unbelievers. D.A. Carson teaches us how to present the Bible’s story in a humble, articulate, truthful, and engaging fashion. So even if you already feel that you know the Bible story you still will benefit greatly from this book. And there is always more to the Bible story that I had never considered, a faithful expositor like Carson is a wonderful guide through the biblical story.
If you know an unbeliever (probably one with a little bit of an intellectual bent) I would encourage you to have them read this book. Perhaps discuss it with them. This would also be a good small group material for new believers to go through. There are numerous ways that this book could be a resource for you. If you don’t believe me check it out for yourself.
Also it is worth mentioning that you can go here and check out the video to all 14 chapters. It will be well worth your time and I would encourage you to buy the book as well. It’s definitely worth the 12 bucks. I was fortunate enough to receive this for free from Baker books in exchange for a review, it did not have to be positive but I freely give it a positive review!
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Here is the video for the first chapter:
The God Who Is There – Part 1. The God Who Made Everything from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.
Today in Blogworld 12.28.10
FLAME’s new CD is released today. I hope to check it out on Rhapsody later.
Bohemian Rhapsody on 4 Violins. Pretty sweet:
(HT: 22 Words)
This is always a helpful corrective: God Uses Critics to Help Us
James Smith has responded to the Grinch Alert.
This is helpful for parents: Raising Children in an R-Rated World.
I had no idea…200 synonyms for the word “drunk”.
Speaking of drunk…
Yesterday I lamented the lack of bible knowledge in church and mentioned the necessity of personal wrestling. In a similar fashion Andrew Sherwood tell us How to Build Up Bible Knowledge in the Church.
Justin Nale offers a flexible Bible reading plan.
What are you really saying when you say, “I need to give myself grace”?