Linked Together: Knowing God

Three suggestions for weekend reading on the character of God.

As He Is
“Let’s be sure to delight in the character of God and not in a caricature of God.”—Erik Raymond

What He Knows
God knows everything:

Divine omniscience includes the following: First, God fully knows himself, his infinite knowledge encompassing his infinite being. As Scripture notes, the Father knows the Son, and the Son knows the Father (Matt. 11:27), and the Holy Spirit knows all the mysteries of the Godhead (1 Cor. 2:10). Second, God fully knows his own decree or eternal purpose, and all the events that transpire as the outworking of this sovereign will (Acts 15:18).

From a human, timed perspective, God fully knows the past, present, and future. Thus, third, he fully knows the past, which is as vivid to him as the present. Accordingly, God’s “forgetfulness” of our past sins refers to his commitment not to count them against us (Heb. 10:17). Fourth, he fully knows the present, from its loftiest realities (the number of the stars in the universe; Psa. 147:4) to its smallest details (the number of the hairs on one’s head and the death of a sparrow; Matt. 10:29-30). Fifth, God fully knows the future, even the free will decisions and actions of his creatures (for example, the future home of Israel in the promised land, the birth of Isaac to old Abram and barren Sarah; Gen. 15:16; 18:10).

Moreover, sixth, he fully knows all actual things, that is, people and events that actually exist and happen; and seventh, all possible things, that is, all people and events that could possibly exist and happen but never do (for example, the would-be response of people long gone if they had witnessed Jesus’s miracles centuries later; Matt. 11:20-22).  

Read Dane Ortlund’s whole interview with Gregg Allison.

About His Wrath
Five biblical truths about the wrath of God: 

1. God’s wrath is just.
2. God’s wrath is to be feared.
3. God’s wrath is consistent in the Old and New Testament.
4. God’s wrath is his love in action against sin.
5. God’s wrath is satisfied in Christ.

Read Joseph Scheumann’s explanation of each of these truths.  

Linked Together: Historical Christians You Should Know

More suggested weekend reading. (Updated October 27.)

A Few Reformers
To get you ready for Reformation Day (October 31), the Ligonier Blog is running a short series of biographical sketches of the men behind the Reformation. 

• Fortress for Truth: Martin Luther: “He was the pioneer Reformer, the one God first used to spark a transformation of Christianity and the Western world. He was the undisputed leader of the German Reformation. In a day of ecclesiastical corruptions and apostasies, he was a valiant champion of the truth; his powerful preaching and pen helped to restore the pure gospel.
• Zurich Revolutionary: Ulrich Zwingli: “A first-generation Reformer, he is regarded as the founder of Swiss Protestantism. Furthermore, history remembers him as the first Reformed theologian. Though Calvin would later surpass Zwingli as a theologian, he would stand squarely on Zwingli’s broad shoulders.”
• Prince of Translators: William Tyndale: “William Tyndale … made an enormous contribution to the Reformation in England. Many would say that he made the contribution by translating the Bible into English and overseeing its publication.  … Because of his powerful use of the English language in his Bible, this Reformer has been called “the father of modern English” … .
• Covenant Theologian: Heinrich Bullinger: “As the heir to Ulrich Zwingli in Zurich, Switzerland, he consolidated and continued the Swiss Reformation that his predecessor had started… . During his forty-four years as the chief minister in Zurich, Bullinger’s literary output exceeded that of Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Zwingli combined. He was of monumental importance in the spread of Reformed teaching throughout the Reformation.”
• Added October 27: Theologian for the Ages: John Calvin: “A world-class theologian, a renowned teacher, an ecclesiastical statesman, and a valiant Reformer, Calvin is seen by many as the greatest influence on the church since the first century. Apart from the biblical authors themselves, Calvin stands as the most influential minister of the Word the world has ever seen.”

Two Preachers
Meanwhile, at Out of the Ordinary, from two of my sister contributors:

• Why I Love the Doctor: “[Martyn] Lloyd-Jones, a Welshman, began his career as a medical doctor, but after a couple of years, felt himself called to ministry. After ten years with a church in Wales, in 1939, he went to Westminster Chapel in London, where he served alongside G. Campbell Morgan, and eventually became the sole minister there. He is recognized as one of the 20th century’s greatest preachers. That was what he was above all, a preacher.”
• Why I Love Spurgeon: “I truly believe God used this long-dead Baptist preacher to keep me from throwing in the towel and abandoning the faith. My weak and rather unbiblical understanding would never have stood the test, but He was faithful to give me a bigger glimpse of Himself in His power, His love, and His sovereignty. So I thank God for His faithful servants down through the ages, and I especially thank Him for Charles Spurgeon.”

Linked Together: Our Bible

A little suggested weekend reading.

Authoritative
Michael Kruger responds to the claim that “the church is the highest authority and the Bible is merely one of many tools used by the church”: Is the Church over the Bible or is the Bible over the Church?

Sufficient
Sinclair Ferguson writes:

The Scriptures do not tell us everything about everything. They provide no instruction about computer programming, or how best to organise a library, the correct way to swing a golf club, or how to play chess. They do not tell us how far away the sun is from the earth, what DNA is, how best to remove an appendix surgically, the best coffee to drink, or the name of the person we should marry.

That is not an expression of any deficiency on their part. For there is a focus and a goal to the sufficiency of the Scriptures. Everything I need to learn in order to live to the glory of God and enjoy him forever I will find in the application of Scripture.

Read the rest.

Trustworthy
Erik Raymond reviews Barry Cooper’s book Can I Really Trust the Bible?, and describes it as “an ideal book to give to someone who is asking questions about the Bible as well as a newer Christian who requires further study on the topic.” (Aaron Armstrong recommends it, too.)

I’ve put it on my wish list for the church library. We could use something accessible on the doctrine of scripture.

Dangerous
Why do some people try to “reimagine” what the Bible says? Why is it so tempting to toss the Bible? Aaron Armstrong answers this way: “Because it’s easier. The Bible is dangerous and obeying is it costly.”