Book Review: Jesus on Every Page

A few years ago, I first had the opportunity to read The Jesus Storybook Bible, and I began to see how present Christ is in the Old Testament. Since then, I have struggled with how to see and find Jesus in all of Scripture. It's one thing to know that I should be able to find Jesus in the whole Bible; it's an entirely different thing to actually do so. I'm so thankful that I was recently given the opportunity to read and review David Murray's new book Jesus on Every Page.

Jesus on Every Page is concise, practical, as well as easy to understand and read. It is an introduction to studying the Old Testament in light of the work of Jesus; it is in no way a complete guide to doing so. But David certainly achieves his goal of equipping readers to study the Old Testament, and he does so in a helpful and engaging way.

The book begins with David's story of how he came to see Jesus in all of Scripture, and then moves into helping the reader see Christ in 10 different areas of the Old Testament:

1. Christ's Planet
2. Christ's People
3. Christ's Presence
4. Christ's Precepts
5. Christ's Past
6. Christ's Prophets
7. Christ's Pictures
8. Christ's Promises
9. Christ's Proverbs
10. Christ's Poets

Each chapter includes a myriad of Scripture references, principles for interpretation, and examples of specific ways that each principle is applied. The overarching theme that helped clarify so much for me was this: "Old Testament faith was shadow faith, but shadow implies at least some light." Jesus has always has been the hope of His people, whether or not they understood the fullness of who He was. Jesus on Every Page helps readers to see the light of Christ that the Lord gave in the Old Testament. 

While this book is both practical and clear, I benefited from more than just principles for studying the Old Testament. David does a wonderful job of giving his readers a view of the glory of Jesus through all time. I walked away from reading this book thankful for the gift of all of Scripture - a gift that demonstrates the greatness of God's plans, the greatness of Jesus, and the unity of Christianity. 

Jesus on Every Page is a valuable resource for any believer who wants to better be able to love Jesus by studying all of Scripture. I heartily recommend it! 

Purchase Jesus on Every Page on Amazon

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If you purchase this book before August 31, you can receive over $100 of free Old Testament Resources!

Book Review: Judges for You

A few months, I had the chance to review Galatians for You by Tim Keller, and I was really encouraged by it. So when I had the opportunity to review his new commentary Judges for You, I jumped at the chance. I was not disappointed.

If you listen to Keller preach, it quickly becomes clear that two themes run through everything he says and does. First is the idea of gospel centrality - that not only is the gospel central to all of Scripture, but to all of life. Second is his contention that humans are, at our core, idolaters, and that our biggest problem relating to God is that we worship other things instead of Christ.

In Judges for You, both of these ideas are central themes. Judges is harsh and raw. It is not an easy book to read or to understand. Keller states his overarching theme early on: " Ultimately, there is only one hero in this book, and He's divine." It quickly becomes apparent how true this really is.

One of the things that I like most about this commentary is that Keller doesn't shy away from the difficult issues of Judges, such as how Deborah's judging should relate to our views of women in ministry or Jephthah's vow that ultimately led to the death of his daughter or the fact that God commands what we would call genocide. But while he Biblically addresses these challenging points, Keller never strays from his main point: that the book of Judges is intended to point us to Christ, the true and better Savior.

Judges for You is not hard reading, nor is it long. But I walked away after reading it with a fresh conviction of the sin and idolatry in my own heart and an assurance that is only found in Jesus. In my past readings of Judges, it has been easy for me to say that I would have acted differently than the Israelites. But the reality is that my heart apart from Christ is just as idolatrous as theirs. Keller's commentary helped me to see this, and then pointed me to Jesus.

Book Review: Delighting in the Trinity

As I mentioned last week, I have been reading Delighting in the Trinity. Now that I am done, I am hard-pressed to think of a book that has been as much of an encouragement to me. I think intellectually, I have always been able to say why the Trinity was important - the Father sent the Son to bear His wrath and the Spirit applies salvation to our heart, etc., etc. All true. But I had never understood the depth of this precious truth.

Reeves argues that if God is triune, this central truth changes everything. It is not a problem to be solved, an after-thought, or a technicality. In actuality it is "the vital oxygen of the Christian life and joy." If God is, indeed, eternally Triune, then He has always been a Father, who gives life, love and glory to His Son through the Spirit. We now, in Jesus, receive the overflow of this eternal love.

Many times, the way that Christians discuss God is no different than the way that a Muslim or a Mormon would discuss their God. But this Triune God is shockingly different; rather than being a self-absorbed, singular being, He is a God who has always delighted to share His love and glory. This explains why He would create us and why He would send His Son. He seeks to have His life and goodness shared.

Karl Barth contended that, "The triunity of God is the secret of His beauty." After reading this, I cannot help but agree. At the beginning of the book, Reeves says that his purpose in writing is to help us taste and see that the Lord is good. This was the effect on my heart.

Delighting in the Trinity is relatively easy reading, and it is short, about 130 pages. But for me, it has changed so much about how I read Scripture, how I think about the Lord and how I relate to Him. The Trinity changes everything - it really is the foundation of Christianity. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Book Review: Galatians for You

I was excited to have the opportunity to review Tim Keller's newest book, Galatians for You. As many of you know, my Bible study recently went through the book of Galatians. This was the perfect follow-up in helping me to expand upon and apply what I had learned during that study.

Keller devotes two or three chapters to each chapter of Galatians. Each chapter has two parts, with the first part addressing the more technical and theological issues relating to the text, and the second applying the passage to issues around us. Keller's goal is that we, like Paul in Galatians, would see the gospel not only as the starting point for the Christian life, but as the center point of our entire walk with the Lord. He says, "We are not only justified by faith in Christ, we are also sanctified by faith in Christ. We never leave the gospel behind."

And that is really what this book does - helps us to not leave the gospel behind in any area of our lives. This book is Keller doing what Keller does best: applying the gospel to everything. How does the gospel influence our work? Our view of race? Our interactions within the church? Keller answers each of these questions, and many more, using the book of Galatians.

One of the best parts of this commentary is its simplicity. While Keller doesn't shy away from any difficult or controversial issues, he addresses them in a way that is easy to follow and easy to understand why those issues matter. The content is engaging, but doesn't move away from the text.

At one point, Keller quotes an old hymn, which says:

Lay your deadly "doing" down -
Down at Jesus' feet.
Standing in Him, in Him alone -
Gloriously complete. 

Ultimately, I think that is what Galatians for You helps to accomplish. By pointing us continuously to the completed work of Christ on the cross, Keller helps us to see what the Lord's words are to us through Galatians: find our sufficiency in Christ alone. It is a glorious theme.

Book Review: Contend

I had the privilege of reviewing Aaron Armstrong's new book Contend, published by Cruciform Press. I was excited to do so since I have enjoyed reading Aaron's blog for quite a while now...plus, I just really enjoy books, particularly books that don't cost me anything. Thankfully I wasn't disappointed.

Using the book of Jude as his foundation, Contend addresses three main things: what is contending and why we ought to do it, what we should contend for, and how to contend well for the glory of God.

In American culture, we are really good at segregating - church stays at church and it doesn't affect the rest of our life. We like to just be able to go along with everything and not cause "problems". But Aaron argues that if we truly know who God is and what He has done and if we truly take our faith seriously, we will contend against anything or anyone who comprises the truth of Christianity, specifically the authority of Scripture, the nature of God, and the gospel. He says:

To face inward, affirming and clarifying among and between orthodox believers everything God has done for us—this is a necessary, ongoing activity of the church. But that must not and cannot be our exclusive preoccupation. We must also at times—as a necessary complementary activity—be intentional about facing outward, contending with those who deny who God is and what he has done, whether these voices come from within the church or without.

I was blessed by the clarity with which he explained and defending contending. He illustrates how willing we are to contend for what is important to us in every other area; our love for the Lord ought to bring out the same response:

This idea that we don’t need to defend—or at best rarely need to defend—something we love is ludicrous. If we are willing to offer defense for our families, our political preferences, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, how much more should we be willing to offer a defense of the gospel? If we truly love Jesus and if we truly care about the well being of the Church then we must contend. 

Overall, Contend was well worth reading. It is a clear and concise application of Jude that is both theological and practical. What Aaron Armstrong set out to do, he did well. I left with a better understanding of what I should contend for, why and how.

But, at least for me, the best thing about Contend is that it gave me a vision of the joy that is found in contending for truth. I am sometimes loathe to speak out because I am afraid of offending or turning people away from the gospel. And sometimes, I'd rather just keep quiet - it's simpler. But Contend reminded me of the glorious truth that I get to contend for these things, by the Lord's strength and His glory:

So it is and will be in our every act of contending; it is God who will give the increase—not our strength, persistence, persuasiveness, charm, or cultural relevance. Despite our foolish words and wavering hearts, God delights to use us as his instruments. Let us delight in this as well!

Contending is, as Aaron puts it, both a sacred duty and a great delight. Contend was well worth my time, and I believe yours, because it reminded me of that truth.

(I was given a free copy of Contend to give an honest review. There were no obligations other than I read the book and share my thoughts here.)