Willem Teelinck, The Path of True Godliness, trans. Annemie Godbehere, ed. Joel R. Beeke (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2006). $11.00.

Reviewed by Rev. Shane Lems

In a word, this book is a workout. It is a workout because many Christians today are only accustomed to books full of “steps;” how to have a better marriage, how to be successful in the workplace, how to hear the Spirit’s voice in a noisy world, and so on. It is a workout because this is not another moralistic manual written at an eight-grade level. Teelinck’s Path of True Godliness is a book about sin, about mortification, about the difference between heaven and hell, about living Reformation theology every day. This book is a workout because it hurts to hear about the reality of sin and eternal death, yet it is a profitable workout because it highlights the truths of the things of God, the unseen things that never pass away.

Joel Beeke’s introduction helps set the stage for the book. Beeke rightly notes that the reader must take two important factors into mind when reading this book. First, the historical context in Teelinck’s pastoral ministry was full of laxity and indifference about matters of the faith. People came late to church if they came at all; often they would chat during the service or put off the baptism of their children. Parents were not teaching their children the truths of the faith and the Lord’s Supper was treated as a trivial nicety. Secondly, he was writing to encourage Christians and exhort them not to be conformed to this world, not to love this world, and other similar biblical exhortations on sanctification.

The Path of True Godliness is separated into nine sections:
bq. 1) The character of true godliness
2) The kingdom of darkness opposes the practice of godliness
3) The kingdom of grace promotes godliness
4) Godly living is the true goal of life
5) The means to attain the true purpose of life
6) Using God-given means to practice true godliness
7) Motives to practice godliness derived from God’s attributes
8) Motives to practice godliness derived from our own condition
9) Three more reasons for practicing godliness.

There is not a Scripture index nor is there a detailed breakdown of the table of contents, both of which would have been helpful, but there are section headings throughout the book, which makes for ease of reading and referencing.

One of my favorite parts of the book is Teelinck’s section on suffering and affliction in chapter three (for reasons of brevity, I will limit the description to a few sentences, though the entire section is outstanding). Teelinck wrote that the Spirit offers suffering believers three assurances in their suffering: 1) They are precious in God’s sight, 2) They will greatly benefit from their afflictions, and 3) They will not be given more than they can bear (1 Cor 10.13). Under this third point, he reminds us that the cup of suffering sent our way will never be stronger than we are able to bear (p. 115). It will be prepared not according to our merits but according to our strength. “Although a loving father uses a stinging switch to bring his child to his senses, he does not wear the rod out on the back of his child or beat him mercilessly but uses it with restraint. God’s children would lose all courage if they saw a sharp rod such as Assur…or the devil assault them unless they know that God’s hand was holding the rod. Knowing that consoles them and gives them hope” (ibid.).

One area that Teelinck disappointed was in chapter six, where he discussed using God-given means to advance in godliness. Here I thought he would strongly emphasize the means of grace—preaching, and the two sacraments. Instead, he focused on private prayer, devotions, and daily self-examination–of course these things are very important for the Christian, but the means of grace are the chief means to godliness (Cf. WLC Q/A 155). On the other hand, private habits of godliness in the Christian life are sometimes neglected, so it can be beneficial to emphasize these things as Teelinck did. Also worth noting is the fact that Teelinck wrote extensively about the Lord’s Supper (p. 23).

In summary, this book is not an easy or comfortable read. It does not make a person feel good about himself because Teelinck calls sin what it is and describes the devil in stark terms. However, he also makes the reader look away from himself to the Scriptures, the gospel, God’s attributes. For that reason, it is worth the read: in this book the reader is surrounded by Scripture and shown the stark difference between worldliness and godliness as well as the mercy, love, and grace of God. Here is Teelinck’s emphasis in one sentence: “We must therefore begin to practice all this, not in our own strength, which means absolutely nothing, but in the power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is the strength of our life and by whom we can do all things…(Eph. 6.10)” (p. 39).

Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, ed. Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1998). $29.70.

Reviewed by Mr. Shane Lems

Though most pastors and teachers perhaps already know about this dictionary, the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, it is worth calling attention to even almost ten years after its publication date. The DBI has received praise from a host of past and present pastors and scholars, from James Boice to Elizabeth Achtemeier to Ben Witherington III. Some contributors to this volume include Clinton Arnold, Richard Bauckham, Joyce Baldwin, Karen Jobes, Craig Keener, Iain Duguid, Kevin Vanhoozer, Richard Pratt, and Peter Enns, along with many others.

The introduction (pages xiii–xxi) to the DBI is helpful. There the authors note that the Bible is “much more a book of images and motifs than of abstractions and propositions” (xiii). The Bible, they note, is a book that “images the truth” and states the truth (ibid.). This dictionary focuses on the images of the Bible, including metaphor, hyperbole, analogy, metonymy, and simile to name a few. The authors also underscore the motifs, conventions, signs, and archetypes of Scripture. It is a dictionary for the right side of the brain, so to speak. Entries include subjects such as bronze, fountain, midnight, reversal, and storm to name only a few.

The DBI is also theological. As the authors trace images or motifs through the whole of redemptive history, they touch upon key aspects of theology. For example, under “ascension” and “ascent” the OT upwards movements are discussed. In the OT, to “go up” was a good thing, to be “high” means strength and might. The authors highlight the OT kingly sessions, describing Yahweh as the Divine Warrior-king ascending the high mount in a victory parade (cf. Ps 68). Fast forward to the NT: the ascension of Jesus is a divine regal victory and exaltation over evil principalities and powers. After reading these two articles (ascent and ascension), the reader obtains a fuller appreciation and understanding of Jesus’ ascension. Instead of just a few proof-texts, we have a robust and imaginative “proof-motif” or “proof-act” for the ascension as well.

There are a few weaknesses of the DBI. For example, the articles are unsigned; we are left guessing who wrote which article. In addition, not all of the articles have citations or bibliographies for further study. Some articles are incredibly short, leaving the reader longing for more to ponder. On the positive side, the DBI does have an exhaustive Scripture index as well as a lengthy subject index. This dictionary is a helpful tool for pastors, yet it is not too scholarly or difficult for any student of the Word. I highly recommend it!

Grant Osborne, The Hermeneutical Spiral (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press) 2006. $17.82.

Reviewed by Shane Lems

In The Hermeneutical Spiral, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (T.E.D.S) professor Dr. Grant Osborne “provides seminary students and working pastors with the full set of tools they need to move from sound exegesis to the development of biblical and systematic theologies and to the preparation of sound, biblical sermons” (excerpt from back cover). This book really is a heavy and full tool box: it is 521 pages not including the endnotes.

The book is very comprehensive. Osborne takes the reader through all the steps, usually in detail, from context, to grammar, to semantics, to syntax, to historical background, to genre analysis, to biblical and systematic theology, to two chapters on homiletics. In the introduction, Osborne sets forth his “major premise:” “biblical interpretation entails a spiral from text to context, from its original meaning to its contextualization or significance for the church today” (p. 22). There are two appendices that cover the “problem” of text, author, reader, and meaning. This book is a helpful review for those of us finished with seminary: I have bookmarked a few parts that I will re-read several times as I study Scripture and prepare Bible studies. The Hermeneutical Spiral is not for your average layperson, though an “average” layperson that dug through this tool box could learn quite a bit.

The strengths of this book, in my opinion, are the introduction, discussion of genre, examination of narrative structure, and the chapter on parables just to name a few. I also enjoyed the two appendices on meaning, which interacted with more recent hermeneutical positions (i.e. Gadamer, Ricoeur, Derrida, Wolterstorf, etc). Though much of the book was good seminary review for me, there were some new things I found helpful. Where I disagreed with Osborne, he made his case quite well, which led me to note several areas of my own hermeneutics that needed strengthening, clarifying, and reevaluating. Another strong point of the book is Osborne’s use of the latest scholars in certain fields – in this regards it is very up to date. Finally, this book has excellent summaries, step-by-step hermeneutical advice, a Scripture index, and helpful charts.

There are also some weaknesses of this book. Though I cannot mention them all here, I will point out a few. First, in his brief discussion of Greek/Hebrew grammar, he did not mention several of the better grammars (i.e. Dan Wallace’s Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics). Endnotes rather than footnotes make Osborne’s citations a burden to find. I knew while reading that Grant was no fan of Calvinism, but his outright opposition to “TULIP” did not surface often. However, by way of critique, several times he did refer to the Calvinism vs. Arminianism discussion, usually somehow sweeping it under the rug while hinting that both are OK, but Arminianism is probably better. I also did not agree with Osborne’s note that sermons are “bridges” between two worlds (cf. Stott). Finally, one major weakness of this book is the lack of the covenantal aspect of Scripture and hermeneutics: though in one or two paragraphs the suzerain/vassal aspect of the ANE is discussed, Mendenhall’s name is not mentioned, for example. Osborne does not capitalize on the other covenantal themes, even to the point of totally missing any works motif in the Mosaic economy. When it comes to hermeneutics, a law/gospel distinction is key, of which Osborne did not touch.

In summary, this book is not “Hermeneutics for Everyone” to steal N.T. Wright’s commentary titles. It is for pastors, students, translators, and educated laypeople. If you are one of these and you wish to have the dust blown off of your hermeneutical tool box or are doing further studies in this area, you should purchase this book. Also, let me offer a challenge: if you have thought about seminary or any other advanced biblical studies, get this book and see where it takes you. Even though some sections of this book are very advanced, others are not. The reader who does not wish to wade through the advanced sections can read the others much easier.

Additional note: The first edition of this book appeared in 1991; this review covers the 2nd edition of 2006 (if you do purchase one, be sure to get the ’06 edition).

D. G. Hart and John R. Meuther, With Reverence and Awe (Phillipsburg: P&R, 2002). $11.04.

Reviewed by Shane Lems

Up front, allow me to say that this is one of the best and most accessible books on Reformed worship that I have ever read. Hart and Muether do an excellent job of taking a huge and controversial subject and making it manageable and clear. With Reverence and Awe should be on your shelf if you have asked or wanted to answer worship questions before, questions such as “Why do Reformed churches do that?” or, “Where can I find a good, biblical, confessional defense of Reformed worship?” In a word, this book is a book on biblical Reformed orthodoxy as it directly applies to many aspects of Christian corporate worship.

Hart and Meuther set up the book by clearly stating that Reformed theology must shape and show up in Reformed worship. They go on to discuss how the church and the world are separate, how “the world does not set the agenda for the church” (p. 41). The purpose of the church, they say in the first few chapters, is to be the church, not the world and to worship the triune God with reverence and awe. The authors then define the church in a Reformed manner. By doing so, they teach us that we cannot discuss worship without discussing what the church is. In other words, liturgy and worship are all wrapped up in ecclesiology – and the whole of Reformed theology.

Chapter 4 is about the Christian Sabbath, the Lord’s Day. Hart and Muether emphasize the importance of the Lord’s Day: “a crisis in Reformed worship is taking place in an age of declining Sabbath observance” (p. 73). The next chapter describes what acceptable worship looks like – worship that is acceptable to God follows his explicit commands of worship. This is the Regulative Principle of Worship (RPW), that we only worship in the way that God has commanded us. Hart and Muether also talk about liturgy, or the order of worship. Liturgy, they say, is couched in covenantal dialogue: in the covenant of grace, God addresses his people as Lord and Deliverer: worship is where God works on us, where we are passive and God is active. It is a dialogue: the Savior speaks, and his people respond in confession of sin and thanksgiving for salvation.

With Reverence and Awe also addresses music in worship as well as leading worship. The authors note that only an ordained man should lead worship, and the music should be reverent, theologically sound, not like the world’s “pop” music, and so forth. The means of grace (preaching and the administration of the two sacraments) are primary and essential to all Christian worship, Hart and Muether argue well. Furthermore, the essentials (elements) of worship are discussed along with the circumstances and forms: the former must never change, the latter two require wisdom and prayer by the elders and pastors who craft liturgy. The book closes with an excellent chapter that reinforces the principle that our theology must shape our liturgy.

This book is the perfect complement to Michael Horton’s A Better Way. I do indeed think this book, With Reverence and Awe, should be read by all Reformed elders and pastors as they evaluate worship and liturgy. Personally, this is one of those books that I will read yearly to remind myself the importance and necessity of truly Reformed worship. I hope this book helps spark a “reformation” of Reformed liturgy and worship. It is time we quit allowing the world teach us about worship and liturgy, for that is a purpose of Scripture!

Guy Prentiss Waters, The Federal Vision and Covenant Theology (Phillipsburg: P&R, 2006). $15.74.

Reviewed by Shane Lems

If you have wondered about the Federal Vision, wrestled over some of their teachings, or need a source to help you study what they are saying, this book is for you. In it, Dr. Waters is straightforward and clear; he is also fair to those he disagrees with. He clearly notes who he is evaluating by name and quotes them often. His sources are abundant; the endnotes comprise about 50 pages. There is even a select and annotated bibliography at the end.

One very helpful aspect of this book is its structure. Waters first shows how the FV defines covenant; in the rest of the chapters he explains how the FV describes justification, election, assurance/perseverance/apostasy, and the sacraments. Each chapter deals with the central figures of the FV. Waters explains one man’s position, cites him extensively, then evaluates and critiques that position. He does this for each man in turn and every chapter is laid out in this way. Therefore, if one simply wants to see what one or two FV figures say about a certain topic, it is easy to find and read.

The first chapter is a general introduction to the FV, including its history and main players. The second chapter deals with covenant theology, or how the FV flattens out biblical covenants into a single covenant. In the third chapter, Waters shows how the FV relates covenant to justification (including how they agree with some parts of the New Perspective on Paul). The fourth chapter is where Waters explains how the FV views election through the eyes of the covenant, stemming from Norman Shepherd. Assurance, perseverance, and apostasy are covered in the fifth chapter, including how the FV disagrees with much of Joel Beeke’s work on assurance of salvation. In the sixth chapter, Waters talks about Leithart’s view of the sacraments, which goes into the seventh chapter where he explains other and similar FV views of the sacraments. The final chapter is a broad examination of some other troublesome spots in the FV, along with a final critique.

Waters lists and explains the many ways which the FV revises or simply differs from Reformed orthodoxy. For example, he shows how they define and explain covenant and how they reject the covenant of works. He also shows how they equivocate or fudge several definitions, from election to covenant to the law/gospel distinction to baptism to visible/invisible church distinctions. There is an extensive index in the back of the book to help the reader find certain topics, as well as a Scripture index.

I did wish the last chapter was more detailed. In it, waters shows how the FV misuses Reformed language, as well as logic. He also briefly explains their “flat hermeneutic,” which “strains the NT through the OT.” Waters also touches upon the strong theonomic tendencies in the FV. These sections are brilliant, but very short; books could and should be written on them. On a specific note, he could have mentioned how the FV rejects the historic, confessional use of metonymy (in Calvin’s terms) when discussing the sacraments (see HC Q/A 78 and WCF 27.2 for example). Also, it is quite annoying to flip back and forth between the pages and the endnotes – footnotes would have been better.

In summary, this book is excellent. I plead with all confessional Reformed and Presbyterian pastors, elders, and laypeople to read this book. The FV uses biblical language and Reformed terminology, so we need to be equipped to meet them biblically, confessionally, hermeneutically, and even linguistically to show people in our churches the daunting errors the FV advocates. Waters’ book is one tool to help us stand squarely on the shoulders of our Reformed forefathers.