reformed blogging.

Three great men: Archibald Alexander, Samuel Miller and Charles Hodge all consider Thomas Halyburton’s Memoirs to be “the best specimens of religious biography extant” and Archibald Alexander says that “there is no production of the kind.” So I got it and am currently reading it. It is good. Halyburton’s genuine struggles are displayed for all to see. Manifest in his Memoirs are not only his wrestlings with sin before his conversion, but also those that he found himself grieving over after conversion. The book came at a providential time and is a fresh, fresh reminder of the efficacy of the gospel, particularly the doctrine of the imputation of Christ’s active righteousness. Here’s a quote! Tolle lege!

Here, in my opinion, lies one of the greatest secrets of practical godliness, and the highest attainment in close walking with God–to come daily and wash, and yet to keep as great a value for this discovery of forgiveness as if it were once only to be got, and no more. Indeed, the more we see of it, the more we should value it; but our carnal hearts, on the contrary, turn formal, and count it a common thing. That which is our daily allowance we value little, and we are fond of novelties and dainties.
- Thomas Halyburton, Memoirs, 147.

…Luther became a reformer who was widely heard and understood by transforming the abstract question of a just God into an existential quest that concerned the whole human being, encompassing thought and action, soul and body, love and suffering. The search for salvation was not reserved for the intellect alone. Nor did Luther liberate himself from scholastic theology by returning to his private self; it was not the battle of heart against head that drove him to raise his voice and take a more critical view of medieval theologians whom his own teachers still regarded as authorities. It was not that he found them too scholarly for the delicate business of faith, but rather that he did not find them scholarly enough. For Luther careful heed to the Scriptures was the only scholarly basis for theology and thus the reliable standard of truth.
- Heiko A. Oberman, Luther: Man Between God and the Devil, 151.

“Life is as evil among us as among the papists, thus we do not argue about life but about doctrine. Whereas Wyclif and Hus attacked the immoral lifestyle of the papacy, I challenge primarily its doctrine.”…The heart of the Reformation is the recovery of sound doctrine–only true faith will lead to renewal of life. Here Luther reveals his own vision of “reformation”–as unusual in his own day as it is troublesome for modern times.

Luther can be seen as a follower of Bernard of Clairvaux–but then a radical follower, because the situation since the days of St. Bernard had so deteriorated that the crusade now to be launched is no longer aimed at the liberation of the Holy Land but of the Holy People, the Church itself. Because of the advanced time of world history, these crusades can no longer be waged by armies. Only one weapon is left: the preaching of a powerless Christ, and Him crucified.
- Heiko A. Oberman, Luther: Man Between God and the Devil, 55,7; 80.

Just reading the prologue is getting me pretty excited for this biography on Luther. Here’s an excerpt:

He never set himself up as healer of the Church and never regarded the renewal of the Church as his task. Effective resistance to the Reformation would neither have surprised nor dissuaded him. But disappointed he would have been had he suspected that the final return of God, Christ’s Second Coming, would be so long in arriving that his own five-hundredth birthday would have to be celebrated on earth.
Luther’s measure of time was calibrated with yardsticks other than those of modernity and enlightenment, progress and tolerance. Knowing that the renewal of the Church could be expected to come only from God and only at the end of time, he would have had no trouble enduring curbs on the Evangelical movement. According to Luther’s prediction, the Devil would not “tolerate” the rediscovery of the Gospel; he would rebel with all his might, and muster all his forces against it. God’s Reformation would be preceded by a counterreformation, and the Devil’s progress would mark the Last Days. For where God is at work–in man and in human history–the Devil, the spirit of negation, is never far away.
- Heiko A. Oberman, Luther: Man Between God and the Devil, 12.

So for the upcoming months I decided I would spent a little more time with one particular theologian. There are so many men worth getting acquainted with: the reformers, the puritans, the Princetonians, the Scottish divines, all those great Dutch theologians, the early church Fathers, etc. it’s an impossible task to know them all without compromising some depth with any particular one. John Piper recommends choosing one dead theologian and spending your life getting to him and his theology. While I’m far from making any life commitments I thought it might be worth my time to try to read up on at least the basic works of some theologian, a major biography or two, and more contemporary things pertaining to the man. And as you may have guessed by the title of this post, I decided on Martin Luther.

This decision was made for several reasons: (1) because I read Bainton’s biography on Luther and still feel like the Luther is a complete stranger. (2) Luther’s Bondage of the Will about a year ago was an invigorating read, his style of writing is so straightforward and bold that it would get any Christian’s blood rushing. It’s not hard to see why Luther was regarded as a “bull in a china shop.” He was unbounded in his zeal for the true gospel, particularly the doctrine of justification by faith alone. (3) Carl Trueman’s recommendation of The Genius of Luther’s Theology as well as his mention of the impact Luther’s theology has had on him moved me towards this direction. (4) Carl Trueman’s lectures on Martin Luther a couple months ago also did much to generate interest. (5) John Piper’s biographical sketch on Martin Luther (with an emphasis on Martin Luther’s time spent in the study). (6) Lastly, God used this man to develop the theology of the reformation! This is enough in itself to get anyone to invest some time in getting to know him.

So here are the books I’m planning on reading:

1. Biography: Luther: Man Between God and the Devil - Heiko A. Oberman
2. Works: Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings (1st edition) - Timothy F. Lull
3. Contemporary: The Genius of Luther’s Theology: A Wittenberg Way of Thinking for the Contemporary Church - Robert Kolb, Charles P. Arand

I ask’d the Lord that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace:
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek more earnestly His face.

I hoped that in some favour’d hour
At once He’s answer my request,
And, by His love’s constraining power,
Subdue my sins and give me rest.

Instead of that, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart,
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in every part.

‘Lord, why is this?’ I trembling cried,
‘Wilt thou pursue a worm to death?’
”Tis in this way,’ the Lord replied,
‘I answer prayer for grace and faith.

These inward trials I employ
From self and sin to set thee free:
To break thy scheme of earthly joy
That thou mayst seek thy all in Me.’
-Alexander Whyte, Thomas Shepard: Pilgrim Father and Founder of Harvard, 52.

“Hebrews 11 is a divine mandate to read Christian biography. The unmistakable implication of the chapter is that if we hear about the faith of our forefathers (and mothers), we will “lay aside every weight, and sin” and “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1). If we asked the author, “How shall we stir one another up to love and good works?” (10:24), his answer would be: “Through encouragement from the living (10:25) and the dead (11:1-40).” Christian biography is the means by which the body life of the church cuts across the centuries.” - John Piper, Brothers We Are Not Professionals, 89-90.

Some good Christian Biographies (in no particular order, except for no. 1):

1. The Life and Times of George Whitefield (vol. 1 & 2) - Arnold A. Dallimore — (I think it safe to say that these two volumes changed my life. Dallimore’s pastoral heart comes through his writing so that the two volumes are more than mere biography.)

2. Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography - Iain H. Murray (classic!)

3. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Vol. 1 & 2) - Iain H. Murray (comparable to Whitefield’s biography in richness!)

4. The Life of A.W. Pink - Iain H. Murray (the life of a brilliant man, who is not too well-known. Good read –like all of Murray’s biographies!)

5. The Life and Diary of David Brainerd - Jonathan Edwards (can be dry at times, but it is the realness of the biography, that God would work through an earnest and melancholy man like Brainerd, that makes it so good (an understatement)).

6. Here I Stand: The Life of Martin Luther - Roland H. Bainton (classic!)

7. To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson - Courtney Anderson (Anderson was a screenwriter so some parts of the bio seem really dramatic, especially in describing Judson’s childhood. Yet, the book is well-written and good!)

8. William Tyndale: A Biography - David Daniell (written in a scholarly manner. gain a good history of the english reformation as well as appreciation for our English bible through reading this. Reaading this will make you so thankful for the Reformation!)

9. John G. Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides - John G. Paton (makes for an easy and fun read since Paton writes so well! Like reading an adventure book.)

10. Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners - John Bunyan (another classic!)

The quote below is a dialogue between Adoniram Judson and Maung Shway-gnong. The latter, a Burmese man, was one of the first among the Burmese to become concerned for his own soul, yet because of persecution from his own people failed to fully surrender everything. Up to this point this man’s commitment to Christ has been circumstantial and full of compromise. Though a disappointment to Judson, after a rebuke for not believing what is in the Bible, Maung finally admits that he had “been trusting in [his] own reason, not in the word of God.” After conversing for a little longer Maung confesses further, “I see my error in trusting in my own reason; and I now believe the crucifixion of Christ, because it is contained in the scripture.”
The child-like faith of the old Burmese man, despite its evident smallness, is, to say the least, a beautiful thing. The conversation quoted below must have brought a breath of fresh air to the weary missionary:

They talked for a while at random and the conversation led to the uncertainty of life. Maung Shway-gnong had a new thought.
“I think I shall not be lost even though I should die suddenly.”
“Why?”
“Because I love Jesus Christ.”
“Do you really love Him?”
“No one that really knows Him can help loving Him,” said the old man with feeling; and so departed.
- p. 241, To the Golden Shore

Reading through Adoniram Judsons’ biography “To the Golden Shore.” I had never heard of Judson until Piper’s biographical sketch on him. The night I listened to it I ended up sleeping for two hours. The lack of sleep may have been due to caffeine, but listening to this man’s life seemed only to aggravate it. From the first five minutes until the end, I felt as though my heart would burst out of my chest from excitement of hearing of the intense suffering in this man’s life for the sake of the gospel. Missions is not for “radical” Christians, but for those who have forsaken all things to follow Him. If I would but surrender all my earthly comforts to go to Pakistan or Afghanistan or anywhere without the gospel for that matter, such intense stories of suffering would not be so foreign to me. One thing Piper constantly mentions is that Judson hated his life, he was radically other-minded. Piper seeks to show through Judson’s life that “God designs that the suffering of his ministers and missionaries is one essential means in the joyful triumphant spread of the gospel among all the peoples of the world.” Suffering is an inevitable and necessary means by which God saves sinners.
Judson’s commitment to missions is shown below in a letter to John Hasseltine, the father of Ann, the woman Judson wanted to marry. Judson’s description of his expected conditions (as well as for Ann if she would be given to him in marriage) shows no regard for the desired comforts of a father for his own child:

I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean; to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of him who left his heavenly home, and died for her and for you; for the sake of perishing, immortal souls; for the sake of Zion, and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with the crown of righteousness, brightened with the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Savior from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair? - p. 83

None should be surprised at what seems like almost impossible demands at suffering and discomfort, to say the least. And I don’t think that this sort of suffering is resticted to foreign missionaries a thousand miles overseas. Is this not precisely what our Lord, Jesus Christ demanded?

If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. - Matthew 16:24-25

Piper ends his biographical sketch with a challenge to the pastors in attendance at the Desiring God conference:

Are you sure that God wants you to be a pastor in this comparatively church-saturated land? Or might he be calling you to fill up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, to fall like a grain of wheat into some distant ground and die, to hate your life in this world and so to keep it forever and bear much fruit?