The Dutch Reformed theologian Herman Bavinck (1854-1921) is famous for his studies in many disciplines, including psychology. The pinnacle of his research in theological psychology is his Biblical and Religious Psychology. This book is divided into two parts which present an anthropology that explains man psychologically, in relation to God, according to both special and general revelation. Both readers acquainted with Bavinck and new readers will be captivated by the author’s typically rich and erudite style.

In this book, Bavinck deals with man as soul and body, and as a religious and moral being. He delves deeply into Scripture’s teaching on man’s spirit, heart and desires, and his intellect and his will. Man is viewed vis-à-vis the Triune God on the one hand and animals on the other. Bavinck treats the effects upon man of both sin (original and actual) and regeneration, as well as the influence of one’s heredity and environment. He shows how all of this influences the Christian’s view of children and education.

Despite Bavinck’s unbiblical doctrine of common grace and his erroneous view of an image of God in the unregenerate, the discerning reader will find much that is solidly Reformed and theologically helpful in an area often treated shallowly in Christian literature.

Biblical and Religious Psychology, translated by Herman Hanko and edited by Gregory Parker Jr., with revisions by Annemarieke Ryskamp, is an enlightening and stimulating work that will help all readers think more deeply about the relationship between theology and psychology, and appreciate biblical teaching on the complexities of being human.

What others are saying about the book

“In recent years there has been a renewal of interest in a ‘theological psychology.’ While a rift may have existed in the recent past between theology and psychology, this has not always been the case. Herman Bavinck was one of many theologians who thought deeply about the connection between these two disciplines. He did this in a time when psychology was asserting itself as a science. For anyone interested in how one can put the words ‘biblical’ and ‘psychology’ together, this is an important work to consider. The readers will find themselves challenged and encouraged to take up the task of constructing a ‘theological psychology’ anew.” – Cameron Clausing, lecturer in applied theology and missional engagement at Christ College (Sydney, Australia)

“This book showcases Bavinck’s attentiveness to the empirical granularity of biblical teaching on humanity. Further, the text represents Bavinckʼs mature writings on these topics, so readers who want a fuller picture of his reflections on the issue cannot neglect reading these texts. The editors and translators should be celebrated for bringing this accessible yet profound work to a wider audience, and the incisive introduction by John Bolt makes it all the more worthwhile. Take up and read!” – N. Gray Sutanto, assistant professor of systematic theology of Reformed Theological Seminary (Washington D.C.), author of God and Knowledge: Herman Bavinck’s Theological Epistemology, co-translator and co-editor of Herman Bavinck’s Christian Worldview

“Bavinck spent his career as a theologian thinking about the human subject. Here you get his final thoughts on the psyche, consciousness, and particularly what the Bible teaches about human beings and how we respond to God’s presence. This is the work of the mature Bavinck, which makes it worth paying attention to.” – Cory Brock, minister in the Free Church of Scotland at St. Columba’s (Edinburgh), and lecturer in systematic theology and preaching at Edinburgh Theological Seminary

“As the 20th century dawned, the discipline of psychology celebrated its emancipation from the Bible and theology. As the new psychology was explaining more and more of the human experience, the rich, previously theologically informed constructs such as soul, spirit, and heart were being reduced to mere consciousness that could be measured in a laboratory. The divorce between psychology and theology seemed to be final. However, thanks to the work of Hanko, Ryskamp and Parker, we now know this was not the case. In their very readable translation of Bavinckʼs Biblical and Religious Psychology, we see that Bavinck was still trying to carve out a place for a theologically informed psychology. Not only will this volume be of historical benefit, but Bavinck’s treatment of the human soul in all of its fullness can and should inform contemporary psychology-theology integration discussions.” – Bryan N. Maier, associate professor of Psychology and Counseling at Cairn University

“When framed in a biblical anthropology, psychology as the study of human soul activity is a necessary and valuable tool for educating children.” – John Bolt, “Introduction,” professor emeritus of Calvin Theological Seminary and editor of Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics (Gereformeerde Dogmatiek)

“… you may be thinking: what does psychology have to do with the Bible? If so, it’s likely because you associate psychology with a secular social science dealing with the human mind and behaviour. Because so much psychology is based on humanistic foundations, it may seem like it can’t have much, if anything, to do with the Bible. Think again. In a university you could take an anthropology course. But did you know you could also take an anthropology course in seminary? In that context, anthropology is an area of systematic theology dealing with the study of the human race – what does the Bible say about it? Similarly here, Herman Bavinck is approaching the study of the human mind and human behaviour from an explicitly biblical perspective. What does the Bible say about our psychology? … Bavinck asserts that ‘also culture and history are part of the means by which the invisible attributes of God are known … God reigns even in this age; nature, culture, and history are means through which he speaks to us even more loudly than in the past’ (p. 206). I’m not sure that there is an earlier broader sense of ‘nature’ in Reformed theology. Bavinck didn’t provide any evidence to support his claim and my sources don’t seem to support it. I checked his Reformed Dogmatics to see if he said more about it there. He did (vol. 1, chapter 10). However, there he also didn’t give references and, interestingly, he didn’t include culture. I don’t believe the Bible teaches that culture is a form of general revelation. I bring this up only because so much mischief results when culture is considered as a form of revelation. If science is considered part of culture (which it should be), then science becomes a form of revelation. If entertainment is considered part of culture (obviously it is), then TV shows, movies, and pop songs are forms of revelation. Some ‘neo-Calvinists’ in our day argue for exactly that and I wonder if the seed of that development might be here in Bavinck.” (Clarion)

“I consider this material to be of such interest and help, especially to those who are engaged in the work of teaching covenant children, that a translation and publication of it is worthwhile in spite of elements with which I disagree. Bavinck did work in the area of Christian psychology which is not to be found in any English writings.” – Herman Hanko, “Translator’s Foreword,” professor emeritus of Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary

The nativity story is the message of salvation for, in the words of the Nicene Creed, “Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God … for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.” Jesus was born for our salvation!

Follow the inspired evangelists, Matthew and Luke, as they relate the wonderful events that surround the birth and early childhood of Jesus Christ. Marvel at the announcement of the angel Gabriel. Rejoice with Mary, Elizabeth, the unborn John and Joseph. Trace the steps of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, where the Saviour is born. Listen to the heavenly song of the angelic host as they announce the gospel to lowly shepherds. Meet patient Simeon and aged Anna in the temple, and hear Simeon’s mysterious prophecy of Christ’s rejection. Make the long trek from the east with the wise men who eagerly seek Him that is born King of the Jews. Enter the palace of ruthless King Herod and witness his satanic enmity against the newborn Saviour. Flee with Mary, Joseph and Jesus to Egypt to escape the king’s wrath. Observe Jesus’ childhood development in Nazareth and, finally, accompany Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem in His twelfth year, where He must be about His Father’s business.

“Born for our Salvation is being much blessed to me. Pondering on the dire poverty of Christ’s birth and that He suffered great trials throughout His life and then suffered the penalty for our sins has put my ‘light afflictions’ into the right perspective.” – England

[Reviewed by Rev. Jonathan Langerak, pastor of Heritage Protestant Reformed Church in Sioux Falls, SD]

With delight this new book by author Martyn McGeown, missionary-pastor of the Limerick Reformed Fellowship, is heartily recommended to the reading public!

In this new publication, the author addresses what by his own confession is “the greatest miracle in history”: the incarnation, birth and childhood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (1).

The format of the book’s twenty-one chapters clearly show they began life as sermons preached by the author to the saints of the Limerick Reformed Fellowship in Limerick, Republic of Ireland. Each chapter consists of three sections (one has two) that state, prove, explain and apply the Word of God in the gospel narratives in Matthew 1 and 2, and Luke 2, where the truth of the birth and childhood of Christ is revealed.

The book exhibits the exegetical excellence, clarity of expression and beautiful simplicity that we have come to expect from this writer in his other volumes, also published by the RFPA. In this book, he applies these gifts to the explanation of the truth we confess in the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe in Jesus Christ … conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.” Rev. McGeown’s book is no sappy, sentimental cooing over the birth of a baby in Bethlehem. Repeatedly he warns against such a view of Christ’s birth: “The nativity story must never be a sentimental story for us. The Son of God could easily have arranged better circumstances for himself.” Rather, Rev. McGeown explains the nativity and childhood of Christ as “the first step of Christ’s humiliation, which is his lowly birth. This is the first step that Jesus took in our salvation and the first step that would lead to his death on the cross” (2). The author draws our eyes of faith from the manger to the cross, whose shadow already fell over the stable of Bethlehem. The incarnation served the cross!

The book is based on exegesis expounding the meaning of the Scriptures. We get wonderful exegesis, not only of the gospel narratives which reveal the incarnation and childhood of Christ, but also of the Old Testament prophecies which are fulfilled in the events of these chapters, An example is Rev. McGeown’s explanation of Hosea 2 and 3 in chapter 17, “God’s Son Called Out of Egypt.”

On the basis of exegesis, the author also engages in polemics. Many of them are against the heresies of Rome, especially Rome’s exaltation of Mary: Rome’s corruption of the Creed of Chalcedon’s teaching that Mary is the “God-bearer” (25), the immaculate conception of Mary and Mary as co-redemptrix with Christ. Rev. McGeown opposes the popular notion of any kind of well-meant gospel offer in the song of the angels in Luke 2:12, reminding us, “The song is God centered. The angels sing of God’s purpose … What a wonder of grace: the Savior is born, to the glory of God, according to God’s good pleasure, and as proof of God’s goodwill, to bring us peace” (105, 107).

Even the sanctified imagination which Rev. McGeown often expresses, in the opinion of this reviewer, delightfully, is governed by the Word of God. A striking example is in chapter 1, “Gabriel’s Annunciation to Mary”:

Gabriel is therefore favored with making the most wonderful announcement the world has ever heard: the long-awaited Savior is to be born. We can well imagine Gabriel standing in the presence of God—in the presence of God whom he loved, adored, and worshiped. Long had Gabriel pondered the ways of God, for 1 Peter 1:12 reveals that the angels “desire to look into” the things of salvation. Suddenly, Gabriel receives a commission from the Almighty. First, Gabriel must make an announcement to Zacharias the priest and then, six months later, Gabriel must make an announcement to Mary (5–6).

Even though he engages in “sanctified imagination,” Rev. McGeown repeatedly reminds the reader that the purpose of God’s revelation in Scripture, now, particularly, concerning the birth of His Son in our flesh, is not to satisfy our curiosity but to lead us to magnify the incomprehensible works of God. Concerning Gabriel’s explanation in Luke 1:35 to Mary’s question as to how she would conceive “seeing I know not a man,” Rev. McGeown writes, “That is the only explanation that Gabriel gives. Beyond that we cannot go, for this is a wonder, a wonder of grace. God does not present it for our analysis, but for our adoration. Let us therefore worship the wonderworker of it, who is the Holy Spirit” (22).

At the same time, Rev. McGeown helps us to be conscious of the fact that the events of the birth of the Son of God in our flesh—which we often take for granted as we read them—caused chaos in the lives of those involved and that this too was for us! In chapter 5, “An Angelic Dispelling of Joseph’s Fears,” on Matthew 1:18–25, Rev. McGeown gently admonishes us, “We sometimes get quite sentimental about the nativity narratives. But we must remember that this is real human history, not a romantic fairy tale, and that the men and women involved in this history had their lives turned upside down” (60). Regarding the many angelic appearances—to Mary, the shepherds—that took place, the author says, “Sometimes, we are tempted to be envious of these men [i.e., the shepherds], but we should notice their reaction, and learn from it … If you want the living daylights scared out of you, by all means, desire an angelic visit. God will not grant your request, but you should at least understand what it would mean” (91). How many of us does this not convict?

In order to live up to its title Born for our Salvation, Rev. McGeown must bring out the gospel in all the events of Christ’s birth. This he does, repeatedly and beautifully. To mention a few: in his explanation of the name Jesus in chapter 5; in his reminder that “the baby Jesus cannot save us except by becoming the crucified and risen Jesus” (84); in reminding us in connection with God calling His Son out of Egypt that Jesus’ suffering in this flight was “because of our sins” (219) and that “through Jesus’ perfect obedience, his atoning sufferings and death, and his resurrection, God calls us out of Egypt also” (224). “Let us not dwell too long on the manger. Instead, let us lift our eyes to the cross, for it is not in the manger, but in the cross and in the empty tomb of the resurrected Lord, where our salvation is found” (84).

What is our reaction to the wonders of the nativity and childhood of Jesus Christ? Rev. McGeown calls us to wonder, adore and magnify the name of God, the God of salvation, the God who is with us in Immanuel. “We must stand in awe of this word of God” (20). “Let us adore the mystery of the birth of the Son of God” (84).

We see from the angels’ song what is important to angels and should be important to us. Their first words are “Glory to God in the highest” (Luke 2:14). Something, declare the angels in song, has happened in Bethlehem that reveals and displays the glory of God, and we have come to sing about it. And you should sing about it, too (100)!

The last note of the book is a doxology: “We praise him for the gift of his Son, God’s Son who was born to die for our salvation” (278). May all readers of this fine volume join Rev. McGeown in that praise!

[Reviewed by Rev. Stephan Regnerus, pastor of Lynden Protestant Reformed Church in Lynden, WA]

Rev. McGeown’s latest book, Born For Our Salvation: The Nativity and Childhood of Jesus Christ, sets forth the rich and comforting history of the birth of Jesus Christ. We are all familiar with the narrative. So, the question may legitimately be asked, What is the value of a book recounting the birth of Jesus Christ? Allow me to give several reasons why I found the book enriching and why I believe that you, the reader, will also be blessed by it.

The book is comforting. The first part of the title is suggestive of this reality. Jesus was born, not to be a spectacle on this earth, not simply to admonish and correct the evildoer, but he was born for our salvation. In Jesus’ conception and birth, the Christian is given the hope that he will be delivered from his sins and the curse due to him for those sins. From the first chapter to the last, the book teaches in a warm and personal way the gospel truth that Jesus is the spiritual deliverer of God’s people.

The book is doctrinal. To be sure, the book does set forth the history of Jesus’ birth and it does so in vivid fashion. McGeown writes regarding the nativity scene, “Mary gave birth amidst filth and squalor … No cradle was prepared; no nursery was decorated; no toys were laid out; no soothing music was played; no beautiful clothes were made ready for the babe to be dressed. Instead there were animals, dung, and vermin to greet the newborn” (80). But the book goes beyond recounting the history of Jesus’ lowly birth; it also teaches the doctrines of Jesus’ condescension and incarnation. In a day when many Christian books are filled with personal anecdotes and lengthy, distracting illustrations, Rev. McGeown’s book sticks carefully to God’s Word, explaining and applying Scripture throughout. The maps that he includes are helpful. The outstanding strength of Born For Our Salvation is its faithful commentary on the inspired Scriptures.

The book is polemical. That is, it exposes and refutes false doctrines, which false doctrines would be used by the devil to deceive the very elect, if possible. Many Christians respond to false doctrine in one of two wrong ways. Some Christians pride themselves on being compassionate and tolerant, but are largely unwilling and unable to defend the truths of Scripture. Other Christians are eager to defend and even argue about doctrine, but lack the wisdom to do so in a loving manner. Born For Our Salvation walks the middle road; it uses the sword where necessary but not as an end to itself. It is evident that the author has intimate knowledge of Roman Catholicism, for many of the polemics refute Catholicism, against whom the true church is engaged in battle to this day.

Finally, the book corrects commonly held misunderstandings about the birth of Jesus. For example, McGeown writes, “You can be sure that, contrary to sentimental hymns, [baby Jesus] cried. How else would he indicate that he was hungry or dirty?” (81). Further, the author exhorts the reader not to romanticize the birth of our Saviour: “We sometimes get quite sentimental about the nativity narratives. But we must remember that this is real human history, not a fairytale, and that the men and women involved in this history had their lives turned upside down” (60).

I recommend Born For Our Salvation. McGeown’s writing style is clear; his exegesis is sober; his applications are convicting and edifying. People of all ages, from young adults to elderly saints, will find the book understandable and encouraging. I trust God will use this book for the furtherance of His kingdom and the glory of His holy name!

Some professing Christians deny the necessity of church membership. Others join a church for unsubstantial reasons or leave a church for trivial, often selfish, reasons. Many remain members of apostatizing churches because of family or traditional ties. Some Christians find themselves in countries or areas where no true church exists or can be formed. They ask, sometimes in anguish, “What must we do?”

Seemingly forgotten today is the truth that Jesus Christ institutes His catholic or universal church in organized congregations that are clearly identified by objective marks. These are true churches, in distinction from false and apostatizing churches.

In the form of letters to an inquiring (though not always appreciative) European audience, this book addresses the issue of church membership in the twenty-first century. This instruction is applicable to all believers and is based on Scripture, the Belgic Confession and the important, but little known, controversy of John Calvin with the Nicodemites.

_______________________

“I found Prof. Engelsma’s Bound to Join a compelling read and very challenging. Since reading it I have dipped into it frequently. I look forward to reading his response to critics. I can understand why objections and criticisms would be raised. But his biblical foundation and logic is in my view unassailable. The marks of a true church are simple enough it seem to me. It is only when they are added to or taken from or indeed ignored that things become complicated, confused and corrupted. Residual sin in man will always want its own way, which is usually the most comfortable to his conscience. When that conscience is pricked, so is his pride. I speak from personal experience. But the dilemma that many face regarding joining themselves to a true church that is both scriptural and confessional in its life and witness is and remains in today’s prevailing apostasy increasingly difficult. – West Midlands, England

“Bound to Join made me realize the importance of church membership, even though I was resistant. Your book also made me realize the importance of membership even though it may take sacrifice to find and join that true church. We desperately need this better understanding of the importance of church membership in this day and age in which Christians are oriented to be too independent and too consumer-oriented and too transitory in attendance in church.” – Florida, USA

To read a review of this book published in the Protestant Reformed Theological Journal, click here.
To read a review of this book published in the British Reformed Journal, click here.
To read a defence of this book published in the Standard Bearer, click here.

To watch the video of the author interview concerning this book, click here.

To read letter 1 of this book in Czech, click here.

The British Reformed Journal (BRJ) is the publication of the British Reformed Fellowship, usually with contributions from members and currently published biannually. It contains excellent doctrinal articles aimed at the propagation of the Reformed faith throughout the British Isles, Europe and abroad. A subscription to the BRJ is a 4-issue (approximately 2-year) subscription.

Three options are available when subscribing:

1. UK British Reformed Fellowship Member (£10 + free P&P) – you live in the UK, and agree with the doctrinal basis and the aims and objectives of the BRF which are listed below. As a member, you are eligible to vote at the biennial general meeting of the BRF held during the BRF conference and, of course, you will receive the Journal.
2. UK British Reformed Journal Subscriber (£10 + free P&P)- you live in the UK and would like to receive the Journal.
3. International Subscriber (£10 + £7 for P&P) – you live outside the UK and would like to receive the Journal.

About the British Reformed Fellowship

The British Reformed Fellowship was founded in 1990 by a group of Reformed Christians concerned for the defence of the historic Reformed faith in the British Isles.

Aims and Objectives
1. To promote knowledge of the Reformed Faith as is defined in the Doctrinal Basis through the publication of a quarterly journal (British Reformed Journal) and by organizing a biennial national family conference and other conferences and lectures as opportunities arise, through media, internet and any lawful means.
2. To facilitate the networking of Reformed Christians scattered throughout the British Isles, and to enable opportunities for supporting and communicating with one another.
3. To promote Reformed causes such as Christian education, Christian benevolence, biblical ecumenism and fellowship throughout the British Isles.
4. To provide a source of advice, information and support to Reformed Christians who are living and working in isolation. To provide practical answers to difficult questions arising among Reformed Christians isolated from fellowship.

Doctrinal Basis: The basis of the BRF shall be the inspired, infallible, inerrant Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as summarized and systematized in the Reformed confessions, specifically the Three Forms of Unity and the Westminster Standards.

Check out the BRF website which contains more information about the BRF and its great weeklong biennial conferences at various venues across the UK, as well as excellent audios and videos, and many articles from previous British Reformed Journals.

On the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem, a few days before He gave his life on the cross, Jesus Christ gave us detailed teaching on the subject of eschatology or the doctrine of the last things. He did so in response to his disciples’ two-part question: “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matt. 24:3). What follows in Matthew 24-25 is the Olivet Discourse.

This subject is of great interest to the child of God, not only for the disciples of that day but also for the Christian in every age. All around us “men’s hearts [are] failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth” (Luke 21:26). Opportunistic teachers write lurid accounts of an apocalyptic future, hoping to sell their speculative version of science fiction “prophecy” to the masses. In the midst of it all, we need to understand the signs of Christ’s coming for our own comfort, for the coming of Jesus Christ is our hope. We look for “that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

Called to Watch for Christ’s Return gives the sober, distinctly Reformed and Amillennial exposition of Christ’s teaching, avoiding the murky waters of both Postmillennial Preterism, which sees almost everything in these chapters as fulfilled in AD 70, and Premillennial Dispensationalism, which promises a future temple in a restored Jerusalem after a secret rapture of the church.

Christ had two concerns in the Olivet Discourse. First, His disciples, both then and now, must know the signs of His coming, which are those events in creation, in the church and among the nations which indicate that Christ is on His way. These signs are footsteps, which those who have an ear to hear can recognize as the approach of the Lord. But Christ is not satisfied with that because mere “sign-gazing” can lead to speculative, idle, foolish living. Christ did not give us these signs to satisfy our curiosity, but so that we might be ready for Him when He comes. Therefore, Christ’s second concern was the readiness of his disciples, which is expressed in his urgent and repeated warnings to watch for His coming in light of the signs. That, too, is the twofold concern of this exposition of the Olivet Discourse. Watch, pray, and serve the Lord with an eye to these signs.

Rev. Martyn McGeown grew up in Co. Tyrone, N. Ireland, graduated from the Protestant Reformed Theological School in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, in June 2010, and has been the missionary-pastor of the Limerick Reformed Fellowship in the Republic of Ireland, since July 2010.

“I am at page 92 of Rev McGeown book [after buying it just 24 hours ago]. It is a really good book; worth double the price … [A week later,] I have read my copy and am starting my second go.” – Co. Antrim

“This is a great book. It is very easy to read and uses common-sense exegesis.” – N. Ireland

“I am greatly enjoying the book by Pastor McGeown. Its chapter on “The Abomination of Desolation” which deals with Daniel’s 70 weeks makes so much more sense than the view of the dispensationalists. As I read it I was struck with sadness at the amount of time I have wasted within this system of eschatology.” – Belfast

“This is a really easy and straightforward read that makes sense as you read it!” – N. Ireland

“My thanks to Rev. McGeown for the lovely, precious Called to Watch for Christ’s Return. I’ve nearly finished part 1 and it has been a great blessing!” – England

“I have just finished rereading the first part of Called to Watch for Christ’s Return. It is such a wonderful book and so very encouraging.” – England

“Love Called to Watch for Christ’s Return … This afternoon I have been reading the super exposition in Rev. McGeown’s book on the parable of the talents, it made me think about what area of service the Lord has given to me.” – England

“The high commendation was right. An excellent work!” – London

“I enjoyed the book by Martyn McGeown Called to Watch for Christ’s Return.” – Cambridge

“Concisely written book dealing with Reformed Christian Eschatology, Amillennialism. Bravo, Rev. McGeown.” – Rep. of Ireland

“… a fine example of good exegesis and sermonizing, combined into a commentary. I am teaching eschatology this semester and have actually added [the] book to the REQUIRED READING section of my syllabus. Students will be required to read the book in connection with our discussion of the signs of the times.” – USA

“I’m just now reading Rev. McGeown’s book and love it.” –  Minnesota, USA

“Just wanted  you to know I really enjoyed [the] book, Called to Watch for Christ’s Return. I read it last week and was very much impressed by the good way you criticized pre- and postmillennialism … We also told our church librarian that we really enjoyed you writing.” – Hudsonville, Michigan, USA

“Very well written and easy to understand.” – Illinois, USA

“I am halfway through [the book]. The chapter on ‘The Great Tribulation’ pricked me. Here’s one of the ponder-worthy words: ‘We must be faithful in small things, watching and praying that we will be faithful in that day. But we must not fear. Christ will provide sufficient grace to endure the persecution when it comes’ (p. 126).” – Philippines

“Thoroughly enjoyed this clear and edifying exposition of Scripture.” – Alberta, Canada

“I have begun reading … Called to Watch for Christ’s Return, and am enjoying it immensely.” – Australia

REVIEW 1

Turn off the TV, the computer, the tablet and the smartphone, and watch. “Watch what?” you ask. Watch for Christ’s return—that is, know the signs of Christ’s return and be ready for his coming.

Knowing the signs of Christ coming and growing in readiness for his return is the important subject of a new RFPA publication I was happy to find in my church mailbox on a recent Sunday. The author is Rev. Martyn McGeown, member of the Covenant Protestant Reformed Church in Ballymena, Northern Ireland and missionary pastor of the Limerick Reformed Fellowship in the Republic of Ireland.

The contents of this book arise from a series of sermons on Matthew 24 and 25 that Rev. McGeown preached in Limerick between August of 2011 and January of 2012, barely a year after his graduation from the Theological School of the Protestant Reformed Churches in the summer of 2010. Read this book and you will find that Rev. McGeown is gifted beyond his years in both preaching and writing. The RFPA has found an able author and I hope that this is the first of many books to come from the pen of Rev. McGeown, Lord willing.

Throughout this book, Rev. McGeown makes the difficult understandable and practical for the believer. Matthew 24 and 25 are difficult passages, not only because they can be hard to understand but, more importantly, because they vividly set forth the lot of the believer in this life. The way of the believer in this life is the way of suffering and persecution that grows in intensity as the end draws near. A Reformed amillennialist, Rev. McGeown does not sugar coat this reality, but shows how this suffering “serves the coming of Christ and the end of all things” (p. 46).

Throughout this book, the author makes the material very practical for the reader. He doesn’t beat around the bush or blunt the sharp edges of the reality of persecution for the believer. One example, from the many available in the book, serves to prove this point. In Chapter 4 (“The Church Hated By All Nations”), Rev. McGeown writes,

Matthew 24 does not specify who will deliver the Christians up to be afflicted, but Mark and Luke add that it will be in some cases former friends and even family members. Jesus had already warned about this: he had not come to bring peace, but to bring a sword (Matt. 10:34). The result would be opposition and enmity among friends and even families. Now he underlines it again: you will be handed over to the authorities to be afflicted and to be killed. Your friends will do it! Your parents will do it! Your brothers and sisters will do it! Your sons and daughters will do it! “Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death” (Mark 13:12). “And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death” (Luke 21:16).

What a bitter pill that will be to swallow! Surely it is bad enough to be arrested; bad enough to be treated as a criminal; bad enough to be thrown into prison, to be tortured, to be put to death. But to watch as your own family do it! To hear your nearest and dearest say, “Take him. He is a Christian. We hate him. We are not on his side.” How dreadful! (p. 51)

So … turn off the TV, phone and computer … and live in reality … and watch! Know the signs of Christ’s imminent return and grow in your readiness for his return. Read this excellent book!

Aaron Cleveland (Grand Rapids, MI, USA)

REVIEW 2

Called to Watch for Christ’s Return began as a series of sermons preached by the author on the Olivet Discourse, a speech in which “Jesus proclaims his second coming, an event with which history will come to a dramatic and sudden close” (ix). These sermons covered Matthew 24:1-31, dealing with the signs of Christ’s coming—deceivers, the preaching of the gospel, the great tribulation, and more. These sermons also dealt with Matthew 24:32-25:46, treating the subject of watching for Christ’s return—the unknown time of his return, Christ’s coming as in the days of Noah, parables associated with his coming, and more. These sermons comprise the content of the book. We are thankful that these fine sermons have reached a wider audience through their publication in book form.

The main strength of Called to Watch for Christ’s Return is its exegetical precision and richness. The material is always mined from the text. Concepts are carefully defined and developed, and difficult passages are lucidly explained. Especially does this clarity of exegesis become important in passages that deal with such matters as the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15-20) and the unknown time of Christ’s return (Matthew 24:36). Such passages are often misinterpreted, leading to a host of errors. Thus, proper, sober interpretation is critical in these kinds of difficult passages. McGeown’s work is a needed and timely contribution to the study of eschatology (the end times), for two reasons. First, there are so many today teaching unbiblical ideas about the end of the world. Called to Watch for Christ’s Return interacts with these systems of thought, dismantles them, and plainly sets forth the biblical, Reformed, amillennial position. Second, we live in the last days, and that alone makes this book important. We must know what to expect in these last and evil days, we must be admonished to watch for the coming of our Lord, and we must be comforted.

McGeown’s work is necessarily polemical. That is, it is a work which exposes and refutes the errors. Advocates of both postmillennialism and premillennial dispensationalism seek to find evidence for their views in Matthew 24 and 25. Postmillennialism teaches that the Olivet Discourse—at least some of it, if not all of it—is a reference exclusively to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. This interpretation is fundamental to the postmillennial position, lest the events of which Jesus speaks interfere with postmillennialism’s future golden age. In contrast, premillennial dispensationalists claim that the Olivet Discourse refers exclusively to the future—not to AD 70, but to a future Jerusalem and a future temple. Negatively, the author exposes these errors, and demonstrates how a sober interpretation of Jesus’ teaching pulls the rug out from under these millennial systems. Positively, McGeown sees Matthew 24 and 25 as a blending of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, on the one hand, and Jesus’ second coming, on the other hand. The destruction of Jerusalem is a type or picture of Jesus’ second coming. This view, the amillennial view, and this view alone, does justice to Jesus’ words.

In a book on watching for Christ’s return, one would expect not only polemics, but also pointed instruction and warning for believers. After all, we are all prone to spiritual slumber instead of watching for Christ’s return. The command of scripture to watch for our Lord’s coming is a weighty command, and the author conveys it well: “Watch! Christ is coming. Let us not be found sleeping when he returns, but looking for his return. Let that watchfulness begin today if it has not been our habit before, so whether he comes on the clouds or calls us in death, we will be ready to meet him” (214). Called to Watch for Christ’s Return is a stirring call to stay vigilant in these last and evil days.

The book is also comforting and warm, an approach that arises from the author’s pastoral heart for God’s people who live in the perilous days prior to Jesus’ coming. This warm tone characterizes the entirety of the book, and climaxes in the last chapter; any reader’s heart will thrill in reading this last chapter, which explains, in part, the glories of the new heavens and the new earth. Read and meditate upon this breathtaking description of heaven: “Death, sin, and the curse will be absent—forever banished from the new creation. We will enjoy spiritual joy and satisfaction in abundance, for we will enter into the fullness of our inheritance. Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit! That is life, eternal life, life that lasts forever and has no end. Life with Christ. Life in the presence of God, fellowshipping with him. That is blessedness and joy! That is worth waiting for! Do not fear the judgment day. Do not be weary with watching and waiting. But pray, even for that great day” (280).

Our Lord is coming. Watch. Watch—by reading. Called to Watch for Christ’s Return, as a faithful exposition of Jesus’ words, will instruct you, arm you against the errors, comfort you, and quicken your hope. Come, Lord Jesus, yea, come quickly.

Rev. Ryan Barnhill

An examination of the “well-meant offer of Salvation.”  This book can also be read on-line.

Calvin’s Calvinism, consisting chiefly of God’s Eternal Predestination and Secret Providence, is, as the Genevan Reformer himself states, his fullest presentation of the absolute sovereignty of God—going beyond even its treatment in his Institutes. This volume also includes Calvin’s A Brief Reply and Reply to the Slanderous Reports, responses to calumnies heaped upon Calvin, the Reformed churches and the truth of the Holy Scriptures by an enemy of God’s almighty grace in Jesus Christ. These works by John Calvin were translated from the Latin by Henry Cole and first published in 1856. As its first edition, in 1987, the Reformed Free Publishing Association (RFPA) reprinted the Sovereign Grace Union’s 1927 publication. This significantly revised second edition includes two fine historical introductions by Prof. Russell J. Dykstra. All lovers of Calvin and—far more importantly—all worshippers of the Triune God, who is the Lord of heaven and earth, will be sure to value this new RFPA edition.

As Calvin puts it, “God [has] the right and the power to have mercy on whom He will, and to harden whom He will, according to His own pleasure and purpose. The apostle therefore maintains that the right of hardening and of showing mercy is in the power of God alone, and that no law can be imposed on Him as a rule for His works, because no law or rule can be thought of better, greater, or more just, than His own will!”

Click here, for an audio lecture using the book Calvin’s Calvinism: “Calvin Versus Pighius.”
Click here, for quotes from the Calvin versus Pighius debate.

“Calvin’s Calvinism is a great book on predestination. I would say Calvin is the greatest Bible teacher since the Apostle Paul.” – Lincolnshire, England

“I’m reading Calvin’s Calvinism. It is a beautiful book, a real classic on predestination, reprobation and providence.” – England

“Eighteen months ago, you sent me a copy of Calvin’s Calvinism, which was very instructive.” – England

For many, the term “ancient” implies drudgery and irrelevance. However, the outset of this book will dispel any such notions. The ancient age brims with interest, instruction and encouragement for today’s readers. This was an age of miracle-working apostles, fearless martyrs and stalwart church fathers; an age that preserved the Scriptures, drafted the early creeds and produced timeless Christian classics; an age when the church was buffeted by fierce waves of persecution and assailed by heresies of every sort. Through this volume and the ones that follow, the Lord Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of the church, sovereignly shepherded His beloved church by His Word and Spirit.

In this first volume of Christ and His Church Through the Ages, author and historian Herman Hanko tells the fascinating story of the early church during the first six centuries of the New Testament dispensation. He relates how Christ faithfully guided the church from the ministry of the apostles through the fall of the Roman Empire. Highlights of this history include the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles, the persecution of the church under Roman emperors, the deliberations of the ecumenical councils and the battle for the truth of sovereign grace.

Through this and future volumes, students of church history and interested readers will surely grow in their love and appreciation for the saga of Christ’s church. They will find church history to be, as the author once affectionately described it, “the exciting adventure of the marvelous work of grace.”

Herman Hanko served as professor of church history at the Theological School of the Protestant Reformed Churches from 1965 until his retirement in 2001. He is the author of several books, including Portraits of Faithful Saints, Contending for the Faith and For Thy Truth’s Sake: A Doctrinal History of the Protestant Reformed Churches.

Dan Van Uffelen is a church history teacher at Covenant Christian High School in Walker, Michigan. He has taught church history for almost two decades.

[Reviewed by Prof. Douglas Kuiper, current professor of church history at the Protestant Reformed Seminary]

The RFPA website currently lists ten titles written by Herman Hanko, emeritus professor of Church History and New Testament Studies at the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary. Publishing this survey of church history will add four more titles to those ten. These four may well be Hanko’s magnum opus.

The four volumes correspond to the four main eras of church history—ancient, medieval, Reformation and modern. The RFPA’s goal is to publish one volume per year for the next four years. Under review is the first volume, covering the first six centuries of church history. Three chapters cover the first period of ancient church history, the apostolic period (30–100). The material in this section is largely based on God’s revelation in Scripture.

Chapters four through ten cover the post-apostolic period (100–313). During this period the church was learning how to live, grow and develop in her doctrinal understanding without the guidance of the apostles. Society and the Roman government hated the church during this era. She battled against heresies that consisted of mixtures of Christian teachings and pagan philosophy, she had to recognize which books constituted the inspired Scriptures and she had to develop in her understanding of the Trinity. By God’s grace and under Christ’s direction, grow and develop she did.

Chapters eleven through nineteen cover the Nicene and post-Nicene period (313–590). During this time, the state stopped persecuting the church and began to favour her, to her weakening. The seeds of the Romish papacy were sown and began to sprout. Notable doctrinal controversies regarding the Trinity, Christ’s Person and natures, and the depravity of man’s nature also characterized this period. The church was working hard to develop in her understanding of the sovereign, irresistible character of God’s grace.

All of which is to say that this book highlights the main events and themes in the history of the church during her first six hundred years—exactly as you would expect it to do and as do many other books. So what makes this book different?

First, the work is intended for a wide public audience, not the narrow field of scholarship. Hanko is a scholar. He is well read in the field of church history and taught it at seminary level for thirty-six years. But his goal is that the members of the church, whether highly educated or not, know the basic points of church history.

Second, Hanko’s goal is to make the reading of church history an enjoyable undertaking: “I have consciously tried to make the book enjoyable and worth reading” (author’s Preface). Indeed, the book tells a story and flows like a story. It is a story—a true story, His (God’s) story.

Other surveys of church history are also intended for a wide audience and are entertaining reads. So the third, and fundamental, way in which this book is different is that it evaluates church history from a Reformed and biblical viewpoint. In Hanko’s words, “While the books that I read were all helpful in giving the facts of church history, some in considerable detail, I could not find one book that dealt with the history of Christ’s church from a biblical and, more specifically, a Reformed viewpoint” (Preface).

In this reviewer’s judgment, Hanko accomplishes all three goals and does so well. His writing style is engaging. His explanation of complex matters (Gnosticism, and the Trinitarian and Christological heresies, for example) is simple enough that the book could be used as a high-school textbook (in fact, the first edition was a limited edition release for that purpose). And Hanko’s evaluation of his material in light of Scripture is refreshing.

The book is full of church history facts, but the analysis of the historical events and themes is this book’s great value. Every historian has a bias, a perspective from which he views history. Some historians, trying to be objective, do not tip their hand as to what their bias is. Hanko tips his hand: history is the unfolding of God’s counsel, directed by the ascended Lord. It is the outworking of principles of history that Scripture tells us to expect—the signs of the times of our Lord’s return. It is the story of men and women who sometimes abided by scriptural principles and requirements, and other times failed to abide by them.

Hanko also leaves the reader with the clear impression that the history of the church long ago is relevant for us today. History’s themes repeat themselves and the heresies that the church battled then are fundamentally the same, though repackaged, as some of the heresies that the church faces today.

I thank my former professor for taking the time to write the book and look forward to the release of the next three volumes.

The contributions of the editor and reviser, Dan Van Uffelen, are also commendable. Dan lists the ten basic categories in which he revised the first edition. Dan’s work was significant and time-consuming. The addition of introductory essays, biographical sketches, sidebars, charts and pictures makes the book more enjoyable to read, and more suitable for a textbook. The addition of an index to the book is also welcome.

The subject matter is precious. The matter is presented at a level that many can read. RFPA subscribers will not only enjoy reading the book but likely recommend it to others interested in the church’s history. 

Medieval. Nowadays, this adjective is used to describe something antiquated, even cruel. In turn, many today see the Middle Ages as little more than a long period of decadence. This second volume of Christ and His Church Through the Ages shows us how history is more complicated than that.

It is true that the medieval age seems the most distressing age in the history of Christ’s church: the rise of the papacy, widespread false teachings and superstitions, the conquests of Islam, and countless battles and wars in the name of Christ. In this sense, these were the dark ages. But the medieval age is also the most fascinating age in the history of Christ’s church: the conversion of the barbarians, the Christianization of Europe, the blossoming of Christian education, the shining of many theological lights, and the labouring of pre-reformers such as John Wycliffe and Jan Hus. This was the age of faith.

Herman Hanko tells the story of how God, in His mysterious ways, made His church to be both a witness to the nations, and the cradle of civilization and culture. Despite much apparent evidence to the contrary, the Lord was preserving his church even in these strange and troubled times. Through it all, God was preparing the great Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century.

Through this and future volumes, students of church history and interested readers alike will surely grow in their love and appreciation for the saga of Christ’s church. They will find church history to be, as the author once affectionately described it, “the exciting adventure of the marvelous work of grace.”

Herman Hanko served as professor of church history at the Theological School of the Protestant Reformed Churches from 1965 until his retirement in 2001. He is the author of several books, including Portraits of Faithful Saints, Contending for the Faith and For Thy Truth’s Sake: A Doctrinal History of the Protestant Reformed Churches.

Dan Van Uffelen is a church history teacher at Covenant Christian High School in Walker, Michigan. He has taught church history for almost two decades.

The subject of the book is eschatology, the biblical doctrine of the last things.

“We amillennialists,” writes Engelsma, “proclaim a gospel that declares the little flock of Christ, that will always have tribulation in the world and whose members are killed all the day long, to be not merely conquerors but ‘more than conquerors’ (Luke 12:32; John 16:33; Rom. 8:36-37). See, this is not pessimism. This is optimism. This is the hugest optimism. This is optimism without any hint of pessimism.”

Christ’s Spiritual Kingdom includes fine exegesis of Revelation 20, Matthew 24 and Isaiah 65:17-25, and refutes “Jewish Dreams” and preterism.

Originally this book was a series of editorials in the Standard Bearer magazine.

“[Christ’s Spiritual Kingdom] breathes of the comfort and hope that the return of Christ brings to the believer … It is well-written and timely in its refutation of the views of Christian Reconstructionism” (British Church Newspaper).

“I was very blessed by Christ’s Spiritual Kingdom by Prof. Engelsma. I devoured it within the first week of its arrival.” – Norway

“Thank you for the book, Christ’s Spiritual Kingdom by Prof. David Engelsma. God willing, I plan to post that book on to the Kenyan pastors because this book is a wonderful defence of Reformed amillennialism and is a good bulwark against premillennialism and dispensationalism. This book is very timely and very useful and deserves to be widely read.” – England

“What a wonderful book in times like these, even in Namibia! … It is one of my library books that I give to members of the congregation.” – Namibia

Did you know that common grace advocates seek to “Christianize” the world with a “grace” apart from that of the incarnate and crucified Christ?

Did you know that Abraham Kuyper’s chief biblical basis for common grace lies in his unique reinterpretation of Genesis 6-9 which removes it from the history and development of God’s covenant of grace, contrary to the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition?

Did you know that Kuyper taught that common grace means that not one human being on planet earth is totally depraved, contrary to Holy Scripture (e.g., Romans 3) and the Reformed faith and creeds, represented, for example, in the very first head of doctrine of the Canons of Dordt, the original Five Points of Calvinism? No wonder Kuyper’s common grace ideas and movement were, and are, called, not Calvinism but Neo-Calvinism!

Did you know that Kuyper’s theory of common grace was designed to enable a coalition government in the Netherlands involving a Roman Catholic party and Kuyper’s Reformed party? Similarly, the translation of Kuyper’s multi-volume work into English in our day is an ecumenical effort involving purportedly Protestant, evangelical and Reformed theologians and institutions with Roman Catholics.

Are you aware of the utter failure of Kuyper’s common grace to Christianize the Netherlands, America, Canada and elsewhere? Instead, this theory has facilitated apostasy and worldliness in the churches.

Did you know that common grace brings forth the Antichrist—according to its leading advocate, Abraham Kuyper!

Prof. David Engelsma’s book is a devastating critique of Abraham Kuyper’s cultural theory of a common grace of God and its grandiose mission. Its first and main part is a much-expanded version of the public lecture given in Grand Rapids in 2014 under the auspices of the evangelism society of Southwest Protestant Reformed Church in Wyoming, Michigan (pp. 11-123). The second part of the book consists of Prof. Engelsma’s answers to 27 wide-ranging questions raised by the audience at the conclusion of the lecture (pp. 125-191).

The publication of this book, which is based on a speech given by Professor Engelsma in a public lecture in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2014, coincides with the appearance of the English translation of Abraham Kuyper’s three-volume magnum opus on common grace which has been funded by various Reformed and Presbyterian churches and the Acton Institute—which is essentially Roman Catholic.

Engelsma’s points are incisive, convincing, and devastating of all Kuyper’s errors. “Christianizing the world” is NOT a Reformed calling and it denies total depravity, breaches the antithesis, destroys the oneness of the true Reformed worldview, causes world conformity, leads to an erroneous belief in postmillennialism, and ultimately the apostasy of churches and the rise of antichrist (the latter point actually made by Kuyper himself!). On a more local level, it has led to the falling away of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) and Calvin Theological Seminary. Many, many other Reformed churches are erring through espousing this doctrinal system.

Engelsma shows that Kuyper’s interpretation of the Noahic covenant is wrong, and that what he taught was anti-confessional and not Reformed.

Among the charges made about the Protestant Reformed Churches—the only denomination to oppose Kuyper’s view and its adoption by the CRC—was that they were “Anabaptist.” Engelsma again shows that this is spurious and false stating, “The Reformed Christian is permitted, indeed required, to live this godly life in physical contact and even earthly cooperation with the ungodly, for example, at work, in the neighbourhood, and in the life of the nation.”

The second half of the book consists of Engelsma’s answers to questions from the floor and others posted later. It also delves into several ramifications of Kuyper’s views.

It is a much-needed book that ought to be read by every member of Reformed and Presbyterian churches whose seminaries and leaders are almost all falling away from the biblical truth of the five points of Calvinism and in particular sovereign, irresistible, particular grace.

To read another review of this book, click here.

“Thank you for writing (and publishing) this important book [i.e., Christianizing the World]. For me, it connected so many dots that I knew were there, but just could not figure out the ‘common’ denominator.”

“I already have a copy of this book but [I think] that I should keep a second copy that is available to pass on to someone else should opportunity present itself. I find the book quite astounding. I think I must be a superficial reader. First up, and with most books, I have to read a second time to get the proper gist of the contents. But this book of Mr. Engelsma’s I have read 4 or 5 times so far and each time am rather staggered at some of the things that Abraham Kuyper comes out with. I think if I read again I will still find new things to impress me.” – Australia

“I have just finished Prof. Engelsma’s Christianizing the World, which I found a sound and useful book in the common grace debate.” – Hungary

Come, Ye Children had gone out of print because of its popularity with our readers. A reprint with a durable cover was done so that children who grew up with this book may order copies to read to their children after a meal or at bedtime. Now it has been reprinted again. Come, Ye Children has been a favourite for over twenty years! The author recommends it especially for children ages 4-8. In truth, anyone new to Bible history can learn from it! A Christian school teacher and gifted storyteller, the author tells 198 Bible stories from Genesis to Acts with a biblical, covenantal interpretation in language easily understood by young children. Each story is true to Scripture and includes a thought to remember and an illustrative drawing. The author echoes David’s sentiment: “Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”

“To be clear, this is not a Bible. It’s a storybook that covers the stories in the Bible. This book does not shy away from the uncommon stories that you typically won’t find in a children’s storybook … [It] also has the ‘main’ ones (creation, Noah, Abraham, etc.). The truth is clear and presented nicely with the important details being highlighted. It’s a quick easy read with each story being about a page and a half. Perfect for morning or dinner devotionals … This book is great for children ages 3–10 years old. I love how thorough it is.”—an Amazon.com customer

Read a chapter of this book in Tagalog.

“The question of comfort is placed and treated first, because it embodies the design and substance of the catechism. The design is that we may be led to the attainment of sure and solid comfort, both in life and death.” – Zacharias Ursinus on Lord’s Day 1

Comfort. To comfort God’s people with instruction in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This was the main reason the Heidelberg Catechism was written. To that end, George W. Williard’s English translation of The Commentary of Dr. Zacharias Ursinus on the Heidelberg Catechism has existed alongside the Catechism since 1851, assisting many generations of believers in plumbing the depths of the biblical truth of comfort expounded in the Catechism.

This 2025 edition of the Commentary is improved in readability and consistency compared to previous editions, but still remains faithful to Williard’s original English translation. Bibliographical and explanatory footnotes have been added to improve the reader’s study. Now in an enhanced format, the Commentary is a theological classic that suited for any Christian’s library.

ZACHARIAS URSINUS (1534-1583) was a Reformed theologian and professor. Through his works and teaching, and as the main author of the Heidelberg Catechism, by God’s grace, Ursinus left an ongoing legacy for Reformed churches worldwide.

Reviews

“Over the centuries, many expositions and commentaries have been written on the Heidelberg Catechism, such as Theodorus VanderGroe’s The Christian’s Only Comfort in Life and Death and Herman Hoeksema’s multi-volume Triple Knowledge. Yet, no commentary has had quite the same impact or authority as that of Zacharias Ursinus himself. As the primary author of approximately 60% of the Catechism and its officially sanctioned expositor, Ursinus’ commentary is indispensable for anyone wishing to engage deeply with the text. Despite its historical and theological importance, Ursinus’ Commentary has not always been readily accessible to the modern reader. Previous editions were often printed in dated typefaces, out of circulation, or prohibitively expensive. Thankfully, the Reformed Free Publishing Association has now released a freshly typeset 2025 edition, restoring this seminal work to its rightful place in theological study. For those who have anticipated its release, this edition is not only a delight but also a much-needed resource.” – KristiyaKnow (courtesy @kristiyaknow_reviews)

“The lectures of Ursinus as compiled and edited by his student, David Pareus, are invaluable for understanding the Heidelberg Catechism. This is especially true for preachers tasked with proclaiming its teaching. Yet, preachers, and even those in the pew, may be turned off by its ‘scholastic’ structure. Far from making the Catechism more difficult, it was in the Christian use of Aristotle that Ursinus and others sought to analyze, break down, and simplify the teaching of the word for pastors, who are tasked with preaching to people. In other words, sophistication in the study leads to simplicity in the pulpit. Pastors: immerse yourself in the best of our tradition’s pedagogy and watch your preaching improve and your people’s minds and hearts be enflamed!” – Daniel R. Hyde (Ph.D., Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), pastor of Oceanside United Reformed Church (Carlsbad/Oceanside, CA)

“It is with great enthusiasm that I commend this latest edition of Ursinus’s Commentary from the RFPA … The reader of this new edition will find much to edify the soul. I cannot encourage you too strongly to buy this for your personal and church libraries. A blessing is in store for readers of classics.” – C. N. Willborn (Ph.D., Westminster Theological Seminary), senior pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church (Oak Ridge, TN)

“The well-loved Heidelberg Catechism deserves not only careful study but also systematic exposition. And who better to write a commentary on the Catechism than one of its authors, Zacharias Ursinus? … Let us all rejoice in the republication of a significant resource in our Reformed theological and practical heritage.” – Thomas G. Reid Jr. (M.Div., Th.M.), retired librarian and registrar, Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (Pittsburgh, PA)

“The real virtue of this book lies in what RFPA has done that makes it notably unique from other print editions … Where there are charts and other such helps in the text, this volume makes them cleaner and more presentable. Some features of the text have been tweaked for greater consistency. The best things here (besides the text, of course) are the study helps. There are not one, but TWO tables of contents. The first is creedal, structured according to the 52 Lord’s Days and the threefold division of Guilt, Grace, and Gratitude. The second is topical, aiding in deeper study on particular topics or questions. RFPA has also added footnotes to aid with deeper study … While these study features aren’t exhaustive, they do wonders for making the CHC accessible to a wider audience … This new edition of the CHC is truly a gift to the church. RFPA is to be highly commended for their work. I believe that no Christian’s library is complete without a copy of this book.” – Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms

“An essential Catechism resource. This edition is freshly formatted for easier reading. It contains numerous footnotes indicating original sources. It has corrected the translator’s mistakes. It has translated all foreign language quotations. This edition also includes Scripture and name indexes. If you have [an] older … reprint, it will be well worth your money to buy this improved edition. For those who’ve never owned it, it’s a great resource, especially if you’re regularly preaching or teaching the Catechism. It’ll be a good addition for church libraries too. But be warned: it wasn’t written as a popular guide to the Catechism. It’s academic and presented in the Protestant scholastic mode. Nevertheless, much of it will still be accessible to most Reformed readers today.” – Wes Bredenhof

Widely known evangelical leader, Richard J. Mouw has recently renewed the case for a common grace of God. In his book, He Shines in All That’s Fair: Culture and Common Grace (Eerdmans, 2001), Dr. Mouw recommends to all Christians the theory of common grace. Mouw contends that common grace is essential for Christian life in society, especially the Christian’s cooperation with non-Christians in forming good, godly culture.

Common Grace Revisited is a response to Mouw’s apology for common grace. It considers Mouw’s arguments for common grace, examines Kuyperian (and now Mouwian) common grace in the light of Scripture and Reformed confessions, and proposes an alternative to common grace as the basis and motive of the Christian’s life in society.

The doctrine of common grace must not go untested. There are solid, indeed urgent, reasons, both theological and practical, for challenging its claim to be part of the body of Reformed truth. Common Grace Revisited presents some of these reasons.

Those who have read He Shines in All That’s Fair, as well as those who accept common grace, perhaps uncritically, as the power of the Christian life in the world, will do well to read Common Grace Revisited.

Prof. David J. Engelsma examines Richard Mouw’s belief that “common grace” prevents the world of the ungodly from being totally depraved, so that the reprobate wicked can, by the power of this non-saving “grace”, do good works and produce a God-honouring culture. This “common grace” means (according to Mouw) that God can take pleasure in the athletic prowess of unbelievers (such as Tiger Woods), that He pities the reprobate in their suffering, and that he wills to bless them with temporal good (although He has eternally decreed their damnation in the way of their sins). Engelsma argues from Scripture and the Reformed creeds that no such “common grace” exists. “Common grace” argues Engelsma is “based on what men see, feel and think as they observe their neighbours in the world” (p. 16), but it lacks scriptural and creedal support.

Does God take pleasure in the sporting achievements of unbelieving sportsmen? “The athletic skills of the ungodly as they are actually put to use, God detests. They are the skills of one who is ungodly in all his abilities and activities. They are of no use to God or man. They desecrate His sabbath. They are part of the insane worship of the sports hero who holds millions in thrall. Honouring these skills is the waste not only of time but of an entire life. God takes no pleasure in the legs of a man (Ps. 147:10). ” writes Engelsma (p. 40).  He demonstrates that Scripture and the Reformed creeds teach that all the works of the ungodly are sin, only sin, and never good. They never please God. “Whatever work does not take [God] into account, does not aim at and end in Him, and does not manifest and promote His glory—that work is sin. Gross sin” (p. 36) he writes. “Does the decent family man next door love his wife and children out of faith in Christ? If not, his natural affection is sin, although his failing to be faithful would be greater sin” (p. 40). This is the clear teaching of Westminster Confession 16:7.

Does God pity the wicked in their earthly woes? Does His heart break when reprobate people suffer pain, sorrow, hardship and even death? We are grieved at the suffering of our fellow humans, but does it follow, as Mouw argues in his book, that God is grieved? No, writes Engelsma, “The suffering of the reprobate wicked outside of Jesus Christ does not break the heart of God”  (p. 48).  Indeed, God as a terrible Judge inflicts temporal and eternal punishment on the wicked.

God has only one purpose and that one purpose has as its goal, its only goal, Jesus Christ. Richard Mouw posits a second purpose in this life: the development by the reprobate of a God-honouring culture. Engelsma argues that “there is no divine purpose with creation and history alongside and independent of Jesus Christ. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is unrelated to Jesus Christ” (p. 81).  We may not be able to see how everything in history serves the salvation of the church in Jesus Christ, but one day we will understand: “Then we will see how in the vast, complicated panorama of history every creature and every motion of every creature cooperated, wittingly or unwittingly, in serving Christ and His church. Until then we believe and confess it” (p. 90), writes Engelsma. “Common grace” gives false hope to those outside of Jesus Christ and it is used as an excuse to deny the wrath of God in history, and to break down the antithesis between the church and the world.  “Gifted, prominent unbelievers, especially the Tiger Woods of this world, arrogantly suppose that they are quite something in themselves, regardless of Jesus Christ. Common grace with its two-purposes-of-God-in-history idea encourages them in this foolishness. The biblical gospel disabuses them of this folly” (p. 82).  Scripture teaches that (in the words of the title of Mouw’s book) He Shines in All That is Fair but as Engelsma explains, this means that, “God shines in the remaining splendour of His creation and in the holy life of the redeemed. The life of the ungodly is foul and He curses it” (p. 95).

“Herman Hoeksema [declared], ‘Believers and unbelievers have everything in common except grace’ and that grace fulfils the Lord’s purpose in Isaiah 43:21: ‘This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.’ Engelsma show how this is worked out in contact with unbelievers” (English Churchman).

“[This book] should be widely circulated” (Christian Observer).

“Thank you for Common Grace Revisited; although the contents are dynamite (!!!) my heart is strangely warmed so I join you ‘outside the camp!’” – England

“Common Grace Revisited by David Engelsma is very useful in exposing the heresy of common grace. Common grace is very dangerous because it infects people with the Arminian poison.” – Lincoln, England

“I recently read the book on ‘common grace’—it was excellent. I just can’t see why people including Richard Mouw can still maintain this doctrine of common grace. If they seriously read the book I find it hard to believe or impossible to believe that they cannot see the truth. I wanted to write to say how well the arguments were defined and how well supported by biblical truth. It was so encouraging, enjoyable and edifying to read Common Grace Revisited.” – France

To read an excerpt of this book, click here.
To read an excerpt of this book in Portuguese, click here.
To read a chapter of this book in Spanish, click here.
Chapter 8 of this book can be read in Polish.

A biblical, doctrinal, and Christ-centred devotional, this book addresses the theme of the believer’s communion with God. Each meditation expresses the knowing, desiring, feeling, and acting of the faith of the heart that is near to God and in fellowship with Him in Christ by the Holy Spirit.

Along with Peace for the Troubled Heart, Communion with God is part of the Reformed Spirituality series comprised of meditations written by Herman Hoeksema.

_________________________

“I simply could not read another word of your new book, Herman Hoeksema’s devotional gem, Communion with God, without a comment and a plea. This is a great book—as good as it gets in devotional literature. I have a huge library and feel that this, the second volume of this collection is so very special (as was the first one). My plea: please confirm that you will continue to release further volumes of Hoeksema’s incredible treasury. It is so abundantly clear that this man knew Christ personally. What a great read, a wonderful way to end my day, in preparation for sleep.” – Maine, USA

As I’ve previously written on some book reviews, Rev. Hoeksema has long been a favorite of mine. A more consistent, dogmatic theologian, I’ve rarely found. In my opinion, he was the best biblical scholar of the 20th century. For some reason, I was pleasantly surprised to find that he could write devotional articles with deep, biblical insights, as in this great book: Communion with God. Usually systematic theologians and devotional writers are separate breeds. This God-blessed and courageous man was definitely gifted in both genres. I highly recommend it to all those interested in sound, Reformed teaching – Pennsylvania, USA

“I’m currently using Communion With God for my morning devotions. How good that book is! I’m reading it again for the second time. I’m actually finding myself praying it. It is so saturated with Scripture.” – W. Midlands, England

“I have just completed a reading of Communion with God—very provoking!” – S. Wales

“I’m being greatly helped by Communion with God by Herman Hoeksema” – W. Yorkshire, England

“I’m reading Communion With God at bed time. It is a beautiful book, straight forward and very sound. I’m hoping to be making further purchases in the near future. The books are published to such a high standard, and are so sound and orthodox. It is wonderful they use the King James Bible too. All the books deserve a wide readership and are very reasonably priced.” – England

“I’ve just finished reading Communion With God by Herman Hoeksema. A beautiful book, so good I will read it again. I have never read a better devotional book. All the chapters cover helpful subjects which strengthen our faith and bring us closer to God. The RFPA books deserve a wide readership.” – Lincolnshire, England

A companion book to Portraits of Faithful Saints, also by Herman Hanko

The history of the Christ’s church is a record of battles fought for the truth. Peter warned the New Testament church that false teachers would creep into the church, bringing in their destructive heresies. Over the last two millennia, heretics have sought to undermine the foundation of the church by attacking every area of doctrine. And the attacks continue to the present day. A right knowledge of these heretics and their pernicious errors is essential if the church will defend the truth over against the various current forms of the lie. Therefore, a book that describes the heretics in their historical setting is immensely valuable. Contending for the Faith is such a book.

In a unique way, Contending for the Faith presents the history of heretics that have troubled the church over the last two thousand years. What sets the book apart is its evaluation of every heresy from a consistently and unashamedly Reformed perspective. The reader will readily grasp the significance of the early heretics as Prof. Hanko demonstrates the connection between their heresies and the errors from AD 100 (Marcion) to the present day (Federal Vision theology). The vibrant writing style brings the heretics—ancient and modern—to life. This trustworthy guide to the heretics equips believers today to “contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3).

To read chapter 34, “Common Grace,” in Portuguese, click here.

To watch the video of the author interview concerning this book, click here.

“Contending for the Faith has been so helpful, as I am battling some of the same heresies that our brothers and sisters faced in the past.” – England

“Thank you very much for the book we received today on the covenant … It is a subject about which we are desirous to learn. I have just finished reading Contending for the Faith by Prof. Hanko and have found it to be very helpful and insightful. A real blessing.” – England

“Contending for the Faith by Herman Hanko is [a] classic. [It is very helpful] to know more of Charles Darwin and evolutionism.” – S. Wales

“I highly prize Contending for the Faith by Hanko because it’s packed full of useful information concerning the heretics throughout church history, which are a present danger to the church today. I keep my copy close at hand because it’s such a useful reference book. I want to order a copy for a Nigerian pastor.” – Lincolnshire, England

“Contending for the Faith by Hanko is very useful when dealing with heretics.” – England

“Portraits of Faithful Saints could well be considered a sort of companion volume to Contending for the Faith, which I have not quite finished reading yet. Together Prof. Hanko gives a very full and accessible history of the champions, detractors and struggles of the Reformed faith.” – England

Does the eternal, unchangeable, all-powerful, and sovereign God really have a temporal, changeable and weak desire to save those whom He has unconditionally reprobated (Rom. 9:22), for whom the Son did not die (John 12:31) and whom the Holy Spirit will not regenerate, sanctify or glorify (John 3:8)?

Pelagianism, Semi-Pelagianism, Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, Anabaptism, Arminianism, Amyraldianism and Marrowism say yes to the well-meant offer of the gospel. The biblical, Augustinian, Reformed and creedal position is no!

Emeritus professor of church history, Herman Hanko, guides us through fascinating doctrinal controversies in the early, Reformation and modern eras of the church, taking us to North Africa, Switzerland, France, England, Scotland, the Netherlands and America, and emphasizing the teaching of the great theologians, such as Augustine and John Calvin, on God’s particular grace, which is always irresistible and never fails or is frustrated.

In dealing with the historical perspective of God’s absolutely sovereign grace versus the well-meant offer, this book fills a gap in the literature, and does so in a way that is warm and easily understood.

An earlier version of this book can be read on-line.

Chapters of this book have been translated into Polish.
For an excerpt of this book in Spanish, click here.

“Biblical Calvinism has been so diluted it’s amazing so many have the audacity to claim they are Reformed.” – S. Wales

“Excellent, excellent book!” – North Carolina, USA

“I’m enjoying Corrupting the Word of God by Hanko. Packed with useful material.” – England

Select Annotated Bibliography

1) Augustine, The Enchiridion on Faith, Hope and Love, ed. Henry Paolucci, trans. J. F. Shaw (Chicago, IL: Henry Regnery Co., 1961). Augustine of Hippo (354-430) in North Africa was undoubtedly the greatest theologian of the early church. Toward the end of his eventful life, he wrote a handbook for a Roman called Laurentius, summarizing the Christian faith around the three theological virtues (faith, hope and love) and the Apostles’ Creed. This work, which has been very popular in the church’s history, contains a lengthy section (xciv-cvii) on eternal election and reprobation, and God’s omnipotence and immutability, which sharply opposes the free offer and its misinterpretation of I Timothy 2:4 and Matthew 23:37, in the light of Scripture (esp. Ps. 115:3; 135:6; Rom. 9).¹

2) Francis X. Gumerlock, Fulgentius of Ruspe on the Saving Will of God: The Development of a Sixth-Century African Bishop’s Interpretation of I Timothy 2:4 During the Semi-Pelagian Controversy (Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 2009). In 520, Fulgentius of Ruspe (468-533) wrote a synodal letter, in the name of his fifteen fellow North African bishops (who were banished by the Vandals to Sardinia), opposing the well-meant-offer views of the Semi-Pelagian monks in Constantinople. Gumerlock’s fascinating book traces the development of Fulgentius’ views through several stages until he confessed the full Augustinian position and embraced the predestinarian understanding of Matthew 23:37, I Timothy 2:4 and II Peter 3:9.

3) Victor Genke and Francis X. Gumerlock (eds. & trans.), Gottschalk and a Medieval Predestination Controversy: Texts Translated From the Latin (Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University Press, 2010). Saxon monk and missionary to Croatia and Bulgaria, Gottschalk of Orbais (c.808-c.867) was even more forceful and antithetical than Augustine on Christ’s particular atonement and God’s effectual saving desire, occasioning the biggest theological controversy of the ninth century, involving several councils, the leading churchmen of Western Europe and even the successors of Emperor Charlemagne: his son and grandsons. For his stand for the truth, confessor Gottschalk was excommunicated, brutally flogged on two occasions and placed under house arrest, dying after twenty years in captivity. This recent book contains many excellent writings of Gottschalk never before published in English.

4) John Calvin, Calvin’s Calvinism (Jenison, MI: RFPA, 2009). This superb publication contains the French Reformer’s fullest and most detailed treatment of God’s eternal predestination over against several Roman Catholic theologians, who argue that God desires to convert everybody, appealing to the usual texts, especially I Timothy 2:4, on which Calvin (1509-1564) faithfully follows the Augustinian exegesis. Part one of this book, God’s Eternal Predestination and Secret Providence or the Consensus Genevensis (1552), its longest section, was sent forth with the consent of Geneva’s Venerable Company of Pastors.²

5) Jonathan Rainbow, The Will of God and the Cross: An Historical and Theological Study of John Calvin’s Doctrine of Limited Redemption (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 1990). In this powerful work, Rainbow convincingly demonstrates that Calvin stands in the line of Augustine of Hippo, Fulgentius of Ruspe, Gottschalk of Orbais and others, including the Strasbourg Reformer Martin Bucer (1491-1551), on Christ’s particular atonement and God’s saving will towards His elect alone.

6) John Knox, On Predestination, in Answer to the Cavillations by an Anabaptist (1560), in The Works of John Knox, ed. David Laing (USA: Banner, 2014), vol. 5, pp. 7-468. In his longest and most profound theological work, John Knox (c.1514-1572) establishes the absolute sovereignty of God from Scripture, with frequent appeals to Augustine (including his Enchiridion), Calvin (including his Consensus Genevensis) and Theodore Beza (1519-1605). When his English Anabaptist opponent argued from the four frequently cited texts (see below) for a desire of God to save the reprobate, Scotland’s greatest Reformer successfully refuted him on all of them.³

7) Pierre du Moulin, Anatomie of Arminianism (London: T. S. for Nathaniel Newbery, 1620). Du Moulin (1568–1658) was one of the four representatives delegated by the French Reformed Church to the great Synod of Dordt (1618-1619) but was forbidden to go by King Louis XIII under pain of death. In writing against the doctrines of the Arminians, du Moulin strongly opposed their notion that God wishes to save everyone.⁴

8) Jonathan Moore, English Hypothetical Universalism: John Preston and the Softening of Reformed Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007). In setting forth the free-offer theology of John Preston (1587-1628) regarding the divine decree, the death of Christ and the gospel call, Moore explains how it was a watering down of the solid Elizabethan particularism of John Bridges (1536–1618), William Perkins (1558-1602) and John Dove (1561-1618) in Puritan England, as well as being contrary to such continental Reformed worthies as Theodore Beza in Geneva, and Jacobus Kimedoncius (c.1550-1596) and Jeremias Bastingius (1551-1595) in Heidelberg.

9) The Geneva Theses (1649), in James T. Dennison, Jr. (ed.), Reformed Confessions of the 16^th and 17^th Centuries in English Translation, vol. 4 (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2014), pp. 413-422. This binding confession from Calvin’s citadel explicitly and repeatedly rejects the free-offer view of God’s will and love as taught by the Amyraldians, and opposes their interpretation of Ezekiel 18:21ff. and 33:11, I Timothy 2:4 and II Peter 3:9. The two pastors and theological professors who drafted the Geneva Theses were Antoine Léger (1594-1661) and Théodore Tronchin (1582-1657), who was a Genevan delegate at the Synod of Dordt which condemned Arminianism.⁵

10) David J. Engelsma, Hyper-Calvinism and the Call of the Gospel: An Examination of the Well-Meant Offer of the Gospel (Jenison, MI: RFPA, 2014). Though this book is mainly a theological and biblical refutation of the free offer, it does treat historical aspects of the issue, including, for example, the English hyper-Calvinists in the eighteenth century, Dutch secession theologians in the nineteenth century and developments in twentieth-century North American churches, especially the Christian Reformed Church and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. It also contains chapters on the sound teaching on the gospel call by John Calvin, Francis Turretin and Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920).

The Four Main Texts Wrongly Appealed to as if They Taught the Well-Meant Offer

Besides the authorities from various ages and countries mentioned above (including Augustine, Fulgentius, Gottschalk, Calvin, Knox, Beza, Bridges, Kimedoncius, Bastingius, Perkins, Dove, du Moulin, the Geneva Theses, Turretin, Gernler, Heidegger, Kuyper, Rainbow, Engelsma and Moore), quotes from and about other theologians, who do not interpret the four main texts urged by free-offer advocates as if they support a (temporal and failed) desire of God to save the reprobate, have been compiled on-line.⁶

1) I Timothy 2:4, includes Januarius, Caesarius of Arles, Students of Cassiodorus (sixth century), an old Irish gloss (c. 700), Sedulius Scottus, Florus of Lyon, Prudentius of Troyes, Servatus Lupus, Ratramnus of Corbie, Remigius of Lyon, Hugh of St. Victor, Peter Lombard, Bonaventure, Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, Thomas Bradwardine, Gregory of Rimini, John Wycliffe, Laurenzo Valla, Martin Bucer, Jerome Zanchius, Zacharias Ursinus, Daniel Tossanus, William Ames, Jacobus Trigland, Thomas Watson, Herman Witsius, Bernardinus de Moor, Johann van den Honert, Hendrik de Cock, William Cunningham, George Smeaton, Lorraine Boettner, John W. Robbins, Peter Barnes, etc.⁷

Apart from the worthies mentioned in the select bibliography and in connection with I Timothy 2:4 (above), the text upon which the free-offer debate has focussed historically, quotes from other theologians are also given regarding the three remaining scriptural passages below.

2) Ezekiel 18:23, 32 and 33:11, includes Wilhelmus à Brakel, James Henley Thornwell, John Kennedy of Dingwall, Herman Hoeksema, John H. Gerstner, Richard A. Muller, John Bolt, Christopher J. Connors, Raymond A. Blacketer, Sean Gerety, etc.⁸

3) Matthew 23:37 and Luke 13:34, includes Peter Martyr Vermigli, John Owen, Christopher Ness, Peter Nahuys, John Gill, William Young, Richard Bacon, W. Gary Crampton, James R. Whyte, Matthew Winzer, James Gracie, Vincent Cheung, etc.⁹

4) II Peter 3:9, includes the Venerable Bede, the Geneva Bible (1599), the Confession of Tarcal (1562) and Torda (1563), David Dickson, Stephen Charnock, Matthew Henry, Thomas E. Peck, A. W. Pink, Gordon H. Clark, Robert L. Reymond, R. C. Sproul, etc.¹⁰

¹ For this excerpt, see “Augustine Versus a Desire of God to Save the Reprobate.”

² For quotes, see “The Free Offer: Calvin Vs. Pighius (and John Murray).”

³ See “John Knox on the Four Main Texts Cited in Support of a Failed Desire of God to Save Everybody.”

⁴ For quotes, see “Pierre du Moulin (1568-1658) Against a Universal Divine Saving Desire.”

⁵ For more, see Angus Stewart, “The Geneva Theses (1649): A Recently Uncovered Jewel” (British Reformed Journal [Spring/Summer, 2015], Issue 62, pp. 27-42), which also cites three other Genevan confessions against an unfulfilled divine wish to save everybody, including Theodore Beza’s Confession (1560) and the Formula Consensus Helvetica (1675), produced and promoted by John Henry Heidegger (1633-1698) of Zurich, Lucas Gernler (1625-1675) of Basel and Francis Turretin (1623-1687) of Geneva.

⁶ For additional on-line materials (audios, videos, books, articles and quotes) on this subject, see “Resources on God’s Effectual Saving Desire.”

⁷ “Quotes on I Timothy 2:4.”

⁸ “Quotes on Ezekiel 18:23, 32 and 33:11.”

⁹ “Quotes on Matthew 23:37 and Luke 13:34.”

¹⁰ “Quotes on II Peter 3:9.”

Covenant and election are two of the most prominent and most important truths in Scripture. They run through the Bible like two grand, harmonious themes in symphony. These two doctrines and their relation are the twofold subject of this book.

In Covenant and Election, Prof. Engelsma traces these themes in the confessional documents of the Reformed churches and from John Calvin in the sixteenth-century through the fathers of the Secession churches in the nineteenth-century Netherlands to the twentieth-century theologians Herman Bavinck and Herman Hoeksema. With his usual penetrating scriptural analysis, Engelsma also exposes the contemporary and spreading heresy of the Federal Vision.

“As I read Covenant and Election, I was stirred up in my soul to renewed vigour and opposition to the lie. You did a wonderful job elucidating the issue. I especially appreciated the chapters dealing with Christ as first in God’s decree and the organic principle.” – Washington, USA

Rewards.

For many Christians, this word is a cause for fear and suspicion. It suggests doctrines of merit and a salvation based on works, as well as other ideas at odds with the teachings of the Christian faith.

But that need not be so.

In this accessible book, Brian Huizinga offers a rare historical and theological exposition of the biblical and Reformed teaching on the oft-neglected topic of the rewards of grace for the saints—in both the present life and in the life to come. Excluding any merit, and in full harmony with his sovereign and particular grace, the Lord indeed promises to reward the good works of believers. Far from unbiblical or dangerous, the truth of rewards occupies a surprisingly large and important place in Scripture. As such, it demands our attention. Crowning His Gifts will help all believers better grasp this topic by deepening their understanding of salvation in Christ and by offering fresh encouragements for a renewed life of godly zeal, to God’s glory.

Brian Huizinga is professor of Dogmatics and Old Testament Studies at the Theological School of the Protestant Reformed Churches in Wyoming, Michigan, USA. He is also an editor of the Standard Bearer magazine. Before his appointment to professorship, he served for eight years in the pastoral ministry in Redlands, California. Crowning His Gifts is his first book.

What others are saying about the book:

“The relation between our good works and God’s rewards is unavoidable because our Lord himself often made this connection. Today, also because of the prosperity gospel, many are confused. In this book, with its wonderfully fitting title, Brian Huizinga builds on the spiritual and theological wisdom of Augustine, Calvin, Francis Turretin, Abraham Kuyper, Herman Bavinck, and Herman Hoeksema, among others, and provides a reliable guide through the tricky shoals of this subject. Huizinga’s treatment is biblically grounded and confessionally sound in its careful distinctions, clear definitions, and appropriate cautions. This is a ground-breaking, thorough, practical, and timely book.”
– John Bolt, Professor emeritus of systematic theology, Calvin Theological Seminary (Grand Rapids, MI), editor of Herman Bavinck’s English editions of Reformed Dogmatics and Reformed Ethics

“The author shows that the doctrine of God’s rewards for our works is in line with the Reformed tradition … Crowning His Gifts is a solid, biblical, Reformed study of our covenantal relationship with God. Pick up this book and read it carefully!”
– Jürgen-Burkhard Klautke, Akademie für Reformatorische Theologie (Academy for Reformed Theology, Giessen), Evangelisch-Reformierten Gemeinde (Confessing Evangelical-Reformed Congregation, Giessen), Germany

“The longest chapter is concerned with ‘Degrees of Reward in Heaven,’ in which Huizinga carefully and faithfully explains Scripture passages such as the Lord’s own words in Revelation 22:12, ‘And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.’ I would encourage believers to buy the book, even if for this chapter alone. Other chapters consider ‘Temporal Rewards on Earth,’ which is certainly far removed from the so-called prosperity gospel, and ‘God’s Purpose with the Reward.’ The chapter ‘Implications for the Christian Life’ is full of warm pastoral application. He writes, ‘There is reward, but first the work. There is the reaping, but first the sowing. There is a crown, but first the striving. There is victory, but first the battle. There is harbor, but first the rowing. There is rest, but first the exertion. Now we work. Not to earn—the burden would crush us—but to serve with love and gratitude’ (page 215) … The book is well produced with a clear print and layout. In addition to the Scripture index already mentioned, there are indices of creedal references and names, and a bibliography. All Bible quotations are taken form the Authorised Version … Crowning His Gifts is a delightful, instructive, challenging and compelling read. It refreshes the soul and I cannot recommend it too much.”
– Bible League Quarterly (issue 499 [October-December, 2024], pp. 312, 313)

“I am currently reading Crowning His Gifts. It is a great read. Truly every aspect of salvation from election to glorification is of grace and Prof Huizinga really brings that out.” – N. Ireland

We’re bombarded with antichristian messages everywhere in life, and from casual hookups to casual sex, our culture’s messages on dating are no different.

But Christians don’t have to follow these norms. The Bible gives us a better way.

It’s a way of chastity and wisdom. A way that understands that marriage—the end goal of dating—is for life. The person you marry will shape who you become spiritually. And that person will also be the father or mother to the children God is pleased to give you some day.

Pastorally and accessibly, Joshua Engelsma answers the practical questions of Reformed, Christian dating based on the truth that we must date differently—with marriage as the goal and scripture as the guide.

“The book is an enjoyable and easy read … It reads like I imagine a conversation on these topics would go with a wise older brother who happened to be a pastor.”—Rev. Cory Griess, pastor of First PR Church in Grand Rapids, MI 

“[A] virtue of the book is the practical approach.  The author successfully takes the biblical wisdom of Scripture and applies this to real life situations.”—Rev. Garry Eriks, pastor of Hudsonville PR Church in Hudsonville, MI

“A personal, pastoral, practical book that answers the questions dating couples will have, which should be read either before forming a relationship or inits early stages to be most effective and useful.”—Jon Van Dyk, Christian Renewal (January 18, 2020 issue)

“I would encourage all parents and youth to get this book … For what is more important than Christian marriages for God’s covenant children for their own happiness, but even more that will ‘serve their ultimate purpose: the glory of our Go din the demonstration of the unity of the Bridegroom and his Bride’ (p. 147).”—Rev. James Admiraal, The Outlook (Jan/Feb. 2020 issue)