Book Review: Final Word

The Bible is under attack.  This truth is the title of the opening chapter of John MacArthur's Final Word: Why We Need the Bible.  Throughout this book, MacArthur unpacks the nuances his title implies. 

He begins by showing how Satan's primary tool is deception.  Since his first appearance in Scripture, Satan has twisted God's word and implied that it should be "questioned, evaluated, and judged".  MacArthur gives examples of modern critics of God's Word, showing how His Word is still under attack today. 

To combat these attacks, believers must be grounded in fundamental doctrine.  MacArthur spends two chapters teaching of the Bible's truth and authority.  The Bible is rational truth, containing actual history about real people.  Believers are meant to understand Scripture through carefully reasoned study.  The Bible is also authoritative, eliminating any need to seek subjective interpretation of Scripture. 

MacArthur uses the book of 1 John to explain spiritual growth and how one matures in Christ.  He teaches how believers progress from cognition of God's Word, to conviction, then to affection.  MacArthur clearly portrays the Bible as the catalyst of spiritual growth.  It is only through careful study of God's Word and the working of the Holy Spirit that this growth is achieved.

MacArthur further explains how the Bible is central to faithful ministry.  He uses Scripture to explain how the job of a pastor is to protect the truth of Scripture, warn people of error, and to teach faithfully.  Finally, he teaches how believers can rekindle a love for God's Word.

MacArthur's words are true and pertinent to Christians today.  MacArthur emphasizes that there are no short-cuts in learning God's Word.  He warns against any who might teach otherwise.  This sufficiency of Scripture is the focus of MacArthur's book, and it is a truth that is fundamental for the growth of all Christians.  As MacArthur writes, "If we want to experience the supernatural work of God in our lives, we must understand that the Holy Spirit makes it happen only through His Word.  There is no other means He has ordained, no momentary emotional or existential experience that can catapult us to some higher level of spiritual maturity.  We cannot set aside our Bibles and expect His sanctifying work to continue uninterrupted.  God saved us through the power of His Word, and its work is not finished.  We need to increase our hunger for His truth, knowing that it is the sole source of our spiritual lives and the only means through which the Spirit conforms us into the image of His Son."

Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Rachel's Rating:
★★★★★

What We Say Matters

I grew up with the erroneous idea that what I said was not important.  I could tease my friends, make fun of other people, berate myself, and this was okay.  After all, I was just Rachel.  Nobody really took anything I said seriously.  I did not have the power to hurt anyone.

How I got to this point is rather a mystery to me, and perhaps one day I will explore that further and try to understand.  The point is, I truly believed that.  This was not a false modesty or an excuse to avoid consequences of my actions.  I honestly believed that what I said did not matter.  Obviously, I was completely wrong, and I had to be shown and told that numerous times before I actually believed it.

Rachel, age 18

I remember one Christmas, we were in the living room as a family, and I was teasing my mom about something.  Now, anyone who knows my mom knows her strength.  Her name means "whole", "entire", or "complete one", and it is absolutely fitting for her character.  She put up with a lot from me as a teenager, and I never thought she was hurt by any of it.  But this day, I was teasing her mercilessly about something.  She looked at me and said in complete frustration, "WHY are you so mean to me?"  I was shocked.  I headed to my room in tears, ashamed and embarrassed.  I had hurt my mom?  How did that happen?  My mother, my rock, the complete one, was hurt by something I had said?  It didn't make sense to me.

I think I remember that scene so vividly, because it was the beginning of a change in thinking for me.  If I could hurt my mom by what I said, maybe my words were important after all.  Maybe the exhortation to, "let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear" (Ephesians 4:29) applied to me after all.

It seems the sins we struggle with in childhood are often the sins we struggle with in adulthood.  Even after all these years, I sometimes still find myself thinking that it doesn't really matter what I say.  I'm just Rachel.  Nobody really takes me seriously.  But oh, that could not be further from the truth.  I have seen countless times the results of letting my guard down and speaking unwisely and uncaringly to friends.  The words I say have the potential to do such damage.  As the book of James so poetically states, "...the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.  How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.... It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."

May the God who made us out of dust, who grants us salvation, who sustains us, also grant us wisdom to watch our words.  May He help us see that what we say matters.  And may He help us speak lovingly, kindly, and humbly to those around us.

Book Review: Devotedly, the Personal Letters and Love Story of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot

Devotedly, The Personal Letters and Love Story of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, was an inspiring and encouraging book to read.  Written by their only  daughter, Valerie Elliot Shepard, this book ties together 5 years of journal entries and letters between Jim and Elisabeth.

I was surprised to learn the details of Jim and Elisabeth's love story.  I wrongly assumed they were like (seemingly) every other couple: finding attraction, dating, falling in love, and deciding to marry.  Their beautiful love story was nothing like this.

What I found so encouraging as I read, was their obvious love for the Lord and their longing to follow Him above all else.  When this meant keeping quiet about their love for each other, they did so.  When this meant staying in one place, while their hearts were in another, they did so.  Yet in all of this beautiful striving to follow God, Jim and Elisabeth were merely two faulted humans.  They struggled in their faithfulness.  They had their quarrels and said their share of regrettable things to each other.  I was so thankful that their daughter did not omit these details in an effort to make her parents look more righteous.  On the contrary, Shepard wrote, "Don't think of my parents as perfect.  They weren't.  Don't think of their relationship as perfect.  It wasn't.  See them as two people - a man and a woman - who willingly invited God to direct their lives His own way.  God is the One doing things perfectly here in their story, even amid disaster, even after many years of testing and waiting, of separation and struggle."

As I read, I was struck by the beautiful way both Jim and Elisabeth wrote.  They were both obviously intelligent people, who loved poetry and the act of writing.  I am so glad they kept journals and kept the letters they wrote to each other.  What a gift they had for the written word!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading an encouraging love story.  Jim and Elisabeth faced many trials in their lives, but God was faithful, just as He is to all of us.  I trust this book will challenge you as it did for me.  As Shepard wrote concerning her parents, "May you take from their real lives the confidence and trust that God has designed you, too, for noble service in His kingdom, as you surrender to Him, obey Him, and daily learn to let Him lead where He alone is able to take you.  Lo, He is your God.  Wait on Him, devotedly."

Rachel's Rating:
★★★★★

Book Review: The Tinderbox

Beverly Lewis' The Tinderbox is a story of a young Amish girl named Sylvia.  Sylvia shares a special bond with her father, but she learns a secret about his past that could change everything.

Sylvia faces the dilemma of whether to share her knowledge with her father or keep quiet.  Will her relationship with her father ever be the same?  How will others be affected if this secret is shared?

The book ends with more questions.  I look forward to reading the next book in the series when it is released in September, 2019.

*Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Rachel's Rating
 ★★★★☆

Book Review: Grace Defined and Defended

Kevin DeYoung's Grace Defined and Defended is an in-depth study of the Synod of Dort.  Until I read this book, I had never even heard of the Synod of Dort.  The byline of the book title clarifies a bit:  What a 400-Year-Old Confession Teaches Us about Sin, Salvation, and the Sovereignty of God.
 

The Synod of Dort was held in Dordrecht, Netherlands from November, 1618 to May, 1619.  Leaders of the Reformed Church met 154 times between those dates, to settle controversies that had arisen due to the increasing belief in Arminianism.  During that time, they wrote The Canons of Dort, which included five main points.  The first concerned divine election and reprobation; the second, Christ's death and human redemption through it; the third and fourth, human corruption and how we convert to God; and the fifth, perseverance of the saints.
 

There is much value in reading this book and learning the nuances of Calvinism.  As DeYoung states, "We live in an age where passion is often considered an adequate substitute for precision."  The Canons of Dort are very specific, very detailed, and very clear in explanation.  DeYoung asserts the value in reading these confessions, and offers this thought:  "Many of us, even Christians, have little patience for rigorous thinking and little interest in careful definition.  We emote better than we reason, and we describe our feelings better than we define our words, which is one reason we need to study old confessions written by dead people....[Early theologians] were relentlessly passionate about doctrinal truth.  They cared about definitions.  And they cared about precision.  Praise God, they cared enough to be careful."

Written in a way that a layperson can understand, Grace Defined and Defended contains the articles written at the synod, with DeYoung's explanation following each.  Though theologically rich, this was not difficult to read. 

I would recommend this book to fellow believers.  There is much to learn and understand , both for those who are Reformed in their theology and those who are not. 

*Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Rachel's Rating:
★★★★★