A Puritan and Reformed Systematic Theology

A must-have work for theology lovers:

My title is misleading of course since there would be many books fitting this description. Just think of those in this camp who have done single volume or multi-volume sets of systematic theology. Somewhat more recent examples of these would include:

Bavinck, Herman, Reformed Dogmatics, 4 vols.
Berkouwer, G. C., Studies in Dogmatics, 14 vols.
Frame, John, A Theology of Lordship, 4 vols.
Hodge, Charles, Systematic Theology, 3 vols.
Horton, Michael, The Christian Faith, 1 vol.
Kelly, Douglas, Systematic Theology. 3 vols. (so far)
William G. T., Dogmatic Theology, 3 vols.

Many more could have been listed, but it is Joel Beeke that I have in mind here, and his newly completed 4-volume set, Reformed Systematic Theology (Crossway, 2019-2024). Each volume is penned with Paul Smalley. Beeke is an authority on all things Puritan and Reformed, and he has written over 200 books! See more on the man and his work here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2021/10/21/joel-beeke-on-puritan-and-reformed-thought/

The four volumes and their contents are outlined here:

-Volume 1: Revelation and God (2019 -1309 pp)
-Volume 2: Man and Christ (2020 -1360 pp)
-Volume 3: Spirit and Salvation (2022 -1171 pp)
-Volume 4: Church and Last Things (2024 -1360 pp)

How do you begin to review such a work, totalling 5200 pages? A few things can be said. As I already noted, there are many other such volumes one could discuss here. And of course not everyone is into Reformed thought. So this may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

Although I imagine that on certain key things, such as the trinity and the Deity of Christ, the material covered in a Reformed systematic theology would be similar in many respects to that found in others, there would be some differences as well. An emphasis on the sovereignty of God and biblical doctrines such as election would of course be emphasised.

Be that as it may, I simply want to highlight this important set, and perhaps a quick and easy way to do so is simply offer a representative quote from each volume. So here they are:

Revelation and God

Early on in discussing what theology is, they say this:

Academic education has great value, but a love for academics for their own sake destroy your soul. Paul wrote to Timothy, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). The calling of a theologian demands diligence and labor in order to properly interpret and apply God’s Word. However, the academic work of theology must aim at the high goal of pleasing God.

When Christ taught in Jerusalem, the Jews marveled at his teaching because Jesus had not been educated in the rabbinic schools (John 7:15). The Lord replied, “My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him” (vv. 16-18). God the Son came with supernatural revelation from God the Father. No man can discover these truths by rational deduction or empirical observation. God must reveal them through Christ. Therefore, the work of learning true theology is more than an intellectual enterprise; it requires faith in Christ, submission to God’s will, and pursuit of God’s glory. (p. 55)

And in their discussion of God, they rightly state:

The study of God is full of both potential and peril. We can never be neutral in this great pursuit. We might “have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge” so that our theology, however scholarly, is a form of rebellion against God, and his saving righteousness (Rom. 10:2-3). We might profess to know God, but we deny him with our abominable, defiled, and disobedient works (Titus 1:15-16).

We must never study God as we do other subjects that we seek to master. Rather, this great subject must master us. We may not study God the way a scientist studies a species of fish. We must study the Lord as his disciples. We must receive his Word “with meekness” (James 1:21). We must proceed in dependence upon Jesus Christ, for he alone gives us an understanding of the true God that delivers us from the false gods and idols of this world (1 John 5:20-21). Like Moses at the burning bush, we stand on holy ground (Ex. 3:5). Our posture must be worship, and our theology the fuel of doxology, just as Paul’s deepest theological reflections propelled him into praise.…  (pp. 503-504)

Man and Christ

As to the person of Christ, they introduce the topic in this way:

The Christian life is a long and difficult race, and we must run it “looking unto Jesus” (Heb. 12:2). We cannot endure as Christians merely by observing a list of rules, embracing a philosophy of life, or pursuing a series of experiences. The Christian must have Christ. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is everything to the believer. This is true not only for our conversion and justification, but also for our spiritual growth. Therefore, it is our great duty, necessity, and delight to know him in an ever-increasing way. John Flavel said, “A saving, though an immethodical knowledge of Christ, will bring us to heaven (John 17:2), but a regular and methodical, as well as saving knowledge of him, will bring heaven into us (Col. 2:2-3).”

In our pragmatic age, people often chase after earthly success. Christians sometimes aim no higher. Even our prayers can revolve around getting things we want and avoiding things we fear. However, when Jesus Christ poured out his heart in prayer shortly before his betrayal and crucifixion, he asked that his people might “be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory” (John 17:24). This should also be our fervent desire. John Owen said, “One of the greatest privileges and advancements of believers, both in this world and unto eternity, consists in their beholding the glory of Christ.” Therefore, let us press on to know the Lord Jesus. (p. 721)

Spirit and Salvation

Concerning the matter of sanctification, they start their discussion as follows:

Holiness is the lifeblood of Christianity. When holiness declines, believers are left anemic and weak. Without holiness, professing Christians are no better than corpses. With holiness comes spiritual vitality, warmth, energy, and God-pleasing activity. For this reason, the Scriptures place an absolute premium on the holiness of God’s people.

Holiness is often misunderstood and caricatured. For some, the word holy implies outdated backwardness. For others, holiness smacks of moralistic legalism with a long list of good things a person is not allowed to do. Still others associate holiness with an ugly pride that says, “I am better than you.” However, in the Bible, holiness is a beautiful word; in fact, the Bible speaks of the beauty of holiness. Jonathan Edwards said, “Holiness is a most beautiful, lovely thing. Men are apt to drink in strange notions of holiness from their childhood, as if it were a melancholy, morose, sour, and unpleasant thing; but there is nothing in it but what is sweet and ravishingly lovely.”

Sanctification is the work of God by which he makes people holy. Though difficult to recognize in English, this meaning is found in the etymology of the very word sanctification (Latin sanctus, “holy,” plus facere, “make”). Reformed and evangelical theologians distinguish between justification and sanctification, as we have seen, identifying the former as a change in legal status and the latter as a change in heart and life. Sanctification is the extension of repentance across the duration of the Christian life, and thus a continued conversion. (pp. 625-626)

Church and Last Things

As to the duties of Christians to civil government, they list six of these responsibilities. Here is one of them:

Fourth, Christians must disobey and resist civil decrees. Any civil order or law that requires us to break God’s law must be disobeyed. Furthermore, we cannot omit any righteous duty or holy obligation, even if it is contrary to the will of a civil ruler. Christians must steadfastly refuse to worship the idols of this world but worship God alone, even at the cost of their lives (Dan. 3:18, 28). They must persevere in their duties toward God, such as daily prayer, even if such activities become illegal (6:10-13). At times, righteousness requires resistance against rulers whom we otherwise would obey. The Israelites rightly disobeyed wicked orders from a king (Ex. 1:17, 20; 2 Kings 1:11-12), resisted unjust actions by rulers (1 Sam. 14:44-45; 2 Kings 6:32), and rebuked them for unwise courses of action (2 Sam. 20:18-20). A God-fearing administrator hid a hundred prophets from a king and queen who would have destroyed them (1 Kings 18:3-4). Priests stood against a king who trespassed into their sacred duties (2 Chron. 26:16-20). The godly engaged in secret resistance against a usurper queen until they could crown the son of David and have her justly put to death for her crimes (2 Kings 11:1-16). Though the rulers, elders, and priests of Israel commanded the apostles not to preach in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:5-6,18), they replied, “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye” (v. 19), and, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (5:29). No civil government has the authority to stop the mission of the church. Christ’s lordship overrules all human authority (Matt. 28:18-20). (pp. 402-403)

And these are some remarks on the second coming of Christ:

The hearts of God’s people long for the return of their Lord, and his second coming is their great hope. Christ taught that he is the “bridegroom” of his people; just as his absence is their cause for mourning and fasting, so is his presence their joy. Hence, waiting for Christ’s second coming is like waiting for a bridegroom and a wedding feast (25:1-13; cf. Rev. 19:7-9).

God decreed that his Son come once to inaugurate his kingdom and come again to complete it. “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation”—that is, not to bear sin but to fully save his redeemed (Heb. 9:28). Christ’s first coming accomplished redemption by his sacrifice (vv. 15, 26); his second coming will finish the application of redemption and initiate the new age of glory. Herman Bavinck said, “The kingdom of God … does not reach its completion by way of gradual development or an ethical process…. In the end a catastrophe, a divine act of intervention, terminates the rule of Satan here on earth and brings about the completion of the unshakable kingdom of heaven.”

Hope in the Lord’s coming is very ancient, having been revealed to the patriarchs before Noah (Jude 14-15). Christians from the early church onward have confessed their belief that Christ “shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick [living] and the dead.” Philip Schaff (1819-1893) said, “The return of Christ to judgment with its eternal rewards and punishment is the centre of the eschatological faith of the church. The judgment is preceded by the general resurrection, and followed by life everlasting. This faith is expressed in the ecumenical creeds.” (pp. 937-938)

These few quotes of course do not do justice to these important tomes, but they may lead some on to grabbing the set for themselves. Happy reading and studying.

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