We turn to the third sermon in Grace and Glory, a collection of sermons Geerhardus Vos preached at the Miller Chapel of Princeton Theological Seminary. In “Seeking and Saving the Lost,” Vos preaches from Luke 19:10, wherein Jesus describes his ministry to redeem sinners and to bring them into communion with the one true and living God.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Danny Olinger, Lane G. Tipton

Lane Tipton is in the studio with Camden Bucey to discuss the doctrine of salvation and union with Christ from the eschatological perspective of redemption accomplished and applied. On the heels of recording a new course on the topic with Dr. Tipton, they discuss the foundational categories of historia salutis and ordo salutis as well as how Jesus’s resurrection was simultaneously his justification, adoption, sanctification, and glorification. They then connect the death and resurrection of Christ to the Holy Spirit’s application of his work to individual believers in history.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Drs. G. K. Beale and Benjamin Gladd speak about their book The Story Retold: A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament (IVP Academic) in which they seek to couch every major passage of Scripture within the broad history of redemption, making sense of the New Testament in light of the Old. New Testament introductions typically either emphasize the history behind the text through discussions of authorship, dating, and audience or explore the content of the text itself. This introduction is unique in that it considers the Old Testament background to the New Testament and the overarching narrative of redemption throughout all of redemptive-history.

Dr. G. K. Beale is Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Benjamin L. Gladd is Associate Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi.

• G. K. Beale’s website
• Essential Studies in Biblical Theology series edited by Dr. Benjamin Gladd (IVP Academic)
• G. K. Beale, Colossians and Philemon (BECNT)
• G. K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God (IVP Academic)
• G. K. Beale and Benjamin L. Gladd, Hidden But Now Revealed: A Biblical Theology of Mystery (IVP Academic)
• Benjamin L. Gladd, From Adam and Israel to the Church (IVP Academic).
• Benjamin L. Gladd, Revealing the Mysterion: The Use of Mystery in Daniel and Second Temple Judaism with Its Bearing on First Corinthians. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 160 (Walter de Gruyter, 2008).
• Benjamin L. Gladd, Handbook on the Gospels (Baker Academic).

Participants: Benjamin Gladd, Camden Bucey, Greg Beale

We turn to pages 255–256 of Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the ways in which the Old Testament prophets use anthropomorphism to describe God. The “emotional” or “affectional” dispositions of Jehovah’s nature is the next set of attributes. He says, as a guiding principle, “we are here in a sphere full of anthropomorphism” and says that “an anthropomorphism” is never without an “inner core of important truth” that “must be translated into more theological language” where we can “enrich our knowledge of God” (255).

Vos makes an absolutely critical observation here that needs sustained attention to the theological issues he raises here. They are as important in our day as in Vos’ if not more so. Anthropomorphic language ascribes the qualities of the creature to God’s acts in time. But such language is never intended by Reformed theologians to be taken in a univocal way, as though God literally possesses creaturely qualities.

1. God’s acts in time do not require him to be temporal.
2. God acts in the contingent historical order of creation do not require him to be contingent and historical.
3. God’s acts in relation to mutable and passible creatures do not require that he be mutable and passible like the creature.
4. There is no point of univocity between the Creator and the creature—no mutual sharing in mutability and temporality.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

We welcome Dr. Rita Cefalu to speak about the rich biblical-theological themes regarding Christ in Acts 2–3. Dr. Cefalu has written, “The Sufferings and Glory of Jesus the Messiah in Acts 2–3,” which appears in The Seed of Promise: The Sufferings and Glory of the Messiah: Essays in Honor of T. Desmond Alexander (Glossa House), co-edited by Dr. Cefalu and Paul R. Williamson. Dr. Cefalu is a writer and lecturer in biblical and theological studies in Florida.

This book is a festschrift presented to T. Desmond Alexander on the year of his 65th birthday. In distinction from other volumes of this type, this book is structured around the biblical theological theme of the seed promise of Genesis 3:15, with its sub-theme focused on the sufferings and glory of the Messiah. Accordingly, biblical scholars (both OT and NT), who have in some capacity benefited from Dr. Alexander’s scholarship and are known for their work in particular books of the Bible and/or the discipline of biblical theology, investigate these particular themes in light of their respective books.

• Christ the Center, episode 373 with Rita Cefalu, “The Sons of God and Daughters of Man in Genesis 6”
• Rita Cefalu, “You Should Know T. Desmond Alexander: Exploring God’s Plan for Life on Earth With a Shepherd’s Heart”
• T. Desmond Alexander interview at the Laymen’s Lounge
• Watch the presentation of the festschrift to Dr. Alexander

Participants: Adam York, Camden Bucey, Rita Cefalu

Dr. Crawford Gribben speaks about his book, Survival and Resistance: Christian Reconstruction in the Pacific Northwest (Oxford University Press), in which he describes the migration of conservative evangelicals to the Northwest of the United States, where they hope to resist the impact of secular modernity and to survive an anticipated breakdown of society. Discussing figures such as R. J. Rushdoony, Douglas Wilson, and John Wesley Rawles, Gribben explains their growing theological and cultural influence and impact upon local political and economic life within the larger context of national and global trends.

Dr. Gribben is professor of the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics at Queens University, Belfast.

• Crawford Gribben interview on The New Books Network regarding Survival and Resistance.
• Podcast interviews hosted by Crawford Gribben
• The Religious Nationalism Podcast with Crawford Gribben and Darryl Hart

Participants: Camden Bucey, Crawford Gribben, Ryan Noha

Rev. Dr. Bruce Pass discusses Herman Bavinck as a sytematic theologian and the role Christology plays within his theological system. Throughout his career, Bavinck identified different central dogma but developed his theology around Christology as a “middle point” to which all other doctrines relate.

Dr. Pass holds a doctorate in systematic theology from the University of Edinburgh. His thesis has been published as The Heart of Dogmatics: Christology and Christocentrism in Herman Bavinck (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht).

Participants: Bruce Pass, Camden Bucey, Jim Cassidy

The main events of the Diet of Worms relating to Luther took place from 16 to 18 April 1521. This year marks the 500th anniversary of the Diet of Worms, and on this occasion, we welcome Dr. Herman Selderhuis to rehearse the events of the diet and share his thoughts about its enduring significance for the church.

The Diet of Worms of 1521 was a formal deliberative assembly of the Holy Roman Empire called by Emperor Charles V and conducted in the city of Worms. Martin Luther was summoned to the Diet in order to renounce or reaffirm his views in response to a Papal bull of Pope Leo X. Luther defended these views and refused to recant them. At the end of the Diet, the Emperor issued the Edict of Worms, condemning Luther and banning citizens from propagating his ideas.

Dr. Herman Selderhuis is Professor of church history and church polity at the Theological University of Apeldoorn and President of the REFORC (Reformation Research Consortium). He is the author or editor of several books:

• Martin Luther: A Spiritual Biography (Crossway, 2017)
• John Calvin: A Pilgrim’s Life (IVP Academic, 2009)
• The Calvin Handbook (editor) (Eerdmans, 2009)
• Calvin’s Theology of the Psalms (Baker Academic, 2007)
• Handbook of Dutch Church History (editor) (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2014)
• A Companion to Reformed Orthodoxy (editor) (Brill, 2013)

Participants: Camden Bucey, Herman Selderhuis

We pick up on our conversation from episode 655 with Jeremy Boothy on covenant theology in the book of Hebrews by focusing upon Vos’s Triangle and the heavenly-centered understanding of typology expressed by the author of Hebrews. This leads us to discuss a redemptive-historical hermeneutic as well as the nature of new covenant membership in our present covenant-historical era.

Rev. Boothy is pastor of Christ Covenant OPC in Amarillo, Texas.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeremy Boothby

We turn to pages 250–255 of Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider God’s righteousness—particularly as it is revealed during the time of the Old Testament prophets.

Vos speaks of God’s righteousness as “midway between the transcendental and communicative attributes” (250). God is the righteous judge. In human terms, a judge is righteous because he adheres strictly to the standard or law over him. How does this apply to God, who has no standard or law above him? “Underlying the decisions of Jehovah lies His nature” (251). The law is righteous because it is based upon God’s nature, not the other way around.

Vos speaks of God’s forensic or judicial righteousness branching out in several directions, as a righteousness of cognizance, retribution, vindication, salvation, and benevolence.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton