Selected Reading

I read these recently and recommend them to you.

Theology

Hell Is Not Separation from God
No, “the real terror awaiting the unrepentant is God himself and his inescapable presence forever with his face turned against them.” It is “being excluded from God’s presence as the source of all blessedness, but not from God’s omnipresent lordship.” —Michael Horton

Eternal Life, Now and Then
In Christ, the blessedness of the age to come is ours today.

The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything
Yes, really!

Three Ways To Teach Teens to Think Theologically
“Teenagers are quickly becoming adults. Starving them from Truth and gorging them on games isn’t helpful in the long run. We can’t pacify them with watered-down, youth-sized versions of biblical teaching and counsel and expect them to develop adult-sized appetites down the road. Teenagers, when charitably given the opportunity, can exceed our expectations and grow in spiritual maturity.”—Lindsey Carlson

The Church

Loving the Church, For Better or Worse
“Yes, there is a dark side to the church as there is to all things in this fallen world. The church is not perfect. It has her share of malcontents and killjoys, her energy-sapping attention-getters and despondent hearts. Adullam’s cave has nothing on some churches I have seen, but none of this robs me of my love for the church..” —Derek Thomas

Prayer

A Fresh Look at Prayer
Amy Hall recommends a “wonderful little book on prayer by Michael Reeves.” I’m interested and I thought you might be, too.

Theological Term of the Week: Wrath (of God)

wrath (of God)
God’s righteous anger against sin; his “eternal detestation of all unrighteousness.”1

• From scripture:

 … because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. (Romans 2:5-8 ESV)

• From The Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter VI: 

Every sin, both original and actual, being a transgression of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunto,(n) doth, in its own nature, bring guilt upon the sinner;(o) whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God,(p) and curse of the law,(q) and so made subject to death,(r) with all miseries spiritual,(s) temporal,(t) and eternal.(u)

• From Knowing God by J. I. Packer: 

No doubt it is true that the subject of divine wrath has in the past been handled speculatively, irreverently, even malevolently. No doubt there have been some who have preached of wrath and damnation with tearless eyes and no pain in their hearts. No doubt the sight of small sects cheerfully consigning the whole world, apart from themselves, to hell has disgusted many. Yet if we would know God, it is vital that we face the truth concerning his wrath, however unfashionable it may be, and however strong our initial prejudices against it. Otherwise we shall not understand the gospel of salvation from wrath, nor the propitiatory achievement of the cross, nor the wonder of the redeeming love of God. Nor shall we understand the hand of God in history and God’s present dealings with our own people; nor shall we be able to make head or tail of the book of Revelation; nor will our evangelism have the urgency enjoined by Jude—“save some, by snatching them out of the fire” (Jude 23 RSV). 

Learn more:

1. Colin Smith: Six Things You Need to Know About God’s Wrath
2. Gavin Ortlund: 4 Problems with Downplaying God’s Wrath
3. Thomas Boston: The Wrath of God
4. Fred Zaspel: The Wrath of God and the Gospel
5. D. A. Carson: The Doctrine of the Wrath of God

Related terms:

• hell
• holiness
• righteousness (as an attribute of God)

1 Arthur Pink, The Attributes of God.

Filed under God’s Nature and His Work

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Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured as a Theological Term of the Week? Email your suggestion using the contact button in the navigation bar above. 

Clicking on the Theological Terms button will take you to an alphabetical list of all the previous theological terms.

Sunday's Hymn: More Love to Thee, O Christ

More love to thee, O Christ,
More love to thee!
Hear thou the prayer I make
On bended knee;
This is my earnest plea,
More love, O Christ, to thee,
More love to thee,
More love to thee.

Once earthly joy I craved,
Sought peace and rest;
Now thee alone I seek;
Give what is best:
This all my prayer shall be,
More love, O Christ, to thee,
More love to thee,
More love to thee.

Let sorrow do its work,
Send grief and pain;
Sweet are thy messengers,
Sweet their refrain,
When they can sing with me,
More love, O Christ, to thee,
More love to thee,
More love to thee.

Then shall my latest breath
Whisper thy praise;
This be the parting cry
My heart shall raise,
This still its prayer shall be,
More love, O Christ, to thee,
More love to thee,
More love to thee.

—Elizabeth P. Prentiss

 Other hymns, worship songs, or quotes for this Sunday:

• Keep Step With the Master at The Happy Wonderer
• Many Loves, But Only One Excels at The Outspoken Tulip
• All the promises of God at Tried With Fire
• Lord’s Day 31, 2019 at The Thirsty Theologian