Selected Reading, February 22, 2020

I read these recently and recommend them to you.

The Gospel

Treasures of the Christian Life, Part 8: The Gospel
This is the last of an excellent series by Clint Archer: “[T]he good news is that Jesus lived the perfect life you could never live and died in your place taking God’s wrath against your sin himself. He took your punishment so that you can receive his righteousness and an eternity in heaven – this is very good news indeed! This is a priceless treasure. The crown jewel of the treasures of the Christian life.”

The Trinity

Is Jesus the true God in 1 John 5:20?
Or to put it another way, does 1 John 5:20 refer to Jesus as “the true God”?

Christian History

Martin Luther’s Death and Legacy
Stephen Nichols recounts the circumstances surrounding the reformer Martin Luther’s death. 

Christian Living

Lessons Learned Through Grief
I really appreciated this reminder of the importance small tangible expressions of love for those who are grieving (Tim Challies). (Several years ago I posted a list of a few small but important things you can do when someone you know dies.)

Why Christians Should Never Retire
“Christians may be free to ‘retire’ from their occupation, but as disciples of Christ we aren’t ever free to retire from serving God and others” (Chris Cagle).

Theology

Systematic Theology
I am working my way through the section on the Trinity in the new Systematic Theology by Robert Letham. Berkhof is still my favorite as far as systematic theologies go, but this one is a close second. It is particularly notable for addressing current issues in theology and for interacting with the viewpoints of other contemporary theologians.

As far as readability goes, I’d put it right between Grudem’s systematic theology and Berkhof’s.