November 2007 - Protestant Reformed Churches in America

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Book Reviews and that those who deny that this and VanDrunen—I found gripping, even edifying. The sub- relationship was conditional in any sense are also wrong. ject of Bolt’s essay piqued my The final chapter and the interest so much that I could afterword no longer engage the hardly wait to read it—although doctrinal issues for which the I did wait, for I read the chapters of the book sequentially. churches must struggle today, but still make interesting observations. Gary Johnson, in chapter was coming made me But the knowledge that his chapter 9, shows that while the persevere through the book’s term “evangelicals” historically included men of a Re- The book does, for the most more difficult parts. formed background, it is now part, answer the challenges to being used also for Roman the doctrine of justification. Catholics and Mormons, who Treating various aspects of the want to portray their denominations as those that properly imputation, Christ’s active obe- doctrine (God’s righteousness, teach the necessity of Christ for dience), the authors engage and salvation. It leads Johnson to exegete the Scriptures in answering the heretics. ask the question, tongue in cheek: “Will the real Jesus The authors are convinced please stand up” of the grave and mortal danger R. Albert Mohler concludes of the teachings that these men by underscoring the challenge promote. Their teachings are that true Reformed evangelicals exposed as being not new, but face today: defending the doctrine of justification by faith Pelagianism and Arminianism. rather new forms of semialone among those who claim to This is noteworthy: the book be evangelical, but do not believe what evangelicals have to be Reformed are teaching underscores that men who claim historically believed. ideas that, if Reformed churches ***** would adopt them, would bring In a collection of essays, us back to Rome. any reader will find some more ***** meaningful than others. Most The book’s great weakness of the chapters were educational. Some—including the doctrine of a conditional cov- is that it does not expose the chapters by Venema, Philips, enant as being the real basis of November 2007 107
Protestant Reformed Theological Journal the denial of justification by One might overlook this faith alone. failure if he were to see that the As noted above, the book book at least sets forth both doctrines does include chapters that deal accurately, in the light of with the doctrine of the covenant. Scripture. This book, however, The editors and essay- gets right the doctrine of justi- ists sense that the doctrine of the fication by faith alone, but not covenant and the doctrine of that of the covenant—not in the justification by faith alone are judgment of one who is convinced inseparably related. But what that God has one, sover- that relationship is, the book eignly established and maintained, does not mention. The book unconditional covenant does not mention that the doctrine with all His people in Jesus of one, sovereign, uncon- Christ. ditional covenant, which God In this respect, Bolt’s chapter establishes and maintains with defending the doctrine of the His people in Christ, is the doctrinal covenant of works was not the foundation of justification most troublesome. It has its er- by faith alone. rors, yes. Bolt does not indicate Reading the chapters by whether his view of the doctrine White and Beisner and by Bolt, of the covenant of works allows one might forget that the book’s for, or excludes, merit on the purpose is to “answer the challenges part of Adam. And his reprecation.” to the doctrine of justifisentation of Hoeksema’s view Bolt makes no explicit of the relation between covenant reference to justification by and election, as indicated faith alone. White and Beisner on pages 179 and 180, is certainly do make such explicit references, not accurate: “Hoek- at the beginning and end sema’s understanding of covenant of their essay, but not in the is indistinguishable from body. And the references election,” and, for Hoeksema, amount to noting common “covenant and election are finally threads between the two doctrines, identical.” Responding to missing a grand opportunity defenders of a conditional cov- to demonstrate that they enant, my seminary dogmatics are actually two intertwined professor said it best: “In fact, cords that are part of the same no theologian or church has rope. ever been so doctrinally dense 108 Vol. 41, No. 1
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November 2007 - Protestant Reformed Churches in America

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