This collection of addresses from the 2010 Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology focuses on the ‘last days’—a period that began with the resurrection of Christ and will continue until His return. Specific emphasis is put on the Christian hope amidst this present age of evil. Featuring contributions from a wide range of authors, this book has some strong chapters and others that fall a bit short of the mark, but the overall effort is helpful.

All history is laid in tribute to this single purpose of God—all that takes place among the nations that rise and fall serves His glorious purpose—so that one day He who has spoken in many and fragmentary ways to our fathers through the prophets would in the last days speak through His Son. The whole story of the Bible, then, is the story of Jesus Christ. He is the meaning of history. [8]

We mustn’t be under the misapprehension that the whole Bible is a book about demons running loose all over the place. The Bible rarely speaks about demons, and demons rarely appear in the thousands of years of Bible history. But they appear in massive force in that little land of Palestine around the year 30AD. Why? Because the kingdom of darkness is tottering. [10]

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This book contains the messages presented at the 2009 Ligonier Ministries National Conference: ‘The Holiness of God.’ Each of the contributors approaches that topic from varying angles. Some of the chapters likely flowed more smoothly as oral messages, but the content is solid (which is to be expected when the list of authors reads like a ‘who’s-who’ of Reformed theology). We too often neglect God’s holiness, thus this collection is especially helpful in refocusing our thoughts.

For something to be called an attribute of God, it must have been expressed and experienced in the most intense and dynamic forum among the three persons of the Trinity—when the Father with His Son in the union of the Holy Spirit were all that was. [19]

God has made us not only to have communion with Him, but in such a way that we can grasp and appreciate what that communion is like. This is in measure the meaning of the biblical doctrine of our creation as the image of God. [21]

Scripture underlines for us that being is fundamental to doing. But we’ve reversed that in our day. For us, doing has become the more important thing. [24]

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What is the atonement? Why was the blood of Christ necessary to offer us forgiveness from God? These are the questions at the heart of this book, a collection of sermons that each investigates the atoning work of Christ. As with most compilations, some parts are more helpful than others, but the sum total of this book provides a decent depth of material on a matter that both remains under attack and deserves our full attention. 

Without Jesus Christ bearing our sin, there is no salvation. The very reason for His suffering and agony, the very reason He goes to the cross of Calvary. And the very reason He is marred beyond human recognition was so that He might be the sin-bearer of men and women. [106]

Salvation—the restoration of man to God by His grace—does not take place by some easy divine fiat, but begins to take place from within the very pit into which man has sunk by his sin. Jesus Christ comes into the world and takes on our flesh as the second man through whom God would deal with entire groups of men and women. The last Adam would accomplish the work on our behalf that we could not accomplish ourselves. But it would have to be accomplished within our flesh and blood, and it would have to last forevermore. [110]

We must always remember that the atonement is not a theory. It wasn’t a theory that died for us on the cross. It was a man who took our very physical nature Himself in His own body. [113] 

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Touted as a companion volume to 2007’s In Christ Alone, the latest effort from Ferguson examines the grace of God through the words of an African hymn. Ferguson explains these Scriptural truths with his usual blend of accessibility and depth. At times insightful, illuminating, and even challenging, this book details the grace of God and our common misconceptions of it. While brief, this book stands is a welcome reminder of how amazing God’s grace truly is.

My problem is not the isolated actions that I see as aberrations from what I really am. I am deceiving myself if I think that way. These actions are not aberrations but revelations of what is in my heart. They show that I commit sin because I am in bondage to it. [3]

Religion can be bad for your spiritual health. Engaging in religious duties (even good ones) can be very deceptive. It can dis-grace grace. The Pharisees saw no need to come to Christ—after all, they were searching the Scriptures. [25]

The gospel is an invitation to receive a gift. But many people hear it as a summons to do better. The gospel is not about something we do. It is about what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. [48]

Knowledge always needs to be translated into wisdom. It is not enough for me to know the answers to the big theological questions that all begin with “What”: “What is this? What is that? What is the truth about this?” Such knowledge is of little value unless it also helps us to answer the “How” questions: “How does this work out in my life? How do I do it?” [67]

The question of God’s nature is foundational for the Christian life. In a sense, every failure in the Christian life can be traced back to a wrong answer to this question. How we live the Christian life is always an expression of how we think about God. [92]

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Combing through numerous sources, Guthrie has composed a book containing a wide variety of instruction concerning suffering. Using voices both ancient and contemporary, Guthrie shows how the problem of pain has been addressed by Christians who have not only dealt with this academically but personally as well. Although most chapters are far too brief to get into any real depth, this also serves to make for bite-sized reading that may be easier to digest for some.  

We still must face death, as the last enemy. When we think about that we may tremble. But then we remember: Christ has conquered death; it may touch us, but it cannot hold on to us. Even though we walk through death’s haunted valley we will fear no evil for Christ is with us. [132] 

I cannot imagine living the Christian life on any other basis than this: if the Father loves me so much that He did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up to be crucified for me, no further guarantee is needed of His wholehearted and permanent commitment to me and to my blessing. Whatever happens to me must be seen in that light. Yes, my deepest fears may become realities. I may not be able to understand what God is doing in or to my life; He may seem to be hiding His face from me; my heart may be broken. But can I not trust the One who demonstrated His love for me? [133]

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This book (the transcript of the 2008 Desiring God conference) deals with the role, importance, and usage of words. Exploring the connection between language and the Lordship of Christ is much-needed. The contributors here took some good jabs but couldn’t quite connect on the knockout punch. Each chapter seemed too distant from the others, almost as if the topic was too broad and nebulous to get a bead on. It’s solid, but well short of exceptional.

The tongue is an instrument of extraordinary power, out of all proportion to its size. Whatever its anatomical connections, its most significant connection is to the heart—whether hardened by sin or recreated by grace. [50]

Whenever there is such analysis in the New Testament letters there is ordinarily practical counsel written into the teaching itself. True, it may not be immediately evident, but if we keep our minds and spirits in the passage long enough and learn to wait patiently on the Lord in His Word, it will become clear. Even where there are no obvious imperatives to tell us what to do next, they are almost invariably implied in the text, woven as it were into is very warp and woof, underlining for us that it is by the Word itself and not by ourselves that we are sanctified. [55]

We foolishly assume that our real struggles with sin are in the areas where we are “weak.” We do not well understand the depth of sin until we realize that it has made its home far more subtly where we are “strong,” and in our gifts rather than in our weaknesses and inadequacies. It is in the very giftedness God has given that sin has been at its most perverse and subtle. But when we are brought to see this, stripped bare of our layers of self-deceit, and led to repentance, then God may make something of us. [61]

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Ferguson’s latest is a collection of 50 brief chapters that explore the person and work of Jesus Christ. Topics range from discipleship to spiritual warfare to the nature of Christ's deity and humanity. Each is handled with a combination of scholarship and brevity, serving as a ladder to let you slowly immerse yourself in deeper waters. A helpful, much-needed book that aims to keep our life and teaching centered on the good news of Jesus Christ.

Do you know the Christ of the Gospels? Or have you fallen into the trap to which Christians (especially, perhaps, Reformed Christians) who love doctrine and systematic theology are sometimes susceptible (unlike John Calvin, it should be said): fascination with dogmatic formula at the expense of love for the Savior's person? [67]

I have very occasionally heard people sing about having free will to accept the gospel, but never of anyone praying, and far less singing, that God would simply leave the unconverted to their own free will in spiritual matters. No, we cry to God to arrest them, regenerate them, and save them. [127]

True discernment means not only distinguishing the right from the wrong; it means distinguishing the primary from the secondary, the essential from the indifferent, and the permanent from the transient. And, yes, it means distinguishing between the good and the better, and even between the better and the best. [163]

If I insist on knowing exactly what God is doing and what He plans to do with my future, if I demand to understand His ways with me in the past, I can never be content until I am equal with God. [191]

Like gold refined in a furnace, trials can cleanse and purify the Christian. The persecution that is intended to destroy you actually has the opposite effect -- it makes you rely more on Christ and draws you to live closer to Him. The person who suffers in the flesh for Christ is the person who rejects the enticements of sin. When you have faced up to the cost of discipleship -- socially, materially, even physically -- a new decisiveness enters into your lifestyle. [202]

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Although the book of Ruth is small, its implications and lessons stretch much wider—and far beyond its historical context. In this book (adapted from a series of messages), Ferguson walks his readers through the narrative of Ruth, giving us key insight into what is happening in the story and from the vantage point of God’s providence. It serves as a timely reminder of God’s covenant faithfulness and steadfast love. Another helpful, edifying book from Ferguson.

We are not able to detect with perfect clarity the hand of God in the circumstances of our lives, far less see where He is heading with them. But when we find His autograph in the narratives of biblical history, we begin to recognize the same or similar patterns and principles emerging in our own lives too—and so we learn to see His handwriting in our own experiences. [14]

Do you ever wonder why some Christians go through the things they experience when there seems to be no reason why they should suffer as they do? God, in His sovereign purpose, may well be using their suffering to bring others to find Christ. Their suffering will bear fruit that will last for ever. Not always from our point of view, but certainly from His. [46]

The Lord’s people should have ‘something’ about them; something in the way they talk, and walk, and react, and in the manner in which they live, that expresses the fact that ultimately they are not so much citizens of this world as citizens of heaven. [76]

Hunches about what God is doing should not be turned into schemes by which we engineer circumstances in order to bring those purposes to pass in an accelerated way … God’s purposes are to be fulfilled in God’s ways and at God’s time. [99]

We cannot hide what we really believe God is like. Our personal disposition is an unending expression of our understanding of and trust in His character. How we live, how we respond to challenges, crises and trials, reveals what we really believe about God, what we really think ‘deep down’ about Him. [111]

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Written by preachers for preachers, this instructive work details the value of proclaiming God’s Word -- as it is written -- without ceding to the temptation to modernize or minimize what it says. It also addresses what makes preaching effective and what must be avoided. As with any compilation, some chapters are more helpful than others, but the whole volume remains a benefit to those called to preach (or to those wondering what biblical preaching entails).

Preaching to the heart is not merely a matter of technique or homiletic style. These things have their proper place and relevance. But the more fundamental, indeed, the more essential thing for the preacher is surely the fact that something has happened in his own heart; it has been laid bare before God by His Word. He, in turn, lays his heart bare before those to whom he ministers. And within that context, the goal he has in view is so to lay bare the truth of the Word of God that the hearts of those who hear are opened vertically to God and horizontally to one another. [104]

Preaching to the heart will give expression to four things: instruction in the truth, conviction of the conscience, restoration and transformation of life, and equipping for service. [106]

There is a difference between a well-instructed congregation and a well-nourished one. It is possible to instruct, yet fail to nourish those to whom we preach. It is possible to address the mind, but to do so with little concern to see the conscience, the heart, and the affections reached and cleansed, the will redirected, and the whole person transformed through a renewed mind. [107]

There is a center to the Bible and its message of grace. It is found in Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected. Grace, therefore, must be preached in a way that is centered and focused on Jesus Christ Himself. We must never offer the benefits of the gospel without the Benefactor Himself. [113]

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With typical power and precision, Ferguson unpacks the doctrine of repentance in this short booklet. While only providing a surface-level view of this key teaching, Ferguson does manage to expertly explain the Biblical meaning and significance of repentance, and why it is such a crucial component of genuine salvation. Instead of a one-time event, Ferguson points out that repentance is a life-long process of turning from sin and turning to God. Brief, but easy to recommend. 

Justification is by faith, not by repentance. But faith (and therefore justification) cannot exist where there is no repentance. Repentance is as necessary to salvation by faith as the ankle is to walking. The one does not act apart from the other. I cannot come to Christ in faith without turning from sin in repentance. [17]

As a sinner, I have a fatal flaw. Made for God’s glory, I have fallen short of it. Instead of glorifying Him in a God-centered life, I glorify myself and thus pervert what I am. Instead of enjoying God forever, in the end, if I do not turn to Christ, I will enjoy nothing forever. [23]

David’s repentance began when his hard heart was pierced. Then the flood of guilt-feelings that flowed was uncontrollable. David could not stop it; he was profoundly guilty. That is why his prayer is not “Make me feel better” but “Have mercy on me!” [24]

Seeing repentance as an isolated, completed act at the beginning of the Christian life is a principle underlying much of modern evangelicalism. We look back upon a single act, abstracted from its consequences, as determinative of salvation. In this subtle way, the modern “altar call” has become the evangelical equivalent of the sacrament of penance. For us, as for the medieval church, repentance has been divorced from genuine regeneration, and sanctification has been severed from justification. [31]

Our problem does not lie in the parts of Scripture we find difficult to understand. We turn away from the word of the Lord that we do understand. We do not read it, we do not love it, we have become almost incapable of meditating upon it; we are careless, if not actually callous about submitting to it. [42] 

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Ferguson carefully unpacks the truths we know about the Spirit from the Bible and threads them together to form a larger picture of the Spirit’s work in Scripture, in the lives of God’s people today, and His work yet to come. Although very engaging, this book isn’t quite as helpful as expected. What Ferguson covers is done well so this is easily recommended, but additional works may be needed for a clearer portrait of the Spirit.

The conflict in which Jesus engaged is, therefore, to be seen as a rerun of Eden. Like Adam before him, Jesus was incited to ‘be as God’ and to reject his word. But he chose the way of God-glorifying obedience and suffering instead. [49]

The purpose for which the Spirit is given is, therefore, nothing less than the reproduction of the image of God, that is transformation into the likeness of Christ who is himself the image of God. To receive the Spirit is to be inaugurated into the effects of this ongoing ministry. [92]

We can no more bring ourselves into the kingdom unaided than we can be conceived and born unaided. [121]

At one level of analysis, the individual changes his or her mind (repentance), and turns to Christ (faith). But that – which he does although he was impotent to do it – he does through the renewing work of the Spirit. [124]

The task of the Spirit may be stated simply: to bring us to glory, to create glory within us, and to glorify us together with Christ. The startling significance of this might be plainer if we expressed it thus: the Spirit is given to glorify us; not just to ‘add’ glory as a crown to what we are, but actually to transform the very constitution of our being so that we become glorious. [249]

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Tracing the logic of Solomon through the book of Ecclesiastes, Ferguson highlights what that ancient author found: the folly of life apart from God. Although we often search for meaning in work, possessions, or pleasures, these leave us unsatisfied and unfulfilled. In contrast, Ferguson points to the ultimate pleasure and meaning that comes from Christ. We were created for things beyond this realm, and thus we will never find true satisfaction in the things it offers. 

Whatever we substitute for facing up to reality, we learn the hard way that flight is not the answer. It leaves us with the same gnawing emptiness with which we started. [15]

Possessions cannot talk to you, love you, or guide you! Either their pleasing beauty will wear off or your eyes will grow dim to their luster before you are eventually blinded by death. What lasting security can they give to you then? You came from your mother’s womb with nothing; you will go to the earth’s womb with nothing. How can possessions give you security? You know you cannot take them with you. [23]

Infidelity is not a deviation for our otherwise true self; it is a revelation of our real nature. We are, literally, infidels. Unfaithful to the God who created us it is hardly surprising if we prove to be unfaithful in the relationships He made for us. [36]

We can never be finally satisfied with anything the world can offer us. Made as God’s image, created for Him, we must remain forever dissatisfied until we live in fellowship with Him and for His glory. We were made for eternity, not merely for time; we were made for God’s presence, not merely for life in the space-time continuum. No wonder, then, if there is confusion and frustration when we turn away from Him. It should not surprise us that, if we choose to live in the dark, we cannot see. [45]

Sin is folly, because it is disobedience to and rebellion against the will of the One who has made us, loves us, sustains us, and will finally assess us. What could be more foolish than that? Even worse than being foolish, it also alienates us from God. More, it places us under His condemnation; it exposes us to danger, to His wrath. [64] 

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“Knowing God is your single greatest privilege as a Christian,” says Ferguson. This book is a look at why this issue matters so significantly, and how to reverse the neglect so many have been guilty of. In his pastoral style, Ferguson touches on both how God reveals Himself to His people and the proper response to Him. Using Scripture as the foundation, Ferguson has crafted a helpful tool for those who desire a heart for God.

To be a Christian is not a mindless experience, but involves knowledge and understanding. It means a personal relationship and personal acquaintance with the Lord. [13]

There is no such thing as genuine knowledge of God that does not show itself in obedience to His Word and will. The person who wants to know God but who has no heart to obey God will never enter the sacred courts where God reveals Himself to the soul of man. God does not give divine knowledge to those who have no desire to glorify Him. [24]

Unless you become familiar with the wisdom of God, you cannot make much real progress in the Christian life. True stability over an extended period of discipleship will often depend on trusting that God is wise in everything He does and in all His dealings with His children. [103]

Restoration is always the purpose of God’s providential governing of His children’s lives. We may think that such severity is inconsistent with what we know of God’s gentleness and compassion. But that is because we do not appreciate how seriously God loves us, and how determined He is that we should have His best, even if it means pain. [141]

A Christian’s real development in spiritual life will always be revealed by how he or she thinks about God—how much he thinks about Him, and how highly he thinks about Him. For worship is, essentially, the reverse of sin. [155]

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A most common question about knowing God’s will receives a refreshingly uncommon treatment in the hands of Ferguson. Instead of a thinly veiled self-help book or insisting on a formulaic mantra in order to discover God’s will, we are reminded that the Bible tells us to seek God’s will by obeying His clear commands and trusting in His character. Practical issues like career and marriage are addressed in the context of personal holiness. Very highly recommended.

Very often when people say they are having problems about guidance, what they are really faced with is a problem about obedience. The issue at stake is whether we will walk along the paths of righteousness in which God will lead us. Are we willing to go through valleys of deep darkness, so long as He is with us? [36]

Obedience to the will of God involves us in a life which is a stark contrast to the life of the world. There is no sincerity in our profession to want the will of God in our lives if we are not in tune with His will for personal holiness. [58]

Be delivered from the mistaken idea that guidance is something which comes like a bolt from the blue and overtakes us. It is not. Guidance is the way in which God leads us as we think through the implications of it in our lives. It involves using our minds to think through the path which God wants us to take in His service. It requires familiarity with Scripture, and fellowship with the Spirit, who alone knows the mind of God. [61]

God is not in a hurry. That is what you must learn. That is what you can learn from the exhortations in the Psalms to wait for the Lord. He has long ago prepared the good works in which He wants you to walk. There is no need to panic or be anxious. He is not only your Life-Planner. He is a Father; He knows what we need before we ask Him; He has numbered the hairs on our heads! We, who lack the patience for such an enterprise, should learn to trust the all-knowing wisdom of God. [79]

Appearances can be deceptive. The fact that we cannot see what God is doing does not mean that He is doing nothing. The Lord has His own timetable. It is we who must learn to adjust to it, not vice versa. When God’s time comes nothing will stand in His way. [114] 

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This brief study examines the book of Jonah and its meaning for Christians. Ferguson avoids the trap of treating Jonah as an allegory or mere parable, and deals with the redemptive-historical ramifications of what transpired in the prophet’s life and times. As usual, Ferguson’s emphasis is on the practical outworking of the Bible’s sound doctrine in day-to-day living. Another helpful tool for those seeking to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Activity is a poor substitute for obedience. [13]

God communicates His will fundamentally and primarily through His revealed Word. It is a mistake to look for God’s guidance in more immediate and mystical ways – through subjective impressions on our spirits, through circumstances, through ‘signs’. Jonah’s error teaches us: Do not be guided by providences when you are refusing to be guided by God’s Word. Do not take the events of your daily life as your instructor when you have not taken God’s Word as a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. [22]

Where there is no obedience there can be no assurance. [26]

Few principles are more important in the Christian life than the practical recognition of the sovereign God, and His gracious determination to draw us near to Himself, whatever the cost may be. When His purposes involve afflictions and suffering of any kind, the knowledge that He is sovereignly over-ruling is the only thing that can preserve us from a craven fear or a sense of despair, and bring us a measure of joyful and willing acceptance of our situation. Only when we recognize that God’s aim is to make us like Christ, and that He works all the events of our lives together for this purpose, will we begin to rejoice in the good that is produced out of tribulation. [39]

Revival is needed, and we must pray for it. But evangelism is the divine command, and we must be obedient to it. [61] 

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