Monday, September 18, 2017

Bible Review: ESV Reformation Bible

ESV Reformation Study Bible. 2015. Edited by R.C. Sproul. Reformation Trust. 2560 pages. [Source: Gift/Bought]

Length of project: July 28, 2017 - September 14, 2017

My goal was to read the book introductions, the text of the Bible, and any in-text articles that appeared within the sixty-six books of the Bible. I knew that if my goal was too ambitious--to read every study note--that it would never, ever happen.

The translation I read was the ESV. This Bible is also available in the NKJV translation.

The text size was small. I'd say it was teeny tiny, except then how could I describe the font size of the study notes? (The study notes are so small I didn't even try to read them.) The in-text articles were black text printed on a gray background. This didn't make for the easiest of reads. But the information was usually good so it was worth the extra effort.

The 2015 Reformation Study Bible has had notoriously bad luck in printing quality according to reviews I've read. My copy did have smeared ink on a couple hundred pages. The smeared ink in addition to the extremely thin pages made for a challenging read at times.

This Bible is also HEAVY. Not just heavy with weighty theology or doctrine--if Amazon is to be believed, this one weighs about four pounds. Even if it is a fraction less, it still feels that heavy! It lays flat beautifully for the most part. But it is a bit cumbersome for reading anywhere and everywhere.

I really loved the contents of this one.

From the book introduction to Revelation:
Given that Revelation is full of symbolism, why did God use such a possibly confusing way to speak His message? The answer is that John’s use of symbols is very similar to Jesus’ use of parables, which itself is rooted in the visions, language, and signs of the OT prophets. The parables of Jesus served the same purpose as the language and signs of the OT prophets: He used them to get the attention of His believing listeners who had grown spiritually sleepy and might not have paid attention otherwise. But for unbelievers (including pseudo-believers), parables generally made no sense, and rejection of the parabolic message was simply a further evidence of the hardening of the heart that refuses to listen to God. The symbols of Revelation serve the same purpose as the words of the prophets and the parables of Jesus. In fact, the sevenfold admonition to the churches, “He who has an ear, let him hear” (2: 7, 11, 17, 29; 3: 6, 13, 22), is based on Is. 6: 9, 10 and its use in Matt. 13: 9– 16. The repeated use of this phrase in the seven letters, along with its repetition in 13: 9, shows that the symbolism of the visions functions in the same way as Jesus’ parables. By their powerful and often shocking imagery, the visions open the eyes of true believers while leaving hardened unbelievers in deeper darkness, though it is also true that some unbelievers are “shocked into faith” for the first time through hearing the parabolic visions read. In short, the message of Revelation does not merely concern the unfolding of future events. Instead, it uses present events, understood in a symbolic manner, to speak both a warning and an encouragement to believers to persevere in their commitment to Christ and divorce themselves from any allegiance to the world system, which expresses the rule of the kingdom of darkness.
From "Heaven" from the book of Revelation
What is most notable about heaven is what is absent from it as well as what is present in it. Things that will be absent include: (1) tears, (2) sorrow, (3) death, (4) pain, (5) darkness, (6) ungodly people, (7) sin, (8) temples, (9) the sun or moon, and (10) the curse from Adam’s sin (see Genesis 3: 14– 19). What will be present in heaven includes: (1) the saints, (2) the river of the water of life, (3) healing fruit, (4) the Lamb of God, (5) worship, (6) the wedding feast of the Lamb and His bride, (7) the unveiled face of God, and (8) the Sun of Righteousness. Heaven is where Christ is. It is the eternal bliss of communion with the God-man. Jonathan Edwards, in trying to give voice to the joy believers will find in heaven writes that the saints will swim in the ocean of love, and be eternally swallowed up in the infinitely bright, and infinitely mild and sweet beams of divine love; eternally receiving the light, eternally full of it, and eternally compassed round with it, and everlastingly reflecting it back again to its fountain. While the saints will delight in fellowship with their God and Savior, there is no reason to believe that they will not recognize and fellowship with saints they knew on earth. Heaven is the abode of all good things. There will be degrees of blessedness in heaven. Paul uses a metaphor of the stars of differing brilliance shining in the same heaven to describe this. There are, however, several clarifying points that need to be made. First, all the stars will shine. That is to say, there is no unhappiness in heaven. All are blessed beyond our most insightful imaginations. Second, the atoning work of Christ has the same saving efficacy for all saints. Finally, the “works” of the believer, which “merit” greater or lesser blessedness, are not good in themselves. Rather, it is the sovereign pleasure of God to regard these works as meritorious. He does so for Christ’s sake only. While the greatest horror of hell is its eternality, one of the greatest joys of heaven is the assurance that it will never end. The last enemy, death, will be no more. Luke 20: 34– 38 assures the believer that this reward of heaven is everlasting. The greatest joy of heaven is the beatific vision, seeing the face of God. This unspeakable joy, however, comes through the eyes of the soul. God is spirit, and in spirit the elect shall see Him. This is the reward, earned by Christ, enjoyed by His children.
From "Hope" from the book of Hebrews
Biblical hope is a firm conviction that the future promises of God will be fulfilled. Hope is not mere wish projection, but an assurance of what will come to pass. “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain” (Hebrews 6: 19). Hope takes its place alongside faith and love as one of the Christian virtues that the apostle Paul sets forth in 1 Corinthians 13: 13. Hope is faith directed toward the future. Hope is used in two ways in the Bible. The less common usage points out the object of our hope. Christ is our hope of eternal life. The more common usage is as an attitude of assurance regarding the fulfillment of God’s promises. The Christian is called to hope, that is, to have full assurance of the resurrection of God’s people and the coming of God’s kingdom. Hope is inextricably bound up with eschatology. Paul reminds Christians that until the kingdom comes in its fullness, believers can only have an assured hope; they must “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5: 7). This hope is neither unfounded nor groundless. Though the life of the Christian is marked more by suffering than triumph (1 Corinthians 4: 8– 13; 2 Corinthians 4: 7– 18), the foundation for hope is in the Godhead. First, the believer looks upon the death and resurrection of Christ. His death was the darkest hour for His disciples. The promised Messiah was dead, His kingdom apparently lost. With the Resurrection, that despair turned to hope. Alongside suffering, whether great or small, the Christian’s hope must endure. God is always sufficient and faithful. Second, the believer has the Holy Spirit as a down payment on the kingdom. His presence assures us that the kingdom will be fully consummated. The Spirit is not only a sign toward hope, but the sustainer of hope. He fulfills the role of Comforter, girding up the believer in strength and hope. It is the Spirit that encourages the believer to pray to the Father, “Your kingdom come.”


© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

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