Happy Christmas from Theology Thursday!

Author(s)Aled Seago
Date 25 December 2014

‘We cannot know the truth or know ourselves or know God’s ways or savingly know God himself unless God speaks to us. Every true Christian should feel deep in his bones an utter dependence on God’s self-revelation in the Scriptures.’

To know God, and to know us, we must look to the Bible. Taking God at His Word by Kevin DeYoung is a brilliant book that helps the reader to love the Bible more. The book unpacks the following:

• God’s word is enough
• God’s word is clear
• God’s word is final
• God’s word is necessary.

DeYoung writes that God has made himself known. He has done so in a clear way, not hidden behind mysterious ‘interpretations’ and ‘mysteries’. It is a final word. It has the final say. No ‘three legged stools’ are to be found here.

DeYoung also gives a brilliant overview of Jesus’ view of Scripture. He sees it as true, enough, clear, final and necessary. He sees the Bible as God’s word. Therefore, DeYoung writes: ‘If you are a Christian, by definition you ought to believe what Jesus teaches’, and ‘…we must conclude that whatever the perfect Son of God believed about the sacred writings, we should believe the same.’

Finally, DeYoung ends the book urging the reader to stick with the scriptures. What the Bible says, God says. This is the charge to every Christian. So he says, ‘we can believe the Bible because we believe in the power and wisdom and goodness and truthfulness of the God whose authority and veracity cannot be separated from the Bible. We trust the Bible because it is God’s Bible. And God being God, we have every reason to take him at his word.’

This has been one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s a book every Christian needs to read, and be equipped by. May we all be people who take God at his word!

Seago, Aled. Review of Kevin DeYoung, Taking God at his Word: Why the Bible is Worth Knowing, Trusting and Loving (Nottingham: IVP, 2014). Churchman 128/3 (2014): 267–268.

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