Posts by Ryan McGraw

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Preaching and the Mission of the Trinity

Ryan McGraw
Nov 11, 2017
Every divine work reflects God's Triunity. This means that if we want to understand what God is doing in our lives we must begin with who God is. The Father always acts through his Son and by his Spirit. We come to the Father, by the Spirit, through the Son (Eph. 2:18). Preaching in relation to...

Amandus Polanus on Interpreting Scripture through Meditation

Ryan McGraw
Oct 12, 2017
As the previous two posts demonstrated ( #1 , #2 ), Amandus Polanus envisioned Christians interpreting the Scriptures with the help of the church. In colloquial terms, this means that no Christian can read their Bibles well by themselves on a private island with no external aids or input. Yet it...

Amandus Polanus on the Church’s Role in Interpreting Scripture (2)

Ryan McGraw
Oct 10, 2017
M y previous post demonstrated Amandus Polanus’ teaching that the Scriptures are clear in themselves and that there is a difference between magisterial and ministerial interpretations of Scripture. Magisterial interpretation belongs to God himself speaking in Scripture while ministerial...

Amandus Polanus on the Church’s Role in Interpreting Scripture (1)

Ryan McGraw
Oct 6, 2017
S ola Scriptura is one of the slogans that have come to be attached to the Protestant Reformation.While the so-called five solas , as descriptive terms of Protestant theology, originated long after the sixteenth-century, they capture well some of the primary emphases of Protestant thought as they...

Book Review: The Oxford Handbook of Early Modern Theology

Ryan McGraw
Sep 21, 2017
Ulrich L. Lehner, Richard A. Muller, and A. G. Roeber, eds., The Oxford Handbook of Early Modern Theology, 1600-1800 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016). $140.28. 668pp. Hardcover. S tudying classic Reformed theology is one of the most important things that Reformed ministers and students can...

Patrick Gillespie on the Necessity of Christ’s Two Natures

Ryan McGraw
Sep 5, 2017
A s the previous two posts demonstrated (see here and here ), Patrick Gillespie taught that Christ fulfilled the terms of the Covenant of Redemption in order to establish the gracious character of the Covenant of Grace. While God requires faith as the condition of entering the Covenant of Grace,...

Patrick Gillespie: Christ as the Sum of the Covenant of Grace

Ryan McGraw
Aug 1, 2017
I n my previous post , I provided a sketch of Patrick Gillespie’s arguments for the distinction between the Covenant of Redemption and the Covenant of Grace. Yet some have objected to this distinction by appealing to Westminster Larger Catechism 31, which states, “The Covenant of Grace is made with...

Book Review: Anthony Burgess on the Law in Reformed Scholasticism

Ryan McGraw
Jul 20, 2017
Stephen J. Casselli, Divine Rule Maintained: Anthony Burgess, Covenant Theology, and the Place of the Law in Reformed Scholasticism (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2016). 188pages. [ Book / ebook ] T he function God’s law in Scripture has always raised difficult theological questions...

Patrick Gillespie: The Importance of the Covenant of Redemption

Ryan McGraw
Jul 19, 2017
M ankind needs saving from God by God. As demonstrated in my previous posts on Patrick Gillespie ( #1 , #2 , #3 , #4 ), the broken Covenant of Works paved the way for the salvation of God’s elect in the Covenant of Grace. Yet in the sequel to his Ark of the Testament , Gillespie argued in The Ark...

Book Review: Synopsis Purioris Theologiae (Vols. 1–2)

Ryan McGraw
Jul 4, 2017
Synopsis Purioris Theologiae: Synopsis of a Purer Theology , by Walaeus et al., ed. Roelf T. te Velde, trans. Reimer A. Faber, 3 vols. (Leiden: Brill, 2015). 659 pages. Volume 1 . T his translation introduces a historically important Reformed orthodox text to the English-speaking world. Four...

Aiming to Preach with Aims

Ryan McGraw
Jun 28, 2017
We need to hear Christ in order to believe in him for salvation (Rom. 10:14). Ordinarily we hear his voice through his ordained ambassadors as they preach the gospel in demonstration of the Spirit's power (Rom. 10:15; 2 Cor. 5:19-6:2; 1 Cor. 2:5). Yet we can believe these things and still make...

Patrick Gillespie on the Covenant of Works (4)

Ryan McGraw
Jun 6, 2017
T his post is the final in a series of four (see #1 , #2 , #3 ), which outlines and annotates Patrick Gillespie’s (1617-1675) treatment of the Covenant of Works. In this section, Gillespie illustrates how Adam’s failure in the Covenant of Works paves way for the Covenant of Grace. I will conclude...

How Then Should We Preach?

Ryan McGraw
May 22, 2017
However well constructed and attractive, a car is useless without fuel. On the flip side, a motor may have fuel without being a vehicle. Likewise, preaching is a vehicle that requires fuel. God designed preaching to bring us to himself through faith in Christ. If preaching does not have the right...

Patrick Gillespie on the Covenant of Works (3)

Ryan McGraw
May 16, 2017
I n this third part (see parts 1 , 2 ) of my annotated outline of Patrick Gillespie’s treatment of the Covenant of Works, the emphasis shifts from the existence and manner of transacting the covenant to its nature and breach . This material expands the gracious aspects of the Covenant of Works and...

Patrick Gillespie on the Covenant of Works (2)

Ryan McGraw
May 3, 2017
I n my last post , I began to present an annotated outline of Patrick Gillespie’s (1617-1675) treatment of the Covenant of Works from his work, The Ark of the Testament . We saw that he made the case that there was a Covenant of Works with Adam before the Fall. Then he explained how God transacted...

Patrick Gillespie on the Covenant of Works (1)

Ryan McGraw
Apr 18, 2017
C ovenant theology is a vital and distinctive part of Reformed theology, both past and present. The Covenant of Works, which is questioned by some today, gradually became an essential component of the Reformed presentation of the gospel by drawing parallels between Adam and Christ, as the Second...

The Necessity of Preaching

Ryan McGraw
Apr 11, 2017
Salvation is an expansive term. It essentially means "safety." Salvation includes the application of Christ's work from the new birth, through faith and repentance, to Justification, adoption, sanctification, and glorification. Christians share in Christ's benefits because they are united to him...

Interviews with Ryan McGraw on the Trinity

Ryan McGraw
Apr 4, 2017
As you know, Meet the Puritans is proud to announce its first published book by our own Dr. Ryan McGraw: Knowing the Trinity: Practical Thoughts for Daily Life . In connection with this book, we present to you the following 2-part interview with Dr. McGraw on practical Trinitarianism: Part 1 of his...

Theodorus VanderGroe on the Trinity

Ryan McGraw
Mar 28, 2017
The doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of the gospel and the heartbeat of Christian faith and life. Before understanding how to apply the doctrine of the Trinity, however, we must understand clearly what this doctrine entails. Theodorus VanderGroe (1705-1784) helps us understand such truths...

Book Review: Vandergroe on The Christian's Only Comfort

Ryan McGraw
Mar 27, 2017
The Heidelberg Catechism has stood the test of time as one of the most beloved confessions used by many Reformed churches. It has also been common, especially from the time of the Synod of Dort in the early seventeenth-century, for Dutch Reformed ministers to preach sermons on the Catechism in the...

Preaching Christology or Preaching Christ: What is Preaching?

Ryan McGraw
Mar 13, 2017
Good teaching begins with definitions. Effective schoolteachers tell their students what they are doing and why in order help students learn well. This often means defining terms specific to each subject. Math students need to learn what a hypotenuse is and students of physics need to understand...

Thinking About Jesus: Owen on Meditating on Christ’s Glory

Ryan McGraw
Mar 7, 2017
M editation is a difficult duty. Most Christians struggle even with where to begin with respect to this duty. It is particularly important for us to mediate upon the Person and work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, since beholding the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ is the primary...

Did John Owen Write a Biblical Theology?

Ryan McGraw
Feb 23, 2017
B iblical theology has become a popular topic in recent years. While all theology should be biblical, this oft difficult to define discipline stresses the gradual historical unfolding of God’s self-revelation in redemptive history. People like biblical theology because they want to understand the...

How to Read John Owen: Part 3

Ryan McGraw
Feb 8, 2017
I know many pastors who bought John Owen’s seven-volume “commentary” on Hebrews who had high hopes of reading them while preaching through Hebrews, only to be daunted at the size of the work, the depth of the material, and the breadth of the matter. The temptation is simply to give up. However, C.H...

How to Read John Owen: Part 2

Ryan McGraw
Jan 17, 2017
W alking you through everything that John Owen (1616-1683) wrote would take considerable space. Instead, as I continue my series on helping you read his writings (see part 1 ), I will recommend a few of my favorite books by him, explaining why they are my favorites. This list is somewhat subjective...

How to Read John Owen: Part 1

Ryan McGraw
Dec 21, 2016
J ohn Owen is ranked not only among the most significant Puritan theologians, but also among Reformed theologians generally in the seventeenth-century. He is one of the greatest Reformed thinkers of all time and he always ministers to both our hearts and minds. However, it is also well-known that...

Cocceius on Doxology as the Test of Doctrine

Ryan McGraw
Dec 6, 2016
W hat is the true test of sound doctrine? In a previous post , I introduced readers to the recent translation of Johannes Cocceius’ work on covenant theology. In that post, I noted in passing that Cocceius argued that Romans 11:33-36 should be a test of all sound doctrine, “that it may be evident...

Book Review: Johannes Cocceius on The Doctrine of the Covenant

Ryan McGraw
Nov 15, 2016
Johannes Cocceius, The Doctrine of the Covenant and Testament of God , trans. Casey Carmichael, vol. 3, Classic Reformed Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2016). 408pp. Hardcover. J ohannes Cocceius (1603-1669) was one of the foremost figures in the so-called Dutch Further...

Book Review: Bernardinus de Moor's Continuous Commentary

Ryan McGraw
Nov 1, 2016
Bernardinus de Moor, Continuous Commentary on Johannes Marckius’ Didactico-Elenctic Comendium of Christian Theology , trans. Stephen Dilday, vol. 1, 7 vols. (Culpeper, VA: L...

Does the Trinity Really Matter? Part 3

Ryan McGraw
Oct 18, 2016
S everal posts ago I began a series of short posts on Owen’s teaching on communion with the Trinity under the analogy of building an iPad (part 1 , 2 ). This third and final post presents his teaching on all three persons in the Godhead. What Does the Owen iPad Look Like?: The Father, the Son, and...

Book Review: Unity in Diversity

Ryan McGraw
Oct 4, 2016
Randall J. Pederson, Unity in Diversity: English Puritans and the Puritan Reformation, 1603-1689 , vol. 68, Brill Studies in Church History (Leiden: Brill, 2014). 380pp. Hardcover. *Click here for details on our current giveaway of this book. “P uritanism” is so difficult to define that some...

Does the Trinity Really Matter? Part 2

Ryan McGraw
Sep 20, 2016
Last time I began a series of short posts on Owen’s teaching on communion with the Trinity under the analogy of building an iPad. This second post presents the basic building blocks of his teaching. What the Owen iPad Does: The Trinity, Covenant Theology, and Union with Christ Three components make...

Does the Trinity Really Matter? Part 1

Ryan McGraw
Sep 6, 2016
W riting on John Owen is like building an iPad (sorry in advance to non-Apple fans). The R...

Book Review: The Myth of the Reformation

Ryan McGraw
Aug 23, 2016
Peter Opitz, ed., The Myth of the Reformation , vol. 9, Refo500 Academic Studies (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck...

Annotated Bibliography on Reformed Piety

Ryan McGraw
Aug 15, 2016
Thanks to our own Dr. Ryan McGraw, we now have a new page on our "Reading the Puritans" dropdown menu: Annotated Bibliography on Reformed Piety . We pray this stimulates you to read and to grow in your love for Christ.

Book Review: The Oxford Handbook of Martin Luther’s Theology

Ryan McGraw
Aug 9, 2016
Robert Kolb, Irene Dingel, and L’ubomir Batka, eds., The Oxford Handbook of Martin Luther’s Theology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014). 662pp. Hardcover. M artin Luther is one of the most influential figures in world history in the past five hundred years. This is true in the West, even where...

Book Review: Van Dixhoorn's Confessing the Faith

Ryan McGraw
Jul 26, 2016
Chad B Van Dixhoorn, Confessing the Faith: A Reader’s Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith (Banner of Truth, 2014). Chad van Dixhoorn once described a dream of his in which he was puzzling over the handwriting of the original minutes of the Westminster Assembly. In his dream, as he agonized...

Book Review: God is a Communicative Being

Ryan McGraw
Jul 12, 2016
William M. Schweitzer, God is a Communicative Being: Divine Communicativeness and Harmony in the Theology of Jonathan Edwards . London: T...

Book Review: Shifting Patterns of Reformed Tradition

Ryan McGraw
Jun 28, 2016
Emidio Campi's, Shifting Patterns of Reformed Tradition , Reformed Historical Theology vol. 27 ( Göttingen: Vandenhoeck...

Wilhelmus à Brakel on Damnation by Faith

Ryan McGraw
May 10, 2016
Can faith damn us? The Dutch “Puritan” theologian Wilhelmus à Brakel (1635-1711) argued that the first sin of Adam and Eve was unbelief. To state this differently, they exchanged faith in the Word of God for faith in the word of the Serpent ( The Christian’s Reasonable Service , 1:372-373; print ;...

Have We Undervalued the Sufferings of Christ?

Ryan McGraw
Apr 26, 2016
Is it possible to undervalue Christ’s sufferings by overemphasizing the cross? One of my favorite seventeenth century Dutch “Puritans” is Herman Witsius (1636-1708). In his Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man , I came across a profound section on the extent to which Christ’s sufferings...

Why Write New Books When There are Good Old Ones?

Ryan McGraw
Apr 12, 2016
Part of our purpose on Meet the Puritans is to introduce you to good old books. This raises the question that if there are so many good old books, how can there be any need for new books? I spoke to a friend a while back who was writing a book and who asked me, "Why write another book when so many...

Book Review: The Best Method of Preaching

Ryan McGraw
Mar 22, 2016
Petrus van Mastricht, The Best Method of Preaching . Trans. Todd Rester (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2013). 82pp. Jonathan Edwards once stated that Peter van Mastricht’s Theoretico-Practica Theologia was the best book that he had read apart from the Bible (1). Mastricht was not...

Book Review: Triumphing Over Sinful Fear

Ryan McGraw
Mar 8, 2016
John Flavel, Triumphing Over Sinful Fear (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2011). 124pp. This is easily one of the most important Puritan books that I have read. It is deeply convicting, full of Christ, and loaded with sound pastoral wisdom on a vital, yet neglected topic. Flavel...

Book Review: Stop Loving the World

Ryan McGraw
Feb 23, 2016
William Greenhill, Stop Loving the World , ed. Jay T. Collier (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2010). 73pp. Worldliness is an increasing problem in Western Christendom. No one wants to admit that they are worldly, but the tragic fact is that Christians have often lost sight of how the...

Book Review: The Fading of the Flesh

Ryan McGraw
Feb 9, 2016
George Swinnock, The Fading of the Flesh and the Flourishing of Faith , ed. J. Stephen Yulie (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2009). 170pp. When it comes to old books, I am a purist. Ordinarily, something is lost along the way in translations or abridgments. However, as a pastor, I have...