Doctrine of God, The (A Theology of Lordship)

I submit John Frame’s The Doctrine of God, a book devoted to providing a deep foundation on what Scripture says about God. After a brief introduction, Frame establishes his framework (unintentional pun) for approaching the doctrine of God – Lordship. In Part one, following.
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Search by title, catalog stock , author, isbn, etc. More in Theology of Lordship Series. Doctrine of the Knowledge of God. The Doctrine of the Word of God. The Doctrine of the Christian Life. The Authority Of Scripture. Christian Theology, Third Edition. One God in Three Persons: Created in God's Image. Desiring God, Revised Edition: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. The Person of Christ: Contours of Christian Theology.

» The Doctrine of God (A Theology of Lordship)

A Justification of Christian Belief. Systematic Theology--Laminated Study Sheet. Hardcover Number of Pages: The Doctrine of God: Great Is the Lord: Theology for the Praise of God Ronald C. Gospel and Gender Douglas Campbell. Jan 25, David Steele rated it it was amazing Shelves: Most influential book in my life - outside of Scripture. Apr 17, John rated it it was amazing Shelves: Frame's "The Doctrine of God" is a traditional systematic theological work, with Frame's thoughtful, perspectivalist approach.

He begins with "Lordship"which is expressed in three "Lordship attributes": As Frame develops these three attributes, he naturally encounters some difficult subjects, he deals with them more comprehensively in part two--specifically "human responsibility and freedom" and "the problem of evil". Frame then develops some of the tradi Frame's "The Doctrine of God" is a traditional systematic theological work, with Frame's thoughtful, perspectivalist approach. Frame then develops some of the traditional systematic doctrines, such as ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, miracle, providence, creation, names, images, attributes, knowledge, time, etc.

Doctrine of God Part 1: An Introduction

He concludes with three chapters on the Trinity. There are, in customary Frame fashion, nine appendices. Some of the highlights from the book include his discussion of miracles. His definitions are remarkably simple and clear. For example, his definition of miracle is simple, to the point, and uncontroversial: He writes, "there is a pattern in Scripture, in which the extraordinary serves as preparation for the ordinary. We often value spectacular experience over day-t0-day routine. But God's priorities are different. God sometimes performs wonders to accredit his missionaries, to defeat opposition to the gospel, and to put the new church on a firm footing.

Therefore, he does not do evil in bringing evil to pass. Apr 21, Christopher rated it really liked it. When it comes to explaining who God is and what He is like, Frame does here what he always does: In this way, reading Frame has always been surprisingly devotional for me. For example Frame can take a concept like God's "glory" how, vanilla, it might seem , bring the scripture to bear, and make you really pay heed. Mar 18, Peter N. This can be good and bad. He is certainly one of the more influential modern reformed theologians.

Many of the ideas in this book I have seen expressed in simpler fashion by popular pastors and preachers. Reading Frame made me want to think things through more thoroughly. I am still too shallow a thinker and do not have the ability to interact with those I disagree with very well. Aug 04, Mark A Powell rated it it was amazing. Frame addresses main issues thoroughly and is careful to answer critical objections. He writes with a tenor both academic and accessible, a rare feat.

Jul 26, Eric Molicki rated it really liked it Shelves: This is a Biblically sound, theologically nuanced, and practically rich work. It deserves careful, reflective reading if it is to yield its treasures. Aug 19, Lindsay Kennedy rated it it was amazing Shelves: This review is edited from my review at www. However, both of these books only go so far; for Christians wanting the next level, where should one turn? That said, I know of many who consider this as the book to get on the subject, so I think my high regard for it is warranted. God acts so that we might know that He is Lord. Whether this approach and his triperspectivalism are more helpful than not is a matter of opinion.

However, I did find his approach very refreshing and natural and am surprised if he is alone in this approach. Some will take issue with Frame leaving the Trinity until last. Frame anticipates this and argues that since God's attributes, actions, and Trinitarian nature are all different perspectives of understanding the Person of God, they can be covered in any order. Frame is able to make complex concepts understandable without oversimplifying them. However, a downside of this clarity is the fact that this book is pages, and thereby intimidating for many the average reader.

Due to the size and thorough nature of this book, I expect many will expect to use it as a reference. I have done so myself, and it has been very helpful.

Most expect reference books to have data easily digestible, perhaps with lots of tables and lists. This book must be taken on its own terms. It is the most commonly given title to our God and it is the title that He most consistently chooses. He does address this, but it may leave some readers confused. Among non-Calvinists, some will find this more frustrating than others. On that note, his discussions of that topic is considered by many worth the price of the book alone, so if you want a good presentation of the Reformed understanding of freedom and evil, this is a great place to turn.

Back to the point, he is very fair in his assessment and responses to Arminianism and other forms of non-Calvinism, but also has no fear of strongly criticizing them where he thinks they are wrong. On the other hand, his Calvinism doesn't make itself known in every section and there are substantial sections with insights from which all Christians should be able happily receive. It would be a shame if more did not read this book simply because of some of his conclusions.

I greatly enjoyed this book. The subject matter, content, approach and writing style all contributed to make this book surprisingly enjoyable given its size and scope. It's difficult to review a large book such as this because the actual content has to be summarized to the extent that the real gems aren't discussed as much as I would have liked. This book is full of great truths.

The Doctrine of God

The Doctrine of God would be a wonderful reference though see my comments above for any pastor or serious student to have on their shelf. It would also be a great book to read through beginning to end! His unique approach and insistence on staying close to the Scripture makes this topic much easier to comprehend for those who would otherwise never pick up this kind of book.

Feb 26, Jacob Aitken rated it it was amazing Shelves: In other volumes, Frame analyzed a topic by placing it within its normative law , situational fact , and existential person dimensions. The approach is quite clever and does shed light on many issues.

The Doctrine of God (A Theology of Lordship)

In this volume, Frame approaches the doctrine of God in terms of authority normative , control situational , and presence existential. The covenant Lord interacts with his people according to the above triad: Sometimes, I suspect, Frame himself does not realize he is doing it. In other words, as far as books concerning the doctrine of God go, this one is quite relevant. Libertarian Free Will Frame ridicules the alternative to what he perceives the Augustinian tradition to be. Libertarian free will not to be confused with the economic position argues that humans have the power to choose between different alternatives Frame then gives fourteen or so reasons why libertarianism is false Most of his reasons hinge on a specific exegesis of passages which are self-evident only to Calvinists.

Secondly, when approached with counter texts like in Ezekiel when God pleads with his people not to die, but turn and live he interprets them in light of his prior Calvinist commitments. But how do we know beforehand, given sola scriptura, that we should interpret them by this framework and not that one? His only interesting objection is that Scripture never grounds human responsibility in libertarian freedom?

Maximus the Confessor, however, said we choose between many goods. Election His discussion on election, like his take on free will, assumes a Calvinistic slant on the exegesis. He begins by rightly noting that the elect one is Jesus Christ He asserts, but not quite argues, that Old Testament election was both corporate and individual.

He never offers an Old Testament verse demonstrating this, though.

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His take on Romans 9 ignores the fact that Romans was dealing with the corporate body of apostate Israel. He further equates election with new covenant membership.

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The problem, though, is that he has yet to show that election is used in an individual sense. The Triune God Much of this section of the book reads like a proof-text list arguing for the deity of the Son or Spirit. Frame gives a helpful list on how the Church confessed the Trinity throughout history. There are very good critiques of Aquinas and Boethius. If this is the case, and there are three persons in the Godhead, then how are there not three four? If the persons are simply alternative names for the divine essence, then how is this not modalism?

He affirms the Western view and offers the same standard arguments for it, namely since there is an analogy between temporal sending and ontological procession, therefore they are the same Conclusion This book is a welcome addition to the Reformed community. Frame passionately interacts with the texts and there is much material for sermons and lessons.

The book has some weaknesses, though. There is little nothing? Dec 31, John Rimmer rated it really liked it. Kinda like a martial arts instructor that not only expertly stomps you into a pulp, reminding your arrogant self that you are a mere white belt, but also proceeds to patiently repeat the lesson over and over and over again until you realize that you've got a lifetime to go to even begin to understand how awesome what you are studying is.

One of my life goals is to finish this book, and the entire series it comes from. Sep 25, Cade Perry rated it really liked it. A massive yet very accessible book. Jul 12, Nate Weis rated it it was amazing. Sep 03, Ryan Rust rated it it was amazing. This was an absolute delight. May 12, Daniel Thomas rated it really liked it Shelves: I really appreciate Frame's ability to get down into the weeds and help the reader understand what's going on.

Frame's Theology of Lordship Series is a great work that I would recommend to anyone. Sep 28, Jimmy rated it it was amazing Shelves: This book is a great resource on a theology of God. Those who have read other works by the author John Frame will find him on top of his game here as well. This is a work that pastors and teachers would turn to as reference even after completing it. I enjoyed reading this book in two separate instances: I would recommend the second approach as the best way to read this volume. I enjoyed this book very much. There was so many gold in the book. Here are a few: This observation concerning the Lordship of God is also the central theme of this work on the doctrine of God.

It is as if this work is also a work on apologetics, Christian philosophy and theological methods. It makes me worship God more profoundly reading this book! Jan 07, Shaela Woody rated it it was amazing Shelves: It appears that the doctrine of God isn't a topic that you can cover in a word essay.

He isn't afraid to humbly admit uncertainty about the more mysterious or peripheral concepts in Scripture and is fair in his treatment o It appears that the doctrine of God isn't a topic that you can cover in a word essay.