As mentioned yesterday, I’m reading Calvin’s Institutes, and finished his Preface to the Reader last night.
I’ve begun reading through the Bible (English Standard Version), using a one-year plan called The Daily Reader. (HT: Peter Mead of Biblical Preaching). What stands out about this plan is how they have arranged the Old Testament and New Testament Readings:
The Order of the Books
What order are we planning to read through and why? Here’s the explanation:
Old Testament
You will notice that the Old Testament in this plan does not follow the same order as our English Bibles. We will cover the same 39 books during the year, but the order is different! We are using the Hebrew order (the order Jesus would have used). The Hebrew order organises the books in three sections. First we will begin with the five books of Moses. Second we will move through the “Former” and “Latter Prophets” - this will feel like history books, followed by the prophets. Third we will enjoy the “Writings.” There are a couple of reasons we have set it out in this different way. For those who have read through the Bible before, this will have a fresh feel to it. For all of us it will mean we enjoy benefits like not having to read the two books of Chronicles right after the books of Samuel and Kings (this can feel a bit repetitive in the English order!) Watch for further comments about the Hebrew order as we go.
New Testament
You will also soon notice that the New Testament is not in English Bible order. The arrangement we will follow allows us to separate the gospels from each other. After each gospel we will read epistles that have some connection to it. Again, hopefully this approach will be fresh, motivating and helpful. So we’ll begin with Matthew (the more Jewish gospel) and follow it with Hebrews and James (two epistles with a very “Jewish Christian” feel!) Then Mark will be followed by the letters of Peter (who was probably behind Mark’s gospel) and Jude (which is often connected with 2 Peter). Luke will come next, along with his second work, Acts. Then, naturally, Paul’s epistles will follow Acts which tells so much of his story. Finally John’s gospel will be followed by his three other epistles and his last book of all, Revelation!
You can download a pdf file of The Daily Reading Plan, if you’re interested.
Last month at the Desiring God blog, I read John Piper’s recommendation of Leif Enger’s novel, Peace Like a River. I ordered a copy, which arrived last Friday. I’ve been reading it at bedtime, and I’m about halfway through it. It’s well written and it’s a compelling story.
Finally, a man in our congregation is reading John Owen on Overcoming Sin and Temptation, in the edition edited by Kelly Kapic and Justin Taylor (Kapic wrote his doctoral dissertation on Owen at the University of London). The book is an updating of three of Owen’s works: Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers; On Temptation: the Nature and Power of It; and Indwelling Sin. He invited me to read it and discuss it with him, so I ordered it and it arrived yesterday. This morning I read Kapic’s introduction while commuting on the bus to work. It provided a nice sketch of Owen’s theology of sin and sanctification, and also whetted my appetite to immerse myself in Owen’s writings. Here’s an sample in which Kapic discusses Owen’s insight that we must consider each individual’s personality in detecting how it is subject to sin and temptation:
A persistant danger among Christians is that we confuse certain personalites with sanctification, creating an inaccurate hierarchy within the kingdom of God. In fact, Owen believes that because of our various backgrounds and temperaments, it is very hard to discern the most faithful Christians, since looks can be deceiving:
Remember that of many of the best Christians, the worst is known and seen. Many who keep up precious communion with God do yet oftentimes, by their natural tempers of freedom or passion, not carry so glorious appearances as others who perhaps come short of them in grace and the power of godliness.
Not only can appearances be misleading, but people in positions of leadership in the church can often suffer greater falls than the average congregation member. When considering countless examples of the saints in Scripture (e.g., Noah, David, Hezekiah), Owen concludes that great “eruptions of actual sin” often occur not in “the lowest form or ordinary sort of believers,” but in people who have in the past “had a peculiar eminency in them on account of their walking with God in their generation.” Past faithfulness is not a protection against present dangers. [pg. 31]
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