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Reformed Dogmatics #2
Reformed Dogmatics Volume 2: God and Creation
In partnership with the Dutch Reformed Translation Society, Baker Academic is proud to offer the second volume of Herman Bavinck's complete Reformed Dogmatics in English for the very first time. This masterwork will appeal to scholars, students, pastors, and laity interested in Reformed theology and to research and theological libraries.
"Bavinck was a man of giant mind, vast learning, ageless wisdom, and great expository skill. Solid but lucid, demanding but satisfying, broad and deep and sharp and stabilizing, Bavinck's magisterial Reformed Dogmatics remains after a century the supreme achievement of its kind."-J. I. Packer, Regent College
"Bavinck was a man of giant mind, vast learning, ageless wisdom, and great expository skill. Solid but lucid, demanding but satisfying, broad and deep and sharp and stabilizing, Bavinck's magisterial Reformed Dogmatics remains after a century the supreme achievement of its kind."-J. I. Packer, Regent College
704 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2004
105 people are currently reading
676 people want to read
About the author
Herman Bavinck
110 books190 followersHerman Bavinck (1854-1921) succeeded Abraham Kuyper as professor of systematic theology at the Free University of Amsterdam in 1902.
His nephew was Johan Herman Bavinck.
His nephew was Johan Herman Bavinck.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
December 20, 2023
What is there to say? Like Job after Yahweh speaks from the whirlwind, I closed the book after almost every reading speechless. What a God. What a God!
One of my favorite quotes from the entire 600+ pages:
“Pelagianism scatters flowers over graves, turns death into an angel, regards sin as mere weakness, lectures on the uses of adversity, and considers this the best possible world. Calvinism has no use for such drivel. It refuses to be hoodwinked. It tolerates no such delusion, takes full account of the seriousness of life, champions the rights of the Lord of lords, and humbly bows in adoration before the inexplicable sovereign will of God Almighty. As a result it proves to be fundamentally more merciful than Pelagianism.”
One of my favorite quotes from the entire 600+ pages:
“Pelagianism scatters flowers over graves, turns death into an angel, regards sin as mere weakness, lectures on the uses of adversity, and considers this the best possible world. Calvinism has no use for such drivel. It refuses to be hoodwinked. It tolerates no such delusion, takes full account of the seriousness of life, champions the rights of the Lord of lords, and humbly bows in adoration before the inexplicable sovereign will of God Almighty. As a result it proves to be fundamentally more merciful than Pelagianism.”
February 16, 2025
It is just incredible how well these Dogmatic volumes hold up. The arguments are fresh and innovative. It shows the power of Dogmatics done right. One particular standout was wrapping questions of reprobation and election within the heading Divine Counsel, leading to a proper focus of both.
Hopefully an article will flow from this!
Timeless.
Hopefully an article will flow from this!
Timeless.
July 18, 2024
Somehow an even greater triumph than his Prolegomena.
October 23, 2016
Whenever Christians are talking about the great theologians of the Reformed faith, Bavinck's name is surpassed perhaps by only John Calvin himself.
The reasons are obvious. In addition to his comprehensive mastery of the content of scripture and its theological implications, he is also perhaps a literal genius, demonstrating an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of Christianity, the specific positions of all the Christian denominations, the writings of the church fathers, the then extant writings of the ancient Near East, top contemporary theories in physics, geology, and biology, technical knowledge of biblical Greek and Hebrew, and the complete history of philosophy and it's influences on theology. Each chapter ends with about 115 footnotes for that chapter alone, which can be skipped unless you need to follow them out.
This 2nd volume on God and Creation is where the magic begins. Volume 1, though equally studious was concerned with first principles and presuppositions. Wonderful ground work, but the meat of the theology begins here. The beauty of this systemic is not so much in tweetable insights consumable in piecemeal fashion but in a complete "way of thinking" about the core doctrines and the associated controversies with their significance. It's a book where you may read and not consciously notice any specific doctrinal position change but in the end step back and release you grasp the full extent of the doctrine and how to approach it holistically.
The most difficult aspect of the book is that Bavinck assumes a certain knowledge of philosophical concepts, Greek and Hebrew literacy, and understanding of philosophical terms. As a layman, I was fortunate to have just come off of finishing the History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps podcast by Peter Adamson, which was a huge help as a primer, and I can only imagine how much of a slog it would have been if I needed to individually research the ideas as they came up in the text. Additionally, knowing zero Hebrew, I was able to follow along by context clues, though for Greek it is helpful to be able to at least transliterate the words from the characters. No knowledge of actual grammar was required and a simple Google search of each Greek word would likely suffice for the monolingual like myself.
Bavinck is huge on the consequences of the ideas one holds, readily showing how this or that view leads finally to pantheism, deism, atheism, or an established heresy. He is reverent, and his theology is meant to be both useful for the church and unapologetically reformed.
Now, some of the key quotes I highlighted.
"God is self-sufficient: in him there is no need or compulsion to actualize any of his ideas in a world of creatures. He is perfectly free in his choices; it is only by his will that all things exist and were created (Rev. 4:11)."
"God does not need the world for his own perfection. He does not need the work of creation and preservation in order not to be unemployed. He is absolute activity within himself."
"Thousands of blossoms fall to the ground so that a few may ripen and bear fruit. Millions of living beings are born, yet only a few remain alive. Thousands of people labor in the sweat of their face in order that a few persons may swim in wealth. Riches, art, science, all that is high and noble, are built on a foundation of poverty, deprivation, and ignorance. The equal distribution envisioned in socialist theory has never been seen anywhere in the world. Equality exists in no area of life. Election exists everywhere alongside, and on the basis of, reprobation. The world is not ordered according to the Pharisaic law of work and reward. Merit and riches are totally unrelated. And even on the highest level, it is only God’s grace that makes the difference. Like all the decrees, so also that of election is ultimately rooted in God’s good pleasure. Pelagians of all stripes have consistently wanted to view these decrees as acts of divine justice based on human merit."
"No one has a right to believe that he or she is a reprobate, for everyone is sincerely and urgently called to believe in Christ with a view to salvation."
"If the world did not originate by an act of creation, then certainly there must be some other explanation. And in that case—excluding dualism—there are only two options available here: either one explains matter from mind, or mind from matter. Pantheism and materialism are not pure opposites; rather, they are two sides of the same coin; they constantly merge into each other and only differ in that they address the same problem from opposite directions. Thus, both run into the same objections."
The reasons are obvious. In addition to his comprehensive mastery of the content of scripture and its theological implications, he is also perhaps a literal genius, demonstrating an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of Christianity, the specific positions of all the Christian denominations, the writings of the church fathers, the then extant writings of the ancient Near East, top contemporary theories in physics, geology, and biology, technical knowledge of biblical Greek and Hebrew, and the complete history of philosophy and it's influences on theology. Each chapter ends with about 115 footnotes for that chapter alone, which can be skipped unless you need to follow them out.
This 2nd volume on God and Creation is where the magic begins. Volume 1, though equally studious was concerned with first principles and presuppositions. Wonderful ground work, but the meat of the theology begins here. The beauty of this systemic is not so much in tweetable insights consumable in piecemeal fashion but in a complete "way of thinking" about the core doctrines and the associated controversies with their significance. It's a book where you may read and not consciously notice any specific doctrinal position change but in the end step back and release you grasp the full extent of the doctrine and how to approach it holistically.
The most difficult aspect of the book is that Bavinck assumes a certain knowledge of philosophical concepts, Greek and Hebrew literacy, and understanding of philosophical terms. As a layman, I was fortunate to have just come off of finishing the History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps podcast by Peter Adamson, which was a huge help as a primer, and I can only imagine how much of a slog it would have been if I needed to individually research the ideas as they came up in the text. Additionally, knowing zero Hebrew, I was able to follow along by context clues, though for Greek it is helpful to be able to at least transliterate the words from the characters. No knowledge of actual grammar was required and a simple Google search of each Greek word would likely suffice for the monolingual like myself.
Bavinck is huge on the consequences of the ideas one holds, readily showing how this or that view leads finally to pantheism, deism, atheism, or an established heresy. He is reverent, and his theology is meant to be both useful for the church and unapologetically reformed.
Now, some of the key quotes I highlighted.
"God is self-sufficient: in him there is no need or compulsion to actualize any of his ideas in a world of creatures. He is perfectly free in his choices; it is only by his will that all things exist and were created (Rev. 4:11)."
"God does not need the world for his own perfection. He does not need the work of creation and preservation in order not to be unemployed. He is absolute activity within himself."
"Thousands of blossoms fall to the ground so that a few may ripen and bear fruit. Millions of living beings are born, yet only a few remain alive. Thousands of people labor in the sweat of their face in order that a few persons may swim in wealth. Riches, art, science, all that is high and noble, are built on a foundation of poverty, deprivation, and ignorance. The equal distribution envisioned in socialist theory has never been seen anywhere in the world. Equality exists in no area of life. Election exists everywhere alongside, and on the basis of, reprobation. The world is not ordered according to the Pharisaic law of work and reward. Merit and riches are totally unrelated. And even on the highest level, it is only God’s grace that makes the difference. Like all the decrees, so also that of election is ultimately rooted in God’s good pleasure. Pelagians of all stripes have consistently wanted to view these decrees as acts of divine justice based on human merit."
"No one has a right to believe that he or she is a reprobate, for everyone is sincerely and urgently called to believe in Christ with a view to salvation."
"If the world did not originate by an act of creation, then certainly there must be some other explanation. And in that case—excluding dualism—there are only two options available here: either one explains matter from mind, or mind from matter. Pantheism and materialism are not pure opposites; rather, they are two sides of the same coin; they constantly merge into each other and only differ in that they address the same problem from opposite directions. Thus, both run into the same objections."
March 22, 2021
As Bavinck in many places is summarizing traditional Reformed teaching, this book is exactly what you would expect on Reformed dogmatics. However, no one ever does theology in a purely Platonic vacuum. Bavinck is within a certain milieu of Western intellectual thought. He knows that and wrestles with it. His result, at least in this volume, is a budding Neo-Calvinist take on the doctrine of God, and more particularly the doctrine of Creation.
God
Some highlights:
* “All doctrines treated in dogmatics….are but the explication of the one central dogma of the knowledge of God” (Bavinck 29).
*“God is a person” (shades of Van Til! 30).
* Main point: we have no exhaustive knowledge of God (36). He is apprehended but not comprehended (47).
Bavinck does move the discussion forward on the doctrine of simplicity. He holds to the Augustinian line, yet realizes that we can’t make “simplicity” some sort of metaphysical “ = “ sign.
God’s attributes and being: “one cannot make any real distinction between his being and his attributes” (118). So how does one distinguish the attributes? The names of God differ in thought (125). The attributes of God, though identical, are not interchangeable because his names aren’t interchangeable. This is an important move forward and in it Bavinck avoids the fall into nominalism that would have otherwise happened.
“Simplicity does not describe God as an abstract being….it speaks of him s the absolute fullness of life” (127). This, too, is good. Sometimes doctrines of simplicity, like in some Neo-Thomist accounts, appear to posit a god not unlike a solar disc. He’s there, to be sure, but there isn’t much special about him.
I particularly enjoyed the sections on heaven and creation. Angels: they are animate, personal beings (451). Bavinck breaks with Calvin and sees the Prince of Persia as the guardian spirit of Persia (467), and this makes sense as Michael wouldn’t have been detained with wrestling with a local human ruler in the heavenly places.
Recreation in Christ is founded on the original creation in God’s image (532). Sin does not take away the substance of things nor does grace restore that substance (574).
Bavinck sees Rome as teaching creation of man in a dual sense: pure nature + donum superadditum (541). Bavinck says this is an error of Neo-Platonism which needs an intermediate state between matter and spirit. For the Reformers “original righteousness [was] inseparable from the idea of man as such” (551).
Bavinck affirms but does not explicate the idea of covenant of works (571). That’s for the next volume. Its importance here is that it anchors the idea that Adam had not yet achieved final blessedness.
Conclusion: so the image of God is not a static entity but extends and unfolds itself in the forms of space and time. It is both a gift and a mandate….Only humanity in its entirety--as one complete organism, summed up under a single head, spread out over the whole earth, as prophet proclaiming the truth of God, as priest dedicating itself to God, as ruler controlling the earth and the whole of creation--only it is the fully finished image, the most telling and striking likeness of God” (577).
Definitely a milestone book, but there are a few hang ups. It’s particularly difficult on a first reading because Bavinck is summarizing much of the harder sections of Western idealism. Once you are past that it repays ample reading.
God
Some highlights:
* “All doctrines treated in dogmatics….are but the explication of the one central dogma of the knowledge of God” (Bavinck 29).
*“God is a person” (shades of Van Til! 30).
* Main point: we have no exhaustive knowledge of God (36). He is apprehended but not comprehended (47).
Bavinck does move the discussion forward on the doctrine of simplicity. He holds to the Augustinian line, yet realizes that we can’t make “simplicity” some sort of metaphysical “ = “ sign.
God’s attributes and being: “one cannot make any real distinction between his being and his attributes” (118). So how does one distinguish the attributes? The names of God differ in thought (125). The attributes of God, though identical, are not interchangeable because his names aren’t interchangeable. This is an important move forward and in it Bavinck avoids the fall into nominalism that would have otherwise happened.
“Simplicity does not describe God as an abstract being….it speaks of him s the absolute fullness of life” (127). This, too, is good. Sometimes doctrines of simplicity, like in some Neo-Thomist accounts, appear to posit a god not unlike a solar disc. He’s there, to be sure, but there isn’t much special about him.
I particularly enjoyed the sections on heaven and creation. Angels: they are animate, personal beings (451). Bavinck breaks with Calvin and sees the Prince of Persia as the guardian spirit of Persia (467), and this makes sense as Michael wouldn’t have been detained with wrestling with a local human ruler in the heavenly places.
Recreation in Christ is founded on the original creation in God’s image (532). Sin does not take away the substance of things nor does grace restore that substance (574).
Bavinck sees Rome as teaching creation of man in a dual sense: pure nature + donum superadditum (541). Bavinck says this is an error of Neo-Platonism which needs an intermediate state between matter and spirit. For the Reformers “original righteousness [was] inseparable from the idea of man as such” (551).
Bavinck affirms but does not explicate the idea of covenant of works (571). That’s for the next volume. Its importance here is that it anchors the idea that Adam had not yet achieved final blessedness.
Conclusion: so the image of God is not a static entity but extends and unfolds itself in the forms of space and time. It is both a gift and a mandate….Only humanity in its entirety--as one complete organism, summed up under a single head, spread out over the whole earth, as prophet proclaiming the truth of God, as priest dedicating itself to God, as ruler controlling the earth and the whole of creation--only it is the fully finished image, the most telling and striking likeness of God” (577).
Definitely a milestone book, but there are a few hang ups. It’s particularly difficult on a first reading because Bavinck is summarizing much of the harder sections of Western idealism. Once you are past that it repays ample reading.
September 11, 2017
One of my life goals is to read at least one respected systematic theology in full. As I polled pastoral theologians whom I respect, Bavinck was the nearly unanimous recommendation. It was also recommended that I begin with volume 2 and then go back to volume 1.
So here I am, having completed my first (the second) volume. I am glad to have read it, but I confess it was a slog. To get through it, I had to put it right on my schedule to read 5 pages per day, 4 days per week. That just kept me moving.
Bavinck is at his best when he compiles everything the scripture says on his topic. He can pull all the ideas together and show how they fill out the Christian body of knowledge, and he does this in plain and persuasive language.
However, Bavinck consistently moves beyond what the scripture says, and into a vast, ethereal realm of philosophizing, which is less than helpful. I appreciate his engagement with every key historical thinker on his topics (he is impressively thorough). But when he pushes his ideas farther and farther from the scripture, he is not only unclear and hard to follow, but also uncompelling.
So here I am, having completed my first (the second) volume. I am glad to have read it, but I confess it was a slog. To get through it, I had to put it right on my schedule to read 5 pages per day, 4 days per week. That just kept me moving.
Bavinck is at his best when he compiles everything the scripture says on his topic. He can pull all the ideas together and show how they fill out the Christian body of knowledge, and he does this in plain and persuasive language.
However, Bavinck consistently moves beyond what the scripture says, and into a vast, ethereal realm of philosophizing, which is less than helpful. I appreciate his engagement with every key historical thinker on his topics (he is impressively thorough). But when he pushes his ideas farther and farther from the scripture, he is not only unclear and hard to follow, but also uncompelling.
December 15, 2021
Brilliant.
December 22, 2022
Bavinck able covers a wide scope of topics in Volume 2 of his 4 volume Reformed Dogmatics series. He will really make you think about the implications of various Christian and non-Christian philosophies.
October 19, 2021
Superb. Bavinck is a wonderful example of rigorous biblical exegesis, historical engagement, and devotional application of rich truth.
September 6, 2024
A treasure. Bavinck is quickly become one of my favorites. His grasp of theology in its biblical, historic, philosophical and ethical dimensions is staggering. He is truly a master.
October 27, 2024
Took about 3 years haha. Amazed by the depths of the Christian tradition, wish I could tell my high school self about it.
“What an impoverished faith it would be if it saw God’s hand and counsel from afar in a few momentous events but did not discern it in a person's own life and lot? It leads all these things toward their final goal, not against but agreeably to their nature, not apart from but through the regular means; for what power would there be in a faith that recommended stoical indifference or fatalistic acquiescence as true godliness? But so, as the almighty and everywhere present power of God, it makes us grateful when things go well and patient when things go against us, prompts us to rest with childlike submission in the guidance of the Lord and at the same time arouses us from our inertia to the highest levels of activity. In all circumstances of life, it gives us good confidence in our faithful God and Father that he will provide whatever we need for body and soul and that he will turn to our good whatever adversity he sends us in this sad world, since he is able to do this as almighty God and desires to do this as a faithful Father.”
“What an impoverished faith it would be if it saw God’s hand and counsel from afar in a few momentous events but did not discern it in a person's own life and lot? It leads all these things toward their final goal, not against but agreeably to their nature, not apart from but through the regular means; for what power would there be in a faith that recommended stoical indifference or fatalistic acquiescence as true godliness? But so, as the almighty and everywhere present power of God, it makes us grateful when things go well and patient when things go against us, prompts us to rest with childlike submission in the guidance of the Lord and at the same time arouses us from our inertia to the highest levels of activity. In all circumstances of life, it gives us good confidence in our faithful God and Father that he will provide whatever we need for body and soul and that he will turn to our good whatever adversity he sends us in this sad world, since he is able to do this as almighty God and desires to do this as a faithful Father.”
Read
July 15, 2019Here are some scattered thoughts on volume 2: first his discussion on the Trinity is rich, very rich. Even better is his discussion on the attributes of God, I know Gid better because of that section. Second, his section on God's will as opposed to pelagianism and fatalism was so so but probably because that topic of debate does not interest me much, third he is a young earther but seems to try to respect the text and his criticism of science is helpful- frames the debate well. I found his discussion on Imago dei confusing mainly because it could have been written more clearly- he compared quite a few views and jumped back and forth between them but that might have been more on me. His section on Providence very good and this is where he brings up the doctrine of Christ's kingdom. So that doctrine is discussed under Gods Providence.
December 13, 2021
Magisterial. Bavinck is a class of his own. It is hard to express what reading him is like. In these pages, you will find the wisdom of the scriptures clearly presented to you to help you make sense of the world.
There are few books that should be read by every Christian, thinkers who are worth everyone's attention. Augustine, Calvin, Edwards, and Bavinck will help you live in the world with understanding and meaning. They offer a guide and system to understanding the world as you read the narrative that God has laid out for us.
There are few books that should be read by every Christian, thinkers who are worth everyone's attention. Augustine, Calvin, Edwards, and Bavinck will help you live in the world with understanding and meaning. They offer a guide and system to understanding the world as you read the narrative that God has laid out for us.
November 30, 2021
I enjoyed this second volume more than the first. He gets much more into the meat of theology. It is a difficult read and demands being read slowly and carefully. Looking forward to continuing the rest of the series.
July 8, 2022
Hold on, fam. I liked volume one. But this volume was GREAT. The doctrine of God section was superb. It was so rich. The counsel of God section and infra-supralapsarianism debate got a bit dry. Then the doctrine of creation and image of God section showed up and, oh boy, a beautiful articulation of the Reformed faith.
I love how Bavinck emphasized the two-ditch errors of deism and pantheism to show catholic Christian teaching as the more beautiful narrow way. His continual reinforcement of the Creator-creature distinction and the goodness of creation are so prophetic and helpful.
I love how Bavinck emphasized the two-ditch errors of deism and pantheism to show catholic Christian teaching as the more beautiful narrow way. His continual reinforcement of the Creator-creature distinction and the goodness of creation are so prophetic and helpful.
June 4, 2025
Bavinck on the image of God, anthropology, and the doctrine of God is nearly without parallel.
June 29, 2024
THE SECOND VOLUME OF THE DUTCH THEOLOGIAN’S SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY
Herman Bavinck (1854-1921) was a Dutch Reformed theologian who was Professor of Dogmatics at Kampen Theological Seminary, and then later was Professor of Theology at the Free University in Amsterdam; and in 1908 he visited the United States and gave the Stone Lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary. He wrote other books, such as Doctrine of God,Saved By Grace: The Holy Spirit's Work in Calling and Regeneration,Essays on Religion, Science, and Society,The Philosophy of Revelation,Selected Shorter Works,Our Reasonable Faith,The Sacrifice of Praise: Meditations Before and After Receiving Access to the Table of the Lord, etc.
The other volumes in this series are Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 1: Prolegomena,Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 3: Sin and Salvation in Christ, and Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4 - Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation.
In the first chapter, he outlines: “the doctrine of God comprises… the following elements: 1. God is a personal being, self-existent, with a life, consciousness, and will of his own… 2. This God can appear and manifest himself in certain specific places, at certain specific times, to specific persons… 3. Throughout the whole Old Testament… this revelation is preparatory in character… 4. The Revelation of God in the Old Testament, accordingly, does not exhaustively coincide with his being… 5. The same God who in his revelation limits himself… is at the same time infinitely exalted above the whole realm of nature and every creature… 6. In the New Testament we encounter the same combination. God dwells in inaccessible light… But God has caused his fulness to dwell in Christ bodily… the personality and absoluteness of God go hand in hand.” (Pg. 32-34)
He acknowledges, “The knowledge we have of God… is negative because we cannot ascribe a single predicate to God as we conceive that predicate in relation to creatures. It is therefore an ANALOGICAL knowledge; a knowledge of a being who is unknowable in himself, yet able to make something of himself known in the being he created. Here, indeed, lies something of an antimony… [A]gnosticism… sees here an irresolvable contradiction in what Christian theology regards as an adorable mystery. It is completely incomprehensible to us how God can reveal himself and to some extent make himself known in created beings; eternity in time, immensity in space, infinity in the finite, immutability in change, begin in becoming, the all, as it were, in that which is nothing. This mystery cannot be comprehended; it can only be gratefully acknowledged. But mystery and self-contradiction are not synonymous.” (Pg. 48-49)
He states, “In an absolute sense… nothing is atheistic. And this witness of Scripture is confirmed on every side. There is no atheistic world. There are no atheistic peoples. The world cannot be atheistically conceived since in that case it could not be the work of God but would have to be the creation of an anti-God… There is nobody able, absolutely and with logical consistency, to deny God’s knowability and hence his revelation. Agnosticism… cannot maintain itself except with the aid of what it opposes. And precisely because the world cannot be conceived as godless, there are no atheistic and areligious peoples.” (Pg. 56-57)
But he clarifies, “though all have an idea of God, they clothe that idea in a wide array of representations… there are people who say in their heart that there is no God… human opinions on right and wrong, on beauty and ugliness, differ radically. In a word, there is not a single ethical truth that is recognized ‘everywhere, always, and by all.’ Strictly speaking, natural theology never existed any more than ‘natural rights’ and ‘natural morality.’” (Pg. 70)
He asserts, “The human mind is restless until at the end of world history it finds some satisfaction, if not in a kingdom of God, then in a kingdom of humanity, or in a socialistic welfare state… Logical arguments cannot prove such a belief… But it is noteworthy that belief in guidance and purpose in history is ineradicably implanted in the human heart and an indispensable component in the philosophy of history… we again face the dilemma: illusion or reality? And thus, in principle, the choice between atheism and theism. And in making that choice it is not the intellect but the heart that clinches it.” (Pg. 89)
He points out, “This immutability [of God], however, should not be confused with monotonous sameness or rigid immobility. Scripture itself leads us in describing God in the most manifold relations to all his creatures. While immutable in himself, he nevertheless… lives the life of his creatures and participates in all their changing states. Scripture necessarily speaks of God in anthropomorphic language. Yet… it at the same time prohibits us from positing any change in God himself… In fact, God’s incomprehensible greatness and, by implication, the glory of the Christian confession are precisely that God… can call mutable creatures into being.” (Pg. 158) Later, he adds, “God’s eternity should not … be conceived as an eternally static, immobile moment of time… A true analogy of it is not the contentless existence of a person for whom… the minutes seem like hours and the days do not go but creep…” (Pg. 163)
He argues, “The doctrine of middle knowledge [e.g., On Divine Foreknowledge]… represents contingent future events as contingent and free also in relation to God. This is with reference not only to God’s predestination but also his foreknowledge… What are we to think, then, of a God who forever awaits all those decisions and keeps in readiness a store of all possible plans for all possibilities?... And of what value is a government whose chief executive is the slave of his own subordinates? In the theory of middle knowledge, that is precisely the case with God. God looks on, while humans decide. It is not God who makes distinctions among people, but people distinguish themselves.” (Pg. 201)
He cautions, “theology is strictly tethered to the facts and evidences that God discloses in nature and Scripture… When it cannot explain them, it must acknowledge its ignorance. For theology, the will of God expressed in the facts is the end of all discussion.” (Pg. 239)
He argues, “In advance, with a knowledge that is eternal and immutable, God has known those who would believe. Given this foreknowledge, these people will also most certainly and infallibly come to faith and salvation in time. On this position there nowhere remains any room for ‘freedom’ in the sense of chance and caprice. Foreknowledge, then, by definition includes predestination.” (Pg. 378)
He contends, “Predestination is initial grace, that is, being born in a Christian country or only becoming acquainted with the gospel later on, is absolutely undeserved and unconditional. Here at the beginning, at the first decree, predestination can only be viewed as absolute and unconditional. The question why one person learns of the gospel and another is denied the message, hence why one is given the opportunity to receive eternal salvation and another is not, is not one that can be answered from within the human situation. Here everyone, whether he or she wants to or not, must acquiesce in the will and good pleasure of God.” (Pg. 380-381)
He weighs in on the infralapsarian/supralapsarian controversy: “On the decrees themselves and on their content, there is no disagreement. Both parties reject free will, and deny that faith is the cause of election and that sin is the cause of reprobation… Both parties ultimately rest their case in the sovereign good pleasure of God. The difference only concerns the order of the decrees… This difference is not resolved by an appeal to Scripture. (Pg. 385) He concludes, “All things are eternally present to [God’s] consciousness. His counsel is one single conception, one in which all the particular decrees … will one day appear to be fully arranged. This interconnected pattern is so enormously rich and complex that it cannot be reproduced in a single word such as ‘infralapsarian’ or ‘supralapsarian.’ It is both causally and teleologically connected.” (Pg. 392)
He points out, “the purpose of election is not… to turn off the many but to invite all to participate in the riches of God’s grace in Christ. No one has a RIGHT to believe that he or she is a reprobate, for everyone is sincerely and urgently called to believe in Christ with a view to salvation. No one CAN actually believe it, for one’s own life and all that makes it enjoyable is proof that God takes no delight in his death. No one REALLY believes it, for that would be hell on earth. But election is a source of comfort and strength…” (Pg. 402)
He rejects the notion of “guardian angels”: “The doctrine is essentially of pagan origin and leads to all kinds of clever questions and futile issues. We do not know whether an angel is assigned to every human, and even to the anti-Christ… or only to the elect… Nor do we know when such an angel is given to a person is taken away; or what the angel’s precise ministry it. Consequently all we can say is that certain classes of angels are charged with the promotion of certain interests on earth.” (Pg. 467)
He comments on Genesis 1 & 2: “from the moment of creation in Genesis 1:1 to the flood, Scripture offers a time span that can readily accommodate all the facts and phenomena that geology and paleontology have brought to light in this century. It is hard to see why they could not all be placed in that time frame… [Theology] does not have to involve itself in the issue of what has caused these phenomena. Let geology explain the facts!... theology will be well advised to stick only to the indisputable facts that geology has uncovered, and to be on its guard against the hypotheses and conclusions that geology has added to the mix. For that reason theology should refrain from making any attempt to equate the so-called geological periods with the six creation days… It is very probable that the so-called Tertiary period extends to the flood, and that diluvium and Ice Age coincide with this catastrophe…” (Pg. 506) He argues, “Darwinism above all fails to provide an explanation of humanness in terms of its psychic dimension… human consciousness, language, freedom of the will, religion, and morality still belong to the enigmas of the world that await resolution. (Pg. 519)
He points out, “One can certainly raise the objection against the doctrine of the covenant as it has been developed in Reformed theology, that it was overly detailed and treated too scholastically… But the doctrine of the covenant of works is based on Scripture and is eminently valuable. Among rational and moral creatures all higher life takes the form of a covenant. Generally, a covenant is an agreement between persons who voluntarily obligate and bind themselves to each other for the purpose of fending off an evil or obtaining a good… It should not surprise us, therefore, that also the highest and most richly texture life of human beings, namely, religion, bears this character… Even if the term ‘covenant’ never occurred in Scripture for the religious relation between Adam and God… still the religious life of man before the fall bears the character of a covenant.” (Pg. 568-569)
This entire series will be of great interest to those seriously studying Reformed theology,
Herman Bavinck (1854-1921) was a Dutch Reformed theologian who was Professor of Dogmatics at Kampen Theological Seminary, and then later was Professor of Theology at the Free University in Amsterdam; and in 1908 he visited the United States and gave the Stone Lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary. He wrote other books, such as Doctrine of God,Saved By Grace: The Holy Spirit's Work in Calling and Regeneration,Essays on Religion, Science, and Society,The Philosophy of Revelation,Selected Shorter Works,Our Reasonable Faith,The Sacrifice of Praise: Meditations Before and After Receiving Access to the Table of the Lord, etc.
The other volumes in this series are Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 1: Prolegomena,Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 3: Sin and Salvation in Christ, and Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4 - Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation.
In the first chapter, he outlines: “the doctrine of God comprises… the following elements: 1. God is a personal being, self-existent, with a life, consciousness, and will of his own… 2. This God can appear and manifest himself in certain specific places, at certain specific times, to specific persons… 3. Throughout the whole Old Testament… this revelation is preparatory in character… 4. The Revelation of God in the Old Testament, accordingly, does not exhaustively coincide with his being… 5. The same God who in his revelation limits himself… is at the same time infinitely exalted above the whole realm of nature and every creature… 6. In the New Testament we encounter the same combination. God dwells in inaccessible light… But God has caused his fulness to dwell in Christ bodily… the personality and absoluteness of God go hand in hand.” (Pg. 32-34)
He acknowledges, “The knowledge we have of God… is negative because we cannot ascribe a single predicate to God as we conceive that predicate in relation to creatures. It is therefore an ANALOGICAL knowledge; a knowledge of a being who is unknowable in himself, yet able to make something of himself known in the being he created. Here, indeed, lies something of an antimony… [A]gnosticism… sees here an irresolvable contradiction in what Christian theology regards as an adorable mystery. It is completely incomprehensible to us how God can reveal himself and to some extent make himself known in created beings; eternity in time, immensity in space, infinity in the finite, immutability in change, begin in becoming, the all, as it were, in that which is nothing. This mystery cannot be comprehended; it can only be gratefully acknowledged. But mystery and self-contradiction are not synonymous.” (Pg. 48-49)
He states, “In an absolute sense… nothing is atheistic. And this witness of Scripture is confirmed on every side. There is no atheistic world. There are no atheistic peoples. The world cannot be atheistically conceived since in that case it could not be the work of God but would have to be the creation of an anti-God… There is nobody able, absolutely and with logical consistency, to deny God’s knowability and hence his revelation. Agnosticism… cannot maintain itself except with the aid of what it opposes. And precisely because the world cannot be conceived as godless, there are no atheistic and areligious peoples.” (Pg. 56-57)
But he clarifies, “though all have an idea of God, they clothe that idea in a wide array of representations… there are people who say in their heart that there is no God… human opinions on right and wrong, on beauty and ugliness, differ radically. In a word, there is not a single ethical truth that is recognized ‘everywhere, always, and by all.’ Strictly speaking, natural theology never existed any more than ‘natural rights’ and ‘natural morality.’” (Pg. 70)
He asserts, “The human mind is restless until at the end of world history it finds some satisfaction, if not in a kingdom of God, then in a kingdom of humanity, or in a socialistic welfare state… Logical arguments cannot prove such a belief… But it is noteworthy that belief in guidance and purpose in history is ineradicably implanted in the human heart and an indispensable component in the philosophy of history… we again face the dilemma: illusion or reality? And thus, in principle, the choice between atheism and theism. And in making that choice it is not the intellect but the heart that clinches it.” (Pg. 89)
He points out, “This immutability [of God], however, should not be confused with monotonous sameness or rigid immobility. Scripture itself leads us in describing God in the most manifold relations to all his creatures. While immutable in himself, he nevertheless… lives the life of his creatures and participates in all their changing states. Scripture necessarily speaks of God in anthropomorphic language. Yet… it at the same time prohibits us from positing any change in God himself… In fact, God’s incomprehensible greatness and, by implication, the glory of the Christian confession are precisely that God… can call mutable creatures into being.” (Pg. 158) Later, he adds, “God’s eternity should not … be conceived as an eternally static, immobile moment of time… A true analogy of it is not the contentless existence of a person for whom… the minutes seem like hours and the days do not go but creep…” (Pg. 163)
He argues, “The doctrine of middle knowledge [e.g., On Divine Foreknowledge]… represents contingent future events as contingent and free also in relation to God. This is with reference not only to God’s predestination but also his foreknowledge… What are we to think, then, of a God who forever awaits all those decisions and keeps in readiness a store of all possible plans for all possibilities?... And of what value is a government whose chief executive is the slave of his own subordinates? In the theory of middle knowledge, that is precisely the case with God. God looks on, while humans decide. It is not God who makes distinctions among people, but people distinguish themselves.” (Pg. 201)
He cautions, “theology is strictly tethered to the facts and evidences that God discloses in nature and Scripture… When it cannot explain them, it must acknowledge its ignorance. For theology, the will of God expressed in the facts is the end of all discussion.” (Pg. 239)
He argues, “In advance, with a knowledge that is eternal and immutable, God has known those who would believe. Given this foreknowledge, these people will also most certainly and infallibly come to faith and salvation in time. On this position there nowhere remains any room for ‘freedom’ in the sense of chance and caprice. Foreknowledge, then, by definition includes predestination.” (Pg. 378)
He contends, “Predestination is initial grace, that is, being born in a Christian country or only becoming acquainted with the gospel later on, is absolutely undeserved and unconditional. Here at the beginning, at the first decree, predestination can only be viewed as absolute and unconditional. The question why one person learns of the gospel and another is denied the message, hence why one is given the opportunity to receive eternal salvation and another is not, is not one that can be answered from within the human situation. Here everyone, whether he or she wants to or not, must acquiesce in the will and good pleasure of God.” (Pg. 380-381)
He weighs in on the infralapsarian/supralapsarian controversy: “On the decrees themselves and on their content, there is no disagreement. Both parties reject free will, and deny that faith is the cause of election and that sin is the cause of reprobation… Both parties ultimately rest their case in the sovereign good pleasure of God. The difference only concerns the order of the decrees… This difference is not resolved by an appeal to Scripture. (Pg. 385) He concludes, “All things are eternally present to [God’s] consciousness. His counsel is one single conception, one in which all the particular decrees … will one day appear to be fully arranged. This interconnected pattern is so enormously rich and complex that it cannot be reproduced in a single word such as ‘infralapsarian’ or ‘supralapsarian.’ It is both causally and teleologically connected.” (Pg. 392)
He points out, “the purpose of election is not… to turn off the many but to invite all to participate in the riches of God’s grace in Christ. No one has a RIGHT to believe that he or she is a reprobate, for everyone is sincerely and urgently called to believe in Christ with a view to salvation. No one CAN actually believe it, for one’s own life and all that makes it enjoyable is proof that God takes no delight in his death. No one REALLY believes it, for that would be hell on earth. But election is a source of comfort and strength…” (Pg. 402)
He rejects the notion of “guardian angels”: “The doctrine is essentially of pagan origin and leads to all kinds of clever questions and futile issues. We do not know whether an angel is assigned to every human, and even to the anti-Christ… or only to the elect… Nor do we know when such an angel is given to a person is taken away; or what the angel’s precise ministry it. Consequently all we can say is that certain classes of angels are charged with the promotion of certain interests on earth.” (Pg. 467)
He comments on Genesis 1 & 2: “from the moment of creation in Genesis 1:1 to the flood, Scripture offers a time span that can readily accommodate all the facts and phenomena that geology and paleontology have brought to light in this century. It is hard to see why they could not all be placed in that time frame… [Theology] does not have to involve itself in the issue of what has caused these phenomena. Let geology explain the facts!... theology will be well advised to stick only to the indisputable facts that geology has uncovered, and to be on its guard against the hypotheses and conclusions that geology has added to the mix. For that reason theology should refrain from making any attempt to equate the so-called geological periods with the six creation days… It is very probable that the so-called Tertiary period extends to the flood, and that diluvium and Ice Age coincide with this catastrophe…” (Pg. 506) He argues, “Darwinism above all fails to provide an explanation of humanness in terms of its psychic dimension… human consciousness, language, freedom of the will, religion, and morality still belong to the enigmas of the world that await resolution. (Pg. 519)
He points out, “One can certainly raise the objection against the doctrine of the covenant as it has been developed in Reformed theology, that it was overly detailed and treated too scholastically… But the doctrine of the covenant of works is based on Scripture and is eminently valuable. Among rational and moral creatures all higher life takes the form of a covenant. Generally, a covenant is an agreement between persons who voluntarily obligate and bind themselves to each other for the purpose of fending off an evil or obtaining a good… It should not surprise us, therefore, that also the highest and most richly texture life of human beings, namely, religion, bears this character… Even if the term ‘covenant’ never occurred in Scripture for the religious relation between Adam and God… still the religious life of man before the fall bears the character of a covenant.” (Pg. 568-569)
This entire series will be of great interest to those seriously studying Reformed theology,
April 17, 2017
A fantastic read, but not for the faint of heart. Absolutely worth the effort though.
August 24, 2016
The second volume of Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics is excellently written, thought provoking, and spiritually formative. I always appreciate that Bavinck is willing to give time to telling the historical background of the given doctrine that he is discussing. His "organic" motif is seen throughout this volume and is especially helpful in his sections on the doctrine of election as well as human destiny. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to have a better understanding of reformed theology.
December 6, 2012
An absolutely amazing piece of theological literature. The concepts are so deep that it will take you several readings to wrap your head around some of them. Well worth your time.
March 7, 2015
Bavinck is always good, and in this volume he does not disappoint. This is an exceptional work of theology: rich in scholarship and devotion. Highly recommended. Also read in January 2013
August 19, 2015
Becoming my favorite systematic theologian, but yet to be determined. The treatment of the Trinity in this volume would almost merit the book five stars even if the rest was bunk.
March 4, 2020
Really enjoyed chapters 1, 3, 7, 8, 14. Chapter 14, God's Providence, is a must-read.
February 23, 2021
One of the clearest and most thorough systematic texts on these doctrines. Bavinck is indisputably thorough and addresses numerous other theologians, philosophers, and modern science. From Schliermacher to Darwin to Augustine to Cajetan, Bavinck has a thorough grasp on a vast number of topics on theology proper, creation, and the numerous subsets in this volume. His section on doctrine of God is among the best that the modern era (1800-present) has to offer and is better than Hodge and Dabney, in my opinion, on this topic. I give 4 stars instead of 5 for a few reasons. In particular, it is because Bavinck does not always clearly distinguish between his opponents and his views; this is more a stylistic comment than a substantial one. I appreciate his grasp of Reformed Scholasticism, including Zanchi and Ursinus, but wished he interacted more with traditional Reformed thinkers on certain points. His doctrine of creation, I think, could be more thorough in certain aspects; in particular, in discussing views on creation length, textual issues, etc. However, he hits the big points.
In toto, this is one of the best theological tomes that I've read on these topics. It is not for everybody, one may want some background before diving into it on the subjects, it's very helpful for pastors and students of theology.
In toto, this is one of the best theological tomes that I've read on these topics. It is not for everybody, one may want some background before diving into it on the subjects, it's very helpful for pastors and students of theology.
November 17, 2025
After finishing 2 of the 4 volumes in this series, my biggest impression is just how much of a specialist Bavinck is across so many areas of historical thought & theological development. If you want a bang for your buck so to speak on investing your time into a work like this, Bavinck delivers.
In terms of the actual systematics, his words are very precise. When he starts fighting against current (early 1900’s) Dutch/German thought, I usually got lost for obvious reasons which is why I am not giving this 5 stars. I’d say about 15% of the text here is him addressing controversies I am not familiar with, which was a little disappointing. I see why people in the systematics field are split on Reformed Dogmatics as a whole - many think it’s the best work of systematics ever while others would have it an early entry in a bracket style competition. I’m going to take a break & read a few other things before getting into the final 2.
In terms of the actual systematics, his words are very precise. When he starts fighting against current (early 1900’s) Dutch/German thought, I usually got lost for obvious reasons which is why I am not giving this 5 stars. I’d say about 15% of the text here is him addressing controversies I am not familiar with, which was a little disappointing. I see why people in the systematics field are split on Reformed Dogmatics as a whole - many think it’s the best work of systematics ever while others would have it an early entry in a bracket style competition. I’m going to take a break & read a few other things before getting into the final 2.
July 5, 2019
The recent discoveries and translations of Bavinck to the English speaking world is a treasure. In Volume 2, Bavinck tackles the doctrine of the Trinity. He addresses everything from aseity to governance. Bavinck continually pushes against the dualistic ideologies such pantheism which attempts to merge the material world into the divine and materialism which attempts to cast aside the divine. Bavinck skillfully articulates the tensions of Scripture and points us to a biblical worldview in which we see that the Creator and His creation are both separate and united.
This volume is a gift to anyone looking to see our Triune God and the creation with clarity and greater understanding. It took me 1 year to methodically mine this volume and it was worth every page and every second.
This volume is a gift to anyone looking to see our Triune God and the creation with clarity and greater understanding. It took me 1 year to methodically mine this volume and it was worth every page and every second.
July 1, 2024
Theology is written from within, and for, the church.
Theology always produces doxology. There is no point of dogmatics which does not compel worship of the Triune God.
Theology is an organism. No one doctrine can stand on its own.
Bavinck’s reformed orthodoxy pushed beyond its historical roots in sixteenth-century Roman Catholic polemics and engages the most compelling, modernist, enemies of the faith (s/o Kuyper; only Calvinism is sufficient to reach and respond to a pluralist society). He does so charitably and pastorally. He is well-read and fluent in modernist critical theory, yet unflinching in his commitment to Christian orthodoxy.
Run, don’t walk, to your local bookstore and acquire a copy of Herman Bavinck’s four-volume Reformed Dogmatics.
Theology always produces doxology. There is no point of dogmatics which does not compel worship of the Triune God.
Theology is an organism. No one doctrine can stand on its own.
Bavinck’s reformed orthodoxy pushed beyond its historical roots in sixteenth-century Roman Catholic polemics and engages the most compelling, modernist, enemies of the faith (s/o Kuyper; only Calvinism is sufficient to reach and respond to a pluralist society). He does so charitably and pastorally. He is well-read and fluent in modernist critical theory, yet unflinching in his commitment to Christian orthodoxy.
Run, don’t walk, to your local bookstore and acquire a copy of Herman Bavinck’s four-volume Reformed Dogmatics.
December 16, 2020
I knew that this was a highly touted systematic in the reformed tradition and was certain I would find a "scholarly" presentation of the Dutch Reformed Systematic. What I have found after reading the first two volumes is was a warm and inviting systematic theology that has encouraged and helped me in my love for Scripture, theology, and most importantly my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His writing is clear, concise, and biblically centered. I plan to keep these on the "top shelf" in my reference library. Great stuff! Every Pastor should read these books!
Want to read
April 25, 2025[the image of God ]
can only be somewhat unfolded in its depth and riches in a humanity counting billions of members. Just as the traces of God (vestigia Dei) are spread over many, many works, in both space and time, so also the image of God can only be displayed in all its dimensions and characteristic features in a humanity whose members exist both successively… and contemporaneously side by side.
can only be somewhat unfolded in its depth and riches in a humanity counting billions of members. Just as the traces of God (vestigia Dei) are spread over many, many works, in both space and time, so also the image of God can only be displayed in all its dimensions and characteristic features in a humanity whose members exist both successively… and contemporaneously side by side.
May 4, 2020
If you love Reformed apologetics, and you want to read about, and help defend, the Reformed position on God and creation, you must, must, must get this book. This volume by Bavinck has been fascinating to read so far, and has been astronomically helpful! I would give Bavinck's work 7 stars if I possibly could.
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