Reformed Systematic Theology, Volume 3: Spirit and Salvation

Reformed Systematic Theology #3

by Joel R. Beeke, Paul M. Smalley

“Here is catechesis at its best, instructing the student of theology, providing pastors with a sermon-enriching manual, and giving growing Christians a resource book that will both inform and nourish them, as well as provide endless theological enjoyment!” ― Sinclair B. Ferguson , Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; Teaching Fellow, Ligonier Ministries The aim of systematic theology is to engage not only the head but also the heart and hands. Only recently has the church compartmentalized these aspects of life―separating the academic discipline of theology from the spiritual disciplines of faith and obedience. This multivolume work brings together rigorous historical and theological scholarship with spiritual disciplines and practical insights―characterized by a simple, accessible, comprehensive, Reformed, and experiential approach. In this volume, Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley unpack the work and role of the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology) and salvation (soteriology). The authors examine the Holy Spirit’s role in the history of salvation, the order of salvation, and the believers’ experience of salvation. As readers consider the interrelationship between the Spirit and salvation, they are invited to explore the direct activity of the Lord in their lives for their salvation.

Genres: Theology, Reference, Christianity, Christian, Religion

1184 pages, Hardcover

Published December 7, 2021

About the author

Dr. Joel R. Beeke serves as President and Professor of Systematic Theology, Church History, and Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He has been in the ministry since 1978 and has served as a pastor of his current church, Heritage Reformed Congregation, since 1986. He is also editor of the Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, editorial director of Reformation Heritage Books, president of Inheritance Publishers, and vice-president of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society. He has written, co-authored, or edited fifty books and contributed over fifteen hundred articles to Reformed books, journals, periodicals, and encyclopedias. His Ph.D. (1988) from Westminster Theological Seminary is in Reformation and Post-Reformation Theology. He is frequently called upon to lecture at Reformed seminaries and to speak at conferences around the world. He and his wife, Mary, have three children: Calvin, Esther, and Lydia.

Reviews

[Dr. David Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theology should draw readers close to the heart of God. It should stimulate and stretch the mind. It should warm and elevate the affections. It should soothe the soul. It should convict the heart. And it should move hands and feet forward in Christian service. Indeed, theology should prompt the unhindered and passionate worship of the living God.

The third volume of Reformed Systematic Theology by Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley accomplishes all of the above objectives. It has been my pleasure to read and review each volume in this excellent series. Like the first two volumes, the authors draw from the deep well of Reformed thought and alert readers to the importance of systematic theology. Volume 3 focuses on pneumatology and soteriology. The chapters have a rigorous, yet devotional feel. The authors leave no stone unturned. They wrestle with competing views with grace and respect but are also quick to reveal their own convictions.

I’m happy to offer a wholehearted endorsement of this installment. It is a treasure chest, filled with biblical jewels that will encourage and equip followers of Jesus Christ for many years to come.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.

[Ronnie Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is by far one of the best Systematic Theologies ever written. Joel Beeke has once again provided the body of Christ with an invaluable resource that will provide us with material that will continue to enrich for years to come. I am personally using Volume I as my source text for an adult Sunday school class. The Chapter divisions are perfect for a Sunday school curriculum and the topically appropriate hymn at the end of each study is a blessing. I have found the questions at the end of each chapter useful for enhancing classroom discussion and though provoking for the individual reader.

This work is Biblical, Doctrinal, and Reformed! A must own in any Pastor's library. I can't wait for the final Volume to be released. Not many books in my library I would recommend higher. A sound investment that will yield fruit for a lifetime. Well done Dr. Beeke!

[Andrew Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beeke and Smalley have written the Systematic of our times and for our times. Extremely accessible even to those otherwise unlearned in theology, and yet still incredibly thorough.

I await the fourth and final volume with much anticipation.

[Oscar Martinez II · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of how structured and detailed the authors make this work. That said, when it comes to the theology itself, I consistently found it riddled with internal tensions bordering on contradiction. Moreover, most times when distinctions are introduced rather than easing tensions they seem to compound or even create tension and all because the distinctions are made for the sake of preserving more fundamental Reformed doctrines which are taken as givens. Regardless, it was very interesting learning more about Reformed soteriology and how it compares to that of other traditions.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE THIRD VOLUME OF A VERY HELPFUL CONTEMPORARY THEOLOGY

Author (as well as professor and pastor) Joel R. Beeke and teaching assistant Paul Smalley wrote in the Preface to this 2021 book, “The doctrine of the Holy Spirit is discussed in systematic theology under the locus of ‘pneumatology’ … However… the study of the Holy Spirit’s work overlaps with another locus, ‘soteriology,’ the doctrine of salvation…. Therefore, we have chosen to combine these two loci and consider them as one… in order to provide an orderly structure for our treatment of the various aspects of the Spirit’s work, we consider it from three perspectives. First, from the perspective of the history of salvation… Second, from the perspective of the order of salvation… Third, from the perspective of the practical experience of salvation … these are not three separate categories, but three perspectives on the work of God the Holy Spirit. God’s mighty works in history … aim at the salvation of individuals … and God’s works in history and individual lives are profoundly experiential in producing piety.”

They note, “while we must thank God for common grace, we must never rest in it or think that common grace, if rightly used, will save a single soul. We need special, saving grace, the grace given in eternal election, purchased by Christ’s redemption, and individually applied by the Holy Spirit to our souls by regeneration.” (Pg. 84) Later, they add, “One practical application of the doctrine of common grace is that we must seek the peace of the wider society or community we live in and pray for God’s blessings on it… in order … that we may live quiet lives of godliness and openly proclaim the gospel by which God is saving sinners through faith in Jesus Christ… By loving, doing good to, and praying for the wicked in this world---even as they persecute us---God’s children function as image bearers representing the goodness of their Father in heaven…” (Pg. 89)

They observe, “The coming of God the Son to accomplish redemption brought a greater revelation of both the Trinity and the work of salvation. However, prior to Christ’s incarnation there were explicit testimonies to the Spirit’s work of producing godliness in this people… although the Old Testament does not contain as much explicit teaching about the sanctifying work of the Spirit as the New Testament presents, it does teach us that the saints of Israel were renewed, taught, led, and abundantly blessed by the Holy Spirit.” (Pg. 103)

Of Pentecostal and Charismatic theology, they argue, “to elevate a particular experience as a presupposition for biblical exegesis is the road to mysticism and elitism. Experiences must always be tested and interpreted according to God’s written Word, not vice versa… we cannot build a doctrine of a subsequent baptism with the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues on the narrative in Acts, because… there is no indication that Luke intended to present a normative pattern concerning the relation between Spirit baptism and conversion, water baptism, laying on of hands, and speaking in tongues… We conclude… that the baptism of the Holy Spirit refers to a richness of grace given to all of God’s people at conversion as a consequence of Christ’s exaltation to God’s right hand… It is not biblical to say that believers should seek another baptism of the Spirit that evidence itself in speaking in tongues. This baptism is ours in Christ… Rather than dividing Christians into different levels of spirituality, the baptism of the Spirit unites them as participants in Christ by ‘one Spirit.’” (Pg. 144-149)

They continue, “If the gift of tongues was essentially the same as pagan ecstatic speech, it would not have been a sign of the true god to the Corinthians… Speaking in tongues produced words that the speaker did not understand … Another person might have been able to ‘interpret’ … or, more specifically, to translate from one language to another… The words spoken in tongues were not babble or nonsense, but consisted in praying, blessing, and thanking God in a manner that would elicit an ‘Amen’ from others if translated into speech they could understand… When many people spoke in tongues at Pentecost, some observers charged them with being drunk… but those who understood the languages spoken saw it as a supernatural sign.” (Pg. 175-178)

They defend ‘Cessationism’ of miraculous gifts: “extraordinary ministers, such as apostles and prophets, and miraculous gifts, such as healing, miracles , and tongues, have ceased. We are not arguing that miracles have ceased, but that God has ceased giving miraculous ‘gifts’ to the members of Christ’s church… God has concentrated his miracles in certain periods of history, such as the time of the redemption of Israel from Egypt through Moses, the period when Elijah and Elisha confronted Israel’s covenant breaking, and the ministries of Jesus Christ and his apostles… The apostles of Jesus Christ were a minor group of man who had no successors… The gift of tongues were either a form of prophecy or closely associated with prophecy… The climactic revelation of God in his Son implies the conclusion of prophecy and the end of miraculous gifts… What are claimed to be the continuations or restorations of the miraculous gifts prove to be pale shadows of biblical realities… for miracle works today… prophecies prove false. Some people who claim to perform miracles are liars and frauds… studies done on people who claim to speak in tongues have not identified their speech as a language with an intelligible message, but a sequence of disorganized sound that is linguistically ‘meaningless’… The cessation of miraculous gifts is confirmed by an examination of modern claims to such gifts, for we do not see people making infallible prophecies or having ministries of miracles that match the signs reported in the book of Acts.” (Pg. 199-205)

They state, “the Reformed theologians at the Synod of Dort taught that although God intended Christ’s death to effectively save ‘all the elect’ and ‘them alone,’ his sacrifice was ‘of infinite worth and value, abundantly sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole world.’ … There is no contradiction between God’s eternal election and his gospel call. The first is God’s decision; the second is our duty… As to the mistaken belief that we must tell unbelievers ‘Christ died for you’ in order to properly evangelize them, we reply that Reformed evangelists have preached the gospel … for centuries without providing any such formula… The confidence that Christ died for you is the basis for unfailing hope that you will never be condemned or separated from the love of God.” (Pg. 297-299)

They argue, “There is some tension in the Bible at this point, but no surrender of the doctrines of sovereign grace. In one sense, God desires all men to repent. In another sense, he desires to punish the wicked, and he sometimes gives them up to a hard and unrepentant heart… Therefore, one text says that God is not pleased that sinners do not repent and so die; another text says that some sinners did not repent because God was pleased that they should die. How can we understand both of these texts together? The answer lies in the manifold and complex display of God’s goodness to fallen sinners… Therefore, he calls all who hear the gospel to repent and live, and desires that they do so…. However, God is also the sovereign and righteous King… He is free to work as he sees fit… The same goodness by which he delights in mercy… is that by which he delights in justice… he has chosen … to graciously call many people to eternal joy, and to actually save only some.” (Pg. 302-303)

They explain, “At the heart of the doctrine of effectual calling is the idea that God calls his elect so powerfully that they are saved… We present the following definition of effectual calling… Effectual calling is the sovereign summons of the triune God, by which, according to his eternal election of individuals, through undeserved grace he produced gospel faith and repentance in them to create a new people in spiritual union with Christ, who live in holiness while God infallibly brings them to glory.” (Pg. 351-352) They continue, “Effectual calling is undeserved grace. Though God calls some individuals and not others effectively to Christ, the difference is not based on any superiority in those called… but arises entirely from God’s merciful will… Therefore, effectual calling gives us no basis to boast in ourselves but ample reason to glory in the free grace of God.” (Pg. 357)

They state, “The doctrine of baptismal regeneration, applied to infant baptism, logically implies that God’s saving grace is not powerfully effective to rescue people from sin, for that doctrine asserts that the millions of infants taken to the church font were all born again. Where is the righteousness, love, faith, and victory over this world that regeneration produces?... If we are speaking of adults, then the doctrine of baptismal regeneration is not necessary for repentance and faith… Why, then, if baptism is closely associated with new life in Christ if it is not the means or occasion of regeneration?... baptism is the covenant sign of union with Christ—not the effective means of regeneration but the outward mark of regeneration.” (Pg. 429)

They reject the so-called ‘New Perspective On Paul’: “the New Perspective has misunderstood the New Testament, both in its inspired assessment of Judaism and in its doctrine of justification. The acceptance of all believers, Jews and Gentiles, into the church is an important implication of the gospel, but it is not the message of justification itself… justification is primarily about our relationship with a just and holy God.” (Pg. 572)

They reject the notion of ‘carnal Christians’: “there is no special category of believers united to Christ who remain in a state of powerlessness, defeat, and enslavement to sin. Christians who feel discouraged or defeated do not need to be translated into a new state, but need to renew their faith in the finished work of Christ, repent of their sins, and press on in the battle. At the same time, there is also no category of believers on earth who have risen above the daily battle against indwelling sin.” (Pg. 664)

They assert, “Christ’s promises of eternal life are solid and sure for all believers. However, we abuse them if we promise eternal security to people regardless of whether they continue to follow Christ in faith and obedience… The Lord Jesus insists that his disciples must persevere to the end to receive full and final salvation… Perseverance will involve arduous repentance if one commits great and scandalous sins… The doctrine of perseverance … is not a cause of laziness and does not injure godliness, morality, prayer, and other acts of devotion, but instills a hope that purifies… Salvation by grace does not guarantee heaven if we assent to a doctrine, pray a prayer, or have an emotional experience. Therefore, the mantra ‘once saved, always saved’ needs to be qualified by the necessity of perseverance… the solution is not to make Christ’s promises of preservation conditional on our fluctuating wills, but to recognize that God preserves his people to eternal life by giving them effectual grace to willingly persevere.” (Pg. 704-707)

They continue, “The preeminent example of complete apostasy is Judas… our Lord Jesus gives strong warnings against apostasy. Those who appear to be faithful disciples, even prominent leaders, may fall away and be damned forever. However, Christ’s doctrine of apostasy does not indicate that true believers fall away unto damnation. Rather, Christ warns that people with an attachment to him and his church but no real change of heart are in grave spiritual danger.” (Pg. 709) Later, they add, “It may be objected that the doctrine of perseverance makes the warnings in Hebrews superfluous and ridiculous, for no true Christian apostatizes. In reply, we answer that such warnings stir up the members of the church to examine themselves and press on in sound doctrine and holiness.” (Pg. 716)

They note, “It is sometimes said that the Sabbath no longer applies to Christians because the New Testament does not repeat the fourth commandment. However, the teaching of Jesus Christ in the Gospels is part of the New Testament. It is a false hermeneutic that insists that Christians need follow only the explicit commands of the New Testament Epistles.” (Pg. 906)

They state, “There is no contradiction in applying the death penalty to murderers.” (Pg. 929) “It is sin against God to kill unborn children in the womb… unless without intervention both the mother and the child would die.” (Pg. 932) “It is murder to assist a person committing suicide, even if the intent is to relieve the person from suffering (euthanasia).” (Pg. 933)

They also point out, “It is true that the Bible does not explicitly call for the abolition of slavery, and God permitted and regulated various forms of bondage in the Old and New Testaments… [However] the servitude permitted by God under the law of Moses cannot be compared to the cruel enslavement and Africans in the North Atlantic slave trade… God’s Will instills principles of equality of brotherly love that make it impossible for one person to treat another as mere property. Thus, the Bible contains the seeds of abolition that have borne good fruit over the course of Christian history.” (Pg. 951-952)

This book will be of great interest to those studying Reformed theology.

[Grant Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great entry in the Reformed Systematic series.

[RT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good resource, maintains biblical orthodoxy, well written. Overall this Systematic is a valuable work for layman and scholar alike. It’s written in a clear and simplistic manner, well organized, and applicationally/devotionally driven.

The downside for this reader is due to two primary reasons, albeit both understandable for this work. First, and less problematic, yet at times unhelpful, arguments are a bit redundant. Although this allows a more roundabout explanation on multiple pages when using it as a quick resource, it hindered this reader’s enjoyment working through it.
The second issue could be stated as an inferred authority. What is meant here is simply the way others in Church History are referenced. The writers simply state, in their argument, something like “so&so says...” in a way (key word here) that can come across as if (again, key words) their position/argument is valid simply because “so&so” held to it in Church History. Now, I must be clear, the authors in no way actually affirm this, nor hint at such an authority. It’s clear from their other works and even volume 1 in this series that they only believe Scripture is the ultimate authority for any belief. Furthermore, it is obvious that this series is seeking to provide a Systematic that helpfully catalogs what the Church, and prominent figures within, has believed about a particular doctrine throughout the years, and especially in the Reformation. This reader’s only complaint is that this work’s arguments could be taken (yet again, key words) as relying more so on what a particular theologian has said more than solid and sound exegesis (not to imply the authors do not do such work).

In sum, this is a worthy series to purchase and use regularly as it articulates both positions it agrees with and disagrees with in a charitable and clear way. It is also a Systematic that will be well used by many for years to come.
If this reader could only have one Systematic [series], this would certainly be at the top of the list.

[Linda Galella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything you want to know about the Holy Spirt & Salvation from a Reformed Theological POV.

Beeke and Smalley have scoured the scriptures from Genesis thru Revelation and researched church history from the apostles thru modern day to compile this formidable volume. Altho’ their purpose is to present “Reformed Systematic Theology”, many other theological systems are discussed, compared and contrasted.

This is not a book you’re going to sit down and read in a day or two. It is highly readable but so packed with information and weighty issues of eternal importance that you’ll want to have time to think, pray and consider all you’ve read. This book is sure to become a treasured reference resource for years to come.

All things considered, an incredible value, highly organized and accessible for pastors & laypersons alike📚

[Danny Daugherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5. Exegetically rigorous and warmly pastoral. It is incredibly clear that the authors have a deep love for God’s Word by the way that each doctrine is unpacked by careful study of pertinent passages.

Particularly, I found it very helpful to think about sanctification through the perspectives of the Beatitudes, the fruit of the Spirit, the 10 Commandments, and cultivating a healthy fear of God.

The only thing keeping it from five stars is a bit of repetition in certain places- this definitely could have been trimmed a bit. Still, it was a very devotional and sweet read that stirred my affections for Christ!

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of this systematic series so far. Beeke covers the Holy Spirit; salvation applied (justification, adoption, etc.); and, as the author puts it, the experience of salvation. There are simply too many gems in this book to mention in a brief review. Regardless of one's theological leanings, one will appreciate Beeke's clear writing, biblical exegesis and thoroughness of argumentation. Highly recommended for any student of Christian theology.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beeke is great at presenting theology in a devotional manner without sacrificing depth. He brings theology up to date by addressing more recent controversies. I also noticed particularly in this volume how well chosen were the citations as jumping-off-points into the Puritans and Reformed scholasticism.

[Alan Rennê · Rating 5 out of 5]

Em breve, pela editora Cultura Cristã.

[Allen Haynie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 1,184-page book on pneumatology and soteriology took me many months to read and take notes. It covers the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, including His person, work, and role in applying salvation, and examines salvation’s aspects, such as regeneration, justification, sanctification, and perseverance. As a layman I consider the book to be scholarly yet accessible to all who put in the time to read the material insights and is perfect for believers seeking a deeper understanding of these doctrines.