In Confirming Our Faith, Dr. Ken Talbot provides a clear, careful, and crucial study of Reformed sacramental theology as a response to the growing Federal Vision movement. Tragically, few today understand what all is at stake in the current debate. Though recent history has witnessed a resurgence of Reformation theology, ignorance of the sacraments has become a weak link in the Reformed Christians ecclesiastical faith and practice.
Because of this we are witnessing an all out assault on numerous biblical and Reformed doctrines of federal theology, including the covenant of grace, the visible church, the imputation of Christs righteousness, and even justification by faith alone. If a new examination of the sacraments is not called for in its own right, surely it is vital to the current debates between historic federal theology and this new threat called the Federal Vision. What is needed and what the author provides is Federal Theology, not Federal Vision. A proper vision is found not in the current fads of sacerdotalism but in the infallible Word.
I found this book to be very helpful to me in understanding the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. While I knew that there was a connection between baptism and circumcision as well as the Lord's supper and passover, I felt like I didn't fully grasp the full scope of the connection. Reading this book helped in providing clarity for me. I would recommend this to anyone in the Reformed camp that wants to better understand the sacraments.
This is a great book on the sacraments from a Reformed perspective. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are surely underappreciated in the modern church. Dr. Talbot helps us reevaluate our approach to these important ordinances of Christ. Whether you are Baptist or Presbyterian, this book is a practical help in thinking more deeply about the sacraments.