Christ the Center, Vos Group

Hungering and Thirsting after Righteousness

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Danny Olinger, Lane Tipton, and Camden Bucey discuss Geerhardus Vos's sermon, "Hungering and Thirsting after Righteousness" from Matthew 5:6. This sermon is included in Grace and Glory: Sermons Preached at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Vos Group #67: The Holiness of God in the Prophets

Christ the Center — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 05:00:00 +0000

We turn to pages 245–250 of Geerhardus Vos’s book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to discuss the prophet’s view of God’s holiness. Vos contrasts the concept of holiness found in pagan religions with that of the biblical prophets. The concept of holiness in Scripture is God-centered. It begins with the Lord, his transcendence, and then radiates outward to creation as he is revealed. This is how we must consider holiness when it is applied to creation—whether to man made in his image, to places, or to consecrated objects used in worship.

The liberal theologians Vos often addresses have no issue acknowledging the “holiness” of man understood as moral goodness. But for Vos, ethical goodness requires the comparison and relation to a holy God. In this sense, it is not possible to de-spiritualize Scripture and retain the Bible’s concept of holiness.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group Excursus: The Wonderful Tree

Christ the Center — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:00:16 +0000

In this episode of Vos Group, we turn to Vos’s sermon, “The Wonderful Tree,” in the collection of his sermons, Grace and Glory: Sermons Preached at Princeton Seminary. Preaching on Hosea 14:8, Vos describes the nature of religion as consisting of what God is for man and of what man is for God. Hosea features what God is for man in the metaphor of an evergreen cypress, offering life-giving sustenance and shade in all seasons. This sermon is the longest of Vos’s that we possess, and it demonstrates several surprising features, which Danny Olinger, Lane Tipton, and Camden Bucey discuss.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Danny Olinger, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #66 — God’s Relation to Time and Eternity

Christ the Center — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 04:00:00 +0000

We turn to pages 243–244 of Geerhardus Vos’s book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to discuss the prophet’s view of God’s relation to time and space. In terms of God’s relation to time and space, two relations occur. What we have to affirm first of all is that God is everywhere present in all of his fullness. But Vos speaks of a special relation to Zion (on earth) and heaven itself as the temple dwelling of God. Two things help us grasp the significance of this: the notion of covenant and the location of the fellowship.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group Excursus — Grace and Glory: Sermons of Geerhardus Vos

Christ the Center — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 04:00:00 +0000

In 1922, Reformed Press published six sermons by Geerhardus Vos in a volume titled Grace and Glory. In 1994, Banner of Truth published the same collection with ten additional sermons, which were discovered and edited by James Dennison. Banner has now brought this full collection back into print with a new edition: Grace and Glory: Sermons Preached at Princeton Seminary.

Danny Olinger, author of Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian, joins us to speak about Vos’s sermons in their biblical context as well as the historical context in which they were written and delivered. Rev. Olinger is General Secretary for the Committee on Christian Education of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Danny Olinger, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #65 — The Nature and Attributes of God

Christ the Center — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 04:00:00 +0000

We turn to pp. 238–243 of Vos’s book, Biblical Theology, to speak about the Old Testament prophets and their understanding of the nature and attributes of God. Vos affirms that God is Spirit. This brings into view not that God is immaterial per se, as Vos notes, but rather the “energy of life in God.” This is critical to appreciate. That God is Spirit reminds us that while he is immutable in his being, he is impassible in his actions.

He acts, and his actions condition all that he acts upon, without he himself being mutually conditioned by that on which he acts. That is, God is pure act in the sense that he immutably and sovereignly acts in such a way that he is not acted upon, and in that action, changed by the creation on which and in which his actions terminate. Vos says in his Reformed Dogmatics, there is no time distinction in God, yet his acts fall in time. And they fall in time as the acts of an all-conditioning God, who is living and active, but in a way that he is not acted upon or changed by the creature.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism states that God is a Spirit, “infinite, eternal and unchangeable.” This helpfully distills the essence of what Vos is after. While immutable, God is active and living and all of his acts express his immutable being and purpose. So, a key here is that immutability and spirituality require one another: God is immutable in his life; immutable in his purposes; and his agency in creation expresses immutable but living and acting Trinitarian persons, who are exhaustively and entirely the one true God.

Isaiah 57:15 is a key text: “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’”

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #64 — The Prophets and Monotheism

Christ the Center — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 04:00:00 +0000

We turn to pp. 235–238 of Vos’s book, Biblical Theology, to speak about the Old Testament prophets and varying views of monotheism. The prophetic era begins with Samuel and the introduction of kingship in the theocracy, and the fundamental conflict between the prophets and the kings is between those who are fundamentally theocentric and those who are fundamentally political.

And the kings concerns, representative in Saul, is a carnal, earthly concern to maintain political power. The kings long to maintain the appearance of royal splendor. They do not have a fundamentally theocentric concern about them. The increasing propension of the kings is to gain and maintain political power, outward glory, and the prestige and praise of man. Saul is the prototype of this thing. The theocracy, for the kings who follow in the pattern of Saul, do not perceive the spiritual and theocentric core of the kingdom of God. And they wind up persecuting not only David, but as Stephen makes clear, they persecute and even kill the prophets. But in Isaiah we find the theocentric concern coming to its full fruition in the Old Testament.

Vos notes that there are three unique features that stand out with Isaiah, and these, taken together, comprise the eschatological intensification of the prophetic office—these become a prolepsis of the nature of the true religion that will come by the Spirit of the ascended Messiah. First, a vivid perception of divine majesty. Second, transcendence and majesty of Jehovah in contrast to the creature. Third, unqualified service to the divine glory, which is a common theme pre- and post-exile.

The monotheism of the later prophets such as Isaiah is a sign of the great advancement of the kingdom toward the original heavenly telos that was held out to Adam under the covenant of works. The monotheism of the later prophets such as Isaiah is the movement toward the great realization of the heavenly kingdom in the person and work of Christ.

As we discuss monotheism it is not the “ethical monotheism” of the critics but the eschatological monotheism of the true religion whose center of gravity is God’s glory in heaven that comes into view. That is the fundamental concern—the central importance—of the development of monotheism. The “gods” are absolutely powerless to deliver from judgment on earth or to enable entrance into the glory-heaven of Jehovah.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #63 — The Prophets and the Nature of God

Christ the Center — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 04:00:00 +0000

We turn to pp. 234–235 of Vos’s book, Biblical Theology, to speak about the nature and attributes of God as understand by the Old Testament prophets.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #62 — The Content of the Prophetic Revelation

Christ the Center — Fri, 15 May 2020 04:00:00 +0000

We turn to page 234 of Vos’s book, Biblical Theology, to speak about the understanding of monotheism which the biblical prophets possessed. On pages 206–211 of the book, Vos dealt with the modernist conception of the issue, adding a footnote that his positive treatment would be saved for later. Now we arrive at that later portion. As we begin to address this new section, we revisit some of the ground we covered in Vos Group #55, while expanding that material.

On pages 206–211, Vos gives us the key conception of the modernist critics:

The prophets, from Amos and Hosea onwards, are credited with the discovery and establishment of the great truth of ethical monotheism, in which the distinctive and permanent value of Old Testament religion is to be found.

To explain this as crisply as possible, Vos is saying that a particular ethical conception of Jehovah gives rise to the monotheism of the later prophets in the 8th century. It is a monotheism of a particular kind–a monotheism of a specific variety. There is a concrete, historical, situated, ethical dilemma that forges an ethical conception of Jehovah that otherwise would not be formed.

In contrast, Vos emphasizes that the prophets are God-centered. They are religious—meaning they find their delight in spiritual (Spirit-wrought) communion with God. The ethical aspect of monotheism is itself subservient to the glory of God and delight in fellowship with God.

The “prophetic orientation” does not view God as a means to an end, but rather delighting in God himself, as he has revealed himself as sovereign Judge and condescended Lord and Savior of his covenant people. The prophets delight in the God they proclaim and do not re-conceive him as a means to an end other than the glory of God himself as the chief end and delight of his people.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #61: The Mode of Communication of the Prophecy

Christ the Center — Fri, 06 Mar 2020 05:00:00 +0000

We turn to pages 230–233 of Vos’s book, Biblical Theology, to speak about the mode by which the Lord delivers his message to the prophet. Man is made in the image of God, which means he has a special capacity to commune with God. Vos marvels at the way in which divine speech is transmitted to those made in his image. God’s word is communicated in servant form without evacuating the message of any of its divine characteristics, such as inerrancy or infallibility. The Holy Spirit works in the prophet in such a way as to inspire and superintend the entire activity of the prophet—whether in speech or inscripturation.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group Excursus: John 20:1–18 — Rabboni

Christ the Center — Fri, 07 Feb 2020 05:00:00 +0000

We take a brief break from our regular schedule in Geerhardus Vos’s book, Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments, to discuss Vos’s sermon “Rabboni,” on John 20:16. This sermon is found in Grace & Glory, a collection of Vos’s sermons preached at the chapel of Princeton Seminary.

John 20:1–18 (ESV)

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. ²So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” ³So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. ⁴Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, ⁷and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. ⁸Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; ⁹for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. ¹⁰Then the disciples went back to their homes.

¹¹But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. ¹²And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. ¹³They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” ¹⁴Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” ¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” ¹⁸Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #60 — The Intra-Mental State of the Prophet

Christ the Center — Fri, 03 Jan 2020 05:00:00 +0000

We turn to pages 224–229 of Vos’s book, Biblical Theology, to speak about the intra-mental state of the prophet, by which Vos means to inquire into “how the soul felt and reacted under the things shown within the vision” (p. 224).

Far too much attention has been given to what is represented by the Greek term ecstasis. The term served first as a translation of the Hebrew tardemah (cf. Gen. 2:21 with Adam and Genesis 15:12 with Abram). In Adam’s case, there is no visionary state. In Abram’s case, there is such a vision (expound the theology of the theophany). But tardemah does not throw any light on Abram’s state of mind.

Ecstasis, on the other hand, has a very definite conception in Greek consciousness that leads in the direction of error. That conception is that of “insanity or mania” and was applied to the oracular process—the process of receiving visions and the resultant state in which it put the seer-prophet. This led to a close association between the prophet and some feature of instability—some manic tendency that seems inherent to the process of receiving a vision.

Vos points us to God’s inspired, inerrant, and infallible revelation in history, which does not bypass the human mind or allow the recipient to escape his humanity, but elevates him to greater communion with God.

Vos Group #59 — Revelation through Showing and Seeing

Christ the Center — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 05:00:00 +0000

In this episode, we turn to pages 220–223 of Vos’s book, Biblical Theology, to discuss the reception of divine revelation through showing and seeing. The prophets were given visions and heard the Lord and angelic beings speaking to them audibly. We explore the significance of this fact with regard to our understanding of God’s progressive revelation in history.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #58 — Revelation through Speech and Hearing

Christ the Center — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 04:00:18 +0000

In this episode, we turn to pages 216–220 of Vos’s book, Biblical Theology, to discuss the reception of divine revelation through speech and hearing. Vos treats this topic because, among other things, it lies at the heart of true religion. If God is not speaking, then we do not know him. If it is merely men who speak, we do not know God and therefore are not in a religious bond of covenantal fellowship with him. It is of the essence of true religion to affirm that God speaks and that prophets hear God speaking and then speak that same Word to the church. You cannot have true religion without such supernatural verbal revelation.

This requires that God speaks to the prophet before the prophet spoke. This is critical, since it utterly destroys the liberal theories that locate the actual words in human agency alone, such as the kernel theory we talked about earlier. The speaking of God is not meant in a figurative way, “but in the literal sense it appears in various ways” (p. 217).

Vos next makes a point that the verbal communication from Jehovah is both external and internal, and that internal (to the soul or audible only to the prophet) does not collapse into the “consciousness theology” and the subjectivism of the liberal concept of “revelation” where revelation simply means a heightened moral consciousness or awareness of nearness to the ethical ideal of the prophetic religion.

Vos urges us not to probe the proportion of internal and external revelation, but to accept that both forms come to the prophets, making them bearers of words that have divine authority.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #57 — Objective Revelation to the Prophets

Christ the Center — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 04:00:55 +0000

We turn to pages 214–216 of Geerhardus Vos’s book, Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments, to discuss the kernel and divination theories of the reception of prophetic revelation. Critical scholars seek to identify human beings as the origin of the prophetic message. Vos defends the orthodox notion that God reveals himself in objective verbal revelation to the prophets, who delivered that inspired and inerrant message to the people.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #56 — The Mode of Reception of the Prophetic Revelation

Christ the Center — Fri, 05 Jul 2019 04:00:41 +0000

We turn to pages 212–213 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to discuss the mode of reception of the prophetic revelation. In the fourth section of his book, Vos continues to contrast the modernist conception with that of confessional orthodoxy. He stresses that revelation does not originate naturally but is in its essence, “a real communication” from God to the prophets.

Our study of Vos is focused on biblical theology, or what Vos termed “the history of special revelation.” A modernized conception of revelation construes history as natural and mechanical in character. History is encased in patterns of natural cause and effect. It is a closed reality. For the Kantian, the mind of man imposes rational categories onto nature. Others view the mind and discovering natural and immutable laws, which don’t exhibit any variation. It is an anti-supernaturalist conception of history. For the modernist, supernatural revelation cannot exist in the sphere of natural history.

Vos, however, is unwavering in his commitment to the self-attesting word of God, which is a supernatural word from the transcendent God, who nevertheless condescends voluntarily to speak to those made in his image.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #55 — Did the Later Prophets Create an Ethical Monotheism?

Christ the Center — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 04:00:59 +0000

We turn to pages 206–211 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to continue our discussion of critical theories of prophetism. Vos tackles a modernist, critical theory of the development of monotheism under the prophets. Vos wants the reader to enter into a modernist world–a critical world. In that world, there are three main things you will face:

A finite and developing conception of deity
A mechanical and purely natural conception of history
An errant and merely human conception of the Bible

These are the key features of a “critical” approach to the prophets. But, as Machen pointed out so clearly, these three conceptions represent a different religion: a fundamentally Pelagian conception of religion.

Vos helps us see, by contrast, that the kingdom of God and the demand that he be worshipped exclusively is built into man as the image of God. Adam, from the start, was bound to God in a religious relation by creation that the covenant of works was to advance. Man, from the beginning, exists to worship God–to glorify and enjoy God forever in covenantal fellowship. For the liberal to reverse this relation and insist that God must serve the purpose of man is to lay bare that the critics truly do have a different religion. On this, Vos and Machen are one.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #54 — The Origin of “Nabhi-ism” in Israel

Christ the Center — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 04:00:12 +0000

We turn to pages 202–205 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to continue our discussion of critical theories of prophetism. Vos answers critics who believe that Israel derived its understanding of prophetism from Canaanite religion by focusing our attention upon God’s word revealed in history. Contrary to the false prophets, true prophetism is centered on true religion, union and communion with God according to his word.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #53 — The Influence of Geerhardus Vos

Christ the Center — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 05:00:07 +0000

Danny Olinger, author of Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theology, Confessional Presbyterian, joins us for a special conversation. We take a brief break from Vos’s book Biblical Theology to discuss the influence of Vos upon several other theologians. We then open the floor to questions from people participating in our live webinar.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Danny Olinger, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #52 — Prophets and Sons of Prophets

Christ the Center — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 05:00:01 +0000

In this episode of #VosGroup, we turn to pages 200–201 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to continue our discussion of critical theories of prophetism.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #51 — The History of Prophetism: Critical Theories

Christ the Center — Fri, 28 Dec 2018 05:00:39 +0000

In this installment of #VosGroup, we turn to pages 198–199 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider critical theories of prophetism. We extend and amplify the material in these pages more than usual by connecting Vos’s teaching to the theology of Karl Barth and other modernist approaches.

Broadly, the term can be associated with “instrument of revelation” and this is so important to note. For Vos, contra Barth, there is a direct, organic disclosure of God’s revealed truth in our calendar-time history. It is not in a distinct, third-time dimension that Barth calls Geschichte that “revelation” occurs. For Barth, revelation is Jesus Christ in a distinct time dimension, God’s third time for us, that “revelation” occurs. Revelation is Jesus Christ. The Scriptures, the prophets and calendar time history are not themselves revelation–they only point to revelation. Revelation is a “supra-historical” event in a time dimension altogether different from our calendar time.

But Vos would say this is fundamentally wrong–it is a different religious conception of “revelation” altogether. God speaks directly to Adam in the Garden of Eden in terms of positive, special, verbal revelation. God’s voice can be heard, speaking with inerrant and inescapable authority, in Eden. It is this initial self-revelation from God, in the Garden of Eden, prior to the fall, that supplies us with our conception of revelation. God both acts and speaks in calendar time history, and that special is initially given to Adam under the covenant of works. God’s revelation in nature (image of God) is by divine design subordinate to God’s revelation in positive categories. In other words, Genesis 2:7 (image of God) and Genesis 2:15–17 (Covenant) demand the idea that God reveals himself with absolute authority and clarity directly in history.

Vos says, “But the Reformed have always insisted upon it that at no point shall a recognition of the historical delivery and apprehension of truth be permitted to degenerate into a relativity of truth. The history remains a history of revelation. Its total product agrees absolutely in every respect with the sum of truth as it lies in the eternal mind and purpose of God.”

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #50 — Biblical and Greek Conceptions of Prophetism

Christ the Center — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 05:00:57 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series in pages 194–197 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the biblical conception of prophetism. We discuss the Greek and pagan conceptions and their connection to contemporary modernist conceptions.

Vos has in view here a Hellenic, and not New Testament, conception of the prophet. Some would seek to understand prophet as a foreteller, which brings into view predictive prophecy—a telling of a situation in advance of the actual occurrence of the situation. However, it is not proper to take the concept in this direction only. While there is a predictive element present in much of what the prophets communicate, it is better to take them as foretellers in a local sense. This means that prophet is one who speaks an oracle from God. It is a place in time where one speaks on behalf of God.

However, the Greek terms, as it appears in a Hellenic, extra-biblical context, has a different connotation, and this is critical to grasp, that we must reject. That connotation is this: the prophet in this Greek conception is an interpreter of a fundamentally opaque, hidden utterance from god. Pythia (the name of the high priestess of the temple Apollo at Delphi), would be the interpreter of this fundamentally hidden oracle—a dark saying that needed a human interpreter in order to be rendered intelligible.

The Greek prophet does not stand in a direct relation to the deity, as in the Old Testament prophet, who spoke, by inspiration, directly from God, a word from God. Rather than being a mouth-piece of the deity, as is the case with the Nabi, the prophet in the Old Testament sense of the term, the prophet in the Greek, Hellenic sense, is an interpreter of the deity’s oracle. The oracle comes from the Deity but requires interpretation, an interpretive act, from a prophet, to render that message intelligible or clear. The prophet, in this Hellenic conception, is therefore not one who speaks the words of the deity. Rather, he is one who intercepts a supra-rational, intrinsically opaque, communication from a deity. It is precisely this conception of the prophet that Vos sees being appropriated by the liberals of his day.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #49 — The Conception of a Prophet: Names and Etymologies

Christ the Center — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 04:00:58 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series in pages 191–194 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the biblical conception of prophetism. Vos beings by considering critical theories of prophetism based on the term “prophet.” Vos instructs us that all quests for seeking the conception of the prophet in etymology, rather in the teaching of the text, the meaning and function of Nabi (the Hebrew word for prophet) in the biblical text, are fraught with uncertainty and speculation. This is always the case when you seek to find the meaning of the text behind it in a critically reconstructed theory of the origin of the meaning in the text itself. Of course, if you want to say that the text takes you to what is behind it—the history of special deed revelation which the word revelation interprets, that is fine, even critical to affirm. But what Vos is helping us see is that we do not seek to find the meaning of the biblical text in a critical reconstruction of what sources we think might yield the meaning “behind” the text. Such an approach, characteristic of the modernist scholarship in Vos’ day (and continuing in our day) strips authority from the biblical text and makes it a fallible window through which we seek to get “behind” the text to its true historically reconstructed sources. Such an approach divests the Scripture of its revelatory character and intrinsic authority. The point: “even to the pre-Mosaic Hebrew consciousness a nabhi is an authorized spokesman for the Deity, and that in his word a divinely-communicated power resides” (193). Contrary to the modernist conception of the prophet as an insightful, inspiring religious genius who shares his mysterious insight into the divine (and therefore is an ethical example for us), the prophet is first and foremost one who receives and is authorized to transmit (to speak and write) the Word of God do you have the prophet. All the emphasis lies on the actual speaking, the true communicating, of something out in the open, where it reaches the mind of man and directs him in his religious fellowship bond with God. It is there that you find the essence of the prophet’s activity. It is not the mere passive reception of some ineffable mystery; it is the open declaration of the oracles of God—words from God that address God’s people in covenant fellowship with Himself. Vos is warning us, once again, of the errors of Liberalism or Modernism—where the trend is always to reduce the Scriptures and the prophets in this case, to a record of religious experience–religious feeling set forth in speech. Rather, the Scriptures in general and the prophets in particular bring into view the supernatural approach of God for fellowship with his covenant people, as that relation is rooted in the substance of what the prophets will proclaim–Christ crucified and Christ raised (I Peter 1:10–12). The point, as we move toward unpacking that gospel content, is that God speaks to his people for the purpose of consummating a redemptive bond of fellowship—communion in covenant—that lies at the core of our religious relation to God.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #48 — The Word as the Instrument of Prophetism

Christ the Center — Fri, 10 Aug 2018 04:00:49 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series in pages 187–190 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the word of God and prophetism. Prophetism is restricted to the word as its instrument. The prophetic ministry was a declarative, spiritual authority of one who speaks and writes in the words of Jehovah himself. There is the closest possible connection, then, between the prophetic office and the declaration of the Word of the Lord, as that Word is given by the superintending agency of the Spirit, who breathes out the prophetic Scriptures (cf. 1 Pet. 1:10–11; 2 Tim. 3:16). The effect of being restricted to the ministry of the Word of God was a heightening of the “spiritualizing” relation between Jehovah and Israel.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #47 — The Place of Prophetism in Old Testament Revelation

Christ the Center — Fri, 06 Jul 2018 04:00:01 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series in pages 185–188 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the unfolding of God’s plan as it moves from the period under Moses to that of the prophets. Prophetism marks an epochal movement in OT revelation. In other words, the “new happenings” of God’s mighty deeds in redemptive revelation bring enduring advancement toward consummation—each epoch builds upon and brings advancement to what has proceeded. The new feature is “the organization of the theocratic kingdom under a human ruler” (185). God is seeking to confer himself on a holy people through a holy king in a holy theocratic realm. As such, Prophetism is a “Kingdom-Producing Movement (186–187). This is a critical point to grasp: prophetism is attached to the advancement of the theocratic kingdom. Prophetism therefore has no independent significance. Its entire rationale grows out of the producing and advancement of the theocratic kingdom of Jehovah. This comes into even greater clarity as we recognize that the Word is the instrument of Prophetism (187–88). The essence, formally, of prophetism is that it “restricts” itself to the Word of God—the Word from the mouth of Jehovah. The Word of God “in reality did more than anything else towards the spiritualizing of the relation between Jehovah and Israel” (187).

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #46 — Summary of Revelation in the Period of Moses

Christ the Center — Fri, 08 Jun 2018 04:00:11 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series in pages 175–182 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider ancestor worship and animism before moving to a summary of Part I of the entire book and specifically, revelation during the period of Moses. The movement from the Abrahamic to the Mosaic is a movement from lesser to greater directness of access to God. This “greater access” appears especially when we consider what Vos called the “typical proportions” that Moses acquires in an “unusual degree” of Moses. And Exodus 32–34 is key in this regard. Not only does Moses offer himself vicariously to make atonement for sin (Ex. 32:30–33), illustrating the Melchizedekian priesthood of Christ, but he gains access to God in an unprecedented way. God promises Moses “the divine presence and rest” in the land (33:12–14). God speaks to Moses “face-to-face (33:11)” in the tent of meeting and shows Moses his “glory” as he hides him in the cleft of the rock and declares his name (33:14-20). What Abraham saw in the form of a smoking firepot and a blazing torch, Moses sees in fellowship on a mountain—a mountain that looks back to the mountain of Eden and upward and forward to Mount Zion. The essence of the covenant bond—the secret of God’s friendship—is with Moses in a unique way, as a sort of first-fruits in the Old Covenant. Moses sees God, knows God, fellowships with God. In fact, Exodus 34:27ff. Moses is on the mountain with God for 40 days and nights without food or water and his transformed in his countenance. He does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. A second major theme that Vos develops is that the tabernacle is a concentrated theocracy. That is to say, the tabernacle dwelling of God is the end to which the entire Exodus aspires–the reality to which it is directed. Finally, all of this conspires to help us recognize that the sacrificial system is a means to a higher end of fellowship with God.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #45 — Excursus: Reformed Dogmatics

Christ the Center — Fri, 13 Apr 2018 04:00:34 +0000

Vos Group takes an excursus to discuss Vos’s Reformed Dogmatics. In this series, like all of his works, Vos presents the “deeper Protestant conception” of covenantal union and communion with the Triune God. We discuss how the immutable Creator does not change in the freely willed “new relation” to creation—only creation does, and that the Roman Catholic view of the image cannot deliver the “essence” of religion, which is communion with God.

Vos Group #44 — Totemism

Christ the Center — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 05:00:34 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series in pages 174–175 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider totemism and Vos’s deep critique of biblicistic modernism. Totemism seeks to explain the distinction between the clean and the unclean by way of “a form of superstition” rooted in “savage tribes and families” who offered worship to certain animals and plants. Biblicism is any approach to reading Scripture that does not take the creeds and confessions of the church as normed norms that faithfully and accurately reflect the teaching of Scripture, over against heresy and heterodoxy as it has arisen in various forms. You can be either a liberal or conservative, and you can still be a biblicist—it is no respecter of persons in that regard. Modernism is that movement associated with the Enlightenment, rooted in Kantian philosophy, that seeks a de-supernaturalized history understood as a neutral realm of facts that leads toward an ethical ideal of true humanity (Schleiermacher is central in this regard). Modernists also take the Bible to be like any other historically conditioned book and thus an expression of community biography, rather than a history of progressive, organic, supernatural, covenantal revelation. In other words, modernism represents a neutral, anti-supernaturalistic, religion of ethics. It is Pelagianism come to historical self-consciousness—or come to consciousness of a purely immanent, natural, philosophy of history (Albrect Ritschl is a key figure here).

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #43 — Uncleanness and Purification

Christ the Center — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 05:00:14 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series in pages 173–174 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider uncleanness and purification, a deep structure of Scripture, what Vos says, “forms a fundamental conception, which . . . has entered into the permanent fabric of biblical religion.”

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #42 — The Variety of Offerings

Christ the Center — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 05:00:48 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series starting on page 170–172 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the variety of Old Testament offerings and sacrifices. Vos addresses the different types of offerings and how they relate to one another and to the eschatological plan of salvation in Jesus Christ.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #41 — The Meaning of Covering

Christ the Center — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 05:00:03 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series starting on page 166 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the meaning of covering. Vos focuses on the meaning of expiation and demonstrates how the blood of Jesus functions with reference to sin. God covers, takes away, and obliterates the sin of his elect.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #40 — Vicariousness Defined

Christ the Center — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 04:00:56 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 165–166 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the definition of vicariousness. Orthodox Christianity recognizes the vicariousness of Christ’s life and death for sinners, but what does that mean precisely? Geerhardus Vos explores several possibilities and offers the best biblical option for understanding how Jesus lived, suffered, and died for his people.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #39 — The Stages of the Sacrificial Ritual

Christ the Center — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 04:00:29 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 161–165 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the stages of ritual sacrifice.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #38 — The Relation between the Offerer and His Sacrifice

Christ the Center — Fri, 11 Aug 2017 04:00:20 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 159–161 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the relation between the offerer and his sacrifice.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #37 — Offerings, Gifts, and Sacrifices

Christ the Center — Fri, 21 Jul 2017 04:00:01 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 157–159 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider offerings, gifts, and sacrifices within the Mosaic economy.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #36 — The Sacrificial System of the Law

Christ the Center — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 04:00:36 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 155–157 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the sacrificial system of the law. Vos describes two main ends of sacrifices—expiation and consecration—and how they relate to one another. God desires to establish a covenant communion bond with a holy people. This relationship is served fundamentally by consecration even before the fall into sin. Yet once sin enters the world, the Lord must deal with it. Christ does so by offering a perfect sacrifice in his own blood. This perfect sacrifice is typified in the Old Testament sacrificial system.

Vos Group #35 — Christ, the Tabernacle, and the Church

Christ the Center — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 04:00:51 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 154–155 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider how Christ reveals and consummates the religious principles and realities embodied in the tabernacle and then elevated into the Church.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #34 — The Majesty and Holiness of God and the Place of Worship

Christ the Center — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 05:00:34 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 150–154 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the presence of God. The tabernacle was a holy place wherein God’s people were summoned to commune with and worship the Lord. Vos describes the symbolism and typology of this holy realm. God brings his people into deeper covenant fellowship as he conforms them to the image of his resurrected Son, Jesus Christ.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #33 — The Tabernacle

Christ the Center — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 05:00:20 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 148–150 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider types and symbols. The tabernacle is a premier symbol and type in the Old Testament. It demonstrates God’s dwelling with his people. Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey turn to Vos’s discussion and consider the redemptive-historical significance of the tabernacle.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #32 — Symbols and Types

Christ the Center — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 05:00:11 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 143–148 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider types and symbols. This is an important discussion on redemptive-historical hermeneutics and a classic lesson from Vos’s writings.

Vos Group #31 — The Third and Fourth Words

Christ the Center — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 05:00:50 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 137–143 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the third and fourth commandments. The third commandment prohibits taking the Lord’s name in vain. Often, this is interpreted to mean we must not swear by the Lord’s name or blaspheme it. While these are certainly things we must not do, Vos communicates a much deeper understanding of the commandment that pertains to the pagan practice of word-magic. He also introduces a rich eschatological view of Sabbath rest.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #30 — The Decalogue: The Second Word

Christ the Center — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 04:00:05 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 135–137 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the Decalogue and the second commandment.

¹ And God spoke all these words, saying, ² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ³ “You shall have no other gods before me. ⁴ “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:1–6, ESV)

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #29 — The Prologue and First Commandment of the Decalogue

Christ the Center — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 04:00:46 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 131–135 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the world-wide application of the Decalogue, its prologue, and the first commandment. God has a special relationship with his covenant people. The prologue of to the Decalogue underscores this fact. God’s word delivered to Moses on Mt. Sinai is not an abstract list of technical laws. It is a word given to the recipients of God’s covenantal love to remind them of their communion bond and to move them toward greater fidelity. While the Decalogue was given specifically to Israel, it applies to the entire world. Listen as we unpack these rich themes and be sure to interact in the comments section.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #28 — The Decalogue

Christ the Center — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 04:00:04 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 128–131 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider once again the function of the law and the Decalogue. Why was the law given? How does it function in the life of Israel, the redeemed typological son? God graciously gave a typological kingdom to his people, and they were commanded to obey the Lord in order to retain this kingdom. But how are we to understand this obedience? Is it a new covenant of works? Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey discuss Israel’s relationship to the law during the Mosaic period of revelation.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #27 — The Function of Law

Christ the Center — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 04:00:20 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 126–129 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the function of the law. Why was the law given? How does it function in the life of Israel, the redeemed typological son? God graciously gave a typological kingdom to his people, and they were commanded to obey the Lord in order to retain this kingdom. But how are we to understand this obedience? Is it a new covenant of works? Israel were to walk in the faith of Abraham, not in the sin of Adam. The obedience they offer unto the Lord is not understood in terms of strict merit, but as Vos says, in terms of “appropriateness of expression” (p. 127).

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #26 — The Organization of Israel: Theocracy

Christ the Center — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 04:00:52 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 124–126 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider Israel as a theocracy. We cover important ground, including the theocracy’s role in redemptive-history, God’s purpose for civil government, and the differences between theonomy and two-kingdom theology.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #25 — The Berith Made between Jehovah and Israel

Christ the Center — Fri, 11 Mar 2016 05:00:15 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 121–124 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the covenant God establishes with Israel. God unilaterally institutes a covenant of redemptive grace with his people. Yet Exodus 19 and 24 also speak of the bilateral working out of this covenantal administration. In this episode, we develop these features of covenant theology and compare it to the critical liberal tradition that oppose it.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #24 — Redemption from Egypt, Part 3

Christ the Center — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 05:00:29 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 119–121 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the Passover as an expiation for sin and its function in transferring God’s people to a new blessed realm.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #23 — Redemption from Egypt, Part 2

Christ the Center — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 05:00:37 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 114–119 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the name ‘Jehovah’/YHWH as it has been revealed in Exodus 3 and emphasized again in Exodus 6.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #22 — Redemption from Egypt, Part 1

Christ the Center — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 05:00:35 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 109–112 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to learn about the factual basis of the Mosaic organization, which consists in the redemption from Egypt.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #21 — The Form of Revelation in the Mosaic Period

Christ the Center — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 05:00:16 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 105–108 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to learn about the form of revelation during the Mosaic period. Vos details the significance of the pillar of cloud and fire, the Angel of Jehovah, as well as the name and face of Jehovah.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #20 — The Place of Moses in the Organism of Old Testament Revelation

Christ the Center — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 04:00:21 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 100–104 of Geerhardus Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to learn about the place of Moses in the organism of Old Testament revelation. Critical scholars have questioned whether Moses was an historical figure, suggesting instead that the figure is a literary construct designed to offer a history and purpose to the people of Israel. In this episode, we discuss the historicity of Moses and his significance for redemptive-history.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #19 — The Patriarch Jacob at Bethel and Peniel

Christ the Center — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 04:00:10 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 95–99 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to learn about revelation during the patriarchal period. In this episode we look to the patriarch Jacob and focus upon his Bethel dream vision and his encounter with the angel at Peniel.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #18 — Jacob and Election

Christ the Center — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 04:00:13 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 93–95 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to learn about the patriarch Jacob and election.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #17: The Patriarch Isaac

Christ the Center — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 04:01:58 +0000

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 90–93 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to learn about the patriarch Isaac. Isaac is the middle figure of the oft-repeated patriarchal formula of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He uniquely demonstrates God’s promise to his people and the hope of redemption through a sacrifice, God’s own Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #16: The Ethical Dimension of Circumcision

Christ the Center — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 04:00:00 +0000

Geerhardus Vos develops the ethical elements present during the patriarchal period through a brilliant treatment of circumcision. In this episode, Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey discuss pages 88–90 of Vos’s book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to shed light on the indicative and imperative dimensions of God’s covenantal relationship to his people. In the course of this study, the relationship of circumcision to baptism is developed as both are signs of the righteousness God’s people have by faith in Jesus Christ (Rom 4:11–12; cf. Col 2:11–12).

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #15 — Revelation in the Patriarchal Period, Part 4

Christ the Center — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 04:00:49 +0000

We open Vos’s Biblical Theology to study pages 81–87, which deal with the divine name El-Shaddai and faith as found in patriarchal religion. While faith in God and his Word has always been present since the earliest promise of the gospel in Genesis 3:15, faith becomes an explicit part of Shemitic life with Abraham, the father of all who would believe. Saving faith is not merely faith in God generally, it is a deep and abiding trust in God almighty, the one who acts supernaturally in history.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #14 — Revelation in the Patriarchal Period, Part 3: The Patriarch Abraham

Christ the Center — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 05:00:48 +0000

Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey discuss the patriarch Abraham as they turn to pp. 76–81 of Geerhardus Vos’s book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments. This chapter covers Abraham’s election, and we connect that to the doctrine of God, the nature of biblical covenants, and God’s gracious gift in the gospel of his Son.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #13 — Revelation in the Patriarchal Period, Part 2: The Angel of Jehovah

Christ the Center — Fri, 06 Feb 2015 05:00:02 +0000

Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey speak about theophanies before turning to pages 72–76 of Geerhardus Vos’s Biblical Theology to speak about the Angel of Jehovah, or the Angel of the Lord. The presence of the Angel punctuates epochal moments in covenant history, and his presence is critical during the patriarchal period. Camden’s article, “The Lord and His Messengers: Toward a Trinitarian Interpretation of Malachi 3:1–4,” which was mentioned during the program, was published in The Confessional Presbyterian, Volume 7 (2011).

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Pneumatology and Eschatology in the Light of 1 Corinthians 15:45 and 2 Corinthians 3:6–18

Christ the Center — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 05:00:31 +0000

Building upon Geerhardus Vos’s foundational essay “The Eschatological Aspect of the Pauline Conception of the Spirit” Dr. Lane Tipton develops the role of the Spirit with regard to redemptive history, the law and soteriology. Vos remarks that the core of Paul’s eschatology lies in the sphere of the Spirit. The Spirit, given to the resurrected Christ, inaugurates the eschatological age of the world to come. This world to come is realized climactically in the resurrection of Christ as the firstfruits of the one great resurrection of harvest in the Spirit.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #12 — Revelation in the Patriarchal Period, Part 1

Christ the Center — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 05:00:46 +0000

For the first Vos Group of 2015, Dr. Lane Tipton guides us through Chapter 7 of Geerhardus Vos’ Biblical Theology, “Revelation in the Patriarchal Period,” pp. 66–72. The section titles are Critical Views, The Historicity of the Patriarchs, and Theophanies.

Roughly each month, Lane and Camden will work through the pages of Vos’ Biblical Theology. While Vos’ book is foundational, it’s tough for the “uninitiated” to access. This will be a great opportunity for study groups to listen to our discussions and work things out together. We hope everyone who participates will learn more about Reformed biblical theology. Pick up a copy of Biblical Theology and get on the BT wagon!

Lane G. Tipton is Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. He has appeared numerous times on our programs. Please visit our archives to listen to Dr. Tipton speak about a range of theological topics.

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #11 — Between Noah and the Patriarchs, Part 2

Christ the Center — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 05:00:54 +0000

Dr. Lane Tipton is back for Vos Group #11, considering chapter 6 of Geerhardus Vos’ Biblical Theology, “The Period Between Noah and the Great Patriarchs.” This week we look at part 2 of the chapter, points 3, The division of tongues, and 4, The election of the Shemites to furnish the bearers of redemption and revelation (pp. 59-65).

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #10 – Between Noah and the Patriarchs, Part 1

Christ the Center — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 04:00:00 +0000

Dr. Lane Tipton returns for Vos Group #10, to speak about the first two points of chapter six of Vos’ Biblical Theology (pp. 56-59). The first point of chapter six is The prophetic deliverances of Noah [Gen. 9:20-27], and The table of the nations.

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #9 – The Noachian Revelation, Part 2

Christ the Center — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 04:00:27 +0000

Dr. Lane Tipton joins us to speak about the rest of chapter 5 (pgs. 51-55) of Geerhardus Vos’s Biblical Theology, “The Noachian Revelation and the Development Leading Up to It.” In this portion, Vos explains the significance of the Noahic covenant in its common application to the blessed line of Seth and even to the cursed line of Ham.

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #8: The Development Leading Up to the Noachian Revelation, Part 1

Christ the Center — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 04:00:25 +0000

This week, Dr. Lane Tipton leads Christ the Center’s “Vos Group” through chapter 5 of Geerhardus Vos’s Biblical Theology, “The Noachian Revelation and the Development Leading Up to It.” In the first part of the chapter, pages 45-51, Vos explores the significance of the Canaanites and the Sethites in the biblical story, prior to Noah. Next time, we will discuss the rest of chapter 5, pages 51-55.

Check out Banner of Truth’s new cloth-bound hardcover edition of Biblical Theology! (Select “cloth-bound.”)

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #7: The Content of the First Redemptive Special Revelation

Christ the Center — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 04:00:10 +0000

The seventh episode of Vos Group, we arrive at chapter 4 of Geerhardus Vos’ Biblical Theology, with Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey. Having completed discussion of pre-redemptive special revelation, Vos moves to consideration of the first redemptive special revelation, which includes three curses, mention of the seed of both the woman and of the serpent, and prophecy of human suffering.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #6: The Content of Pre-Redemptive Special Revelation, Part 2

Christ the Center — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 05:00:22 +0000

Dr. Lane Tipton returns to Christ the Center for the sixth episode of Vos Group, concerning the second half of chapter three of Geerhardus Vos’ Biblical Theology (pp. 33-40). Vos established in the previous chapter the presence of special revelation in the garden of Eden, in the probationary covenant of works. In this chapter, he highlights four principles made known in the covenant, the first two of which are “the principle of life” and “the principle of probation,” discussed last episode. This episode, Drs. Tipton and Bucey discuss “the principle of temptation and sin symbolized in the serpent,” and “the principle of death symbolized by the dissolution of the body.”

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #5: The Content of Pre-Redemptive Special Revelation, Part 1

Christ the Center — Fri, 02 May 2014 05:00:00 +0000

For the fifth episode of Vos Group, Dr. Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey examine the first portion of chapter three of Geerhardus Vos’ Biblical Theology (pp. 27-33). Vos has established the presence of special revelation in the garden of Eden, God’s words to Adam and Eve concerning the probationary covenant of works. In this chapter, he highlights four principles made known in this special revelation, the first two of which are “the principle of life in its highest potency sacramentally symbolized by the tree of life,” and “the principle of probation symbolized in the same manner by the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #4: The Mapping Out of the Field of Revelation

Christ the Center — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 05:00:36 +0000

This fourth episode of Vos Group, Dr. Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey tackle chapter 2 of Geerhardus Vos’s Biblical Theology (pp. 19-26). Topics of discussion include the relationship of general/natural and special/supernatural revelation, sin and revelation, and divine covenants.

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #3: The Nature and Method of Biblical Theology, Part 2

Christ the Center — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 05:00:39 +0000

For the third episode of Vos Group, Dr. Lane Tipton joins Camden Bucey to discuss the final portion of the first chapter of Geerhardus Vos’s Biblical Theology (pp. 11-18, “Guiding Principles” through the end of ch. 1). Vos’s view of biblical authority governs his method of studying Scripture and particularly the use he makes of knowledge of the biblical authors’ historical contexts. Today’s discussion also covers the relationship between biblical and systematic theology.

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/resources/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group #2: The Nature and Method of Biblical Theology, Part 1

Christ the Center — Fri, 10 Jan 2014 05:00:15 +0000

Dr. Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey open up Geerhardus Vos’ Biblical Theology for the second episode of Vos Group. On pages 3-11 (Chapter 1 up to, but not including, “Guiding Principles”), Vos sets out the nature of the discipline of biblical theology and its relationship to the different departments of theology. In short, biblical theology is a study of the history of God’s special revelation which is his authoritative interpretation of the history of redemption. The discussion also covers Vos’ historical methodology, the organic nature of special revelation, and the particularly practical side of biblical theology.

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/resources/vos/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

An Introduction to Geerhardus Vos’ Biblical Theology

Christ the Center — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 05:00:04 +0000

Dr. Lane G. Tipton joins Camden Bucey to begin a new series on Geerhardus Vos’ important book, Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments. For the past thirteen years, Dr. Tipton has led the “Vos Group” at Calvary Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Glenside, PA. Each month, the Vos Group gathers to discuss Reformed biblical theology by studying Scripture and important works by Vos, Kline, Clowney, Gaffin, et al. We are delighted to bring this great teaching to a broader audience.

All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/

If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Christ the Center, Vos Group

Hungering and Thirsting after Righteousness

Vos Group #67: The Holiness of God in the Prophets

Vos Group Excursus: The Wonderful Tree

Vos Group #66 — God’s Relation to Time and Eternity

Vos Group Excursus — Grace and Glory: Sermons of Geerhardus Vos

Vos Group #65 — The Nature and Attributes of God

Vos Group #64 — The Prophets and Monotheism

Vos Group #63 — The Prophets and the Nature of God

Vos Group #62 — The Content of the Prophetic Revelation

Vos Group #61: The Mode of Communication of the Prophecy

Vos Group Excursus: John 20:1–18 — Rabboni

John 20:1–18 (ESV)

Vos Group #60 — The Intra-Mental State of the Prophet

Vos Group #59 — Revelation through Showing and Seeing

Vos Group #58 — Revelation through Speech and Hearing

Vos Group #57 — Objective Revelation to the Prophets

Vos Group #56 — The Mode of Reception of the Prophetic Revelation

Vos Group #55 — Did the Later Prophets Create an Ethical Monotheism?

Vos Group #54 — The Origin of “Nabhi-ism” in Israel

Vos Group #53 — The Influence of Geerhardus Vos

Vos Group #52 — Prophets and Sons of Prophets

Vos Group #51 — The History of Prophetism: Critical Theories

Vos Group #50 — Biblical and Greek Conceptions of Prophetism

Vos Group #49 — The Conception of a Prophet: Names and Etymologies

Vos Group #48 — The Word as the Instrument of Prophetism

Vos Group #47 — The Place of Prophetism in Old Testament Revelation

Vos Group #46 — Summary of Revelation in the Period of Moses

Vos Group #45 — Excursus: Reformed Dogmatics

Links

Vos Group #44 — Totemism

Vos Group #43 — Uncleanness and Purification

Vos Group #42 — The Variety of Offerings

Vos Group #41 — The Meaning of Covering

Vos Group #40 — Vicariousness Defined

Vos Group #39 — The Stages of the Sacrificial Ritual

Vos Group #38 — The Relation between the Offerer and His Sacrifice

Vos Group #37 — Offerings, Gifts, and Sacrifices

Vos Group #36 — The Sacrificial System of the Law

Links

Vos Group #35 — Christ, the Tabernacle, and the Church

Vos Group #34 — The Majesty and Holiness of God and the Place of Worship

Vos Group #33 — The Tabernacle

Vos Group #32 — Symbols and Types

Links

Vos Group #31 — The Third and Fourth Words

Vos Group #30 — The Decalogue: The Second Word

Vos Group #29 — The Prologue and First Commandment of the Decalogue

Vos Group #28 — The Decalogue

Vos Group #27 — The Function of Law

Vos Group #26 — The Organization of Israel: Theocracy

Vos Group #25 — The Berith Made between Jehovah and Israel

Vos Group #24 — Redemption from Egypt, Part 3

Vos Group #23 — Redemption from Egypt, Part 2

Vos Group #22 — Redemption from Egypt, Part 1

Vos Group #21 — The Form of Revelation in the Mosaic Period

Vos Group #20 — The Place of Moses in the Organism of Old Testament Revelation

Vos Group #19 — The Patriarch Jacob at Bethel and Peniel

Vos Group #18 — Jacob and Election

Vos Group #17: The Patriarch Isaac

Vos Group #16: The Ethical Dimension of Circumcision

Vos Group #15 — Revelation in the Patriarchal Period, Part 4

Vos Group #14 — Revelation in the Patriarchal Period, Part 3: The Patriarch Abraham

Vos Group #13 — Revelation in the Patriarchal Period, Part 2: The Angel of Jehovah

Pneumatology and Eschatology in the Light of 1 Corinthians 15:45 and 2 Corinthians 3:6–18

Vos Group #12 — Revelation in the Patriarchal Period, Part 1

Vos Group #11 — Between Noah and the Patriarchs, Part 2

Vos Group #10 – Between Noah and the Patriarchs, Part 1

Vos Group #9 – The Noachian Revelation, Part 2

Vos Group #8: The Development Leading Up to the Noachian Revelation, Part 1

Vos Group #7: The Content of the First Redemptive Special Revelation

Vos Group #6: The Content of Pre-Redemptive Special Revelation, Part 2

Vos Group #5: The Content of Pre-Redemptive Special Revelation, Part 1

Vos Group #4: The Mapping Out of the Field of Revelation

Vos Group #3: The Nature and Method of Biblical Theology, Part 2

Vos Group #2: The Nature and Method of Biblical Theology, Part 1

An Introduction to Geerhardus Vos’ Biblical Theology