The Work Of Christ - Contours Of Christian Theology

The book “The Work of Christ” by Robert Letham, which is also known as “Contours of Christian Theology”, is a series of concise introductory textbook focused on the main themes of Christian theology, lucidly written and clearly presented.

Within this framework he explores the issues of Christ and the word of God, the nature and theories of atonement, and the cosmic and corporate dimensions of the meditorial kingship of Christ.

Background of the author

Robert Letham is a scholar as well as the minister of the gospel. He is formerly, a senior lecturer in Christian doctrine at London Bible College, is a pastor of Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, Wilmington, Delaware.

Purpose of the Book

The passion for this book was born out of a puzzle to attend to some important issues and questions begin for answers in Christendom hence the title “Contours of Christian Theology” The work of Christ actually stands for the most significant realities we can ever face. Issues like, How can we know God? How can we have a right relationship with God? How can we be forgiven? Can we know what lies beyond the grave? How can the death of a man of 2,000 years ago help us today? How does our salvation intersect with the environmental crisis, with poverty and oppression and a host of problem in politics and business? And what does Jesus Christ have to do with it all? These are not questions on the periphery of life. They affect our destiny and that of the planet.

The Core Issue

According to Letham, the phrase ‘work of Christ’ seems a dry, ponderous expression to use of the heart of the Christian faith. Christ’s death on the cross, his glorious resurrection, his startling message of the kingdom of God is all realities with dynamic power.

The person of Christ was central. We need the person of Christ and we need his work too. According to Campbell’s theology, the basic premise was that God is love. In Jesus Christ there is a twofold movement. There is movement of God toward humanity in which His love and forgiveness are revealed together with his judgement on sin. Simultaneously, there is also a responding movement towards God whereby Christ in our humanity offers a perfect vicarious response to the love and judgement of God. Christ’s work is no avail for us apart from participation in his person. Hence in the incarnation Christ unites himself with us taking our humanity into union with himself.

Thus, if Christ was not God he could not have revealed the father. If he was not human he could not represent us, nor could he have rendered human obedience, to God, nor suffered the penalty of divine justice of sin of human race. So Christ was and is who was and is in order to save us. We can say in the light of the above that incarnation and atonement perhaps are not only indispensable the one to the other; they are also mutually definitive.

One other issue is that Christ’s death was a sacrifice as asserted in this book. Apparently, the church did recognise the centrality of the cross. The cross was not entirely eclipsed. The tree Christ’s obedience repaired the tree of Adam’s disobedience. This is a true submission. It was further asserted that the early church maintained that Christ’s death was a ransom price to the devil. He was released from the devil’s power by his resurrection, so ensuring the complete deliverance of his people. Christ resurrection and exaltation secured people salvation. This is true about the work of Christ.

However, there is need to examine two of the above statements. Christ was not at any time under devil’s power but man. Jesus only surrendered his life in other to save man. Secondly, perhaps we can say that Christ’s death was a ransom price to God and not to the devil. Man was reconciled back to God through the death of Christ. The blood of Jesus was the price that was shed for the remission of sin.

Consequently, the atonement is seen as the work of God. God himself came into this world in Jesus Christ. The father handed him over to Satan. Satan fell into the trap, thinking he has Christ in his grasp. Christ’s divinity, however concealed by humanity, enabled him to overpower Satan and to rise from the dead, thus destroying him who he had the power of death; Thus human beings are free from Satan’s power and Satan himself is now subject to death and condemnation.
The doctrine of election is another important issue in this book. Perhaps the major bone of contention is the centrality of Jesus Christ in election as asserted by Paul and some scholars Charles Hodge, Louis Berkhof. Paul stated that we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephe 1:4). According to Karl Berth and J.K.S. Reid, Christ is merely the exhibitor of a decision already made in an eternity.

However, Calvin described Christ as the mirror of election, So that if we wanted to know if we were elected we should look no further than him. Aminus reacting against the rationalistic supralapsarianism of his teacher, Theodore Beza, recast the doctrine of election along Christocentric lines. God first elects Christ as the foundation of election. Then decree to save all that repent and believe, and finally to damming all who are impenitent. Election for Aminus was on the basis of God’s foreknowledge of our faith. His views were rejected as the Synod of Dort.
Letham thus, asserted that our entire salvation is received in Christ, election included. Union with Christ is existent at the point of our election in eternity.

From the forgoing, perhaps one can simply submit that Christ and election are something inseparable. Thus Christ is central to the Biblical doctrines of both covenant and election.
The topic ‘kingdom of God’ has been the subject of lively debate. The expression ‘kingdom of heaven’ is peculiar to Mathew but he does also use ‘kingdom of God’. According to Letham, a comparison of the usage of the two terms, however, shows no subtle distinctions between them. What Mathew’s phrase may demonstrate is that the focus is not on a realm in which rule is exercised but on the reign which God himself has over the world. Secondly, the preponderance of references is to the kingdom belonging to the father or simply to God. What did Jesus mean when he said the kingdom of God is at hand? Jesus claims that the whole period of preparation had now come to fruition. The kingdom of God was not merely near. It was a present reality.

He said further that Jesus talked of the appearance of the kingdom of God in power as a definite future event. Again, many of Jesus’ parables tell of the kingdom coming as the result of a long and imperceptible process of growth. Thus, it appears that Jesus understood the kingdom of God as a powerful demonstration of the rule of God, in line with Old Testament of his coming to deliver his people. In another sense, the end of the world would finally make clear all that is implied in the reality of the kingdom.

What then is the kingdom of God? It is nothing less than the reign of God in human affairs. This reign of God extends across the whole gamut of human life. Thus, the ethics of the kingdom certainly impinge on the inner life of human beings.

The humanity of Jesus Christ is another major issue that calls for attention. Jesus did not assume the nature of angels but human nature (John 1:1-3, 14). Thus our union with Christ is grounded on his union with us. Christ union with us took place in his incarnation. Perhaps we can say that without incarnation, there could be no salvation. Only a human being could atone for the sin of humanity.

Summary and Concluding Remarks

The work of Christ by Robert Letham, though concise is clearly written and comprehensive. He employed the views of many great scholars hence presented a balance argument. However, Letham spoke about the threefold office of Jesus Christ: prophet, priest, and king. He said further that since Jesus Christ did not claim any of these offices for himself, then to speak of Christ in terms of the offices is a serious mistake. I wouldn’t know what he actually meant by the statement, but I think the statement might not be completely true because Jesus manifested or operated all the offices as a fulfilment of the Scriptures. It is true that Jesus did not claim them but he did operate in all the offices, so it is not claiming the title that matters but rather fulfilling the Scriptures or manifesting them hence the title is not as important as the title owner.

Another point made by Letham that raises concern is the issue of the payment of ransom price to the devil and the release of Jesus Christ from the devil’s power by his resurrection. Was the ransom paid to the devil or to God? Perhaps it will be more appropriate to say that the ransom was paid to God rather than devil and that man was under the power of the devil but not Jesus. When man sinned, he fell from grace to the hand of the devil. When Christ died, he reconciled man back to God, thus delivered man from the power of the devil. Devil has got nothing to take back, he was a robber, the owner desire a ransom and hence Jesus Christ paid it to God.

Finally, it is certainly true that this book would be enormous and the reader would be bankrupted paying for it, if every subject is discussed in detail. However, the book has being able to present a clear understanding of what Christ has done. Thus I want to submit that Christ came, died and resurrected with the intent of atoning for his elect, while the worth and scope of his atonement is sufficient for each and every person who ever lived. This of course remained the central focus of this great noble work of Robert Letham.

A Book Review: The Work Of Christ-Contours Of Christian Theology By Robert Letham
Reviewer: Reverend Olaniyi Lawrence

The Work Of Christ - Contours Of Christian Theology

Books in Your Home - How to Determine Their Value

If you have a 200-year old family bible, or an old leather bound set of Charles Dickens, or a collection of leather bindings in foreign languages – you may be wondering if they are worth anything in the age of selling collectibles on eBay and other venues. But did you know that its age has very little to do with that value within the collectibles market?

Instead, the qualities of your book collection that matter to book dealers and collectors are their condition, how scarce they are and how in demand they are at the time you wish to sell them.

For example, your 200-year old family bible tracing its roots to the German settlers in eastern Pennsylvania may be of great interest to someone who is researching the Amish immigration to the Lancaster area. Especially if the bible is in excellent condition, all the pages are intact and your ancestors have been meticulous about adding birth, marriage and death dates of your family members within it. Someone in California, however, probably will pass it over with barely a glance.

If you have old leather books that you’re looking to get appraised, you can go to a professional appraiser. However, you should know that an appraiser’s services can be expensive and if you have books by the foot to appraise, the costs can stack up quickly. He or she will want to inspect your books in person and will then need to take time to research bibliographies and specialized sale records to determine their value.

Alternatively, you can do some of the leg work yourself however it is difficult to look up every book and also a challenge, even for some experienced booksellers, to properly determine the edition of the book and grade its condition and flaws.

Of course there is more to the value of books to an individual or family than purely their economic value. Books have sentimental value, the value that comes from reading and appreciating them, and they also have decorative value. There is almost nothing more beautiful and serene than antiquarian leather books lined up by the foot in a home library especially when such a library contains the works of great authors and literary classics.

If you’re looking to add to your collection of antiquarian books by the foot, you will be able to find valuable books at prices below their true worth. Even the most experienced and sharp-eyed collectors and antiquarian book dealers miss valuable books.

However you wish to measure the value of your leather books, it is helpful to have some assistance in the process. I have helped clients catalog and appraise their libraries to find hidden gems that can be sold to an appreciate collector. I have also helped clients realize that the true value of their leather books is their decorative appeal and not the rarity of their content or edition, which resulted in a better sale to an interior design client instead of a collectible bookseller. Many of the clients I have worked with simply want to own an impressive library of the great works and I have helped them locate reasonably priced copies of wonderful authors and books in leather bindings, and avoid expensive copies that would not be a good investment.

Books in Your Home - How to Determine Their Value

Robert Kiyosaki - Rich Dad, Poor Dad Revisited

As I re-read Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad for the third time, I began to realize a ton of GEMS in there!

In fact, I began to realize that classics like this and others such as Think And Grow Rich had been read by people often more than once in order to extract the precious nuggets of information so richly buried in them. Bill Bartmann, a billionaire, had read Think And Grow Rich many times and so had Alex Mandossian, an Internet marketing guru.

Back to Rich Dad, Poor Dad, it is a book released about a decade ago that needs no introduction and had been on the New York Times Bestseller List for many years.

Then, why talk about this book after so long?

Here are some of my reasons:

Firstly, I believe that this book had changed more lives than most other books. I’ve personally heard testimonials that someone become a successful businessman just by reading this book; someone’s life changed from an employee to become an investor; and countless many others.

Secondly, Robert is my personal FAVORITE No. 1 author. Robert has the passion for helping others to become financially free as well as the courage to write books on the importance of financial literacy that many of us are lacking. I am a living example who had made countless mistakes and just hope that many young people, especially those in their 20′s or 30′s will not – simply by picking up a copy of Rich Dad, Poor Dad and reading it…. seriously!

As I re-read Rich Dad, Poor Dad for the third time, these are the first words that I read in 2008: “PAY YOURSELF FIRST: The power of self-discipline. If you cannot get control of yourself, do not try to get rich.”

I love those hard-hitting words! Never did I realize to this extent that SUCCESS is just a matter of “Simple Acts of DAILY DISCIPLINE … in doing the RIGHT things!”

For more information on personal development tips and resources, visit the author’s blog.

Robert Kiyosaki - Rich Dad, Poor Dad Revisited

The World of Women Ain't No Joke by Keith Wright - Book Review

Author Keith G. Wright has released the latest addition to his “Ain’t No Joke” series. Unlike his previous two books – one about being a successful parent and another about surviving the teenage years – this one is about something he’s never gone through…being a woman. Does a man – or even this man – have what it takes to write a book about the struggles and roadblocks that modern women face on a daily basis?

“The World of Women Ain’t No Joke: Beautiful, Intelligent, & Powerful in an Unforgiving World” is a look into the realities that women throughout history have faced. From the times of our forefathers (or foremothers) fighting for equal rights to today’s woman who fights a glass ceiling and the derogatory entertainment media, the female gender has always had obstacles to overcome. Wright paints a passionate picture of women’s history and an alarming look at the future as he urges our society to stop its disrespectful behavior towards the female sex. He concludes his book with a call to all women to take responsibility for the fate of their daughters and granddaughters – to speak out against the injustices. Men can’t be blamed for everything and “it isn’t always a man at the helm of a disaster.”

Wright does a very thorough job of presenting statistical data to show that our ‘modern’ world isn’t as fantastic and enlightened as we may think it would be. Violent crime, divorce, AIDS rates, and lack of education are only a few of the problems. Wright advocates American women to take the lead on and fight globally. I think his most astounding point in the book is made when paralleling the modern woman’s current plight with the downfall of Black America. “Women and Black America shared a similar rise throughout the Civil Rights Era, and it appears, at the current rate of degradation, they may share a similar fall…today Black America is spinning out of control, and out of relevance…and America’s women seem bent on blazing the same trail, eyeing a very similar fate.” He also notes the double standard on racial slurs – Don Imus’ words still ringing strong in our ears but D.L. Hughley’s comments on Jay Leno’s show were heard by millions but no public outcry ensued.

“The World of Women Ain’t No Joke” is not at all what I expected. Admiration coupled with inspiration and motivation, his writing reaches across the boundaries of race, religion, and even gender. I found myself more and more intrigued as I got deeper into Wright’s message in this book of empowerment. Women of all ages are sure to find “The World of Women Ain’t No Joke” informative and eye-opening while men can learn to be more respectful sons, boyfriends, husbands, and fathers.

As the son of a single mother, Keith G. Wright took his first-hand perspective on what life is like for today’s woman and put it into beautiful, intelligent, and powerful words. Advocating for a better society tomorrow, he urges today’s women to take a stand against disrespect, devaluation, and objectifying while fighting for whatever cause the world needs them to succeed at. Regardless of race, religion, or gender, “The World of Women Ain’t No Joke” is a superb tribute to the past and an empowering message for our society’s future. So what do I think of a man – this man – writing this kind of book? I think his mama raised him Wright.

Ain’t No Joke, Inc. (2008)

ISBN 9780977834228

Reviewed by Vicki Landes for Reader Views (1/08)

The World of Women Ain't No Joke by Keith Wright - Book Review

Book Review - On Grief And Grieving By Elisabeth Kubler-Ross And David Kessler

This book about grief is one of my favourites and it is one of the most thorough coverage on this topic. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross has helped many people find the meaning of grief through her introduction of the five stages of loss.

Summary

Basically, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross demystifies the process of grieving and helps people cope with themselves going through grief or with people they know, who have lost someone. According to her there are five stages of loss: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, which she explains in detail.

More in detail

Shortly before her death in 2004, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and David Kessler, her collaborator, completed the manuscript for this book. On Grief and Grieving is her final book and a fitting completion to her work.

The first chapter of the book is a detailed description and explanation of the five stages of grief, each part containing stories to exemplify what it would look like in people’s lives. Even just reading this part brings relief to people struggling to understand what they are going through.

The next two chapters cover the inner an outer world of grief, covering various topics of interest like: your loss, tears, dreams, regrets, roles, the story, resentment, isolation, punishment, afterlife, anniversaries, sex, your body and your health, just to name a few.

The chapter following is dedicated to special circumstances like children, multiple losses, disasters, suicide, Alzheimer disease and sudden death. If you have suffered a loss in these areas please read the specific part to give you more insight into your story.

The chapters towards the end of the book include the changing face of grief and the authors’ personal stories of their own grief.

On Grief and Grieving has profoundly influenced the way we experience the process of grief.

About the author

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross was a Swiss-born psychiatrist, who lived between 1926 and 2004. She pioneered near-death studies and wrote seventeen books over a thirty-six years period. Her groundbreaking On Death and Dying changed the way we talked about the end of life.

After studying medicine, to the dismay of her father, she later moved to the States and continues her studies in New York. She worked as a psychiatric resident where she became interested in patients who were dying, encouraging the hospice care movement, and believing that euthanasia prevents people from competing their ‘unfinished business’.

In her later life she suffered a series of strokes in 1995, which left her partially paralyzed on her left side. In one of their final writing sessions, Kübler-Ross told Kessler, “The last nine years have taught me patience, and the weaker and more bed-bound I become, the more I’m learning about receiving love.”

Recommendation

This is must to read for anyone working or dealing with people suffering the loss of a loved one, experiencing grief themselves or dealing with terminal illness, where anticipatory grief comes into play. Personally in my work I refer to this book often when dealing with clients.

Book Review - On Grief And Grieving By Elisabeth Kubler-Ross And David Kessler

One Billion Customers by James McGregor

With a population of 1.3 billion people, China’s consumer market is more promising than those of North America and Europe. In addition, goods in China are produced at a lower cost. These facts have become the biggest attraction for the business of the world. Judging from the information in the book and the fact that he has lived for a long time in China, the author, James McGregor, knows what he is talking about.

According to McGregor, a businessman has to learn to be street-smart the Chinese way and has to learn to survive within a chaotic market where each deal making has its own lessons and tactics. He must also be on the lookout for the unpleasant surprises from his partners, consumers, and suppliers, since the theft of technology and trade secrets are common and the contracts with loopholes may cost a lot of money.

A businessman who is used to doing business in the customary way should forget about his old expectations. In China, business is difficult because of the very different style of operation both by the government and the people, as the rules of doing business fluctuate from business to business all the time.

The book contains eight chapters with additions of The Little Red Book of Business pages with bulleted suggestions at the end of each chapter. Putting everything in perspective in a nutshell, one of the suggestions after the third chapter says China’s modernization is aiming at “rule by law” not the “rule of law,” so relationships and personal power reign supreme..

The few stories of experience belonging to the author and to other businessman make delightful reading and the Cast of Characters pages in the beginning of the book help to understand what goes on in those stories. After reading through the book, one has to accept the words of the author in the preface, saying there are no simple formulas or magic solutions.

James McGregor, the author of One Billion Customers, is a journalist and a businessman. He has lived in Beijing for fifteen years as The Wall Street Journal’s China bureau chief, then as the chief executive of Dow Jones & co and the vice-president of Dow Jones International Group. He also served as an advisor to many Chinese Internet ventures and is a founding partner of BlackInc China, LLC. He has been and is an advisor to US and China governments. A former chairman and a decade-long governor of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, he now is the Senior China Advisor to Ogilvy Public Relations.

One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business in China is 336 pages in hardcover with ISBN-10: 0743258398 and ISBN-13: 978-0743258395.

We all need to know what happens inside the business machinery in China, even if we may not agree with the current practices. I recommend One Billion Customers to everyone, because all of us, starting with our elected officials, need an intelligent understanding of where we stand with China, and this book is an excellent source for that subject.

One Billion Customers by James McGregor

Cancer Can be Defeated: Hope, Courage, and a Strong Willpower

Tony F. Powell is the author of a new book based on his 30 years as Bush Pilot, guide and prospector in Labrador, Canada. Tony’s hobby is Snowmobile Racing on his Bombardier ski-doo since 1969. Personal ship wrecks and more including History of Labrador and Voisey’s Bay Giant Nickel discovery.

Tony Powell was a winner long before he arrived with his snowmobile for the recent Race on the Rock at Marble Mountain ski resort.
The Charlottetown, Labrador man has been in the fight of his life since being disonsed with cancer in January of 2004.

At the time, he was told he might only have six months to live and doctors bluntly informed him only 30% of those diagnosed with his type of cancer survive. That News worsened two weeks later when doctors told him the cancer was farther advanced than originally thought.

Powell underwent surgery and had a grapefruit-sized tumor removed from his throat and 34 lymph nodes taken out. He hasn’t been able to eat solid foods since.

Still undergoing radiation treatment at the Health Science Centre, he took his wife and son to Marble Mountain in 2004, even if it was just to watch the sport he loves from a window in the lodge.

Still fighting for his life, Powell returned for the 2005 version of the Uphill Drags component. This time, however his Ski-Doo Mach Z was in the back of his pick up truck and, although his 208-pound frame had been reduced to a frailer 140 pounds, he was going to compete. And compete he did, winning the Pro-Stock category, nearly sapped the little energy he had, Powell’s real dream was still to be crowned King of the Hill in the open category of the up-hill drag races against 400 of the sport’s best from all over Canada and the Northeastern USA… more.

Watching cancer survivor win race was better than winning lottery, his wife says. Full story is in book.

Cancer Can be Defeated: Hope, Courage, and a Strong Willpower