A Reformed Systematic Theology

I was sitting in on a seminary class taught by Dr. Ligon Duncan at Reformed Theological Seminary when I heard him say something that has forever stuck with me. He said, “There is the God that is and the God that we want and the two are not the same.” He followed up with another, “There is the God that is and the God that we underline in the Bible and the two are not the same.” I knew right then and there where I would be going to seminary. I haven’t regretted that decision.
Recently I received a copy of the first of a four-volume work entitled: Reformed Systematic Theology: Revelation and God. This work digs into the first two of eight central themes of theology. It was written by Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley. Beeke is the better known of the two. He is the president and Professor of Systematic Theology and Homilectics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. Smalley is a teaching assistant to Dr. Beeke, a bivocational pastor at Grace Immanuel Reformed Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and coauthor of several other works with Dr. Beeke.
This first volume is a massive 1312 pages and covers extensively the two themes. I found it easy to read and even devotional at times. It didn’t seem to be too rigorous and difficult to follow. At the end of each chapter was a song as well as questions for meditation or discussion. To give you an opportunity to go even further, they provide questions for deeper reflection.
Probably the one thing that I enjoyed the most were the quotes from different reformed figures throughout history. The quotes flowed with the topic at hand and brought even greater enjoyment to me as I read.
I look forward to the next three volumes being released by Crossway. I appreciate so much this effort and time it must have taken to have written this. I highly recommend it to you.
I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review.