싱클레어 B. 퍼거슨의 From the Mouth of God에 대한 서평

싱클레어 B. 퍼거슨 교수님께서 근자에 내신 From the Mouth of God에 대한 

David Murray 목사님의 서평

 

미국 미시간주  그랜드 래피즈 자유 개혁 교회의 목사님이시면서 죠엘 비키가 이끌고 있는 청교도 개혁 신학교의 구약과 실천 신학 담당 교수인 데이비드 머레이 교수님의 흥미로운 서평을 소개합니다.

 

늘 그렇게 하듯이 밑줄 처리한 부분을 중심으로 읽으시면 핵심을 이해 하게 될 것입니다. 영어가 자유로운 신 분들은  Banner of Truth 홈페이지에 있는 원서평을 보시기시 바랍니다.:http://banneroftruth.org/us/resources/book-review-resources/2014/mouth-god-review-david-murray/

 

October 24, 2014

 

 

I like to read a book about the Bible every year. Although I’m often reading what I already know, I still find it deeply beneficial to regularly remind myself what the Bible really is, how it came to be, and how I should read and interpret it. That’s especially true in a day when the Bible and the doctrine of Scripture is under such sustained attack from outside and inside the church. I don’t want to shift one inch from the rock solid foundation of an infallible, inerrant, authoritative Bible.

 

My latest load of ballast comes in Sinclair Ferguson’s new book, From the Mouth of God: Trusting, Reading, and Applying the Bible.¹ For the multitudes who already know and love Sinclair, that’s probably all you need to know. Sinclair Ferguson has a new book out . . . right, where can I buy it? It’s like an instinct now isn’t it! So much so, that we can almost hear his much-loved voice as we read his written pages.

But there are others, especially younger readers, who are maybe not so familiar with Sinclair Ferguson. He doesn’t blog, he doesn’t Tweet, and he doesn’t do Facebook. I mean, does he really exist?

Well, I can vouch for his existence. Yes, believe it or not, there is real life outside virtual life. In fact, maybe this book might demonstrate to you what deep thought and beautiful writing can be produced by an unfrazzled mind and a prayerful spirit.

 

There are four parts to the book:

Part one – Trusting the Bible

This section covers the usual subjects considered in any doctrine of Scripture – inspiration, inerrancy, authority,

canon, perspicuity, sufficiency, etc. But don’t let any of these words put you off, because Sinclair explains them all in such a simple conversational manner that most teens could understand them. It might be tempting to skip

this section and go straight to the more ‘practical’ chapters. However, if you succumb, please come back to

these important chapters. Unless we know, understand, teach, and defend the doctrine of Scripture, we’re not

going to have any Scripture left to practice.

Part Two – Reading the Bible

This section on Bible interpretation starts with some warnings about common traps to avoid, and then puts five

valuable keys of interpretation into our hands together with examples of how to turn these keys to open up the

Bible’s treasures. This fifth chapter and especially the third key could transform the way you read and understand

the Bible.

 

Chapters six and seven show how to apply these keys to different kinds of Scripture – history, poetry, prophecy,

the epistles, the Gospels, etc. In a few short pages you’ll pick up many precious nuggets that have been refined

over forty years of pastoral ministry. Chapter nine demonstrates how to pull and put it all together to interpret the

book of Ruth. And that’s the huge strength of this book – its practicality. Sinclair doesn’t just toss you the keys

and say, ‘All the best.’ He puts his hand on yours, guides you to the lock, helps you to turn it in the right way,

opens the door, and guides you around the precious treasure.

Part Three – Applying the Bible

The third section lays the basis for application, proving that the Bible calls for more than bigger brains, before briefly proposing some basic guidelines for applying the Bible to our times and lives.

Appendices

In addition to a guide for future reading and a Bible reading plan, there are two articles on guidance by John Murray and John Newton.

Conclusion

A good book for young people and young Christians, probably after they’ve read Kevin DeYoung’s even simpler

and briefer Taking God at His Word. A great book for everyone else. No matter how mature you are, it will

increase your love for and confidence in the Bible, as well as give you some invaluable keys to help you understand and apply it better.

 

For me, I’m still living off the first two pages of the introduction, where Sinclair briefly expanded upon his choice of title, From the Mouth of God. The Bible is the mouth of God. Pause. Pause longer. Repeat. The Bible is the mouth of God. That totally changes the way I open it, read it, and hear it. I hope it will do the same for you.

Notes

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 This review is taken with permission from his blog, HeadHeartHand.