Book Corner: Word and Spirit

Sometimes you find a book that simply seems to address all your pressing questions and most of your theological interests. That has been the case for me as I have been reading Word & Spirit: Selected Writings in Biblical and Systematic Theology by Richard. B. Gaffin, Jr.[1]

While the essays in this volume would certainly qualify as being technical, they also have a profound devotional quality. That, I believe, is because Dr. Gaffin seeks to do his scholarship in communion with God. The essays are biblically and exegetically grounded, and the clear imprint of mentors Geerhardus Vos (1862-1949), John Murray (1898-1975) and Cornelius Van Til (1895-1987) is throughout. While each of these mentors had a unique contribution and gave much insight to Reformed theology in America, it is not as if they were simply innovators. They stood squarely in the Reformed tradition with a firm commitment to the theology of the Westminster Standards. Such is the case with Dr. Gaffin. His writings have given us much insight and help, all the while remaining true to the theology of the Reformed tradition.

If you have an interest in theological writing, I would highly commend this volume. Three essays in particular to which I would draw your attention are, “Redemption and Resurrection,”[2], in which we read about the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of the believer; “Epistemological Reflections on 1 Corinthians 2:6-16,”[3] in which we read of the biblical and exegetical underpinnings of Dr. Van Til’s theological epistemology; and “The Usefulness of the Cross,”[4] where we read Dr. Gaffin’s reflections on Christian suffering and its relatedness to the Christian life and to the eternal hope of the believer. 

Dr. Gaffin writes of his mentor Dr. Vos, “Truly great biblical exposition does not become outdated.”[5](“Introduction to Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation,” pgs. 149-164). That statement surely also applies to the work we read in this volume. Drs. Garner and Waters have done a great service to the church in compiling these essays into one book. 

[1] Richard. B. Gaffin, Jr., Word and Spirit: Selected Writings in Biblical and Systematic Theology, ed. by David B. Garner & Guy Prentiss Waters, Appendixes by Danny E. Olinger (Westminster Seminary Press, 2023).

[2] Ibid, 103-119.

[3] Ibid, 309-333.

[4] Ibid, 175-190.

[5] From 149 in “Introduction to Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation,” in Ibid.