Pillars of Grace (A Long Line of Godly Men, Volume Two) [Kindle Edition]

Steven J. Lawson (Author), Greg Bailey (Editor)

Book Description

The doctrines of grace are often known as the five points of Calvinism, but they were not the invention of John Calvin or his reforming cohorts of the sixteenth century. Rather, they are biblical doctrines, as Dr. Steven J. Lawson demonstrated in his book Foundations of Grace (2006). Now, in Pillars of Grace, Dr. Lawson shows that the doctrines of grace have been understood and taught sometimes in embryonic form, sometimes with great clarity throughout church history. From the time of the early church fathers to the years of the Reformers, there have been key men in the church, pillars as it were, who stood on the foundation of Scripture and upheld the truth of God's sovereign role in salvation.

In Pillars of Grace, Dr. Lawson walks readers through the ups and downs of church history, profiling these voices for the truth. The inescapable conclusion is that the doctrines of grace are no innovation, but the consistent witness of some of the greatest men of the church.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Steven J. Lawson is the senior pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama. He also serves as president of New Reformation, a ministry designed to bring about biblical reformation in the church today, and on the executive board of The Master's Seminary and College. He is a teaching fellow with Ligonier Ministries and a visiting professor at the Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies.

A noted biblical expositor, Dr. Lawson speaks around the world at churches and conferences. He has written fifteen books, including Foundations of Grace, The Expository Genius of John Calvin, The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards, and Famine in the Land. He has contributed to numerous book compilations and evangelical publications.

Dr. Lawson and his wife, Anne, have three sons, Andrew, James, and John, and a daughter, Grace Anne.

Product Details

• File Size: 4915 KB
• Print Length: 562 pages
• Publisher: Reformation Trust Publishing (March 11, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005UXTNCS
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #192,488 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars STRONG PILLARS FOR THE SOUL April 19, 2011

By Dr. David Steele

Format:Hardcover

Pillars of Grace by Steven J. Lawson is the second installment in his series, A Long Line of Godly Men. In volume one, Lawson walked readers through every book of the Bible and demonstrated how the doctrines of grace emerge on every page of Scripture.

Volume two also alerts readers to the precious doctrines of grace. However, this volume shows how these God-centered doctrines emerge in the writings of the early apologists, church fathers, medieval theologians, and the Protestant Reformers.

The author quickly reveals his purpose for writing at the outset: "As we trace this long line of godly men from the first century to the sixteenth century, may the Lord use these pages to raise up new messengers who will sound the trumpet of His distinguishing grace. In this hour, may He prepare a new generation of renewed minds and passionate hearts to proclaim these glorious truths of Scripture." Lawson accomplishes his goal in this weighty book, which spans over 530 pages.

From the beginning, the book has a sort of predictable cadence. The author presents a brief historical overview that helps set the stage for introducing a given historical figure. Next, the author includes helpful biographical data that concerns the historical figure under investigation. Specific writings are introduced and briefly evaluated. The most helpful section includes a discussion how the historical figure under consideration interacts with the doctrines of grace. Issues include the sovereignty of God, radical depravity, unconditional election, irresistible grace, particular redemption, perseverance of the saints, and the doctrine of reprobation. Finally, Lawson concludes each chapter with a challenge that is directed to the reader, and is specifically directed to pastors and professors. Each challenge beckons readers to hold forth the doctrines of grace, to courageously proclaim the truth of God's Word, and contend earnestly for the faith.

Three specific things mark Dr. Lawson's work:

Pillars of Grace promotes the doctrines of grace

I applaud Dr. Lawson for courageously proclaiming and promoting the truth of God's Word. Some of the truths contained in this book are very unpopular. But truth is never dictated on the basis of consensus, relevance or popularity.

Pillars of Grace introduces readers to the great heroes of the faith

Dr. Lawson introduces readers to heroes that one might expect - heroes like Augustine, Wycliffe, Luther, Tyndale, and Calvin. But he also focuses his attention on the lesser knows - men like Isidore of Seville, Gottschalk of Orbais, and Bernard of Clairvaux. These lesser known figures are a tremendous encouragement for anyone who is investigating the development of the doctrines of grace.

Pillars of Grace is a Filled With Encouragement for Pastors

While Lawson's work is theological and historical in nature, it reads like an in-depth, theologically charged devotional. It is filled with God-centered citations and motivating examples of godly living and courageous Christian conduct.

Pillars of Grace is a theological tour de force. It is essential reading for pastors who seek to integrate historical theology into the regular preaching menu. It is essential reading for students who are investigating the roots, depth, and breadth of the doctrines of grace. Pillars of Grace is a crucial antidote, especially in a culture that has caved in to the musings of Pelagianism. Pillars of Grace upholds the truth of sovereign grace in a winsome, biblical, and God-centered way!

Soli Deo Gloria
[...]

5 stars

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for any Student of History April 28, 2011

By Jacob Sweeney

Format:Hardcover

As a freshman in high school I was required to take a course in Western History. I had a great teacher and discovered that I loved history. The only criticism of the course I have today is that it left me with a view of history that can best be described as disconnected.

Fast forward two years and I'm sitting in AP U.S. History. The teacher begins the course by explaining the difference between AP History and regular U.S. History. This was the first time I had ever discovered that all history was connected. I had been introduced to a revolutionary idea: that ideas have consequences.

Later, as a second year student at the Moody Bible Institute I encountered the first thoroughly Christian perspective on history. My professor, Dr. Bryan Litfin, did an excellent job educating us students on the events of world history with an eye always on God's providence. He helped me to understand that history was not an accident. Dr. Litfin gave me great confidence that our Lord has remained active in this world despite ages of great darkness.

Dr. Steve Lawson's second volume of the series A Long Line of Godly Men published by Reformation Trust follows in the tradition of godly historians. Pillars of Grace picks up where the first volume Foundations of Grace left off. He spends twenty four chapters exploring the life and thought of significant pastors and theologians from Clement of Rome to Calvin of Geneva. His commitment to the doctrines of grace and the sovereignty of God direct his discussion.

He references 1 Timothy 3:15 where Paul uses the metaphor of a building to explain the nature and purpose of the church ("the pillar and buttress of the truth"). Dr. Lawson makes clear from the outset that "the central thrust of this book - Pillars of Grace - is to show that key leaders of the early church and beyond acted as pillars, standing firm on the foundation of Scripture and upholding the truth" (10). His commitment to God's sovereignty and providence is clear when, in the same paragraph, he writes: "Each pillar was strategically placed by the sovereign Architect and Builder of the church for his appointed time". God appointed these leaders and theologians to serve his purposes in each specific age.

There are several things I loved about this book and found extremely helpful. At the conclusion of each chapter Dr. Lawson supplied a number of study questions. I found these questions to be thoughtful and enlightening. They help to solidify the content of the chapter. Secondly, He makes great effort to call readers to follow the examples of these godly men. There is always need in the church for men like Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Ambrose of Milan, John Wycliffe and John Calvin. I appreciate his call to follow their example.

My third point is both a praise and (personal) critique. Each chapter was accessible. You do not have to be a historian to understand these pages. He makes history and historical theology enjoyable and available to lay people. My only critique is that I would have liked to see a little more detailed explanation of each person's theology and their contributions. I maintain that as a personal critique because I would like to have more detail but I also understand that such detail would turn an accessible text for readers of every level into something more appropriate as an upper-level textbook.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in an introductory text on significant theologians from church history. I found this to be a very enjoyable read that engaged both my head and led my heart to thank God for his sovereignty.

NOTE: To comply with regulations of the Federal Trade Commission I would like to state that I will receive a complementary copy of the aforementioned text as compensation for my review.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Pillars of Grace October 15, 2011

By Matthew Everhard

Format:Hardcover

Book Review:
Steven Lawson, "Pillars of Grace: AD 100-1564. A Long Line of Godly Men. Volume II."
(Reformation Trust: Orlando Florida, 2011).

Review by Matthew Everhard. Senior Pastor,
Faith Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Brooksville Florida.

I recently had the saddening experience of watching two dear members leave our congregation. After two hour-long phone calls, I was able to get to the root of the issue: my recent sermons on the doctrine of election from Acts 9. Though I tried my best to dissuade them from leaving the fellowship, they were resolute. "We cannot, in good conscience, stay in a church that preaches predestination," they said. Although they had seen it in our written Confessions, heard of it in our new member's class, and been made aware of our doctrine in Sunday School, this was the last straw.

It is because of this event that reading Steven Lawson's second volume of his "Long Line" series was such a healing salve to my bruised Calvinistic soul. Lawson takes great pains to trace the history of the preaching of the doctrines of grace, all the way from the Early Church Fathers (Clement, Ignatius, Justin Martyr), through the venerable pens of men like Augustine and Anselm, and ultimately to the Magisterial Reformers (Zwingli, Luther, and Calvin). Lawson adequately demonstrates that the preaching of the Sovereignty of God is by no means an aberrant teaching, confined to the peripheries and fringes of extremists, but rather is in fact the heartbeat of generations of orthodox evangelicals.

All told, Lawson provides 23 biographical sketches outlining the circumstances that shaped some of history's most critical figures. Among them, Lawson's treatment of the life of William Tyndale stands out. Like a fast-paced novel, he chronicles the Reformer, who risked life and limb to translate the Bible into his beloved English vernacular. Often the reader will be awed at the providence of God and the incredible dangers His servants endured to give witness to His saving power. Lawson then surveys the influential writings of each man, often recommending their more persuasive books, letters, and tractates to the reader.

Following these biographical sketches, Lawson proceeds to give ample evidence of the doctrines of grace in each man's teaching and writing. He follows a predictable format, rarely deviating, by showing how these men consistently taught: divine sovereignty, radical depravity, sovereign election, definite atonement, irresistible call, preserving grace, and divine reprobation.

It is in these "sampling" sections that the reader will discover just how pervasive the doctrines of grace have been. Pastors, in particular will find deep resource material for doctrinal sermons, as Lawson has done a lifetime of research on our behalf. Often, Lawson provides upwards of 100 citations of a particular man's life and writing per chapter.

Although Lawson's theological sections (essentially the last third of every chapter) grow repetitive at times, often stringing together quotation after quotation, his point comes across loud and clear: preaching the sovereignty of God is hardly a fringe "minority report" held by Calvin and a few of his more zealous followers. On the contrary, election, predestination, and the total depravity of man is at the very center of historic gospel preaching.

Ultimately, Lawson's work provided this pastor with much fodder for reflection and preaching material. Even more importantly, Lawson restored my confidence that my pulpit orations on the radical nature of God's electing grace are not so "radical" after all.

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