Customer Reviews

The Westminster Larger Catechism: A Commentary

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Answer: To read J. G. Vos's extremely clear commentary on the (overlooked and underread) Westminster Larger Catechism. For those who would like a one-volume, handy, theological volume to study, this would be a good one (another good one is A. A. Hodge's Commentary on the Confession). If you are someone studying for licensure or ordinations exam, or someone trying to better understand the overview of the Bible (also read his father's 'Biblical Theology for an overview), or studying for Sunday school class, or someone studying for devotion, this book is for you! It is quite indispensable as a commentary on the catechism and now after years of being out of print, P&R has seen fit to bless us! I hope that this volume will help us to return to our confessional roots as a people of God who are part of a great and long heritage of saints! 'Take up and read!'

I have a large number of books on Reformed Theology including a number of books which seek to use the Westminster Confession and Catechisms as a springboard to explain the intricacies of Calvinism, but even with all that at my disposal I find this work is something special. The clarity of thought here is miles beyond anything else I've found. The format is simple: A question from the catechism, the relevant scripture passages identified and summarized in a single sentence, then a series of brief questions and answers on the passage. The Larger Catechism of the Westminster Confession has unfortunately been rather neglected, both in churches and in the written word (Thomas Ridgely's two volume commentary is the only other I can think of, and it's much too complex for most readers) but this volume makes all the theological complexities crystal clear. A must read.

This book is a treasure! Compiled from Vos' articles in "Blue Banner Faith and Life," this commentary on the Larger Catechism lays open an often-underused resource of Reformation theology. Vos proceeds through each question, giving helpful Bible references, and then organizes his comments in a question and answer format. With a little adjusting, we were able to use this for family worship - it took us two years to get through, but what a blessing!

This is the book that I wish I had a long time ago. Very well written. Easy to understand. It's written in a "catechism on the Catechism" format. Lots of questions and answers on each question in the Westminster Larger Catechism.

While the Larger Catechism itself is an outstanding work that carefully and succinctly explains our Christian faith, this is a work that takes each question and breaks it down further. Insightful commentary and fitting Scripture citations round out each selection and make this an easy to use resource for quick reference. Highly recommended.

The commentary, questions and answers by Vos in this book are very good. I only saw a couple of problems in his comments. Going through the Catechism with my family and Bible Study group using this book as a guide has been a tremendous blessing on all of us and our relationship with God.

I wasn't sure about this commentary at first, but it has opened my eyes to a number of areas in my life that needed to be addressed. This commentary on the WLC breaks down Christian teaching to such granularity it makes it easy to see areas in your life that may have been abandoned to sin.

If you want to make more sense of Christian teaching, and abandon much of the "feel good" teaching in the Church theses days and then get back into who our faith should look, give this book a read.

The teachings here are mostly beliefs of historical Presbyterian churches and Calvinists. I believe there has been modification in beliefs among certain of the Presbyterian Churches and other Calvinistic religions, softening selected teachings in this book.
The book however, is among those every serious Christian should read, along with The Westminster Confession of Faith, Reformed Baptist of 1689, Book of Concord - Lutheran Confessions. Nothing helps you more in understanding religious differences and truths than to study the history of the Reformation. Today's TV evangelical churches are in serious need of another reformation as people are being misled with doctrines of Freud, feeling good, becoming properous, and entertainment. It is not Biblical (or possible) to make a personal decision to believe as faith is a gift of God. In additon, faith comes from sound doctrine in the form of Biblical scripture, not man's doctrines. The Bible warns of this pitfall, and your soul is at risk if you fail to understand this, 2 Peter 3:15-16. There exists a serious lack of spiritual knowledge and doctrinal discernment. The key to salvation is Grace through Faith, itself a gift of God. Finally, reading and studying the Bible is the most important thing a person can do.

It is a very didactic book for those who want further information concerning the conservative christian doctrines contained in the Westminster Faith Confession. Its questionnaire format makes its reading easier to be absorbed. It's a nice tool that can be used as a guide for studies at home or dominical classes.

I have been using this book for my bible study group for past few weeks, and these teenagers are showing great interests. I noticed that they are asking more and more relevant questions and actively participating in discussions. This book has numerous sub questions and answers in the commentary section which covers many practical areas of our lives. This is a great material that any Christian can benefit from ! Highly recommended !