Book Review: The Reformed Pastor

In The Reformed Pastor, Richard Baxter exhorts pastors to approach their calling with seriousness, diligence, and passion. In this abridged version, Tim Cooper seeks to provide the essence of Baxter’s message by removing lengthy passages, updating the vocabulary to contemporary English, and revising sentences to improve the flow of the material. The book is based on Acts 20:28 in which the apostle Paul urges the elders in his presence to keep watch of them and their flock as the church of God has been purchased through the precious blood of Christ. In the first chapter, Baxter outlines the reasons to take heed by focusing on how a pastor must preserve his own salvation and ministry. The next chapter highlights how a pastor ought to take care of his flock such as the ideal size of the congregation, methods in engaging different congregants with varying needs, and practical strategies of pastoral ministry such as visitations and church discipline. In addition, Baxter describes the essential characteristics of a pastor by emphasizing the need to balance between zeal and patience, severity and mildness, conviction and humility. Furthermore, the author places special emphasis on the need to avoid pride in every aspect of life and ministry may it be fashion, speech, or actions. Moreover, other common pitfalls include sowing dissension amongst God’s people, falling into lazy and lackluster behaviour, and hoarding one’s monetary resources for selfish means. Baxter then considers in greater detail the role of an overseer of God’s flock and the sacrifice of Jesus who redeems the elect through the pouring out of His blood. In addition, the author provides advice as to how a pastor ought to undertake his calling such as by taking care of his own spiritual health, ensuring that his tone and vocabulary is inviting and warm, and striving to set a good example of holiness for his flock through his daily interactions. In the seventh chapter, Baxter concentrates on his suggestion that private instruction is a crucial component of preaching that works alongside the proclamation of God’s Word on the Lord’s Day. Although preaching the Bible in a formal setting allows for a large number of attendees to hear God’s Word, Baxter contends that one-on-one instruction is more effective in bringing lasting transformation as the material can be adjusted to the congregant’s particular learning style and circumstances, pressing questions can be answered thoroughly, and the believer’s spiritual condition can be monitored closely over time. Next, the author discusses the challenges that pastors often face in guiding their church may it be due to the pastor’s own weakness or the flock’s stubbornness or unwillingness to change. In spite of these setbacks, Baxter argues that we ought to expend greater efforts to shepherd the flock well because of the high calling of pastoral ministry, the excellent example of Christ’s ministry on earth, and the weightiness of the people’s souls. To further prove his points, Baxter formulates answers to possible objections that pastors may raise against his counsel such as the lack of one’s personal and recreational time, the degradation of one’s health, and the apparent futility in dealing with believers who are disinterested or discouraged. In the final chapter, Baxter further stresses the need for pastors to take upon themselves the private instruction of their congregants through the use of catechisms and personal conversations.

I greatly recommend this book as a timeless resource for pastors and lay leaders as it is no simple task to take care of God’s church. Although the context of Baxter’s pastoral ministry seems distant, the observations and suggestions that the author provides is very relevant to the church today. Baxter employs the signature combination of seriousness, fervency, and zeal of the Puritans that cuts to the heart of every servant of Christ. At first glance, Baxter’s exhortations may seem harsh and critical but his pithy advice comes from a deeply held conviction and love for God’s truth as found in Scripture, the grace of God in allowing His servants to take care of His bride, and the importance of the eternal state of the people’s souls. One of the major takeaways is the humility of Baxter as he mentions many times of his own guilt and failings as a pastor. Another important point is the author’s insistence on personally tending to each of his congregant which stands in stark contrast to our contemporary culture’s obsession with efficiency, marketing, and social media. Lastly, Baxter’s reminder to consider the enormous value of the human soul as being purchased through the precious blood of Christ ought to be a constant motivator to tend to our own spiritual health as well as those around us with utmost care and fervor.

In compliance with Federal Trade Commission regulations, I was provided a review copy of this book from Crossway.

Book Review: Marriage

In Marriage, Paul Tripp provides helpful principles in navigating the journey through what is likely the most intimate relationship we can share with another individual in this lifetime. This book is mainly carried over from Tripp’s earlier work, What Did You Expect?, which has been a valuable resource for pre-marital and marital counseling for over a decade. In this new book, two additional chapters and a study guide help readers process the material more deeply. Tripp asserts that marriage is held together by the grace that is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. When two sinful individuals cleave together to form a family, there are bound to be many areas in which sin becomes an obstruction to experiencing the joy and love of marriage. It is only when both individuals have come to experience the grace and forgiveness found in Jesus that they learn to dispense the same grace to each other. Furthermore, the author emphasizes that unity is not synonymous with uniformity. With an infinite number of combinations involving culture, language, race, and other variations in upbringing and family structure, differences in opinion are a given. What makes for a fruitful marriage is when both individuals engage each other to work out these differences through humble, sacrificial love that willingly subjugates one’s desires for the benefit of the other party. Another essential point Tripp makes is that marriage requires a consistent work ethic. Just as gardening requires daily effort, a strong marriage needs both individuals to pursue maturity and growth by regularly taking steps to draw near to God and each other. Although marriage can be challenging at times, Tripp suggests that marriage is one of the tools that God uses to transform us to become more like Him. Rather than aiming to change one’s spouse through threats or coercion, true change comes through the Spirit’s work in convicting us to confess our own sins. Tripp reminds us that to fix our horizontal relationships, we need to first address our vertical relationship with God. Only when we first focus our worship on God Himself can we then properly engage in building grace-filled marriages that display the power of the gospel to the world. Another observation that the author highlights is the tendency for couples to slowly drift away from each other out of apathy, neglect, or laziness. When the two sides are disinterested in working together to tackle issues, the ensuing result is oftentimes much more serious problems down the road.

I heartily recommend this book as an invaluable resource for Christians who are dating or are already married. Although some may hope to find tactile steps to improve their marriage life instantaneously, marriage is a lifelong pursuit that is unique to each couple thus offering advice that encompasses every situation is an impossible task. Instead, Tripp offers the foundational pieces to building a godly marriage that glorifies God by pinpointing the heart issues that ought to be corrected and sanctified by the work of the Holy Spirit. Marriage allows us to work out our salvation in the care of a loving Saviour who knows our weaknesses and a loving spouse who receives the same grace and mercy in Him. Moreover, the union between husband and wife is a sign that points to the perfect marriage between Christ and His bride in the future. When we fail to love our partners, we can fall back on the righteousness of Christ which has been imputed upon us so that we need not worry about God being disappointed in our shortcomings. On the other hand, we ought not to expect our spouse to be a perfect husband or wife because all of us still battle with sin every day. Tripp calls us to realign our expectations for marriage as being one of the most precious tools God uses to transform us as His image bearers and co-heirs with Christ. When disagreements and tensions arise in marriage, we ought to use these opportunities to draw nearer to our precious Lord who enables us to overcome every difficulty that we encounter through His perfect love and lavish grace.

In compliance with Federal Trade Commission regulations, I was provided a review copy of this book from Crossway.