This is the seventh installment in a series on theological terms. See previous posts on the terms theology, Trinity, creation, man, Fall, and common grace.

The word “sin” first appears in the Bible when God speaks to Cain, warning him not to give in to his anger against his brother: “If you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7). This is not the first sin, though. Romans 5:12-14 teaches that Adam’s fall was also a sin and, of course, the origin of all human sin.

But what precisely is sin? The Westminster Shorter Catechism says it well: “Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.” In Genesis 3 this involves Adam and Eve eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil despite God’s clear prohibition against doing so. In chapter 4 it takes the form of murder when Cain kills Abel. Through the rest of the Bible we see countless other expressions of sin: lying, stealing, idolatry, and impatience and anything else the heart of man can concoct. But what is the root that unites these behaviors? What is it about these actions that makes them sinful?

 Any time we see sin, whether in Scripture or in our lives today, the heart of it is willful contempt for God. As John Piper writes,

The exceeding evil of sin is not the harm it does to us or to others (though that is great!). The wickedness of sin is owing to the implicit disdain for God. When David committed adultery with Bathsheba, and even had her husband killed, what did God say to him through the prophet Nathan? He did not remind the king that marriage is inviolable or that human life is sacred. He said, “You have despised me” (2 Samuel 12:10). (Desiring God, 58)

Any sinful attitude or action, whether lying or stealing or whether the adultery and murder we see in David’s life, is simply the fruit of sin. But the truest and darkest evil lies in the root of it all—a willful, rebellious contempt for God.

I love writing book reviews and I love reading them. Since I cannot possibly read and review all of the interesting books out there, I publish occasional round-ups of reviews written by other writers. Here are a few notable links I've collected over the past couple of weeks.

Killing Calvinism by Greg Dutcher. Reviewed by Aimee Byrd. “I think that another good title for this book would be Confessions for the Cage-Stage Calvinist. How do you destroy a perfectly good theology? Well, it is affectionately known as the "cage stage." This is the stage when one newly discovers the glory of the doctrines of grace, and they become so obnoxiously enamored that it might be wise to cage them up for a while.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon)

Fools Rush in Where Monkeys Fear to Tread by Carl Trueman. Reviewed by Mike Wittmer. “Trueman thinks that most pastors and professors aren't called to have international ministries but to be faithful to the church and geographical location to which they have been called. He warns us not to get caught up in tweets and blogs and the potential for worldwide outreach that we desert the family, friends, and church that actually live with us.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Real: Owning Your Christian Faith by Daniel Darling. Reviewed by Aaron Armstrong. “Emily and I are first generation Christians. We came to faith as adults and, as parents, we are raising our kids in a home where Jesus is worshipped and the Bible is read and taught. While we understand that we can't parent our kids into being Christians, we desperately want to see them ‘own’ their faith (should they ever profess faith). Daniel Darling's been there--not as a first generation Christian, but as the child of. As such, he understands an important truth: that faith isn't automatic--if the second generation is going to continue a legacy of faith, they can't be satisfied with second-hand experiences. … In this book, Darling addresses the unique challenges the second generation faces and offers great encouragement and occasionally some necessary correction to those seeking to raise their kids in the faith.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon)

I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books and I like to provide regular roundups of some of the best and brightest of the bunch. Here are some of the notable books that I've received in the past week or two.

Emancipating the World: A Christian Response to Radical Islam and Fundamentalist Atheism by Darrow Miller - “Darrow Miller’s book contains a perceptive analysis of troubling world trends that now threaten to take the history of nations in a harmful direction and also several practical steps, grounded in Scripture, that Christians can take as they seek to oppose these trends and positively transform their cultures for good. I am happy to recommend it!” - Wayne Grudem (Learn more and shop at Amazon)

Living Zealously by Joel Beeke & James La Belle - “In Living Zealously, Joel R. Beeke and James A. La Belle address the much overlooked topic of Christian zeal. Having mined the depths of Puritan wisdom on what it means to live earnestly for Christ, they explain it in a way that is familiar to our modern ears and applicable to our souls.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Inerrancy and Worldview: Answering Modern Challenges to the Bible by Vern Poythress - “In Inerrancy and Worldview, Dr. Vern Poythress offers the first worldview-based defense of scriptural inerrancy, showing how worldview differences create or aggravate most perceived difficulties with the Bible. His positive case for biblical inerrancy implicitly critiques the worldview of theologians like Enns, Sparks, Allert, and McGowan. Poythress, who has researched and published in a variety of fields-- including science, linguistics, and sociology--deals skillfully with the challenges presented in each of these disciplines.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Hearing the Old Testament: Listening for God’s Address edited by Craig Bartholomew and David Beldman - “In Hearing the Old Testament world-class scholars discuss how contemporary Christians can better hear and appropriate God’s address in the Old Testament. This volume is part of a growing interest in theological interpretation of the Old Testament.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon)

I've been at this blogging thing for quite a long time now--it's coming up on ten years. I've been at the daily blogging thing for almost as long. This means that I've got an extensive backlist of articles from years gone by. I thought it might be fun to pull out some of the articles I wrote in previous months of July, stretching all the way back to 2004.

2011

Speaking Love’s Languages - I wrote this as a reflection on The Five Love Languages and some of the areas in which that book is useful.

The Weaker, The Stronger, The Homeschooler, Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 - This is a series on how we need to allow Romans 14 to impact our discussions on education. 

2010

Read Better with Baxter - Richard Baxter, that is.

A Digital Vacation and its followup, Off the Grid - I plan to do this again in a few weeks.

2009

All About Endorsements - This post kind of anticipates the one I wrote last week about how people who endorse books often don’t read the book.

Your Suffering Does Not Just Belong to You - This is an important implication of living life in Christian community: your suffering does not belong to only you.

2008

Every Word of God - Here I discuss the importance of a good translation of the Bible.

How to Begin a Commentary Collection - Lessons I learned in putting together a collection of commentaries, along with suggestions on specific volumes.

July is nearly here! To ring in the new month I’ve got great new desktop wallpaper for you to download. This month’s wallpaper was created by Andrew Joyce who does fantastic design work as Mosaic Web Studios.

A few notes: Your desktop or laptop may take any of the sizes, depending on your monitor size and a host of other considerations. If you’re not sure of the size, just find one that looks like it would be pretty much the same size as your screen. Generally you set one of these are your wallpaper by clicking on the link to the image, then right-clicking on the image (once it’s open) and selecting “Set as Background,” “Set as Desktop Background,” or something similar. If you aren’t sure, post a comment and we’ll try to help you figure it out.

With Calendar: 1024x768, 1280x800, 1280x1024, 1366x768, 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1200, 2560x1440

Without Calendar: iPhone, iPad, 1024x768, 1280x800, 1280x1024, 1366x768, 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1200, 2560x1440

With Calendar: 1024x768, 1280x800, 1280x1024, 1366x768, 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1200, 2560x1440

Without Calendar: iPhone, iPad, 1024x768, 1280x800, 1280x1024, 1366x768, 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1200, 2560x1440

Genesis 2 has often been put at odds with Genesis 1. A long list of skeptics have claimed that the content is contradictory in places, especially when it comes to the timing of the events it recounts. Other scholars have argued that stylistic differences indicate that the chapters were written by different authors as parts of entirely separate creation accounts, and that these were later forced together in Genesis.

So how do we answer this while also affirming that “every word of God proves true” (Proverbs 30:5) and that Moses was the sole and inspired author of the Pentateuch (apart, of course, from the description of his death in Deuteronomy 34)?

The ESV Study Bible provides a helpful answer that accounts for both of these convictions:

The panoramic view of creation in ch. 1 is immediately followed by a complementary account of the sixth day that zooms in on the creation of the human couple, who are placed in the garden of Eden. In style and content this section differs significantly from the previous one; it does not contradict anything in ch. 1, but as a literary flashback it supplies more detail about what was recorded in 1:27. The picture of a sovereign, transcendent deity is complemented by that of a God who is both immanent and personal. The two portrayals of God balance each other, together providing a truer and richer description of his nature than either does on its own. In a similar way, whereas ch. 1 emphasizes the regal character of human beings, ch. 2 highlights their priestly status. (Note on Gen. 2:4-25)

Pentateuch scholar John Sailhamer has a similar take on it (I do not agree with all he says about Creation, but he is helpful here):

It seems apparent that the author intends the second chapter to be read closely with the first and that each chapter be identified as part of the same event. Thus the author explicitly retuns to the place and time of chapter 1 at the point where he links it to chapter 2: “When the Lord God made the land and the sky” (2:4b). It is likely that the author’s central theological interests in chapter 1 would be continued in chapter 2 as well--the theme of humanity’s creation in the “image of God.” Thus we may expect to find in chapter 2 a continuation of the theme of the “likeness” between humankind and the Creator. (The Pentateuch As Narrative, 97)

I trust you are enjoying this Visual Theology series of infographics as much as I am. The series has now visited the ordo salutis, the attributes of God, the books of the Bible, Philippians 4:8, the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Trinity, Philippians 2:5-11, the Old Testament tabernacle, the fruit of the Spirit, Reformed Theology and the One Anothers of the New Testament. Today it continues with a look at the atonement.

The atonement is the work Jesus Christ accomplished in his life and death to earn salvation for others. This atonement is penal and substitutionary, paying the penalty due to sinners and substituting one person in place of others. Today’s infographic explains that work of atonement.

(Click on the thumbnail image below to see the complete infographic)

If you are after a high-res version, you can have it here in JPG format (7 MB). Please feel free to download, copy, email, share, or print the graphic; I just ask that you don't sell it.

If you have other ideas for theological infographics, please feel free to leave a comment. Several more are already in development.

I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books and I like to provide regular roundups of some of the best and brightest of the bunch. Here are some of the notable books that I've received in the past week or two.

Letters from the Front: J. Gresham Machen’s Correspondence from World War 1 transcribed and edited by Barry Waugh - “Never before published, here is a glimpse into the formative years of a great campaigner for the faith … and a stirring example of how the faith of a seminary professor was refined and strengthened through the trials of war.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Did God Really Say? edited by David Garner - “The church's historical belief in the truthfulness and trustworthiness of Scripture as God's written Word is being assaulted from without and from within. In this book, seven scholars from Covenant Theological Seminary, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Westminster Theological Seminary confront and repel many of these attacks. Reasoning clearly, cogently, and carefully, they show that the historical doctrine of Scripture is what Scripture teaches about itself, and that this teaching can meet and defeat the ungodly intellectual schemes brought against it.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

1 Samuel (Reformed Expository Commentary) by Richard Phillips - “As are all the books in the Reformed Expository Commentary series, this exposition of 1 Samuel is accessible to both pastors and lay readers. Each volume in the series provides exposition that gives careful attention to the biblical text, is doctrinally Reformed, focuses on Christ thorugh the lens of redemptive history, and apples the Bible to our contemporary setting.” I love this series of commentaries! (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

8:28: Unlocking God’s Promise by Bryan Hughes - “With practical applications from other passages of Scripture, Bryan shows readers that Romans 8:28 gives answers to the biggest and most perplexing questions in life.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon)

The Big Fight edited by Tim Thornborough and Richard Perkins - “Christian men are in a battle where the stakes are high and the enemy is strong. There is a trinity of evil at work in the world that will knock us out of the fight if it can. This short, punchy and practical book will help believing blokes of all ages and from all walks of life to contend for the faith against these aggressive opponents.” (Learn more and shop at The Good Book Company)

I love writing book reviews and I love reading them. Since I cannot possibly read and review all of the interesting books out there, I publish occasional round-ups of reviews written by other writers. Here are a few notable links I've collected over the past few weeks.

Subversive Kingdom by Ed Stetzer. Reviewed by Mark Tubbs. “An unrelenting manifesto for sold-out allegiance to, and activity on behalf of, the one true King of kings and Lord of lords. … Using a selection of Jesus’ parables as source texts, Stetzer shows just how subversive Jesus’ teachings were…and are, for they remain eminently applicable to twenty-first century Christian life.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon)

Killing Calvinism by Greg Dutcher. Reviewed by Mike Leake. “Every Calvinist needs to read this book, whether you're a new member to club Calvin or you've been a Calvinist longer than Charlton Heston has been Moses.  Even those that are non-Calvinist ought to read this book and see the heart of many within the Reformed/Calvinistic movement.  We truly do want to live out the doctrines of grace as Greg Dutcher describes in this book.  When we don't it's not a fault of the "system" but of our own hearts.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon) 

Equipping Counselors for Your Church by Robert Kellemen. Reviewed by Aaron Armstrong. “A much-needed book. It's practical, helpful and thorough advice offers a strong vision for every-member, one-another ministry--one where every member of the church really is a disciple maker. I'd encourage any church leader to read this book if you're at all considering incorporating biblical counseling into your ministry--it will take some time, but it will be a blessing to you and your congregation.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

This is the sixth installment in a series on theological terms. See previous posts on the terms theology, Trinity, creation, man, and Fall.

Why is it that after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden and incurred the just penalty of death, they did not immediately die? What enabled them to go on living to enjoy the many of the benefits of life for years afterward (food, marriage, sex, children, etc.)? And why do so many sinners today enjoy those same benefits, even those who will never believe?

In general, we can answer by pointing to grace—a fitting description for every one of God’s blessing, each of which is, by very definition, undeserved. However, because the grace we are talking about here is poured out “on the just and on the unjust” (that is, on both believers and unbelievers—see Matthew 5:45), and since it is of a different kind than the other manifestations of grace we read about in Scripture (e. g. forgiveness of sin, adoption into the family of God, eternal life in heaven--that is, special grace, or graces related to redemption), theologians have found it helpful to distinguish this as common grace. It is common in that it extends to all people without distinction just as the common room at a university is accessible to every student.

As Wayne Grudem succintly defines it in his excellent Systematic Theology, “Common grace is the grace of God by which he gives people innumerable blessings that are not part of salvation.” Berkhof tells us what such grace accomplishes: “[It] curbs the destructive power of sin, maintains in a measure the moral order of the universe, thus making an orderly life possible, distributes in varying degrees gifts and talents among men, promotes the development of science and art, and showers untold blessings upon the children of men.” Thus common grace encompasses not only physical blessings like rain and food and health, but also blessings in the areas of intellect, morality, creativity, society, and religion. Like all grace, all undeserved favor, it is meant to point us to our kind, loving Creator.