The Lord from Heaven (1958, 1974) by Leon Morris, Book Review

 The Lord from Heaven: A Study of the New Testament Teaching
on the Deity and Humanity of Jesus Christ (1958, 1974) by Leon Morris

This is a very worn-out book. But it is very good, insightful, and surprisingly still relevant amidst the many books on the same topic. I’ve read it during my flight to Cambodia a few years ago. Due to the holiday mood, I forget most of the contents (this is good because I can read it all over again as if it's new for me) but I remember thinking that I must read it again slowly and thoughtfully. I’m glad I did. Because over the years as I’m gaining more knowledge of the Scripture, interest in theology, and passion for the Person of Jesus Christ, I can appreciate it even more now. What I like about Leon Lamb Morris (1914-2006), a respected New Testament scholar, is that he writes in such a way that is both scholarly and yet readable, with depth and yet simple, just like the late John Stott and Michael Green. I highly recommend his Bible commentaries too especially on the Gospel of Matthew, John, and Romans.

Why this book is important? Simply this: Jesus Christ is. His question to the disciples, “Who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:15) is what we - the believers and the potential believers - must discover over and over again for the rest of our lives. Knowing Jesus is not enough. Knowing the right Jesus as taught in the Scripture is essential. Knowledge of truth leads to saving faith, faith leads to eternal life. Our theology affects our doxology. What do we say and believe about Jesus matters! The main purpose of Leon Morris in this book is to give a short and simple outline of what the New Testament says about the Person of Jesus. He concludes that the Scripture taught clearly that He is BOTH God AND man. I agree. Morris writes, “The great thought of the New Testament is that God has taken action in the Person of His Son to put away man’s sin. This is not the idea of one or two writers, but the whole of the early church. Nowhere in the New Testament do we find any such thought as that Jesus is like one of the angels, or that He can be fully explained in purely human terms. With one accord the New Testament writers insist that Jesus must be thought of as God in the fullest sense. His relationship to the Father is the very closest relationship possible. There is no doubt about the place they ascribe to Jesus.”

He continues, “This is all the more remarkable in view of their convinced monotheism. They do not seem to have envisaged the possibility of a multiplicity of gods. They took it as an axiom that there can be only one God. Without compromise on this basic tenet, they yet affirmed the deity of Christ.” Right. When someone asks me to explain about the Doctrine of the Trinity, how can one God exist in three Persons, I usually added one more challenging issue to the inquiry by stating the Doctrine of the Incarnation, that God became human, and He - Jesus - was truly God and truly man. How can it be? Well, I can help him or her to examine the Scripture but I can never explain it fully. “How these two, the deity and the humanity, are related, or even how they could come to co-exist in the one Person, we do not know,” said Morris honestly. “The evidence does not indicate that Jesus was partly God and partly man, that He did some things as God and others as a man. Rather He was one Person, though a Person with divine and human characteristics.” This is a mystery beyond any man’s power to solve or to explain it away. I think we are free to reject this doctrine if we also reject the consistent testimonies of the Scripture, particularly the New Testament, regarding the Person of Jesus. But if we accept the Scripture as the written Word of God (I do), there is no way for us to deny that Jesus was God incarnate. As H.E.W. Turner, quoted by Morris, emphasizes strongly, “The Person of Jesus does not come apart in our hands into the two halves of humanity and divinity, one of which we have to set on one side when we begin to examine the other. His Personality is a seamless whole.”

This book is divided into eight (8) chapters, namely, 1) Jesus of Nazareth; 2) Jesus’ View of Himself; 3) Jesus the Man; 4) A Prince and A Saviour; 5) The Lord of Glory; 6) A Great High Priest; 7) God the Word; and 8) Conclusion. In each chapter, Morris unpacked what the New Testament taught about the humanity and divinity of Jesus from multiple angles, genres, and themes but leave the verdict for us to answer ourselves: “Who do you say about Jesus?”

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #TheLordFromHeaven #LeonMorris #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

Related book review: The Forgotten Trinity (1998) by James R. White, CLICK HERE
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Education, Free & Compulsory (1999) by Murray N. Rothbard, Book Review

 Education, Free & Compulsory (1999) by Murray N. Rothbard, audiobook

Murray N. Rothbard, an influential American historian, natural law theorist, and economist of the Austrian School who helped define modern libertarianism*, in this short book (66 pages only and audiobook 2 hours 35 minutes), explores the history of compulsory schooling in Europe and especially in the United States. I find that the main ideas and concerns in this book are interesting although I have to keep in mind that my context is Asia or Malaysia in particular not Western countries. But it seems that, in terms of education, we almost always facing the same problem: our educational system, if not seriously reformed, is doomed to fail. For the past few weeks, I’ve been listening to an excellent podcast series by BFM radio called Malaysia’s Education Challenges with a focus on Malaysia’s Education Blueprint (MEB). As I reflect on what has been discussed in this series and Rothbard’s thoughts in this book, I cannot help but agree that we should seriously rethink public schooling. More than ever I observe that our educational system, instead of for the betterment of individuals and communities, has become very burdensome for the students, parents, and teachers and continues to be used to impose political, racial, and religious agendas or ideologies. Through the misuse of formal education, dictatorship can be disguised as democracy. Beware!

There are three (3) short but powerful chapters in this book, namely, 1) The Individual’s Education; 2) Compulsory Education in Europe; 3) Compulsory Education in the United States. There are half-a-dozen ideas that are worth considering such as the importance of individual or homeschooling, the function of the parents and the state (government) in child education, the history and philosophy of compulsory education, the shadow of ‘citizen control’, the influence of religious (particularly by Calvinism in Europe) reformation, the demons of Fascism, Nazism, and Communism. There are things that I don’t agree with, don’t understand, and don’t care much about. The most essential read, in my opinion, is the first half of Chapter 1: The Individual’s Education because regardless of our context and background, race and nationality, it deals with our universal human need and uniqueness. Rothbard writes:

“[The] entire process of growing up, of developing all the facets of a man’s personality, is his education. It is obvious that a person acquires his education in all activities of his childhood; all his waking hours are spent in learning in one form or another. It is clearly absurd to limit the term ‘education’ to a person’s formal schooling. He is learning all the time. He learns and forms ideas about other people, their desires, and actions to achieve them, the world and the natural laws that govern it; and his own ends, and how to achieve them. He formulates ideas on the nature of man, and what his own and others’ ends should be in light of this nature. This is a continual process, and it is obvious that formal schooling constitutes only an item in this process. In a fundamental sense, as a matter of fact, everyone is ‘self-educated.’ A person’s environment, physical or social, does not ‘determine’ the ideas and knowledge with which he will emerge as an adult. It is a fundamental fact of human nature that a person’s ideas are formed for himself; others may influence them, but none can determine absolutely the ideas and values which the individual will adopt or maintain through life.”

If you’re interested to dive further into this subject, you can get this ebook and audiobook for FREE at https://mises.org/library/education-free-and-compulsory-1 #ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

*Libertarianism: a political philosophy that advocates only minimal state intervention in the free market and the private lives of citizens.

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You TAKE Time, You MAKE Time, You HAVE Time to Read Books #1Book1Week December 2021

According to the Statista website,* the average time spent using the internet in Malaysia in the second and third quarters of 2017 was around 8.45 hours. That’s 35.2% of our existence! No doubt, most of the time spent is for doing works such as research, communications, and promotions (especially when you’re in the social media or IT-related business and marketing). How about time spent on social media? Approximately, the respondents in this survey stated that they used social networking (such as Facebook, Instagram, etc.) sites between 1 to 4 hours per day.

Let’s take the least time, say 1 hour per day of mindless scrolling, and match that with one of the most popular excuses of not reading books “I don’t have enough time!” (90%) and the answer is: YOU’RE LYING! (I hope that will not turn you off, but instead, it brings positive awareness to your conscious and subconscious mind. But then, who likes to be called a liar???). Ray Bradbury says, “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” Everyone knows reading is a good and crucial habit in personal development, so either you TAKE time to read or you MAKE time to read. The truth is you HAVE the time. Face the book more often than Facebook and you’ll be happier and smarter; The clock is ticking, so cut the TikTok; fight instant gratification and quit Instagram if you must (or if you're not that famous).

Jim Rohn, one of my favorite speakers in the past, said this: “Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.” It’s not about the number of books you read, it’s about ‘Are you hungry for knowledge?’ I like how Bertolt Brecht puts it: “Hungry man, reach for the book: it is a weapon.” Knowledge is not power. Knowledge is potential power. Knowledge plus action(s) is power. But how to take the right action if you don’t have the right knowledge? Read books. Redeem that precious 1 to 4 hours! #ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

Here are my #1Book1Week for December 2021 CLICK THE TITLES to read my short comments and/or reviews:

1. The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus: Guard the Truth (1996) by John R. W. Stott
2. The Message of 2 Timothy: Guard the Gospel (1973, 1984) by John R. W. Stott
3. The Man They Crucified: A Portrait of Jesus (1975) by R. T. France
4. The Wisdom of Psychopaths (2012) by Kevin Dutton

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The Message of 2 Timothy: Guard the Gospel (1973, 1984) by John R. W. Stott, Book Review

The Message of 2 Timothy: Guard the Gospel (1973, 1984) by John R. W. Stott

 

“During the gestation of this book, I seem to have lived inside this second letter of Paul to Timothy. In imagination I have sat down beside Timothy and have tried myself to hear and heed this final charge from the aging apostle,” writes John Stott in the introduction. As for me, I imagine myself sitting down under the teachings of ‘Uncle’ Stott (1921-2011) as I read this commentary and take notes of his excellent exposition of the words of God in 2 Timothy. He also writes, “I have been impressed afresh by the timeliness for today what the apostle writes, especially for young Christian leaders. For our era too is one of theological and moral confusion, even of apostasy. And the apostle summons us, as he summoned Timothy, to be strong, brave, and steadfast.” Stott was 51 years old when he writes this and surely he had witnessed many ups and downs of Christianity in Europe particularly and the world generally during the five decades of his life. If it was true about 49 years ago when this commentary was originally published, how truer it is today!

He continues, “The words which crystallize the letter for me are the two little monosyllables su de (‘but as for you’), which occur four times. Timothy is called to be different. He is not to yield to the pressures of public opinion or conform to the spirit of his age, but rather to stand firm in the truth and the righteousness of God. In my judgment, nothing is more needed by Christians in today’s world and church than this same courage.” I couldn’t agree more. A call to be different is not a call to be a weirdo or taking it as merely a motivational talk. It’s about to be different from the world who don’t know the truth, the false teachers who distort the truth, and the unfaithful who neglect the truth. It’s about guarding and standing firm in the truth of the gospel. “Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me - a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus,” remind the apostle Paul to Timothy when he was in prison in Rome waiting for his death sentence (see 4:6), “Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you” (2 Timothy 1:13-14). When I decided to accept God’s calling for me to enter the full-time student ministry about a decade ago, 2 Timothy is where I always go to draw encouragement from, to remind me of the mission, and to be a solid foundation for me to stand firm in the truth. My life verse - and not surprisingly, the purpose for LEGASI.tv ministry - to “Preach the Word” is taken from 2 Timothy 4:2.

In the previous article, I already shared why The Bible Speaks Today is one of the best expository ‘commentaries’ series out there and how to use it [CLICK HERE to read]. But here I would like to zero in and declare with no apology that John Stott’s The Message of 2 Timothy is one of the best and important books in this series. I highly recommend this book to every Christian minister, especially the young leaders, who aspire to serve God in this high risk but also high reward calling in their lives. Stories of fallen ‘celebrity’ preachers nowadays shouldn’t be a surprise for us. In fact, Paul has warned us about this and more in 2 Timothy 3:1-9 and 4:3-4. Thus, we all have the potential to be in the statistic. We must with all our might and rely on God’s grace to “fully carry out the ministry God has given [us]” (2 Timothy 4:5, bracket mine) faithfully till the end. I think (although I cannot confirm with surety) the late Dr. John Stott end his ministry well. Paul’s statement can be his’ and ours’ in the near future: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful” (2 Timothy 4:7). Amen 😉✌💡

#ServeToLead #GrowingLeaders #LeadersAreReaders #JohnStott
#BibleCommentary #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus: Guard the Truth (1996) by John R. W. Stott, Not A Review

The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus: Guard the Truth (1996) by John R. W. Stott

 
At first, I wanted to reread John Stott's excellent commentary on 2 Timothy because I thought it is a fitting book for me to end the year well. But when I realized that I haven't read commentary on 1 Timothy & Titus entirely, I should go for this one instead. This decision proved to be profitable and timely! Praise God. Why do I think reading good Bible commentaries is important? On the back cover of every J.C. Ryle's Expository Thoughts on the gospels says this gem of wisdom: "If the best way to understand the Christian Faith is to read the Gospels, then the next books in order of importance have to be those which aid in the understanding of those Gospels." I find that this is also true for the pastoral letters or epistles such as 1, 2 Timothy & Titus. The best way to know the truth is to read these sacred letters firsthand. The next best is to read good commentaries about them.

I love to read commentaries written by the late Dr. John R. W. Stott (1921-2011) especially on The Sermon on the Mount, Romans, and 2 Timothy. His books such as Basic Christianity, Your Mind Matters, and The Preacher's Portrait also plays a significant role in shaping my Christian faith, mind, and calling. I'm forever grateful for Uncle John's ministry! To come back to his commentaries, I find that Dr. Stott is clear in his expositions, balanced in his teachings, and faithful to the evangelical beliefs. They are both scholarly and yet readable. One very helpful feature that I like the most is that, when Dr. Stott comes to difficult or controversial passages of the pastoral letters (such as on slavery, sexual roles in the church, government, etc.), he will take extra care to outline and explain other major different interpretations before he proceeds to the most probable one with sound Biblical arguments* and applications. If you want to read Bible commentaries or looking for references to prepare for your sermon and Bible study, I fully recommend The Bible Speaks Today Series published by Inter-Varsity Press (IVP). Simply one of the best!

Before I end (sorry, this is NOT a book review after all), let me share how I use a Bible commentary like this one for all its worth. First, I will try to read 1 Timothy & Titus from at least 2 to 3 Bible translations. I read from the New Living Translation (NLT), the English Standard Version (ESV), and the JB Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS is actually a paraphrase). This first step is important because you need to be familiarized with the Scriptures before you study the Scriptures. By the way, keep in mind that the new edition of The Bible Speaks Today Series is using the New International Version (NIV) as the main translation. Secondly, always bring the Bible with you as you read through the commentary. The reason being is that when you read something that sparks your interest or speaks to you, you need to 'see' it in the pages of the Bible for yourself. This is not just good for memorization but also good for your faith and trust in the written Word of God. Finally, share what you have learned with as many people as possible through your social media, during Bible studies, when you give counsel to others, etc. If you read, you learn once. If you read and teach, you will learn twice. If you read, teach and live it, it will be part of your life 😉✌💡

#ServeToLead #GrowingLeaders #LeadersAreReaders #JohnStott #BibleCommentary #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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The Wisdom of Psychopaths (2012) by Kevin Dutton, A Short Review

The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies,
and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success (2012)
by Kevin Dutton, Audiobook

I had just finished listening to this audiobook last week. I'm not sure whether I want to write a proper summary review about it or not. Probably a short one. First, although I'm able to comprehend the big picture of an audiobook (especially on the subjects that are very interesting to me) through listening, I cannot recall the specific juicy quotes or thought-provoking lines unless I have the actual book or ebook to refer to. So, sorry in advance. Secondly, overall this book is stimulating enough (I love psychology!) but the title and subtitle can be misunderstood by those who will never read it. Let me explain.

The word Psychopath in general is negative. The dictionary defines it as a person suffering from a chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior. Mad and bad. Then add the word wisdom to it can be very confusing and oxymoron. Plus, "what serial killers can teach us about success" is not helpful either. But once you explore what Kevin Button writes in the book - stories, interviews, theories, research, data - you will start to get why small and control doses of 'good' psychopathic traits as psychologists define it like charming personalities, no fear of failure or risk, cold empathy, hyperfocus, somewhat intelligent and smart (now I'm thinking of my favorite fictional villain, James Moriarty), etc. are useful for us to strive in the world today. At the right place, time and amount, these traits can be very helpful without harming others as some psychopaths do. I remember Kevin Button said that some of the top career choices for 'functional psychopaths' are politicians, entrepreneurs, police, journalist, and even clergy!

Although in general, I enjoy this book, I also have some strong disagreements and dislikes about the author's theories and conclusions. It seems like, without ethical considerations (and clinical help?), someone might use this book as approval for their harmful psychopathic behaviors. From "wisdom" to "destruction." Success at all costs can prove to be a folly determination and serial killers are your worst teachers! Read or listen with care 😉🔍💬 #ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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The Man They Crucified: A Portrait of Jesus (1975) by R. T. France, Book Review

 The Man They Crucified: A Portrait of Jesus (1975) by R. T. France

Philip went to look for Nathaniel and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathaniel. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied. As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel - a man of complete integrity.” “How do you know about me?” Nathaniel asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.” Then Nathaniel exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God - the King of Israel!” (read John 1:45-49). After Nathaniel's personal encounter with Jesus, he turned from being a skeptic to one of His most devoted followers.

Two things will always happen when someone meets the real Jesus of the Bible: accept Him or reject Him. Of course, one can be undecided but not for long because decisions have to be made soon or later when it comes to the person and identity of Jesus (to ignore Him is to reject Him). He demands a verdict! As R. T. France (1938 - 2012), a renowned New Testament scholar, writes about the change that happened to Nathaniel: “That is the sort of thing that happens when Jesus is around. People find their prejudices shaken. Some of them respond by digging themselves deeper into the trenches. Others find themselves, to their amazement, abandoning the preconceptions of a lifetime, and they are never the same again.” By faith, I know why Jesus is irresistible: He is the divine Son of God, the gracious Son of Man, and the wonderful Savior of the world. But these truths, although can be supported by the Scripture, can only be accepted fully by faith. So, what about Jesus in His humanity, in the context of history, that is also irresistible? Or to put it another way, why Jesus was controversial and phenomenal in His lifetime on earth? And why does Jesus still do so today, more than 2,000 years later? This book can help us to understand - as an introduction, not comprehensive studies - Jesus in His historical context and background.

By using the Gospels as France’s main sources for his portrait of Jesus (see Appendix for explanation) and some other reliable materials, he divided the book into 12 chapters, namely, Nazareth, Expectation, Preparation, Disciples, Miracles, Society, Controversy, The Kingdom, Confrontation, Condemnation, Vindication, and Dilemma. The book helps us to explore the life of Jesus as a Jew living in Israel; surrounded by particular religious issues, customs, and ideologies; with unique socioeconomic orders and political turmoils. Examining Jesus’ claims about Himself in these chapters also makes it more meaningful and relevant. These are the things that we must take into considerations when we read the Gospel accounts of Jesus and it helps us to make the decision (that I write earlier) with intellect and awareness NOT just by faith. Well, of course, at the end of the day faith is required to bridge the gap between mere knowledge to saving knowledge. “It would be much more convenient if Jesus could be made to fit the formulas which we are all so good at devising for him, as the ethical reformer, the pacifist, the prophet of the oppressed classes, or whatever. All of these he is, and much more,” said R. T. France in the closing of this highly commended and accessible book, “But he cannot be reduced to any one of them. The only meaningful way to relate to the Jesus of the Gospels is in the totality of the claims he makes on us. If we do not come to him on his terms, we do not come to him at all.”

“Can anything good come from the life of Jesus of Nazareth?” you might ask. I want to invite you to read the Gospel accounts for the first time - or once again - and say, “Come and see for yourself.” And if you need help, this book can be one of your guides 😉☑💡#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #LifeOfJesus #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

I also recommend:

1) The Jesus of the Bible (2009) by Stephen M. Miller ✔
2) Jesus, A Virtual History (2014) by Donald Brake ✔
3) Jesus the Messiah: A Survey of the Life of Christ (1996) by Robert H. Stein ✔

 

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