Carl is always a fun interview. One of my favorite quotes was when Trueman, a British immigrant, said “Some would see the loss of the colonies as an improvement….It clearly saved us from baseball”.

“Unfortunately, the church today is at war with the culture, and many Christians think that by opposing moral decline through protest and politics, they are doing all they can to redeem society. They have begun to view their unbelieving neighbors as the enemy rather than the mission field. As the rift widens between the Religious Right and the rest of society, the gospel message is being lost in the din of conflict. The tender love of sinners has been replaced by bitter rivalry for influence. Thus the onlytruth that can ultimately draw people to sincere repentance is too often being set aside in favor of political rhetoric and partisan squabbling.

No national revival has ever occurred because of political strategizing or legislative initiatives. Revivals don’t occur when he people of God protest and demonstrate against the sins of unbelievers. Revivals aren’t the fruit of boycotts or debates about public policy. Revivals occur when the Word of God is proclaimed and people are called to repentance”.

(John MacArthur in Can God Bless America?, pp.30-31)

“One cannot read and meditate upon [the Psalter] without reaching a particular and clear idea of God-a God with a Creator’s mastery over the universe, with a Father’s tender pity towards His children, with a Judge’s interest in righteousness, with a Shepherd’s care for the erring; a God whose glory is above the heavens, who counts the stars and names them, whose kingdom rules over all, yet whose mercy is from everlasting to everlasting.”

(The Psalms in Christian Worship, J.A. Lamb, p160)

Well, here is a similar collection for I & II Thessalonians.

Introductions and Outlines and Themes:

• The First Epistle to the Thessalonians and The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians in Louis Berkhof’s Introduction to the New Testament
• John Darby’s Synoposis of I Thessalonians and Synoposis of II Thessalonians
• Atlanta Baptist University’s Intro to I Thessalonians and Intro to II Thessalonians
• New Advent’s Catholic Encyclopedia entry for Epistles to the Thessalonians
• Wikipedia’s Entry for First Epistle to the Thessalonians and Second Epistle to the Thessalonians
• Colossians: Background and Analysis by Matt Miller
• Hope in the Lord: Introduction to 1-2 Thessalonians by John B. Polhill
• 1 Thessalonians: Introduction, Argument, Outline by Daniel B. Wallace
• 2 Thessalonians: Introduction, Argument, Outline by Daniel B. Wallace
• New American Bible Intro to I Thessalonians and Intro to II Thessalonians
• High Peaks Bible Fellowship’s Introduction to I Thessalonians
• The Literary Structure of I & II Thessalonians by David Allen Black
• Pauline Theology in the Thessalonians Correspondence by I. Howard Marshall

Older Sermons, Commentaries, Studies

• Charles Spurgeon’s Sermons on I Thessalonians and Sermons on II Thessalonians
• John Gill’s  Exposition on I Thessalonians and Exposition on II Thessalonians
• John Wesley’s Notes on I Thessalonians and Notes on II Thessalonians
• Eighteen Sermons on Second Thessalonians Chapter Two by Thomas Watson
• Matthew Henry’s Commentary on II Thessalonians or  Commentary on II Thessalonians
• John Calvin’s Commentary on Thessalonians, etc.

Modern Sermons, Commentaries, Studies

• The Gospel Coalition’s Sermons on I Thessalonians
• The Gospel Coalition’s Sermons on II Thessalonians
• The Message of I Thessalonians (MP3) by Mark Dever
• Vincent Cheung’s Commentary on Thessalonians (PDF)
• Fred Greco’s (Christ Church PCA) Sermons on I Thessalonians
• Sermons on II Thessalonians by Norman Green (Blackburn Evangelical Presbyterian)
• G.I. Williamson’s Sermons on II Thessalonians
• Sermons on Thessalonians by Michael Phillips (Grace Baptist Church of Freemont, CA)
• John Piper’s Sermons on I Thessalonians and Sermons on II Thessalonians
• Multimedia Teachings on I Thessalonians from Xenos
• Third Millenium’s Lesson on Paul & The Thessalonians
• Founder’s Minstries Sunday School Material for I & II Thessalonians
• Robert Reyburn (Faith Presbyterian Church PCA) Sermons on I Thessalonians

Pointers to Other Resources

• Spurgeon’s Commenting on Commentaries (Thessalonians section)
• BestCommentaries.com’s Listing for Thessalonians

Other Items Not Specific to Romans, But Helpful

• Early Christian Ante Nicine Allusions to the NT (see the entries on Thessalonians)
• Old Testament Quotations in the New Testament
• The Journeys of Paul from Luther Seminary
• Corpus Paulinum Mailing List
• Denver Seminary’s New Testament Exegesis Bibliography
• Overview of NT Geography by Felix Just
• Covenant Theological Seminary’s MP3 lectures for New Testament History and Theology

• The battle is within
  • Defeat sin, don’t let it break out of our hearts into our marriages
• The New birth doesn’t remove the battle, it just assures victory
• Sides in this war are not male/female or husband/wife or controller/enabler, it is flesh/spirit
• We have a “great opposition” within
• the greatest problem in my marriage? I am
• the law of sin
  • it feels natural, the way I am wired
• sin
  • crafty
    • feeling victimized by God
  • alluring
  • treachery
    • fog of war clears
    • bait-and-switch
    • Watson: sin “courts then kills”
• the battle is won by the cross of Christ
• Battle is won, we can have new joy, fresh delight in our spouse

One of the things I’ve always appreciated with him was how he would at certain times follow the implications of Scriptural texts to their clear implications,  even if it made himself or others uncomfortable!  He was pretty gutsy like that at times.  It is very evident that He was not first of all trying to make a consistent, coherent system. Sometimes it lead to surprising conclusions that would shock those who came after him and esteem him. And despite certain errors in his theology, I think we can all admire the way he would throw caution to the wind and take what God says in his Book seriously.

His sermons on a number of books of the Bible are published, including a book of sermons on Ephesians. Here are a few excerpts from various writings, both things he has specifically written and also written excerpts from his sermons:

“We must make our election sure in Christ. We dare not become participant in evil things and fall as Israel; which is a good lesson to us. Adam fell and Israel also fell. We, however, cannot fall when we stand and are blessed and called through the Gospel, for in love toward us He has predestinated us unto sonship—we shall be His children. We shall believe and let Him reign in us. Then it is manifest that we were, in times past, called and chosen to become His sons. The Father beforehand appointed this in His Son that we should be children of God; reborn of the spirit. So let us bestow care upon our being acceptable to Him, for our calling follows our being chosen.”

(Samuel H. Froehlich in Writings of Samuel Froehlich;  pp.206 ;  from his comments on Ephesians 1:4-6 ; published by The Heritage Center Foundation)

“Paul says here that the Father, through the Son, hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings and made us citizens of heaven, which is based on the eternal decision of God, which was made through Christ before the foundation of the world was laid.

The election is deeply grounded with God. When a person is called to the true church of Christ, so that he is converted from darkness to light, it is a predestination which was made before the foundation of the world. This is certain—that if a person who is  called, was predestinated by Christ before the foundation of the world, he will accept the call. The predestination is an election, through which it becomes manifest whom God bath chosen, and the elect come forth so that they may be blessed with all spiritual blessings The election is deeply grounded with God. When a person is called to the true church of Christ, so that he is converted from darkness to light, it is a predestination which was made before the foundation of the world. This is certain—that if a person who is called, was predestinated by Christ before the foundation of the world, he will accept the call. The predestination is an election, through which it becomes manifest whom God bath chosen, and the elect come forth so that they may be blessed with all spiritual blessings earthly. Yet, therefore, we have the spirit in us—the image of the heavenly.

There is much indeed in us. Whoever is from above will also come again thereto; whoever is not from above, will come into the pool of the devil: for a kingdom is already prepared for us. Our destination has been fixed for us by God before the foundation of the world. We must needs rejoice in that our futurity has been established by God— before the foundation of the world! Let us rejoice in that our succession is an election, so that we stand firmly therein and do not serve another spirit, for it is now an inward, hidden kingdom of grace in us—that it may become manifest at His appearance, when the people will be separated from one another and it shall be said, ‘ . . . Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ Matthew 25:34.

‘Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:’

He hath chosen us to be holy and without blame in the world—and the chosen in the world are easily recognized because of their holiness and blamelessness. In God, everything that occurs was fore-known. He knows what takes place. He knew beforehand of Adam’s fall. For that reason the harm that we sustained through Adam was healed again in His Son.  Before our redemption takes place, there is this definite resolution of God. We have tasted, seen and experienced what sin in the world is. Therefore if we are chosen, we cannot turn back and take it on again. Adam took from us what we had and Christ restored it again and gave us an earnest in heaven, namely, the Spirit. We cannot then throw it away.”

(Samuel H. Froehlich in Writings of Samuel Froehlich;  pp.203-204 ;  from his comments on Ephesians 2; published by The Heritage Center Foundation)

“And our predestination is also simultaneously old for He had, in time past, appointed us unto adoption to Himself. The disclosure of adoption is already made known here when God enlightens us, so that the light in us shall shine forth out of the darkness. If we were thus called, so that we are now with Christ, when this calling has come to light, we then know that is as old as the calling of the Son was from the Father, that is, from everlasting. For nothing has happened and nothing can happen which He did not know and assign from eternity. So whoever was (or is) called may know thereby that he was predestinated before the foundation of the world was lain.”

(Samuel H. Froehlich in Writings of Samuel Froehlich;  pp.207 ;  from his comments on Ephesians 1:4-6 ; published by The Heritage Center Foundation)

“The children of God, therefore, are well known in the world by their love towards one
another, as well as by the hatred and enmity with which they are persecuted by men
because they are no longer of the world but of God, and indeed are so separated and set
apart from the world that they constitute an unmistakable contrast to it (enter into
opposition with it), yet not according to their own choice or bidding but by God’s
election and calling of grace”

(Samuel H. Froehlich in Writings of Samuel Froehlich;  pp.923 ;  from his comments on I John 3:11 ; published by The Heritage Center Foundation)

“But because the world cannot receive the Spirit of truth, for it neither knows nor sees Him, it is evident that all who do receive Him and become children of God must be singled out and set apart from the world, on God’s part by election as well as on the world’s part by expulsion and rejection.”

(Samuel H. Froehlich in Writings of Samuel Froehlich;  pp.923 ;  from his comments on I John 3:11 ; published by The Heritage Center Foundation)

“For the zealous champions of the doctrine which teaches the restoration of all things cast me aside as an upholder of the doctrine of predestination, and the latter believe that they can detect an inconsistency in my teaching concerning the election of grace. And yet, I do not hold to two conflicting doctrines, for I believe in the election of God according to the Scriptures; but instead of maintaining my view in the character of a point of doctrine, I rather preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a simple manner wherever I chance to be, and leave the separation to God.”

(Samuel H. Froehlich in Writings of Samuel Froehlich;  pp.432; “A Short Statement Wherein I Make Clear My Religious Convictions to the New English Continental Society In Answer to Six Questions Propounded by Them”;  published by The Heritage Center Foundation)

“I well know that the elect of God are preserved unto blessedness by the power of God; but who the elect are, in their persons, that we do not know. God alone knows and He knows them that are His, and I think that they who thus boast and insist are least of all the elect, because the former are humble and work out their salvation with fear and trembling.”

(Samuel H. Froehlich in Writings of Samuel Froehlich;  pp.493; “Hauptwyl April — 1836 From a letter to a brother in Ebenat”;  published by The Heritage Center Foundation)

No doubt, many of the things Froehlich said in these passages are horribly inconsistent with other things he’s said and he certainly does not follow the implications of these insights consistently. To be honest, his theology is severely muddled at certain points. But all these quotes are reflective of the fact that there are certain things in Ephesians and other Bible texts that you just can’t avoid (if you are committed to following the Bible wherever it goes, that is).   And Froehlich is honest enough to not avoid them.

Certainly Froehlich, for all his theological problems, to some extent saw the glorious divine grace which is electing grace towards those who, to quote the Westminster Confession of Faith,  “God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased, in His appointed time, effectually to call, by His Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature to grace and salvation, by Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God, taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them an heart of flesh….renewing their wills, and, by His almighty power, determining them to that which is good, and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ: yet so, as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace”.

It is evident that while Froehlich taught  some elements of the Reformed teaching on predestination, he was very inconsistent in how he worked that out, and I believe, was not so Biblical in the way he handled various implications/related issues pertaining to divine grace. He very much obscured what he said on election by many other things he taught. Froehlich is no longer around. But it would be a wonderful day when all those who came after Froehlich would concede the predestination evident in the glorious divine, electing grace of God, as reflected so clearly in Ephesians and elsewhere in the Bible.  And then perhaps at that time they could also be willing to go past Froehlich in not only following the Biblical texts into predestination but to continue and also follow the Biblical implications of this predestination (many of which Froehlich clearly did not grasp–or at least did not like).

I tried to select a wide range of reformed/evangelical-oriented books.  The 12 representative books are:

• Apologetics to the Glory of God: An Introduction by John Frame
• Acts of the Apostles (Geneva Series of Commentaries) by J. Alexander
• Easy Chairs, Hard Words: Conversations on the Liberty of God by Douglas Wilson
• Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions
• The Christ of the Covenants by O. Palmer Robertson
• 12 Challenges Churches Face by Mark Dever
• The Humanness of John Calvin by Richard Stauffer
• The Justification of God by John Piper
• Dining with the Devil: The Megachurch Movement Flirts with Modernity by O.S. Guinness
• A Christian Manifesto by Francis Schaeffer
• A Lifting Up For The Downcast by William Bridge
• When Sinners Say I Do by Dave Harvey

And the sellers I’m comparing are: Amazon, Monergism Books, Solid Ground Books, Christian Books, Westminister Theological Seminary Bookstore, and Cumberland Valley Bible Book Service.

Keep in mind I’m not comparing customer service or shipping, this comparison focuses exclusively on price and availability.  Obviously whether one can get free shipping, timely shipping, and attentive customer service will impact your experience just as much, if not more, than price and availability will. In my experiences, Amazon and Monergism Books are generally very good with shipping and customer service, but I can’t vouch for the others.

In terms of availability, Amazon and Christian Books were the best.  They had all the books. Monergism Books, Westminister Theological Seminary Bookstore, and Cumberland Valley Bible Book Service were not bad with 9/12 books.  Solid Ground Books was the worst with only 3/12 of the books.

We must of course make allowance for Solid Ground Books, since they tend to focus in their selection more than the other sites (another story for another time: I was not thrilled with their service the last time I tried to order).

In terms of pricing, Monergism Books was the best–featuring the lowest price on 6 of the books! Westminister Theological Seminary Bookstore, Cumberland Valley Bible Book Service, and Christian Books were pretty good with 2-3 books being the lowest price.  Amazon (surprisingly) and Solid Ground Books were the worst, never carrying the lowest price on any books.

So overall, I must give kudos to Monergism Books for showing the best in this comparison. They offered the best prices and, while not dominating our evaluation of availability, they did pretty well in that category too.

In a recent interview with Reason.tv, filmmaker Roger Nygaard calls Richard Dawkins the “pope of atheists”.