What's So Great About the Doctrines of Grace?

by Richard D. Phillips

Publisher:

Reformation Trust

, 2008

Overview

In What’s So Great About the Doctrines of Grace?, the Rev. Richard D. “Rick” Phillips shows that “the doctrines of grace,” those theological tenets more popularly known as “the five points of Calvinism,” are comforting, faith-strengthening, and humbling teachings. In six short chapters, Rev. Phillips demonstrates conclusively from Scripture that this view of salvation exalts God and makes plain his great love for man, which drove him to do all that was necessary to redeem a people for himself.

With the Logos edition, What’s So Great About the Doctrines of Grace? is fully integrated with the other resources in your digital library, including Bibles, maps, dictionaries, and numerous other Bible study tools. All Scripture references are linked directly to the text of your favorite Bible translation, making your Bible study and teaching preparations more effective and rewarding. You can also explore Scripture on a deeper level with powerful search features, Passage Guides, and all the other interactive features in your Logos library. That makes this important book more useful than ever before for pastors, teachers, Bible study leaders, and anyone else desiring to get deeper into the truth of God’s Word.

Key Features

• Preface by the author
• Explanation of the doctrines of grace, also known as the “Five Points of Calvinism”
• Illustrations to teach the doctrines of grace

Contents

Top Highlights

“By sovereignty, we mean that God actively governs everything. By everything, we mean all things that happen, from the greatest to the least of occurrences.” (Page 2)

“So sovereignty means ‘according to God’s sovereign will.’ God’s sovereignty in salvation means that believers are saved for this sole ultimate reason: ‘according to God’s sovereign will.’ Or as Paul wrote, our salvation was ‘predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will’ (Eph. 1:11). That sums it up about as well as possible: we are saved according to God’s sovereign purpose, by God’s sovereign working, according to God’s sovereign will. Salvation truly is ‘from him and through him and to him’ (Rom. 11:36). When this truth breaks into our minds and hearts, we glory in God forever.” (Pages 2–3)

“The prophecy of Isaiah contains some of the boldest proclamations of God’s sovereignty in Scripture. In chapter 45, he compares God’s relationship with mankind to that of a potter and his clay, making of His creation whatever He will. In chapter 46, Isaiah points out the utter sovereignty of God’s will: ‘For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose’ ’ (Isa. 46:9–10). In chapter 59, Isaiah speaks of God’s sovereignty in terms of the long arm of the Lord, by which He is able to will the salvation of His people anywhere: ‘His own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him’ (Isa. 59:16).” (Pages 3–4)

Praise for the Print Edition

The heart of the gospel is contained in the doctrines of grace. To understand these truths is to understand the height, depth, breadth, and length of the saving grace of God for sinners. Richard Phillips has done an outstanding job of capturing the heartbeat of these precious truths. Prepare your heart to be greatly blessed as this pastor and author guides you into a greater appreciation of the sovereign grace of God.

—Dr. Steven J. Lawson, senior pastor, Christ Fellowship Baptist Church, Mobile, Ala.

Rick Phillips has an unbounded love for the doctrines of grace and writes about them with an enviable simplicity and clarity. Here is persuasive exposition of biblical teaching that captures the thrill of knowing a sovereign God. What’s So Great about the Doctrines of Grace? never loses sight of the grace to which these doctrines point. This is a wonderful book to read, study, lend, and give away.

—Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson, senior minister, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, S.C.

Richard “Rick” Phillips has done it again! In summarizing the doctrines of grace in this book, he brings us into the arena of historic Calvinism, which, as C. H. Spurgeon said, “is the Gospel and nothing else.” But what we have here is more than just a re-telling of the doctrines themselves; it is an account of why these truths matter in the church of the twenty-first century. Its enthusiasm is infectious, its urgency compelling, and its logic irrefutable.

—Dr. Derek W.H. Thomas, professor of systematic and practical theology, Reformed Theological Seminary

Product Details

• Title: What’s So Great About the Doctrines of Grace?
• Author: Richard D. Phillips
• Publisher: Reformation Trust
• Publication Date: 2008
• Pages: 111

About Richard D. Phillips

Richard Davis Phillips has been the Senior Minister of Second Presbyterian Church in Greenville, South Carolina (PCA) since July, 2007. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan, and a master of business administration degree at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. Prior to entering the ministry, he commanded tank units as an officer in the U.S. Army and later served as an assistant professor of leadership at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He came to faith in Jesus Christ at the age of 30, and was soon was leading evangelistic Bible studies at the college where he was teaching. A few years later he received God’s call to enter the gospel ministry, and received a master of divinity degree from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA.