Reforming Joy: A Conversation between Paul, the Reformers, and the Church Today
Overview
Have you lost your joy?
Do you feel like you have to prove yourself? Does your Christian life feel routine and performance oriented, driven by duty and obligation?
The letter of Galatians was written to Christians who had lost their joy—confronted with false messages about rules and regulations they needed to follow. Similar false messages provoked the start of the Protestant Reformation, and have continued to threaten the joy of Christians ever since. Exploring how the sixteenth-century Reformation was a return to the gospel joy originally preached to first-century Galatia, this book was written to help today’s Christians rediscover the path to true freedom and lasting joy in Jesus.
Key Features
- Examines aspects of joy throughout the book of Galatians
- Explores the role of joy during the time of the Reformation
- Includes reflection and discussion questions for each chapter
Contents
- How to Hear God’s Voice—The Reforming Joy of Scripture Alone (Galatians 1)
- How to Know God’s Approval—The Reforming Joy of Faith Alone in Christ Alone (Galatians 2)
- How to Recognize God’s People—The Reforming Joy of Mother Church (Galatians 3–4)
- How to Enjoy God’s Love—The Reforming Joy of Adoption (Galatians 4)
- How to Do God’s Will—The Reforming Joy of Life in the Spirit (Galatians 5–6)
Praise for the Print Edition
This concise and vigorous book commends gospel joy. It is also, fittingly, a joy to read. Each hard-hitting chapter engages our cultural moment, opens the biblical text, references Reformation wisdom, and points to God in Christ. This energetic manifesto will be of value for personal study, small-group discussion, and classroom reading at a beginning-college level.
—Robert W. Yarbrough, Professor of New Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary
I am thrilled that Tim Chester has addressed this neglected fruit of the Spirit. When the Reformation happened, it was, among other things, a rediscovery of true Christian joy. This joy had suffused the Christian world of the New Testament but throughout the medieval era had been largely forgotten as being central to the Christian life. Thus it is no wonder that when, in the eighteenth century, the Reformed author Andrew Fuller was seeking a revival among his fellow Baptists in England, he asked the ever-pertinent query, ‘Why is it that Christians in the present day come so far short of the primitive Christians in the possession of joy?’ He knew, as did the Reformers, and Paul before them all, that whenever a renewal or revival of the Christian faith takes place, joy will abound!
—Michael A. G. Haykin, Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Charles Spurgeon once told his congregation, ‘It is a great privilege to meet a truly happy man, a graciously happy man.’ Let it never be said that Reformed and joy are uneasy cohabitants in the heart of a Christian. Tim Chester’s work is a much-needed reminder for Reformed Christians that because we have been saved by grace alone, we of all people have reason to live out our days with deep exuberance over such a great salvation. In this volume, you will meet some truly happy men from the past—happy because they recovered a glorious gospel and happy because, in so doing, they restored to the church deep and lasting joy in Jesus. Read, remember, and rejoice! People of grace should be a graciously happy people.
—Jeff Robinson Sr., Senior Editor, The Gospel Coalition; Pastor-Teacher, Christ Fellowship Church, Louisville, Kentucky
Product Details
- Title: Reforming Joy: A Conversation between Paul, the Reformers, and the Church Today
- Author: Tim Chester
- Publisher: Crossway
- Publication Date: 2018
- Pages: 112
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Topic: Biblical Studies
Dr. Tim Chester is a pastor at Grace Church, Boroughbridge, UK; a faculty member of Crosslands Training; and is the author of over 30 books. He has a PhD in theology and was previously Research and Policy Director for Tearfund UK. He has been an adjunct lecturer in missiology and reformed spirituality. Tim is married to Helen and has two daughters.