The Wonderful Works of God
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- Author：Herman Bavinck
- ISBN：1733627227
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Summary
110 years after its original publication， The Wonderful Works of God remains one of the finest single-volume systematic theologies ever written。 Adapting the magisterial systematic theology found in his four-volume Reformed Dogmatics， this is perhaps Bavinck’s most eminently practical work – a single， accessible volume for the college classroom and the family bookshelf。 Previously published in America as Our Reasonable Faith， this book has had a deep and lasting influence on the growth and development of Reformed theology。 It is the publisher’s hope that in its new form， this book continues to astonish readers with the wonderful works of God， and provide a deeper knowledge of their triune God。
Reviews
Zach Barnhart
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He's the best。 Just read everything he wrote。 He's the best。 Just read everything he wrote。 。。。more
Matthew Garringer
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Magnificent。 Bavinck’s thoughts on the interplay of the Trinity in salvation， the nature and efficacy of scripture， and the process of salvation （especially sanctification） are incredibly enlightening and helpful。 While I did not totally agree with everything he wrote （especially some points in creation）， I found the book encouraging and invigorating。
Devon Bowman
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An absolutely fantastic book。 Wonderful Works of God is a systematic theology in the Reformed tradition that is easy to read， devotional， and uplifting。 This is the first work of Bavinck that I have read but it most certainly will not be my last。 It was a delight to read。
Elliot
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This is a very decent single-volume version of Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics。 It suffers of course as a work in its singularity but is a fantastic primer for most readers starting in systematic theology。 This is a very decent single-volume version of Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics。 It suffers of course as a work in its singularity but is a fantastic primer for most readers starting in systematic theology。 。。。more
Ryan Handermann
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What theology is supposed to be。 The best of Bavinck。
Jason Garwood
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Outstanding。
Maya
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This was my first systematic theology， so I do not have a comparison， but this definitely set a high bar for any future reads！ Bavinck writes beautifully， often poetically， in addition to being systematic and clear。 I went through the book with others， which helped so much in processing and understanding even more of it， I would not have gotten nearly as much out of it without the contribution of others。 Pretty much every page has passages underlined， and I will return to this as a reference in This was my first systematic theology， so I do not have a comparison， but this definitely set a high bar for any future reads！ Bavinck writes beautifully， often poetically， in addition to being systematic and clear。 I went through the book with others， which helped so much in processing and understanding even more of it， I would not have gotten nearly as much out of it without the contribution of others。 Pretty much every page has passages underlined， and I will return to this as a reference in the future。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Evan Cruse
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Bavinck。 Read it。 Nothing more to be said。
Erik Lindstrom
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Phew。 I made it。 Though slow and wordy there is a lot of depth to the scriptures to unpack in here。 Definitely something I would recommend more as a resource/reference book， maybe not reading it straight though， （like I did）。 Last few chapters were my favorites。
curtis
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Intended to be a more approachable treatment of the material set forth in Bavinck's massive （and magisterial！） Reformed Dogmatics， this book's greatest accomplishment is bringing Bavinck's deep sense of holy fear and reverent， awe-filled joy to a broader audience。 While Bavinck's style can feel wooden and dense at times， he always repays the persistent reader。 The chapters on the Trinity and upon Creation and Providence are among my favorite treatments of these subjects anywhere。 Intended to be a more approachable treatment of the material set forth in Bavinck's massive （and magisterial！） Reformed Dogmatics， this book's greatest accomplishment is bringing Bavinck's deep sense of holy fear and reverent， awe-filled joy to a broader audience。 While Bavinck's style can feel wooden and dense at times， he always repays the persistent reader。 The chapters on the Trinity and upon Creation and Providence are among my favorite treatments of these subjects anywhere。 。。。more
Eric Yap
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10/10。 If you only ever read one theology book， this is it， seek no more。 Since I've written a succinct review on another platform， I will just share my favourite out of all my favourite parts of Bavinck's Magnalia Dei， which that other review is also based on:"When Jesus speaks in this connection of the knowledge of God， He has in mind a knowledge which is similar in kind to the knowledge which He Himself possesses。 He was not a theologian by profession， nor was He a doctor or professor in divi 10/10。 If you only ever read one theology book， this is it， seek no more。 Since I've written a succinct review on another platform， I will just share my favourite out of all my favourite parts of Bavinck's Magnalia Dei， which that other review is also based on:"When Jesus speaks in this connection of the knowledge of God， He has in mind a knowledge which is similar in kind to the knowledge which He Himself possesses。 He was not a theologian by profession， nor was He a doctor or professor in divinity。 But He knew God by direct， personal sight and insight; He saw Him everywhere， in nature， in His word， in His service; He loved Him above all else and was obedient to Him in all things， even in the death on the cross。 His knowledge of the truth was all of a piece with His doing of it。 The knowledge and love came together。Indeed， to know God does not consist of knowing a great deal about Him， but of this， rather， that we have seen Him in the person Christ， that we have encountered Him on our life's way， and that in the experience of our soul we have come to know His virtues， His righteousness and holiness， His compassion and His grace。That is why this knowledge， in distinction from all other knowledge， bears the name of the knowledge of faith。 It is the product not of scientific study and reflection but of a childlike and simple faith。 This faith is not only a sure knowledge but also a firm confidence that not only to others， but to me also， remission of sins， everlasting righteousness and salvation are freely given by God， merely of grace， only for the sake of Christ's merits。 Only those who become as little children shall enter the kingdom of heaven （Matt。 18:3）。 Only the pure of heart shall see the face of God （Matt。 5:8）。 Only those born of water and of the Spirit can enter the Kingdom （John 3:5）。 Those who know His name will put their trust in Him （Ps。 9:10）。 God is known in proportion to the extent that He is loved。If we understand the knowledge of God in such a way， it need occasion no surprise that its operation and effect is nothing less than eternal life。 True， there seems to be little relationship between knowledge and life。 Does not the Ecclesiat say truly: In much wisdom is much grief; he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow; of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh （Eccles。 1:18 and 12:12）？Knowledge is power – so much we understand， at least to a certain extent。 All knowledge is a triumph of the spirit over matter， a subjection of the earth to the lordship of man。 But that knowledge should be life – who can understand that？ And yet， even in the natural order， the depth and riches of life are increased by knowledge。 The more comprehensive the awareness， the more intense the life。 The inanimate creatures do not know， and they do not live。 When consciousness develops in the animals， their life also gains in content and scope。 The richest life among men is the life of him who knows the most。 What， indeed， is the life of the insane， the naive， the simple， the underdeveloped？ It is poor and limited compared with that of the thinker and poet。 But， whatever difference may be noted here， it is only a difference of degree。 Life itself is not changed by it。 And such life， whether in the most distinguished scholar or in the simplest working man， must necessarily end in death， for it is fed only by the limited sources of this world。 But the knowledge that Christ speaks of is not that of a creature but of the one， true God。If the knowledge of visible things can enrich life， how much more will the knowledge of God make for life？ For God is not a God of death and of the dead， but of life and the living。 All those whom He recreated after His image and restored to His fellowship are by that fact raised above the level of death and immortality。 He that believes on me， said Jesus， though he were dead， shall live， and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die （John 11:25-26）。 Knowing God in Christ brings with it eternal life， imperturbable joy， and heavenly blessedness。 These are not merely effects， but the knowing of God is itself immediately a new， eternal and blessed life。In accordance with this teaching of the Holy Scriptures the Christian church determined the character of that body of knowledge or science which from old times has been called Theology or Divinity。 Theology is the science which derives the knowledge of God from His revelation， which studies and thinks into it under the guidance of His Spirit， and then tries to describe it so that it ministers to His honour。 And a theologian， a true theologian， is one who speaks out of God， through God， about God， and does this always to the glorification of His name。 Between the learned and the simple there is only a difference of degree。 Both have one Lord， one faith， one baptism， one God and Father of all， who is above all， and through all， and in you all。 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ （Eph。4:57）。 In this spirit， Calvin began his Genevan Catechism with the question， What is the chief end of man？ And the answer came， clear and resounding: To know God by whom he was created。 In the same way the Westminster Catechism began its lessoning with the question: What is the highest and chief end of man？ And it gave a brief and rich reply: To glorify God and enjoy Him perfectly unto all eternity。" 。。。more
Wade
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This is an excellent， approachable， worshipful， one-volume systematic theology。 It is not， as might be assumed， a condensed version of his magisterial four-volume systematic; that was a work intended for seminary students， pastors， and professors。 This work was intended for the church; Bavink’s intention with this work was to give the church an approachable， accessible systematic theology。 He succeeded。 I enjoyed it cover to cover。 Biblical。 Pastoral。 Worshipful。 Rich。 Edifying。 God-glorifying。
Kevin Fulton
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This book is excellent。
Zachary Leach
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Truly exceptional and far more holistic than most one-volume systematics。 Bavink will expand your mind greatly if you devote time to read him。 One of the greatest delights is finding turns of phrase he has for things that are familiar to you， but refresh and thrill your heart。 For instance on Christ fulling revealing God to us:'He was with God in the beginning， lay in His bosom， and saw Him face to face。 He Himself was God， the brightness of God's glory and the express image of his His person， t Truly exceptional and far more holistic than most one-volume systematics。 Bavink will expand your mind greatly if you devote time to read him。 One of the greatest delights is finding turns of phrase he has for things that are familiar to you， but refresh and thrill your heart。 For instance on Christ fulling revealing God to us:'He was with God in the beginning， lay in His bosom， and saw Him face to face。 He Himself was God， the brightness of God's glory and the express image of his His person， the Father's own， only-begotten， and beloved Son， in whom was all his pleasure。。。 and this Son has come to us and has declared the Father to us。' Read it slowly and it will reward you。 。。。more
Judson Marvel
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Fantastic
Christian Barrett
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What a wonderful book that illustrates the beauty of the God of the Bible and how He works。 This book is essentially a systematic theology that is to be used as a devotional piece。 Bavinck is a brilliant writer that goes the extra mile to articulate in the most precise ways his thoughts about God。 This book isn’t like the intense theological work of Calvin or Frame， but presents key theological doctrines and walks through them biblically and expounds on how they apply to the readers life。 Often What a wonderful book that illustrates the beauty of the God of the Bible and how He works。 This book is essentially a systematic theology that is to be used as a devotional piece。 Bavinck is a brilliant writer that goes the extra mile to articulate in the most precise ways his thoughts about God。 This book isn’t like the intense theological work of Calvin or Frame， but presents key theological doctrines and walks through them biblically and expounds on how they apply to the readers life。 Often times the first sentence of a paragraph presents the beautiful doctrine at hand， but reader do not stop there！ For it is after doing this that he shows how important the doctrine is and just how it applies to ones life。 This may be a book I return again just for the devotional aspects of it。 。。。more
Mitchell Traver
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Beautifully written。 Tremendous articulation。 Complexity made clear。 This was my first encounter with Reformed Theology written in Systematic form。 While my experience with Systematic Theology is rather brief， I'd be hard pressed to believe I could find a better exposition of Scriptural Truth that what I've encountered here in "The Wonderful works of God。" Not only did Herman's insights make sense， they were compelling and made the story of the Scriptures come to life for me。 I would recommend t Beautifully written。 Tremendous articulation。 Complexity made clear。 This was my first encounter with Reformed Theology written in Systematic form。 While my experience with Systematic Theology is rather brief， I'd be hard pressed to believe I could find a better exposition of Scriptural Truth that what I've encountered here in "The Wonderful works of God。" Not only did Herman's insights make sense， they were compelling and made the story of the Scriptures come to life for me。 I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an accessible version of Covenant Theology， and really to anyone who wants to better understand the story of the Scriptures and how God has revealed Himself through them。 。。。more
Matthew
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One of the very best books I've ever read。 Absolutely wonderful。 One of the very best books I've ever read。 Absolutely wonderful。 。。。more
Ian Hall
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Most instructive， irenic and straight forward presentation of Bavinck’s denser four volume （Reformed） systematic theology。 There is no ‘fluff’ here whatsoever。 Each sentence is there with purpose。 Especially instructive and stirring is his presentation of Christ Jesus as the Christian’s （and Church’s） Mediator evident through His offices of Prophet， Priest， and King。 If there was any cause for frustration it comes in all the preliminary pages of ‘Endorsements’， ‘Forewards’， etc。 before reaching Most instructive， irenic and straight forward presentation of Bavinck’s denser four volume （Reformed） systematic theology。 There is no ‘fluff’ here whatsoever。 Each sentence is there with purpose。 Especially instructive and stirring is his presentation of Christ Jesus as the Christian’s （and Church’s） Mediator evident through His offices of Prophet， Priest， and King。 If there was any cause for frustration it comes in all the preliminary pages of ‘Endorsements’， ‘Forewards’， etc。 before reaching a word of Bavinck’s （translated） prose。 。。。more
Persis
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A very accessible work on crucial doctrines of Christianity。 It's very readable， and you will come away in worship for who God is and what he has done。 Don't be put off by the length but take your time。 This book isn't meant to be rushed but savored。 A very accessible work on crucial doctrines of Christianity。 It's very readable， and you will come away in worship for who God is and what he has done。 Don't be put off by the length but take your time。 This book isn't meant to be rushed but savored。 。。。more
Cole Kliewer
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A beautiful and well-organized approach to systematic theology。 He follows the meta-narrative of Scripture and keeps his interpretations and doctrine extremely and fully Christ-centered。 This is a most read from any serious disciple of orthodox， Christian theology。
Nick Roark
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Wonderful
Heath Salzman
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This volume was alright， I expected more from Bavinck。 Parts were beautiful， but for the most it was a bit mundane。
Matthew
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Beautiful language and easy to read。 The translator did a wonderful job capturing （what I assume） Bavinck's eloquence and style。 Enjoyable way to work through systematic theology。 Beautiful language and easy to read。 The translator did a wonderful job capturing （what I assume） Bavinck's eloquence and style。 Enjoyable way to work through systematic theology。 。。。more
Eddie Mercado
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Masterful。 I went from reading the first 300 pages in a month， to finishing the book slowly over the last 8。 Recommend the latter。 Highly devotional。 Excited to read the Bavinck bio now。
Rick Bourque
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My main 2020 read， digested slowly: Bavinck is a refreshing combination of insights and worship。 His insights so sensible and well-reasoned but surprisingly undiscovered and unfamiliar。 He's like a tour guide in a national park you've been to so many times but missed so much。 He's walked the park much slower than the rest of us， so slow he can see more than small details， he sees profound connections。 A few examples: [God's gift of Eve to Adam] "Then when man could not find the thing he sought， My main 2020 read， digested slowly: Bavinck is a refreshing combination of insights and worship。 His insights so sensible and well-reasoned but surprisingly undiscovered and unfamiliar。 He's like a tour guide in a national park you've been to so many times but missed so much。 He's walked the park much slower than the rest of us， so slow he can see more than small details， he sees profound connections。 A few examples: [God's gift of Eve to Adam] "Then when man could not find the thing he sought， then， quite apart from man’s own witting and willing， and without any contributive effort on his own part， God gave man the thing he himself could not supply。 The best things come to us as gifts; …we get them for nothing。 The richest and most precious gift which can be given man on earth is woman。 …the first words of mankind or a romantic hymn。"Just as all things are of the Father， so all things are through the Son （1 Co 8:6）…and they all exist and rest in the Spirit。[the extent of sin's corruption] After all it would be an untenable position psychologically， also， to hold that desire in itself is not sinful， but only becomes so through the will。 To take such a position would be to embrace the unreasonable thought that the will of man stands neutral and external to desire， is itself as yet uncorrupted by sin， and can therefore freely decide whether or not it will go along with the desire。 This righteousness of Christ is so perfect and adequate that it requires no completion or supplementation of our own。 As a matter of fact， it can in no way be increased or amplified by us， for it is an organic whole。 Just as the law is a whole， so that whoever would keep it entirely but should stumble on one commandment would become guilty of all （Jam 2:10）， so too the righteousness which satisfies the demand of the law is a perfect whole and unity like the seamless robe of Jesus， woven from the top throughout （Jn 19:23）。 This righteousness has not been put together from pieces or fragments。 You either have all of it or none of it。 We cannot get a part of it and fill in the rest ourselves。 [Amen！！] 。。。more
Chris
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Dutch Reformed Theology with a Shepherd's HeartHerman Bavinck's The Wonderful Works of God is perhaps the best way to be introduced to his theology。 It was written for the church and it shows。 John Bolt's translation from the original Dutch into English is an enjoyable read that is saturated with devotional warmth and practical concern for the local church - including pastors。This estimate of his four-volume work is equally true of this one-volume abridgement:In sum， Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics Dutch Reformed Theology with a Shepherd's HeartHerman Bavinck's The Wonderful Works of God is perhaps the best way to be introduced to his theology。 It was written for the church and it shows。 John Bolt's translation from the original Dutch into English is an enjoyable read that is saturated with devotional warmth and practical concern for the local church - including pastors。This estimate of his four-volume work is equally true of this one-volume abridgement:In sum， Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics is biblically and confessionally faithful， pastorally sensitive， challenging， and still relevant。 Bavinck’s life and thought reflect a serious effort to be pious， orthodox， and thoroughly contemporary。 To pietists fearful of the modern world on the one hand and to critics of orthodoxy skeptical about its continuing relevance on the other， Bavinck’s example suggests a model answer: an engaging trinitarian vision of Christian discipleship in God’s world。（Bavinck， Herman， Prolegomena。 Edited by John Bolt。 Vol。 1 of Reformed Dogmatics。 Accordance electronic ed。 Grand Rapids: Baker Academic， 2003。）Bavinck Is very quotable and even tweetable。 One reader began to write down Bavinck's Big Idea for the day。 A few chapters were fairly deep and called for perseverance。 But overall this is a great introduction to Dutch Reformed theology for anyone who wants to know God better and worship him more for all His wonderful works of grace。 It is a summary of his more extensive systematic theology， yet it is done in a manner that is rooted in biblical theology。 He traces the wonderful works of God through the story-line of the Bible in an expositional and conversational way。You do not have to be fully Reformed or agree with Bavinck on every point to benefit from this book （e。g。， his arguments for Amillenialism and against Chiliasm [Premillenialism] were less than convincing。 Yet， he repeatedly emphasized the discontinuity of the “birth of the Church” in Acts 2 in ways that would please a Progressive Dispensationalist）。Bavinck is for the church。 He often applies his insights to the pressing needs of local pastors。 I was frequently reminded how relevant past struggles are to our present realities （e。g。， his chapter on Creation）。 He also ends each chapter by focusing the reader’s heart and mind on he greatness and goodness of God。There is a rising tide of Bavinck readers in light of the recent English translations of his works。 This book is a great introduction to his more dense four-volume Reformed Dogmatics。 But an intermediate step can be found in a one-volume abridgment of the four-volume work。 Begin with The Wonderful Works of God>/i> and if you are hungry for more proceed to Reformed Dogmatics: Abridged in One Volume before tackling the the four-volume 。 。。。more
Richard Mounce
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Phenomenal
Alex
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Bavinck was a big thinker。 So big that I began jotting down Bavinck’s Big Idea of the Day each time I picked it up。 The book is filled with mind-stretching concepts and yet remains highly readable。 No jargon。 No nonsense。 Just a good bit of mental exercise。
Bob O'bannon
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