Ebook Free The Church: The Gospel Made Visible (9Marks), by Mark Dever
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The Church: The Gospel Made Visible (9Marks), by Mark Dever
Ebook Free The Church: The Gospel Made Visible (9Marks), by Mark Dever
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Review
“Mark Dever has rendered an invaluable service to the Body of Christ in this book. Its biblical grounding is sure, and its theological insights are spot on! Few address the issues of ecclesiology better than this pastor/theologian. This work will help us better understand what the church is and what the church does when it is faithful to Scripture.”Daniel L. Akin, President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary“Mark Dever has taught me more about the church than any other living human being. He’s a keen observer and insightful practitioner. In The Church: The Gospel Made Visible, Dever helps us to see how the good news goes cinematic in the nitty-gritty lives of local congregations. What joy comes from recognizing the embodiment of the gospel in our very ordinary congregations!”Thabiti Anyabwile, Senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman Islands“The church today desperately needs to think more deeply about the church. That’s why I’m incredibly thankful for Mark Dever. No one writes as passionately, as winsomely, as biblically, or as practically about the church. This book is a wonderful example of all those traits. Even though my theology is different on a few important points like baptism and congregationalism, I always learn from Mark when he talks ecclesiology. If you love the church, you’ll love this book. And if the doctrine of the church sounds terribly unimportant, then you need to read this book even more.”Kevin DeYoung, Senior pastor, University Reformed Church, East Lansing, Michigan“I’m not sure that I know anyone who has read more on ecclesiology, from the whole breadth of the Christian tradition, than Mark Dever. So, his exegesis is not done in isolation but in conversation with twenty centuries of Christian thinking. As a Presbyterian, I would encourage non-Baptists and non-congregationalists to read and engage with Mark’s work, not only because it is so welldone, biblical, and helpful, but also because of a huge evangelical blind spot the book addresses. Ecclesiology is indisputably one of evangelicalism’s great weaknesses, in part because of subjectivism, individualism, and pragmatism. Mark offers a robust corrective to this, and even where you may disagree you will find yourself edified and instructed. Mark approaches this subject not simply as a skilled historical theologian and systematician, but also as a local church pastor who has fostered a vital and healthy embrace of biblical polity in his own congregation, with happy results. He is no “dry- land sailor” or impractical theoretician but a faithful shepherd. The growth and life and fruitfulness of his flock testify to this.”Ligon Duncan, Senior minister, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi“Trust me, if you talk with my friend Mark Dever for more than five minutes, the local church will come up in the conversation—not only because it is the focus of his impressive academic work, but because the church is to him as it was to Charles Spurgeon, ‘the dearest place on earth.’ Over many discussions Mark has taught me much about the church, and even in areas where we disagree, I’ve been affected by his passion for the church. This book allows you to have a similar conversation with Mark, and I have no doubt that your heart will be stirred with love for the church universal and for your local church in particular.”C. J. Mahaney, President, Sovereign Grace Ministries“For far too long, the church has suffered for its lack of attention to ecclesiology. Thankfully, that neglect has given way to a new age of rediscovery, and Mark Dever has been a key catalyst for the recovery of biblical ecclesiology. In this book, you will find a faithful, truthful, thrilling understanding of the church. But be warned: Once you read this book, you will never be satisfied until you are a part of a church that is growing into this kind of faithfulness and life.”R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
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About the Author
Mark Dever is senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC and president of 9Marks. He holds degrees from Duke University (B.A.), Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.), The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Theol.), and Cambridge University (PH.D.).
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Product details
Series: 9Marks
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: B&H Academic (April 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9781433677762
ISBN-13: 978-1433677762
ASIN: 1433677768
Product Dimensions:
6 x 0.4 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
4.3 out of 5 stars
37 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#290,661 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Mark Dever aims to provide a basic primer on the doctrine of the church. He argues that the doctrine of the church is the most visible part of Christian theology. This book aims to show that the visibility of the church is the Gospel of which it practices. Dever writes, “the church arises only from the gospel. And a distorted church usually coincides with a distorted gospel.†The visibility of the Gospel is more than just the speaking and proclaiming it is the living out. He again says, “To put it another way, Christian proclamation might make the gospel audible, but Christians living together in local congregations make the gospel visible (see John 13:34-35).†He ends the book saying, “the church is to be the appearance of the gospel. It is what the gospel looks like when played out in people’s lives. Take away the church and you take away the visible manifestation of the gospel in the world.â€Dever accomplishes this goal by asking four fundamental questions regarding what Christians are to do together. He asks, 1) what are we supposed to do, 2) what are we supposed to believe, 3) what are we supposed to do together in church, and 4) How are we supposed to make decisions.StrengthsOne of the strengths of this book is its explanation of the kingdom and the church. Dever writes, “the relationship between the kingdom and the church can therefore be defined: the kingdom of God creates the church.†Dever relies upon the work of George Ladd who explains that the kingdom is not a place or a political entity but rather a rule of God. The church then is a society of people who are ruled by God. This explanation is helpful in explaining that the kingdom of God is separate from the people of God. This is probably where Dever shows his non-dispensational Amill hand. He stresses, along with other amillennials, the rule of God’s kingdom where dispensationalists stress the place of God’s kingdom.Unfortunately, Dever’s biblical claims to this distinction falls flat. He cites Matt 16:19 specifically where Jesus promised to give “the keys of the kingdom of heaven.†Dever says, “whatever he precisely means by promising the keys of the kingdom, the power of the kingdom is certainly entrusted to the church. ‘The kingdom is God’s deed. It has come into the world in Christ.’†The biblical defense from Matthew 16:19 is lacking.Dever also says, “Jesus fulfilled explicit promises of God in the Old Testament and even patterns found there. He is the fulfillment of the temple and its priesthood, of the land and its rulers, even of the nation of Israel as a son of God.†No specific explanation is given by Dever as to how Christ is the fulfillment of the land promises given.Dever’s chapter on the marks of the church were very clear and straightforward. Dever lists two main marks of the church. Preaching and the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s table. Another strength would be the chapter on membership which is both clear and persuasive to be members of a local church.Dever’s chapter on the polity of the church was very helpful. I found myself wishing he would go further in explanation I realized that this book is not an exhaustive work but a primer on the doctrine of the church. His explanation of the different offices of the church and responsibility of the members of the church was very well laid out. I found his distinction between elder-rule and elder-led to be a clarifying statement on why churches differ on their leadership. Dever’s own combination position I found intriguing. He says, “on matters that are important and clear, the elders and congregation should normally agree; and when they do not, the authority of the congregation is final. On matters that are less clear, the congregation should trust the elders and go along with them, trusting God’s providential work through them.†He later expands his view calling it Elder-led, Congregationally Governed. He explains that “the congregation’s authority is more like an emergency-break than a steering wheel. The congregation more normally recognizes than creates, responds rather than initiates, confirms rather than proposes.†This position maintains the plural elder leadership while involving the congregation in weighty matters. I can see how this can be helpful in situations where the elders may not be united in an issue like direction for a church building or possibly the unfortunate division in a church discipline matter. I would like to see how this is effectively implemented.Dever’s chapter on the hope of the church thoughtfully encourages the church to serve its local community in good deeds. He says, “Churches should teach and pray for and expect their members to be involved in a wide variety of good works… this can be done without leading the congregation as a whole to own or support those particular ministries (by congregationally funding or staffing them).†We practice this model in our church and found it to be liberating since church members are free and not bound to a church committee or support. They can serve locally with the joy of the Lord and in a variety of ways the Lord has gifted them.The most helpful would probably be the historical chapters in the book. The section on the rise of denominations was enlightening. Dever comments on Calvin’s stance on truth over unity saying, “the Reformers recognized that the cost of unity at the price of truth was a bad bargain. Correct division should be preferred over corrupt unity.â€Overall I would recommend this book as a easy to read primer on the topic of the Church.
Have you been searching for a modern Baptist ecclesiology? Look no further. Mark Dever says in the opening pages that he decided to rewrite and expand his chapter from Akin's A Theology for the Church into book length because nothing has been produced like this from a Baptistic perspective. There just aren't any works that we can point people to. So, now you have a new resource. This is not a long book either. It's very manageable. Dever, a true scholar, made this book very accesible. Neither does he need many words to express what he has to say. The words he does use are powerful. It's one of those books that you will want to underline almost every sentence.It's densely packed with insight from a pastor-theologian who has built his preaching ministry around the Word of God. Dever's passion is for healthy churches. He believes that God's Word is sufficient for every aspect of the church. This is the first part of the book. I. What Does the Bible Say? Here he gives us the biblical foundations of the church. Then he looks at historical issues related to the life of the church in II. What Has the Church Believed? Finally Dever answers in the final part III. How Does It All Fit Together? This is the modern application for church life.While I did initially expect the book to be longer, Dever packs it with footnotes and points the reader to many reference sources. It's a great primer on Ecclesiology. I would recommend it if you're familiar with Dever's previous works on healthy churches because this treatment of the church seems to be more of a complete thought, more well-rounded. And, if you're not familiar with Dever this would be the best place to start.Let me answer an objection I could foresee, "Read a Baptist book?" Yes, even if you're not persuaded by credobaptism, this book will truly help you biblically define what a church is. Dever's solid foundations and formulations will challenge you to think Scripturally about many of our accepted practices within the church today. Many of the blurbs in the front will attest to this as well.
This book was assigned reading for my Systematic Theology class. So I expected it to be interesting, perhaps a little bit dry, but what I got was a multi-dimensional work. Mark Dever succinctly points out what has proven to be an all to familar situation in many of our churches today, "If something is not essential for salvation, it is treated as unimportant and therefore dismissable." Notwithstanding the Bible indicates that even matters that are nonessential for salvation are still of importance. Contrary to the thoughts of perhaps many, people do in fact "think about these things" The church fathers of our mallennia were absolutely interested in issues such as polity, right order of worship, and church discipline." This is why whole denominations are called Presbyterian or Congregational or Methodist or Episcopalian...." 1 "John Bunyan and Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley and C. H. Spurgeon— all of them believed that the Bible taught us how we should organize our churches."
If your love for the church has faded, if your view of the relevance of the Gospel has been jaded by current fads, then read this book! The Church: The Gospel Made Visible will rekindle your love for the church and help you grasp its central role by putting the Gospel on brilliant display for our communities and the world to see!! It will help you fall in love with the Body of Christ all over again.
Mark Dever does a wonderful job at giving a wide lens view of how the church begun, the purpose of church, and the adminstration of the church ordinances. His writing is always simplistic, yet profound. Thank God for the nine marks. It has truly been a blessing to me on educating myself about the church while aiding me in the growth of my love for the body, in which Christ paid the price for.
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