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Jeffrey D. Johnson

The Revealed God

5 (9 Reviews)
$23.95 USD $33.95 USD
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Clothbound Hardcover with Dust Jacket (Shrink wrapped!)
6" x 9"
304 pages

Jeffrey D. Johnson’s interview with James White on the Dividing Line Podcast.

Description

An Introduction to Biblical Classical Theism 

What role should philosophy play in shaping our understanding of the nature of God? Is there a basic agreement between Plato’s and Aristotle’s doctrine of God and the God of Scripture? Were the Scholastics wise in seeking to harmonize Platonism and Aristotelianism with Christianity? Is understanding the Scholastic heritage necessary in understanding the doctrine of God as expressed in the Protestant confessions of the sixteenth and seventeenth century? The Revealed God answers these questions by showing how philosophy is in opposition to special revelation. Because philosophies of this world are not built on natural revelation, they do not share a common foundation with the Christian worldview. The various impersonal conceptions of God purported by classical, modern, and post-modern philosophy directly oppose the personal God of Scripture. Instead of borrowing from the spoils of pagan philosophy, Christians should reject philosophy and build their doctrine of God exclusively from divine revelation. If we want to know God, we must know the God of revelation!

 

Endorsements

There is nothing more life-changing than to know that the eternal, unchanging God has spoken. God’s words are words of self-disclosure. Furthermore, if God is to be known, he must take the initiative to reveal himself to fallen, finite creatures. These truths should be precious to the Church. But today, God’s revelation in nature and in Scripture, and the use of philosophy to articulate the doctrine of God, are all hotly contested issues. Sometimes the rhetoric is uncharitable at best. Into this fray Jeff Johnson has entered once again. Jeff sees a truly fundamental difference between philosophical classical theism and biblical classical theism. Jeff argues that it is the sufficient Scriptures, the inspired self-disclosure of God, that authoritatively reveals God’s transcendence and immanence. The God of creation has been revealed in His own holy Word and in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is this revelation alone that gives us a true knowledge of God. With much heat in this debate, it is my hope that there might be some fruitful discussion because of Jeff’s hard work.

— Dr. Brian Borgman

 Pastor Grace Community Church, Minden, NV 
Author, An Exile's Guide to Walking with God

 

It is so important for Christians to understand what their options are when it comes to thinking about God. Johnson's book offers an easy to read introduction to rival models of God. This will leave readers with much food for thought as they continue their journey towards knowing God well. 

— Dr. Ryan Mullins 

Philosopher/Theologian
Author, God and Emotion

 

Over the centuries, churches, denominations, and individual theologians have moved away from dedication to sola scriptura and the ultimate authority (and divine nature) of Scripture toward human philosophies and traditions with always predictable results. Jeff Johnson is providing a much-needed clarion call to avoid this error in our day by explaining the difference between Biblical Classical Theism and Philosophical Classical Theism. This is a much-needed discussion and correction of current trends. May God bless it to the edification of his church.

— James White

 Alpha & Omega Ministries

 

 

Though this book deals throughout with highly philosophical concepts, the author is to be commended for writing in a simple style that makes these difficult matters much more accessible to the rest of us. This book argues that there is not a simple adoption by the Reformation of Thomas Aquinas’s melding of Philosophical and Biblical Classical Theism. I have for a long time thought that this is the case. Dr. Johnson’s book deserves more than a dismissive response. There will certainly be Reformed brothers who disagree. But this book needs to be answered and not merely dismissed.

— Dr. Sam Waldron

Pastor, Grace Reformed Baptist Church
President, Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary

Author, A Man as Priest in His Home

 

In The Revealed God, Jeffrey Johnson reminds Protestants that they must not forget their commitment to the supremacy of Scripture as the only sufficient and infallible authority when they construct their theology proper. If you’re looking to develop a doctrine of God that’s faithful to the teaching of Scripture, I heartily recommend Johnson’s book as a preface to your study. 

— Dr. Robert Gonzales

Dean, Reformed Baptist Seminary

Editor, The Confessing Baptist

 


Author Bio

Jeffrey D. Johnson is the founding pastor of Grace Bible Church and President of Grace Bible Theological Seminary in Conway, Arkansas, where he resides with his wife, Letha, and their four children. He is the author of several books, including The Church, He Died for Me, The Kingdom of God, The Absurdity of Unbelief, and The Sovereignty of God. Check out his other titles HERE.




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G****e
2024-03-22
This complex subject is explained very well so that the common man can understand it!
J**a
2024-01-28
Dr. Jeffery Johnson might have written the most important work on the doctrine of God known to man, outside the Bible, of course. In this book, the author deals with how God reveals Himself to us. Do we need to attach ourselves to pagan philosophy to understand the God of the Bible? How should we understand things such as divine simplicity, natural revelation, who God is, etc.? We will even see how many within church history abandoned divine revelation in favor of human philosophies and also how past Christians have dealt with the debate of natural revelation and the doctrine of divine simplicity. There is so much you can expect from this book, and I hope it serves you as well as it did me. I took a lot of notes and saw many connections and patterns of how foundational arguments work themselves out consistently or inconsistently within each camp. This isn't a difficult book to read, but it is a weighty one, so you are in for a treat. May you read this book and find yourself running to the scriptures with such awe of the knowable Triune God of the Bible.
J**f
2024-02-15
Excellently written and easy to read. Dr. Jeffrey Johnson has written a well-reasoned and insightful book on how we acquire our understanding of God. There is a great contrast between reasoning from what God has revealed of Himself in Scripture (and nature), versus reasoning from ourselves and trying to get to the revealed God. Dr. Johnson dug through a pile of historical and philosophical sources to arrive at the foundational problems with man's attempts to define and understand God by starting with the self. Then he describes how starting with the revealed God corrects and eliminates those problems. 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom' is set in clear opposition to 'wisdom is the beginning of understanding God.' I have given a copy to my Pastor to edify and encourage him. And I have given copies to a couple of church members that are enamored with a philosophical approach to Christianity. I look forward to the discussions we will have. Two suggestions: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE put the footnotes on the bottom of the page and not in the back of the book. Putting them in the back is frustratingly tedious for those of us that want to check sources and citations. I realize that is the 'modern' way of laying out a book, and it is (IMHO) a substantial and significant regression for studious individuals. The second suggestion, and this may be too far off from the primary purpose of the book, but I would like to see a more explicit engagement with how to apply these premises toward other 'my philosophy informs my theology' authors such as William Lane Craig. I don't think that's a big stretch, and it would help those of us not trained in theology or philosophy. Overall, this is an excellent and useful analysis that is needed today, and will remain applicable for as long as philosophers try to force Scripture into their systems instead of making their philosophies fit within the bounds of Scripture. It is a permanent fixture in my library. Well Done!
D*******d
2024-01-17
A thorough look at how pagan philosophy (including various branches of "Christian" philosophy) falls short in Christian theology. The author did a phenomenal job explaining disputed, complex topics at a level the average person can comprehend and emphasized the sufficiency of Scripture in every area. He was clear in his explanations, concise in his references and quotations, and fair in his approach, even toward sides that contradicted or muddled Scripture. The author uses abundant Scripture references and quotations from church and classical Greek history, and graciously yet firmly points out the inconsistencies, logical conclusions, and subtle deception of philosophical classical theism. The author does a great job answering many questions regarding topics such as divine impassibility, Scripture and reason/logic, biblicism, and how the Trinity adequately solves a myriad of questions. He also goes through history and shows that the constant push for human philosophy within Christian circles is ongoing and an attack against the sufficiency of Scripture. I appreciated his emphasis on being Biblically informed about both sides and the issues at stake. The book is gracious and truth-centered, rather than inflammatory or divisive. RECOMMENDED for anyone interested in philosophy, the sufficiency of Scripture, and understanding God more accurately. OUTLINE PART 1 - THE GOD OF NATURAL REVELATION 1. The Personal God of Natural Revelation 2. The Efficacy of Natural Revelation 3. The Necessity and Consistency of Natural Revelation PART 2 - THE GOD OF PAGAN PHILOSOPHY 4. The Impersonal God of Pagan Philosophy 5. The Inconsistency of Rationalism 6. The Inconsistency of Empiricism 7. The Inconsistency of Existentialism 8. The Inconsistency of Pagan Philosophy PART 3 - THE GOD OF CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY 9. Christian Platonism 10. Christian Rationalism 11. Christian Mysticism 12. Christian Empiricism 13. Christian Existentialism 14. Philosophical Classical Theism 15. The Inconsistency of Philosophical Classical Theism 16. The Inconsistency of Philosophical Mutualism PART 4 - THE GOD OF SPECIAL REVELATION 17. The Sufficiency of Scripture 18. The Scriptural Rejection of Pagan Philosophy 19. The Scriptural Solution to Pagan Philosophy 20. The Personal God of Scripture APPENDIX - Includes Outline and Endnotes
J******h
2024-02-05
In a day when being a "Biblicist" has become a rather nasty thing, even though this is precisely what our Puritan forefathers were, it is encouraging to see this book, The Revealed God, set us on the firm foundation of God's word against man-made and man-centered philosophies. The doctrine of God is not meant to be a playground for human speculation, but the product of a believing grasp of God's word. Jeff Johnson has done the church a service in showing us the difference between Biblical classical theology and philosophical classical theology - the former being rooted in Scripture and the latter in pagan speculation. In the spirit of Luther, he has argued that unless we can be convicted by Scripture and plain reason, we ought not to accept the authority of these extra-Biblical resources, and that our conscience must be bound by the word of God. I highly recommend this book and hope that with God's blessing it will get the widest possible audience.
C***s
2024-01-03
Dr. Johnson has written another excellent book dealing with the issue of the utilization of Greek Philosophy as the lens through which a Christian must look in order to have a "Classical" understanding of God. Dr. Johnson's concern is for the believer to not feel that he must place undue emphasis on certain Greek Metaphysical and Philosophical notions. As the title states, Dr. Johnson is introducing what he calls "Biblical Classical Theism" as it is contrasted with what he refers to as "Philosophical Classical Theism." In Part One, "The God of Natural Revelation", Dr. Johnson relates to us the ways that God has revealed Himself in Nature. "Natural revelation is the efficacious communication of God in all His creative works whereby He clearly, instantaneously, continuously, and freely reveals Himself to all humanity." God has told us specific things in an effective way in his Creation. Moving into Part Two, "Pagan Philosophy", Dr. Johnson discusses how philosophy (i.e. Natural Theology) cannot ultimately give us the answers to HOW God can be a personal God who is also transcendent over His creation. Part Three is about "The God of Christian Philosophy" and outlines various ways that Christians have sought to reconcile Philosophy with both Natural and Special Revelation. We see chapters on Christian Platonism, Christian Rationalism, and Christian Existentialism. These lead into the discussion of "Philosophical Classical Theism." There are certainly some contradictions involved in attempting to reconcile Philosophy and Revelation. Two of the primary issues are that Natural Theology cannot account for creation ex nihilo or that God can actually have "free will". In Part Four, Dr. Johnson comes to a discussion of "Special Revelation" and its necessary and primary place in man's understanding of the being of God. Pagan Philosophy simply cannot account for certain truths in Scripture. Some of these were mentioned above. Also, the Trinity is a doctrine understood from Special Revelation. The doctrine of the Trinity is a wrench in the Philosophical notion of an unmoved mover - we can see Biblically that there are descriptions of ad intra relations among the Persons of the Godhead. Dr. Johnson stated the following in referring to others in the past who have spoken of an intra-Trinitarian love: "The Westminster Divine, Daniel Burgess (1645-1713), stated: 'The infinite glory of the divine persons, shines in their relations one to the other… their blessedness consist in their loving, and being loved of one another.'" and "Thomas Goodwin (1600-1680) claimed: 'If the divine nature had not afforded in having in it three persons really distinct, knowing, rejoicing in, glorying of, and speaking unto each other, there had not been a perfection of blessedness.'" The final chapters (19 and 20) on "The Relational God of Scripture" and "The Sufficiency of Scripture" are must-read chapters in this current discussion. I will end this review with something Dr. Johnson stated in Chapter 19: "There is only one God, and that is the God of the Bible. It is He who made us (Gen. 1:27). It is He who speaks to us (Gen. 1:28). It is He who commands us (Gen. 1:29). It is He who entered a covenant with us (Gen. 2:15-17). It is the One who exiled us, sinners, from His presence (Gen. 3:24) who sent His only Son to redeem us from our sins and bring us back into His presence (John 3:16). How does the Bible define God? To ask this question is to ask how God defines Himself, for the Bible is God’s Word. If we want to know God, this is all that matters. The so-called wise men of this world will say what they will about the nature of God, but the only thing that matters is what God says about Himself."
C*******n
2024-01-31
I am thankful for Johnson for making clear the issues at stake in this recently re-dug up controversy. Helpful to identify the philosophical notions behind the simplicity of God’s operations. There are indeed different ideas behind what God’s simplicity entails and though it is an orthodox doctrine it is nevertheless taken to extreme theories derived from Aristotle’s philosophy as absorbed by Aquinas. It was also very helpful to read about the reality that the Westminster confession was drawn up in such a way to include those who had different notions behind the impassibility, simplicity of God and you the doctrine that God is without any passions. One of the big take aways is that not only is the Thomistic revival of what it means for God to be simple not derived from Scripture alone, but also that it is ridiculous and divisive to accuse those who don’t hold to these Thomistic views as unorthodox.
D***d
2023-12-04
Dr. Jeffery Johnson clearly presents the difference between biblical and philosophical classical theism and why the former leads to the God of the Bible and the latter leads to an “unmoved mover” that is nothing like the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible has revealed Himself to us in His Word in such a way that we can truly, although not extensively, know who he is. The god of philosophical classical theism is an immobile being who cannot interact with his creation. Biblical classical theism understands the anthropomorphic language of the Bible to give us true information about how God interacts with His creation in an analogical way. Philosophical classical theism states that God is so “other” from us that we cannot truly know anything about God other than what He is not. “if biblicism is the refusal to incorporate extra-biblical and contra-biblical concepts and ideas into Christianity, then let’s make biblicism great again.” I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to know more about the God of the Bible as He has revealed Himself to us.
D***d
2024-01-29
This book is worth every penny I spent to purchase it. My copy has countless highlights, underlines, asterisks, and notes to point me back to key information that helped me better understand and articulate the point of view set forth by Pastor Johnson. The references given are not only very helpful, but also demonstrate the amount of research done by Pastor Johnson to defend his position. No matter what side of the discussion you are on regarding the Doctrine of God, this book gives the Reformed community plenty to discuss and interact with.