Overview
In partnership with the Dutch Reformed Translation Society, Baker Academic is proud to offer in English for the very first time the fourth and final volume of Herman Bavinck's complete Reformed Dogmatics, now also available as a four-volume set. This volume includes the combined indexes for all four volumes. In addition, editor John Bolt introduces each chapter and has enhanced the footnotes and bibliography. This masterwork will appeal not only to scholars, students, pastors, and laity interested in Reformed theology but also to research and theological libraries.
Table of Contents
Editor's Introduction
Part I: The Spirit Gives New Life to Believers
1. Calling and Regeneration
The Call of God
Eternal Call
Universal Proclamation of the Gospel
The Particular Call of Grace
Rebirth in Other Religions
Regeneration: Scriptural Teaching
The Doctrine of Regeneration in Church History
Modern Reinterpretations of Regeneration
Regeneration: Various Views
The Nature and Extent of Regeneration
Regeneration: An Attempt at Definition
Immediate and Irresistible
The Remonstrant Objection
Becoming Spiritual Persons
Re-formation, Not Re-creation
2. Faith and Conversion
The Knowledge of Faith
Faith as a Universal Created Capacity
Faith Knowledge in Scripture
Rome and the Reformation on Faith
Faith and Regeneration: Which Is Prior?
Faith as Knowledge and Trust
Faith and Renewal of the Will (Conversion)
Repentance
Conversion of Believers?
The Reformation Understanding: Mortification and Vivification
Varieties of Conversion
Fleeing Sin and Loving God
Confession of Sin
Penance and Punishment
3. Justification
Forgiveness Is Not Natural
Forgiveness in Scripture
The Problem of Nomism
The Reformation Renewal: Extrinsic, Forensic Justification
Faith and Justification
Objective and Subjective; Active and Passive
Justification Is Forensic, Not Ethical
Faith Is Necessary but No Ground
Objections to Imputation
Justification in Time or Eternity?
Active and Passive Justification
The Elements of Justification
4. Sanctification and Perseverance
Holiness as Gift and Reward
Rigorism and a Double Morality
Justification and Its Discontents
Sanctification Is Also in Christ
Passive and Active Sanctification
Good Works
The Perfectionist Heresy
Perseverance of the Saints
Part II: The Spirit Creates New Community
5. The Church's Spiritual Essence
The Jewish Roots of the Christian Church
The Church Is One
The Church Is Catholic
The Institutional, Teaching Church
The Church as "Communion of Saints"
The Reformed Doctrine of the Church
Reformation Tangents
The Church as the "People of God"
Church Distinctives
The Marks of the Church
Objections to Reformed Marks
The Real Church in History
The Attributes of the Church
6. The Church's Spiritual Government
The Church as Organism and Institution
Church Government in Scripture
The Apostolic Office: Peter
After the Apostles: Elders, Bishops, Deacons
From Presbyterian to Episcopal
From Episcopal to Papal
The Debate about Petrine Primacy
The Reformation Rejection of Hierarchy
Post-Reformation Developments
Christ Is King of the Church
Church Office as Service
Ordination
How Many Offices?
7. The Church's Spiritual Power
Religious and Civil Power in Israel
New Ecclesial Power
The Development of Episcopal Power
Degeneration of Papal Power: Infallibility
Power Restored to Word and Sacrament
Church Power and Political Power
Confusion of Powers
Spiritual Teaching Power
Spiritual Ruling Power; Discipline
The Power of Mercy
Church Assemblies
The Church's Unique Spiritual Power
8. The Spirit's Means of Grace: Proclamation
Beyond Mysticism and Sacramentalism
Ordinary and Extraordinary: Avoiding One-Sidedness
The Word as Law, Gospel, and Power
Maintaining the Unity of the Covenant of Grace
The Spirit, the Word, and Power
9. The Spirit's Means of Grace: The Sacraments
Defining the Sacraments
Sacramental Doctrine
Signs and Seals
The "Matter" of Sacraments
Objectivity of the Sacraments
How Many Sacraments?
10. The Spirit's Means of Grace: Baptism
The Broader Religious Context of Baptism
Water Baptism and Spirit Baptism
"In the Name of Jesus"
The Rite of Baptism
The Reformation and Baptism
The Manner of Baptism
The Benefits of Baptism
Infant Baptism
The Validity of Infant Baptism
The Administration of Baptism
11. The Spirit's Means of Grace: The Lord's Supper
A Shared Sacrificial Meal
Instituted by Christ?
The Lord's Supper in Church History
The Reformation Debates
The Lord's Supper as Meal
Table or Altar?
Memorial or Sign of Union with Christ?
Transubstantiation: The Mass
The Reformed Doctrine of the Lord's Supper
For Believers Only
Part III: The Spirit Makes All Things New
A. The Intermediate State
12. The Question of Immortality
Philosophy
History and Reason
The Old Testament
Intertestamental Judaism
The New Testament
13. After Death, Then What?
The Move toward Purgatory
Reformation and Deformation
The Need for Scriptural Reserve
Soul Sleep?
Intermediate Corporeality?
Contact with the Living?
14. Between Death and Resurrection
A Second Opportunity?
Purification?
The End of Our Pilgrimage
Intercession for the Dead?
Communion with the Church Triumphant
B. The Return of Christ
15. Visions of the End
A Religious Perspective on the End
The Uniqueness of Old Testament Eschatology
The Rise of Chiliasm
A Scriptural Reply to Chiliasm
16. Israel, the Millennium, and Christ's Return
Difficult Passages on Israel and the Church
"All Israel" in Romans 11
An Interim Millennial Age?
John's Apocalypse
The Millennium in Revelation 20
The Return of Christ
The Timing of Christ's Return
The Manner of Christ's Return
C. The Consummation
17. The Day of the Lord
The Resurrection of the Body
The Judgment
The Place of Punishment
Alternatives to Eternal Punishment
The Answer of Scripture
18. The Renewal of Creation
The Transformation of Creation
The Blessings of the Redeemed
The Wideness of God's Mercy
Service in the Eternal Sabbath
Bibliography
Indexes
Part I: The Spirit Gives New Life to Believers
1. Calling and Regeneration
The Call of God
Eternal Call
Universal Proclamation of the Gospel
The Particular Call of Grace
Rebirth in Other Religions
Regeneration: Scriptural Teaching
The Doctrine of Regeneration in Church History
Modern Reinterpretations of Regeneration
Regeneration: Various Views
The Nature and Extent of Regeneration
Regeneration: An Attempt at Definition
Immediate and Irresistible
The Remonstrant Objection
Becoming Spiritual Persons
Re-formation, Not Re-creation
2. Faith and Conversion
The Knowledge of Faith
Faith as a Universal Created Capacity
Faith Knowledge in Scripture
Rome and the Reformation on Faith
Faith and Regeneration: Which Is Prior?
Faith as Knowledge and Trust
Faith and Renewal of the Will (Conversion)
Repentance
Conversion of Believers?
The Reformation Understanding: Mortification and Vivification
Varieties of Conversion
Fleeing Sin and Loving God
Confession of Sin
Penance and Punishment
3. Justification
Forgiveness Is Not Natural
Forgiveness in Scripture
The Problem of Nomism
The Reformation Renewal: Extrinsic, Forensic Justification
Faith and Justification
Objective and Subjective; Active and Passive
Justification Is Forensic, Not Ethical
Faith Is Necessary but No Ground
Objections to Imputation
Justification in Time or Eternity?
Active and Passive Justification
The Elements of Justification
4. Sanctification and Perseverance
Holiness as Gift and Reward
Rigorism and a Double Morality
Justification and Its Discontents
Sanctification Is Also in Christ
Passive and Active Sanctification
Good Works
The Perfectionist Heresy
Perseverance of the Saints
Part II: The Spirit Creates New Community
5. The Church's Spiritual Essence
The Jewish Roots of the Christian Church
The Church Is One
The Church Is Catholic
The Institutional, Teaching Church
The Church as "Communion of Saints"
The Reformed Doctrine of the Church
Reformation Tangents
The Church as the "People of God"
Church Distinctives
The Marks of the Church
Objections to Reformed Marks
The Real Church in History
The Attributes of the Church
6. The Church's Spiritual Government
The Church as Organism and Institution
Church Government in Scripture
The Apostolic Office: Peter
After the Apostles: Elders, Bishops, Deacons
From Presbyterian to Episcopal
From Episcopal to Papal
The Debate about Petrine Primacy
The Reformation Rejection of Hierarchy
Post-Reformation Developments
Christ Is King of the Church
Church Office as Service
Ordination
How Many Offices?
7. The Church's Spiritual Power
Religious and Civil Power in Israel
New Ecclesial Power
The Development of Episcopal Power
Degeneration of Papal Power: Infallibility
Power Restored to Word and Sacrament
Church Power and Political Power
Confusion of Powers
Spiritual Teaching Power
Spiritual Ruling Power; Discipline
The Power of Mercy
Church Assemblies
The Church's Unique Spiritual Power
8. The Spirit's Means of Grace: Proclamation
Beyond Mysticism and Sacramentalism
Ordinary and Extraordinary: Avoiding One-Sidedness
The Word as Law, Gospel, and Power
Maintaining the Unity of the Covenant of Grace
The Spirit, the Word, and Power
9. The Spirit's Means of Grace: The Sacraments
Defining the Sacraments
Sacramental Doctrine
Signs and Seals
The "Matter" of Sacraments
Objectivity of the Sacraments
How Many Sacraments?
10. The Spirit's Means of Grace: Baptism
The Broader Religious Context of Baptism
Water Baptism and Spirit Baptism
"In the Name of Jesus"
The Rite of Baptism
The Reformation and Baptism
The Manner of Baptism
The Benefits of Baptism
Infant Baptism
The Validity of Infant Baptism
The Administration of Baptism
11. The Spirit's Means of Grace: The Lord's Supper
A Shared Sacrificial Meal
Instituted by Christ?
The Lord's Supper in Church History
The Reformation Debates
The Lord's Supper as Meal
Table or Altar?
Memorial or Sign of Union with Christ?
Transubstantiation: The Mass
The Reformed Doctrine of the Lord's Supper
For Believers Only
Part III: The Spirit Makes All Things New
A. The Intermediate State
12. The Question of Immortality
Philosophy
History and Reason
The Old Testament
Intertestamental Judaism
The New Testament
13. After Death, Then What?
The Move toward Purgatory
Reformation and Deformation
The Need for Scriptural Reserve
Soul Sleep?
Intermediate Corporeality?
Contact with the Living?
14. Between Death and Resurrection
A Second Opportunity?
Purification?
The End of Our Pilgrimage
Intercession for the Dead?
Communion with the Church Triumphant
B. The Return of Christ
15. Visions of the End
A Religious Perspective on the End
The Uniqueness of Old Testament Eschatology
The Rise of Chiliasm
A Scriptural Reply to Chiliasm
16. Israel, the Millennium, and Christ's Return
Difficult Passages on Israel and the Church
"All Israel" in Romans 11
An Interim Millennial Age?
John's Apocalypse
The Millennium in Revelation 20
The Return of Christ
The Timing of Christ's Return
The Manner of Christ's Return
C. The Consummation
17. The Day of the Lord
The Resurrection of the Body
The Judgment
The Place of Punishment
Alternatives to Eternal Punishment
The Answer of Scripture
18. The Renewal of Creation
The Transformation of Creation
The Blessings of the Redeemed
The Wideness of God's Mercy
Service in the Eternal Sabbath
Bibliography
Indexes
Endorsements
“Herman Bavinck has often been unjustly overshadowed by Abraham Kuyper, especially in the English-speaking world. The unavailability in English of his crowning work, Gereformeerde Dogmatiek, has been a particularly significant lack. Bavinck's breadth, thoroughness, rigor, ecumenical interests, and spiritual fervor are clearly on display in this careful and readable translation. It is a splendid gift to theological studies and will contribute to redressing the neglect of this faithful servant of Christ and his church.”
Stephen R. Spencer, Wheaton College
“A welcome addition to the works of Bavinck in English.”
Donald G. Bloesch, emeritus professor of theology, University of Dubuque Theological Seminary
“What a wonderful gift to the English-speaking theological world! The topics explored by Bavinck are still of the utmost importance, and he addresses them here in a theological voice that is amazingly fresh. I pray that the appearance of this volume signals the beginnings of a Bavinck revival!”
Richard J. Mouw, president emeritus and senior professor of faith and public life, Fuller Theological Seminary; Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics, Calvin University
“Finally Bavinck becomes available to the English-speaking world. The Dutch version has been a constant stimulus for students, pastors, and other interested Christians. It has shaped generations of theologians and helped them to preach, think, and act on a fresh, Reformed basis. The strength of Bavinck's dogmatics is that it's neither conservative nor progressive, but its biblical character makes it constantly up-to-date. Baker and the Dutch Reformed Translation Society deserve praise for this project, from which without doubt church and theology will profit for years to come.”
Herman Selderhuis, Theologische Universiteit Apeldoorn
“Bavinck is one of the premier Reformed theologians, but till now much of his magnum opus has not been accessible to English-language readers. We owe a great debt of gratitude to those who have made the treasures of Bavinck's thought available to a new world of appreciative hearers.”
Donald K. McKim, editor, Encyclopedia of the Reformed Faith
“Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics has been the fountainhead of Reformed theology for the last hundred years. It is by far the most profound and comprehensive Reformed systematic theology of the twentieth century. The reader will be amazed by Bavinck's erudition, creativity, and balance. Bavinck is confessionally orthodox, but he recognizes the need to rethink the traditional formulations from Scripture in the context of contemporary discussion. I hope these volumes will have a large readership and will bring forth much theological and spiritual fruit.”
John M. Frame, professor of systematic theology and philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary
“This is one of those seminal works that embodies a significant portion of our Reformed theological heritage. We all should rejoice to see this material finally available in English!”
Samuel T. Logan Jr., Westminster Theological Seminary
“Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics continues to be the standard of modern orthodox dogmatics in the Reformed tradition. It not only is encompassing in content but also shows everywhere a profound insight into the basic problems that a Reformed theology has to face and a deep sensitivity for modern culture. The combination of both made his work famous, and studying his work is fruitful also for a new generation.”
Cornelis van der Kooi, Free University, Amsterdam
“Despite all the important contributions that Dutch Calvinists have made to North American Protestantism, Herman Bavinck remains an obscure figure, lagging behind the influential Abraham Kuyper. With the translation and republication of Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics, this unfortunate situation should change for the better. These four volumes demonstrate the importance and mastery of Bavinck's own contribution to Reformed theology, while providing a useful and striking point of comparison with the best-known twentieth-century Reformed dogmatics, that of Karl Barth. At a time when the scholastic nature of systematic theology has come under serious criticism, Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics reveals the advantage of careful and sustained reflection on Christian truth that is both faithful to the church and engaged with the academy. Readers will discover more than Bavinck the theologian in these volumes; they will learn about the God whom he worshiped and served.”
D. G. Hart, author of The Lost Soul of American Protestantism
“Bavinck's Dutch masterwork was the Everest of which the textbooks by Louis Berkhof and Auguste Lecerf were foothills and Berkouwer's studies in dogmatics were outliers. Like Augustine, Calvin, and Edwards, Bavinck was a man of giant mind, vast learning, ageless wisdom, and great expository skill. Solid but lucid, demanding but satisfying, broad and deep and sharp and stabilizing, Bavinck's magisterial Reformed Dogmatics remains after a century the supreme achievement of its kind.”
J. I. Packer†, professor of theology, Regent College
“Arguably the most important systematic theology ever produced in the Reformed tradition. I have found it to be the most valuable. English-speaking theology throughout the 20th century until now has been singularly impoverished by not having at its disposal a translation of Bavinck's Dogmatiek in its entirety. The appearance of these volumes will be an incomparable boon for generations of students, pastors, teachers, and others, serving to deepen understanding and enrich reflection in both historical and systematic theology.”
Richard B. Gaffin, Jr., professor of biblical and systematic theology, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia
Author
Herman Bavinck
Herman Bavinck (1854-1921) succeeded Abraham Kuyper as professor of systematic theology at the Free University of Amsterdam in 1902.