Since we’re getting closer to our conference weekend – Clarus ’11 – it’s time to get better acquainted with our speakers. Over the next two weeks, we will be posting conference related videos, quotes, and links to excite those who have already bought a ticket, and entice those who haven’t yet done so. Tickets, by the way, are available online or at the church office.

So, let’s start with a quote from G.K. Beale. Dane Ortlund recently asked a number of biblical scholars, pastors, and leaders to summarize the message of the Bible in a sentence. John Frame wrote, “God glorifies himself in the redemption of sinners.” Kevin DeYoung wrote, “A holy God sends his righteous Son to die for unrighteous sinners so we can be holy and live happily with God forever.”

Dr. Beale managed to say quite a bit in this single sentence:

The OT storyline appears best to be summarized as: the historical story of God who progressively reestablishes his new creational kingdom out of chaos over a sinful people by his word and Spirit through promise, covenant, and redemption, resulting in worldwide commission to the faithful to extend that new creation rule and resulting in judgment for the unfaithful (defeat and exile), all of which issues into his glory; the NT storyline can be summarized as: Jesus’ life of covenantal obedience, trials, judgmental death for sinners, and especially resurrection by the Spirit has launched the fulfillment of the eschatological already-and-not-yet promised new creation reign, bestowed by grace through faith and resulting in worldwide commission to the faithful to extend this new creation rule and resulting in judgment for the unfaithful, unto God’s glory.

Read more about Dr. Beale at the Clarus speaker page, and check back as the week clicks along for more quotes, videos, and links.

Tickets for Clarus are available online here.

The Gospel Coalition’s National Conference was held from Tuesday through Thursday of this week. The theme was “They Testify About Me: Preaching Jesus and the Gospel from the Old Testament.” Conference audio is now available for download.

• Session 1: R. Albert Mohler, Jr.: “Studying the Scriptures and Finding Jesus” (John 5:31-47)
• Session 2: Tim Keller: “Getting Out” (Exodus 14)
• Session 3: Alistair Begg: “From a Foreigner to King Jesus” (Ruth)
• Session 4: Panel Discussion: Preaching from the Old Testament
  Panel: Tim Keller, John Piper, Crawford Loritts, Don Carson, Bryan Chapell
• Session 5: James MacDonald: “Not According to Our Sins” (Psalm 25)
• Session 6: Conrad Mbewe: “The Righteous Branch” (Jeremiah 23:1-8)
• Session 7: Matt Chandler: “Youth” (Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:14)
• Session 8: Mike Bullmore: “God’s Great Heart of Love Toward His Own” (Zephaniah)
• Session 9: Don Carson: “Getting Excited about Melchizedek” (Psalm 110)

Early on Thursday morning, a session was added, “God: Abounding in Love, Punishing the Guilty.” According to Collin Hansen, this event was “prompted by recent events that have cast doubt on evangelical teaching about the love of God, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, and judgment for sin.” Audio from D.A. Carson’s special address is available, as well as audio from the panel discussion which followed, including Kevin DeYoung, Tim Keller, Stephen Um, and Crawford Loritts.

Clarus ’11 will be different than in previous years in several ways. One new “upgrade” is book giveaways. In fact, if you come to the conference you will leave with more value in books than the cost of your ticket. Each of these books are given away complementary of their respective publishers.

We’re happy to announce these giveaways ahead of the conference, in part, so you’ll familiarize yourself with these publishers.

• B&H Publishers: Holman Christian Standard Bible
• Crossway: A Chapter from Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ, by Russell Moore
• Matthias Media: One on One Bible Reading, by David Helm
• Moody Publishers: Reverberation: How God’s Word brings Light, Freedom, and Action to His People, by Jonathan Leeman
• Shepherd Press: Christ Formed in You: The Power of the Gospel for Personal Change, by Brian Hedges

Several of these publishers will also be with us at the conference. Stop by the new Clarus Books and Resources room for discounts on more excellent titles.

If you have’t secured your place yet, you can buy your ticket(s) online.

This week, from Tuesday through Thursday, The Gospel Coalition’s national conference will take place in Chicago. For those who would like to be there but can’t make it, there’s good news. You can still watch the nine plenary sessions via live stream hosted at Desiring God Live.

Here’s the schedule (times converted to Mountain Time):

Tuesday, April 12

• 1 PM R. Albert Mohler Jr., “Studying the Scriptures and Finding Jesus” (John 5:31-47)
• 3 PM Tim Keller, “Getting Out” (Exodus 14)
• 6 PM Alistair Begg, “From a Foreigner to King Jesus” (Ruth)
• 7 PM Tim Keller, Ligon Duncan, Crawford Loritts, Don Carson, Bryan Chapell, “Preaching from the Old Testament”

Wednesday, April 13

• 8:30 AM James MacDonald,  “Not According to Our Sins” (Psalm 25)
• 6 PM Conrad Mbewe, “The Righteous Branch” (Jeremiah 23:1-8)
• 7 PM Matt Chandler, “Youth” (Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:14)

Thursday, April 14

• 8:30 AM Mike Bullmore, “God’s Great Heart of Love Toward His Own” (Zephaniah)
• 10 AM D. A. Carson, “Getting Excited about Melchizedek” (Psalm 110)

We’re looking forward to having Dr. G.K. Beale with us at Clarus, which is now only three weeks away. Dr. Beale recently published an article in the Westminster Theological Journal related to the theme of our conference, “Scripture: God Speaks.” The title adequately describes his subject, “Can the Bible be Completely Inspired by God and yet Contain Errors? A Response to Some Recent ‘Evangelical’ Proposals.”

The total truthfulness of God’s word has been creatively subverted since the serpent twisted the words of God in the garden. Sometimes the truthfulness of God’s word is called into question among those who claim allegiance to God and His word. Inerrancy, some say, isn’t an idea found in the Bible, but an idea we have imposed on the Bible. Some would even say this is a form of idolatry. They would argue that a belief in inerrancy means we take the Bible more seriously than God. Can that be true?

Dr. Beale begins his response with this paragraph:

There has been much literature written over the past fifty years on the topic of the authority of the Bible, especially discussions within so-called “evangelicalism” concerning the nature of the notions of infallibility and inerrancy. Recent writers have especially questioned the traditional understanding of inerrancy. In particular, a central idea underlying inerrancy has been that since God is true and without error and, therefore, his oral word is true and without error, consequently, his word in Scripture is true and without error. This implication or theological inference that reasons from God’s flawless character to flawless Scripture has been challenged, and it has been argued that it is a logical deduction that is never made in the Bible. Accordingly, it is argued that though God, of course, is true and without error, he can, and indeed has, inspired all of Scripture in such a way that, nevertheless, the marks of human fallibility are woven into it. Thus, there are what we would consider to be “errors” in the biblical text, but God has inspired even those “errors” to form a part of his message to his people.

In the rest of his article, Beale shows how the line from God’s faithfulness to the faithfulness of His written word is not only logical, but Scriptural. That is, that the Scriptures are “God breathed,” does indeed mean that God’s faithfulness is reflected in what is written.

Dr. Beale argues primarily from the book of Revelation, where Jesus, the “faithful and true witness” (3:14), says to John, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (21:5), and speaks of what John has written as “trustworthy and true” (22:6). Here, Jesus’ faithfulness extends to his oral word, and from his oral word to its inscripturation.

The entire article is available online as a pdf. Read it and enjoy!

Also, if you haven’t purchased tickets yet, remember that you can do so online.

HT: Dane Ortlund