Valiant for Truth - Christian Education

The redemptive historical unity and unfolding of the Bible was one of the great revelations of my time of study at Westminster; I felt like the scales fell from my eyes in virtually every biblical lecture. And Cocceius and the story of covenant in the early Reformed tradition shows that this redemptive historical perspective is essential to the Reformation’s turn ad fontes, to the sources of our faith in Scripture. It is essential in a crucial sense to the Gospel. I’m convinced that this insight sets Westminster California apart from every other seminary out there, and it is a reflection of its fidelity to the Word of God and the Scriptures.

As I began reading Cocceius, the final ingredient in choosing my topic was provided by my doctoral advisor at Calvin, Richard Muller. This was a method of study, namely exegetical history, the tracing of theological development through sermons and commentaries. 

I was a double major at Stanford, History and Religious Studies, before I realized I could graduate early and save some money by dropping the History and focusing on an honors thesis. So history was always an integral part of my understanding of the faith. In fact, it was an integral part in my becoming Reformed. 

This week we begin a multi-part interview with one of our alumni, Rev. Dr. Brian Lee. Brian is the Pastor of Christ United Reformed Church, Washington D. C., and is also a graduate of Calvin Theological Seminary, where he studied under Richard Muller. His doctoral dissertation, Johannes Cocceius and Federal Theology, was recently published by Vandenhock & Ruprecht this past year. 

When Jesus was summing up the greatest commandment in the law, part of his answer included “to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37). But what does it mean to love the Lord God with one’s whole intellect?