How the Protestant Reformers are Still Changing the World

Tag: John Murray

John Murray on the Obedience of Christ

“Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 5:8-10

Prof. John Murray (1898-1975) of Westminster Theological Seminary

Prof. John Murray enjoyed a lengthy career of teaching systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia (1930-1966). He taught alongside other Reformed and Presbyterian notables such as O. T. Allis, R. B. Kuiper, J. Gresham Machen, Ned Stonehouse, Cornelius Van Til, and Paul Woolley. Murray had a particular gift of asking the hard questions about some of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith. For example, the following quotation on Christ’s obedience seeks to penetrate beyond a surface understanding of the Atonement and to consider actually how our Lord accomplished salvation for the Elect. Murray does this by delineating between the preceptive and the penal aspects of God’s Law. He argues that Jesus Christ fulfilled both aspects of the Law–he kept the Law perfectly in all of its precepts, and he satisfied the penal requirements of the Law by “becoming sin for us” thereby securing our salvation (Rom. 5:18-19; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13-14). Consider this following quote by Murray:

“The real use and purpose of the formula (i.e. the active and passive obedience of Christ) is to emphasize the two distinct aspects of our Lord’s vicarious obedience. The truth expressed rests upon the recognition that the law of God has both penal sanctions and positive demands. It demands not only the full discharge of its precepts but also the infliction of penalty for all infractions and shortcomings. It is the twofold demand of the law of God which is taken into account when we speak of the active and passive obedience of Christ. Christ as the vicar of his people came under the curse and condemnation due to sin and he also fulfilled the law of God in all its positive requirements. In other words, he took care of the guilt of sin and perfectly fulfilled the demands of righteousness. He perfectly met both the penal and the preceptive requirements of God’s law. The passive obedience refers to the former and the active obedience to the latter. Christ’s obedience was vicarious in the bearing of the full judgment of God upon sins, and it was vicarious in the full discharge of the demands of righteousness. His obedience becomes the ground of the remission of sin and of actual justification.”

john Murray, Redemption: Accomplished and Applied, 16-17

This kind of thoughtful analysis is rarely found, and when it is found we should value it and the insights that it brings to light.

Source of this Information:
Murray, John. Redemption: Accomplished and Applied. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 1955.

Other Resources from John Murray to consider purchasing:

The Collected Writings of John Murray have been carefully assembled into a beautiful hardbound set by The Banner of Truth Trust (4 volumes). I treasure these books and find them to be a rich repository of Reformed thought on many significant matters in theology. John Murray deeply affected many ministers in American Reformed and Presbyterian denominations. Amongst them are:

  • Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP)
  • Christian Reformed Church (CRC)
  • Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC)
  • Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)
  • Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS)
  • Reformed Presbyterian Church, North America (RPCNA)
  • United Reformed Churches (URC)

As I mentioned, Prof. John Murray has influenced a large number of ministers in a very positive manner. One of those ministers influenced by John Murray–even though that particular minister never attended Westminster Theological Seminary–is me! I have read most of Murray’s books and have been stimulated by his erudite theological articles. Murray has a way of stretching each student to think deeply about the doctrines of our faith. There are no shortcuts to understanding Murray! He forces each student of God’s Word to logically consider the truth claims of the gospel. He also encourages each student to wrestle with the implications of Christ’s work and by faith to apply them to life. Such was the teaching ministry of Prof. John Murray. Let us pray for more theologians like John Murray to be raised up to bless the Church of Jesus Christ in the years ahead. So may it be!

— Dr. Marcus J. Serven

John Murray on the Atonement

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God…” 1 Peter 3:18

Over the next two months our theology class at Redeemer Theological Academy will be discussing the atoning work of Jesus Christ and its application to our life. This is a very rich subject, and sadly it is oftentimes neglected in the realm of theological studies. Not so for us! We will be digging into many Bible texts in both the Old and New Testaments seeking to uncover all that the Lord has for us to learn. Once we have examined the work that Jesus accomplished for us on the Cross, we will then study its application in the life of the Believer–specifically, our justification, adoption, redemption, reconciliation, ongoing sanctification, and future glorification. These are exciting and encouraging doctrines, and I suspect we will all be invigorated in our faith as we reflect upon them!

Consider what Prof. John Murray of Westminster Theological Seminary wrote about the bitterness of sin and the atoning work of Jesus Christ

Prof. John Murray (1898-1975)

“It is true we bear the punishment of our sins and we may know something of the bitterness. We are subject to the wrath of God, and the sting of unremitted guilt can reflect the awful severity of divine displeasure. Our sins have separated us from God and we can know the dismal emptiness of being without God and without hope in the world. There is still more we can know of the bitterness of sin and death. The lost in perdition will everlastingly bear the unrelieved and unmitigated judgment due to their sins; they will eternally suffer in the exaction of the demands of justice. But, there was only one, and there will not need to be another, who bore the full weight of the divine judgment upon sin and bore it so as to end it. The lost will eternally suffer in the satisfaction of justice. But they will never satisfy it. Christ satisfied justice. “The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6). He was made sin and he was made a curse. He bore our iniquities. He bore the unrelieved and unmitigated damnation of sins, and he finished it. That is the spectacle that confronts us in Gethsemane and on Calvary.” (Murray, Redemption: Accomplished and Applied, 76-77)

These insightful words are just a small sample of all that we will be studying in the months ahead. It is crucial for Christians everywhere to know that Jesus willingly laid down his life for the sake of sinners, and that the work he accomplished on the Cross fully satisfies the divine justice of the Father. Our sins have been forgiven! And, as a result we are now at peace with God because of the work of Jesus. The Apostle Paul notes, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). There is much to rejoice in as we embrace the reality of this statement, and come to realize that our sins have been forgiven and our destiny is to always to be with our Lord.

— Dr. Marcus J. Serven

Source of Information: 

Murray, John. Redemption: Accomplished and Applied. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 1955. 

An Update on Redeemer Theological Academy

In this picture we are discussing the importance of “by faith alone” (Sola Fide) and how Martin Luther came to that understanding as he studied Romans 1:16-17

Over the course of this Winter/Spring term I offered a class in theology on Thursday mornings (9:30-11:30 AM) sponsored by Redeemer Theological Academy. This course focused on the “Doctrine of Salvation.” Along with my teaching times, we worked our way through J. I. Packer’s well-regarded book, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, and later this Spring we will read John Murray’s classic study, Redemption: Accomplished and Applied. Throughout the class I regularly bring up citations from the Westminster Confession of Faith. My personal goal is to familiarize students with our Confession of Faith, and also to help them fill-up their own library with excellent Reformed literature.

Here are three of our textbooks–each one is a “keeper!”

We enjoyed a large response to the class this term! Twenty-five students signed-up to attend. Our average attendance over the first seven weeks of class is twenty-one students per session. Three students are taking the class for credit towards a Certificate of Theological Studies. Due to the large turn-out we moved into a larger classroom in Calvin Hall. This more commodious room gives us much more space to set out tables and chairs. We have lots of questions throughout the class time, and I try my best to not let us go down too many “rabbit trails.” I don’t always succeed in that effort! Nevertheless, we all have an enjoyable time seeking to understand the ways of God much better.

— Dr. Marcus J. Serven