Grace Defined and Defended

This was a good book, but I expected more depth. I would say it's a quality introduction to the concept of grace, predestination, and the will of God. However, J expected either more historical context of Dordt and the history of the conflicts leading to up to it. It's concise and a very approachable length for someone new to the topic and the tone is conversational. Like every other DeYoung book I've read so far, I would highly recommend to others.

I will admit that I didn’t know what I was getting into when I picked up Kevin DeYoung’s newest book, Grace Defined and Defended. Maybe I should’ve read the subtitle, What a 400-Year-Old Confession Teaches Us about Sin, Salvation, and the Sovereignty of God. I wasn’t expecting a history lesson on the Canons of Dort, but that is exactly what I got. Even more so, I needed such a lesson. We all could stand to know more of where Christianity has come from.

Kevin DeYoung is the senior pastor of Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina and assistant professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary (Charlotte). I’ve had the privilege of hearing DeYoung speak on numerous occasions and I’ve read a couple of other books he’s written. I always enjoy his style of writing and this book is no exception, but it is different. 

DeYoung writes in a very accessible way, but this book brings out a lot of history. I think it is history that we need to understand no matter where you fall on the soteriology spectrum, but some will not pick this up just because of the nature of the book. DeYoung walks the reader through the Canons of Dort chapter by chapter laying out the actual statements of the confession then offering his own insight and implication afterward. DeYoung says, “We live in an age where passion is often considered an adequate substitute for precision.” When having a discussion, integrity demands we understand the argument we’re advocating for and not just speak about it passionately. That is what makes Dort so important in the salvation debate. It is the original source spelling out the doctrines of grace. That is what makes DeYoung’s newest book so important.

In Grace Defined and Defended, DeYoung gives the reader everything they need to know regarding all things surrounding Dort. He gives history, definitions, and even gives the statements from the opposing side in and Appendix. He does all of this in a short, easily readable package. “At its very heart, the Canons of Dort are about the nature of grace—supernatural, unilateral, sovereign, effecting, redeeming, resurrecting grace, with all of its angularity, all of its offense to human pride, and all of its comfort the weary soul,” DeYoung says. In writing this book, DeYoung has taken readers back to the heart of the matter. He has shed new light on an old confession. No matter which side you fall on in the salvation debate, I think you will find Grace Defined and Defended to shed even more light on your current understanding.

I found this book to be fascinating! It was a part of reformed history I did not know much about and then I read a new release by Robert Godfrey. When I saw this title I was intrigued! Both are solid and filled with historical and Biblical insight, but they are both different and it is hard for me to accurately describe how so, but I am glad to have read them both.
I highly recommend this book for a great lesson in Reformed church history as well as Biblical doctrine!

Grace is gloriously confusing. There is no question in my mind that grace is one of the most misunderstood concepts of our faith. It is the most misunderstood and yet the most central doctrine of our faith.

Grace defined and defended shines with piercing clarity on this often perplexing topic. In this book , Kevin DeYoung expounds the themes of sin, salvation, and the sovereignty of God. He does this by giving us a theological tour of an ancient yet profound document called the Canons of Dort. DeYoung masterfully uses this historically significant document to articulate, access, and apply the doctrines of grace for the modern church. It helps the readers to understand the background as well as underscoring what is really at stake in the whole debate.

This book is written in easy to understand language. Theological/philosophical jargon is kept to a minimum. Consequently, one doesn’t have to be a qualified theologian to read this book. That is to say, this book is for anyone who wants to grow deeper in their understanding of the grace and glory of God.

Soli Deo Gloria!

I thank Crossway for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I walked into this book thinking it would be more narrative than straight informative, it is a pure doctrinal and research based book. It explores the doctrines of the Arminians and how Dort used Biblical evidence to correct the errors in Arminian doctrine.

I think this book would be great for someone looking into Christian historical doctrines, it wasn't my writing style but still great information.

Grace is God's unmerited favor meaning that we cannot do anything to earn it. Some have even used the acrostic, God Riches At Christ's Expense, to explain grace. Calvinists believe in the doctrines of grace which is summarized by the acrostic TULIP, which stands for Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. Kevin DeYoung says the TULIP is not an adequate summary of the Calvinism nor is a history summary. In his latest book, Grace Defined and Defended, DeYoung uses the Canons of Dort to explain what Grace really is.

The Canons of Dort is a response to the five points of Arminianism, which is Human Free Will, Conditional Election, Universal Atonement, Resistable Grace, and Fall from Grace. DeYoung writes:

The Canons of Dort, in rejecting the five points of Arminianism, outlined five points of their own. The first concerned divine election and reprobation; the second was on Christ’s death and human redemption through it; the third and fourth points were on human corruption and how we convert to God; and a final point focused on the perseverance of the saints. The canons do not pretend to explain everything about Reformed theology, let alone about the entire Bible. Dort simply sought to declare what was “in agreement with the Word of God and accepted till now in the Reformed churches” concerning “Divine Predestination.” And in this they are worthy to be commemorated and (more importantly) deserving of careful study and consideration.

In the book, DeYoung, first explains what Predestination is all about based on the Canons of Dort. We all know predestination is God's choosing those to be saved based on His grace, not our works. Election is an uncontested proclamation because it is given by God and no one else. Next, DeYoung tackles the atonement. Yes, he does go out of order on TULIP, but the point of this book is not to go through TULIP but grace, which is what TULIP and the Canons of Dort teach.

Next, DeYoung looks at our condition. We cannot come to God on our own. We need help. That is what the cross is all about. The grace of God is what calls us to renounce ungodliness and embrace what God has done through the cross of Christ. Our conversion is where we embrace Christ and there is evidence of it through regeneration. Finally, DeYoung looks at the perseverance of the saints to which God will complete the work in us till the end where we see Him face-to-face.

Another grace book by Kevin DeYoung as he tackles grace. If you want to know more about the grace of God as taught by the Canons of Dort, which celebrates its 400th anniversary this year, I highly recommend this book.

Dry, boring, academic treatise of limited value to non-Calvinists

I picked this book because I saw that it was a book about grace and described as “warmly pastoral and broadly accessible.” Rather than being warm and broadly accessible, this is a dry, academic dissertation with so much historical background and such esoteric academic jargon that I had to stop to look up words now and then, despite the fact that I took several Bible courses in college. I admit that I am not a Calvinist and didn’t realize this was actually a targeted book on a narrow topic: differing views of grace specific to Calvinism, but more importantly the tenets set forth in the Canons of Dort. Therefore, this book is for hardcore Calvinists who want minutiae in a deeply data-driven philosophical tome about the Canons of Dort and nothing else.

This is not a book for the faint of heart or for anyone truly wanting a warm, pastoral look at grace. For that, I recommend Philip Yancey’s What's So Amazing About Grace?, Clark Whitten’s Pure Grace: The Life Changing Power of Uncontaminated Grace… There are so many inspiring authors, including Max Lucado and others… so many accessible, inspiring books about God’s grace by so many great teachers. Unfortunately, this is not one of them.

First sentence: The first car I owned was a 1995 Dodge Neon, and it was a lemon.

The 400-Year-Old Confession of which DeYoung speaks is none other than the Canons of Dort. If you're thinking...didn't you just review a book about the Canons of Dort?....you'd be right. I did. That book was by Robert Godfrey and titled Saving the Reformation. (It was published by Reformation Trust.)

Both books stress that Calvinism is MORE than the acronym TULIP. Both books stress the relevance of the Canons of Dort to the Christian faith and the importance of holding to doctrinal truth. Both books include the text of the Canons of Dort and provide commentaries for the articles. (DeYoung's book does not provide exposition of the rejections however.) Both books provide a history lesson. DeYoung's book provides a glossary of key terms, key people, key writings BEFORE the history lesson. (I thought this was a nice touch).

I loved how DeYoung's book was filled with I-didn't-know-that facts. For example, "Before the Synod of Dort conducted its business, each member took a solemn oath saying that “I will only aim at the glory of God, the peace of the Church, and especially the preservation of the purity of doctrine.” They ended with a prayer: “So help me, my Savior, Jesus Christ! I beseech him to assist me by his Holy Spirit.”

Wouldn't it be wonderful if believers today were as passionate and zealous for doctrinal truth?! Can their be true [genuine, authentic] unity without purity or truth?

Most of this book focuses on the Canons of Dort. As I mentioned earlier, it includes the ARTICLES of the Canons of Dort within the text itself. These are broken down, of course, into their five main points. DeYoung provides exposition or commentary for these articles. It does include the rejections for each of the five main points, but only as an appendix. He does not provide commentary for the rejections.

I would definitely recommend this one. It was a great read. I am glad I read both books, and I'm glad that I did so within a week of each other--even if I didn't set out to do so!

Kevin DeYoung's "Grace Defined and Defended" is an in-depth study of the Synod of Dort. Until I read this book, I had never even heard of the Synod of Dort. The byline of the book title clarifies a bit: What a 400-Year-Old Confession Teaches Us about Sin, Salvation, and the Sovereignty of God.

The Synod of Dort was held in Dordrecht, Netherlands from November, 1618 to May, 1619. Leaders of the Reformed Church met 154 times between those dates, to settle controversies that had arisen due to the increasing belief in Arminianism. During that time, they wrote The Canons of Dort, which included five main points. The first concerned divine election and reprobation; the second, Christ's death and human redemption through it; the third and fourth, human corruption and how we convert to God; and the fifth, perseverance of the saints.

There is much value in reading this book and learning the nuances of Calvinism. As DeYoung states, "We live in an age where passion is often considered an adequate substitute for precision." The Canons of Dort are very specific, very detailed, and very clear in explanation. DeYoung asserts the value in reading these confessions, and offers this thought: "Many of us, even Christians, have little patience for rigorous thinking and little interest in careful definition. We emote better than we reason, and we describe our feelings better than we define our words, which is one reason we need to study old confessions written by dead people....[Early theologians] were relentlessly passionate about doctrinal truth. They cared about definitions. And they cared about precision. Praise God, they cared enough to be careful."

Written in a way that a layperson can understand, "Grace Defined and Defended" contains the articles written at the synod, with DeYoung's explanation following each. Though theologically rich, this was not difficult to read.

I would recommend this book to fellow believers. There is much to learn and understand , both for those who are Reformed in their theology and those who are not.

<b>To think that God chose those whom he knew would choose him was a much easier pill to swallow. Only years later did I realize that I had magnificently defended Calvinism with Arminianism. The first main point of Doctrine in Dort is the longest and most theologically complicated. But at the heart of the debate is a straightforward question: Did God choose the elect because they would believe, or did God choose the elect so that they might believe? Or to put it another way, is the divine election based on foreseen faith or according to sheer grace and God's free good pleasure? </b>

A theological study of grace in the history of the church. I am a supporter of church history as it brings us to the heart of the matter and not fluff. It gives you a better understanding of God's sovereignty and the differences of Calvinism and Arminiansim. What is true repentance and what leads us to empty ourselves to His will. Having a clear definition of the doctrine of Grace gives you a better understanding of other doctrines as well.

A resource for those that desire a better understanding of Grace and how grace is lived out in the Christian life.

<i>A Special Thank you to Crossway Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

In “Grace Defined and Defended” Dr. Kevin DeYoung sets up the historical background and context to the Calvinist-Arminian debate. For anyone inquisitive about the Doctrines of Grace or Reformed Theology in general, DeYoung’s book is an amazing introduction to gain an understanding of the subject. The book begins by describing key players in the theological controversy that has lasted to the present day including: The Remonstrants, John Calvin, his successor Theodore Beza, and of course Jacob Arminius. The author explains the events that led up to the formation of the Synod of Dort and the consequences of that meeting, namely the Canons of Dort from which the modern-day TULIP in Calvinism is derived. It was surprising to read how the debate between the Remonstrants and the Counter-Remonstrants (the Reformed side) had a political aspect attached to it, but as DeYoung said, “at heart it was an earnest theological disagreement.”

Once DeYoung explains the history and origin of the debate he transitions into the theological implications of the Canons of Dort, where he will remain throughout the rest of the book.

DeYoung goes over each of the 5 points of TULIP that were addressed in the Canons of Dort, presents the biblical support for each point, and addresses many misconceptions over doctrines such as Election, Reprobation, or Limited Atonement. DeYoung also cites common Arminian objections to the conclusions of TULIP and the Canons and eloquently debunks them.

I deeply enjoy studying theology, and as someone who is fairly new to being Reformed in my theological outlook, I found this book extremely helpful in answering any questions or doubts I may have had about TULIP and Reformed Theology, giving me biblical assurance that TULIP is indeed historically orthodox and doctrinally sound. It also pointed out to me the high importance of historic confessions and creeds such as the Canons of Dort in helping one as a believer to be edified doctrinally and to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

With a better understanding of the Canons of Dort, I can see much more clearly that the Reformed understanding of grace makes our salvation completely of God, nothing of ourselves and makes so plain God’s great personal love for us, even more so for His chosen people. The Canons of Dort demonstrate how God used His Sovereignty not only in displaying His justice against sinners but in proclaiming His mercy, grace, and love through the salvation of His church. I love how DeYoung puts it, “In the miracle of regeneration, we bring nothing and do nothing.” It all points back to the fact that salvation is all of God and none of ourselves or our own efforts.

I highly recommend this book for every believer—especially those who are new to
Calvinism or considering Reformed theology.

I am a big fan of Kevin DeYoung. His books have been very influential in my spiritual life. His newest book, “Grace Defined and Defended,” is about the Synod of Dort and the development of Reformed faith. For those unfamiliar with the Synod of Dort (as I was), this is the meeting that where Calvinism was codified.

As I stated, I typically enjoy the work of DeYoung. This book, however, was a bit challenging for me. The information was well-written and DeYoung did his research, but there were definitely areas that I had trouble following.

For fans of church history and Reformed theology, I would certainly recommend this book.

This is a very weighty topic to cover but Kevin DeYoung does an excellent job making it an accessible and enjoyable read for a laymen.
I really enjoyed learning more about the reformation and some of it’s key players, meetings, documents, councils, and of course heresies.

Highly recommend!

Excellent resource alongside Danny Hyde's recent work on Dort. Great to see a resurgence of interest.