Gospel Prism

I believe Written in Stone is a collection of Philip Ryken’s sermons on the Ten Commandments. And as sermons go, these are quite insightful. If you’re preaching, teaching, or trying to understand the Commandments, his insights on the Decalogue are quite good. Ryken faithfully exposits the text and uses a Christ-centered biblical theology to interpret each commandment. He also makes some astute observations in the application of the Commandments to life. Also, PR refers often to Thomas Watson’s wisdom on the subject, and as you’ll see in my review of Watson’s book, this is definitely a strength and not a weakness, since Watson probably has the most discerning insights on the Decalogue that I have read.

Ryken’s position on the Ten Commandments is definitively binding today on Christians. But in typical Reformed fashion (after all, Philip Ryken took over for James Boice at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia), he sees the Ten Commandments as representative of God’s moral law, the part of the law that is still valid today. In this way, the moral law, as revealed by the Ten Commandments, is reflective of the absolute necessity for the work of Christ to keep the law. And so he writes: “The moral law expresses God’s perfect and righteous will for our lives. So Jesus commands us to keep it, not as a way of getting right with God, but as a way of pleasing the God who has made us right with him.” (p. 25)

If you are looking for solid biblical exposition, life application, good illustrations, kernels of wisdom, and a Christ-focused emphasis on the Decalogue, I would say that Philip Ryken’s book is one of the best places to turn to. I would highly recommend this book for a study on this subject.