Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. is a

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister, and was the Charles Krahe Professor of Biblical and

Systematic Theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topic ...

Westminster Theological Seminary Westminster Theological Seminary is a Protestant theological seminary in the Reformed theological tradition in Glenside, Pennsylvania. It was founded by members of the faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary in 1929 after Princeton chose to ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

from 1999 to 2008. He became the Professor Emeritus, Biblical and

in 2008.

Biography

Gaffin was born in 1936 to missionaries in China.
/sup> His father
Richard B. Gaffin, Sr.
(1907-1996) was one of the founders of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Taiwan and was also the very first person who introduced confessional reformed faith to the people in Taiwan. Gaffin, Jr. received a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from Calvin College (1958), a B.D. (1961), Th.M. (1962), and Th.D. (1969) from

, and undertook graduate studies at

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

(1962-1963). He has taught at Westminster since 1965. He was the leading defender of then fellow-faculty member

Norman Shepherd Norman Shepherd (born 1933) is an American theologian who served as associate professor of systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary from 1963 to 1981. Shepherd had a number of views that were criticized as being contrary to the Wes ...

during the controversy over the doctrine of justification that took place at Westminster Theological Seminary from 1975 to 1982.Paul M. Elliott, "Christianity and Neo-Liberalism: The Spiritual Crisis in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and Beyond," pp. 146-147. He is an

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

minister in the

Orthodox Presbyterian Church The Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) is a confessional Presbyterian denomination located primarily in the United States, with additional congregations in Canada, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. It was founded by conservative members of the Presbyter ...

.
/sup>

Publications

Gaffin is the author of books including: * ''Resurrection and Redemption: A study in Paul's Soteriology'', 2nd edition (P&R, 1987) (), * ''Perspectives on Pentecost: New Testament Teaching on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit'' (P&R, 1993) (), * ''God's Word in Servant-Form: Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck and the Doctrine of Scripture'' (Reformed Academic Press, 2008)(), * ''No Adam, No Gospel: Adam and the History of Redemption'', (P&R, 2015) (), * ''Calvin and the Sabbath: The Controversy of Applying the Fourth Commandment'', revised edition (Mentor, 2009) () * ''By Faith, Not By Sight: Paul and the Order of Salvation'', 2nd edition (P&R, 2013) (), and * ''In The Fullness of Time: An Introduction to the Biblical Theology of Acts and Paul'', (Crossway, 2022) (ISBN 978-1433563348). He has contributed to or edited several volumes, including: * "Geerhardus Vos and the Interpretation of Paul,"in ''Jerusalem and Athens'', edited by E. R. Geehan (P&R, 1980) (a

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

for

Cornelius Van Til Cornelius Van Til (May 3, 1895 – April 17, 1987) was a Dutch-American reformed philosopher and theologian, who is credited as being the originator of modern presuppositional apologetics. A graduate of Calvin College, Van Til later receive ...

), * "Theonomy and Eschatology Some Reflections on Postmillennialism," in ''Theonomy: A Reformed Critique'', edited by William S. Barker and W. Robert Godfrey (Zondervan, 1990), * "A Cessationist View," in ''Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?'' edited by

Wayne Grudem Wayne A. Grudem (born 1948) is a New Testament scholar turned theologian, seminary professor, and author. He co-founded the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and served as the general editor of the ''ESV Study Bible''. Life Grudem was bo ...

(Zondervan, 1996), * "Union with Christ: Some Biblical and Theological Reflections," in ''Always Reforming: Explorations in Systematic Theology,'' edited by A. T. B. McGowan (IVP Academic, 2007), * "What “Symphony of Sighs”? Reflections on the Eschatological Future of the Creation," in ''Redeeming the Life of the Mind: Essays in Honor of

Vern Poythress Vern Sheridan Poythress (born 1946) is an American philosopher, theologian, New Testament scholar and mathematician, who is currently the New Testament chair of the ESV Oversight Committee. He is also the Professor of New Testament Interpretation ...

'', edited by John M. Frame,

, John J. Hughes (Crossway, 2017), * Herman Nicolaas Ridderbos, ''Redemptive History and the New Testament Scriptures'', revised edition, edited by Richard B. Gaffin Jr. (P&R, 1988), * ''Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation: The Shorter Writings of Geerhardus Vos'', edited by Richard B. Gaffin Jr. (P&R, 2001), * J.P. Versteeg, ''Adam in the New Testament: Mere Teaching Model or First Historical Man?'' edited by Richard B. Gaffin Jr. (P&R, 2012), * ''Thy Word Is Still Truth: Essential Writings on the Doctrine of Scripture from the Reformation to Today'', edited by Richard B. Gaffin Jr., Peter A. Lillback (P&R, 2013), and * the English translation of Geerhardus Vos, ''Reformed Dogmatics'', 5 vols., edited by Richard B. Gaffin Jr. (Lexham, 2014-2016). He has also written many academic articles such as: * "Paul as Theologian," ''

Westminster Theological Journal ''Westminster Theological Journal'' is an evangelical theological journal published by Westminster Theological Seminary and edited by Vern Poythress Vern Sheridan Poythress (born 1946) is an American philosopher, theologian, New Testament schol ...

'', May 1968 * "The Usefulness of the Cross," ''

'', Spring 1979 * "The Holy Spirit," ''

'', Fall 1980 * "Old Amsterdam and Inerrancy?" ''

'', Fall 1982 and Fall 1983 * "The Holy Spirit and Eschatology," '' Kerux: The Journal of Northwest Theological Seminary'', December 1989 * "Some Epistemological Reflections on 1 Corinthians 2:6-16," ''

'', Spring 1995 * "Pentecost: Before and After," '' Kerux: The Journal of Northwest Theological Seminary'', September 1995 * "Paul the Theologian," ''

'', Spring 2000.

References

Faculty biography
at

Calvin University alumni American Calvinist and Reformed theologians Living people Orthodox Presbyterian Church ministers Westminster Theological Seminary alumni Westminster Theological Seminary faculty 20th-century American writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians 21st-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians University of Göttingen alumni Year of birth missing (living people) {{christian-bio-stub