# Pink's "Sovereignty of God" development



## JM (Jun 27, 2011)

Mike made the original post back in 2008. I wanted to bump it for newer members to get a chance to read it but it's been locked so I created a new thread with the OP quoted below.

Thanks Mike! 

http://www.puritanboard.com/f48/pinks-sovereignty-god-development-38897/

Quote:

When “The Sovereignty of God” was first published in 1918 it immediately provoked responses both from those opposed to the Doctrines of Grace (which was not surprising) and more surprisingly from those who while holding to election found the discussion of reprobation to be heretical. The book also amounted to a denial God’s love for the reprobate which was also seen by many to be dangerous error.

Pink wrote the first edition in 1918, a second edition followed in 1921 and a third edition in 1929. I. C. Herendon published a fourth edition (an edition that appears to have been published without any agreement of input by Pink) in 1949 and subsequent printings were allocated new edition status but without a fresh “Foreward” i.e. the 1953 edition was dated 1953. There were substantial differences between the first and second editions and smaller changes were made to the third edition. I do not believe that subsequent editions were altered by Pink.

“The Sovereignty of God was republished in 1961 by The Banner of Truth and it is this very strange edition that has been the subject of much debate and argument ever since. Strangely this edition states that the book was first published in 1928 and the publishers preface stated that “it was unanimously agreed that the contemporary value of the book could be increased by certain minor revisions and abridgements”.

What was not acknowledged was that these “minor revisions and abridgements” amounted to removing a third of the book and altering what was left to completely alter its theological perspective in a way that even Iain Murray (of Banner of Truth) accepts was not a view that Pink ever held. It is not just a question of omitting offending chapters, those chapters that are included are censored of any suggestion that God’s love is not universal with whole paragraphs being omitted. The chapters on reprobation were omitted as Murray argues (without any real evidence, and indeed in the face of evidence to the contrary) that Pink changed his convictions in respect of reprobation.

Murray defends the Banner of Truth edition in the final chapter of the second edition of “The Life of Arthur W Pink” and in this chapter he makes the quite startling admission that in respect of the 1929 third edition “How far Pink changed the book in 1929 we cannot tell, for .... no copies of the editions of 1918 or 1921 have been made available to us to make a comparison”. If the development of Pink’s thought is to be considered it appears to me to be necessary to examine to contents of these editions before any proper judgment can be made on how Pink’s thought did develop.

To this end I have obtained copies of original first, second, fourth and fifth editions (1918, 1921, 1949 and 1953) and have a reprint of the third edition. The table of contents are as follows, hopefully these details will be of interest:

First edition

Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1. — The Sovereignty of God Defined
Chapter 2. — The Sovereignty of God in Creation
Chapter 3. — The Sovereignty of God in Administration
Chapter 4. — The Sovereignty of God in Salvation
Chapter 5. — The Sovereignty of God in Operation
Chapter 6. — God's Sovereignty and the Human Will
Chapter 7. — God's Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
Chapter 9. — God's Sovereignty and Prayer
Chapter 8. — Our Attitude Toward God's Sovereignty
Chapter 9. — Difficulties and Objections
Chapter 10. — The Value of This Doctrine
Chapter 11. — Conclusion
Appendix- Reprobation

Second Edition

Foreword to the First Edition
Foreword to the Second Edition
Introduction
Chapter 1. — The Sovereignty of God Defined
Chapter 2. — The Sovereignty of God in Creation
Chapter 3. — The Sovereignty of God in Administration
Chapter 4. — The Sovereignty of God in Salvation
Chapter 5. — The Sovereignty of God in Reprobation
Chapter 6. — The Sovereignty of God in Operation
Chapter 7. — God's Sovereignty and the Human Will
Chapter 8. — God's Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
Chapter 9. — God's Sovereignty and Prayer
Chapter 10. — Our Attitude Toward God's Sovereignty
Chapter 11. — Difficulties and Objections
Chapter 12. — The Value of This Doctrine
Conclusion — Conclusion
Appendix A, The Will of God
Appendix B, The Case of Adam
Appendix C, The Meaning of "Kosmos" in John 3:16…

Third Edition

Foreword to the First Edition
Foreword to the Second Edition
Foreword to the Third Edition
Foreword to the Fourth Edition
Introduction
Chapter 1. — The Sovereignty of God Defined
Chapter 2. — The Sovereignty of God in Creation
Chapter 3. — The Sovereignty of God in Administration
Chapter 4. — The Sovereignty of God in Salvation
Chapter 5. — The Sovereignty of God in Reprobation
Chapter 6. — The Sovereignty of God in Operation
Chapter 7. — God's Sovereignty and the Human Will
Chapter 8. — God's Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
Chapter 9. — God's Sovereignty and Prayer
Chapter 10. — Our Attitude Toward God's Sovereignty
Chapter 11. — Difficulties and Objections
Chapter 12. — The Value of This Doctrine
Conclusion — Conclusion
Appendix A, The Will of God
Appendix B, The Case of Adam
Appendix C, The Meaning of "Kosmos" in John 3:16…
Appendix D, 1 John 2:2

Banner of Truth Edition

Introduction
Sovereignty of God Defined and the Present Day
The Sovereignty of God Defined
The Sovereignty of God in Creation
The Sovereignty of God in Administration
The Sovereignty of God in Salvation
The Sovereignty of God in Operation
God's Sovereignty and the Human Will
God's Sovereignty and Prayer
Our Attitude Toward God's Sovereignty
The Value of This Doctrine
Conclusion


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## gordo (Jun 27, 2011)

Great book. Listening to it now on my iPhone. Going to have to buy a hardcopy just so I can highlight stuff!


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## Josh Williamson (Jun 28, 2011)

What is the best edition of Sovereignty of God? I've been told some reprints leave many chapters out. I have the Baker Books edition and from what I've been told it is near enough to the original. Thoughts?


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## bookslover (Jun 28, 2011)

Read the Baker edition, NOT the Banner of Truth edition. The Baker edition represents the book as Pink wrote it. 

As was stated (to put it bluntly), Iain H. Murray basically re-wrote the book to suit himself. 

In his second edition to his biography of Pink, he has an appendix where he attempts to justify this, but it just won't work. If Murray had disagreements with how Pink wrote about God's sovereignty, he could have either written a long review article about his concerns, or he could even have written his own book-length treatment in reply to Pink. But, it was unethical of him to re-write Pink's book, publishing it under Pink's name, when Pink himself is no longer here to defend himself (if his original book needs defending, that is).

Every author has the right to not only tell his own story, but to tell the story in his own way. Pink wrote his book on God's sovereignty as he understood that doctrine. Murray did not have the right to change it. (And, yes, as stated above, the changes were major.)


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## JohnGill (Jun 28, 2011)

The online version at this site looks to be the third edition. The Sovereignty of God


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## JM (Jun 28, 2011)

I have the edition from Bridge-Logos Publishers. It has three forwards, a bio of Pink, all twelve chapters, conclusion, four appendix, study guide and index. Not to mentioned an audio CD with excepts. It cost me about $15 bucks and worth it. The format and font is a little larger than the Baker version but I'm sure it's the same. This collection claims to update out dated language but in this edition I haven't noticed it. If I recall correctly they did "sensitively revised in modern English" Pilgrim's Progress. 

Overall I think this edition is the best I've seen.

jm


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## christiana (Jun 28, 2011)

The best book, bar none, on God's sovereignty and the one God used to bring me to the doctrines of grace! Mine is the Baker edition and I love reading all the forwards as well! Every believer would benefit from reading this book, especially the arminians as they may begin to see what they have not seen and to hear what they have not heard and have their heart changed to see Him as a holy majestic and sovereign creator God who rules His universe and everything on it!


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## gordo (Jun 30, 2011)

After listening to it I got it on my iPad Kindle app for .99. 

So glad I did! Amazing how much wonderful truth is in that book. I am only a little bit in but have already highlighted several passages.


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