Welcome to the Upper Register

The Upper Register is a theological resource devoted to the study of Scripture and the riches of the Reformed tradition. Here you will find biblical commentary, theological essays, scholarly research, sermons, lectures, and other materials developed over the course of many years of pastoral ministry, teaching, and study.

My aim is to provide careful, substantive, and accessible resources for pastors, students, scholars, and thoughtful readers of Scripture. The materials range from detailed exegetical studies and academic projects to sermons and teaching resources, but all share a common concern: to understand the Word of God faithfully and to bring the treasures of Christian theology to bear on the life of the church.

At the heart of the site is the biblical commentary, organized by book and passage and continually expanded as new material is added. From there, readers can explore related theological topics, papers, sermons, lectures, and other resources throughout the site.

Contact

About Me

My name is Charles Lee Irons. I studied classical Greek as an undergraduate, where I developed a lifelong interest in New Testament Greek. I continued my theological training at Westminster Seminary California, earning the M.Div. in preparation for ordained ministry.

I was first ordained in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, where I planted and pastored a congregation in the San Fernando Valley area of California, for six years. I subsequently pursued doctoral studies in New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, completing the Ph.D. My dissertation offered a lexical analysis of the claim that “the righteousness of God” in the Pauline corpus denotes “God’s covenant faithfulness.”

Following my doctoral work, I have taught Biblical Theology and New Testament at several institutions, including California Graduate School of Theology, Westminster Theological College and Seminary in Cambodia, Covenant Mission Seminary in Cambodia, and the KAPC Reformed Presbyterian University and Seminary. I have published numerous scholarly articles and book chapters and have presented papers at meetings of both the Evangelical Theological Society and the Society of Biblical Literature. I am also the author of A Syntax Guide for Readers of the Greek New Testament.

I currently serve as church planting pastor of Santa Clarita United Reformed Church. I am committed to expounding the riches of Christ throughout the Old and New Testaments.

Education

• BA in Greek - University of California, Los Angeles, California
• MDiv in Biblical Studies - Westminster Seminary California, Escondido, California
• PhD in New Testament - Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California

Commitments

• Scripture as the only infallible rule of doctrine
• Confessionally Reformed (Three Forms of Unity)
• Informed by the Biblical Theology of Vos and Kline
• Redemptive-historical and Christ-centered
• Scholarly depth with pastoral usefulness