“A lot of ink has been used in the discussion of Christ’s statement that the bread was His body. Comparatively little has been said about His statement that the cup was the new covenant. Thus we will not have a full understanding of the Supper until we recover an ability to think in covenantal categories” …
Why Not Now?
The next chapter in By Faith Alone is entitled “Covenant, Inheritance, and Typology,” and is co-authored by R. Fowler White and Cal Beisner. Their argument is ingenious, intricate, and, I believe, entirely unsatisfactory. What they are seeking to do is understand the covenant of redemption, the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace in …
Like Gideon’s Men
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! The Lord said to my own Lord, Sit here, at my right hand. And as You sit, and as You reign, I will make a footrest from Your foes. The Lord shall send the rod of strength, From out of Zion comes …
The Kingdom of God is a Fine Automobile
The doctrine of the kingdom of God is like a fine automobile. Some parts of it are lush, and polished, and comfortable, with climate control, and windows that go up and down with the press of a button. Other parts of it are cold and metallic, greasy, heavy and far too . . . doctrinal. …
Blessed are the Uncool
This is a table of thanksgiving, joy and forgiveness. Everyone here should be here in a spirit of gladness and overwhelming gratitude. But suppose you are not? What then? The temptation is to shrink away, to hold back. This is easier when churches celebrate the meal intermittently, but when we have the Supper every week, …
Cell Block E
I do have a couple of things to say about David VanDrunen’s contribution to By Faith Alone. First, he is guilty of continued misrepresentation of those he is debating with. “Although recent criticism of the traditional Reformed doctrine of justification has taken many forms, nearly all critics seem to concur in dismissing the idea of …
Picking Up Feathers
Gene Veith comments on Worldmagblog here. A friend drew my attention to this post of a few days ago. I have included below a comment which I posted at his site, but I also need to say something here. Given the climate in the Reformed world today, and given how many people go to Worldmagblog, …
My Mistake
Yesterday I posted an Amazon link to Letter from a Christian Citizen, which I took down this morning. The reason is that it wasn’t an Amazon link from the publisher (which is in the works), but rather from an individual bookseller. To avoid confusing things, I need to wait until the next link comes up …
Biblical Warfare
A subject clearly related to murder is the question of war. Whenever war is not conducted in accordance with the Word of God, then it amounts to nothing more than mass murder sanctioned by the civil authority. Consequently, it is important for us to know something of what biblical war looks like. When thou goest …
Enjoying Our Stuff
Cotton Mather once commented that the faithfulness of the people begat prosperity, and the daughter devoured the mother. Put another way, we may state it as a general principle that whenever Jeshurun waxes fat, he kicks. In some ways the irony is a perpetual one. When a man comes to Christ, and begins to obey …