I want to begin by praising N.T. Wright, but I want to do so in order to critique the Church of England, along with Dr. Wright’s apparent approach to her. In Jesus and the Victory of God, Wright has a wonderful section where he shows that forgiveness of sins needs to be understood in a …
Be Careful
One time there was a man who did not like the legalistic and fussy way many Christians approached their lives. They always had scruples about everything. There was always a problem with something. And although he had a point, I am afraid he over-reacted, and he began to do things just to get a reaction …
The One and the Many
In this space I have often referred to the various controversies that blew up over the last three or four years. The controversies, in alpabetical order, were: baptism, boarders, elder qualifications, federal vision, new perspective on Paul, perjury allegations, plagiarism allegations, postmodernism, satiric bite, slavery, tax apportionment and assessment, and of course last, zoning. I …
Please Build This House
Father and gracious God, we thank You for all the Lord’s Days you have given to us, and we thank You for this opportunity of Sabbath rest. We are grateful that this commandment was made for us, and that we were not made for it. We are so grateful for the opportunity to build the …
Sola Fide
We know that we are saved by grace, through faith, so that no one can boast. We know also that we are saved by faith alone, sola fide. But we must take care. What kind of faith can be trusted to go out alone? Whenever we make theological distinctions, we have to be careful not …
Westminster XXVII: Of the Word and Sacraments
1. Sacraments are holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace (Rom. 4:11; Gen. 17:7, 10), immediately instituted by God (Matt 28:19; 1 Cor. 11:23), to represent Christ and His benefits; and to confirm our interest in Him (1 Cor. 10:16; 11:25–26; Gal. 3:27; 17): as also, to put a visible difference between those …
Westminster XXVI: Of the Communion of Saints
1. All saints, that are united to Jesus Christ their Head, by His Spirit, and by faith, have fellowship with Him in His grace, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory (1 John 1:3; Eph. 3:16–19; John 1:16; Eph. 2:5–6; Phil. 3:10; Rom. 6:5–6; 2 Tim. 2:12): and, being united to one another in love, they have …
Westminster XXV: Of the Church
1. The catholic or universal Church, which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ the Head thereof; and is the spouse, the body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all (Eph. 1:10, 22–23; 5:23, 27, 32; Col. 1:18). …
The Critical Chapter
Introduction: We are in the season of Advent, and we are going to spend our time considering the profound reality of the Incarnation. We have added a bunch of cultural additions to the celebration of the Christmas season, which is absolutely fine, but at the same time we want to take care not to obscure …
We Think We Know What We Have Often Heard
We think we know what we have often heard. We tend to think we have progressed past what has frequently been said within our hearing. And yet, this is how the cancer of self-deception works. James tells us that those who hear without doing are self-deceived. And the more they hear, the more they think …