Just finished listening to Michael Horton’s contribution to the Westminster conference. He made lots of fine points, and is clearly well-read in all the literature that surrounds this particular embarrassment to Christian discourse. Nevertheless, some fundamental misapplications are still there, and the stumbling block is that pesky word merit. I am reminded of that section …
Cultural Trajectory
Growing Dominion, Part 9 Dominion will never be understood through worry. The natural tendency of those who are able to identify trajectories is to assume that what they currently see will go on forever and ever. Herman Melville thought that civilization would end as soon as we ran out of whale oil. After a week …
Yelling At My Windshield, Part Four
At the conclusion of his talk, Dr. Baugh offered some salient comments on the first verses of Galatians 5, over against various forms of covenant nomism. And shoot, I AGREED WITH HIM (the “all caps” are so that theological scholars might pick up on this particular nuance) in his critique of the idea that we …
Yelling At My Windshield, Part Three
In his talk on “Justification Under Fire,” Dr. Baugh works through three positions. First he takes on the New Perspective. Then he moves on to Norman Shepherd. And third he addresses the Federal Vision, which he regards as having adopted and advanced the positions of Shepherd. When he gets to (as the Victorians would have …
Auburn Avenue Hubbub (AAH) Cool Quote #8
“Through the outpouring of water is meant that the one on whom the water is sprinkled belongs to the Church and the people of God, that just as water washes away the smudges and stains of our bodies, so also the one upon whom there is this outpouring, being received by grace, is washed with …
Break Their Evil Arms/Psalm 10
As with so many of the psalms, this psalm shows one of God’s saints in great turmoil over the condition of the fat and sassy attitude of those who rebel against heaven. “Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? . . .” (Ps. 10:1-18). In a world …
Crossroads
This is the beginning of all spiritual wisdom. Among the sons of Sarah, we find sons of both Sarah and Hagar. Among the Jews, we find Jews and Gentiles. Among the regenerate, we find the regenerate and the unregenerate. Among the elect, we find the elect and the reprobate. Until the resurrection, why do these …
Audio Reading of Post
A Perennial Problem
But these pockets of “unregeneration” have caused more than a few theological headaches. How can a part of the whole not have what the living whole has? Moreover, how can a part of the whole not really have what that part, as part of the whole, has?
Pockets of Death
It should not surprise us to find pockets of “unregeneration” in this world made new. The yeast works through the loaf gradually. But the yeast is alive, and brings life to the whole. Thus we find creatures who hate the new creation around them. Thus we find baptized covenant members who inexplicably hate the church …
Yelling At My Windshield, Part Two
Maybe this doesn’t count as yelling at my windshield, because I would like to respond to something from the Westminster conference that was reported in Christian Renewal. That means my windshield wasn’t anywhere near when I read this. Dr. Hywel Jones was reported as saying this: “Justification is the realization that one is pardoned of …