A much overworked session of Presbyterian elders had just finished the hard and thankless task of disciplining their minister, a man who taught that being a Christian was an objective reality, marked by baptism, and that being a faithful Christian was a covenant requirement, to be marked by evangelical faith, hope and love. This was …
Faith Unplugged
I guess I should be pleased that I caught up with Peter Leithart. The April edition of The Trinity Review is a chapter from a book called Not Reformed At All, which presents itself as a response to my “Reformed” is Not Enough. I am tempted to write another book entitled And Both Are …
The Lowest Place
Jesus taught us that the way to accomplish dominion (of the sort He envisioned) was through faithful service. The one who humbles himself is exalted, and the one who exalts himself shall be humbled. The first shall be last, and the last first. Seeking dominion, which is an individual ability to extend the influence of …
Thanks for Nothing
In my post on monocovenantalism (5/14/04), I said that some prominent folks on the other side of the AAH had agreed with me that had Adam stood, it would have been by the grace of God appropriated by faith. One of those gentlemen has since contacted me, saying that this misrepresents his views. He believes …
I Got a Question
So here it is. Q. What should the Reformed establishment do with a teaching or doctrine that emphasizes our need to believe all the promises of God, especially those promises that concern our children? Keep in mind that this is a doctrine that underscores the necessity of faith from first to last. The purveyors of …
Faith Knows That God Hears/Psalm 4
Many believe that this fourth psalm was written on the same occasion as the one just before it. There are reasonable arguments against this, but at the very least, it was written in the same kind of situation. ” Hear me when I call O God of my righteousness; thou hast enlarged me when I …
Auburn Avenue Hubbub (AAH) Cool Quote #4
“Before baptism, the minister is to use some words of instruction, touching the institution, nature, use, and ends of this sacrament, shewing . . . that they [children] are Christians, and federally holy before baptism, and therefore are they baptized.” Westminster Directory for the Publick Worship of God, emphasis mine
The First Days
We are not living in the last days. When God created the heavens and earth, He rested on the seventh day, declaring that His work was complete, it was finished. But when our Lord Jesus recreated the heavens and earth, He rose from the dead on the first day, as much as to say, it …
Eating the Cross
The cross of Jesus Christ attracts those chosen by God, and that same cross repels those who are perishing. The words of life are delicious to those who are being saved, and they are repulsive to those who rest in their own wisdom. In His discussion of His body and blood, the Lord Jesus scatters …
A Proud Stomach
Jesus teaches that all men whom the Father gives to Him will in fact come. He also says that no one can come on his own authority, at his own initiative. This meal is an “invitation only” event. At the same time, the whole world is invited — Jesus Christ is the bread of God …