We must begin by rejecting a term that is commonly applied to this doctrine. The rejected term is that of limited atonement. It should be rejected for two reasons. One is that it is misleading with regard to the teaching of the Bible, and the other is that it misrepresents the debate. One of the …
Petty Legalism
I am currently working through another of N.T. Wright’s books, Bringing the Church to the World, and which promises to be quite good. But on p. 34, I came across a passage that, in my view, overstates his case, and causes alarums to break out in various sectors of Christendom. He says this, speaking of …
Election by the Father
In Whom? We must begin with the understanding that election cannot be understood apart from Christ. Christ is the Elect One, and all those whom God choose to give to Him are therefore elect in Him. Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit …
The Condition of Man
Introduction: The nature of the problem dictates whether or not there will be a solution, and if so, what that solution will be. Among evangelical Christians, the nature of the “problem” of salvation can be described in two basic ways. Either man is sick in his sin, needing to take the medicine, or he is …
Attributes of God
1. The Holiness of God — When the biblical doctrine of salvation is first presented, one of the first responses men have is to question how this affects the holiness of God. So we begin there: Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, …
The Thirteenth Clown
I am enjoying my discussion with Brian Mattson on incrementalism and problems presented to Trinitarian orthodoxy by the syncretism of President Bush. I think Brian’s responses are thoughtful, biblically-based, and worthy of interaction. His site is worth checking out. In his latest post on this, he raises a point worth noting. I said that any …
Bush and the Lie
Liberals are fond of calling the president a liar, which is just one of the things that makes our vibrant democracy such a monkey house. The only standard they have for measuring the truth is (apparently) the level of decibels. Lying at the top of one’s lungs is their idea of speaking the truth to …
Advice to God
A few entries ago, I posted an exhortation that noted that believers are friends of God, and that part of our duty in worship is to give Him counsel. I gather that this has excited comment in some quarters, and so perhaps I should develop a bit further what I mean. First, what I do …
N. T. Wright at Auburn 2005
The bulk of my review of N.T. Wright’s presentations at Auburn 2005 will be occupied with concerned observations and/or criticisms, so I need to establish the context of all this in the first couple of paragraphs. In all my years of listening to Christian speakers, I have to say that I have never heard anyone …
Richard Gaffin at Auburn 2005
Richard Gaffin is a gracious Christian gentleman, who really knows his subject. I learned a great deal from his talks, and appreciated how careful he was being. Some of this was no doubt because of the setting, for, after all, he was speaking at the Auburn Avenue Pastors’ Conference. This means that his words are …