Historic evangelicals, at their best, are unaccredited teachers in the schools of the prophets. At their worst, they are sons of Zedekiah, selling little miniature horns of iron on the teevee for $9.95 plus shipping and handling (1 Kings 22:11). Institutional Christians, let us call them, at their best, are like Jehoida (2 Kings 11:17). …
The Savannahs of Heaven
In John 8, Jesus has a remarkable interaction with the Jewish leaders, an interaction that teaches us what it means to be an evangelical indeed. Jesus has collided with these men, and they do not grasp what He is talking about. They do not grasp it because they do not know the Father. They do …
Active Obedience and Bounce Rates
“Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again” (John 12:27-28). If you will bear with me …
Like Annie Oakley Doing Trick Shots
The Bayly brothers have rendered us yet another service through this analysis of the contemporary politics of the PCA. I wanted to take a moment to register my agreement with the post generally, and to add a few riffs of my own. Here and there I might demur slightly, hopefully without simpering. Out of all …
He Doesn’t Call Them Episcopalian Bishops
What are we to make of the invisibility of regeneration? Jesus teaches us that the moment of regeneration is beyond our power to manipulate (John 3:8), but He also teaches, equally clearly, that the effects of regeneration are entirely visible (John 3:8). The theological problem is this. At the eschaton, everything will be completely visible …
Banner of Truth Weighs In
“The ordinances are called the ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption, because the Lord hath not wholly limited and bound up himself unto his ordinances; for he can in an extraordinary way bring some out of a state of nature into a state of grace; as Paul, who was converted …
That Leaves No Remainder
Faith is the sole instrument by which a person may receive the blessing of Christ’s righteousness imputed to him. Now when we say “sole instrument” we do not mean that no other instruments are involved, but that no other instruments are involved in the way that faith is. Faith is the capstone of all instruments, …
We Would Have Been a Great Proficient
In a recent online discussion of some FV issues — of which I apparently cannot get enough — I was asked about the difference between what I call the amber ales and the oatmeal stouts. There is not a monolithic FV position on everything and, not surprisingly, there are differences of emphasis throughout the movement, …
Not to Mention Unsightly Splotches
This weekend I had occasion to browse the theolgy section of a bookstore, and picked up Spong’s The Sins of Scripture. The funnest part of that experience was reading the blurb for it on the back cover from Bill O’Reilly, of Fox News fame, which seemed to me to be just about right. Inside, Spong …
Smells Kind of Musty
I recommend this post by Justin Taylor, in which he summarizes a blogospheric debate over antinomianism. Read the whole thing. Jason Hood of CT Online began it by leaning against the notion that accusations of antinomianism are a good litmus test for whether or not you are preaching the gospel of real grace. He is …