Theology That Bites Back
We are accustomed to think that baptism is a statement that we make. And while there is a sense in which this is true, the foundational reality is that it is a statement that God makes. It is a statement of ownership, of possession. It should be obvious that in the case of infants, we …
Regardless of when the sacrament of baptism is performed, the only effective catalyst that can make it efficacious for blessing is faith—living, breathing, active, evangelical faith. Otherwise we are just applying a dead sign to dead sinners. Otherwise we are just sprinkling water on the headstones in a cemetery. Otherwise we are just engaging in …
One of the names for this meal is the Eucharist. That name comes from the Greek verb for giving thanks—eucharisto. Now of course, the center of our thanksgiving should be directed toward God for His indescribable gift—the death and resurrection of His Son for our salvation. But this is the kind of thanksgiving which, if …
When we partake of the bread and wine together as we are about to do, we are doing much more than partaking of just the bread and wine—even though physical eating and drinking is mysterious enough. In addition to the bread and wine, there are also other glorious things displayed. There is a true and …
At the very beginning of the creation, the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the deep, over the face of the waters. Here, in the new day of the new creation, He is doing the same thing, yet again, hovering over the water. We are not superstitious and we do not trust in …
We are finite beings, limited and bounded. And yet, the way we were created, we expend energy. This means that we run down, like Double A batteries do. We run out. We get depleted. On the physical level, this is what food and drink do. They nourish us. They build us up. They strengthen us. …
In the New Testament we are taught that baptism is a sacrament of death and resurrection. All who are baptized are baptized into the Lord’s death (Rom. 6:3), and all who die with Him are also raised with Him. We are raised to life for our justification (Rom. 4:25). Thus coming to the waters of …
Today we are conducting baptisms in two forms, both credo and paedo. The fact that we do this might lead some to think that we have baptism in two kinds—but this is not the case at all. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism (Eph. 4:5). Many believe that baptism is a signpost or …
Because we live in a time that does not understand covenants, and which makes personal choice the foundation of everything, we sometimes do not know how to respond to people who are on the verge of walking away from the most solemn commitments. We believe that our loyalties and our commitments are assigned to us. …
Because we are walking in the path of our Reformed fathers, we practice infant baptism. Because we walk in the path of our evangelical fathers, we confess that faith is the sole instrument of our justification. Now because this child who is about to be baptized is not going to make a profession of faith, …
