“But always remember—where there’s smoke, there’s a smoke machine.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 560
Diligent-Guardians-Though
“Truth is absolute, but it does not ‘keep’ in the way some people assume. The truth as God knows it is obviously timeless, but the truth as it is entrusted to us is affected by the attitudes and faith of the trustees. Truth is wine, and certain keepers of the cellars do what they do in such a way that it makes them guardians of vinegar.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, pp. 539-540
Few Return
“Somewhere in the meanwhile, a memorial from another presbytery and complaint from within the Louisiana Presbytery made their way to the PCA’s Standing Judicial Commission, from which there is no appeal, and out of which few return to the sunlit lands.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 537
A Crucial Distinction
“There is a vast difference between a law/gospel hermeneutic, which I reject heartily and with enthusiasm, and a law/gospel application or use, which is pastoral, prudent, and wise.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 532
Law and Grace Hearts
“The Scripture is what it is, and it contains both promises and imperatives. For the one who reads the Scriptures in evangelical faith, he sees all the imperatives in the context of a larger grace. For the one who reads the Scripture in unbelief, he can sound out the promises, but they are always trumped by what he thinks is the larger demand of ‘do this and live.’ The former contextualizes everything as a subset of God’s grace. The latter contextualizes everything as a subset of law. For the believer, even the Ten Commandments can be understood as gracious. The preamble reminds the Jews that these words were coming from the one who brought them out of the house of bondage. For the unbeliever, even the message of the cross is foolishness, an intolerable demand. So that, in a nutshell, is what I think is going on with law and gospel.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 529
Not Really the Same
“In the old days, defenders of the faith used proclamation, argumentation, and apologetics. These days, the defenders of the faith use all the bureaucratic levers they have hidden under the desk . . . In the old days, the prophets of God would thunder the word. These days, they resort to Machinations and Back Room Deals.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 529
Truth Remains Unified
“The issue of emphasis is problematic when discussing issues like this. I believe all kinds of things that I emphasize in varying degrees. Why is that a problem? Belief is where you measure doctrinal orthodoxy. Legitimate differences in emphasis can be affected by numerous factors like the period of history you are in, the state of the church you are preaching to, the nature of your own personal gifts, and so on. If I am preaching at Thyatira, my emphasis is one thing; if at Ephesus, it is another. The truth remains unified.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 527
Thank God
“I am going to heaven because of Jesus, and not because of my mastery of the dikai-word group.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 527
Justice Not Found by Splitting the Difference
“It is not the voice of moderation to limit oneself to believe only ten percent of the false accusations. To hear 100 lies and limit oneself to entertaining only ten of them is not being judicious.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 523
One of the Things Saving Faith Does
“He should know about decretal election—he just read about it a few chapters before in Romans. He believes in it, and so do I. But whatever we do with the doctrine of decretal election, we must not manipulate it such that we become what Paul is warning against here—high-minded. Saving faith trembles ‘at the threatenings’ (WCF 14.2).”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 520