“We like to pretend that the New Testament is filled with automatic covenant blessings, but the only way to maintain the illusion is to come up with an invisible covenant that no one can point to in such a way as to prove us wrong. We like to pretend that this is a point of distinction between the old and new covenants, whereas in fact it is one of the places where the New Testament draws parallels, with solemn warning. In this respect, the New Testament church was no different than the church of Jews in the wilderness. Jews in the wilderness apostatized; Christians in the first century apostatized. Much of the New Testament was written with this concern front and center.”
A Most Unfortunate Typo
“But breaking covenant occurs because of unbelief, lack of faith, and because of lack of good works.”
“But breaking covenant occurs because of unbelief, lack of faith, and not because of lack of good works.”
#1 “Reformed” Is Not Enough, p. 134, original #2 “Reformed” Is Not Enough, p. 134, there, fixed it
Real Apostasy
“The one cast out as a branch was a branch, and not some bit of tumbleweed caught in the branches. So there is such a thing as genuine covenantal connection to Christ which is not salvific at the last day”
A Straightforward Question
“Objective assurance is never found through trying to peer into the secret counsels of God, or into the murky recesses of one’s own heart. The gospel is preached, the water was applied, the Table is now set. Do you believe? The question is a simple one.“
Dyslexic Discipleship
[Concerning Matt. 18:3] “We have to be careful here because in many instances we get this turned around. We say that little children have to become like adults before they can enter the kingdom. They have to meet with the elders before they can come to the Table, and often preparation for communion seems more like preparation for ordination.”
No, Really
“For example, if the Scripture teaches election, then this is the ‘position’ of all churches in principle, regardless of what their denominational documents might say about it. This means that children of Baptists are in the covenant anyway, Nazarenes are eternally secure, and charismatics are not exercising the gift of prophecy.”
Starvation Theology
“Consequently, we do not want to be maneuvered into saying that Christians should grow big and strong, and then we will give them some food.”
A Wet Covenant Breaker
“In one sense, it is true that if you baptize an unrepentant pagan, you get a wet pagan. But it is the thesis of this book that far more happens than this. When you baptize an unrepentant pagan, what you actually get is a covenant-breaker. His baptism now obligates him to live a life of repentance, love and trust, which he is refusing to do.”
Parties to the Covenant
“If the sacraments are thought of a covenant actions between persons, rather than as static, ontological realities contained within the font or resting on the Table, we do two things. We avoid the swamp-like superstitions of true sacerdotalism, as well as the arid rationalism that detaches all of our actions from what they are meant to seal for us.”
The Vows Bind
“Put another way, there is no such thing as a merely nominal Christian any more than we can find a man who is nominal husband. There are many faithless husbands, but if a man is a husband at all, then is as much a husband as a faithful one.”