Finals and the Covenant of Works

It’s the season for final exams at Westminster Seminary California. I always get a little nervous during a final, even though I’m the one giving it and not the one taking it. Naturally I want the students to do well but by the . . . Continue reading →

The Grace Of Law?

An HB Classic

The question comes: I once heard someone say (or write) that the Law was also “graceful” because at least in this God’s case, He was letting His subjects know what was expected and wanted from them. I appreciate the intent of the . . . Continue reading →

Is the Gospel Preached or Lived?

An HB Classic

Colin raised this question a while back on Unashamed Workman. He asked for comments and, as Mike had just touched on this during the WSC Missional and Reformed Conference, I piped up: Hi Colin, This business of “living the gospel” is one . . . Continue reading →

When Is a Church Not a Church?

An HB Classic

I was searching for something the other day and ran across chapter 18 of the Scots Confession (1560) which speaks to the “Notes” (from the Latin, nota or “mark” or “indicator”) of the True Kirk (church). I’ll return to the Scots Confession . . . Continue reading →

The Moralists Will Be Back

An HB Classic

It is an historical fact that moralism (the confusion of justification with sanctification) never dies, it just goes dormant periodically. The Reformation defeated 1000 years of moralism only to see forms of it re-emerge in the Protestant churches even before Luther died. . . . Continue reading →

Amandus Polanus On Republication

“God repeated the same covenant (of works) with the people of Israel through Moses . . . it is called the covenant of Moses, the covenant of law, and commonly the old covenant.” [“Idem fedus [sic]  repetivit Deus cum populo Israelitico per . . . Continue reading →

The Context of the Republication Debate

Why is Such An Old Doctrine So Controversial Now?

A few correspondents have contacted me to ask about the continuing controversy over the doctrine of republication. It seems as if it might be useful to try to put this discussion in some context. In its most basic form, the doctrine of . . . Continue reading →

What Henk Navis Means to Me

Unlike Father Neuhaus, I guess few readers of this space will know who Henk Navis was, but he died today. Henk did not participate in any famous negotiations with anyone. He did not leave one communion for another. He wasn’t celebrated or . . . Continue reading →

HB Classic: Three Ways of Relating to the One Covenant of Grace

[This post was first published in 2007 on the HB and is republished in response to some recent comments here] Sometime back the question was raised: We know that there are at least two categories of people within Scripture, the elect, and . . . Continue reading →

In By Grace, Stay in By Faithfulness? (3)

Part 2 Why is [Covenant] Nomism So Attractive? No one but God knows what’s is in the hearts of other people, so I’m not judging or speaking to personal intentions. We can, however, look at the history of Christian theology and draw . . . Continue reading →

In By Grace, Stay in By Faithfulness? (2)

In the first part we quickly introduced the basic doctrine of covenant nomism, namely that God has established a system whereby sinners are admitted to the covenant by grace and they stay in or they retain that status or they retain the . . . Continue reading →

In by Grace, Stay in By Faithfulness?

We’re coming up on Reformation Day again this seems like a good time to cover the basics again. The medieval church came to teach that we enter a state of grace through baptism. According to the medieval church, we remain in a . . . Continue reading →

PCA Commission: There Should Be A Presumption of Guilt

The Standing Judicial Commission of the Presbyterian Church in America ruled that the Missouri Presbytery erred when it failed to find a strong presumption of guilt that [Teaching Elder] Jeffrey Meyers holds views contrary to the Westminster Standards (BCO 34-5) when it . . . Continue reading →

Is the Gospel Preached or Lived?

Re-published from February 17, 2008. Colin raised this question a while back on Unashamed Workman. He asked for comments and, as Mike had just touched on this during the WSC “Missional and Reformed” Conference, I piped up:

Resources on the Law/Gospel Distinction

There’s been some discussion at the Puritanboard about the distinction between law and gospel. It seems like it might be a good time for a refresher course. Here are some resources on the classical Reformed approach to this question. “Letter and Spirit: . . . Continue reading →

When Pastors Do Not Pay Attention

Remarkably, after a decade of controversy over the self-described Federal Vision movement, there are pastors and teachers who do not seem to understand it. One can see why one might have been confused in the early days of the discussion but now, . . . Continue reading →