神的以色列 The Israel of God 作者：司考特»¢克拉克R. Scott Clark 历史神学与系统神学副教授 西敏斯特加州神学院 2003 版权所有 序言 Introduction 末世论(Eschatology)这一个词的含义远比我们所说会在最后的日子里将要发生的那些事来得多。我们在末世论中所说得我们要做的事都源于神在历史里的作为。 争论的中心是关于«神的以色列»的问题(加拉太书 6:16)。当然，这不是一个新问题。主在世间的事工期间，以及在他复活后升天前，门徒一次次问他，«主啊，你复兴以色列国，就在这时候吗？»(使徒行传 1:6). 事实上，一种广为流传的拉比式的普遍观念是弥赛亚应该是一个强大的政治军事人物，有着大卫般的力量和才干»”»”«大卫杀死万万» (撒母耳计上 18:7)。约翰福音 6:14-15 记载着， 众人看见耶稣所行的神迹，就说：«这真是那要到世上来的先知。» 15耶稣知道群众要来强迫他作王，就独自又退到山上去了。 而与一些人所想的不同，建立一个地上的国度是与他到来的初衷格格不入的。而且，在他的生命的最后时刻，在他得胜的时刻，他并不是要建立一个地上的王国，而是为了实现预言。 «锡安的居民哪，不要惧怕；看哪，你的王来了，他骑着小驴来了。» (约翰福音 12:15; 以赛亚 40:9; 撒迦利亚 9:9). 耶稣教导他的门徒等人，他来并不是为了他们所盼望的国度，而是来拯救众人脱离罪恶。最终，当以色列民众无法再忍受他拒绝接受他们的末世论，他们对历史的计划，他们在十字架上钉死了他。经上说， 祭司长、经学家和长老也同样讥笑他，说：«他救了别人，却不能救自己。如果他是以色列的王，现在可以从十字架上下来，我们就信他。 (马太福音 27:41-42) 令人心痛的是，很多基督徒也同意这些祭司长和经学家。传统的时代论(Dispensationalism)长期以来认为法利赛人对圣经有着正确的解释方法，只是得到了错误的结论*1。 时代论前千禧年派(Dispensational-Premillennial)相信神对亚伯拉罕起了誓(创世纪15和17章)，会给他地上的民。因此， 在时代论中，神的本意是要建立这样的一群人。而犹太人拒绝了第一个提议(或耶稣拒绝了他们的条件！)，那就一定会在千禧年时有一个地上的，犹太人的，圣地 上的国度。 根据时代论，神衷心创建这样一个地上的民族，这是道成肉身，童女生子和耶稣在世上事工的重要原因。如果人们接受了神的这样的提议，那么耶稣就不会死了。在这样的主题下，他们认为耶稣在十字架上的赎救的死只是神对以色列民族计划中的一种快乐的副产品。 . . . Continue reading →
September 2012 Archive
Israele Di Dio (Italian)
© R. Scott Clark 2003 Tutti i Diritti Riservati Traduzione Italiana di Andrea Suraci, Ottobre 2008 Introduzione Nella questione della “fine dei tempi” o delle “ultime cose” (Escatologia) c’è molto di più di quanto diciamo che effettivamente accadrà negli ultimi giorni. Noi . . . Continue reading →
The Evangelical Fall from the Means of Grace
This article is taken from John H. Armstrong, ed., The Compromised Church: The Present Evangelical Crisis (Crossway Books: Wheaton, Ill., 1998). Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, http://www.gnpcb.org/. This material is not to . . . Continue reading →
A Contemporary Reformed Defense of Infant Baptism
[This essay was first published informally c. 1988. It has been revised several times since] Introduction Among Western Christians there are four major views on baptism: 1 Baptism is the means of spiritual renewal and initial justification and sanctification through the infusion . . . Continue reading →
The Free Offer of the Gospel
By John Murray with a new foreword by R. Scott Clark The foreword is ©2002 R. Scott Clark Foreword This essay was written by John Murray (1898–1975), professor of Systematic Theology in Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and Ned B. Stonehouse (1902–62), . . . Continue reading →
The Conclusions of Synod Utrecht (1905)
[as published in J. L. Schaver, The Polity of the Churches, 3rd edn (Chicago: Church Polity Press, 1947), 2.34–37] A. Infra- or Supralapsarianism In regard to the first point, infra- or supralapsarianism, Synod declares: that our Confessional Standards admittedly follow the infralapsarian . . . Continue reading →
Calvin’s Antidote to the Council of Trent on Justification (1547)
The doctrine of man’s Justification would be easily explained, did not the false opinions by which the minds of men are preoccupied, spread darkness over the clear light. The principal cause of obscurity, however, is, that we are with the greatest difficulty . . . Continue reading →
Pelagianism
NB: These notes were originally written for a course in theological anthropology given at Wheaton College, Spring Semester, 1997. Introduction Early in the course I made the claim, which I did not intend to be controversial, that Pelagius is a heretic. After . . . Continue reading →
Calvin on the Eucharist
by W. Robert Godfrey Originally published in Modern Reformation MAY/JUNE 1997 Both Luther and Zwingli had crucial points to make in the debate over the Lord’s Supper, but in my judgment, it was John Calvin who best resolved the question. Calvin began . . . Continue reading →
David Steinmetz on the Superiority of Pre-Critical Exegesis
David Steinmetz on the Superiority of Pre-Critical Exegesis (1980).
Calvin On Natural Law (1998)
R. Scott Clark, “Calvin and the Lex Naturalis,” Stulos Theological Journal 6 (1998): 1–22.
Reformation Charts
Reformation Theology Contrasted with Rome’s (Pt 1) Reformation Theology Contrasted with Rome’s (Pt 2)
Helvetic Consensus Formula (1675)
[Translated by Martin I. Klauber in Trinity Journal 11 (1990): 103–23. Used by permission of the translator.] Canon I: God, the Supreme Judge, not only took care to have his word, which is the “power of God unto salvation to every one . . . Continue reading →
Canons of Dort (1619)
Table of Contents Preface First Head of Doctrine: Divine Election and Reprobation Second Head of Doctrine: The Death of Christ and the Redemption of Man Thereby Third & Fourth Heads of Doctrine: The Corruption of Man, His Conversion to God, and the . . . Continue reading →
Heidelberg Catechism (1563)
Note: This edition of the catechism is based on the 1978 translation published by the Reformed Church in the United States and modified by the removal of archaic language and with minor revision of the translation according to the German and Latin . . . Continue reading →
Belgic Confession (1561)
Introduction The Belgic Confession is the confession of faith of the Dutch Reformed Churches. It was written originally, however, in French, in the French-speaking Lowlands by Guido (or Guy) deBres (1523–67) and edited by others between 1559–1561. He was a pastor who . . . Continue reading →
Consensus Tigurinus (1549)
Translated by Henry Beveridge Mutual Consent in Regard to the Sacraments Between the Ministers of the Church of Zurich and John Calvin, Minister of the Church of Geneva. Now published by those who framed it. Article 1. The Whole Spiritual Government of . . . Continue reading →
Confessing the Reformed Faith: Our Identity in Unity and Diversity
by Richard A. Muller Richard Muller is the P. J. Zondervan Professor of Historical Theology at Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan. This address was given by Professor Muller at a meeting of the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council on November . . . Continue reading →
The Revision of Belgic Confession Article 36
Eugene Osterhaven called this “the most difficult and disputed” article in the confession.1 As will appear below, the desire to revise this article has existed in the Reformed churches in both the Netherlands and in the USA since the late 19th century . . . Continue reading →
The “Calvin as Tyrant” Meme
For a fellow who has been dead since 1564 and for a movement that, socially considered, is little more than a demographic blip (about 500,000 people in North America) Calvin and Calvinism continue to receive a remarkable amount of attention in the . . . Continue reading →