He had undergone, for our sakes, though innocent, the sentence of death. For, in His own Person, He bore the sentence righteously pronounced against sinners by the Law. For He became ‘a curse for us’, according to the Scripture: ‘For cursed is . . . Continue reading →
September 2013 Archive
Only One Mediator
When we’re at odds with another person sometimes things come to such a state that the only thing for it is a go-between, someone who is trusted by both parties. This is true for relations between God and humans. We often look . . . Continue reading →
Psalm 23 As You’ve Never Heard It Before
God's Word Transcends Cultural Boundaries
Heroes, Villains, And Pretty Packages
The dead, in other words, are people too. Scoring points on their failings does not seem to be particularly charitable or self-interested (since one day we won’t be around to defend ourselves or the limitations of our historical moment). It is not . . . Continue reading →
Remember
Eco-Friendly Tanks And Drones Playing The Lumineers
Caution: This video uses a word that starts with kick and ends with an s. If you don’t want to hear this word then don’t watch the video (or mute the sound but that would pretty much ruin it since there is . . . Continue reading →
The Irrelevance Of Indolent Impressionism
Second, I was struck by the fact that the last chapter – on post-confessional, mainline Presbyterianism – indicated just how irrelevant Presbyterianism has become in its liberal forms. With dull preaching, and always appearing to be a day late and a dollar . . . Continue reading →
The Illiberalism of The Late Modern Academy
In the conventional story of the 1925 Scopes Trial, popularized in the 1960 play and film, Inherit the Wind, William Jennings Bryan is the midwestern rube unable and more importantly unwilling to account for and afraid of new learning. WJB is portrayed . . . Continue reading →
The Green Lantern v Paul on Election
I admit it. I grew up reading comic books and still enjoy a good comic-book based film. The Green Lantern wasn’t one of those. The Green Lantern was never one of my favorites. I was a Captain America guy. The 2011 Green . . . Continue reading →
Grace And Election In The Late 90s AD
Let us then draw near to Him with holiness of spirit, lifting up pure and undefiled hands unto Him, loving our gracious and merciful Father, who has made us partakers in the blessings of His elect. For thus it is written, “When . . . Continue reading →
Confessing And Practicing The Reformed Faith In The Philippines (links updated)
—Guest Post By the Rev. Mr. Nollie Malabuyo § On the Lord’s Day, September 8, 2013, Trinity Covenant Reformed Church in Imus, Cavite held its regular Sunday adult class and worship service. But it was also a thanksgiving service for God’s faithfulness . . . Continue reading →
A Caricature Of Calvinism
Mark Dever sent me a note the other day about Edward Taylor (1642–1729). Mea culpa but I’m not familiar with his work so I did did an online search and, of course, the first result was Wikipedia. On my way to the . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours Season 5—New Life In The Shadow Of Death: Defining Sanctification
In season 5 of Office Hours we’re focusing on the biblical, Christian, confessional doctrine and practice of sanctification, the process of being made holy, of being brought into gradual conformity to Christ by the grace of the Spirit through dying to sin . . . Continue reading →
Hodge On The Care And Feeding Of The New Life
It is natural that those who have experienced the agitations which frequently attend upon conversion, and have felt the peace which flows from a hope of acceptance with God, to imagine that the conflict is over, the victory won, and the work . . . Continue reading →
Borrowing From Blogs And Other Online Sources
What follows is a guide aimed particularly at church webmasters and others who are just beginning to create blogs and websites. I get questions about this from time to time and I occasionally see things that suggest the need for this post. . . . Continue reading →
The Practice Of The Sabbath In Calvin’s Geneva
Between 1542 and 1609, the Consistory frequently interviewed and sometimes reprimanded people for working on Sunday, whether for pruning trees, making lace, selling tripe, unloading boats, hunting birds, or moving furniture. The Consistory also disciplined people for engaging in recreational activities on . . . Continue reading →
Always Reformed Available Again In Hardcopy
The WSC bookstore was closed for the summer but it’s open and selling faculty titles online again. This means that the hardcopy of Always Reformed: Essays in Honor of W. Robert Godfrey is once again available via online order. In the interim . . . Continue reading →
The Evil Of Endnotes In Academic Books
I dislike endnotes generally but I really resent endnotes in academic books. This morning I was reading Scott Manetsch’s excellent volume on life of the church in Calvin’s Geneva. I wanted to read his discussion of Sabbath legislation and enforcement in Geneva. . . . Continue reading →
Trueman On The Rhetoric Of The 2K Debate
Many readers may disagree with my views on this matter. That is of little account. My point here is not to argue for the spirituality of the church so much as to highlight the problem of the rhetoric being used by some . . . Continue reading →
Machen On The Uniqueness Of Pastoral Ministry
Remember this, at least — the things in which the world is now interested are the things that are seen; but the things that are seen are temporal, and the things that are not seen are eternal. You, as ministers of Christ, . . . Continue reading →