May 2015 Archive

The Bible Is Not An Accessory

by R. Scott Clark on May 29, 2015 | 1 Comment

It’s not too late to remember that the Bible is not just another commodity — that the whole point of owning and reading the Bible is not so I can fit bits and pieces of it into my life, but so I . . . Continue reading →

What Happened? An Objective Account

by R. Scott Clark on May 28, 2015 | 8 Comments
Recovering the Reformed Confession

One of the questions I’ve been researching intermittently since before the publication of Recovering the Reformed Confession is why confessional Reformed and Presbyterian congregations sing non-canonical songs in public worship. For the most part the Reformed and Presbyterian Churches sang only inspired songs in . . . Continue reading →

Heidelberg 74: We Are Abraham’s Children

by R. Scott Clark on May 26, 2015 | 1 Comment

74. Are infants also to be baptized? Yes, for since they belong to the covenant and people of God as well as their parents, and since redemption from sin through the blood of Christ, and the Holy Spirit who works faith, are . . . Continue reading →

Heidelcast 92: Of Nice And Men (1)

by Heidelcast on May 24, 2015 | 2 Comments
Heidelcast

With this episode we begin a new series: Of Nice And Men. The argument, the thesis, of the series is that niceness is one thing and Christian virtue is another. Niceness is a pervasive ethos among evangelicals. The dictionary defines ethos as the a spirit . . . Continue reading →

Heidelberg 72–73: To Be Clear—Baptism Isn’t Magic But It Is Powerful

by R. Scott Clark on May 23, 2015 | 2 Comments

What is the frame of reference for baptism and washing? It is the flood. Did the flood save anyone? No. It condemned those who did not believe (an aspect of baptism sometimes neglected; there is a judicial aspect of baptism for the reprobate) but God’s people were saved out of the judgment by the ark. To what does the ark correspond? Christ. He is the ark. The Noahic baptismal flood was an antitype of Christ, who underwent the flood of judgment for us, and it testifies to our outward identity with Christ and to believers it signifies and seals that just as he suffered the judgment flood for us, as he was drowned in divine wrath, as it were, we have died with him and by his grace we have been redeemed. Continue reading →

The Mob To Christians: You Will Conform

by R. Scott Clark on May 22, 2015 | 22 Comments

Let’s understand what happened here. This Christian jeweler agreed to custom-make engagement rings for a lesbian couple, knowing that they were a couple, and treated them politely. But when they found out what he really believed about same-sex marriage, even though the . . . Continue reading →

Heidelberg 71: What’s Baptism Got To Do With It?

by R. Scott Clark on May 22, 2015

Scripture does not say that baptism is the instrument of salvation any more than the Noahic flood or the Red Sea were the instruments of salvation. No, faith is the sole instrument of salvation. We were delivered through, i.e., out of of the flood and the Red Sea. Continue reading →

Heidelberg 70: Washed With Christ’s Blood And Spirit—The Double Benefit Of Christ

by R. Scott Clark on May 21, 2015 | 1 Comment

Baptism testifies and seals to us believers that we have been declared clean on the basis of Christ’s perfect righteousness and condign merit imputed to us. We have come “to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Heb 12:24). It also testifies and seals to us believers that we are being cleansed, i.e., that we are being progressively, graciously sanctified by Christ’s Spirit, that Christ’s sprinkled blood not only justifies but it is unto (toward) actual “sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 1:2). Continue reading →

Canadian Speech Tribunals In Our Future?

by R. Scott Clark on May 20, 2015 | 10 Comments

Laws intended to change how individuals think—about anything—require enforced silencing. If the “Freedom for All Americans” meme is about freedom (which it’s not), then it’s only about negative freedom. That is, freedom from “discrimination.” Freedom from “hate.” Which basically gives carte blanche . . . Continue reading →