Obj. 2. He who commands impossibilities, commands things which are not profitable. God commands impossibilities in his law. Therefore he commands things which are useless, and so by consequence the law itself is of no use. Ans. This argument is nearly the . . . Continue reading →
Author Archives: Heidelblog
Bauckham On Eschatological Expectation
The ideas of the 12th-century abbot Joachim inspired a new form of eschatological expectation which in the later Middle Ages and the 16th century was the major alternative to the Augustinian view. Before the end of history there would be an age . . . Continue reading →
The Sturdy Legs Of Worship
Why will unscriptural, man-centered, culturally conditioned, over-contextualized worship undermine confessional orthodoxy? Because worship by its very form (which ought to be according to spirit—uppercase and lowercase— and truth) communicates certain things about the nature of God and man, thus theology proper and . . . Continue reading →
Ursinus Against The Antinomians, Libertines, And Similar Fanatics Who Deny That The Decalogue Is For Teaching In The Christian Church (Objection 1)
Obj. 1. That which cannot be kept, is taught to no purpose. The law cannot be kept. Therefore it is to no purpose that it is taught in the church of Christ. Ans. There is here a fallacy in urging that as . . . Continue reading →
Beza On Law And Gospel
We divide this Word into two principal parts or kinds: the one is called the ‘Law,’ the other the ‘Gospel.’ For all the rest can be gathered under the one or other of these two headings…Ignorance of this distinction between Law and . . . Continue reading →
With Presbycast Discussing Side B, Concupiscence, And The Distinction Between Nature and Grace
The Presbycast is always weird—the intro music for this episode comes from Ralph Carmichael; a blast from the CCM past—wild, and fun and this episode is no exception. HB contributor Stephen Spinnenwebber and I joined HB contributor and Presbycast co-host, Brad “Chortles” Isbell, . . . Continue reading →
OPC Response To Kentucky Flooding
Volunteers have come from all over the country. They have worked at the church building to remove ceiling tiles, as well as much of the drywall and trim. The doors have been sandbagged to keep potential future floods at bay. The two . . . Continue reading →
Berkhof On The Millennium
At the time of the Reformation the doctrine of the millennium was rejected by the Protestant Churches, but revived in some of the sects, such as that of the more fanatical Anabaptists, and that of the Fifth Monarchy Men. Luther scornfully rejected . . . Continue reading →
Second Council Of Orange On Death Through Sin
CANON 2. If anyone asserts that Adam’s sin affected him alone and not his descendants also, or at least if he declares that it is only the death of the body which is the punishment for sin, and not also that sin, . . . Continue reading →
Reinventing Pronouns Aids The Deconstruction Of Language
There is far more to pronoun usage than someone’s personal preference in how he or she wishes to have others refer to him or her. The woke tyranny affects all pronoun usage because it de-constructs our entire language. A pronoun must have . . . Continue reading →
The Sublimely Ordinary Drama Of Regular Lord’s Day Worship
The ethos of liturgical seasons and their attendant dramatic worship peculiarities — imposition of ashes, the stripping of the altar after Communion on Maunday Thursday, etc. — is centered more on a theater of the nostalgic than the sublimely ordinary drama of . . . Continue reading →
Machen: A Word To MDiv Students On Standing For Christ
You will have a battle, too, when you go forth as ministers into the church. The church is now in a period of deadly conflict. The redemptive religion known as Christianity is contending, in our own Presbyterian Church and in all the . . . Continue reading →
A Defense Of Aquinas’ Writing On “The Light Of Natural Knowledge”
The problem is most apparent in Oliphint’s highly selective use of Aquinas’ commentary on John 1:9, which leaves out the portions that undermine his argument. Aquinas indicates that human beings are enlightened by “the light of natural knowledge,” which insofar as it . . . Continue reading →
Should Pastors Leave The Culture Or Take It Captive?
The Benedict Option versus Redeemer Presbyterian Church (NYC) is a wrestling match this writer would pay to see. Which side has the greater strength either of argument or piety than the other? To leave the mainstream culture because it is hostile to . . . Continue reading →
Second Council Of Orange Contra Pelagianism
CANON 1. If anyone denies that it is the whole man, that is, both body and soul, that was “changed for the worse” through the offense of Adam’s sin, but believes that the freedom of the soul remains unimpaired and that only . . . Continue reading →
Aquinas On The Source Of Truth
Aquinas did not view truths of reason and truths of revelation as incompatible or in need of synthesis. Underlying the theological project of Aquinas’ two Summas is the assumption that what is true is true whatever its immediate source, given that all . . . Continue reading →
Pronouns And The Destabilization Of Thought
When Vice President Kamala Harris announced her pronouns while introducing herself to pro-abortion disability rights activists, she also described what she was wearing: “I am Kamala Harris. My pronouns are she and her. I am a woman sitting at this table wearing . . . Continue reading →
Orwell: Social Orthodoxy And The Silencing Of Unpopular Opinions
At any given moment there is an orthodoxy, a body of ideas which it is assumed that all right-thinking people will accept without question. It is not exactly forbidden to say this, that or the other, but it is ‘not done’ to . . . Continue reading →
Turretin: Works Justify Faith
A twofold trial can be entered into by God with man: either by the law (inasmuch as he is viewed as guilty of violating the law by sin and thus comes under the accusation and condemnation of the law); or by the . . . Continue reading →
Post-Millennialism And The Promise Of “Victory”
Nothing has been more characteristic of current post-millennialism than its emphasis on the kingship of the ascended Christ; nothing fires the Postmil vision more than that reality. Yet it is just this reality that post-millennialism affectively compromises and, in part, even denies. . . . Continue reading →