Ranchita
Christian Life
With Janet Mefferd On What Scripture Says About Private Property
The eighth and tenth commandments, “You shall not steal” (Ex 20:15) and “You shall not covet” (Ex 20:17) are basic to biblical ethics. They are part of the natural law that God revealed to Adam in the garden, known by image bearers . . . Continue reading →
A Perfect Church? Not In This Life
In a recent book, church growth guru George Barna seems to suggest the end or irrelevance of the local congregation.1 He speaks for a significant number of people who find their congregation unsatisfying or who cannot find a church at all. It . . . Continue reading →
Jesus: Baptism Is Death
In Luke 12:50, as part of a wide-ranging discourse with strong eschatological overtones, our Lord Jesus characterizes his coming death in a striking way. He said, “But I have a baptism with which to be baptized and how I constrained until it . . . Continue reading →
Move In Day Begins
Are The Ten Commandments For Christians?
This is a significant question for many evangelical Christians, particularly for those influenced by Dispensationalism. E.g., Charles Ryrie, a self-described “classic” Dispensationalist,1 wrote: …Even though a dispensation ends, certain commands may be re-incorporated into a later era. Nine of the Ten Commandments . . . Continue reading →
Are Believers Under The Law As A Schoolmaster?
For confessing Protestants, there is no question whether believers are under the civil and normative uses of the law. To deny the normative use (the third use) is the definition of antinomianism, a scourge which Martin Luther opposed in the 1520s, against which the Lutherans confess in the Book of Concord (1580), and which the Reformed have always opposed. The Heidelberg Catechism (1563) organized the Christian faith under three headings: Guilt (Law), Grace (Gospel), and Gratitude (Sanctification). The third part of the catechism contains an exposition of the moral law of God, the decalogue (Ten Commandments). The Westminster Standards also affirm and explain the moral law and apply it to the Christian life not in order that we might be keep it and thereby be justified and saved but because we have been justified and saved by grace alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide) in Christ alone. Continue reading →
Construction Update: Nearing The Finish Line
Construction Update 13 March 2018: Almost Done
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AGR: The Christian’s Continual Struggle with Sin (Part 4)
It was my pleasure to fill-in for Chris Gordon on Abounding Grace Radio last week. Tuesday–Friday we broadcast a 4-part series on Romans 7: “The Christian’s Continual Struggle Against Sin.” Here is part 4 of the series. You can also find the . . . Continue reading →
AGR: The Christian’s Continual Struggle with Sin (Part 3)
It was my pleasure to fill-in for Chris Gordon on Abounding Grace Radio last week. Tuesday–Friday we broadcast a 4-part series on Romans 7: “The Christian’s Continual Struggle Against Sin.” Here is part 3 of the series. You can also find the series . . . Continue reading →
AGR: The Christian’s Continual Struggle with Sin (Part 2)
It was my pleasure to fill-in for Chris Gordon on Abounding Grace Radio last week. Tuesday–Friday we broadcast a 4-part series on Romans 7: “The Christian’s Continual Struggle Against Sin.” Here is part 2 of the series. You can also find the series . . . Continue reading →
AGR: The Christian’s Continual Struggle with Sin (Part 1)
It was my pleasure to fill-in for Chris Gordon on Abounding Grace Radio this week. On Monday we broadcast a sermon on Romans 13. In that message I tried to help the congregation read Romans 13 against the social-political background of the . . . Continue reading →
Thomas Cartwright Contra Lent
RHEMI. [ 1. Desert.] As John the Baptist, so our Saviour by going into the desert and there living in contemplation even among brute beasts, and subject to the assaults of the Devil for our sins, gives a warrant and example to . . . Continue reading →
Tune In To Abounding Grace Radio Monday–Friday Next Week
Join me all next week on Abounding Grace Radio as I fill in for Chris Gordon. Monday is a message from Romans 13 but beginning on Tuesday we will be discussing Romans 7. Heidelberg Catechism 114 asks, Can those who are converted . . . Continue reading →
Richard Sibbes Contra Lent
Some make a mockery of the holy things of God. One part of the year they will be holy; a rotten, foolish affection of people that are popish. In Lent they will use a little austerity, oh! they will please God wondrously! . . . Continue reading →
An Interview On Adoption with Dan Cruver
Below is an interview I did with Dan Cruver in 2008. § BY DAN CRUVER Published Jul 14, 2008 1. What do you cherish most about the doctrine of adoption? There are three things that should be mentioned. First it is the . . . Continue reading →
Housing Project Update February 5, 2018
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Church Membership Is Biblical
“I am a member of the church universal. I do not need to be a member of an organized church.” “Our church does not believe in church membership.” “Church membership is unbiblical. It is a man-made tradition.” These are but a few . . . Continue reading →
New In Translation: Synopsis Of A Purer Theology Volume 2
The period of time around the Great Synod of Dort, the 400th anniversary of which we are celebrating in 2018–19, was an important time in the history of Reformed theology. During the Reformation, though the magisterial Protestants faced significant internal challenges, the . . . Continue reading →