But the word of the gospel explains to a man the riches of divine love and grace. This word of grace offers the remission of sins and eternal life to the one who believes in Christ Jesus the true Mediator. It gently . . . Continue reading →
Grace
Ursinus Against The Antinomians, Libertines, And Similar Fanatics Who Deny That The Decalogue Is For Teaching in the Christian Church (Objection 3)
Obj. 3. We ought not to desire that which God does not desire to give us in this life, and which we cannot obtain. But God does not desire to give us perfect obedience to the law in this life. Therefore it . . . Continue reading →
How Did We Come To Faith?
Why should we study what the Bible says about how we came to faith in Jesus? Isn’t it enough to simply believe and let it go? After all, do not such discussions only cause hurt feelings and doctrinal arguments among believers? These are good questions. Here are two answers. First, Jesus himself calls us to pay attention to His hard words. Continue reading →
Santa Is Law, Not Gospel
Santa rewards those who meet the terms of a covenant of works: Continue reading
By Nature We Are Not Ill But Dead
One of the first and greatest differences between the Augustinian understanding of Paul and what became the dominant understanding of Paul. By the 7th century and for most of a millennium following, the parable of the Good Samaritan (Mark 10:29–37) became the . . . Continue reading →
Jesus Saves The Prince Of The Publicans
One of the more persistent charges leveled against Jesus is that he associated with the wrong sort of people. One of the best examples of the tension between the way Jesus understands the Kingdom of God and the way that his critics . . . Continue reading →
Caspar Olevianus Defines The Gospel
9 Q. Could you give a more definitive explanation of what the gospel is? A. The gospel, or the good news that delights the heart of the poor condemned sinner, is a revelation of the fatherly and immutable will of God, in . . . Continue reading →
We Acknowledge And Bewail Our Sins
ALMIGHTY God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, Judge of all men; We knowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness, which we, from time to time, most grievously have committed by thought, word, and deed, against thy . . . Continue reading →
Heidelberg 56: In The Church: The Forgiveness Of Sins
There are few things more difficult than forgiving when one has been wronged. First, when a wrong has been done, quite apart from its effect for us (and its affect in us), justice itself has been violated. Second, to be wronged is . . . Continue reading →
What Is The Gift In Ephesians 2:8?
Τῇ γὰρ χάριτί ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι διὰ πίστεως· καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν, θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God (ESV) In response to the . . . Continue reading →
The Dissonance Of Sin
By Joshua Martin Rev. Joshua Martin is a graduate of Westminster Seminary California and an ordained minister of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. He currently serves as the Pastor of Redeemer Church (OPC) in Santa Maria, CA. § Some time ago I picked . . . Continue reading →
The Shield Of Works? Faith, Spiritual Warfare, And Salvation
The preacher this morning read from Ephesians 6 and Paul’s expression in 6:16 struck me relative to the current discussion about works and salvation. There is no question whether believers will do good works or whether those good works are evidence of . . . Continue reading →
Calvin: The Promise Of Grace Without Any Mention Of The Law
I do not want to pursue the individual testimonies that the stupid Sorbonnists of today have groundlessly torn from Scripture—whatever first came to hand—to fling at us. For some are so ridiculous that I could not mention them unless I wished to . . . 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 →
Calvin On Tasting Of The Powers Of The Age To Come And Falling Away
But here arises a new question, how can it be that he who has once made such a progress should afterwards fall away? For God, it may be said, calls none effectually but the elect, and Paul testifies that they are really . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 21: What is the Order of Regeneration and Faith?
Today’s Heidelcast answers mail on the question of whether it is to the living or to the dead that God gives faith. Dan writes to ask “I believe, at least inferentially, that the Canons of Dort teach that regeneration logically precedes faith. . . . Continue reading →
Of Grace and Second Chances
A Lesson Learned from a Missouri Farmer
Mark Sanford, former governor of South Carolina, is running for office again. He resigned his office in 2009, after his adulterous affair came to light. As part of his campaign Sanford has spoken of a “God of second chances.” This story caught . . . Continue reading →
Armstrong, Absolution, and Oprah
UPDATED 14 January 2013 (see below) 9 January 2013 Sometimes the most interesting words show up in pop culture. A faithful HB correspondent (whom I won’t name for his sake) sent me a link to a story claiming that cyclist Lance Armstrong . . . Continue reading →
How Should We View the Warning Passages?
The Background to the Current Discussion There is concern by some in the Reformed community that there is too much emphasis on grace, in the doctrine of sanctification, and not enough emphasis on obedience and even godly fear. The question has arisen how . . . Continue reading →
"Tough Grace" Is Not Grace (and It’s Not Law Either)
In an unsigned editorial yesterday CT came out in favor of what it calls “tough grace.” The presenting issue or symptom is CT’s concern that Christian institutions are failing to be both “tough” and “gracious” simultaneously. The argument is that the fall . . . Continue reading →