David asks, I know that we would say that faith is an instrument whereby we receive Christ’s imputed righteousness, but is there some biblical or theological reason why we would not want to say that faith is also a virtue? Can’t faith . . . Continue reading →
I Get Questions
Does Baptism "Save"?
Merrit asks this question: “Two friends and I have been talking about this verse (1 Peter 3:21) and passage for quite some time today. The more we seem to talk about it the more confused I seem to get about it.
Has Christ Returned?
Roger writes to ask: I’ve been having discussions lately with a fellow who identifies himself as non-violent Anabaptist. He denies he is Emergent, but I’m not so sure. He is very involved in non-violent struggle against ‘the system’ – meaning capitalism and . . . Continue reading →
Do Presbyterians Confess That Refusing to Baptize Infants is Sin?
That’s the question I received in my inbox yesterday. The writer asks, …Whereas I know that a consistent Baptist (e.g. Mark Dever) would consider a Christian refusing to be baptized subsequent to conversion as sinning and subject to church discipline, is that . . . Continue reading →
The Secret of Knowing God’s Will (1)
The single most pressing question I hear is: “How can I know God’s will?” Prospective seminary students want to know whether they should attend seminary. Couples want to know whether they should get married. Ministers want to know whether to take a . . . Continue reading →
Is Humanism Evil?
David asks, The term “humanism” seem to incite disgust in most conservative Christians today but I have heard Calvin and other reformers referenced as “humanists.” What is the difference between the word’s use in that context and the present one?
What Can We Know And How?
During the Watergate hearings, Senator Howard Baker asked, “What did the President know, and when did he know it?” However important that question was in the politics of 1973, it remains an important question in theology today. A friend writes to ask . . . Continue reading →
Fed By Christ or the Person Next to Me?
One of the recurring questions I get is about the meaning of “body” in 1 Corinthians 11:28. The question is whether “discerning the body” in Paul’s narrative refers to “being cognizant of the congregation” or to Christ’s physical, actual body and blood, . . . Continue reading →
Can I Have Assurance?
Joel asks, “Is it possible for a person to want/desire to know Christ as his/her Savior and not be among the elect?” 21. What is true faith? True faith is not only a certain knowledge whereby I hold for truth all that . . . Continue reading →
Why Did Arminianism "Win"?
Sometime back Howard wrote to ask, “How and when did Arminianism become the predominate view?” That’s a good question. First, we should distinguish between Jacob Arminius (James Hermanzoon) and the Arminians (or the Remonstrants). Relative to the conclusions Arminian/Remonstrant theology later reached, Arminius . . . Continue reading →
Which Has Priority: Private Devotion or Public Worship?
This question arises on the PB. I reply: Well, as I argue in RRC, there’s a strong case to be made from Scripture and the confession (defined broadly and narrowly) that, in Reformed theology, the public “means of grace” (the “due use . . . Continue reading →
How to React to Homosexuals in the Congregation?
The question was raised on the PB how a congregation ought to respond to practicing homosexuals who are visiting a congregation regularly. Here’s a slightly revised version of my initial answer. First, praise God that they are in the congregation where, one trusts, . . . Continue reading →
Should the State Imitate the Church?
K asks, “If God’s Word forbids women teaching and exercising authority” why shouldn’t the state follow the same principle?”
Natural Law, the Two Kingdoms, and Homosexual Marriage
David writes to ask how, from a “two kingdoms” perspective one should think about the question of whether the state should sanction homosexual marriage.
God, Philosophers, and Evil
David writes to ask about how to answer a friend who is “struggling with Calvinism” because “he has not heard an explanation of the Fall (and ultimately reprobation) that goes beyond the idea of a ‘blessed fall.’ In other words, he has . . . Continue reading →
I Get Questions: What About the Sabbath?
Merritt writes to ask, “Where do you stand on the Sabbath?” To which I respond, “In Church, twice.” But wait there’s more. It’s a difficult but no insoluble problem. For me the key was creation. This is the part of the equation . . . Continue reading →
Whence the Reformation Solas?
From where do we get the Reformation solas? I get this question with some frequency, usually around Reformation Day. Here is a preliminary answer: The ideas were present from the earliest stage of the Reformation, but the actual phrases developed over time. . . . Continue reading →
Is There a Sect/Cult Out There That Teaches That
of the 613 mitzvoth, the temple laws were fulfilled in Christ but the dietary laws are still in force for Christians?
Ministry Monday: Where to Serve?
Seminary student Simon writes to ask about how to choose where to serve upon graduation.
Believing in Creation But Denying That We Are Creatures?
Anita writes to ask about a couple of things I said in class last night. In brief she asks why I suggest that some who believe quite strongly in creation don’t really seem to believe in creation at all and second, why . . . Continue reading →