And indeed, strictly speaking, there are no demands and conditions in the gospel but only promises and gifts. Faith and repentance are as much benefits of the covenant of grace as justification (and so forth). Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 4.454 (HT: James . . . Continue reading →
Justification
Synod Of Dort Day: Arminius Brought Out Of Hell
[We reject the errors of those] Who teach: That Christ by His satisfaction merited neither salvation itself for any one, nor faith, whereby this satisfaction of Christ unto salvation is effectually appropriated; but that He merited for the Father only the authority . . . Continue reading →
Is The Gospel Preached Or Lived?
An HB Classic
Colin raised this question a while back on Unashamed Workman. He asked for comments and, as Mike had just touched on this during the Westminster Seminary California Missional and Reformed Conference, I piped up: Hi Colin, This business of “living the gospel” . . . Continue reading →
Why Do Some Say That Doubt Is Of The Essence Of Faith?
Curt writes to ask, I have a question. In “A Brief History of Covenant Theology” You write: For most of the Medieval period, the Western (Latin) church and the major theologians agreed that God says what he says about us, because we . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 17: Legalism and Antinomianism
An HB Classic
What’s the difference between legalism and antinomianism? The latter is the denial of the abiding validity of God’s moral law for the life of the believer. The church has been afflicted with antinomianism throughout its history. All the Gnostics of the 2nd . . . Continue reading →
What Is The Article Of The Standing or Falling Of The Church?
Articulus iustificationis dicitur articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae (the article of justification is said to be the article of the standing or falling of the church)” —J. H. Alsted (1588–1638), Theologia scholastica didactica (Hanover, 1618), 711. For the sense and origins of . . . Continue reading →
When Is a Church Not a Church?
An HB Classic
I was searching for something the other day and ran across chapter 18 of the Scots Confession (1560) which speaks to the “Notes” (from the Latin, nota or “mark” or “indicator”) of the True Kirk (church). I’ll return to the Scots Confession . . . Continue reading →
Federal Vision Audio
In 2007 the Synod the United Reformed Churches in North America adopted a nine point declaration against the self-described federal vision movement. They described these points as “pastoral advice.” Here’s a written exposition of the Nine Points. These nine talks (below) also explain . . . Continue reading →
Guy Waters on the Federal Vision
Guy Waters is an outstanding scholar of the New Testament and he has been a stalwart on the doctrine of justification. He has been a vigorous opponent of the self-glossed “Federal Vision” movement. A few years ago, when Guy was on campus . . . Continue reading →
CJPM Now Available as an E-Book
Apropos of recent discussions on the HB P&R Publishing has released CJPM as an e-book on iTunes for $9.99. The hardcopy is still available for $18.99 at the bookstore.
The Moralists Will Be Back
An HB Classic
It is an historical fact that moralism (the confusion of justification with sanctification) never dies, it just goes dormant periodically. The Reformation defeated 1000 years of moralism only to see forms of it re-emerge in the Protestant churches even before Luther died. . . . Continue reading →
Ursinus On Jesuits And Hypocrites
This question is proposed on account of those who glory in the name of Jesus, and yet, at the same time, seek their salvation, either wholly or in part, in some other place without him, in the merits of the saints, in . . . Continue reading →
The Treasury Of The Church—”A Satanic Mockery”
Now very many persons see the base tricks, deceits, thefts, and greediness with which the indulgence traffickers have heretofore mocked and beguiled us, and yet they do not see the very fountain of the impiety itself. As a consequence, it behooves us . . . Continue reading →
A Romanist Responds to the Reformation
I’ve had a fair bit of response to the HB over the years. Some of it comes over the transom from anonymous writers (anonymous comments are generally forbidden on the HB) and it usually goes where anonymous correspondence should go. This one, . . . Continue reading →
“Feet Shod with the Gospel of Peace”
Why the Heidelberg Catechism?
Faith-The Instrument By Which We Embrace Christ
We do not mean, however, properly speaking, that it is faith itself that justifies us — for faith is only the instrument by which we embrace Christ, our righteousness. But Jesus Christ is our righteousness in making available to us all his . . . Continue reading →
Leaving, Leaning, and Looking (Phil 3:8-14)
The time after Christmas, including, in some places Boxing Day—for which different etymologies have been given—is a time for writing thank you notes. The Apostle Paul also wrote a thank you letter and the Spirit of God preserved it for us in . . . Continue reading →
Peter Martyr Vermigli on Law and Gospel
In the history of Christian theology there have been two ways of speaking about the relation between law and gospel: 1. historically and 2. theologically or hermeneutically. These two ways of relating law and gospel are complementary. The first way of relating . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast Episode 3b: Follow Up to DGM (Part 2)
Heidelcast episode #3: A Gentle Rebuke to Brother John (pt 2)
Calvin on “Not Having a Righteousness of My Own”
He says, that believers have no righteousness of their own. Now, it cannot be denied, that if there were any righteousness of works, it might with propriety be said to be ours. Hence he leaves no room whatever for the righteousness of . . . Continue reading →