I saw the evil of legal preaching, which lies in one of two things, or in both. 1. In laying too much stress upon the works of the law, our duties and strength: Or, 2. In pressing evangelical doctrines without an eye . . . Continue reading →
Law and Gospel Distinction
Bilkes: The Church Needs Clarity On Law And Gospel
The church in our day suffers greatly from a lack of clarity on many things, but not least issues of law and gospel. Many mix law and gospel or swing too far, thereby discounting one while thinking they are doing justice to . . . Continue reading →
Why The Reformation Distinguished Law And Gospel
“Are you getting in the Word?” “You gotta get in the Word.” Christians hear phrases like this constantly. They sound deeply spiritual and unquestionably biblical. But when you stop and think about them, they are often so broad and undefined that they . . . Continue reading →
Review: The Beauty Of Divine Grace By Gabriel N. E. Fluhrer
Divine grace is a beautiful thing. Though it is not a thing that we can hold on to or put under a microscope, it is a disposition of an Almighty God. What makes this grace of God so beautiful is that we . . . Continue reading →
Review: Do Not Be True To Yourself By Kevin DeYoung
In the seventeenth century, the first question of the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechism asked the perennial question of humanity: What is our purpose? What is the goal of life? The answer has been important for Christians in the centuries since: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. This answer contains much wisdom and points us to the true meaning of our lives. Continue reading →
Heidelvideo #4—On The Distinction Between Law And Gospel (Part 3)
In Heidelvideo episode 4 Dr Clark responds to some criticisms of the Reformation distinction between law and gospel. Continue reading →
Heidelvideo #3—On The Distinction Between Law And Gospel (Part 2)
In Heidelvideo episode 3 Dr Clark continues a three-part series on distinguishing law and gospel. Continue reading →
Heidelvideo #2—On The Distinction Between Law And Gospel (Part 1)
In Heidelvideo episode 2 Dr Clark begins a three-part series on distinguishing law and gospel. Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Law, Gospel, And The Three Uses of the Law
In this episode Dr. Clark talks about evangelicals and the Bible. Continue reading →
5 Reformation Doctrines That Still Transform The Church
By most accounts, the Reformation began when a young monk challenged ecclesiastical and academic authorities to debate a controversial practice that had developed in the late-medieval period. Why do we continue to remember it roughly five hundred years later? Waving off Martin . . . Continue reading →
Review: Loving The Law: The Law Of God In The Life Of The Believer By Stephen Spinnenweber
“The law is good and just and right” (Rom 7:12). So says the apostle Paul, but many Christians today do not believe that statement. The question such Christians ask may sound like, “Well, what use is the law for us if Christ . . . Continue reading →
The Rise Of Moralism In Seventeenth-Century Anglican Preaching: A Case Study
The twenty-first century is not the first to witness English-speaking theologians in the Reformed tradition expressing dissatisfaction with the Reformation’s doctrine of justification through faith alone on the ground of Christ’s righteousness and sacrifice alone. Continue reading →
To Obey Or Not To Obey, That Is The Question: An Examination Of Anthony Burgess’s Theology Of Law And Gospel In Vindiciae Legis: Part 2
Burgess used the similarities between the old and new covenants to refute Antinomian errors, but perhaps the most surprising facet of his broad distinction was that the gospel contains “commands.” The command for repentance, in a sense, belongs to the gospel, not . . . Continue reading →
To Obey Or Not To Obey, That Is The Question: An Examination Of Anthony Burgess’s Theology Of Law And Gospel In Vindiciae Legis: Part 1
After his suspension on June 25, 1629, by the High Commission for the charge of “doctrinal heterodoxy,” Robert Towne (1592–1663) desperately sought to meet with those “godly opponents” who had been criticizing his preaching, perhaps to explain himself.1 He found a few . . . Continue reading →
Preaching Sola Fide Better
After a conference address that expounded the doctrine of justification by faith and showed its contemporary importance, the following comments were overheard during a coffee break. Continue reading →
The Rich Young Ruler: Law, Gospel, And Salvation
Join Chris Gordon and Dan Borvan as they dive into the story of the Rich Young Ruler from Mark 10:17-27. Continue reading →
Colquhoun Contra Final Salvation Through Works
If he knows not the difference between the law and the gospel, he will be apt, especially in the affair of justification, to confound the one with the other. The consequence will be that in his painful experience, bondage will be mixed . . . Continue reading →
Colquhoun: The Law And The Gospel Both Promise Eternal Life
The law, as it has a promise of life, is very unlike the gospel. The former promises eternal life to a man on condition of his own perfect obedience and of the obedience of no other, whereas the latter promises it on . . . Continue reading →
Why Evangelicals Cannot Be Trusted With The Bible
Carolyn Arends wants to give an argument for the benefits of God’s moral law, but she lacks the categories by which to do it. Her argument has only two categories: good/bad, and relationships. The title and subtitle of her essay should alarm . . . Continue reading →
Colquhoun: The Law Cannot Give What It Demands
The law shows us “what manner of persons [we ought] to be in all holy conversation and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11), but it does not inform us by what means we may become such (Luke 10:27–28). Whereas, the gospel teaches us how . . . Continue reading →