The Mosaic law itself did not originate the notion of personal obedience de novo, since it recapitulated a more fundamental creational principle of righteousness through obedience to the Creator’s covenant stipulations. Further, the Mosaic law did not introduce a new way of . . . Continue reading →
Law and Gospel Distinction
A Gospel-Double-Decker Not A Law-Sandwich
We were walking out of chapel after our weekly prayer group and a student said to me, about a sermon he had recently heard, “It was a law-sandwich.” That might not have been the first time I had ever heard that expression . . . Continue reading →
Law, Gospel, Abortion, And Adoption
The morning of June 25, 2022 was a morning unlike any I had ever experienced. On that morning, like everyone reading this article, I awoke to a post-Roe v. Wade-America. Born the same year as the original Roe decision, I had never . . . Continue reading →
Paul Was A Gospel-Man
Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart unto the Good News of God (Rom 1:1)* Paul Was A Gospel Man Gospel means good news and Paul was a “gospel man.” I am uncertain where I first . . . Continue reading →
The Canons Of Dort On Law And Gospel
In the Canons of Dort the Reformed churches distinguish law and gospel. Continue reading →
Heidelcast For June 26, 2022: Every Tribe, Tongue, And Nation (6): First Head Of Doctrine (3)
Perhaps the most fundamental complaint of the Remonstrants against Reformed theology, the concern that most animated Arminius’ desire to revise Reformed theology, was the charge that the Reformed view makes God the author of evil. In his desire to fix this problem . . . Continue reading →
Colquhoun: Every Passage Of Scripture Is Either Law Or Gospel
The law and the gospel are the principal parts of divine revelation; or rather they are the center, sum, and substance of all the other parts of it. Every passage of sacred Scripture is either law or gospel, or is capable of . . . Continue reading →
My Pilgrimage From “Lordship” to Law/Gospel (part 3): Assurance
In part 2, we considered the case of the Rich Young Ruler. In this final installment, let us consider one of the most important passages in this debate: Romans 2:13. Advantage #4–Giving Assurance to Believers LS regularly calls into question a person’s . . . Continue reading →
My Pilgrimage From “Lordship” to Law/Gospel (part 2): Test Case—The Rich Young Ruler
In part 1 we considered the definition of Lordship Salvation and the Reformation distinction between Law and Gospel. If you read the “rich young ruler” passage in Matthew 19:16-30 as the LS folks frequently do, you will see Jesus calling people to . . . Continue reading →
My Pilgrimage From “Lordship” to Law/Gospel (part 1)
Though the Lordship Salvation doctrine (hereafter LS) has many distinguishing characteristics, the one I want to address is its view of the gospel and the unbeliever’s response to it. What Is The “Lordship Salvation” Doctrine? In brief, LS regularly teaches that unbelievers . . . Continue reading →
What A Confessional Presbyterian Learned from Luther
“What is a nice OPC minister like you doing constantly quoting Martin Luther on Twitter?” is the familiar refrain after people take a gander at my feed. Normally, I admit when I am guilty as charged, but there is no great guilt . . . Continue reading →
Repentance Comes From Faith
Believers Repent, Unbelievers Do Not
The Westminster Shorter Catechism has a helpful, biblically-based definition of repentance: Q. 87. What is repentance unto life? A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy . . . Continue reading →
A Better Way To Say It
It has been said,”the gospel says that you are more sinful and flawed than you ever dared believe and you are more accepted and loved that you ever dared hope.” Continue reading
Hermeneutics Matter: Law And Gospel In Luke 18:18–30
And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do . . . Continue reading →
There Is More To The Parable Of The Good Samaritan Than It Might Seem
The parable of the Good Samaritan is generally understood to be an ethical teaching of Jesus that challenges us to love our neighbor better. Most teachings on the parable are moralistic, leaving the impression that the imperative to “go and do likewise” . . . Continue reading →
With The Pactum Podcast On “Do This And Live”
Pat Abendroth is a friend and pastor of Omaha Bible Church and the host of The Pactum Podcast. Pactum is a Latin noun for covenant. You might see or hear it used, e.g., to refer to the pactum salutis, the covenant of redemption between . . . Continue reading →
Romans 2:13 As An Acid Test
I had the privilege of talking with my friend Pat Abendroth last night. He is the senior pastor of Omaha Bible Church. He is a gospel preacher. We were recording an episode of his excellent podcast, The Pactum and we discussed what the . . . Continue reading →
Merry Christmas From Martin Luther
This is a wonderful story to tell about very great men and pillars of the churches. Paul is the only one who has his eyes open and sees the sin of Peter, Barnabas, and the other Jews, who were acting insincerely along . . . Continue reading →
An Aberration Or Standard In Progressive Covenantalism? Issues About Covenant Conditions
Caneday’s main argument is to undermine the law-gospel distinction. In his words, “This chapter disavows the notion that all of Scripture consists of two isolatable messages: law, consisting of God’s demands, and gospel, composed of God’s gracious giving. Instead, it argues that the formulation of covenant stipulations remain the same while the content of stipulations changes.” (pg. 103; italics original). Continue reading →
A Useful Test For Evaluating Sermons And Ministry: If A Sermon May Be Preached In A Mosque Or Synagogue It is Not A Christian Message
Years ago I remember hearing an elder say that if my sermon could be accepted in a Jewish synagogue then it is not a distinctively Christian sermon. I’ve thought a lot about that over the years. What makes Christian sermons distinctively Christian? . . . Continue reading →