Heidelcast For July 3, 2022: A Mailbag Episode

by Heidelcast on July 2, 2022

During Dr Clark’s summer trip to Nebraska the mailbag (and Heideltext inbox) filled up so what was supposed to be an episode on the Canons of Dort became a Q&A episode. Never fear. The episode for next week returns to the Canons. . . . Continue reading →

The Canons Of Dort On Law And Gospel

by Heidelcast on June 29, 2022

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)

by Heidelcast on June 25, 2022

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

by Heidelblog on June 24, 2022

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

by Mike Abendroth on June 9, 2022

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

by Mike Abendroth on June 7, 2022

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)

by Mike Abendroth on June 2, 2022

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

by Tony Phelps on May 24, 2022

“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

by Heidelblog on May 14, 2022

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

by R. Scott Clark on May 7, 2022

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 →

Fascinating Comments From John Owen

by Heidelblog on April 11, 2022

Paul Helm is always worth reading, in part, because he is always reading and doing so well. The other day he posted Continue reading →

Hermeneutics Matter: Law And Gospel In Luke 18:18–30

by R. Scott Clark on March 1, 2022

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

by Heidelblog on January 21, 2022

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”

by R. Scott Clark on January 19, 2022

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

by R. Scott Clark on January 14, 2022

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

by Inwoo Lee on December 25, 2021

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

by Harrison Perkins on November 30, 2021

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 →

Another Reason Why The Covenant Of Works Matters

by R. Scott Clark on November 17, 2021

Yesterday a prominent evangelical theologian tweeted “The gospel does not begin with Genesis 3 and human sin. The gospel begins with Genesis 1 and God’s goodness and our grandeur. If we start with Genesis 3, we make the gospel seem tiresome, predictable. . . . Continue reading →

Audio: Two Episodes With Saints And Sinners Unplugged On The Heidelberg Catechism

by R. Scott Clark on August 23, 2021

Saints and Sinners Unplugged is a podcast hosted by Ken Jones, whom you know from the White Horse Inn radio show, Aldo Leon, Jose Prado, and David Menendez. Each of these men is a pastor of a congregation in the Miami metro . . . 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

by R. Scott Clark on August 20, 2021

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 →