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 →
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 →
Christians are lifelong students of Christ. Disciples are pupils in the school of the great Teacher. We are constantly learning more about Christ, his salvation, and what it means to follow him in faith. Similarly, preachers are lifelong students. There is no . . . Continue reading →
In this episode, Dan Borvan and Chris Gordon return to the mic to reflect on the physical and emotional toll of the devastation, analyze what may have gone wrong, and examine the belief some have that these fires are a manifestation of divine judgment. Continue reading →
According to recent Gallup polls, American churches are emptier today than they were twenty-five years ago.1 Church membership is falling in large numbers. In fact, over fifty percent of Americans rarely or never attend worship services—and if they do, it is usually . . . Continue reading →
I wonder how many books about preaching have been published. Two hundred? Five hundred? It is hard to know for sure, but the number is not small. And although there are numerous books about preaching, most of them are quite similar. They . . . Continue reading →
The Reformed and Presbyterian world is currently enjoying a steady stream of recently-translated sixteenth- and seventeenth-century treatises and writings heretofore only available in Latin—texts written by luminaries like Theodore Beza, Caspar Olevianus, William Ames, Robert Rollock, Francis Turretin, and Johann Heidegger, to . . . Continue reading →
Rev. Dr. Jon D. Payne and Chris Gordon look to define “preaching”, and how to do it effectively, and discuss the two broad aims of sharing the word of God. They talk about the pressures pastors face from behind the pulpit, the . . . Continue reading →
In this two-part essay, we are considering the articulation between the pastoral ministry and the free offer of the gospel. In part 1, we took a look at the free offer of the gospel and how it impacts preaching. In this second . . . Continue reading →
There has been much interest in recent years on the subject of the free offer of the gospel and several helpful books have been written on the subject.1 This research has helped further clarify that Calvinism is not the same thing as hyper-Calvinism, . . . Continue reading →
The basic principle in application is to know whether the passage is a statement of the law or of the gospel. For when the Word is preached, the law and the gospel operate differently. The law exposes the disease of sin, and . . . Continue reading →
It avails not, indeed, a little to increase our confidence, that we are united to the Son of God by a bond so close, that we can find in our nature that holiness of which we are in want; for he not . . . Continue reading →
Of our receiving of Christ given by God, two things must be observed. One is that we must there receive Christ where God offers and gives Him, that is, in the word and sacraments. The second is that faith is our hand . . . Continue reading →
The end of the whole Gospel ministry is that God, the fountain of all felicity, communicate Christ to us who are disunited by sin and hence ruined, that we may from him enjoy eternal life; that in a word all heavenly treasures . . . Continue reading →
To effect this union [with Christ], the Holy Spirit uses a double instrument, the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments. When we say that the Holy Spirit uses an external minister as instrument, we mean this: both in . . . Continue reading →
We believe this communication [of Christ via Gospel ministry] to be (a) mystical, and incomprehensible to human reason, and (b) spiritual, since it is effected by the Holy Spirit; to whom, since he is the virtue of the living God, proceeding from . . . Continue reading →
In the preaching of the Word, the external minister holds forth the vocal word, and it is received by the ears. The internal minister, the Holy Spirit, truly communicates the thing proclaimed through the Word, that is Christ, to the souls of . . . Continue reading →
On the subject of preaching, the apostle Paul says the proof of true preaching is that it centers on Christ crucified (1 Cor 1:23; 2:2). Interestingly, Paul is not merely content to say we must preach Christ, but that we must preach . . . Continue reading →
Chris Gordon and Daniel Borvan discuss the importance of preaching from the perspective that as the Bible progresses, it reveals more and more about the salvation of Christ. RESOURCES When Is a Church Not a Church? Heidelminicast: Belgic Confession Art. 29—On The Marks . . . Continue reading →
James Waddel Alexander (1804–59) was a Presbyterian pastor and professor who served churches in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York, and labored for a time as a professor at the College of New Jersey. Like his father Archibald, James also served as . . . Continue reading →