Salvation

What The Heidelberg Liturgy Teaches Us About Grace, Faith, And Sanctification

by on October 7, 2015 | 1 Comment

The medievals had a saying: the law of praying is the law of believing (lex orandi, lex credendi). By it they meant to say that what we do in worship affects our theology. If you want to change theology of the future change . . . Continue reading →

Strangers And Aliens (3): The Good News Of The Salvation Has Now Been Announced (1 Peter 1:10–12)

by on October 4, 2015 | 2 Comments

What is the central unifying narrative thread in the history of redemption? For many American evangelicals the default answer to this question is: national Israel. For them it is a mark of faithfulness to Scripture to assume that the central, unifying thread . . . Continue reading →

The Question Is Not Whether But Why?

by on October 1, 2015 | 18 Comments

Do Reformed Christians ignore the Epistle of James? Particularly, have those who confess the Reformed theology, piety, and practice been guilty of ignoring James’ teaching in 2:14–17. Whether James has been ignored in recent years is a difficult assessment to make. How . . . Continue reading →

The Principal Acts Of Saving Faith

by on September 28, 2015 | 3 Comments

…the principal acts of saving faith are accepting, receiving, and resting upon Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace. —Westminster Confession of Faith 14.2

The Logic Of Fruit As Evidence (2)

by on September 28, 2015 | 1 Comment

“But after a man is justified by faith, now possesses Christ by faith, and knows that He is his righteousness and life, he will certainly not be idle but, like a sound tree, will bear good fruit (Matt. 7:17). For the believer has the Holy Spirit; and where He is, He does not permit a man to be idle but drives him to all the exercises of devotion, to the love of God, to patience in affliction, to prayer, to thanksgiving, and to the practice of love toward all men.”

—Luther Continue reading →

The Logic Of Fruit As Evidence (1)

by on September 27, 2015 | 2 Comments

The Patristic Period One of the earliest concerns of the Christian church, beginning with the apostles and intensifying through the patristic and medieval periods, was that those who profess the Christian faith should live in a way befitting their profession of faith. . . . Continue reading →

Does Hebrews 12:4 Teach Sanctification Through Works?

by on September 26, 2015 | 8 Comments

The argument is being made that Hebrews 12:4 teaches us that sanctification is resisting sin, which involves our free cooperation with grace, ergo sanctification is not by faith alone (sola fide). Once more, there is no question whether believers must be sanctified and whether they must resist sin. The question is whether our sanctification and our resisting sin is a part of the instrument of our salvation or whether it contributes to our salvation or whether our resisting of sin is the consequence and evidence of our gracious salvation. Continue reading →

Strangers And Aliens (2): Doxology, Suffering, And Salvation (1 Peter 1:3–9)

by on September 25, 2015 | 3 Comments

For the Apostle Peter, Christians are delivered from Pharaoh, as it were, but we are not yet in Canaan. We are “in Christ” and with him we have been raised from the dead. We have an inheritance (below) we have not yet . . . Continue reading →

Resources On Conditions In The Covenant Of Grace (Updated)

by on September 24, 2015 | 1 Comment

Some thoughts relative to the current discussion about the nature of conditions in the covenant of grace: First, we cannot get this right unless we distinguish between the covenant of works and the covenant of grace. Part of the problem in this . . . Continue reading →

We Attain Heaven Through Faith Alone

by on September 22, 2015 | 32 Comments

Recently an influential evangelical writer (no names please, this is about truth not personalities) wrote “…right with God by faith alone, not attain heaven by faith alone.” The claim is that Christians should believe that we “attain heaven” by more than faith, i.e., by . . . Continue reading →