The Suffering Servant: A Primer on the Passive Obedience of Christ (Part Two)

As we meditate on these truths and thus come to a greater understanding of what our Lord Jesus went through on our behalf, hopefully, this adds depth to our appreciation of him and his suffering for us. And so, this week, as we hear of his final Passover, his prayers in Gethsemane, his midnight trial, his disciples scattered, his discussion with Pilate, his death sentence, his torment on the way to the cross, his agony on the cross, his final words, his being pierced through by the spear, and his burial in the tomb, it is my prayer that we will not only see these as events that truly did occur in history but that they would have a profound influence on our lives. Continue reading →

Steak for Lent: A Primer on the Active Obedience of Christ (Part One)

Many of us have family, friends, or co-workers who show up to events with ash on their foreheads or announce the fact that they are fasting and cannot eat certain foods on certain days. Is that what this time of the year is all about? Letting people know that you are fasting? Showing up to work or social events with ash on your forehead? What should Reformed Christians be doing at this time of the year? Continue reading →

More Than The Sinner’s Prayer

If potential converts (children or adults) are so unfamiliar with basic Bible doctrine that they can understand nothing more than “asking Jesus into their heart,” they probably should wait to make a commitment, until they understand the gravity of sin, and Christ’s . . . Continue reading →

Lordship Salvation, The Federal Vision, And The Covenant Theology That The Reformation Rejected

Or Why History Is Useful

More than twenty years ago, in the summer of 2001, Mike Horton and I were sitting beside a hotel swimming pool one evening during Synod Escondido, along with several ministers from our federation (denomination) of churches (the United Reformed Churches in North . . . Continue reading →

Embracing The Reformation Doctrine Of Salvation Is Not “Wearying From The Battle”

John MacArthur is the old lion of modified Dispensationalism, which has been a gateway for many into the Reformation, but which has also been an obstacle to the Reformation. State Of The Controversy One way in which that has been true is . . . Continue reading →

The Point Of The Rich Man And Lazarus Might Not Be What You Think (Pt 2)

According to Josephus and three of the four Gospel writers, Caiaphas was Israel’s high priest during the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry.7 Further, as it turns out, he was the son-in-law of Annas, who had also reigned as high priest some years . . . Continue reading →

The Point Of The Rich Man And Lazarus Might Not Be What You Think (Pt 1)

In Luke 16, Jesus tells a fascinating story about two contrasting characters: one who lives in luxury, and the other who lives in extreme poverty and, unlike all the other parables Jesus tells, in this particular narrative, one of the characters is . . . Continue reading →

Turretin: The Twofold Nature Of Salvation

We remark that the obedience of Christ has a twofold efficacy, satisfactory and meritorious; the former by which we are freed from the punishments incurred by sin; the latter by which (through the remission of sin) a right to eternal life and . . . Continue reading →

A Debtor’s Ethic

John Piper has complained that the historic Reformed understanding of the Christian faith and life produces what he calls a “debtor’s ethic.” The assumption is that a “debtor’s ethic” is something that we are supposed to reject out of hand. I have . . . Continue reading →