Dear NAPARC Pastor,
If you think that distinguishing law from gospel is “Lutheran” Continue reading
Christology
New In Print And Online: God The Son And The Covenant Of Grace
Caspar Olevianus, Eternal Generation, and the Substance of the Covenant of Grace
In the Summer of 1570 the Reformed Reformation in Heidelberg faced a crisis. Several of the Zwinglians, who had sided with Erastus against the Calvinist order in the Palatinate, were perceived by their Calvinist opponents to be arguing for something that looked . . . Continue reading →
John Owen Defended Eternal Generation Against The Socinians
He Also Opposed Biblicism
Now, if Christ be not begotten of the essence of his Father, he is only a metaphorical Son of God by way of allusion, and cannot be called the proper Son of God, being only one who hath but a similitude to a proper Son Continue reading →
Ignatius Of Antioch As A Remedy For Two Weaknesses In Contemporary Evangelicalism: The Reality Of Christ’s Humanity And The Reality Of The Church
Each autumn term one of my responsibilities is to spend about half the semester helping a group of students to walk through the Apostolic Fathers, a collection of second-century Christian texts which was first compiled in the 17th century. That collection has . . . Continue reading →
Liability, Inability, Inevitability, And, Incarnability
The following is a recent sermon (July 26, 2020), delivered in the Escondido United Reformed Church from Hebrews 10:1–18 and Lord’s Day 5 of the Heidelberg Catechism. The United Reformed Churches follow the ancient Christian pattern of meeting twice each Lord’s Day. . . . Continue reading →
What The Reformed Can Learn From A 1532 Synod: Preach Christ
God at all times has tied, as it were, the knowledge of Himself to certain suitable actions and signs, and these figures, shadows and types all point to Christ Jesus. Appearing in these last days, He has finished His course in the . . . Continue reading →
Why Reformed Christians Reject Images Of Christ
Heidelberg Catechism 97: May we not make any image at all?
God may not and cannot be imaged in any way; as for creatures, though they may indeed be imaged, yet God forbids the making or keeping any likeness of them, either to worship them, or to serve God by them. Continue reading →
Turretin: What We Mean When Call Mary Theotokos, The Mother Of God
XI. Mary is rightly called the Mother of God (theotokos) in the concrete and specifically because she brought forth him who is also God, but not in the abstract and reduplicatively as God. Although this is not expressly stated in the Scriptures, . . . Continue reading →
Incarnation
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just . . . Continue reading →
Good News! The Only And Eternally Begotten God Became Incarnate
AGR’s Chris Gordon is preaching through the gospel of John. If you are an AGR listener (subscribe in Apple Podcasts or directly or use our free iOS/Android app) then you are getting these broadcasts delivered directly to your phone. The gospel of John is . . . Continue reading →
On Jesus, Assumptions, Temptation, And Speculation
In a recent interview posted to the Australian edition of a very popular evangelical website, Ed Shaw, co-founder of the Living Out website, where it is argued that same-sex attraction (SSA) is “natural” and that SSA is not per sesinful—this is the . . . Continue reading →
Is Christianity For Suckers?
Someone once said, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” Who first said it is disputed. It has been attributed to P. T. Barnum, to a banker, and to other possible sources. Whoever said it first, it captures the spirit of skepticism perfectly. . . . Continue reading →
The Case Of The 8th Century Iconoclasts Against Images Of Christ
Wherefore we thought it right, to shew forth with all accuracy, in our present definition the error of such as make and venerate these, for it is the unanimous doctrine of all the holy Fathers and of the six Ecumenical Synods, that . . . Continue reading →
Does Hebrews Teach That Jesus Was The First Christian?
There has long been an attempt in certain segments of Christianity to make Jesus into the first Christian. Thomas Jefferson did it. He removed the portions of the New Testament that he did not like, especially those parts that taught the divinity . . . Continue reading →
Born Of A Woman: Against The Star Trek Christology
Recently a well-known Presbyterian minister posted a short sentence on a social media site that caused some controversy. My intent here is not to comment directly on his language but to notice and respond to some of the reaction because it illustrates . . . Continue reading →
Christ Ascended, Christ Rules
Sometimes we give the impression or might be tempted to think that the last time we see Jesus in Scripture is at the end of the gospels but, of course, that is not true. We see him in Acts chapters 1 and . . . Continue reading →
Christian, Why Do You Sing A Swedenborgian, Social-Gospel, Hymn Written By A Unitarian Minister?
“It Came Upon The Midnight Clear” (now typically titled, “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear”) was first published in 1834. It was written by Edmund Hamilton Sears (1810–76), an Unitarian minister with Swedenborgian convictions. C. Michael Hawn, who teaches sacred music, describes . . . Continue reading →
Against The Star Trek Christology
The Reformed churches and theologians opposed the Anabaptists on a number of issues beyond the most obvious question, namely baptism, one of which was a widely held view of Christ’s humanity which the Melchiorites (followers of Melchior Hoffmann), Menno, and others taught: . . . Continue reading →
Commandment Thursday, Eschatology, And The Definition Of Love
In the medieval Latin translation (Vulgate) of John 13:34 Scripture says, Mandatum novum do vobis, “A new commandment I give to you, that you should love one another as I have loved you, so also should you love one another.” In the . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 125: I Am That I Am (3)—More On The Categorical Distinction
So far in this series we have been talking about what I call the categorical distinction, i.e., the Creator/creature distinction. At the 1518 Heidelberg Disputation Martin Luther unveiled what he called his theology of the cross, (theologia crucis) against what he described . . . Continue reading →