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
Law and Gospel Distinction
Hermeneutics Matter: Law And Gospel In Luke 18:18–30
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
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”
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
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
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
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 →
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
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 →
Stop Saying It Please
Reformed people need to stop saying that the distinction between law and gospel is “Lutheran” and that the Reformed did not (and do not) make that distinction. Continue reading
What Reformed Churches Can Learn From Mark Driscoll
…A new megachurch in Lynden was drawing out the boomers from classic Reformed churches by the thousands. This church purchased the local shopping mall and created the closest thing as they could achieve, in appearance and message, to Rick Warren’s Saddleback church, . . . Continue reading →
The Way Calvin Read The Ten Commandments May Not Be The Way You Are Used To Reading The Ten Commandments (But It Should Be)
For my entire Christian life, without exception, whenever the minister has read the Ten Commandments (the Decalogue) in the worship service—which I heard only when I began worshiping in the Reformed churches—he always begin with the words “I am the Lord your . . . Continue reading →
The Gospel Is About Justice But Not That Kind Of Justice
In an article in By Faith Online (Feb, 2021) Megan Fowler writes, “Moses Lee believes Gen Z isn’t asking philosophical questions about epistemology [theory of knowing]. Gen Z wants to know that the gospel is beautiful and true, and that it is deeply concerned about justice.” Continue reading
Heidelmini-cast: Why The Ten Commandments Say No And More
David writes to the Heidelcast to ask about the ten commandments. “Do you have any thoughts why the first commandment as well most of the ten commandments start with the word no?” So we know what we’re talking about let’s listen to . . . Continue reading →
Erskine On The Difference Between Presenting Ourselves To God On The Basis Of Our Obedience And On The Basis Of Christ’s Obedience
He then runs to the way of works by the law, and tries what he can do for his own salvation by his reformation, his prayers, years, vows, penances, and the like. When the man has wearied himself in pursuit of salvation . . . Continue reading →
New Resource Page: On The Marrow Controversy
The Marrow of Modern Divinity was regarded by the orthodox Reformed, in the 17th century, as a good summary of the orthodox view of law and gospel, justification, sanctification, and the third (normative) use of the law in the life of the Christian. . . . Continue reading →
The Synopsis Of Purer Theology On The Law And The Gospel
While it is from the Law (about which we disputed above) that we come to know the contagion and defect of our spiritual illness, that is, of sin, it is from the Gospel that we learn the remedy for it. …In the . . . Continue reading →
What Happens When We Turn The Good News Into Bad News?
The word “Gospel” is so familiar and frequently used that it is possible to lose sight of its genuine meaning, “good news.”
With The RenewalCast On Distinguishing Law And Gospel
With the RenewalCast On A Reformation Basic: Distinguishing Law and Gospel Continue reading →
How Not To Respond To Antinomianism Or Nomism
The Antinomian denies the abiding validity of God’s moral law. Continue reading
Perkins: Rome Confuses Law And Gospel
The Church of Rome in a manner confounds the law and the gospel, saying that the gospel, which is the new law, reveals Christ more clearly than Moses’ law did, which they call the old law. But this is a wicked opinion, . . . Continue reading →