Audio: Suffering And Temptation (James 1:12–15)

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death (ESV). Continue reading →

Religious Freedom Watch: 1994 RFRA Under Attack?

An op-ed Wednesday in The Washington Post laid out how the left is attempting to dismantle what Congress once unanimously recognized as “undergird[ing] the very origin and existence of the United States”: religious freedom. Specifically, Louise Melling, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, argues . . . Continue reading →

Stemming Another Rising Tide Of Theonomy: Hebrews 7:11–14 (1): Background

When the theonomy movement initially began to gain steam, Jimmy Carter, a Southern Baptist who had campaigned as a “born again” Christian, was part way through his first and only term in the White House. Three years before that, the Supreme Court . . . Continue reading →

Acts 2:39: What Is The Promise And To Whom Is It Made?

For the promise is to you and to your children and to all those who are far away, as many as the Lord our God shall call. 1 This passage is an important text in the Reformed understanding of the continuity of . . . Continue reading →

Engaging Confessional Baptists on Covenant Theology (Part 2): Unity of Salvation in the Old and New Testaments

This two-part series engages recent confessional Baptist publications on the nature of covenant theology in order to help Reformed readers understand the Baptistic view better and to have some starting points for responding to it. Part one looked at new developments in . . . Continue reading →

Godfrey Recaps His Christendom Series

Dr. W Robert Godfrey recaps his Sunday school series on “Christendom & the Struggles with Sex, Race, Politics, & Power” with Pastor Chris Gordon on Abounding Grace Radio, addressing the disorientation Americans feel about the state of society and culture and the . . . Continue reading →

The Commander Of Yahweh’s Army: The Son And The Covenant Of Grace Present In The Types And Shadows

When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” And the commander of the LORD‘S army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so (Joshua 5:13–15; ESV). Continue reading →

Peace And Purity Provided By Authority: John Thomson’s Defense Of Presbyterian Church Polity (Part 9): The Peace Of The Church In Submission

The Apology, in addition to questioning the extent and nature of the authority exercised by church judicatories, also questioned the authority of Synod over presbyteries. The disagreement that precipitated their objection was whether Synod had the jurisdiction to regulate the examination of . . . Continue reading →

The Canons Of Dork #3 For September 17, 2022

NOTE At the risk of spoiling things, a bit of explanation. Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) was an English classicist, scientist, and political philosopher. He was a contemporary of many of the early Reformed orthodox writers and he capitalized on and corrupted the Reformed . . . Continue reading →