In the first part we quickly introduced the basic doctrine of covenant nomism, namely that God has established a system whereby sinners are admitted to the covenant by grace and they stay in or they retain that status or they retain the . . . Continue reading →
covenant
Office Hours: Steve Baugh on Hebrews 7:18-28
Steve Baugh, Professor of NT at Westminster Seminary California, joins us for this episode Office Hours that takes a look at Hebrews 7:18–28. Does Hebrews teach that the Ten Commandments are no longer valid for Christians? What does “law” mean here? How did the old . . . Continue reading →
The Moralists Will Be Back
An HB Classic
It is an historical fact that moralism (the confusion of justification with sanctification) never dies, it just goes dormant periodically. The Reformation defeated 1000 years of moralism only to see forms of it re-emerge in the Protestant churches even before Luther died. . . . Continue reading →
CJPM Now Available as an E-Book
Why Hebrews 9 Is Referring To A Covenant Not To A Testament
Most modern translations and commentators take diatheke as “will” or “testament” in vv. 16–17, but understand it as “covenant” in vv 15 and 18. As we have seen, the context of v. 15 seems to demand the sense of “covenant” because only . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: Hebrews 9 on the Covenant
Hebrews 9 is challenging because it speaks about Christ and his covenant in ways that are, at first glance anyway, unfamiliar to us. As we’ll see, if we read chapter 9 in light of all of the Scriptures and if we reflect . . . Continue reading →
Is Faith a Work?
The question comes (paraphrasing): Since Scripture says, “believe,” (e.g. Acts 16:31) it seems that we are commanded to believe. If the command to believe is an imperative and an imperative is “law,” and if the answer to the command “believe” is faith, . . . Continue reading →
Three Ways of Relating to the One Covenant of Grace
At the PB the question was asked: We know that there are at least two categories of people within Scripture, the elect, and the non-elect. However, it might be apparent that there is a third class of people, those who have taken . . . Continue reading →
If You’re Waiting To Order Your Copy… (Updated)
If you’ve been thinking about ordering CJPM but have been waiting, the window of opportunity to get your copy is closing. The WSC Bookstore is out and they were told by P&R that the book is out of print. Amazon still has . . . Continue reading →
Zwingli On Covenant And Baptism (1524)
From Zwingli’s 1524 Exposition Of the Articles Baptism is being enrolled by an “oath of allegiance” (sacramentum) into the church visible, an initiation into the people of God. If there is one people of God, with one faith, in one Savior, then it follows . . . Continue reading →
For Those Just Tuning In: What Is The Federal Vision?
In talk radio the host is supposed to “re-set” the show at regular intervals. He is to remind listeners to which show they are listening and on what network or station. One reason why the host does this is because some listeners . . . Continue reading →
Calvin On The Danger Of Abusing The Lord’s Table
29. He who shall eat unworthily, eateth judgment to himself. He had previously pointed out in express terms the heinousness of the crime, when he said that those who should eat unworthily would be guilty of the body and blood of the . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 107: I Will Be A God To You And To Your Children (3)
Last time we looked at some of the challenges we face in learning how to interpret Scripture properly and how the Ancient Christian Churches and the Reformed churches read the Scriptures, with Christ at the center. One way to understand this unity . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 114: I Will Be A God To You And To Your Children (10)
In the last episode, in this episode and in the next, we’re looking at what Scripture says about the new covenant. We’ve looked at what Jeremiah 31:31-34 actually says, how Paul interprets it, and now we want to turn our attention to . . . Continue reading →
With The Regular Reformed Guys On The Federal Vision
It was a good to spend an hour with the Regular Reformed Guys talking about the Federal Vision theology. We spend a little time talking Nebraska football, so that’s always good. We even wandered into the revival of the “King James Only” . . . Continue reading →
Owen Defended The Imputation Of Christ’s Active Obedience Against Richard Baxter
After the Westminster Assembly, John Owen defended the imputation of active obedience against Piscator, turning to Christ’s active obedience as a source of encouragement and consolation for the Christian. According to Owen, Christ had to provide active obedience because Adam was under . . . Continue reading →
What Do We Mean By Sacrament, Sign, And Seal?
The Reformed churches and Reformed theologians (i.e., those who confess and teach within the bounds of the Reformed confessions, e.g., the French Confession (1559), the Scots Confession (1560), the Belgic Confession (1561), the Heidelberg Catechism (1563), the Second Helvetic Confession (1566), the . . . Continue reading →
Yes, The Reformed Churches Do Baptize On The Basis Of The Abrahamic Promise
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is the largest evangelical Christian denomination in the USA reporting a total membership of 14.8 million (of whom 1/3 attend weekly). The SBC is Baptist in name and practice but about 99% of the other 45 million . . . 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 →
Baugh: Hebrews 9:15–18 Is Talking About A Covenant
I corresponded with John Hughes recently and complimented him on a detailed scholarly article he wrote some years ago where he gave a most helpful treatment of Heb. 9:15-22. He mentioned in return that it was disappointing that his work seems to . . . Continue reading →