Let us then draw near to Him with holiness of spirit, lifting up pure and undefiled hands unto Him, loving our gracious and merciful Father, who has made us partakers in the blessings of His elect. For thus it is written, “When . . . Continue reading →
Grace
The Green Lantern v Paul on Election
I admit it. I grew up reading comic books and still enjoy a good comic-book based film. The Green Lantern wasn’t one of those. The Green Lantern was never one of my favorites. I was a Captain America guy. The 2011 Green . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: The Lordship Controversy Is Back
This is season 5 of Office Hours and we’re talking about sanctification: New Life In The Shadow Of Death. In this episode, Mike Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, and I time travel to the “Lordship Controversy” that raged . . . Continue reading →
Calvin: The Promise Of Grace Without Any Mention Of The Law
I do not want to pursue the individual testimonies that the stupid Sorbonnists of today have groundlessly torn from Scripture—whatever first came to hand—to fling at us. For some are so ridiculous that I could not mention them unless I wished to . . . Continue reading →
Calvin: Resolutely Adhere To The Exclusive Particle
When you are engaged in discussing the question of justification, beware of allowing any mention to be made of love or of works, but resolutely adhere to the exclusive particle. John Calvin | Commentary on Galatians 5:6, (1548) RESOURCES Subscribe To The . . . Continue reading →
Accounting For Original Sin In Our Doctrine Of Sanctification
1.2.1 We are all, by nature, void of all strength and ability to perform acceptably that holiness and righteousness which the law requires, and are dead in trespasses and sins, and children of wrath, by the sin of our first father, Adam, . . . Continue reading →
Perkins On Christ’s Active Obedience And Our Gratitude
CHAP. XXXVII. CONCERNING THE SECOND DEGREE OF THE DECLARATION OF GODS LOVE. The second degree, is Justification, whereby such as believe, are accounted just before God, through the obedience of Christ Jesus. 2. Cor. 5. 21. He has made him to be . . . Continue reading →
What Is True Faith? (8) Its Source
In part 7 we considered the object of true faith. Ironically, for a culture that is said to be awash in a sea of secularism, faith seems to be pretty popular. George Michael recorded a forgettable song about it in the late . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: Sanctification, Perfectionism, And Romans 7
There are many ways to err in the doctrine and practice of sanctification. One of the most egregious errors the church has faced, which continues to afflict believers, is the teaching that believers can and should reach “entire sanctification” in this life. . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 56: Why We Can’t Move On (2)
Sometimes it might have seemed that we haven’t had to contend for the gospel but the historical reality is that we were kidding ourselves. In every case where the gospel has been seriously challenged, whether by Pelagius, medieval semi-Pelagianism, Trent in the . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 57: Why We Can’t Move On (3)
Revisionism isn’t always a bad thing. I am a revisionist myself. I’ve been trying to help people see the history of Reformed theology rather differently from the way it was often presented from the middle of the 19th century through the 1970s. . . . Continue reading →
Paul’s “Faithful Saying” And The Gospel Of Salvation
First of all, then, let us observe that this “faithful saying” takes us back into the counsels of eternity and reveals to us the ground, in the decree of God, for the gift of His Son to the world, and the end . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: The Gospel Mystery Of Sanctification
Since the very earliest days of the post-apostolic church, in the 2nd century, there have been preachers who thought that the best way to produce godliness (sanctification) in believers is to pound it into them, as it were, with a hammer. It’s . . . Continue reading →
Creator, Sustainer, Father (2)
In the first part we looked at the doctrine of God embedded in Heidelberg Catechism Q/A 26. The catholic (universal) Christian doctrine of God summarized in the catechism is in antithesis to modernist doctrine(s) of God in process or contingent upon us creatures. . . . Continue reading →
Witsius And Turretin On The Necessity And Efficacy Of Good Works In Salvation
Introduction There is no question among orthodox, i.e., confessional, Reformed folk whether good works are necessary as a consequence, evidence, and a fruit of justification and sanctification by grace alone, through faith alone. There is no question whether God’s moral law, whether summarized in . . . Continue reading →
The Shield Of Works? Faith, Spiritual Warfare, And Salvation
The preacher this morning read from Ephesians 6 and Paul’s expression in 6:16 struck me relative to the current discussion about works and salvation. There is no question whether believers will do good works or whether those good works are evidence of . . . Continue reading →
What About Love? A Crucial Piece Missing From The Sanctification Debate
While the debate rages (or rambles) on in Reformed circles about the Christian’s motivation for obedience, a piece that seems to be missing from much of the discussion is the crucial role that love plays in our obedience to our Heavenly Father. . . . Continue reading →
Goodwin: The Whole Work of Salvation is Called ‘Mercy’
Those attributes which God accounts his greatest riches and greatest glory, Rom. 9:23, even his mercy and free grace, which he intends most to exalt, never saw light till now; the doctrine of salvation by Christ being the stage, wherein only it . . . Continue reading →
Calvin: The Offer Is Common But Faith Is Not
Let us remember, on the other hand, that while life is promised universally to all who believe in Christ, still faith is not common to all. For Christ is made known and held out to the view of all, but the elect . . . Continue reading →
Heidelberg 29: No Other Name (2): Do We Need Salvation?
In part 1 we looked at the problem created by Jesus’ declaration and the Apostolic teaching that the is the only way to the Father. In this part we need to consider another problem: salvation itself. In the Modern(ist) world it is . . . Continue reading →