[W]e do affirm that Christ fulfilled the law for us submitting to the obedience of it, and performing all that righteousness which of us it requires, that we might have a complete righteousness wherewith to appear before God. And this is that . . . Continue reading →
law and gospel
The Distinction Between Law And Gospel Emerged From Augustine’s Struggle With Pelagius
When many Christians think about the Reformation, they do not think about the distinction between law and gospel. Indeed, it is a truism for not a few modern Reformed folk that the distinction between law and gospel is solely a Lutheran conviction. . . . Continue reading →
A Q&A with the Heidelberg Catechism
Zacharias Ursinus, the chief architect of the Heidelberg Catechism, in the introduction of his commentary on the aforementioned, asked, “What is the doctrine of the church?” The doctrine of the church is the law and gospel, “the law and gospel are the . . . Continue reading →
Letter To The Editor Regarding “A Radical Narrowing Of The Gospel”
Editor’s Note: The following is a letter to the editor in response to an article by the Rev. Mr. Doug Barnes, “A Radical Narrowing of the Gospel,” in The Outlook vol. 72, issue 5 (Sept/Oct, 2022). § Dear Sir, I just read . . . Continue reading →
Ursinus Against The Antinomians, Libertines, And Similar Fanatics Who Deny That The Decalogue Is For Teaching in the Christian Church (Objection 8)
Obj. 8. The law is the letter which killeth, and is the ministration of death and condemnation. (2 Cor. 3:6, 7.) But there is no condemnation to Christians. Therefore, the law does not have respect to Christians who are in Christ Jesus. . . . Continue reading →
Turretin: The Fruit Of Grace Is Works
In the first covenant [the Covenant of Works], faith was required as a work and a part of the inherent righteousness to which life was promised. But in the second [the Covenant of Grace], it is demanded―not as a work on account . . . Continue reading →
Beza On Law And Gospel
We divide this Word into two principal parts or kinds: the one is called the ‘Law,’ the other the ‘Gospel.’ For all the rest can be gathered under the one or other of these two headings…Ignorance of this distinction between Law and . . . Continue reading →
A Gospel-Double-Decker Not A Law-Sandwich
We were walking out of chapel after our weekly prayer group and a student said to me, about a sermon he had recently heard, “It was a law-sandwich.” That might not have been the first time I had ever heard that expression . . . Continue reading →
Law, Gospel, Abortion, And Adoption
The morning of June 25, 2022 was a morning unlike any I had ever experienced. On that morning, like everyone reading this article, I awoke to a post-Roe v. Wade-America. Born the same year as the original Roe decision, I had never . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast For June 26, 2022: Every Tribe, Tongue, And Nation (6): First Head Of Doctrine (3)
Perhaps the most fundamental complaint of the Remonstrants against Reformed theology, the concern that most animated Arminius’ desire to revise Reformed theology, was the charge that the Reformed view makes God the author of evil. In his desire to fix this problem . . . Continue reading →
Faith, Love, and Piper: Distinguishing Reformed Categories
What’s love got to do with it? According to John Piper’s recent book What is Saving Faith?, affectional elements, including one’s love, satisfaction in and treasuring of God, are included in the definition of justifying faith itself. Though, this may not come . . . Continue reading →
My Pilgrimage From “Lordship” to Law/Gospel (part 1)
Though the Lordship Salvation doctrine (hereafter LS) has many distinguishing characteristics, the one I want to address is its view of the gospel and the unbeliever’s response to it. What Is The “Lordship Salvation” Doctrine? In brief, LS regularly teaches that unbelievers . . . Continue reading →
What A Confessional Presbyterian Learned from Luther
“What is a nice OPC minister like you doing constantly quoting Martin Luther on Twitter?” is the familiar refrain after people take a gander at my feed. Normally, I admit when I am guilty as charged, but there is no great guilt . . . Continue reading →
Repentance Comes From Faith
Believers Repent, Unbelievers Do Not
The Westminster Shorter Catechism has a helpful, biblically-based definition of repentance: Q. 87. What is repentance unto life? A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy . . . Continue reading →
A Better Way To Say It
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
Fascinating Comments From John Owen
Paul Helm is always worth reading, in part, because he is always reading and doing so well. The other day he posted Continue reading
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 →