A legal preacher is a preacher who majors in the law to the neglect of the gospel. In practice, he preaches nothing but law. Continue reading →
The Attraction Of Legal Preaching
moralism
Digital Indulgences
The UK Guardian reported yesterday that Rome has reached a new low in reaching out to the Romanist equivalent of low-information voters. Low-sanctity penitents perhaps? Rome is now offering plenary indulgences to Romanists who follow Pope Francis’ tweets from Catholic Youth Day . . . Continue reading →
Law, Gospel, And The Three Uses of the Law
By “law and gospel” I refer to the debate between those of us who hold to the historic and confessional distinction between those places in Scripture where God commands and those places where he promises. Historically, Protestants have described these two ways . . . Continue reading →
The Contemporary Relevance Of The Reformation
There is an old saw, “Now you’ve quit preaching and gone to meddling.” The “preaching” is telling the story. The “meddling” is applying the story. Folk will tolerate it when historians tell stories about the past. They might be entertaining or interesting . . . Continue reading →
The Attraction Of Legal Preaching: The Interview
As a follow-up to the post on legal preaching Chris Gordon and I sat down in the Abounding Grace Radio studio to talk through the issue of the attraction of legal preaching. Once again, neither the post nor the episode is a . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 47: Heidelcast: Conditions And The Covenant Of Grace (pt 2)
On today’s Heidelcast, part 2 of our discussion about conditions in the covenant of grace. In episode 46 I tried to establish a distinction between two kinds of conditions in the covenant of grace: antecedent and consequent. An antecedent condition is a work, . . . Continue reading →
For Elders Thinking Of Inviting Arminius Into Their Pulpit
From the time he entered the pastoral ministry, James Arminius (c. 1559–1609) was a controversial figure but he was also a minister in good standing in the Reformed Churches. Despite the intense controversy that his views and teaching generated, views that fractured . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 55: Why We Can’t Move On (1)
There is a certain amount of pressure within the NAPARC world to “move on” from the Federal Vision. In the next three episodes we’re going to consider why that is and how Reformed folk, particularly ministers and elders (but laity too), should . . . Continue reading →
Sometimes A Miracle Is Just A Miracle
When it comes to Mary’s Magnificat, I find that I cannot take away the messages often proffered. Both the mode and content of her revelation will never be afforded me in any sense whatsoever. God will never speak directly to me, and . . . Continue reading →
The Danger Of A Falling Church
If possible, I wish to raise an alarm without being an alarmist. The Reformed theologian, J. H. Alsted (1588-1638) said that the doctrine of justification is the article of faith by which the church stands or falls. Of course he was only . . . 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 →
Heidelcast 61: Nomism And Antinomianism (4)
The first major section of the Marrow of Modern Divinity was a defense of the covenant of works. It is fascinating to see how, already in the 1640s, the covenant of works came under criticism from the nomists (legalists, moralists). Nothing really . . . Continue reading →
ReformedCast: On The Distinction Between The Law And The Gospel
Thanks to Scott Oakland for inviting me to do episode 145 of the ReformedCast. We talked about the distinction between law and gospel. Scott asked good questions and we were able to cover a lot of what is currently being discussed now: . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 63: Nomism And Antinomianism (6)
The Heidelcast is working through The Marrow of Modern Divinity (1645). Last time we began looking at the doctrine of the covenant of grace. We saw that the principle of the covenant of grace is fundamentally different from that of the covenant of works. . . . Continue reading →
Faith Alone Is The Instrument Of Justification AND Salvation
Controversy can be ugly and painful and the recent controversy over sanctification has been both at times. It can also be helpful by bringing greater clarity and this controversy has been useful in that respect. Some orthodox Reformed pastors are being charged . . . Continue reading →
Machen: Christ Is All Or Nothing
But what was the difference between the teaching of Paul and the teaching of the Judaizers ? What was it that gave rise to the stupendous polemic of the Epistle to the Galatians? To the modern Church the difference would have seemed . . . Continue reading →
Justification By Faith Alone Is The Normative Reformed Doctrine
Way back in 2009, when the Federal Vision controversy was still going the claim was made by a proponent of the Federal Vision that there is not a single, agreed doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone but rather there . . . Continue reading →
Daniel P. Fuller’s Doctrine Of Justification: Antithetical To The Reformation
Finally, a word needs to be said about the confessional implications of Fuller’s doctrine of Justification. Fuller claims that there are “several passages in Scripture which clearly indicate that the enjoyment of God’s gracious benefits depends on meeting certain conditions” (p. 108). . . . Continue reading →
Justification By Faith Alone Is Presbyterian Doctrine
It’s hard to remember where I last saw an actual shell game. It might have been at the Nebraska State Fair or it might have been at some amusement park. It doesn’t matter. The fellow behind the table shows you three empty . . . Continue reading →
The Echo Zoe Interview On The Federal Vision
The Federal Vision is still an issue. That should not surprise anyone. Some version of this error has been with us at least since the mid-16th century, when the Protestant doctrine of justification was severely threatened. It became a serious issue in . . . Continue reading →