But above all else, I beg the sincere reader, and I beg for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ himself, to read those things judiciously, yes, with great commiseration. May he be mindful of the fact that I was once a . . . Continue reading →
reformation
With Adam Kane Debunking Myths About The Reformation And More
Adam writes: The Reformation is such a complex series of events, myths and errors are bound to crop up around its memory. In this laid back conversation with R Scott Clark…we get the details on some of what really went down all . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: What Happened To The Reformation? (Part 2)
It is October 2017. 500 years ago this month Martin Luther wrote 95 theses against the abuse of indulgences in the Western church. We have traced the Reformation to this date for a long time but as you and I have discussed . . . Continue reading →
Salvation Sola Gratia, Sola Fide: On Distinguishing Is, With, And Through
It is ironic that, as we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, the Reformed-ish wing of evangelicalism is having a controversy over salvation. It has been proposed by a leading evangelical pastor that we are initially justified by grace alone, through . . . Continue reading →
With Janet Mefferd On Sola Scriptura
As early as the late 4th century, challenged by a variety of claims of religious authority, many of whom claimed to have an unwritten secret tradition or revelation, Basil the Great (c.330–79), one of the Cappadocian Fathers, rather than standing on the . . . Continue reading →
“Final Salvation” Through Faith AND Fruit Is Not Reformation Doctrine
John Piper, “Does God Really Save Us By Faith Alone?” (September 25, 2017)
With Abounding Grace Radio On Justification By Grace Alone, Through Faith Alone
When Scripture uses the verb “to justify” (δικαιόω) as it does in Romans 3:20, “wherefore out of the works of the law will no flesh be justified before he, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin,” it means to say, . . . Continue reading →
Where Were The Church And The Truth Between The Fathers And The Reformation?
Johnny Carson was a kid from Nebraska, who hosted The Tonight Show from 1962–92. One of his more famous recurring gags was Carnac the Magnificent, ostensibly a magician—Carson had a magic act as a high school and college student—who was able to . . . Continue reading →
What Kind Of A Reformation Do We Need?
One of the questions submitted to the Reformation conference last fall at the Lynden URC asks “in regards to the current state of the church, what is needed in terms of a Reformation?” That’s a great question. If we are talking about . . . Continue reading →
Reformation 2018: Salvation Is By Abounding Grace Alone
Protestant churches, i.e., those that still believe and confess theology, piety, and practice recovered in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, celebrate Reformation Day on October 31. This is the day, in 1517, that Dr Martin Luther (1483–1546), a German biblical . . . Continue reading →
Audio: With Bill Feltner (Pilgrim Radio) On Why So Many Denominations? (pt 2)
It is always good to talk with Bill Feltner, host of His People on the Pilgrim Radio Network (covering Northern California, Nevada, and Wyoming). Recently Bill called to ask the question: why are there so many church denominations? It is a big . . . Continue reading →
The Reformation Of Vocation
In the period between the early post-apostolic church (e.g., the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD) and the Reformation (beginning in the early 16th century AD) the church came to develop some unbiblical and therefore unhelpful and unhealthy ways of relating creation and . . . Continue reading →
By Nature We Are Not Ill But Dead
One of the first and greatest differences between the Augustinian understanding of Paul and what became the dominant understanding of Paul. By the 7th century and for most of a millennium following, the parable of the Good Samaritan (Mark 10:29–37) became the . . . Continue reading →
God Does Not Help Those Who Help Themselves Or Why The Reformation Still Matters
The Reformation Still Matters Sometimes when we talk about the Reformation we give or receive the impression that it was purely a historical event with no continuing relevance or even that Reformation is one thing and mission is another. Here is an . . . Continue reading →
Owen Contra Romanist Corruptions Of Reformed Worship And Theology
Now, such were the innovations of the late hierarchists. In worship, their paintings, crossings, crucifixes, bowings, cringings, altars, tapers, wafers, organs, anthems, litany, rails, images, copes, vestments,—what were they but Roman varnish, an Italian dress for our devotion, to draw on conformity . . . Continue reading →
Conference Audio: Law, Gospel, And Galawspel
This past Friday and Saturday I had the pleasure of speaking at the conference, So You You Say You Want A Reformation? hosted by Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, MA. This is the first session of the conference from Friday evening. . . . Continue reading →
More Conference Audio: Q and A On Reformation, Sanctification, Good Works, And More
Here is the second installment of the audio from the conference, So You You Say You Want A Reformation? hosted by Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, MA. This is the question and answer session of the conference from Friday evening. Here . . . Continue reading →
More Conference Audio: Q and A On Reformation, Sanctification, Good Works, And More (pt 2)
Here is the third installment of the audio from the conference, So You You Say You Want A Reformation? hosted by Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, MA. This is the question and answer session of the conference from Friday evening. Here . . . Continue reading →
More Conference Audio: The Quest For Illegitimate Religious Experience
Here is the fourth installment of the audio from the conference, So You You Say You Want A Reformation? hosted by Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, MA. This is one of the Saturday morning talks, on the QIRE (quest for illegitimate . . . Continue reading →
More Conference Audio: Sola Fide And Its Modern Detractors
Here is the sixth installment of the audio from the conference, So You You Say You Want A Reformation? hosted by Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, MA. This is last of the Saturday talks, on what salvation sola fide is and . . . Continue reading →