12. Since then by the righteous judgment of God we deserve temporal and eternal punishment, how may we escape this punishment and be again received into favor? God wills that His justice be satisfied;1 therefore we must make full satisfaction to the . . . Continue reading →
salvation
The Freedom of the Divine Will (Q. 12, pt 2)
12. Since then by the righteous judgment of God we deserve temporal and eternal punishment, how may we escape this punishment and be again received into favor? God wills that His justice be satisfied;1 therefore we must make full satisfaction to the . . . Continue reading →
Horton, the Pope, and Mohler v Osteen on Sin
In USA Today (HT: Eric Landry)
When Sin is Sin and Grace is Grace
13. Can we ourselves make this satisfaction. By no means, on the contrary, we daily increase our guilt.1 1 Job 9:2, 3. Job 15:15,16. Matt 6:12. * Matt 16:26. Only Christianity accounts for sin.
Weeds in the Astro Turf
We live in the desert. It’s not the sort of cactus-filled desert where Snoopy’s brother Spike lives (that’s east of us a few hours) but it’s desert nonetheless. That means that water is at a premium and people respond by using rocks . . . Continue reading →
Are We All Really Abraham’s Children?
Something I heard recently led to me think about the claim that is frequently made about the three great Western religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. We are all frequently said to be “people of the book” and just as frequently said to . . . Continue reading →
Surprise! Emergent Leader Embraces Pelagius
Tony Jones rejects Augustine, the North African church of the 4th century, the French Church of the 6th century, the entire medieval church, the Protestant Churches, and the Council of Trent (HT: Kevin DeYoung). Here’s one on which the confessional Protestants and . . . Continue reading →
The MR Review of the The Shack
Is online but you have to sign up to see the whole thing.
Does Baptism "Save"?
Merrit asks this question: “Two friends and I have been talking about this verse (1 Peter 3:21) and passage for quite some time today. The more we seem to talk about it the more confused I seem to get about it.
Text Criticism of the Canons of Dort RE 1.1
This is inside baseball but it’s important inside baseball. Wes has noted a discrepancy between the English translation of the Rejection of Errors in the CD and the Latin text and it’s not an insignificant discrepancy. It’s the difference between the Synod . . . Continue reading →
Christ is God's "Yes"
For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory (2 Cor 1:20). Thanks to Andrew for reminding us of this excellent passage from . . . Continue reading →
Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus Est
Extra ecclesiam nulla salus est is an ancient Christian slogan that means, in English, “outside of the church there is no salvation.” So says the summary of the teaching of the ancient Latin church father Cyprian.1 A version of that view is . . . Continue reading →
The False "Gospel" of Technology
Mike Pohlman gets it right.
Heidelcast 5: What Does “World” Mean in John 3:16?
Without a doubt, one of the Reformed doctrines which evangelical and fundamentalist Christians find most scandalous is the doctrine of definite, personal or limited atonement. This rejection happens, in part, because the Reformed teaching is not always well understood. Sometimes the misunderstandings . . . Continue reading →
We Find It In The Gospel
One of the more frustrating things about getting older is that I seem to spend more time looking for things. It’s such a waste of time. It would be great if someone would just tell me where my keys are. Because we . . . 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 →
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 →
Augustine On Romans 2:13
Now he could not mean to contradict himself in saying, “The doers of the law shall be justified,” as if their justification came through their works, and not through grace; since he declares that a man is justified freely by His grace . . . 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 →
Does Baptism Save?
Merrit asks this question. “Two friends and I have been talking about this verse (1 Peter 3:21) and passage for quite some time today. The more we seem to talk about it the more confused I seem to get about it.” Merritt, . . . Continue reading →