It is natural that those who have experienced the agitations which frequently attend upon conversion, and have felt the peace which flows from a hope of acceptance with God, to imagine that the conflict is over, the victory won, and the work . . . Continue reading →
Sanctification
Office Hours Season 5—New Life In The Shadow Of Death: Defining Sanctification
In season 5 of Office Hours we’re focusing on the biblical, Christian, confessional doctrine and practice of sanctification, the process of being made holy, of being brought into gradual conformity to Christ by the grace of the Spirit through dying to sin . . . Continue reading →
Grace And Election In The Late 90s AD
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 →
Heidelcast 42: Fiona’s Crisis
The Heidelcast considers the case of Fiona, who was raised in a broadly evangelical congregation. In that tradition, the emphasis was on unity over diversity. The congregation tolerated different approaches to the sacraments and to the doctrine of salvation. What bound them . . . Continue reading →
New Life In The Shadow Of Death: The Sanctification Crisis In The Reformation
The doctrine of sanctification is a hot topic right now in evangelical and Reformed circles but the church had a doctrine (or doctrines) of sanctification for centuries before the current discussion. Indeed, one way to understand the Reformation is as a response . . . 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 →
Freedom of the Christian Man (2)
Part 1. Many of us have spent time in forms of Christianity that are very strong on rules and slavery and very weak on grace and freedom. By “rules and slavery” I refer to the imposition of man-made rules by which sanctity . . . Continue reading →
Are God’s Demands Always Gracious? (Updated)
David Robertson is pastor in the Free Church of Scotland. He has a blog and recently he reviewed Tullian Tchividjian’s latest book, One Way Love. There has been some back and forth and most recently Robertson has written an Open Letter. In . . . Continue reading →
Resources On the Doctrine of Sanctification And The Third Use Of The Law
Apparently, there is only one way to speak about sanctification and it is no longer sufficient to uphold and teach the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, and the Westminster Standards (Reformed confessions) on justification, sanctification, and the third use of the law. . . . 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 →
"Sola Fides" is not Sola Fide
I’m reading Rowan Williams on Arius. Early in the book he uses the expression “sola fides.” In context, he seems to be making an indirect reference to the Protestant doctrine of sola fide. I’ve seen this in other writers. When I first noticed . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 51: Happy Thanksgiving From The Heidelcast
According to the Heidelberg Catechism there are three great heads of the Christian faith: guilt, grace, and gratitude. There may be other motivations to godliness but the catechism isn’t structured by them. It is structured by gratitude. Yet, there are those who . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: Hywel Jones On The Spirit Of Sanctification
Sanctification is a necessity. That cannot be denied. It is the clear teaching of Scripture: “be holy as I am holy.” It is clearly taught not only in the Old Testament (Lev 11:44) but also in the New (1Pet 1:15). Nevertheless, it . . . 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 →
St Paul’s “Vile Speech”
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor . . . Continue reading →
The Principal Acts Lead To Others
By this faith, a Christian believes to be true whatsoever is revealed in the Word, for the authority of God Himself speaking therein; and acts differently upon that which each particular passage thereof contains; yielding obedience to the commands, trembling at the . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: Mike Horton On Sanctification And Justification
The core question of the Reformation was this: how can a sinner be right with God? The medieval church had concluded that he cannot, that, before God can accept someone, a person must be entirely sanctified and sanctification is a process initiated . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: Hywel Jones On The Role Of The Holy Spirit In Sanctification
The Holy Spirit has sometimes been described as the forgotten member of the Trinity. Whether that is true it is important to recognize the Spirit’s role in progressive sanctification, that gradual, gracious renewal to the image of Christ. He is the Spirit . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: The Struggle Of Sanctification In The Psalms (1)
Of the psalter (the 150 psalms) John Calvin (1509–164) wrote: “The varied and resplendid riches which are contained it this treasury it is no easy matter to express in words; so much so, that I well know that whatever I shall be . . . Continue reading →
Watch Transforming Grace: Our Need For Holiness
The theme for season 5 of Office Hours is New Life in the Shadow of Death. We’ve been talking about sanctification. Dovetailing with those 20 or so episodes is the annual WSC faculty conference, this Friday and Saturday, January 17–18, 2014, which . . . Continue reading →