Covenant, Election and Realized Eschatology
The ascended Christ isn’t awaiting his dominion over the cosmos but rather is now reigning at the right hand of God.
Biblical eschatology contemplates not that the kingdom of this world would be replaced by the kingdom of Christ, but rather a coexistence of two kingdom realities until the summing up of all things in Christ. (Ephesians 2:19ff; 1 Corinthians 15:22-28). What the Jews missed is something that too often escapes many evangelicals as well –... Continue Reading
Images of Christ, Part 3
Allowing images in the church would be a stumbling block.
Whether ministers recognize it or not, the reformed tradition has always seen the real correlation between superstition and idolatry and images of God’s being (for all persons of the trinity). Images of Christ are antithetical to what is at the heart of the reformed tradition which focuses on the audible rather than the visible. Portraying... Continue Reading
The Return to Moloch’s Furnace
Atheists who are staring over that Spartan cliff are chillingly comfortable with their conclusions and enthusiastic about leaving the sanctity of human life in the rear-view mirror.
For years, pro-life ethicists and activists have been told that citing prestigious scholars advocating for infanticide constitutes the slippery slope fallacy. After all, we were told, one can find an academic to advocate for nearly anything, but nobody actually takes them seriously. But if the history of the 20th century tells us anything, it is... Continue Reading
Confrontational Christlikeness
The world’s hatred doesn’t always confirm our faithfulness to Christ. It may be owing to our own sin.
If no one dislikes you on account of Christ, it’s probably not because you have become greater, more endearing, more friendly to the lost than Jesus, the apostles, or the lineage of persecuted Christians and martyrs throughout church history. If no one dislikes you on account of Christ, it is likely because you have been... Continue Reading
Nehushtan
The bronze serpent was a picture of Christ! And they turned it into an idol.
God commands Moses to lift up this symbol and if anyone would simply look to the symbol, then they would live. And this was not lost on Jesus. In John 3:14 and 15 (the setup to John 3:16), He says, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of... Continue Reading
A Confession Rejected and a Denomination Undone
Have we learned anything from the Northern Baptist debacle 100 years ago?
For Southern Baptists, adopting a revised and expanded version of the New Hampshire Confession of Faith was not an act of division but a means of ensuring unity. As Mullins explained, he believed it would “clarify the atmosphere and remove the causes of misunderstanding, friction, and apprehension.” The differences between Northern and Southern Baptist Conventions over... Continue Reading
Machen on the Necessity of Christian Doctrine: An Application of Christianity and Liberalism Chapter 2 (Part 2)
Liberalism appeals to man’s will, while Christianity announces, first, a gracious act of God.
Because of the sinfulness of the human heart the old covenant could not bring about the righteousness it commanded, so God promised a new covenant that would provide both obedience from the heart and forgiveness for sin. What the law could not accomplish, God has accomplished in us through Christ. Led by his Spirit we... Continue Reading
The Discontentment of Pride
Thanklessness is discontentment, and discontentment invites the judgment of getting what you want.
About two or three generations back, we abandoned God in exchange for free love, easy divorce, abortion, and sodomy. We were discontent with God. Back then they thought the sin could be contained, while still maintaining a semblance of external prosperity and wholesomeness. The homosexual movement cannot be satisfied. A short few years ago,... Continue Reading
How to Distinguish the Holy Spirit from the Serpent
Restlessness is not a mark of communion with the Spirit but of the activity of the evil one.
The Spirit comes to us as an earnest, a pledge, a down payment on final redemption. He is here and now the foretaste of future glory. But His presence is also an indication of the incompleteness of our present spiritual experience. How do we distinguish the promptings of the Spirit of grace in His... Continue Reading
The Marriage of Christ and His Church
The Lord Jesus offers His hand in marriage to you. Will you receive it by faith and repentance?
In biblical times, sharing supper with someone was a sign of fellowship and closeness (Rev. 3:20). That’s why the Pharisees were so upset with Jesus for eating with publicans and sinners (Luke 15:2). But what Jesus did makes the gospel accessible to us all. “Hallelujah—this Man receives sinners!” we cry out. When Jesus invites needy sinners... Continue Reading