Canons Of Dort (12): We Judge God’s Will From Scripture
The Lord directs us away from ourselves and our experience to his Word, which is not dependent upon our feelings and ever-changing experiences.
One of the caricatures of the Augustinian-Reformed position is that the elect are given a special revelation—indeed, some Reformed folk have held this but none of our churches confesses such a thing—whereby they knew with infallible certainty that they are elect. This is not what we confess. We do believe that assurance is of the... Continue Reading
For Instruction, Doctrine, and Morals: Interpretation, Truth and Holiness
With the passage of time we encounter new experiences, new realities: events, people, places, and objects. We must and will interpret them. How?
When we identify the meaning or significance of something we are making claims to knowledge. In both interpretation and knowledge claims we are unavoidably relating one reality to another reality. In this we are saying something about what characterizes the relationship of one reality to another. In such affirmations we are claiming that we know... Continue Reading
What Does the Bible Say about Angels?
Reformed theologians and students might be surprised that our forefathers in the faith mused and wrote copiously on these heavenly beings and saw them playing a vital role in the history of redemption.
Scripture is replete with references to angels. From the cherubim who guarded the garden of Eden in Genesis 3:24 to the angel whom Christ sent to reveal so much to the Apostle John in Revelation, the angelic host of heaven is a dominant theme in the Bible. The Hebrew word for angel, malakh, occurs 213 times in the... Continue Reading
Canons Of Dort (11): The Doctrine Of Predestination Is Edifying And Should Be Taught Wisely
In the nature of grace, it is free, earned for us by Christ, and freely given to us in him and applied by the Holy Spirit.
We have already seen that the Remonstrants rejected the doctrine of unconditional election. They also rejected the doctrine of reprobation as it was taught in the Reformed churches. In the Opinions of the Remonstrants (13 December 1618). We would expect those outside the Augustinian mainstream of the Western church to object to the teaching of doctrine... Continue Reading
Touching Jesus Makes You Holy
The Christian life consists of continually coming to Jesus with faith and laying hold of him.
God spoke to Moses about the consecrated altar. “The altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall become holy” (Exod. 29:37b). Concerning the table in the tabernacle, the altar of incense, the lampstand, and utensils, God said, “You shall also consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them will become... Continue Reading
Not a Wonderful Life: What if Jesus Had Never Been Born?
Because of the incarnation, we have something that even the angels can’t fully understand.
The story is a familiar one, about a troubled man named George who is rescued by a theologically incorrect angel named Clarence. In an effort to earn his wings, Clarence shows George how terrible things would be in Bedford Falls if he had never been born. Though the comparison is obviously inadequate, the title of... Continue Reading
Faith and the Power of God
The first thing we need to learn about faith and the power of God is that He is not dependent on our faith to do His work.
That God is not dependent on human faith for accomplishing His work is clear from the accounts of other miracles recorded by Matthew. The transfiguration of Jesus immediately prior to the healing of the boy is a prime example. It was a spectacular miracle; yet no human faith was involved. This is also true in... Continue Reading
Since God Is Father, We Have Fathers (not the Other Way Around)
Fathers receive their name from God who was already the Father before he created the world.
So before we look to fathers in this world to define God, let’s start where we must: with God who was Father before the creation of the world. The Father gave, gives, and will continue to give life to the Son for eternity. This nurturing and sharing love of the Father defines our task of... Continue Reading
The Jesus Christ that Nobody Wanted
Jesus as Messiah came not to fulfill Jewish expectations for earthly conquest but to meet his heavenly Father’s expectations for eternal salvation.
Jesus is the antithesis of the kind of president or world leader we all long for. We want a powerful, wealthy, strong leader, but Jesus comes to us powerless, poor, and weak. We want a God who glories in the great and mighty in the highest of places; we don’t expect him to choose the... Continue Reading
Reading Scripture Rightly
I should let the original intent of the passage sting me, move me, drive me to what I need to be.
We often feel compelled to balance two passages as soon as they are read, and we run to the place of least tension. This is the business of systematic theology. It’s a worthy task, if handled wisely, and sometimes quite satisfying. But there is a danger—this method often takes the sharpness of the text away.... Continue Reading