Resurrection and Adoption: A Response to Drs. Letham and Tipton
Dr. Garner’s response to Dr. Robert Letham and Dr. Lane Tipton published essays interacting with Dr. David Garner’s view of the Son’s adoption.
Dr. Tipton’s contention that I teach that Christ needed redemption himself and that his adoption bore redemptive efficacy for him is simply careless. The idea that our sinless Savior personally needs redemption and adoption is repugnant and blasphemous. Not only do I repudiate such views; I don’t know anyone who holds them. 366 pages of... Continue Reading
Sons in the Son
Reflections on the Letham-Tipton Critique of David Garner’s Book “Sons in the Son”
If we are all adopted sons, then we are all part of the blood royal. We are royalty with Him—not by physical descent, but by our union with Christ, the true and natural Son. This article from The Aquila Report is a critique of a book written by David Garner called Sons in the... Continue Reading
Daddy’s Here
When explanations fail, that Voice still calls to His children. Perhaps that's why those words still move us after all these years: "Daddy's here;. Daddy's here."
A father forms. He blesses. He corrects. He protects. He teaches. He commissions. With a word, he can instill courage or fear. He can strengthen a child for the journey ahead or leave wounds that linger for decades. A father’s voice can penetrate places explanations never can. Father’s Day can be complicated. For some,... Continue Reading
There Is No Breath in Them
The benefit to recognizing AI as a potential idol is that we can avoid providing it our affections while using it for good.
AI has made it easier for the true desires of our hearts to be exposed in inglorious new ways. Instead of allowing ourselves to be turned inward toward our new idols, we must help each other turn outward to the God who gave us the precious breath for both life and redemption [Modern Reformation]... Continue Reading
God Is Not a Socialist
Biblical and Moral Reasons for Rejecting Socialism
The gospel transforms people from the inside out. Socialism strives to transform society from the outside in according its own standards and godless ideologies. One trusts the power of God. The other trusts, and enforces, the power of the state above all else. Modern socialism/progressivism present themselves as compassionate, enlightened, and morally superior. They... Continue Reading
You Are Not Your Genitals
We are told that the deepest truth about a human being can be discovered by examining his sexual desires and practices.
Our identity is not found in the passions that wage war within us. Our deepest identity is found in our covenant representative. You are either in Adam or you are in Christ. Every other identity is far too small to carry the weight of an immortal soul. One of the strangest ideas ever smuggled... Continue Reading
Sustaining Strength for the Complexity of Pastoral Ministry
Faithful oversight of the church is hard, good, and all-encompassing work.
Pastors must be strengthened by…a supernatural work of God through the Spirit. It’s experienced—not just affirmed—and the experience comes from outside as we meditate on the reality of grace—“remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead” (2 Timothy 2:8). In 2 Timothy, Paul gives Timothy more than 30 imperatives to guide his ministry to the... Continue Reading
Clarity not Compromise
7 Reasons to Vote Against the AIC Report
The AIC has offered no historical witnesses for its cavalier interpretation of Scripture and the Confession and Catechisms; it is because there are no witnesses. For the AIC to suggest that 17th Century Puritans who wrote the Westminster Standards would approve of celibate homosexual ordination is false and preposterous, and they must surely know it.... Continue Reading
Husbands, A Warning Against Bitterness
If men did not struggle with harshness, God would not waste his time commanding against it.
Harsh men “persuade” their wives through physical, mental, or verbal strength rather than through love. They use harsh language with their wives. They treat them with a severity that others would find offensive if they could see it. This bitterness clearly fails to reflect the tender and faithful affection with which Christ loves the church... Continue Reading
Who Put Some OPC in My ARP?
Reflections On the 222nd General Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church
There are wonderful things happening, but we in the ARP need to be watchful and careful in how we approach leadership and the leading of the Synod.…We would be wise as a denomination to repair relationships, encourage one another in love, and to see that all the oars on the ship are rowing in the... Continue Reading
Who Should Serve the Elements of the Lord’s Supper?
Who may offer and who may withhold the bread and the wine?
A biblical order of the administration of the sacrament of the Lord’s supper would provide a meaningful framework for the exercise of proper shepherding of the flock at the high and holy moment of the distribution of the elements of the Lord’s supper. Introduction It’s a celebration, a festive moment in the life of... Continue Reading
Top 5 Commentaries on Every Book of the Bible
With every top 5 list presented, John Calvin and Matthew Henry should simply be assumed.
Every student of Scripture should consult John Calvin, who wrote commentaries on almost every book of the Bible.…[nor should they] skip Matthew Henry’s older commentary. It is easy to dismiss Henry in this age of modern technical commentaries, but his work is a gold mine—especially in terms of practical application. In 2008 I put... Continue Reading
What Will a Resurrected Identity Look Like?
Your new identity, like your new body, is still distinctively you.
As a Christian, your identity is resurrected in the image of God. You have the seed of God in you now. But you’re also becoming something much more glorious. The hope of Christian identity is a resurrected self. “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above…for you have... Continue Reading
The Return of Strong Christian Men
Book Review: “Offensive Christianity,” by J. Chase Davis
Honest speech, household leadership, and joyous discharge of responsibility are offensive to our dying, feminized culture. Davis’s roadmap for discipling young men may just issue in renewal—of both church and civilization. Offensive Christianity: Restoring the Strength of Men in a Feminized Age By J. Chase Davis Founders Press, 184 pages, $19.98 Feminism forces us... Continue Reading
What Is God’s Providence?
Learning to See God’s Hand in Everyday Life
The God who governs all things is the God who revealed himself in Jesus Christ. He is infinitely wise, perfectly righteous, and unfailingly good. Because of this, believers can trust that no event is meaningless and no circumstance falls outside his fatherly care. A missed flight. A delayed job offer. An unexpected illness. A... Continue Reading
Make Ruling Elders Visible Again
Why Church Leaders Should Lead in Worship
It’s time that the church expected more from her ruling elders. They are not CEO’s who make decisions behind closed doors. They are godly, gifted men who have been equipped by the Spirit for the work to which they’ve been called. They are to serve as models of what it means to worship in Spirit... Continue Reading
4 Important Aspects of the Noahic Covenant in Redemptive History
Noah was not “the Redeemer.” He was a typical redeemer, providing typical redemption for all those who descended from him. Jesus came to redeem all those he represented spiritually.
Every time we see the rainbow we should remember God’s covenant faithfulness in sending the Redeemer to save a people for himself. Just as God had placed a rainbow in the sky to show his steadfast covenant fidelity, so there is a rainbow around the throne of Jesus Christ in glory (Rev. 4:3). We, like Noah,... Continue Reading
ARP Votes to Cut Fraternal Ties With EPC
The Synod action ended a fraternal relationship that began in 1985.
Rev. Ben Glaser, who served as chair of the Inter-Church Relations committee of the ARP, wrote…”Our Synod had sent several letters of concern, and had met with representatives of the EPC, about the rising rigidity of the EPC on women’s ordination, charismatic gifts, centralizing of institutional authority, and the recent flirting with Side B Christianity.”... Continue Reading
Images that Strike at the Vitals
Orthodox Christology insists that His person subsists in the inseparable union of the divine and human natures, and therefore cannot be represented without distorting the unity of His person.
“It is Christ’s Godhead, united to His manhood that makes Him to be Christ; therefore to picture His manhood, when we cannot picture His Godhead, is a sin, because we make Him to be but half Christ,—we separate what God hath joined,—we leave out that which is the chief thing, which makes Him to be... Continue Reading
Inside the Muslim Mind
Seven Pillars of the Islamic Worldview
Seven pillars—submission, political totality, communal identity, the drive for supremacy, the concept of jihad, absolute divine oneness, and the absence of assurance—do not describe any single Muslim you will ever meet. They describe a framework within which many different individuals, with many different temperaments and levels of devotion, are living out their lives. On... Continue Reading
Today’s “Christian Nationalists” Were Yesterday’s Sabbath-Contenders
Perusing the Chrisitan Nationalism report one can conclude that a majority of mainline Protestants 200 years ago contended for the Christian Sabbath, may today be considered Christian Nationalists.
Our Protestant forefathers in the British North American colonies—later, the United States, as we will soon celebrate—established the Christian Sabbath as one of the pillars of their new societies. They brought the Sabbath with them from England and Scotland. While the day’s observance varied widely—particularly in the South where Sabbath-keeping was never as rigorous as... Continue Reading
We Become What We Behold
Seeking the face of Christ in the text of the scriptures.
The Bible is written by Jesus, to Jesus, about Jesus.…We should, therefore, read confidently expecting to find Jesus as we read. You are what you eat, said St Augustine. Well, he said ‘you become what you consume’ in the context of teaching on the Lord’s Supper. Nevertheless, the point is important. Consumption of the... Continue Reading
Welcome One Another (Part 2)
What does welcome look like?
To accept or welcome one another comes at a cost, it responds warmly to the penitent, and is constantly looking to move up and make room to welcome others in the family. It is always inviting and including. You’ll have spotted that the word welcome doesn’t necessarily appear in the verses as we read Romans... Continue Reading
Pastoral Ministry Is About More than Just the Sermon
There is a lot more to being a pastor than preaching.
Most pastors of most churches have to be all-round generalists. Of course, preaching is a significant part of the job. But so are all manner of other things. [Editor’s Note: “football” in this article refers to soccer.] I came across the following insightful, typically Keane-esque quote yesterday that I think has a lot to... Continue Reading
Celebrating 90 Years of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church
The OPC and the PCA are close siblings, tightly bound together by ancestry (ecumenical creeds, Reformation solas, Calvin and Knox) and shared confession (the Westminster Standards).
We who serve our sovereign Savior in the PCA shall be eternally grateful for our brothers and sisters who serve him in the OPC. Together we belong to the one body of Christ, are filled with the one Spirit of God, and rest in the grace of our one God and Father. Today, the Presbyterian Church... Continue Reading
Florida Pastor Willy Rice Elected SBC President
Rice’s win is a triumph for critics who argue the SBC has lost its way in recent years.
“Willy Rice’s election proves that there is an appetite in the SBC for real conservative reform and renewal,” William Wolfe told RNS in an interview. “We believe his victory is a major vindication of the issues we have addressed and fought for over the last few years in the SBC.” ORLANDO, Fla. (RNS)—Willy Rice,... Continue Reading
The Delightful Duty of Married Sex
Husband and wife are mutually blessed in this singular act of intimacy, a priceless picture of eternal oneness between Christ and His church.
Obedience always bears fruit, in our own hearts if nowhere else. How many precious moments of sacrifice have been logged away in God’s sight by a faithful husband or a faithful wife who chose to bless a difficult spouse? For married Christians, sex is a strange combination of function and fun, discipline and desire,... Continue Reading
Protecting Options for Representation
Limiting an accused member’s appeal representation to their elders’ colleagues deepens distrust and heightens fears of facing accusers’ allies as an outsider.
For reasons of polity and perception, limiting representation before the higher courts to officers is unnecessary, potentially unwise, and may create a hinderance to a just process. But no matter the breadth of the pool of potential representatives, it still remains to be seen whether accused persons routinely have access to that representation. Chapter... Continue Reading
Let the Little Children, Regardless of Genes, Come to Jesus
Is the technology to edit genes putting us on a path toward a genetic caste system?
As bioethics journalist Katelyn Walls Shelton observes, the technology at stake here is not limited to its impact on one child but extends to the heritable traits those children themselves pass on, with “the potential for these edits (or mistakes) to be passed on generationally. They’re not just editing one embryo’s genes; they’re editing the... Continue Reading
A Call for Clarity In The PCA Committee Report on Christian Nationalism
Two Questions for the PCA Committee on Christian Nationalism
I am not asking the committee to settle every debate. Church history shows debates will always continue. But I do ask they present the live debates honestly, acknowledging the strength of the contextual adjustment reading, and draw clearer distinctions in the ordo amoris section. Our presbyteries can exercise discernment in good faith subscription, but only... Continue Reading