Tag: jesus
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FV Summarized
An X post from 8/8/24: Since discussions of the so-called Federal Vision are heating back up, I figured I’d give a quick, short summary of the key emphases of FV: 1. Creation is gift. This means there is no nature/grace dualism in the Bible and no merit theology in the Bible. Everything is grace. Grace…
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The Meaning of Old Covenant Circumcision
What was the meaning of circumcision in the Abrahamic covenant? Remember the context in which circumcision was instituted: right after Abraham tried to produce the promised seed in his own strength with Hagar. The sequence of Gen. 15-16-17 is critical. Abraham is given the promise of the seed (chapter 15). But then he tried to…
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Lessons from Judges 11
In Judges 11, Jephthah had been tasked with leading his people and defending them from the Ammonites. At first he seeks a diplomatic solution. But it quickly becomes apparent there will be no peaceful resolution to the conflict. The king of Ammon responds to Jepthah by making a false accusation about Israel’s history – he…
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Letters to Young Adults
A letter written to a young woman and a young man, as they enter into adulthood: — Letter to a young woman: Dear E, While we don’t live close by where we have the privilege of seeing you growing up, we know your family and we know what your parents’ hopes and expectations for you…
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Psalm 110 and Priestly Warfare
By time we reach the end of psalm Psalm 110, the dead bodies are piling up. In verse 1, Christ’s enemies are made into a footstool for his feet. In verse 2, he rules in the midst of his enemies — and has a scepter to smite them. In verse 5, he shatters kings in the…
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Inescapable Deaconesses
Deaconesses are inescapable. Every healthy church has deaconesses, whether they call them that or not, whether the recognize them or not, whether they organize them as such or not. Every healthy church has older women who teach and counsel younger women, per Titus 2 – a ministry of women to women. Every healthy church has…
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Preaching the Extremes
Preachers need to preach the extremes. (HT: Rob Rayburn) When preaching free grace, make it as radically free as you can make it. Make grace amazing, astonishing, marvelous. Pour on the love and mercy. Give them comfort and consolation. Give them peace and assurance. When preaching human responsibility and obedience, ratchet it up as much…
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John MacArthur Runs His Last Lap: A Tribute to the Modern Spurgeon
[A version of this article was published at 1819 News.] The passing of John MacArthur could be considered the end of an era in American evangelicalism. MacArthur’s public preaching ministry spanned over 50 years. He brought faithful Bible teaching to millions as his ministry grew from the local church, to radio and television, to the…
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1 Corinthians 7:14
How should we understand the holiness of the unbelieving spouse and children in 7:12-16? This is a complex issue on which good Christians can and will continue to disagree. Some commentators assume that the holiness in the two cases has to be precisely analogous. On this reading, the holiness in view is probably best construed…
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Infant Baptism and Church History: Did the Doctrine of Covenant Children Vanish Without a Trace? What Do We Conclude from the “Missing Controversy”?
Baptists have to argue children stopped being members of the covenant sometime in the first century with no controversy, no discussion, no explicit statement from Jesus or an apostle, and no church council. If Baptists were right, the Jerusalem Council should have been about the exclusion of infants, not (merely) the inclusion of Gentiles. Children…
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