Category: Theology
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god’s sovereignty
God’s Sovereignty I suspect all Christians believe in the sovereignty of God. It is so frequently attested in Scripture that it would be difficult not to believe in it. However, we often inject qualifiers that effectively limit, even neuter, his sovereignty; God is sovereign… but he will never interfere with human freedom; he does not…
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jesus… the son of man (1)
When we think of the titles ‘son of man’ and ‘son of God’ ascribed to Jesus we normally assume the former stresses his humanity and the latter his deity. And this is true. However, as with many generalisations, and particularly those that refer to Jesus qualification and nuance is often required. For instance, while ‘son…
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elijah and john the baptist
It’s interesting to note the parallels Scripture draws between Elijah and John the Baptist. Malachi had prophesied that the Coming of God to his people would be preceded by Elijah. He would come to prepare the people for the advent of God, the arrival of the Day of the Lord (Mal 4:5,6; cf. 3:1). Elijah…
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trinity, a simple reflection
Who can understand God? Who can grasp far less explain all that is meant by the Holy Trinity. Who can even adequately explain what is revealed. The creeds and confessions seek not so much to explain what we mean by trinity as guard against what we don’t mean. This snapshot reflection is just that, a…
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philosophy and christian faith
It was the Church Father Tertullian who famously asked, ‘What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?’ He meant that human philosophy has nothing in common with the revealed faith of Christianity. In this he merely echoed the sentiments of the apostle Paul some 150 years previously. The Colossian church was plagued by a heresy that…
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can calvinists and arminians church together?
Well, the short answer is that in the church to which I belong both have for many years. Some in the church, if labelled, would be ‘moderate Calvinists’ and others ‘moderate Arminians’. I suspect both are ‘moderate’ because the influence of the other has protected from extremes. This does not mean there are no discussions …
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we are not simultaneously sinners and saints (2)
In the previous post on this topic, I endeavoured to demonstrate that the NT regularly presents believers as ‘saints’ and not ‘sinners’; who we are ‘in Christ’ and not what we were ‘in Adam’ is pressed as the way believers should think of themselves. Sometimes this raises the protest, ‘but does not Paul speak of…
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an amateur theologian
I’m an amateur theologian. ‘Theologian’ isn’t the right word, too pretentious, but I can’t think of another at the moment. Perhaps I should say, I am an amateur student of Scripture. Or, an amateur searcher of the Word. Anyway, the word I’m really interested in focussing on in this post is not ‘theologian’ but ‘amateur’. …
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we are not simultaneously sinners and saints (1)
One of the things you’ll notice that I keep banging on about in the blog is the need for us to see ourselves, we Christians, as God sees us. That is, to see ourselves from the perspective of faith (faith is accepting all that God says, including what he says about us). Christians reason all…
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luther and law
I have come to understand Luther’s view of Law as law= imperative. This is the view promulgated by many online lutherans and indeed by WestCal representatives. Apparently it was not Luther’s view. Jono Linebaugh has a very helpful and illuminating post on Tullian Tchividjian’s blog discussing Luther’s view of Law. Well worth the read. It seems…
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using biblical language where possible
I often contend for the use of biblical language when possible instead of theologically constructed vocabulary. To do so tends to clarity and avoids confusion and sometimes offence. For example, instead of speaking of one ‘covenant of grace’, as Covenant theologians do, why not simply speak of God’s purpose or God’s plan. Not only is…
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letting god be god
Rom 9:14-24 (ESV) What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who…
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imputed active obedience (IAO), a must or a misdirection? (12)
The intention of the last couple of posts (here and here) on this topic has been to demonstrate that the Bible does not support the reformed construct of IAO. We have seen that the OT knows nothing of a law-keeping life lived on behalf of another. In the OT, when the law is broken only…
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new covenant theology… and to a large extent my own theology
This link leads to an excellent summary of what is called ‘New Covenant Theology’. Although, over the years, I read little of NCT when I ‘discovered’ it, I found it reflected fairly closely my own views. I was raised a Dispensationalist and over the years read a fair amount of Covenant Theology. I found neither…
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imputed active obedience (IAO), a must or a misdirection? (10)
The Bible and IAO. My intention in the next few posts is to demonstrate that the Bible locates justification in the infinitely valuable death of Christ and his subsequent resurrection without reference to IAO. Indeed, I hope to show that IAO is not only absent but does not fit as presented into the biblical contours…
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imputed active obedience (IAO), a must or a misdirection? (9)
In previous posts I tried to demonstrate that it is mistaken to claim that IAO is to evangelical orthodoxy. In the next few posts I shall contend that IAO is inadequate biblically; the case is biblically wanting. But first, a recap. Let’s remind ourselves of the basic position of those who argue for IAO. They…
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imputed active obedience (IAO), a must or a misdirection? (8)
We saw in the previous blog that both Methodists (C18) and Plymouth Brethren (C19) raised dissenting voices at IAO. The initial teaching of J N Darby and W Kelly (that justification is located in the death and resurrection of Christ, not IAO) prevailed in Brethren theology well into the C20. W E Vine (1873-1949), a…
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imputed active obedience (IAO), a must or a misdirection? (1)
(Over the next few weeks or so I intend to blog intermittently on this topic.) Justification has again become a controversial topic in recent years in protestant and scholarly circles. Traditional views have crossed sword with contemporary views, the ‘old perspective’ with ‘the new perspective’. This is no trivial discussion for Luther is surely right…
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god’s wrath is real and personal
The Bible teaches us God’s wrath is real and personal. God is angry because he has been attacked. The essence of human rebellion is an attack on God’s right to be God. We have attempted to unseat him. In our antagonism we would rather worship empty things rather than Him. Consequently he is stirred to…
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god’s women
It ought to be crystal clear to any who read Scripture (though I know it is not) that God has placed authority in this present world in the hands of men. In both OT and NT God’s model of order in society involves male leadership. Yet any who infer from this that women are either…
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Mary’s love
John 20:11-17 (ESV) But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She…
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systematic theology
Systematic Theology is valuable. It works on the premise, the correct premise, that the Bible is a unified revelation. It is has strengths and weaknesses which Carson discusses in the extract below. To use systematic theology appropriately we need to be aware of its inherent weaknesses. The extract is from Carson’s article on Systematic Theology…
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frame and reformed reservations
John Frame has written a review of R Scott Clark’s ‘Recovering the Reformed Confession: Our Theology , Piety and Practice‘ . It can be found here. I have not read Clark’s book and cannot judge how fair a critique of it Frame has written. However, Frame’s essay is worth reading in its own right for…
Cave Adullam 