I have been meaning to address the issue of “false faith” in Reformed theology for some time, but the subject is so immense that I fear that a blog post will not do it justice. This subject seems to come up more than any other (besides baptism) when talking with Reformed Christians. So here is my attempt to at least begin the dialogue.In Reformed theology, one cannot be truly regenerate and fall away from the faith. However, most of us... Read more
“While the first Adam was filled with countless curses, this person by contrast with him is filled with every blessing. The former heard the words, “You are cursed in your works,” and the one after him again, “Cursed is the one who does not adhere to what is written in this book,” and “Cursed is the one hanged on a tree.” Do you see the number of curses? Christ in becoming a curse freed you from these. As he humbled... Read more
I was asked by a reader to discuss the issue of equal ultimacy.Equal ultimacy is the idea that God predestines men to wrath in the same way that he predestines men to life. There is an exact parallel between election to salvation and reprobation. This position in Calvinist theology is labelled “supralapsarianism.” God decrees both salvation and reprobation, and then decrees the fall as the means of bringing this about. This is distinguished from the “infralapsarianism” in which election and reprobation... Read more
I was recently pointed to the blog of TurretinFan, the anonymous blogger of Aomin fame, for his recent attacks on proponents of two kingdom theology. There was a bit of a back and forth between himself and R. Scott Clark of Westminster Seminary California. In a recent post, he even claimed that “Escondido Theology” (the theology of Michael Horton, R. Scott Clark, David VanDrunen, Darryl Hart, and others) was a cause for conversions to Roman Catholicism. What is the problem with... Read more
I was asked by a reader of this blog to address the issue of justification. More specifically, I was asked to address the relation between Lutheran and Reformed views of the doctrine. Are they agreed upon this issue?There certainly are great similarities between the two confessions on the topic. Both understand justification as a forensic term referring to the imputation of righteousness to the believer, and a non-imputation of sin due to one’s connection with the death of Christ. It... Read more
Yes-the title of this post was taken from the oft repeated statement of Cardinal Newman after his conversion to Romanism “To be steeped in history is to cease being Protestant.” Though I am theologically far removed from the Roman Catholic church, I cannot help but be sympathetic to this sentiment. Though it is not a primary area I have discussed on my blog, a study of historical theology was as influential to my conversion as was my exegetical work. The question... Read more
I was asked to address the issue of justification and hermeneutics. In addition to the differences outlined in the previous post, is there a difference between the Reformed and Lutheran churches on hermeneutics? Does Lutheranism teach that the doctrine of justification itself is a hermeneutical principle, through which all scripture must be viewed?First I must recommend Robert Preus’ article: How is the Lutheran Church to Interpret and use the Old and New Testaments? in his volume “Essays on Scripture” Preus gives an... Read more
A reader of my blog asked me what I thought about a question Calvinists sometimes discuss: would you still love God if He were sending you to hell?The idea of this question is to cause one to evaluate his or her love for God and its purity. If one says he/she would not love God if they knew He was going to send them to hell for eternity, would it not then mean that the love one has is not... Read more
This is a response to the comments from Nick of “Nick’s Catholic Blog” on my post on Roman Catholicism. I’m not denying Paul could have used other words to espouse the concept of “Christ’s Righteousness” – but the burden is on the Protestant to demonstrate that when Paul uses a term like “righteousness” it must be “Christ’s Righteousness” as opposed to any other possible meanings of ‘righteousness’. Looking at the 5 passages you cite, only one of them even mentions the... Read more
I want to thank everyone who has been giving me suggestions and encouraging me in my search for a Lutheran church body. I am going to discuss the issue with my pastor this week. I would appreciate your continued prayers. I am going to do a series of posts giving the historical background and brief refutation of the “New Perspective on Paul.” The latter half of the twentieth century saw a major shift in Pauline studies, particularly in Paul’s relation to... Read more
Just and Sinner
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