One of the clearest expressions of the universal grace of God comes from the book if 1 Timothy. “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men (pantas anthropous) to be saved (sothenai)and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all (panton) men—the testimony given in its proper time” (1 Timothy 2:3-6) The controversy is... Read more
The reformed when debating a Lutheran view of apostasy argue that the “falling away” passages refer to those who only had the appearance of being regenerate. They were never true Christians in the first place. Examine the characteristics of these false Christians. They can:be enlightened (Hebrews 6:4)taste the heavenly gift (Hebrews 6:4)share the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 6:4)taste the goodness of God’s word (Hebrews 6:5)receive eschatological blessings (Hebrews 6:5)repent (Hebrews 6:6)understand the truth (James 5:9)receive grace (Galatians 5:4)be in fellowship with Christ... Read more
I at one time believed in the Calvinistic doctrine of limited atonement. This doctrine states that Christ died solely for his elect. Christ offers the gospel to all yet did not actually die for all. I have struggled through this doctrine for many years now. Despite the fact that this doctrine is exegetically unfounded, it has many negative practical implications.First of all, with this doctrine one can never be sure if Christ actually died for him. I, for example, have... Read more
1 John 2:2 is one of the foundational texts which speaks against a Calvinistic understanding of the atonement. “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” The reformed position is that Christ’s death was only for the elect, with the possible exception of common grace being bought through the cross. So how does the Calvinist respond to a text like this? It is not as though reformed... Read more
Calvinists often claim that their theology is not something which arose through the writings of John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli. To support this thesis, they usually cite St. Augustine, the doctor of grace. Here are five reasons why I do not believe Calvinists are truly Augustinian in their soteriology. Though they can certainly cite him as an influence, the theology of Concord is much closer to that of Augustine and his early predecessors. 1. Augustine saw baptismal regeneration as essential for... Read more
It has often been stated by theologians as well as historians that Bernard of Clairvaux was the last “father of the church.” This may seem inappropriate since the Patristic age is usually seen to end around the time of Gregory (600 A.D.). However, the description does offer an accurate depiction of Bernard’s place among later medieval theology. In many ways, Bernard was among the last theologians of the period to deal primarily with Biblical exegesis, though most often in an... Read more
After Calvin published his Institutes as well as his several treatises on the Lord ’s Supper, many Lutherans quickly rose up to begin writing in defense of the doctrine which they held so sacred. This time however, they were not writing against someone who gave barely any importance to the sacrament but one who fought for its sacredness. The two main exegetical issues in this debate were the words of institution and the issue of whether or not Christ’s human body... Read more
After Zwingli’s death, John Calvin became the leader of the Reformed branch of the reformation. Calvin greatly admired Luther and looked at him much more highly than he did Zwingli. In his reply to Sadoletto, Calvin even referred to himself as a Lutheran. This being the case, Calvin tried to make a compromise between the Zwinglian and Lutheran positions of the Lord’s Supper. Calvin sent letters to Luther by means of his friend and Luther’s pupil Philip Melancthon. However, fearing... Read more
In the eyes of Martin Luther, the most essential division between himself and the group of reformers in Zurich under Ulrich Zwingli was in the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. Luther, coming from a monastic background held on to much that he was taught within the Roman church. However, Zwingli, coming from more of a humanistic background, largely abandoned accepted church practice and doctrine, including their sacramental emphasis. Luther’s reformation was from within the church, while Zwingli was much quicker... Read more
Often in evangelicalism, the question is asked “are you a Calvinist or an Arminian?” No other alternatives are given. How should a good Lutheran answer this question? Some would day that they agree with only the first two points of the acronym TULIP but rejects the rest. A more nuanced view, which I would take, is that there is truth to be affirmed in four of the five points. Now to go through each point:1. Total Depravity- The Lutheran language on... Read more
Just and Sinner
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In