It’s been suggested that there is some conflict between my denial of human merit and my defense of judgment according to works. There is no conflict. There is not even a tension. Nary a whisper. We are judged, after all, according to works that are entirely gifts of God. The life we live in the flesh – the life of action and doing – is lived by faith in the Son of God who lives in me. As Augustine said,... Read more
Was Charles Hodge out of accord with the Westminster Standards as interpreted by the FV Study Commitee? Hodge writes of the final judgment: “The ground or matter of judgment is said to be the ‘deeds done in the body,’ men are to be judged ‘according to their works;’ ‘the secrets of the heart’ are to be brought to light. God’s judgment will not be founded on professions, or the relations of men, or on the appearance or reputation which they... Read more
Revelation 20:11-15 is widely taken as a scene of final judgment. Despite some potential preterist doubts, it does appear to be a final judgment scene. It comes after the millennium, and the ones to be judged are raised from the dead. The dead in v 12 includes all the dead, not only the wicked dead. The names of some of the dead are found written in the book of life, and they escape the lake of fire. Those names are... Read more
I’ve gotten wind that somewhere out there in the vast howling wilderness of cyberspace some have hinted – nay, more than hinted – that I have only recently begun to show my true colors, and only under pressure from the PCA GA FV study committee. I could protest my honesty, but that’s just what a schemer like me would do, no? I could point to the fact that I’ve been writing about these subjects in public for several years, for... Read more
In his stimulating book Liturgical Theology , Simon Chan argues that a crucial weakness of Protestant and evangelical theology is that it stops the gospel story with the ascension, and doesn’t see that Pentecost and the church are integral to the evangel (as Jesus says in Luke 24 – the Old Testament is not only about the Christ, but about the preaching of repetance to all nations; Acts too recapitulates Israel’s history). Without a pneumatologically driven ecclesiology, Chan says, Protestantism... Read more
Does the Apostle Peter conform to the Westminster Standards as interpreted by the Federal Vision Study Committee? At the beginning of his second epistle, Peter says that “divine power” has granted “everything pertaining to life and godliness” (1:3). God communicates the life and godliness that results from His power “through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (1:3), presumably Jesus (cf. 1:16). This knowledge is clearly not just intellectual or doctrinal, but personal knowledge... Read more
Baptism has a promissory aspect. The Lord promises forgiveness and life in the Word, and calls hearers to faith. Baptism is a ritual form of the same promise, offering this gift to me by name, and baptism calls the baptized to trust the God who has baptized him. Baptism not only offers gifts, however, but confers gifts. In a sense, baptism is itself a gift. Whether or not the baptized ever believes, the Father has personally addressed Him, personally and... Read more
INTRODUCTION John and Jesus both preach repentance and coming judgment; both offer both oppose the Pharisees and Sadducees; both are prophets. Wrath is coming on Israel (Matthew 3:7), and the Lord sends a double witness to warn Israel. THE TEXT “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’ . . . ” (Matthew 3:1-17). (more…) Read more
We are the body of Christ, and His life-history becomes our life-history. Jesus recapitulates the history of Israel, and does it right. And in so doing, He also anticipates the history of the church. The history of the church is marked by periods of oppression. At times, Herod has been on the throne of the new Israel. But when that happens, the Lord always rescues His sons, and prepares a new, fruitful land for them. The history of the church... Read more
Matthew 2:23: He came and resided in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, He shall be called a Nazarene. As I mentioned in the sermon, Matthew is not quoting a particular passage here. Instead, he is alluding to various passages that describe the Messiah as a holy one and as the Davidic branch. Providentially, for those with eyes to see, Jesus’ hometown reveals His Messianic identity. We need to remember the whole... Read more
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