'Theology' Tagged Posts (Page 2)
Some Comments on the Wretched Man in Romans 7
Romans 7:13-25 is a difficult passage, but many concerns vanish when chapters 6 and 7 are analyzed together. Four questions are answered that arise in the Jewish mind related to grace and Law (Rom 5:20-21). This is in a section principally addressed to Jew-born believers, but not without benefits for the Gentile believer. Each of the questions are answered by “absolutely not!”. Here they are: 1. Are we to continue in sin that grace may increase? Absolutely not!….Paul uses the…
Walking to Death: Isaac and Jesus
How beautifully and intricately the Old Testament prefigures Christ. I read the following words concerning Abraham and Isaac walking to the mountain where Isaac was to be slain. Some, not all, believe this to be the same mount where the Temple was later to be built and close to the very place where Jesus was later crucified. “Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire…
The Old Covenant Ends and the New Covenant Begins Here
Observe the exact time when the New Covenant began and the Old Covenant, whose sacrifices never could take away sins or make anyone perfect, was made obsolete (Heb 8:13;10:4): “Then He [Christ] said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will.’ He takes away the first [covenant] in order to establish the second [covenant]. By this will we have been sanctified [as in consecrated] through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Heb 10:9-10) The New…
You Should Rejoice — and Israel Also
A first century Jew reading Isaiah 49:6 should have rejoiced in Gentiles being included in the restoration of Israel. So they should today, for it is among the greatest of the promises made to Israel. “He says [of the Messiah, called in Greek, the Christ], ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You A LIGHT TO…
If We Are Faithless
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself,” meaning, “He is faithful to judge you.” (2 Tim 2: 11-13; also see Rom 3:3-8 which clarifies further). This passage is often misunderstood. He is faithful or true to His character and His word to judge unbelief. This passage does not promise comfort for unbelief. He might deny you, but He won’t deny Himself, or His character. “Let God be true and every man a liar.” This is…
Review of Studies in Perfectionism by Benjamin Warfield
Warfield, Benjamin B., Studies in Perfectionism. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1958. 464 pages. B. B. Warfield is known as one of the major exponents of the Reformed view of theology. He studied at what is now Princeton University and Seminary, graduating from the later in 1876. He taught first at Leipzig, Germany but was later the successor to Archibald Alexander Hodge as professor of Systematic Theology at Princeton Seminary. He died in 1921. During his life he earned several distinguished degrees.…
The Law is Not My Tutor
“But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Gal 3:23-25) The Mosaic Law is not my tutor to bring me to faith in Christ, for two reasons: 1. I am Gentile by…
To Obtain the Inheritance
The inheritance for the Christian begins with eternal life, a transformed body, new heavens and a new earth, and extends literally to all there is. We are co-heirs with Christ, meaning all that Christ has received in his ascension, we have received. The realization of all that will not come until later, yet it is ours. We will reign under him over all the universe! Jesus told his disciples to not be afraid of provisional lack because “God has chosen…
God of Creation, God of Salvation
I am learning to read and enjoy poetry. God makes much of it in the Bible. I am under the conviction that we miss something by not growing in our understanding of both the Bible’s poetic passages and what many modern poets themselves have to offer. Here is a poem from a younger friend, Daniel Pentimone, that I think is exceptional. It is vibrant, engaging, and meaningful. Read it outloud with exuberance, and love God more. Read it with joy…
A Three-legged Stool: All Sides of God’s Salvation Process
Election by a sovereign God was one of the mainstay doctrines in the preaching used by God during great days of awakening. During the revival ministry of Asahel Nettleton (1783-1844) more than 25,000 were converted, principally in the New England area. According to John Thornbury this figure would be about 600,000 if percentaged to our present population.1 Nettleton, for one, did not shrink back from proclaiming a God who elected. The following vignette comes from the book on his life…
Helps On How to Think About the Law
This may assist you as you think about what it means to live under the Law. 1. It’s not possible for a Christian to be a Pharisee without first rejecting Christ. If a believer imposes personal convictions that go beyond the Scripture on other believers, he may be unloving and without understanding, but he isn’t a Pharisee. 2. Living by the letter of the Law versus the Spirit of the Law is not a biblical dichotomy. Paul isn’t speaking about…
An Outline for Understanding Issues of Conscience and Legalism
Most of us have seen the movie “Chariots of Fire” and have been greatly encouraged by the example of Eric Liddell who refused to compete in races on Sunday. But if a Christian held a different position regarding what is allowed on Sunday, could that believer be just as dedicated to Christ with his differing opinion? Convictions of personal conscience are those areas where a strict absolute is not laid down for us in the Bible. Having such personal convictions…
The Law of Love: New Covenant Primacy
The Law of Moses and the Prophet’s admonitions are all fulfilled in the law of love. “Treat others the way you would have them treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Mt. 7:12). The New Covenant responsibility for the believer is similar: “Bear one another’s burdens and thereby fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2). Or, put another way, “Do not look out for your own personal interests, but for the interests of others” (Phil 2:4). Love…
Incorporation into Christ: The Mystery in Ephesians
I was a teenager when I experienced my first revelation as a reader of Paul’s letters. It was as if Ananias had once again stepped off the street called Straight and opened my eyes. What I saw was very simple and (I have since found out) already discovered by many before me: Paul wrote very often about Jew-born and Gentile-born believers and how they become a unified church through the gospel. “So that’s why he talks so much about things…
In A Body
What did the writers of the New Testament mean when they claimed that Jesus Christ was resurrected? It certainly was not that he only appeared to be resurrected when in fact it did not happen. That is, resurrection to these writers did not mean that he appeared in some apparitional way, or some imaginary way, or some spiritualized way similar to the kind of thing a person might say about a deceased relative (i.e. “Mother is here with us whenever…
The Guarantee of Holiness
“Say not that thou hast royal blood in thy veins and art born of God,” said puritan William Gurnall, “unless thou canst prove thy pedigree by daring to be holy.” There is no such thing as an unholy Christian (at least in any ongoing sense.) Can Christians commit any sort of sin? Yes. Can Christians repeatedly commit sin? Yes. Can Christians commit the worst of sins? Yes. But it is inconceivable that a person could be a Christian without holiness…