If we do not become skilled in the proper uses of the law, we can never distinguish the Law and Gospel rightly. Inevitably, we will either confuse the law for the gospel or gut the gospel by making it unnecessary and something tending to immorality. Calvin’s successor, Theodore Beza, said, “…Ignorance of [the] distinction between Law and Gospel is one of the principal sources of the abuses which corrupted and still corrupt Christianity”
Walter Marshall on Monergistic Sanctification: A Puritan Case Study
Perhaps I have erred on the side of over quoting, but I think the above quotations leave little question about where this puritan, Walter Marshall, stood on the question of who works our sanctification. With the catechism, he would answer, "It is a work of God's grace...."
Is Sanctification Monergistic, Synergistic, or Neither: A Friendly Inquiry
If you have been in the Reformed world long, you have probably been strongly conditioned to think of the word "monergism" as good and the word "synergism" as bad.
Defending Reformed Credobaptism: A Bibliography
Someone recently asked me to compile a list of resources for studying baptism from a reformed baptist perspective. For those with a similar interest, I have decided to share this list with annotations. This list is mostly from my own reading or those I plan to read soon, but if you know any others you … Continue reading Defending Reformed Credobaptism: A Bibliography
Great Sinner, Great Savior (Luke 7:36-50)
What follows is an adaption of a sermon preached on the text of Luke 7:36-50. This is the story of the Sinful Woman Forgiven. Here we meet a great Savior and two great sinners. One of the great sinners acknowledges her sin and rests in Christ for forgiveness, but one great sinner does not consider … Continue reading Great Sinner, Great Savior (Luke 7:36-50)
A Theology of Glory
Theonomy: Bad News for Reformed Baptists Part I I am a Reformed Baptist. I do not say this to be factional but factual. The doctrine set forth in the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 is what I have found to be most consistent with the teaching of Scripture (I have at least one exception, … Continue reading A Theology of Glory
Four Approaches to Typology in Scripture
There are certainly more than just four approaches typology, but I will attempt to provide four general approaches. Any particular approach will tend towards one of these. Imagine these approaches as focal points on a continuum that covers all possibilities.
About Me
Who I am With John Newton, author of "Amazing Grace," I can say, I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace … Continue reading About Me
Update and Correction to My Series on 1689 Federalism
For my last four posts (here, here, here, and here), I have been trying to wrap my head around and explain what has been called 1689 Federalism. I know I have made some progress in understanding it better for myself, and I hope others have been helped also. However, I am compelled to correct a … Continue reading Update and Correction to My Series on 1689 Federalism
John Bunyan: Proponent of 1689 Federalism?
In this post I would like to answer the question, was John Bunyan a proponent of 1689 Federalism? This man hardly needs an introduction, he is of course the author of Pilgrim’s Progress, not only a Christian classic, but a classic of English literature as well. John Bunyan was a puritan, or more properly, a … Continue reading John Bunyan: Proponent of 1689 Federalism?
Thorough Reformer 