Traditional Reformed dogmaticians place the decree of election in the doctrine of God. So does Barth. But they do it very differently. The difference, if I might be allowed a simplistic caricature, is in the question of whether election is a determination of creation or also a determination of the . . . . Continue Reading »
In his epistle ad Donatum , Cyprian left this searching analysis of the challenges of converting from a luxurious and honor-driven aristocratic life to a Christian one: “While I was still lying in darkness and gloomy night, wavering hither and there, tossed about on the foam of this boastful . . . . Continue Reading »
In a nicely nuanced statement, Calvin notes that “there are three modes of insition” [entrance, or grafting] and “two modes of excision.” The modes of entrance into the covenant are: “the children of the faithful are ingrafted, to whom the promise belongs according to . . . . Continue Reading »
What must we do to be saved, asks Westminster Shorter Catechism 85 - saved from the wrath and curse of God due to sin. The answer is noteworthy: We must have “faith in Jesus Christ.” Of course. It happens to be a Protestant Catechism. But the answer does not stop there. It goes on to . . . . Continue Reading »
John 20:28: Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord and my God. Let us pray. Father, You raised Your Son Jesus from the dead to bring a new day. Strengthen our faith by Your Spirit, so that we may believe the things written and so participate more and more in the power of His indestructible life . . . . Continue Reading »
According to Calvin, prior to the fall “direct communication with God was the source of life to Adam.” By the tree of life, “Adam was admonished, that he could claim nothing for himself as if it were his own, in order that he might depend wholly upon the Son of God, and might not . . . . Continue Reading »
In her recent Calvin’s Ladder: A Spiritual Theology of Ascent and Ascension , Julie Canlis argues, following the work of Peter Wyatt, that Thomas displaces Christ from the center of his explanation of the “golden circle” of movement away from and return to God. Wyatt says that the . . . . Continue Reading »
Psalm 88 1 O LORD, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before You. 2 Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry. 3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to the grave. 4 I am counted with those who go down to the pit; I am like a man who has no . . . . Continue Reading »
A Good Friday meditation of mine is up at the First Things web site: http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2011/04/christ-and-him-crucified . . . . Continue Reading »
Traditional treatments of the ordo salutis often assume a firm distinction between accomplishment and application of redemption. Terminology, for instance, is strictly distinguished: Sacrifice, redemption, cross, resurrection are on the “accomplished” side, while regeneration, . . . . Continue Reading »
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