Editor’s Note: Find previous entries in this series at the end of this article. The law/gospel hermeneutic wrongly separates the Bible’s indicatives from its imperatives. That’s the first problem that we addressed in our last article. But there’s a second problem…
Satan shows us the disappointments and difficulties that godly men face. Following the Lord Jesus Christ means that you will share (to some measure) in Christ’s experience of hardship and difficulty. God’s people are not immune to affliction. Some godly…
Editor’s Note: Find previous entries in this series at the end of this article. In this article, we will look at one key reason the law/gospel hermeneutic is problematic, and then another reason in a subsequent article. The law/gospel hermeneutic…
“Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” So says God to Abraham in the opening verse of Genesis 15. In his commentary, Calvin admits that, at first glance, God’s encouragement to Abraham “to be of…
Dear Timothy, In my last letter, I wrote that the Puritans show us how to marry doctrine and practice in our preaching. I’d like to add that they stressed the practice of piety (praxis pietatis), or practical godliness, flowing out of sound doctrine—just…
Dear Timothy, In my last letter, I wrote that the Puritans show us how to shape our entire lives and preaching by the Holy Scriptures. But they also show us how to marry doctrine and practice in our preaching. They accomplished…
There is a Christological impoverishment in the evangelical world. Christians, by and large, excel at embracing the divine nature of Christ. And yet the confusion comes when Christians are forced to reflect carefully upon the true human nature of Christ. A…
Editor’s note: This is part 2 in this series. Read part 1 here. The law/gospel distinction is sometimes used to distinguish between the commands and promises in the Scriptures. Anthony Burgess noted that “some Divines” taught that the law is…
Dear Timothy, You asked me in your last letter, “As you look back over 25 years of ministry, what was the most helpful, optional spiritual discipline that you maintained for your own spiritual life and for your preaching and pastoral…
The sacraments have always been a point of contention in the church. Someone once said that the sacraments serve as a litmus test of the strength or weakness of a system of theology. This is because many aspects of what…
