Law & Gospel: What’s Big the Difference?
The biblical teaching on “the law” and “the gospel” is massive. And contrary to what some may think, these concepts are fairly complex. They can’t be reduced to a plaque on the wall with the Ten Commandments or a paper tract with Four Easy Steps on how to become a Christian. Instead, law and gospel each have a fairly expansive range of meaning. For this reason, I’d like to begin by examining these concepts more broadly. Then we’ll narrow our focus. Finally, I’d like to highlight a few of practical implications from our study. Read more
Worship for Dummies: The Regulative Principle Made Simple
God created man for worship. Jesus declared that the Father is seeking worshippers who will worship Him “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24). Not surprisingly, the Shorter Catechism begins by affirming, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” But this raises the question, “How should God be worshiped?” To be more precise, “What kind of worship pleases God?” The answer is vital. Thankfully, it’s not that complicated. Even a child may understand. Read more 
The Baptist Confession on Oaths and Vows
In the 17th century, certain sects of Christendom, such as the Quakers and Anabaptists, denied the legitimacy of taking oaths or making vows. The teaching of this chapter 23 of the 1689 Baptist Confession was designed to clarify the meaning and confirm the lawfulness of oaths and vows when properly used. The 1689 Baptist Confession retains the substance of the Westminster Confession, but it abbreviates the form. Below we’ll use the Confession as a guide to examine the Bible’s teaching on oaths and vows. Then we’ll draw some practical lessons. Read more
Sacred Desk or Sacred Cow? Perspective on the Pulpit
Since the days of the Reformation, Protestant churches have traditionally situated the pulpit front and center in the architecture of their meeting places. The purpose of the pulpit’s conspicuously elevated and prominent position is to symbolize the authority and centrality of God’s Word in the life and ministry of the gathered church. The question we want to raise in this brief article is whether such symbolism is necessary or helpful in our day. Read more
The Baptist Confession on the Gospel
This chapter on “the gospel” is not found in the Westminster Confession. The Congregationalists added this chapter to the Savoy Declaration, and the Baptists incorporated it into their Confession. The Congregationalists call attention to this addition in their preface to the Savoy Declaration: Read more
Confessing the Faith: the 1689 for the 21st Century
I’m a fan of the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689. It’s basically a modest revision of the famous Westminster Confession of Faith and the Savoy Declaration. As such it serves as an excellent compendium of Reformed theology with a Baptist ecclesiology. But, as I’ve argued elsewhere, the Elizabethan English of these great 17th century confessions makes them less accessible to 21st Americans. For this reason, I’m happy to recommend a new update in Modern English. Read more
The Covenant Context of the Fall, Part 1: Did God Make a Covenant with Adam?
Before Adam and Eve’s fall into sin, the world was unmarred by evil and was “very good” (Gen. 1:31; 2:25). In this important respect, the present world differs radically from the original state of affairs. In other ways, however, the pre- and post-fall worlds share much in common. One point of alleged continuity is the idea that God always interacts with humanity in terms of covenant. Read more
Justification by Faith Alone: Nothing in My Hand I Bring
The Diet of Worms convened on April 18, 1521 to deal with one of the most pressing issues in the Holy Roman Empire: to deliberate what to do with a troublesome monk named Martin Luther. It had only been 3 ½ years since Luther had nailed his 95 theses to the church-door in Wittenburg. In that short time, he had sparked a great controversy within the Roman Catholic Church. Some of the most controversial of Luther’s theses were those in which he asserted that God justifies sinners based upon the merits of Jesus Christ alone and received by faith alone. Read more
Justification by Faith Alone: Nothing But the Blood of Jesus
As noted in the previous post, “justification” is something that involves at a Judge, a defendant, and a verdict. Technically, the term does not refer to the defendant’s character or behavior as such, but more precisely, it refers to the judge’s verdict of the man’s character or behavior. It is a once-for-all legal act that takes place outside the sinner. That raises an important question: How can God justify sinners? Read more
Justification by Faith Alone: A Definitive Legal Declaration
In a previous post, we highlighted the vital importance of the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Now we’ll begin to expound that doctrine. And defining terms is the place to start. What does the Bible mean by the term “to justify”? Below we’ll examine two key passages that illumine the significance of the term for the doctrine of justification. Read more
