TurretinFan asks, “Which doctrine is right?” And answers!
February 2, 2010
- First, as my friend was already doing, one asks one's brethren for assistance.
- Second, in particular, one should seek advice not only of one's brethren in general but of those who have the duty of being teachers in spiritual things. Thus, women should learn from their husbands, and the husbands should learn from the elders.
- The third was is hinted at implicitly in the previous answers. [here he is pointing out that one should search the scriptures]
- The fourth answer is prayer to God for wisdom.
One add-on by me, which is really encompassed in point #1, is to read excellent commentaries and systematic theology works from the past centuries.
Read the post here.Do we still believe doctrine matters?
January 6, 2010
From the Ligonier Ministries blog. I'm afraid for many, the answer is sadly "no."
I have decided that Jerusalem is a much more peacable place for me to be than General Assembly. So, no regrets for missing it this year!
Here goes my first significant post so far. Yesterday (Thursday) evening we had supper at a wonderful Aremenian restaurant, and then went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I wrote the following early this morning. I am still somewhat jetlagged, and it is very stream of consciousness, so please keep that in mind. Read the rest of this entry »
Foundations of Grace–free offer
March 25, 2009
Give a gift to Renewing Your Mind radio broadcast and receive a copy of Steve Lawson’s book Foundations of Grace.
From the RYM website:
Understanding the doctrines of grace will give you a clearer picture of God’s sovereignty. From the lawgiver Moses to the apostle John, and from the early church fathers to modern defenders of the faith, there has marched onto the stage of human history a long line of godly men, a triumphant parade of spiritual stalwarts who have upheld the doctrines of grace. In this book, the first in the five-volume A Long Line of Godly Men series, Dr. Steven J. Lawson takes you on a heart-stirring survey of the Scriptures to show that the Bible in its entirety teaches the doctrines of grace.
Click here to donate and get your copy.
Thanks to Randy for the tip.
Why do Presbyterians not have an altar call?
February 2, 2009
“Just as I am, without one plea…”
For some of us, the very melody of this wonderfully rich hymn of grace evokes immediate, unforgettable sights and sounds: Every head bowed, every eye closed, the organ droning on and on under the pastor’s pleading to sinners to “come forward and receive Jesus before it’s too late.”
I have been asked numerous times why Presbyterians do not have altar calls. Some, noting that I give a weekly invitation to believe the Gospel, have also asked why I do not go “all the way” and have an altar call so that any unbelievers present have an opportunity to receive Christ. Read the rest of this entry »
The Boundaries of Unity
January 30, 2009
From the Aquila Report. Read it here.
D.A. Carson on mercy ministry and gospel proclamation
September 23, 2008
Granted that we ought to be engaged in acts of mercy, what safeguards can be set in place so as to minimize the risk that the deeds of mercy will finally swamp the proclamation of the gospel and the passionate desire to see men and women reconciled to God by faith in Christ Jesus and his atoning death and resurrection?
See here for Dr. Carson’s full and insightful editorial.
Chalke and Penal Substitution
September 6, 2008
Dr. Garry J. Williams of Oak Hill College London has written a reply to Stephen Chalke’s short piece Redeeming the Cross. Dr. Williams writes:
In this article I set out the arguments in these new papers and respond to them, challenging Chalke’s claim that penal substitution is ‘no orthodoxy at all’ (RTC, p. 2).
Dr. Williams then writes:
Chalke introduces penal substitution: ‘a righteous God is angry with sinners and demands justice. His wrath can only be appeased through bringing about the violent death of his Son’ (RTC, p. 2). This, he says, ‘is a totally different matter’ (RTCS, p. 2).
A wrong definition of penal substitution
Chalke does not here accurately state the doctrine of penal substitution. Note that he does not say that ‘some people express the doctrine like this’ or that people often mangle it when they explain it, which may be true. Rather, he explains the ‘concept’ itself (RTCS, p. 2). Perhaps he has heard Read the rest of this entry »
Dying Protestantism
August 20, 2008
John Piper comments on Joseph Bottum’s article The Death of Protestant America. One of Piper’s comments is so penetrating:
I pray that the younger evangelicals who are pondering where to put their energies will learn from history that doctrinal accommodation brings larger audiences in the short run but death and irrelevance in the long run.
So true!
God’s Immutability
August 16, 2008
Tomorrow in corporate worship we will be singing an Isaac Watts hymn Have You Not Known, Have You Not Heard. The hymn is referencing Isaiah 40:21-31:
Do you not know? Do you not hear?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
who brings princes to nothing,
and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows on them, and they wither,
and the tempest carries them off like stubble.To whom then will you compare me,
that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high and see:
who created these?
He who brings out their host by number,
calling them all by name,
by the greatness of his might,
and because he is strong in power
not one is missing.Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
Watts captures well Isaiah’s portrayal of our great God, including Read the rest of this entry »
The Decline of Biblical Preaching
August 8, 2008
Once again, Rev. Al Baker of Christ Communitry Presbyterian Church, has hit the nail on the head. In his weekly devotional, the title jumps out at you–Ichabod. Here is part of what he says with the devotional following in full:
I trace the problems in our country- whether they are related to race, materialism, family disintegration, or debauchery to the decline of biblical preaching in our churches.
Ichabod
John Winthrop, while standing on the bow of the Arbella in 1630, prior to his departure to the new world, gave the most important sermon in the second millennium, A City on a Hill. In it Winthrop laid out the Puritan vision Read the rest of this entry »
The Faith Once For All Delivered
August 6, 2008
Joel Belz of World Magazine, in the August 9, 2008 edition, has as his column an article on the new book by Charles Colson The Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters. I have not read it yet, but it looks promising.
In our increasingly postmodern Evangelical landscape, Colson apparently takes on the pomos and emerg*** folks who are undermining the church. These quotes by Colson Read the rest of this entry »
Credo-Baptists, Paedo-Baptists and The Lord’s Supper
June 30, 2008
Should a believer in Christ who was baptized in a Presbyterian (PCA) church and is in good standing as a member be able to participate in The Lord’s Supper at a Credo-Baptist church? FYI, a Credo-Baptist church is one which believes that valid baptisms only occur after one’s profession of faith (hence the name “credo,” or baptism after the persons “creed” or profession).
Now immediately most readers will say, “Well sure! Why wouldn’t they be allowed? The person is a Christian, right?” But not all our Credo brothers agree with that. For instance, Read the rest of this entry »
John Piper’s Church on Baptism and Membership
June 27, 2008
In September 2005, Bethlehem Baptist Church attempted a bold move regarding baptism. The leaders of BBC were moving forward with a church constitutional change which would have preserved their beliefs about credo baptism (and the mode as well) while recognizing the legitimacy of the baptisms or their paedo baptist brothers and sisters in Christ for conscience sake. Ultimately that constitutional change was withdrawn in December of 2005. Here is what the church website says about it:
- What was the original motion from the Council of Elders?
In September, 2005 the Council of Elders of Bethlehem Baptist Church introduced a motion at the Quarterly Strategy Meeting proposing constitutional changes that would have preserved the belief, practice and teaching of believers baptism by immersion as the official position of the church and elders, but would also have allowed for some regenerate persons to be members of the church even though they believed the Bible endorsed their infant sprinkling as baptism. Read the rest of this entry »
Signs of Grace (Introduction)
June 21, 2008
All Christians are Baptists.
As a Presbyterian, it quite simply bothers me that a particular group of evangelicals have managed to call themselves something that is a defining mark of Christian discipleship, period. All bible-believing Christians are Baptists because, with a few fringe exceptions throughout history, all Christians baptize! Of course, not all Christians agree on baptism—and there’s the rub. The real issue is two-fold: Why do we baptize and what does it mean?
I am heartened that more of my non-paedobaptistic brethren have taken to describing themselves as credobaptists; this at least identifies their conviction that baptism is only properly administered following a profession of faith in Christ. Still, most of these folks likely attend Baptist churches and view themselves simply as Baptists. That, again, bothers me, because I am a Baptist, too!
This should be short and hopefully sweet. My previous post was intended to demonstrate that some credo-baptists have a credibility problem regarding their opposition to us paedo-baptists. See that post for more.
That said, most all Reformed Baptists and others practicing credo-baptism do not have this problem. For many Reformed credos, living with and ministering along side us paedos is an everyday occurrence and is not a problem. For many of these brothers our views are different to be sure, but the differences are at a secondary level from the gospel and not of great consternation to them (or us I might add).
So while these discussions are sometimes helpful and edifying and even fun, let us not cuss and discuss baptism so much that we lose sight of the common bond we share as brothers in Christ and the shared call to “make disciples of all nations,” whatever way we practice the “baptizing them…” part of that command.
I’m sure my blog partner Randy, credo-baptist brother and fellow member of a paedo-baptist church, would agree.
Conclusions in Scripture
May 28, 2008
One of the frustrating things in discussing matters of faith and practice in scripture is agreeing on the ground rules of the dialogue. For some, a clear command or example is required in order to see the validity of the matter. Case in point: paedo-baptism and credo-baptism. Most credo-baptists insist that we who practice paedo-baptism do so without a biblical warrant. That is, according to them we are practicing something which is neither commanded nor exemplified in scripture. For a recent discussion on that subject in which I engaged, see these posts: here, here, here, here, here.
My point here is not to re-debate those two positions. My point is to show that if someone Read the rest of this entry »
Infant Salvation-Rerun
May 27, 2008
Here is a quote from John MacArthur on the subject of infant salvation. I ran the original post in 2005.
Now listen to what I say. God has predestined all He wills into salvation, including those in infancy. That salvation is by his sovereign choice through grace alone. Though all infants deserve eternal judgment because of their guilt and corruption, their sins were paid for by the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ on the cross in which He bore the wrath of God, not only for all who could believe, but for all who could not believe. I really do believe that only those who understand true reformed theology can grasp the redemption of little ones, which fits so beautifully because it’s all of sovereignty and it’s all of grace.
MacArthur deals with this subject theologically as well as pastorally. Dear reader, I hope that if you have experienced such a loss that you might find great comfort from our great God through these words.
You can read the original post here.
Deacons, Deaconesses and the PCA
May 15, 2008
You may or may not know that the PCA will be considering an overture from the Philadelphia Presbytery that a study committee be set up on the subject of women as deaconesses. You can read the overture here. The Central Georgia Presbytery has overtured GA to NOT erect a study committee. Here is their overture.
There are several posts on this blog on the subject here and here for example. My views are no secret. The offices of elder and deacon are reserved for men. That is the current and historic position of the PCA. I agree with the Central Georgia Presbytery that we don’t need a committee to tell us what we already know.
But actually I think the committee Read the rest of this entry »
The Courage To Be Protestant
April 24, 2008
David Wells’ newest book by the same title has hit the bookstores. I can’t wait to get a copy. Wells is so insightful and such a good writer. Here are a few snippets.
“The key to the future is not the capitulation that we see in both the marketers and the emergents. It is courage. The courage to be faithful to what Christianity in its biblical forms has always stood for across the ages” (p. 21).
“[T]his transformation of Christianity into Read the rest of this entry »
