A proper understanding of the relationship between the law and the gospel is crucial for any minister hoping to be effective in his preaching and counseling. Indeed, a flawed understanding of the relationship between law and gospel leads to all sorts of problems: Errors in this doctrine have spawned dispensationalism, theonomy, the New Perspective on…
Some Baptist Thoughts on Trinitarian Relations
,The online evangelical world has been abuzz of late with trinitarian discussion. I won’t review all the literature (e.g., see here for a synopsis of the debate), but I would like to highlight a few things that Particular Baptists have written on the subject in the past. More specifically, I’d like to continue the discussion around…
7 Practical Reasons Why Historical Theology is Valuable
,Historical theology has been defined as “the study of the interpretation of Scripture and the formulation of doctrine by the church of the past.”[1] Simply put, historical theology is answering this question: How has the church thought about the Bible in the past? Some people hear the words “historical theology” and think that there couldn’t be…
3 Freedoms found in the Doctrine of Scripture
,The Second London Baptist Confession contains several strong statements on the doctrine of scripture. This doctrine is the bedrock of any true christian faith and, thus, must be clearly defended in every generation. While the framers of the Westminster and Second London confessions were keen to counter several particular errors they saw in their day…
Biblical Support for Creeds, Confessions, and Statements of Faith
,Is there a biblical argument for the existence and use of creeds, confessions, and statements of faith by church? That is, why does a church have the authority to require of its members subscription to a document outside of the Bible? To answer that question I will highlight several presuppositions behind and implications from the New…
Biblical Theology and Transfer of the Sabbath— Part 3
,*This post is the third and final in a series examining the transfer of the sabbath day. The previous posts can be found here and here. To conclude this short series on the transfer of the Sabbath, I will look at the name given to the new covenant day of worship: the Lord’s Day. The title, “the Lord’s…
Biblical Theology and the Transfer of the Sabbath Part 2
,*This post is the second in a series examining the transfer of the sabbath day. The previous post can be found here. Moving on to the New Testament, the same pattern remains: the change of day that was foreshadowed in the Old Testament is actualized in the resurrection of our Lord, and it is confirmed…
Biblical Theology and the Transfer of the Sabbath, Part 1
,It is often objected that there is no direct evidence of Sunday observance in the New Testament, and therefore there must not have been any command to continue any sort of weekly Sabbath observance in continuity with the Old Testament Sabbath.[1] However, this series will demonstrate that there is evidence for the change in…
The Spirituality of the Law
,Paul tells us in Romans 7:14 that the law is spiritual. But what does that mean? And why does it matter? I’d like to make a few suggestions regarding the nature and the importance of the law’s spirituality. 1. The spirituality of the law exposes our inability to justify ourselves. In Romans 7 Paul is…