Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
“And it shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land,” declares the Lord, “they shall say no more, ‘The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.’ And it shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they miss it, nor…
Elsewhere, I have argued that there is grace in the so-called covenant of works (see, e.g., my colloquium essay, “A Response to ‘The Biblical Plan of Salvation,’” in The Auburn Avenue Theology: Pros and Cons , edited by Calvin Beisner (pages 118-148). It may be equally surprising to find justice…
Years ago, as a layman, I had the privilege of attending a Bible study led by a gifted teacher. His story was interesting: back when he was a student he had been severely sanctioned for affirming that one must repent in order to be saved, that one must trust Jesus…
Believing that God really exists Defining “faith” is sometimes made too complicated. The theologian, Louis Berkhof, for example, distinguishes “faith in general” from “faith in the religious sense and particularly saving faith.” Berkhof’s core definition of saving faith is not so bad. He says that it is “a certain conviction,…
It is generally acknowledged that when Paul wrote letters to churches, he expected his letters to be read in the worship service to the congregation. It is interesting, then, that when Paul wrote letters to a congregation he could feel free to address children and tell them to obey their…
Book 4 of Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion is a classic work of ecclesiology. This book is the longest section of the Institutes , showing Calvin’s deep interest in and love for the church. Among its many salutary features is a full scale exposition of those ecclesiastical leaders Calvin…
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At every stage of His incarnation, Jesus is involved with the Spirit. Jesus was conceived by the Spirit, anointed with the Spirit at His baptism, offered Himself in the Spirit on the cross, rose by the power of the Spirit, and then at His ascension, the Father conferred the fullness…
Dr. Timothy George, Dean of Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, was the first Nevin Lecturer at Trinity House in February 2014 on the topic of “Baptist Sacramental Theology.” Videos of those lectures are now available here . In an 1844 sermon on Ephesian 4, John Williamson Nevin declared that “unity…
The Eucharist is a memorial of Jesus, a ritual portrayal of the church God promised to form. It points toward a future union. Because it is a memorial, it is also the path toward that ultimate goal .
The possibility that the Babylonian “creation” stories were influenced by the biblical account are usually dismissed quickly for chronological reasons. The Babylonian texts are, it is said, much earlier than Genesis. John Walton thinks this quick dismissal too quick ( Ancient Israelite Literature in its Cultural Context , 36): “Though…
Ronald Byars’s Come and See is a piece of theological/religious reporting, but on a topic that doesn’t often get press coverage - the movement among Presbyterians (in the PCUSA) toward weekly communion. Byars documents that the number of churches that celebrate communion each week is increasing, examines the pastoral challenges…
In the blessing he pronounced over Israel, Aaron was to say “Yahweh make His face to shine upon you” (Numbers 6). Why this particular form of blessing? God’s face shines like the sun, and so gives life and health to all it shines on. If a man is like a…
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