Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
A Brief Comparison of Calvin’s Institutes with the Westminster Confession and Catechisms regarding the shape of imputation This essay is a brief argument that the soteriology of John Calvin in his Institutes of the Christian Religion regarding union with Christ and the imputation of his righteousness is the same as…
The thoughts in this paper were largely prompted by a study of Walter E. Krebs, “The Word and the Sacraments,” Mercersburg Review (July, 1867), 366-383. The discussion in this paper presupposes my earlier studies of baptism, “Baptismal Efficacy and the Reformed Tradition: Past, Present, and Future” and “Calvin on Baptism,…
Sometimes our systematic theology creates an illusion of precision. For example, we distinguish the ground and instrument of justification. Justification is grounded in Christ’s work alone, and is instrumentally received by faith alone. That makes good sense and guards us from thinking that faith itself is somehow meritorious. All the…
Whenever we participate in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, we remember Christ and His Work for us. We remember. And in remembering, we imitate God, as His creatures made after His image. God remembers. This is mysterious to us because we usually think of remembering in the context of our…
It is standard in paedobaptist circles to argue for the baptism of infants out of the Old Covenant system. Because there is no explicit command in the New Testament, we are left to the broader principles and patterns of Scripture. In the Old Covenant, we continually find that the children…
Luther popularized the law/gospel hermeneutic. Luther argued that any demands God made upon us fell into the category of “law” and could only condemn. By contrast, anything God gave us was “gospel” and came with no strings attached. Calvin paid lip service to this law/gospel antithesis, even though it was…
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Russ McDonald has this shrewd comment about the combination of slapstick comedy and satisfied resolution in MSND : “Even as we anticipate a happy ending, we take pleasure in watching shenanigans, pretension, and the well-aimed custard pie. This tension amounts to a contest between the end and the middle: The…
Marjorie Garber on Midsummer Night?s Dream . 1) She begins by explaining the various connections between MSND and Romeo & Juliet , suggesting that MSND is a comic version of R&J . In both, an authority figure stands between the lovers; in both they seek satisfaction by escape; in both,…
Marjorie Garber on Midsummer Night?s Dream . 1) She begins by explaining the various connections between MSND and Romeo & Juliet , suggesting that MSND is a comic version of R&J . In both, an authority figure stands between the lovers; in both they seek satisfaction by escape; in both,…
Leave it to Barth to cut through a lot of confusion and clarify the theological necessity for an eschatological conception of salvation: “The New Testament speaks eschatologically when it speaks of man’s being called, reconciled, justified, sanctified and redeemed. In speaking thus it speaks really and properly. One has to…
Now in the 18th year to king Yarav?am, son of Nebat Reigned-as-king ?Aviyyam over Yehudah. Three years he reigned-as-king in Yerushalaim Now the name of his mother [was] Ma?akah daughter of Aviyshalom. And he walked in all the sins of his father which he did before him. But his heart…
INTRODUCTION Judah?s beginning is no better than Israel?s, but for David?s sake Yahweh keeps a light lit in Jerusalem (15:4) and sends a reforming king to turn back the evils of Rehoboam. Meanwhile, Israel dissolves into political chaos, and becomes a veritable Africa of revolving door regimes, conspiracy, and assassination.…
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