Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
When someone expounds the way of salvation found in the Westminster Confession and Catechisms and in the easily-accessible writings of the Reformed heritage, he often finds him embroiled in a debates about the covenant of works and the Mosaic Covenant. One is “proven” to be aberrant by allegations that one…
The ultimate condemnation of a position in Reformed circles is to show that it “leads back to Rome.” Indeed, one gets the feeling that Rome is a worse destination for a Presbyterian than even hell itself. The accusation of Rome stings deeply, of course, because it means that all the…
One of the odd features of Michael Horton’s version of Covenant theology is his interpretation of the covenant God made with Abraham 1 in Genesis 15. According to Horton, The very way in which God made the covenant with Abraham (putting him to sleep; walking through the torn animals by…
What was I trying to do, when I wrote my book on Mark’s Gospel ? Fundamentally, I wanted a book that would change readers by making them better readers of the Gospel of Mark. My ideal reader is not someone who goes to the book to use as a resource…
Why do we need sacraments? According to the Westminster Confession, sacraments were instituted by Christ “to confirm our interest in him” (27.1), “to strengthen and increase” the “faith” of those within the Covenant of Grace and “to distinguish them from those that are without” that covenant (Westminster Larger Catechism, #162).…
In Isaiah 5:1-7, we have a typical covenant lawsuit, in which the Lord accuses his people of rejecting his grace and mercy. It is not my intention here to exegete the entire passage, or to look at the way the vineyard image used here serves as a metaphor in other…
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A wonderful quotation from Luther’s late commentary on Genesis. He notes that law exists already in Eden, but he also makes it clear that this does not make the Edenic situation a “covenant of works”: “And so when Adam had been created in such a way that he was, so…
Hegel’s Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion includes the following: “Love is a distinguishing of the two, who nevertheless are absolutely not distinguished for each other. The consciousness or feeling of the identity of the two - to be outside of myself and in the other ?Ethis is love. I…
Some thoughts inspired by Dollimore’s book: It would seem that desire is inherently tragic. First, because desire arises from lack. We only desire what we do not yet have. But when our desires our satisfied, our lack is filled. When ALL our desires are satisfied, then all lack is filled,…
As I suspected, Dollimore gives Christianity’s cultural influence short shrift. He has a lot of insightful things to say about the ancients, but then he sees almost total continuity through early Christianity ?Ethe same links of desire and death, the same kind of anguish in the face of mutability. Maybe…
J. Neyrey points out the links between the temptation of Jesus early in Luke and the passion narratives later in Luke. Luke’s account of the temptation ends with Satan leaving until a more opportune moment, and it is commonly noted that Satan reappears in the passion narrative, entering Judas (Lk…
There appears to be a chiastic structure at work in Luke 3:1-7:35. Not everything fits, but there is enough to be suggestive: A. Ministry of John, 3:1-17 B. Jesus preaching and teaching in Nazareth, 4:16-30 (1. Quotes Is 61 2. Refers to Elijah’s aid to a widow and her son…
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