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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Aulen again, quoting passages from Luther’s Galatians commentary: “To destroy sin, to smite death, to take away the curse by Himself, to bestow righteousness, bring life to light, and give the blessing: to annihilate the former, and to create the latter: this is the work of God’s omnipotence alone. But…
Aulen again, quoting passages from Luther’s Galatians commentary: “To destroy sin, to smite death, to take away the curse by Himself, to bestow righteousness, bring life to light, and give the blessing: to annihilate the former, and to create the latter: this is the work of God’s omnipotence alone. But…
Explaining how Luther revived the “classic” Christus Victor theory of the atonement, Gustav Aulen points to Luther’s deployment of patristic rhetoric and imagery that had been lost in the Middle Ages: “Luther loves violent expressions, strong colors, realistic images, and in innumerable passages he describes Christ’s conflict with the tyrants…
Four times in our sermon text, the writer reminds us that ?there was war?Ebetween Israel and Judah. That phrase becomes a refrain throughout the chapter. Only once, however, do we read of a specific incident in that war that lasted several generations. During the reign of Asa of Judah, Baasha,…
?Anyone of Baasha who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat.?E The dynasties of Jeroboam and Baasha are remarkably similar. Both kings are confronted by prophets; both enjoy comparatively long reigns, but are…
INTRODUCTION In this session, we will move ahead in our tour through the Trinity liturgy, covering the Confession and Absolution and the ?ascension.?E CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Confession belongs at the beginning of the service. We enter into God?s house, invited for a meal, and we need to clean up before…
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