The law says, "do this", and it is never done. Grace says, "believe in this", and everything is already done. The first part is clear from what has been stated by the Apostle and his interpreter, St. Augustine, in many places. And it has been stated often enough above that the "law works wrath" and keeps all men…
Blogging the Institutes | 1.13.9 | Proof that the Son is God
"Blogging the Institutes" is my on-going attempt to paraphrase John Calvin's work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. You can find out more about the series in the Introduction. For all the posts in this series, check out the Master List. Proof that the Son is God I'm not going to talk about the Son as the…
Out of Exile (Psalm 126)
When the Lord brought back the captive ones of Zion, We were like those who dream. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” 3 The Lord has done great things for us; We are…
Blogging Beale | The Temple and the Church’s Mission | Chapter 2, Pt. 2
This is the third installment of the series, Blogging Beale, working through G.K. Beale's work, The Temple and the Church's Mission. From now on, the posts will be in Q&A format, summarizing Beale's arguments. Part one. Part two. Chapter 2: The Cosmic Significance of Temples in the Old Testament, Pt. 2 How does the priest's robe relate…
Blogging Beale | The Temple and the Church’s Mission | Chapter 2
This is the second installment of the series, Blogging Beale, working through G.K. Beale's work, The Temple and the Church's Mission. From now on, the posts will be in Q&A format, summarizing Beale's arguments. Chapter 2: The Cosmic Symbolism of Temples in the Old Testament Why do pagan temples resemble Israel’s temples? It is due, in part,…
Blogging G.K. Beale | The Temple and the Church’s Mission | Chapter 1
G.K. Beale's groundbreaking work, The Temple and the Church's Mission, is worth close interaction, even if you ultimately disagree with his conclusions. The book is massive and dense with Scripture. So slogging through all of the details is hard work. But I think it's worth it because Beale's book unlocks many things which were previously a…
A Way Out (Psalm 124)
Blessed be the Lord, Who has not given us to be torn by their teeth. Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper; The snare is broken and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. Psalm 124:6-8 God is…
Do Nothing
Do we do nothing to obtain [God's] righteousness. No, nothing at all. Perfect righteousness is to do nothing, to hear nothing, to know nothing of the law or of works, but to know and believe only that Christ has gone to the Father and is no longer visible; that he sits in heaven at the…
More than an Underdog
The reason for this persistent story line of the Bible is not simply because the writers like underdogs. It is because the ultimate example of God's working in the world was Jesus Christ, the only founder of a major religion that died in disgrace, not surrounded by all of his loving disciples but abandoned by…
Blogging the Institutes | 1.13.8 |The Word is Eternal
"Blogging the Institutes" is my on-going attempt to paraphrase John Calvin's work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. You can find out more about the series in the Introduction. For all the posts in this series, check out the Master List. The Word is Eternal Certain people try to deny Jesus' eternity while not outright deny His…