Salvation

Word, Sacrament, and Discipline: The Offices of Christ

Stephen Unthank
Dec 28, 2018
All that the church is can be found in her union with Christ. As John Calvin has so memorably put it, “we must remember that as long as Christ remains outside of us, and we are separated from him, all that he has suffered and done for the salvation of the human race remains useless and of no value...

The Mission of the Church in the Story of Jesus' Birth

Richard D. Phillips
Dec 21, 2018
As 2018 draws to a close, we look back on a year in which perhaps the most pressing issue for Reformed Christians is the relationship between the church and the world. How does the church respond to cultural shifts in terms of human identity and sexuality? And what is the mission of the church when...

Heaven on Earth? Protestants & Dante

Stephen Unthank
Oct 19, 2018
I have the pleasure of meeting with some very bright high school students twice a week to think through worldviews and the history of ideas. A large part of our time is spent discussing some of the great books of Western Civilization and this fall we’ve been reading through and discussing Dante’s...

Heaven on Earth?: Some Hard Questions & Some Help

Jeffrey Stivason
Oct 18, 2018
It is fitting that Christians should love the springtime of the soul, the bodily resurrection that will come in God’s time. But how much do we really know about the resurrection? Children often ask, “Will I know my mommy and daddy in heaven?” Wives want to know what kind of relationship, if any,...

The Statement on SJ&G Explained: Article 7, Salvation

Justin Peters
Oct 15, 2018
[Editorial Note: This is the seventh post in a series of posts in which we have invited the authors of "The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel" to expound upon the statement's affirmations and denials. We encourage our readers to take the time to read through our prefatory editorial note at...

The Statement on SJ&G Explained: Article 4, God's Law

Tom Ascol
Oct 4, 2018
[Editorial Note: This is the fourth post in a series of posts in which we have invited the authors of "The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel" to expound upon the statement's affirmations and denials. We encourage our readers to take the time to read through our prefatory editorial note at...

Still Protesting: the Donum Superadditum

Jeffrey Stivason
Sep 27, 2018
“Why can’t you get past the objections of Luther and his progeny?” That was the question that came plaintively from the man who sat opposite the pastor in the coffee house. The Pastor, whose name was Peter, looked at him as if to say, “Haven’t I already explained?” I could see his frustration as I...

The One Who Endures: The Church

Stephen Unthank
May 4, 2018
Not too long ago at a small party, I was chatting with a young lady who had just switched churches. She had left a rather large, seeker-sensitive type of church in the Washington D.C. area, a church which put a lot of emphasis on the worship experience. And she had now joined a much smaller,...

The One Who Endures: Perseverance and Counseling

Martin Blocki
Apr 30, 2018
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. John 10:29 I have benefitted greatly from the teaching ministry of the late R.C. Sproul. Years ago, God used Dr. Sproul’s teaching to open my eyes to the surpassing greatness of the...

The One Who Endures: The Parable of the Soils

Tim Bertolet
Apr 27, 2018
The Bible is very clear that those who make genuine professions of faith will continue in those confessions of faith. The genuine believer will bear fruit as a consequence of God’s working in them. Thus, Scripture often brings to the believer this motivating command: bear fruit. We are to “work out...