Sanctification

Why Not All at Once?

Nick Batzig
Mar 5, 2019
Christ, by his perfect life, atoning death and resurrection from the dead, secures the believer's calling, regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification and glorification. Older Protestant theologians frequently referred to the order of the application of the benefits of redemption ( i.e...

Union with Christ: A Brief Introduction

John Hartley
Feb 13, 2019
John Owen (1616-1683) said, “That there is such a union between Christ and believers is the faith of the catholic church and has been so in all ages.” Not only does Owen’s comment dissuade us from regarding this doctrine to be negligible and of optional interest, his comment challenges us not to be...

Union with Christ Podcast

Jonathan Master
Feb 11, 2019
Union with Christ While James enjoys a vacation, Jonathan has the pleasure of speaking with Ian Hamilton about Union with Christ, one of the topics Ian will be addressing at the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology in Grand Rapids, MI, March 15th - 17th. Speaking passionately, and quoting a...

Upheld by everlasting Arms

Mark Johnston
Feb 6, 2019
For those of us who are pastors, one of our regular responsibilities is to use scripture to minister to the specific needs of our people. This should never merely be spiritual equivalent of offering placebos to those who are struggling – a kind of psycho-spiritual pick-me-up to make them feel...

Tempted From Without, Yet Without Sin

Daniel Schrock
Dec 28, 2018
"...real temptation could not come to Jesus from within but only from without..." - Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 3:315 Back in 2015 Sam Alberry and Denny Burke sat down for a Q & A Session at Boyce College engaging issues of ministry to the LGBT community. It is a very pastorally...

Tempted From Without, Yet Without Sin

Daniel Schrock
Dec 28, 2018
"...real temptation could not come to Jesus from within but only from without..." - Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 3:315 Back in 2015 Sam Alberry and Denny Burke sat down for a Q & A Session at Boyce College engaging issues of ministry to the LGBT community. It is a very pastorally...

The Growing Christ

Nick Batzig
Dec 27, 2018
During the Christmas season, we rightly focus our attention on the marvel of the incarnation of the eternal Son of God; then, we lag into the final days of the year with regrets about the many ways we failed to be the kind of person we set out to be at the beginning of the year. We reformulate...

For Instruction, Doctrine, and Morals: Interpretation, Truth and Holiness

David Smith
Dec 13, 2018
To interpret is to identify the meaning or significance that the thing has which we interpret. Humans interpret. We do not choose to interpret; interpretation is unavoidable. But we do choose how we interpret and thereby what our interpretation will be. Furthermore, interpreting is a perpetual...

Souls Always Need More Curing

Nick Batzig
Dec 6, 2018
David Powlison, in his excellent book Seeing With New Eyes , touches on the reality of indwelling sin--particularly with regard to what we believe and how it impacts our actions. Powlison rightly insists that all believers live in a tension between the flesh and the Spirit in this life. Employing...

Luther, Law and Love

Nick Batzig
Nov 9, 2018
Life is too short not to reap the spiritual benefit of reading Martin Luther's Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians . Archibald Alexander, the first professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, once said that this particular work was the most influential book he read during his formative...