Blog 138: 3.19.1 – 3.19.7
Calvin regards the doctrine of Christian liberty as a teaching of primary importance. Without a proper understanding of it, we cannot truly know Christ, the truth of the gospel, or…
Justin Taylor
Blog 137: 3.18.6 – 3.18.10
Calvin continues to address objections to the doctrine of justification by faith alone. I want to focus on two points of interest in Calvin’s teaching here: first, the relationship between…
Blog 136: 3.18.1 – 3.18.5
If we are justified by faith alone apart from works, how are we to understand the Scriptural (including Pauline) teaching that we are judged and rewarded according to deeds? It’s important…
Blog 135: 3.17.11 – 3.17.15
As Rick noted at the close of last week, it is amazing how relevant Calvin’s arguments remain today. Unfortunately, the same errors that he addressed continue in our time. Hence…
Hypocrisy as the Unpardonable Sin
Joe Carter, at the First Thoughts Blog, has a thoughtful post on the difference between hypocrisy and moral inconsistency. (Be forewarned, Carl, that the link contains criticism of Rachel Maddow,…
New Edition of Christianity and Liberalism
I’m very glad to see that Eerdmans is publishing a new edition of Machen’s classic, Christianity and Liberalism. Carl has written a new foreword for the volume, which you can…
Calvin and the Anabaptists, the Neo-Reformed and the Neo-Anabaptists
Kevin DeYoung, building on Willem Balke’s work in Calvin and the Anabaptist Radicals, looks at some of the parallels between Calvin and some of his heirs (the so-called Neo-Reformed) and…
Blog 85: 2.16.7 – 2.16.11
In sections 8-12 Calvin seeks to explain a confusing part of the Apostle’s Creed: Christ’s descent into hell. Calvin wants us to understand and not despise this mysterious summary of…
Blog 84: 2.16.3 – 2.16.6
We all know that “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” But Calvin draws our attention to another biblical teaching: “All of us…have in ourselves something…
Blog 83: 2.15.5 – 2.16.2
Rather than summarizing each section today, I want to draw our attention to 2.16.2, where Calvin seeks to show the importance of being both clear and specific regarding the nature…