Reformation21

Editor's Note: The following is the second entry in a new series on justification. Click here to read part one . In response to the challenges posed by the Protestant Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church called its 19th ecumenical council in the city of Trento in modern day Italy. [1] Held in...

Seminary is an incredible opportunity to grow in knowledge of the Word of God and theology in general. It can also be a place where one’s spiritual life suffers a slow, steady decline. I can remember a friend of mine who had gone to Bible College and came back to the church I was attending. I...

As we saw last time , William Lane Craig argues against the eternal begotteness of the Son and proposes an alternative understanding of the Trinity. We will respond to Craig's proposal in another post; today, we will assess Craig's critique. Craig considers the doctrine of eternal generation a...

There’s a well-known Spanish proverb that says, “All griefs with bread are less”. Food can be a source of comfort, and bread in particular has a universal appeal. For centuries, this hearty staple has satisfied the young and old, rich and poor, joyful and sad. Of all the foods to describe his...

Martin Luther is often credited with the assertion that justification is “the article by which the Church stands or falls.” He may or may not have said those exact words, even when we make allowance for translation into English, [1] but the sentiment was clearly held by many prominent theologians...

Our Lord Jesus interpreted the Old Testament. But where did he learn how to interpret it? Did he use the same methods as the Pharisees of his day? Did the Holy Spirit reveal new interpretive principles to him in order to find the Messiah in the OT and justify his mission? Was Jesus a novel...

The Trinitarian formulations of the early Church often seem to our postmodern culture as the inevitable brainchild of monastic orders, burlap habits, deserts, and Neoplatonic philosophy. Austere, abstract, and unconnected from everyday life—just like the stereotypical image of a monk. Even worse,...

The second sentence of the Nicene Creed famously confesses belief... ...in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things...

J.I. Packer July 22, 1926-July 17, 2020 Shortly after the death of Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981), Dr. Packer delivered a lecture-sermon at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary entitled, “Martyn Lloyd-Jones: the Greatest Man I Ever Knew.” It says something important about Packer that despite the sad...

The Book of Esther is an engaging piece of literature, with political intrigue, reversal of fortune, a wise counselor, irony, betrayal, heroism, and a despicable villain. If one pitched an Esther script to a movie studio, it might read: “A stunningly beautiful woman becomes queen, and when her...