True, Living Faith Justified by Works

An Exposition of James 2:14-26 (a sermon preached at Christ Our Hope PCA) We’re going to do something unusual this morning.  We’re going to parachute into James chapter 2, for just one sermon.  (We usually preach through books of the Bible.  Next week, God willing, we’ll start a new series through the Gospel of Luke.)  …

A super simple primer on the theology of the cross v. the theology of glory

Luther is the man.  Really.  But have you ever read his Heidelberg Disputation from 1518?  He wrote out various theses, to defend in debate.  And reading them is sometimes like reading a Zen Buddhist’s koans – as in, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”  Here’s a sample, Luther’s seventh thesis:  “The works of …

James White is Right vs Wright on the NPP

In his Dividing Line show yesterday, Dr. James White talked about an radio broadcast that he shared with N.T. Wright, of “New Perspective on Paul” (NPP) fame. In the course of the show, Dr. White mentioned that he believes he must spend more time on this topic, and for this I’m grateful. Noting that the …

What I Love about the Lutherans – the distinction that makes ALL the difference

Herman Utics.  A Dutch theologian?  Oh, wait.  I mean “hermeneutics.”  Seminary debt justifies the use of such words.  Hermeneutics is the discipline of biblical interpretation – how to properly understand God’s Word.  A right understanding of God’s Word is essential for the right understanding of the Gospel.  The Reformation is a result of hermeneutics. Confessional …

What I Love about the Lutherans – “JBFA, All the Way!”

Justification by faith alone.  Sola Fide.  The hinge of the Reformation.  The doctrine of the standing or falling church.  Luther was willing to die for it.  So was Calvin.  But today, we can hardly be bothered to get all worked up about it.  Sure, medieval Catholicism was a mess and all of that.  But have …

Martin Luther’s Understanding of Baptism

Since most of our readers are Reformed, and since the Lutheran concept of baptism has been brought up, I thought it would be helpful to share what Bernhard Lohse, a Lutheran Professor of Church History and Historical Theology, has written about Luther’s view of the sacraments in general and of baptism in particular: Formation of …