In the second half of chapter 2 in Introducing Covenant Theology, Michael Horton drills down towards the characteristics of the biblical covenant. It is founded on God’s transcendence, his sovereign election, and his grace, which is proclaimed loudly in his forbearance. The religion we see in Scripture is unlike the pagan religions because we see […]
Chapter 2.5: God’s Freedom in Covenant Read More »
I’m reading D.A. Carson’s excellent work, Exegetical Fallacies, and, as I’m sure will happen quite frequently in this study, came across a word I did not know, and in fact could not find in my Dictionary.com iPhone app either! The word is “distanciation”, and I assumed it has to do with distancing oneself from the
What Is Distanciation? Read More »
Chapter 2 in Michael Horton’s book, Introducing Covenant Theology, is called “God and Foreign Relations.” In this chapter, anthropology comes into play as we learn about ancient treaties. We also learn that the covenants God made with his people were structured the same way as these treaties, but with some major differences. First, God as
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“The Big Idea” is the title for the first chapter in Michael Horton’s book, Introducing Covenant Theology, which was previously published in hardcover under the title, God of Promise: Introducing Covenant Theology. Horton quickly gets to the point, which is that Reformed Theology = Covenant Theology. The framework of the covenant is central to the
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This is from page 44 of What’s So Great About the Doctrines of Grace? by Richard D. Phillips: Were no one ever condemned–were there no display of God's judgment and wrath–there would be no knowledge of the glories of God's grace. In that case, the true God would be unknown to His creatures, and His
The Necessity of Reprobation: without it, God would not be God Read More »
What follows is from a message from the 2003 Desiring God Conference that I was listening to on the way to work. John Piper quotes from Edwards’ book, The End for Which God Created the World, which is one of the most important books I have ever read. God is the beginning, the middle, and
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So, I didn’t even know they wrote a song for the movie. We left as soon as the credits began because, having just finished the book the night before, we were not impressed at all with the filmmakers’ idea of “poetic license.” I read an article online that pretty well summed up what was wrong
Switchfoot on Prince Caspian Read More »
Friends have been telling me about Steven J. Lawson’s book Foundations of Grace for a very long time, and I finally got it, although I must admit I’m still in John MacArthur’s (wonderful) introduction. Foundations of Grace is Volume 1 of a planned 5-volume set, and the first one covers the period of time coinciding
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Kent Hughes may be a gifted teacher, but there are things to disagree with him about. One issue troubled me recently when I was reading his chapter on giving in Disciplines of a Godly Man. First, I’d like to say that I know that I give less than I should. But the only reason for that
Quote: Be it for the praise of other Christians, or just to get them off your back, the desire to have people praise your progress in the faith can be just as vain as the need to be seen as a success by your peers, or society, or any of those other forms of “acceptable”
Simplifying things Read More »