Blogs by Justin Taylor

Calvin's entries here continue his discussion about councils--insisting on their value and refuting that idea that they are doctrinally infallible. Scripture foretells that there will be danger and destruction within the church by pastors of the church; therefore we must... continue

Calvin now deals with what his opponents' objections and defenses of their additions to God's Word.  Won't the Spirit guide us into truth (John 16:13)? Yes, but only through the Word, not in place of the Word. Didn't Jesus say that... continue

Servants of God can have full confidence to declare God's word, a sure message from the Creator to his world. Our powerful weapons of warfare are not the inventions of our minds but rather the decrees of God.With the Word... continue

Calvin insists on two presuppositions for thinking about the power of the Church: (1) it must be aimed toward edification for God's people, and (2) such edification must be done by maintaining Christ's authority. In the Bible when someone is... continue

Romans 14:14 is an initially perplexing but important verse. First, no external things are unclean/unholy in and of themselves. Second, if your conscience (even incorrectly) deems something unclean/unholy, then to violate one's conscience is a sin. Therefore, even if we... continue

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 peace within. But people have strong, strange reactions to this... continue

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 God's promises and his righteousness; second, Jesus' answer to the... continue

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 to note at the outset that Calvin believes (rightly in... continue

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 we may profitably learn from Calvin as we seek to... continue

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 our redemption. Dropping it from our creed means we lose... continue