Results tagged “gospel” from Reformation21
Sufficient Hope
Article by June 2019
If you could give a new mom the perfect gift, what would it be? Would it be full night's sleep? Maybe you'd give her a hot meal without interruption or maybe the confidence that she'll be a good mom. Those would be precious gifts to any mom. But what do moms need most?
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Idols of a Mother's Heart
Article by January 2019
Moms, we must learn to rest in God's sovereignty. It must become a comfort to us. Our God is holy, perfect, righteous, and good. He always does what is just and true. He always acts with wisdom; He always does what is right. We can trust His sovereign control over our lives and that of our children. We need to yield in dependence and humble reliance upon His sovereignty. continue
The Gospel Includes Sanctification
Article by July 2014
In this article, I want to examine the third of the Affirmations & Denials of the Gospel Reformation Network, which makes a point at the very heart of our concern in presenting a balanced view of the gospel:
We affirm that the gospel provides salvation for the whole man, including man's need for both imputed and imparted righteousness.
Matthew's Gospel tells us that Jesus began his ministry in Galilee, where he went "proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people" (Mt.4:23). continue
Legalism is a Real Problem
Article by May 2014
Legalism and self-righteousness are perennial problems that are endemic to the fallen condition of man. As Sinclair Ferguson has written, legalism "is embedded in the heart of man almost from the very day of his creation." (1) This is universally true of the unbeliever who, having neglected Christ, can only point to his or her own deeds for acceptance with God. But legalism is also a constant danger to the believer in Christ, who is constantly tempted to base his or her acceptance with God on moral or spiritual performance. continue
God's Gospel Gift
Article by January 2011
Cast your mind back into the depths of the allegedly-festive season. For many, it would be a time for the giving of gifts. Typically, with the person in mind for whom you desire a gift, you set out to find... continue
Religion at 35,000 Feet
Article by October 2006
There is something aleatoric about the content of these columns. Frankly, it depends on what has been buzzing around my head in the last seven days. And what is it this week? Well, a conversation with a Jewish lady who... continue
The Purpose Driven Life
Article by August 2005
This review originally appeared in the January 2005 9Marks newsletter. We are grateful for their permission to republish it hereI) Introduction Books on living the Christian life are a dime a dozen. The shelves of Christian bookstores bow under the... continue
Results tagged “gospel” from Reformation21 Blog
An Evangelistic Time to Stand
Article by July 2019
A square circle. A married bachelor. An African-American millennial PCA pastoral intern who believes in biblical social justice and agreed with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) commending the Nashville Statement as a biblically faithful document. I not only... continue
A Reason to Celebrate
Article by July 2019
With July 4 just around the corner, many Americans are taking the time to reflect on their country's founding and the nature of freedom. But long before the Summer of '76 there came another declaration of independence: Adam's rebellion in... continue
The Right Side of History?
Article by June 2019
The expression "on the right side of history" is an important tool today used by the progressive elite to silence biblically faithful Christians. Never mind that it rests on significant religious assumptions. After all, no one can prove that... continue
Sufficient Hope
Article by June 2019
If you could give a new mom the perfect gift, what would it be? Would it be full night's sleep? Maybe you'd give her a hot meal without interruption or maybe the confidence that she'll be a good mom.... continue
A Better Endgame
Article by April 2019
Last week, Avengers: Endgame, the final blockbuster Marvel movie, was released, smashing box-office records. The movie is the culmination of an ambitious story arc encompassing 22 movies that Marvel Studios began planning 14 years ago. Endgame brings that plan... continue
Defeat and Victory in the Church
Article by April 2019
It is well documented that a staggering number of pastors leave the ministry each year. Conflict and burnout are numbered as some of the top reasons. Conflict between pastors and the congregation are common. In addition, the pastor's inability to... continue
Questioning Our Preaching
Article by March 2019
The transition from preaching occasionally to preaching weekly came for me a little more than three years ago as I was called from an associate pastor position to lead a church plant. My preaching courses in seminary and the... continue
No Mere Morality Issue
Article by January 2019
I was gutted this week when I heard that the New York State Senate passed the Reproductive Health Act, giving women the right to abortion up to the point of birth. I welled up with grief imagining the thousands of... continue
An Unexpected Friendship
Article by January 2019
As Christians, it can be sometimes easy to take the Gospel for granted, to not appreciate or fully understand God's gift to us of his Son Jesus Christ, how amazing it is to have a relationship with the God... continue
The Rhythms of Grace
Article by January 2019
God has placed us in a world that's got a rhythm to it. Each day has a sunrise and sunset. Each week has six days of work and a day of rest. Even the four seasons rise and fall... continue
The Mission of the Church in the Story of Jesus' Birth
Article by December 2018
As 2018 draws to a close, we look back on a year in which perhaps the most pressing issue for Reformed Christians is the relationship between the church and the world. How does the church respond to cultural shifts... continue
The Statement on SJ&G Explained: Article 4, God's Law
Article by October 2018
[Editorial Note: This is the fourth post in a series of posts in which we have invited the authors of "The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel" to expound upon the statement's affirmations and denials. We encourage our readers to... continue
The Statement on SJ&G Explained: Article 2, The Imago Dei
Article by September 2018
[Editorial Note: This is the second post in a series of posts in which we have invited the authors of "The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel" to expound upon the statement's affirmations and denials. We encourage our readers... continue
Legalism, Lawlessness and Pastoral Ministry
Article by June 2018
In recent years, many have enthusiastically welcomed the resurgence of interest in the Marrow Controversy for the simple reason that there is no greater need that any of us have at any given time in our Christian lives than the need to... continue
The Exception and the Rule
Article by April 2018
Over the years, many have approached me in order to ask what I believe the Bible teaches on some particular theological or ethical subject. In many cases, no sooner have I finished answering them that I'm met with the reply,... continue
Theological Roots and Moral Fruits of Reformation
Article by December 2017
The following comes from an article posted by Dr. Dan Doriani. Dan's new column at Place for Truth draws from his experience as both a professor and a pastor. This column is titled "Faith at Work," because, as Dan puts it, "we are saved... continue
Standing Firm on the Slippery Slope
Article by August 2017
A few weeks ago, the editorial team at Ref21 asked me if I would be willing to write something regarding Fred Harrell (pastor of City Church, San Francisco) and his recent postings in which he attacked the doctrine of penal... continue
Double Black Diamonds: Navigating the Slopes
Article by August 2017
In his helpful blog post "The Slippery Slope and the Jesus Box" Rev. Rick Phillips explains that there is indeed a slippery slope about which we must be concerned in theology. I say indeed, because many will be aware... continue
The Slippery Slope and the Jesus Box
Article by August 2017
Over twenty years ago, while in seminary, I was present during a hallway conversation with a professor who then seemed to be moving toward liberal theology. A student asked how this man's higher critical methods would enable him to... continue
Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: The Prologue
Article by July 2017
Having grown up in traditional Black churches, I have learned that being Reformed is more than simply assenting to a number of important doctrines (e.g. the doctrine of grace, the regulative principle of worship, covenant theology, etc.). By sitting under... continue
What You're For, What You're Against!
Article by May 2017
"Be known for what you're for rather than what you're against." This statement--in various forms--has become something of a Christian cliche over the past decade. Nearly every time I hear it, I wonder if those who so often state... continue
If Christ is Not Risen...
Article by April 2017
I've always had something of an aversion to the "if Christianity is not true what do you lose" sort of apologetical approach--precisely because Scripture is God's word and because it is perfect in all that God reveals in it. To raise... continue
Preaching Christology or Preaching Christ: What is Preaching?
Article by March 2017
Good teaching begins with definitions. Effective schoolteachers tell their students what they are doing and why in order help students learn well. This often means defining terms specific to each subject. Math students need to learn what a hypotenuse... continue
Death, The New Year And The Hope of Christ
Article by January 2017
2016 was a sobering year for our celebrity-driven culture. A recent CNN article reminded us of the many well known individuals that we lost over the course of the last year. More names have been added just in this... continue
Jesus Loves Me, This I Know...
Article by September 2016
On April 23, 1962, Karl Barth (the renown 20th Century Swiss-German, neo-orthodox theologian) spoke at Rockefeller Chapel on the campus of the University of Chicago. Many have reported that, during the Q & A time, a student asked Karl Barth, if he could summarize... continue
The Justification of Works by Faith
Article by August 2016
The Protestant Reformers, following Scripture's lead, roundly rejected the notion that believers might be justified in part or in whole by their own good works. Sinners, they maintained, are justified wholly on the basis of Christ's perfect righteousness imputed... continue
The Savior at the Well
Article by July 2016
"I am the woman at the well, I am the harlot I am the scattered seed that fell along the path I am the son that ran away And I am the bitter son that stayedMy God, my God, why hast Thou accepted me When... continue
Luther, God's Law and Uncle Rico Syndrome
Article by May 2016
In 1524 Desiderius Erasmus, who until then had proven reluctant to challenge Martin Luther publically, finally caved to pressure from Rome to employ his literary talent against the impudent German Reformer who had caused, and was still causing, the institutional... continue
Psalm 19 and human flourishing
Article by August 2015
Human flourishing"Human flourishing" is a cultural catchphrase that can be overheard in the hallways of corporate America and in the institutions of public and private education. In recent days, human flourishing has served as a warrant for doctrinal and moral-theological... continue
Something positive
Article by March 2015
Jeremiah Burroughs, in the book Gospel Conversation, tells us that "the gospel of Christ in general is this":It is the good tidings that God has revealed concerning Christ.... More largely it is this: As all mankind was lost in Adam... continue
Not quite Charlie Hebdo
Article by January 2015
It is not particularly surprising but it is disappointing. Furthermore, it is dangerous. It is in some respects the typical kneejerk reaction to current events (by which I mean events over the last few months, even years, rather than merely... continue
Back to Business as Usual: Calvin on Gen. 9
Article by January 2015
The flood waters having receded, and Noah and family having disembarked from the ark, it was back to business as usual on earth in a number of discernable ways. Thus we see, firstly, the restitution of the creation ordinance of... continue
Our Church Plant Welcome Video
Article by October 2014
After 8 months of attempting to plant a church in Richmond, Virginia, by God's grace, we had our first service on October 26, 2014. Crown and Joy Presbyterian Church meets each Sunday at 2pm.Here is our welcome video.... continue
Gospel ripples
Article by September 2014
In our efforts to make Christ known where God has put us, we have regular meetings to preach the gospel in a village outside our town. It is a hard place, not surprisingly given that it is full of hard... continue
From Bondage to Liberty: The Gospel According to Moses by Anthony Selvaggio
Article by July 2014
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of Moses to the unfolding of God's plan of salvation. Arguably, Moses is the most significant Old Testament figure because of his unique role as mediator of the old covenant. In this sense,... continue
Very Presbyterian problems
Article by June 2014
If you have wandered around at all online you have probably seen one of those silly articles that purport to offer a string of very British problems, most of them variations on the joke about two British people marooned on... continue
Holding the centre
Article by June 2014
Having been away on holiday for a week (yes, delightful, thank you for asking), I return to find that things continue much as they were, except that Mark Jones has joined Team Reformation21, and Paul has allowed him to write... continue
The rebel and the king
Article by June 2014
(I first posted this about two years ago, but it seems germane, so I am going over the ground again.)Consider the man born into a family of terrorists. The man's father had rebelled against the King of the kingdom in... continue
The Greatest Threat to the Gospel by Pierce Hibbs
Article by June 2014
The greatest threat to the Gospel in our age is not unbelief. It is not relativism or open hostility to the "narrow" Christian tradition. It is not even the hypocrisy of the church, which holds up the white banner of... continue
Donald Sterling's Racist Remarks?
Article by April 2014
Much is being said about Donald Sterling's alleged racist remarks. From the landslide of articles written, Facebook and Twitter posts, the verdict seems clear. He made racist comments. While I would love to weigh in on the controversy, I cannot.... continue
The neutrality of bigness
Article by April 2014
Last Lord's day, despite the absence of a few, we had an encouragingly large congregation. By some standards, it was large. By others, pitifully small. By ours, with a visiting family of believers, and a number of visitors from the... continue
What Does the Star Atop Your Christmas Tree Really Mean?
Article by December 2013
Henry van Dyke, an English literature professor at Princeton University in the 19th-20th centuries, wrote, "As long as habit and routine dictate the pattern of living, new dimensions of the soul will not emerge." We, therefore, prize spontaneity. Many things... continue
Listen Up White America
Article by December 2013
TMZ online (I did not post the link because some images may be inappropriate) recently published an article titled, "Chuck D: Listen Up White America...We Ain't Ni**as.'" Chuck D, if you are unfamiliar, is a rap artist who had his... continue
A summary of the gospel
Article by December 2012
Jeremiah Burroughs:The gospel of Christ in general is this; It is the good tidings that God has revealed concerning Christ. More largely it is this: As all mankind was lost in Adam and became the children of wrath, put under... continue
The free offer of the gospel
Article by November 2012
Not long ago, I received a very generous offer. One of the current glitterati of the evangelical scene was going to be preaching, and I was invited to go along and hear him speak . . . in person .... continue
A Story That Ends Badly
Article by April 2012
The popular description of the biblical gospel as "the story of Jesus" and the attendant call to "make God's story part of your story" now appears to have its own tailor-made Bible translation. The newly released The Voice encourages readers... continue
VanDoodewaard on Witsius
Article by March 2012
Our friend Dr. William VanDoodewaard has posted this piece on Witsius on preaching law and gospel.... continue
