This is the second article in our Sound Gospel Series. You can read the first article entitled, “The Goal of God” here. Why do bad things happen? That is the question to which all people desire an answer since it is those bad things which get in the way of the abundant life we seek. […]
6 MORE Arguments for the Imputation of the Active Obedience of Christ Examined and Refuted
In the last article on this topic, we dealt with six textual arguments that are meant to be in favor of the doctrine of the imputation of the active obedience of Christ (IAO). The source of these arguments was an article written by Phil Johnson and posted at Pyromaniacs a couple of years ago. Today, […]
4 Critical Keys to Understand Your Bible
I. Works of the law are clean laws versus commands. A. Within Reformed thinking, theologians have historically held to a tripartite distinction/division of the OT law. In other words they have broken it into three categories: 1. Ceremonial: laws pertaining to temple ceremony, sacrifice and duties of the priests. 2. Civil: laws pertaining to commerce, […]
6 Arguments for the Imputation of the Active Obedience of Christ Examined and Refuted
On a couple of occasions, we have stated that the doctrine of the Imputation of the Active Obedience of Christ (IAO) has no textual support. Obviously, proponents of IAO disagree with that assessment and to be fair, we have spent little or no space on this blog dealing with the textual support that is […]
Justification Rediscovered: An Evaluation of the Evangelical-Reformed Definition of Justification
The following is an excerpt from the teaching entitled: Justification Rediscovered. Previously published excerpts include Difficulties in studying the doctrine of justification and Justification Rediscovered affirmations. You can also download a PDF of the entire study or listen to audio of the teaching here. One of the biggest myths within Evangelical Christianity today, is […]
What about the glory of God?
According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, God’s goal for man is not abundant life. Rather, Man’s chief end is to glorify[1] God, and to enjoy him forever. Last week’s article, “The Goal of God” might not resonate with some, especially those trained in the Reformed Tradition because it seems to be in opposition to the […]
Sound Gospel: The Goal of God
Indeed man wishes to be happy even when he so lives as to make happiness impossible. -St. Augustine All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended […]
20 Statements Characteristic of Antinomianism
There is only one heresy, and that is Antinomianism. – Rabbi Duncan The following is taken from the article “Antinomianism” as found in The Encyclopedia of Christianity, edited by Edwin H. Palmer. As a part of the longer article, William Young seeks to provide a definition for antinomianism and then gives twenty ideas which are […]
10 Truths Taught by the Clothing Metaphor in Scripture
A metaphor is used to illustrate unfamiliar ideas through the means of familiar objects and Scripture often uses the common object of clothing as a picture of man’s standing before God. There are scores of instances where Scripture uses the metaphor of clothing in order to picture one’s standing before God. We find instances of […]
Lord before Savior
Christ Covenant Church has recently completed the first major point in our Sound Gospel series: The good news of abundant life in Jesus Christ. A.W. Pink once said, “Many are deceived into supposing that they have accepted Christ as their personal Savior who have not first received Him as Lord.” Thus we come to the second element of the […]
Justification Rediscovered
Earlier this spring as a part of Christ Covenant Church’s Wednesday Night Seminary, we undertook an intensive study of the doctrine of justification in light of the biblical evidence, historical record and contemporary thought.
The Purpose of the Clothing Metaphor in Scripture
A metaphor is a figure of speech which expresses the unfamiliar in terms of the familiar. In most instances, a common, usually physical object is used to illustrate a more abstract or less familiar idea or concept. There is an implied comparison between the two, but this comparison does not always use the words like […]
A Short Biblical Definition of Justification
Nearly every Christian and student of theology will readily accept that the doctrine of justification is one of the most important doctrines in Scripture. Yet nearly 2,000 years after the death and resurrection of Christ, the doctrine of justification continues to be controversial and unsettled. This is despite the fact that a proper understanding […]
The ‘obedience of faith’ according to Paul
The following quotes are from ‘The Obedience of Faith’ A Pauline Phrase in Historical Context by Don Garlington. The work of Garlington and others like him has proven invaluable in determining the structure of the Christian faith and covenant by providing a historically accurate picture of Second Temple Judiasm. This picture shows that Judaism was […]
Jude: A Passionate Appeal to “Every Member Warfare”
Backstory: Author: Jude, the half-brother of Jesus. He was a later convert to Christianity. Audience: All who are truly saved. Date: Probably late AD 68, after the writing of 2 Peter and Revelation, making it the last book written in the New Testament. Theme: True spiritual warfare is contending for the truths found in […]
So, you call yourself a Christian: 10 Legitimate Evidences of True Faith
In our last article here at Sound Church, we highlighted 10 Illegitimate Evidences of True Faith. After focusing on many of the false evidences of the Christian faith, it would hardly be helpful to allow the discussion to end there. So, today, we are listing the characteristics that will be true of your life if […]
Prayer According to Jesus
Here is the outline of a recent message presented by Pastor Scott at Christ Covenant Church’s annual July camping trip. The text is the Disciple’s Prayer found in Matthew 6:5-15: And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, […]
So, you call yourself a Christian: 10 Illegitimate Evidences of True Faith
Pollsters tell us that 75 to 80 percent of Americans will answer “yes” when asked whether or not they consider themselves to be Christians. On that basis, we can reasonably assume that you, the reader of this article probably identify yourself as some kind of Christian. But there is a follow-up question that seems to […]
Justification Rediscovered: Application
In Protestant Christianity, the application of justification to the life of the believer has primarily been discussed under the doctrine of imputation. However, due to the rampant error bound up in the evangelical church’s definition of justification as well as her serious misunderstanding of Second Temple Judaism, the religious context of the word justification and […]
5 difficulties in studying the doctrine of justification
The Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century was in large part fueled by a disagreement with the Roman Catholic Church over the doctrine of justification. Yet despite the seismic shifts caused by the debate, there was little or no consensus back then. Now, even though nearly 400 years have passed, justification continues to be a […]