“Since the creation of contract law within the English common law there have been the bookends of “conditions precedent” and “conditions subsequent.” Practically speaking, all contracts include conditions precedent, i.e., those conditions without whose satisfaction the contract is never consummated and its benefits are never realized. Likewise, virtually all contracts, once agreed to, include conditions […]
The Obedience of Faith
This is from Don Garlington’s PHD dissertation: The Obedience Of Faith: “The (phrase) ‘obedience of faith’ is primarily a commitment to God’s covenant as embodied in the totality of the law of Moses; disobedience correspondingly, is predominately apostasy from the covenant. Because of this denotation of the ‘obedience of faith’ in Jewish theology, Paul’s phrase […]
Marriage Covenant Theology – Baptism, The New Birth And The Holy Spirit
Before the New Covenant circumcision was the mandatory physical sign established by God to confirm one’s justification, entrance into the marriage covenant and later the marriage covenant community[1]. However, because of the superior form of justification and marriage gift offered under the New Covenant, both the sign and its requirement have changed[2]. Baptism is now […]
Marriage Covenant Theology – Justification
Justification which refers to a person possessing a righteous state before God is the necessary pre-requisite to entering into the marriage covenant relationship w/God. In the redemptive history of the Bible, we experience two forms: one which is now obsolete, the other which is presently in force. They may be referred to as Passover Justification […]
The Pattern of Salvation
All saving relationships between God and man in the Bible are a marriage covenant[1]. There are five[2]major marriage covenants in the Bible: the Adamic Covenant[3], Noahic Covenant, Abrahamic Covenant, Mosaic Covenant and New Covenant. 1.1. The Mosaic Covenant (OC) is spoken of using marriage terms and conditions: 1.1.1. God as husband, Israel as wife (Isa […]
The Gospel Explained in Eight Truths
The Gospel is the good news of abundant life in Jesus Christ if we submit to Him as Lord before Savior in the relationship of covenant through His Church. 1. All People All people need God the Father’s abundant blessings of forgiveness and righteousness, earthly provision and purpose, eternal salvation and life. (Romans 3:10-12, 23; […]
Justification Rediscovered: History
One of the key factors in understanding the Bible’s teaching on Justification is history or historical context. In other words, words have meaning which are directly tied to and determined by the historical context in which they are communicated. This means, if we are going to understand what any of the given biblical authors are […]
Why not just baptize yourself?
Today there exists a large number of people who hold that one’s faith should be considered valid simply because they themselves say it is valid. In modern Christianity, it is quite common to hear statements such as “my faith is between God and me,” “I don’t need the church,” “I just follow Christ,” “I can […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
The Church as God’s foundational institution P. 2
Though the Scripture is clear that the church is God’s foundational institution, there are still many who insist on believing that this role was given to the family. While it is not my intention to “sling mud” at those who make such claims, the following is important to consider with an objective mind and an […]
The Church as God’s foundational institution P.1
The spiritual and moral fabric of our world is disintegrating. As a result, Christians are looking for solutions and one solution subscribed to by many Christians is to attempt to heal our world by restoring the integrity of the family and its role in society. With the divorce rate among Christians as high as it is among […]
What is the true Gospel?
The message of the Gospel is the good news of abundant life in Jesus Christ if we submit to Him as Lord before Savior in the relationship of covenant. Fallen and depraved men who deserve only death can have Life through Jesus Christ. He said, “I came that they may have life and have […]