Hays: Difficulties for contemporary Christian theology

Richard Hays: Difficulties for contemporary Christian theology “Difficulties for contemporary Christian theology arise wherever acute awareness of continuity with Israel’s scripture is lost – whether  unwittingly forfeited or deliberately rejected. Many Christian congregations today are in fact naïvely Marcionite in their theology and practice: in their worship services they have no Old Testament reading, or […]

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Goodwin: Works of Obedience Are Necessary to Salvation

“Works of new obedience are required as necessary to the possession of salvation [i.e. how we maintain it], but faith is that alone which puts us into a condition of having the title and right to it, by the blood and righteousness of Christ [i.e. how we gain it].” —Thomas Goodwin, The Works of Thomas […]

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What are the deeds by which we will be judged?

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test! – 2 Corinthians 13:5  What exactly does the Bible mean by “good deeds”? Scripture tells us that everyone, both believers and […]

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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; […]

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“In Christ” = In the visible Church

  From The Baptized Body by Peter J. Leithart: 1 Corinthians 12:12 is particularly striking the way Paul identifies the Head-and- members body of Christ as “Christ.” “‘Christ” is not just the title of the Anointed Head. The anointing flows like the dew of Hermon down from our priestly Head, down the beard, down to […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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The believer and Friday the 13th

All kinds of superstitions surround the calendar event that occurs when the 13th day of a month falls on a Friday. Triskaidekaphobia is the fear of the number “13” and friggatriskaidekaphobia is specifically related to the fear of  Friday the 13th. One of the blessings of knowing Christ is in realizing that this day is no […]

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The pure grace of the gospel . . .

Richard Lusk writes: The pure grace of the gospel is not threatened by a call to obedience. Indeed, the gospel, properly preached, understood, and embraced, demands and promises obedience, In the Scriptures, heralds of the gospel essentially interchange faith and repentance as appropriate responses to the message (cf. Acts 2:38; 16:34). In other place, Scripture […]

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17th Century Antinomian Controversy

One of the major threats faced by the biblical Gospel in our day is that of antinomianism (against law). This is a threat that was foretold by many of the biblical authors, for instance, the Apostle Peter wrote:

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The importance of good deeds to salvation

Finding the proper perspective and place for good deeds in the Christian life can be a tricky task. The relationship between “good works” and salvation has been debated from the beginning of the Christian faith and this relationship is still controversial. While it is nearly impossible to solve all of the pertinent issues in one […]

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