Part 1 The Claims of Truth The Lord Jesus Christ not only brought with Him grace and truth (Jn. 1:14), but He was that Truth. His presence on our planet brought light to shine upon the darkness all around. Coming to Jesus is always a coming out of darkness into light. The light is His light just as the Truth is His Truth. By this I mean to say that there is no distinction between Him and what He brings. …
Category: Theology
A Brief Personal Testimony Before I became a Christian at the age of 25 I had a yearning for truth. I tried to find it, of all places, at the local pub, ‘The Bull’. Not the deep truth of philosophers; just the everyday truth of belonging. Real Ale and parties and pub banter provided the backdrop for this belonging. The trouble is, it wasn’t very “real.” The conversation was aimless and repetitive: we knew it all and knew absolutely nothing. …
SERIES: Christ at the Center: The Fulcrum of Biblical Covenantalism – Introduction: Part 1a, 1b, 1c Jesus and the New Covenant: Part 2a, 2b, 2c, The Covenant God Incarnate: Part 3a, 3b, The Role of Jesus, the Word, as the Ground of Meaning and Significance: Part 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d Christ and the Triadic People of God: Part 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d Jesus and the Restitution of All Things: Part 6a Jesus is supremely an eschatological Figure. By “eschatological” I …
Part Two Is Lack of Righteousness the Problem? In the various presentations of the New Perspective on Paul or NPP, the centrality of the call upon sinners to repent and believe in the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ, and the promise of forgiveness and eternal life with God when they do is seriously compromised. Think about these words from the end of John 3: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the …
Part One The Affect on Exegesis For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” – Galatians 3:10 From what has been said already we may view the NPP as an attempt to adjust Christian understanding of the way First Century Jews saw themselves in relation, first to God and second …
Introduction I include this piece because the influence of this movement is increasing within Evangelicalism, and I believe many people are in the dark about it. The subject is important also because we tend to view Scripture through the lens of the Reformation instead of the other way round. Although the Reformers got the Gospel right, their successors have sometimes appealed to them and not the Bible. At least the New Perspective on Paul (NPP), whatever its merits …
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 In the last post I cited what is often called “The Lord’s Prayer.” It would be good to have a brief exposition of it. Let us begin by dividing it up: “Pray, then, in this way: Introduction and First Petition: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. 10 ‘Thy kingdom come Second Petition: Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Third Petition: ‘Give us this day our …
Part One Steve Hays thinks I am unprincipled. Well, he makes charges like that a lot. It’s a tactic. While I grant I may miss something here and there, I do not deliberately decide to skew people’s points – and I do not think any fair minded reader would claim I did. 4. A Metaphorical Bible My main argument relies upon the weight of the wording of the biblical covenants. I call Steve’s interpretations prophetic bromide because they instantly …
This two part post will be my final interaction with Steve Hays. It will complete what I think needs to be said and will leave him to continue in the way he is accustomed to. I begin with a little preamble. In his latest salvo Steve quotes me as saying: On his accounting I ought to doubt my salvation. Then he quips: Why does Henebury react this way? He said that if amils are right, then God is guilty of …
Dr Jim Gifford has just completed a terrific series called ‘Saint Augustine and Southern Baptists.’ The series title does not do justice to the usefulness of Gifford’s work. The posts and the discussions in the combox are very helpful for anyone interested in Augustine. You might not agree with all his insights, but you will appreciate Gifford’s demeanor and careful scholarship: Augustine and Southern Baptists: Introduction Augustine and Divine Omnipotence Augustine and Human Nature A Augustine and Human Nature B …
