8
Jan
2024
Does Matthew 24 Describe the Rapture of the Church? (Part 1)
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The Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24–25 is the longest prophetic section in the NT outside of the book of Revelation. If the next prophesied event that believers are looking forward to is their gathering to meet the Lord in the air, you might expect our Lord to refer to this event in his lengthy prophetic... Read More
1
Jan
2024
DBTS Th.M. Seminars Available Remotely
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Looking for a New Year’s resolution? Consider working towards a Master of Theology (Th.M.) degree at DBTS. As described in our catalog, the Th.M. is “offered for those desiring advanced training beyond the Master of Divinity level.” It is designed for both pastors seeking more advanced education and anyone planning to do Ph.D. work. The... Read More
25
Dec
2023
The Virgin Birth and the Immaculate Conception
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This post originally appeared on December 25, 2013. During Christmas season each year, we read the accounts of Jesus’ birth in the Gospels (Matt 1:18–25; Luke 1:26–38), and we are reminded once more of our Savior’s Virgin Birth. What exactly do we mean by the Virgin Birth of Christ? Maybe that’s obvious, but let’s start... Read More
22
Dec
2023
Analysis and Critique of the Federal Vision Teaching of Justification (Part 4)
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Read Part 1 in this series here. Read Part 2 here. Read Part 3 here. Teaching Directly Related to Justification (cont.) The previous post in this series examined what FV has said about the imputation of Christ’s righteousness and the role of works in justification. This final post will examine what FV has taught regarding... Read More
18
Dec
2023
Analysis and Critique of the Federal Vision Teaching of Justification (Part 3)
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Read Part 1 in this series here. Read Part 2 here. Teaching Directly Related to Justification While FV is not centered around soteriology, its proponents still address issues directly related to justification in their writings. Four specific issues directly related to justification occur within their teaching: the imputation of Christ’s righteousness, the role of works,... Read More
14
Dec
2023
The Descent of Christ (Part 2)
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Read Part 1 of this series here. Christ descended in the incarnation on the first Christmas. He came to earth as a man forever binding himself to humanity. This much is certain. But did Christ descend into Sheol (ᾅδης/hades/inferos/inferna) after his death? I argue here that church tradition affirms the descent of Christ into Sheol.... Read More
11
Dec
2023
“With a View to the Administration of the Fullness of Times”: The Relationship of the Church to the Kingdom
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While the dispensational community has rightly pointed out that NT never posits identity between the Christian Church and the Messianic Kingdom, the relationship of the Church to the Kingdom is sometimes murky in dispensational thought. Paul in Ephesians 1:10 tells us that the outworking of the “mystery” of the Church is always to be carried... Read More
7
Dec
2023
Analysis and Critique of the Federal Vision Teaching of Justification (Part 2)
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Read Part 1 of this series here. Teaching Indirectly Related to Justification As was stated in my previous post, FV is not primarily concerned with soteriology, much less justification. However, some of their teaching in other areas helps to shape their understanding of justification. Three areas that indirectly relate to their teaching of justification will... Read More
4
Dec
2023
Visiting the Mission Field (Part 3)
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There are more reasons for pastors to visit the mission field than I’ve listed so far, but I’ll stop my list with the three I’ve given: understanding missions better, improving your leadership of the church’s missions efforts, and being a blessing to God’s servants on the mission field. I’d like to address an intensely practical... Read More
1
Dec
2023
Analysis and Critique of the Federal Vision Teaching of Justification (Part 1)
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I’ve seen several people recently discussing the issue of Federal Vision, a theological movement among Reformed churches that arose in 2002 and was both championed and condemned by various leaders within those churches. Some seem confused as to why some popular pastors and teachers are criticized for having been part of the movement. This controversy... Read More