Credo Magazine — May 2012

The latest issue of Credo Magazine is available online. Executive Editor Matthew Barrett writes:

“the title of this May’s issue of Credo Magazine is ‘Chosen by Grace’.

Timothy George starts us off by taking us into the mind of the colossal reformer Martin Luther, exploring how he understood the doctrine of predestination, particularly in light of his famous debate on the bondage of the will with Erasmus.

Then, Paul Helm navigates new territory, investigating the contours of Calvin’s first controversy on predestination with Bolsec.

Next, I look at three Pauline passages that support the unconditional nature of election, demonstrating that God’s choice is not made on the basis of anything within the sinner, including faith.

Bruce Ware follows with a piercing article on the relationship between election and suffering, showing that suffering is a means ordained by God to spread the gospel for the salvation of his elect.

And finally, Fred Zaspel concludes by introducing us to B. B. Warfield’s understanding of predestination and providence, and the relationship between the two.”

The 75 page issue is  20MB PDF download from this page.

‘A table of the Lord’

Dr Barry Newman has been blogging on the meaning of the expression in 1 Corinthians 10: 21 –

“Focussing on the phrase, ‘a table of the Lord’, the aim of this blog series is to present a case that suggests that this phrase has nothing to do with any practice associated with a sacrament…”

– Barry has now posted the full series as a single PDF file on this page. You can follow his arguments and see what you think.

The uniqueness and sufficiency of Christ

Dr Mike Ovey, Principal of Oak Hill College, preached on Hebrews 1:1-4 at the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans Conference in London this week.

Watch his most encouraging, edifying and challenging exposition – at the GAFCON website.

A Conversation with Gerald Bray on his new Systematic Theology

At The Gospel Coalition website, Gerald Bray responds to questions put by Matt Smethurst  about Bray’s recently published Systematic Theology, “God is Love”.

“God Is Love is very different from any other systematic theology on the market today because it takes the Reformation principle of sola Scriptura seriously. It is not just a question of backing up everything from the Bible but of trying to convey God’s self-revelation in the Bible in a biblical way…”

– Read the conversation here.

Related: Mark Thompson writes:

“Here is a piece of mature theology, concerned for the glory of God, the edification of his people, and the spread of the gospel in the world. What a refreshing change from the posturing and positioning of so much theological writing today. Gerald is not trying to draw attention to himself, make a name for himself or impress his peers in the theological academy or in his ecclesiastical stable. From the beginning the spotlight is elsewhere – something this book has in common with the best of Christian theology through the centuries.”

– at Theological Theology.

 

Why did Jesus Die?

“On the surface of things, it seems that Jesus was in the wrong place at the wrong time — a victim of circumstance, crushed by political machinations that were far bigger than he could humanly control. …

But history also tells us something else. It tell us that not long after these events, Jesus’ followers reassembled and began boldly proclaiming that on the Sunday after his death Jesus had emerged from his tomb alive again…”

– Dr. George Athas at Moore College asks “Why did Jesus die?”

Themelios, April 2012

The latest issue of Themelios, is now available from the Gospel Coalition website in PDF and html formats.

Dr Peter O’Brien in conversation on Hebrews

Dr Peter O’Brien recently sat down with John Gray and Keith Baker at St. Paul’s Castle Hill for a relaxed chat about the letter to the Hebrews.

Most encouraging.

See the conversation in segments of about 5 minutes each on Vimeo –

  1. What points of similarity are there between the first readers of Hebrews and Sydney Christians today?.
  2. What should we make of the call to be certain of what we do not see?
  3. When we go through hard times, can we discern between God’s discipline and simply living in a fallen world?
  4. What does the call to follow in the suffering footsteps of Jesus mean today?
  5. In Hebrews 12, what does it mean to say the readers have come to the new Jerusalem?
  6. Who is Melchizedek?

Related:

Evangelical Ecclesiology

“If an evangelical were to be asked to say what he believed about the death of Christ or the inspiration of Holy Scripture, then in most cases he would be able to do so with relative ease. But if that same evangelical were to be asked to relate the essentials of his beliefs about the church, that might prove to be a little more difficult.

As a result of this lack of clarity in thinking about the church, evangelicals become all the more prone to accept views about the church which are far from Scriptural, and certainly in the Church of England that means quasi-Catholic views of the church – this happening almost by default.”

– Church Society continues to republish articles from Churchman. In this 1991 paper “Towards an Evangelical Ecclesiology” by Melvin Tinker, he argued that many evangelicals need to think clearly about what church is. Relevant in 1991, and relevant now.

It’s available as a PDF file from Church Society.

Visual Theology — The Trinity

Tim Challies has produced another ‘infographic’ in his ‘Visual Theology’ series.

“It seeks to show what we must and must not believe about the Godhead while also explaining the complementary roles of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” – See it here.

The Underestimated Doctrine of Conversion

– That’s the focus of the current edition of the 9Marks Journal, available for download here.

When the Accounts are called: A Christian understanding of gambling

“The Bible is clear on this issue. The entire enterprise of gambling is opposed to the moral worldview revealed in God’s Word. The basic impulse behind gambling is greed—a basic sin that is the father of many other evils. Greed, covetousness, and avarice are repeatedly addressed by Scripture—always presented as a sin against God, and often accompanied by a graphic warning of the destruction which is greed’s result. The burning desire for earthly riches leads to frustration and spiritual death…

Why are Christians so silent on this issue?“

– Albert Mohler demonstrates that gambling is an issue not unique to New South Wales. (Idea: try preaching against gambling and see what response you get.)

Wisdom and its Literature in Biblical-Theological Context

Justin Taylor draws attention to Graeme Goldsworthy’s paper “Wisdom and its Literature in Biblical-Theological Context” in the current online issue of The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology.

Related: The ‘must read’ Christian book of the year?

2012 Priscilla & Aquila Centre conference

“The Priscilla and Aquila Centre is an initiative of Moore College established to encourage and promote further thinking about the practice of Christian ministry by women, in partnership with men. The Centre’s second annual conference held at Moore College on 6 February was well subscribed…” – Read about the conference here.

Dr John Woodhouse’s keynote address, “1 Timothy 2 – What does it teach?” is available here (Part 1 audio | video, Part 2 audio | video). Very much worth hearing or watching.

And there’s other material from the day on this page.

Trinity now and then

Mark Thompson makes some interesting observations on the Trinitarian thought of the Church Fathers…

“Patristic trinitarian thinking had a more overtly doxological element than much modern writing in this area. Writers such as Athanasius and Augustine, not to mention the Cappadocians and later Eastern writers, were very aware that they did their theologising in the presence of God and in service of the church. It was not, and could never be, a simply abstract and intellectual endeavour…”

– read it all at Theological Theology.

The ‘must read’ Christian book of the year?

Mark Thompson gives notice of what he thinks will be the ‘must read’ Christian book of the year:

“Graeme’s convictions about the authority of Scripture, its dual authorship, its profound and textured unity, its Christological centre, and its vital relevance for all who want to know God and to live as his forgiven people are not only expressed but explained with all the care and skill of this master teacher.”

“All over the world Moore College is known for its approach to biblical theology. Biblical theology in this sense is attention to the unfolding unity of Scripture with its focus on the fulfilment of God’s promises in Jesus Christ. It has proven to be not only a productive way to see how the parts are related in an overarching whole, but also an aid to responsible application of individual narratives. Before jumping straight from the story of, say, David and Goliath, to our situation today, that story is located in the unfolding purposes of God. We see God’s anointed deliverer winning the battle against the enemies of his people while the beneficiaries enjoy the victory without achieving it themselves. Seen in this light, the story of David and Goliath anticipates the victory of Christ on the cross, a victory won for us rather than by us.  Read more

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