Article 25 — Of the Sacraments

“The Sacraments ‘ordained of Christ’ then are to be ‘duly used’ and ‘worthily received’. What does that mean? First, we must distinguish between those sacraments of the gospel ordained by Christ and other ‘commonly (i.e. wrongly) called’ sacraments which may or may not have a useful place in the Christian life (matrimony, orders, and confirmation certainly do). …”

– At the Church Society blog, Wallace Benn takes a look at what the 39 Articles have to say about the sacraments. (GAFCON photo.)

Justification – “A Most Wholesome Doctrine”

“The eleventh article introduces us to the most important point of controversy in the sixteenth century. It would not be an exaggeration to say that polemics raged round the question of Justification by Faith. …”

– The Australian Church Record is continuing to reprint Archdeacon T.C. Hammond’s series on The Thirty Nine Articles. This from April 1956.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners

“That simple statement from 1 Timothy 1:15 has always been one of my favourite Bible verses, for a number of reasons.

Pre-eminently, though, it is because it conveys the heart of the gospel. It always reminds me of the picture the Lord Jesus himself gave of the shepherd who seeks the lost sheep until he finds it, lays it on his shoulders and brings it home safely.

Whatever else you may think about the Lord coming into the world, saving sinners was his chief aim and his death on the cross was the chief means.…”

– GAFCON General Secretary, Dr Peter Jensen, continues his series of posts marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

What has God joined together?

Sydney Anglican parishes will soon be receiving copies of the booklet “What Has God Joined Together?”.

A companion website has also been launched.

It has the full text, Chnese translations, an essay entitled “Does God approve of same-sex sexual activity?”, and links to resources for Ministers.

Article 1 — Of Faith in the Holy Trinity

“To be Protestant, we need to be catholic. That’s the key point of Article 1, and the sure foundation upon which all the Articles are built.

Hang on though, you might say – wasn’t the Reformation about being against Catholicism, about refuting its many errors? …”

– Church Society is beginning a series of posts on the Thirty Nine Articles. Here’s the first one.

Vine Journal: Issue 5

Vine Journal: Issue 5, February 2017, from Matthias Media, is now available for free download – or you can buy a printed copy.

It is, sadly, the final edition. Read Tony Payne’s explanation.

Check out the articles in this issue:

Are we there yet? ‘Exile’ in the Bible (Lionel Windsor)
What the Bible’s big story tells us about our true home.

Does Jeremiah 29 call us to seek the welfare of the city? (Phillip Colgan)
A fresh look at a frequently quoted verse.

Lessons from the Marian exiles (Mark Earngey)
What we can learn from the English Reformers who fled their homeland.

The forgotten promise to Abraham (Chris Braga)
An encounter with Genesis 23 leads to a surprising discovery.

Glorifying God with infertility (Michael Taylor)
Lessons learned from being a reluctant member of the ‘infertility club’.

The holiness that leads to unity (Hannah Ploegstra)
Why a passion for holiness and truth should lead towards unity, not away from it.

Priscilla and Aquila Conference 2017 – A ministry that builds the church

“The 2017 Priscilla and Aquila Conference was held on Monday January 30 at the College. Our annual conferences have a 2-fold aim: (i) to encourage the ministries of women, and (ii) to think more seriously and creatively about how men and women can serve better together in gospel ministry.

Although they are aimed primarily at men and women in vocational ministry, these conferences are also open to lay men and women, and many lay people attend each year.

This year just over 300 men and women came together to hear talks, encourage one another, and enjoy Christian fellowship. …”

– from the Priscilla and Aquila Centre at Moore College.

The talks available at the P&A website –

Ministry that grows the church (Acts 20) – William Taylor

Training Christian disciples in Bible ministry – William Taylor

Portraits of faith: Mike Ovey & Marion Gabbott – Jane Tooher

Ministry amongst staff wives and women on staff – Janet Taylor

Deborah: Prophetess or judge? – Paul Williamson

Prophecy now? – Peter Orr

Partnering in practice – Jo Gibbs & Kate Snell.

T.C. Hammond: Original Sin and Condemnation

“The ninth Article introduces us to the important controversies of the sixteenth century.

Already in Article VI we have been introduced to the problem of the source of authority which was widely agitated in those days. Now we are faced with an indication of the great cleavage in doctrine which separated the Roman Catholic Church from all the churches of the Reformed faith.

Whenever a major issue like this is presented for solution it is most important to pay attention to the precise language employed. …”

– The Australian Church Record continues to republish these reflections by Archdeacon T.C. Hammond on the theology behind The Thirty Nine Articles.

Do Catholics and Protestants believe in the same God?

“Unity, motherhood and apple pie are things people are reluctant to speak against. Pope Francis recently returned from Lund, where he celebrated a joint service with a branch of the Lutheran Church to mark the beginning of celebrations for the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation. On his way Pope Francis tweeted…”

– At GoThereFor.com, Mark Gilbert asks a crucial question – Do Catholics and Protestants believe in the same God?

The pernicious evil of the prosperity gospel and the theology of the cross

“Several years ago now I was travelling down a road in Nigeria on which, at almost every corner, there stood a church with a name that promised their members, and all who would join them, success, victory, wealth and happiness. …

Of course the prosperity gospel is not just a feature of aspirational Christianity in the majority world. It is alive and well and destroying lives in Western countries too. In fact there are very large churches which, in one way or another, are making similar promises right here in Australia. …

The prosperity gospel sees God’s glory and God’s blessing in all the wrong places and in so doing it draws attention away from what matters most and the reason why Jesus came, and lived and taught, and died and rose again, and is ruling now. …”

– Dr Mark Thompson, Principal of Moore Theological College, and a Vice President of the ACL, writes at Theological Theology. Read it all there.

Free Seminary-Level Course with Carl Trueman on the Reformation

From Justin Taylor at The Gospel Coalition:

“Thanks to the generosity and permission of Carl Trueman – Paul Woolley Chair of Church History and professor of church history at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, as well as the author of Luther on the Christian Life – and The Master’s Seminary, you can basically take Professor Trueman’s course online for free. (You just don’t have to take any tests, write any papers, or get any credit!)”

– This might keep you busy for a while.

(Dr. Trueman will be delivering the Annual Moore College Lectures in August, as part of the College’s celebration of 500 Years of the Reformation.)

An Intro to the Institutes

“The opening sentence of John Calvin’s The Institutes of the Christian Religion alone is worth a lifetime’s contemplation: ‘Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.’

What is it about Calvin that so inspires me? This: his disciplined style, his determination never to speculate, his utter submission to Bible words as God’s words, his submission to Christ’s Lordship, his sense of the holy, his concern to be as practical as possible; the fact that godly living was his aim and not theology for the sake of it. In a forest of theologians, Calvin stands like a Californian Redwood, towering over everyone else.…”

– at Reformation21, Derek Thomas introduces a work which every Moore College student is required to read (in addition to the Bible!).

T.C. Hammond: The Value of the Old Testament

“There are three important declarations in Article Seven.

(1) The Old Testament is not contrary to the New.
(2) The Fathers looked for more than transitory promises.
(3) The moral injunctions in the Commandments of Moses are binding on all Christian men. …”

– The Australian Church Record continues to republish Archdeacon T.C. Hammond’s series on The Thirty Nine Articles of Religion. They’re up to Article 7.