The Riddleblog

Dogs in Dutch Churches

This scene (painted by Dutch artist Emanuel de Witte in 1651) is titled “Interior of the Oude Kerk [old church] at Delft During a Sermon” (1651). de Witte is well known for his interior scenes of churches. This particular painting is now part of the Wallace collection in London.

de Witte depicts a Reformed minister preaching from the raised pulpit in the center of the church. If you look carefully, several of those listening to the sermon have brought their dogs. According to one source, this was a common practice. Churches could be uncomfortably cold and dogs provided warmth. But should your dog bark, become disruptive, or attempt to do their business, church wardens would instruct the dog's owner to take them outside, or else make the owner clean up if the dog made a mess.

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History and CultureKim RiddlebargerSeptember 26, 2025Dogs in churchComment

What Is So Hard to Understand About "No One Knows the Day or the Hour"?

Here we go again.

A South African Baptist pastor, Joshua Mhlakela, claims that the Lord revealed to him in a vision that the Rapture would occur on September 23-24 (during the Feast of Trumpets) which falls on those days. His YouTube video has over a half million hits and this is now buzzing all over the news in addition to social media. He’s interviewed by two spiritales presumably named Prisca and Maximilla.

I too eagerly await the Lord’s return, but am amazed that this seemingly endless stream of prophetic visionaries continue to do this and claim that the Holy Spirit reveals this nonsense to them, when Jesus was direct and crystal clear in Matthew 24:36, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” It is bad enough that Mhlakela would make such a claim, but it still amazes me that the gullible and curious among professing Christians would give any credence to this. Until Jesus does come again, we will be plagued by Montantists of various stripes doing an end-run around the biblical teaching regarding our Lord’s return. Jesus urges us,”therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44). Neither does the Holy Spirit reveal anything to anyone contrary to the express teaching of Scripture.

The great irony here is that Peter warned about such conditions in 2 Peter 3:3-5.

Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God.

These so-called “prophets” do great harm to Christ’s church and their falsehoods only create the kind of rank skepticism the apostles warned us about in regard to the Lord’s return.

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End Times Nuttiness, eschatologyKim RiddlebargerSeptember 24, 2025Sept 23-24 Rapture Comments

A New Episode of the Blessed Hope Podcast -- "The Glory of the New Covenant" (2 Corinthians 3:1-18)

Episode Synopsis:

As Paul finds himself facing a serious situation with challenges to his apostolic authority and attacks upon his person and reputation, he defends himself and his apostolic office by pointing to God’s saving work among the once pagan Corinthians. Through Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit, the believers among the Corinthians now have hearts of flesh through which they have become “letters from Christ.” This is not only proof of the effectiveness of God’s work among them through the labors of the apostle Paul, but as the apostle will go on to spell out this is a sure sign of the superiority and glories of the new covenant–something the old covenant can never match.

Paul draws three important contrasts in chapter 3 of 2 Corinthians. First, he explains the glories of the new covenant which makes it vastly superior to the old which it has superceded. Second, Paul contrasts the flesh and the Spirit, in which the distinction between the law and gospel is made explicit. Third, Paul draws out the superiority of Christ to Moses by illustrating the fading glory of the old covenant. In making these contrasts, Paul explains how properly understanding the course of redemptive history is one of the key features of his apostolic ministry through which hearts of stone are transformed into hearts of flesh. None of the false teachers and opponents of Paul can make such a claim. Their self-aggrandizing efforts to undo the work that God has done in their midst through the labors of Paul is nothing but a dead end and can do nothing to transform the sinful human heart.

At the end of chapter 3, Paul discusses the glory upon Moses’s face as recounted in Exodus 34. While Moses was forced to veil his face because the Israelites were terrified after Moses had been in the presence of YHWH, Paul described how that fading glory actually reveals the shortcomings of the old covenant and that as a result the hearts of the Israelites were hardened. But the work of the Holy Spirit under the new covenant takes away the need for veiling as required after Moses was given the law at Sinai. Under the new covenant, our faces are unveiled as we are transformed unto glory in anticipation of being in God’s presence through the work of the Spirit under the new covenant.

To see the show notes or listen to the episode, follow the link below

“Something Better for Us” Hebrews 11:29-40 (An Exposition of the Book of Hebrews–Part Twenty-One)

Final Fulfillment Awaits

Throughout Hebrews 11, the author uses the phrase “by faith” in reference to the particular individuals singled out for mention in this well-known chapter of the Bible. Those mentioned here–who are found throughout the whole of the Old Testament, prior to the dawn of the messianic age–believed that God would keep his covenant promise.

But for everyone on the list, the fulfillment of that promise was still far off in the distant future. As the author of Hebrews has been pointing out, it was not until the coming of Jesus Christ that the exact nature of God’s covenant promise and the wonderful benefits our Lord secures for us become clear. That for which these Old Testament saints longed, is for us, a glorious and present reality. What God had promised to the Old Testament saints is now fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Last time we took up the closing verses of Hebrews 11, the so-called “hall of faith.” As we have seen throughout our time in this chapter, the author of Hebrews is making the point that there has always been one covenant promise–“I will be your God and you will be my people”–and that this same covenant promise unfolds throughout the pages of the Old Testament.

One Covenant Promise Which All Those Listed Embraced

In Hebrews 11, the author appeals to a litany of well-known people who believed this promise. Although the people mentioned here serve as an example to us of sorts, the author’s primary purpose in this chapter is not to present these Old Testament saints as examples for us to emulate. Rather, his purpose is to remind his Jewish readers that the same promise which these Old Testament saints believed, pointed ahead to the coming of Jesus Christ, in whom the promise has been fulfilled. Therefore, the author’s emphasis falls on the continuity of the covenant promise (God’s promise does not change across time), not so much on the example these saints set for us–some of whom, as we will see, were not very saintly.

To read the rest, follow the link below

HebrewsKim RiddlebargerSeptember 19, 2025Something Better to Come, Hebrews 11:29-40Comment

“The Error of Denying Biblical Teaching That We Are Dead in Sin” — The Rejection of Errors, Third and Fourth Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort (4)

Synod rejects the errors of those . . .

IV. Who teach that unregenerate man is not strictly or totally dead in his sins or deprived of all capacity for spiritual good but is able to hunger and thirst for righteousness or life and to offer the sacrifice of a broken and contrite spirit which is pleasing to God. For these views are opposed to the plain testimonies of Scripture: “You were dead in your transgressions and sins” (Eph. 2:1, 5); “The imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart is only evil all the time” (Gen. 6:5; 8:21). Besides, to hunger and thirst for deliverance from misery and for life, and to offer God the sacrifice of a broken spirit is characteristic only of the regenerate and of those called blessed (Ps. 51:17; Matt. 5:6).

This article is a summary statement of ground covered previously. Arminians do indeed acknowledge the reality of Adam’s fall into sin, but in order to preserve human freedom, they seek to mitigate the damage done to human nature as a result. Those who teach that people are merely weakened by the fall, yet are still able to do spiritual good (defined in the Canons as “hungering and thirsting after righteousness”), or who chose to follow Christ prior to regeneration, which then results in “life”, find themselves facing a tidal wave of biblical texts which teach the exact opposite. Several such passages are included in the refutation. Of course, there are many more.

Arminians teach that people are “wounded in sin” as a consequence of the Fall, but not “dead in sin.” They concede that human nature has been damaged, but also contend that people still retain the natural ability to come to faith in Jesus Christ. Knowing that Scripture is clear about grace preceding faith, the Arminians reduce grace to an enticement for the sinner to act using their ability to do so retained after the Fall. If they so choose to seek salvation, they receive more grace which God then brings to conclusion—regeneration and a change of nature. But according to Arminians, grace is not tied to prior regeneration (which, the Scriptures teach–John 3:3-6; John 6:44, 65, etc.) and therefore precedes any exercise of faith. Instead, it is taught that grace is merely offered to Adam’s fallen children who must then take advantage of it. In this scheme, fallen sinners must co-operate with such grace, but as a consequence of their operating assumptions, Arminians must overlook or ignore the fact the those “dead in sin” (as the Scriptures so clearly teach) retain neither the power nor the ability to come to faith in Christ apart from prior regeneration.

To read the rest, follow the link below

The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerSeptember 17, 2025The Effects of the Fall Comments

Our Current Political Turmoil -- The Cause and a Cure

Yuval Levin’s American Covenant is an important and timely book. If you are wondering what is wrong with American politics and our government’s ongoing failure to address and attempt to solve pressing political and societal issues, Levin has your answer—our Congress is failing to fulfill its proper function according to the Constitution. Once that domino falls, so too come the downstream consequences which seriously impact both the executive office (Congress has ceded far too much power to the President—hence the constant stream of executive orders) and the judicial branch of government (the federal courts and the Supreme Court) has far too often become a determinative body in disputes over legislative matters which should be addressed and debated in the Congress, but which are not.

Levin calls our attention to something quite easy to overlook but vital to understand. The Constitution was never designed to secure complete national unity and full agreement of the citizens. The Constitution was intended to give America a political framework from which to work through our inevitable disagreements by forcing elected officials (Congress) to negotiate over legislation and then compromise to get such legislation enacted. As Levin puts it, “a more unified society would not disagree less, but would disagree better” (3.)

Levin’s purpose statement is clear and capably unpacked in subsequent chapters. He writes,

I begin from the premises that the self-evident truths to which our country has been often imperfectly dedicated from the start remain as true as ever; that the Constitution has enabled us to work toward governing ourselves accordingly (and increasingly so in some important respects) and that the hard work involved in its preservation, improvement, and repair is, therefore, worth our best efforts (8-9).

The Constitution provides the framework for a renewal of public life since it is the supreme legal authority of the land, providing our nation with a rule of law. It provides the means by which our government can address pressing problems through enacting legislation, not by moralizing, pontificating, and social media peacocking.

To read the rest, follow the link below

Who Said That? (Updated)

Who Said That?

"Sacred doctrine makes use of these authorities [philosophers and human arguments] as extrinsic and probable arguments; but properly uses the authority of the canonical Scripture as an incontrovertible proof, and the authority of the doctors of the Church [the theologians] as one that may be properly used, yet merely as probable. For our faith rests upon the revelation made to the apostles and prophets, who wrote the canonical books, and not on any revelations (if there were any) made to other doctors."

Please do not look up the answer—the whole point is to guess! But if you can’t restrain yourself, or if you know the answer, please don’t post the source and ruin it for everyone else.

Leave your answer in the comments section using the link below

Who Said That?Kim RiddlebargerSeptember 11, 2025Sacred doctrine Comments

"The Aroma of the Gospel" -- A New Episode of the Blessed Hope (2 Corinthians 1:23-2:17)

Episode Synopsis:

Paul is under attack by some in the Corinthian church who question his intentions and his ability–he will later identify them as “super” or “false” apostles who are agents of Satan. These men claim to exercise charismatic gifts but which call attention to themselves in a manner unlike Paul had taught the Corinthians. They claim that although Paul is tough when he picks up his quill, he is weak in person, and a poor public speaker to boot. He tells the Corinthians he’s going to come to them, but he doesn’t. They say Paul is wishy-washy and unreliable. Instead of coming himself, he sends his lackeys, Timothy and Titus. Things in Corinth were so bad that one of Paul’s critics caused such great harm to Paul’s reputation and challenged his authority to the point the entire congregation was severely impacted.

But as we have come to expect of him, Paul takes the high road. As the founder and spiritual father of this congregation, he will not let the situation get out of hand. He will defend himself and explain his current circumstance. He begins by calling God as his witness so that everyone understands that Paul is a truth-teller and not an excuse maker. As he explains, he did not come to Corinth because he did not want a repeat of his previous “painful visit,” which he feared would only bring additional stress to the congregation and greater distance from himself. It grieves Paul to have to say as much, but since the matter has caused so much pain, it was best not to come then. Since the Corinthians have disciplined the offending party, and since he had apparently repented and was restored to fellowship, this opens the door for Paul to make his promised trip to Corinth after visiting Macedonia. Meanwhile, there have been many tears shed and if the Corinthians have forgiven the offender, Paul has too.

Paul explains that his plans for his visit evolved due to the ever-changing circumstances in Asia Minor, including his missed connection with Titus–a matter of great frustration to Paul, who pressed on to Macedonia. Using the image of the triumphal procession led by ancient rulers–including the Roman Caesars–Paul speaks of himself as a servant in the royal train of Jesus Christ. As a great leader ensures his presence is manifest in a fragrant scent covering the stench of his defeated foes, who march in chains and filth at the end of the processional, so too Paul speaks of the gospel as the most pleasing aroma, covering the stench of human sin. Paul flips the royal image so as to remind the Corinthians, that he is captive to the king of kings and Caesar’s lord, Jesus Christ, and no amount of flower petals and incense can match the wonderful aroma of the gospel.

To read the show notes and listen to this episode, follow the link below

Blessed Hope PodcastKim RiddlebargerSeptember 8, 2025Aroma of the Gospel, 2 Cor 1:13-2:17Comment

September Musings (09/05/2025)

Riddleblog and Blessed Hope Podcast Updates

More traveling to come for the Rs, so the schedule for new episodes of the Blessed Hope Podcast and posting on the Riddleblog will suffer occasional disruption through the end of October
Now that I am retired, I can do stuff like this—if anyone is interested in pictures of my grand kids, the missus and I celebrating stuff, our family travels, and my yard and garden, you can check out my instagram account. No pictures yet of me chasing the neighbor’s kids off my lawn

Thinking Out loud:

The worst commercial currently popping up in my feed is the Jardiance ad, especially the baseball version. Jardiance may be really swell, but no one on that baseball team can probably lift a bat, much less swing one
When someone tells me they are going to “research something online,“ more often than not they really mean that they are going to “research” stuff which only reinforces their current beliefs/opinions
Rumor has it that Bill Bellicheck’s 24 year old girl friend is going to enter the transfer portal after UNC’s blow-out loss to TCU. He was 41, when she was 7. The creepy ick factor is off the chart here

An observation—the evangelicalism of my youth (the R’s attended Grace Brethren and Evangelical Free churches) were passionately interested in missions and evangelism. What happened? Tribal politicking, debates over Christian nationalism, and support for Trump despite his lack of personal morality now dominates the religious circles of my youth. I get that Trump has done much to push back against “woke” nonsense (and I agree with many of his goals if not necessarily with his methods). But the shift in focus from taking the gospel to the ends of the earth to Trump’s near-canonization on the part of many evangelicals is something I am sure future historians will identify as evidence of a significant decline of American Christianity and obvious secularization
I recently renewed my CA diver’s license. If the efficiency of the California DMV in any way reflects the competency of our current governor, why anyone would vote for Gavin Newsom for president is beyond my comprehension. Oh, and then there is the high speed rail project. Don’t get me started. California is the greatest state in America—except for our state government which is awful
Just saw an ad from Disneyland (a few miles away from me) explaining that this was the cheapest time of year for you to go (after the kids are back in school and before they start their Halloween Stuff in August ?????). Tickets for sixteen special dates are only $104.00 each! You gotta be kidding me—Halloween events starting in August?

To read the rest of my musings, follow the link below

MusingsKim RiddlebargerSeptember 5, 2025The Civil War, Calfornia craziness, Updates and links Comments

Warfield on Colossians 1:12 -- “The Heritage of the Saints in Light”

B. B. Warfield’s sermon, “The Heritage of the Saints in Light,” is based upon Colossians 1:12 – “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” This sermon does not appear in the comprehensive Warfield bibliography (and so is not dated), but since it appears in the volume Faith and Life, it was likely given in the chapel at Princeton Theological Seminary as typical on Sunday afternoons.

Mongerism has an electronic version available in multiple formats here. Faith and Life

Here are some excerpts, although I encourage you to read the sermon in its entirety. The theme is “light” as our Christian inheritance, since God is light, and darkness is our condition in sin.

___________________________________________________________

Our passage is one of those fervent descriptions of the blessed state of the saved soul in which the writings of Paul abound. It occurs in the midst of the prayer which he says he has been offering for the Colossians ever since their conversion. . . . From that day, he says, he has been continually thanking God for the Colossian Christians, and mingling with his thanks earnest petitions for their Christian walk.

The gist of his petition is that they—so lately brought to Christ and so surrounded by danger—should be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that they might walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing. Two points are to be noted here. The thing which Paul desires for the Colossian converts is that they may, in their walk and conversation, be well pleasing to Christ. . . . The second thing to be noted is that Paul expected this perfection of service to be mediated by perfection of knowledge. What he directly asks for is that these converts may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding—and the word used here for “knowledge” is the term for precise, full, accurate, profound knowledge. He prays directly that they may have the knowledge—in order that they may walk worthily of their Lord unto all kinds of pleasing.

Knowledge comes thus before life and is the constructive force of life. Thus the Apostle teaches us the supreme value of a right and profound and exact knowledge of Divine things. Not as if knowledge were the end—life, undoubtedly, is the end at which the saving processes are directed; but because the sole lever to raise the life to its proper height is just right knowledge. It is life—the right life—that the Apostle is praying for in behalf of the Colossians: but he represents knowledge—right knowledge—as possessing the necessity of means to that life.

To read the rest, follow the link below

B. B. WarfieldKim RiddlebargerSeptember 3, 2025Light as inheritanceComment

“By Faith the People Crossed” Hebrews 11:29-40 (An Exposition of the Book of Hebrews–Part Twenty)

Moses—A Surprising Choice to Lead His People

You would think that if God were going to raise up someone to lead his people to freedom from their bondage under the Pharaoh of Egypt, he would choose someone other than Moses–a man who didn’t speak well in public, and who killed an Egyptian before fleeing across the Red Sea to the Sinai peninsula to go into hiding and remaining there until God summoned him back to Egypt. You would also think that if you were going to list those people most closely associated with the Exodus and conquest of Canaan whose faith stands out as an example for us to follow, you would probably mention Joshua or Caleb. Instead, the only name which appears in Hebrews 11 in connection to the Conquest is that of Rahab, a woman who owned a brothel in the city of Jericho. God does indeed move in mysterious ways, and to accomplish his purposes he often uses people whom we would never choose nor ever expect him to use.

Examples? Or a Demonstration of God’s Faithfulness? Or Both?

Hebrews 11 is often described as the “hall of faith.” The chapter has been given this label because, as is often taught, the author lists a number of the great saints from the Old Testament and their exploits so that we might emulate their example. “Have faith like Abraham had and do what Abraham did.” But as I have been arguing throughout our time in this chapter, the example these people set for us is secondary to the author’s primary purpose. As I see it, the author’s emphasis falls not so much on the faith of the individuals mentioned here (as examples for us to emulate), but on the continuity of God’s covenant promise which progressively unfolds throughout redemptive history as seen by the presence of believers throughout the whole of biblical history (God’s faithfulness). These people believed (or trusted) the same thing across time–God’s gracious covenant promise. Therefore, the importance of this famous passage is not to be found so much in the example set for us by those listed here, but in the continuity of God’s promise across the ages. This means that the same gospel was found throughout the Old Testament, which has been revealed by Jesus and taught us by the apostles in the New, which is the primary point of Hebrews 11.

To read the rest, follow the link below

HebrewsKim RiddlebargerSeptember 1, 2025The Exodus, The Conquest, Rahab Comments

“The Error of Denying Biblical Teaching Regarding Free Will” — The Rejection of Errors, Third and Fourth Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort (3)

Synod rejects the errors of those . . .

III. Who teach that in spiritual death the spiritual gifts have not been separated from man’s will, since the will in itself has never been corrupted but only hindered by the darkness of the mind and the unruliness of the emotions, and since the will is able to exercise its innate free capacity once these hindrances are removed, which is to say, it is able of itself to will or choose whatever good is set before it — or else not to will or choose it. This is a novel idea and an error and has the effect of elevating the power of free choice, contrary to the words of Jeremiah the prophet: “The heart itself is deceitful above all things and wicked” (Jer. 17:9); and of the words of the apostle: “All of us also lived among them” (the sons of disobedience) “at one time in the passions of our flesh, following the will of our flesh and thoughts” (Eph. 2:3).

Building upon the previous article, the error addressed in paragraph 3 is that according to the Dutch Arminians, the human will remains largely undamaged by Adam’s fall–although human willing may be influenced by inherited corruption impacting the mind and emotions. Since the will supposedly operates independently–apart from original righteousness and holiness–despite the fall of Adam, the human will remains free possessing the power of contrary choice. This supports the unbiblical notion of semi-Pelagianism that although human nature is damaged by the fall, since the will is not part of that nature, fallen sinners retain the power to choose Christ, or not, depending upon one’s greatest inclination at any given moment. So, to summarize the error being addressed, whatever damage may have been done to human nature in the Fall, the human will was not significantly damaged.

The authors of the Canons point out that nowhere does the Bible allow for human nature to be weakened by the fall, while the human will remains largely unaffected. If the human heart is “deceitful” above all things, then the human will cannot operate “neutrally,” apart from sin’s effects upon the heart–which is but another way of saying that the person is at their core enslaved to sin. Paul says people are by nature “sons of disobedience” and apart from a work of God’s grace changing our nature (regeneration), we all follow the passions of the flesh (the sinful nature) in all our thinking and doing. The will remains enslaved by sin until acted upon by God. We have no more power if left to ourselves to choose Christ, than a dead person does to raise themselves from the dead.

To read the rest, follow the link below

The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerAugust 29, 2025The Arminian defense of free willComment

Preaching and Biblical Theology

Lecture Three–Preaching and Biblical Theology

In our third and final lecture, I will discuss the benefit of placing the “box-top” of redemptive history before a congregation in order to provide the “big picture” categories needed to interpret the Bible correctly. Teaching these big picture categories to our hearers will better enable them to resist the pull toward the subjective turn associated with contemporary American spirituality, a turn which renders the Bible irrelevant, pulls biblical passages out of context, or which understands the Bible as something other than revelation from God. Reading and understanding the Bible through the lens of a well thought-out biblical theology goes a long way toward helping us draw proper conclusions about what the kind of book the Bible is, as well as guiding us to the proper application we ought to draw from those doctrinal dots we have connected together.

The Panorama of Redemptive History

Building upon the previous lectures, I will focus upon an interpretive framework developed along the lines Dr. Michael Horton describes as the internal architecture of Scripture–God’s covenants.[1] God’s story as revealed in his word is tied to specific historical events which make up that story. As such, this story is true and comes to us in words and sentences with subjects, verbs, and objects, thereby summoning us to listen and look outside ourselves, not turn within. Telling God’s story challenges all personal and subjective mythologies, and is actually far more interesting than anything we can dream up.

The panorama of the redemptive drama flows out of this covenant history taking us from the moment of creation, to Eden, to Adam’s creation and fall, to the person and work of a second Adam, Jesus, including his death, resurrection, and ascension, to a new creation when our fallen universe becomes the home of everlasting righteousness. This panoramic view provides the “big picture categories” (the box-top of a many-pieced puzzle), the importance of which we will discuss in the balance of our time.

As we turn to the relationship between preaching and biblical theology, again, we are reminded of the connection between the facts of God’s redemptive word and deeds and essential Christian doctrines connected to them. The father of Reformed biblical theology, Geerhardus Vos, writes,

If we can show that revealed religion is inseparably linked to a system of supernatural historical facts at its culminating epoch in Christ–as we think can be done, we can see that the faith of the Apostles and the faith of the Apostolic Church revolved around the great redemptive facts in which they found the interpretation of the inner meaning of the Savior’s life. To the earliest Christian consciousness doctrine and fact were wedded at the outset.[2]

The key event in the Bible–Jesus’s messianic mission–takes place in a specific context, one foretold throughout the Old Testament in the words of Moses and the prophets. Promise becomes fulfillment because God’s self-revelation is inseparable from historical events. There is a definite and discernible progress in the biblical narrative toward a final and ultimate goal–the renewal of the cosmos and the redemption of God’s people.

In our first lecture I addressed the importance of preaching apologetically–grounding our preaching in the fact that Christianity is at its heart a truth claim, a claim tied to specific historical events. When looking at the box-top we see a succession of such events–the period before and after Noah, the age of the patriarchs, the Exodus, the Conquest, the exile and return, Christ’s life and messianic mission, his death and resurrection, Pentecost, and the Ascension, all pointing ahead to our Lord’s return and the final consummation.

In our second lecture, we discussed the importance of preaching from the biblical text through the lens of a system of theology. This enables us to lay out the dots, so to speak, and then connect them for those in our congregations who otherwise might not make the connections. A biblically based systematic theology provides the proper theological categories through which to understand the Bible as the revelation of God’s story in history. Doing so exposes the futility of the turn toward subjective and self-referential epistemologies typical of contemporary American spirituality. Pushing our hearers to consider “what God said and did” is a powerful antidote to focusing upon subjective “feelings,” self-justifying opinions or that misguided question we hear far too often, “what does this verse mean to you?”

The “Big Picture” Categories

In this lecture, we continue to consider “big picture categories,” but this time from the perspective of their historical development in Scripture (the historica salutis). We are looking at categories as they develop throughout the course of redemptive history (a line) not topically as in systematic theology (a circle). We already know many of the proof-tests for our doctrines, so the challenge is to look to see how these doctrines extend throughout the whole of Scripture and which challenge those who have taken the subjective turn.

To read the rest, follow the link below

“The God of All Comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:1-22) A New Episode of the Blessed Hope Podcast!

Episode Synopsis:

For those of us who regard Paul as one of the primary figures in all of the New Testament, it is hard to comprehend a time when the apostle was under siege to the extent we find in 2 Corinthians. His authority was being challenged, and he was being compared to men whose rhetorical ability and charismatic gifts surpassed his own. Paul must open his letter to the Corinthians by defending both his apostolic office and authority against a group of false teachers who had infiltrated the church in Paul’s absence. The strained relations between Paul and the Corinthians must be remedied and the Corinthians need to deal with the presence of the false teachers who have done so much harm during Paul’s absence. Paul reminds the Corinthians that the Lord draws near in times of suffering. In fact, God uses suffering to further his purposes for Paul as well as the Corinthians. In the midst of it all, God is indeed “the God of all comfort.”

Paul recounts his difficult time in Asia Minor (specially while in Ephesus) facing death at the hands of an angry mob. The apostle felt as though the sentence of death was hanging over his head, but this forced him to rely not on himself or anything within his power, but to instead trust God to deliver him from such deadly peril. In turn, Paul directs the Corinthians to do as he had done–seek the God of all comfort–and trust that he will turn around the current situation in Corinth so that the church continues its witness to the pagans around them. Paul even appeals to the Corinthians to pray to this effect since this is God’s means of blessing them while at the same time enabling Paul to continue his work.

Paul addresses the importance of boasting in the right way and for the right reasons–so as to oppose those in Corinth who were boasting about personal achievement, status, a false spirituality, and who thought little of Paul by way of comparison. Paul hopes that the Corinthians understand that his conscience is clear. He has done those things he has said he will do. He has done nothing for personal gain, but only that which furthers the gospel and which brings blessings to God’s people. To see this work continue, the Corinthians must reject worldly wisdom but look toward the grace of God which is revealed solely in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Show Notes:

I hope to release a new episode from season four on 2 Corinthians every two weeks. But the R’s have some travel planned so there will be some occasional delays in new episode releases.

The prayer hedge was strong this recording session—no airplanes, helicopters. barking dogs, nor neighbor’s lawn care.

To see the show notes and listen to the podcast, follow the link below

Blessed Hope PodcastKim RiddlebargerAugust 25, 2025Apostolic authority, The God of all comfortComment

Preaching and Dogmatics

In this, my second lecture, I will discuss and emphasize the importance of teaching our congregations sound doctrine as the basis for making proper application. It is important to note at the outset that a sermon ought not be a doctrinal lecture. But given the concerns raised in my previous lecture, a little bit of doctrinal lecturing in our sermons might be in order–especially when we consider the number of times the Bible itself speaks of the importance of proper doctrine as a corrective to error, ignorance, and apathy, and repeatedly warns us about false teachers.

The question before us is simply this: “how do we communicate doctrine–the deep truths of the faith–while making such doctrine applicable to daily life?” Yes, I know that people want to cut out the doctrine and get right to the application–it is a common lament. But part of the mess we are in is that far too often, and far too readily, churches have caved in to what is actually an unreasonable demand. These concerns typically come from Sheilaists, Moralistic Therapeutic Deists, adherents of American Civil Religion, and Critical and Social Justice Theorists described in my previous lecture.

Our question is also especially relevant in light of our previous lecture in which we discussed the necessity of preaching apologetically–which I define as acknowledging that the Christian faith is a truth claim grounded in specific historical events, all of which culminate in the person and work of Jesus Christ–his incarnation, death, and resurrection. One of the peculiarities of Christianity is that its main doctrines are also historical facts. B. B. Warfield pointed out the obvious when he declared, “the resurrection of Christ is the fundamental fact of Christianity.”[1] The same holds true for Christ’s cross, his ascension, and a host of other factual occurrences which are loaded with doctrinal significance. Like the resurrection, these doctrines are tied to history (they occurred) but also become fundamental doctrines. If God did and said these things recorded in the Bible, then Christianity is true and its claims upon those things we believe and its commands as to how we are to act stand–despite the objections those who want to get right to the acting part, bypassing or down-playing the importance of what must be believed in order to act properly.

The New Testament Repeatedly Warns About False Doctrine and False Teachers

It should not come as a surprise that our work as ministers will be conducted under difficult circumstances. Throughout the New Testament we are warned in no uncertain terms of opposition to the Christian faith and its central doctrines in part, because it requires the hearer to trust someone other than themselves (Jesus) to save them from the wrath of God (if there even is such a thing). So we will begin our time surveying the various warnings in the New Testament about serious challenges raised by false doctrine and unbelief, then we will spend the balance of our time identifying some of the over-arching doctrinal categories necessary to equip our hearers to resist the challenges associated with our age.

The warnings about false doctrine given in the New Testament center around the ignorance of, confusion about, or opposition to specific Christian doctrines and teaching. As he faces death in a Roman jail, Paul’s lasts words to Timothy, leaves his associate with both a warning and an exhortation. In 2 Timothy 3:12-17, Paul tells Timothy,

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Paul’s point is that the nature of Scripture as “god-breathed” (i.e., having its origin in the will of God) establishes the Bible as the source of all Christian doctrine, the basis of our practice, and the sole standard by which all Christian proclamation and conduct is to be evaluated.

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Optimism and Pessimism as Suitable Eschatological Categories Revisited

The term “optimistic” amillennialism is widely used these days, but I remain hesitant that it is of much value. I discussed the use of “optimism” and “pessimism” as proper adjectives along with the development of the “optimistic amillennial” moniker vis a vis the two main varieties of postmillennialism (Evangelical and Theonomic) on a previous episode of the Blessed Hope Podcast.

I make my case here: Eschatology by Ethos: Why Optimism and Pessimism Do Not Work As Eschatological Categories

Preaching and Apologetics

This is an edited version of my den Dulk Lectures given at Westminster Seminary California in April, 2021. The content of the lecture has been edited for publication here.

Preaching and Apologetics

“Like A Lion”

You may have heard the quip from the ever-quotable Charles Spurgeon: “The Word of God is like a lion. You don’t have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself.”[1] There is much truth in Spurgeon’s comment. The pulpit is not the place from which to prove to your hearers that the Bible is the Word of God. The preacher’s job is to let the lion loose.

Before we proceed further let me briefly address the debate over apologetic method within the Reformed tradition and its impact upon my topic. I am of the opinion that B. B. Warfield was correct when contending that apologetics is a distinct theological discipline which belongs in theological prolegomena (the preparation for the doing of theology). This is contrary to the opinion of Abraham Kuyper and Cornelius Van Til who both understood apologetics to be a subset of theology proper.

But Warfield did contend that the theologian (or the pastor in the pulpit) must assume the truth of God’s Word because, presumably, the apologist has already done their work and passed along to the minister the Bible as the authoritative Word of God. Despite a disagreement about where apologetics belongs in the theological encyclopedia, Warfield, Kuyper, and Van Til were in full agreement about one thing–the minister enters the pulpit assuming that he’s about to let the lion loose and no defense of the Bible is needed — hence Spurgeon’s vivid metaphor. There is no disagreement between Reformed evidentialists and presuppositionalists on this point.

When I speak of the relationship between preaching and apologetics I too am affirming that it is not the duty of the pastor to use the pulpit to convince a congregation that the Bible is the Word of God. That discussion can and should be done in catechesis, Bible study, or in venues such as conferences or other forms of focused apologetics training. The minister preaches God’s word assuming every word in the Bible is true because that word was breathed forth by the Holy Spirit through the agency of human authors (2 Timothy 3:16).

Christianity Is a Truth Claim

Therefore, when I speak of preaching “apologetically,” I do not mean trying to convince people that the Bible is the word of God. What I do mean is preaching to a congregation in such a way as to show forth the lion’s huge fangs and sharp claws when the biblical text requires it. Preaching apologetically entails two points which I will raise to reinforce my thesis. The first point is that Christianity at its heart is a truth claim. When Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life,” his words echo YHWH’s declaration in Isaiah 43:11, “I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.” Jesus is telling his disciples, among other things, that he is God in human flesh, that he is truth incarnate, and that salvation from the guilt and power of sin is found in no one else. Jesus declares himself to be the source and author of life. This is a truth claim. If that which Jesus says of himself is true, then necessarily all other religions and religious claims are false. There cannot be two ways, two truths, or two methods of finding life eternal.

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Who Said That?

Who Said That?

"Our government makes no sense unless it is founded on a deeply felt religious faith--and I don't care what it is."

Please do not look up the answer—the whole point is to guess! But if you can’t restrain yourself, or if you know the answer, please don’t post the source and ruin it for everyone else.

Follow the link below and answer in the comments section

Who Said That?Kim RiddlebargerAugust 15, 2025Who cares what religion Comments

“The Reproach of Christ” Hebrews 11:23-28 (An Exposition of the Book of Hebrews–Part Nineteen)

The School of Redemptive History

While all the Old Testament saints mentioned in Hebrews 11 believed the same covenant promise–that God would be their God and they were his people–not all of them believed that promise under the same set of circumstances. Although a large clan who believed in YHWH, the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob–the fathers of Israel) believed God’s covenant promise to grant their descendants the land of Canaan, make them a great nation, and give them so many descendants that they cannot be counted (Genesis 12).

Moses, however, came on the redemptive historical stage some four hundred years after God appeared to Abraham, when two of these covenant promises had already come to pass. Although effectively held captive in Egypt for many generations, the Israelites had become a great nation, and despite the difficult circumstances in which they found themselves, had grown in number well into the hundreds of thousands. But someone would have to lead the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt, across the Red Sea, through the desert of the Sinai, and then into the promised land of Canaan which was occupied by a number of fierce Canaanite tribes. That leader was Moses.

Examples To Us – They All Believed the Promise

In this series of expositions, we are working our way through Hebrews 11, the so-called “hall of faith.” Throughout our time in this chapter, I have made the point that the author’s primary purpose is not to give us a list of people to emulate (“have faith like Abraham”). Rather, his purpose is to remind us that each of these people mentioned in this chapter believed God’s covenant promise to provide a redeemer who would save them from their sins, and who would ensure that all the covenant promises which God makes to his people are fulfilled. To enable us to devote sufficient attention to each of the people who make the catalogue of those who believed God’s covenant promise, I have divided our study of this chapter into small sections dealing with the individuals who make the catalogue according to the period in redemptive history in which they live.

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HebrewsKim RiddlebargerAugust 13, 2025Life of Moses, Hebrews 11:23-28Comment

“The Error of Denying Biblical Teaching Regarding the Image of God” — The Rejection of Errors, Third and Fourth Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort (2)

Synod rejects the errors of those . . .

(II) Who teach that the spiritual gifts or the good dispositions and virtues such as goodness, holiness, and righteousness could not have resided in man's will when he was first created, and therefore could not have been separated from the will at the fall.

For this conflicts with the apostle's description of the image of God in Ephesians 4:24, where he portrays the image in terms of righteousness and holiness, which definitely reside in the will.

_____________________________

As we discussed previously, this particular error of the Arminians has to do with one’s estimation of the effects of Adam’s fall upon the human race. If one believes that the human race suffered great impairment in the fall (as do the Reformed) then one must assign a proportionate amount of grace to undo these effects. If the fall brings great damage to human nature and ability, grace must repair that damage before people can come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Here, the critical question that must be asked is this: “does the fall bring about damage to essential human nature?” The authors of the Canons are careful to point out that, “yes, mankind suffered the loss of true righteousness, holiness, and knowledge in the fall, that these are part of essential (not accidental, in the sense of being “incidental to) human nature. The loss of them means that after the fall, even though humanity remains human because we retain the image of God, nevertheless, without the supernatural restoration of these essential characteristics through the new birth, men and women cannot come to faith in Christ apart from prior regeneration.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerAugust 11, 2025The imago, The Effects of the FallComment