The Riddleblog

Luther on Galatians 3:13

Without any doubt, the prophets in the Spirit saw that Christ would be the greatest transgressor, assassin, adulterer, thief, rebel, and blasphemer that ever existed on earth. When He was made the sacrifice for the sins of the entire world, He is no longer innocent and without sin, He is no longer the Son of God born of the Virgin Mary but a sinner. He has and carries the sins of Paul, a blasphemer, an oppressor, and a persecutor; of Peter, who denied Christ; and of David, an adulterer and murderer (he is to blame when the Gentiles blaspheme the name of the Lord). In brief, He is the One who has and has carried the sins of all human beings on His own body, although He, Himself, did not commit them, but willingly received them. We are the authors of the sins we have committed, but they were placed on His own body so that He could satisfy them with His own blood. Thus that same sentence given by Moses [“everyone”] also includes Him (although in Himself, He was innocent) because He was found among sinners and thieves. This is no different from the judge’s guilty sentence pronounced against anyone found among thieves and sinners, although such an individual did not do anything worthy of death. Now, Christ was not only found among sinners, but of His own will, and by will of the Father, He was a companion of sinners. He took on Himself the flesh and blood of sinners, thieves, and those who have fallen into all kinds of sin. Therefore, when the law found Him among thieves, it condemned and put Him to death as a thief.

— Luther, Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians (1535), Lecture 20 on Galatians 3:13

GalatiansKim RiddlebargerJune 15, 2022Luther on Galatians 3:13 Comment

The Binding of Satan

The Binding of Satan — Background and Introduction to the Controversy

In Revelation 20:1-3, John is given a remarkable vision:

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.” In verse 7, John adds, “and when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison.”

The binding of Satan as depicted in this passage raises several obvious questions, especially in light of the on-going debate between amillennarians and premillennarians about the timing and character of the millennial age. This is the only biblical text which specifically mentions a thousand year period of time in which Satan’s power and activity are curtailed (the millennial age). The two most obvious questions raised by John’s vision are, “what does it mean for Satan to be bound in such a manner?” and “are the thousand years a present or a future period of time?” Amillennarians and premillennarians take quite different approaches to this passage and offer conflicting answers to these questions.

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Speaking of Paul, What Did He Look Like?

Of course, we have no idea what Paul looked like—the varied paintings and historic mosaics bear this out. The Bible is not concerned with such things, and there is no known description of Paul from his lifetime.

But there is one physical description of Paul, written about 160 A.D. It is found in an apocryphal writing, known as the Acts of Paul. Its veracity is a matter of some debate. Often, there is just enough truth in such accounts that they gain acceptance. Here is what we have:

And he (Onesiphorus) proceed along the royal highway to Lystra and stood expecting him, and according to the information of Titus, he inspected them that came. And he saw Paul coming, a man small in stature, bald-headed, crooked in legs, healthy, with eyebrows joining, nose rather long [lit. somewhat hooked], full of grace; for sometimes he appeared like a man, but sometimes he had the face of an angel.

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Did Paul Ever See Jesus During Our Lord's Earthly Ministry?

Although most New Testament scholars simply assume that Paul had never seen Jesus prior to Paul’s Damascus Road experience, Stanley Porter raises the fascinating possibility that Paul and Jesus had indeed crossed paths before Paul’s conversion. The argument can be found in summary form in: Stanley E. Porter, The Apostle Paul: His Life, Thought and Letters (Eerdmans, 2016), 33-38. A more extensive (and expensive) version can be found here: When Paul Met Jesus: How an Idea Got Lost in History (Cambridge University Press, 2016).

Porter’s case is based upon several lines of evidence.

First, Jesus spent much of his time in Galilee, but went to Jerusalem on several occasions. Jesus also spent the last part of his messianic mission in the city. Given the fact that Paul too spent significant time in Jerusalem as a teen studying under Gamaliel, and that Jesus was a very well-known and controversial figure within Pharisaical circles, Paul likely knew of Jesus’ presence in Jerusalem, even if he had not seen him personally. But given Jesus’ controversial ministry among Jews in the city, a zealous young rabbinical student like Paul very likely would have been quite interested in evaluating Jesus for himself, possibly on one or more occasions. Paul and Jesus were in the same place at the same time so it is very plausible that Paul would have been curious enough to go and see Jesus for himself.

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Three Takeaways from the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15)

There are a number of important points made by Luke in Acts 15, but three stand out for brief mention here, especially when considered in light of Paul’s recently written Letter to The Galatians (which I take to be written in A.D. 48, a year or so before the Jerusalem Council convened). Paul, Barnabas, along the with apostles (James and Peter) and the elders of the Jerusalem church (including Judas called Barsabbas and Silas) were present to debate the matter of whether circumcision was required of Gentile converts to Christianity, if they were to be saved (Acts 15:1-2).

First, despite the ethnic and cultural differences between Jew and Gentile, both groups were equal and full members in the Israel of God which is Christ’s church (cf. Galatians 6:16). As Paul made clear in his Galatian letter, the gospel is not based upon human obedience to the Law of Moses or submission to circumcision (“works of the law”—Galatians 2:16), which supposedly made the Jew superior to Gentiles. It is clear that the gospel is the preaching of Christ crucified, through which, God in his grace, calls his elect to faith in Jesus Christ, whether they be Jew or Gentile.

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An Exposition of Article Twenty Seven of the Belgic Confession: The Holy Catholic Church

The New Testament has no category for someone who is professes to be a believer in Jesus Christ but who is not also a member of a local church. The reason for this is so obvious that we take it for granted. Since all true believers become members of the body of Christ by virtue of their union with Christ through faith, the New Testament assumes that those who are members of Christ’s body will quite naturally identify with a local assembly of those who likewise believe in Jesus and confess him as Lord before the unbelieving world. Sadly, many Americans have different assumptions.

Given the rugged individualism of American culture and our populist suspicion of authority and institutions, many Americans who consider themselves faithful Bible-believing Christians, make no connection whatsoever between their own personal faith in Jesus Christ and membership in a local church. This is indeed a sad state of affairs and clearly indicates that one of the most pressing issues of our day is the general ignorance of the doctrine of the church and the necessity of membership in a local congregation of fellow like-minded believers. In fact, John Calvin writes in his commentary on Isaiah, “We cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same faith, that is, without being members of the church.” These two things, “justification by grace alone through faith alone,” and membership in Christ’s church are inseparable for Calvin, because the Bible clearly indicates that all those whom our Lord justifies through faith, he also gathers together is a visible assembly.

To read the exposition, An Exposition of Article Twenty-Seven of the Belgic Confession

Belgic ConfessionKim RiddlebargerJune 2, 2022A Holy and Catholic ChurchComment

Jonah -- Preacher of Repentance (5) -- Three Days and Nights in the Watery Grave

The Fate of the Reluctant Prophet

It is impossible to imagine the misery Jonah endured for those three days and nights he spent in the belly of a huge fish–both his tomb and his salvation. Jonah’s distress is great–it is that of a dying man. Yet, Jonah is not dying. Beyond all human expectation, YHWH sent a huge fish to rescue the “reluctant prophet” from certain death in a watery grave. Jonah’s entombment in the fish is neither the end nor even the high point of the Jonah story. But it is the literary hinge upon which the story turns from Jonah’s flight from YHWH to the fulfillment of his prophetic mission in Nineveh.

The Prophecy of Jonah opens with YHWH commissioning Jonah to go and preach to the Ninevites, something which Jonah refused to do. Attempting to flee from YHWH’s call, Jonah boarded a ship bound for Tarshish. But YHWH sent a great storm which threatened both Jonah’s ship and its crew. Realizing that it was his sin that was the cause of the storm, Jonah was confronted by the pagan crew–whose own gods were of no help in calming the storm. Unless the storm ceased and soon, all onboard would be dead. Jonah told the crew who he was, what his mission entailed, and that unless the crew threw him overboard, they would not be spared. The frightened crew did exactly that–they threw Jonah into the sea where he was certain to drown.

The moment Jonah was off the ship, YHWH relented, calmed the storm, and delivered the crew, who witnessed YHWH’s great power. The grateful crew offered YHWH sacrifices of thanksgiving. But unbeknownst to them, YHWH miraculously rescued Jonah. At this point, Jonah’s story turns from an account of his flight from Nineveh, to a time of prayer and repentance (chapter 2), which are the preparation for the fulfillment of YHWH’s greater purpose that the gospel be preached in Nineveh (chapter 3), Jonah’s ultimate mission.[1]

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Reflections on JonahKim RiddlebargerMay 31, 2022Jonah's prayer for deliverence, Jonah's ordealComment

Paul's Warnings to the Galatians Still Speak to Us

From the Blessed Hope Podcast (Episode Two), Galatians 1:1-10, “Application”

Paul’s warnings to the Galatians should ring in our ears today. To his amazement, a false gospel arose in the Galatian churches almost immediately after Paul left the area and was widely accepted in same churches in which Paul and Barnabas had preached in person. Grounded in wide-spread Jewish customs and practices, the false message was so compelling that even Peter and Barnabas were taken in for a time. Just as no counterfeiter would make purple seven dollar bills with Mickey Mouse’s likeness on them, neither does a false teacher show up and announce, “Hi, everyone, I’m a false teacher.” They always have a hook. Luther understood well how such deception works

The ministers of Satan insinuate themselves into people’s minds by promising them something better. They admit that those who preached the gospel to them made a good start but say that this is not enough . . . . They confirm true doctrine but then go on to point out where it needs to be improved. This was how the false apostles gained access to the Galatians.

We should not be surprised when theologians, pastors, and elders, fall from grace and begin teaching another gospel. Sad to say, we should expect this to happen. It is not a matter of if, but when. Paul exhortation to the Galatians reminds us to always be on our guard against those who teach that the death of Jesus Christ is not sufficient in and of itself to save us from God’s wrath in the judgment yet to come. The false gospel–Christ plus something we do–makes a great deal of sense to those who think that religion in general, and Christianity in particular, is primarily about ethics (conduct), and that sound doctrine is secondary to proper behavior. This hook is often used by contemporary false teachers.

To read the rest, follow the link below

Blessed Hope Podcast, GalatiansKim RiddlebargerMay 28, 2022Another Gospel, Galatians 1:1-10Comment

“Calling God `Our Father'” -- Wisdom from Heidelberg Catechism Q & A 120

“Calling God `Our Father’”

It is not uncommon to hear critics of the Protestant Reformation complain that Martin Luther and John Calvin, along with those who followed them throughout subsequent generations, were so preoccupied with a Christian’s legal standing before God (justification), that both the Lutheran and Reformed traditions downplayed the loving relationship that sinners enjoy with their creator as his adopted children. This charge usually arises from the nature of the biblical doctrine of justification as understood by those whose theological origins are found in the Reformation. Protestantism, in most of its forms, understood that the righteousness earned by Jesus through his personal obedience to God’s commandments is reckoned (or imputed) to a sinner through the means of faith, so that the sinner is given a right-standing before God and is therefore delivered from God’s wrath.

In emphasizing a Christian’s right-standing with God via imputation, critics contend that broadly conceived the Reformation’s approach to the Christian life falls squarely upon a person’s legal standing before God, and as a consequence, necessarily depreciates the personal relationship that a sinner enjoys with God downplaying Jesus’ role as a loving Savior. I once heard a Roman Catholic apologist put it like this: “Protestants use a courtroom model, while we [Roman Catholics] use a family model.” In other words, the Reformation emphasis on justification supposedly shifts the focus of the Christian life to being saved “from” God, instead of emphasizing being saved “for” God. If the doctrine of justification is the true watershed doctrine by which the church stands or falls, then God is primarily understood as a stern judge, not as a loving father. The Christian’s standing before God is essentially legal, not familial.

This would be a powerful argument, if it were true.

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Gems from Warfield's Essay, "Christless Christianity"

Warfield’s essay, “Christless Christianity” was originally written for the Harvard Theological Review in 1912. It is a decimating critique of that cycle of liberal theology which sought to respond to Arthur Drew’s 1909 book, “The Christ Myth.” Drew’s book was widely identified as anti-Christian propaganda, even by liberals. But liberal theologians who sought to respond to Drew, particularly German liberals, conjured up a form of Christianity which was no longer dependent upon a historical Jesus. Warfield will have none of it. In many ways Warfield’s essay argues the same points Machen does in his Christianity and Liberalism, written in 1923. Warfield argues that whatever it was that German liberals were exporting into American seminaries and churches it was not Christianity, but an altogether different religion with a completely different Jesus. The liberal’s collective response to Drew’s attack was a not a defense of Christianity but a capitulation to unbelief.

To read the rest, follow the link below

B. B. WarfieldKim RiddlebargerMay 23, 2022Christless Christianity, Protestant LiberalismComment

Musings (5/20/22)

More great stuff from Dr. Godfrey’s lecture series at the Escondido URC:

Dr. Godfrey -- "What Is Going on Right Now?" Lecture 13

Dr. Godfrey -- "What Is Going on Right Now?" Lecture 14

Speaking of the Escondido URC, pastor Chris Gordon’s New Reformation Catechism on Human Sexuality is now out and available from Reformation Heritage Books. You can check out the forward by Rosaria Butterfield here: "Forward" to the New Reformation Catechism
By the way, if you ever want to visit Escondido via road trip, there is a pretty decent soundtrack: The Road to Escondido
Gaffin on why the Book of Acts focuses on Peter and Paul: Peter and Paul in the Book of Acts
Nancy Guthrie gives us four good reasons to read the Book of Revelation: Four Reasons Why We Should Read and Study the Book of Revelation
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An Exposition of Article Twenty-Six of the Belgic Confession: The Intercession of Christ

While it is easy to think of our Lord’s work as high priest exclusively in terms of what he has already done for us in the past–especially his once-for-all sacrifice for our sins upon the cross–we must consider that our Lord’s priestly work on our behalf continues on into the present. Jesus’ priestly office did not expire like an elected official’s term of office when he sat down at the father’s right hand after his ascension. Jesus remains our high priest after his Ascension, and his present intercession for us serves as the basis for both our on-going sanctification as well as our perseverance in faith. As the mediator of the covenant of grace, Jesus, who is our friend and advocate, constantly intercedes for us with our heavenly father. And his intercession is always with full effect. He will not lose a single person given to him by the father but will raise all of them up on the last day.

Article Twenty-Six of the confession deals with the on-going priesthood of Jesus Christ. In Article Twenty-One, our confession carefully summarizes the biblical teaching regarding Christ’s priestly office, focusing upon how it is that Jesus Christ fulfilled the Old Testament’s emphasis upon a perpetual sacrifice for sin, by offering the final sacrifice for sin, namely himself. In Article Twenty-Six, our confession summarizes the biblical teaching that our Lord’s priesthood is an on-going office, that Jesus remains our high priest, and that his priestly work is essential to those of us who live in this present evil age. Without Christ’s on-going prayers on our behalf, who among us would make progress in our sanctification? Who among us would persevere to the end our lives in faith? Without our Lord’s intercession for us, who of us would not wander away from the fold? Not one.

To read the rest, click here: "Who Loves Us More than Jesus Christ Does?"

Belgic ConfessionKim RiddlebargerMay 18, 2022Christ as high priest, Jesus our IntercessorComment

Jonah -- Preacher of Repentance (4): Tossed Overboard to Calm the Storm

Call Upon Your God!

As the storm intensifies, the ship’s captain found Jonah below deck, sound asleep. The captain screams at Jonah, “what do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” (Jonah 1:6) We know that sailors can be a superstitious lot–then as now. After awakening Jonah, the captain insists that the fleeing prophet call upon “his god” as the others had done. We are not told if the captain knew yet that Jonah was a worshiper of YHWH and was aware of YHWH’s great power. Perhaps the captain’s fear was that unless all onboard were praying to one of their collective gods, one of these gods would remain unappeased and cause all onboard to perish. But the irony should not be lost upon us. Jonah is awakened by the captain to pray because the storm truly is Jonah’s fault! Jonah is fleeing from YHWH’s prophetic call which is the reason for the terrible storm which has placed the ship and its crew in jeopardy.

Of course, praying to gods who do not exist does not end the storm. In fear and panic, the crew seeks to figure out which one of the crew or its passengers has offended his god sufficiently for that particular god to bring the storm down on the lot of them. The suddenness and intensity of the storm points to some sort of supernatural peril, since none of the other measures have worked and the ship is about to break up. Pacifying whichever god was angry became paramount to the crew. According to verse 7, “and they said to one another, `Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.” YHWH brought the storm to pass. So too when the lot is cast, it falls on Jonah. It is just as the author of Proverbs (16:33) tells us, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” YHWH is directing all things (even the roll of the die) to his appointed end–that his word be preached in Nineveh. The mysterious passenger sacked out below deck is the one who has brought the terrible storm to pass.

To read the rest, follow the link below

Do People Die or Do They "Pass Away"?

Those who know me well are probably aware of my dislike of the phrase, "passed away" as a euphemism for death. The phrase originated in 15th century England in reference to superstitious notions surrounding the dead person’s soul during the wake or funeral. It was thought that the soul of the departed remained present to witness the mourning process until the funeral services were over. After that, the soul departed to heaven or hell, by “passing away.” Over time, it has become increasingly common to refer death as a “passing away.”

My long-time friend and colleague, Dr. Rod Rosenbladt, makes a compelling case that the phrase “passed away” is better suited to Mary Baker Eddy’s Christian Science than Christianity which sees death as a consequence of Adam’s fall. Convinced by Rod’s observation way back when, I too now urge Christians to cease using the phrase “passed away” and instead speak of “death.” As an avid reader of the local obituaries, since they reveal much about the current religious/theological spirit of the age, it is clear to me that for Christians the phrase "passed away” has replaced the grim reality of the curse; “so and so died.” The use of “pass away” is an evasion of the real issue--that death is brutal, ugly, and stems from human sin. Death is called “the curse,” and our last enemy. There is much wisdom in the biblical acknowledgement that there is indeed a time to weep, and the last thing I want to do when someone I know and loved dies, is “celebrate.” That is much better done at birthdays, graduations, weddings, etc.

One writer, Brian Jay Stanley, nails it as to why the phrase “passed away” fails to capture the reality of death:

The word "death" is a strong and solid word that does not blush or flinch, calling life's terminus by its first name, without apology. But most people euphemize death with the softer phrase "passed away". To pass away suggests a gentle and painless transition from one state to another, like chilled water passing imperceptibly into ice. Thereby words conceal from thoughts the horrors of violent accidents and the wracking agonies of terminal illness, as if everyone, instead of only a lucky few, died peacefully in his sleep. And where we peacefully pass is "away", a nebulous word that does not suggest a termination, but neither specifies a destination. It is a kind of leaving off, a gesture of open-endedness, an ellipsis at sentence's end. It is, accordingly, the perfect word for the skeptical yet sentimental modern mind, which cannot accept annihilation, nor easily believe in immortality. "Passed away" allows vague hope without dogma, as if to say, "He has gone somewhere else, please don't ask for details."
From aphorisms and paradoxes

People die, they do not “pass away.”

Who Is to Blame for Tragedy? A Look at Jesus’ Answer in Luke 13:1-5 and John 9:1-3

Almost every culture–whether ancient or modern–seems to possess a superstitious belief that whenever anything bad happens to someone, it must be because the person has done something which brought the tragic event about. People seem wired to ask themselves, or inquire of others, what the victim did which brought calamity down upon their heads. What did they do to provoke God to anger? The underlying assumption is correct–bad things happen to bad people. We do live in a fallen world after all, so we expect tragedy and disaster. But the conclusion often reached when we seek an answer as to “why?” these things happen is incorrect–that there is an immutable cause and effect relationship between specific sins and immediate bad consequences. What is often overlooked is that the one questioning why something bad happened to someone else, is as guilty before God as is the person they are speculating about.

In Luke 13:1-5, Jesus speaks about two tragic events which occurred in first century Israel which produced just this sort of speculation. The first of these is mentioned in verse 1, when we read of those “who told [Jesus] about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.” We do not know exactly to what historical event this was referring (we have no known record of it), but the implication seems to be that Pilate ordered certain Galilean Jews to be killed at the time of the Passover sacrifices, in effect “mixing blood.”

The question is an important one because based upon Old Testament texts such as Job 4:7 (“Remember: who that was innocent ever perished? Or where were the upright cut off?) the Pharisees commonly taught that bad things happened to people as a consequence of personal sin. But the assumption that the Galilean’s blood was mixed with their sacrifices because of a particular sin is addressed directly by Jesus in the form of a rhetorical question. In verse 2, Jesus asks those asking about this, “do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way?” In a second example, Jesus mentions another disaster apparently well-known to his audience. “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?” (v. 4).

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One People or Two? The Challenge Raised to Dispensationalism by Ephesians 2:11-22

It was the famed New York Yankees’ catcher turned philosopher, Yogi Berra, who once said, “when you come to a fork in the road, take it!” Paul’s discussion in Ephesians 2:11-22, addresses the relationship between Jew and Gentile in Christ’s church. It is a passage which requires us to ask a “fork in the road” sort of question. “In the new covenant era, does God have one people (the church), or two peoples (Jew and Gentile) each assigned different redemptive purposes?” Reformed amillennarians and dispensationalists take quite different directions when coming to this important Pauline “fork in the road.”

Dispensationalists struggle to understand and explain Ephesians 2:11-22 because Paul assets something much different than the standard dispensational claim that although there is but one gospel, nevertheless, God has two distinct redemptive purposes, one for national Israel and another for Gentiles.

To illustrate the problem faced by dispensationalists, it is useful to survey the way in which traditional dispensational writers have approached this passage. J. Dwight Pentecost, writes that this passage describes God’s purpose for the present age (where there is a visible unity), but does not describe his purpose for the millennial age when the two peoples (Jew and Gentiles) are again distinct groups. Pentecost is so bold as to state, “Scripture is unintelligible until one can distinguish clearly between God’s program for his earthly people Israel and that for the church.”[1]

John Walvoord understands the passage as referring to the “new program” for the church which, he claims, was a mystery in the Old Testament. In the New Testament dispensation, a living union is formed so that Jew and Gentile are brought together with all racial tensions eliminated [2]. Like Pentecost, Walvoord argues that such unity is only temporary and in the millennial age the historic and ethnic differences between Jew and Gentile re-emerge.

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Warfield on "Faith" -- A Corrective to Edwardsianism (Faith as Affectional)

The Following quotations come from B. B. Warfield’s magisterial essay “Faith” originally written for the Hastings Dictionary of the Bible (1905). This article was reprinted in volume 2 of The Works of Benjamin B. Warfield, “Biblical Doctrines” (467-508). Warfield’s essay can be found here in its entirety: The Biblical Doctrine of Faith. Well worth a read.

I’ve taken a number of citations from Warfield’s essay and included the page numbers from the Biblical Doctrines volume.

The saving power of faith resides thus not in itself, but in the Almighty Saviour on whom it rests. It is never on account of its formal nature as a psychic act that faith is conceived in Scripture to be saving,—as if this frame of mind or attitude of heart were itself a virtue with claims on God for reward, or at least especially pleasing to Him (either in its nature or as an act of obedience) and thus predisposing Him to favour, or as if it brought the soul into an attitude of receptivity or of sympathy with God, or opened a channel of communication from Him. It is not faith that saves, but faith in Jesus Christ: faith in any other saviour, or in this or that philosophy or human conceit (Col. 2:16, 18, 1 Tim. 4:1), or in any other gospel than that of Jesus Christ and Him as crucified (Gal. 1:8, 9), brings not salvation but a curse. It is not, strictly speaking, even faith in Christ that saves, but Christ that saves through faith. The saving power resides exclusively, not in the act of faith or the attitude of faith or the nature of faith, but in the object of faith; and in this the whole biblical representation centres, so that we could not more radically misconceive it than by transferring to faith even the smallest fraction of that saving energy which is attributed in the Scriptures solely to Christ Himself. (504)

So little indeed is faith conceived as containing in itself the energy or ground of salvation, that it is consistently represented as, in its origin, itself a gratuity from God in the prosecution of His saving work. It comes, not of one’s own strength or virtue, but only to those who are chosen of God for its reception (2 Thess. 2:13), and hence is His gift (Eph. 6:23, cf. 2:8, 9, Phil. 1:29), through Christ (Acts 3:16, Phil. 1:29, 1 Pet. 1:21, cf. Heb. 12:2), by the Spirit (2 Cor. 4:13, Gal. 5:5), by means of the preached word (Rom. 10:17, Gal. 3:2, 5); and as it is thus obtained from God (2 Pet. 1:1, Jude 3, 1 Pet. 1:21), thanks are to be returned to God for it (Col. 1:4, 2 Thess. 1:3). Thus, even here all boasting is excluded, and salvation is conceived in all its elements as the pure product of unalloyed grace, issuing not from, but in, good works (Eph. 2:8–12). The place of faith in the process of salvation, as biblically conceived, could scarcely, therefore, be better described than by the use of the scholastic term ‘instrumental cause.’ Not in one portion of the Scriptures alone, but throughout their whole extent, it is conceived as a boon from above which comes to men, no doubt through the channels of their own activities, but not as if it were an effect of their energies, but rather, as it has been finely phrased, as a gift which God lays in the lap of the soul. (505)
To read the rest of the citations from the Warfield essay, follow the link below

B. B. WarfieldKim RiddlebargerMay 7, 2022The Biblical Doctrine of FaithComment

An Exposition of Article Twenty-Five of the Belgic Confession: The Fulfillment of the Law

As believers in Jesus Christ, who are saved by grace through faith, the question inevitably arises, “what do we do with Moses and the Ten Commandments?” One of the major themes running throughout the New Testament is the thorny relationship between a Christian under the new covenant and the law of Moses which lies at the heart of the old covenant. Not only is this a prominent theme in the ministry of Jesus–as for example, Luke 24:44, where Jesus states that “that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled”–but this is a major theme in the letters of Paul. In Romans 10:4, Paul writes that “for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” What do we as Christians do with those ceremonies, feasts, and practices associated with the covenant God made with Moses at Mount Sinai, after Christ has come and has declared all of these things are fulfilled in him?

We now treat two articles which deal with themes related to the work of Christ as our high priest and the sole mediator of the covenant of grace. These two articles (Twenty-Five and Twenty-Six) follow the discussion of faith, justification, and sanctification (articles Twenty-Two through Twenty-Four) because how we understand the covenant God made with Moses and Jesus Christ’s present mediation on our behalf (the subject of article Twenty-Six) will impact considerably our conception of the Christian life and the nature of those good works which we now do because we are justified on the basis of the merits of Jesus Christ which we have received through the means of faith.

To Read the Rest, "The Ceremonies and Symbols of the Law Have Been Fulfilled"

Belgic ConfessionKim RiddlebargerMay 5, 2022Fulfillment of the law, types and shadowsComment

Jonah -- Preacher of Repentance: A Fool's Errand -- Attempting to Flee from God

Jonah on a Fool’s Errand

God called the Prophet Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh (in the heart of the Assyrian empire) to preach YHWH’s word to the Ninevites. Refusing to go to Nineveh, instead Jonah undertook the fool’s errand of attempting to flee from YHWH, boarding a ship which Jonah hoped would take him as far away from Nineveh as humanly possible. But why was Jonah, known to us as the “reluctant prophet,” so hesitant to go where YHHW was sending him? The answer is both religious and political. Jonah is an Israelite. Assyria is Israel’s enemy and a serious military threat. Jonah knows that his own people (Israel) are hardening their hearts against YHWH and are likely to come under YHWH’s judgment. Jonah also knows that should he go to Nineveh and preach, YHWH might bring about the city’s repentance, sparing it from imminent judgment. As a loyal Israelite, Jonah fears that his preaching might be YHWH’s means of sparing Assyria from judgment. Jonah refuses YHWH’s call to go and preach and attempts get as far away from Nineveh as he can. But his plans are about to change in ways he cannot yet begin to imagine. YHWH will change Jonah’s mind and his destination.

As we move deeper into the Book of Jonah, (chapter 1:4-10), we read of Jonah fleeing YHWH’s prophetic call, only to find himself thrown overboard by terrified sailors and then swallowed by a great fish, where Jonah spent three days and nights entombed in conditions beyond human imagination. As we discussed previously, when we raised and answered the “Who?” “When?” “Why?” and “What?” questions, the assumption often made by readers about the Book of Jonah is that the story is so implausible that it cannot be historical. When viewed in this manner, the fictional story of Jonah becomes an object lesson or moralistic tale about obeying God’s will so as not to suffer the consequences–like those which befall the reluctant prophet.

To read the rest, follow the link below

Reflections on JonahKim RiddlebargerMay 2, 2022Jonah -- fleeing from God, JonahComment

"A Vice Very Common with Books of This Class" -- B. B. Warfield's "Review" of Andrew Murray's "Spirit of Christ"

As readers of this blog are no doubt aware (because I keep reminding you), B. B. Warfield (1851-1921) is widely hailed as one of America's greatest theologians. His books have remained in near-continuous publication since his death in February, 1921. Although dead for over a century, Warfield remains a theological force with whom to be reckoned.

As professor of polemical and didactic theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, Warfield published 781 book reviews over his long and exceedingly productive career. Some of Warfield's reviews are published in his collected works, while many are not. I thought it might be of interest to bring some of these currently unpublished "Reviews" to light. The first review discussed was "Children in the Hands of the Arminians". The second was Warfield's review of C. F. W. Walther's book, Gesetz und Evangelium (Law and Gospel), Warfields Review of C. F. W. Walthers' "Law and Gospel". For this installment, I have chosen Warfield's "Review" of Rev. Andrew Murray's book, "The Spirit of Christ," published in 1888, and which Warfield reviewed the following year. This influential book still remains in print (The Spirit of Christ) and is available from Whitaker House, a charismatic/Pentecostal publisher.

A brief word about Andrew Murray is in order. Rev. Murray (1828-1917) was a Dutch Reformed minister who labored in South Africa. Murray had a life-long passion for missions and was a champion of the South African Revival of 1860. Murray was devoted to the so-called "Keswick" theology which stressed the "inner" or "higher life." He also endorsed faith healing and believed in the continuation of the apostolic gifts. He was a significant forerunner of the Pentecostal movement--a remarkable accomplishment for any Dutch Reformed minister (I am being facetious, of course).

Murray was a prolific author, cranking out more than fifty books and hundreds of pamphlets. We sold cases of them in our bookstore (when I was growing up) and for which I have long since repented. So when I first ran across BBW's "Review" of Murray's book, I was very interested in what Warfield would have to say. Needless to say, the Lion of Princeton was not terribly impressed with Andrew Murray.

To read Warfield’s “Review” follow the link below

B. B. WarfieldKim RiddlebargerApril 30, 2022Review of Andrew Murray Comment