Francis Schaeffer -- Apologist and Evangelist (Part Three)

Francis Schaeffer’s Apologetic Methodology

Part one can be found here

Part two, the life and times of Francis Schaeffer

Presuppostionalist or Evidentialist?

1). Examining Schaeffer’s comments about epistemology will help us to answer a critical question often asked in regards to Schaeffer: “Is Francis Schaeffer an evidentialist or a presuppositionalist?”[1] While Schaeffer does not like this kind of question, nevertheless, he is one or the other, or some combination thereof.

2). Most important for our discussion, we cannot understand someone’s method for defending the faith apart from their views on knowledge, truth, and method. The study of Schaeffer’s epistemology is therefore essential in determining his methodology for defending the faith.

3). It seems that everyone who studies Schaeffer arrives at different conclusions about his methodology. As Gordon Lewis points out, in 1976 alone three major works appeared, all evaluating Schaeffer’s apologetic, and all arriving at differing conclusions.[2]

4). This raises the question, “when so many knowledgeable reviewers reach such different conclusions, what is the problem?” “Are the reviewers confused?” “Or is Schaeffer not clear?” I affirm the latter.[3]

5). Schaeffer is not clear in discussing verification and he appears to be very much at ease about mixing conflicting methodologies. There is a strong pragmatic inclination in his work. He approaches questions of truth as a pastor and evangelist (concerned with the person), not as a theologian or philosopher.[4] Nevertheless, he does indicate sympathy for the presuppositional approach to apologetics.

To read the rest, follow the link below

Read More
“A Great High Priest” Hebrews 4:14-5:10 (An Exposition of the Book of Hebrews–Part Seven)

The Superiority of Jesus

The author of Hebrews has been relentless in building his case for the superiority of Jesus Christ. Jesus is superior to the angels–he is their creator and they worship and serve him. Jesus is superior to Moses–Jesus is without sin, and the mediator of a better covenant with much greater promises. The Christian Sabbath (the Lord’s Day) has much better promises than those of the Jewish Sabbath–on the Lord’s Day (Sunday) we are given a foretaste of our eternal rest, in addition to being given an opportunity to rest our weary bodies. Beginning in verse 14 of chapter four, the author of Hebrews returns to a theme he introduced earlier in the epistle, the superiority of the priesthood of Jesus Christ to that of the priesthood of Israel. The author will spend several chapters demonstrating to his readers/hearers a number of the specific ways in which Jesus’s priesthood is superior to that of the priests of Israel.

We take up what amounts to the central theme of this epistle–the superiority of Jesus Christ to all those elements in the Old Testament which pointed ahead to the coming of our Lord, yet which served as the heart of first century Judaism. While we don’t know the name of the author of the epistle (he is likely someone well-known in the Pauline circle, Apollos?), and we don’t know which congregation was receiving this letter (likely a struggling house church in Rome or even Alexandria), we do know that this letter was written to a church composed largely of Hellenistic Jews who were recent converts to Christianity. Hellenistic Jews (Greek in culture, Jewish in theology) accepted the authority of the LXX (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), and many Hellenistic Jews converted to Christianity during the apostolic age.

In the face of Persecution

The issue which the author of Hebrews is addressing is that many of the members of this church had made professions of faith in Christ and were baptized, but began to wilt under the pressure from their Jewish friends and family, or from the civil authorities. Sadly, many in this church renounced Christ and returned to the synagogue. Others, apparently, were seriously considering doing the same thing. Therefore, the unnamed author writes this epistle to warn the members of this church about the serious nature of the sin of apostasy. It is no small thing to make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, be baptized in his name, and then renounce him by returning to a religion founded upon the types and shadows which had pointed ahead to the coming of Jesus in the first place.

To make his case, the author repeatedly appeals to the Old Testament (specifically, the LXX, seen as authoritative by his audience), demonstrating how the Old Testament writers spoke of the coming of Jesus Christ and his superiority to those things which Hellenistic Jews found central in the Old Testament. Throughout this epistle we not only see how Jesus was hidden in the types and shadows of the Old Testament, but we, as Gentile readers two millennia removed, are given a lesson in how to read the Old Testament through the lens of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

To read the rest, follow the ink below

Read More
“God’s Freedom Revealed in the Gospel” -- Article Seven, The Third and Fourth Main Points of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 7: God’s Freedom in Revealing the Gospel

In the Old Testament, God revealed this secret of his will to a small number; in the New Testament (now without any distinction between peoples) he discloses it to a large number. The reason for this difference must not be ascribed to the greater worth of one nation over another, or to a better use of the light of nature, but to the free good pleasure and undeserved love of God. Therefore, those who receive so much grace, beyond and in spite of all they deserve, ought to acknowledge it with humble and thankful hearts; on the other hand, with the apostle they ought to adore (but certainly not inquisitively search into) the severity and justice of God’s judgments on the others, who do not receive this grace.

______________________________________

While Arminians place much emphasis upon human freedom, the Canons are clear that Christians must begin any discussion of God’s saving purposes where Scripture begins the discussion. This is not with human freedom, but with the freedom of God.

As we have seen throughout prior articles, Scripture informs us that the human race has fallen in Adam and is described as dead in sin, unable and unwilling to exercise faith in Jesus Christ (i.e., Romans 3:9-20). Yet because he is loving and gracious God has chosen to elect a vast multitude unto salvation based upon reasons known only to himself. Furthermore, God has also determined how he will call those to faith whom he has chosen—through the preaching of the gospel (Romans 10:17). God ordains both the ends (those whom he will save) and the means by which he will save them (the preaching of the gospel).

In article 7, the Canons make the point that God’s hidden decree (in eternity past) is carried out in time and space, of which the Scriptures are the divinely-inspired account. God’s plan to save fallen sinners–otherwise hidden in the shadows of eternity–is revealed in ordinary human history as God brings to pass the very things that he has decreed would come to pass, and which accomplish our salvation.

Read More
Warfield on the Evidential Value of the Empty Tomb

Early in his career, Warfield produced an essay entitled The Resurrection of Christ: A Historical Fact.” It was written for the The Journal of Christian Philosophy, vol. III., 1884, 305-318.

Here are some of the points raised by Warfield which focus upon the empty tomb—an essential fact of Christianity. Did the disciples forget where Jesus was buried and went to the wrong tomb? Where did the body go? Was it stolen? Although I’ve addressed Warfield’s comments about the empty tomb, the essay is well-worth reading in its entirety since Warfield also deals with the eyewitness accounts and historical circumstances surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus. What follows are selections from Warfield’s response to well-known critical biblical scholars of his day, David Strauss (1808-1874) of the Tübingen School, Friedrich Schleiermacher (1786-1834), the father of Protestant liberalism,and Ernest Renan (1823-1892) who, among other pursuits, was interested in the early development of Christianity. All three were well-known resurrection skeptics.

Warfield addresses Strauss’s “sorry hypothesis” that the disciples couldn’t remember where Jesus had been buried.

Is the admitted fact that Christ’s earliest followers were all convinced that he rose from the dead, adequately explained by the supposition that they were the victims of a delusion? We must remember that the testimony of eye-witnesses declares that Christ rose on the third day; and that we have thus to account for immediate faith. But, then, there is the dead body of Jesus lying in the grave! How could the whole body of those men be so deceived in so momentous a matter with the means of testing its truth ready at their hand? Hence, it is commonly admitted that the grave was now empty. Strauss alone resorts to the sorry hypothesis that the appearances of the risen Christ were all in Galilee, and that before the forty days which intervened before the disciples returned to Jerusalem had passed, the site of the grave (or dunghill) had been wholly forgotten by friend and foe alike.

To read the rest, follow the link below

Read More
“Why Then the Law?” Paul's Answer to that Question in Galatians 3:19-22

In Galatians 2:16, Paul makes his case that “a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” He goes on to ask the Galatians that since they began the Christian life “by the Spirit,” why were they foolishly trying to be perfected in the flesh (Galatians 3:2-6)? The apostle then spoke of the curse imposed by disobedience to the law, and again of how God’s people are justified through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:10-11). Paul also made the case that the Sinai covenant does not supersede the Abrahamic covenant (i.e., the covenant of grace), although the law was given 430 years after God’s covenant promise was made to Abraham (Galatians 3:15-18).

No doubt, Paul’s understanding of redemptive history raised a significant question in the minds of those Galatians who had been taken in by the Judaizers. If obedience to the the law cannot justify, and if the covenant promises God made to Abraham are not annulled by the covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai, why then did God give the law? What role and purpose does it serve? In Galatians 3:18-22, Paul offers five reasons why God gave the law to Israel.

To read the rest, follow the link below

Read More
"Baptism in the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:12-31) A New Episode of the Blessed Hope Podcast!

Episode Synopsis:

Almost all peoples and cultures seem to have some sort of utopian dream–a world of universal peace, prosperity, and harmony. John Lennon’s Imagine anyone? The problem with all utopian visions is that ours is a fallen race. Because we are a fallen race we all too often find ourselves divided along racial, socioeconomic, political, and theological lines. Much like the citizens of first century Corinth, we too struggle to find true unity in a world rife with division of all sorts. Because of human sin, the only way unity can be obtained is through force or coercion (“agree or else”), deception (like that of a false religion), or through a “kumbaya” unity (a superficial sentimentalism). The bad news is there will be no earthly utopia this side of Christ’s second advent. The good news is that God does provide us with a true unity based upon our common faith in Jesus Christ realized in the church through the person and work of the Holy Spirit. And while this unity is imperfectly realized in this life, nevertheless, in Christ’s church, God takes a whole host of diverse and different people and baptizes them in the Holy Spirit into one body, the church of Jesus Christ.

The root problem in the Corinthian church is that although many have come to confess that “Jesus is Lord,” they struggle to stop thinking and acting like the pagans they once were. Because factions have formed in the church, Paul must address the question of unity (that the body of Christ is one) while pointing out that the Holy Spirit gives a variety of gifts of the Spirit to the church’s members according to the will of God. God creates both unity and diversity by baptizing his people in the Holy Spirit when they confess that Jesus is Lord. He then signs and seals that baptism to believers and their children in Christian baptism. Where the sign is present (water), so too we believe the reality is present (union with Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit).

Paul also must deal with the fact that many of the Corinthians thought possessing certain gifts of the Spirit was a sign of their own importance and status. Paul corrects this misguided notion by connecting the “higher gifts” to God’s call of certain men to the offices of minister, elder, and deacon. He must also remind them that all of the members of the church are given at least one gift, making the least of them (in the eyes of others) an essential member of the congregation with gifts which are important to the whole. Every member and every gift they’ve been given is vital to Christ’s church.

There may be no utopia this side of the Lord’s return, but Jesus does establish a new society in his church–one in which there is both unity (their confession that Jesus is Lord) and diversity (each possesses gifts of the Spirit).

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

Read More
Calvin's Third Rule of Prayer

As noted in previous installments, Calvin’s discussion of prayer is especially helpful in uncertain times such as our own. His third rule of prayer focuses upon giving up on our own righteousness, confessing our sins, and pleading for pardon, in preparation for prayer. From this flows proper prayer.

Third Rule: We yield all confidence in ourselves and humbly plead for pardon.[1]

We come as humble suppliants for mercy

Calvin points out that we must consider who we are our and our sinful state before we undertake prayer.

Anyone who stands before God to pray, in his humility giving glory completely to God, abandon all thought of his own glory, cast off all notion of his own worth, in fine, put away all self-assurance—lest if we claim for ourselves anything, even the least bit, we should become vainly puffed up, and perish at his presence. We have repeated examples of this submission, which levels all haughtiness, in God’s servants; each one of whom, the holier he is, the more he is cast down when he presents himself before the Lord.

Calvin appeals to Daniel and David as illustrations of his point

Thus spoke Daniel, whom the Lord himself commended with so great a title: “We do not pour forth our prayers unto thee on the ground of our righteousnesses but on the ground of thy great mercy. O Lord, hear us; O Lord, be kindly unto us. Hear us, and do what we ask . . . for thine own sake . . . because thy name is called upon over thy people, and over thine holy place” (Dan. 9:18–19). Nor does he, by a devious figure of speech, as some men do, mingle with the crowd as one of the people. Rather he confesses his guilt as an individual, and as a suppliant takes refuge in God’s pardon, as he eloquently declares: “When I had … confessed my sin and the sin of my people” (Dan. 9:20). David also enjoins this humility by his own example: “Enter not into judgment with thy servant, for no man living is righteous before thee” (Ps. 143:2).

Isaiah and Jeremiah also provide illustration.

In such a form, Isaiah prays: “Behold, thou wert wroth, for we sinned . . . . The world is founded upon thy ways, therefore we shall be saved . . . . And all of us have been full of uncleanness, and all our righteousnesses like a filthy rag; we all have faded like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, scatter us. There is no one who calls upon thy name, who bestirs himself to take hold of thee. For thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast made us to melt away in the hand of our iniquities. Yet, O Lord, thou art our Father; we are the clay, thou art our potter and we are the work of thy hand. Be not angry, O Lord, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold now, consider, we are all thy people” (Isa. 64:5–9). Observe that they depend on no assurance whatever but this alone: that, reckoning themselves to be of God, they do not despair that he will take care of them. Likewise, Jeremiah: “Though our iniquities testify against us, act . . . for thy name’s sake” (Jer. 14:7).

To read the rest, follow the link below

Read More
“A Sabbath Rest for the People of God” Hebrews 4:1-13 (An Exposition of the Book of Hebrews–Part Six)

A Promised Rest for the Weary–The Promise of Psalm 95

For a tired and weary people, struggling in the face of all kinds of persecution and yet striving to persevere to the end in faith, nothing sounds better than God’s promise that at the end of the journey his people will enter his Sabbath rest. But God’s promised Sabbath rest is not merely physical rest from earthly burdens (although this is part of what is in view). Rest from our earthly burdens is merely an illustration of our heavenly rest which extends throughout all eternity. We enter into this eternal Sabbath rest when we place our trust in Jesus Christ.

As we move into chapter 4 of this remarkable book, we will take up the subject of the Christian Sabbath (the Lord’s Day). In this chapter, the author is continuing his discussion which began in the previous chapter when the author quoted the words of Psalm 95 and applied them to the congregation receiving this letter. This section (chapter 3:7-4:13) is part of the author’s case to demonstrate the superiority of Jesus Christ to Moses, and the new covenant to the old.

Psalm 95 was familiar to those Hellenistic Jews who became followers of Jesus Christ, and who composed the bulk of the congregation receiving this letter. This particular Psalm, which was read often in the synagogues as a celebration of the arrival of the Sabbath, is divided into two parts. The first part of the Psalm (vv. 1-7a) speaks of the proper worship of YHWH. The second half of the Psalm (vv. 7b-11), recounts Israel’s rebellion against YHWH at Meribah in the wilderness (an event recorded in Exodus 17). Hellenistic Jews understood the account of Israel’s rebellion as the sad story of one of the worst moments in Israel’s history and something not to be repeated.

To read the rest, follow the link below

Read More
“The Saving Power of the Gospel” -- Article Six, The Third and Fourth Main Points of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 6: The Saving Power of the Gospel

What, therefore, neither the light of nature nor the law can do, God accomplishes by the power of the Holy Spirit, through the Word or the ministry of reconciliation. This is the gospel about the Messiah, through which it has pleased God to save believers, in both the Old and the New Testament.

_________________________________________

How do people come to faith in Jesus Christ, if the light of nature only serves to render those of every race, tribe, and tongue without excuse (cf. Romans 1:20)?

Furthermore, how do people come to faith in Christ if the law was given, in part, to be the means of exposing our wickedness and inciting us to sin all the more, thereby demonstrating to us that we are guilty sinners who desperately need a savior?

Recall that under the first head of doctrine the authors of the Canons were very careful to point out that if there is nothing good which resides in us which motivates God to act on our behalf and deliver us from our sins, then the only reason why any of us come to faith in Jesus Christ is to be found solely in God’s goodness and graciousness. We have also seen that God elects to save a multitude of the fallen sons and daughters of Adam so vast that no one can count them. God delivers his elect from the guilt and power of their sins.

The only reason why any of those who are rendered without excuse by the light of nature and demonstrated to be guilty through the law come to faith in Christ at all, is to be found in God’s decree to save those he has chosen based upon reasons known only to himself.

But God not only ordains the ends—who will be saved—he also ordains the means by which he will save them. God graciously calls his elect to faith in Jesus through the foolishness of the preaching of the gospel—the point made here in article six.

To read the test, follow the link below

Read More
New Year Musings (1/3/2025)

Riddleblog and Blessed Hope Podcast Updates:

  • I am continuing my Riddleblog series, “Francis Schaeffer — Apologist and Evangelist,” as well as an exposition of the Book of Hebrews.

  • In season three of my Blessed Hope Podcast series on 1 Corinthians, we are tackling the controversies in chapters 12-14: Gifts of the Spirit, Baptism in the Spirit, the abiding characteristic of love, and the gift of tongues and their interpretation. What about the questions these chapters raise? Do the gifts of the Spirit continue today? What is the baptism in the Holy Spirit? Is tongues a known language (hint—”yes!”) or a heavenly or ecstatic utterance? (hint—”no!”).

Thinking Out Loud:

  • Kawnzaa is an absolute farce—invented by a convicted sex-offender as a Marxist alternative celebration for oppressed non-white people in lieu of Christmas. Festivus is a satirical holiday invented by Seinfeld writers as a mockery of the commercialization of Christmas (regardless of the motive, it was brilliant satire). Festivus grows more popular by the year on social media, while people (other than Kamala Harris who thinks it is wonderful) ask, “what is Kwanzaa?” I love the Festivus miracles, feats of strength, and especially the airing of grievances. Next year, “you people are rally gonna hear about it!”

  • I’m simply amazed how the evangelicalism of my youth—which stressed missions and evangelism, lay apologetics, and believed arguments over doctrine were important and worth having—has largely become a gospel-less, conglomeration of political tribes serving political masters, far more interested in social media diatribes and pastors as political pundits and culture warriors, than with the preaching of the gospel or biblically-based worship. Granted, there are a number of noteworthy exceptions. The Reformed can always find something worth debating, and there is a wonderful new emphasis on doctrinal retrieval.

  • The MAGA theme for 2025 will end up being “Let’s get ready to rumble!” But not against Trump’s political opponents. The MAGA in-fighting has already begun, the ultra thin MAGA majority in the House is gonna have trouble getting anything done. DOGE (which I love!!!) is gonna be challenged by hours of negative news coverage whining about how unfair it is for these poor, irreplaceable government workers to lose their jobs. If Trump can’t make good progress on a significant number of his campaign promises early in his term, MAGA is gonna get slaughtered in the midterms. It is far harder to defend a party’s record while in office than it is to criticize the party in office.

  • The pontificating of the Christian nationalists about what our government will be like when the millennial age dawns with them holding sway, is like me asking whether or not I should style my bald head with a mullet or a fade.

  • Has anyone else entertained the question as to why so many Christian nationalists strive to look like Civil War Confederate generals?

To read my reflections on 2024, hopes for 2025, and a bunch of links, follow the link below

Read More
Francis Schaeffer -- Apologist and Evangelist (Part Two)

The Life History of Francis Schaeffer

Schaeffer’s life spans a tumultuous period in American history–from World War One, the Great Depression, World War Two, then the debate over inerrancy among evangelicals (the only time I met and spoke with Schaeffer was at The International Congress on Biblical Inerrancy held in San Diego in 1980), and finally the initial phase of the culture wars and the rise of political activism among evangelicals closely associated with the pro-life movement (from the “Silent Majority” to the “Moral Majority”).

  • 1912 - Francis August Schaeffer was born January 30 in Germantown, PA. He was an only child.

  • 1930 - Schaeffer became a Christian at the age of eighteen after reading the Bible for a six-month period.[2]

  • 1932 - Met Edith Seville (his future wife) at the First Presbyterian Church of Germantown.

  • 1935 - Graduated from Hampden-Sydney College. Schaeffer was second in his senior class and graduated magna cum laude. Married Edith in the same year.

  • 1935 - Entered Westminster Theological Seminary, where he studied under Cornelius Van Til, Oswald T. Allis and J. Gresham Machen and was further immersed in confessional Calvinism.

  • 1937 - After a split with Westminster, Schaeffer transferred to Faith Theological Seminary (under Carl McIntire, Allan MacRae, and J. O. Buswell), which he helped to found.

  • 1938 - After graduation from Faith, he became the first ordained pastor in the new Bible Presbyterian Church.

  • 1938-47 - Served as pastor of several Bible Presbyterian Churches (most notably in St. Louis) throughout the east and midwest.

  • 1947 - After WWII, Schaeffer traveled throughout Europe as a representative of the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions.

  • 1948 - Moved to Lausanne, Switzerland as missionaries, helping Children for Christ.

  • 1951 - Schaeffer experienced a deep and profound spiritual crisis. This event drastically changed Schaeffer's ministry.

  • 1953-54 - Traveled extensively through the United States, lecturing on the subject of true spirituality.

  • 1955 - Resigned from the Independent Board of Foreign Missions, marking the formal beginning of the L'Abri Fellowship.

  • 1968 - Schaeffer publishes The God Who Is There, based upon a series of lectures given at Wheaton.

  • 1974 - Begins work on the book and film series, How Should We Then Live?

  • 1977 - Helped found International Congress on Biblical Inerrancy (ICBI).

  • 1977 - Began work on the Whatever Happened to the Human Race? book and film series.

  • 1978 - Diagnosed as having lymphoma cancer.

  • 1982 - Publication of The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer.

  • 1983 - Received honorary Doctor of Laws from the Simon Greenleaf School of Law.

  • 1984 - Died in his home in Rochester, Minnesota on May 15.

To read the rest (including Schaeffer’s crisis of faith) follow the link below

Read More
"Gifts of the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:1-11) A New Episode of the Blessed Hope Podcast!

Episode Synopsis:

One of the most divisive theological controversies of my lifetime was the charismatic movement with its stress upon baptism in the Holy Spirit as evident in speaking in tongues. Whenever the charismatic renewal spread to a new church, it immediately divided the church into two camps–those who experienced what they claimed was a new work of the Holy Spirit which manifested itself in the speaking with tongues, and those who thought such a thing was demonic and who did everything in their power to stamp out the movement before it could spread. Thankfully, that controversy has long since died down. It amazes me that I am able to tackle this now with little if any sense of controversy. What was once considered to be a very controversial subject is no longer–although we ought not allow the dormancy to make us complacent. These kinds of movements come in waves.

Throughout my years as a pastor, one of the most common questions from visitors and those checking out Christ Reformed Church was “do you think the gifts of the Spirit still operate today?” That sort of question is almost always asked by those who think the gifts do still operate and then head for the door if you say something like, “the gifts of the Spirit ceased at the end of the apostolic age, or at the close of the Canon of Scripture.” My answer often took inquirers by surprise: “Yes the gifts still operate today, but there are no more apostles.” That was to say that the more sensational (dare I say “spectacular”) gifts, like miracles and healing, were tied to the apostolic office. Once the Apostles gave way to ministers, elders, and deacons, these gifts were no longer normative in the church. But, yes, God still gives spiritual gifts to his people to build up the church and in service of others. A number of them are enumerated by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10.

As Paul takes up the next question put to him by the delegation from Corinth beginning in 1 Corinthians 12:1, he addresses the matter of spiritual things (the pneumata) and spiritual gifts (the charismata). The apostle will do several things in the opening section of this chapter (vv.1-11)–he will address the Corinthian’s faulty view of spiritual things (often more pagan than Christian), as well as inform them of the nature, character, and proper use of spiritual gifts in the church. These gifts are given to build up the body of Christ and enable believers to properly love one another. The gifts were not given to allow some in the church to demonstrate their superior piety, their self-importance, or their willingness to disrupt the worship service. The Corinthians must correct the abuses of these gifts and that starts with the affirmation that “Jesus is Lord.”

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

Read More
Warfield on What Paul Knew of Jesus

Throughout his later career, B. B. Warfield was a much sought-after encyclopedist. Before the internet and sites like Wikipedia, multi-volume encyclopedias were an important way to amass information on the whole range of subjects within a larger field of endeavor. The 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica 11th Edition was among the most famous of these.[1]

Christian scholars developed several notable such encyclopedias (i.e., the McClintock and Strong, Biblical Ccyclopedia; and the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia—ISBE. The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge (1910) was one of the most well-known and respected of these. At the time of its publication, Warfield held the chair of Professor of Didactic and Polemic Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. It was his job to pounce upon any and all departures from Presbyterian orthodoxy as expressed in the Westminster Standards. As a highly-esteemed scholar and a well-known theological conservative, Warfield was asked to write key entries in a number of these encyclopedias.

Warfield contributed the entry on “Jesus Christ,” for New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia (NSHERK). His essay can be found here in its entirety. I pulled out several of Warfield’s assertions about Paul’s knowledge of Jesus (given my Blessed Hope Podcastseries on the letters of Paul). Since Warfield was concerned to defend historic and orthodox Christianity, Warfield’s entry on “Jesus Christ” in NSHERK has a definite apologetic flavor. We certainly see this in Warfield’s treatment of Jesus and Paul.

___________________________________________

Paul As Witness from the Earliest Days of Christianity

Paul had known the Christian movement from its beginning; first from the outside, as one of the chief agents in its persecution, and then from the inside, as the most active leader of its propaganda [note: the term did not yet have the negative connotation it does now]. He was familiarly acquainted with the Apostles and other immediate followers of Jesus, and enjoyed repeated intercourse with them. He explicitly declares the harmony of their teaching with his, and joins with his their testimony to the great facts which he proclaimed. The complete consonance of his allusions to Jesus with what is gathered from the hints of the heathen historians is very striking. The person of Jesus fills the whole horizon of his thought, and gathers to itself all his religious emotions. That Jesus was the Messiah is the presupposition of all his speech of Him, and the Messianic title has already become his proper name behind which His real personal name, Jesus, has retired. This Messiah is definitely represented as a divine being who has entered the world on a mission of mercy to sinful man, in the prosecution of which He has given Himself up as a sacrifice for sin, but has risen again from the dead and ascended to the right hand of God, henceforth to rule as Lord of all. Around the two great facts, of the expiatory death of the Son of God and his rising again, Paul’s whole teaching circles. Jesus Christ as crucified, Christ risen from the dead as the first fruits of those that sleep—here is Paul’s whole gospel in summary (150-151).

To read the rest, follow the link below

Read More
“Christ is Faithful” Hebrews 3:1-19 (An Exposition of the Book of Hebrews–Part Five)

The Superiority of Jesus

In the first two chapters of this epistle, the author of Hebrews has built a very impressive case for the superiority of Jesus Christ to all things. Jesus, who is the radiance of the glory of God, is the creator of all. Yet the same Jesus who is God’s eternal son, now shares our flesh and blood by virtue of his incarnation. After dying for our sins and being raised from the dead, Jesus has been given the highest possible honor–he alone sits at God’s right hand. In the opening chapters of Hebrews, the author has demonstrated that Jesus is superior to angels as well as Israel’s priesthood. As we now move into chapter 3, the author begins to make his case that Jesus Christ is superior to Moses, and more importantly, he is the mediator of a far better covenant (the new covenant) than the covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai.

Writing to an unknown church in an unknown city, the unknown author of this epistle is addressing the difficult situation facing the congregation to which he is writing. Many in this church were Hellenistic Jews (Greek in culture, but Hebrew in theology) who had recently become Christians. In the face of opposition from their Jewish friends and family, and even perhaps from governing authorities, many in this church had given up on their faith in Jesus Christ and returned to Judaism. The epistle to the Hebrews is the author’s very pointed warning to those remaining in the church who were considering doing the same thing. He addresses head-on the gravity of the sin of apostasy, and will continue to do so throughout this letter.

To read the rest, follow the link below:

Read More
“The Inadequacy of the Law” -- Article Five, The Third and Fourth Main Points of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 5: The Inadequacy of the Law

In this respect, what is true of the light of nature is true also of the Ten Commandments given by God through Moses specifically to the Jews. For man cannot obtain saving grace through the Decalogue, because, although it does expose the magnitude of his sin and increasingly convict him of his guilt, yet it does not offer a remedy or enable him to escape from his misery, and, indeed, weakened as it is by the flesh, leaves the offender under the curse.

_______________________________________

Since the purpose of natural revelation is not to redeem humanity but to provide a natural knowledge of God as well as to further expose fallen humanities’ sinfulness, the authors of the Canons now turn to the question of the ability of Adam’s fallen race to satisfy God’s righteous requirements as they are revealed in the law.

Though it is absolutely clear from Scripture that the law is written upon the hearts of all of humanity—Paul makes this point in Romans 2:14-15—it is equally important for us to take note of the fact that the Ten Commandments give concrete and explicit content to that which is implicitly revealed in natural revelation. God’s revelation of the law to Moses at Mount Sinai (which is a republication of the terms of the covenant of works God made with Adam in Eden) is God’s act in making explicit (through publication) what had been only implicit (i.e. in the human heart) in general revelation.

It has been argued by some that, even after the fall, humanity can earn sufficient merit to attain a right standing before God on the basis of obedience to the law of nature (i.e. the light which God has given to all). But if the purpose of natural revelation was to give a natural knowledge of God and further expose humanities’ sinfulness, the same is certainly the true purpose of the law, only more so! The law can only condemn, not give life.

To read the rest, follow the link below

Read More
December Musings, Updates, and Lots of Links (12/13/2024)

Riddleblog and Blessed Hope Updates:

  • I have gathered all the essays from my recent ecclesiology series into one place (Christ’s Spotless Bride).

  • Recent and future episodes of the Blessed Hope Podcast deal with controversial subjects of much interest, such as the Lord’s Supper, spiritual gifts (including speaking in tongues), as well as the question of whether or not spiritual gifts are still operative in the church. I hope you’ll find these episodes helpful. I enjoyed putting them together. Given the subject matter, the episodes covering 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14, will be a tad longer than usual.

  • I’ll be taking a break from December 22, 2024 through January 1, 2025. Now that I’m retired I can do stuff like that.

Thinking Out Loud:

  • When someone says , “I don’t want to be that guy . .” you know full well that they are that guy and are about to correct you or raise some otherwise obvious observation.

  • Churchill at War (on Neflix) is very good—even if the actor really doesn’t look like Winston.

  • Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has recently floated the most ridiculous proposed rule change in MLB history (The “Golden at Bat). When Manfred retires, no doubt he’ll leave with a favorability rating on a par with Joe Biden’s.

  • Speaking of baseball, Juan Soto is a great player and a good get for the Mets. But at 765 million? That’s ridiculous. The Mets will eventually be hamstrung by that deal. I guess Bobby Bonilla will have to take a pay cut.

  • Lincoln Riley really makes me miss Pete Carroll.

  • NIL as currently constituted is destroying college football.

  • Anyone else watching NewsNation? So far, I really like the dinner time news coverage and program format. It reminds me of CNN and Fox when they first started and were news driven, not partisan cheerleaders.

To read the rest of “my musings” follow the link below

Read More
Calvin's Second Rule of Prayer

One thing all of God’s people can do in an uncertain time such as ours is to pray fervently and regularly while trusting in God’s providential purposes, whatever these purposes might be. John Calvin is a useful guide here. His rules for prayer are wise and simple.

In his second rule, Calvin cautions against rote prayers arising from habit and cold hearts. What do we seek when we pray?

The Second Rule—Repentance and a Sincere Sense of Need

The Sense of Need Excludes Unreality

Let this be the second rule: that in our petitions we ever sense our own insufficiency, and earnestly pondering how we need all that we seek, join with this prayer an earnest—nay, burning—desire to attain it. For many perfunctorily intone prayers after a set form, as if discharging a duty to God. And although they admit it to be a necessary remedy for their ills, because it would be fatal to lack the help of God which they are beseeching, still it appears that they perform this duty from habit, because their hearts are meanwhile cold, and they do not ponder what they ask.

Calvin also cautions against praying for forgiveness when someone does not truly acknowledge they are sinners. Such people mock God and are merely going through the motions because they are “stuffed with depravity.”

Indeed, a general and confused feeling of their need leads them to prayer, but it does not arouse them, as it were in present reality, to seek the relief of their poverty. Now what do we account more hateful or even execrable to God than the fiction of someone asking pardon for his sins, all the while either thinking he is not a sinner or at least not thinking he is a sinner? Unquestionably something in which God himself is mocked! Yet, as I have just said, mankind is so stuffed with such depravity that for the sake of mere performance men often beseech God for many things that they are dead sure will, apart from his kindness, come to them from some other source, or already lie in their possession.

To read the rest, follow the link below

Read More
"The Lord's Supper" -- A New Episode of the Blessed Hope Podcast! (1 Corinthians 11:17-34)

Episode Synopsis:

One of the saddest indicators of human sinfulness is found in the last half of 1 Corinthians 11. The sacrament of Christian unity (the Lord’s Supper) had instead become the occasion for further division in the Corinthian church. Paul laments that in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper the rich were exploiting the poor, the body of Christ was not properly being discerned, and the Supper was being celebrated in such an improper way that what was being done was not the Lord’s Supper and was actually doing more harm than good.

In this section of Paul’s Corinthian letter we find a description of how Christians in the apostolic age were to celebrate the Supper in Christian worship. Paul explains the words of institution given by Jesus just twenty years previously– “this is my body,” “this is my blood.” The Lords Supper is the new covenant fulfillment of the Passover meal centering upon eating the bread and drinking the wine wherein the signs (the bread and wine) are taken as though they were the thing signified, (Christ’s body and blood). And through faith what has been promised by Jesus, is actually received by his people.

Paul rebukes the Corinthians for the fiasco which the celebration of the Lord’s Supper had become, and he offers a number of common sense practical ways in which the Supper ought to be celebrated. Each member was to partake, they were to discern the body of Christ, and the service was to be conducted in an orderly manner when the church assembled on the Lord’s Day.

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

Read More
The Late Great Hal Lindsey (November 23, 1929-November 25, 2024)

Hal Lindsey has died at age 95. Here’s an obit in CT from Daniel Hummel—Hal Lindsey

Say what you will, Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth was the best-selling book in America during the 1970s. It was, I recall, the first theological book I picked out and read on my own as a young teen. That book was one of the reasons for my life-long interest in eschatology. Although now largely forgotten, Lindsey put the biblical prophecy industry on the map and opened the door for the Left Behind series and a host of other prophecy punditry.

My parody of Lindsey’s ever-changing mustache was one of the most popular posts on the old Riddleblog which I re-posted here several years ago. And There Will Be Signs on the Earth—Hal Lindsey’s Mustache

Read More
Christ's Spotless Bride -- Apostolicity As an Attribute of the Church (Part Nine)

Reformed Reflections

The last attribute of Christ’s church mentioned in the Nicene Creed is apostolicity—one holy, catholic, and apostolic church. According to Herman Bavinck, “apostolicity is undoubtedly a distinguishing mark of the church of Christ.”[1] Edmund Clowney adds, “the sure sign of Christ’s true church is the preaching of the apostolic gospel.”[2] Protestants generally, and especially the Reformed, see this attribute as closely connected to the apostolic gospel which gave birth to the church. Roman Catholics understand apostolicity to be essentially about the birth and organization of the church and its subsequent history (of which Rome claims to be the true heir), while the Eastern Orthodox closely tie apostolicity to the Eucharist and the succession of bishops who guard its purity. Protestants focus upon the message which is the foundation of the church (the gospel) while others tend to focus upon the history and continuity of the church as an institution which has its origin in the apostolic age (apostolic succession).

Not all Reformed folk frame the matter this way since the foundation of the church upon the preached gospel and its subsequent history of promulgation cannot be fully separated. J. A. Heyns, a South African theologian, contends that apostolicity is not on the same level as the previous three attributes. “Apostolicity is not an eschatological attribute . . . but rather the historical method by which the Church realizes those three attributes” (i.e, unity, holiness, catholicity). “Moreover,” says Heyns, “it is clear that ‘apostolic’ can easily be replaced by ‘biblical’ or ‘scriptural’, so that what is expressed by this term might equally well be included among the notae ecclesiae [marks of the church].” He concludes that “none the less, apostolicity . . . would indicate the Church’s historical continuity in respect of its origin, message, and task.”[3]

Michael Horton offers another important qualification. “Apostolicity is guaranteed neither by immanent history nor by inner immediacy; it is a gift from above, in time and across time. On this point . . . only the ministry of the Spirit working through the Word and the sacraments, maintaining discipline across the generations, is able to sustain this kind of integrated praxis.”[4]

As an attribute of the church, the meaning of apostolicity arises from Jesus Christ creating his church through the preached word in the days of the apostles and sustaining it across time through word and sacrament in the power of the Holy Spirit.

To read the rest, follow the link below

Read More