Posts by Derek Thomas

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It is a question that came my way recently: will God really condemn good people to hell? And the answer is yes. However, we need to approach the answer with some deliberate sensitivity. First, we need to assert three inviolable truths taught in Scripture: (1) Hell exists . No matter how distasteful...
"Love me, love my dog," they say, and my poor dog has been sick all summer and continues to be in bad shape. But it is not dogs I am writing about here; it is the church. Jesus seems to say, again and again: "Love me, love my church." Something is terribly wrong when professing Christians do not...
Interesting interview here with Thabiti Anyabwile.
"Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard, and the sacraments administered according to Christ's institution, there, it is not to be doubted, a church of God exists" (4.1.9). Thus Calvin identifies the two (not three) marks of a true church of Christ. In so doing, omitting the...
The Reformers affirmed the necessary distinction between the church visible and invisible; that is, between the one church of Christ on earth as man sees it, and the one church in heaven and earth as God sees it. The one is related to other but cannot be identified as equal. The identity between...
And thus we turn to Book 4 of the Institutes, the longest of the sections. How is the work of Christ on behalf of the elect appropriated? Answer: by faith in the gospel. But, since we are ignorant and slothful (Calvin's words), "we need outward helps to beget and increase faith within us" (4.1.1)...
The annihilation of the wicked was not a popular thought in the sixteenth century. Therefore, when Calvin discusses the resurrection of unbelievers, it is not so much the fact of their resurrection that is in view, but the implications of it. If unbelievers, too, are resurrected to "life," does...
It is important for Calvin to stress that the form of bodily resurrection does not break with the present creation; rather, it will be creations completion. In the resurrection God proves himself as the Giver of Life (3.25.4). The notion that the resurrected soul will not receive the same body but...
My former colleague in ministry in Belfast and good friend, Dr. John Ross, currently at Dumisani Theological Institute (King William's Town, South Africa) has written a fascinating piece on missions here . Ref21 readers will find it well worth reading.
If you haven't read Paul Helm latest review of Professor Charles' Partee's book, The Theology of John Calvin , do so immediately. You will find it here . As they say in Belfast, "It's a cracker!"
Machen's birthday (July 28) went almost unnoticed (blame Calvin), but our friend Martin Downes has put together a helpful Machen resource here .
In the continued coverage of the decision of the Church of Scotland to appoint an openly gay minister, our friend, David Robertson, editor of the Monthly Record (the official magazine of the Free Church of Scotland) has recently been cited in The Times newspaper as well as the Scottish press in...
Day 5: and more sermons: Ted Donnelly with a superlative exposition of the closing verses of Romans 8 (if you can get a hold of this sermon you should); Hywel Jones on the Elihu narratives in Job (making the case that Elihu was a godly preacher rather than a "wind-bag" as so many, myself included...
Phil Ryken trying to be me outside St. Pierre Cathedral, Geneva. Day 4 and 3 more sermons: Geoff Thomas on election, Joel Beeke on the church and Martin Holdt on Psalm 100. "How can you know if you are elect," Geoff Thomas asked. "If you have Jesus Christ in the grasp of your own faith, you are...
( Ligon Duncan preaching in St. Pierre Cathedral, Geneva ) Three more sermons today: Steve Lawson on Galatians 1:6-10, an uncompromising call to defend the gospel against all detractors after the fashion of the Reformer, Iain D. Campbell on Romans 8:26-27,34, on "Three Great Intercessions", and...
Another day of lectures and sermons: Evidently, Calvinists (the ones present at the Calvin500 celebrations) are prepared to hear three sermons in succession from 7-10 pm! Tonight, Phil Ryken gave an outstanding sermon in 1 Corinthians 16:5-11, illustrating Paul's constraint to preach the gospel...
Day 1 of the Calvin 500. Sinclair Ferguson opened the proceedings preaching from Calvin's pulpit (not really; that one fell to pieces and the present one is nineteenth century but in the same spot). His text was Philippians 3:8-12 in which he emphasized (using distinctly "old" perspective...
David Robertson, editor of the Free Church Monthly Record and minister of St. Peter's Free Church, Dundee, has written an editorial (to be published in the July edition) in which he has expressed some opinions regarding recent developments in the Church of Scotland. It can be viewed here .
Tim Keller and Ligon Duncan debated the issue of women and the deaconate at this year's PCA General Assembly in Orlando. Speaking as someone who was there amd heard it, this was the finest debate I have heard on a controversial issue, as much for the spirit of the debate as for its content. Our...
Our friend Martin Downes, has written a fascinating volume comprised of interviews with (among others) several members of the Ref21 blog team (Ligon Duncan, Sean Lucas, Carl Trueman, Iain D. Campbell and myself). Risking the Truth is published by CFP and they have made a download of Carl's...
Ref21 readers might be interested to read (obviously well edited) reports of a speech made by a member of Duke Street Church ( in South West London), a high court judge on the family issue. He had taken part in a BBC documentary which they axed because of its outspoken defence of marriage as an...
Apparently, in my distress tear-laden state I applied an incorrect hyperlink to the sermon preached by Dr Bill Barcley at Rev Carl's ordination.
Many of the Ref21 bloggers are at Disneyworld where this year's PCA General Assembly is meeting, Phil Ryken has been spied wearing Mickey Mouse ears. Sean Lucas was heard making a terrific Goofy impersonation and Ligon has not been seen; rumor has it he went to the Epcot Center and hasn't been seen...
More on Summer reading... My summer reading began with the publication of Calvin's Sermons on Genesis 1-11 (trans. Rob Roy McGregor, Banner of Truth). Preached in 1559-60 they prepresent particularly important evidence of the heart of the reformer's preaching. Stunning opening sentence (so very...
Calvin begins a new section here comprising five chapters given over to the nature of the Christian life. It knew a separate existence from the Institutes published as a booklet in its right. Referring to his love of brevity (yes!), Calvin begins by outlining his plan and method. Christians must...
This is one of the most memorable passages in all of the Institutes beginning with those words, "We are not our own..." For Calvin, self-denial and cross-bearing are the twin (negative) marks of our holiness. In this section Calvin is at his most eloquent. You can hear the preacher in him: "we are...
Yet more on purgatory; Calvin really does not like this absurd doctrine and takes up a passage, the interpretation of which has bothered folk in our time in an entirely different manner. What did Paul mean by saying that some will be saved "but only as through fire" (1 Cor.3: 15)? Those who...
3.5.3 - 3.5.8 More on the error of indulgences, "this impious dogma" and "more astounding blasphemy" which, by suggesting the worth of "the heavenly treasury" turns Christ into a mere "saintlet." He accuses the Roman church of twisting Paul's words in Colossians 1:24 - that in his own body he makes...
More attacks on man's perennial problem of a works-righteousness mentality, this time by medieval Catholic insistence that "love covers a multitude of sins" - that is, with God. Calvin correctly interprets misinterpreted passages of Scriptures viewed as suggesting that works of pity, love and...
Dr. John Ross has written another helpful reflection on matters relating to the recent General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, here .
David Meredith has blogged here , and David Robertson can be heard being interviewed for a local news station here .And Willie Philips response to his own congregation here .
From David Meredith, Free Church of Scotland minister (Smithton/Culloden) The news from Scotland is that the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland have voted 326 to 267 to allow a practising homosexual to be minister at Queen's Cross Church, Aberdeen. The exact finding of the Assembly is as...
We have just posted a piece by Phil Ryken in which he reflects on aspects of life for his grandparents during World War II.
Further to Phil's recent comment regarding A. N. Wilson's "slow return to faith," a reader has suggested that we point you to the full article in the New Statesman, here .
Trueman must be in Oregon. I recall the occasion to which he refers vividly (and, by the way, the best dinner EVER!). At first I thought my name was being dragged into the Miss California debacle. I'm pleading innocent, having never watched a beauty pageant in my life. But then, it was the Wagner...
Our friends at Christ the Center have recently interviewed Eric Alexander and it can be heard here .
Those of you following our Calvin blog will have noticed an interruption last week. The individual concerned has been apprehended and sent to the dungeons of First Presbyterian Church where an extraction of penance is underway. Meanwhile, Carl Trueman blogs this week on topics ranging from faith,...
I thought I'd heard it all but there's "nout as queer as folk" as they say in Yorkshire. A recent survey among churches in the UK revealed that men want more 'macho' hymns, less flowers and less dancing in church. The first few 'macho' hymns cited were (in order of macho-ness), 'Onward Christian...
Just a quick note in a shameless act of sycophancy to point you to Guy Waters' article in The Law is Not of Faith , edited by Bryan Estelle, J. V. Fesko and David Van Drunen (P & R, 2009) on the interpretation of Romans 10:5. A fascinating piece worth looking at. His citation of Turretin in the...
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus (Lk. 24:1-3). It's a familiar tale that Christians like us insist is true...
Carl Trueman reviews David Wells' The Courage to be Protestant in the latest edition of the The Ordained Servant (denominational magazine of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church) here . We saw it coming, of course: Wells' on "consumerism" and its linkage to capitalism was bound to strike a nerve...
Is it just me, or do others find that so many commentaries are not all that helpful? It has been my observation for some time but it returned with avengance in recent weeks. I'm preaching through 1 Samuel and have somewhere between 25-30 commentaries at hand ranging from Patristic to one published...
News has filtered out that our own Sean Lucas has received and accepted a call as the Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church, Hattiesburg, Mississippi (PCA). Brian Chapell released a formal note offering his congratulations on behalf of Covenant Seminary today. Sean takes up his new role in...
David Robertson sent me this link today of a recent interview he did on Premier Radio in London with the atheist blogger, Adrian Hayter. The program lasts 90 mins or so but what is interesting is the level of ignorance and prejudice expressed by Hayter as to basic Christianity. You might want to...
Blog 60 2.714 - 2.8.1 Obligation to the keep the law as believers seems to many to legalistic and contrary to the gospel. Antinomianism has ever been an issue and Calvin asks, "To what extent has the law been abrogated for believers?" Taking Matthew 5:17 and Jesus' words to the effect that he did...
The pedagogic (and first) use of law is to "shut our mouths" (Rom. 3:19), not so as to lead us to utter despair (as is the case with the reprobate) but to lead us to Christ: "But in Christ his face shines, full of grace and gentleness, even upon us poor and unworthy sinners" (2.7.8). This is true...
More covenant theology from Calvin: the covenant with David is a line of continuity with Moses, and the entirety as a preparation for the coming of Christ. Calvin walks between the (Lutheran) Scylla that the sole purpose of the law is pedagogic (what Calvin calls the narrow sense, "Christ is the...
More Christ-centered hermeneutics from Calvin: in short, that what is seen in the New is promised in the Old; that by covenant (mentioned five times in section 2.6.3 alone) God administers salvation by one means - "the hope of all the godly has ever reposed in Christ alone" (2.6.3); that "apart...
More arguments against Calvin's view of free will emerge. One from Ecclesiasticus which Calvin, knowing it to be of dubious authority as an apocryphal document, nevertheless patiently answers viewing these texts as "supportive" of his point of view even if they are apocryphal. Next, Luke 10:30,...
For those who have not yet purchased all things Bavinck in the hope that Christmas may come sooner in 2009, there is good news: our friends at Reformation Heritage Books , Joel Heflin and Feeding on Christ co-sponsoring an event which includes free copies of books by Bavnick. Interested parties...