Theological Treatises

  Avoiding Religious Nonsense This little treatise is especially written for younger disciples of Jesus--but it is also relevant for all Christians who wish to ascend to the highest glories they can attain to in the Messiah in this life.   As we embark on the New Year, it would be a good time to be reminded that our  best  friends are those who love Christ, His church, and His gospel; and that our  worst  enemies are those who would rob us of Christ, His church, and His gospel.  In this vein, it is my contention (and experience) that the most nefarious thieves are "religious" ones; and so I would like to suggest to you some safeguards.  Keep in mind that all of these "guiderails" presuppose a living faith in the Redeemer, and a true and sincere love for Him.  Here is my list. . . .   First of all, avoid all forms of self-righteousness.  Our greatest foes are within; and all those voices and forces that speak "wel...

  Is Our Glorified Lord Jesus Christ  Still  Jewish? For some reason, I have had this question in my mind for a while.  I would rather write about something else, but this seems to keep coming up (in my thinking).  My approach will be unique to me: I am going to  start  writing, and see  where  we end up.  I am not even sure what I believe about the question (above) right now.  If I go astray somewhere, please correct me.  Thank-you.  Let us embark on this adventure, and trust God for a good result. . . .   First of all, let us establish the  easy  part: we know that Jesus Christ  was  Jewish, from at least the moment of His circumcision on the eighth day (Lk. 2:21).  The Lord Jesus  had  to come through the tribe of Judah, and the Davidic line--and He possessed this (properly) through Mary's humanity.  So, we know that our Lord Jesus...

  The Singular and Superior Greatness of The Christian Religion I would rather use the term, "Kingdom of God [or Christ]," but this title (above) has an even-broader appeal in the world (generally)--so, it will suffice.   The point I wish to make, is that ever since our Lord Jesus Christ poured out the Blessed Holy Spirit on His church at Pentecost, the world has  never  been the same; and the changes are  dramatic  in the extreme.  And ALL of this is because of the expanding nature of Christ's churched Kingdom.   Whereas darkness and constitutional idolatry covered the earth before the outbreak of the Kingdom of God--now,  everything  has been affected by it (the Kingdom).  All of this is a result of the Spirit's work in the elect children of Christ's church.   We all know the very common, but frankly ignorant objections to the singular superiority of the Christian religion; do we not?  How often do we hear...

  Who Knows The Father? Sometimes we Christians mistakenly (perhaps even accidentally) say that some unbelievers "know" The Father (the First Person of The Holy Trinity), even though we grant that they do  not  "know" The Son, Jesus Christ the Lord.  This is a mistake that is easily understood; and we should not be too hard on people who (perhaps offhandedly) make it.   The  brutal  truth--and this is often hard for people to accept--is that The Father, the true First Person of The Holy Trinity, is ONLY known by those sinners who, because of sovereign grace, have become atoned-for saints through their God-given regenerative faith in The Son, Jesus Christ the Redeemer.   With regard to this, three important things should be stated right up front. . . . First,  that  Jesus Christ (with The Holy Spirit) is the *Proper*, if you will, (initial)  "Know-er"  of The Father.  He intimates this, in Jn. 6:46.  Sec...

  We Are So Messed-Up So, if you have chosen to read this, you are pretty brave.  You come at it with one of two (inevitable) perspectives:  either  that of a sinner saved by grace;  or  that of one prepared to defend yourself against truths you do not want to hear (and will not hear).  But, I wish to comfort you, if you know yourself to be a sinner; and one who now has your entire identity tied-up with the Lord Jesus Christ.  You have  nothing  to fear; and  every  reason to be encouraged.   The truth is, that in Adam and his Fall, we are  completely  messed-up, fouled-up, corrupted, twisted, contorted, and perverted.  It is  not  a pretty picture--but it is very helpful for the saints to  accept  the truth,  acknowledge  it, and  rejoice  that we have now been set free in Jesus and His blood atonement of us.   Our fallenness is much  wor...

  The Puritan Hope The so-called, "Puritan Hope" is the belief, based  especially  on Paul's words of Rom. 11:12 & 15 [quoted below], that there will come a time (yet in the future) when Jews in very large numbers will be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and will be united to the Messiah Jesus Christ and His one (already-existing) holy, catholic, and apostolic church.  This position has been held by many Reformed theologians over the centuries, so it is not the exclusive purview of the Puritans.  (Iain Murray has written a book by this title; and he [Iain] features John Murray as a prominent 20th century theologian who held this view.)   In succinctness,  here  are the words that both engender and inspire "The Puritan Hope." . . . "Now if their [the Jews'] trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles,  how much more will their full inclusion mean!  . . . For if their rejection means...

  Christ's Spiritual "Special Forces" Many of the world's militaries, including those of the United States, have some  highly -specialized and -trained "Special Forces," who are entrusted with some of the most dangerous and important missions imaginable.  (America has her Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, Green Berets, and Marine Recon units [among others].)  What I would like to propose, is that God's church has  her  "elite troops," too--and that anyone who regeneratively  believes  in Jesus Christ,  loves  God in and through Jesus Christ, and is properly- joined  to the church of Jesus Christ (via baptism, vow, and membership)--is  eligible  to enlist.  This would include young and old, male and female, and people of all ethnicities and colors.  And though it  is  true, that  some  missions are reserved for more  experienced  fighters,  all  of these soldiers...

  Augustine's View of Creation It has been said, that Augustine was more intensely-interested in the doctrine of  Creation,  than anything else.  This may  very  well be true--even though the great church father was passionately-consumed with many other critically-important theological issues, as well.   We usually think of Augustine in terms of his magnum opus ( City of God ), or his "best-seller," ( Confessions ); but he wrote a wonderful book (completed in 415 AD), entitled,  The Literal Meaning of Genesis , wherein he placed the bulk of his attention on the first three chapters (of Genesis), very largely focusing on God's Creation of the universe.   Augustine felt compelled, I think, to adopt the view of "instantaneous" Creation, (my word, here), because of his understanding of the  nature  of  Creation  itself, vis.-a-vis.  God  Himself.  What I mean is, that for Augustine, for something ...

  How Do we Know we Are Right? Have you ever asked yourself this question?  What gives  us --and, for sake of clarity, I will mean by  "us"  (particularly) those convinced and convicted members of the Reformed expression of the Christian religion-- both  the  "right"  and the  "confidence"  to boldly state that we  are,  with regard to religious debate,  "in the right"?   This is actually a very good, and important question.  I would like to forthrightly  answer  the query; and then seek to work out some of the details (that I am quite certain may be on many people's minds). . . .   The  true regenerated  saints of Christ's church--and in this case, we will include those who are members of any number of orthodox Christian communions (denominations)--know that they are "in the right" because of the  internal witness of the Holy Spirit within them,  (cf. for now Rom...

  Jonathan Edwards' Four-Fold Expanding Glory of Christ's Kingdom Banner of Truth did a  very  nice job of printing and binding Jonathan Edwards' book, entitled,  A History of The Work of Redemption .  I have not finished it, but I have gotten through the first part of "Period 3: From The Resurrection of Christ To the End of The World," (pp. 255-270).  This is some of the  best  reading I have ever enjoyed; and I look forward to carefully digesting the rest of this fine tome.   But I wanted to reflect on what Edwards has laid-out so far; and run some things by you all.  Edwards discerns--mostly from OT prophecies-- that Christ's expanding glory in the New Covenant did (or will) encompass  four  main events.  The  first  one he mentions is the destruction of Jerusalem and the old Jewish religious system.  The  second  is the conversion of Constantine in 312 AD (and the ove...

  The Woman Who Saved The World OK;  so  she really did  not  (literally) "save" the world.  (I  knew  that title  might  grab your attention.)  We know that  only  Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.  But this woman that I will refer to  did  save the Messianic line from extinction.  Have you ever heard of her?  Her name is Jehoshabeath, and we read of her in 2 Chron. 22:11-12.   Athaliah, the wicked woman who usurped the throne of Judah, was in the process of murdering all the sons of the now-deceased legitimate Davidic king (whose name was Ahaziah).  Ahaziah had perished, in a foolish effort to visit the evil king of Israel (whose name was Joram).   God  Himself specifically "ordained" Ahaziah's "downfall," (see 2 Chron. 22:7).   Ahaziah was actually Athaliah's son; and Athaliah then began the project of seeking to murder all of th...