One of the fun perks of living and going to church in a large city like Chicago is that my church is often able to welcome distinguished Bible scholars to teach Sunday school or preach. This past Sunday morning, I enjoyed listening to Dr. Douglas Sweeney teach Sunday school on the life of Jonathan Edwards. … More Law and Gospel: the Two Parts of Scripture
What is the Abrahamic Covenant? As mentioned in my previous article on the covenant of grace, the outward administration of the covenant of grace began with Adam in Genesis 3:15. In the Abrahamic Covenant, that seed is beginning to germinate and blossom. God’s promises and plans become more revealed to Abraham. Meredith Kline said it … More Is the Abrahamic Covenant a Part of the Covenant of Grace?
Sometimes my children hear what they want to hear, not being careful to understand or represent my instructions accurately. Can anyone relate? One time at the dinner table, my young son said “Mommy, if you eat all your chicken I can have dessert.” Just a few days ago, I told my children “I’m planning to … More The Divine Decree: Is God the Author of Sin?
After Adam’s colossal defeat in keeping the covenant of works, we desperately needed redemption. We literally had to have a Champion who could represent us. This is really the purpose of the covenant of grace: To deliver us the mediator we urgently required in order to save us from total destruction! It’s a rescue operation … More The Covenant of Grace
I thoroughly enjoyed attending the Westminster Seminary California conference a couple of weeks ago! “Remembering the Canons After 400 Years” was a conference full of exciting history, challenging theology, and a restful focus on the gospel. I highly recommend checking out all of the speakers! Recordings of each session can be found here. The first … More Particular Redemption Matters
Last weekend, I attended the Westminster Seminary Conference in Escondido, California with my friend Angela, her husband, and another good friend. It was definitely time and money well spent as we learned about the history and theology of the Synod of Dort. In the first and second plenary session, Dr. W. Robert Godfrey spoke about … More How Calvinism Saved the Reformation
This past Christmas we enjoyed a wonderful time with family. Both of our sons were able to take leave from the Navy and returned home for the festivities. At the end of a Christmas day spent eating, drinking, and being merry…darkness fell. My mom disclosed she had breast cancer and would soon be undergoing surgery. … More Taking Comfort in God’s Providence
When my children were young they loved to build with Legos. They loved to construct magical Lego worlds and then play in them. As a dad, this often served as a backdrop creating the perfect opportunity to explain the covenant of works and the covenant of grace. I’d have them imagine they had the power … More Covenant Theology and the Proto-Evangelium
Happy New Year from The New Geneva blog! I love the idea of new beginnings. There’s something about a fresh start that I find inspiring and motivating. I’m sure it’s no surprise, then, that I love the celebration of each New Year. I had an especially great New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day this … More Angela’s 2018 Favorites
Churches really like to pull out all the stops at Christmas, don’t they? Maybe you’ve been to an over-the-top evangelical church Christmas service, like I have? I read something just this week that gave advice for churches who want to go all out on a Christmas service: “Usually the goal is to create a ‘Wow!’ … More Christmas Church Services: An Introduction to the Regulative Principle of Worship
