One Baptist’s studies in biblical, historical, systematic, and practical theology
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New Covenant Theology Introduction
In summary, New Covenant Theology (NCT) teaches that the Mosaic Law Covenant is obsolete, taking the full force of Hebrews 8:13 where it says, “In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete.” NCT states that Christians are now under a better covenant, the New Covenant in Christ’s blood and under the…
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How Galatians 3:16 Refutes the Doctrine of Paedobaptism
Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. (Galatians 3:16 ESV) Here Paul explains that the promises to Abraham were to Abraham and to Christ; not to the many people of…
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Van Til — The Federal Vision Connection
http://godshammer.wordpress.com/2014/08/09/van-til-the-federal-vision-connection/ The connection is in Van Til’s thought we cannot know what God knows. There can be no identity of content. All the Reformed confessions are the Christian system, but they’re not the divine system of theology. And, if that’s the case, that leaves theologians, or whoever, open to interpreting Scripture in various ways. If…
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A Baptist rebuttal to Dr. R. Scott Clark’s 117-word explanation of paedobaptism
Dr. Clark’s statement: The Abrahamic covenant is still in force. The administration of the Abrahamic covenant involved believers and their children (Gen 17). That’s why Peter said, “For the promise to you and to your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:39). That’s…
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An encouraging quote from Bunyan on the difficulty of prayer
“May I but speak my own experience, and from that tell you the difficulty of praying to God as I ought, it is enough to make your poor, blind, carnal men to entertain strange thoughts of me. For, as for my heart, when I go to pray, I find it so loth to go to…
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On 1 Corinthians 7:14 “as it is they [the children] are holy”
For the unbelieving husband is set apart for God by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is set apart for God by the husband. Otherwise your children would be corrupt, but now they are set apart for God. (1 Corinthians 7:14 HCSB) Most Bible versions translate hagios here to “holy” which is correct, except that it…
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A helpful rebuttal to the paedobaptist argument that Luke uses “brephe” (often translated “infant”) in chapter 18.
The Greek for infants, or babes, is usually brephe ; but even this word is sometimes applied to children that are not infants. Thus, Luke, in his narrative of this transaction, once uses the term (v. 15) in the same way as paidia, —rendered in our Version by “infants”. Here, however, the fact that Luke, in all other places in the…
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Luther’s Disputation Against Scholastic Theology
1. To say that Augustine exaggerates in speaking against heretics is to say that Augustine tells lies almost everywhere. This is contrary to common knowledge. 2. This is the same as permitting Pelagians and all heretics to triumph, indeed, the same as conceding victory to them. 3. It is the same as making sport of…
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Why as a Christian I stopped caring (so much) about politics
There was a time not long ago when I cared a great deal about politics and government, but as I read the Scriptures and became more shaped by them, my understanding began to change. What I saw in Scripture was that Christians can influence governments peacefully, and in special cases, sometimes God places Christians in…
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Eldership Notes
Geoff Thomas says that almost all preachers are elders, but few elders are preachers?? He sees the distinction here: I Tim.5:17 “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching” “Their own character and godliness is far more important to him than…