This week on Theology Simply Profound, Bob reads from his 1923 edition of J. Gresham Machen's classic work, Christianity and Liberalism, Chapter 5, Christ.

Glen Clary and Camden Bucey speak about their addresses at the recent theology conference. Glen covered the topic of ascending the mountain of the Lord and the role of the tabernacle and sacrificial system in the Sinai Covenant. Camden compared Galatians 2–4 with Romans 7–8 in order to address Paul's phrase that "the law is Spiritual" in Romans 7:14.

Jeff Waddington, Lane Tipton, Glen Clary, Jim Cassidy, and Camden Bucey answer questions at the Reformed Forum Theology Conference held at Hope OPC in Grayslake, Illinois on October 12, 2019.

Dr. Jeffrey C. Waddington delivers a plenary address at the 2019 Reformed Forum Theology Conference held at Hope OPC in Grayslake, Illinois.

Dr. Lane G. Tipton delivers his first plenary address at the 2019 Reformed Forum Theology Conference held at Hope OPC in Grayslake, Illinois.

Dr. Lane G. Tipton delivers his second plenary address at the 2019 Reformed Forum Theology Conference held at Hope OPC in Grayslake, Illinois. In this address, he discusses Paul's Christological interpretation of the new beginning in 1 Corinthians 15:45–49.

Dr. Alan Strange discusses the Westminster Assembly and the Westminster Standards and whether they affirmed the imputation of Christ's active obedience as necessary for our justification. Strange has written, The Imputation of the Active Obedience of Christ in the Westminster Standards, which is published by Reformation Heritage Books in their Explorations in Reformed Confessional Theology series.

In the book, Strange gives a survey of church history before and during the Reformation to see how the Assembly relates to the tradition before it. He reflects on the relation of imputation to federal theology, modern challenges to the doctrine, and important rules for interpreting the confessional document.

Dr. Strange is professor of church history at Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana.

Links

Strange, "The Imputation of the Active Obedience of Christ"

Camden Bucey speaks at our 2019 Theology Conference held at Hope OPC in Grayslake, Illinois. The theme of the conference is “The Law Is Spiritual,” which is a phrase that comes from Romans 7:14. This is a verse that has been a perennial challenge for interpreters. What does it mean for the law to be “spiritual”? In this opening lecture, Dr. Bucey offers several exegetical, hermeneutical, and biblical-theological suggestions for approaching this difficult verse and its immediate context, namely Romans 7. This is a sketch of what could be developed in due course.

There is a typological and eschatological difference post-Pentecost. This is a fundamental point of Paul’s epistle to the Galatians. There is deep congruence between Galatians’ structure and that of Romans. It is interesting to compare the flow of Paul’s argument in Galatians with that of Romans. If that is true, you should be able to look to one letter for assistance when the other is particularly difficult to understand. Romans 7 is one of those chapters, particularly with regard to the so-called “schizophrenic I.”[1] When Paul uses the first-person singular pronoun, what does he mean?

The ancient
church held the view that Paul was referring to himself when he was an
unbeliever. The Augustinian and Reformational tradition viewed it as the
struggle of a believer battling with indwelling sin in this age. Others have
argued for a redemptive-historical view that Paul describes life under the Old
Covenant.

We will
consider consider the hypothesis that Romans 7:14a is explained in part by
Galatians 3:19 and Galatians 3:22–24 sheds light on Romans 7:14b. The struggle
of Romans 7 is that of the earthly/dust (χοϊκός) man (1 Corinthians 15:47–48). The law originates from heaven
and guides us as a pedagogue unto the precipice just as Moses brought the
people to the Jordan. But to cross over into the promised land, we need the man
of heaven, the life-giving Spirit. Once there, we can offer the obedience of
faith (Romans 1:5), which was the goal of the law in the first place (Romans
8:4).

[1] See Dennis Johnson’s chapter in Resurrection and Eschatology: Essays in Honor of Richard B. Gaffin, Jr.

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob pick up their discussion of Malachi 2:17–3:6 where they discuss Malachi's presentation of the coming of God, as well as the words made made well-known by Handel's Messiah, "...He is like a refiner's fire..."

Todd M. Rester speaks about the theology of Petrus Van Mastricht (1630–1706). Dr. Rester has served as a translator of Mastricht's Theoretical-Practical Theology, which is being published by Reformation Heritage Books and edited by Dr. Joel Beeke. As of this interview, the first two volumes (Prolegomena and Faith in the Triune God) are available. Mastricht presents a theological method particularly instructive for contemporary readers, treating every theological topic according to exegetical, dogmatic, elenctic, and practical concerns.

Dr. Rester is associate professor of church history at Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, Pennsylvania. He has served as a post-doctoral research fellow for the EU European Research Council project and at Queen’s University Belfast.

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Bob reads from J. Gresham Machen's 1923 classic work, Christianity and Liberalism, Chapter 4, The Bible.

Dr. Bracy V. Hill, senior lecturer in history at Baylor University, speaks about Christian perspectives on sport hunting. While hunting isn't the first thing on the minds of biblical scholars, hunting is mentioned and used in numerous metaphors throughout Scripture. One particularly mysterious account is that of Nimrod in Genesis 10. Moreover, the activity of hunting raises many important theological issues, such as man's relationship to creation, the nature and eschatology of death, and the Christian's directedness away from a wilderness toward a heavenly city.

Dr. Hill is co-editor of God, Nimrod, and the World: Exploring Christian Perspectives on Sport Hunting in which many of these themes are addressed. Dr. Hill is the author of many article and wrote a dissertation titled, “The Language of Dissent: The Defense of Eighteenth-Century English Dissent in the Works and Sermons of James Peirce." He also appeared on the Meateater Podcast to discuss many of these themes but to an audience of hunters.

The conflict between Jacob and Esau serves as a paradigm for the redemptive conflict of the ages. God uses what the world would consider weak to accomplish his plan and demonstrate his power.

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Bob reads from J. Gresham Machen's 1923 classic work, Christianity and Liberalism, Chapter 3, God and Man.