Reformed Forum

Lane Tipton is in the studio with Camden Bucey to discuss the doctrine of salvation and union with Christ from the eschatological perspective of redemption accomplished and applied. On the heels of recording a new course on the topic with Dr. Tipton, they discuss the foundational categories of _historia salutis_ and _ordo salutis_ as well as how Jesus’s resurrection was simultaneously his justification, adoption, sanctification, and glorification. They then connect the death and resurrection of Christ to the application of his work by the Holy Spirit to individual believers in history.

Direct download: ctc700.mp3
Category:Christ the Center -- posted at: 11:00pm CDT

In Hosea 10 the prophet likens Israel to a vineyard and and garden - but not a very fruitful one. In fact, her covenants with the nations has given rise to terrible idolatry, which is spiritual adultery. She is faithless and therefore fruitless. But the judgment and curse God pronounced upon her would not finally fall upon her, but on him who is the true vine. And now as branches in that vine, we have redemption and the grace to bear good fruit. 

Direct download: pc099.mp3
Category:Proclaiming Christ -- posted at: 11:00pm CDT

Drs. G. K. Beale and Benjamin Gladd speak about their book The Story Retold: A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament (IVP Academic) in which they seek to couch every major passage of Scripture within the broad history of redemption, making sense of the New Testament in light of the Old. New Testament introductions typically either emphasize the history behind the text through discussions of authorship, dating, and audience or explore the content of the text itself. This introduction is unique in that it considers the Old Testament background to the New Testament and the overarching narrative of redemption throughout all of redemptive-history.

Dr. G. K. Beale is Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Benjamin L. Gladd is Associate Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi.

Links

Direct download: ctc699.mp3
Category:Christ the Center -- posted at: 11:00pm CDT

Direct download: rmr137.mp3
Category:Reformed Media Review -- posted at: 11:00pm CDT

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob continue a discussion of John Bunyan’s, The Pilgrim’s Progress, Book 2. In this episode, we discuss how the Christiana, Mercy, and the boys make their way past the place where Christian's burden fell

Direct download: tsp232.mp3
Category:Theology Simply Profound -- posted at: 4:17pm CDT

We turn to pages 255–256 of Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the ways in which the Old Testament prophets use anthropomorphism to describe God. The “emotional” or “affectional” dispositions of Jehovah’s nature is the next set of attributes. He says, as a guiding principle, “we are here in a sphere full of anthropomorphism” and says that “an anthropomorphism” is never without an “inner core of important truth” that “must be translated into more theological language” where we can “enrich our knowledge of God” (255).

Vos makes an absolutely critical observation here that needs sustained attention to the theological issues he raises here. They are as important in our day as in Vos’ if not more so. Anthropomorphic language ascribes the qualities of the creature to God’s acts in time. But such language is never intended by Reformed theologians to be taken in a univocal way, as though God literally possesses creaturely qualities.

  1. God’s acts in time do not require him to be temporal.
  2. God acts in the contingent historical order of creation do not require him to be contingent and historical.
  3. God’s acts in relation to mutable and passible creatures do not require that he be mutable and passible like the creature.
  4. There is no point of univocity between the Creator and the creature—no mutual sharing in mutability and temporality.
Direct download: ctc698.mp3
Category:Christ the Center -- posted at: 11:00pm CDT

Direct download: rmr136.mp3
Category:Reformed Media Review -- posted at: 11:00pm CDT

We welcome Dr. Rita Cefalu to speak about the rich biblical-theological themes regarding Christ in Acts 2–3. Dr. Cefalu has written, “The Sufferings and Glory of Jesus the Messiah in Acts 2–3,” which appears in The Seed of Promise: The Sufferings and Glory of the Messiah: Essays in Honor of T. Desmond Alexander (Glossa House), co-edited by Dr. Cefalu and Paul R. Williamson.

This book is a festschrift presented to T. Desmond Alexander on the year of his 65th birthday. In distinction from other volumes of this type, this book is structured around the biblical theological theme of the seed promise of Genesis 3:15, with its sub-theme focused on the sufferings and glory of the Messiah. Accordingly, biblical scholars (both OT and NT), who have in some capacity benefited from Dr. Alexander’s scholarship and are known for their work in particular books of the Bible and/or the discipline of biblical theology, investigate these particular themes in light of their respective books.

Direct download: ctc697.mp3
Category:Christ the Center -- posted at: 11:00pm CDT

Camden Bucey and Lane Tipton discuss Lefferts A. Loetscher, The Broadening Church A Study of Theological Issues in the Presbyterian Church Since 1869 (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1954).

From the Publisher:

The far-reaching social and intellectual changes in the United States since the Civil War have had a definite effect upon the religious thought of American churches. In this volume, a distinguished scholar and theologian has undertaken an inductive study of theological issues in one of the major denominations, the Presbyterian church in the United States of America. Since this church was in the thick of the social and intellectual ferment that changed the living and thinking habits of Americans, much that transpired in it finds broad parallels in other leading American churches. Thus, the story of the Presbyterian church is, in essence, a kind of theological barometer of American history. Avoiding sweeping generalizations, Lefferts A. Loetscher briefly traces the history of the Presbyterian church from its founding by New England Puritans on Long Island in the 1640s to the disruption of 1837 and the "wedding day" of Old School and New School Presbyterians in 1870, following the reunion of 1869. From this point, he examines in detail the development of the church, analyzing the controversies that occurred over the years, interpreting the various theological issues that led to disputes.

Lefferts A. Loetscher was Professor Emeritus of American Church History at Princeton University. He is the author of A Brief History of the Presbyterians.

Links

Direct download: rmr135.mp3
Category:Reformed Media Review -- posted at: 1:12pm CDT

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob continue a discussion of John Bunyan’s, The Pilgrim’s Progress, Book 2. In this episode, we discuss how the Interpreter prepares Christiana, Mercy, and the boys for the pilgrimage that is before them.

Direct download: tsp231.mp3
Category:Theology Simply Profound -- posted at: 5:10pm CDT

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