Tag Archives: justification

Forensic Friday: Machen on Paul

By D. G. Hart | Published: July 30, 2010

There could be no greater error, therefore, than that of representing the Pauline doctrine of justification by faith as a mere afterthought, as a mere weapon in controversy. Paul was interested in salvation from the guilt of sin no whit less than in salvation from the power of sin, in justification no whit less than… Read More→

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Where’s Waldo Wednesday: The Hidden Life

By D. G. Hart | Published: July 21, 2010

And now we observe . . . that on this fact the Apostle founds an exhortation. “If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above.” The exhortation is simply to an actual life consonant with our change of state. If we have participated in Christ’s death for sin and rising… Read More→

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Forensic Friday

By D. G. Hart | Published: July 16, 2010

For even though the law requires perfect righteousness from believers, they refer the demanding law to Christ, in whom they have become the righteousness of God; that is, a righteousness that is acceptable to God (Col. 1:14). If the law demands that believers shall pay for their sins, they refer the law again to Christ… Read More→

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Two-Kingdom Tuesday: The Gospel Makes the State Liberal

By D. G. Hart | Published: July 6, 2010

I have been kicking around for a while the way that some have kicked around the doctrine of the two kingdoms. (I myself prefer to call it the spirituality of the church, following the Old School Presbyterian tradition, which receives constitutional status, for instance, in the OPC’s Form of Government (3.4), which reads: “All church… Read More→

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Forensic Friday: Dominie Clark on Semi-Pelagianism

By D. G. Hart | Published: July 2, 2010

One of the great misconceptions about the Western church before the Reformation and therefore about the Reformation reaction to it is that the medieval church taught “salvation by works” or, more precisely, “justification by works” whereas the Reformation taught “salvation by grace” or, more precisely, “justification by grace.” There are a couple of reasons why… Read More→

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Where’s Waldo (A Day After) Wednesday

By D. G. Hart | Published: July 1, 2010

What you gotta like about this quote is the close proximity of justification and two-kingdom political theology. If water, the Spirit, and justification are what get you into the Kingdom of God, how exactly does that work for accounting? And the author even concedes that the claim is “hard” to accept, which might account for… Read More→

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Forensic Friday: The URCNA’s Nine Points

By D. G. Hart | Published: June 25, 2010

THE NINE POINTS OF (URCNA) SYNOD (SCHERERVILLE) 2007 Synod affirms that the Scriptures and confessions teach the doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone and that nothing that is taught under the rubric of covenant theology in our churches may contradict this fundamental doctrine. Therefore Synod rejects the errors of those: 1. who… Read More→

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Forensic Friday: Calvin on Osiander

By D. G. Hart | Published: June 18, 2010

Osiander objects that is would be insulting to God and contrary to this nature that he should justify those who actually remain wicked. Yet we must bear in mind what I have already said, that the grace of justification is not separated from regeneration, although they are things distinct. But because it is very well… Read More→

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Where’s Waldo Wednesday

By D. G. Hart | Published: June 16, 2010

It is often said that union is key to connecting justification and sanctification, the forensic and the renovative. In that light, Calvin’s discussion of the motivation for good works is surprising for the way that he counts union one among several other biblical grounds for sanctification. [Philosophers], while they wish particularly to exhort us to… Read More→

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Where’s Waldo Wednesday in the Tetrapolitan Confession*

By D. G. Hart | Published: June 9, 2010

Chapter 3 Of Justification and Faith . . . . First, therefore, since for some years we were taught that man’s own works are necessary for his justification, our preachers have taught that this whole justification is to be ascribed to the good pleasure of God and the merit of Christ, and to be received… Read More→

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