Although these Old Testament texts can give great insight into the atonement, the New Testament must also be examined to give complete clarity on whether Jesus died for the entire human race or merely for the elect. In “The Work of Christ,” Robert Letham powerfully demonstrates that Jesus didn’t merely suffer on the cross, He suffered for sin on the cross, as God, “Made made him to be sin who knew no sin… ” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV).… Read more
Isaiah’s prophecy about the coming Savior gives us further details on the nature of Christ’s atonement. From this, we can draw implications for whom His atonement was made. In his essay “Stricken for the Transgression of My People,” J. Alec Motyer expounds on the various requirements for a proper penal substitute. His more literal translation of Isaiah 53:5 reads, “He was wounded because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities.” Further, he renders 53:8, “He was cut down from the land of the living because of the rebellion of my people to whom the blow belonged.”… Read more
In pondering the nature of Christ’s death on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for sinners, the necessary question that must be drawn from this is, “For whom did Christ make atonement?” In John’s First Epistle, we read, “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2 ESV). Initially, it might seem that this verse would answer this question without the need for further debate – that Christ died for the sins of every person who ever lived.… Read more
Note to the reader: This is the first of what will be an ongoing series on how Christians should be thinking and living in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike previous series that have had a defined plan and trajectory, this series will cover a wide variety of topics related to the current situation.
All of us are constantly making plans for our lives, even if we’re not doing anything extraordinary. We plan to get up every day to go to work and then come home to our family.… Read more
Covenant Signs
With this knowledge of the level of covenant discontinuity, the covenant signs, circumcision and baptism, can be compared. Steven Wellum further discusses that under the Abrahamic covenant, circumcision “marked out a national entity. … God chose one man and his seed to grow into a nation to prepare the way for the coming of Christ. Circumcision…served as a physical sign to mark out a nation and to distinguish [Israel] as his people.” Although this signified their national heritage as God’s people regardless of the faithfulness of individual members, circumcision also showed the need for the Israelites’ hearts to be circumcised.… Read more
Note to the reader: This article is unusually long given the complexity of the topic. I’ve made every effort to balance conciseness and thoroughness. Although longer than the articles that you are accustomed to reading, I appreciate the reader’s patience and time investment in wrestling with this important issue.
Introduction
“The gift of singleness.” The mere mention of it quickly leads to quips from single twenty (or thirty)-somethings of it being “the gift that nobody wants.”… Read more
When observing the New Covenant in light of the Old, Paul Jewett explains, “stress should…be laid on its unity. The covenant idea is a fundamental concept of redemptive revelation: it unites the entire purpose of God throughout salvation history.” Despite this, there is still a level of discontinuity between the physical seed, Israel, and the spiritual seed, the church. The physical seed had a mixture of faithful and unfaithful participants, but in the case of the spiritual seed, all participants confess Christ.… Read more
Introduction
Although there is much unity among Reformed Baptists and Presbyterians on the fundamental issues of the Christian faith, one of the most enduring debates that continues is the issue of baptism. Who should be baptized? Is baptism for believers and their children, or is it only for believers upon a profession of faith in Christ? The answer to this question rests on how we understand the Old and New Covenants, and their corresponding signs, circumcision and baptism.… Read more
In Matthew’s account of Christ’s birth, there is one verse whose implications may be easily glossed over. In the second chapter, we read of how the Lord warned Joseph to flee to Egypt, as Herod desired to kill Jesus, fearing his future kingly reign. Upon Herod’s death, they are then able to return where we read, “This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.'” (v.… Read more
Thanksgiving is one of America’s favorite holidays. A time to spend with those you love, eat too much food, watch football, and battle all the holiday traffic if you’re unlucky enough to have to travel to someone. Although appropriated by the wider culture at large, Thanksgiving is a uniquely Christian holiday. After all, why give thanks if you have no one to thank?
Many of us have had a good year, and many things come to mind for which we are grateful.… Read more