Chelsea Hauk, a reporter with Bryan County Now–a division of the Savannah Morning News, was kind enough to interview me today with regard to the work involved with planting New Covenant Presbyterian Church. Chelsea asked a really great question at the end of the interview. You can listen here.

There has been a fair bit of discussion about the so-called “two kingdoms” doctrine in Reformed circles of late.  Two books have recently been released that get at the topic from a (theologically informed) historical vantage point.  The first is by University of Chattanooga history professor William J. Wright and is entitled Martin Luther’s Understanding of God’s Two Kingdoms:  A Response to the Challenge of Skepticism and can be found here.  Professor Wright seeks to untangle Luther’s doctrine from its associations with Christian passivity in the face of Hitler …

John 10:36-38 Do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.
Romans 1:4-7 And was declared to be the Son of God in power according to …

Dogmatics takes for its starting point the certainty of God’s existence. Everything else is details. For Bavinck the outset of Christian theology has one thing in common with the long history of critical reflection on God’s existence: he is unknowable. But nonattainability of the knowledge of God is not the same as nothing. As long as scripture remains objectively center we worship whom we know.
The greatest dangers to theology are words and a devaluation of mystery. If theology becomes an exercise of rhetoric or replaces its objective vision (revelation) for …

It is commonplace, in many Reformed churches, for ministers to use Hebrews 13:20-21 as a benediction at the end of a worship service. It is perhaps my favorite of all the benedictions we use. But as is true with all Scripture, we sometimes have a tendency to read over–and even memorize–portions of Scripture thoughtlessly. Such was the case, in my experience, with the phrase in Hebrews 13:20: “Now, may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead through the blood of the everlasting covenant, our Lord Jesus, that …

Below is the audio and video from the Sunday morning sermon preached at New Covenant Presbyterian Church in Richmond Hill, GA. The text was Acts 2:1-13 and the title was “When Jesus Shows Up at Pentecost.

When Jesus Comes to Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13) from Nicholas T. Batzig
Audio

Big news, as one of my mentors, Phil Ryken, accepts the call to be the new President of Wheaton College. You can read about it here, here and here. Pray for Tenth Presbyterian Church as they will now need to find someone suitable to replace such a faithful and gifted man.

Last Sunday Evening I preached a message on Romans 5:6-11 at New Covenant Presbyterian Church. The title of the sermon was “Much More Then.” Having gone back and listened to it I’ve come to realize that I did not preach the text as fully or carefully as I should have. Can you figure out what was left out? It is a lack of reference to a crucial part of Paul’s argument.

Much More Then (Romans 5:6-11) from Nicholas T. Batzig
Audio

Here is the link to the audio of my recent interview with Dr. Michael Haykin, concerning his book The Christian Lover. I believe that all Christian couples will benefit from the things that Dr. Haykin has to say and from this unique book.

Not that it really matters, but the latest theological abstraction from Union Theological Seminary has to win some kind of prize. Feminist theologian Margaret R. Miles will be delivering the 2010 Sprunt Lecture at the Seminary’s campus in Richmond, VA. The subject? A theology of the breast. Miles argues that the crucifixion was a violent act and is therefore an inappropriate reminder of the love of God. Miles suggests that a woman’s breast is a far more appropriate illustration. I for one am a bit confused–not because I fail to …

“Mystery is the lifeblood of dogmatics” are Bavinck’s opening words to the doctrine of God. Even when a confirmed believer moves past the sophomore debates of faith v reason and proofs for God’s existence faith, moving toward understanding, faces the incompressibility of knowing God. The great question here at the outset of our journey is: How is reading Bavinck anymore of a help?
The tensions between modern life’s this-world scientific orientation and the pietistic other-worldly contemplation was a concern Bavinck was a pains to address. These two worldviews have inherent dangers …

Among the multitude of expositions on the Apostle’s Creed, written throughout church history, one in particular has not received the attention it deserves. Herman Witsius, best known for his  The Economy of the Covenants (part 1) and (Part 2), published an exposition of the Apostle’s Creed under the title Sacred Dissertations on the Apostle’s Creed (Part 1) and (Part 2). If you are interested in doing further study of Witsius’ work  you will find an Analysis of the Economy of the Covenants and On the Character of a True Theologian …

Dr. Benjamin Shaw makes several significant points about covenantal baptism here. They deserve the most serious consideration by anyone who desires to understand more fully the biblical nature of covenantal signs and seals. I would also recommend that you listen to the audio lectures by Edward Donnelly and Bill Shishko. They are two of the finest defenses from modern theologians. If you want to read more thorough treatments from the annals of church history, I would recommend John Holt Rice’s essay on the subject, and the sermon Stephen Marshall preached …

Dennis Johnson, Professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Seminary California, has an article over at Third Millennium Ministries on how he came to change his mind about infant baptism. You can read the article here.

Many people have incorrect thoughts about the purpose of Pentecost. You will sometimes hear Christians praying that the Spirit will come in the same way as He came at Pentecost. It is certainly a good  and right thing to desire a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the church. But Pentecost held a very special place in redemptive history. It is as special and unique an event as the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ–a one-time event. Eric Alexander explains the significance of Pentecost in the following way:
This particular …

Below is the audio and video from the Sunday morning worship service at New Covenant Presbyterian Church of Richmond Hill, GA. The text was Acts 1:12-26 and the title, “Better By the Dozen.”
Audio

Better By the Dozen (Acts 1:12-26) from Nicholas T. Batzig on Vimeo.

There is an interesting theological purpose in the historical account in Acts 1:12-26. At first glance it doesn’t seem to be anything more than an historical recollection of the apostasy, suicide and replacement of Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed our Lord. But the place of this record in the book of Acts, the nature of the apostles’ prayer, and the Scripture that Peter appeals to all bring a much more significant purpose into view. Jesus has told the apostles to wait for the promised Holy Spirit, whom He would …

Over at the Riddleblog there is a post by Richard Muller, in which he considers what it means to say you believe in the five points of Calvinism. Muller suggests that there is much more to the historical Reformed faith than a bare confession of adherence to the so-called “five points of Calvinism”–which, incidentally, did not originate with John Calvin. At a time when many are coming to a fuller acceptance of the biblical teaching on the sovereignty of God in all spheres, the efficacy of the atonement Jesus made …

David Murray has a post over at Head, Heart, Hand in which he draws a valuable pastoral lesson from the skill with which Larry King carries out his interviews. You can read it here.

If you have never heard sermons by Ian Hamilton you are missing out on a great spiritual blessing. Iain is the minister of Cambridge Presbyterian Church in Cambridge, England. I find his sermons to be an outstanding example of substantive, passionate, Christ-centered, applicatory, textual, expositional preaching. He really is one of the best preachers in the church today. If you are looking for someone to listen to, or are in the process of preparing a sermon series, I highly recommend you take the time to listen to some of his …

Presbyterian Mission in Haiti has posted a list of relief efforts they are helping accomplish. If you are interested in helping provide relief, but are concerned about know where funds will go, the following is a breakdown of the needs that PMH is seeking to meet according to order of priority. PMH is a trustworthy organization, supporting Gospel-centered missions:
“A” List Priorities–Immediate Needs
The items on this list stem from the damage caused by either Hurrican Ike (Sept 2008) or the recent earthquake. Several of our PMH pastors (and their wives and …

Darryl Hart and Camden Bucey have a discussion on Christian Epistemology and Two Kingdoms Theology here.

John 10:25-30 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to …

Readers will likely be familiar with the ministry of Dr. Mark Dever at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Dr. Dever has also established an outreach designed to reinvigorate the local church, namely 9 Marks.  9 Marks sponsors a journal and a series of books.  The latest book is entitled The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love:  Reintroducing the Doctrine of Church Membership and Discipline.  The book can be obtained here.  Authored by Jonathan Leeman, an elder at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, director of communications for 9 …

It’s been more than 2 months since we ended our year long series in Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics. We covered two of the volumes and some material from ‘Philosophy of Revelation’ and ‘The Certainty of Faith.’ As the new year takes shape it feels like the work is only half done. Personally I can’t read Bavinck without some sense of guilt for not sharing it.
So if we get ten positive  responses from those interested in more Herman Bavinck we will bring back the series. Please post “yes” to the comment …

Texts, Contexts, Cultures is a new departure in graduate research and training in Ireland. It offers candidates a multi-disciplinary PhD programme delivered in co-operation between Arts and Humanities research institutes at Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork and NUI Galway. The programme investigates the most basic component of Arts and Humanities research – the text as material object.
Texts, Contexts, Cultures offers a structured research path to the completion of a fourth level degree. It allows candidates to engage with the research knowledge and skills of scholars from three universities. It …

Handing out resumes and shuffling investments have two things in common: uncertainty and Ecclesiastes 11:6. John Trapp (1601 – 1669) noted that the only works guaranteed to succeed in this life are pure acts of mercy and kindness. He’s right. But it can be such a frustrating answer to those who have lost 1/3 of retirement or can’t get even one interview. For those of us asking, “What is God doing?” Trapp’s exposition needs attention. Trapp’s concern here is the contrast between the wonder of uncertainty and the comfort of …

New Covenant Presbyterian Church had its first morning worship service yesterday. We began a series on the book of Acts. The first sermon was titled “The Acts of the Ascended Christ.”The text was Acts 1:1-11.  You can watch the video below.

If you have never read T. D. Bernard’s The Progress of Doctrine you really must do so as soon as possible. It is a treasure chest of rich theological exposition with regard to the development of doctrine in the New Testament. It is a New Testament introduction of sorts. This work was highly commended by Reformed Presbyterian ministers at the time of its release, though Bernard was himself an Anglican minister.

In his Apocalyptic Writings (WJE Online Vol. 5) Jonathan Edwards explained that the Holy Spirit is the principle blessing purchased by Christ in the work of redemption. He wrote:

The sum of the blessings Christ sought, by what he did and suffered in the work of redemption, was the Holy Spirit. So is the affair of our redemption constituted; the Father provides and gives the Redeemer, and the price of redemption is offered to him, and he grants the benefit purchased; the Son is the Redeemer that gives the price, and …