It seems that the followers of N.T. Wright continue to suggest that he does not deny the imputation of Christ’s righteousness. Beside the fact that he has made a career out of criticizing the Reformers on their doctrine of justification (specifically in regard to the sufficiency of the imputed righteousness of Christ), it is fair to say that Wright explicitly denies the imputed righteousness of Christ throughout many of his books and lectures. One very clear instance of this is found in his August 2003 Rutherford House lecture “New Perspectives …

One of the chief promises God made to Abraham was that his descendants would be as numerous as the sand of the sea. The point is not that we try to calculate how much sand there is and then draw a numerical parallel. Obviously there is too much sand on the shore to number. Throughout the period of revelation, from the time of Abraham to Christ, we find hints that the LORD is fulfilling this promise. One such place is 1 Kings 4:20 where we read, “Judah and Israel …

Here is the audio from the 2009 Next Conference :

The Preeminence of Christ (Joshua Harris)
Christ’s Incarnation (D.A. Carson)
Christ’s Life (Kevin DeYoung)
Christ’s Death (C.J. Mahaney)
Christ’s Resurrection (Sinclair Ferguson)
Christ’s Return (Sinclair Ferguson)

HT: Justin Taylor

The following messages were given by Sinclair Ferguson at the 2004 BASICS Conference:
His Sufficient Word – 2 Tim. 3
His Eternal Election – Ephesians 1
His Transforming Spirit – Romans 8

Well, if you haven’t figured out by now, it should soon become abundantly evident that Eric Alexander and Sinclair Ferguson are two living preachers and theologians for whom I have the highest esteem. Robert M. Walker, an elder in Bishopbriggs Free Church of Scotland and committee member of The Scottish Reformed Conference, recently brought these conference audio MP3’s to my attention. The theme of the Conference was ‘Glory.’ You see the titles and download the files below:
ERIC ALEXANDER
The Glory of Christ
SINCLAIR FERGUSON
The Glory of the New Covenant
The Glory of Christian Service

If you watch this film trailer you will see the deceit of human autonomy. Ray Kurzweil is responsible for the flat bed scanner, a reading machine for the blind, OCR, voice recognition technology, together with dozens of other inventions that have revolutionized the world in which we live; but, as you will see his ideas on human achievement and ability–even to the point of thinking he will one day raise the dead–are dishonoring to the God “in whom he lives and moves and has his being (Acts 17). …

Geoff Stevens, Creative Director for Reformation Trust Publishing, is working on a logo and web design for New Covenant Presbyterian of Richmond Hill, Ga.

It is not uncommon to hear someone refer to Sinclair Ferguson as being the best theologian in the English speaking world. Anyone who has read his books or heard his sermons and lectures will admit that this is in no way an unfit commendation. His style is simply yet profound, his expositions are terse but weighty–his insights are simply unparalleled. It is due in part to his mastery of the various theological loci . His uncanny ability to wed systematic, biblical, exegetical and historical theology in his expositions of Scripture …

Who would you dedicate a book to if you could dedicate it to anyone? This is clearly the most outstanding book dedication ever. There is, of course, a correlation between this dedication and the author’s success!

Several years ago I was working for a construction company–renovating and building homes. It was probably one of the most difficult jobs I have ever had; but it was what God used to teach me the value of working hard. One weekday morning, I woke up and read the evening section of this particular section of the Daily Light . As I drove to work that morning I meditated on Matthew 6:26, “Look at the birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns yet your …

Here is a video to introduce you to World Wide Monk Fighting (WWMF):

HT: Roland Barnes

The Yale University and University of Glasgow sponsored Jonathan Edwards and Scotland Conference, for which I went to Scotland, ended last Tuesday. There were several significant lectures given. Of the ones that I was able to attend, David Bebbington’s lecture, “A Historical Review of Revivals,” Adriann Neele’s talk, “Petrus Van Masstricht: Exchanges in Scotland, the Netherlands, and America,” and Michael McClenahan’s, “New England’s Nemesis: John Tillotson and the dismantling of Puritanism,” were the most intellectually valuable.
David Bebbington did a outstanding job (which is typical of his work) of outlining a …

It is probable that the whole of Matthew’s Gospel is a typological fulfillment of Israel’s history. This means, of course, that all of Christ’s life is the chronological anti-type of Israel’s experience. Here is a brief explanation:
Matthew opens with the words: “The book of the generations of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the Son of Abraham.” Why only mention David and Abraham? Simply put, they were the two Israelitish covenant heads who were organically related to Christ. Jesus did not come from Moses’ seed, but he did come from …

Revelation 1:5-10 really is the master key to unlock the structure of the book. While the throne of God, the trumpets, bowls, and seals all play a central role in this book, the book would be, as I noted in the previous post, meaningless without its Christological structure. Put simply, the book is about Jesus Christ–specifically with regard to His first and second coming. And is this a surprise to us? It shouldn’t be if we have come to see that the Bible is about the Lord Jesus Christ and …

At the end of March I will be presenting a paper at the Jonathan Edwards and Scotland Conference at the University of Glasgow. The Jonathan Edwards Center and Glasgow University are hosting what looks like a very stimulating conference. Speakers include David Bebbington, Wilson H. Kimnach, and Michael McClenahan. You can check out the conference schedule here. The title of my paper is “Edwards, McLaurin and the Transatlantic Concert of Prayer.”

The more things change the more they stay the same…
I would take some notice of another thing, observable in the writings of Dr. T. and many of the late opposers of the more peculiar doctrines of Christianity, tending (especially with juvenile and unwary readers) not a little to abate the force, and prevent the due effect, of the clearest scripture-evidences in favor of those important doctrines; and particularly to make void the arguments taken from the writings of the apostle Paul, in which those doctrines are more plainly and fully …

The Ligonier Ministry Blog has posted an article by Sinclair Ferguson on Jonathan Edwards’ Resolutions. Ferguson offers an extremely insightful analysis of the Resolutions, emphasizing Edwards’ age, theology and spiritual maturity. You can read the article here.

Ligonier Ministries Blog has posted the second part of John Gerstner’s teaching on Jonathan Edwards and Covenant Theology. You can find the first part here. You can find the second part here.

Christ the Center recently interviewed Dr. John Carrick, Associate Professor of Applied and Doctrinal Theology at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, about his newly released book on the preaching of Jonathan Edwards. I had the privilege of having Dr. Carrick as a professor of homiletics during my time in seminary, and we thoroughly enjoyed having him on the program to talk about this book. You can listen to the interview here.

I am pleased to announce that the first volume of a projected three volume set of Reformed Confessions of the 16th and 17th Centuries in English Translation has been released. Professor Dennison, who is connected with Northwest Theological Seminary, has done us a great service in bringing these valuable confessions of faith into the English language. Dennison also provides us with very helpful introductions. I am already looking forward to the remaining two volumes.
I have also been reading through Robert Brown’s prize-winning volume Jonathan Edwards and …

Rev. Jim O’Brien, pastor of Reedy River PCA just outside Greenville, SC, sent me the link to Jonathan Edwards’ Last Will, and the Inventory of his Estate. This looks like a fascinating document. The article was printed in The Bibliotheca Sacra vol. 33 (July, 1876) pp. 438-447.Here is an except:
First of all, I give and commend my soul into the hands of God that gave it, and to the Lord Jesus Christ it’s glorious, all-sufficient, faithful and chosen Redeemer, relying alone on the free and infinite mercy and grace …

I’m going to preempt our resident Jonathan Edwards scholar and announce George Marsden’s new, shorter biography of Jonathan Edwards. Marsden, having already written what is perhaps the greatest Edwards biography, has written an entirely new work based on his research. This should prove to be a great introduction to this immense figure in American Christianity.

It is not uncommon to hear someone speak of longing to be with a loved one who has gone to be with the Lord. Heaven has often been thought of as being a place where we are reconciled to those who have passed to glory before us. In his first published sermon, God Glorified in Man’s Dependence, Jonathan Edwards made a striking observation about the reason why we would enjoy being with loved ones in heaven. He wrote:

The Lord God, He is the light of the heavenly Jerusalem, and is …

I find it interesting that proponents of the New Perspective on Paul act as though their interpretation of “works of the law” is altogether new or different from anyone in history prior to Krister Stendahl or perhaps George Howard, when in reality, men like Jonathan Edwards, 250 years prior, anticipated the argument that Paul is doing something other than combating Jewish legalism when he uses the phrase “works of the law” in contrast with “faith in Christ.” Supporters of NPP have not sufficiently come to terms with the fact that …

It should not surprise us when Christian theologians actually agree with one another. This is especially so when both are understood to be Reformed. It is an interesting fact that Jonathan Edwards and Cornelius Van Til share a view of knowledge or understanding. Here is Van Til’s distinction between true and false knowledge:
The question of knowledge is an ethical question at the root. It is indeed possible to have theoretically correct knowledge about God without loving him. The devil illustrates this point. Yet what …

Within the next few weeks, the last volume of the Yale University Press’ The Works of Jonathan Edwards will finally be published. Begun in 1957 under the general editorship of Perry Miller, the series has taken a full 51 years to reach completion. Even with this volume, however, not all of the material produced by Edwards will find its way into print.
Vol. 26 (which is really the 27th volume because the “Blank Bible” was so large it took up two huge tomes and was designated vol. 24a and 24b), …

I am happy to report that I have received this week two new books on Jonathan Edwards. The first is by John Carrick, a professor at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, entitled The Preaching of Jonathan Edwards. This is a substantial, 400+ page volume published by our good friends at Banner of Truth. Carrick analyzes the form and content Edwards’ sermons. I will be blogging on this volume in the days ahead.
The second book I received is A New Inner Relish: Christian Motivation in the Thought …

Harry S. Stout, in the preface to The Works of Jonathan Edwards vol. 22, explained that very early in his ministry Edwards began to be driven by a desire to subject theology to the history of the world. This of course culminated in Edwards masterpiece History of the Work of Redemption. As Stout traced the history of Edwards writings and correspondence in regard to this matter he provided a quote from History of the Work of Redemption in which Edwards acknowledges the method of subjecting theology to its historical outworking. …

I have been mulling over the question whether Jonathan Edwards was Reformed in any meaningful sense of the word “Reformed”. I am ambivalent on the issue, but here are some thoughts for consideration.
1. I think there is a sense in which the word “Reformed” has a wide and a narrow signification. As far as I can tell, to be Reformed, strictly speaking, commits one to holding to Reformed ecclesiology (presbyterian church government, infant baptism, and the continuation of charismatic gifts are specifics that come immediately to mind …

I have noticed, in the course of conversations, that most people do not have time or make time to read extensively. In fact, when I recommend a sermon or book I usually get the same response from people. They say something like, “I really don’t have time to read any more books” or “I don’t have time to listen to another sermon.” This being the case, I want to recommend one short work as being the most important work someone could read.
Most people who know me know that I love …