Sabbath: An opera in seven parts (Iain D. Campbell)

My friend Iain D. Campbell gave a majestic overview of the Sabbath at the Banner of Truth ministers conference this week. His subtitle, for what was a biblical theology of the Sabbath, was "an opera in seven parts" (the music by the way, Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, is sublime).

I did not expect a message on the Sabbath to be so profoundly moving and had to wipe away tears as Iain spoke of the Lord of the Sabbath resting in his grave and then, beheld by angelic eyes, rising from death so that we may enjoy a better Sabbath.

I would highly recommend that you get hold of the recording, which you will have to buy, but which I can assure you will be worth every penny.

To do so it would make sense to contact the Banner of Truth UK office at info@banneroftruth.org.uk and they can then point you to the professorial looking Rev. Ian Densham who does the recordings (and who in fact looks like the professor from the Weetos advert...)

Heresies on the Heidelcast

Yesterday I spent some time chatting about heresies and what we should do about them with my friend Scott Clark over the the Heidelcast. You can listen in here.

Confession of Sin

The following is taken, with a little adaptation from John Knox's liturgy (1560). My thanks to Paul Levy for showing me this:

Almighty God, we are unworthy to come into your presence, because of our many sins. We do not deserve any grace or mercy from you, if you dealt with us as we deserve. We have sinned against you, O Lord, and we have offended you.

And yet, O Lord, as we acknowledge our sins and offenses, so also do we acknowledge you to be a merciful God, a loving and favorable Father, to all who turn to you. And so we humbly ask you, for the sake of Christ your son, to show mercy to us, and forgive us all our offenses. Forgive the sins of our youth, and the sins of our old age.

By your Spirit, O God, take possession of our hearts, so that, not only the actions of our life, but also the words of our mouths, and the smallest thought of our minds, may be guided and governed by you. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Heresy Never Dies (Video: link fixed)

Heresy Never Dies: Video

Thanks to Nick Batzig the video of my session "Heresy Never Dies" is available at Feeding on Christ.

The lecture will also be appearing in the near future as a series of articles at Reformation 21

The rough outline of the session is as follows:

Three notes of caution

• We are not personally immune to drifting into error (Acts 20:30)

• We must cultivate gratitude toward God, and patience and gentleness to those caught in the devil's snare (2 Timothy 2:22-26)

• We must exercise a tender hearted watchfulness over those committed to our care (Acts 20:28)

Five different kinds of people in error

1. Those who are sincerely ignorant (Apollos in Acts 18:24-28)

2. Those who have sincerely misunderstood Scripture (1 Cor. 5:9-12)

3. The temporarily inconsistent (Peter in Galatians 2:11-14)

4. The deceived (Galatians 3:1)

5. The deceivers (2 Cor. 11:13; 2 Timothy 3:13)

21st Century Evangelicals and the 17th Century Socinians

A case study: Open theists and Socinians on the denial of God's exhaustive foreknowledge

Why do old errors make a comeback?

• We have to reckon with the influence of Satan

• We have to get to grips with Evangelical historical amnesia and ignorance

• We have to face up to doctrinal neglect

• We have to recognise that some people are running away from the truth

Muller Lite

Here's a short extract from Richard Muller on the Reformed orthodox approach to doctrinal errors:

The Reformed orthodox generally also note, in connection with the idea of fundamental articles, three kinds of doctrinal error:

(1) errors directly against a fundamental article (contra fundamentum)

(2) errors around a fundamental or in indirect contradiction to it (circa fundamentum)

(3) errors beyond a fundamental article (praeter fundamentum)

The first kind of error is a direct attack--such as those launched by the Socinians--against the divinity of Christ or the Trinity.

The second is not a direct negation or an antithesis but rather an indirect or secondary error ultimately subversive of a fundamental--such as a belief in God that refuses to acknowledge his providence.

The third category of error does not address fundamental articles directly or indirectly but rather involves faith in problematic and curious questions (quaestiones problematicas et curiosas) that do not arise out of the revealed Word--hay and stubble!--and that, because of their curiosity and vanity, constitute diversions from and impediments to salvation.

Richard Muller, Post Reformation Reformed Dogmatics Vol. 1:Prolegomena to Theology, p. 422-3

Heresy never dies: Twin Lakes Fellowship audio

The audio from my lecture on "Heresy never dies" is available at the Twin Lakes site here. My friend Nick Batzig will be posting the video from this lecture and some others.

It has been a great, great privilege to attend the Twin Lakes Fellowship in Florence, Mississippi. This coming Lord's Day I will be preaching for my good friend David Strain at Main Street Presbyterian Church in Columbus, MS.

You can also listen to the other lectures and sermons from this year's conference.