"Those Who Call Upon the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ' 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Here's the first in a Series of Sermons on Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians

Click here

This Week's White Horse Inn

The White Horse Inn 20th Anniversary Special (Part 1)

On this edition of the White Horse Inn the hosts celebrate their 20th year of broadcasting by reminiscing about the past, explaining how the hosts met, and by discussing the mission and goal of the program. They'll also be listening to soundbites from across the decades, such as clips from the 1990 pilot broadcast, the controversial interview with Robert Schuller, and the famous "Dad Rod Christmas Special." So join us as we celebrate our 20th anniversary!

http://www.whitehorseinn.org/

Some Reflections on the Old and New Year

Well, we've come to the end of yet another year. Time to take a moment and reflect on this past year (and the next).

This has been an interesting year for me and my family. 

My oldest son graduated from college.  He's headed to the job market and grad school.  I'm very proud of him.  Lord willing, my youngest son will end the year as a junior in college.  Proud of him too.  It all makes me very thankful, but feeling much, much older.  My wife (on the other hand) must have found the fountain of youth.  When we see old friends, they tell her "you haven't changed a bit."  When they see me, they say, "you look distinguished with that bald head and grey mustache."

My niece (who tragically lost her husband a couple of years ago to sudden illness) married a Reformed Christian in a Reformed Church.  It is always wonderful to watch the mysterious providence of God in action.

I taught a course at Westminster Seminary California, and then was privileged to deliver the commencement address.  Wow.  Who'd have thunk . . .

The Yankees and the Lakers (my two favorite sports teams) both won it all in the same year.  How cool is that? 

We've endured a remarkable year of congressional tyranny and malfeasance--never seen anything like it.   Hopefully, many in the Beltway crowd will get their comeuppance this November and join the ranks of the unemployed.

Horton's systematic theology will be out next year, along with VanDrunen's book on natural law and the two kingdoms.  Much good fruit coming from that "Escondido hermeneutic" (whatever the heck that is????)

The Riddleblog continues to roll along with about the same number of hits this year as last.  But I refuse to "tweet" or establish a Facebook presence.  A blog is plenty.

We've had an up and down year at Christ Reformed.  The economy has hit some folk quite hard, and our associate pastor has left.  Then, there are always people whom you love who are dealing with grief and loss, while others deal with the consequences of sin.  But our last new members class was full, we've got four young men attending Westminster, and as God graciously enables me, the word is preached and the sacraments are administered.

Didn't get as far with my writing projects as I hoped, but Lord willing, next year I'll make some better progress.

All in all, its been an OK year as years go . . .

So, all that is left is to wish you and yours God's blessings for 2010!  May God grant you good health, and a happy and prosperous New Year!

If Your New Year's Resolutions Include Reading Scripture . . .

First, here are several great reading plans using the ESV (h.t. Justin Taylor)

Six ESV Reading Progams

Second, here's how you can subscribe to a Bible-reading plan via podcast.  This is a great idea!

ESV Via Podcast

Third, here's Lee Iron's "Annual Greek New Testament" reading program.  This is a great way to keep up with your Greek.

Annual Greek New Testament Reading Progam

Finally, you can subscribe to "Daily Confession" which provides a daily reading program through the Reformed confessions.  Highly recommended.

Daily Confession

OK, so now there's no excuse!

Coming Soon . . . David VanDrunen's Book on Natural Law and the Two Kingdoms

David VanDrunen's long-expected book on the development of natural law and the two kingdoms in Reformed thought will soon be available (January 15, 2010).

This will be a monumental book!  Must reading.

Dr. VanDrunen has been working on this for some time, and it will be invaluable in shedding light on a very controversial topic.

Below is the publisher's blurb (from Eerdmans)

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Conventional wisdom holds that the theology and social ethics of the Reformed tradition stand at odds with concepts of natural law and the two kingdoms. This volume challenges that conventional wisdom by studying how Reformed social thought developed from the Reformation to the present.

David VanDrunen begins by exploring the early development of Reformed thought in its first few centuries on the continent, in Britain, and in America. He argues that natural law and the two kingdoms were common themes in this early theology. In fact, he says, these ideas were embedded in crucial anthropological, christological, and ecclesiological doctrines, shaping convictions about the state, civil rebellion, and the role of the church in broader social life.

VanDrunen then turns to more recent thinkers of the Reformed tradition — Abraham Kuyper, Karl Barth, Herman Dooyeweerd, and Cornelius Van Til — tracing how each contributed in his own way to the decline of these doctrines in Reformed theology and social ethics. Finally, he reflects on recent signs of renewed interest in natural law and the two kingdoms, suggesting how their recovery is a hopeful sign for the Reformed tradition.

"The strength of this book is the overwhelming amount of historical evidence, judiciously analyzed and assessed, that positions the Reformed tradition clearly in the natural law, two kingdoms camp. This valuable contribution to our understanding of the Christian life cannot and should not be ignored or overlooked. The growing acceptance of the social gospel among evangelicals puts us in jeopardy of losing the gospel itself; the hostility to natural law and concomitant love affair with messianic ethics opens us up to tyranny. This is a much-needed and indispensable ally in the battle for the life of the Christian community in North America."— John Bolt, Calvin Theological Seminary

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BTW--Scott Clark has posted a two kingdoms reading list in preparation for the upcoming conference at Westminster Seminary California.  You can find it here:  Clark's reading list

"By This We Know" -- 1 John 3:11-24

The Seventh in a Series of Sermons on John's Epistles

In the first two chapters of his first epistle, the Apostle John sets out the contrast between those born of God and those who embrace the phantom Jesus of the proto-Gnostics.  John says that this contrast is as clear as the difference between light and darkness.  Indeed, those who believe that Jesus is the word manifest in the flesh will walk in the light of that one who is the light of the world.  But those who deny that Jesus is the word manifest in the flesh instead prefer to live in darkness.  And so in the next section of this letter (chapter three), John continues to develop this theme when he tells us that the contrast between believers and the proto-Gnostics can be readily seen in the lives of those who are children of God.  The way in which someone demonstrates that they are a child of God is very simple.  Those who have been brought from death to life by Christ will strive to obey God’s commandments, while those who embrace the gnostic heresy are not at all interested in obeying the commandments.  This is because such people have deceived themselves into thinking that they have somehow gained enough knowledge and insight into the mysteries of Christ that they no longer sin.  And since they think they have risen above their own sinfulness, their conduct inevitably reflects their indifference to the commandments of God.  Those who abide in death (as John puts it) love darkness, hate Christ, and are indifferent to righteousness.

As we continue our series on the Epistles of John, we are making our way through chapter three of 1 John, where John is discussing the contrast between those who are children of God and those deny that Jesus is the word manifest in the flesh (whom John describes as children of the devil).  As we saw last time, in this chapter John repeats a number of themes he’s already addressed in the earlier chapters.  John does this to emphasize to his reader the importance of realizing that all those who believe that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh will walk in the light that Jesus came to reveal.  

As we have seen, as John develops this contrast he sets forth a cause and effect relationship, which can be expressed by the indicative and imperative moods (or as is often expressed in terms of the contrast between law and gospel).  Those who are born again (the cause) will strive to obey God’s commandments (the effect).  John’s opponents not only deny this cause and effect relationship, but they also deny that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh because of their view that matter is evil.  They also see no need to reign in their sinful impulses because they think they have been able to purify their own souls through the religious secrets they have learned.  To put it bluntly, they are about as wrong as one can be, hence John’s labeling their teaching as the “spirit of antichrist.”

To read the rest of this sermon, Click here

Who Said That?

"The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weakness, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still purely primitive, legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.  No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this."

Who said that?  Leave your guess in the comments section below.  Please no google searches or cheating.  Answer to follow next week.

Update on Sunday, December 27, 2009 at 05:48PM by Kim Riddlebarger

This is from a letter written by Albert Einstein (March 1, 1954).  http://www.lettersofnote.com/search?updated-max=2009-10-08T03%3A42%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=4

This Week's White Horse Inn

An Interview with Marilynne Robinson

On this edition of the White Horse Inn, Michael Horton talks with Pulitzer Prize winning author Marilynne Robinson about many of the themes she explores in her writings, such as the affects of Darwinism on human self-reflection, the significance of the theology of John Calvin, and the complexity of grace. Dr. Robinson is the author of Home, Gilead, and The Death of Adam.

http://www.whitehorseinn.org/

"Glory to God in the Highest" -- Luke 2:8-20

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon for the Sunday after Christmas.

http://links.christreformed.org/realaudio/KR20091227-Advent.mp3

The Benefits of Christ's Birth

From the Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 14

35. What is the meaning of “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary?”

That the eternal Son of God, who is and continues true and eternal God,[1] took upon Himself the very nature of man, of the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary,[2] by the operation of the Holy Spirit;[3] so that He might also be the true seed of David,[4] like unto His brethren in all things,[5] except for sin.[6]

[1] Jn 1:1-4, 10:30-36; Rom 1:3-4, 9:5; Col 1:15-17; 1 Jn 5:20; [2] Mt 1:18-23; Jn 1:14; Gal 4:4; Heb 2:14; [3] Mt 1:18-20; Lk 1:35; [4] 2 Sam 7:12-16; Ps 132:11; Mt 1:1; Lk 1:32; Rom 1:3; [5] Php 2:7; Heb 2:17; [6] Heb 4:15, 7:26-27

36. What benefit do you receive from the holy conception and birth of Christ?

That He is our Mediator,[1] and with His innocence and perfect holiness[2] covers, in the sight of God, my sin,[3] wherein I was conceived.[4]

[1] 1 Tim 2:5-6; Heb 2:16-17, 9:13-15; [2] Rom 8:3-4; 2 Cor 5:21; Gal 4:4-5; 1 Pt 1:18-19; [3] Ps 32:1; 1 Jn 1:9; [4] Ps 51:5