In PART 1, we began to consider the Chalcedonian Definition – that is, the Church’s creedal confession of the two natures of Jesus Christ, as recognized by the ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in the year 451 AD. While the Nicene Council (325 AD) had condemned the heretic Arius for his denial of the full divinity of the Son of God, thus vindicating Athanasius and…
In our last post, we began to consider the Chalcedonian Definition – that is, the Church’s creedal confession of the two natures of Jesus Christ, as recognized by the ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in the year 451 AD. While the Nicene Council (325 AD) had condemned the heretic Arius for his denial of the full divinity of the Son of God, thus…
One of my all time favourite theologians is the great Herman Bavinck (1854-1921). In his magnum opus, Reformed Dogmatics, the Dutch churchman writes these words: Theology, if it truly wants to be scriptural and Christian, cannot do better … than to maintain the two-natures doctrine [of Chalcedon]. Reformed Dogmatics, 3:304. Speaking of this same two-natures doctrine of Chalcedon, Princeton stalwart Benjamin B.…
This article marks the third in a series of posts that will, over the next several months, dive into the exciting — yet at times overwhelming — world of English Bible translations. If you haven’t already, check out Part 1 and Part 2. It wasn’t until the latter half of the nineteenth century that any major translation work was again taken up. …
This article marks the second in a series of posts that will, over the next several months, dive into the exciting — yet at times overwhelming — world of English Bible translations. Part 1 can be found HERE. English Bible Translation at the Time of the Reformation The problem, as Wycliffe saw it, was that while Latin may have been the common…
‘Pastor, which Bible translation is the best?’ I’m not a betting man. But if I were, I would bet my bottom dollar that most pastors will admit to running up against this question on a regular basis. The most candid will even admit that they’ve wrestled with this matter themselves. Some issues in the church are perennial — going back to the…
The following article first appeared on The Gospel Coalition Canada (11 August 2020). It can be found here. Pastors have their favourites. And I don’t mean people, but books of the Bible. And they will inevitably change over time. The worn out and wearied minister may find his daily solace for a season in the Servant Songs of Isaiah — refreshed with…
Human thought struggles to plummet the depths to which the Scriptures saturated the mind and heart of Jesus, the incarnate Word of God. As Israel’s true King, He read and meditated upon God’s Law to the utmost (cf. Deut. 17:19; Ps. 1:2). Knowing full well that the united testimony of Scripture orbited around His own person and work (John 5:39; cf. Luke…
The following article first appeared as a guest post on Gentle Reformation. If your social media feed is not on silent these days, the ping of incoming alerts has perhaps been more noticeable than ever. And more alluring if you’re being honest with yourself. While we complain about being overtaxed by incoming messages by the minute, there’s a part of us that…
These days, it would be shocking to come across someone who does not have the word coronavirus indelibly stamped upon their mind. It comes knocking at the door of our thoughts in one form or another just about every waking moment — as we turn on the radio; as we scroll through social media; as…