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Why is Union with Christ so Important?
Over at Green Baggins, Darryl Hart asked: [M]aybe you can help me out here. Every time I read the law, it brings me up way short. Apparently, when you read it you feel exonerated. How DO you do it? I answered: Union with Christ. That is the only way to feel exonerated in the face…
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Justification by Faith Alone – An Affirmative Rebuttal
I am still waiting to conduct my debate on Justification by Faith alone. I appreciate the comments left on my proposed Affirmative Constructive, but I thought I would share an Affirmative Rebuttal as well. The constructive sets forth the truth of Sola Fide from Scripture. The rebuttal addresses the historical question: if this is true,…
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Justification by Faith Alone – An Affirmative Constructive
The topic of today’s debate is Justification by Faith Alone. Martin Luther viewed this as one of the most critical doctrines of the Reformation – and that was even before Trent! Now that Trent has made Rome irreformable on the doctrine of justification by faith alone, it is impossible for Reformed and Roman churches to…
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Grace in Cyril’s Commentary on the Book of Exodus (First Discourse)
The Orthodox Research Institute has published an English translation of the first discourse of Cyril of Alexandria’s Commentary on the Book of Exodus. It’s not a massive volume (about 50 pages of English text). Nevertheless, it serves to illustrate some aspects of Cyril’s teachings on topics related to the doctrines of grace. Most of the…
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Lex Semper Accusat? Does the law always accuse?
Some folks like to throw around the mantra “lex semper accusat” (the law always accuses). This mantra may have value, and may even serve a didactic purpose in certain contexts. It is, however, theologically inaccurate. A First Exception: ChristChrist fulfilled the law. The law didn’t condemn Christ, it justified Him. Pilate testified to this: Luke…
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Rejecting the Truth with Clement XI
Some of Rome’s rejections of Scriptural truth are more clear than others. One particularly clear set of examples comes from the dogmatic Constitution, “Unigenitus,”dated Sept. 8, 1713, and authorized by Clement XI. I’ve previously posted a full list of the 101 “errors” condemned (link to full list). There many alleged errors identified. I’ve taken the…
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>Scripture has its Own Authority – and Christ Alone is Our Mediator – A Response to Michael Liccione
>Roman Catholic Michael Liccione recently provided a comment in the comment box of a Roman Catholic blog that I think highlights two of the problems with Roman Catholic theology: (1) the disparaging of the authority of Scriptures themselves; and (2) the deification of “the Church.” He said: What’s needed is a concrete, communal, continuous locus…
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Doug Wilson on Sola Fide
“I hold that a man is justified by the sole instrument of God-given faith, as that faith is placed by the grace of God in the active and passive obedience of Jesus Christ alone, He who lived and died in our stead. I maintain that the only legitimate response that a creature may have toward…
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The Alternative to the Gospel of Justification by Faith Alone
“The Alternative to the Gospel of Justification by Faith Alone,” is the title of a recent post by Pastor Wes White. The answer, of course, is justification by faith plus works. Pastor White suggests that: Now, when most people think of being justified by works, they think of someone staying up late at night saying…
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Some Early Christian Writings on Justification
Clement of Rome on Justification: And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men;…