Reformed Forum

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob take another walk through John Bunyan's, The Pilgrim's Progress. In this episode we discuss Christian's strong response to his falling asleep, as well as his conversations with Watchful, Discretion, Prudence, Piety, and Chastity. These are those he meets on the way to and in the house described as beautiful, a place of relief and security for pilgrims.

Danny Olinger speaks about the life and thought of Geerhardus Vos. Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. has identified Vos as the father of Reformed biblical theology and we take the time to speak of his contribution and legacy. Rev. Olinger is General Secretary for the OPC Committee on Christian Education. He has written a tremendous biography of Vos, titled Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian. The book is published by Reformed Forum and available for purchase.

Lane Keister speaks about features of Ezekiel 9–10 that help us understand the identity of the man of linen in the passage. Rev. Keister's article, "The Man in Linen: A New and Old Interpretation of Ezekiel 9–10" is published in issue 14 of the Confessional Presbyterian Journal (2018). Lane Keister is the pastor of Momence OPC in Momence, Illinois and a PhD student at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. https://youtu.be/Bi2eFU1fI6M

In this week's episode of Theology Simply Profound, the journey continues through The Pilgrim's Progress. Rob and Bob begin to discuss Stage 3 of Christian's journey from the Interpreter's House to the foot of the Cross and then along a difficult path eventually making his way to the Hill Difficulty. In this context, we come to matter concerning salvation, fear, doubt, and assurance.

We continue our #VosGroup series in pages 194–197 of Vos' book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the biblical conception of prophetism. We discuss the Greek and pagan conceptions and their connection to contemporary modernist conceptions. Vos has in view here a Hellenic, and not New Testament, conception of the prophet. Some would seek to understand prophet as a foreteller, which brings into view predictive prophecy—a telling of a situation in advance of the actual occurrence of the situation. However, it is not proper to take the concept in this direction only. While there is a predictive element present in much of what the prophets communicate, it is better to take them as foretellers in a local sense. This means that prophet is one who speaks an oracle from God. It is a place in time where one speaks on behalf of God. However, the Greek terms, as it appears in a Hellenic, extra-biblical context, has a different connotation, and this is critical to grasp, that we must reject. That connotation is this: the prophet in this Greek conception is an interpreter of a fundamentally opaque, hidden utterance from god. Pythia (the name of the high priestess of the temple Apollo at Delphi), would be the interpreter of this fundamentally hidden oracle—a dark saying that needed a human interpreter in order to be rendered intelligible. The Greek prophet does not stand in a direct relation to the deity, as in the Old Testament prophet, who spoke, by inspiration, directly from God, a word from God. Rather than being a mouth-piece of the deity, as is the case with the Nabi, the prophet in the Old Testament sense of the term, the prophet in the Greek, Hellenic sense, is an interpreter of the deity's oracle. The oracle comes from the Deity but requires interpretation, an interpretive act, from a prophet, to render that message intelligible or clear. The prophet, in this Hellenic conception, is therefore not one who speaks the words of the deity. Rather, he is one who intercepts a supra-rational, intrinsically opaque, communication from a deity. It is precisely this conception of the prophet that Vos sees being appropriated by the liberals of his day. https://youtu.be/t-8lw1OL4HM

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob continue their journey through John Bunyan's, The Pilgrim's Progress. From the Wicket Gate, Christian encounters Good Will and Interpreter whose house has many rooms. Interpreter leads Christian from one room to another explaining what Christian sees along the way in this second stage of our discussion of this classic book.

The Westminster Larger Catechism, Question and Answer 154 describes the ordinary and outwards means of grace as the Word, sacraments, and prayer. We discuss these ordinary means and how they apply to the day-to-day ministry of the local church. https://youtu.be/WOhnDru4630

This week on Theology Simply Profound, with some brief introductory remarks about reading fiction and allegory using J.R.R. Tolkien, Rob and Bob set out on a little journey of their own following Christian as he makes his way out of the City of Destruction toward the Wicket Gate with the help of Evangelist in this first stage our new discussion of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress.

Glen Clary compares and contrasts the Reformation liturgies of Martin Bucer, John Calvin, and John Knox. Studying each of these helps us to understand the significance of worship reformed according to Scripture and focuses our attention upon worship in our present day. Further Reading Knox Liturgy Genevan Liturgy Catholic Describes Communion Service in Calvin's Church John Knox and Public Prayer https://youtu.be/BO_ir9r7q1Q

The preacher should not preach in such a way that draws listeners to his own wisdom, but draws them to place their faith and trust in Christ alone as they witness his wisdom and power through the Word.

On this week's episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob discuss the life of John Bunyan as we begin a new series on his book, Pilgrim's Progress.

Glen Clary and Camden Bucey discuss the apostle Paul's teaching in Romans 8:28–30. Paul speaks of the purpose of God's foreknowledge and predestination—leading to conformity to the image of Christ. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:28–30, ESV)

Rev. Danny E. Olinger lectures on the connection Geerhardus Vos and J. Gresham Machen. This lesson was taught at Hope Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Grayslake, Illinois as part of the Reformed Forum 2018 Theology Conference. [embed]https://youtu.be/5fon82fe0u8[/embed]

Camden Bucey delivers the concluding address at the Reformed Forum 2018 Theology Conference at Hope Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Grayslake, Illinois. [embed]https://youtu.be/TvmdnQyaAII[/embed]

Glen Clary delivers a plenary address at the Reformed Forum 2018 Theology Conference at Hope Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Grayslake, Illinois. Download the handouts. [embed]https://youtu.be/7KHYPVMhBWE[/embed]

Dominic Legge, O. P. speaks about the deep connection between Thomas's Christology and his trinitarian theology. Dr. Legge is Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Director of the Thomistic Institute Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies. He is the author of The Trinitarian Christology of St. Thomas Aquinas (Oxford University Press, 2017). https://youtu.be/vXK23papdC0

Jim Cassidy delivers a plenary address at the Reformed Forum 2018 Theology Conference at Hope Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Grayslake, Illinois. Download the handout. [embed]https://youtu.be/k1Ih83fw4h4[/embed]

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob discuss the rest of God. Continuing in their series on Hebrews, Rob and Bob open up to Hebrews 3:7-4:13 to see how the Preacher makes us of Moses, the Exodus, Psalm 95, Joshua, the wilderness, and the land of Canaan, in order explain why the people of God must remain vigilant in their Christian walk whilst looking forward to the final day of rest all the while enjoying the rest already giving in Christ by faith in union with him.

Jeff Waddington spoke at the fifth annual Reformed Forum Conference, which was held October 5–7, 2018 at Hope OPC in Grayslake, Illinois. The theme of the conference was "Seeing God: The Deeper Protestant Conception." The speakers addressed important theological challenges and controversies facing the contemporary Reformed church by exploring the theologies of Thomas Aquinas, Karl Barth, and Geerhardus Vos on the beatific vision and glorification of man. Watch on YouTube

Lane Tipton delivers the first plenary address at the Reformed Forum 2018 Theology Conference at Hope Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Grayslake, Illinois. Download the lecture notes to follow along. Watch on YouTube

Camden Bucey delivers the opening and introductory address at the Reformed Forum 2018 Theology Conference at Hope Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Grayslake, Illinois. Watch on YouTube

Dr. Whitney Gamble speaks about antinomianism and the Westminster Assembly. She has written Christ and the Law: Antinomianism at the Westminster Assembly, which is part of the Studies on the Westminster Assembly series published by Reformation Heritage Books. Dr. Gamble is associate professor of biblical and theological studies at Providence Christian College. She holds a PhD in historical and systematic theology from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, a master of theological studies from Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a B.A. in biblical studies from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Dr. Gamble is a frequent guest on The White Horse Inn podcast, speaking on issues ranging from the doctrine of justification to the theology of Christmas movies: https://www.whitehorseinn.org/host/whitney-gamble/ Her first book, Christ and the Law: Antinomianism at the Westminster Assembly, is forthcoming with Reformation Heritage Books. Along with seventy other leading scholars from around the world, she is contributing a chapter in the forthcoming multi-volume series, The History of Scottish Theology, published by Oxford University Press. https://www.historyscottishtheology.div.ed.ac.uk

Hosea points to Jesus, who, as the new and final Israel, does not remain under the power of death forever. But Christ is raised from the dead in the vindicating power of the Spirit. Christ is our exodus—the one delivered from bondage to sin and death! His deliverance is our deliverance. As those who have been delivered in and through Christ, we are called to forget the names of our false gods and remember the name of the Lord who has delivered us from our previous slavemaster.

On this week's episode of Theology Simply Profound, we repost an old episode on Reading Biographies. In this episode, Rob, Melodie, and Bob discuss the benefits of reading biographies and which ones may be helpful to read, both Christian and non-Christian. We also bring to your attention the new biography published by Reformed Forum, Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian, by Danny E. Olinger.

We continue our #VosGroup series in pages 191–194 of Vos' book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the conception of prophecy in Scripture.

In a startling episode of fear and worldliness we find the hope of the gospel. Learn how the person and work of Christ can be preached from what seems to be the most unlikely text.

Hebrews has given us a greater understanding of the role of Christ in relation to the Old Testament. He is the ultimate king, the greater high priest, and the better prophet. He has been and made the final sacrifice and He has brought in the New Covenant making the Old Covenant obsolete. He is better than any angel or any other man. He is God Himself who is building His kingdom till the very last enemy is destroyed. What does this mean for us and our everyday lives? How are we to live in our homes, at work, and in the church? In what way is our worship connected with the Old Testament saints? We will discuss these and other questions in this week's episode of Theology Simply Profound.

Ken Golden speaks about the Lord's Day throughout redemptive-history and what it means to seek our heavenly rest in Christ. In his book, Entering God's Rest: The Sabbath from Genesis to Revelation (Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, 2018), Rev. Golden seeks to move beyond a checklist of do's and don'ts to consider the deeper significance of finding our joy in the Lord.

For this week's episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob discuss the unity of the people of God as they continue to walk through portions of the letter to the Hebrews.

Lot can not save himself—God has to do it. In his mercy he provides for Lot's salvation even through the destruction of the city of man, and in so doing provides for us a picture of Christ's saving work.

Dr. Lawrence Feingold brings us a Catholic's perspective on Thomas Aquinas and the important connection between his doctrines of the Eucharist and the Beatific Vision.

The mercy that the Lord shows initially will be undone in judgment. But there is grace, restoration, and redemption for those who repent and trust in Christ.

This week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob discuss the mysterious figure of Melchizedek found in Genesis 14 and referenced several times in the Letter to the Hebrews. In discussing Melchizedek, we are brought before the wonderful work of Christ as the Christian's Great High Priest by seeing the contrasts between the priesthood of Melchizedek and that of Aaron or the Levitical priesthood. By far, the Priesthood of Christ is superior to Aaron.

Jim Cassidy previews his address at the 2018 Reformed Forum conference by speaking about Barth on the analogy of being and the analogy of faith and how his views relate to the theology of Thomas Aquinas. Jim and Camden also speak about Barth's views of natural theology and how they relate to the views of Cornelius Van Til. This is in response to recent remarks from Dr. Michael Allen on the Credo Magazine podcast (around minute 37). If you'd like to jump directly to that portion of our discussion, you can watch it on YouTube. [embed]https://youtu.be/JOzUuDDGIOU[/embed]

Ryan Noha speaks about several rare books that have been added to our online store.

Dan Ragusa introduces us to the theological method of Petrus Van Mastricht, Dutch Reformed theologian, who maintained consistent Reformed orthodoxy against Cartesian influences. Van Mastricht wrote a polemic against Balthasar Bekker, a critic of paganism but a proponent of Cartesianism. In his polemic, Van Mastricht addresses the issue of Scriptural authority, theological method, and the proper end toward which all theologians and philosophers must be directed: worship of the one, true, and living God. Dan Ragusa is a PhD student at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [embed]https://youtu.be/RWAcoAh9jrY[/embed] Readings Daniel Ragusa, "Beginning with Scripture, Ending with Worship: An Analysis of Petrus van Mastricht's Polemic against Balthasar Bekker" Petrus van Mastricht, Theoretical-Practical Theology Volume 1: Prolegomena Adriaan C. Neele, The Art of Living to God

Lot serves as a paradigm or picture of the salvation of sinners and judgment upon unbelievers. Sinners are not saved because they suddenly figure out God's mercy and come running to him. They are saved because God does what they cannot do of their own accord.

Rob and Bob continue our short series walking through portions of the Letter to the Hebrews interacting on occasion with dispensationalism's understanding of various passages and concepts found so prominently in this wonderful letter to the church of Jesus Christ. This week's episode Theology Simply Profound, we take a look at how the Preacher to the Hebrews interprets the Old Testament.

Jeff Waddington previews his address for the 2018 Theology Conference. He speaks about Pseudo-Dionysius, a key influence upon Thomas Aquinas. Dionysius attempted to integrate neoplatonism with Christianity. The result was a Christianization of the great chain of being. Register for the upcoming conference. Reading List Daria Spezzano, The Glory of God's Grace: Deification According to St. Thomas Aquinas Dominic Legge: The Trinitarian Christology of St. Thomas Aquinas Lawrence Feingold: The Natural Desire to See God According to St. Thomas and His Interpreters Hans Boersma, Seeing God: The Beatific Vision in Christian Tradition [embed]https://youtu.be/L4sTPjFyBPU[/embed]

We discuss how a return to sola scriptura through confessional Reformed theology spares us from the errors of Roman Catholicism and modernism. Reformed covenant theology, broadly considered, is facing a crisis regarding what constitutes "reformed" theology. The situation currently is one of chaos and confusion. Some claim that the way forward is by way of retrieving the theology of Thomas Aquinas, the angelic doctor of the Roman Catholic church, in the service of a so-called "Reformed" apologetic. The line of this argument is that if you follow the Roman Catholic theology and method of Aquinas, you will arrive at Protestant conclusions. Others enlist Aquinas in conversation with the likes of John Webster and Karl Barth, in the interest of retrieving "catholic" tradition in the development of a reformed theological identity. Still others, outside of our reformed circles, are engaged in ecumenical dialogue between Thomas and Barth (Bruce McCormack and Thomas Joseph White's Thomas Aquinas and Karl Barth: An Unofficial Dialogue, or Keith Johnson's Karl Barth and the Analogia Entis, which helpfully to my mind points out the significant points of convergence between the two theologians). It is very much worth pointing out that Van Til virtually predicted this in advance in his sadly neglected but highly important work Confession of 1967, where he says, "If now we live in a dialogical age and if only the church as ecumenical can meet the needs of such an age, then surely the Roman Catholic too must learn to see this fact. As Martin Marty says, "If Protestants and Roman Catholics wish to make possible a creative coexistence, to enrich our pluralistic society, and to profit from each other's separate histories, they will have to participate in dialogue.…" And what does such "dialogue" look like? Again, Van Til says, "It was Hans Urs von Balthasar who, more than anyone else, has helped Barth to see that Roman Catholicism also begins its theology from the Christ-Event. Roman Catholicism, says von Balthasar, does not believe in direct revelation any more than does Barth. To be sure, Rome does speak of "faith and works," of "nature and grace," of "reason and revelation." But this "and" is not, as Barth thinks, fatal to the idea of the primacy of Christ and of faith in Christ. The whole discussion between Barth and the Roman Catholic position may therefore start from the idea that revelation is revelation in hiddenness. "The difference between Barth and Roman Catholicism will therefore be not of principle but of degree" (Confession, 119). [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9xyz5RQhfQ[/embed]

In Episode 57, we see that despite oncoming judgment, the passage underscores the deep relationship between God and Abraham. It is covenantal at its core.

On this week's episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob begin a short series walking through the Letter to the Hebrews interacting on occasion with dispensationalism's understanding of various passages and concepts found so prominently in this wonderful letter to the church of Jesus Christ.

Darryl G. Hart, Distinguished Associate Professor of History at Hillsdale College, joins us to speak about his book, Still Protesting: Why the Reformation Matters (Reformation Heritage Books). This book addresses the divide between Protestants and Roman Catholics, considering some of the reasons that prompted the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation. It emerges particularly from the context of the increasing number of Protestants who convert to Roman Catholicism, and Hart's aim is to address some of the most frequent reasons given for abandoning Protestantism. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG2G2j8LkdA[/embed] Links DGH at Patheos Old Life