The Riddleblog

“The Ancient of Days” Daniel 7:1-18 (An Exposition of the Book of Daniel–Part Thirteen)

The Scene Changes

The second half of the Book of Daniel is much different from the first half. The first six chapters of Daniel recount the career of the Hebrew prophet including a number of events associated with Daniel and his three Hebrew comrades (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), two Babylonian kings (Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar) and one Persian king (Darius the Mede–also known as Cyrus). The second half of the Book of Daniel (chapters 7 through 12) opens with a dramatic vision given by YHWH to Daniel which maps out the next six centuries of ancient near-eastern history.

Yet in the following chapters, Daniel continues to recount some of the most fantastic and difficult visions in all the Bible. The literary hinge between the two halves of Daniel is chapter 7. As one writer puts it, the nature of Daniel’s dramatic vision makes this “the single most important chapter of the Book of Daniel.”[1] Chapter 7 includes what yet another writer describes as “the key to history.”[2] These are grandiose comments, but after we have spent some time in this chapter, I think you will see why these opinions are appropriate. The vision given Daniel in chapter 7 points us to a mysterious figure–“One like a Son of Man”–who is indeed the key to understanding all of human history.

Daniel’s vision of four strange beasts as recorded in chapter 7, covers the same time frame in human history (the 5th century BC-the 1st century AD) as the vision which YHWH gave previously to Nebuchadnezzar, recounted in Daniel 2. But this vision is YHWH’s revelation of the all-conquering king (Jesus) around whom all of human history ultimately centers. The subsequent visions given Daniel in chapters 8-12 speak of the great empires which arise after Babylon falls (the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires), while also foretelling of the rebuilding of Jerusalem (after the Jewish exiles return home from Babylon), the rise of an antichrist figure (described as a blaspheming “little horn” who is the arch-enemy of God’s people), before the visions take us forward to the end of the age and the general resurrection when all the dead (believing and unbelieving) are raised bodily on the day of final judgment.

Daniel Given Another Vision

This vision was given Daniel by YHWH while Belshazzar was in the first year of his reign as king of Babylon–specifically, the year 550 BC, which also happened to be the very same year that a relatively unknown Persian king (Darius) rose to become leader of the Medo-Persian empire (taking the royal name Cyrus), which will conquer Babylon in 539 BC (as we saw in chapters 5-6 of Daniel). We will explore this vision in chapter 7 in this essay and the next.

To read the rest, follow the link below

The Book of DanielKim RiddlebargerJune 3, 2024The Son of Man, The Ancient of Days, The little horn, the four beastsComment

Warfield On An Overlooked Aspect of Calvin's Doctrine of God

In his essay “Calvin’s Doctrine of God” written for the Princeton Theological Review (vii, 1909) on pages 174-175, B. B. Warfield considers John Calvin’s stress upon the Fatherhood of God. Warfield’s important, but often overlooked, point about Calvin’s emphasis on divine Fatherhood, is taken from The Works of Benjamin B. Warfield, Calvin and Calvinism (Baker, Reprint ed., 1981),Vol. 5 133-185. The essay can be found in its entirety here: Calvin’s Doctrine of God.

Warfield summarizes Calvin’s comments from the opening section of The Institutes, in which Calvin speaks of the knowledge of God and that God is the source of all good.

And then [Calvin] proceeds (Institutes I. ii. 2) to expound at length how the knowledge of God should first inspire us with fear and reverence and then lead us to look to Him for good. The first thought of Him awakes us to our dependence on Him as our Lord: any clear view of Him begets in us a sense of Him as the fountain and origin of all that is good—such as in anyone not depraved by sin must inevitably arouse a desire to adhere to Him and put his trust (fiducia) in Him—because he must recognize in Him a guardian and protector worthy of complete confidence (fides).

Warfield then quotes Calvin at length from the opening section of the Institutes (I. ii. 2),

To read the rest of Warfield’s remarks, follow the link below:

B. B. WarfieldKim RiddlebargerMay 31, 2024Calvin's doctrine of God, Fatherhood and sovereigntyComment

“The Saving Effectiveness of Christ’s Death” -- Article Eight, Second Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 8: The Saving Effectiveness of Christ’s Death

For it was the entirely free plan and very gracious will and intention of God the Father that the enlivening and saving effectiveness of his Son’s costly death should work itself out in all his chosen ones, in order that he might grant justifying faith to them only and thereby lead them without fail to salvation. In other words, it was God’s will that Christ through the blood of the cross (by which he confirmed the new covenant) should effectively redeem from every people, tribe, nation, and language all those and only those who were chosen from eternity to salvation and given to him by the Father; that he should grant them faith (which, like the Holy Spirit’s other saving gifts, he acquired for them by his death); that he should cleanse them by his blood from all their sins, both original and actual, whether committed before or after their coming to faith; that he should faithfully preserve them to the very end; and that he should finally present them to himself, a glorious people, without spot or wrinkle.

__________________________________

The authors of the Canons note that the death of Christ is designed by God to satisfy the demands of his holy justice on behalf of his elect. The Canons also point out that sinners cannot believe the proclamation of Christ crucified unless they are given the gift of faith through the preaching of the gospel. At this point, the Canons tie these two things together.

In article 8, the authors state that the cross was ordained by God for the express purpose of actually and effectually redeeming the elect, i.e., those chosen by God in Christ from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). There is not a hint anywhere in Scripture that it was God's intention to make people savable, if only they use their free will and natural ability to come to Christ.

As the Canons put it, “For it was the entirely free plan and very gracious will and intention of God the Father that the enlivening and saving effectiveness of his Son's costly death should work itself out in all his chosen ones, in order that he might grant justifying faith to them only and thereby lead them without fail to salvation.”

According to the Reformed understanding of the plan of redemption, God has decreed to save his elect in Christ, then in the fullness of time God sent our Lord to accomplish what was necessary for his elect to be saved. Jesus came to die for our sins, thereby satisfying God’s justice which requires payment for our guilt. Through his personal obedience, Jesus fulfilled the demands of God’s law during his messianic mission, so that the elect can be provided with the perfect righteousness of Christ. And then Scripture teaches that God sent the Holy Spirit to call all those whom God has chosen and for whom Christ has died, to come to faith and repent of their sins through the proclamation of the gospel.

To read the rest, follow the link below

The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerMay 29, 2024The efficiacy of Christ's crossComment

"Flee from Sexual Immorality" (1 Corinthians 6:12-20) A New Episode of the Blessed Hope!

Episode Synopsis:

It has been said that prostitution is the world’s old profession. In reality, tending a garden and naming animals is. But if you lived in first century Corinth you lived in a city well-known for its prostitutes and rampant sexual immorality. This creates a difficult situation for Christians who live there and who have been taught by Paul that sexual relations are limited to marriage.

Paul has learned that some in the Corinthian church justified using the services of prostitutes by contending that Christian liberty allows it–the same excuse some were giving for eating food sacrificed to idols. Yes, the temptations Christians faced were real and many engaged in such behavior before their conversion. But as Paul has taught them, Christians must break with their pagan past and resist the pressure to continue to give into all bodily desires and urges. Yes, Christians are free from law-keeping as a means of justification, but such freedom entails freedom to obey the commands of God, not freedom to indulge in seeking to satisfy every bodily urge.

Paul reminds the Corinthians that they have been bought by a price (the shed blood of Jesus Christ) and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. A Christian is no longer a slave to sin and now is a bond servant of Jesus Christ. Their bodies belong to their creator-redeemer. Paul asks, “how can someone in union with Jesus Christ unite themselves in a sexual union with someone who represents pagan religion and spirituality?” Such a thing is unthinkable for Paul.

To read the show notes and listen to the episode, follow the link below

Blessed Hope PodcastKim RiddlebargerMay 27, 2024Paul on sexual immoralityComment

May Musings (5/24/2024)

Riddleblog and Blessed Hope Podcast Updates:

The Blessed Hope Podcast will take a short break now that I’ve completed the first eleven episodes of season three, which covers the first half of 1 Corinthians (1:1-6:20). Lord willing, we’ll pick up where we left off at 7:1.

As we head into Summer, the Riddlebargers will do some traveling which means that Riddleblog activity will be a bit intermittent.

Thinking Out Loud:

How long before Joe Biden drops out of the presidential race? Bill Maher said the President looks like a cadaver and walks like a toddler with a loaded diaper. After a recent short speech, the White House press secretary issued nine corrections. Hardly what you want from your party’s presidential candidate. It is not like he can fix any of this—Biden will not get any younger and as the quip goes, “father time is undefeated.” I know, Biden’s thinking he’ll show everyone his fitness to remain in office when (or if) he debates Trump. But, it is more than likely that Biden will have more moments of senility. My guess . . . he doesn’t survive the Democrat convention.
The Yankees are playing great baseball. But it is better to play great ball after the all-star break and go into the playoffs with momentum. The Yankees haven’t done that since 2009, their last world series victory.
A court has recently ruled that tacos and burritos are considered sandwiches. I know the courts are dealing with limits on specialty restaurants in malls, etc., where certain types of food are excluded. But a taco is not a sandwich! Neither is a hot dog!

To read the rest, see the link and video follow the link below:

MusingsKim RiddlebargerMay 24, 2024Guelzo on Democracy, Mr. Bean goes to church, Horton on Spirituality without religion Comments

Christ's Spotless Bride -- On the Marks of the Church (Part Four)

Reformed Confessional Teaching on the “Marks of the Church”

The discussion of the marks of a true church is important—especially in our day and age—because of the competing claims of various religious bodies and organizations to be “Christ’s church.” There are a myriad of churches who make such a claim–some associated with recognizable church bodies. Other groups who identify themselves as “churches” are more the product of the American entrepreneurial spirit, possess a trendy name, and an undefinable identity. They see themselves as radical and relevant, not stale and stuffy.

Reformed theologians have understood the marks of the church to be an especially important matter since multiple church bodies claim to be the only (or the true) church, yet their various claims are questionable in terms of biblical teaching and doctrine. This raises the question under discussion here: “how do we distinguish valid claims to be a true church from invalid claims?”

Louis Berkhof points out that there was not much of a need to consider the marks of the church when it was clearly one (i.e., during the apostolic church), but after heresies arose it became increasingly necessary to speak in the terms of a true/false, biblical/unbiblical dichotomy of any assembly of people professing to be Christians and followers of Jesus. Responding to heresies requires a response and doctrinal explanation. Oftentimes these explanations lead to further division.[1]

To read the rest, follow the link below

EcclesiologyKim RiddlebargerMay 22, 2024The marks of a churchComment

“He Is the Living God” Daniel 6:1-28 (An Exposition of the Book of Daniel–Part Twelve)

Babylon Has Fallen

The sign on the door of the royal palace read “under new management.” The Persians (Medes) have displaced the Babylonians (Chaldeans) as the occupiers and rulers of Babylon. The Babylonian king, Belshazzar, is dead. Darius the Mede (Cyrus) is now in charge, ruling as Persian king over the former Babylonian empire. The Hebrew prophet, Daniel, now an old man, is immediately recognized by Darius as a wise and gifted man and an effective supervisor. Daniel is given great authority as one of three “presidents” (counselors) to supervise the satraps (or regional governors), who handled the day to day affairs of local government. It is a position of great honor, respect, and influence. But Daniel’s appointment to such high office creates much jealousy among the Persians, and even perhaps among former Babylonian officials who were passed over for the prestigious job which instead went to a despised Hebrew. A plot is soon hatched to remove Daniel from his new office, and it will not be long before Daniel finds himself forced to deny his faith in YHWH, or face being thrown to lions. But God preserves his people in such a way as to unmistakably reveal himself to be the sovereign Lord of all–even to the Persian king Darius.

Daniel in the Lion’s Den – More Than a “Bible Story”

The story of “Daniel in the lion’s den” is one of the best known and most loved of all the so-called “Bible stories.” This is a great story in its own right. But to make full sense as to why this incident is included in Daniel’s prophecy, it must be considered in light of the larger redemptive-historical context, which is the victory of YHWH, his prophets, and his exiled people over the false “gods” of Babylon, and now Persia. YHWH is sovereign over all kings and nations and is directing the events of which we have read throughout Daniel’s prophecy to his own ends. Daniel’s trial and ordeal in the lion’s den in chapter 6 are part of YHWH’s larger sovereign plan to ensure that the Jewish exiles in Babylon will be allowed to return home to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and YHWH’s temple. This comes about because YHWH moves Darius (Cyrus) to issue a decree to bring this to pass (recounted in the books of Ezra-Nehemiah). But the one incident which seems to truly motivate Darius to release the Jewish exiles is when the Persian king sees firsthand the power of God in rescuing his prophet Daniel from a pride of hungry lions.

To read the rest, follow the link below

The Book of DanielKim RiddlebargerMay 20, 2024The Lion's Den, Cyrus's DecreeComment

Mike Horton's New Book -- Shaman and Sage

Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

The first volume of Michael Horton’s magisterial intellectual history of “spiritual but not religious” as a phenomenon in Western culture

Discussions of the rapidly increasing number of people identifying as “spiritual but not religious” tend to focus on the past century. But the SBNR phenomenon and the values that underlie it may be older than Christianity itself.

Michael Horton reveals that the hallmarks of modern spirituality—autonomy, individualism, utopianism, and more—have their foundations in Greek philosophical religion. Horton makes the case that the development of the shaman figure in the Axial Age—particularly its iteration among Orphists—represented a “divine self.” One must realize the divinity within the self to break free from physicality and become one with a panentheistic unity. Time and time again, this tradition of divinity hiding in nature has arisen as an alternative to monotheistic submission to a god who intervenes in creation.

This first volume traces the development of a utopian view of the human individual: a divine soul longing to break free from all limits of body, history, and the social and natural world. When the second and third volumes are complete, students and scholars will consult The Divine Self as the authoritative guide to the “spiritual but not religious” tendency as a recurring theme in Western culture from antiquity to the present.

Mike’s been working on this for some time. I was privileged to read an early draft. This a profound and an important work. This is the first of three volumes. You can order it here: Michael Horton, Shaman and Sage

History and Culture, Reformed ResourcesKim RiddlebargerMay 17, 2024Spiritual but not ReligiousComment

A New Episode of the Blessed Hope Podcast -- "Washed, Sanctified, Justified" (1 Corinthians 6:1-11)

Episode Synopsis:

Corinth was a booming city with lots of new money and great stress upon the power and prestige that goes with it. One way to enhance your public image was to take advantage of those who had something you wanted or needed, or to shame a rival or get a leg up on someone you didn’t like, was to sue them in civil court. Corinth was a very litigious place with one citizen complaining that there were far too many lawyers in the city. The legal system in Corinth was rigged to favor those of means who could bribe a judge or hire a lawyer to obtain a favorable verdict over someone who had no means of defending themselves. Court proceedings took place in the city’s marketplace, so such lawsuits became a public spectacle.

Upon learning that Christians were participating in this kind of civil litigation, Paul addresses the matter of how such practices harmed the church and its witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ no matter who won such a lawsuit. Paul reminds the Corinthians that the church is the spiritual temple of God, composed of those redeemed by Jesus Christ and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Paul rebukes them for using the courts to exploit each other, an affront to the body of Christ. He reminds them that since one day they will judge the world, what business do they have to engage in such practices before the watching pagans. Such personal disputes are to settled within the church.

Paul reminds the Corinthians of what they once had been–sexually immoral, liars, drunkards, swindlers, and the like. But now, they are washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Jesus Christ. Given what they were in light of what they now are, how can the Corinthians continue to drag each other into court to gain advantage over a fellow believer? This is a defeat for the Corinthians, no matter who wins or loses in court. Better to lose than to participate in such an unjust system.

To see the show notes and listen to the podcast, follow the link below

Blessed Hope PodcastKim RiddlebargerMay 15, 2024Christian Liberty, sexual immorality, sexual purityComment

I Was a Recent Guest on the “Lets Ask a Theologian” Podcast

To watch/listen to the podcast (YouTube), follow the link below

Amillennialism, eschatology, Reformed ResourcesKim RiddlebargerMay 14, 2024Amillennialism, two kingdoms Comments

“Faith God’s Gift” -- Article Seven, Second Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 7: Faith God’s Gift

But all who genuinely believe and are delivered and saved by Christ’s death from their sins and from destruction receive this favor solely from God’s grace—which he owes to no one—given to them in Christ from eternity.

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Since our race has fallen in Adam, and we are sinful by nature, we can do nothing on our own to come to faith in Christ. Indeed, we cannot even do anything to prepare ourselves to come to faith apart from a prior act of God on our behalf (calling and regeneration). The Canons remind us yet again that faith does not arise because fallen sinners have the power, desire, or the ability to believe the gospel when it is preached to them.

The Scriptures repeatedly tell us that faith is a gift from God. In fact, faith only arises within when the Holy Spirit creates it in the human heart through the preaching of the gospel. As Luther once pointed out, God creates faith in the heart, just like he created the world from nothing. Unless and until God does this, we gladly remain unbelievers.

To read the rest, follow the link below

The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerMay 13, 2024Faith as gift from GodComment

On John Wesley's “A Plain Account of Christian Perfection”

John Wesley’s vexing book, A Plain Account of Christian Perfection (London: Epworth Press, 1952), is an altogether miserable read, and known by its critics for its glaring imperfections (pun intended). Written in 1766, you can find it in its entirety here: A Plain Account of Christian Perfection.

John Wesley (1703-1791), the founder of Methodism, was for a time an evangelical luminary—people in such circles often spoke of him on a par with the Protestant Reformers. But Wesley has fallen out of favor of late—no doubt due to the rigorous obedience tied to his “Methodist” system. The Methodist church which he helped to found has for the most part gone the way of all flesh, making the news recently for a whole bunch of reasons completely beyond the foresight of the movement’s founder. Wesley is, no doubt, turning in his grave over the path the Methodists have taken to full apostasy.

In the evangelicalism in which I was raised, Wesley was held in high esteem largely because of the story of his dramatic conversion at Aldersgate St. in London in 1738. He was “strangely warmed”when hearing the “preface” to Martin Luther’s commentary on Romans read aloud. It is often quipped that it is too bad Wesley didn’t go on to read the entirety of Luther’s commentary. Anyone who reads Wesley’s A Plain Account discovers a mass of confusion and contradictions as he affirms one thing, and then quickly backtracks on much of his prior teaching so as to define and defend his doctrine of “Christian perfectionism,” also called “sinless perfection,” or “entire sanctification.”

On occasion, when I mention his perfectionism, people will often challenge me, saying something like, “it can’t be that bad.” No, in fact, it is worse. When I tell them what Wesley actually taught in A Plain Account they simply can’t believe it. So, I keep my Kindle close by to show the quotations replicated below. I recently addressed Wesley’s take on election and good works to make much the same point—Wesley was an Arminian in his soteriology and taught a very confusing, and conscience burdening doctrine of Christian perfectionism.

To read the rest (and excerpts from the book) follow the link below

American Religion, Riddleblog Publication, Reformed ResourcesKim RiddlebargerMay 10, 2024Christian perfectionismComment

"Servant and Lord -- The Carmen Christi" (Philippians 2:1-11)

It Isn’t About Me

One of the most famous and well-known passages in all the Bible is the famous hymn to Christ (the Carmen Christi) of verses 6-11 of Philippians 2. Martin Luther writes in his famous essay The Freedom of the Christian, that this passage is a prescribed rule of life which is set forth by the Apostle Paul, who exhorts us to devote our good works to the welfare of our neighbor out of the abundant riches of faith. John Calvin tells us that anyone who reads this passage but fails to see the deity of Jesus and the majesty of God as seen in his saving works, is blind to the things of God.[1] The passage contains a very rich Christology, but is included in this letter not to settle any debate over the person and work of Jesus, but to instruct Christians how to imitate Jesus in a profound and significant way. The Carmen Christi speaks directly to our modern world by reminding us that the self-centered narcissism of contemporary culture is not a virtue, but runs completely contrary to the example set for us to follow by Jesus in his incarnation.

As many of you know, our system of chapters and verses are not in the original biblical text and were first introduced in the 16th century. While they are very helpful in allowing us to find “chapter and verse,” there are times when the chapter breaks disrupt the flow of thought of the original author. We find this in the transition from the opening chapter of Philippians as we move into chapter two. As we go through our passage, we will see that Paul’s exhortation which opens the second chapter is really an expansion of his desire for the Philippians to stand firm (vv. 12-30) and is the basis for his introduction of the Christ hymn (which we will cover momentarily).

Standing Firm in the Face of Persecution

In expressing his candid thoughts to the Philippians, the apostle is reflecting upon the persecution which he himself had faced, particularly in the light of the news which just reached him from Philippi that the Philippians were still facing significant persecution. When Paul was first in the city of Philippi, he was arrested and thrown into jail (Acts 16:12 ff.). Paul was miraculously delivered, the jailer and his household came to faith in Jesus, and as recounted in Acts 17, shortly thereafter, Paul left the city to continue his missionary journey to the Greek cities of Thessalonica and Berea, before finally making his way to Athens.

When Paul writes this letter to the Philippians about ten years later, he is in jail again–this time under house arrest in Rome. Paul knew something about persecution. He knows that the Philippian Christians are facing persecution as well. The Philippians may not be in chains, but they are finding that their fellow Greco-Romans are not accepting nor tolerant of their faith in Jesus. And then there are the Judaizers who have arrived on the scene and are now disrupting church life in Philippi.

To read the rest, follow the link below

Biblical Events, Biblical TheologyKim RiddlebargerMay 8, 2024kenosis, The Christ Hymn, Philippians 2:1-11Comment

“God Has Numbered the Days of Your Kingdom” Daniel 5:13-31 (An Exposition of the Book of Daniel–Part Eleven)

The Final Bash in the King’s Palace

It was a party like no other. Wine was flowing freely and the thousand or so royal guests seemed completely oblivious to the fact that within hours the party’s host (the Babylonian king Belshazzar) will be dead and the Persian army will have captured the city and the palace in which his guests were partying. King Belshazzar and the great Babylonian empire will be no more. Yet, the events of this fateful evening should not come as a surprise to Belshazzar.

YHWH warned Belshazzar’s more famous predecessor (Nebuchadnezzar) of this very night in a dream recorded in Daniel 2. Nebuchadnezzar saw a gigantic metallic statue with a head of gold (representing Nebuchadnezzar and his empire). But that empire would at some point give way to the Persian empire (represented by the silver arms and chest of the statue). It was the Hebrew prophet Daniel, who, when interpreting the dream, told Nebuchadnezzar of these events yet to transpire. On this very night, YHWH issued a warning of impending judgment in the form of a mysterious handwritten message which suddenly appeared on the wall of the palace for all to see. Daniel is summoned to the king’s palace yet again. This time, Daniel is to interpret a mysterious handwritten message which terrified Belshazzar as well as his guests. The message brings ominous news to Belshazzar. It is YHWH’s declaration of judgment, fulfilling the scene in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.

To read the rest follow the link below

The Book of DanielKim RiddlebargerMay 6, 2024Belshazzar, Handwriting on the Wall, Fall of BabylonComment

Christ's Spotless Bride -- More New Testament Images of the Church (Part Three)

This is part three of a series on the doctrine of the church entitled Christ’s Spotless Bride. In the previous post, I introduced how the New Testament images of the church are but one way of approaching the doctrine of the church (attributes and marks are other such categories). To understand the value of these images, an analogy to the doctrine of God (theology proper) is in order. Scripture teaches us about God (who is incomprehensible in himself) not only by ascribing certain attributes to him (e.g., justice, knowledge, power) but also by identifying him as a certain kind of person or having a certain kind of role (e.g., king, shepherd, warrior). These New Testament images are analogical and anthropological. God is like but also unlike human kings, and being a king does not exhaust who God is.

The first half of this list of New Testament images of the church can be here. This essay picks up where I left off last time.

Bride of Christ

The imagery of the church as the bride of Christ illustrates the relationship between Jesus and his church as well as his authority to rule over it. According to Michael Horton,

This covenantal relationship [between God and his people] can also be expressed in terms of the marriage analogy, rooted first of all in the union of male and female, becoming “one flesh,” a point that will be developed more fully . . . [in] consideration of the body of Christ. It is especially in the prophets that the marital analogy is appealed to, particularly as a way of highlighting the gravity of Israel’s infidelity to the covenant.[1]

Paul describes the church as Christ’s bride in Ephesians 5:25-31. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus uses the term explicitly in 21:2, 9; 22:17 (cf. 19:9). “Bride” is the last designation used of the church in the New Testament . The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is said to await the people of God when the bridegroom returns for his bride on the last day.

to read the rest, follow the link below

EcclesiologyKim RiddlebargerMay 3, 2024New Testamwnt Images of the churchComment

“Unbelief Man's Responsibility” -- Article Six, Second Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 6: Unbelief Man’s Responsibility

However, that many who have been called through the gospel do not repent or believe in Christ but perish in unbelief is not because the sacrifice of Christ offered on the cross is deficient or insufficient, but because they themselves are at fault.

______________________________________

At this point, the authors of the Canons must respond to the perennial and nagging question raised by the biblical teaching about the death of Christ. “Why is it that if Christ died for all, not all are saved?” This is especially the case in light of the Reformed distinctive that Christ’s death was designed to save God’s elect, not merely make all people hypothetically “savable” if they do what God asks them to do–repent and believe.

You have undoubtedly heard questions such as the following. “If the preaching of Christ crucified is the power of God unto salvation, why do not all believe the gospel when it is preached to them?” Where does the fault truly lie when someone does not believe the message of Christ crucified and then perishes eternally?

Since Reformed Christians contend that God alone can save those dead in sin, and since not all are saved, the Arminian will object that the Reformed understanding of the atonement makes God to blame when someone is lost, because God supposedly did nothing to provide for their salvation–the death of Christ being “limited” to the elect. On the Reformed understanding of particular redemption (God will save his elect), is not God himself to blame because he is not being fair in not choosing everyone to be saved? Does this mean that God somehow prevents certain individuals from believing and coming to faith in Christ when he chooses others to be saved, as is so often charged?

To read the rest, follow the link below

The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerMay 1, 2024Responsibility for Unbelief Comments

Thank You for Listening!

Fifty episodes, so far!

Two full seasons completed (Galatians, and 1 & 2 Thessalonians), a seven episode prophecy conference by podcast (“The Future”) completed, and Season Three (on 1 Corinthians) well underway!

Lord willing, many more to come! Romans? The Prison Epistles, the Pastoral Epistles, the Book of Revelation?

And a big milestone for downloads is coming up . . .

Thank you!

Blessed Hope PodcastKim RiddlebargerApril 29, 202450 Episodes

"A Man Has His Father's Wife" -- (1 Corinthians 5:1-13) A New Episode of the Blessed Hope Podcast!

Episode Synopsis:

When passing through Ephesus, where Paul was living at the time, members of Chloe’s family informed Paul of a situation in the Corinthian church of such a serious nature that Paul is taken aback. A man in the Corinthian church (presumably known to the church but unnamed by Paul) is cohabiting with his father’s wife. Such conduct was scandalous to the point that even the sexually libertine Greco-Roman pagans were offended by it. While the man’s conduct was shameful, what troubles Paul more is that the leaders of the Corinthian church had done nothing about it.

In chapter 5 of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, Paul exhorts them to excommunicate the man so as to turn him over to Satan so that he might be saved on the day of judgment. What Paul means by this is a matter of some controversy and we will address it in detail in this episode. Paul tells the Corinthians that he has already pronounced judgment about the matter, and even though he cannot come to them in person, he is with them in spirit. They must act and remove the man from the church.

Paul’s exhortation to act must be seen in light of the removal of leaven in an act of “cleansing the temple,” along with the practice of the removal of all leaven from Jewish homes on the eve of the annual Passover celebration. Leaven symbolizes uncleanness, and the danger it poses is that even a small amount quickly spreads throughout the loaf rendering the whole unclean. Since the Corinthian church is the spiritual temple of Christ they cannot allow such scandalous immorality in their midst.

Paul also learns that the Corinthians had badly misunderstood his prior letter to them. They took his exhortation not to be “mixed up” with sexually immoral people as though Paul meant that they should avoid contact with all non-Christians. Paul takes this opportunity to correct them. The Corinthians have it backwards. They are not to judge non-Christians. God will do that. But they are to judge those in their midst who claim to be followers of Christ but who still live like pagans.

To read the show notes and listen to the episode, follow the link below

Blessed Hope PodcastKim RiddlebargerApril 29, 2024excommunication, Judging othersComment

Calvin’s Summation of Christ's Saving Work in the Apostles' Creed

One of my favorite sections from Calvin’s Institutes is his summation of Christ alone, wrapping up his brief exposition of the Apostles’ Creed (Institutes 2.16.19). Calvin writes,

We see that our whole salvation and all its parts are comprehended in Christ (Acts 4:12). We should therefore take care not to derive the least portion of it from anywhere else. If we seek salvation, we are taught by the very name of Jesus that it is “of him” (1 Cor. 1:30). If we seek any other gifts of the Spirit, they will be found in his anointing. If we seek strength, it lies in his dominion; if purity, in his conception; if gentleness, it appears in his birth. For by his birth he was made like us in all respects (Heb. 2:17) that he might learn to feel our pain (cf. Heb. 5:2). If we seek redemption, it lies in his passion; if acquittal, in his condemnation; if remission of the curse, in his cross (Gal. 3:13); if satisfaction, in his sacrifice; if purification, in his blood; if reconciliation, in his descent into hell; if mortification of the flesh, in his tomb; if newness of life, in his resurrection; if immortality, in the same; if inheritance of the Heavenly Kingdom, in his entrance into heaven; if protection, if security, if abundant supply of all blessings, in his Kingdom; if untroubled expectation of judgment, in the power given to him to judge. In short, since rich store of every kind of good abounds in him, let us drink our fill from this fountain, and from no other. Some men, not content with him alone, are borne hither and thither from one hope to another; even if they concern themselves chiefly with him, they nevertheless stray from the right way in turning some part of their thinking in another direction. Yet such distrust cannot creep in where men have once for all truly known the abundance of his blessings.

Amen and Amen!

Biblical Theology, Reformed ResourcesKim RiddlebargerApril 26, 2024Christ's work in the creed Comment

B. B. Warfield on the Formation of New Testament Canon

B. B. Warfield’s magisterial essay “The Formation of the Canon of the New Testament” was published in 1892. You can find the essay here. It has also been included in the various editions of Warfield’s The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible.

Here a few gems from that essay.

Warfield reminds us that the apostolic church did not “invent” the idea of a canon of New Testament books. The church possessed a canon of inspired and authoritative books from the very beginning–the Old Testament. The church was, therefore, never without a “canon.”

In order to obtain a correct understanding of what is called the formation of the Canon of the New Testament, it is necessary to begin by fixing very firmly in our minds one fact which is obvious enough when attention is once called to it. That is, that the Christian church did not require to form for itself the idea of a “canon” — or, as we should more commonly call it, of a “Bible” — that is, of a collection of books given of God to be the authoritative rule of faith and practice. It inherited this idea from the Jewish church, along with the thing itself, the Jewish Scriptures, or the "Canon of the Old Testament." The church did not grow up by natural law: it was founded. And the authoritative teachers sent forth by Christ to found His church, carried with them, as their most precious possession, a body of divine Scriptures, which they imposed on the church that they founded as its code of law. No reader of the New Testament can need proof of this; on every page of that book is spread the evidence that from the very beginning the Old Testament was as cordially recognized as law by the Christian as by the Jew. The Christian church thus was never without a “Bible” or a “canon.”

To read the rest, follow the link below

B. B. WarfieldKim RiddlebargerApril 24, 2024The NT CanonComment