Here’s the fix for the Ridderbos junkies: From the history of the investigation it has become evident how easily the entrance to Paul’s preaching is blocked or narrowed when one comes to place in the center and absolutize certain facets of his proclamation of salvation at the expense of others.  It may undoubtedly be said [...]

A good friend of mine, Rob DeRoos, and I have had ongoing fruitful discussions about the relationship of creation and redemption, which in some ways parallels the relationship of biblical to systematic theology.  Rob, who is the bookstore manager and jack-of-all-trades at the Center for Urban theological Studies/Geneva College in Philadelphia shared with me the [...]

Baptism is a dual-aspect activity. Certainly, it is a blessing for those who receive it. It is a sign and seal of the promise of the Holy Spirit (cf. Romans 4:11).Though we often think of the baptism as an exclusively “blessing” phenomenon, there is a flip-side: the judgment aspect. Baptism is also a judgment ordeal. [...]

The context for this passage is the great promise of God. Yes, the context for any and all given passages of Scripture is the promise and the promises of God. But here we have in mind the promise of Genesis 3:15. Adam and Eve deserve death. And so does the serpent. But God does not [...]

Matthew 11:11-13 11Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the [...]

For those interested in reformed biblical theology, these resources will be quite helpful. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery Have you ever read a passage in the prophets and said “I wonder what the significance of ______ is?”  The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery may very well help you with those kinds of questions.  The large tome has [...]

There has been no shortage of writing on the nature of the two trees in the center of the Garden of Eden. From the earliest time in New Testament church history, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life have been understood to be fundamental elements of human history. [...]

Mountains signify many different things throughout Scripture and are an integral part of a robust understanding of God’s revelation. God has chosen to use mountains as a significant part of his relationship with creation and mountains seem to be present in the narrative of the most striking encounters between God and men. Mountains are often [...]

Two years ago when I was in Johnstown, PA I finished a series of sermons on the first two books of the Psalter. That was a challenge, but a joy to preach through them Biblical-Theologically. I am back again preaching through the Psalter here in Ringoes. And sometimes I forget what I learned the first [...]

If you haven’t already visited two-age.org, you must click the link and visit. The site contains several articles and redemptive-historical sermons. They also have audio from the 2001 Kerux Conference on Biblical Theology. This is a wonderfully helpful site and I encourage you to bookmark it.