As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“Piper reinforced that while the Old Testament’s harsh penalties served to highlight sin’s seriousness, the New Testament’s emphasis is on redemption through Christ.” - CPost
This post comes in response to a brother in the Middle East who seems to be combating false teaching in this area. I hope that this helps. I have not included the apposite sections within the major Systematic Theologies, nor have I included the important critical studies of Dunn or Pannenberg (which are both worth reading). These books furnish a well-rounded portrait of the Jesus of the Bible and His identity as the God-Man.
“Gavin Ortlund offers a critical appraisal of the Roman Catholic sacrament of penance or confession, from a Protestant perspective.” - YouTube
“For an ancient philosophy, Stoicism is wildly popular right now. Silicon Valley tech barons and young men in weight rooms across the country are searching for guidance, and they often find it among the maxims of Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius.” - Acton
Various studies over the past decade or so have found that increasing numbers of people think of themselves as “spiritual but not religious.”
“Christianity is absolutely compatible with a neutral, procedural liberalism—in fact, Christendom birthed that political system. But Christianity isn’t entirely compatible with a secular, value-laden version of liberalism.” - TGC
“In his new book, ‘Believe,’ Douthat makes a case for name-brand religion, saying the world’s largest faith traditions are like maps for helping us navigate life and the universe around us. They also might just be true.” - RNS
Related: Gavin Ortlund interview
“What if our work, in and outside of our job, is what we were made for?” - Breakpoint
This article argues that the Roman Catholic Church (“Rome”) is wrong about the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement. In fact, she is so incorrect that her teaching on this matter is grave error that distorts the gospel.
By “Christ’s atonement,” we mean the action by which Christ’s vicarious death reconciles us to God and restores fellowship with him. The dispute here is about the sufficiency of this atonement. Did Christ atone for the consequences of all our sins? Is his atonement permanent or conditional?
Discussion