In Chapter 4 of Redemption Accomplished and Applied, John Murray deals with one of the most controversial doctrines of Reformed theology – limited atonement. In contrast to the idea of universal atonement, which is that Christ died for the sins of every single person, limited atonement holds that Christ died only for the elect of…

Chapter 3 of Redemption Accomplished and Applied is called, “The Perfection of the Atonement.” In a word, when Christ died on the cross, he removed the guilt of all of our sins – past, present, and future. If you are in Christ, you do not owe now, nor will you ever owe, any satisfaction whatsoever to…

In this series of posts, I am reflecting on some key points John Murray makes in each chapter of his book, Redemption Accomplished and Applied. My goal is not to put together a thorough summary of all that Murray says in the book, but rather to write out some of my own thoughts and reflections…

For this series of blog posts, my aim is to summarize (with my own words and thoughts) one or two main ideas from each chapter of John Murray’s book, Redemption Accomplished and Applied, and to reflect upon what these truths mean for us as believers. I listed this book in my last post as one…

I was asked by a church member a while ago for a list of Christian books I would recommend. That’s a dangerous question to ask a pastor, because you’re certain to get a lot more information than you really wanted. And so, this is my overwrought response to that member’s request. First I conducted an…

In chapter four of The Lord’s Supper, Dr. Letham deals with several matters concerning the actual observance of the sacrament in our churches, such as one loaf vs. individual pieces, leavened bread vs. unleavened, wine vs. grape juice, and the frequency of observance. It seems to me that these practical considerations often generate a level…

In this series of posts, I am using Robert Letham’s book The Lord’s Supper as a guide for considering what the sacrament is all about. In my last post I covered chapter 2, in which Letham compares the different ways major branches of Christianity have explained the presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. Chapter…

This is the second of a series of blog posts on the Lord’s Supper, using the book “The Lord’s Supper” by Dr. Robert Letham. In my last post on this subject, I wrote that the Lord’s Supper is a “big deal” for Christians. This is because, according to Scripture, it is not only commanded by…

One of the reasons I have started this blog for our church’s website is to explain our beliefs and practices for those who may be unfamiliar with a church such as ours. There are several ways to “label” Grace OPC, i.e., Reformed, confessional, conservative, etc., but these labels will mean different things to different people.…

The interview link I posted the other day about the King James Bible got me thinking a bit about my favorite English translation of the Scriptures, the English Standard Version (ESV). For those who worship at Grace, or for those who visit, it may be helpful to understand why I, as the pastor, preach and teach from…