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Reformed Forum supports the church in presenting every person mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28) by providing Reformed theological resources to pastors, scholars, and anyone who desires to grow in their understanding of Scripture and the

theology that faithfully summarizes its teachings.

Older episodes

817The Theology of Ebenezer ErskineWe speak with Dr. Stephen G. Myers about Ebenezer Erskine and the important events of Presbyterian history with which he was involved.Dr. Myers is Professor of Historical Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In his book, Scottish Federalism and Covenantalism in Transition: The Theology of Ebenezer Erskine, he touches upon many significant issues, including the Marrow Controversy, the relationship of law and grace, covenant theology, and church-state relations. In learning about this era of Presbyterian history, we come to understand how Erskine also serves to refine modern understandings of still controversial theological issues. Participants: Camden Bucey, Glen Clary, Jeff Waddington, Jim Cassidy, Stephen Myers57 min
818RedemptionThis week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob continue their new series of discussions on the doctrine of the atonement. In this episode we talk about the concept of redemption. What is redemption? What is the relationship between redemption and the wrath of God? What is the cost of redemption? How does redemption relate to the atonement? Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo42 min
819Ephesians 5:15–20 — Discipline and CelebrationOur situation calls for serious self-discipline because the days are evil, and joyful celebration because God has rescued us from that evil in Jesus Christ. Participants: Adam York, Glen Clary, Mark A. Winder, Mark Jenkins41 min
820Vos Group #46 — Summary of Revelation in the Period of MosesWe continue our #VosGroup series in pages 175–182 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider ancestor worship and animism before moving to a summary of Part I of the entire book and specifically, revelation during the period of Moses. The movement from the Abrahamic to the Mosaic is a movement from lesser to greater directness of access to God. This “greater access” appears especially when we consider what Vos called the “typical proportions” that Moses acquires in an “unusual degree” of Moses. And Exodus 32–34 is key in this regard. Not only does Moses offer himself vicariously to make atonement for sin (Ex. 32:30–33), illustrating the Melchizedekian priesthood of Christ, but he gains access to God in an unprecedented way. God promises Moses “the divine presence and rest” in the land (33:12–14). God speaks to Moses “face-to-face (33:11)” in the tent of meeting and shows Moses his “glory” as he hides him in the cleft of the rock and declares his name (33:14-20). What Abraham saw in the form of a smoking firepot and a blazing torch, Moses sees in fellowship on a mountain—a mountain that looks back to the mountain of Eden and upward and forward to Mount Zion. The essence of the covenant bond—the secret of God’s friendship—is with Moses in a unique way, as a sort of first-fruits in the Old Covenant. Moses sees God, knows God, fellowships with God. In fact, Exodus 34:27ff. Moses is on the mountain with God for 40 days and nights without food or water and his transformed in his countenance. He does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. A second major theme that Vos develops is that the tabernacle is a concentrated theocracy. That is to say, the tabernacle dwelling of God is the end to which the entire Exodus aspires–the reality to which it is directed. Finally, all of this conspires to help us recognize that the sacrificial system is a means to a higher end of fellowship with God. Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton55 min
821The Active Obedience of ChristThis week’s Theology Simply Profound provides another reading from the works of J. Gresham Machen. Since we’ve begun a series on the Biblical teaching of the atonement, Bob is reading Machen’s, “The Active Obedience of Christ.” This was delivered on December 20, 1936 as part of a series of radio addresses given shortly before Machen’s death on January 1, 1937. Participants: J. Gresham Machen, Robert Tarullo30 min
822Genesis 17:1–8 — The Abrahamic Covenant ExpandedAs the Abrahamic Covenant is expanded, it builds upon the revelation given in chapters 12 and 15. Through this everlasting covenant God will bring life to those who are dead in their sins. Participants: Adam York, Jim Cassidy, Mark A. Winder37 min
823The Purposes of the Lord’s SupperThe first paragraph of chapter twenty-nine in the Westminster Confession of Faith sets forth the institution of Lord’s Supper and the uses and ends for which it is designed: Our Lord Jesus, in the night wherein he was betrayed, instituted the sacrament of his body and blood, called the Lord’s Supper, to be observed in his church, unto the end of the world, for the perpetual remembrance of the sacrifice of himself in his death; the sealing all benefits thereof unto true believers, their spiritual nourishment and growth in him, their further engagement in and to all duties which they owe unto him; and, to be a bond and pledge of their communion with him, and with each other, as members of his mystical body. In this episode, we discuss the five purposes of the Lord’s Supper detailed in the confession: Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper as a commemorative ordinance for the perpetual remembrance of the sacrifice of himself in his death. The Lord’s Supper is a confirmatory sign (cf. Rom. 4:11) for the purpose of sealing all the benefits procured by Christ’s death unto true believers. Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper for the spiritual nourishment and growth of believers in him. Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper for believers for their further engagement in and to all duties which they owe unto him. Finally, Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper to be a bond and pledge of believers’ communion with him, and with each other, as members of his mystical body. Participants: Camden Bucey, Glen Clary, Jim Cassidy55 min
824The Bible and the CrossThis episode of Theology Simply Profound brings our reading of J. Gresham Machen’s final three audio addresses to a close. This address, “The Bible and the Cross,” would have aired on December 27, 1936. Machen would not finish this series of radio addresses on the atonement. Just five days later on January 1, 1937, he would succumb to pneumonia dying in the Lord. And so, this series closes so abruptly as life seems to do so very often. With the words, “Isn’t the Reformed faith grand?” and “So thankful for active obedience of Christ. No hope without it,” Machen departed in peace. Participants: J. Gresham Machen, Robert Tarullo20 min
8251 Corinthians 1:10–17 — Divisions in the ChurchPaul appeals to the believers at Corinth to be united, and admonishes them to abandon their factionalism. Paul reminds them that he did not do anything among them that would draw attention to himself, but rather he pointed them entirely away from himself and directed their attention and affection to Christ alone. Participants: Adam York, Glen Clary, Mark A. Winder30 min
826The Free Offer of the GospelIn this episode, we speak about the free offer of the gospel. The real point in dispute in connection with the free offer of the gospel is whether it can properly be said that God desires the salvation of all men. This issue was related to several theological controversies of the 1940s and stemming back decades earlier. Much of this particular issue comes the split of 1924 within the Christian Reformed Church which led to the formation of the Protestant Reformed Church under the leadership of Herman Hoeksema. For some, the antithesis is so absolutized that there can be no real transition from wrath to grace and no free offer of the gospel. Cornelius Van Til spoke of the antithesis as an ethical rather than metaphysical antithesis. In a letter to Jesse de Boer, he indicated that it was merely another way to speak of total depravity. As we walk through a study committee report delivered to the 15th General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, we are confronted with the great mystery of God’s will and his infallible revelation to us in Scripture. Links OPC Study Committee Report (15th General Assembly, 1948) Abraham Kuyper, Common Grace Cornelius Van Til, Common Grace and the Gospel Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, Jim Cassidy53 min
827Penal Substitutionary AtonementOn today’s episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob continue their discussion about the doctrine of the atonement. Today we take a closer look at the concept of penal substitution. In doing so, we review some of the other theories of the atonement. But what does the Bible say about the nature of Christ’s cross? What does it do? What is meant by penal substitution? Is it necessary? What biblical texts teach us about penal substitution? Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo46 min
828Genesis 17:15–27 — Ishmael Receives the Sign of FaithGod re-names Sarai—again reflecting his covenant promise. And one essential characteristic of the covenant of promise is that covenant community will always be comprised of elect and non-elect. Inseparable from the covenant itself are the parties of the covenant. Participants: Jim Cassidy, Mark A. Winder, Mark Jenkins51 min
829The Trinity, Language, and Human BehaviorPierce Taylor Hibbs speaks about language and the Trinity. His book, The Trinity, Language, and Human Behavior: A Reformed Exposition of the Language Theory of Kenneth L. Pike is available in P&R Publishing’s Reformed Academic Dissertations series. Hibbs describes Kenneth Pike’s linguistic theory and compares it to the theology of Cornelius Van Til, demonstrating shared Trinitarian themes. Pierce Hibbs is the Assistant Director of the Theological English Department at Westminster Theological Seminary. He writes at piercetaylorhibbs.com. Links Who is Kenneth Pike? Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, Pierce Taylor Hibbs1 hr 3 min
830Atonement and AdoptionThis week on Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob once again discuss the doctrine of the atonement with emphasis upon the relationship between the atonement and adoption. What does adoption have to do with the atonement? Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo46 min
831Genesis 17:9–14 — The Sign of the Abrahamic CovenantHere we seek to answer three questions: First, “What is the meaning of circumcision?” Second, “What is the purpose of circumcision? and third, “To whom is circumcision to be applied” We conclude that the sign of faith is to be applied to believers and their children. Participants: Adam York, Glen Clary, Jim Cassidy, Mark A. Winder54 min
832Vos Group #47 — The Place of Prophetism in Old Testament RevelationWe continue our #VosGroup series in pages 185–188 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the unfolding of God’s plan as it moves from the period under Moses to that of the prophets. Prophetism marks an epochal movement in OT revelation. In other words, the “new happenings” of God’s mighty deeds in redemptive revelation bring enduring advancement toward consummation—each epoch builds upon and brings advancement to what has proceeded. The new feature is “the organization of the theocratic kingdom under a human ruler” (185). God is seeking to confer himself on a holy people through a holy king in a holy theocratic realm. As such, Prophetism is a “Kingdom-Producing Movement (186–187). This is a critical point to grasp: prophetism is attached to the advancement of the theocratic kingdom. Prophetism therefore has no independent significance. Its entire rationale grows out of the producing and advancement of the theocratic kingdom of Jehovah. This comes into even greater clarity as we recognize that the Word is the instrument of Prophetism (187–88). The essence, formally, of prophetism is that it “restricts” itself to the Word of God—the Word from the mouth of Jehovah. The Word of God “in reality did more than anything else towards the spiritualizing of the relation between Jehovah and Israel” (187). Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton1 hr
833Atonement and Union with ChristJohn Murray writes that the nature of union with Christ is both spiritual and mystical and that it is “the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation.” If this is the case, how is it so? How does the atonement, the cross of Christ, relate to this “central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation”? Rob and Bob discuss these things and more on this week’s episode of Theology Simply Profound. Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo40 min
834Hosea 1:10–2:1 — A Great Multitude and Faithful RemnantHosea is made us of a series of cycles—of judgment and redemption. Here we begin looking at the first cycle of good news and redemption, as the prophet brings a word of good news. Participants: Jim Cassidy, Mark A. Winder35 min
835Buswell and Van TilDavid Owen Filson joins us to speak about Dr. J. Oliver Buswell, theologian and former president of Wheaton College and Covenant College and Seminary. Buswell was involved with the early modernist-fundamentalist controversy and the founding of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, though he joined the Bible Presbyterian Church when it split with the fledgling OPC over premillennialism and teetotalism. He continued to be an interlocutor with members of the OPC and faculty at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. Interestingly, he coined the term “presuppositionalism” while debating with Cornelius Van Til over apologetic and theological method. Dr. Filson is teaching pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He previously spoke on the subject in episode 316, January 17, 2014. Participants: Camden Bucey, David Filson, Jeff Waddington1 hr 17 min
836Atonement through CovenantOn this episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob continue their discussion on the doctrine of the atonement with a focus on the atonement through the covenant. Jesus says, “…this is the new covenant in my blood….” We’ll explore this statement and many more. Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo43 min
837Genesis 18:1–16 — Covenant Meal and ConfirmationGenesis 18 provides a prototypical picture of the feast the believers have with their King in the heavenly places. It does so in the context of Sarah demonstrating an imperfect faith in a perfect Savior. Participants: Adam York, Jim Cassidy, Mark A. Winder32 min
838The Impeccability of Jesus ChristThe impeccability of Christ is an important, though debated point. It involves not only the sinlessness of our savior, but whether it was possible for him to sin. As we consider the issue, we turn to F. W. Kremer’s article, “The Impeccability of the Lord Jesus Christ” published in Reformed Quarterly Review, Volume 26, April 1879. We discuss the tendency to consider Christ’s humanity independently of his divinity. It’s not merely that people recognize the natures are distinct, but that they implicitly acknowledge that his humanity can be abstracted from his divinity. In the abstract, we could acknowledge that Jesus’s human nature had the capability of sinning. For example, his body was physically capable of taking a sword and murdering someone. But we cannot consider Christ’s human nature in the abstract. He is the second person of the trinity who has assumed a true body and a reasonable soul. Sin involves a moral agent. Does the human nature of Christ constitute a full moral agent apart from the person of the son? This also raises serious issues regarding God’s decree. Throughout the episode, we maintain that if it was possible for Christ to sin, it was possible for Christ to fail. Links R.C. Sproul and Sinclair Ferguson discuss the impeccability or peccability of Christ Transcript [showhide more_text=”Show Transcript (%s words)” less_text=”Hide Transcript”]Camden Bucey: 00:07 Welcome to Christ The Center, your weekly conversation of reformed theology. We’re now in episode number 551. My name is Camden Bucey. I serve as the pastor of Hope Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Grayslake, Illinois. I’m back with Jeff Waddington, who serves as stated supply at Knox Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Lansdowne Pennsylvania. I’m advocating that we now call it Orthoknox Presbyterian Church. Camden Bucey: 00:33 Welcome back Jeff, it’s good to have you with us. Jeff Waddington: 00:35 Good to be here, Orthoknox Presbyterian Church, that would save time. Camden Bucey: 00:40 That would save some time. We’re thankful for you joining us and for your ministry down there. Jeff Waddington: 00:40 Glad to be here. Camden Bucey: 00:45 We also have with us Adam York, our friend, who is the pastor of Providence OP in Kingwood Texas. Welcome back Adam, it’s good to speak with you. Adam York: 00:55 Well what a blessing it is to be here with your brothers. Camden Bucey: 00:57 Yeah, it’s good to have you back on this side of the podcast divide. We have Proclaiming Christ, one of our favorite programs out there, alongside Theology Simply Profound, and then we have Christ The Center, as our three regular weekly programs. We’re delighted that the those are going strong, but to have Adam, who is a regular on Proclaiming Christ come on over here to Christ The Center, is always a delight. We need not have dividing walls like the Jews and Gentiles did prior to the work of Christ. Adam York: 01:30 We’re tearing down the dividing wall of hostility. Camden Bucey: 01:33 Yeah, no hostility here, but it just so happens the way that we often schedule. I guess Jim and Glenn are flipping over, they’re regulars over on PC2. So it’s good to have you with us Adam, and we’re glad that you brought with you a wonderful topic. Today we’re going to be speaking about the impeccability of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is an issue of whether or not Jesus was capable of sinning in his human nature, and all of the details and the attendant circumstances therein. Camden Bucey: 02:07 So we’re going to speak about that. It’s a probably more contentious issue than you think. But there are different people, even within the reform community that have differing views. So we hope to unpack that and speak about the importance of Christ’s impeccability and what that actually means, in just a few minutes. But I do want to mention that Christ The Center is listener supported, and we do rely on the generous support of our listeners and our viewers, everyone involved with what we’re doing here to help us to produce and distribute all of our programs, free of charge, as well as to host events and do some other things. Camden Bucey: 02:41 We’ve got a lot planned for reform forum over the next six to 12 months. We’re very excited about the things going on. But one of those big things is our theology conference, October 5th through 7th, here in Grayslake, where are our topic this year is: Seeing God, The Deeper Protestant Conception, Aquinas, Bart, Vos & the Beatific Vision. Camden Bucey: 03:02 We’ve gotten a lot of interest on Facebook, people are taking a look at possibly coming and asking their friends if it would be a good event to come to. I do want to encourage people to check it out. We have a lot of information on the website. If you go to reformforum.org, there’s a big ole’ banner right on the front homepage. You can click on that and go to our event information. It may sound like an esoteric subject we’re going to bring it down to the level of people that are going to be there in attendance, we’re not just going to be speaking about abstract things, these are things that really matter, that really matter. And the beatific vision, more or less, is that wonderful blessing that we will enter into when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ returns. And when we see him, we will be like him, First John 3:2. Camden Bucey: 03:48 The question is how is that? And there are several theological options, that have been presented, even within the reformed community, you know. And there are many people that would say that we participate in the divine essence, our intellect perceives and participates in the divine essence, so that we behold it, not just by knowing and understanding it, but in one way, shape or form, namely by participation, becoming god. And that might seem like wacko and out there, but that is a [inaudible 00:04:19] view, and we’re going to develop that. Camden Bucey: 04:22 We’ve all been reading a ton of Thomas and reading Thomas himself on this subject, and learning quite a bit, so we hope to share that research with people. But on the far other end, you might ask: Well, does God somehow change himself in order to accommodate this new blessed relationship? And then we of course have the Bartian side of things, where God identifies himself with humanity through the revelatory Christ event, you know, in God’s time for us. Camden Bucey: 04:51 So these are extremely practical issues, we’re not just speaking about things that engage the abstract mind, but things that, this is where the rubber meets the road, this is where theology matters. And how we answer these questions, how we develop them, and then what we do about it, has a lot to do with the work of the church. And we want to speak about those things. It’s a little bit of a foretaste. But if you go to the conference page, you can see not only a schedule of events, titles and the speakers who will be in attendance, but also we’re working on providing very succinct thesis statements for each lecture, and then in some cases also a brief little abstract or summary for the topic. Camden Bucey: 05:33 So our early bird registration is in effect until the end of August. You can come to the main conference session for $55. It’s gonna be a full day and a lot of wonderful material for $55. We also have some tickets available for our VIP dinner that Friday night, where you can come, and we’re gonna have roughly about 25 people at a very long single table. But we’re gonna hear a lecture from Danny Olinger on the nature and destiny of from Vos to Gaffin. He’s going to be speaking. It’s gonna be a wonderful kind of Vos event. And there’s a surprise in store, we’re working hard. Not quite ready to announce it, because we want to get a few things finished and a few things ready to make sure that we can deliver. But we’re looking forward to it. All of this online, October 5th through 7th. Camden Bucey: 06:26 You can learn more at reformforum.org. And also save the date, I don’t want to overload everybody, listen in, and don’t want to talk forever, we want to get through our subject. But save the date, April 1st through April 6th in Wimberley Texas, that’s the year 2019, for those who might be listening many years into the future. But the first week of April 2019, we are going to have an entirely new format of an event, something we’ve never done before. And we’re going to have a seminar that’s going to be taught, April 2nd, 3rd and 4th. So in the day, and so at the late morning, probably around 10:00 or so, we’re gonna have two half hour lectures by Lane Tipton is teaching the class, it’s going to be in some respects an intro to reformed theology/biblical theology. Camden Bucey: 07:18 He’s gonna teach 12 total, 30 minute sessions that we are going to record on video and eventually turn into an adult Sunday school course. If you want to be part of that, if you want to be there, come and visit us. We’re gonna host the event at the Old Glory Ranch in Wimberley, Texas. But we also will be renting out cabins, they’re really kind of tiny houses, they’re not rustic cabins, but cabins on site in Wimberley, Texas, where reform forum people will be staying. And you can also rent a cabin and stay on site where not only will you attend the sessions in the daytime, but you also can can spend time with us, hang out with us over dinner, barbecue,...51 min
839Ephesians 6:10–13 — WarfareIn the battle in which we must fight, Jesus is what we need, and Jesus is all we need. Participants: Adam York, Mark A. Winder, Mark Jenkins36 min
840Therefore I Have HopeWe interrupt our regularly scheduled programming because, whilst tending to his arduous studies at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida, Rob had the privilege of sitting down with Cameron Cole to talk about his new book with Crossway, Therefore I Have Hope: 12 Truths That Comfort, Sustain, and Redeem in Tragedy. We hope you enjoy this interview on Theology Simply Profound. Cameron Cole (MA, Wake Forest University) serves as director of youth ministries at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama, and is the chairman of Rooted, a ministry dedicated to fostering gospel-centered student ministry. Participants: Cameron Cole, Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo35 min

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