Rockets' Play Day

Rockets' Play Day consisted of:


shooting on the Rocket court (I missed all 8 three-pointers...I was nervous)



free hotdogs
free nachos and sodas
BillyBen with Big Jake
Ben with J. Ho (the real one)


me and Luther

Shane playing ping-pong with the kidsBen with Novak
Yao with the people
Yao playing air hockey with the kids



And Dirk scaring the kids

Federal Telephone Excise Tax Credit

Don't forget to claim the Federal Telephone Excise Tax credit, which saves you anywhere between $30 to $60 bucks depending on the number of exemptions you claim.

Check out the details at Money Girls.

My Job as a CPA

Iustitia Dei Part 6: Protestant's View of Justification (1530-1730)

1. Justification is defined as the forensic declaration that believers are righteous, rather than the process by which they are made righteous, involving a change in their status rather than in their nature.

2. A delibrate and systematic distinction is made between justification (the external act by which God declares the sinner to be righteous) and sanctification or regeneration (the internal process of renewal within humans). Although the two are treated as inseparable, a notional distinction is thus drawn where none was conceded before.

3. Justifying righteousness, or the formal cause of justification,is defined as the alien rightousness of Christ, external to humans and imputed to them, rather than a righteousness which is inherent to them, located within them, or which ins any sense may be said to belong to them. God's judgement in justification is therefore synthetic rather than analytic, in that there is no righteousness, within humans which can be considered to be the basis of the divine verdict of justification; the righteousness upon which such a judgement is necessarily based ins external to humans.

[1] pg 212-213

Iustitia Dei Part 5: Justification and the Sacraments

"In conclusion, it may be stated that the medieval period saw that justification of the sinner firmly linked to the sacramental life of the church, a sound theological link having been established between justification and the sacraments. This linking of justification to the sacramental system of the church has profound theological and pastoral consequences, of which the most important is the tendency to assert iustificatio extra ecclesiam non est. Although the theologians of the medieval period were aware that God was not bound by the sacraments, the tendency to emphasise the reliablity of the established order of salvation, of which the sacramental system is part, can only have served to convey the impression that the sinner who wishes to be reconciled God must, de facto, seek the assistance of a priest"

- Alister McGrath pg. 127 of Iustifitia Dei

Active and Passive Justification

In the past, Reformed theologians made a distinction between active and passive justification according to McGarth's book,IUSTITIA DEI. McGrath commenting on both: "The distinction refers to the act of God by which the sinner is justified (active justification), and the subjective feelings of grace subsequently evoked in the conscience of the justified sinner(passive). God acts to justify and humanity is passive in receiving this justification. The importance of the distinction lies in the fact that God's act of justification, in which the sinner is declared righteous, is perfect, accomplished once and for all, whereas the realisation by humans of this state of justifcation is imperfect, in so far as it is based upon the feeling of grace evoked in this conscience" (pg. 271)

Therefore, it seems that Reformed theologians believed that regeneration (if I can safely say faith comes from "regeneration") came both prior and posterior to justification with the "divine/objective" justification coming before regeneration. McGrath states: "the Reformed theologians were able to state that faith was posterior to objective, and prior to subjective justification" )pg. 272)

Bruce McCormack and Calvin

In Bruce McCormack’s article “What’s at Stake in Current Debates over Justification?” the author notes that the (Reformer’s view of justification) "break with Medieval Catholicism was actually less than complete due to a residual commitment to Medieval Catholic understandings of regeneration and a shaky grasp of the relationship of justification and regeneration.”(pg. 84) based on the Reformer’s failure to directly engage in ontological issues.

McCormack cites that both Luther (pg.94) and Calvin failed in this regard. What is particularly interesting is to hear Calvin articulate a relationship between justification and regeneration that has the latter FOLLOWING the former (I always thought Calvin believed regeneration came first).

McCormack writes “Calvin makes justification to be logically prior to-and the foundation of – that bestowal of the sort of adoption by means of which the believer is regenerated. On this view, regeneration would have to be seen as the logical consequence of the divine verdict registered in justification. In sum, Calvin’s understanding of justification is strictly forensic or judicial in character. It is a matter of a divine judgment, a verdict of acquittal. And the means by which it is accomplished is imputation”.

Even though Calvin’s states this plainly, McCormack later notes that Calvin became less clear of the relationship of justification before regeneration in his other writings on soteriology (pg 101 -103) and Eucharistic feeding (pg.104). McCormack notes that lack of clarity was a result of Calvin refusing to engage in ontological questions (pg .105).

Iustitia Dei Part 4: Gabriel Biel and Pactum

I wonder if Gabriel Biel is the first covenant theologian?


"Gabriel Biel's doctrine of justification is based upon the concept of a pactum (covenant) between God and humanity which defines the conditions which humans must meet if they are to be justified, as well as emphasising the divine reliability. The present order of salvation, although radically contingent, is nevertheless totally reliable and strictly immutable. Thus God, having freely and of his liberalitas determined to enter into such a binding contract with humanity, is now obliged to respect the terms of that covenant. God gives grace to those who 'do their best', precisely because of God's decision and promise to behave in this way."

pg 87 of Iustitia Dei by Alister McGrath

Iustitia Dei Part 3: Medieval Period

"From its beginning to its end, the medieval period saw justification as involving a real change in the sinner - an understanding which precludes any distinction between iustification and regeneratio. The processus iustificationis includes regeneration or renewal as one of its integral elements, making any such distinction intensely problematic. The notional distinciton that came to emerge in the sixteenth century between iustificatio and regeneratio (or sanctificatio) provides one of the best ways of distingushing between Catholic and Protestant understanding of jusification, making the Reformers' discontinunity with the earlier western theological tradition."

-pg 71-72 Iustiitia Dei by Alister McGrath

Frame Reviews Wright's "The Last Word"

John Frame has written a review on N.T. Wright's book, "The Last Word", and concludes that:

"Wright is right to say that God’s word, and specifically Scripture, is more than doctrines and commands. But if inspiration confers divine authorship, and if God’s word is true speech, then it becomes very important, within the context of the kingdom narrative, to believe God’s doctrines and to obey God’s commands. Indeed, as Wright notes, the very nature of narrative poses the question of whether the events described “really happened:” that is, what should we believe about them, and how should we act in response. But then narrative itself implies doctrines to be believed and commandments to obey.

That is what the Bible wars are about. One can believe everything Wright says about the narrative context of biblical authority and still ask responsibly whether the words of Scripture are God’s words to us. Wright’s book does not speak helpfully to this question, nor does it succeed (if this was Wright’s purpose) in persuading us not to ask it. So, like the worship books mentioned earlier, The Last Word does not discuss what is most relevant to the controversy. It proposes a context, but a context is not enough. Two people who accept Wright’s proposal may nevertheless differ radically on the question of whether the Bible is the word of God.

Many of us would like to get away from the debates of the liberal/fundamentalist controversy. But if Scripture is God’s very word, then we cannot be indifferent to its doctrinal and ethical authority, or silent against attacks on that authority. Wright has done some great work in defending the truth of Scripture, and it is evident in the present volume that he has scant regard for the scholarship of enlightenment skeptics like those of the Jesus Seminar. So he has himself entered into the Bible wars. But are these wars merely contests to see who is the better scholar, or is the word of God itself at issue? If the latter, much more must be said and done."

Iustitia Dei Part 2

Augustine of Hippo view of justification:

"Justification is therefore essentially a "making right", a restoration of every facet of the relationship between God and humanity, the rectitude of which constitues iustitia. Iustitia is not conceived primarily in legal or forensic categories, but transcends them, encompassing the 'right-wissing' of the God-human relationship in its many aspects: the relationship of God to humankind, of humans to their fellows, and of humans to their environment. Justification is about 'making just'-establishing the recitiude of the created order to according to the divine intention. Although it is clear that justification has legal and moral ramifications, given the wide scope o f Augustine's concept of iustitia, it is not primarily a legal or moral concept" [1]

[1] pg 51 of Iustitia Dei by Alister McGrath

The Golden One Arm and Mark Cuban

Gilbert Arenas continues to talk about his "Golden One Arm" against DeShawn Stevenson. You guys can catch the video below of the $20,000 bet in acton below. (Also check-out Cuban's rant about D.Wade)

Iustitia Dei Part 1

"For the first 350 years of the history of the church, its teaching on justification was inchoate and ill-defined. There had never been a serious controversy over the matter, such as those which had so stimulated the development of Christology over the period. The patristic inexactiude and occassional apparent naivety on the question merely reflects the absence of a controversy which would force more precise definition of the terms used. If the first centuries of the western theological tradition appear be characterised by a "work-righteousness' approach to justification, it must be emphasised that this was quite innocent of the overtones which would later be associated with it" [1]

[1] pg 38 of "Iustitia Dei" by Alister McGrath

Happy BDay Alan

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Wright on Being a Christian

"Made for spirituality, we wallow in introspection. Made for joy, we settle for pleasure. Made for justice, we clamor for vengenance. Made for relationship, we insist on our own way. Made for beauty, we are satisfied with sentiment. But new creation has already begun. The sun has begun to rise. Christians are called to leave behind, in the tomb of Jesus Christ, all that belongs to the brokeness and incompleteness of the present world. It is time, in the power of the Spirit, to take up our proper role, our fully human role, as agents, heralds, and stewards of the new day that is dawning. That, quite simply, is what it means to be Christians: to follow Jesus Christ into the new world, God's new world, which he has thrown open before us"

- NT. Wright from "Simply Christian" pg 237

Gary Haugen and International Justice Mission

Gary Haugen of International Justice Mission is speaking at First Presbyterian Church of Houston on Feb. 11,2007 (Sunday). It should be really good. Below is a preview of IJM in action.

Flashback to November: Travels to Vermont and Boston

This past November, we were blessed with the opportunity to visit Alan, Vanessa, Mike, and Lisa in the NH/Vermont area. The area was gorgeous, and we had a great time visting all the charming spots around the area. We also traveled with Walter, Elaine, and Henry to Boston afterwards to enjoy some great shopping and eats.

Rockets Weekly

With two big wins last week (SA, POR) and home games against Phi, Sea, and New Orleans, the Rockets are looking pretty with their 27-16 record.

Baller of the Week - Tracy Mcgrady. With the Rockets' offensive struggling a little against SA and Portland, TMAC led the team to 2 victories by shooting 62.5% from the floor and averaging 32.5 points.

Predictions for the Week - 3 Wins and 0 Losses

Danny Riding Dirty

Ben Witherington and The Environment

On Dr. Witherington's blog, I asked him, "Why Christians should care about the environment?", and he gave, I think, a great answer:

"There are several reasons: 1) of course it is in part because we are fouling our own nest and it hurts other human beings; 2)I believe that the church is always supposed to be about the business of making this a better world by offering up a whole Gospel, both in its spiritual and a social dimension. I recognize of course that the new heaven and new earth will only come in any full sense after Jesus returns. This is what the NT says. However, I also know that Jesus wants to find us being about the Father's business when he comes. And that business involves the salvation and redemption of the world, not just of human souls. So any alleviation of human misery is something that honors our God who will one day bring the resurrection and the new heaven and new earth."

Also over the past couple of weeks, Dr. Witherington has written several articles on his blog about the environment that are worth checking out:

1) Evangelicals and Climate Scientists Agree on Global Warming
2) Global Warming and Evangelicals Part Deux
3) The Smoking Gun--1600 Page Global Warming Report Out Soon

Rockets’ Weekly: "0-3"

With three tough losses last week and just two games (SA and Portland) this week, the Rockets should get some time to recover from injures and get back on track.

Predications for the Week: 1 Win (Portland) and 1 Loss (SA)

5 Reasons "Why The Rockets Lost":

1) Rebounding - The Mavs out rebounded the Rockets 44 to 32 in total and 15 to 8 in offensive rebounds.

2) Josh Howard - The dude is an All-Star. He is unstoppable offensively and he was killing my man, Shane (who always does a great job on Dirk). He can shoot from three, off the dribble, and he makes all his lay-ups.

3) Devean George - Four 3's and 6 boards coming off the bench

4) Mavs Small Line-up - In the 3rd quarter, the Mavs moved Dirk to center, leaving Mutombo to "guard" or leave open George for 3's. This was particularly effective because the Rockets couldn't get the Mavs back on the other end by killing them with a post player (We miss you, Yao)

5) Tmac Got Cold - Even though Tmac scored 45, he still relied too much on his jump shot, especially in the 2nd half as he got to the free-throw line ONCE and he shot 10 shots that were 20 feet or more, missing 7 of those. Dude, get to the line like D Wade.

Happy Bday Theresa

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Rockets’ Weekly

Last week, the Rockets won 4 games (Chi, LAL, Den, and Sac) with a tough overtime loss to Min. Overall it was a good week, which is something we needed going into next week's games against Dallas (Tues.) and Phoenix (Wed.).

Rockets Baller of the Week: Dikembe Mutombo averaged 15.2 boards and 2.2 rebounds this week.

Scrub of the Week: Rafer Alston - Skip shot 19% from the floor for the first two games, though he recovered towards the end of the week by averaging 19 against LAL, Den, and Sac.

Play of the Week: Luther Head’s dunk on Turiaf


Prediction for next week: 2 Wins (Dallas and Den)and 1 Loss (Pho)

3,191:Mutombo Rules

Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images

Dikembe Mutombo swatted five shots in a win over the Lakers and moved into what is technically second place all-time with 3,191, two more than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem's first four NBA seasons weren't counted, because blocks didn't become an official stat until 1973-74. Hakeem Olajuwon is the all-time leader at 3,830. 91 [1]

[1] espn.com

Neither Poverty nor Riches: A Biblical Theology of Possessions

Dr. Blomberg concludes in his book with these principles:

1. Material possessions are a good gift from God meant for his people to enjoy.
2. Material possessions are simultaneously one of primary means of turning human hearts away from God.
3. A necessary sign of a life in the process of being redeemed is that of transformation in the area of stewardship.
4. There are certain extremes of wealth and poverty which are in and of themselves intolerable.
5. Above all, the Bible’s teaching about the material possession is inextricably intertwined with more ‘spiritual’ matters [1]

And then draws these applications:

1. If wealth is an inherent good, Christians should try to gain it.
2. If wealth is seductive, giving away some of our surplus is a good strategy for resisting the temptation to overvalue it.
3. If stewardship is a sign of a redeemed life, then Christians will, by their new natures, want to give.
4. If certain extremes of wealth and poverty are inherently intolerable, those of us with excess income (i.e. most readers of this book!) will work hard to help at least a few of the desperately needy in our world.
5. If holistic salvation represents the ultimate good God wants all to receive, then our charitable giving should be directed to individuals, churches or organizations who minister holistically, carrying for people’s bodies as well as their souls, addressing their physical as well as their spiritual circumstances. [1]

For the exegetical support for these principles and applications check out the rest of Dr. Blomberg’s book, “Neither Poverty nor Riches: A Biblical theology of possessions”.

[1] Pg. 243- 247

Missing Something Mavs Fan??

2006 Books of the Year

Best Piper Book - God is the Gospel

Best Pauline Theological Books

1. Jesus' Blood and Righteousness: Paul's Theology of Imputation by Dr. Vickers - Vickers explains a view of imputation that would be hard to deny from any theological perspective.

2. By Faith, Not by Sight: Paul and the Order of Salvation by Dr. Gaffin - This book is great for anyone that would want to learn the more nuanced "order of salvation"

3. The New interpreter's Bible -Romans by N.T. Wright

Best Theology Book outside of Pauline Theology -

1. The Bible and the Future

Most Disappointing - (I am not saying these books are bad, but I think I was expecting too much from them)

1. Justification and Variegated Nomism, vol. 2: The Paradoxes of Paul..

2. God of Promise: Introducing Covenant Theology

Best Pastoral - Speaking Truth in Love by David Powlison

Book of the Year - The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story by Bartholomew and Goheen

Honor Mentions - Simply Christian : Why Christianity Makes Sense, Jesus' Blood and Righteousness: Paul's Theology of Imputation by Dr. Vickers

By Faith, Not by Sight: Paul and the Order of Salvation by Dr. Gaffin The New interpreter's Bible -Romans, Speaking Truth in Love, Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey

Picture of the Week

Piper, Wright, Pharisees, and Legalism

In Piper's article "Jesus, Islam, Pharisee, and the New Paul Perspective", he cites that N.T. Wright doesn't believe that Pharisees were a "religion of of legalistic works-righteousness".

Piper writes:

"Then, there is Wright’s affirmation of Sanders’ claim that the religion of the Pharisees was not the “religion of legalistic works-righteousness,” and that the “The Jew [of Jesus’ day] keeps the law out of gratitude, as the proper response to grace.” The only explanation I can find for such amazing statements is that the testimony of Jesus is denied or obscured. It is my impression that evangelicals enamored by the NPP have not reckoned seriously enough with the fact that the origination of the NPP seems to have taken place in the halls of such denial or obscuring."

So does Wright believe that Pharisees are not legalists? Again like Piper's Taste and See article from last week in regards to Chris Corcoran, Wright's opinion of the Pharisees is more nuanced that I think Piper anticipates.

Wright states in an interview:

"As a Pharisee (Paul''s perspective), he believed that, once people came into God's covenant by grace, they were to be marked out in the present time, ahead of the final judgment, by their possession of and their attempts to keep the Jewish law, the Torah. As a Christian, he believed that once people came into God's covenant by grace, they were to marked out in the present time, ahead of the final judgment, by their belief that Jesus was Lord and that God had raised him from the dead. To characterize that Pharisaic view as "works-based salvation" is clearly a gross oversimplification and confusion. It is clear to me that (a) most Jews whose views we can track at the time-an important qualification-believed that God called them to be Jews, Israelites, through his covenant actions in the Exodus, etc., fulfilling the promises to Abraham and his seed, i.e. by grace, not by their own works (b) most Jews believed that there would be a final judgment at which their works in the present time would be an important part, if not the whole part, of what counted and that in this respect early Christians like Paul agreed with them; and (c) most Jews believed that you could tell in advance who would be vindicated at that final judgment because they possessed Torah and tried to keep. I say "tried to keep it" because they knew that, if they failed, there were sacrifices to cover such sins. What Second Temple Jews held (to overgeneralize to make a point) was a works-based present justification, and that is what Paul was attacking." [1]

[1] Criswell Theological Review (Spring 2005)

Laurie in Sudan

Here's a letter from my friend, Laurie, who just came back from Sudan and has graciously allowed me to post it here. Check it out to see what God is doing in Sudan



Moto Zi Ye (Greetings all)!!

Merry Christmas!! I hope you are enjoying the holidays and experiencing God’s goodness. I recently returned from a mission trip to Mvolo, Sudan. Thank you so much for your support, encouragement, and prayers. It was intense – from the living conditions to the isolation and devastation. However, amidst the difficulties was the faithfulness of God’s promises and His almighty power to redeem, renew, and restore. His mercies are new every morning.

God gave us opportunities to repair water wells and tell Bible stories. He opened doors to communicate His Word to the village and county leaders, some of whom are not believers. They even asked us to pray for them. We took a day trip to Kulu, a village that was attacked by another tribe this past May. While there, we gave supplies, shared God’s Word, and prayed for them. My heart broke to see the desolation and loss; however, I saw evidences of hope and life from changed demeanors to the beauty of God’s creation. God has not forgotten them and will restore them.

Our team leader told us that the Jur people would die for us. After living among them, I realized the truth of his words. The Jur people treated us like royalty. They gave us the best of their food and seats of honor. As we walked along the dirt paths, they ran to greet us. They embraced us into their lives, and I’ve embraced them into mine.

This trip was "extreme missions". We lived in mud huts, filtered drinking water, walked through the bush, washed our hair with dirty water, and killed roaches and other insects before entering the latrine. There was no electricity or running water. The weather was over 100 degrees on a daily basis. I’ve never been so consistently filthy, dirty, sweaty, and smelly in my entire life. However, I experienced the sufficiency of God’s grace and His strength to move to the next level of living by faith for the glory of God. I learned much about physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual perseverance while in the midst of desperate dependence on the Holy Spirit.

I can still see the "million dollar smiles" on children’s faces, hear the beating of the drums, and imagine dancing with the Jur people. There’s something life changing about seeing God work in the ends of the earth to bring salvation, redemption, hope, and healing. I’d never been so far removed from everything familiar except God Himself. It’s true: He will never leave us or forsake us. God is good and what He does is good.

For His Glory,
Laurie C. Lau
P.S. You can read more about the mission trip and ministry on www.aidsudan.org.

Ben Witherington's 12 desideratum on NT Theology

Michael Bird, a NT scholar, has posted Ben Witherington's 12 desideratum (something to be desired) on NT Theology on his blog. Here are a few that are interesting and helpful:

(3) If you are an Evangelical, then it is imperative that you interact with non-Evangelical treatments of the text and listen to the church fathers.

(4) As J. Bengel said: apply the whole of yourself to the text.

(5) The text should not be watered down or dumbed down, but one should ratchet up one's attention and degree of devotion to the text.

(7) Western theologians who live in an individualist society should try to understand the collective and honour-shame mindset of the majority world.

(10) Theologizing needs to be done across denominational lines.

(11) Doing NT Theology requires humility not hubris.

(12) The time is ripe for us to redraw boundaries and rethink our differences. "Perhaps all Evangelicals need to spend more time sitting at hte same table, sharing communion, serving one another, serving together in missions, listening to one another, loving one another, and leaving behind triumphalism based on our ecclesiological and theological differences".

Rockets Rule

Mercy Ministries

In the current Modern Reformation, there are two articles articulating two different point of views on mercy ministries written by two Reformed authors, Randy Nabors and William Smith.

In Randy Nabor's article ," For Goodness Sake, Do Something", he takes the stance that the church, as a corporate body, should and must do mercy ministries. He writes:

I would submit that such negative arguments spring from an undeveloped theology of the church, a defective theology of missions, and the absence of a theology of mercy. We are called to be a new community, to be a body of believers. We are called to help the widows in our midst (1 Tim. 5:3-16); we are given the example of sharing with other congregations who face hard times (I Tim. 6:18); and pastors are instructed to "command" those who are rich in this world to be rich in good deeds. We are given the model in Acts 6 of an ethnic and pragmatic solution to a mercy need within and by the local congregation. We see the community of Israel, as a nation, condemned for a hypocritical practice of religion by not sharing their food with the hungry (Isa. 58). How can we be seen as a "city"(Matt. 5:14-16) if we do not do good works corporately? Congregations are designed by God to be public entities that people see, and unfortunately many of our congregations are "cities" which are seen to do nothing but for themselves

Mr. Nabor believes the church must do mercy ministries because it's essential in evangelizing. He writes:

There are also some who think that we should help only the Christian poor, and those who are within our own congregations. I have always found the argument to only help the poor in the church largely irrelevant if we are obeying the Lord by preaching the gospel to the poor. Was this not his mandate (see Luke 4:18 as mentioned above)? Is it not ours as well? If we are evangelizing among the poor we will have them in the church, and what every poor community in the world needs is a gospel-preaching, holistic, and vital local church in its midst. Poor people need to be saved; they need a whole new set of cultural values built upon the Word of God. They need the practice and experience of the love of the saints and then their families will be rebuilt. And they will have hope, which is the absolute most powerful engine of economic change

On the other hand, William Smith states in his article, "Kyrie Eleison", that Christians should minister to those outside the church, but it shouldn't be one of the essential "marks" of a church. He writes:

Do we as Christians have an obligation to the poor in general? Of course we do. I am willing to help the poor by all sorts of means-kingdom ministries carried on by Christians, responding to the need in front of me with what I have, charitable organizations that are or are not faith-based, and by the paying of taxes. What I am not willing to say is that ministry to the poor of the community is a mark of the church or a necessary component of its health. Indeed, I would argue just the opposite-that the church is weakened and rendered less effective when it puts such ministries at the heart of its life.

Mr. Smith also beliefs that the church should first do mercy ministries to it's own member before those outside of the church. He writes:

First, it is clear that Paul here sticks to the pattern of the rest of the New Testament in putting the primary emphasis on the church's ministry to the church family. If some of this ministry spills over to the world, fine, but good done in the community is not a part of a word-deed strategy for evangelizing the city, nor is it anywhere near the heart of the church's mission.

And because the needs within the church are so great, mercy ministries to outsider shouldn't be the main instrument of evangelizing.

The apostolic practice shows that the church's ministry of mercy is to its members. We have a long way to go before there is not a needy person among us, and we serve one another in humility and love. But, when the church so cares for its own, it demonstrates to the world a "see-how-they-love-one-another" life that testifies to the power of the gospel and may be used of God to provoke the world to jealousy.

What the church needs is a renewed commitment to the mission Jesus gave: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:19). The mission is to make disciples. The means of making disciples are baptizing and teaching. He did not say, Go make disciples by engaging in mercy ministry.

My Thoughts:

First, I think both articles were well written, and give good biblical support for their views. I tend to agree with Mr. Nabor that evangelism, especially to the poor, should be accompanied and initiated through some type of mercy ministry, whether through something "small" like inviting and providing a one time dinner for someone that's poor or "big" like an elaborate after school program for the neighborhood kids. I also agree with Mr. Smith that the church should first minister to it's own members, but I wonder if he would agree that part of ministering to the local congregation entails teaching them to love those outside of the church, thus organizing some kind of mercy ministry, whether "small" or "big", to teach them.

I also think part of the contention involves the use of the language of having mercy ministries as one of the essential marks of a truth church (Preaching, discipline, and sacrament, normally being the other three). Personally, I don't mind saying some kind of mercy ministries is an essential mark of a truth church ( I think acts of love to non-Christians is a mark of a true Christian, and a church is made up of Christians), and I don't think anyone in the argument is trying to devalue the other 3 marks by saying that mercy ministries is essential, especially the need to verbally communicate the gospel in evangelizing.

So in the end, I think I would side more with Mr. Nabor's point of view, but doing so with Mr. Smith's precautions in mind.

[HT Justin Taylor]

Happy 6 month anniversary!! :)

Justification and A Tale of Two Imperial Cities

Anthony Lane's writes in an article entitled "A Tale of Two Imperial Cities" about how "[i]n 1541, leading Protestant and Roman Catholic theologians meeting at the Regensburg Colloquy produced an agreed-upon statement on the doctrine (justification). A few years later the Council of Trent defined the doctrine in a deliberately anti-Protestant manner, rejecting the position agreed at Regensburg" [1]

Lane concludes that in Regensburg, both major Protestant and Catholic theologians believed in two types of righteousness, by which Christ's imputed rightousness is the basis for justification.

"At Regensburg, Protestant and Roman Catholic theologians reached a temporary agreement on justification. This was based upon the acceptance of both inherent and imputed righteousness and on the recognition that because of the imperfection of our inherent righteousnes, Christ's righteousness needs to be imputed to us in order for us to be acceptable to God. " [2]

Lane also concludes that the Council of Trent was deeply anti-Protestant, but warns us not to equal modern Catholic belief of justification with the "Tridentine Decree"

"The Tridentine Decree on Justification is a vitally important document, but we must not a fall into the mistake of simply equating it with the Catholic doctrine. Trent is what the Roman Catholic Church chose to say at that time in response to what it then understood the Reformers to be saying. To understand what the Roman Catholic Church today is saying to what it now understands Protestants to teach, we need to listen to contemporary Roman Catholic theology." [2]


[1] Article found in the book "Justification in Perspective:Historical Developments and Contemporay Challenges" edited by Bruce McCormack pg. 119

[2] pg142

A Warning in the Imputation Debates

Simon Gathercole writes:

"A statement by Robert Gundry on the (non) imputation of Christ's righeousness in particular has sparked a response by John Piper, and Gundry and Don Carson have also entered the same debate from different stances. It is not not my purpose here to enter this debate. But it should be said that there is clearly a great deal of diversity of opinion on the matter. This is, of course, not sufficient in itself to let discretion take the better part of valor. But in case, the diversity seems to arise out of the complexity of the New Testatment evidence, not because one side is particularly hidebound to tradition and the other wallowing in the desire for novelty or for doctrine that is more amendable to culture. I would not myself deny this traditional understanding of imputation. Still, because of the complexity of the issue, I would propose that the requirement that is is specifically Christ's righteousness that is imputed to believers should not feature on evangelical statement of faith. To make such a finely balanced point an article of faith seems a dangerous strategy. Nonetheless, it is very clear that justification is still christological through and through. Both the cross and the present action of Christ are the vital grounds of justification." [1]


[1] pg 223 of "Justification in Perspective: Historical Development and Contemporary Challenges", edited by Bruce McCormack

Gaffin on Definitive Sanctification

"Further, for Paul sanctification is not only a process involving us in our activity but is also and first of all "definitive sanctification," a decisive, definitive, once-for-all act of God, underlying our activity. A central point of Romans 6-7, for instance, is that while sin is a reality for the believer, it is not my Lord. Because of union with Christ in his death and resurrection I am no longer sin's slave. Sin indwelling but not overpowering; for the believer indwelling sin is not enslaving sin." [1]

"The deepest motive for our sanctification, for holy living and good works, is not our pyschology, not how I"feel" about God and Jesus. Nor is it even our faith. Rather, that profoundest of motives is the resurrection power of Christ, the new creation we are and have already been made a part of in Christ by his Spirit." [2]

[1] "By Faith, Not By Sight: Paul and the Order of Salvation" pg 77-78

[2] pg 78

Rockets and Mavs