Reformed Forum

Rev. Chiarot is the pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Rock Tavern, New York. He joins us today to speak about "T. F. Torrance and Apostolic Succession," an article he wrote for Participatio. He has also written, The Unassumed Is the Unhealed: The Humanity of Christ in the Christology of T. F. Torrance (Pickwick, 2013).

• Westminster Presbyterian Church, Rock Tavern, NY
• Christ the Center episode 403, "The Unassumed Is the Unhealed"

Most of us often ask the question; “Why?” It’s only natural to wonder about life. Why did I get a flat tire? Why did my friend get sick, why did I get sick? Our church friends are correct when they tell us to trust in God even though our personal understanding of the situation can’t see past the hurt, pain or just the inconvenience. Usually it is through hindsight that we can get the kind of perspective that leaves us with some sort of understanding. This is what we find in Revelation 22. After a book filled with dragons, beasts and martyrdom we come to the end where we find that for those in Christ it was all worth it. With a gentle reminder our Lord tells us that all of these prophecies will come true. Persecution will come, it must come but in the end we are brought to a place where we find peace, and rest for all eternity.

Theology Simply Profound is a podcast of Westminster Presbyterian Church, an Orthodox Presbyterian Church, serving the western suburbs of Chicago, where God powerfully speaks through his means of grace. Also, check out the work of the OPC in Chicagoland at Chicago Reformed.

Music credit: pamelayork.com. Thank you, Pamela York, for the use of your beautiful jazzy rendition of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” We encourage our listeners to check out her website and consider purchasing some of her music.

Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo

Mentioned in this episode:

Christ the Center 1000

Christ the Center 1000

K. Scott Oliphint speaks about the incomprehensibility of God as detailed in his book, The Majesty of Mystery: Celebrating the Glory of an Incomprehensible God (Lexham Press). As creatures, we will never and can never comprehend fully God’s mysteries. Indeed, this must even be an epistemological and methodological starting point. Standing upon this biblically-based notion of mystery, Dr. Oliphint drives us to doxology—to worship our glorious God.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, K. Scott Oliphint

Mentioned in this episode:

Christ the Center 1000

Christ the Center 1000 Summit

Christ the Center 1000 Live in Austin, TX

Christ the Center 1000 Summit

K. Scott Oliphint speaks about the incomprehensible mysteries of our God. As creatures, we will never and can never comprehend fully God's mysteries. Indeed, this must even be an epistemological and methodological starting point. Standing upon this biblically-based notion of mystery, Dr. Oliphint drives us to doxology—to worship our glorious God.

The more we understand who we are and who Christ is the more we understand our sin. We realize that even in our best moments we are not without our own sinful desires. However; this should not lead us to believe that all that we ever do is sin. God has saved us to do good works. He even ordained our good works. Of course we look to Christ and give Him the honor and glory but to look to the good things that we do and only see sin is just as fallible as looking at our lives as if we are free from sin. The Christian life must be given over to balancing what we are becoming in Christ to what we are being changed from. Paul uses language of the Old and the New man. What Paul is talking about is our old sin nature and the state of sanctification that our nature is being transformed into. But how does God see us? Do we see God on the edge ready to pounce when we fail, as if He is hoping for an opportunity to ‘get us’? How much do we acknowledge that God is active in our lives transforming us into what He wants us to be? Do we see God as a creator now or is He done with that activity?

Theology Simply Profound is a podcast of Westminster Presbyterian Church, an Orthodox Presbyterian Church, serving the western suburbs of Chicago, where God powerfully speaks through his means of grace. Also, check out the work of the OPC in Chicagoland at Chicago Reformed.

Music credit: pamelayork.com. Thank you, Pamela York, for the use of your beautiful jazzy rendition of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” We encourage our listeners to check out her website and consider purchasing some of her music.

Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo

Mentioned in this episode:

Christ the Center 1000

Christ the Center 1000

We welcome Dr. Brandon Crowe to speak about his book, The Last Adam: A Theology of the Obedient Life of Jesus in the Gospels, in which he sets forth the soteriological significance of the life of Jesus in the Gospels. He offers an exegetical case for understanding the Adam-Christ parallel in the Gospels themselves, and thereby allows us to see the great glory of person and work of Christ as he is revealed in all of Scripture.

Participants: Brandon Crowe, Camden Bucey

Mentioned in this episode:

Christ the Center 1000 Live in Austin, TX

Christ the Center 1000 Summit

Christ the Center 1000

Christ the Center 1000 Summit

We welcome Dr. Brandon Crowe to speak about his book, The Last Adam: A Theology of the Obedient Life of Jesus in the Gospels, in which he sets forth the soteriological significance of the life of Jesus in the Gospels. He offers an exegetical case for understanding the Adam-Christ parallel in the Gospels themselves, and thereby allows us to see the great glory of person and work of Christ as he is revealed in all of Scripture.

• Deuteronomy and Christology in the Gospel of Matthew
• The Virgin Birth of Christ
• The Message of the General Epistles
• The New Testament Foundations of Trinitarian Theology

Revelation 20. So much hinges on this passage. Is the Kingdom of God only 1000 years long, are their two or more kingdoms? How can anyone say that Satan has been bound when there is evil in this world? Today we are looking at a passage that has been debated for 2000 years and I don’t believe that we will put an end to that today. However, how we interpret this passage matters and I ask that the listener keep on the forefront of their mind the rest of Scripture. How does the book of Ephesians or John, or the Psalms impact the way we understand this passage? How do you put a chain upon a spirit and where is this vision taking place?

Theology Simply Profound is a podcast of Westminster Presbyterian Church, an Orthodox Presbyterian Church, serving the western suburbs of Chicago, where God powerfully speaks through his means of grace. Also, check out the work of the OPC in Chicagoland at Chicago Reformed.

Music credit: pamelayork.com. Thank you, Pamela York, for the use of your beautiful jazzy rendition of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” We encourage our listeners to check out her website and consider purchasing some of her music.

Participants: Rob McKenzie, Robert Tarullo

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 150–154 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the presence of God. The tabernacle was a holy place wherein God’s people were summoned to commune with and worship the Lord. Vos describes the symbolism and typology of this holy realm. God brings his people into deeper covenant fellowship as he conforms them to the image of his resurrected Son, Jesus Christ.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

Vos Group continues our study looking at the majesty and holiness of God and its relationship to the place of worship. Read along in Biblical Theology on pp. 150–154.