Reformed Forum

On today’s episode, we unpack Genesis 3:13-15, a pronouncement of judgment upon the serpent, but also of grace and good news for Adam and Eve. We examine other passages in Scripture for the pattern that is set by the antithesis between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. We also explore the relationship between verse 15 and the gospel of Christ, “he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Participants: Adam York, Mark A. Winder, Matt Cotta

Dr. Lane G. Tipton joins Camden Bucey to begin a new series on Geerhardus Vos’ important book, Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments. For the past thirteen years, Dr. Tipton has led the “Vos Group” at Calvary Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Glenside, PA. Each month, the Vos Group gathers to discuss Reformed biblical theology by studying Scripture and important works by Vos, Kline, Clowney, Gaffin, et al. We are delighted to bring this great teaching to a broader audience. Roughly each month, Lane and Camden will work through the pages of Vos’ Biblical Theology. While Vos’ book is foundational, it’s tough for the “uninitiated” to access. This will be a great opportunity for study groups to listen to our discussions and work things out together. We hope everyone who participates will learn more about Reformed biblical theology. Pick up a copy of Biblical Theology and get on the BT wagon! Lane G. Tipton is Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. He has appeared numerous times on our programs. Please visit our archives to listen to Dr. Tipton speak about a range of theological topics. All the episodes in this series will be available at http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/ If you’d like to subscribe only to these episodes (rather than all episodes of Christ the Center), just use the following feed: http://reformedforum.org/category/series/vos-group/feed

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton

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

It’s often argued that because of the political climate, the Scottish commissioners to the Westminster Assembly had full rein over the Westminster Assembly and the confessional documents it produced. In this episode, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Wayne Spear to analyze this common perception. Dr. Spear looks specifically at the influence of the Scottish commissioners upon the ecclesiology of the Westminster Assembly. Dr. Spear has published an excellent book with Reformation Heritage Books entitled, Covenanted Uniformity in Religion: The Influence of the Scottish Commissioners upon the Ecclesiology of the Westminster Assembly. Dr. Spear is Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Spear has authored Talking to God: The Theology of Prayer; Faith of Our Fathers: A Commentary on the Westminster Confession of Faith; “The Westminster Confession of Faith and Holy Scripture,” in To Glorify and Enjoy God (Co-author); “Augustine’s Doctrine of Biblical Infallibility,” in Inerrancy and the Church; and, “The Westminster Assembly’s Directory for Church Government,” in Pressing Toward the Mark (Co-author).

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, Nick Batzig, Wayne Spear

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

Dr. Brandon Crowe explains the reality and significance of the virgin birth, based on his booklet, “Was Jesus Really Born of a Virgin?,” from the Christian Answers to Hard Questions series. He explains the biblical basis for the doctrine and responds to a host of objections – those scientific, philosophical, mythological, and theological, to name a few. Dr. Crowe is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. He received his M.Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh. His dissertation has been published as The Obedient Son: Deuteronomy and Christology in the Gospel of Matthew which he spoke about on Christ the Center episode 239. The Christian Answers to Hard Questions series is published by Westminster Press through P&R Publishing.

Participants: Brandon Crowe, Camden Bucey, Jeff Waddington, Jim Cassidy

Dr. Mark Jones returns to Christ the Center to revive seventeenth-century wisdom about antinomianism from his forthcoming book Antinomianism: Reformed Theology’s Unwelcome Guest?. Antinomian thinking is rooted in a weak view of the person of Christ and leads to reducing sanctification to justification. Dr. Jones addresses Martin Luther’s relationship to antinomianism, the relationship between theology and practice, and the necessity of good works for salvation. Dr. Mark Jones is the minister of Faith Presbyterian Church, a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is also Research Associate in the Faculty of Theology at University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa. Mark’s Ph.D. is from Leiden Universiteit (Oct. 2009) and his doctoral dissertation was entitled, “Why Heaven Kissed Earth: The Christology of the Puritan Reformed Orthodox theologian, Thomas Goodwin (1600–1680).” Dr. Jones has spoken on Christ the Center 249 and 218.

Participants: Camden Bucey, David Filson, Jared Oliphint, Jim Cassidy, Mark Jones

In this episode we discuss Genesis 3:9-12, and consider God’s pursuit of rebellious Adam. On the one hand, God clearly calls Adam into account for his sin, but on the other hand God’s dialog with Adam prepares us for the wonderful promise of salvation found in Genesis 3:15. There are both judicial and pastoral elements to this conversation. In addition, we talk about the significance of Adam and Eve being afraid and naked. Moreover, we consider the sad way in which human rebels tend to blame God for their sin, and how husbands often blame their wives for their sin and failures.

Participants: Adam York, Mark A. Winder, Matt Cotta

The doctrine of definite atonement is the subject of this week’s episode, which features guests David Gibson and Jonathan Gibson, editors of the forthcoming From Heaven He Came and Sought Her: Definite Atonement in Historical, Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspective (Crossway), and Carl Trueman, a contributor to the book and former guest on Christ the Center. The 700-page book features essays from twenty-one scholars and pastors and is intended to be a definitive treatment of the topic. In the episode, we consider definite atonement in church history, in the scriptural witness, in relation to the doctrine of the trinity, with a view to common objections. David Gibson ministers at Trinity Church in Aberdeen, Scotland and received his Ph.D. from the University of Aberdeen. Gibson has also written Rich: The Reality of Encountering Jesus and Reading the Decree: Exegesis, Election and Christology in Calvin and Barth. Jonathan Gibson is currently working on a Ph.D. in Hebrew Studies at Cambridge University. He studied at Moore Theological College, in Sydney, Australia, and has been published in Themelios, in the Journal of Biblical Literature, and in the NIV Proclamation Bible.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Carl Trueman, David Gibson, Jared Oliphint, Jonathan Gibson

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

This week we discuss Genesis 3:8-10. Following Meredith Kline, we argue that in 3:8, God walks in the garden in the wind or spirit of the day. God’s Spirit is involved in this episode of judgment just as he is in later biblical instances of “the day of the Lord,” in which God comes among his people to interrogate them. As always, we welcome your feedback!

Participants: Adam York, Mark A. Winder, Matt Cotta

Dr. Jason B. Hood speaks about the imitation of Christ, based on the biblical theological study found in his book, Imitating God in Christ: Recapturing a Biblical Pattern. The teaching of imitation is sometimes clouded by a “gospel-centered” focus on justification that loses sight of the importance of sanctification in salvation. Dr. Hood clears away these misconceptions to show how the indicative of Christ’s person and work is consistent with the imperative of imitation of Christ. The episode also deals with the concept of the image of God, the imitation of the saints, and the biblical theological basis of imitation from Old Testament to New. Dr. Hood will soon be pastor of St. Margaret’s Anglican Church in Moshi, Tanzania, as well as a professor at Munguishi Bible College, part of the Anglican Diocese of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. He has also served as an adjunct faculty member at Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington, DC and taught biblical theology of mission with the Memphis Fellows Initiative. Imitating God in Christ is published by IVP Academic.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jared Oliphint, Jason B. Hood

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

On this week’s Proclaiming Christ, we discuss the temptation in Eden from Genesis 3:1-7. Man and woman begin naked and unashamed in a royal wedding, but abruptly, an evil serpent enters the picture and brings sin into the world. Why does sin have this opportunity to enter the world? How is the picture of sin in Genesis 3 an example of how sin works in general? Why do Adam and Eve take the forbidden fruit? How is this Scriptural episode connected to the gospel of Jesus Christ? Listen for answers to these questions, and we welcome your comments and feedback!

Participants: Adam York, Chad Bond, Mark A. Winder