According to the Nicene Creed, the “one holy catholic” church is also “apostolic.” What does that mean? What constitutes the apostolicity of the church? Answering that question biblically is the important first step in the case for the cessation of certain gifts of the Spirit. Here the focus will be on those gifts most contested […]
Saturday, 28 February, 2015 by Richard B. Gaffin Jr.
How is Christ’s resurrection essential for our salvation? Surprisingly, this question has been relatively neglected in church history. The overriding concern, especially since the Reformation, has been to make clear that the death of Christ is not simply an ennobling example to be imitated but a substitutionary, expiatory sacrifice that reconciles God to sinners and […]
Monday, 16 July, 2007 by Richard B. Gaffin Jr.
Cessationism is a term that carries a lot of baggage. By itself it's negative, suggesting what no longer exists or, in current debate about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, what one is against. So at the outset, certain misconceptions about the "cessationist" viewpoint need to be addressed. It's not that today God's Spirit is […]
Wednesday, 13 June, 2007 by Richard B. Gaffin Jr.
The New Perspective on Paul, as it has been called, raises serious questions for Protestants committed to the doctrine of justification by faith. This school of thought does so in two ways. On the one hand, it questions the Apostle Paul's relationship to-and understanding of-Judaism. On the other hand, it undermines the Reformation's understanding of […]
Thursday, 07 June, 2007 by Richard B. Gaffin Jr.