John Calvin on the Fourth Commandment: God Does Not Treat Us Harshly Nor Excessively Crowd Us

In his second of two sermons on the fourth commandment (preached from Deuteronomy 5:13-15), John Calvin responds to those who suggest that we are commanded to work six entire days each week (i.e., we are not allowed to work 5 days of 8 hours each, or 4 days of 10 hours each, etc.) when the…

John Calvin’s use of Secondary Sources

David Steinmetz's essay "The Scholastic Calvin" in the book Protestant Scholasticism: Essays in Reassessment (eds. Carl Trueman & R.S. Clark) has always been a favorite of mine.  In working on a book review this morning, I turned to this chapter to confirm a methodological point about how scholastic categories were used differently in parishes and…

Using Extrabiblical Texts in Biblical Study

I (Andrew) did not just move my family across the country, so I have no excuses for my dearth of posts!  (Although I was swamped preparing a lecture/presentation on the history and archaeology of Old Testament Jerusalem, and preparing to host the meetings of Classis Southwest US of the URCNA which were held Sept 17-18…

You who are spiritual: The “restorers” in Gal 6:1

Biblical Peacemaking can accomplish wonderful things in the lives of God's people. After reading and talking several people through Alfred Poirier's The Peacemaking Pastor and Ken Sande's The Peacemaker, I am overwhelmed by how applicable such instruction is to a wide range of conflicts we face. More and more as I read scripture, I am…