Why Christians Ought to Celebrate Christmas:

1) Godly examples in Scripture, namely the wise men, the shepherds, and the angels, all celebrate Christ's birth.

2) Since God has expressly shown us that we are to celebrate, He in essence commands us to do so.

3) In the OT, major milestones of redemption are celebrated, and we ought to do likewise.

4) While our celebrations must center on Christ, the errors of liberals and pagans in no wise eliminate the great redemptive acts of God, and therefore should in no wise minimize our celebration thereof.

Happy Yuletide all!

How to Answer the Slavery Objection:

1) Clearly affirm that the Bible permits and regulates slavery. Swallow the hard pill early, and the conversation only gets easier from there. Don't expect your interlocutor to follow Scripture if you won't yourself.

2) If your interlocutor doesn't like what Scripture says about slavery, ask, "By what standard?" What authority do they have that sits over Scripture? Make them name and defend that idol.

3) Clarify that man-stealing or kidnapping, or buying and selling such persons, is a sin, and a capital offense under God's law (Ex. 21:16, Deut. 24:7, 1 Tim. 1:10).

4) Turn the question around on them: Why is it morally impermissible for an individual to sell themselves if they have no other means of economically providing? Why should they be forced to accept welfare handouts instead of working with dignity?

5) Realize your interlocutor is generally bringing up slavery in an attempt to a) make you feel as uncomfortable about it as they feel about whatever topic you're pressing, or b) as an attempt to degrade the authority of Scripture as a whole.

Signers of the United States Declaration of Independence, by Ancestry and Religion.

#AA
@FaithAndFolk2

Postmillenialism is the best eschatology for practical purposes (laying aside the question of correctness).

The partial preterism of the majority views curbs the wackiness of Dispies and the metaphorical license of idealism.

The optimism provides definite hope for the future and causes people to invest in, build up, and defend God's kingdom now.

The practical results of all other eschatologies have ranged from middling at best to absolutely abysmal at worst.

May God's Son Jesus Christ, who sits at the right hand of God and gives gifts to men, sanctify us in the truth, lead to the truth those who err, silence the mouths of those who lay false accusations against sound teaching, and equip faithful ministers of his Word with a spirit of wisdom and discretion, that all they say may be to the glory of God and the building up of their hearers. Amen

All the early church fathers were Protestant. Every single Roman Catholic distinctive is a later, abberant deviation from the faith once for all delivered to the saints.

And yes fellow Protestants, I know that they didn't spell out every jot and tittle of the Westminster Larger Catechism. But as they were, the vast majority of them align closer to Protestantism than post-Lateran IV papism.

Flip the script on the papists and claim the early Fathers. This is exactly what our Reformation-era Fathers did.

Happy New Year, brothers! Congratulations on your work throughout 2023, and thanks be to God for His blessings on it.

As difficult as 2023 was, 2024 will be even more so. But as the difficulty grows, may God grow our strength, resolve, and godliness to an even greater degree.

🥂— Here's to a year of mortifying our sins.
🥂— Here's to a year of success in our vocations.
🥂— Here's to a year of spreading sound doctrine.
🥂— Here's to a year of starting and growing our families.
🥂— Here's to a year of commitment to our churches.
🥂— Here's to a year of growing in wisdom and knowledge.
🥂— Here's to a year of becoming the men that God has created us and commanded us to be. May His blessings overflow to all of us in year ahead!

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. — Romans 16:20

The Case for Paedocommunion:

P1: The children of believers are members of the New Covenant.
P2: The sacraments ought to be administered to all covenant members in good standing.
C: Therefore, the children of believers ought to receive both sacraments.

P1: The Lord's Supper is the New Covenant equivalent to the Old Covenant sacrament of Passover (1 Cor. 5:7).
P2: Children — even those too young to fully understand — were commanded to participate in the Passover celebration because redemption goes to households (Ex. 12:26-27, cf. v. 3).
C: Therefore, children — even those too young to fully understand — are to receive the Lord's Supper.

Objection: It is not clear if children are "in good standing" given their limited cognition and language.
Answer: Then the judgement of charity towards our children, who are also our brothers, deems them to be in good standing.

Objection: Paul warns of judgement on those who partake unworthily (1 Cor. 11:27-32). Hence, it is better to withhold the sacrament until we are confident they partake worthily.
Answer: The principle pervading both church discipline and civil law is innocent until proven guilty (Deut. 19:15, Matt. 18:20). Hence, that a child is taking unworthily may not be presumed.

Objection: The repentance and examination commanded by the Apostle is not possible for infants.
Answer: Neither is perfect repentance and examination possible for adults. And the gap between the inadequacy of an adult's examination vs. infant's pales in comparison to the chasm between an adult's and God's holy perfection. In other words, if God is "grading on a curve," they are worthy, and if He is not, no one is.

Objection: The requirements Paul imposes constitute a change from the Old Covenant and therefore the analogy does not stand.
Answer: The substance of the sacraments is only and forever Christ. Additionally, cognitive reflection is required in Ex. 12, and Moses tells the Old Covenant church to take the sacraments worthily (Deut. 10:16).

As we wrap up 2023 budgets and begin 2024 budgets, let's take a moment to consider how we in the New Covenant ought to tithe and plan to faithfully and cheerfully give. When we give faithfully, God desires to reward us. And after all, God loves a cheerful giver because He is himself the most cheerful giver of all.

https://protestantpost.substack.com/p/new-covenant-giving-and-tithing

Children ought to be included in the worship service with their parents. Five reasons why:

1) Paul takes it as a given that children are present in the gathered assembly when he addresses them specifically in Eph. 6 and Col. 3.

2) In 1 Cor. 7:14, Paul calls the children of a Christian "saints," and no saints ought to be excluded from church.

3) Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them," and if this was the case for children born under the Old Covenant, how much more so to those born under the better New Covenant.

4) The Regulative Principle states that in worship, anything not commanded by God is forbidden. The exclusion of children is not commanded; therefore, it is forbidden.

5) Children who don't join their parents in worship miss out on seeing their parents' godly example, the benefits of the sermon, and the discipline of self-control and focus. Additionally, the alternatives provided are rarely edifying and productive for the children.

Arguments for the Early Date of Revelation (late 60s A.D.):

1. Chapter 11 appears to assume an existing temple.
2. The prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem was used by Justin Martyr as an apologetic argument.
3. Nero appears by far to be the best candidate for 616 or 666 (corresponding to the Greek and Hebrew, respectively).
4. The heavy use of Jewish language, cultural references, and Hebraic imagery suggest a date before the full cleavage of Jews and Christians post-70 A.D.
5. Chapter 7 portrays Israel as still "in the land."
6. The history of Jerusalem's destruction ties surprisingly well to the historical details of Titus's destruction of Jerusalem.

For greater depth, see "Before Jerusalem Fell" by Kenneth Gentry, available for free here.

The only denomination or institution which has successfully fought off a leftist drift and returned to its conservative roots is the LCMS (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod). And while they have yet again begun to drift, the success is a historical anomaly from which we should all be learning and taking notes. Here's a great podcast detailing the history.

https://www.youtube.com/live/DN1wkwq9VTo?si=i-SELdim1c_AnW4G

Hot Take on the Early Fathers:

The early fathers were actually closest to conservative Lutherans and Anglicans. This is because the papist and EO bodies continued to drift from this base and have since calcified in their errant ways.

But the early church, especially after 70 A.D., had lost touch with the Older Testament and the covenantal focus the Jews had. They began to read it as an allegory and miss its didactic import. Hence, the Reformed, in recovering a covenantal framework, are really the closest to the first century church.

A Blessed Epiphany to All!

He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

Psalm 72:8-11