Jun
24
2015
A must-read essay by Toby Sumpter | Theopolis Institute
The unity Jesus is leading us toward has far less to do with hammering out a single organizational structure and far more to do with many different Christian tribes and tongues bringing their respective glories to the King.
There are many legitimate reasons to lament the divided state of the church. Fleshly pride, theological hubris, sectarian rivalries are each in their own ways modern versions of the Galatian heresy, refusing table fellowship with brothers and sisters for whom Christ died. And denominations have frequently played the same role as the names of Paul and Apollos in Corinth, for which we join in Paul’s manifesto to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified.
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Comments Off | tags: Babylon, Ecclesiology, Pentecost, Toby Sumpter | posted in Biblical Theology, Quotes
Oct
18
2014
“A baptism which does not discern between the fruit of the womb and the fruit of the tomb is anti-Christ, denying He has come in the flesh.”
This post follows on from Exposed To The Elements.
An online paedobaptist friend commented that he had never heard sacred architecture offered as an argument for credobaptism before. My experience with the brilliant Bible teaching by the various Federal Vision gents is that I get a principle under my belt, then automatically begin to see its implications for all of Scripture. But then numerous times I would be surprised when no one had thought of applying it consistently. The main offender is paedobaptism. Despite their claims, it is a rite that does not spring naturally from Scripture. In fact, it has to be protected from Scripture, from the very principles I have been taught by paedobaptists.
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6 comments | tags: Abraham, Baptism, Circumcision, David, Federal Vision, Genesis, James Jordan, John the Baptist, Peter Leithart, Tabernacle, Toby Sumpter | posted in Biblical Theology
Jan
26
2013
Here’s an [edited] excerpt from Toby Sumpter’s new book on Job, which I am really enjoying. It is a commentary with a pastoral heart, as evidenced below:
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Comments Off | tags: Ecclesiastes, Job, Proverbs, Toby Sumpter | posted in Biblical Theology, Christian Life
Jul
25
2012
The Vow
[Apologies to those readers who have had enough of me railing against paedobaptism. It's not personal. It's not that I have any loyalty to any doctrinal system, denomination or tradition. It's that a group of godly guys taught me how beautiful the structure of the Bible is but maintain, to my eyes at least, a tradition which contradicts that beauty. The internal logic of the Scriptures -- including the Old Testament Scriptures -- spits out paedobaptism at every turn. In every round of typological musical chairs I play, paedobaptism has nowhere to sit.]
We ended last time with the observation that all Israel was a “bridal” nation. The Israelite robe, like the Nazirite vow, was something that pertained to both males and females. Why is this?
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13 comments | tags: Baptism, Circumcision, Deuteronomy, Doug Wilson, Exodus, Federal Vision, Jericho, Toby Sumpter | posted in Biblical Theology
Dec
13
2010
“Deny that God speaks to any area of life, and you have denied God’s jurisdiction in that area of life.”
A very intelligent Christian recently posed the question, “What will be the most pressing intellectual challenge facing the church over the next 50 years?” What if the biggest challenge facing the church is not intellectual at all, but ethical. [1]
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1 comment | tags: Barth, Brueggemann, C. S. Lewis, Gary North, Genesis, Joseph, Postmillennialism, Socialism, Toby Sumpter, Van Til | posted in Ethics, Quotes
Jan
27
2010
In Envy and the Sons of God, I wrote:
…those with the title “the sons of God” in Job were not angels but priestly, mediatorial men (an observation I have heard from Gary DeMar). Satan envied them, accused them, as he always does. They are Adams in the garden, Covenant heads, and he hates them. Job was a priest-king.
DeMar has also just published an article on Job in the last few days that deals with the crazy angel/human hybrid Nephilim theory, and of necessity covers the identity of the sons of God.
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6 comments | tags: Bible Matrix, Gary DeMar, Job, Luther, Satan, Toby Sumpter | posted in Biblical Theology
Dec
3
2009
or Weeping over Jerusalem
Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, ”and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.” —Matthew 3:5-9
Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying: ” ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” —Luke 19:37-40
The Bible is consistent with its symbols, so what is it with stones crying out? Continue reading
Comments Off | tags: Abel, Cain, Elijah, Exodus, Hebrews, John the Baptist, Joshua, Lot, Moses, Resurrection, Toby Sumpter, Uri Brito | posted in Biblical Theology, Quotes, The Last Days
Nov
7
2009
“…one of the most common sacrifices in Scripture is the OLAH, what is commonly translated burnt offering or whole burnt offering, but the word OLAH literally means “going up.” The “going up offering” or Ascension Offering reveals a foundational clue to all sacrifice. It establishes a central goal of every offering by fire. When a blameless animal is sacrificed, the blameless animal is going up, going up to God in smoke. God loves the perfect, he loves the blameless, and he loves them in his presence. He loves them and wants them to commune with him.
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Comments Off | tags: Ascension, Job, Toby Sumpter | posted in Biblical Theology, Quotes