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Paedobaptists and the Problem of New Covenant Regeneration
Reformed paedobaptists view the new covenant as an extension of the old covenant, not as its replacement,[1] although as I argued before, the new covenant is discussed in terms of replacing the Mosaic covenant. However, in Reformed paedobaptist thought the newness of the new covenant is usually thought to refer to external aspects only. For example, Jeffrey Niell notes, “The newness of the new covenant pertains to the external aspects, the outward administration, of the covenant of grace. The new covenant is not new in its nature of membership.”[2] In other words, “The transition from the old covenant to the new covenant is a smooth unfolding of God’s redemptive plan, because the two covenants are organically connected—they are essentially one covenant of grace.”[3] However, an examination of the texts concerning the new covenant leads one to observe there are significant qualitative differences between the old and new covenants.[4] Although there…
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Who is the Queen of Heaven in Jeremiah?
Those who are willing to read through the lengthy prophet Jeremiah will come across a phrase which is not mentioned elsewhere—the queen of heaven (cf. Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17-19, 25). Although the Queen of Heaven is mentioned in Catholic writings, it is used there as a reference to Mary, mother of Jesus. Catholics do not wish to equate their usage of “Queen of Heaven” with the book of Jeremiah. However, one cannot miss the subtle irony that the phrase queen of heaven in Jeremiah is a clear reference to idolatry, which is the very same charge leveled against Catholicism and their veneration of Mary. However, our interest in the queen of heaven is not related to Catholicism. Rather, we want to explore the usage in Scripture. Yet, there is not much known about the queen of heaven from Scripture. Since Jeremiah is the only biblical record of the existence of this…
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Is Jeremiah 29:11 a Promise for Christians?
It is that time of year—graduations left and right! This time of year often brings about encouraging notes and cards. Sometimes, well-meaning Christians will pencil in Jeremiah 29:11 with a note that says, “I know God has great things in store for you!” This message is not limited to graduations. Growing up, I knew many people who memorized Jeremiah 29:11 as a promise for themselves that God would bless them and give them good things: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. I do not want to play the role of Debbie Downer, but I do want to point out how we are often guilty of misusing verses like this. The first thing I want to point out is that this verse was written specifically to the nation of Israel. Although it may…