Reformed Forum

In this episode of Christ the Center, Camden Bucey and Lane Tipton discuss a deceptively brief but theologically weighty section of Geerhardus Vos's Biblical Theology, exploring Jesus' critique of first-century Jewish ethics. Far from addressing merely surface-level moral failures, Vos shows that Jesus exposes a deeper religious collapse—one marked by practical deism and pervasive self-centeredness. When God's glory is displaced as the center of ethical life, obedience becomes external, fragmented, and ultimately irreligious.
This conversation presses the listener to consider how these same distortions reappear across church history and into the present—whether in moralistic fundamentalism, liberal Protestant ethics, or debates surrounding the New Perspective on Paul. The antidote Vos commends is not tighter rules or refined casuistry, but a recovery of true religion: life coram Deo, grounded in union with Christ, animated by delight in God himself as our supreme reward. In Christ, obedience is restored to its proper place as worship, flowing from grace rather than self-reliance.
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Chapters
00:07 Introduction
07:32 Jesus's Critique of Jewish Ethics
18:07 Common Distortions of Ethics
32:55 Modern Expressions of the Same Error
40:46 Von Harnack and the Essence of Christianity
44:08 The New Perspective on Paul
49:35 The Antidote
52:28 Conclusion

The story of the healing of the paralytic is a picture of God's work of redemption through Jesus Christ. We are healed—saved—not because we merit favor, but because of the grace of God. Their faith is demonstrated by their works, but their works do not save them. True saving faith is an instrument of justification.

This is the first lesson in Dr. Lane G. Tipton's Reformed Academy course, The Theology of Heaven in the Book of Hebrews. This lesson covers the following topics:
00:00 Vos on the Relation and Distinction Between Heaven and Earth
10:32 Vos on Heaven as the Supreme Reality
14:21 Kline on the Endoxation of the Holy Spirit
Register for this free on-demand course on our website to track your progress and assess your understanding through quizzes for each lesson. You will also receive free access to dozens of additional video courses in covenant theology, apologetics, biblical studies, church history, and more: https://reformedacademy.org/course/th...
Your donations help us to provide free Reformed resources for students like you worldwide: https://reformedforum.org/donate/
#heaven #hebrews #reformedtheology #biblestudy

In this episode of Christ the Center, we welcome Josiah Leinbach to discuss William Whitaker's A Disputation on Holy Scripture—a monumental sixteenth-century defense of sola Scriptura, newly edited and republished by Prolego Press. Written in 1588 against leading Roman Catholic theologians such as Robert Bellarmine, Whitaker's work offers a comprehensive treatment of Scripture's authority, canon, clarity, and sufficiency. Leinbach explains how Whitaker combined Renaissance humanism with scholastic rigor, engaging Scripture, church history, and patristic sources to show that Protestant convictions about Scripture were neither novel nor reactionary, but deeply rooted in the catholic tradition of the church.
The conversation also explores the modern relevance of Whitaker's work—especially amid contemporary debates over authority, tradition, and ecumenism. Leinbach reflects on how advances in historical and textual scholarship have confirmed many of the Reformers' arguments, while Rome's own positions have shifted over time. Whitaker's insistence on the perspicuity of Scripture, the singular infallibility of God's Word, and the Spirit's inward testimony offers not only apologetic clarity but deep pastoral comfort. This episode invites listeners to recover confidence in Scripture as God's clear and sufficient means of revealing Christ to his people.
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Chapters
00:07 Introduction
01:08 William Whitaker's A Disputation on Holy Scripture
07:25 Leinbach's Transition from History to Machine Learning
18:10 Whitaker's Polemical Approach
22:03 The Canon of Scripture
25:50 The Perspicuity of Scripture
28:29 Biblical Authority
32:02 The Testimony of the Holy Spirit
35:27 Ecumenical Dialogue Yesterday and Today
48:10 Future Works
52:25 Conclusion
Participants: Camden Bucey, Josiah Leinbach

This is the seventh and final lesson in Dr. James Cassidy's Reformed Academy course, The Doctrine of the Church. This lesson covers the following topics:
00:00 On Gender and Church Office
08:50 The Connected Church
15:33 Areas of Jurisdiction: Governing Doctrine
25:04 Areas of Jurisdiction: Governing Worship
31:10 Areas of Jurisdiction: Government and Discipline
33:58 Conclusion
Register for this free on-demand course on our website to track your progress and assess your understanding through quizzes for each lesson. You will also receive free access to dozens of additional video courses in covenant theology, apologetics, biblical studies, church history, and more: https://reformedacademy.org/course/do...
Your donations help us to provide free Reformed resources for students like you worldwide: https://reformedforum.org/donate/
#church #reformed #presbyterian #ecclesiology #reformedtheology