Deus Misereatur

R.R. Reno has been one of the senior editors of the journal First Things for quite some time. His articles are rich, thoughtful, and always worth reading. Recently he has taken on the general editorship of the series Brazos Theological Commentary of the Bible (BTCB), a succession of commentaries that are not so much enamored with historical-critical exegesis, as they are with theological exegesis and exegetical theology. In 2004 Reno left his Episcopal church affiliation and converted to the Roman Catholic Church.  It is because of this last item that I was pleasantly surprised when I ran across something he wrote in his BTCB volume on Genesis. Allow me to set the stage. Reno is commenting on Genesis 1.2, and specifically God’s action of creatio ex nihil . After dealing with those who object that this verse does not teach creatio ex nihil , he then begins to unpack the reasons why earlier pastors/theologians of the Church affirmed this doctrine. One of the early pastors/theologia...

“[God] who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1.9-10). In the 1500s Church Reformers put back on display 5 of the family Gems that had been packed off into the ecclesiastical storage. These 5 Gems are called the 5 Solas. They are, Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Soli Deo Gloria . In this post we will be enjoying the surprising beauty of the 3rd Sola, Sola Gratia. What Sola Gratia Doesn’t Mean : Some folks have the following mistaken notions: (1) We’re pretty good folk, and so God gives us a pat on the back and says, ‘Keep up the good work team!’ Or (2) God sets the game in motion and then steps back to see what we’ll do. Or (3) God looks at the end of ...