The Forgotten Discovery of the Reformation

Series: Soli Deo Gloria: A Life of Worship

Family

The Forgotten Discovery of the Reformation

36 min

Series: Soli Deo Gloria: A Life of Worship

Family

The Forgotten Discovery of the Reformation

36 min

During the Reformation, “the priesthood of all believers”—considered one of the most important discoveries of the Reformation—countered the clericalism of Rome and restored the dignity of ordinary vocations. So what does the daily office of “Christian” look like today? And how are laypeople meant to engage in the work of ministry? In this episode of White Horse Inn, Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Bob Hiller, and special guest Walter Strickland discuss the priesthood of all believers, considering its different expressions and implications in the Reformed, Anglican, Baptist, and Lutheran traditions.

Quote

“When Peter is speaking to the church that he’s writing to, he says ‘You are a kingdom of priests.’ He doesn’t say, ‘There is a special class of priests that now has the responsibility of doing God’s work while the rest of you do inferior work.’ He says, ‘No, you’re all priests. Now.’ That doesn’t mean you’re all pastors. That doesn’t mean you are all called to be clergy in the church. But it does mean you all have the same access to God through the same shed blood of Jesus Christ.”

—Bob Hiller

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Bob Hiller is the Senior Pastor of Community Lutheran Church in Escondido/San Marcos, California. He is the author of Finding Christ in the Straw and the content editor for The Craft of Preaching (1517).

Justin S. Holcomb, PhD, is an Episcopal minister and professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has authored, coauthored, or edited more than twenty books on numerous topics, including abuse, biblical studies, and theology. Justin and his wife, Lindsey, coauthored the award-winning children’s book God Made All of Me, God Made Me in His Image, and God Made Babies. You can read more from Justin at justinholcomb.com and connect with him on Twitter @JustinHolcomb.

Michael Horton (Ph.D., Wycliffe Hall, Oxford and Coventry University) is the J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California and Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Sola Media.

Walter R. Strickland II (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is teaching pastor at Imago Dei Church. He is Associate Professor of Systematic and Contextual Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and he cofounded Aptree Learning. He and his wife live in the Raleigh area in North Carolina, and they have two daughters and a son, and a daughter named Hope who is waiting to meet them in glory.

Series • 5 Episodes

Soli Deo Gloria: A Life of Worship

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Called to Work

Called to Work

When we talk about work, it’s easy to jump right to the Fall and consider how work is frustrated by sin. But how does the pre-Fall creation narrative shape our understanding of vocation? And what does that mean for a post-Fall reality? In this episode of White Horse Inn, Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller are joined by special guest Walter Strickland in a new series examining the doctrine of vocation. This episode looks at the goodness inherent to work, what it looks like toimage God in our vocations, and how the Sabbath shapes our approach to the work week.

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Living Under God’s Pleasure: The Christian Employee

Is there a distinctly Christian way to go about our day jobs? In this episode of White Horse Inn,Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Bob Hiller, and Walter Strickland consider what makes our work valuable. They challenge the human tendency to search for ultimate significance and satisfaction in our work, pointing listeners to God’s design for believers to live out their vocations under God’s pleasure, in the power of the Spirit, and within the rhythms of work and rest that he provides.

Your Labor is Not in Vain

Your Labor is Not in Vain

The apostle Paul tells us that in light of Christ’s resurrection and in view of our own, our work is not in vain. It has meaning and purpose. So how do we navigate the goodness and the promises of work in the context of a world where sin has plagued our vocations? What does the doctrine of vocation say to a generation of people who are unsatisfied, burning out, and just plain tired? Listen to Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Bob Hiller, and special guest Walter Strickland continue their discussion of vocation in this episode of White Horse Inn.

Are You Called to Ministry?

Are You Called to Ministry?

In this special episode concluding our White Horse Inn series on vocation, Michael Horton and Justin Holcomb sit down to discuss the call to vocational ministry. Drawing on their experiences as ordained ministers and seminary professors, they answer questions like: What are the qualifications for pastoral ministry? How do you know if you’re called to ministry? When should you go to seminary? And how can we encourage those in our midst we think may be called?

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