Theological term
Sensus Divinitatis
2 sermons · All terms
The Idolatry of Israel, Part III
Exodus 32:30–35 presents Moses interceding for Israel after the golden calf debacle, confessing their great sin and offering himself to be blotted out of God's book on their behalf. The sermon works through Moses's rebuke, his request, and God's response, giving particular attention to the theological question of whether God blots names from the Book of Life — resolving the tension by distinguishing the conditional Old Covenant (a covenant of works securing physical blessings) from the unconditional New Covenant, in which the elect are eternally secure in Christ. The Mosaic intercession is read typologically as pointing to Christ, who was, in effect, blotted out on behalf of his people. The sermon closes with application to the gravity of idolatry drawn from Romans 1 and a quote from John Stott.
Paul at Athens
Acts 17:16–34 records Paul's proclamation of the Christian worldview at the Areopagus in Athens — a city saturated with idolatry and home to Epicurean and Stoic philosophy. Paul does not simply offer historical evidences for the resurrection but instead sets forth God as creator, sovereign ruler over the nations, the only legitimate object of worship, and the coming judge — grounding the resurrection and the call to repentance in a comprehensive biblical theology. The sermon draws out the pattern of Paul's method: provoked by idolatry, he reasons in the synagogue and marketplace, addresses his audience on their own terms without compromising the truth, and calls all men everywhere to repent. Believers today are urged to cultivate the same burden for souls, to know the gospel accurately, and to carry it faithfully into a culture that remains, in its own way, given over to idols.