White Horse Inn

Is the gospel something that we do? Is it something—like a law—that we can execute or abide by? In this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Bob Hiller, and Walter Strickland unpack the covenant of grace throughout Scripture, considering the counterintuitive nature of God’s unilateral kindness to us in the gospel.

We are no strangers to the category of “law,” but how is God’s law different from man-made laws and rituals? In this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Bob Hiller, and Walter Strickland discuss the importance of the law-gospel distinction and dig into the definition of the law and its impact on God’s people today.

We have a remedy to our sin problem, declared in 1 John 2:1-2, the fourth and final Comfortable Word. Because Jesus was our sacrifice, he is now our advocate. In this conclusion to our series on Thomas Cranmer’s Comfortable Words, White Horse Inn hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller reflect on the doctrine of propitiation, the order of the words, and the comfort found in remembering that Christ is our advocate.

The third word (1 Timothy 1:15) diagnoses our human condition, revealing not just the subjective feeling of burden but also the objective consequences of violating God’s law. So how is this a “Comfortable Word”? In this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller consider the doctrine of sin and the concept and comfort of simul justus et peccator—“simultaneously justified and sinner.”

The second of the Comfortable Words, John 3:16, demonstrates God’s desire and initiative to save his people. In this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller unpack this familiar verse and consider its implications for how we think about salvation, fellow image-bearers, and our Christian freedom.

As Christians, we often struggle to view God as one who wants to meet us with words of comfort and good news. But understanding God’s heart towards sinners is not just a therapeutic exercise, it’s our only hope in the midst of our spiritual fatigue. In this episode, White Horse Inn hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller discuss the first of the Comfortable Words, Matthew 11:28, exposing our weariness and longing while exploring the rest that Christ offers.

Do Reformational people read their Bibles? Do they have daily “quiet times”? Is it important for them to pray every day? Sometimes we can give people the sense that all God really cares about is public worship, but what happens in our public assembly should flow down into our families and then into our individual spiritual lives as well. In this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller discuss the role private piety plays in our Christian life, considering how we can reclaim spiritual disciplines for our churches.

Many of us were raised in churches that downplayed the clergy-laity distinction. Every member, we were told, was a minister. Now, we’re in churches that take ordination seriously and that sees the biblical rationale for “office.” Maybe we’re even relieved to find that these churches don’t fill our calendars with a busy week of “ministry activities,” but instead prioritize Sunday worship. But where does that leave the laity? And where is the spiritual formation that happens when we live in community with one another? In this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller consider how the liturgy of our worship pushes back against the liturgies of the world. And they discuss the responsibility of members to exercise their spiritual gifts alongside their freedom to receive and rest on the Lord’s day.

Many churches preach that your biggest problem is that you’re not living your best life now. Rather than calling people to repentance, they call them to “try harder, do better” so that they can be fulfilled, healthy, and happy. Reformed theology provides a doctrine to help counter this wrong diagnosis of our true problem: total depravity. But sometimes, this doctrine sounds much more like “utter depravity,” leaving nothing good or redeemable about humanity. In this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller consider how we hold total depravity in tension with the goodness of humanity.

Is Christianity really as intellectually driven as some of us seem to think? Sermons are lectures. Bible studies, book groups, and theology discussions take on an outsized role in the life of the church. We have difficulty talking to people who don’t know our jargon. In this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller discuss how we can push back against an overly intellectual approach to the faith and embrace a holistic church ministry and spiritual life.

Martin Luther once said, "Prayer, study, and suffering make a pastor." Few things can better describe the life and ministry of Tim Keller. In this episode, Michael Horton is joined by Tim Keller to discuss how his cancer diagnosis has affected his spiritual practices, why forgiveness is essential in life and society, the church's resilience amidst increasing secularization, and more.

In this final episode for the 2022 Christmas series, White Horse Inn hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller unpack the beloved Christmas text, Isaiah 9:6, considering how each phrase is truly good news of great joy: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

"Before I draw nearer to that stone to which you point," said Scrooge, "answer me one question." In this special episode, Michael Horton shares how the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol' points us to our need for a transformation, but how only the gospel can move us from behavioral change to living a new life of gratitude and joy.

What did Jesus accomplish in his first Advent? In this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller consider the effects of the incarnation of the Son of God—sin is atoned for, exile is over, and his reign reaches “far as the curse is found.”

"Come in! and know me better, man!" In this special episode, Justin Holcomb shares how the Ghost of Christmas Present in Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol' teaches us about grace and peace and the invitation to feast in the Christian life.

As we wait for Jesus to come again, what exactly are we waiting for? What kind of kingdom will Jesus bring? In this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller look back to the expectations surrounding the Messiah’s coming and consider what Christ’s rule and reign look like now and in the future.

“Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!” In this special episode, Bob Hiller shares how the Ghost of Christmas Past in Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol' teaches us about guilt, the law, and how we are freed from its condemnation through Christ.

The Advent season reminds us that we’re still waiting. But as we long and wait for God’s promised peace and redemption, we’re tempted to take matters into our own hands. On this episode of White Horse Inn, hosts Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller discuss what Advent is and what faithful longing for God’s peace and redemption looks like.

In this episode, David VanDrunen advocates for the Two-Kingdoms view, which Michael Horton shares. Though they are not uniform in their approaches, this beneficial conversation examines the view of the Two-Kingdoms, the criticisms against it, and its practical application in the church and society.

In this special Thanksgiving episode of the White Horse Inn, Justin Holcomb interviews Trevin Wax about his new book, The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith.