John Calvin insists on the importance of adhering to the exclusive particle. Continue reading →
Author Archives: Heidelblog
Aquinas On Creation Days
…That three things are recorded as created, namely, the heaven, the water, and the earth; and these three received their form from the three days’ work of distinction, so that heaven was formed on the first day; on the second day the . . . Continue reading →
“Oppressor” Narrative Plays A Role In Growing Number of Teen-Related Gender Identity Issues
Patricia (a pseudonym) is the mother of a teenage girl who in recent years has come to identify as transgender. She lives in California, considers herself progressive, votes Democrat, and leads a group for parents of children with rapid onset gender dysphoria . . . Continue reading →
Second Council Of Orange On Those Whom God Loves
CANON 12. Of what sort we are whom God loves. God loves us for what we shall be by his gift, and not by our own deserving. Read More» —Canons And Decrees Of The Second Council Of Orange, (AD 529) Resources . . . Continue reading →
Book Notes: Hope and Holiness: How the Gospel Enables and Empowers Sexual Purity
This important book tackles what is perhaps the greatest enemy facing Christians today. Sexual sin is nothing new, but the epidemic of pornography and its consequences have devastated the church and ruined the lives and ministries of pastors from every denomination. John . . . Continue reading →
Paul On This Present Age And “The Final Consummation”
The heart of New Testament eschatology is not the hope of a millennial age in which this present “evil” age is progressively transformed into some sort of earthly utopia either before or after Christ returns. Biblical eschatology cannot be viewed through the . . . Continue reading →
American Christianity Needs A Stronger Ecclesiology
While the higher statistic is heartening, it is at the same time disconcerting: barely over half of self-identified evangelicals take issue with an individualistic Christian mindset. Barely over half of self-identified evangelicals, presumably, object to this statement which downplays a corporate sensibility . . . Continue reading →
Reformation Day Lecture 2022: Why The Reformation Matters For Ministry
©R. Scott Clark. All Rights Reserved. Resources How To Subscribe To Heidelmedia The Heidelblog Resource Page Heidelmedia Resources The Ecumenical Creeds The Reformed Confessions The Heidelberg Catechism Recovering the Reformed Confession (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2008) Why I Am A Christian Support Heidelmedia: . . . Continue reading →
Religious Freedom Watch: Bakery Wins First Amendment Rights Case
A California state judge on Friday handed a victory to a bakery owner who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, citing religious objections. Kern County Superior Court Judge J. Eric Bradshaw ruled that California’s Department of Fair Housing . . . Continue reading →
Gender Ideology Is The New State Religion
As a tax-paying district parent since 2008 who has sent her two children to the district Elementary, Middle and High School, I am aggrieved to find myself excluded from a very important conversation with my child, who I have loved since before . . . Continue reading →
Denunciation, Declaration, And Doxology (1 Tim 1:12–17)
I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen Continue reading →
Five Reasons To Reject A Golden Age Before The Return Of Christ
1. Belief in a Golden Age destroys faith, because it encourages Christians to walk by sight (cp. 2 Cor 5:7). Let me explain. The victory that Christ has achieved through his death and resurrection in principle is a final and complete victory merely awaiting his . . . Continue reading →
Kevin DeYoung On Franciscus Junius, Van Til, And Natural Theology
This is a bold thesis, as Shannon recognizes. The entire tradition of scholasticism affirmed the existence and importance of natural theology. And yet, according to Shannon, “Junius’s view of natural (as in unregenerate) theology marks a conspicuous point of departure from pre-Reformation . . . Continue reading →
The Gospel Is The Messiah, Not The Law
I’ve been patient with this for many years, but today I’m compelled to say it: one of the most theologically irresponsible things anyone can say is “the law is the gospel.” Sadly, I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve heard . . . Continue reading →
Friday, October 28, 2022 At 10:00 AM Pacific: Why The Reformation Matters For Ministry
In confessional Protestant churches October 31 is Reformation Day and Dr Clark will be starting his Reformation Day celebration early, this Friday, 10:00 AM, in the chapel at Westminster Seminary California. He will be speaking on the topic, “Why the Reformation Matters . . . Continue reading →
Ursinus Against The Antinomians, Libertines, And Similar Fanatics Who Deny That The Decalogue Is For Teaching in the Christian Church (Objection 9)
Obj. 9. That is not to be taught in the church which increases sin. The law increases sin. (Rom. 7:8.) Therefore, it is not to be taught. Ans. There is here a fallacy of accident in the minor proposition. The law increases . . . Continue reading →
Turretin On The Pactum Salutis
XII. And it seems superfluous to inquire here whether this covenant was made with Christ as one of the contracting parties and in him with all his seed (as the first covenant had been made with Adam and in Adam with his . . . Continue reading →
Reformation Conference At New Life PCA In La Mesa, CA
New Life Presbyterian Church of La Mesa is hosting their Reformation Conference 2022 on the theme of “The Reformation and the Christian Life”. The conference will use four figures to explore three topics that are not oft-considered outcomes of the 16th century . . . Continue reading →
Shattering Creaturely Independence In The Presence Of The Creator
To come into the presence of our Creator shatters any illusion of creaturely independence and self-sufficiency. We are not our own and are undone before him. Apart from him we have no existence (Col 1:16-17). It is God who created us, as . . . Continue reading →
Federal Vision Qualifies Salvation By Faith Alone
Because the FV generally denies the existence of merit, many fail to understand whether there is any real concern with the FV’s formulation. But the formulation is elusive. Wilson writes, “Obedient faith is the only kind that God ever gives, and when . . . Continue reading →