The Son’s generation involves no priority or posteriority, and certainly no inferiority but designates order alone. If it did involve priority or posteriority of any kind, then the Son would be inferior to the Father. Previously, I emphasized that the Son is . . . Continue reading →
Doctrine of God
Gregory Of Nazianzus On The Deity Of The Holy Spirit And Against Analogies For The Trinity
XXVIII. This, then, is my position with regard to these things, and I hope it may be always my position, and that of whosoever is dear to me; to worship God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, Three . . . Continue reading →
Ufilas Or ESS?
…Allow me to share a few quotes. As you read, I want you to ask yourself where, in the history of the church these quotes are found? “Nobody denies that the Father is somehow greater than the Son, not because of another . . . Continue reading →
How The Athanasian Creed Can Help Contemporary Evangelical Theological Discourse
33. Equal to the Father, as touching his deity: and inferior to the Father as touching his humanity (Aequalis Patri secundum divinitatem: minor Patre secundum humanitatem)—Athanasian Creed. Yesterday, in our Reformed confessions course, we were considering Belgic Confession articles 18 and 19 . . . Continue reading →
How To Avoid Accidentally Becoming One Of Job’s Friends
During my treatment, two friends with cancer reached the end of the line, moving from experimental chemotherapy to palliative care, to dying, to death. It all happened so quickly. I was in remission, but for what? To wait around for this to . . . Continue reading →
Crisp: Edwards Was A Panentheist
…Such a picture of God’s relation to the creation is undoubtedly striking, combining as it does aspects of classical theism, theological aesthetics, panentheism, and the doctrines of continuous creation and occasionalism (about which, more presently). Far from being the product of some . . . Continue reading →
More On Edwards, Affections, Romanticism, And Pantheism
If there is a prevailing commonplace about the Romantics it is to associate them with a close and tender regard for nature. And it is true that the relating of human being to being generally considered was so central in their minds, . . . Continue reading →
Why Caution About Jonathan Edwards Is In Order
Jonathan Edwards (1703–58) is America’s most famous theologian and perhaps its most famous philosopher too. He is an important and influential figure and worth seeking to understand for those reasons alone. We should think about Edwards for other reasons, however, He is . . . Continue reading →
Trueman: Might You Be A Socinian And Not Know It?
Cut some of the leading evangelical writers of the last decades and they bleed Socinus—without even knowing his name. For example, Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, the most widely read text of its kind in English-speaking conservative evangelical circles, rejects eternal generation of . . . Continue reading →
The Doctrine Of Providence And Your “Lived Experience”
The Christian doctrine of providence does not deny anyone’s “lived experience.” It explains it.
Classical Christian Theism Was Not Fabricated Out Of Thin Air
When trusted theologians reject the biblical doctrine of God that has been believed, confessed, and taught by every orthodox Christian in the history of the church, including Reformed proponents of the sola Scriptura principle, something has to be said. Classical Christian theism . . . Continue reading →
New Resource Page: On The Doctrine Of God
Those nineteenth-century Germans thought that the Reformed had deduced their whole theology, piety, and practice from their doctrine of predestination were wrong but the doctrine of God is at the headwaters of the Christian religion. Everything we say about everything else, method, . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 150: I AM That I AM (16): The Divine Decree
Congratulations to the Rev Mr Keith Giles of Belfast, NI, Rev. Mr. Richie Cronin of Cork, ROI, Miriam from Lancaster, PA, and Randy Bachman from Houston, TX. Their calls were featured episode 149 and for appearing on the Heidelcast they are each receiving a free copy of Baptism, Election, and the Covenant of Grace in the mail from the Heidelcast. Leave your question at (760) 618-1563 or send us a voice memo from your phone for our May call-in show. This is the 16th and last episode of the series on the doctrine of God, I AM that I AM and today we come to the biblical, Christian, and confessional Reformed doctrine of the divine decree. Earlier today, the Rev Dr Liam Golligher, Senior minister of Tenth Presbyterian Church, PCA, in Phila, PA wrote: Continue reading →
Heidelcast 147: I AM That I AM (15): God’s Sovereign Arrangement Of All Things (part 2)
We are continuing our series on the doctrine of God, I Am That I Am. This is part 15 of the series, which begins with Heidelcast episode 123. This episode is the second part of our discussion of the doctrine of divine . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 146: I AM That I AM (14): God’s Sovereign Arrangement Of All Things
We are continuing our series on the doctrine of God, I Am That I Am. This is part 14 of the series, which begins with Heidelcast episode 123. We could not be addressing a more timely topic: providence. Heidelberg Catechism 27 asks: . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 145: I AM That I AM (13): Some Implications Of The Divine Attributes
With this episode we return to our series on the doctrine of God, I Am That I Am. We are thinking today a little bit more about some of the implications of the attributes of God. Remember we distinguish between God’s incommunicable . . . Continue reading →
What God Is Telling Us Through The Corona Virus
Whenever there is a dreadful, large-scale event, e.g., a terrorist attack or the outbreak of disease, someone is sure to announce that this is God’s judgment on the world for our sins. Without a doubt, by nature, after the fall, we all . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 140: I Am That I Am (12): The Attributes Of God
The foundational truth for this series is the categorical distinction, the Creator/creature distinction. We can and must apprehend God as he reveals himself to us. He is knowable. We can say true things about him, but we can never know God in . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 136: I Am That I Am (11): The Attributes Of God
With this episode we return to the series on the doctrine of God, I AM that I AM. This is episode 11. The series begins at episode 123. We are talking today about the divine attributes. We begin with the doctrine of . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 133: I Am That I Am (10): The Attributes Of God
In this episode we continue our consideration of the divine attributes, particularly divine immensity and immutablity. By immensity we mean that attribute whereby God fills all that can be filled with all of himself all of the time, yet so that the Creator . . . Continue reading →