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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
In this episode we turn our attention from the doctrine of the Trinity to the divine attributes. Of course, in God, there are not attributes since God is what he is. Francis Turretin called the attributes “the essential properties by which [God] makes . . . Continue reading →
Jason writes to ask: From a Christian perspective, how do we know that God is three persons (and not four or more)? Is it possible, from a Christian perspective, that God has only chosen to reveal three persons (but that God is . . . Continue reading →
This is the complete Heidelcast series (16 episodes) on the doctrine of God: I AM That I AM. Continue reading →
…one of the justifications for Protestants today revising and rejecting the classical theism of Nicaea and subsequent Nicene developments is the assertion that the Reformers did not subject the doctrine of God to the same rigorous examination in light of scripture as . . . Continue reading →
Recently, a well-meaning “New Calvinist” (more on this nomenclature in part 2) posted some very blunt language on Twitter about the relationship between divine sovereignty and various ways in which people suffer in this world. He wrote that if you experienced X . . . Continue reading →
Second it is useful and necessary that in our invocation of God we know what God we are invoking—that true God with whom we have entered into a covenant of faith, who has testified to us in an eternal covenant that He . . . Continue reading →
But the preachability of a doctrine is determined by its truth, not vice versa, a point made forcefully by Luther in his response to Erasmus. It is also exemplified in the negative by the history of doctrine where the abandonment of the . . . Continue reading →
We may shed further light on the nature of Warfield’s position by looking at the broader historical-theological context within which it emerges. Toward the conclusion of his ISBE article, Warfield offers a brief sketch of the history of Trinitarian doctrine. On his . . . Continue reading →
The biblical doctrine of God’s immutability says that God is always what he is. He is never any more or any less than he is. He is not becoming. He is not changing. He is utterly reliable. He is utterly perfect. He . . . Continue reading →
When the fullness of God’s self-revelation in Scripture is not taken into account, heresy is the result. Those who emphasize the oneness of God to the neglect of what Scripture teaches regarding the deity of the three persons fall into errors such . . . Continue reading →
The physician returns to the examination room with a clipboard, tired eyes, and a noticeable weight on his shoulders. “I’m sorry, ma’am,” he begins. “The results came back and the news is not good.” You think to yourself, “How can a child . . . Continue reading →