Practically speaking, therefore, a healthy, vibrant prayer life depends to a large extent upon a good understanding of trinitarian doctrine. Only then will we both understand what it is we are doing and have confidence that it will be effective and powerful. . . . Continue reading →
HeidelQuotes
Olevianus On How The Articles Of The Apostles’ Creed Give Us Assurance And Comfort
Give me some guidance as to what I should do to derive a firm confidence and sure comfort from the articles of faith. A. First of all, for each and every article of faith think about God’s promise that if you believe . . . Continue reading →
Luther: Of Course Error And False Teaching Springs Up In The Church
We should not marvel nor be terrified if there spring up among us many different false teachings and false faiths. Satan is constantly among the children of God. These words teach us how we should conduct ourselves toward these heretics and false . . . Continue reading →
RPCNA Removes Samuel Ketcham From The Ministry And Excommunicates Him
The Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America’s Presbytery of the Alleghenies on Saturday excommunicated Rev. Samuel Ketcham for his advocacy of kinism, the belief that insurmountable differences between races exist and justify some type of discrimination. After a trial, a church court . . . Continue reading →
Bavinck: A Universal Atonement Sacrifices Quality For Quantity
The universalists tend, therefore, to diminish the value and power of Christ’s work. What they gain in quantity—and then only seemingly–they lose in quality. Herman Bavinck | Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 3: Sin and Salvation in Christ, trans. John Bolt and John Vriend . . . Continue reading →
Luther On Law, Gospel, And Conscience
Give no more to the Law than it has coming, and say to it: “Law, you want to ascend into the realm of conscience and rule there. You want to denounce its sin and take away the joy of my heart, which . . . Continue reading →
Unlocking Matthew’s Genealogy
Matthew opens his Gospel with a genealogy whose arithmetic has long been regarded as problematic. After tracing the line of promise from Abraham to Jesus (Matt. 1:2–16), Matthew divides the genealogy’s history into three sets of fourteen generations, totaling forty-two (Matt. 1:17). . . . Continue reading →
Religious Freedom Watch: San Jose Church Appeals To SCOTUS
Almost three years after the COVID pandemic was officially declared over, a church in California is still facing over $1.2 million in fines for keeping its doors open to minister to the spiritual needs of the public. Calvary Chapel San Jose’s legal . . . Continue reading →
Luther: The Afflicted Conscience Has No Remedy But Grace
Therefore the afflicted conscience has no remedy against despair and eternal death except to take hold of the promise of grace offered in Christ, that is, this righteousness of faith, this passive or Christian righteousness, which says with confidence: “I do not . . . Continue reading →
Sproul on Turretin on Justification
The difference between infusion and imputation is not a matter of semantics. It is not a tempest in a teapot. It is not a simple dispute between two words. No, the difference is systemic. The entire Roman Catholic structure of salvation is . . . Continue reading →
Bavinck: A Universal Atonement Isolates Christ From Covenant And Election
It gives precedence to the person and work of Christ over election and the covenant, so that Christ is isolated from these contexts and cannot vicariously atone for his people, since there is no fellowship between him and us. Herman Bavinck Reformed . . . Continue reading →
Ernest Kevan On Baxter On The Marrow Of Modern Divinity
Richard Baxter ought to have recognized a friend in this book, but he opposed it and spoke of “The Marrow of Modern Divinity, which on pretence of Moderation is Antinomian or Libertine, and very injudicious and unsound”. Scripture Gospel Defended, “Breviate of . . . Continue reading →
Why Study The Heidelberg Catechism?
Growing up as a Dutch Presbyterian with parents from a Christian Reformed Church background, I was always familiar with the Heidelberg Catechism, but I did not have many opportunities to read and study it myself. And when I had the opportunity, I . . . Continue reading →
When We Assent To The Faith We Are Agreeing That God Has Come To Us In Christ
True faith rests in God as he has revealed himself, in Christ the Word of God incarnate, and in Holy Scripture, the inspired, infallible word of God written. When we give assent to the Christian faith, we are giving assent to concrete . . . Continue reading →
Luther: To The Contrite We Offer The Gospel
Therefore when I see that a man is sufficiently contrite, oppressed by the Law, terrified by sin, and thirsting for comfort, then it is time for me to take the Law and active righteousness from his sight and to set forth before . . . Continue reading →
What Does It Mean To Say “God inhabits the praises of his people”?
Many Christians have heard the phrase, “God inhabits the praises of His people.” It is often used to suggest that when the church sings, God somehow enters the room or shows up in a special way. That idea is widespread and usually . . . Continue reading →
Shapiro: Our Duty Is To The Truth Not To Insinuations Via “Questions”
Our first duty is truth. We owe you the truth. That means we should not mislead you; it means we shouldn’t hide the ball; we shouldn’t be deliberately obscure about what we are telling you. We have an obligation to clarity and . . . Continue reading →
Images Of Christ Diminish His Humanity
Mrs. Smith: “But Jesus truly came in the flesh. Doesn’t forbidding images make Him seem less human?” Dr. Perkins: Not at all. For the disciples, seeing Jesus wasn’t sinful—it was God’s gift in history. But for us to recreate Him is presumption. . . . Continue reading →
Bavinck: The Ground Of The Free Offer Is Not A (Hypothetical) Universal Atonement
For the universal offer of grace we need no other ground than this clearly revealed will of God. We no more need to know specifically for whom Christ died than we need to know specifically who has been ordained to eternal life. . . . Continue reading →
Justification And Eastern Orthodoxy
Justification has never received much attention in Eastern Orthodox theology. The orthodox view of salvation is largely shaped by the idea of theosis based on such texts as 2 Peter 1:. The word theosis is translated “deification” in English, and the concept . . . Continue reading →