For 47 years, a “temporary statement” has introduced the Presbyterian Church in America’s Directory for the Worship of God. This note, affixed by the Third General Assembly, noted the unfinished work of revising the Directory of Public Worship stating: “The Directory for Worship is . . . Continue reading →
HeidelQuotes
Luther On What “Evangelical” Really Means
Thus there are many others today who want to be counted as evangelical theologians and who, so far as their words are concerned, do teach that men are delivered from their sins by the death of Christ. Meanwhile, however, they insult Christ . . . Continue reading →
William Perkins On Infant Baptism
Infants of believing parents are likewise to be baptized. The grounds of their baptism are these. First, the commandment of God, “Baptize all nations” (Matt. 28:19), in which words the baptism of infants is prescribed. For the apostles by virtue of this . . . Continue reading →
Fifty Years Ago . . . The 1974 PCA GA
The Charismatic movement was a controversial issue for the day, even among reformed and Presbyterian churches. Much of the past century, with its cooperation with broad evangelicalism, left some churches unprepared to speak to this issue. The PCA, in its first major . . . Continue reading →
Ryle On The Centrality Of The Cross
But in some places “the cross” also indicates the doctrine that Christ died for sinners on the cross – the atonement that He made for sinners by His suffering for them on the cross, the complete and perfect sacrifice for sin that . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: We Receive Christ Through Word And Sacrament
Of our receiving of Christ given by God, two things must be observed. One is that we must there receive Christ where God offers and gives Him, that is, in the word and sacraments. The second is that faith is our hand . . . Continue reading →
What About Deepfakes?
As technology advances, it is only becoming easier to lie. That statement might be surprising at first glance. With the advent of photography, audio, and video recording, we have gained access to more truth than ever before. We are now able to . . . Continue reading →
Luther: Moralists Are Thieves
…[Paul] scolds the Galatians in great indignation for having let this divine and heavenly doctrine be stolen from their hearts so quickly and easily; it is as though he were saying: “You have teachers who want to lead you back into the . . . Continue reading →
Riddlebarger: Jesus Did Not Come To Establish A Political Kingdom
Much like modern dispensationalists expect Jesus to reign over the nations in the future millennial kingdom, the Jews expected the Messiah to establish a political kingdom whereby Israel would rule over the Gentile nations. This explains why the Jews rejected Jesus as . . . Continue reading →
But What About My Works?
I have been asked many times, in the context of biblical counseling, about the relationship between a person’s faith and their good works. In most cases, the person asking the question was struggling at some level with their own sense of assurance of pardon from . . . Continue reading →
What In The World Is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT and similar tools that generate text or images are one example of advances in technology that use algorithms built from data rather than being human-handcrafted. You probably have used some of them: Data-generated algorithms can identify faces in photographs, control autonomous . . . Continue reading →
Riddlebarger: The Headcrusher Must Himself Be Crushed
The entire Old Testament is filled with the expectation and promise of a coming Redeemer. He would crush the serpent but would be bruised himself. He would come from the seed of the woman (a veiled reference to the virginal conception), be . . . Continue reading →
Of Choirs And Praise Bands
Choirs (and their casual, modern descendants worship teams and praise bands) have been near-ubiquitous in Reformed churches for less than two centuries, but just like government programs, once instituted these groups are difficult to disband even though their historical pedigree is weak. Arrangements may be . . . Continue reading →
Luther: The Law And Gospel Are Found Throughout Scripture
But you might say, “Isn’t there also much Law in the Gospels and in the Epistles of Paul, and again many promises in the books of Moses and the prophets?” Answer: There is no book in the Bible in which both are . . . Continue reading →
Perkins On The First Mark Of Faith
The second question is, when faith begins first to breed in the heart? Answer. When a man begins to be touched in his conscience for his sins, and, upon feeling of his own spiritual poverty, earnestly hungers and thirsts after Christ and . . . Continue reading →
Being A Witness In A Hostile Workplace
I have a Christian friend who works in human resources for a large financial services institution. She recently shared with me that, for the sake of diversity and inclusion, employees are now strictly prohibited from discussing matters of religion in the office. . . . Continue reading →
There Is Hope!
In Proverbs 13:12, we read that, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick . . .” Thousands of counseling hours over more than ten years at Baylight have made this biblical truth visibly evident. Life’s dominating circumstances can surely weigh anyone down, but nothing . . . Continue reading →
Riddlebarger: Christ Is Our Prophet, Priest, And King
As the story of redemption unfolded in the Old Testament, the offices of prophet, priest, and king repeatedly came into view. Moses prophesied that “the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. . . . Continue reading →
The Second Commandment Is God’s Word
In recent decades, there has been a renewed appreciation for and embrace of a “Calvinistic” (i.e. Biblical) soteriology in which God is recognized as sovereign in all the affairs of men and even in salvation. Dr. T. David Gordon suggests this phenomenon . . . Continue reading →
Luther On The Two Words
The second word of God is neither Law nor command and demands nothing of us. But when the first word of the Law has worked misery and poverty in the heart, then He comes and offers us His blessed and life-giving Word. . . . Continue reading →