Before justification the sinner enters into a state of preparation whereby he, by his own free-will and in co-operation with the Holy Spirit, is prepared for future justification. During this preparation the sinner comes to accept a general knowledge of God and . . . Continue reading →
HeidelQuotes
A Sociological Note To Pastors About Boys
Today, undergraduate enrollment has flipped—female enrollment is at 58 percent. Women are awarded 53 percent of PhDs, and they make up the majority of law students. Whole professions, like psychology and veterinary medicine, are becoming overwhelmingly female. Forty percent of American women . . . Continue reading →
Calvin On Justification Without The Aid Of Love Or Works
John Calvinsists on the importance of adhering to the exclusive particle. Continue reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Second Council Of Orange On The Succor Of God
CANON 9. Concerning the succor of God. It is a mark of divine favor when we are of a right purpose and keep our feet from hypocrisy and unrighteousness; for as often as we do good, God is at work in us . . . Continue reading →
In 1949 E. J. Young Was A Framework Man
The work of creation is composed of an hexaemeron, or period of six days, coming to a majestic climax in the resting of the Creator on the seventh day. The length of these days is not stated but a certain correspondence of . . . Continue reading →
Ursinus Against The Antinomians, Libertines, And Similar Fanatics Who Deny That The Decalogue Is For Teaching in the Christian Church (Objection 8)
Obj. 8. The law is the letter which killeth, and is the ministration of death and condemnation. (2 Cor. 3:6, 7.) But there is no condemnation to Christians. Therefore, the law does not have respect to Christians who are in Christ Jesus. . . . Continue reading →