16. For God so loved the world. Christ opens up the first cause, and, as it were, the source of our salvation, and he does so, that no doubt may remain; for our minds cannot find calm repose, until we arrive at . . . Continue reading →
Atonement
Calvin: The Offer Is Common But Faith Is Not
Let us remember, on the other hand, that while life is promised universally to all who believe in Christ, still faith is not common to all. For Christ is made known and held out to the view of all, but the elect . . . Continue reading →
Warfield On “Love” And “World” In John 3:16
…Strange as it may sound, it is true, that many—perhaps the majority—of those who feed their souls on this great declaration, seem to have trained themselves to think, when it falls upon their ears, in the first instance at least, not so . . . Continue reading →
For God So Loved The World: Atonement And Common Grace
To many, the topics of common grace and atonement would seem to be mutually exclusive, as if we should either hold to common grace or to definite atonement, but not to both. There are, however, good biblical and theological reasons for holding . . . Continue reading →
Heidelberg 38: Why Did Christ Suffer Under Pontius Pilate? (1)
When we read the Gospel accounts we can be tempted to disconnect them from the historical context in which the life of Christ occurred. One of the several functions of this line in the Apostles’ Creed, “suffered under Pontius Pilate” is to . . . Continue reading →
Heidelberg 40: Why Did Jesus Have To Die? (2)
In the first part we considered the death of Christ in light of his three offices, prophet, priest, and king. We saw that those who view Jesus’ merely as a teacher (a reduced sort of prophet) cannot account for his death except . . . Continue reading →
Turretin: Christ Is Our Substitute In Whom Mercy And Justice Meet
XXVII. The grace of God and the merit of Christ are not opposed, but subordinated because they are viewed here in different respects (kat’ allo kai allo): grace in respect of us, both in the giving of the surety and in the . . . Continue reading →
Turretin: Amyraut’s Doctrine Of The Atonement Was Not Reformed
VI. Those of our ministers who defend universal grace yield to this opinion, if not entirely yet in a great measure. For as they hold a universal philanthropy (philanthrōpian) and love of God towards the human race, so they think Christ was . . . Continue reading →
John Owen’s Judgment On Amyraut’s Brief Treatise On Predestination
If Mr. Baxter go on with his intentions about a tract concerning universal redemption, perhaps we may have these things cleared; and yet, we must tell him beforehand, that if he draw forth nothing on that subject but what is done by . . . Continue reading →
Charles Hodge Contra Amyraut
According to the common doctrine of Augustinians, as expressed in the Westminster Catechism, “God, having … elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring . . . Continue reading →
Warfield: The Westminster Excluded Amyraldianism
The interest of the debate to us lies in the revelation which it gives us of the presence in the Assembly of an influential and able, but apparently small, body of men whose convictions lay in the direction of the modified Calvinism . . . Continue reading →
Arminianism Or Amyraldianism?
V. They [the Remonstrants] distinguish therefore, between the obtaining of reconciliation and the application of it. They contend that reconciliation and remission of sins is obtained for all, which yet is applied only to them that believe, that all men are given . . . Continue reading →
John Owen Society: The Glorious, Indivisible, Trinitarian Work of God in Christ
If you are near Oxford (UK) on 4 May 2016 and interested in confessional Reformed theology and piety then you may be interested in hearing, Dr Jonathan Gibson, Associate Minister at Cambridge Presbyterian Church and author of From Heaven He Came and . . . Continue reading →
Is The Doctrine Of Penal Substitutionary Atonement A Late, Western Doctrine?
Recently on Twitter, Tim Keller wrote, The gospel is neither religion nor irreligion it is something else altogether. Religion makes law and moral obedience a means of salvation, while irreligion makes the individual a law to self. The gospel is that Jesus . . . Continue reading →
Canons Of Dort (14): Only We Sinned But Only God Saves
According to its critics, including the Remonstrants, the great fault of the Reformed doctrine of the atonement is that it is too exclusive. That, however, is not how the Reformed Churches presented their understanding of Scripture. Their opening note under the Second . . . Continue reading →
Canons Of Dort (16): Scripture Teaches Both Definite Atonement And The Free Offer Of The Gospel
Rationalism is a word that gets tossed around rather casually at times. It is used without careful definition. E.g., sometimes Lutherans accuse the Reformed of rationalism because we do not accept their Christology or doctrine of the Supper. They accuse us of . . . Continue reading →
Canons Of Dort (17): The Offer Of The Gospel Is Genuine But So Is Unbelief
In their second head of doctrine, the Remonstrants confessed, in 1610: ART. II. That, agreeably thereto, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, died for all men and for every man, so that he has obtained for them all, by his death . . . Continue reading →
Canons Of Dort (18): It Was God’s Sovereign Will To Accomplish Complete Salvation For All The Elect
There are those, who one suspects, have spent little time investigating the actual differences between the Reformed Churches and their Remonstrant critics, who have attempted to position themselves between the Reformed and the Remonstrants. Some of these call themselves “tweeners.” There are . . . Continue reading →
Canons Of Dort (19): Unconditional Atonement
In 1611, Franciscus Gormarus (1563–1641), one of the principals in the controversy surrounding Arminius resigned his position in the theology faculty in the University of Leiden. He was frustrated by the fact that after Arminius’ death, the governors of the University had . . . Continue reading →
Video Available Now: American Gospel: Christ Crucified
The second installment in the American Gospel film series is available now. Brandon writes: The gospel message of “Christ crucified” has always been offensive. In our culture it is common for preachers to soften the offense of the cross, and the attributes . . . Continue reading →