Is God most simple and free from all composition? We affirm against Socinus and Vorstius I. The Socinians agitate this controversy with us since they deny that simplicity can be attributed to God according to the Scriptures and think it should be . . . Continue reading →
Doctrine of God
We Are Not Merely Discussing Economic Subordination
So Burk argues that Christ’s not grasping for equality with God belongs not only to the economic but to the ontological Trinity. That is an extraordinary claim! He is asserting far more than a simple acknowledgement that the Father and Son are . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 123: I Am That I Am (1)—The Categorical Distinction
This is the 1st episode of our series on the doctrine of God, ““I AM That I AM.” In older histories of theology it used to be said of the Reformed that they started with the divine decree and deduced (i.e., drew . . . Continue reading →
Ursinus On The Distinction Between Essence And Persons In The Trinity
We may now readily perceive the difference between the Essence of God, and the Persons, subsisting in the divine essence. By the term, Essence, we are to understand, in reference to this subject, that which the eternal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 124: I Am That I Am (2)—The Categorical Distinction
The Creator/creature distinction is fundamental to Christian theology. The Ancient Christian church defended it against the pagan doctrine of the eternality of matter. Scripture is very clear: “In the beginning God…”. On this point, the classical, confessional Reformed theologians built their distinction . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 125: I Am That I Am (3)—More On The Categorical Distinction
So far in this series we have been talking about what I call the categorical distinction, i.e., the Creator/creature distinction. At the 1518 Heidelberg Disputation Martin Luther unveiled what he called his theology of the cross, (theologia crucis) against what he described . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 126: I Am That I Am (4)—The Trinity
Traditionally, at this place in theology, we should address the divine attributes in relation to the divine being/essence. Otto Weber (1902–66) challenged this approach by arguing that because Scripture reveals God first of all as Triune and his attributes in the light . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 127: I Am That I Am (5)—The Trinity
There strong indications in the Hebrew Scriptures that the God of the Bible is not only personal, but that he is multi-personal. In Genesis 1:1, Scripture says that Elohim (God) created the heavens and the earth. In the very next verse, however, . . . Continue reading →
Wake Up And Smell The Coffee
…in this book Dolezal argues that a number of contemporary evangelical and Reformed theologians, whether wittingly or unwittingly, have rejected and/or wrongly redefined elements of classical Christian theism. In other words, they have rejected and/or wrongly redefined elements of the Christian doctrine . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 128: I Am That I Am (6)—The Trinity And The Covenant Of Redemption
I am excited to back behind the Heidelmic again and judging from the discussions I am seeing in print and online it looks like it is none too soon. James Dolezal has published an important new book, All That Is In God: . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 129: I Am That I Am (7)—The Trinity In The New Testament
Augustine of Hippo used to say that what was concealed in the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament and that is certainly true in case of the biblical doctrine of the Trinity. As we have discussed so far in the . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 130: I Am That I Am (8)—Against Social Trinitarianism
In the last few episodes we have been considering the biblical, ecumenical (or creedal) doctrine of the Trinity. The God who is, is one in three persons. The historic doctrine of the Trinity is very clear. It is also great mystery but . . . Continue reading →
What Happened To Divine Immutability?
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 →
Canons Of Dort (9): The God Who Elects Unconditionally Does Not Change
One of the most remarkable developments in late modern evangelical theology was the rise of the so-called doctrine of “Open Theism.” This doctrine holds that the future is genuinely unknown to God. It is “open” to him and he to it. According . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast Series: I Am That I Am
This is the complete Heidelcast series (16 episodes) on the doctrine of God: I AM That I AM. Continue reading →
How Do We Know That God Is One In Three Persons (And Not Four Persons)?
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 →
Heidelcast 132: I Am That I Am (9): The Attributes Of God
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 →
Heidelcast 133: I Am That I Am (10): The Attributes Of God
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 →
Heidelcast 136: I Am That I Am (11): The Attributes Of God
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 →
Heidelcast 146: I AM That I AM (14): God’s Sovereign Arrangement Of All Things
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 →