Thanks to Brandon for highlighting this passage in Berkhof (under the Doctrine of God). There’s an entire chapter on this topic in RRC.
Louis Berkhof
Berkhof in Russian!
Congratulations to Evangelical Press for getting Louis Berkhof. We, in the English-speaking world have an embarrassment of riches of Reformed resources. Berkhof’s Reformed Dogmatics first appeared in 1932. It was later re-titled Systematic Theology. That our Russian-speaking brothers and sisters are just . . . Continue reading →
Semi-Pelagianism and Faith as the Instrument of Existential-Mystical Union with Christ (Pt 2)
Last time we saw that, according to William Perkins, semi-Pelagianism asserts that the will (or other faculties) are able to operate in salvation partly on the basis of nature, i.e., they are not entirely dependent upon grace. In contrast, the Reformed argue . . . Continue reading →
God, Not Man, Is The Author Of Sanctification
Sanctification is a work of the Triune God, that is ascribed more particularly to the Holy Spirit in Scripture. It is particularly important in our day, with its emphasis on the necessity of approaching the study of theology anthropologically and its one-sided . . . Continue reading →
Berkhof On The Pedagogical Use Of The Law
. . . b. A usus elenchticus or pedagogicus. In this capacity the law serves the purpose of bring man under conviction of sin, and of making him conscious of his inability to meet the demands of the law. In that way . . . Continue reading →
Was Louis Berkhof A Heretic?
At Sinai the covenant became a truly national covenant. The civil life of Israel was linked up with the covenant in such a say that the two could not be separated. In a large measure Church and Sate became one. To be . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 48: Making Some Sense Of The Republication Debate Pt 1: History
Parts of the confessional Reformed world in North America are in the midst of a controversy over whether it is biblical, confessional, and historically Reformed to teach that the Mosaic covenant was, in some sense, a republication of the covenant of works. . . . Continue reading →
Berkhof: This Third Use Is Denied By The Antinomians
A usus didacticus or normativus. This is the so-called tertius uses legis, the third use of the law. The law is a rule of life for believers, reminding them of their their duties and leading them in the way of life and . . . Continue reading →
Should I Buy It?
Frequently I receive the question in my inbox: “Should I buy this book?” What I would like to say is, “Yes, buy every book but don’t buy every book you buy.” I think it is a good idea to own and read . . . Continue reading →
Berkhof On Union With Christ
The mystical union in the sense in which we are now speaking of it is not the judicial ground, on the basis of which we become partakers of the riches that are in Christ. It is sometimes said that the merits of . . . Continue reading →
Reformed Basics On Dichotomy And Trichotomy
The question came via Twitter yesterday asking what trichotomy is, from where it comes, and how Reformed theology speaks about this issue. I couldn’t do any better than Louis Berkhof (1873–1957). Born in the Netherlands, he moved to the USA as a . . . Continue reading →
Berkhof On The Necessity Of Good Works (UPDATED)
3. THE NECESSITY OF GOOD WORKS. There can be no doubt about the necessity of good works properly understood. They cannot be regarded as necessary to merit salvation, nor as a means to retain a hold on salvation, nor even as the . . . Continue reading →
Berkhof On The Standard Of Final Judgment
The standard by which saints and sinners are judged will evidently be the revealed will of God. This is not the same for all. Some have been privileged above others, and this naturally adds to their responsibility, Matt 11:21–24; Rom. 2:12–16. This . . . Continue reading →
Berkhof Contra Dispensationalism On The Essential Unity Of Redemptive History
As was already said in the preceding, the distinction between the law and the gospel is not the same as that between the Old and the New Testament. Neither is it the same as that which present day Dispensationalists make between the . . . Continue reading →
Berkhof: Hosea 6:7 Teaches A Covenant Of Works
…In Hos. 6:7 we read: “But they like Adam have transgressed the covenant.” Attempts have been made to discredit this reading. Some have suggested the reading “at Adam,” which would imply that some well-known transgression occurred at a place called Adam. But . . . Continue reading →
Berkhof Contra Kenosis
The Kenotic Theories. A remarkable attempt was made in the so-called Kenosis doctrine to improve on the theological construction of the doctrine of the Person of Christ. The term Kenosis is derived from Philippians 2:7, which says that Christ “emptied Himself, taking . . . Continue reading →
Berkhof: Sanctification Is The Work Of God
Sanctification is a work of the triune God, but is ascribed more particularly to the Holy Spirit in Scripture, Rom. 8:11; 15:16; 1 Pet. 1:2. It is particularly important in our day, with its emphasis on the necessity of approaching the study . . . Continue reading →
Berkhof On The Millennium
At the time of the Reformation the doctrine of the millennium was rejected by the Protestant Churches, but revived in some of the sects, such as that of the more fanatical Anabaptists, and that of the Fifth Monarchy Men. Luther scornfully rejected . . . Continue reading →
Berkhof: Objections To Postmillennialism
Objections to Postmillennialism. There are some very serious objections to the Postmillennial theory. a. The fundamental idea of the doctrine, that the whole world will gradually be won for Christ, that the life of all nations will in course of time be . . . Continue reading →
Berkhof On Legal And Spiritual Unity With Christ
The mystical union in the sense in which we are now speaking of it is not the judicial ground, on the basis of which we become partakers of the riches that are in Christ. It is sometimes said that the merits of . . . Continue reading →