In confessionally Reformed discourse regarding the doctrine of salvation (soteriology), great pains are taken to harmonize and synthesize the biblical texts that speak to the various aspects of the gospel. As a result, systematic theology texts tend to invest a lot of effort into explaining the logical order of those aspects through the “order of…
In Genesis 1:26–31, the creation account tells us that mankind was created in God’s image. As Professor Mark Ross explains, this means that mankind exclusively possesses what theologians call the imago Dei whereby man is a “personal being” in the “likeness [of] God” with a unique “measure of sovereignty over all the earth, with dominion…
This question has been a perennial thorn in the flesh of the church, stemming from a failure to understand the nature of biblical repentance. We must be careful to distinguish between repentance itself and the fruits of repentance. Also, we must not separate repentance from faith, because the Bible teaches that the graces of repentance…
The question of good works and the final judgment is one that often perplexes the people of God. The teaching of Jesus in Matthew 25 is relevant as it is a clear statement of the judgment of the sheep and the goats. There are several reasons why the traditional, Protestant understanding of justification by faith…
The Bible often speaks about the “fear of God.” There are two types of the fear of God, the first is a slavish fear, and the second is a filial fear. Both are referred to in Exodus 20:20, “And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear [slavish]; for God has come to test you,…
In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul writes, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” There are several things the church needs to hear about this text. In the first place, the Christian ministry must be populated by men who work…
The Bible teaches what has been commonly referred to in the history of theology as “Calvinism.” The second point of the Five Points of Calvinism is called “unconditional election,” which means that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4) according to His good pleasure (Mt 11:26). He did not…
The Bible often speaks about the “fear of God.” There are two types of the fear of God, the first is a slavish fear, and the second is a filial fear. Both are referred to in Exodus 20:20, “And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear [slavish]; for God has come to test you,…
You Must Be Born Again – What must you do to be born again? In North America, many people make the unbiblical distinction between “Christian” and a “born-again Christian.” The Bible teaches that if a man is not born again, he is not a Christian at all. In John 3, a man named Nicodemus questioned…
At the heart of the Christian gospel are the truths of Christ crucified and Christ resurrected. Jesus came into the world to save sinners – to reconcile God and man through His atoning sacrifice. Christ was the sinner’s substitute on Calvary to suffer the wrath and punishment of God in the place of