How Can We Know God?
From John 8:19-24 Jesus shows that the revelation of God is in him. This article argues this by pointing to the biblical evidence that the key to knowing God is knowing Jesus Christ.
From John 8:19-24 Jesus shows that the revelation of God is in him. This article argues this by pointing to the biblical evidence that the key to knowing God is knowing Jesus Christ.
Your eternal destination will be determined by your answer to this question: who do you say Jesus is? The Bible's pointers to the deity of Christ are clear. This article looks at these pointers and objections raised against them. It concludes that Jesus is God, and also shows why believing this is crucial for your eternal destiny.
This article looks at the attempt to deny the deity of Jesus Christ. It points to the biblical evidence that Jesus is God. It concludes by looking at the necessity of Christ's deity for our salvation.
In light of 1 Corinthians 15 this article explains the biblical significance of death and the necessity of bodily resurrection. It points to the way in which this should shape the Christian attitude towards death.
If free will refers to the freedom of the will to choose and act of itself, without coercion, then it is proper to ask: does man have a free will? This article looks at the two answers given by libertarianism and compatibilism to the question of the sovereignty of God and its relationship to human responsibility, which shapes how one understand free will.
This article explains the relationship between original sin and actual sin, pointing out that actual sin is the fruit of original sin. It also discusses God's punishment of sin.
How can God be just by counting us guilty based on the fall into sin? This article looks at three theories that attempt to answer this question: the mythical view that treats that story of the fall as a myth, the realism view that claims that mankind actively sinned with Adam, and the federal view which shows that original sin does not refer to the first sin but to the result of that first sin because Adam acted as our representative.
This article is a short description of the doctrine of total depravity and original sin.
The doctrine of total depravity teaches the extent and effects of original sin in man. However, it also aims at making man realize the sovereignty of God's grace in salvation. This is what the article explains.
A faulty doctrine of sin has serious consequences for the church and its teaching on salvation, but good theology must start with man as bad. This is where the Reformers and the Reformed confessions start—with total depravity. For them the doctrine of total depravity did not mean that man ceases to be man, but it meant that he ceases to be good. The article outlines all of this.
Adoption places the believer in a new status in terms of his relationship with God and God's people. His inheritance status changes also and he is given a new confidence in approaching God. This article explains these three changes.
Does the Bible say anything about infant salvation? What happens to infants when they die? This article looks at three answers given throughout church history. It then discusses infant salvation in relation to effectual calling and regeneration, election, baptism, and covenant. What should be the answer?
This article argues that every Christian must be a theologian. Why? Three reasons are given.
Adoption is an act of God’s free grace whereby believers become members of God's family. This article explains how the Bible speaks about the fatherhood of God and looks at both the positive and negative implication of this doctrine, showing that it is impossible to claim the universal fatherhood of God.
Effectual calling refers to the activity of God, who makes a person receptive and responsive to the truth he hears. This article explains how effectual calling relates to preaching and how it should shape the view of those preached to.
Does man have a free will? This article argues that when you consider man's moral and spiritual condition, the claim of free will remains a myth.
Charles Finney can be known as the father of altar call. This article examines Finney's views of salvation and shows how his view of man's nature and salvation distorts the biblical view.
To get a grasp on irresistible grace one must understand the nature of sin. Sin is both contradiction of and resistance to God. So irresistible grace means God doing for man what man cannot do for himself. This is what the article explains.
If true repentance will always show itself in a change of attitude and behaviour, then phoney repentance is the opposite. This article uses Ahab as an example of superficial repentance, to shows what true repentance is.
This article explains the relationship between regeneration, calling, and repentance. How do these three work in bringing man to salvation? This question the article answers.
The essence of regeneration is our conformity to the image of Christ. This has its beginnings in this life, and is witnessed through the struggle with sin.
In regeneration God illuminates the understanding, elevates the heart, emancipates the will, and rectifies the conduct. These are the four effects of regeneration that this article explains.
The nature of regeneration is that the Christian receives a new life that results in his faculties being changed and given new direction in their properties, qualities, and inclinations. Let this article explain.
The natural degeneration of man, his total depravity, and his alienation from God are what make regeneration necessary. This is what the article explains.
Why is it that some people are saved and others are not? This article traces the answer to this question to the sovereignty of God in salvation. It argues that the biblical answer is found in that God the Father elected certain ones to salvation, God the Son died for the elect, and God the Spirit quickens the elect.
The process of God's special revelation—what is here called inscripturation—should be understood in covenantal terms. This article shows how such an understanding shapes the way we view the topic of dual authorship of Scripture and the doctrine of inspiration. It also evaluates the comparison that is made between inspiration and incarnation.
What method should be used in arriving at the doctrine of inspiration? This article examines the induction approach and the deduction approach and how they phrase the doctrine of inspiration and inerrancy. It calls for a combination of the two methods.
This article explains what the church has confessed about the the origin, purpose, characteristics, and preservation of Scripture. It then shows how biblical criticism has affected the belief in the inspiration of scripture.
The doctrine of inspiration does not deny the instrumentality of man in writing Scripture. This article argues that the Spirit controlled the writers of Scripture so that they wrote expressly what he desired and yet at the same time were responsible individuals whose personalities were not stifled. It also deals with an objection against this view that attributes fallibility to Scripture due to its human authors.
With the principle of sola Scriptura the Reformers restored what the church has always confessed. This article shows that from the early church this principle was upheld over against the Roman Catholic appeal to tradition as an authority next to Scripture.
How did Jesus Christ view the Old Testament? This article looks at Christ's view of the Old Testament in terms of its history, the authority of its teaching, and its inspiration. The article concludes that to Christ the Old Testament was true, authoritative, and inspired. If this is Christ's view, what should be yours?
The authority of Scripture is rooted in its divine origin and inspiration. This article argues that upholding the authority of scripture has implications for preaching and evangelism.
What should we understand by the authority of Scripture? This article shows that the authority of Scripture rests in God. It defines the basis of this authority, and discusses other authorities appealed to in relation to the authority of Scripture. It then shows what implications this has for the church today.
When we talk about the authority and infallibility of Scripture, we have to consider the manner in which the Bible itself speaks about these two. This article shows that the Bible speaks about authority and infallibility in relation to the nature and purpose of Scripture.
Did John Calvin uphold the doctrine of inerrancy? To answer this question this article turns to Calvin's exposition of 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:20. Then it comes to summarize Calvin's view on inerrancy.
Understanding the Reformation ground for the canonicity of the Scriptures is helpful for understanding the divine origin and authority of Scripture. This article explains that ground and shows what implication this has for the functioning of the church.
Does God love all men? This article turns to John 3:16 to answer this question on the love of God. It shows that "the world" cannot mean everyone. What does it mean? Let the article explain.
Revival is God's work in his timing, based on the truth of his Word. This is what the article explains.
This article looks at the relationship between revival and reformation. It argues that the two are interwoven and are dependent on God. It argues this point by looking at revival and reformation within the Bible and church history.
When the man asked the Lord Jesus what must he do to be saved, Jesus pointed to the law as recorded in Mark 10:19-21. Why? He did it because the preaching of the law is essential for evangelism. This article explains.
When evangelism makes the winning of souls its goal it is doomed to fall into error. It misses the point that evangelism should have God's glory as its aim. To argue this point, this article looks at what the gospel is.
From the beginning the gospel faced the threat of being perverted. This article looks at the Nazarenes, Ebionites, Elkesaites, and Gnosticism as those sects that perverted the gospel.
In evangelism there is an approach that is man-centred and one that is God-centred. The one makes man sovereign and the other God sovereign. How? This article compares the two to show you how.
The reality of the wrath of God is taught throughout the Bible. This article shows that to deny God's wrath leads to denying other doctrinal truths, which are discussed.
Any view that sees regeneration as a mechanical process that can be performed by man falls under decisional regeneration. This article argues that such a view of regeneration has departed from the true teaching of Scripture. It shows how this is so by looking at counselling, altar calls, theology, and preaching.
Christ entrusted evangelism to the local church. To argue this point the article looks at evangelism as defined in the New Testament, the theological foundation of evangelism, the church as the agent of evangelism, preaching as the chief instrument of the church’s evangelism. and the local church's communication of the gospel.
Discipleship is what the church is called to. This article explains what it means to be a disciple.
What made the Puritans such great evangelistic preachers? This article shows that based on the conviction that God uses preaching to add to his church, the Puritans practiced evangelistic preaching. Their preaching was biblically consistent, free, flexible, and fervent.
To evangelize is to set forth the good news. This article seeks to explain the Reformed understanding of this offer. It looks at the presuppositions that govern Reformed evangelism, the Reformed view of the gospel, the method of evangelism, and the zeal for evangelism.
TULIP shapes Calvinism's understanding of evangelism. It carefully defines man’s need of God’s grace, and summarizes the great acts performed by the Triune God to save men from their sins. This article shows that the Calvinistic way of presenting the gospel follows in the footsteps of Christ as he presented the gospel.
Evangelism flows from doctrine. From Luke 24:46-48 this article offers the doctrinal content that must form the message of evangelism. It is the death of Christ, his resurrection, and repentance.
Is 2 Corinthians 6:14 against co-operation of evangelicals and modernists in evangelism? This article shows that evangelism is rooted in theology. Therefore, evangelicals may not co-operate with modernists in promoting the gospel, nor even co-operate in sponsoring an evangelistic undertaking. Why? This article explains.
This article shows how we must think about the hand of God as mentioned in the Bible. This anthropomorphism used to describe God tells us about God's action. This action is seen in God's work of creation, preservation, chastisement, and invitation.
The omniscience of God refers to the truth that God knows everything. But what does this mean? This article answers this question and shows how this relates to the Christian life.
This article explores the biblical grounds for the divinity of the three persons of the Trinity, and their relation to one another.
The doctrine of the Trinity seeks to explain that God exists in three persons, and every person is fully God, yet there is one God. This article explains the biblical grounds of this claim.
The Nicene Creed formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity is a reflection of the biblical teaching. This article shows how this doctrine has shaped the worship and life of the church throughout history.
Who is God? This is a question which can only be answered by God himself, since knowing him depends on his revealing himself to us. This article shows that God revealed himself as Yahweh. This descriptive name tells us that God is self-existent, self-sufficient, and eternal.
This article is a biography on Sarah Edwards, the wife of Jonathan Edwards.
This article is a biography of Marjorie Bowes, the wife of John Knox, a Reformer who worked in the towns of Berwick, Edinburg, and Geneva. Together they went through difficult challenges, some of which were a result of the Reformation of their time.
This article is a biography of Katherine von Bora, wife of Martin Luther.
This article gives the biography of Idelette de Bure, the wife of John Calvin.
To John Calvin, piety consisted of reverence for God motivated by love and rooted in a true knowledge of God. This article shows how Calvin developed this understanding of piety for the Christian life. Then it shows the implications for the church today.
What is the role of the teacher in Christian education? This article shows that the role of the teacher comprises explaining, motivating, modelling, and disciplining. It also looks at the challenges faced by the teacher in the Christian school.
It is the Reformed view of education that has God as it centre. To argue this point this article looks at the goal of education, its standard, its motive, and its engagement with culture.
Was Geneva a theocracy and was John Calvin its pope? To answer this question this article looks at the involvement of John Calvin in Geneva and in the execution of Servetus.
This article examines the place and role of mutual agreement in the covenant. It argues that the divine covenant should be seen as the sovereign administration of grace and of promise in relation to redemption. To argue this point the article looks at the Noahic covenant, Abrahamic covenant, Mosaic covenant, Davidic covenant, and the covenant in the New Testament.
This article argues that Calvinism cannot be limited to what is known as the five points. There is more to it, and this article unpacks this.
This article explains the five points of Calvinism, which are total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible calling, and perseverance of the saints.
What is the relationship between faith and science? In answering this question this article looks at how modernists define faith and its relation to science. It then looks at how Calvinists define faith and shows how this shapes the method for doing science. It shows that in reality faith is not in opposition to science, because at the end faith precedes intelligence.
Is there a principle that can describe what Calvinism stands for? This article argues that the fundamental principle of Calvinism concerns the doctrine of God.
What defines a man? This article looks at the relationship between identity, creativity, and work to answer this question.
Did God create in six days? This article gives four defenses of a creation in six days.
There are those who preach salvation that is based on good works and the free will of man. There is also salvation based on God's grace. This article shows that to preach a salvation dependent on man's free will goes against the grain of Scripture. It gives four reasons why this is so.
"Accept Jesus as your personal Saviour." What view of salvation is promoted by such a statement? Does it match the biblical view of salvation? This article argues that this statement is a result of evangelism gone wrong. It betrays the biblical teaching on salvation.
What is a Christian? There are six common wrong ways to answer this question. There are four biblical answers to this question. This article reveals them.
A Christian is one who has come to face his personal sin. He knows the divine remedy to it. He lives the reality of repentance and faith in his life. Let the article explain.
The Christian faith stands or falls on the confession of the Trinity. This article shows that this confession is based on how God reveals himself in Scripture—as the Triune God. It explains the biblical view of the oneness of God and the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
It is certain that some people will go to hell and some to heaven. Who will go where? From Matthew 7 this article answers this question.
Daily devotions should not just be a Bible study, and should not be a religious duty. What must it be? This article answers this question by giving practical ways of conducting personal devotions.
This article shows that in speaking about justification by faith, the Reformers addressed three things: the need for justification, the means to it, and the meaning of it. Then it shows how this view can be distorted.
What is God really doing? This article shows that the Bible tells us what is the plan of God for this world. It shows that God works all things for his purpose, which is his glory. This understanding of God's plan is important if you are to find meaning for your life.
The authority of God and submission to it is the path to true freedom. Why? This article answers this question by looking at the nature of biblical authority and how it differs from secular authority.
The biblical way of thinking about the atonement is to think of it as penal substitution. In arguing this point this article points to the nature of knowledge required to comprehend this. This kind of knowledge is faith knowledge that rests on God's Word. It explains the idea of substitution and how it relates to Christ death being penal.
This article examines the relationship of love and law through the eyes of situation ethics and existentialism. It gives a biblical evaluation of these ethical approaches.
Does God have a certain way that He wants us to worship? This article looks at various aspects of biblical worship: the need for true worship, the character of worship, worship and the Word, leadership in worship, music and worship, worshiping with the heart. The author also discusses evaluating worship service and Hebrews 12:28-29.
This article is a biography of James Arminius and discusses the rise of Arminianism. The author highlights the importance of retaining the difference and separation between Calvinism and Arminianism today.
In these four articles the author discusses the Millennium from the viewpoint of Revelation 20:1-6. The first article is about the premillennialists' reading of Revelation 20. The author then continues to look at the structure of the book of Revelation and what this means for the understanding of Revelation 20:1-6. After this he expounds Revelation 20:1-6 (third and fourth article).
This article on faith and science, looks at the unbeliever and facts, the purpose of science, the method of science and Christian science.
This article is about evolution and the geological data. The author looks at fossils, paleontology, young earth and old earth theories, catastrophism and uniformitarianism.
This article looks at the existence of God and logic, and the existence of God and faith.
This article is about creation as the finished work of God, the preservation of creation, evolution and the decay of creation, mutations, and the laws of thermodynamics.
How should we view the length of the days in Genesis 1? The author argues for a 24 hour day.