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The Kingdom is the Gospel and the Gospel is the Kingdom

November 1, 2019

Michael Horton on the gospel and kingdom....

Clarifying, “ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda”

October 31, 2019 by John Fonville

Martin Davie clarifying the often misunderstood post-World War II Latin phrase, “ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda."...

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There Are No “Non-Liturgical” Churches

October 31, 2019 by John Fonville

There is no such thing as a “non-liturgical church.” The choice is not between liturgy or no liturgy, but between having an agreed-upon, well-thought-out liturgy or leaving things to the spur of the moment and the discretion of the leader. As one wag has rightly observed, if you think “organized religion” is bad, try disorganized religion....

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The Protestant Reformation: A Two-Front War

October 31, 2019 by John Fonville

The Protestant Reformation was waged on two fronts: the errors of Rome and the errors of the radical Reformation (i.e., so-called Anabaptists)....

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The Double-Edged Nature of the Gospel and Sacraments

October 30, 2019 by John Fonville

The Double-Edged Nature of God's Revelation- The sacraments are means of grace. However, because they are linked to the covenant and more broadly to divine revelation, they are not always means of grace but sometimes means of judgment apart from a Spirit-wrought faith....

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Christ has Redeemed us through His Obedience

October 29, 2019 by John Fonville

John Calvin: Christ has Redeemed us through His Obedience, which He practiced throughout His Life (Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2.16.5)...

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"Christ is not divided. You cannot have half a Christ."

October 24, 2019 by John Fonville

Walter Marshall on how true saving faith embraces Christ for both justification and sanctification. He shows that God's grace is twofold (i.e., the duplex [twofold] beneficium [benefit]). Justification is the first benefit (beneficium) and sanctification is the second benefit (beneficium). ...

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Andy Stanley, Marcion, and the Bible

February 8, 2019 by John Fonville

According to Andy Stanley, the 21st century church must “unhitch the Christian faith from their Jewish scriptures.” Is this correct? No! We know this from Jesus' attitude towards the Old Testament, as well as the Apostles' and NT writers. We also object to Stanley's suggestion because of the nature of progressive revelation and the Scriptures central witness to Christ and His saving work....

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How Do I Know I'm A Christian?

January 14, 2019 by John Fonville

Assurance lies in the very direct act of faith as one is presented with Christ, the object of faith. The reflex act of faith can support our profession but it cannot become the ground our assurance....

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The Mountain of Law vs. The Mountain of Grace

October 9, 2018 by John Fonville

In Hebrews 12:18-24, the author of Hebrews expresses deep concern about where his readers stand in relation to the God who asks, “Adam, where are you?” To prevent his readers from a calamitous reversion to Jewish beliefs and practices, the author of Hebrews sets forth two contrasting relationships with God, determined by two antithetical covenants. By contrasting the old and new covenants, the author demonstrates the superiority of the new covenant over the old covenant. This superiority not only stresses the disastrous consequences of reverting under the old covenant (10:26-31; 12:25-29) but also provides the motivation for his readers to progress and move forward rather than drift and fall away from God (2:1-3; 3:12)....

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