June 12, 2024 by John Fonville
Carl Trueman clarifies a common misconception that is popular among Evangelicals concerning the Protestant Reformation doctrine of sola scriptura....
July 26, 2023 by John Fonville
J.C. Ryle answers the common arguments in favor of “Baptismal Regeneration,” which are based on the Baptismal Service of the Prayer-book. ...
July 14, 2023 by John Fonville
J.V. Fesko on the sacraments as visible words- a visible proclamation of the gospel....
July 13, 2023 by John Fonville
J.V. Fesko on the Word of God as the chief means of grace. ...
July 7, 2023 by John Fonville
Martin Davie explains from the homily, ‘Of Prayer’ in the Second Book of Homilies, how the English Reformers taught that the only true purgatory is the death of Christ and no other purgation is either necessary or possible....
May 15, 2023 by John Fonville
Why Use Written Prayers?- Why does your church use prewritten prayers in your service? Isn't this a dry, rote, unthinking, way for the church to pray and worship? Don't pre-written prayers stifle the Spirit and hinder freedom and promote mechanical, vain repetition? Aren't spontaneous prayers more genuine and heartfelt than prewritten prayers? ...
May 5, 2023 by John Fonville
This writing of Martin Luther is from the introduction to his “Postils” (a group of model sermons which he wrote while at the Wartburg Castle). This brief foreword is full of comfort and good news. In it, Luther sets forth insightful instruction on how to read the Gospels (and the entirety of Scripture- the OT and NT)....
August 25, 2022 by John Fonville
My argument is this: By the year 1700, Protestant Christianity had begun developing significantly new practices and understandings of the Christian faith that focused upon Christian renewal, conversion, new birth and the coming millennial kingdom. These new practices and understandings were a dramatic departure not only from Roman Catholic Christianity, but also from the original Reformation convictions of Martin Luther and John Calvin some one hundred and fifty years earlier. Evangelical Christianity, of the free church variety especially, is the contemporary expression of this third form of Christianity. Probably most Evangelicals are unaware that their Christian experience and piety are far removed from Reformation Protestant beginnings. Evangelicals would do well to recover their lost heritage....
August 20, 2022 by John Fonville
Martin Luther's primary concern when constructing the German mass and order of the liturgy in 1526 was that the gospel be proclaimed for the people in their context....
July 28, 2022 by John Fonville
Martin Luther on the worthy reception of the Lord's Supper....
July 27, 2022 by John Fonville
Infant baptism sets Christian discipleship from birth within a covenant context, which means means to understand discipleship as something connected to the ordinary means of God’s grace and the routine work of the church....
June 27, 2021 by John Fonville
Richard Sibbes discussing the Christ-centered focus of all the Scriptures....
February 28, 2020 by John Fonville
Richard Sibbes: The Glory of God is Greatest in the Gospel...
February 25, 2020 by John Fonville
Michael Horton on what the third use of the law can and cannot do....
February 25, 2020 by John Fonville
Gerald Bray: "'What would Jesus do?’ seems like an innocent question to ask, but it is impossible to answer literally and does not reflect the teaching of the New Testament. ...
February 24, 2020 by John Fonville
The late 16th century Anglican pastor/theologian, William Perkins, on seven differences between the law and gospel....
February 21, 2020 by John Fonville
No Creed But The Bible?- Carl Trueman on the unbiblical creedal statement, "The bible is our only creed and our only confession."...
February 20, 2020 by John Fonville
Philip Schaff: The 39 Articles are found in every collection of Reformed confessions....
November 19, 2015 by John Fonville
A review of David Platt's book, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream....
November 10, 2015 by John Fonville
George Hunsinger shows how Jonathan Edwards crosses the fine line laid down by the Reformation concerning justification sola fide. Edwards taught that works are not simply external evidence that faith exists. Rather, works are necessary to the efficacy of faith. Works, as the external expression of faith, play a role in justification....
September 18, 2025 by John Fonville | Category: Ecclesiology | Tags: church, mission, marks, preaching, baptism, Lord’s Supper, means of grace, gospel, Reformation, Anglican, michael horton, Word and Sacrament, Discipleship, theology, evangelism, worship, sacraments, grace, Gratitude, Christ, ACNA, covenant theology, Visible Church, Holy Communion, Holy Eucharist, Means of Gratitude, Means of Obedience
This article explains how the mission of the Church is defined by its marks — preaching, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. These means of grace are God’s strategy for delivering Christ to His people and sending the Church into the world....
Keep ReadingAugust 6, 2025 by John Fonville | Category: Paedocommunion | Tags: faith, covenant theology, baptism, sacraments, Lord's Supper, reformed theology, J.V. Fesko, Paedocommunion, Christian doctrine
Explore J.V. Fesko’s reasoned argument against paedocommunion, highlighting the distinct roles of baptism and the Lord's Supper, the necessity of faith, and the theological progression within the covenant....
Keep ReadingJanuary 24, 2025 by John Fonville | Category: Ecclesiology | Tags: evangelicalism, baptism, evangelicals, Church Membership, Ecclesiology
It is often said, "Don’t just go to church, be the church!"- right? ...
Keep ReadingJuly 26, 2023 by John Fonville | Category: Anglican Formularies | Tags: baptism, Regeneration, Anglican church, J.C. Ryle, baptismal regeneration, Church of England, 1662 Book of Common Prayer, 39 Articles
J.C. Ryle answers the common arguments in favor of “Baptismal Regeneration,” which are based on the Baptismal Service of the Prayer-book. ...
Keep ReadingJuly 14, 2023 by John Fonville | Category: Sacraments | Tags: gospel, baptism, sacraments, means of grace, Lord's Supper, Holy Communion, Holy Eucharist, sacramental theology, Visible Gospel
J.V. Fesko on the sacraments as visible words- a visible proclamation of the gospel....
Keep ReadingMay 23, 2022 by John Fonville | Category: Sacraments | Tags: baptism, sacraments, Lord's Supper, Paedocommunion, sacrament of imitation, sacrament of covenant ratification
J.V. Fesko on The Illegitimacy of Paedocommunion. Just because infants are baptized and are members of the church does not mean that they are automatically entitled to participate in the Lord’s Supper....
Keep ReadingJuly 18, 2020 by John Fonville | Category: Sacraments | Tags: baptism, gospel-driven, gospel-centered, sanctification, sacrament, sacraments, ordinance, ordinances, spiritual growth, Visible Gospel, promise, treaty ratification, means of grace, justification, righteousness, assurance, justified
To their detriment, it never occurs to a great deal of believers that their baptism has application to their current daily walk. This paper is written to help believers view their baptism as more than an event that happened in their past and to consider how the Scriptures set forth the benefits of baptism for the believer’s daily life....
Keep ReadingJanuary 21, 2020 by John Fonville | Tags: sacrament, baptism, faith, repentance, means of grace, Salvation, Regeneration, The Gorham Judgment, Michael Green, baptismal regeneration, Privy Council, Henry Philpotts, George Gorham, Anglican basics
Michael Green discussing The Gorham Judgement and clarifying the Anglican position on baptism and regeneration....
Keep ReadingJanuary 21, 2020 by John Fonville | Tags: baptism, sacrament, means of grace, Visible Church, Holy Spirit, confirmation, infant baptism, public profession, adult baptism, Anglican basics
Confirmation cannot be a sacrament- a means of grace. Rather, confirmation is one's profession of faith- the believer's act, a response to the promise made in baptism....
Keep ReadingOctober 30, 2019 by John Fonville | Tags: judgment, baptism, means of grace, Lord's Supper, Eucharist, Holy Communion, J.V. Fesko, sacraments, means of judgment, faith, Unbelief
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....
Keep ReadingJune 20, 2018 by John Fonville | Tags: faith, assurance, covenant of grace, baptism, sacraments, promise, Confession, Faithfulness, sign, seal, pledge
Why does understanding the movement of baptism matter?...
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