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....
August 25, 2022 by John Fonville | Category: German Pietism | Tags: evangelicalism, john calvin, martin luther, Anglican church, Protestant Reformation, German pietism, Douglas Shantz, pietist studies, John Wesley, Charles Wesley, Reformation paradigm, Renewal paradigm, Evangelical paradigm, English Methodism, justification, sola fide, sacraments, Conversion, Liturgy, Self-examination, church, new birth, head knowledge, heart knowledge
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 o...
Keep ReadingApril 5, 2022 by John Fonville | Category: Gospel-driven | Tags: third use of the law, Normative, guide, grace-driven obedience, evangelical obedience, justification, sanctification, christian life, holiness, obedience, promise, guilt offering, thank offering,
How do believers respond to the moral law?...
Keep ReadingApril 5, 2022 by John Fonville | Category: Law of God | Tags: sanctification, law and gospel, good works, obedience, justification, ten commandments, moral law, law of God, fruit of the Spirit, three uses of the law
The basic function of the law never changes. What is this function? Read on to find out....
Keep ReadingMarch 22, 2022 by John Fonville | Category: Lordship Salvation | Tags: sanctification, repentance, faith, obedience, holiness, assurance, moralism, michael horton, righteousness, justification, lordship salvation, sola fide, solus christus, sola gratia, soli deo gloria, Love, Regeneration, Knowledge, Trust, King, prophet, priest, assent, affections, Protestant Reformation, duplex beneficium
Ten propositions in response to Lordship Salvation from the book, Christ the Lord: The Reformation and Lordship Salvation....
Keep ReadingFebruary 4, 2022 by John Fonville | Category: Christian Living | Tags: sanctification, obedience, holiness, justification, lordship salvation, guilt, Bondage, Corruption, Holy, christian life, condemnation, righteous, duplex beneificium, sanctified, reconciled
Holiness is not an option for a Christian. ...
Keep ReadingNovember 5, 2021 by John Fonville | Category: Reformation Anglicanism | Tags: justification, sola fide, solus christus, sola gratia, Reformation Anglicanism, Katherine Parr, good works
In her book, The Lamentation of a Sinner, Katherine Parr recounts her conversion to the truth of the gospel of justification by grace, through faith, in Christ alone....
Keep ReadingNovember 3, 2021 by John Fonville | Category: Justification | Tags: grace, sanctification, merit, inherent righteousness, righteousness, justification, sola fide, material cause, duplex beneficium, imputed righteousness, marvelous exchange, forensic
Justification and a Divided Church- Michael Horton discusses the two distinct positions on justification that continue to divide Protestants and the Roman Catholic Church....
Keep ReadingOctober 27, 2021 by John Fonville | Category: Protestant Reformation | Tags: justification, john calvin, martin luther, sola fide, sola gratia, sola scriptura, soli deo gloria, Thomas Cranmer, collect, Protestant Reformation, Reformation Sunday, solo Christo, Oxford Martyrs, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley
A collect for Reformation Sunday....
Keep ReadingOctober 26, 2021 by John Fonville | Category: Justification | Tags: justification, sola fide, solus christus, sola gratia, Thomas Cranmer, Protestant Reformation, catholic, catholicity
In his homily, A Sermon of the Salvation of Mankind, Thomas Cranmer quotes from many scholars and sources to convince us of the catholicity or universality of justification sola fide....
Keep ReadingOctober 24, 2021 by John Fonville | Category: Lordship Salvation | Tags: good works, faith, repentance, Reformation, King, Rod Rosenbladt, lordship salvation, justification, michael horton, assurance, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, prophet, priest, W. Robert Godfrey, Kim Riddlebarger
Ten propositions in response to Lordship Salvation....
Keep ReadingOctober 14, 2021 by John Fonville | Category: Justification | Tags: inherent righteousness, Salvation, sola fide, justification, Reformation Sunday, Roman Catholicism, Thirty Nine Articles, imputed righteousness, Council of Trent, Reformation
Two Radically Different Views of Salvation: Thirty Nine Articles, Articles 11-13 & The Council of Trent: Chapter 7: The Causes of this justification are; Session 6, Canons 9, 11-12...
Keep ReadingOctober 12, 2021 by John Fonville | Category: Justification | Tags: faith alone, sola fide, justification, 5 Solas, English Reformers, Thomas Cranmer, Thirty Nine Articles of Religion, The Book of Homilies, catholic faith
According to the Thirty-nine Articles, the Homily of Salvation or Homily of Justification outlines “a most wholesome doctrine”, that “we are justified by Faith only”. Lee Gatiss...
Keep ReadingJune 23, 2021 by John Fonville | Tags: john calvin, justification, sanctification, double grace, substance of the covenant, duplex beneficium, Justification and sanctification are conjoined and coherent but distinct
In partaking of Christ by grace alone through faith alone, we receive a double grace, namely justification and sanctification. ...
Keep ReadingJune 22, 2021 by John Fonville | Tags: good works, imputed righteousness, Union with Christ, justification
Since our best works in this life are all imperfect and defiled with sin how can they be accepted by God?...
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 ReadingJune 15, 2020 by John Fonville | Tags: works, grace, law and gospel, faith, old covenant, new covenant, mosaic covenant, abrahamic covenant, law, justification, galatians, promise, Inheritance
Understanding the Contrast of “Law” and “Promise” in Galatians 3....
Keep ReadingJune 12, 2020 by John Fonville | Tags: sanctification, holiness, justification, walter marshall, antecedent conditions, consequent conditions, duplex beneficium, progressive sanctification
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). ...
Keep ReadingFebruary 25, 2020 by John Fonville | Tags: sanctification, law and gospel, michael horton, justification, Holy Spirit, third use of the law, Jeremiah 31, new covenant obedience
Michael Horton on what the third use of the law can and cannot do....
Keep ReadingMay 14, 2018 by John Fonville | Tags: sanctification, covenant of grace, covenant of works, legalism, justification, imputation, blessing, gospel-centered, Jerry Bridges, good-day-bad-day scenario, obedience, gospel-driven
Why is the covenant of grace important for the Christian life? We will consider two radically different days in a Christian's life to understand....
Keep ReadingOctober 13, 2017 by John Fonville | Tags: moralism, merit, treasury of merit, roman catholic, infused righteousness, inherent righteousness, rc sproul, faith, belgic confession, heidelberg catechism, covenant theology, covenant of grace, covenant of works, covenant of redemption, law and gospel, mosaic covenant, abrahamic covenant, adamic covenant, davidic covenant, new covenant, moses, jesus christ, john murray, michael horton, andrew mcgowan, norman shepherd, robert traill, scott clark, benjamin franklin, glenn beck, legalism, antinomianism, creed, immortal, grace, law, righteousness, justification, redemption, propitiation, lordship salvation, imputation, active obedience of christ, passive obedience of christ, atonement, assurance, eternal security, evangelicalism, evangelical, thomas boston, scottish covenant theology, wwjd, zacharias ursinus, graeme goldsworthy, ebenezer erskine, ralph erskine, self justification, theodore beza, john calvin, martin luther, galatians, judaizers, john colquhoun, adamic administration, federal theology, messianic administration, headship theology, royal grant, suzerainty treaty, self-maledictory oath, cut a covenant, typology, hittite treaty, preamble, historical prologue, stipulations, sanctions, invocation, deposit of the treaty, monocovenantal, anathema, geerhardus vos, delbert hillers, covenant of promise, covenant of law, unconditional covenant, conditional covenant, meredith kline, obedience, blessing, curse, israel, mount hagar, mount sinai, mount calvary, mount zion, jesus, son of god, son of man, ten commandments, 10 commandments, resurrection, incarnation, nt wright, john piper, new perspective on paul, ep sanders, covenantal nomism, ge mendenhall, timothy george, t david gordon, bryan estelle, david van drunen, modern reformation, white horse inn, the gospel coalition, sola fide, solus christus, sola gratia, sola scriptura, soli deo gloria
Collapsing the covenants into one overarching theme of grace confuses law and gospel and effectively eliminates an explicit law-gospel distinction in Scripture....
Keep ReadingOctober 13, 2017 by John Fonville | Tags: sanctification, good works, assurance, moralism, inherent righteousness, covenant of grace, antinomianism, justification, Holy Spirit, Union with Christ, antecedent conditions, consequent conditions, duplex beneficium, substance of the covenant, imputed righteousness
Does placing primary emphasis upon justification for assurance understate the importance and necessity of good works (i.e., sanctification)? Does this emphasis dishonor the Holy Spirit’s indwelling work?...
Keep ReadingNovember 10, 2015 by John Fonville | Category: Justification | Tags: justification, sola fide, sola gratia, George Hunsinger, Jonathan Edwards, dispositional soteriology
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....
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