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....
January 12, 2026 by John Fonville | Category: Biblical Interpretation | Tags: covenant theology, jesus christ, evangelicalism, Suffering, Dispensationalism, exile, reformed theology, hermeneutics, providence, Isaiah 60, Biblical Interpretation, Christ Centered Scripture, American Evangelicalism, Zion, Triumph Theology, Scripture Misuse, Gospel Centered, Church Teaching, Football, Sports, Sports Culture, Faith and Sports
Isaiah 60:22 is often used in American Evangelical culture as a slogan for personal success and “perfect timing.” This article explains why that use strips the verse from its covenantal, Christ-centered context and turns Scripture into a tool for validating outcomes. By placing Isaiah 60 within the story of exile, promise, and fulfillment in Christ, the piece shows how...
Keep ReadingJanuary 7, 2026 by John Fonville | Category: Worship and Liturgy | Tags: gospel, worship, assurance, Liturgy, Reformation, Word of God, Thomas Cranmer, Book of Common Prayer, Word and Sacrament, reformed theology, scripture, Daily Office, 1662 Book of Common Prayer, Justification by Faith, Anglican Theology
The gospel is not learned by force, but received through Christ’s faithful giving of himself in worship. In the liturgy—especially as shaped by the 1662 Book of Common Prayer—Christ acts through his Word, addressing, forgiving, and nourishing his people as they hear, confess, and receive the gospel again and again, until it becomes second nature....
Keep ReadingJanuary 6, 2026 by John Fonville | Category: Worship and Liturgy | Tags: Biblical theology, worship, assurance, legalism, means of grace, Liturgy, Christology, Word and Sacrament, reformed theology, Anglican Theology, Psalm 22, Hebrews 2, Public Worship, Church Worship, Confession of Faith
The phrase “God inhabits the praises of His people” is widely used to suggest that singing brings God’s presence into worship. This article examines Psalm 22 in its biblical and Christ-centered context, showing that Scripture teaches something richer and more comforting: God reigns among His covenant people, and praise is the public confession of that reign. Drawing ...
Keep ReadingNovember 13, 2025 by John Fonville | Category: Covenant Theology | Tags: gospel, Biblical theology, sanctification, law and gospel, new covenant, assurance, covenant theology, covenant of grace, covenant of works, mosaic covenant, justification, sola fide, republication, reformed theology, scripture, Reformation Anglicanism, theology, Anglican Theology, MacArthur Study Bible, 1 Peter, exegesis, pastoral theology
This article exposes a serious theological error in the MacArthur Study Bible’s commentary on 1 Peter 1:2, which mistakenly imports the works-principle of the Mosaic Covenant into the New Covenant. By requiring a believer’s “promise of obedience” for covenant entrance, the note confuses law and gospel, collapses justification into sanctification, and undermines the...
Keep ReadingNovember 6, 2025 by John Fonville | Category: Reformation Theology | Tags: gospel, sanctification, law and gospel, assurance, belgic confession, heidelberg catechism, justification, lordship salvation, sola fide, Salvation, Dispensationalism, Reformation, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, reformed theology, Reformation Anglicanism, theology, Westminster Confession, R Scott Clark, John MacArthur, Heidelblog, michael horton
This article offers a pastoral response to a chart circulating on social media titled “Keeping Doctrine in Its Place,” which misclassifies Lordship Salvation as a secondary issue and, in doing so, risks confusing believers about the very heart of the gospel. Drawing on R. Scott Clark’s 25-part critique of John MacArthur’s The Gospel According to Jesus, it argues th...
Keep ReadingNovember 4, 2025 by John Fonville | Category: Reformation Theology | Tags: sanctification, assurance, belgic confession, heidelberg catechism, justification, sola fide, Union with Christ, Reformation, duplex beneficium, George Hunsinger, Jonathan Edwards, dispositional soteriology, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, Protestant Reformation, reformed theology, imputed righteousness, Anglican, Thirty Nine Articles, Reformation Day, Reformation theology, Calvin, Justification by Faith, fides caritate formata, Westminster Confession, forensic justification, Reformation Anglicanism, The Center for Reformation Anglicanism
This article contrasts John Calvin’s Reformation doctrine of justification by faith alone with Jonathan Edwards’s later “dispositional soteriology.” Drawing from Calvin’s Institutes (3.11) and the Reformed confessions, it shows that saving faith is receptive—accepting, receiving, and resting on Christ’s righteousness alone—while Edwards’s model redefines ...
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 ReadingAugust 6, 2025 by John Fonville | Category: Church History | Tags: means of grace, Pelagianism, reformed theology, Church History, Cane Ridge, revival, Second Great Awakening, Charles Finney, ordained ministry, emotionalism
This article marks the 224th anniversary of the Cane Ridge revival (August 6, 1801), critiquing revivalism's negative impact on the church. It examines how it bypasses ordained ministry, neglects the means of grace for emotionalism, and reflects Charles Finney’s Pelagian influence, urging a return to Reformation principles. ...
Keep ReadingJuly 18, 2025 by John Fonville | Category: Reformation Theology | Tags: sola scriptura, gospel-centered, Liturgy, Reformation, Protestant worship, Thomas Cranmer, Reformers, reformed theology, superstition, Anglican, Reformation Anglicanism, Church of England, English Reformation, Cranmer, Church Ceremonies, Church History, Worship Reform, Liturgical Practices, Ceremony, Church Edification, Christian Festivals, Gospel Clarity, Christ-Centered Worship, Justification by Faith, Gospel Proclamation, Biblical Worship, Gospel Reformation, Worship and the Gospel, Ceremonies and the Gospel, Historic Anglicanism
A concise summary of Thomas Cranmer’s reasoning for removing ceremonies that obscured the gospel or burdened consciences, while retaining those that fostered faith, order, and clarity in worship....
Keep ReadingJuly 13, 2023 by John Fonville | Category: Means of Grace | Tags: gospel, means of grace, Holy Spirit, Word of God, reformed theology, special grace, preaching, reading of Scripture
July 27, 2022 by John Fonville | Category: Infant Baptism | Tags: covenant theology, means of grace, reformed theology, infant baptism, paedobaptism, sacraments, Visible Church, Discipleship
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....
Keep ReadingOctober 4, 2017 by John Fonville | Tags: law and gospel, covenant theology, zacharias ursinus, reformed theology, hermeneutics
Zacharias Ursinus, author of the Heidelberg Catechism, discusses the law and gospel. Ursinus refers to the law and gospel the "chief and most expressive mark of the true church."...
Keep Reading