Stephen Charnock discusses God’s holiness and reprobation, arguing that God’s decision to leave some in sin is not the cause of their wickedness. He emphasizes that God’s actions are in line with justice and are not repugnant to his holiness. Charnock also highlights God’s sovereignty and goodness in bestowing grace as a free gift.… Read More Theodicy & God’s Decree of Reprobation
God’s holiness is not blemished by enjoining man a law, which He knew he would not observe. Man was created with the ability to obey God’s law. God’s prescience is His prevision of things arising from their proper causes, and it does not take away Adam’s free choice. Man is responsible for his own sin.… Read More Theodicy & God’s Foreknowledge of Sin
The Intermediate State is a trending belief among Evangelicals, proposing that sheol/hades is a separate place for departed souls aside from Heaven and Hell. This problematic and unbiblical view lacks scriptural support, contradicts the destiny of Old Testament saints, and can lead to theological inconsistencies across doctrines like Christology, Soteriology, and Eschatology. This erroneous understanding serves to reinforce additional errors and should be diligently corrected.… Read More Heaven or Hades? Old Testament Saints in the Intermediate State
Geerhardus Vos explores the meaning of Scripture’s use of the terms sheol and hades. Some argue these terms don’t refer to the place of suffering, but rather a subterranean dwelling place for all of the dead in common. Vos challenges this view, arguing that sheol/hades denotes either the place of destruction (i.e. Hell), or a general state (not place) of death. Believers find eternal blessing in Heaven, not sheol/hades. He emphasizes the need to consider context for accurate translation of these terms.… Read More What Are Sheol & Hades? | Geerhardus Vos
James Durham demonstrates that Christ acted as Intercessor before His incarnation. He outlines the differences between Christ’s intercession in the Old and New Testaments, emphasizing the change in basis, relationship, manner, and impact. Old Testament saints had true consolation in Christ’s intercession for them in their life and death.… Read More Christ: The Intercessor of the Old Testament Church
The ceremonial law was abolished to promote the spirituality of divine worship. That service was gross, carnal, calculated for an infant and sensitive church. It consisted in rudiments, the circumcision of the flesh, the blood and smoke of sacrifices, the streams of incense, observation of days, distinction of meats, corporal purifications; every leaf of the law is clogged with some rite to be particularly observed by them. The spirituality of worship lay veiled under a thick cloud, that the people could not behold the glory of the gospel, which lay covered under those shadows: ‘They could not stedfastly look to the end of that which was abolished’ (2 Cor. 3:13). They understood not the glory and spiritual intent of the law, and therefore came short of that spiritual frame in the worship of God, which was their duty; and therefore, in opposition to this administration, the worship of God under the gospel is called by our Saviour in the text, a worship in spirit; more spiritual for the matter, more spiritual for the motives, and more spiritual for the manner and frames of worship.… Read More The Abrogation of the Ceremonial Law
Man’s practical atheism is evidenced in our corrupt matter or ends of prayer and praise. When we are importunate for those things that we know not whether the righteousness, holiness, and wisdom of God can grant, because he hath not discovered his will in any promise to bestow them, we would then impose such conditions on God, which he never obliged himself to grant. When we pray for things not so much to glorify God, which ought to be the end of prayer, as to gratify ourselves.… Read More Practical Atheism: Corrupt Prayer & Praise
The object of God’s absolute power is all things possible; such things that imply not a contradiction, such that are not repugnant in their own nature to be done, and such as are not contrary to the nature and perfections of God to be done. The impossibility of God’s doing some things, is no infringing of his almightiness, but rather a strengthening of it. (1.) First, Some things are impossible in their own nature. (2.) Some things are impossible to the nature and being of God. (3.) Some things are impossible to the glorious perfections of God. (4.) Some things are impossible to be done because of God’s ordination.… Read More God Cannot Contradict Himself Nor His Will
We have spoken of the supreme authority for interpreting Scripture, which we have proved to belong to the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scriptures, not to Fathers, or Councils, or Popes. We have now to treat concerning the means of finding the sense of Scripture. The church, indeed, hath always used some means in the interpretation of Scripture. Here I will enumerate first those means which are proposed by our divines; which if we make a lawful and holy application of, we shall not miss of the true meaning, and which the church herself is bound to use, unless she prefer to go wrong in the interpretation of Scripture.… Read More 8 Ways To Understand The Bible Properly
The origin and spread of Socinianism, a theological system which developed into modern Unitarianism, were influenced by rationalistic principles and the despotic environment produced by the Church of Rome. The sect’s founders were mostly Italians, trained under harsh Roman Catholic conditions, leading to unmoored freedom of thought which devolved into skepticism and heresy. Contrary to the Papists’ allegations that the Reformation led to Socinianism, the Church of Rome inadvertently nurtured this heresy.… Read More The Origin Of Socinianism
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