The Ascension of Christ and the Heidelberg Catechism

Fred H. Klooster in his commentary of the Heidelberg Catechism (HC) makes a seemingly bold statement when discussing the questions and answers on the Ascension of Christ.  He says, “In fact, if there had been no theological controversy concerning the ascension of Christ after the completion of his earthly ministry, there might never have been [...]

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Reformed Theology and a Welcoming Community

Last week at Classis (the regional gathering of RCA elders and ministers) we discussed the topic of what it means to be both missional and Reformed.  The delegates were split into small groups to discuss different aspects of this topic.  One question for discussion was on how the delegates see a distinctly Reformed approach active [...]

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Maybe Protestants believe in Transubstantiation after all…

Simon Chan makes the following provocative point:
“The Word proclaimed is truly the Word of God.  As the Second Helvetic Confession (1566) puts it, ‘The preaching of the word of God is the word of God.’ This is the closest that Protestants get to a doctrine of transubstantiation.  Human words do ‘become’ God’s Word in the [...]

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Liturgical Theology: The Church as Worshipping Community

This book by Simon Chan has been an excellent and thought provoking read.  I would encourage all those who are interested in liturgics to read through it.  I will be posting quotes and hopefully some thoughts along the way.  For an introduction to Chan click here.

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Grace and Being

The word “grace” has vast theological implications.  It is often the case that Christians jump to God’s gracious act of sacrificing Jesus the Christ on the cross to atone for His people, and that becomes the extent of the issue.  Yet, at the foundation of grace is a intimate understanding that the LORD has of [...]

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Being/ Doing and New Year’s Resolutions

Tis the season for New Year’s resolutions.  A time to think on life and make goals of who we want to be in the future.  It is interesting to reflect on this concept of resolutions in light of the biblical paradigm of life.  And what I have found is that pursuing a life of resolution [...]

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Why We Baptize Our Children

The question often comes up why we should baptize the children of Christian parents.  Here is a link to a helpful video on the subject done by one of my seminary professors.
“Why We Baptize Our Children” 

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The Sovereignty of God and Me

It is always interesting to hear or read people’s responses to a biblically sound presentation of the Sovereignty of God.  It has been through the ages, and especially in the countries that have been indoctrinated in human autonomy, that people have resented the teaching that God, the Triune Creator of the Old and New Testament, [...]

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Old Terms for a New Day: Mortification

Mortification is the process of putting to death the old, sinful flesh and living the new life found in Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.

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A Worksheet on Covenant Theology

Uploaded here is a worksheet I put together in October of 2005 as a help in understanding Covenant Theology, which is very integral to the Reformed understanding of the Scriptures.  As a reminder, this is a worksheet, so it is meant to be “worked” through, not just read.  Covenant Theology Worksheet

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