Creeds & Confessions

It is a very human trait, one from which even theologians are not immune: the tendency to make ourselves the default reference point for everything. We do it without realising it, because it is built into our subconscious. But it happens nonetheless. One particular locus of theology where this...

In 1618, the situation in Europe was tense. The Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) was only a natural consequence of the religious and political conflicts of the previous century. On top of this, the Protestant camp was becoming dangerously divided by what many recognized as a semi-Pelagian tendency at...

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. John 10:29 I have benefitted greatly from the teaching ministry of the late R.C. Sproul. Years ago, God used Dr. Sproul’s teaching to open my eyes to the surpassing greatness of the...

The One Who Endures Can we claim the doctrine of perseverance is the distinct doctrine in the Reformed tradition? Jay Collier does. When thinking about the Reformed faith, we typically about think election and predestination. But in his recent book , Jay makes a strong case for the distinctiveness...

“I believe…in Jesus Christ, his [God’s] only Son, our Lord” So every believer confesses and so it is found in the Apostles’ Creed. Let’s unpack four things that we find in this phrase of the Creed: (1) Jesus; (2) Jesus Christ ; (3) God’s only Son; (4) our Lord. First, the believer is making a...

Within Reformed theology there is an emphasis on the “already, but not yet” aspect of the Christian faith and life. It’s an emphasis, though, that is not merely within Reformed theology but more importantly Scripture. Our Triune Lord has already accomplished all his promises (Gen. 17:5; Ex. 2:23-25...

Ephrem was still a young man when his quick understanding, knowledge of Scriptures, literary skills, and love for the church captured the attention of the local bishop. Jacob had been bishop of the Christian community of Nisibis (a commercial center on the Persian border) since 309, when Ephrem was...

When we speak of God as our Father, it is immediately plain that we are expressing a belief that is unique to the Judeo-Christian tradition. Of course, to the extent that other religious or philosophical systems maintain that the world owes its allegiance to some kind of deity, in a very general or...

That holiness of life which the Christian has from God and before God and for God is not sourced nor drawn from even the best doctrinal formulations – as essential as they are to our faith. Nor is holiness of life sourced or drawn from moral transformation – as essential as it is to living out our...

Today, Dr. Michael Allen is with us! He’s the professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. And he’s the author of Sanctification, part of the New Studies in Dogmatics series from Zondervan. His visit gives us the perfect sounding board to ask “Can our...