Purgatory is a Deadly Fiction
“Purgatory is a deadly fiction of Satan, which nullifies the cross of Christ, inflicts unbearable contempt upon God’s mercy, and overturns and destroys our faith.” - John Calvin
Reformation Theology Blog
A Concise Exegetical Defense of "Particular Redemption" in the Book of John
At the end of His ministry on earth, before He goes to the cross for sinners, Jesus' utters his High Priestly prayer in John 17. He begins by praying, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have GIVEN him.(John 17:1-2): In verse 9 Jesus uses the same phrase "GIVEN ME" when He says "I am praying for them.
Good Works and the Justified Christian
by Horatius Bonar
“Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt” —Romans 4:4.
Does Paul by this speech make light of good works?
Conversion, and God's Responsibility of It
by Jonathan Dickinson
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace ye are saved. –Ephesians 2:4, 5
HAVING, understood from scripture, somewhat distinctly the considered the sad effects of our original apostasy…
…I am now led by the words before us, to take notice of the methods of our recovery from the misery, death, and ruin, which the fall has brought upon us. In the text we have,
Rome Vs. Augustine on Free Will
In the decrees of the Council of Trent: Canons on Justification, Roman Catholics proclaim a curse (anathema) on anyone who affirms the loss of free will after the fall. In Canon 5, it declares:
"If anyone says that after the sin of Adam man's free will was lost and destroyed, or that it is a thing only in name, indeed a name without a reality, a fiction introduced into the Church by Satan, let him be anathema."
Legacies of Thomas Brooks
Thomas Brooks farewell address to his people is peculiarly adapted for usefulness. Brooks ends with giving his people some hints of advice, which he calls legacies, hoping they might be of use to them in the perusal when he had not the advantage of speaking to them in public.
1. Secure your saving interest in Christ. This is not a time for a man to be between hopes and fears. Take not up with an outward form, crying, "The Temple of the Lord."
2. Make Christ and Scripture the only foundation for your souls, and for faith to build upon.
The Peace and Comfort of Assurance
by J. C. Ryle
Assurance is to be desired, because of the present comfort and peace it affords.
The Moral & Immoral Both Alienated from God
Both moral and immoral individuals are alienated from God and are offensive to Him. This may be counterintuitive, but moral people may be lost due to their "goodness." Why? It is often the case that goodness keeps people from God. In fact, many people avoid sin and Jesus in an attempt to become their own saviors, justifying themselves. However, the gospel is not about moralism or relativism and is equally offensive to both the moral and the irreligious. Christ calls us to repent of both our good and bad works, for we have no righteousness of our own.
Jesus explicitly teaches that regeneration precedes faith:
"The Spirit quickens [regenerates], the flesh counts for nothing...that is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me grants it." John 6:63, 65
In the same context Jesus declares, "All the Father gives me will come to me..." - John 6:37
"All", not some. All the Father gives the Son will come to Him. And the "giving" of the Father to the Son precedes their coming to faith in Him.
The words "grant" (v 65) and "give" (v 37) are the same Greek word.
