Author: bruce@prenticenet.com
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Reformed Theology (Part 3)
3. Reformed theology helps us to understand and apply all Scripture. In Reformed exegesis and hermeneutics, context is king. The largest context is what the whole Bible teaches on the particular topic at hand. Since all Scripture is inspired or “breathed out” by God (2 Tim. 3:16), the Bible presents a coherent message on each…
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Reformed Theology (Part 2)
2. Reformed theology uses logic, but takes its stand on the Bible. We must use logic to communicate clearly and coherently. Otherwise, we speak in empty riddles that darken people’s minds instead of bringing light. However, human wisdom cannot lead us to God (1 Cor. 1:21). God is so much greater than we are, and…
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Reformed Theology (Part 1)
1. Reformed theology celebrates the glory of God. The heart and soul of Reformed theology is the glory of the triune God (Ps. 96:3 and John 17:1). For this reason, it is often called “God-centered” theology. B. B. Warfield said, “The Calvinist, in a word, is the man who sees God. . . God in…
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Assumptions
For a long time during my baptist days, I accepted the false assumption that the Greek word baptizo meant immerse. With others who make this assumption, I just ignored verses that did not support my views. There are many such verses in the New Testament, but here are two examples: Mark 7:4, where tables are…
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The Ten Commandments
An area where there is a strong contrast between the Reformed and the Baptist is their differing views on the Ten Commandments. Most evangelical/baptist churches consider the Ten Commandments as irrelevant for Christians today. They think along the same lines as Andy Stanley, who writes, “The Ten Commandments have no authority over you. None. To…
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Does Baptism Mean Immersion
One of the errors that Baptists make is to take one meaning of the Greek word baptivzw and make it the only meaning. Here is a quote from Dr. Leonard Coppes, OPC pastor and author, showing how erroneous this practice can be. It is certain that John the Baptist preached a “baptism of repentance.” John…
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How was Jesus Baptized?
Bob Burridge of the Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies raises some interesting points regarding the baptism of Jesus, “A priest needed to be properly set aside by the forms of ordination. This was only valid if done by an already properly recognized and authorized priest. John was qualified since he was of Aaron’s tribe, son…
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John’s Baptism
It may seem odd, but a good place to begin a discussion of baptism is with the prophet, John the Baptist. John was the last of the Old Testament prophets and the forerunner of Christ. John was a descendent of Aaron and of the priestly order and his ministry of preaching and baptizing were all…
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Young man, go west:
How About Some Help? There is a church in southern California that decided to start a church in Boise, Idaho. What is interesting is that 250 of their members are planning to move to Boise to help build the new church. They are finding jobs, buying houses and moving their entire families to be a…
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Witness
To state the obvious, churches do not grow without new people. For Bethel to grow in Carson and Bismarck, we have to reach new people. To that end, we do some advertising, such as the Bismarck Tribune and have a presence on the internet, but surveys show that most new church members come because someone…