Tag: Reformed Presbyterianism
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Reformed Theology (Part 6)
6. Reformed theology exalts Jesus Christ as our only Mediator. Christ is everything to believers (Col. 3:11). The Holy Scriptures teach us to “count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8). Earlier we noted that Reformed theology is God-centered; here we clarify that it is…
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Reformed Theology (Part 4)
“Reformed theology is historical and confessional. Tradition can be the bane or blessing of the church. Tradition hurts the church when we elevate it to divine authority (Matt. 15:6–9) but helps the church when each generation receives, examines, and passes on what our predecessors learned from the prophetic and apostolic word (2 Tim. 2:2). Innovation…
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Reformed Theology (Part 5)
5. Reformed theology holds to ancient catholic orthodoxy. Reformed theology does not depart from our ancient Christian heritage but affirms the catholic, orthodox doctrines of God and Christ that form the backbone of the great confessional tradition of worldwide Christianity. Though the Reformers were excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church, they did not cast off…
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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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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…