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I’m beginning to think that effectual calling is one key biblical idea that is frequently misunderstood, as much among its supporters as its detractors. This state of affairs only leads to nervousness on the one side, and to caricature and misrepresentation on the other. Reformed theology has the Scriptural resources to meet this situation, I believe. The Bible refers to a spiritual call which is brought about by God effectually, that is, a call that is due solely to God’s determination to make the change. It sometimes uses the term ‘call’ to denote this, sometimes other terms. God is said...

1. We must value the spiritual contributions of different men and different periods of time within church history, but never idolize them. 2. We must be willing to look at both the good as well as the faults of our spiritual and theological heroes. 3. We must seek to guard ourselves from the error of a party-spirit as well as from making a virtual pope out of Calvin or Luther – something which, by the way, the apostle Paul explicitly told us not to do (1 Corinthians 1:10-13; 3:1-6; 4:1). 4. When we fail to realize the faults of our...

"Some of the greatest evangelists in the history of the church have for the most part, been Calvinists."

John Calvin's 16th century reply to medieval Catholicism's buy-your-way-out-of-purgatory excesses is Evangelicalism's latest success story, complete with an utterly sovereign and micromanaging deity, sinful and puny humanity, and the combination's logical consequence, predestination: the belief that before time's dawn, God decided whom he would save (or not), unaffected by any subsequent human action or decision. Calvinism, cousin to the Reformation's other pillar, Lutheranism, is a bit less dour than its critics claim: it offers a rock-steady deity who orchestrates absolutely everything, including illness (or home foreclosure!), by a logic we may not understand but don't have to second-guess. Our satisfaction...

For centuries men of various philosophical schools have debated the cause, course, and climax of human history. Some deny God and therefore deny any divine involvement in history. Others believe that God set everything in motion, then withdrew to let it progress on its own. Still others believe that God is intimately involved in the flow of human history and is directing its course toward a specific, predetermined climax. In Ephesians 1:9-10 Paul settles that debate by reminding us that Jesus Himself is the goal of human history. In Him all things will be summed up--all human history will be...

QuestionDoes James 2 contradict Romans 4? AnswerThe most serious problem these verses pose is the question of what James 2:24 means: "You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone." Some imagine that this contradicts Paul in Romans 3:28: "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law." John Calvin explained this apparent difficulty: It appears certain that [James] is speaking of the manifestation, not of the imputation of righteousness, as if he had said, Those who are justified by faith prove their justification by obedience and good...

"So many people are satisfied with knowing Christ as their Savior on a theological level and to be honest accepting that as your final Spiritual destination may in fact indicate you may well need to examine yourself..." * Pursuing the Christ * When a sinner by faith embraces the Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ he begins a brand new journey that has no parallel this side of heaven’s glory. The born again experience happens in a time and place setting, but the pursuit of knowing, pleasing, and glorifying Jesus is life long journey. What are the necessary commitments that...

When a teacher or preacher speaks of the Supremacy of Scripture he is almost always referring to a doctrine that understands Scripture as the supreme source for truth, and in fact the exclusive source for spiritual truth. In the language of the Reformation it is known as Sola Scriptura, which means that the basis for our beliefs is not tradition or experience or ecclesiastical dictate, it is the written Scriptures alone. And it is true that this doctrine has been eroding and that many religious organizations either completely deny it or dilute its essence. Luther desired nothing but proof from...

Attendance at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston would decline rapidly to the point that the property would be sold back to the city of Houston to pay off ministry debts. It would then be re-converted into a basketball arena.

Reformed Theology and the Church: An Interview With Dr. Timothy George Dr. Timothy George is a widely respected theologian and church historian. He serves as the Dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Among Dr. George's many published works are Theology of the Reformers and John Calvin and the Church: A Prism of Reform. I conducted this interview in May of 2000 and am happy to be able to make it available again. Reformed Theology and the Church: An Interview With Dr. Timothy George May 4, 2000 Beeson Divinity School of Samford University Birmingham, Alabama...

THE TRIAL DEFENDANT: God OCCUPATION: Maker, ruler, judge of heavens and earth ADDRESS: Everywhere, particularly “the heavens” CHARGE: Being selfish THE EVIDENCE: 1. Hell, Fires of. Billions will suffer there, and the Defendant says he will do it to “display his wrath.” 2. Intolerance of non-Christian religions. He calls them idolatry and says he will punish them. 3. Intolerance of numerous behaviors that people enjoy. 4. Insistence that people focus all attention on Defendant all the time. Intolerant of those who do otherwise. 5. Multiple unexpected outbursts of anger. * a. Nadab & Abihu, whom Defendant burned with fire while...

Total Depravity--Man in his natural state is dead in trespasses and sins. It is the ancient conviction of the Christian church that man--being dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1, 5)--cannot save himself. Yet how often man has tried to do something to bring about his own salvation! But Jesus said, "Apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). It is for this reason that the Bible says that God alone is the author of man's conversion. Any man who hears the gospel is commanded by God to accept it. He is free (emphasis in original) to accept it....

THE DUTIES OF PARENTS by JC Ryle "Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” —Proverbs 22:6 I suppose that most professing Christians are acquainted with the text at the head of this page. The sound of it is probably familiar to your ears, like an old tune. It is likely you have heard it, or read it, talked of it, or quoted it, many a time. Is it not so? But, after all, how little is the substance of this text regarded! The doctrine it contains...

The Dangers of REFORMED THEOLOGY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Scripture tells us to "prove all things [test all things by the Word of God]; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21). As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ it is our responsibility to test and examine what men teach in light of the inerrant Word of God. We will attempt to do this with respect to the teachings of Reformed Theology. May the Lord grant that this critique would be fair and accurate, and most of all true to His Word. A brief paper such as this can hardly do...

Predestination: The Potter Bestows Grace to Fallen Clay By Roy Waggoner Predestination causes much controversy in the Christian community. I grew up in the mainline Presbyterian denomination, but never heard of the doctrine. When I first heard of it, I hated it with passion and believed it made God into some kind of ogre. Fortunately, God put His hand on me and caused me to submit to His truth of predestination, a truth of a great love beyond compare. As a believer in sovereign, unconditional predestination to salvation, I am called a Calvinist for this theological position. Those that believe...