"On 6 February, 1817, Robert Haldane ‘undertook to read and explain’ the Epistle to the Romans to more than twenty students from the school of theology in Geneva. In the hotel room of this visitor at 19 Place Maurice, on the promenade of St. Antoine, the teaching of this Epistle to students who had previously... Continue Reading →
"But here arises a new question, How can it be that he who has once made such a progress should afterwards fall away? For God, it may be said, calls none effectually but the elect, and Paul testifies that they are really his sons who are led by his Spirit, (Rom. 8:14;) and he teaches... Continue Reading →
"In a profound sense, this synod saved the Reformation for the Reformed churches. While Lutherans would reject several elements of the canons, Calvinists saw clearly that a proper understanding of election was necessary to protect the Reformation’s 'grace alone.' The proper understanding of Christ’s atoning work was necessary to protect the Reformation's 'Christ alone.' A... Continue Reading →
"Where the Arminian will only say, 'I could not have gained my whole salvation without Calvary', the Calvinist will say, 'Christ gained my salvation for me at Calvary.'" "Where the Arminian says, 'I owe my election to my faith', the Calvinist says, 'I owe my faith to my election.' Clearly, these two concepts of... Continue Reading →
“Therefore, though the effulgence which is presented to every eye, both in the heavens and on the earth, leaves the ingratitude of man without excuse, since God, in order to bring the whole human race under the same condemnation, holds forth to all, without excepion, a mirror of his Deity in his works, another... Continue Reading →
"The Bible is, in all it's parts, both in substance and form, down to the least minutiae, a book that comes from God. At the same time, it was composed, from the beginning to end, through the instrumentality of man, and bears all the marks of human authorship that are consistent with infallibility. We... Continue Reading →
“When the terms ‘Particular’ and ‘General Baptist’ are imposed onto mid-seventeenth-century baptistic separatists, the impression is conveyed, whether intentionally or not, that arguments over soteriology were actively dividing what would have otherwise been a natural union of likeminded Baptists. The ubiquitous application of the ‘General’ and ‘Particular’ labels quite naturally conveys the impression that... Continue Reading →
"The Reformed Christian faith is a wealth of wisdom. It is impossible to cram the richness of Reformed doctrine into a five-point outline, however helpful outlines may be for introducing basic ideas. Merely surveying the headings of the Westminster Confession of Faith (1647) reveals the confluence of many streams of truth: Holy Scripture, God and... Continue Reading →
"The difference between them is not primarily one of emphasis, but of content. One proclaims a God who saves; the other speaks of a God who enables man to save himself. One view [Calvinism] presents the three great acts of the Holy Trinity for the recovering of lost mankind---election by the Father, redemption by the... Continue Reading →
"Again, it is certain that man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first looked upon God's face and then descends from contemplating Him to scrutinize himself. For we always seem to ourselves righteous and upright and wise and holy--this pride is innate in all of us--unless by clear proofs we stand... Continue Reading →
