The 2nd London Confession of Faith (2LCF) begins its systematic presentation of the Christian faith with the Holy Scriptures. Paragraph 1 opens with a wonderful affirmation concerning the Scriptures, “The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.” Paragraph 1 continues by demonstrating the necessity of…
I want to close by emphasizing the necessity of theology proper. Brethren, this is our bread and butter. This is the doctrine that differentiates us as Christians from non-Christians as opposed to our performance, conduct, or virtue. Our religion is about our God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Now, certainly, we should have conduct consistent…
The Psalmist petitions God on behalf of the church (Ps. 67:1). He prays that the Lord will be merciful to His people, bless His people, and dwell with His people. The background to this petition is likely the Aaronic blessing in Numbers 6:24-26, “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face…
The greatest of all tragedies must be that of the person who dies just outside the gate of life. They are standing, as it were, just outside the Wicket gate to the church grounds – seeing the beauty of the building, knowing the people going in – but not stepping over the threshold themselves. Almost…
The use of confessions of faith is a common practice among reformed churches. Dutch Reformed Churches use the Three Forms of Unity, Presbyterians have the Westminster Confession of Faith, and Reformed Baptists hold to the 2nd London Confession of Faith of 1677/89 (2LCF). Typically, the broader evangelical churches have statements of faith but tend to…
The question of good works and the final judgment is one that often perplexes the people of God. The teaching of Jesus in Matthew 25 is relevant as it is a clear statement of the judgment of the sheep and the goats. There are several reasons why the traditional, Protestant understanding of justification by faith…
The Bible often speaks about the “fear of God.” There are two types of the fear of God, the first is a slavish fear, and the second is a filial fear. Both are referred to in Exodus 20:20, “And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear [slavish]; for God has come to test you,…
The problem of easy believism is a legitimate threat to Christian orthodoxy, but to properly address how it departs from biblical doctrine, it is important to identify its characteristics and to guard against its misrepresentation. In the first place, it is vital to establish that easy believism is distinct and separate from the biblical pattern…
In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul writes, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” There are several things the church needs to hear about this text. In the first place, the Christian ministry must be populated by men who work…
Christians profess to worship and adore God Almighty. He, therefore, should be the supreme interest of all…