Conditional and Unconditional Covenants
The outline of the conditionality/unconditionality of the covenants that you have presented is the one that has characterized traditional Reformed thinking and teaching. However, this is an area in…
Why was the Bible Written?
We do believe that all the biblical books were written for specific purposes other than maintaining a historical record, and there are many reasons that we believe this. First, some books actually…
Does God Change His Mind?
When we speak of God not changing we are speaking of his nature. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). Theologically, this is called God's immutability (Num. 23:19; 1…
Why Does He Still Find Fault?
These are all very good points. If it is true that God creates men with sin, and then punishes them for being sinful, then God seems like a wicked tyrant who punishes mankind with sinister glee and…
What is Reprobation?
Thank you for your question, which really addresses two things: election and reprobation. While studying these doctrine one will realize that on the one hand election brings joy to the heart and the…
Election vs. Predestination
The terms "election" and "predestination" each have a variety of uses. As the Bible uses them, their meanings overlap greatly, so that in many instances they are synonymous. Election refers broadly…
Does God Use Evil to Accomplish His Purposes?
I understand your concern about the way the text is phrased. In the Hebrew it could be phrased something like: "LORD, thou hast persuaded me, and I was persuaded." However, even if we phrase it this…
Evil, Free-Will, Predestination
The issues you have raised are very important ones (predestination, free will, and the problem of evil), and many centuries of scholarly thought have been spent on them. God's omnipotence is his…
Covenant Theology vs. Progressive Dispensationalism
I will have to admit immediately that I am not an authority on Progressive Dispensationalism (it is a rather new system), but I think I can highlight a few important distinctions between it and…
Infralapsarianism, Supralapsarianism, and the Problem of Evil
Reformed theologians have argued both sides of this issue. The Puritans were largely supralapsarians, believing that God predetermined the salvation of man before he decreed the Fall. Most modern…
Inerrancy and Canonicity
You raise a several important issues. Canonicity is a very difficult area for Protestants. Roman Catholics, of course, appeal to the infallibility of church councils to affirm the Canon, but we…
Does God Love Everyone?
Actually, this is not the general agreement of Calvinists. Mosts Calvinists believe that God loves people other than the elect. They do, however, believe that God has a special love for the elect…
What Is Covenant Theology?
Covenant theology is the Gospel set in the context of God's eternal plan of communion with his people, and its historical outworking in the covenants of works and grace (as well as in the various…
Double Predestination
You'll find that Reformed theologians answer this question differently, depending on how they define "predestination." Most believe the same thing, even if they use different words to describe it.…
Equality in the Godhead
Let's start with an affirmation of the doctrine of the ontological Trinity, which states that God exists in three persons and one essence. This is a careful way of conveying the following truths: 1)…
Is God a Misogynist?
God does not ultimately favor men over women, nor does he consider them to be inferior to men. At times in history, however, God has allowed his people to perpetuate rather paternalistic social…
Matthew and Molinism (Middle Knowledge)
Jesuit theologian Luis de Molina is normally attributed with the Molinist position and its origin, although Fonseca and Lessius put forth the same ideas. They use texts such as Matthew 11 to show…
Whose Name is Yahweh?
In the Old Testament, "Yahweh" is God's name, meaning that it is the name of the Trinity. In the New Testament, God is revealed as existing in Trinity, and both the Father and the Son are at times…
Is God under His Own Law?
As far as the Law goes, yes, God does keep the Law because the Law is a reflection of his character. However, we have to be careful when we begin to apply this idea because the particular…
God's Flawless Word
You've raised at least three significant issues: inspiration, inerrancy/infallibility, and Canon. On the first issue, many Evangelicals hold to what we might call "mechanical" inspiration, which is…
Providence and Decrees
The most explicit reference to secret and revealed will/counsel that I know is in Deuteronomy 29:29: "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our…
Unbelievers in Covenant
On the New Covenant: Since in Jeremiah it is said to provide for the forgiveness of sins and the writing of the law on the heart, we are inclined to say that it includes only the elect. But the NT…
What is the Trinity?
The doctrine of the Trinity has traditionally been formulated with the language "three persons, one essence." It's vague because the Bible is vague on this point. The formulation is meant to convey…
The Trinity or the Truth?
I'm afraid that you will indeed find that many academic reference works oppose the doctrine of the Trinity. This is often true because many of these reference works are written by people who are more…