God Save Me - Again?
Your question is a great testimony of a growing faith! Yes, once a person is truly born again, they cannot be saved again. However, there are several things that come about in our lives from day to…
Are ministers required to tithe?
First, in general, I should say that tithing is a complicated concept because Scripture is not entirely clear on a number of matters, for example: The number of tithes that were to be collected: Were…
Neil Anderson
I am somewhat familiar with Neil Anderson. A number of years ago I taught an adult Bible study that used Victory over the Darkness as one of its texts. I had a sufficient number of difficulties with…
Calvinism vs. Arminianism: A Worthwhile Debate
As far as Calvinism and Arminianism are concerned, I do think the issue is an important one. However, for the most part, I also think it is an in-house debate. That is, I believe that most Calvinists…
What are the 9Marks?
Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C., published a booklet entitled, "Nine Marks of a Healthy Church." The booklet grew into a movement endorsed and used by many…
A Recommended Commentary Library
A General Introduction Thanks for your question. There are many excellent commentaries. However, selecting one is a very personal choice. Why? Because various ones serve different purposes. While all…
The Significance of the Code of Hammurabi
There are a number of ancient Near Eastern collections of laws, say from Egypt, from Babylon, those kinds of places, that do have significance as we try to interpret the book of the covenant in the…
Preaching vs. Teaching
The distinction between preaching and teaching is not one that Scripture draws for us explicitly. It is also fair to say that they way modern denominations use these terms is not always consistent…
Is church membership necessary?
The teaching of Reformed theology has always been that not every member of the visible church is a member of the invisible church. As you stated, a lot of people are church members but don't belong…
Teaching Covenant
With the youngest kids, I just stick to a family metaphor: The relationship between parents and their children is a good parallel to God's covenant relationship with his people. Parents love their…
Marrying Unbelievers
The main call of ministers is to perform covenant marriages, that is, marriages between those who are part of the visible church. It is not to perform a service for the civil government. The Bible…
Ambiguous Scripture
On Interpretation There are several reasons that Scripture is misinterpreted, and not all of them have to do with how it was written. In some senses, God purposed for some Scripture to be…
Calvinist Hermeneutics
I suppose the answer depends on how you define "literal" and "figurative." I would say "literal," with the explanation that Calvinists often define the "literal" meaning as the "originally intended"…
Narrative Theology
"Narrative theology" is a fairly broad term, encompassing a variety of specific approaches to theology, interpretation and application. Most generally, it is that approach to theology that finds…
Should women teach men the Bible?
1 Tim. 2:11-14 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then…
Redemptive-Historical Preaching
As a student of Edmund Clowney and Meredith Kline, I have long been impressed with the importance of a redemptive-historical understanding of Scripture. Geerhardus Vos's books are the best source for…
Theology Professor
There are, of course, many paths to teaching, especially in systematic theology. ST as a discipline really doesn't exist at secular universities and colleges. At Yale, there were courses called…
A Mystical Calling
Thanks for writing. Calling is a very difficult question in my mind. We protestants believe in sola Scriptura, but Scripture does not tell each individual what he is called to be or do. So there are…
Climbing the Corporate Ladder
The dangerous potential for a dulled love for Christ exists in every job. In fact, it might even be worse in the ministry. Richard Pratt has a saying, "If you make your living by your faith, you…
Meaning and Application
The meaning/application argument is developed pretty fully in Doctrine of the Knowledge of God. Here's a summary: To "apply" the Bible, in general terms, is to use the Bible to answer our questions…
Christ-centered Preaching
Well, there's been a lot of conversation going around about Christ-centered preaching. I would say that the danger of taking this approach is that you only look at the big idea of the grand narrative…
Called to Ministry?
Thanks for writing. Calling is a very difficult question in my mind. We protestants believe in sola Scriptura, but Scripture does not tell each individual what he is called to be or do. So there are…
The Dignity of Humanity
The great thing about being created in the image of God means that we, as human beings, have a unique role in creation. It is that we have a unique dignity. You can see it in Genesis. There's almost…
Ordination Disparity
Yes, this is a discouraging business. Central Florida Presbytery is a delight-- best one I've ever been in. We spend the mornings in worship, teaching, and prayer. Business in the afternoon is short.…