Hot answers tagged reformed-theology
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John Piper recently addressed a portion of this question in the context of Minnesota's "Same-Sex Marriage Amendment". Having listened to his sermons on Romans 1 and other statements by him, the following principles are his consistent teaching on the question:
Marriage is created and defined by God in the Scriptures as the sexual and covenantal union ...
11
No. The Left Behind series is A) entirely fictional and B) based on Dispensationalism.*
Dispensationalism is almost universally at odds with Reformed theology. The basic problem lies in the understanding of the way God relates to his people. Understanding this relationship in the context of covenants that get renewed with unfolding detail but don't ...
9
While this is easy enough to answer from a Reformed point of view, I'd like to start by pointing out that the felt need for extra-Biblical statements on matters of faith is not limited to Reformed circles or even Protestantism. In fact they are common to all traditions and sects in Christiondom.1 Even your most run-of-the-mill non-denominational ...
8
It largely depends on which Calvinist you ask :)
The author of one of the more famous Systematic Theology works (can't remember if it was Shedd, Berkhof, or Hodge... I remember reading it in a defense of Classical Arminianism by Picirilli) said that predestination is not unto faith. This indicates that predestination is unto regeneration.
So what is ...
6
Perhaps the two "common" responses are not "intellectually satisfying", but at the very least, they are both highly biblical:
And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." {Mark 16:15}
and
for "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved."
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not ...
6
You're not going to like this answer, but that's because I think the premise is flawed. Why is homosexuality given a standing all its own? What's wrong with the other hundreds of works and confessions by Reformed thinkers regarding sin?
The question is not one of legality, but one of morality. Speaking from a Reformed Baptist perspective (I know, not truly ...
6
I found this summary of reformed theology very helpful:
http://www.reformedreader.org/t.u.l.i.p.htm
Reformed theology emphasizes the doctrines of grace, best known by the acronym TULIP, though this does not correspond to the best possible names for the five doctrines.
...
U stands for unconditional election. An emphasis on election bothers ...
5
The problem you raise is only a problem because a doctrine has been cherry-picked and used out of context. Taken in step with and understanding of God's Covenant relationship with men and the whole counsel of Scripture, this becomes a non issue.
And no, your suggestions are not particularly in line with Reformed theology, at least not as a motivation for ...
5
Approaching the throne of grace is an inward action and would actually be a natural part of going to one's brother to be reconciled (perhaps along the lines of "Thank you God for bringing this issue to mind and please give me the proper words when I go before my brother.").
If one was coming before one's king, who is renown for his love of justice, to ...
4
this is actually exploring the entire theological framework of
reformed theology using this particular verse only
That's a bad idea from a Reformed or any other perspective. To take one verse and attempt to understand a full theology based on it is simply not possible. The surest way to misinterpret Scripture is to take verses out of context.
Taken ...
4
Jehovah is an English rendition of the proper name of God from the Hebrew Bible, also rendered "Yahweh" or YHWH, which means I AM and is referred to as "The Tetragrammaton". It isn't specific to Jehovah's Witnesses, and can be found in many older English translations of the Bible.\
In the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) the doctrine of the Trinity isn't really ...
3
It's important to note that the Mark passage records Jesus telling one specific person to sell all his possessions and give to the poor. Jesus did not give this command to all people in all times.
It is inappropriate to take everything Jesus ever said to any person and attempt to apply it to all people for all times. If we did that, then all of us would ...
3
I'm going to attempt to answer this in a way that is truthful, and accurate, but maybe not exactly what you're looking for.
Please be very mindful of where I say "assuming this definition, then..." On those statements, I am intentionally using that assumption as a logical starting point for assumptions. I am not saying I hold those views, or that I ...
3
Generally speaking you are correct but I would not say people left their own denominations to join the Pentecostal church, rather like all new denominations just some of the initial founders did, but as it grew it became its own proper denomination with its majority being its own converts.
It is interesting to look at the Holy Spirit under the heads that ...
3
This passage, I think gives a good quick perspective on the Calvinist understanding of regeneration [especially when read in light of the Calvinist reading of ideas like "dead in transgressions and sin" (Ephesians 2:1) and God's act of replacing a man's hard heart with a new one (Ezekiel 36:26)]:
Titus 3:3-7 (ESV)
3 For we ourselves were once ...
3
To try and give a simple answer...
Covenant theology and Biblical theology is(are?) apples and oranges. Biblical theology is more in the category with Systematic Theology so to speak.
Where Systematic Theology sets out categories and asks what does the Bible as a whole say about each category. Biblical theology asks what are the theological themes in the ...
3
So far I have found the following works, but have not had time to study them:
The address on self-examination in Discourses Suited to the Administration of the Lord's Supper by John Brown
The Necessity of Self-Examination by Jonathan Edwards (apparently in audio form here)
Practical Religion by J. C. Ryle
I also found these sermons, but have not studied ...
2
Many reformed theologians would begin a discussion on the topic of covenants with the way they understand the biblical covenants to be formulated. God uses language and objects we understand to relate His truth to us. Many Reformed theologians also believe that he used a covenantal structure called a suzreinty vassal treaty which was common among the ...
2
I'm not sure if this is precisely what you are looking for, but your question immediately reminded me of Augustine's City of God:
Chapter 35.—Of the Sons of the Church Who are Hidden Among the Wicked, and of False Christians Within the Church.
Let these and similar answers (if any fuller and fitter answers can be found) be given to their enemies by ...
2
I have read a lot of the Puritans and those that follow them and have as a result I do practice a lot more self examination. However, I have not found in my reading that this was necessarily a major topic for them. On the other hand I tend to find it threaded throughout their works in a more natural way. It was simply a part of the Christian life for ...
2
Although Caleb's answer is far better than this, I think you are asking something more philosophical that is hard to express.
First, I think the simple answer is that the Bible is not written as a system of theology, which a statemt of faith summarizes. It does not make precise general assertions with clearly defined logical deductions into a system of ...
2
Correct me if I misunderstand, but I think you are asking 'Is the Devil's purpose meant to help us understand X? Where X is various ideas as understood by reformed theology. Reformed theology has a 'system of understanding' to view many of the events and persons you mention, such as the Devil, pre-destination, the fall, etc. and does support your concept ...
2
You're asking about two different elements of the traditional reformed acronym TULIP:
Unconditional Election - That Christ's elect are called without regard to their own merits.
Irresistible Grace - That the elect are drawn to Christ despite the fact that their sin nature keeps them away and this drawing is actually irresistible.
The crux of your ...
2
Although not a Tozer ‘fan’ per se, I would not label him as a mystic, although he does falsely appear that way a bit, in that he highly emphasised the Spirit and was also a poetic sort. A.W. Tozer is an interesting person to compare with the reformers. On one hand he was more like them than most who claim to be like them and on the other hand he certainly ...
2
In one sense it is very true to say these things according to a reformed theology but as it is hypothetical is can also be misleading. In fact I have notived many modern teachers and pachers actually confuse themselves on and do not understand it in the same way as those they quote from generations past.
The truth is yes, true virtue must love the ...
2
But the way [Acts 15:28 is] phrased, and the context of the meeting, seem to point to the church having authority in this moment; that there's something special about these people being gathered together, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which gives them the right to make the decision and send the letter.
Yes. The early church leaders had the ...
1
Matthew 22:37-40
King James Version (KJV)
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and ...
1
The theological understanding of predestination is something that defines different Protestant Denominations. However the denominational differences don't end there. This is just one of the things that separate today's denominations. However I would not call predestination a pillar of reformed theology, ultimately I would say there is only one pillar of ...
1
Of course the answer should technically be "It depends on which reformed theologian you ask", but I hate to leave people confused just because the theologians are...
The context for this passage needs to include the fact that God has been trying for thousands of years to teach us that we need to be loving towards one another and God. This man approached ...
1
Very few have ever thought that to be a Christian means selling all we have and give it to the poor, for even some of the Apostles arguably had a house and did not sell it. At a minimum it is undeniable that Christians owned houses as most Churches were house churches. This means the situation with the rich young ruler was a specific and unusual case. It ...
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