If God should suffer the faithless to have their own will, it is certain that the world should not last three days, but that they would bear down all things before them. Therefore, it is necessary that he should restrain them with some secret bridle and not suffer their headiness to have full scope.
-- John Calvin, Sermon 155 on Deuteronomy
-- John Calvin, Sermon 155 on Deuteronomy
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So long as God takes the care upon him to save us, let us boldly trust that we stand in safety, yea albeit that the wicked conspire against us, and lie in wait and watch for us: yet shall we be as in an invincible fortress, so we can call upon the name of our God, and be thoroughly assured in ourselves that he avows us to be his people, whereof we have good warrant, so we break not our faith which on our part we have plighted unto him. But we just must feel the protection of God otherwise than the wicked do; that is to say, in hearing his word, we must embrace the grace which is presented unto us, and rest wholly upon it. After that manner must we be ascertained that the name of God is called upon over us.
-- John Calvin, Sermon 155 on Deuteronomy
-- John Calvin, Sermon 155 on Deuteronomy
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American 1789 vs. Original 1647 WCF:
Which do you prefer? On the section re civil government, the original is superior, but vice versa on the section re marriage and divorce.
https://opc.org/documents/WCF_orig.html
Which do you prefer? On the section re civil government, the original is superior, but vice versa on the section re marriage and divorce.
https://opc.org/documents/WCF_orig.html
opc.org
American Revisions to the Westminster Confession of Faith: The Orthodox Presbyterian Church
We're the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Our purpose is simple: to bring glory to God through our churches and individual lives to make known to the world the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ
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What denomination / tradition best describes you?
Anonymous Poll
40%
Presbyterian / Reformed
18%
Reformed Baptist
8%
Baptist (other)
15%
Lutheran
7%
Anglican
2%
Methodist / Wesleyan
8%
Pentecostal / Charismatic
4%
Other (please comment)
John Calvin on 1 Corinthians 10:
The Apostle's object is to show, that the Israelites were no less the people of God than we are, that we may know, that we will not escape with impunity the hand of God, which punished them with so much severity. For the sum is this -- "If God spared not them, neither will he spare you, for your condition is similar." That similarity he proves from this -- that they had been honored with the same tokens of God's grace, for the sacraments are badges by which the Church of God is distinguished. He treats first of baptism, and teaches that the cloud, which protected the Israelites in the desert from the heat of the sun, and directed their course, and also their passage through the sea, was to them as a baptism; he says, also, that in the manna, and the water flowing from the rock, there was a sacrament which corresponded with the sacred Supper.
The Apostle's object is to show, that the Israelites were no less the people of God than we are, that we may know, that we will not escape with impunity the hand of God, which punished them with so much severity. For the sum is this -- "If God spared not them, neither will he spare you, for your condition is similar." That similarity he proves from this -- that they had been honored with the same tokens of God's grace, for the sacraments are badges by which the Church of God is distinguished. He treats first of baptism, and teaches that the cloud, which protected the Israelites in the desert from the heat of the sun, and directed their course, and also their passage through the sea, was to them as a baptism; he says, also, that in the manna, and the water flowing from the rock, there was a sacrament which corresponded with the sacred Supper.
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Heidelberg Catechism LD10 on Providence:
Q 27: What dost thou mean by the providence of God?
A: The almighty and everywhere present power of God; whereby, as it were by His hand, He upholds and governs heaven, earth, and all creatures; so that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, yea, and all things come, not by chance, but by His fatherly hand.
Q 28: What advantage is it to us to know that God has created, and by His providence doth still uphold all things?
Answer: That we may be patient in adversity; thankful in prosperity; and that in all things, which may hereafter befall us, we place our firm trust in our faithful God and Father, that nothing shall separate us from His love; since all creatures are so in His hand, that without His will they cannot so much as move.
Q 27: What dost thou mean by the providence of God?
A: The almighty and everywhere present power of God; whereby, as it were by His hand, He upholds and governs heaven, earth, and all creatures; so that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, yea, and all things come, not by chance, but by His fatherly hand.
Q 28: What advantage is it to us to know that God has created, and by His providence doth still uphold all things?
Answer: That we may be patient in adversity; thankful in prosperity; and that in all things, which may hereafter befall us, we place our firm trust in our faithful God and Father, that nothing shall separate us from His love; since all creatures are so in His hand, that without His will they cannot so much as move.
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A Good Friday Reading from Psalm 22:
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but thou dost not answer; and by night, but find no rest.
Yet thou art holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In thee our fathers trusted; they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. To thee they cried, and were saved; in thee they trusted, and were not disappointed....
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax, it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; thou dost lay me in the dust of death.
Yea, dogs are round about me; a company of evildoers encircle me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my raiment they cast lots.
But thou, O Lord, be not far off! O thou my help, hasten to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion, my afflicted soul from the horns of the wild oxen!
I will tell of thy name to my brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee: You who fear the Lord, praise him! all you sons of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you sons of Israel! For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; and he has not hid his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.
From thee comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him. The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live for ever!
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.
Yea, to him shall all the proud of the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and he who cannot keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve him; men shall tell of the Lord to the coming generation, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, that he has wrought it.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but thou dost not answer; and by night, but find no rest.
Yet thou art holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In thee our fathers trusted; they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. To thee they cried, and were saved; in thee they trusted, and were not disappointed....
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax, it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; thou dost lay me in the dust of death.
Yea, dogs are round about me; a company of evildoers encircle me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my raiment they cast lots.
But thou, O Lord, be not far off! O thou my help, hasten to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion, my afflicted soul from the horns of the wild oxen!
I will tell of thy name to my brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee: You who fear the Lord, praise him! all you sons of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you sons of Israel! For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; and he has not hid his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.
From thee comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him. The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live for ever!
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.
Yea, to him shall all the proud of the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and he who cannot keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve him; men shall tell of the Lord to the coming generation, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, that he has wrought it.
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A Holy Saturday Reading from Jonah 2:
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying,
"I called to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and thou didst hear my voice. For thou didst cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood was round about me; all thy waves and thy billows passed over me.
Then I said, ‘I am cast out from thy presence; how shall I again look upon thy holy temple?’ The waters closed in over me, the deep was round about me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me for ever; yet thou didst bring up my life from the Pit, O Lord my God.
When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to thee, into thy holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their true loyalty. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to thee; what I have vowed I will pay. Deliverance belongs to the Lord!”
And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying,
"I called to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and thou didst hear my voice. For thou didst cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood was round about me; all thy waves and thy billows passed over me.
Then I said, ‘I am cast out from thy presence; how shall I again look upon thy holy temple?’ The waters closed in over me, the deep was round about me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me for ever; yet thou didst bring up my life from the Pit, O Lord my God.
When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to thee, into thy holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their true loyalty. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to thee; what I have vowed I will pay. Deliverance belongs to the Lord!”
And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
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Strasbourg Liturgy (by Bucer and Calvin) Infant Post-Baptismal Prayer:
Almighty God, heavenly Father, we give you eternal praise and thanks, that you have granted and bestowed upon this child your fellowship, that you have born him again to yourself through holy baptism, that he has been incorporated into your beloved son, our only savior, and is now your child and heir…
Almighty God, heavenly Father, we give you eternal praise and thanks, that you have granted and bestowed upon this child your fellowship, that you have born him again to yourself through holy baptism, that he has been incorporated into your beloved son, our only savior, and is now your child and heir…
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Among the Reformed doctrinal distinctives, those of covenant, church, children, and sacraments are equally if not more important than those of election, total inability, predestination, and providence.
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Type 1 vs. Type 2 Errors
In statistics, a Type 1 error is the rejection of a true statement whereas a Type 2 error is the failure to reject a false statement.
Reformed Evangelicals are adept at catching Type 1 errors when a clear and explicit denial of a doctrine is made (a denial of hell, election, substitution, sola fide, etc.).
They completely suck at catching Type 2 errors, though, where something unbiblical is said or done but not rejected (such as women taking leadership but not titled "pastors," when people say "but that was the OT," when people say "God has been laying XYZ on my heart," singing hymns with poor theology, etc.).
In statistics, a Type 1 error is the rejection of a true statement whereas a Type 2 error is the failure to reject a false statement.
Reformed Evangelicals are adept at catching Type 1 errors when a clear and explicit denial of a doctrine is made (a denial of hell, election, substitution, sola fide, etc.).
They completely suck at catching Type 2 errors, though, where something unbiblical is said or done but not rejected (such as women taking leadership but not titled "pastors," when people say "but that was the OT," when people say "God has been laying XYZ on my heart," singing hymns with poor theology, etc.).
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Book of Common Prayer (1559 by Thomas Cranmer) Infant Baptismal Liturgy:
Seeing now, dearly beloved brethren, that this child is regenerate, adopted, and grafted into the body of Christ, let us receive him in Christ’s name. We do indeed welcome this child into the congregation of Christ’s flock and family, and pray that he will never be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, and will manfully fight under the banner of the cross against sin, against the world, and against the devil; and will continue to be Christ’s faithful soldier and servant to life’s end, living the rest of his days according to this good beginning. Amen.
Seeing now, dearly beloved brethren, that this child is regenerate, adopted, and grafted into the body of Christ, let us receive him in Christ’s name. We do indeed welcome this child into the congregation of Christ’s flock and family, and pray that he will never be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, and will manfully fight under the banner of the cross against sin, against the world, and against the devil; and will continue to be Christ’s faithful soldier and servant to life’s end, living the rest of his days according to this good beginning. Amen.
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Read the Bible How It Was Written:
Modern Christians rarely do this. We read snippets ranging from a single verse to at most 2 or 3 chapters at a time.
But this is not how its original audience would have heard it (and they would have generally heard, not read it).
For instance, almost all the NT letters would be read beginning to end as a sermon or homily to a church. The prophetic oracles would have been delivered in full, one at a time. Many of the Psalms are war chants, 180 degrees from the soft, effeminate melodies we moderns typically sing to God with.
We disassemble Scripture into so many jigsaw pieces and then wonder why people don't get the big picture.
Modern Christians rarely do this. We read snippets ranging from a single verse to at most 2 or 3 chapters at a time.
But this is not how its original audience would have heard it (and they would have generally heard, not read it).
For instance, almost all the NT letters would be read beginning to end as a sermon or homily to a church. The prophetic oracles would have been delivered in full, one at a time. Many of the Psalms are war chants, 180 degrees from the soft, effeminate melodies we moderns typically sing to God with.
We disassemble Scripture into so many jigsaw pieces and then wonder why people don't get the big picture.
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Does “Baptize” Mean “to Immerse” in Greek?
In the Septuagint, Bapto and baptizo occur five times. Thus, Dan. 4:33, Nebuchadnezzar is said to have been wet (baptized) with the dew of heaven. Ecclus. 34:30: "He that baptizeth himself after the touching of a dead body;" -- but this purification was performed by sprinkling. Num. 9:9, 13, 20…. In the New Testament, baptizo is used interchangeably with nipto, which only means to wash. Compare Mark 7:3-4; Luke 11:38; Matt. 15:2, 20…. When John's disciples disputed about baptism, it is expressly said to have been a dispute about purification. John 3:25; 4:2. The same idea is uniformly expressed by the word baptism, or baptisms, in the New Testament. In Mark 7:2-8 we read of the baptisms of cups, pots, brazen vessels, and tables (couches upon which several persons reclined at table). These things could not be, and were not, immersed.
-- A. A. Hodge, Commentary on the WCF
In the Septuagint, Bapto and baptizo occur five times. Thus, Dan. 4:33, Nebuchadnezzar is said to have been wet (baptized) with the dew of heaven. Ecclus. 34:30: "He that baptizeth himself after the touching of a dead body;" -- but this purification was performed by sprinkling. Num. 9:9, 13, 20…. In the New Testament, baptizo is used interchangeably with nipto, which only means to wash. Compare Mark 7:3-4; Luke 11:38; Matt. 15:2, 20…. When John's disciples disputed about baptism, it is expressly said to have been a dispute about purification. John 3:25; 4:2. The same idea is uniformly expressed by the word baptism, or baptisms, in the New Testament. In Mark 7:2-8 we read of the baptisms of cups, pots, brazen vessels, and tables (couches upon which several persons reclined at table). These things could not be, and were not, immersed.
-- A. A. Hodge, Commentary on the WCF
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