Merry Christmas and good Yule, friends! The Mighty God became flesh, a little baby -- wonder of wonders.

And there were in the same countrey shepheards, abiding in the fielde, and keeping watch by night ouer their flocke. And loe, the Angel of the Lord came vpon them, and the glorie of the Lord shone about them, and they were sore afraide. Then the Angel saide vnto them,

Be not afraid: for behold, I bring you glad tidings of great ioy, that shalbe to all the people, That is, that vnto you is borne this day in the citie of Dauid, a Sauiour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shalbe a signe to you, Yee shall finde the babe swadled, and laid in a cratch.

And straightway there was with the Angel a multitude of heauenly souldiers, praising God, and saying,

Glory be to God in the high heauens, and peace in earth, and towards men good will.

"The whole world is a series of miracles, but we're so used to them we call them ordinary things."

~Hans Christian Andersen

Attached is a 2024 reading plan for Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, both in PDF and Excel format if you would like to customize it. Also, there's a PDF of the book itself if you don't have a physical copy.

Calvin's Institutes are far more digestible than you likely think. My best to those of you who choose to read it!

Why Christians Ought to Celebrate Christmas:

1) Godly examples in Scripture, namely the wise men, the shepherds, and the angels, all celebrate Christ's birth.

2) Since God has expressly shown us that we are to celebrate, He in essence commands us to do so.

3) In the OT, major milestones of redemption are celebrated, and we ought to do likewise.

4) While our celebrations must center on Christ, the errors of liberals and pagans in no wise eliminate the great redemptive acts of God, and therefore should in no wise minimize our celebration thereof.

Happy Yuletide all!

How to Answer the Slavery Objection:

1) Clearly affirm that the Bible permits and regulates slavery. Swallow the hard pill early, and the conversation only gets easier from there. Don't expect your interlocutor to follow Scripture if you won't yourself.

2) If your interlocutor doesn't like what Scripture says about slavery, ask, "By what standard?" What authority do they have that sits over Scripture? Make them name and defend that idol.

3) Clarify that man-stealing or kidnapping, or buying and selling such persons, is a sin, and a capital offense under God's law (Ex. 21:16, Deut. 24:7, 1 Tim. 1:10).

4) Turn the question around on them: Why is it morally impermissible for an individual to sell themselves if they have no other means of economically providing? Why should they be forced to accept welfare handouts instead of working with dignity?

5) Realize your interlocutor is generally bringing up slavery in an attempt to a) make you feel as uncomfortable about it as they feel about whatever topic you're pressing, or b) as an attempt to degrade the authority of Scripture as a whole.

Signers of the United States Declaration of Independence, by Ancestry and Religion.

#AA
@FaithAndFolk2

Postmillenialism is the best eschatology for practical purposes (laying aside the question of correctness).

The partial preterism of the majority views curbs the wackiness of Dispies and the metaphorical license of idealism.

The optimism provides definite hope for the future and causes people to invest in, build up, and defend God's kingdom now.

The practical results of all other eschatologies have ranged from middling at best to absolutely abysmal at worst.

May God's Son Jesus Christ, who sits at the right hand of God and gives gifts to men, sanctify us in the truth, lead to the truth those who err, silence the mouths of those who lay false accusations against sound teaching, and equip faithful ministers of his Word with a spirit of wisdom and discretion, that all they say may be to the glory of God and the building up of their hearers. Amen

All the early church fathers were Protestant. Every single Roman Catholic distinctive is a later, abberant deviation from the faith once for all delivered to the saints.

And yes fellow Protestants, I know that they didn't spell out every jot and tittle of the Westminster Larger Catechism. But as they were, the vast majority of them align closer to Protestantism than post-Lateran IV papism.

Flip the script on the papists and claim the early Fathers. This is exactly what our Reformation-era Fathers did.

Happy New Year, brothers! Congratulations on your work throughout 2023, and thanks be to God for His blessings on it.

As difficult as 2023 was, 2024 will be even more so. But as the difficulty grows, may God grow our strength, resolve, and godliness to an even greater degree.

🥂— Here's to a year of mortifying our sins.
🥂— Here's to a year of success in our vocations.
🥂— Here's to a year of spreading sound doctrine.
🥂— Here's to a year of starting and growing our families.
🥂— Here's to a year of commitment to our churches.
🥂— Here's to a year of growing in wisdom and knowledge.
🥂— Here's to a year of becoming the men that God has created us and commanded us to be. May His blessings overflow to all of us in year ahead!

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. — Romans 16:20