Reformed Thinking

Deep Dive into Cornerstone by Jeremy Prayer - Forgiveness Biblical teaching does not support the concept of self-forgiveness . Scripture presents two primary perspectives on forgiveness: humanity's need to be forgiven by God , and the imperative for believers to wholeheartedly forgive others as God has forgiven them. The notion of "forgiving yourself" is explicitly stated as lacking...

Deep Dive into Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards - Gracious Affections Are Attended with Evangelical Humiliation. Evangelical Humiliation Is a Sense That a Christian Has of His Own Utter Insufficiency, Despicableness, and Odiousness, with an Answerable Frame of Heart Hypocrites exhibit humility in a manner that is counterfeit and primarily self-serving , rather than a genuine expression of...

Deep Dive into Cornerstone by Jeremy Prayer - Forgiveness and the Gospel Forgiveness, as defined through gospel principles, is a profound and active engagement that transforms the one who forgives . It is fundamentally about applying the gospel to one's suffering , prompting an individual to gaze at the cross and consider what Christ did for them on their behalf. This act is a costly activity...

Deep Dive into All of Grace: An Earnest Word for Those Who Are, by Grace, Seeking Salvation by Charles Spurgeon - How Repentance Is Given Repentance is fundamentally a divine gift bestowed by Jesus Christ, rather than a human effort or feeling that can be conjured by an individual's own will. It does not originate from an "unwilling nature" or a "dry well of corrupt nature.&quot...

Deep Dive into Cornerstone by Jeremy Prayer - Dealing with Anger Part 2 God's perspective on anger is deeply rooted in the distinction between righteous anger and sinful anger . While righteous anger can arise from a God-given sense of justice when witnessing true injustice (like child abuse or murder), it is always directed at sin against God, not self-interest, and reacts with compassion. Be...

Deep Dive into Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume - Psalm 12 In times characterized as "bad," which are primarily defined by the abounding of iniquity rather than economic hardship or war, society experiences a profound moral and spiritual decay. These difficult periods are marked by a general decline in piety and honesty , where godly an...

Deep Dive into Cornerstone by Jeremy Prayer - Dealing with Anger Anger becomes corrupted when it transforms into sinful anger , shifting its focus from God's will to self-centered desires . This is often summarized as "I want what I want when I want it the way I want it," revealing a problem within the heart rather than being caused by external circumstances. Sinful anger is not mere...

Deep Dive into צַדִּיק The Hebrew word צַדִּיק (tsaddîyq) is a multifaceted term, predominantly translated in the Septuagint as δίκαιος, meaning just or righteous . Its core meaning centers on being just, righteous, upright, innocent, or in the right , signifying conformity to a proper standard. The term is used in various key contexts. It can describe things examined and found to be in order or c...

Deep Dive into Cornerstone by Jeremy Prayer - Biblical Principles of Stewardship Based on the sources and our conversation, speaking gifts are a category of spiritual gifts that are considered to be actively used today within the church body. These gifts are described as directly benefiting the church itself. Unlike revelatory and confirmatory gifts, which are believed to have ceased with the comp...

Deep Dive into Galatians by Douglas Moo - Introduction Paul wrote his letter to the churches in Galatia primarily to confront false teachers , or "agitators," who were promoting "another gospel" . These agitators, likely Christian-Jewish missionaries, were telling Gentile believers that their faith in Christ needed to be supplemented by circumcision and observance of the Mosaic...

Deep Dive into Cornerstone by Jeremy Prayer - The Fallacy of Self-Esteem The sources present a fundamental conflict between worldly concepts of self-esteem and biblical teachings on self-denial . The world, influenced by ideas like Maslow's hierarchy of needs, often teaches that many personal problems stem from low self-esteem or a bad self-image . The proposed solution is to love yourself mor...

Deep Dive into The Passionate Pursuit of Revival and Christ-Exalting Joy by John Piper - Introduction This collection explores the lives and ministries of three influential figures: Bill Piper , the author's father, Jonathan Edwards , and Martyn Lloyd-Jones . The author identifies his father and Jonathan Edwards as the most significant influences on his life at the deepest personal and theolog...

Deep Dive into Cornerstone by Jeremy Prayer - Overcoming Temptations Based on the sources and our conversation, a distinction is made between trials , temptations , and tests . Trials and temptations both come from the same Greek word, peirasmos . Trials are a broad, general term for any pressure-filled situation in life. These can be external hardships or internal struggles, cause grief, but are...

Deep Dive into Christian Theology by Millard J. Erickson - The Unity of the Person of Christ The doctrine of the unity of Jesus Christ's divine and human natures in one person is a large and crucial theological issue with extensive implications for Christian theology . It's considered one of the most difficult problems in Christian thought. Its importance lies in the efficacy of redemption...

Deep Dive into Cornerstone by Jeremy Prayer - The Biblical Structure for Change Based on the sources, lasting biblical change is presented as a continuous process initiated by the Holy Spirit's regenerating power. It's about moving from being feelings-driven , like the Gentiles who were lost in the futility of their minds and let desires dictate actions, to being principle-driven , letting...

Deep Dive into God as Elohim Based on the sources, the name Elohim is a central and unifying concept throughout the biblical narrative. It is a plural Hebrew noun that, when referring to the one true God, uniquely governs singular verbs . This deliberate grammatical structure simultaneously proclaims God's unique oneness and hints at a mysterious, inexhaustible fullness within the divine being...

Deep Dive into Cornerstone by Jeremy Prayer - The Heart of Change Based on the sources, your inner self can be analyzed in three categories: feelings, doing (thoughts, words, and deeds), and the heart. Feelings are described as largely involuntary responses to inner thoughts and desires. While they can be warning lights that sometimes indicate a problem, they are not always trustworthy because hum...

Deep Dive into Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin - How Far from the Purity of the Gospel Is All That the Sophists in Their Schools Prate about Repentance; Discussion of Confession and Satisfaction Based on the sources and our conversation, God exercises two distinct types of judgment. The judgment of vengeance is directed towards His enemies and is characterized by wrath and puni...

Deep Dive into Cornerstone by Jeremy Prayer - The Upward Path At the core of understanding sin and spiritual growth is the human heart , which is described as deceitful. The heart is the root from which outward behavior, or "fruit," stems. Instead of just focusing on changing bad behavior, biblical understanding requires looking inward to the heart's condition. A key issue in the hea...

Deep Dive into Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards - Truly Gracious Affections Are Attended with a Reasonable and Spiritual Conviction of the Judgment, of the Reality and Certainty of Divine Things Delusion can cause a form of belief, although the sources describe this belief as counterfeit or false persuasion , which is ultimately "nothing worth." This happens primarily through two...

Deep Dive into Cornerstone by Jeremy Prayer - The Downward Spiral Based on the sources, the core issue driving sin is the heart , specifically its underlying longings, lusts, and desires . Sin is described as a destructive downward spiral . The progression begins with desire , which makes something tempting. Without desire, there is no temptation. Desires can be good, but they become problematic o...

Deep Dive into All of Grace: An Earnest Word for Those Who Are, by Grace, Seeking Salvation by Charles Spurgeon - Repentance Must Go with Forgiveness Repentance and forgiveness are presented as inseparable companions , riveted together by the eternal purpose of God . They are likened to Siamese twins or two pillars forming the entrance to God's presence . Attempting to divide them would be lik...

Deep Dive into Cornerstone by Jeremy Prayer - Comparison of Counseling Models Based on the sources, the core belief of biblical counseling and the purpose of Christian life stand in sharp contrast to secular approaches, representing God's way versus man's way . The central core belief is the sufficiency of God's Word . The Bible is considered the only true source of and authority for l...

Deep Dive into Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers 1.8: Saint Augustin: Expositions on the Book of Psalms - Psalm 12 Based on the sources, the core themes revolve around the stark contrast between divine truth and human deceit, God's response to suffering, and the journey towards eternity. Pure words are identified as the words of the Lord , described as being without the alloy of pretence . This m...

Deep Dive into Cornerstone by Jeremy Prayer - God’s Resources for Growth Part 2 The Holy Spirit plays a central and multifaceted role in the life of a believer, encompassing salvation and ongoing spiritual growth or sanctification . At the moment of salvation, the Spirit performs the sovereign act of regeneration , bringing a person from spiritual death to life; this is His work alone. Simultaneou...