Reformed Thinking

Deep Dive into Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis - Some Objections The concept of the Moral Law, also referred to as the Law of Human Nature or the Rule of Decent Behaviour, faces two primary objections: that it is merely a complex instinct, such as the herd instinct, or that it is a social convention learned through education. The Moral Law cannot be reduced to instinct because instinct is defined...

Deep Dive into דָּוִד The name David, who served as the second king of the Israelites during the approximate period of 1055–1015 B.C., displays two main variant spellings across the biblical texts, reflecting a chronological difference. The older form, $\mathrm{דָּוִד}$ ( dāwid ), is used nearly 790 times and is the predominant spelling in ancient books such as Ruth, Samuel, Kings, Psalms, Isaiah,...

Deep Dive into Trusting the LORD: Wisdom’s Heart, God’s Guidance, and the Straight Path (Proverbs 3:5–6) The core of biblical wisdom is a call to transfer total confidence from the self to the LORD. This wisdom demands a cruciform posture, characterized by humble dependence and the total renunciation of self-rule. This posture is summarized by the command to "Trust in the LORD with all your h...

Deep Dive into Seen by Men or Seen by the Father: Fasting Without Hypocrisy (Matthew 6:16–18) Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6 targets the spiritual disease of hypocrisy , defined as religion as performance . This vice, derived from the Greek word hypokritēs (actor), can infect the three primary religious duties: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. The fundamental issue is not the practice itself, but th...

Deep Dive into From Noah to the Nations: God’s Providential Ordering of Peoples (Genesis 10:1–5) The primary purpose of Genesis 10 is to establish the stage for world history under the comprehensive providence of God, setting the necessary foundation for understanding the global scope of God’s redemptive plan. The passage, often called the Table of Nations, achieves this by asserting history is no...

Deep Dive into Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (Deuteronomy 15:7-11) by Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards’ treatise, Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor , dating from January 1732, establishes giving to the needy as the most absolute and indispensable duty for the people of God. Drawing primarily from Deuteronomy 15:7-11, Edwards argues...

Deep Dive into Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin - The Primacy of the Roman See The foundation of the church’s structure rests on the principle that Christ is the sole Head , the one source of unity and grace, and the Sovereign Bishop. He rules by His own authority and name, and the sources state that placing a human, ministerial head over the universal church is a signal injury...

Deep Dive into The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon - Psalm 20 Psalm 20 is a remarkable text that functions both as a historical national anthem and a deep prophetic utterance concerning Jesus Christ. Historically, the psalm, authored by Israel’s sweet singer, David, was designed to be sung publicly at the outbreak of war, serving as a hymn of prayer wherein the loyal subjects pleaded for the...

Deep Dive into An Old Testament Theology by Bruce K. Waltke - The Gift of Liturgy The academic term for the prescribed, external expression of religion is cultus , or liturgy. Its central goal is to enable the holy God (I AM) to dwell among his sinful people, fostering communion while safeguarding His holiness. This required clear separation between the sacred and the common, achieved through regu...

Deep Dive into The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments by Thomas R. Schreiner - Ruth The Book of Ruth is a narrative that explores themes of divine sovereignty, faith, and the anticipation of kingship, set during the time of the Judges. It emphasizes the kingship of the Lord, showing the firm, guiding hand of divine providence working out God’s plan even through o...

Deep Dive into Lectures to My Students by Charles Spurgeon - The Sciences as Sources of Illustration Astronomy The sources utilize the science of astronomy to provide a rich tapestry of illustrations for Christian life, ministry, and doctrine, asserting that the study of the cosmos brings one into a closer connection with God than almost any other science. The sheer grandeur and order of the heave...

Deep Dive into How Might Russia End Its Invasion of Ukraine? Mapping Four Possible Scenarios The end of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will not likely be marked by a single event, but by a convergence of military, political, and international pressures that compel Moscow to halt its active offensive operations. This convergence is driven by three main factors: battlefield realities , domestic politi...

Deep Dive into New People, Old Words: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New (Colossians 3:8–10) The Christian life is understood as the outworking of an identity already bestowed by grace , adhering to the principle of "indicative before imperative," where identity precedes behavior. This foundational truth dictates that Christian ethics flow from what God has already accomplis...

Deep Dive into Forgiven and Forgiving: The Indispensable Mark of a True Disciple (Matthew 6:14–15) Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness in Matthew 6:14–15 serves as a profound spiritual diagnostic, establishing a forgiving spirit as an indispensable and essential mark of kingdom life. Situated within the Sermon on the Mount, immediately following the Lord’s Prayer, these verses function as an intentiona...

Deep Dive into Shame, Sin, and Shalom: Curse and Covering (Genesis 9:20–29) The story of Noah’s post-flood life serves as a pivotal passage, confirming that sin survived the judgment because it lives within man. Noah, stepping into his role as a “man of the soil,” planted a vineyard. His misuse of the resulting wine led him to drunkenness and left him lying naked and uncovered in his tent, a state...

Deep Dive into The Doctrine of Original Sin by Jonathan Edwards - Conclusion The sources examine the strategies employed by Dr. T. and other contemporary opponents aiming to refute the traditional understanding of the "more peculiar doctrines of Christianity." These crucial doctrines are noted to be revealed most plainly and fully in the extensive writings of the Apostle Paul. Dr. T.’s m...

Deep Dive into Evangelical Commentary on the Bible by Royce Gordon Gruenler - Romans Introduction Paul’s letter to the Romans functions simultaneously as a systematic theological treatise and a practical, occasional letter, designed to address specific conflicts and advance Paul’s global missionary agenda. He composed this sustained theological work in Corinth, likely around A.D. 55, while prepari...

Deep Dive into The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon - Psalm 18 The psalm discussed in the sources, composed by David early in his life, is divided into three distinct sections that explore God’s revelation. The entire poem, which was committed to the Chief Musician for public worship, rests on the premise that God has authored two complementary tomes, the "world-book" and the "...

Deep Dive into Growth Groups: How to Lead Disciple-Making Small Groups by Colin Marshall - Leading a Bible Study Leading an effective Bible study involves navigating the basic dilemma between Control and Freedom . The leader acts as a Bible teacher, maintaining control to ensure the group reaches clear conclusions based on biblical authority, as there are "right answers" concerning God’s...

Deep Dive into The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments by Thomas R. Schreiner - Judges The book of Judges details a period of profound spiritual and moral decline in Israel, revealing a pervasive truth: Israel needs a king. The fundamental problem plaguing the nation was spiritual, not political, a theme articulated as "progressive deterioration" by Greg...

Deep Dive into Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis - The Law of Human Nature C. S. Lewis argues that all clear thinking about humanity is founded on two universal facts: human beings possess an inherent understanding of how they ought to behave, and yet they consistently fail to live up to that standard. This innate moral standard is the "Law of Human Nature," an unwritten rule of right and...

Deep Dive into Anadiplosis and Conduplicatio in the English Bible: Rhetoric in the Service of Revelation The rhetorical figures of anadiplosis and conduplicatio are not merely stylistic ornaments in the English Bible but structural forces that shape theology and spiritual formation. Anadiplosis, the repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next, functions as a "tight-...

Deep Dive into Put Off, Be Renewed, Put On: Paul’s Theology of Sanctification (Ephesians 4:22–24) Paul’s theology of sanctification in Ephesians 4:22–24 presents spiritual growth not as self-improvement, but as the practical outworking of a transfer between two corporate humanities: from the old humanity in Adam to the new humanity in Christ. This framework operates through a tightly connected, th...

Deep Dive into Dependent in the Battle: Praying for Protection (Matthew 6:13) Based on the sources, the final petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” serves as the theological climax of Jesus’ instruction on prayer. Situated within the Sermon on the Mount, this request shifts the focus from the forgiveness of past debts to the urgent need for future...

Deep Dive into From One Family to All Nations (Genesis 9:18–19) Genesis 9:18–19 functions as a strategic theological hinge, pivoting the biblical narrative from the universal judgment of the Flood to the specific history of nations and redemption. By identifying Shem, Ham, and Japheth as the exclusive survivors who "went forth from the ark," the text establishes them as the covenantal fo...