Reformed Thinking

Deep Dive into The Nature of True Virtue by Jonathan Edwards - Of Self-Love, and Its Various Influence, to Cause Love to Others, or the Contrary In his exploration of whether all love stems from self-love, Jonathan Edwards distinguishes between two definitions of the term. The first definition suggests self-love is simply a person's general capacity to love whatever pleases them, whether that...

Deep Dive into A Dissertation on Divine Justice by John Owen - The arguments of Socinus against punitory justice weighed — A false hypothesis of his — Sins, in what sense they are debts — The first argument of Socinus, in which he takes for granted what ought to have been proved — A trifling supposition substituted for a proof — Whether that excellence by virtue of which God punishes sins be calle...

Deep Dive into The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon - Psalm 123 Charles Spurgeon's commentary on Psalm 123, frequently referred to as the Psalm of the eyes or the eye of hope, explores the believer's profound dependence on God during times of intense persecution and distress. The brief psalm begins with the writer deliberately lifting their eyes upward to the heavens, an act that inst...

Deep Dive into Practical Religion: Being Plain Papers on the Daily Duties, Experience, Dangers, and Privileges of Professing Christians by J. C. Ryle - Prayer J.C. Ryle identifies private prayer as the most critical subject in practical religion, elevating it above all other religious duties. He outlines seven primary reasons for its supreme significance. First, prayer is absolutely essential for...

Deep Dive into The Magnificat - Part 2 (Luke 1:51-55) by R. Kent Hughes In the second half of the Magnificat, Mary shifts from praising God for personal blessings to declaring prophetic reasons for magnifying him. By utilizing the prophetic past tense, Mary speaks of God's future work through the Messiah as an already accomplished fact, reflecting her absolute confidence in his promises. The c...

Deep Dive into Providence and the Appointed Path: We Are Immortal Till Our Work Is Done The provided texts explore the Reformed Christian doctrine of divine providence, centered on the historic conviction that believers are immortal until their God-appointed work is finished. This doctrine asserts that every human life is meticulously governed by the sovereign will of God, rather than by blind fat...

Deep Dive into Spiritual Gifts: Teaching The spiritual gift of teaching is an ordinary, non-miraculous provision from the Holy Spirit given to the church to understand, explain, and apply the written Word of God. It is not a natural talent, mere rhetorical skill, or a channel for fresh revelation, but rather the diligent, Spirit-empowered exposition of the closed biblical canon. Teachers must rigo...

Deep Dive into Doing All to the Glory of God: Christian Liberty, Love, and the Supreme End of Life (1 Corinthians 10:31) First Corinthians 10:31 establishes that the ultimate purpose of human life is to glorify God in every action, overturning the modern assumption that life centers on self-fulfillment. Written to the church in Corinth during a pastoral crisis over eating meat sacrificed to idols,...

Deep Dive into Condemning Hypocrisy, Commending Humility (Matthew 23:1–12) Matthew 23:1–12 presents Jesus's powerful condemnation of the religious hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. Although these leaders occupied a legitimate position of authority, known as Moses' seat, their lives were characterized by a severe disconnect between their public teaching and private obedience. They cre...

Deep Dive into The Pit, the Price, and Providence (Genesis 37:25–28) Genesis 37:25–28 narrates a pivotal and chilling moment in biblical history, illustrating a profound intersection of human depravity and divine providence. The passage begins with Joseph’s brothers sitting down to eat a meal immediately after violently throwing him into a waterless pit,. This striking detail highlights their seve...

Deep Dive into The Nature of True Virtue by Jonathan Edwards - Concerning the Secondary and Inferior Kind of Beauty Jonathan Edwards distinguishes between two distinct types of beauty: primary or true beauty, and secondary or natural beauty. Primary beauty is the true beauty of moral agents, consisting of a cordial agreement, union of mind, or benevolent consent of being to being. This spiritual a...

Deep Dive into Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume by Matthew Henry - Romans 1 Matthew Henry’s commentary on Romans 1 explores the apostle Paul’s profound gratitude for the Roman church, his eagerness to preach the gospel, and his theological exposition on justification and human depravity. Paul begins by thanking God for the Roman Christians, notin...

Deep Dive into The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon - Psalm 122 Psalm 122 is a Song of Degrees authored by David for pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem's holy feasts. It captures the profound joy of believers who are invited to gather for worship in the house of the Lord. The psalmist expresses delight not only in attending but in the shared enthusiasm of others extending the invitation, re...

Deep Dive into Practical Religion: Being Plain Papers on the Daily Duties, Experience, Dangers, and Privileges of Professing Christians by J. C. Ryle - Reality J. C. Ryle argues that true Christianity must be genuine, inward, and sincere, rather than a hollow, outward performance. He observes that a widespread lack of reality characterizes modern religion, where many mistake mere church membership...

Deep Dive into The Magnificat, Part 1 (Luke 1:46-50) by R. Kent Hughes The provided text offers an in-depth analysis of the Magnificat, the majestic song of praise sung by Mary in Luke 1:46-50 after her joyous encounter with Elizabeth. Although some critics argue that the song is too theologically complex and perfectly structured for a young girl, the author explains that Mary composed it under th...

Deep Dive into Wicked Men Useful in Their Destruction Only by Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards, in his sermon based on Ezekiel 15, presents the doctrine that if men do not bring forth fruit to God, they are entirely useless except in their destruction. He uses the biblical analogy of a vine tree to illustrate this point. While a fruitful vine is highly valued, a barren vine yields wood that is to...

Deep Dive into δοῦλος The Greek word doulos primarily translates to "slave" or "bondservant," describing a person who is the legal property of another within a socioeconomic context. Standing in direct contrast to a free person, a doulos was entirely dependent on their master. Unlike a hired laborer who received a salary, a doulos possessed no legal rights and was viewed under...

Deep Dive into Born of Water and the Spirit: The Necessity of Regeneration (John 3:5–6) John 3:5-6 recounts Jesus' nighttime conversation with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and teacher of Israel who embodied moral seriousness and religious privilege. Despite his impressive credentials, Jesus tells Nicodemus that natural birth, external religion, and human effort are entirely insufficient for entering...

Deep Dive into David’s Son and David’s Lord: The True Identity of the Messiah (Matthew 22:41–45) Matthew 22:41-45 captures a climactic confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees in Jerusalem during Passion Week, a time of high political tension under Roman occupation. After facing a series of hostile questions, Jesus shifts from being the interrogated to the interrogator, asking the Pharisees w...

Deep Dive into The Dreamer in the Pit: Human Hatred and God’s Sovereign Purpose (Genesis 37:18–24) Genesis 37:18–24 captures the dark moment when Joseph’s brothers conspire to kill him, marking the tragic progression of unchecked envy into premeditated violence. Set during the patriarchal era, this narrative exposes the profound corruption within Jacob’s household, demonstrating that outward coven...

Deep Dive into The Nature of True Virtue by Jonathan Edwards - Showing How That Love, wherein True Virtue Consists, Respects the Divine Being and Created Things Jonathan Edwards asserts that true virtue fundamentally consists in supreme love to God, because God possesses the greatest share of universal existence and moral excellency. Because all beauty in the universe is merely a reflection of the...

Deep Dive into Commentary on the Book of Psalms by John Calvin - Psalm 2 John Calvin's commentary on Psalm 2 explores the profound parallels between the historical reign of King David and the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ. David's earthly throne, though constantly besieged by hostile nations and rebellious rulers, was upheld by God's supreme power, serving as a prophetic shadow of Ch...

Deep Dive into The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon - Psalm 121 Psalm 121 is characterized as a "Song of Degrees," functioning as both a traveler's hymn and a soldier's song that expresses profound trust in God's continuous protection. The text is structured in ascending steps, where a thought introduced in one verse becomes the foundation for a higher truth in the next....

Deep Dive into Practical Religion: Being Plain Papers on the Daily Duties, Experience, Dangers, and Privileges of Professing Christians by J. C. Ryle - Self-Exertion J.C. Ryle’s work focuses on Jesus’s command in Luke 13:24 to strive to enter the strait gate, an instruction emphasizing personal responsibility for the salvation of one's soul. Ryle divides this teaching into three main elements:...

Deep Dive into The Benedictus (Luke 1:67-79) by R. Kent Hughes The provided text explores the Benedictus, Zechariah's prophetic song of praise found in Luke 1:67-79. Following the birth of his son, John the Baptist, Zechariah regains his speech after nine months of silence and delivers an ecstatic hymn that is heavily influenced by Old Testament scripture. The author divides Zechariah's so...