Reformed Thinking

Deep Dive into The Reformation Study Bible by Ligonier Ministries - Psalms Introduction The Book of Psalms, known in Greek as Psalmos and in Hebrew as Tehillah (“Praises”), captures an overall thematic movement from initial suffering and lamentation to eventual glory and praise. The composition of the psalms spans approximately one thousand years, ranging from the time of Moses (Psalm 90) to the p...

Deep Dive into The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon - Psalm 22 The source material provides an exposition of Psalm 22, which is uniquely identified as "THE PSALM OF THE CROSS," detailing the profound sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory. The title, "Aijeleth Shahar," meaning "Concerning the hind of the morning," is interpreted as a poetical metaphor for...

Deep Dive into A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Galatians by John Peter Lange - Galatians 3 The commentary on Galatians 3 explores the apostle Paul’s argument against the Galatians' turn toward Judaistic legalism after having embraced the gospel of Christ. Paul calls the Galatians "foolish" and asks who "bewitched" them, given that Jesus Christ crucified was vividly &qu...

Deep Dive into The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments by Thomas R. Schreiner - 1-2 Kings The books of 1 and 2 Kings should be viewed as a single theological history, where historical events are understood as consequences of heeding or ignoring theological principles. The narrative begins with great expectation, as Israel is in the land, the kingdom is established...

Deep Dive into Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis - The Reality of the Law The author begins by identifying two notable characteristics of the human race: the widespread recognition of a standard of behavior, often called fair play, decency, or the Law of Nature, and the universal failure of people to consistently practice it. This quest is aimed at finding truth regarding this dual observation, not...

Deep Dive into ἁγιωσύνη The Greek term ἁγιωσύνη ( hagiōsynē ) is defined as holiness, sanctity, or divine nature/quality, expressing the distinction of the divine from the human. This word, which is related to ἅγιος (holy), is relatively rare; it does not appear in pre-biblical Greek but is found in the Septuagint, where it often incorporates elements of glory and might. In the New Testament, only...

Deep Dive into Christ the Only Way to the Father: The Exclusive Glory (John 14:6) John 14:6 stands as a decisive answer to the deepest human question of how a guilty sinner can truly come to the Father, spoken by Jesus in the Upper Room as He prepared His disciples for His departure and the crisis of the cross. The verse solves two problems simultaneously: the disciples’ fear of abandonment and th...

Deep Dive into Where Your Treasure Is: Christ’s Call to Heavenward Living (Matthew 6:19–21) The message drawn from Matthew 6:19–21 is that all individuals are fundamentally defined by what they treasure, making the location of that treasure a universal and inescapable spiritual matter. Jesus is not offering mere financial advice, but exposing a governing law: whatever a person treats as ultimate s...

Deep Dive into From Babel’s Name-Making to God’s Sovereign Naming: Providence, Pride, and Promise (Genesis 10:6–14) Genesis 10:6–14 functions as a crucial theological map, establishing that the formation of the post-Flood world occurred under God's meticulous providence, not through random chaos. The genealogies are not mere historical lists but an inspired outline of future covenant conflict....

Deep Dive into God's Sovereignty in the Salvation of Men (Romans 9:18) by Jonathan Edwards The theological doctrine of God's sovereignty in the salvation of men, rooted in Romans 9:18, asserts that God shows mercy on whom he wills and hardens whom he wills. This difference in God's dealing with humanity is founded solely on his sovereign will and pleasure, which is absolute, independen...

Deep Dive into The Moody Handbook of Theology, Revised and Expanded by Paul Enns - Introduction to Old Testament Theology The study of Old Testament theology is a complex task due to a lack of scholarly consensus on the proper methodology. While some approaches categorize material systematically under doctrines like sin or salvation, others emphasize historical development or a single unifying the...

Deep Dive into The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon - Psalm 21 Psalm 21, titled "The Royal Triumphal Ode," is described as the natural companion to Psalm 20, shifting the focus from anticipation to realized triumph. Though historically about King David, its fullest meaning refers to David's Lord, Jesus Christ, presenting a journey from the cross to the steps of the throne. The K...

Deep Dive into On Discerning Who Belongs to the True Church by John Calvin The excerpts explore the essential distinction between genuine believers who belong to the true church and those who are merely illegitimate children despite claiming association with God’s name. True adoption into God's family and regeneration depend upon pure doctrine, referred to as the "good seed," and req...

Deep Dive into The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments by Thomas R. Schreiner - 1-2 Samuel The books known as 1 and 2 Samuel constitute a unified work detailing the conclusion of the period of the judges and the beginning of the kingship in Israel, focused primarily on the ascent of David. A crucial interpretive framework for this narrative is established by the s...

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...