Reformed Thinking

Deep Dive into The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon - Psalm 112 Psalm 112 is an alphabetical poem designed as a companion to Psalm 111. While its predecessor extols the glory of God, this psalm celebrates the blessedness of the righteous man, who serves as a living reflection of the divine brightness. The foundation of this blessedness is a filial fear of the Lord, which leads the believer to...

Deep Dive into A Dissertation Concerning The End For Which God Created The World by Jonathan Edwards - Introduction Containing Explanations of Terms and General Positions To understand the purpose of creation, one must distinguish between the different types of goals, or ends, that an agent pursues. A subordinate end is sought entirely as a stepping stone to achieve something else, much like takin...

Deep Dive into Biblical Missions: Principles, Priorities, and Practices by Mark Tatlock and Christ Burnett - Global Opportunities through Education: Advantages, Trends, and Issues The growing global demand for education, which is one of the largest industries worldwide, offers significant opportunities for Christian missions. Like the apostle Paul, modern educators possess strategic advantages, in...

Deep Dive into πονηρία The Greek terms poneros (an adjective) and poneria (a noun) trace their origins to a root meaning labor, care, or sorrow, initially describing someone who was unhappy or burdened. In classical Greek, the meaning gradually expanded to denote things that were defective, useless, or bringing disaster, such as poor craftsmanship or harmful weather. Socially and politically, the...

Deep Dive into Self-Confrontation: A Manual for In-Depth Biblical Discipleship by John C. Broger - Biblical Basis for Change Lesson 6 of the Self-Confrontation manual outlines the biblical foundation for personal change, teaching that God uses all circumstances, including trials, to conform believers to the image of Jesus Christ. The text explains that human problems exist on three interconnected...

Deep Dive into Do Not Despise the Little Ones: Heaven’s Valuation of the Humble (Matthew 18:10–11) Matthew 18:10-11 confronts the human tendency to measure worth by worldly standards such as power, wealth, and influence. Jesus overturns this perspective by warning His disciples not to despise the little ones, who represent humble, weak, and seemingly insignificant believers rather than merely biol...

Deep Dive into Providence Over Pragmatism: The Sovereign Shepherd (Genesis 30:37–43) The biblical narrative of Genesis 30:37-43 describes Jacob placing peeled branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees in watering troughs to influence the breeding of Laban's flocks. While this initially appears to endorse an ancient husbandry technique or superstitious manipulation, the texts emphasize that J...

Deep Dive into Heaven, a World of Love (1 Corinthians 13:8-10) by Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards's sermon, based on 1 Corinthians 13:8-10, posits that heaven is fundamentally a world of pure, holy, and perfect love. God is the ultimate cause and inexhaustible fountain of this affection, filling heaven with His glorious presence just as the sun fills the world with light. Within this divine...

Deep Dive into The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans by R. C. H. Lenski - Romans 1 R. C. H. Lenski's commentary on the first chapter of Paul's Epistle to the Romans provides a detailed theological analysis of the apostle's introductory thoughts and core doctrinal themes. The text begins by examining Paul's extended salutation, where he identifies himself as a slave...

Deep Dive into The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon - Psalm 111 Psalm 111 is an alphabetical hymn of praise dedicated to exploring the works of the Lord in creation, providence, and grace. The psalmist emphasizes that true wisdom comes from knowing God and reflecting upon his deeds, which naturally leads to heartfelt adoration. He begins by resolving to praise Jehovah with his entire heart, s...

Deep Dive into Growth Groups: How to Lead Disciple-Making Small Groups by Colin Marshall - Growth Groups Trainee Sessions The provided text is a comprehensive training manual designed to equip individuals to lead Growth Groups, which are disciple-making small groups focused on shepherding members toward Christlikeness. The curriculum is structured around a ten-session training course where partici...

Deep Dive into Biblical Missions: Principles, Priorities, and Practices by Mark Tatlock and Christ Burnett - Health Care Missions as a Discipleship Strategy Health care missions utilize clinical and public health activities to create a context for evangelism and the discipleship of both patients and coworkers. The foundation of this approach spans redemptive history, originating from the Old Testa...

Deep Dive into The Soul Winner by Charles Spurgeon - Sermons Likely to Win Souls Charles Spurgeon outlines several key characteristics of sermons that are most likely to convert listeners, emphasizing that while the Holy Spirit alone regenerates a soul, preachers serve as essential instruments. To be effective, preachers must adapt their methods to their audience, just as David chose the right sto...

Deep Dive into עמד The Hebrew root ʿmd primarily conveys the fundamental concepts of standing, taking a position, or remaining stationary. This root is widely attested across various Semitic languages, featuring cognates in Akkadian that mean to lean against or impose, and in Arabic that translate to supporting or intending. In its most frequent form, the Qal stem, the verb literally means to stan...

Deep Dive into From Weakness to Assurance: The Spirit’s Intercession and God’s Unbreakable Saving Purpose (Romans 8:26–31) Romans 8:26-31 addresses the tension believers experience living between present suffering and promised future glory. In this fallen world, Christians face profound spiritual weakness and often do not know how to pray appropriately amidst their trials. However, they are not le...

Deep Dive into The Scalpel of Grace: Radical Mortification and the Reality of the Snare (Matthew 18:8-9) Matthew 18:8-9 presents Jesus' severe warning to cut off a hand or foot, or tear out an eye, if it causes one to sin. Rather than commanding literal bodily mutilation, Jesus uses deliberate hyperbole to emphasize the urgent need to mortify sin. The specified body parts symbolize different a...

Deep Dive into The Providence of the Patriarch and the Pragmatism of the Pagan (Genesis 30:25–36) Genesis 30:25-36 marks a critical turning point in redemptive history where Jacob, following fourteen years of arduous labor and the birth of his son Joseph, requests to leave Laban's household to return to his promised homeland. This justifiable request highlights the deep tension between a belie...

Deep Dive into A Farewell Sermon (2 Corinthians 1:14) by Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards delivered his farewell sermon to the First Church in Northampton on July 1, 1750, after the congregation voted to dismiss him. Basing his discourse on 2 Corinthians 1:14, Edwards focuses on the doctrine that ministers and their people must eventually meet before Christ's tribunal at the day of judgment....

Deep Dive into Wisdom Literature: The Psalms, Part II by Bob Deffinbaugh The death of Jesus Christ was not an accident but a deliberate fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, which served as a divine script. Unlike the common belief that Jesus was a passive victim, He actively orchestrated the events leading to His crucifixion. For example, He forced the Jewish religious leaders to alter their p...

Deep Dive into The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon - Psalm 110 Psalm 110, written by David, is a profound prophetic text entirely focused on Jesus Christ as the eternal Priest-King. Commentators describe this psalm as a comprehensive summary of foundational Christian doctrines, encompassing the Trinity, the incarnation, Christ's sufferings, His resurrection, and the final judgment. The p...

Deep Dive into Growth Groups: How to Lead Disciple-Making Small Groups by Colin Marshall - Developing the Growth Group Program The primary long-term strategy for disciple-making small groups is to foster spiritual maturity and spread the gospel globally through Bible study, prayer, and evangelism. These groups can operate within local churches, schools, and workplaces, or even serve as the primary...

Deep Dive into Biblical Missions: Principles, Priorities, and Practices by Mark Tatlock and Christ Burnett - At-Risk Children and How Adoption Displays the Gospel Adoption and orphan care offer Christians a profound opportunity to serve the gospel and demonstrate God's love to the world. Globally, millions of children are highly vulnerable and at risk, facing severe perils such as forced labor...

Deep Dive into The Sovereign Gatekeeper: The Black Sea Crisis, Turkey’s Leverage, and the Depravity of Nations The dual nature of Turkey's role in the Black Sea during the Ukraine-Russia war can be understood through both geopolitical and theological frameworks. Geopolitically, Turkey functions as a crucial gatekeeper because it controls access to the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits under the...

Deep Dive into Rejoicing in Suffering: Christian Hope and the Sanctifying Purpose of God (Romans 5:3–5) Romans 5:3-5 outlines a transformative Christian theology of suffering that is deeply grounded in the reality of justification. Because believers have been justified by faith and have peace with God, their suffering is no longer a sign of divine wrath or judicial condemnation. Instead, afflictio...

Deep Dive into Stumbling Blocks and Divine Woe: The Moral Seriousness in Christ's Kingdom (Matthew 18:7) Matthew 18:7 offers a sobering warning regarding the inevitability of sin and the severe moral accountability of those who cause others to stumble. In this passage, Jesus addresses the reality of offenses, translated from the Greek word skandalon which refers to the trigger-stick of a letha...