Reformed Thinking

Deep Dive into Concerning The Divine Decrees In General, And Election In Particular by Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards defends the doctrine of divine decrees and absolute election against Arminian objections, asserting that God eternally foreordains all events to manifest his glory. He argues that God’s perfect foreknowledge necessarily implies that all future events, including human choices, ar...

Deep Dive into Christ in the Psalms by E.S. McKitrick The Book of Psalms serves as a concentrated summary of the entire Bible, largely because Jesus Christ is its central figure. The New Testament quotes the Psalter extensively, containing more references to Christ than the writings of Moses and the Prophets combined. Furthermore, Christ Himself, along with His Apostles, confirmed that the Psalms...

Deep Dive into The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon - Psalm 118 Charles Spurgeon's commentary on Psalm 118 characterizes it as a triumphant national hymn, likely authored by David, which was sung when the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid. While the psalm primarily recounts the experiences of a divinely chosen champion who overcame rejection and violent opposition, it also serv...

Deep Dive into A Dissertation Concerning The End For Which God Created The World by Jonathan Edwards - Particular texts of Scripture, that show that God’s glory is an ultimate end of the creation Jonathan Edwards posits that the ultimate purpose of creation is the glory of God. Relying heavily on biblical scriptures, particularly from Isaiah and Romans, Edwards argues that God acts ultimately for...

Deep Dive into Biblical Missions: Principles, Priorities, and Practices by Mark Tatlock and Christ Burnett - Can We Work Together? A Biblical Theology of Collaboration The biblical foundation for human collaboration in missions is rooted in the nature and work of the triune God. God utilizes human partnership to accomplish His purposes in revelation, creation, redemption, and sanctification, ultim...

Deep Dive into Sins of Omission: The Failure to Love One’s Neighbor Many people falsely measure their morality by the sins they avoid, believing that a life free of public scandal or active malice is sufficient. However, Scripture reveals that the failure to actively love one's neighbor is a serious sin of omission. God's law demands more than mere harmlessness or non-interference; it requ...

Deep Dive into The Invincible Frailty of the Earthen Vessel: Divine Power in Human Weakness (2 Corinthians 4:7-10) The provided texts offer a comprehensive theological exegesis of 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, focusing on the profound paradox of Christian ministry where God deliberately places the infinite treasure of the Gospel into fragile, unremarkable human instruments, described as earthen vessels or...

Deep Dive into Marriage, Singleness, and the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 19:10–12) In Matthew 19:10-12, the disciples react with alarm to Jesus' strict teaching on the permanence of the marriage covenant, concluding that it might be better not to marry at all to avoid such demanding lifelong obligations. This pragmatic response exposes a fallen human tendency to seek an escape route from costly...

Deep Dive into Broken to Cling: Jacob’s Transformation at Peniel (Genesis 32:24–32) Genesis 32:24–32 details Jacob's transformative nighttime struggle at the ford of the Jabbok. Facing an impending reunion with his brother Esau, Jacob is stripped of his earthly supports and left completely alone in the darkness. In this profound isolation, God sovereignly initiates a physical confrontation, de...

Deep Dive into God the Best Portion of the Christian (Psalm 73:25) by Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards’s sermon, based on Psalm 73:25, asserts that a truly godly person prefers God above all other things in both heaven and earth. The believer’s heart is fixed on heaven primarily because it is the dwelling place of God, where they can perfectly love and enjoy Him. Edwards explains that if heaven w...

Deep Dive into The Moody Handbook of Theology, Revised and Expanded by Paul Enns - Ecclesiology: Doctrine of the Church The Christian church, originating from the Greek word ekklesia which translates to a called-out group, encompasses both local geographical assemblies and the universal body of all Spirit-baptized believers in the present age. It is a unique New Testament entity that officially be...

Deep Dive into The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon - Psalm 117 Psalm 117 is recognized as both the shortest chapter in the Scriptures and the central portion of the entire Bible. Despite its very brief length, the Psalm contains immense spiritual depth and acts as a universal call for all of mankind to praise the Lord. Commentators suggest it was likely used as a short hymn for various occas...

Deep Dive into A Dissertation Concerning The End For Which God Created The World by Jonathan Edwards - The Scriptures Represent God as Making Himself His Own Last Ends in the Creation of the World and Wherein Some Positions Are Advanced Concerning a Just Method of Arguing in This Affair, from What We Find in the Holy Scriptures Jonathan Edwards argues that the Scriptures consistently portray God a...

Deep Dive into Biblical Missions: Principles, Priorities, and Practices by Mark Tatlock and Christ Burnett - Difficult-to-Access Ministry Trips: Principles from the Alaskan Bush The remote Alaskan bush, consisting of around two-hundred fifty isolated villages, presents significant geographical and emotional challenges for missionary work. For over two decades, Grace Christian School has addressed...

Deep Dive into Jesus, the Eternal Son of God The identity of Jesus Christ as truly God and the eternal Son of God is the foundational truth of the Christian faith. Scripture consistently places Jesus within the strict framework of Old Testament monotheism, revealing that the one God of Israel has always existed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Old Testament prepares for this revelation through...

Deep Dive into עֵץ The Hebrew word ʿēṣ, occurring approximately 330 times in the Old Testament, is a masculine noun primarily translated as tree or wood. Originating from a common Semitic root associated with firmness, it has cognates in several ancient languages, including Akkadian, Ugaritic, Aramaic, and Arabic. The term encompasses a wide semantic range. In its natural context, ʿēṣ refers to in...

Deep Dive into δίκαιος The Greek word family centering on "dikaios" (righteous or just) and its derivatives like "dikaiosyne" (righteousness) and "dikaioo" (to justify) undergoes a profound evolution from classical Greek to New Testament theology. Originally rooted in "dike," which denotes custom, order, or a legal decision, the classical Greco-Roman underst...

Deep Dive into From Veil to Glory: New Covenant Freedom and Transformation (2 Corinthians 3:16–18) In 2 Corinthians 3:16–18, the Apostle Paul presents a profound contrast between the fading, veiled administration of the Old Covenant and the permanent, transformative glory of the New Covenant. The passage explains that a veil of spiritual blindness and moral incapacity covers the human heart, preve...

Deep Dive into What God Has Joined Together: Christ’s Restoration of Marriage (Matthew 19:1–9) In Matthew 19:1-9, the Pharisees attempt to trap Jesus by asking if a man can lawfully divorce his wife for any cause. Their question reveals a pragmatic rebellion, as they sought legal loopholes to accommodate their autonomy and treat marriage as a disposable contract rather than a sacred bond. Jesus re...

Deep Dive into Fear, Prayer, and Providence: Jacob’s Crisis (Genesis 32:1–23) Genesis 32:1-23 depicts Jacob's tense return to the Promised Land, where he must confront his estranged brother Esau, whom he previously deceived. God initially reassures Jacob by revealing an angelic host at Mahanaim, demonstrating divine providence and protection over his journey. However, upon learning that Esau i...

Deep Dive into Justified in Christ (Romans 4:5) by Jonathan Edwards In his theological commentary on Romans 4:5, Jonathan Edwards argues that individuals are never justified before God by any inherent goodness, personal righteousness, or excellent qualifications of their own. Instead, salvation and justification are entirely dependent upon a specific, profound relationship or union between the bel...

Deep Dive into A Dissertation on Divine Justice by John Owen - The origin of human sacrifices — Their use among the Jews, Assyrians, Germans, Goths, the inhabitants of Marseilles, the Normans, the Francs, the Tyrians, the Egyptians, and the ancient Gauls — Testimonies of Cicero and Cæsar that they were used among the Britons and Romans by the Druids — A fiction of Apion concerning the worship in t...

Deep Dive into The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon - Psalm 116 Psalm 116 is a profound song of thanksgiving that forms part of the Paschal Hallel, blending the commemoration of Israel's deliverance from Egyptian bondage with a deeply personal testimony of salvation. The text presents a threefold engagement of the Psalmist: a commitment to prayer fueled by God's past deliverances, a d...

Deep Dive into A Dissertation Concerning The End For Which God Created The World by Jonathan Edwards - Some Objections Considered, Which May be Made against the Reasonableness of What Has Been Said of God Making Himself His Last End Jonathan Edwards addresses four main objections to the doctrine that God created the world with Himself as His ultimate goal. The first objection suggests that if God...

Deep Dive into Biblical Missions: Principles, Priorities, and Practices by Mark Tatlock and Christ Burnett - Examining Short-Term Missions in Modern Church History Short-term missions, typically defined as temporary volunteer ministry trips rather than long-term vocational missions, have grown exponentially over the past several decades into a massive movement within the global church. While histo...