Reformed Thinking

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - Programs, Methods, and Balance "The Way of the Master" evangelism method, while widely used and praised for its strengths, also faces several criticisms, categorized into "nitpicky" and "more serious" concerns. One nitpicky concern is its perceived over-reliance on the law or lo...

Deep Dive into Sins of the Heart: Lust The Holy Spirit plays an indispensable and foundational role in a believer's pursuit of purity and victory over lust. Sanctification, which includes purity, is fundamentally a Spirit-enabled warfare grounded in grace . The Spirit is the sole efficient cause of mortification , empowering believers to "put to death the deeds of the body." This act...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - The Sinner's Prayer and the Emerging Church The emerging church is a broad movement defined by its unique understanding of the church's interaction with cultural shifts . Historically, the church primarily reacted to societal stages, such as going underground during the Age of Empires or promoting Ro...

Deep Dive into Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin - Eternal Election, by Which God Has Predestined Some to Salvation, Others to Destruction God's eternal decree, also referred to as predestination, is His unchangeable plan for every individual's ultimate destiny. This means eternal life is foreordained for some, and eternal damnation for others , a design He compacted with Himself...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - The Pastor as Evangelist: Principles and Practice Identifying individuals with the gift of evangelism within a church is a crucial task for pastors, who are likened to coaches . While all Christians are called to the task of evangelism , not every believer possesses this specific spiritual gift. Pastors can...

Deep Dive into The Doctrine of Original Sin by Jonathan Edwards - All Mankind Constantly, in All Ages, without Fail in Any One Instance, Run into That Moral Evil, Which Is in Effect Their Own Utter and Eternal Perdition in a Total Privation of God's Favor, and Suffering of His Vengeance and Wrath Jonathan Edwards defines Original Sin as a twofold concept: primarily the innate sinful depravity...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - Proclaiming the Gospel with Wisdom and Clarity Philip's evangelism began with divine direction , as an angel instructed him to go to a specific road, and the Spirit later told him to approach the chariot of an Ethiopian eunuch. Philip proactively ran to the chariot and initiated the conversation by askin...

Deep Dive into Christ Commanded Repentance (Mark 1:15) by Charles Spurgeon The sum of Jesus Christ’s teaching, the Alpha and Omega of His entire ministry , is the two-fold command: "Repent ye, and believe the gospel." This message is presented as a divine decree from God , carrying the same authority as the Ten Commandments, not an option to be chosen or neglected. Its neglect leads to t...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - A God-Centered Approach "Demythologizing" the gospel is a concept often discussed within the framework of missional evangelism. It is defined as "freeing the gospel from cultural values." The core idea is to strip the gospel message of certain implications that are perceived to be cultura...

Deep Dive into Horae Homileticae Vol. 5: Psalms, I–LXXII by Charles Simeon - Psalm 14 The Psalmist's fervent desire, expressed as a "devout rapture," is encapsulated in the cry: "O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad." This deep longing stems from his profo...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - Evangelism in the Early Church and Today Charles Finney's evangelism, which emerged in the early 1800s, profoundly reshaped Christian outreach, primarily in response to the "orthodoxism" of his era. Orthodoxism emphasized Christianity as a matter of tradition and genealogy , rather than persona...

Deep Dive into The Eternity of Hell Torments by Jonathan Edwards The central doctrine presented is that the misery of the wicked in hell will be absolutely eternal . This means it is not annihilation—a state of non-existence—nor is it merely a very long but finite period of suffering. Instead, it is an abiding, sensible punishment or misery characterized by extreme pain, wailing, gnashing of teeth...

Deep Dive into נוד The Hebrew verb "נוד" (nwd) is a primary root deeply embedded in the Semitic language family, signifying a foundational concept of movement and agitation . Its versatile meanings are shaped by its various grammatical forms or stems, offering rich nuances in biblical texts. The Qal stem represents the basic actions of "נוד." It describes physical swaying or sh...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - The Motivation and Spread of Evangelism Evangelism's key proponents, especially in the early Christian centuries, were factors orchestrated by God’s providence and sovereignty to facilitate the rapid spread of the Gospel. Humanly speaking, the task was "certain to fail," but God's sovereign...

Deep Dive into An Old Testament Theology by Bruce K. Waltke - The Gift of True Strength: 1 Samuel Samuel, as God's prophet and the one who anointed Saul, consistently interpreted Saul's actions as a fundamental disobedience and a profound lack of faith in God's true strength. He saw Saul as failing to heed God's divine word, which was mediated through Samuel himself. A pivotal mome...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - The Church's Evangelistic Mission The "Proto-Evangelion" is the very first mention of the gospel in the Bible, found in Genesis 3:15 . It's presented as God speaking directly to Satan (the serpent) and delivers the first good news about a coming savior for humanity. Specifically, God's...

Deep Dive into Negations in the English Bible In biblical Greek, various negative particles are used, each conveying distinct nuances of negation that are crucial for understanding the meaning and emphasis of a statement, especially in the context of providing assurance. Here are the main Greek negative particles: οὐ (or οὐκ/οὐχ before vowels): This particle is used to state objective facts . When...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - Apologetics, Evangelism, and the Commonality of Unbelief Evangelism is primarily defined as an action —the verbal proclamation of the gospel —rather than internal thoughts, prayers, or merely inviting someone to church. It is always necessary to use words to preach the gospel, and biblical terms like euangel...

Deep Dive into Christian Theology by Millard J. Erickson - The Nature of the Church The church, though frequently misunderstood, is fundamentally a divinely established institution , with its true nature best understood through a biblical-philological method that focuses on its scriptural essence rather than merely its observable activities. Paul's writings present a Trinitarian understanding of t...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - Islam Islam, meaning "surrender" or "submission" to God's will, is a monotheistic religion with over a billion followers. Its core belief, the Shahada , affirms that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Prophet . Muhammad, born in Mecca around 570 AD, began receiving revelati...

Deep Dive into Sins of the Heart: Pride Pride, in its biblical roots, is depicted as a primordial vice that fundamentally tilts the heart away from God. It is not merely a misstep but the root condition of depraved humanity , the polluted source from which all idolatries flow. This ontological revolt against the Creator first appears in Genesis with the serpent's promise to Adam and Eve: &quot...

Deep Dive into Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin - Prayer, Which Is the Chief Exercise of Faith, and by Which We Daily Receive God's Benefits Faith is fundamentally intertwined with right prayer , serving as its essential guide, foundation, and the means by which requests are granted. Prayer is seen as a profound exercise of faith , where individuals, recognizing their spirit...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - Buddhists and Muslims In Buddhism, there are six realms of existence into which a being can be reborn as part of the continuous cycle of reincarnation that Buddhists aim to escape. These realms represent different states of being, determined by an individual's karma. The six realms are: The Land of the H...

Deep Dive into Undiscerned Spiritual Pride by Jonathan Edwards Spiritual pride is identified as the primary cause of spiritual errors and the main entry point for negative spiritual influences , acting as the devil's "main handle" to hinder God's work. It's considered the fundamental support for all other errors, implying that until pride is cured, other spiritual problems ca...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - Judaism, Islam, and Christianity The debate explicitly frames Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as "sister faiths in conflict." Despite their differences, they share profound similarities. All three originated in the Middle East , claim Abraham as a spiritual father , and champion moral monotheism a...