I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. –Luke 2:10b In this day and age, as we enter the holiday season, it is not superfluous to ask whether or not we truly understand the meaning of Christmas—even among churchgoers. Though this holiday is celebrated throughout the world and increases […]
“Pity the nations, O our God, Constrain the earth to come; Send Thy victorious Word abroad, And bring the strangers home.” —Isaac Watts, “How Sweet and Awesome Is the Place” As servants of the Lord Jesus Christ living on this side of the cross, we labor with joy in the dawn of the new creation—praying […]
In this third article of the series analyzing the Hymn Proposal [HP], I will look at some of the hymns of the blue Psalter [PH] that have been drastically changed in the HP. The title of the cover page of the HP is: “The Hymn Proposal presented by The Psalter Hymnal Revision Committee of the […]
In the last lesson we learned how Paul, like all ministers, desired the strengthening of the faith of his readers. In this lesson we read how Paul’s desire was to preach the gospel to those who are in Rome. Years ago, when I was at college, a professor who knew my theater background offered me […]
After writing about the righteousness that comes from God through faith, Paul points out that those who lack this faith will face the wrath of God. Many people today are inclined to downplay the wrath of God and speak only of His love. They claim that the wrath of God is an Old Testament idea […]
The Athanasian Creed is named after the great champion of Nicene orthodoxy, Athanasius (AD 293–373). In the previous article on the Nicene Creed we mentioned the contribution of Athanasius and his defense of the Trinity against Arius.1 But Athanasius did not write this creed and in fact it deals with controversies that arose and were […]
To complete our exposition of Bavinck’s treatment of the doctrine of creation, we need to consider his understanding of the doctrine of the image of God. In our earlier consideration of his doctrine of the covenant, we observed that Bavinck views the relationship between the triune God and human beings, whether before the fall or […]
Editor’s note: This is the third part of a three-part article. RFI plans to make the entire article available in booklet form. Recasting the Doctrine of Justification The Reformation doctrine of justification states that God declares us righteous (justified) through faith alone, only on account of what Christ has done, and by grace alone. However, […]
Dr. H. Arnold presents the first of two letters— written to a Jehovah’s Witness—pointing to Jesus as the eternal Son of God. LETTER TO KATHRYN Dear Friend, I well remember our “chance” meeting each other for the first time. I was out for an evening walk along the beach at Deerfield Beach, Florida. You handed […]