Quiz Your Knowledge of the Canons of Dordt (1)
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
The Time Appointed by the Lord - A "Believing and Confessing" Meditation
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Book Review - The Savior's Farewell
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
The following review was written by Roger G. DePriest of Virginia Beach Theological Seminary, Virginia Beach, VA, on the book The Savior’s Farewell: Comfort from the Upper Room, by Martyn McGeown (Jenison, MI: Reformed Free Publishing, 2022). This review was originally published in the Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal.
To be sure, McGeown’s work is a treasure trove of exegetical and pastoral insights, and, from that interest alone, pastors will want to lean into this resource. There are several places, however, where those who do not share the Reformed hermeneutic (such as this reviewer) will find reasons to balk here and there. This is because McGeown stands firmly in the Reformed camp, so it is to be expected that his theological commitments will inevitably show.
Read MoreApostasy (6): Unto What?
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Apostasy (5): What?
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Apostasy (4): From What?
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Apostasy (3): What the Apostate Deserves
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Apostasy (2): What the Apostate Does
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
In verse 26 we read, “If we sin willfully.” That is a general statement. In verse 29 the Holy Spirit describes the serious sins of the apostate. He does this to underline the guilt of the apostate, to warn the reader against the sin of apostasy, and to set forth the utter hopelessness of the apostate’s case. We have in verse 29 proof that apostasy is no ordinary sin. It is not dishonesty; it is not theft; it is not adultery; and it is not murder. It is something much worse.
Read MoreApostasy (1): Who the Apostate Is
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Gleanings in the Church Order (4): The Right to (Protest and) Appeal
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Gleanings in the Church Order (3): Legality at the Assemblies
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Perhaps one of the least understood matters in the Church Order is legality at the broader (or major—not higher) assemblies of classis and synod. Assuming that the matter is ecclesiastical in nature and manner, what may and may not be treated at classis or synod?
Read MoreGleanings in the Church Order (2): The Assemblies
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Gleanings in the Church Order (1): The Offices
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
For many the Church Order is a dull, unexciting document. At first glance, it seems to be a book of interest to none but elders, deacons, and pastors. But the church order is necessary because God requires that his church be orderly. Paul writes, “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:40). That really is the motto text behind the church order: we do not want anarchy, chaos, or disorder in the congregation; we want order and peace. To another congregation Paul writes that he “[rejoices] and [beholds] [their] order” (Col. 2:5). To another he writes to warn against “every brother that walketh disorderly” (2 Thess. 3:6, 11).
Order in the church is important, therefore.
Read MoreGrace Conferred (7): God's Promised Blessing
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association