What He Did For Us (Calvin)

In 1550 John Calvin wrote the preface to the Geneva Bible. His preface was titled, "Christ, the End of the Law." This essay is a brilliant example of a robustly Christ centered interpretation of Scripture. In one section Calvin wonderfully put together a string of biblical phrases explaining what Christ has done for his people.…

Our Samson Has Torn Him to Pieces (Van Mastricht)

In chapter eight of Petrus Van Mastricht's Theoretical-Practical Theology he discusses the biblical topic of fallen angels and devils. At the end of the chapter Mastricht explained the "practical" part of this doctrine. For example, Mastricht wrote that we should avoid the sins of demons and strive against the temptations of Satan. At the end…

On The First Day of The Week We Gather… (Cyril)

Cyril's commentary on John's Gospel is one that has been very helpful in my studies. It's always enjoyable to read; Cyril is a good teacher! [[If you remember, Cyril of Alexandria was the 5th century theologian who wrote against Nestorius' unbiblical teaching on the person and nature of Christ. Nestorius taught that there were two…

Christ’s Return: A Source of Christian Comfort (Ridderbos)

It's not hard to notice Paul's emphasis on the return of Christ. In his letters that we have in the NT, Paul often talks about Christ's return on the last day. It's one of the main themes of Paul's theology. Herman Ridderbos noted that two things stand out when Paul was writing about Christ's return…

A Monday Devotional on Self-Denial (Flavel)

The English Puritan Thomas Manton (1620-1677) wrote a helpful treatise on self-denial. He based the treatise on Jesus' words from Matthew 16:24: "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself..." (NASB). It's a longer treatise with some very helpful insight. Here's a paragraph that I marked up this morning. I hope it…