Reformed Theology and the Church Fathers

One of the many great things about Reformed theology is the fact that it stands firmly in the line of historic Christian doctrine and truth. The Reformers and the post-Reformation theologians were very much appreciative of the church fathers like Augustine, Cyril, Chrysostom, and so on. For example, when the Reformers and Reformed theologians after …

10 Reasons Why I Will Never Go to Rome

 I've been re-reading parts of Rome's Catechism and the Canons/Decrees of Trent again recently, which reminded me why I'm Reformed and not Roman Catholic.  Here's a post I wrote in February 2013 on this very topic: For the past eight years or so, I’ve had the opportunity to read, study, and observe the doctrines and …

Predestination & Reformed Theology (Vos)

The doctrine of election (predestination) is tied tightly to other aspects of Reformed theology.  Geerhardus Vos expresses this well in his Reformed Dogmatics (recently published in English for the first time thanks to Logos and Lexham Press – see here and here).  Vos asks this question (in vol. 1.5.4): “At what points is the doctrine …

The Brilliant Ambiguity of the Westminster Standards

Confessions and creeds are useful tools and teachers for Christians who want guidance for standing firm in the faith.  Sadly, some people view Reformed creeds and confessions as straightjackets or paper popes that bind and restrict Christians in  many ways.  However, the Reformed confessions and creeds are purposely ambiguous on certain doctrines; this allows for …

The Positive Elements of the Covenant of Works (Vos)

In volume 2 of his Reformed Dogmatics, Geerhardus Vos discusses (in detail) the covenant of works.  Here’s an outline of the main propositions concerning the federal headship of Adam in that covenant (I tweaked the formatting a bit to make it easier to follow the outline).     a)      Adam by nature was obliged to obey …