Tag: Luther

  • How should we worship God? RPW vs NPW

    Background The RPW (regulative principle of worship) is deeply flawed and problematic. It holds that everything which is not explicitly commanded or practiced in Scripture is forbidden. I believe it is overly restrictive, and the way many employ it is legalistic. I favor the NPW (normative principle of worship) over the RPW. Anything which is…

  • Justification: On What Basis?

    Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God. Romans 5:1 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of…

  • The Glorious Protestant Reformation: Some Thoughts on Reformation Day

    On this day, October 31st, in the year of our Lord, 1517, an Augustinian friar (monk) in the Roman Catholic church, Martin Luther (1483-1546), who was also a theologian, priest, and a professor at the University at Wittenberg, nailed his 95 theses, which were theological problems he saw with Catholic theology as well as practices…

  • Early Church Fathers and the question of authority

    As I see it, Scripture confers no special status to the so-called Early Church Fathers. As such their theological opinions should be judged against the Scriptures and they should not be given substantial weight when interpreting Scripture. They were closer to the Apostolic age and may well have some insights into certain matters, but their…

  • Reformed vs Catholic: determining doctrine

    “The Bible claims to be the sole and sufficient infallible rule of faith for the Christian church. The Scriptures are not in need of any supplement; their authority comes from their nature as God-breathed revelation; their authority is not dependent upon man, church, or council. The Scriptures are self-consistent, self-interpreting, and self-authenticating. The Christian church…

  • Bach and Theology: Was Bach and his music anti-Semitic or anti-Judaic?

    Baroque composer primus inter pares J.S. Bach was a man of the deep and profound Christian faith. He believed the chief aim of music is to glorify God. Bach would write on his musical manuscripts: SDG, Soli Deo Gloria – To God Alone the Glory, and JJ, Jesu Juva – Jesus Help. The topic of…

  • Sanctification Considered

    Sanctification is the spiritual process of us sinners becoming holy by the work of God as we are in union with Christ. When we are first regenerated and born again (second birth) we receive justification and initial definite sanctification. But as we live our Christian lives, we engage in progressive sanctification whereby we are made…

  • Total Depravity

    TOTAL DEPRAVITY == UTTER DEPRAVITY Original sin means that people by nature are hostile to God, utterly unable to obey God out of their old corrupted heart, and therefore they are unable to do anything that truly acknowledges God’s truth (Rom. 8:7-8). All of Adam’s offspring are born naturally depraved and with a bent toward…