Covenant Presbyterian Church

No heart can ever break into sincere calling upon God that does not at the same time aspire to godliness. ~ CalvinNo heart can ever break into sincere calling upon God that does not at the same time aspire to godliness. ~ Calvin

My favourite M & M: John Murray and J. Gresham Machen. Modern day heroes of biblical orthodox presbyteriansMy favourite M & M: John Murray and J. Gresham Machen. Modern day heroes of biblical orthodox presbyterians

There are 3 Bs of neo-orthodox post liberal apotasy: Brunner (d. '66), Barth (d. 68'), and Bultmann (d. 76).There are 3 Bs of neo-orthodox post liberal apotasy: Brunner (d. '66), Barth (d. 68'), and Bultmann (d. 76).

When most people think of Calvin it is usually his theology, or if they hate his theology they focus on the death of Servetus, since no one can be judged perfect except apparently Calvin. Much less has been done on his teaching and practice of devotion and prayer. The latter is throughout all his writings, and in his Institutes, the chapter on prayer is the longest. Like all true reformed people, he understood that God predestines the means as well as the end, and that only a... firm conviction of God's sovereignty over all makes fulfilled prophecy possible, and makes our evangelism and other such labours not in vain, for his word shall accomplish what he has purposed. So I am doing a major paper on Calvin's devotional and prayer life teaching and pactice. The one area that has not received as much attention is his philosophy. He drew heavily upon non-Christian philosophy and the church fathers , especailly when he saw something he thought was in harmony with scripture. Lord willing (DV) I will have the opportunity to do that study also. See more

While walking Barnie an elderly woman, who could have been my mother age and appearance wise, was taken, as most are with Barnie, expressed to me that she was a widow, had a lab who died shortly after her husband, and she was down to one cat. She said it is what gets her up in the morning. So sad. There are a lot of hurting people with no shepherd to feed and guide them into the Lord's green pastures.

Karl Barth is God's little reprobate.Karl Barth is God's little reprobate.

Karl Barth The Heretic. Regent College, like many so-called 'Evangelical' Seminaries like to maintain that Barth was an Evangelical. The fact that Barth called his Introduction To Theology 'Evangelical' I find dishonest. He described Calvin's biblical doctrine of predestination as pagan, and yet Barthians, like modern secular humanists get outraged when anyone says anything bad about their hero. Packer in his overview of theology, in order to maintain some greater commitment ...to the ecumenical agenda, said in one of his lectures that a minority regard Barth as a heretic. Well, I am happy to be in that minority. What surprises me a great deal, is he may be the only heretic to write so profusely, the volumes of which he shall be judged for being God's little reprobate to consign many to the fires of hell. For me he is worse than any liberal, because they are at least honest when they redefine terms, but Barth spends precious little time telling people that he has a radically unbiblical definition of election and reprobation, in complete contradiction not only to Calvin, but to Paul and the whole of the biblical testimony, of which he denies its inerrancy. See more

Jesus! the name to sinners dear, The name to sinners given; It scatters all their guilty fear, It turns their hell to heaven.... O that the world might taste and see The riches of his grace; The arms of love that compass me Would all mankind embrace. His only righteousness I show, His saving grace proclaim; 'Tis all my business here below To cry: Behold the Lamb! Happy, if with my latest breath I might but gasp his name; Preach him to all, and cry in death: Behold, behold the Lamb! - Charles Wesley (In J. I. Packer's 'God's Words' [Illinois: IVP, 1981] 16-17)

As I begin to write this week on Cavin and devotion and prayer, I have been greatly helped by a writer I have come to really respect. Donald K. McKim, 'Everyday Prayer with John Calvin'. It is basically Calvin's attitude, which I have seen my self in Jesus, to pray the word. There is no clearer way to pray according to God's will, than to pray the word, whether starting with the Psalms, or the prophets, or others who have looked at actual prayers in the bible. Calvin was also a theologian of union with Christ and the Spirit's enabling, and have become more convinced than ever, that God's blessing upon him was with the predestined means of prayer. Study the word while praying, and pray while studying the word. One without the other is like walking with one leg, which many have done, but not usually by choice.

A Gift For Thanksgiving. For those so inclined, today I fulfill my promise to a friend to give Cody a book on the Christian Faith, with the hopes that his brother (bound by the drug culture) and his father Joey, who is helping me with renos, will also read, with the bible I will also give them. I told Joey I only had one rule on speech - do not take the name of the LORD in vain, and it is surprising him (and really tying him up), that it was happening ever time we talked, or ...just he talked. It is interesting how the gospel comes uniquely to each individual, with unchanging truth. What book am I giving him? This will surprise many, but it is John Calvin's 'A Little Book On The Christian Life' also called 'The Golden Book'. Calvin started out with this kind of intro, and this eventually grew to his Institutes. It forces one to have a bible. My Zulu prof for missions at Tyndale, even though he assigned Bavinck's 'The Science of Missions', beleived that the reformers were against missions, because they were not agreed on how far the Great Commission went beyond the apostles. But Calvin was one of the most influential missionaries of all time. People went to Geneva for refuge from persecution, and these went back to their countries and spread the biblical faith like wildfire, not least of which were the Hugenots in his home country of France. Calvin's prayers burn with a holy zeal for the lost around the world. I have yet to read another theologian or Christian leader whose heart was burdened for the lost more than Calvin. Sadly, many don't know this about Calvin, but I am going to write something that will be a pittance to try and correct this, as best I can. See more

Men like Huss came before the reformation, or as the beginning of that wave, but waves of the truth were aways coming in, even if but a remnant for the truth.

If the LORD of hosts had not left us survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.... ~ Isaiah 1:9

The LORD has a way of making a way where there seems to be no way.The LORD has a way of making a way where there seems to be no way.

Some governments are demading ministers perform unbiblical marriages. Why be part of the gov't system? Where in the bible does it require of the saints to get gov't approval for their marriages? Stick to biblical covenantal marriages, and reject the state's usurpation of the church's authority directly under God. They have no more right to define marriage than they do to claim educational ownership of the Lord's covenant children!

No matter how many strong enemies plot to overthrow the church, they do not have sufficient strength to prevail over God's immutable decree by which he appointed his Son eternal King. ~ John Calvin 'Institutes' 2.15.3

Because of the rudeness and weakness that is in us, we must allow ourselves to be governed by God's Spirit, which is the chief key by which the gate of paradise is opened to us. ~ John Calvin (Instruction in Faith, (22)