Reformed Christian Studies

Presented by Ligonier Ministries (YouTube) Description: What is the kingdom of God? Is it mainly about social issues, or is it something supernatural? In this message, R.C. Sproul warns against unbiblical views of God’s kingdom. Direct Link: Understanding the Parousia: The Last Days According to Jesus with R.C. Sproul - YouTube

 By O. Palmer Robertson - Posted at Reformation 21: Jesus began his ministry in his hometown of Nazareth in Galilee. But when he spoke of Elijah and Elisha ministering to citizens of alien nations rather than within Israel, the people of Nazareth prepare to kill him ( Luke 4:28–29 ). Following his ministry in Nazareth, Jesus continued in Galilee, prophetically bringing to fulfillment what Isaiah describes as a ministry along “the way of the sea, . . . Galilee of the nations” ( Isa. 9:1–2 ; Matt. 4:12–17 ). These people, formerly living in darkness, now saw a great light. In this way, the inauguration of Jesus' ministry is the inauguration of a messianic kingdom, a kingdom with a role in the vast world of darkened nations. Both Matthew and Luke make the point well. This kingdom that Jesus brings is not restricted to Israel. From its initial stages, it embraces all nations. It is truly the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of Israel. No idea of Jesus’ promoting a restored kingdom for t

Psalm 110 1 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. 2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. 3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. 4 The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. 5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. 6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. 7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head. King James Version (KJV)

Posted at Purely Presbyterian : Samuel Rutherford, The Covenant of Life Opened , pp. 363-368. Christ, Even After Universal Judgment, Is a Mediatory Head, King, and Lord The Son (saith Camero ) shall leave off to reign, quod attinet ad regnandi actum , according to the act of reigning, but as touching the Kingdom itself, there shall be no end of the Kingdom. But it may appear as there was a time when it was said of Christ, Philippians 2:7, He emptied himself, and took on him the form of a servant. So there is a time opposite to that, Philippians 2:9, Therefore God hath highly exalted him: which is not fulfilled in his resurrection, ascension, and sitting only at the right hand of God, but when all power, friends, and unfriends, and the Man Christ shall be subject to the Lord, yea even the Son, not as God, for Christ-God is equal with the Father, not as man, for so in the days of his flesh as man, he ever was, and is, and shall be subject to God, but the Son shall be subject, a

By Rev. David T. Myers - Posted at This Day in Presbyterian History: The readers of these posts should be familiar with the first Reformation in Scotland, featuring John Knox and others who raised the bar of God’s truth to the people and basically led the entire nation out of Romanism. The second Reformation, which began at a General Assembly meeting on November 21, 1638 in Glasgow, Scotland, and continued for ten tumultuous years afterward, was in essence a reformation from Prelacy. [Prelacy is defined as the government of the Christian Church by “clerics of high social rank and power.”] We have an excellent presentation of the Principles of the Second Reformation presented in a lecture by the Rev. Dr. Andrew Symington, a minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Delivered in 1841 in Glasgow under the auspices of the Society for Promoting the Scriptural Principles of the Second Reformation, he gave a long lecture of the six principles of that reformation. The

Posted at Reformed Forum : The people of God presently live in between grace and glory. We look back upon the finished work of Jesus Christ while also looking forward to his return, our resurrection, and the consummation of the New Heavens and New Earth. Speaking of the faithful, the author of the epistle to the Hebrews writes, “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth” (Heb 11:13). While we live in the world, we do not ultimately belong in this world. We are citizens of heaven striving to enter our final rest. In this episode, we explore the biblical pilgrim motif and its application for the Christian life. Learn more and listen here...

By Horatius Bonar - Posted at Monergism : "This world in its present form is passing away!"1 Corinthians 7:31  "The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever!" 1 John 2:17 The things that are seen are temporal. Ours is a dying world, and here we have no continuing city. But a few years — it may be less — and all things here are changed. But a few years — it may be less — and the Lord shall have come, and the last trumpet shall have sounded, and the great sentence shall have been pronounced upon each of the sons of men. There is a world that which does not pass away. It is fair and glorious. It is called "the inheritance in light." It is bright with the love of God, and with the joy of Heaven. "The Lamb is the light thereof." Its gates are of pearl — they are always open. And as we tell men of this wondrous city, we invite them to enter in. The Book of Revelation tells us the story of ea

By Dr. R. Scott Clark - Posted at The Heidelblog : 7The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:11whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:7–11; ESV) v.7: Apocalyptic And 1 Peter It is an article of faith among a certain school of critics of the New Testament that Jesus and his apostles had an apocalyptic eschatology, which believed that the end of all things was immanent. In this paradigm, Jesus is seen as a disappointed, failed, apocalyptic preacher. According to thi

By Shane Lems - Posted at The Reformed Reader : This is not a phrase that many modern Christian authors use: “Enlisting under Christ’s banner.” However, Christian authors and theologians in the past have used this theme quite a bit. It is a biblical theme. Christians are called “soldiers of Christ” who have been “enlisted” to serve in his army (2 Tim. 2:3-4). Paul sometimes called his helpers “fellow soldiers” (Phil. 2:25; Philemon 2). Following Jesus is a “good fight of faith” in which we need the “whole armor of God” so that we can fight spiritual battles and be “more than conquerors” through Christ our Captain (1 Tim. 6:12; Eph. 6:11ff, Rom. 8:37). This is why Reformed theology calls Christ’s church on earth the “church militant.” This theme also shows up in some hymns; I like “Soldiers of Christ Arise.” While studying this theme, I found some very helpful quotes from those who have enlisted under Christ’s banner before us. (I apologize for not listing all the complet

Posted at The Reformed Reader : From time to time I read critiques that Reformed theology doesn’t really do justice to the kingdom of God, or that it is weak on kingdom theology. In other words, some current theologians, preachers, and authors are critical of Reformed theology because (in their view) it relegates the kingdom of God to a minor place in the overall theological scheme. Before disproving this accusation, I think it is worth nothing that in evangelical circles the term “kingdom” has taken on an almost faddish status. In today’s evangelical world when a few popular figures emphasize the kingdom in a trendy way, others latch on and it goes viral (“kingdom” becomes a hip evangelical word like “authentic” or “missional”). What happens then is those evangelicals who equate Reformed theology with TULIP/Calvinism say that Reformed theology has a weak view of God’s kingdom because TULIP doesn’t talk much about the kingdom. I realize this is debatable, but it is worth disc

By T. M. Moore - Posted at Fellowship of Ailbe : When will these expectations be realized? Great Expectations (3) Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Matthew 19.27, 28 The new world We mentioned earlier that the problem with many Christians is that they have a too-distant vision of the Christian life. They have postponed much of the excitement and transforming power of faith to the “then and there” of eternal life. In the “here and now” they mostly count on feeling assured of salvation to keep up their hopes for after their lives have ended. Surely, they insist, living forever in glory with the Lord will be the culmination of all the great expectations our Lord holds out to us. The

Posted at The Salty Scrivener : Text. Habakkuk 2:5-20 Habakkuk’s depth of understanding increases… History is all being determined, being enacted in accordance with God’s sovereign purpose and plan. Everything is moving towards a conclusion that has been predetermined. History is His Story. God is writing history before it happens. 1. Woe to the Transgressors. Habakkuk begins a long description of the characteristics of the sinful nations. Chapter 2:5-8. A series of woes upon those who transgress God’s law. 11. People who build their own empires and strongholds. V9 – the very houses they build and the structures they put in place will witness against them on the judgment day. 12. People who use violence to further their own ambitions. V12 They desire glory and worship for themselves, but ultimately, only God will be glorified. The completeness of his glorification, his greatness is absolute, in V14. 13. People who bring shame on others. They loved to see others hum

Posted at thinkGospel.com : Understanding the kingdom of God is fundamental to our understanding and enjoyment of the gospel. Salvation—the new birth—is an entrance into the kingdom (John 3:3) which we are commanded to “seek first” and before the things of this world (Matthew 6:33). However simple these truths may be in relation to salvation, the broader teaching of the kingdom theme gets a little more complicated the deeper you dig. We are taught to pray that God’s kingdom would “come” (Luke 11:2), and we are waiting for it (Revelation 11:15), and yet we are told that the kingdom is within us (Luke 17:21). Furthermore, we believe that the King is on His throne, and yet we can see that all things are not yet under His feet (Hebrews 2:8). On the surface many of these kingdom aspects seem self-contradictory and rather confusing. How can we pray that the kingdom would “come” if it was “at hand” two thousand years ago when Jesus was on earth? If we are already in the kingdom (i.e., bee

By David P. Smith - Posted at The Confessional ARP : The following is largely a response I gave recently to a friend regarding this topic. I hope in some measure it helps others know how to think about and make decisions regarding the issues addressed. It is one thing for Christians to function within, as Augustine put it, “the city of God,” that is, within the Church and God’s Kingdom (the former is not to be simply equated with the latter; God’s Kingdom is a broader reality than the Church, although the Church is in God’s Kingdom) and another for them to function within the “city of Man”—part of which is expressed in “the State.” The two. the city of God and the city of Man are organically joined, and yet distinctly two different realities; they overlap, for now. According to Scripture, “The State” (Scripture does not use this term) is on its way to eternal destruction because it is in its fundamental character an expression of “the World” which “is passing away,” according to

Posted at The Reformed Reader: As a few of our readers may know, in some small pockets of Reformed Christianity there is strong opposition to making distinctions in the way Christ reigns over the world. Some say we must not distinguish between Christ’s general rule over all and his saving rule over his church. (FYI, if you’ve not heard of this issue, it’s probably not something you need to dig into.) I have to admit that I’m not sure why there is such strong opposition to this distinction, since Protestant and Reformed theologians have made distinctions – based on Scripture - in this area for quite some time. If one doesn’t agree with this teaching, that’s OK; but if one calls this teaching un-Reformed or heretical, that’s simply not acceptable. In case you’re wondering, here’s how Richard Muller describes the historic Protestant view of Christ’s kingdom (I’ve edited it for length): ... Read more here...