Reformed Christian Studies

 By William Boekestein - Posted at Place for Truth: At the start of his ministry the Lord Jesus used just two verbs to summarize the good news of his kingdom: “Repent and believe in the gospel” ( Mark 1:15 ). Paul condensed his ministry in a similar way: I testified “both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” ( Acts 20:21 ). Only by this kind of preaching was Paul “innocent of the blood of all” ( Acts 20:26 ). He had delivered the essential message that had been committed to him. Repentance, along with faith, belongs to the “elementary doctrine of Christ”—it is foundational for the Christian ( Heb. 6:1 ). By faith we accept, receive, and rest upon Christ alone for salvation. By repentance we turn from sin to God with a commitment to new obedience. We must repent. So we need to know how to do it. But lest we try to do something we don’t understand we need to first know what repentance is. Continue here.

By Pastor Brian Schwertley - Posted at Sermon Audio: Direct Link:  Repentance and the Lordship Controversy | SermonAudio

By Pastor Benjamin Glaser - Posted at Thoughts From Parson Farms: How a Desire to Be Sanctified Testifies to Our Justification Good Morning, While it may seem odd to take all three of these at once after giving so much space to justification there is a sense in which it is helpful to see the way the fruits of regeneration brought about by the application of the righteousness of Jesus Christ to the believer work themselves out in time. Each benefit aids us to better understand not only why effectually calling is effectual , but to know that those who claim Christ as their own are by necessity moved in a way that if there is no real change of mind and body it proves their confession to be one of Judas or Alexander the Coppersmith. To quote Matthew 5:14, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” . Part of the work of the keys of the kingdom possessed by elde

"If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up" — Job 22:23 Eliphaz, in this utterance, spoke a great truth, which is the summary of many an inspired Scripture. Reader, has sin pulled you down? Have you become like a ruin? Has the hand of the LORD gone out against you so that in estate you are impoverished and in spirit you are broken down? Was it your own folly which brought upon you all this dilapidation? Then the first thing to be done is to return to the LORD. With deep repentance and sincere faith find your way back from your backsliding. It is your duty, for you have turned away from Him whom you professed to serve. It is your wisdom, for you cannot strive against Him and prosper. It is your immediate necessity, for what He has done is nothing compared to what He may do in the way of chastisement, since He is Almighty to punish. See what a promise invites you! You shall be "built up." None but the Almighty can set up the fallen pillars and restore the

By Thomas Brooks, (1608 - 1680) SATAN'S DEVICES TO DRAW THE SOUL TO SIN [12 devices and their remedies] DEVICE 6. By persuading the soul that the work of repentance is an easy work; and that therefore the soul need not make such a matter of sin. Why! Suppose you do sin, says Satan, it is no such difficult thing to return, and confess, and be sorrowful, and beg pardon, and cry, 'Lord, have mercy upon me!' and if you do but this, God will forgive your debt, and pardon your sins, and save your souls. By this device Satan draws many a soul to sin, and makes many millions of souls servants of sin, or rather slaves to sin. Remedy (1). The first remedy is, seriously to consider, That repentance is a mighty work, a difficult work, a work that is above our power. There is no power below that power which raised Christ from the dead, and which made the world—which can break the heart of a sinner, or turn the heart of a sinner! You are as well able to melt adamant, as

By T.M. Moore - Posted at Revision/The Fellowship of Ailbe : One sin leads to another. Sentinel of the Soul (5) When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me— Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. Psalm 73.16-19 God sees The writer of Hebrews reminds us that God does not sit idly by while His children stray into the paths of sin. He is our Father, and He loves us enough to bring discipline against us, until we turn from our wicked ways and renew our journey along the path of righteousness (Heb. 12.3-11). And, the writer hastens to add, such discipline as the Lord brings against us is never pleasant. As Asaph, heeding his conscience, began to recognize the sin he was contemplating, and to turn from it, he found a way of escape by remembering t

By C.H. Spurgeon - Posted at Sermon Audio/ Daily Checkbook: "The LORD thy God will turn thy captivity" — Deuteronomy 30:3 God's own people may sell themselves into captivity by sin. A very bitter fruit is this, of an exceeding bitter root. What a bondage it is when the child of God is sold under sin, held in chains by Satan, deprived of his liberty, robbed of his power in prayer and his delight in the LORD! Let us watch that we come not into such bondage; but if this has already happened to us, let us by no means despair. But we cannot be held in slavery forever. The LORD Jesus has paid too high a price for our redemption to leave us in the enemy's hand. The way to freedom is, "Return unto the LORD thy God." Where we first found salvation we shall find it again. At the foot of Christ's cross, confessing sin, we shall find pardon and deliverance. Moreover, the LORD will have us obey His voice according to all that He has commanded us, and we must d

The Second Helvetic Confession CHAPTER XIV Of Repentance and the Conversion of Man The doctrine of repentance is joined with the Gospel. For so has the Lord said in the Gospel: "Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in my name to all nations" (Luke 24:47). WHAT IS REPENTANCE? By repentance we understand (1) the recovery of a right mind in sinful man awakened by the Word of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit, and received by true faith, by which the sinner immediately acknowledges his innate corruption and all his sins accused by the Word of God; and (2) grieves for them from his heart, and not only bewails and frankly confesses them before God with a feeling of shame, but also (3) with indignation abominates them; and (4) now zealously considers the amendment of his ways and constantly strives for innocence and virtue in which conscientiously to exercise himself all the rest of his life. TRUE REPENTANCE IS CONVERSION TO GOD. And this is true repentance, namely

Posted at Reformation Scotland : Election time prompts sobering thoughts about the direction in which any nation is travelling. As with many nations, Scotland is on a course of determined rebellion against God’s Word. This is the root of our national sins. Does God judge nations for national sins? Yes, the predicted destruction of Judea in AD 70 gives clear and solemn evidence (Luke 19:41-44). There are also many Old Testament examples such as Nineveh. One aspect of God’s wrath being revealed is when He gives people up to gross sins and a reprobate mind (Romans 1:18 and 24-32). Such spiritual judgements are worse than those on the economy, health and stability of a country. Is God judging our nation in this way, and if so why? This may sound like a bleak message, but there is hope if we give serious heed. During some periods in the past, it seems that God’s people were more sensitive to national judgements for national sins. February 1645 was one such period when the Church o

Posted at Reformation Scotland : Many think of backsliding as falling into open sin, a life of unrepentant wordliness or virtually departing from the faith. It may be that such, however, are only backsliding from a false profession and making this more apparent. Backsliding also includes falling back from certain truths, principles and standards. But we must be concerned about spiritual backsliding or backsliding in heart (Proverbs 14:14). It is dangerous because it is far more subtle. Failure to go forward and to grow spiritually means to slide back, because there is no standing still. George Hutcheson gives practical teaching as to how we can identify spiritual backsliding. We need to test whether we are backslidden from what we have had, or might have had in the past or else from what others have attained. The following are some clear tests: 1. Lack of Growth. Are you growing in grace? You must “beware lest…being led away with the error of the wicked” you “fall from your own st

By T. M. Moore - Posted at  The Fellowship of Ailbe : Begin Here, Remain Here (1) “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and thento the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.” Acts 26.19, 20 The deepest need Many Christians today believe that saving faith – full faith – consists of hearing, responding to, and continuing in the hope of the Good News of Jesus Christ. “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,” they explain. Just believe, and keep believing in the hope of forgiveness and eternal life. From this perspective, all we have to do in trying to reach others for Christ is put Jesus before them in a way that scratches their itch – whatever that might be – and some of them will come to Him and find a home in our midst. Are they lonely? Jesus is a friend and comforter. Do they lack a pur

By Rev. Samuel Davies - Posted at GraceGems.org : (This message was preached at Princeton College on January 1, 1761. The author died shortly after, on February 4--at the age of 37! Thus in a way— he preached his own funeral sermon! ) "Thus says the Lord—I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die! " Jeremiah 28:16 While we are entering upon the threshold of a new year, it may be proper for us to stand, and pause, and take a serious view of the occurrences that may happen to us this year—that we may be prepared to meet them. Future contingencies are indeed unknown to us; and this ignorance is as agreeable to our present state, and as conducive to our improvement and happiness—as our knowledge of the things which it concerns us to know. But though we cannot predict to ourselves the particular events that may befall us—yet the events of life in general, in a vague indeterminate view, are not so contingent and unknowable as to

Westminster Confession of Faith  (1646) Chapter XV I. Repentance unto life is an evangelical grace, [1] the doctrine whereof is to be preached by every minister of the Gospel, as well as that of faith in Christ. [2] II. By it, a sinner, out of the sight and sense not only of the danger, but also of the filthiness and odiousness of his sins, as contrary to the holy nature, and righteous law of God; and upon the apprehension of His mercy in Christ to such as are penitent, so grieves for, and hates his sins, as to turn from them all unto God , [3] purposing and endeavouring to walk with Him in all the ways of His commandments. [4] III. Although repentance is not to be rested in, as any satisfaction for sin, or any cause of the pardon thereof , [5] which is the act of God's free grace in Christ, [6] yet it is of such necessity to all sinners, that none may expect pardon without it. [7] IV. As there is no sin so small, but it deserves damnation; [8] so there is no sin so great, t