Edwards begins his discussion of the Trinity with a reflection upon God’s happiness: “When we speak of God’s happiness, the account that we are wont to give of it is that God is infinitely happy in the enjoyment of himself, in perfectly beholding and infinitely loving, and rejoicing in, his own essence and perfections.“¹ At … Continue reading The Blessed God and the Fecundity of Triune Plenitude: Discovering Theological Foundations in Jonathan Edwards’s Discourse on the Trinity
religion
Beyond the Fourfold Method: Petrus van Mastricht and the Unity of Theology as the Doctrine of Living for God Through Christ
Modern theological education is built upon a division of labor. Biblical scholars perform exegesis. Systematic theologians construct doctrine. Historical theologians trace doctrinal development. Practical theologians focus on ministry and application. Spiritual formation is often assigned to yet another field. The result is a theological encyclopedia composed of specialized disciplines, each possessing its own methods, literature, … Continue reading Beyond the Fourfold Method: Petrus van Mastricht and the Unity of Theology as the Doctrine of Living for God Through Christ
What is Theology??: From Revelation to Holy Living and The Theological Method of Petrus van Mastricht
Petrus van Mastricht (1630–1706) has increasingly attracted scholarly attention for his massive Theoretical-Practical Theology and especially for his famous fourfold method of exposition, doctrine, polemics, and practice. Modern discussions often present this fourfold structure as Mastricht’s distinctive contribution to Reformed orthodoxy. While this observation is certainly correct, it risks mistaking the visible architecture of Mastricht’s … Continue reading What is Theology??: From Revelation to Holy Living and The Theological Method of Petrus van Mastricht
Why Every Christian Should Study Theology
It seems many Christians assume theology belongs to church leaders, professors, and (maybe forced upon) students. However, I believe it is important to remember that the Christian life begins with the knowledge of God and grows through the knowledge of God. This is theology. Sometimes theology gets a bad reputation and sometimes people don’t like … Continue reading Why Every Christian Should Study Theology
WHY JESUS HAD TO LIVE??: THE ACTIVE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST
Why did Jesus have to live? Most Christians can answer why Jesus had to die. He died for our sins. He bore the judgment we deserved. He reconciled us to God through his sacrificial death on the cross. Still, that answer raises another question. If Jesus came primarily to die, why did he spend more … Continue reading WHY JESUS HAD TO LIVE??: THE ACTIVE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST
The One Who Represents Many
When Apollo 11 Moon Landing occurred, only three men traveled to the moon. Yet the event was experienced as a human achievement. When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface, newspapers around the world described it as humanity taking a step onto another world. Of course, humanity did not literally walk there. One man did. … Continue reading The One Who Represents Many
Do You Remember the Trinity When You Go to Worship?
Sunday mornings are special. While the coffee is still brewing and breakfast is waiting to be prepared, the sun breaks through the darkness. The light passes through stained glass to highlight the well worn pews waiting to be filled. There is a majestic glory to that scene. It calls us to leave our screens behind … Continue reading Do You Remember the Trinity When You Go to Worship?
Justification: God’s Decree of Righteousness
Few doctrines stand closer to the heart of the gospel than justification. When Martin Luther reflected upon this truth, he described it as the article by which the church stands or falls. The reason is not difficult to see. The question that presses upon every sinner is ultimately this: How can a guilty person stand … Continue reading Justification: God’s Decree of Righteousness
Substitution or Participation?
For a growing number of Christians, substitution has become a suspicious word. It sounds too violent, judicial, mechanical, and too tied to forms of Protestant scholasticism that seemed to describe salvation as little more than a legal transaction occurring somewhere above human life rather than within it. Many younger theologians and pastors now prefer different … Continue reading Substitution or Participation?
Exegetical Foundations for Divine Plenitude
Any theological account of divine plenitude must begin with Scripture’s own depiction of God as infinitely alive, blessed, and communicative in his goodness. The Christian doctrine of divine plenitude does not arise from metaphysical speculation. Instead, the Christian doctrine of divine plenitude (the overflowing of God's perfect life into blessedness) emerges from the biblical data. … Continue reading Exegetical Foundations for Divine Plenitude
Donnie's Dogmatics 