While he may be best known for his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Jonathan Edwards focused on Heaven and God’s blessedness more than the horrors of Hell. Edwards grounds divine blessedness in the eternal life of the triune God and then explains creation, redemption, and the saints’ beatific joy as the … Continue reading “God is Infinitely Happy in the Enjoyment of Himself”: Jonathan Edwards on Divine Blessedness
Christianity
The First Cause: Aquinas and the Nature of Existence
In Sum. Cont. Gent. 2.15, Aquinas explains how it is that “God is the Cause of All Being.” This fundamental truth is affirmed in passages like Genesis 1, Acts 17:28, and Romans 11:36. I have summarized Aquinas’ argument below. So we can appreciate what it means for God to be the Cause of All Being. … Continue reading The First Cause: Aquinas and the Nature of Existence
On Trinitarian Analogies
You're sitting in Sunday school, and someone asks how to explain the Trinity. Within seconds, someone mentions ice, water, and steam. Another person brings up an egg—shell, white, and yolk. A third suggests shamrock leaves. We nod along, thinking we've captured something profound about God's nature. But what if these well-meaning illustrations actually lead us … Continue reading On Trinitarian Analogies
God’s Work in the Water: Baptism and the Blessing of Union with Christ
Few acts in the Christian life are so widely misunderstood or undervalued as baptism. To many outside the church, it may appear little more than a quaint tradition or cultural custom. Even among believers, it is often reduced to a mere symbol, a public declaration of faith without deeper significance. Yet the apostles and the … Continue reading God’s Work in the Water: Baptism and the Blessing of Union with Christ
Divine Blessedness: Encountering God’s Perfect Joy Through His Names
What's in a name? For most of us, names are simply labels implying a familial inheritance or a mark of personal identity. But in Scripture, God’s names function as windows into His very essence. They are not mere titles but invitations to know the Creator and partake in the perfection of His blessedness. From the … Continue reading Divine Blessedness: Encountering God’s Perfect Joy Through His Names
Historical Trinitarian Mistakes and Their Practical Consequences
Since the triune God is the foundation of the Christian faith, getting our understanding of God right isn’t just about academic theology. Getting our understanding about God right is knowing God as he truly is. This is the most important and most practical thing we can do. Jesus said, “And this is eternal life, that … Continue reading Historical Trinitarian Mistakes and Their Practical Consequences
John Owen’s Vision of Christocentric Worship
John Owen, a towering figure in Puritan theology, articulates a profoundly Christocentric vision of Christian worship, one that is inseparable from the person and work of Jesus Christ. He contends that "the glory, life, and power of Christian religion" derive their meaning, vitality, and efficacy from their direct relation to Christ, who is the foundation … Continue reading John Owen’s Vision of Christocentric Worship
Understanding Christ’s Nature: Insights from John Owen
John Owen writes: "Wherefore our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, may be considered three ways. 1. Merely with respect unto his divine nature. This is one and the same with that of the Father. In this respect the one is not the image of the other, for both are the same. 2. With … Continue reading Understanding Christ’s Nature: Insights from John Owen
The Incomprehensibility of God: An Analysis of John Owen’s Theological Insight
John Owen articulates a doctrine fundamental to classical theism: the absolute incomprehensibility of God. In his Christologia, he asserts, “God, in his own essence, being, and existence, is absolutely incomprehensible. His nature being immense, and all his holy properties essentially infinite, no creature can directly or perfectly comprehend them, or any of them. He must … Continue reading The Incomprehensibility of God: An Analysis of John Owen’s Theological Insight
The Goodness of God: Divine Blessedness and Our Salvation
The doctrine of divine blessedness, or beatitudo Dei, affirms that God is perfect in himself, lacking nothing, and eternally fulfilled. This is grounded in scriptural exegesis of passages that describe God’s perfection and self-sufficiency. In Psalm 16:11, the psalmist declares, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness … Continue reading The Goodness of God: Divine Blessedness and Our Salvation
Donnie's Dogmatics 