The debate between the Lutheran and Reformed view of Holy Communion is a long and fierce one stretching over many centuries. Having grown up Lutheran and now being a Presbyterian pastor, this debate has been of great interest to me. I think it might be worthwhile to note the major reasons why I have come
Some Notes Against the Lutheran View of Communion Read More »
I grew up in a conservative Lutheran tradition and even consider attending an LCMS seminary. I was very grateful for my church but ultimate studied my way into the Reformed tradition and attending a seminary which led to me becoming a Presbyterian minister. When I was just starting out at seminary, I attended a couple
[From an email exchange, I thought this might be valuable or interesting to my readers] Dear brother D. Douma, Good morning! I hope all is well with you and your family. I wanted to see if you could help me with something I’ve been discussing with some brothers, that is, the admission of Reformed
Most of the material I read in preparation for sermons or in my own studies is written by believers. I particularly like Gordon H. Clark, A. W. Pink, John Calvin, R. C. Sproul, David Engelsma, William Hendrickson, and Simon Kistemaker. And I read commentaries of MacArthur, Keener, Carson, Lenski, John Murray, Charles Hodge, Keil &
Substitutionary atonement is the doctrine that Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross for the sake of his chosen people; that he was the substitute, taking upon himself the penalty they deserve and giving them his righteousness. As the sacrifice of the passover lamb was a substitute for the people, so Jesus, being the
I recently gave a sermon on the virtue of gentleness. And this provided an opportunity to bring up an idea that has been developing in my mind for some time. I call it “The Quiet Minister.” This idea of “The Quiet Minister” came to my mind as the opposite of the brash young ministers and
I’ve recently undertaken a study on repentance. I read four books, which I’ll briefly review below, and then give some comments on the subject. The Doctrine of Repentance by Thomas Watson (1668) The Puritan Thomas Watson (c. 1620 – 1686) presumably provides a Reformed view of repentance. He writes that true repentance is made up
I recently read an old (1990s) pamphlet written by Bible Presbyterian minister G. W. Fisher titled “Should Morality Be Legislated.” It was a valuable read, well thought out, and fair in explaining the positives and negatives of legislating morality. His major conclusion in the final section titled “So What Is The Church To Do?” was
I have often seen Christians doubt their salvation because of concerns over whether they have sufficiently repented of their sins. Their mindset is something like this: “I’m told I must repent to be saved, but I keep sinning, therefore I must not be saved.” This mindset, however, generally misunderstands the nature of Biblical repentance and
In using Old Testament figures for comparisons, the authors of the New Testament considered each of them as historical as the next. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jonah, Moses, and David were each real people who lived and died on this earth as the Old Testament speaks of them. [1Co 15:22 ESV] 22 For as in Adam
