Christian Mind in Action
Closely related to theology as “approximation” of God’s revelation, is Van Til’s idea of “limiting concepts”. Van Til talked about this in multiple publications, including Common Grace and The Gospel (P&R, 2015, p. xlviii-xlix; also a paper published under Common Grace in WTJ), An Introduction to Systematic Theology (P&R, 2007,…
Besides the identity of “Israel” in Romans 11, the identity of the man in Romans 7:14-25 is another point of debates amongst orthodox Christians. The mainstream view understands the man as regenerate (Augustine, Luther, Calvin, John Murray, and this list is long; either as a regenerate as his best or…
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour”, “You shall not lie to one another”, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight” (Ex. 20:16, Lv. 19:11, Ps 101:7, Prov. 6:16-19, 12:22, Mt. 15:18-20, Jn. 8:44, Eph. 4:25, Col. 3:9-10, Rev.…
What’s wrong with celebrating Christmas? To ask this question alone already seems offensive to many. How can there be anything wrong? Is it wrong to praise God and preach Christ? Is it wrong to be happy and enjoy? The complaints against the puritanic killjoy are many. The number of Christians…
Daniel is the only book in the OT that provides a comprehensive and progressive vision of biblical eschatology, starting from the time of Daniel all the way to the Messianic Kingdom and worldwide resurrection. In other major prophecies of NT (Mt. 24, Lk. 21, 1Cor. 15, 1Th. 4, 2Th. 2,…
The debate among orthodox Christians concerning eschatology centers on millennium: amillennialism, postmillennialism, and premillennialism. Immediately related to that is the role of Jews and Gentiles in the Kingdom plan, or the role of Israel and Church. Premillennialism emphasizes the distinction between the two (separate at certain time in certain way,…
The history of Christianity is an intertwined history of traditions and reforms. There is always a spirit of upholding the tradition, and there is always a spirit not content with the tradition. Tradition is inevitable since no Christian lives in vacuum; tradition is beneficial since it is the testimony of…
Expository preaching is quite popular in conservative Christian circles, the resurgence of which probably came under the influence of D Martyn Lloyd Jones and others in the mid 20th century. Expository preaching presupposes a serious commitment to Scripture as the Word of God, to its authority and inerrancy. Its form…
Truth is susceptible to be misinterpreted, and truth is often being misinterpreted and misused. It has been so in the garden of Eden, where Satan questioned the truthfulness of God’s word and then Adame and Eve succumbed to this doubt. In a fallen world, amongst fallen people, there is no…
Following the previous article on the limitations of theology, we look at a more specific issue here, concerning the tri-unity of God and eternal generation. The central question is: whether eternal generation is essential to the biblical teaching on the tri-unity of God? Is eternal generation taught in Scripture? Let’s…