INTRODUCTION: We come now to the central lesson of all evangelical religion. We come now to the glorious revelation of the sovereign grace of God, as revealed in the gospel, and only through the gospel. We come now to the promises, which are great and precious. THE TEXT: “Neither, because they are the seed of …
Abraham Kuyper on John Calvin on the United States Congress
Here is a money quote, passed on to me by my son-in-law Luke, who got it from his dad, who is working through Kuyper’s Lectures on Calvinism. Kuyper is quoting from Calvin’s commentary on Samuel. “And ye, O peoples, to whom God gave the liberty to choose your own magistrates, see to it, that ye …
Consent of the Governed
Book 4/Chapter 4 Consent of the people (section 10) 1. What ancient practice in the government of the church does Calvin commend? 2. When a church was afflicted with an evil presbyter, did they have a remedy? More consent (section 11) 1. If a bishop chose his own successor, what was then required to ratify …
True Man
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!” (2 Tim. 2:8-9). Paul’s next exhortation is to …
Patrimony of the Poor
Book 4/Chapter 4 Deacons (section 5) 1. What were the responsibilities of deacons in the early years? 2. What was the bishop’s responsibility? 3. How is the deacons’ office toward the poor described? 4. Where did archdeacons come from? Patrimony (section 6) 1. What were the church’s possessions considered to be? Fourfold division (section 7) …
Vampires, Left Behind, Propaganda, and United We Serve Lickspittles
One of the staples of discussion about basic aesthetic principles is that art has to exist for its own self, and cannot be prostituted to advance a particular cause or point of view. Perfect nonsense, of course, but that doesn’t keep it from being repeated ad nauseam. There is a truth buried in all the …
Government in the Ancient Church
Book 4/Chapter 4 The ancient church (section 1) 1. How has Calvin discussed church government up to this point? 2. To what aspect of the discussion does he now turn? 3. What is his conclusion? The office of bishop (section 2) 1. What were all teachers in the ancient church called? 2. What did the …
Czars Jumping on the Couch
The Obama administration is starting to look like an old couch, the kind you see at the dump with six or seven springs sticking out. But it is not an old couch; it’s a new couch. It is not supposed to look like this just yet. Have all the czars been coming over in the …
Call to the Ministry
Book 4/Chapter 3 An orderly call (section 10) 1. What things should be done “decently and in order” in the church? 2. Are some things more important than others in this regard? The outer call (section 11) 1. What aspect of a man’s call to the ministry is Calvin treating? 2. Why does he pass …
Not a Good Stunt to Pull
We have noted earlier that Psalm 22:3 says that God lives in the praises of His people. He dwells there. This means that our songs, our psalms, our hymns are the living stones of a glorious Temple. This means that our music is a cloud of glory, the same kind of cloud that God used …