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Saving Faith and Repentance
What is saving faith? What is the relationship of faith and repentance? The following e-book contains quotes from 35 evangelical theologians on faith and repentance. Some excellent material!
American Presbyterian Church’s Position On Eschatology
(I have visited the American Presbyterian Church’s website several times to read their very good articles. I was struck by the fact that, unlike other Presbyterian denominations, they subscribe to Historic Premillennialism in their creed!)
American Presbyterian Church’s Position On Eschatology:
“Reformed theology and Reformed churches have never had a unified position on eschatology (Greek for the doctrine of future things). The Reformed churches of the continent have traditionally favored amillennialism. Presbyterian churches have for the most part historically favored postmillennialism. All three positions were represented at the Westminster assembly and such noted personages as Dr. Twisse, the moderator, and Goodwin, the Independent, were premillennialists. The Westminster standards therefore allow for all three and basically take a position of eschatological liberty.
For those uninitiated in eschatological matters a few definitions may be in order. The millennium is the future period of peace and prosperity foretold by the prophets. It represents a future Messianic age when all these promises will be fulfilled. Amillennial means no millennium. This position basically states that there will be no literal millennium on earth. It spiritualizes the millennium and sees the Lord’s people spending a future eternity in heaven in an exalted spiritual state. Postmillennial means after the millennium. They believe that Christ will return after the millennium. This position does believe that the ancient promises and prophesies of the Old Testament prophets will be literally fulfilled on this earth. But they believe in a postmillennial return of Jesus Christ. They believe that, by the preaching of the gospel and the work of the Spirit, the nations will be progressively converted to Christianity. And they believe this will usher in the promised golden age of peace and prosperity. They have a Messianic age but without the Messiah present. Premillennial means before the millennium. It refers to a belief in the premillennial return of Jesus Christ. It believes that Christ will return and lift the curse and bring in everlasting righteousness. It believes in a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness. It believes this will happen at the return of Jesus Christ in power and glory to establish his kingdom, to deliver his saints, and to rule the wicked with a rod of iron as the Judge of all the earth.
Charles Spurgeon on Repentance
Quotes from Charles Spurgeon on repentance:
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19.
“Repent signifies, in its literal meaning, to change one’s mind. It has been translated, “after-wit,” or “after-wisdom;” it is the man’s finding out that he was wrong, and rectifying his judgment. But although that be the meaning of the root, the word has come in scriptural use to mean a great deal more. Perhaps there is no better definition of repentance than that which is given in our little children’s hymnbook:
“Repentance is to leave
The sins we loved before,
And show that we in earnest grieve,
By doing so no more.”
Repentance is a discovery of the evil of sin, a mourning that we have committed it, a resolution to forsake it. It is, in fact, a change of mind of a very deep and practical character, which makes the man love what once he hated, and hate what once he loved. Conversion, if translated, means a turning round, a turning from, and a turning to–a turning from sin, a turning to holiness–a turning from carelessness to thought, from the world to heaven, from self to Jesus–a complete turning. . . Regeneration is the implanting of a new nature, and one of the earliest signs of that is, a faith in Christ, and a repentance of sin, and a consequent conversion from that which is evil to that which is good.
The Apostle Peter, addressing the crowd, said to them, “Change your minds; be sorry for what you have done; forsake your old ways; be turned; become new men.” That was his message as I have now put it into other words[1].”
True Grit
We Need a Few Men with ‘Grit’ By Charles Spurgeon
“You see a lot of things which are called men, who turn the way the wind blows; a number of preachers who turn north, south, east and west, just according as the times shall dictate, and their circumstances and the hope of gain shall sway them.. You see a lot of things which are called men, who turn the way the wind blows. I pray God to send a few men with what the Americans call ‘grit’ in them; men who when they know a thing to be right, will not turn away, or turn aside, or stop; men who will persevere all the more because there are difficulties to meet or foes to encounter; who stand all the more true to their Master because they are opposed; who, the more they are thrust into the fire, the hotter they become; who, just like the bow, the further the string is drawn, the more powerfully will it send forth its arrows, and so, the more they are trodden upon, the more mighty will they become in the cause of truth against error. Resolve, brothers and sisters, when you are in any sort of persecution, to face it with a full countenance. Like a nettle is the persecutor; touch it gently and it will sting you, but grasp it, and it hurts you not. Lay hold of those who oppose you, not with rough vengeance, but with the strong grip of quiet decision, and you have won the day.
Speaking In Tongues Essay By Fred Zaspel
The ‘speaking in tongues’ issue has long been debated. I have read a number of articles both pro and con on the issue of tongues in the church today. The following article by Dr. Fred Zaspel is one of the best I have read. He strongly make the case that the modern Pentecostals have it all wrong and their theology is on shaky Biblical grounds.
TheGiftOfTongues- FredZaspel.pdf
About the author: Dr. Fred Zaspel (Free University of Amsterdam) is a New Covenant theologian, author, and pastor of a Baptist Church.
Spurgeon on Bishop J. C. Ryle
My last post was an article by Bishop J. C. Ryle. He was a conservative Anglican scholar and author. This is what Charles H. Spurgeon had to say about Ryle:
4 Great Doctrines To Always Keep in Mind by Bishop J. C. Ryle
4 Great Doctrines To Always Keep in Mind by Bishop J. C. Ryle:
“I feel that we all need more and more of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, to guide, to teach and to keep us sound in the faith. There are certain great truths, which, in a day like this [written in1874!], we are especially bound to keep in mind. I believe there are times and seasons in the Church of Christ when we are bound to tighten our hold upon certain great leading truths, to grasp them with more than ordinary firmness in our hands, to press them to our hearts and not let them go.”
#1: The Total Corruption of the Human Nature
“The corruption of human nature is no slight thing. It is no partial, skin-deep disease, but a radical and universal corruption of man’s will, intellect, affections, and conscience. We are not merely poor and pitiable sinners in God’s sight: we are guilty sinners; we are blameworthy sinners: we deserve justly God’s wrath and God’s condemnation. I believe there are very few errors and false doctrines of which the beginning may not be traced up to unsound views about the corruption of human nature. Wrong views of a disease will always bring with them wrong views of the remedy. Wrong views of the corruption of human nature will always carry with them wrong views of the grand treatment and cure of that corruption.”
#2: The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible
“Let us boldly maintain, in the face of all the opposition, that the whole of the Bible is given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that all is inspired completely, not one part more than another, and that there is an entire gulf between the Word of God and any other book in the world. We need not be afraid of difficulties in the way of the doctrine of absolute inspiration. There may be many things about it far too high for us to comprehend: it is a miracle, and all miracles are necessarily mysterious. But if we are not to believe anything until we can entirely explain it, there are very few things indeed that we shall believe. We need not be afraid of all the assaults that criticism brings to bear upon the Bible. From the days of the apostles the Word of the Lord has been incessantly ‘tried,’ and has never failed to come forth as gold, uninjured and spotless.”
The Second Coming Of Christ by Charles H. Spurgeon
In 1896 Moody Press issued a book “The Second Coming Of Christ”. The book had 8 chapters written by different authors, one of which was Charles Spurgeon whose chapter formed the title “The Second Coming Of Christ”. Some people have misrepresented Spurgeon’s position on eschatology. He was without a doubt a Historic Premillennialist (see Dennis Swanson’s essay on Spurgeon and his eschatology here).
The chapter by Spurgeon was worth the price of the entire book! Download a copy of the e-book:
TheSecondComingOfChrist-CHSpurgeon.pdf
J. I. Packer and C. H. Spurgeon on Covenant Theology
J. I. Packer and C. H. Spurgeon on Covenant Theology:
“What is Covenant theology? The straightforward, if provocative answer to that question is that it is what is nowadays called a hermeneutic…A successful hermeneutic is a consistent interpretation procedure yielding a consistent understanding of Scripture that in turn confirms the proprietary of the procedure itself. Covenant theology is a case in point. It is a hermeneutic that forces itself upon every thoughtful Bible reader…” (James I. Packer)
“The doctrine of the covenant lies at the root of all true theology. It has been said that he who well understands the distinction between the covenant of works and the covenant of grace, is a master of divinity…He also said If anyone should ask me what I mean by a Calvinist, ‘I should reply, ‘He is one who says, Salvation is of the Lord.'” (Charles H. Spurgeon).
Historic Premillennialism Defined
Following is an article from the American Presbyterian Church website on Historic Premillennialism. The American Presbyterian Church is unique in that it is Premillennial in its eschatology while Reformed in its overall theology. Some of the material was quoted from Alexander Reese’s book “The Approaching Advent Of Christ” (see endnotes):
Historic Premillennialism Defined:
Essential Definition: Premillennialism believes that there will be a literal, physical reign of Jesus Christ with the saints on this earth before the institution of the eternal state. It believes that this will happen at the second coming, at the glorious visible return of Jesus Christ at the end of this age. Hence it is called Premillennialism, believing in a Premillennial return of Jesus Christ.
Eschatological Calendar:
- The rise of Anti-Christ, and the concomitant persecution of the Church.
- The great tribulation.
- The return of Christ at the end of the age.
- The resurrection of the just and the simultaneous rapture of the living saints.
- The conversion of the Jews at the glorious visible return of Christ.
- The institution of the millennial kingdom.
- The final revolt of the unbelieving at the end of the millennium.
- The resurrection of the wicked and the final judgment.
- The eternal state in the new heavens and the new earth.
The Second Coming Of Christ, A Look At The Any-Moment Theory By James Slater
The Second Coming Of Christ, A Look At The Any-Moment Theory By James Slater is an excellent book on the return of Christ. In it Slater disassembles the any-moment theory making a strong case for Historic Premillennialism:
UPDATED: The Approaching Advent Of Christ by Alexander Reese
Several months ago I posted the e-book The Approaching Advent Of Christ by Alexander Reese and noted that it had some formatting issues. I have updated the book and am reposting it. This book is one of the best presentations of the post-trib premillennial doctrine that I have read. Download it here:
The 5 Points Of Calvinism Explained By Loraine Boettner
I have read a number of articles explaining the 5 points of Calvinism (TULIP) but this e-book The 5 Points Of Calvinism Explained by Loraine Boettner is by far the best I have seen. Boettner is quite wordy in places because he is so thorough covering all the arguments and objections to each doctrine. If you are interested in Calvinism and the Biblical basis for its theological position this is a ‘must have’ book.
Millennial Views Comparison Chart
I am posting a chart comparing millennial views: Dispensational Premillennialism, Historic Premillennialism, Postmillennialism, and Amillennialism. I have seen several versions of this chart on the web but do not know the author. The chart is a concise but accurate summation of the different views of the millennium.
John McArthur On The Lordship Salvation Controversy
The person who brought the Lordship Salvation controversy to the fore-front of evangelical theology was John MacArthur with the publication of his book The Gospel According to Jesus in 1988. The term ‘Lordship Salvation’ was coined by McArthur’s critics who were proponents of the ‘Free Grace’ theology (called “easy-believism” by critics).
Here is McArthur’s statement on Lordship Salvation today:
“The gospel that Jesus proclaimed was a call to discipleship, a call to follow Him in submissive obedience, not just a plea to make a decision or pray a prayer. Jesus’ message liberated people from the bondage of their sin while it confronted and condemned hypocrisy. It was an offer of eternal life and forgiveness for repentant sinners, but at the same time it was a rebuke to outwardly religious people whose lives were devoid of true righteousness. It put sinners on notice that they must turn from sin and embrace God’s righteousness. Our Lord’s words about eternal life were invariably accompanied by warnings to those who might be tempted to take salvation lightly. He taught that the cost of following Him is high, that the way is narrow and few find it. He said many who call him Lord will be forbidden from entering the kingdom of heaven (cf. Matt. 7:13-23).
Present-day evangelicalism, by and large, ignores these warnings. The prevailing view of what constitutes saving faith continues to grow broader and more shallow, while the portrayal of Christ in preaching and witnessing becomes fuzzy. Anyone who claims to be a Christian can find evangelicals willing to accept a profession of faith, whether or not the person’s behavior shows any evidence of commitment to Christ. In this way, faith has become merely an intellectual exercise. Instead of calling men and women to surrender to Christ, modern evangelism asks them only to accept some basic facts about Him.
This shallow understanding of salvation and the gospel, known as “easy-believism,” stands in stark contrast to what the Bible teaches. To put it simply, the gospel call to faith presupposes that sinners must repent of their sin and yield to Christ’s authority. This, in a nutshell, is what is commonly referred to as lordship salvation.”
Historic Premillennialism By Wick Broomall
Wick Broomall, a Presbyterian professor and theologian has a section in his book The Bible And The Future on Dispensational vs. Historic Premillennialism. He provides an interesting chart comparing the differences between these two viewpoints. If you are interested in the subject this extract from Br0omall’s book will prove useful:
HistoricPremillennialism-WickBroomall.pdf
The Divine and Human in the Bible By B. B. Warfield
Another article by B. B. Warfield on the inspiration of the Bible. In the article Warfield discusses both the Divine and the human elements in the Bible:
TheDivineAndHumanInTheBible-BBWarfield.pdf
The Divine Origin of the Bible By Benjamin B. Warfield
B. B. Warfield, successor to Charles Hodge at Princeton Seminary, is considered to be one of the greatest Reformed theologians of the 20th century. This article he wrote on the Divine Origin of the Bible is an excellent presentation of the doctrine of inspiration:
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ by W. H. Griffith-Thomas
W. H. Griffith Thomas wrote an article on the resurrection of Christ for the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) that is a classic. In it Thomas discusses the top 6 proofs of the resurrection and then discusses the theological issues. If you don’t have a copy of ISBE this article is worth having as a reference:
New Covenant Theology and the Mosaic Law by Dr. Fred Zaspel
The New Covenant Theology (NCT) movement seems to be growing rapidly. Fred Zaspel presents a scholarly but easy to understand essay on the main difference between NCT and CT, which is the relation of the Christian to the Mosaic Law. The essay is New Covenant Theology and the Mosaic Law, A Theological and Exegetical Analysis of Matthew 5:17-20. If you are interested in NCT this e-book covers the subject exceptionally well:
Rules of Interpretation By Charles Hodge
The following article by Charles Hodge is a excellent summary of the rules of Biblical interpretation:
Rules of Interpretation By Charles Hodge
If every man has the right, and is bound to read the Scriptures, and to judge for himself what they teach, he must have certain rules to guide him in the exercise of this privilege and duty. These rules are not arbitrary. They are not imposed by human authority. They have no binding force which does not flow from their own intrinsic truth and propriety. They are few and simple.
1. The Words Of Scripture Are To Be Taken In Their Plain Historical Sense — That is, they must be taken in the sense attached to them in the age and by the people to whom they were addressed. This only assumes that the sacred writers were honest, and meant to be understood.
2. The Analogy Of Faith — If the Scriptures be what they claim to be, the word of God, they are the work of one mind, and that mind divine. From this it follows that Scripture cannot contradict Scripture. God cannot teach in one place anything which is inconsistent with what He teaches in another. Hence Scripture must explain Scripture. If a passage admits of different interpretations, that only can be the true one which agrees with what the Bible teaches elsewhere on the same subject. If the Scriptures teach that the Son is the same in substance and equal in power and glory with the Father, then when the Son says, “The Father is greater than I,” the superiority must be understood in a manner consistent with this equality. It must refer either to subordination as to the mode of subsistence and operation, or it must be official. A king’s son may say, “My father is greater than I,” although personally his father’s equal. This rule of interpretation is sometimes called the analogy of Scripture, and sometimes the analogy of faith. There is no material difference in the meaning of the two expressions.
The Historical Basis of the Christian Faith: The Resurrection of Jesus By James Denney
An excellent essay on The Historical Basis of the Christian Faith: The Resurrection of Jesus by Scottish theologian Dr. James Denney. Denney asks the question “Does Jesus, as He is revealed to us in history, justify the Christian religion as we have had it exhibited to us in the New Testament?”. He then gives his answer as a resounding YES, and he gives a strong apologetic for the Resurrection as the basis.
Studies in Theology Dr. James Denney
I am making available for download an e-book Studies In Theology by Dr. James Denney (a Scottish theologian and Free Church minister). Denney is best known for his books Jesus And The Gospel and The Death Of Christ (which I posted earlier).
This e-book is a series of ten lectures Denney presented at the Chicago Theological Seminary and contains a wide range of topics in theology.
Popular Lectures on Theological Themes by A. A. Hodge
After many hours of frustration I have finally finished a project I have been working on. I am posting an e-book “Popular Lectures on Theological Themes” by A. A. Hodge. It was also published as “Evangelical Theology: A Course of Popular Lectures”.
I got the document in html format and it had been converted with an o.c.r. program. As a result it contained many misspelled words and strange characters at various points. Also some of the Greek words did not convert properly. I have edited the text the best I could and hope I have not missed anything or created any errors.
The lectures are transcribed and edited editions of 19 lectures Dr. Hodge gave on several occasions to groups of laymen. They are in a popular format but contain a wide range of reformed theology subjects. This is a book worth reading! Download and enjoy!
E-books on The Life Of Christ
Today I am posting 2 excellent works on the life of Christ.
1. A Harmony Of The Gospels For Students Of The Life Of Christ by the noted Southern Baptist scholar A. T. Robertson. I have used several Gospel harmonies in the past and I think this is the best.
2. The Life Of Christ by J. Gresham Machen. This book is a short introduction of the person and work of Jesus Christ and is well suited for self-study or teaching Bible Classes. Dr. Machen was an American Presbyterian scholar, apologist, and author.
HarmonyOfTheGospelsForStudents-LifeOfChrist-ATRobertson.pdf
A Defense Of Calvinism And The Doctrines Of Grace by Charles H. Spurgeon
A Defense Of Calvinism And The Doctrines Of Grace by Charles H. Spurgeon
This e-book is a collection consisting of Charles H. Spugeon’s article A Defense of Calvinism and five sermons on the Doctrines of Grace. The sermons are titled: Human Inability, Election, Particular Redemption, Effectual Calling, and Final Perseverance. These titles he used were the common way of stating the 5 points of Calvinism. It was not until 1905 that the acronym TULIP started being used (see my article on the origin of TULIP here: http://wp.me/paiq3-fB).
There are those today that insist that Spurgeon was not a Calvinist (since his sermons were strongly evangelistic), but reading this book will leave no doubt of his commitment to reformed theology.
The Covenants by R. B. C. Howell
New e-book: The Covenants by R. B. C. Howell
Dr. Robert Boyte Crawford Howell (1810-1868), was a Calvinistic Baptist minister, scholar, and author. He was the second president of the Southern Baptist Convention, presiding from 1851 through 1858. Dr. Howell’s book The Covenants is a classic on the subject and should be in the library of anyone interested in Covenant Theology.
The Scofield Bible And Dispensationalism
The Scofield Bible And Dispensationalism
(Westminster Standard Publication #45)
The following e-book is a critique of the Scofield Bible and Dispensationalism from a Reformed viewpoint. It was published by Westminster Standard Publications, Gisborne, N.Z. It does not give the date published but I suspect that it was quite a few years ago since it refers to what is now called ‘classic dispensationalism’, (Scofield, Chafer, Ryrie, Walvoord). It also refers to the theology that is sometimes called ‘hyper’ or ‘ultra-dispensationalism’ (Bullinger, Welch, Baker, O’Hair). The publication is a refutation of the teachings of the Scofield Bible and dispensationalism in general.
TheScofieldBibleAndDispensationalism-Westminster.pdf
(thanks to www.the-highway.com for making this publication available on the internet)
The Terminology Of The Atonement by R. A. Finlayson
The doctrine of the Atonement has been discussed and debated since the days of the early church. Part of the reason so many errors have arisen is because a correct understanding of the theological terminology used is missing or distorted. In the following e-book R. A. Finlayson goes into detail on subjects pertaining to the Atonement discussing such terms as: atonement, substitution, imputation, sacrifice, expiation, propitiation, reconciliation, and etc.
Theologue 