The New Geneva Blog

As Calvinists grow in their understanding of the doctrines of grace they eventually ask “Is sanctification monergistic or synergistic?” In today’s post, @TheRealTony777 discusses this question and why the answer is important:

As Calvinists grow in their understanding of the doctrines of grace, the question is often asked whether sanctification is monergistic or synergistic. Some may wonder if it even matters, but this is an important question with significant theological ramifications. If we misunderstand the nature of sanctification, we face the danger of having a flawed view of the nature of justification. Having a…

In today's post, @TheRealTony777 explains what the Mosaic Covenant is and why it's important for Christians. He also answers whether it is an administration of the Covenant of Grace?

In Reformed theology, everything is built on Scripture alone–Sola Scriptura. We don’t build our theology on the New Testament by itself. The Old Testament is the bedrock and foundation for the New. As Paul said, our theology is built on the foundation of the apostles AND the prophets (Eph. 2:20). With this in mind, it’s important to remember the majority of Old Testament literature is about the…

What is the Reformed view of the Lord’s Supper? How is it different from the Lutheranism? Do we believe in the true presence of Christ? These are just some of the questions we'll answer in today's post! 🍞🍷

How do Reformed Christians understand the Lord’s Supper? How is the Reformed understanding different from what Evangelicals and Lutherans believe? Do we believe in the true presence of Christ in the Supper? In this post, I will be drawing a great deal from the Reformed Confessions and John Calvin, as I seek to articulate the Reformed view of the Lord’s Supper. The First Lord’s Supper “When…

The Reformed faith is a beautiful expression of Christian theology and doxology of the triune God of creation, redemption, and consummation. In this post, Charles Vaughn @CharlesAVaughn shares how he came to view embrace the tenets of Reformed theology.

Guest post by Charles Vaughn When I reflect back on my life as a Christian, Paul’s thoughts in this verse come to mind: “Last of all, as to one untimely born, he [Jesus] appeared also to me [Paul]” (1 Corinthians 15:8 ESV). I too was late to bloom. I came to the “job” for the same wages as the rest, but right near closing time (i.e. Mt 20:6). Paul at least had some continuity with the Messiah…

With Herman Bavinck being so popular today, what was his view of the sacraments? Did he view baptism and the Lord's Supper as a means of grace? This post will synthesize his views and answer some perplexing questions.

In this blog post, it’s my objective to synthesize Herman Bavinck’s theology of the sacraments.  All of the thoughts and quotes are taken directly from Chapter 9 of Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 4, Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation.  Bavinck begins by saying that “in addition to the Word, the sacraments are a second means of grace.”  The word Trinity is not in the Bible, and the same is true of…

Read Tim Berglund's @TLBerglund grace filled Reformation story of God’s enduring faithfulness in his life and how it brought him to a place of unshakable refuge.

Special Guest Post by Tim Berglund You’re getting to know some new Christian friends at a small group you just started attending. People are trading testimonies of how they came to faith. The next guy’s up, and he starts with, “I was raised in a Christian home.” Well, now you know it’s gonna get good. The false starts, the flimsy profession in adolescence, the hypocritical teen years filled with…

Do you wrestle with your view on eschatology? In this post @TheRealTony777 explains what’s wrong with Premillennial Dispensationalism and why the case for Amillennialism is the most biblically compelling.

In 2007, Pastor John MacArthur, a premillennial dispensationalist, gave a controversial lecture at the Shepherd’s Conference entitled Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist Is A Premillennialist. In his speech, he made the controversial assertion that if you’re an amillennialist, you’re saying “The kingdom as identified in the Old Testament and promised to Israel will not happen.” The lecture was…

Is there more to Reformed theology than the 5 Points of Calvinism? Read as Daryl Updike @DarylUpdike shares his Reformation story and how he became a "Happy" Presbyterian & Reformed Christian.

Special Guest Post by Daryl Updike My name is Daryl, and I’m a Presbyterian. I wasn’t always a Presbyterian. In fact, I wasn’t always a Christian. As many stories of conversion go, I was a terrible person on the road to destruction. My wife and I were very close to getting a divorce. We, at the time, had been married for 8 years and had a three year old daughter. Then, August 24, 2012, a friend…

What is the Reformed view of the Lord’s Supper? How is it different from the Lutheranism? Do we believe in the true presence of Christ? These are just some of the questions we'll answer in today's post! 🍞🍷

How do Reformed Christians understand the Lord’s Supper? How is the Reformed understanding different from what Evangelicals and Lutherans believe? Do we believe in the true presence of Christ in the Supper? In this post, I will be drawing a great deal from the Reformed Confessions and John Calvin, as I seek to articulate the Reformed view of the Lord’s Supper. The First Lord’s Supper “When…

What's it like to be a Reformed church planter in a foreign country? Read Janie Brown's inspiring story in this special guest post!

Special guest post from Janie Brown of Mission Milan, Italy About six weeks ago, it was our third anniversary of living in Milan, Italy. Since then, I’ve been reflecting on how we got here and, specifically, how the Lord calls his people to do difficult things. I have to start by explaining that never in my wildest dreams did I think we would serve as missionaries in another country. Fifteen…

Why do Presbyterian & Reformed Christians baptize their babies? This post is especially written for those who are new to Reformed theology and are struggling to understand the validity of infant baptism. 💦

Are you interested in attending a Presbyterian or Reformed church, but you just haven’t been able to be convinced of the validity of infant baptism? If so, this post is especially for you. The first thing to keep in mind in this: In Reformed theology, our belief in infant baptism doesn’t come from isolated Bible proof texts, but by considering Scripture as an organic whole. In this post, I’ve…

Assurance of Salvation in Reformed Theology

During the darkest moments of our lives—when it feels we’re taking more delight in sin instead of Christ—where should we turn for the assurance of our salvation? All believers struggle with this at times.  Even John Calvin said he could not “imagine any certainty that is not tinged with doubt, or any assurance that is not assailed by some anxiety.” There are times a Christian will plead, “I…