Amr's Randomata Blog

Answering the often raised objection to Trinitarianism: God is one What (essence) and three Who's (subsistences, aka Persons). Essence and Person are not the same things. Essence refers to the being of God, while Person is used here as substance within being (subsisting as, subsistence). The...

A question I was recently asked: Let's examine the logical ordering versus temporal execution of the decree of God. Two views are predominant within Reformed orthodoxy. Supralapsarianism Supralapsarianism is the doctrine that God's eternal decrees of man's creation and the Fall were predicated...

Over the years as a pastor and a teacher of theology I have encountered many Christians who have not studied Scripture or the theology contained in Scripture. This is not what is expected of us by God. We are all theologians and we should be good theologians. Sadly, a fundamental problem among...

God's impassibility is a quality of his aseity or divine fullness. Unlike us, God is not dependent upon anything outside himself for emotional fulfilment or satisfaction. Impassibility then, is not a defect in God. He is not emotionally stunted or remote. Rather he is perfectly fulfilled and...

Question: Are we justified on account of our faith? Justification is a declarative act in which God pronounces the sinner just or righteous, that is, declares that the claims of justice, so far as God is concerned, are satisfied, so that the sinner cannot be justly condemned, but is in...

God, the Trinity, and seven principles God: There is but one God (Deuteronomy 4:39), who is eternal (Isaiah 57:15; Psalms 90:2; Psalms 90:4; Revelation 1:8; Revelation 4:8; John 8:58; Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 45:21; Isaiah 46:9-10; Galatians 4:4-5; Acts 17:30-31), a spirit (John 4:24), sovereign...

A common statement about the Atonement of our Lord that needs a proper response: Not a few folks react wrongly when limited atonement is mentioned, failing to see their own versions of limited atonement. Those who deny the Reformers view what Scripture teaches about limited atonement have a...

For me, when it comes to views of the end times, any view, including, dispensational, and even historic premillennial (so-called non-dispensational Premillennialism), that encompasses earthly millennial reigning dishonorably implies Our Lord has abdicated from sitting at the right hand of God...

Another Reformed distinctive is the teachings of Scripture as relates to Adam's federal headship of all his progeny such that when he sinned all mankind was plunged into sin and corruption. All are born sinners, not born morally neutral, becoming sinners when they sin. And the Lord smelled a...

The typical complaint of the anti-Calvinist... Unless on is a heretical hyper-Calvinist, those so destined for eternal punishment were contemplated by God as already fallen in Adam (a fallen lump of clay). They were not contemplated by God to be morally neutral. Thus, the justice of God in...

When persons resort to the genetic fallacy by appealing to John Calvin's life as a supposed refutation of the theological views from Scripture that he systematized, it is clear they are becoming desperate. Such tactics demonstrate these persons are just not qualified to sit at the table where...

You need to be more careful in your view of the verse in question. On needs to understand the context as well as how the author, John, uses words in Scripture. Lifting a verse outside of these things will lead to the erroneous claims you are making. If here "world" (kosmos) is a reference to...

In these debates we are told that... “..if we do not have economic subordination, then there is no inherent difference in the way the three persons relate to one another,” such that, if we reject eternal functional subordination (EFS), “we do not have the three distinct persons existing as...

Justice is that rectitude of character which leads to the treatment of others in strict accordance with their deserts. God's justice does not differ in any respect of this attribute of God as is seen among His rational creatures. The exception is that God's justice is perfect while that of His...

The unbeliever will never seek God's righteousness for the unbeliever - is deceitful and desperately sick (Jer. 17:9); - is full of evil (Mark 7:21-23); - is not able to come to Jesus unless given to by God (Eph. 2:2); - must be quickened by God (Eph. 2:4-5); - cannot choose righteousness until...

No. Per the regulative principle of worship, the whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time...

From an ongoing series on perplexing Bible passages: John Currid on Isaiah 65:20 Dan Doriani on Matthew 24:15–16 Miles Van Pelt on Judges 11:29–40 Mark Gignilliant on Exodus 4:24–26 William Ross on Psalm 19:7 Jimmy Agan on Matthew 15:26 Dennis Johnson on Revelation 21:1 Greg Beale on Revelation...

From a conservative Presbyterian perspective, there is no such support: http://www.thebluebanner.com/pdf/bluebanner8-9&10.pdf Web version: The Religious Observance of Christmas and ‘Holy Days’ in American Presbyterianism | Naphtali Press We should all follow the Regulative Principle of...

The Just Me and My Bible proponent lays claim to biblicism not really understanding what the term even means. All Reformed agree with biblicism, but not anti-historicist biblicism. Likewise, all Reformed agree with historicism, but not anti-biblicist historicism. The reformed tradition is...

I maintain a very small counseling practice. I have to be persuaded that the couple or individual is really in need of the type of counseling I provide. How I go about doing that is not based upon a rigid algorithm or questionnaire. I generally have to know the potential client reasonably enough...