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The Preface to the Lord’s Prayer: Pt III
Having treated the first two words of the prayer in the previous posts, we come to the clause, “which art in heaven.” The previous two words convey our personal relationship with God; the first word, “our”, teaches us that God is indeed our God and we are his people; the second word, “father”, teaches us…
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But Now…
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that…
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The Preface to the Lord’s Prayer: Pt II
When his disciples asked him “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1) our Lord responded with these words: “Our Father…” These words are filled with meaning. The previous post was dedicated to the word “our” in this response, which teaches us to pray “with and for others” as the Westminster Larger Catechism puts it. This…
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Come, My Soul, and Bless the LORD
Come my soul and bless the LORD, all within me bless his name!Come my soul, and bless the LORD; and forget not all his grace:all your sins the LORD forgives, all your sicknesses he heals.He redeems you from the pit; his compassion he reveals. He will crown you with his love, with his tender mercies…
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He has Given us to his Son, and also Given his Son for us
The Father’s giving of them to him, to save them declares that he is, and will be, gentle and patient towards them, under all their provocations and miscarriages. It is not to be imagined, the trials and provocations that the Son of God has all along had with these people that have been given to…
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The Preface to the Lord’s Prayer: Part I
The Lord’s prayer was given to us so we would learn to pray. Few things strengthen our faith more than prayer. For this reason it is known in the Westminster Standards as a means of grace and not merely a response to grace. A prayer may be said or sung. In both cases, we are…
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How Marvelous, How Wise, How Great
How marvelous, how wise, how great, how infinite to contemplate: Jehovah’s saving plan! He saw me in my lost estate, yet purposed to regenerate this faithless, fallen man. Foreknown before the world began, according to his gracious plan, God destined I must be conformed to Jesus Christ, the man, who lived and loved as no…
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Calvin on The Apostles Creed
Benefits imparted out our faith by Christ’s ascension (On the Apostles Creed “He ascended into heaven) From this our faith receives many benefits. First it understands that the Lord by his ascent to heaven opened the way into the Heavenly Kingdom, which had been closed through Adam. Since he entered heaven in our flesh, as…
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The Third Use of the Law
The third and principal use, which pertains more closely to the proper use of the law, finds its place among believers in whose hearts the Spirit of God already lives and reigns. For even though they have the law written and engraved upon their hearts by the finger of God, that is, have been so…
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AA Hodge on the Subjects of Baptism
As to infants, our Standards teach that an infant, one or both of whose parents are believers (WCF 28, section 4) — _i.e._, one or both of whose parents profess faith in Christ and obedience to him (WLC., q. 166)–is to be baptized. A bare outline of the abundnant Scriptural evidence of this truth may…
