1. The Sin unto Death​ “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.”—1 John 5:16-17. The sin mentioned here is not the same as the “sin against the Holy Ghost.” The persons spoken of, as respectively guilty, are very different from each other... Read more ..read more

To Robert Gordon of Knockbreck from Aberdeen, 9 February 1637​ Things which affliction teaches​ Temptations that I supposed to be stricken dead and laid upon their back rise again and revive upon me; yea, I see that, while I live, temptations will not die. The devil seemeth to brag and boast as much as if he had more court with Christ than I have and as if he had charmed and blasted my ministry that I shall do no more good in... Read more ..read more

I'm curious, what would you expect from a normal Presbyterian service? I know a pcusa and a united Methodist church share a church with one minister, (in my town). Is that unusual? Thanks ..read more

By Horatius Bonar, (1808-1889) Scottish Presbyterian (This kind of preaching needs to be in all churches today!) "Do you ask, How am I to find salvation, and how am I to go to that God, on the blood of whose Son I have trampled so long? I answer, Go to Him in your proper and present character—that of sinner. Go with no lie upon your lips, professing to be what you are not, or to feel what you do not. Tell Him honestly what you are, and what you feel, and what you do not feel. “Take... Read more ..read more

Hello, all. I have been dealing with infidelity for a while now. My wife doesn’t know about it, but I have told God and a close friend that is a pastor. I’m struggling with the fact if I should tell my wife, or should I keep going? I love my wife, and she’s incredible. I just don’t feel right keeping her in this marriage, knowing I haven’t been faithful. Is that guilt? Should I confess to her even though she doesn’t know and I have confessed to God, a pastor, and I’m in therapy. I need help ..read more

Ephesians is the Mt. Everest of the whole Bible. It's scope is cosmic. It reveals God's purpose in Christ for the whole universe, and the central role of the church--the one olive tree of the one people of God, of both OT and NT saints (Ro 11:16-23, Heb 11:40, 12:22-23)--in that purpose. Ephesians is about us, the believers. Whereas Colossians is about Christ and the sufficiency of Christ for the church, Ephesians is about us, about our relation... Read more ..read more

So I've been pondering the MT and LXX more as far as the OT is concerned, and one similarity I see is that Presbyterians like GK Beale really utilize the LXX to the nth degree in their analysis, and I really like it. Whereas as a Lutheran, a lot of the commentaries on the OT stick to the MT only, with only the odd cross reference to the LXX. This is interesting to me because in Orthodoxy, the LXX is the main source for the OT, so in that way, it combines the best elements of both Lutherans... Read more ..read more

John Frame says that prayer is not only commanded but us communing with God, and prayer also changes things in his triangle diagram in his systematics. So I was wondering if our prayers that are spontaneous "tainted" by sin? Are we harming ourselves by praying if we are too sinful similar to partaking of the Lord's supper if unworthy? It's a confusing topic to me as there are differences between the Reformed and Lutheran view of prayer as a means of grace. The Lutherans seem to be a lot more... Read more ..read more

Hello. What is required for adults to join the Presbyterian Church, specifically PCA, OPC, and EPC? I understand that there might be differences between the three. I know that a person would need to be a confessing Christian who has been baptized validly, but what else is required? I was once told by a PCA pastor, several years ago, that all that is required of members is to be a confessing baptized Christian. Only Church officers need to confess more than that. Is that correct? If it is... Read more ..read more

Assuming Lutheran baptismal regeneration is true and perseverance of the saints is true, then the two can be simply harmonized that the elect infants who are baptized receive the Holy Spirit and are regenerated at that time, while the non elect do not receive the HS. However, the point is that it is (1) not merely a sign/seal and (2) the elect receive the Holy Spirit at that time. The warning passages of Hebrews and elsewhere are then not directed at these elect people raised in the church... Read more ..read more