tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28263427501273377222024-03-18T10:12:07.537-04:00Matthew DowlingDialogues on Systematics and Reformed ProtestantismMatthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.comBlogger2724125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-80735934824402449272024-03-18T10:11:00.000-04:002024-03-18T10:11:36.341-04:00Duality of Man (1 Corinthians 6:12-20)"Or do you not know … you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body …" (1 Cor. 6:19–20).In the previous lesson we learned that even though man has fallen from his original state he is still made in the image of God. Yet something has changed, something dramatic. When sin entered the picture, we lost all righteousness, our ability to think became Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-57063118972961123452024-03-17T07:46:00.000-04:002024-03-17T07:46:10.244-04:00"Suppressing Truth" by John Calvin"Though experience testifies that a seed of religion is divinely sown in all, scarcely one in a hundred is found who cherishes it in his heart, and not one in whom it grows to maturity, so far is it from yielding fruit in its season. Moreover, while some lose themselves in superstitious observances, and others, of set purpose, wickedly revolt from God, the result is that, in regard to the true Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-42612017322656785812024-03-15T10:46:00.000-04:002024-03-15T10:46:44.437-04:00Made in God’s Image (Genesis 1:20-31)"So God created man in His own image" (Gen. 1:27).Although man is sinful, stripped of his original righteousness, he is still God’s creation, made in His image. “The likeness has been spoiled, but not obliterated completely,” Colin Chapman writes, “However much the writers of the Bible may stress man’s fallen state, they never lose sight of the fact that he is the crown of God’s creative work in Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-73460441781998187852024-03-14T05:44:00.004-04:002024-03-14T05:44:52.331-04:00The Paradox of Man (Psalm 8)"What is man that You are mindful of him?" (Ps. 8:4).Paul’s desire for the Corinthian Church was that it be free from the entanglements of sin and be conformed to the holiness of God. As is evident from the apostle’s constant exhortations, he understood the fallen condition of man, the reality of sin that plagues every human being, even those who have been redeemed by the grace of God. To gain a Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-41453909200246601552024-03-13T11:17:00.001-04:002024-03-13T11:17:20.407-04:00Get Rid of the Old Yeast (1 Corinthians 5:6-8)"Therefore, let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast … but with bread without yeast" (1 Cor. 5:8).Paul tells the Corinthians that they had no reason to boast in their religious state; on the contrary, they had many reasons to be alarmed. They had allowed sin to grow among them. “A little leaven spreads through the whole lump.” The leaven is sin, and a single sin, no matter how secret, Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-69361310227623146202024-03-12T08:28:00.000-04:002024-03-12T08:28:15.166-04:00Expel the Immoral Brother (1 Corinthians 5:1-5)"… hand this man over to Satan …" (1 Cor. 5:5).The Corinthian Church had grown so prideful in its own importance that it failed to deal with the sins that marred its reputation and threatened to infest the whole body. Their pride was either in themselves, that they were so great they refused to face up to the realities of immorality in their midst, or their pride was in the man himself. He might Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-66964353618494045202024-03-11T16:06:00.001-04:002024-03-11T16:06:26.592-04:00The Right to Discipline (1 Corinthians 4:18-21)"Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?" (1 Cor. 4:21).Some of the false teachers in the church spread rumors that Paul would not be coming to visit them. In their pride and self-conceit, they set themselves up as their own authority, thoroughly under-mining the authority of the apostle. They called into question his apostleship (9:1–3); they accused him of Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-39635692233005726322024-03-08T10:31:00.000-05:002024-03-08T10:31:12.955-05:00A Pastoral Warning (1 Corinthians 4:14-17)"I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you" (1 Cor. 4:14).Paul’s sarcastic rebuke in the previous passage was not meant to shame the Corinthians but to warn them. The word “warn” in this passage expresses parental admonition and instruction. Paul didn’t want to make them feel bad; he wanted to turn from their sin. He wanted them to change from being prideful Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-76413855634087812112024-03-07T10:16:00.003-05:002024-03-07T10:16:29.762-05:00Scum of the Earth (1 Corinthians 4:8-13)"To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless" (1 Cor. 4:11).To grasp the meaning of these verses, we must put them into the context of Corinthian society. The church at Corinth lived in a wealthy, highly-intellectual culture. As a result, they took great pride in worldly esteem, and as is evident from their favoritism of various pastors, Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-65370671146758639752024-03-06T11:31:00.000-05:002024-03-06T11:31:41.236-05:00Make No Judgments (1 Corinthians 4:5-7)"Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes …" (1 Cor. 4:5).Paul warns the Corinthians not to make judgments about him before the appointed time, before the judgment of Christ. The basis for this warning is that only on the day of judgment will the hidden motives of the heart be revealed. Because man cannot know another’s thoughts and desires, he is incompetent to judge. The Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-67072625142451926582024-03-02T05:16:00.002-05:002024-03-02T05:16:24.172-05:00The Temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)"Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Cor. 3:16).The apostle began this chapter rebuking the Corinthians for the divisions that had erupted in the church. Paul saw the root of the divisions to be false doctrine that had infiltrated the church by way of teachers who spread error among the congregation. The brunt of Paul’s rebuke, therefore, Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-58403370896532926292024-02-29T10:44:00.000-05:002024-02-29T10:44:29.615-05:00Beyond the Physical (Genesis 1)"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1).Once a child learns to speak clearly and thoughtfully, he begins to ask the question “why?” He does not simply want to know how something functions, he wants to know why it exists, why it functions according to certain rules and principles. Once you ask the question “why?” about something, you go beyond the physical into what we Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-78580672470629480122024-02-26T13:51:00.000-05:002024-02-26T13:51:32.243-05:00A Blueprint for Thinking (2 Peter 1)"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge" (2 Peter 1:5).As people endowed with the mind of Christ, Christians need to apply this knowledge to every area of their lives. The teaching of Christ does not simply lead one to salvation, but it provides a framework in which we are to function in our relationships, ministries, and vocations. Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-38034691680503526772024-02-25T07:01:00.000-05:002024-02-25T07:01:17.697-05:00Discrediting the Critics (1 Corinthians 2:13-16)"… nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14).Paul makes a final defense of his preaching against those who would discredit him and his doctrines as foolish by emphasizing the source of his teaching. He says that “these things we also speak.… comparing spiritual things with spiritual,” or in other words, joining spiritual things to spiritual words, or, explaining Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-24213800161095959692024-02-22T10:46:00.004-05:002024-02-22T10:46:59.366-05:00The Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:10-12)"For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (1 Cor. 2:10).While anyone can recite the Scriptures, understand complex theological concepts, even see the reasonableness of Christ’s teaching, true Christian knowledge, what Paul calls the wisdom of God, is much more. The natural man (1 Cor. 2:14) does not have the Spirit of God, and even though he might be familiar with Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-4896072118004775852024-02-21T08:48:00.000-05:002024-02-21T08:48:36.558-05:00The Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 2:6-9)"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery" (1 Cor. 2:7).Many times in his epistles Paul asserts that he was not a preacher of human wisdom. Should we, then, infer that Paul despised knowledge, that he was an illiterate enemy of learning, or that he taught nonsense? Far from it! Paul taught the highest wisdom. “The objection urged against Paul was that he did not teach philosophy,” Hodge wrote.Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-18094835591403749032024-02-20T11:15:00.000-05:002024-02-20T11:15:52.359-05:00Persuasive Words? (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)"And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Cor. 2:4).The beginning of chapter 2 reiterates a theme from the first chapter: the power of the simple preaching of the pure Gospel. As Paul stated before, he did not preach to the Corinthians with persuasive, impressive words, but he preached Christ and Him Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-4521113596663468272024-02-17T06:50:00.000-05:002024-02-17T06:50:10.070-05:00Glory Only in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:10-31)“He who glories, let him glory in the LORD” (1 Cor. 1:31).The first chapter of 1 Corinthians concludes with a reminder of who you are in Christ and the benefits you have received by His grace alone. “Your conversion or saving union with Christ is not due to yourselves,” Hodge wrote. “He so dispenses His grace as to make men see with regard to others, and to acknowledge with regard to themselves, Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-20023841549680693642024-02-10T06:46:00.001-05:002024-02-10T06:46:44.760-05:00Evangelism and Election (Romans 10)"How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Rom. 10:14).From the Reformation through the colonization of America, Calvinism dominated the Protestant movement. Belief in justification by faith alone and God’s electing love permeated the preaching and evangelism of the early Protestants. Contrary to what many believe, Calvinism is not Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-55224114527372146182024-02-09T04:31:00.000-05:002024-02-09T04:31:04.500-05:00The Foreknowledge of God (Romans 8:18-30)"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:29).The classic passage in the New Testament on election and predestination is the ninth chapter of Romans. The emphasis in Romans 9 is on God’s purpose. Romans 9:11–12 tells us that the reason the decision was made before Jacob and Esau were born, before they had done anything good or evil, was so that Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-89900148731598932542024-02-07T12:16:00.001-05:002024-02-07T12:16:48.009-05:00Man’s Total Depravity (John 6:22-58)"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44).The Reformed or Augustinian doctrine of election is grounded in the fact that man is so sinful, so depraved in his fallenness, that apart from the irresistible grace of God not one could ever turn to Christ. In John 6:25–58, Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-53350404263632126222024-02-05T18:04:00.000-05:002024-02-05T18:04:04.088-05:00A Particular Sacrifice (John 10:1-30)"… I lay down My life for the sheep …” (John 10:15).Many people believe that Christ died for the salvation of every person who has ever lived and ever will live. Such a supposition, however, is contrary to the plain teaching of Scripture. Christ Himself makes that clear when He said, “I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-40177976503976380352024-02-01T10:55:00.005-05:002024-02-01T10:55:49.039-05:00Blessing and Curse (Galatians 3:10-29)"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us" (Gal. 3:13).In yesterday’s post, I mentioned how Christ’s life of sinlessness and perfect obedience fulfilled the requirements of the covenant God made with Adam, the representative head of the human race. Today, we will explore more fully the concept of the covenant and its relationship to the sacrifice of Christ.InMatthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-27054422138667006122024-01-31T10:42:00.001-05:002024-01-31T10:42:47.263-05:00Justification by Faith (Romans 3:21-4:25)"But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed …" (Rom. 3:21).The Bible tells us that without holiness no one will see God, only the righteous can ascend His holy hill. The question, then, is how can an unrighteous person, or an unjust person, be justified before a holy and just God? This question is loaded with theological significance that has direct bearing on the essence of Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2826342750127337722.post-84526887820462052952024-01-30T10:33:00.001-05:002024-01-30T10:33:35.867-05:00A Ransom for Many (Mark 10:35-45)“… the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).As Christ prepared to he crucified, He declared the purposes of His ministry: “the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). The use of the term “ransom” has often been misunderstood. It has been proposed that Christ’s Matthew Dowlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067393436424940122noreply@blogger.com0