In this paper, I argue that the divine decree entails determinism because its scope is universal, its efficacy entails a hypothetical necessity, and it is internal to God; and in light of determinism, we ought to affirm compatibilism—the belief that free agency and moral responsibility are compatible with determinism. The Reformed tradition has affirmed this … Read more
The metaphor of the slave, which serves as a reference to Christ’s humility for us to imitate and as a reminder for Christians to practice obedience, is common in Augustine’s corpus, including his sermons.[1] For example, Elia aptly points out that in Sermo (s.) 159B, there is an explicit slave Christology expounded by Augustine through … Read more
In his classic essay on fictional narrative and Biblical revelation, “On Fairy Stories,” J. R. R. Tolkien famously states: “The Gospels contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories … Because this story is supreme; and it is true. Art has been verified.” C. S. Lewis … Read more
The goal of this paper is to develop a reformed catholic model of sanctification. I will advance that we need a specific theory of virtue formation with a critical reception of infused habits that is not necessarily contrary to a reformed anthropology. With the help of John Owen and Peter Vermigli, I will defend an … Read more
Christological Anthropology is a methodological approach to Theological Anthropology which identifies Christ as the proper and primary model of true humanity rather than pre-lapsarian Adam. Within this methodological approach, it would be proper to ask whether Christ’s three-fold office of prophet, priest, and king popularized by Calvin and codified in the Westminster confession may apply … Read more
Central to St. Paul’s theology is the concept of δικαιασύνη and its cognates. Over the years, scholars have promoted differing ideas on the essence of δικαιασύνη and how one should understand the term. The present study will begin by exploring, in brief, the history of the theological conceptions of δικαιασύνη and what St. Paul is … Read more
Abstract: In the rapidly evolving cultural landscape that has followed on the heels of the sexual revolution, Protestants have struggled to sufficiently comprehend and respond to the subversion of gender and sexual norms in the West. Protestants have largely responded in the form of a textual apologetic grounded in biblical theology. The efficacy of this … Read more
Contemporary evangelical systematic theology treatments on the doctrine of salvation often centers on historical tensions between Pelagian/Augustinian or Arminian/Calvinist viewpoints. Specifically, when discussing salvation by grace, theologians center discussions on grace on the Pelagian/Augustinian or Arminian/Calvinist positions on the role of humanity in salvation. This results in discussions on grace in salvation within the context … Read more
This paper argues that the anthropological extension of Christ’s human ontology strengthens the coherence of his penal substitutionary atonement (PSA). The traditional explanation of how the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ secures the eternal redemption of his people by effectively paying the penalty they deserve presents a central truth of the gospel as a warranted theological … Read more
The subject of beauty connected to God was at the center of biblical thinking in the past and thus at the center of living the Christian life. Unfortunately, beauty is a topic that can sound strange to modern ears when speaking about God. Whatever the reason for this phenomenon, the idea of what those in … Read more