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| New offerings from PRTS |
| Monday, April 20, 2009 |
| Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary is now offering all of its courses for $40 per course. Anyone can purchase a course and be enrolled in the seminary's online course management system. This will give them access to that course's handouts and lectures. Check it out here. A great deal for seminary education. Labels: seminary |
posted by Brian Golez Najapfour @ 1:54 PM   |
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| GOOD NEWS! |
| Saturday, April 18, 2009 |
There are those who would like to attend the Manila Conference on Theology 2009, but because they don't have enough money they could not. The Lord has provided!
I just talked this afternoon with Dr. Joel Beeke about this upcoming conference in Manila. He said to me that someone graciously donated money for the conference to make it FREE for whoever wants to attend. Hence, no conference fee; food is free; books are free; everything is free. What a blessing! We really praise the Lord for that!
Please forward this good news to our fellow laborers there in the Philippines. Elders, deacons, office bearers, men involved in the ministry, evangelists, missionaries, are all invited to come.
WHAT: Manila Conference on Theology 2009
WHEN: May 4-5, 2009. Registration starts at 8:00 a.m.
WHERE: Faith Baptist Church, #4 Bulletin St. Corner West Ave. West Triangle, Quezon City
SPEAKER: Dr. Joel R. Beeke
For more information about this conference, visit: http://www.reformingman.org/
Labels: announcement |
| posted by Brian Golez Najapfour @ 1:18 AM |
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| The Piety of John Bunyan |
| Wednesday, April 1, 2009 |
Foundation of Piety
Bunyan’s theology of piety is founded in biblical soteriology, particularly in the doctrine of justification. In his introduction to A Holy Life (1684), he speaks of two kinds of justification: justification before God and justification before men:
When I write of Justification before God, from the dreadful curse of the Law; then I must speak of nothing but Grace, Christ, the Promise and Faith: but when I speak of our Justification before Men, then I must joyn to these, good Works. For Grace, Christ and Faith are things invisible, and so not to be seen by another, otherwise than through a life that becomes so blessed a Gospel as has declared unto us the remission of our sins for the sake of Jesus Christ. He then that would have Forgiveness of Sins, and so be delivered from the Curse of God, must believe in the Righteousness and Blood of Christ: but he that would shew to his Neighbours that he hath truly received this Mercy of God, must do it by good Works; for all things else to them, is but talk.
Bunyan emphatically makes it clear that a man can only be justified by faith alone in Christ alone (justification before God). Yet, the Bedford preacher underscores that he who claims to have been justified must prove so by his good works (justification before men). Again, “Not that Faith needeth good works as an help to Justification before God. For this matter Faith will be ignorant of all good Works, except those done by the Person of Christ;” but because a justifying faith cannot but bear good fruits. He is foolish, Bunyan writes, that concludes that “A Professor [one who professes Christ] is a Professor though he hath no good Works; but that, as such, he is truly godly.” For the immortal dreamer, a person who is truly “justified by him [Christ], cannot but bring forth good Works, because Christ who is now received and imbraced by Faith, leavens and seasons the Spirit of this Sinner (through his Faith) to the making of him capable so to be.”
In short, in Bunyan’s mind, piety is rooted in the justifying work of Christ, and is a fruit of that work. The problem why people do not live a godly life is that because they have not really been justified. A dead soul remains idle and thus does not bear good fruits; whereas, a soul that has been justified cannot but produce works of holiness:
Now, shall a Soul where the Word and Spirit of Christ dwels, be a Soul without good Works? Yea, shall a Soul that has received the Love, the Mercy, the Kindness, Grace and Salvation of God through the Sorrows, Tears, Groans, Cross and Cruel Death of Christ, be yet a Fruitless Tree! God forbid.
Bunyan laments that “many under the pretence of their being elected, neglect to pursue Holiness; and many of them again that pretend to be for Holiness, quite exclude the Doctrine [of election], and motives that election gives thereto.” For Bunyan, the doctrine of election and piety are integrally related; the latter is the design of the former, and the former is the foundation of the latter. That is, those who claim to be savingly elected cannot but have hunger and thirst for godliness, and that this godliness cannot be performed outside that doctrine, for, as pointed out already, only the believers can sincerely walk in holiness:
as electing love doth instate a man in the blessing of eternal Life, so Holiness is the path thereto; and, that he that refuseth to depart from iniquity shall be damned, notwithstanding he may think himself secured from Hell by the act of Gods electing love. For election designeth men not only to Eternal Glory, but to holiness of Life [a means] thereto.Labels: Articles |
| posted by Brian Golez Najapfour @ 12:54 AM |
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| 54th Midwest Regional Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society |
| Saturday, March 21, 2009 |
Yesterday I was privileged to present a paper at the 54th Midwest Regional Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society which was held at Ashland Theological Seminary, Ohio. My paper was about John Owen's view of the Mosaic Covenant. Here is the abstract of that paper:
Covenant theology is central to John Owen’s entire system of dogmatics. Thus anyone who is serious about knowing his theology should first grasp his view of covenant theology. Unfortunately, many have misconstrued his covenant theology, and mostly the misconception comes from the issue as to whether Owen’s Mosaic Covenant falls under the covenant of works or falls under the covenant of grace, and as to how Owen understands the Mosaic Covenant in relation to the covenant of works and grace. Puritans are not united in their comprehension of the Mosaic Covenant. There are two basic positions among them: (1) Mosaic Covenant as a covenant of works; and (2) Mosaic Covenant as a covenant of grace. My paper, having carefully analyzed Owen’s commentaries of Hebrews 8 (his major work on the Mosaic Covenant) concludes that Owen’s concept on this covenant is a unique one. To him, the Mosaic Covenant, which he sometimes calls the Old Covenant, is neither a covenant of works, nor a covenant of grace; but rather, it is another covenant whose ultimate end is to guide sinners to the gospel of Christ.
In this conference, I also had the opportunity to listen to various scholars; to name three: Dr. David A. deSilva (Trustee's Professor of NT and Greek, Ashland Theological Seminary), Dr. John H. Walton (Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College), and Dr. K. Lawson Younger Jr. (Professor of OT, Semitic Languages and Ancient Near Eastern History, Trinity Divinity School).
The veteran theologian Dr. Robert D. Culver was also in this conference. Dr. Culver is known for his massive systematic theology book- Systematic Theology: Biblical and Historical. He is now 92 years old, and yet still active in the work of the Lord. What a blessing he has been to my life! Warren W. Wiersbe comments on him: "Dr Robert Culver has been an 'international treasure' in the church for years and has helped many of us in our personal walk and ministry."
May the Lord raise more faithful and diligent students of God's Word.
In this photo: Kushal Rai (my classmate) and Mr. Doug and Mrs. Patty Knox, a sweet, kind, and hospitable couple who graciously housed us (Kushal and me) while we were in Ashland for the conference.Labels: Journals |
| posted by Brian Golez Najapfour @ 11:52 PM |
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| MANILA CONFERENCE ON THEOLOGY 2009 |
| Wednesday, March 4, 2009 |
WHEN: May 4-5, 2009
WHERE: Faith Baptist Church, #4 Bulletin St. Corner West Ave. West Triangle, Quezon City
THEME: REFORMING THE MAN OF GOD
May 4 Monday (9AM – 5PM)
1st session: What Does It Mean to Be Reformed?
2nd session: Reforming the Head (Theology)
3rd session: Reforming the Heart (Piety)
4th session: Reforming the Hand (Application)
May 5 Tuesday (9AM – 5PM)
5th session: Biblical Preaching
6th session: Biblical Evangelism
7th session: Biblical Prayer
8th session: Biblical Counseling
Each session is followed by a question and answer portion
CONFERENCE SPEAKER: Dr. Joel R. Beeke, President and Professor of Systematic Theology, Church History, and Homiletics. He has been in the ministry since 1978 and has served as a pastor of his current church since 1986. He is also editor of the Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, editorial director of Reformation Heritage Books, president of Inheritance Publishers, and vice-president of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society. He has written, co-authored, or edited fifty books and contributed over fifteen hundred articles to Reformed books, journals, periodicals, and encyclopedias. His Ph.D. (1988) from Westminster Theological Seminary is in Reformation and Post-Reformation Theology. He is frequently called upon to lecture at Reformed seminaries and to speak at conferences around the world. He and his wife, Mary, have three children: Calvin, Esther, and Lydia.
CONFERENCE FEE: 500 pesos which includes the food. There will be books to be given away also.
For more information, visit here or here You may also want to contact Rev. Neil Mina at 5426013 or 09193685047 or neil_gie@yahoo.com REGISTRATION starts at 8AM.Labels: conference |
| posted by Brian Golez Najapfour @ 12:24 PM |
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| Saturday, January 31, 2009 |
| Last week (from January 19-23), I had the opportunity to sit under the teaching of Dr. David C. Lachman. He gave a one-week modular course on Scottish Presbyterianism. Dr. Lachman is known for his definitive work on the Marrow Controversy. See his book The Marrow Controversy: An Historical and Theological Analysis (Edinburgh: Rutherford House, 1988). Labels: Journals |
| posted by Brian Golez Najapfour @ 11:12 PM |
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| About Me |
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Name: Brian Najapfour
Home: Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States
About Me: I am a poor needy sinner saved by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for God’s glory alone; a recent Th.M. graduate of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA; a member of Calvin Studies Society, Evangelical Theological Society, International John Bunyan Society.
See my complete profile
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