What is the meaning of Christotokos?
Christotokos is simply a Greek word that means “Christ-bearer” and is a title that is applied to Mary as the one who bore Christ in her womb. Mary gave birth to Christ, so Christotokos is an accurate term to describe her. However, there is a lot of history behind the term, and its usage has…
Calvinism vs. Arminianism – which view is correct?
Calvinism and Arminianism are two systems of theology that attempt to explain the relationship between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility in the matter of salvation. Calvinism is named for John Calvin, a French theologian who lived from 1509-1564. Arminianism is named for Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch theologian who lived from 1560-1609. Both systems can be…
What is the Church Age?
An “age” is an historical period of time or an era. Some historians divide human history into many epochs and name them according to their defining characteristics: Middle Ages, Modern Age, Postmodern Age, etc. Biblical history, too, can be divided into different eras. When those divisions emphasize God’s interaction with His creation, we call them…
What is theological reflection?
Theological reflection is the practice of reflecting on life events in relation to one’s Christian faith. This can be done individually or corporately. Theological reflection attempts to bring faith and everyday life together. Methods of theological reflection are often promoted within the spiritual formation movement and those involved in Renovaré. The tradition of theological reflection…
What are the main arguments against limited atonement?
Limited atonement is the teaching that Jesus died only for the elect. It is one of the five points of Calvinism, the L in the acronym “TULIP.” Many who hold to limited atonement prefer the term “particular redemption,” but to minimize confusion this article will use the term “limited atonement.” For a full explanation of…
What is a prolegomena?
A prolegomena is simply an introductory essay or critical introduction to a book. From the word prolegomena (literally, “to say before”), we get the more popular word prologue. The purpose of a prologue in a book, or the prolegomena in a more formal, scholarly work, is to give information necessary to set the proper context…
What does the Bible say about predestination vs. free will?
In discussing predestination vs. free will, many people so strongly prefer one side that they virtually reject the possibility of the other’s having even a hint of truth. Those who strongly emphasize the sovereignty of God in predestining who will be saved sometimes take a position that resembles hard determinism or fatalism. Those who emphasize…
What is divine providence?
Divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe. The doctrine of divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things. He is sovereign over the universe as a whole (Psalm 103:19), the physical world (Matthew 5:45), the…
What is natural theology?
Natural theology is the study of God based on the observation of nature, as distinct from “supernatural” or revealed theology, which is based on special revelation. Because observing nature is an intellectual pursuit, natural theology involves human philosophy and reasoning as means of knowing God. By examining the structure and function of a snapdragon bloom,…
What is the Covenant of Works?
The Covenant of Works, also called the Edenic Covenant, is the first agreement made between God and man. God established the Covenant of Works with Adam in Genesis 2:16–17: “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree…