"The Great Battle" by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

All men ought to love peace. War is an immense evil, though it is a necessary evil sometimes. Battles are bloody and distressing events, though sometimes nations cannot maintain their rights without them. But all men ought to love peace. All ought to pray for a quiet life.
All this is very true, and yet there is one war which it is a positive duty to carry on; there is one battle which we ought to be always fighting. The battle I speak of is the battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. With these enemies we never ought to be at peace; from this warfare no man ought ever to seek to be discharged, while he is alive.

"God’s Purpose of Grace" Horatius Bonar (1808-1889)

To make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ; to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God; according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus, our Lord — Ephesians 3:9-11.

According to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began — 2 Timothy 1:9.

"Arminianism: The Golden Idol of Freewill" - Augustus Toplady (1740-1778)

"Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Thy Name, give glory for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth’s sake" Psalm 115:1

SOME expositors have supposed, that this Psalm was penned by the prophet Daniel; on occasion of the miraculous deliverance of Shadrac, Meshac, and Abednego, when they came out, unhurt, from the burning fiery furnace, into which they had been thrown by the command of king Nebuchadnezzar.

A Message from Bold

 Yep, that's me.  Spending another Friday night reading and blogging.  I would like to wish everyone a great weekend!  I know Christmas is only two weeks away and we all have tons to get done, gift buying, wrapping, snow shoveling, and not to mention the extra activities most local churches add to this time of year, youth group plays, soup kitchens and the like but please try to make a little time in all the hustle and bustle of Christmas time to share the Gospel.

Coming Soon from InterVarsity Press!

"Reformation Commentary On Scripture"

Reformation Commentary On Scripture will be a 28 volume work that presents comments by Protestant Reformation figures on the entirety of the Bible, Chapter by Chapter.

A Wealth of Reformation Commentary

The Reformation Commentary on Scripture (RCS) will give you access to a wealth of Reformation-era commentary on Scripture that is largely unknown and for the most part unavailable in English. While the giants of the era, such as Luther and Calvin, will be presented, you will also be introduced to a host of figures with whom you might be unfamiliar, yet who contributed to the Reformation in important ways. In doing so, the RCS will demonstrate both the unity and diversity of thought that characterized this vital period in the history of the Church.

"The True Church" by J.C. Ryle

I want you to belong to the one true Church: to the Church outside of which there is no salvation. I do not ask where you go on a Sunday; I only ask, "Do you belong to the one true Church?"

Where is this one true Church? What is this one true Church like? What are the marks by which this one true Church may be known? You may well ask such questions. Give me your attention, and I will provide you with some answers.

Welcome!

Hello Dear Read,  


  No, the picture is not of me working on this blog, but I often think this young man might do a better job than me!
   
           I thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you might be encouraged by what you read here to go out into this fallen, pagan world and be a bold witness for Christ!   Don't be afraid to speak up for Our Savior, share the Gospel with your lost friends and family and as many strangers as you can as well. Remember, faith comes from hearing and they cannot hear if we do not preach!  They wont bite, at least no one has ever bitten me when I've witnessed to them.  You might get an angry person from time to time but honestly, they are few and far between, most times people are generally interested in what you have to say and most people actually are pleased that you care enough about them to share with them.  Some will be stand offish, but give it a try, it is good to be obedient to our Father in Heaven.  Also, I hope you will take some time to read the additional pages located at the upper right hand of the page.  The page names are listed here below,

In Defense of Evangelism in the Reformed Faith by Shane C. Montgomery

   

   My heart is often broken by people who are most like me in worship and doctrine.  Being a Calvinist and one who adheres to the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Shorter Catechism, I am confident in my directives to worship based on Scripture and my confession.   These same directives also teach on how my walk with Christ should proceed.  How I should mature and grow in God's grace.  Many people believe and trust in these directives the same as I do......... up to a  point.   

What is Calvinism?

  The great Princeton theologian, Dr. B. B. Warfield, describes Calvinism as follows:

"Calvinism is evangelism in its pure and only stable expression, and when we say evangelism we say sin and salvation. It means utter dependence on God for salvation. It implies therefore, need of salvation and a profound sense of this need, along with an equally profound sense of helplessness in the presence of this need, and utter dependence on God for its satisfaction. Its type is found in the publican who smote his breast and cried, "God be merciful to me a sinner!" No question there of saving himself, or helping God to save him, or of opening the way to God to save him. No question of anything but "I am a sinner, and all my hope is in God, my Saviour!" This is Calvinism, not just something like Calvinism, or an approach to Calvinism, but Calvinism in its vital manifestation. Wherever this attitude of heart is found and is given expression in direct and unambiguous terms, there is Calvinism. Where this attitude of mind and heart is fallen away from it however small a measure, there Calvinism has become impossible."

The Calvinist, in a word, is the man who sees God. He has caught sight of the ineffable Vision, and he will not let it fade for a moment from his eyes--God in nature, God in history, God in grace. Everywhere he sees God in His mighty stepping, everywhere he feels the working of His mighty arm, the throbbing of His mighty heart...Calvinism is just Christianity. The super-naturalism for which Calvinism stands is the very breath of the nostrils of Christianity; without it Christianity cannot exist...Calvinism thus emerges to our sight as nothing more or less than the hope of the world.

"Confessions of a Theology Geek" by Shane C. Montgomery

  In my house you will find a mess.  This I must confess, is nobodies fault but mine.  My wife is a very neat and orderly  person, she hates when anything is out of place and she will not and cannot relax until every thing is in its proper place.  Even my two children are neat, at 15 and 7 years old respectively, you would not think this to be the case, but they are.  I know they take this from their mother, they know to put something back in its place when they are finished with it, and for the most part she has trained me to do the same over the past 24 years of marriage.  God has truly blessed me with a loving wife who puts up with me and two great sons that at times appear to be more mature than I am. 

" Assurance and Humility" by A. A. Hodge

I think the first essential mark of the difference between true and false assurance is to be found in the fact that the true works humility. There is nothing in the world that works such satanic, profound, God-defiant pride as false assurance; nothing works such utter humility, or brings to such utter self-emptiness, as the child-like spirit of true assurance. Surely this can be known. If a person is self-confident, there is self-assurance; if there is any evidence of pride in connection with his claim, it is a most deadly mark- it is the plague-spot which marks death and corruption. But if there is utter humility, you have the sign of the true spirit.

"Suppose An Unholy Man Went To Heaven" by J. C. Ryle

Suppose for a moment that you were allowed to enter heaven without holiness. What would you do? What possible enjoyment could you feel there? To which of all the saints would you join yourself and by whose side would you sit? Their pleasures are not your pleasures, their tastes are not your tastes, their character not your character. How could you possibly be happy, if you had not been holy on earth?

"The Fundamental Principle of Calvinism" by Henry Meeter

CALVINISM A UNIFIED, ALL-COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM OF THOUGHT

The significance of John Calvin for the modern era is vividly described in these words: “The sixteenth was a great century. It was the century of Raphael and Michelangelo, of Spenser and Shakespeare, of Erasmus and Rabelais, of Copernicus and Galileo, of Luther and Calvin. Of all the figures that gave greatness to this century, none left a more lasting heritage than Calvin.1 To the investigation of the heritage of Calvin, the following pages are devoted.

"Pride" by J.C. Philpot

"I hate pride and arrogance." Proverbs 8:13


"The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished." Prov. 16:5

  Of all sins pride seems most deeply imbedded in the very heart of man. Unbelief, sensuality, covetousness, rebellion, presumption, contempt of God's holy will and word, hatred and enmity against the saints of the Most High, deceit and falsehood, cruelty and wrath, violence and murder--these, and a forest of other sins have indeed struck deep roots into the black and noxious soil of our fallen nature; 

"Faith and Assurance" by J.C. Ryle

  
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.” (2 Tim 4:7-8)


AN assured hope, such as Paul expresses in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, is a true and Scriptural thing. I would lay it down fully and broadly, that a true Christian, a converted man, may reach that comfortable degree of faith in Christ, that in general he shall feel entirely confident as to the pardon and safety of his soul, — shall seldom be troubled with doubts, — seldom be distracted with hesitation, — seldom be distressed by anxious questionings, — and, in short, though vexed by many an inward conflict with sin, shall look forward to death without trembling, and to judgment without dismay.

"A Witness or a Hindrance?" by Shane C. Montgomery

Because we live the way we do while claiming to be God's people, we are guilty of blaspheme. By our false profession, we destroy the credibility of God.  Anytime we live in a manner that is inconsistent with what we claim to be, we are guilty of blaspheming the name of the Lord. We have taken His name in vain and we have testified before the world that our God is not worthy of our love and steadfast devotion. When we hide our light under a bushel and cease to be salt in the world, we become no better than the religious Jews who boasted about their Law and their relationship with God, but had no spiritual reality to back up their claims. 

"COMPASSION FOR THE LOST" by Charles Bridges (1794-1869)

          “Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.” —Psalms 119:136


   IF the Lord teaches us the privileges of his statutes, he will teach us compassion for those who keep them not.


This was the mind of Jesus. His life exhibited one, whose “heart was made of tenderness.”