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James A. Laning

Baptism: The Sign and the Grace Not Inseparably Connected

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  • James A. Laning

Baptism is the visible word of God’s grace to his church. In it God speaks and points his church to his promises. However, there are different views on the meaning of baptism. In this article the views of the Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches are examined.

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Holy Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant

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  • James A. Laning

Baptism is the visible word of God’s grace to his church. In it God speaks and points his church to his promises. The article discusses the sacrament, also making clear that the sacrament must be cherished by God’s people.

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The Quickening of a Dead Will

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What is the role of man’s will in salvation? The will of man is dead by nature; therefore, it cannot respond to the call of the gospel. Only the will that is brought to life by God is able to respond. This article shows how this is crucial to understanding salvation to be by grace alone.

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The Order of Salvation

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Calling, justification, and glorification is the summary of the order of salvation. This article proves that such an order exists, and from Romans 8:30 it answers those who deny the existence of the order of salvation (ordo salutis).

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The Proud, Troubled, Roaring Sea

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Creation is a book that speaks to us. This article shows how the sea and land are used to reveal the antithesis.

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The Spirit’s Life-Giving Work: Not Merely a Moral Advising

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  • James A. Laning

The work of the Holy Spirit in salvation is both efficacious and irresistible. The Spirit does not just offer life as the Arminians claims; the Spirit gives life.

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The Catholicity of the Church

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To confess the catholicity of the church is to confess that the church is a body that is universal in extent, gathered throughout the whole human race out of all the nations of the world. Based on this the article evaluates the claims of the Roman Catholic Church to catholicity. It also shows how the confession of a catholic church is an antidote to racism.

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One Holy Church, One Covenant of Grace

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There is only one holy church of God. This article explains that this one holy church of God finds its root in the covenant of God and his promises.

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The Organic Unity of the Church

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  • James A. Laning

Church unity is something organic. It is found in Christ who unites members of the body so that they together live one life. The organic unity of the church is a result of God’s work, manifested in the local church.

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Ecclesiology: The Study of the Church

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Ecclesiology is the study of the church. This article explains the meaning of the church as the body of Christ, the relationship between the universal church and church as institute, and the church as God’s household.

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Wycliffe’s Doctrine of the Lord’s Supper

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  • James A. Laning

This article focuses on John Wycliffe’s teaching on the Lord’s Supper over against the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. Wycliffe's stand against the Mass paved a way for the proper celebration of the Lord’s Supper by God’s church.

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The Reward of Grace

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The fact that God will reward good works of believers is not contrary to salvation being by grace. This article points to the biblical truth that God will reward good works of believers. It argues that this reward is by grace and is motivated by the sanctifying work of God in the life of the believer.

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Sanctification and Good Works

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What makes good works good? This article argues that good works are those that are rooted in sanctification. It shows that a biblical understanding of sanctification leads us back to God and his work. Then it points to the need to preach the doctrine of sanctification in a biblical way.

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The Power and Government of the Church: No Hierarchy of Bishops

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Church government has its foundation in the truth that Christ is the head of the church. This article explains that a hierarchy system is against Christ’s way of ruling his church. It looks at the historical development of hierarchy and explains the meaning of the word "bishop" in relation to elder.

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Church Power and Government: Christ Speaking through Special Office Bearers

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Church government has its foundation in the truth that Christ is the head of the church. How does Christ govern his church? This article explains that Christ rules the church by his Word and Spirit, and it is through the special office bearers that his Spirit brings his Word to the members of his body. The article looks at the role of pastors, elders, and deacons in church government. It also explains how Christ speaks through the keys of the kingdom.

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Distinctively Reformed Soteriology

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This article explains how the doctrines of total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints are distinctives of the Reformed teaching on salvation.

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God’s Glorious Work of Sanctification

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Sanctification is God’s work. This article discusses the relationship between sanctification and justification, and sanctification and glorification.

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The Freedom We Enjoy in Our Nation

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What is freedom? True and real freedom is freedom from the power of sin. This article argues that this is what God gives us through sanctification. The struggle between the new man and old man is explained, as is the comfort the believer has in knowing that he will be totally free from the dominion of sin.

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Does Man Have a Free Will?

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An unregenerate person does not possess free will. Only in Christ is the will is freed. It is in Christ that man can please God again.

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Redefining Election

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This article looks at the relationship between redemption and election.

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The Hunger of the Living

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The nature of the unregenerate person makes it impossible for him to seek salvation and regeneration in God. Only the one who has been regenerated can have a true hunger for God.

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First Regenerated; Then We Seek God

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This article shows that no unregenerate person can seek the Lord for salvation; therefore, seeking the Lord is a result of regeneration.

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Developing Culture

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This article shows the relationship between culture and intellect, morality, and education. Only in Christ can true culture be developed.

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Regeneration: A Spiritual Resurrection

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The natural man is spiritually dead, and must receive regeneration of the heart. This new heart has a new life flowing from it with a desire for a new kind of food.

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A Redemption for This World

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This article contrasts the biblical understanding of redemption with the modern use of the word. The modern use of this word disassociates redemption with the concepts of Christ's work and mankind's sin.

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Salvation By Grace Alone: None Seeketh After God

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No one seeks after God. Man's salvation is only as a result of God's grace. In expositing Romans 3:11, this article shows that man by nature has no inclination to seek after God. Only when He is found by God can he seek after Him. This truth of salvation by grace alone is fundamental to the life of every Christian, family and church.

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Total Depravity: Only Evil Flowing From the Dead

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The difference between a believer and unbeliever is that one has a living spiritual heart while the other has a dead spiritual heart. Total depravity means that an unbeliever's heart is evil in its nature and can only produce evil continuously.

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Revelation: Forbidden to Add to or Subtract From God's Word

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Two sins can be committed against the revelation of God: subtracting from His revelation, and adding to His revelation. This article discusses both of these sins and the ways in which they are committed.

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The One Infallible Authority

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The Bible is God’s self-revelation, and is the only authority in His church. God also guides the church in her interpretation of scripture, which should be based on the testimony of scripture itself so that the authority remains with the Bible. This truth goes against the teaching and practice of the Roman Catholic Church.

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Revelation (2): The God-Breathed Writings

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  • James A. Laning

How is it possible that the Bible does not contain errors, since it is written by imperfect humans? This article answers this question by pointing to the nature of the Bible as God’s word. The Bible is inspired by God, and its authors wrote it through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is infallible since it comes from God, who cannot err.

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Revelation (1)

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  • James A. Laning

How is it possible that some people believe in Christ while others do not? This article answers this question by discussing how God’s revelation is a particular revelation. God reveals himself through Christ and the word particularly to those He wills to save. Through the Holy Spirit God gives understanding of the word to those whom He chooses.

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The Creation and Fall of Man (4): Man Created Good, Yet Able to Sin

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How was it possible that Adam was created good, and yet he sinned? This article answers this question by showing that although God created Adam good, Adam could sin and receive God's judgment of death. His life depended on obedience to God, while disobedience meant death.

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The Creation and Fall of Man (3): Man's Darkened Understanding and Dead Will

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Is every person a bearer of God’s image? This article addresses those who claim that every person is God’s image bearer. The author shows that by nature man's will and understanding are darkened and dead. Not all men bear God's image.

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The Creation and Fall of Man (2): The Righteous and Holy Image Bearer

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Only God’s children are true bearers of God’s image. This is so because bearing God’s image implies that one is righteous, holy, and knows God. Only the regenerate can be referred to in this way.

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The Creation and Fall of Man (1): Adam - God’s Son Created in His Image

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Is every person a bearer of God’s image? In order to answer this question, this article first defines what it means to be created in the image of God. Being created in the image of God means that one is a child of God. Only children of God are true image bearers; therefore, not everyone bears God’s image.

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The Creation of the Heavens and the Earth (7): All Things Created for Christ

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All things are created for Christ. This truth has great implications for God’s people and the rest of the world, since all that exists must serve Him. Creation exists to glorify God.

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The Creation of the Heavens and the Earth (6): Creatures Reproducing After Their Kind

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Evolution claims that one animal can evolve into a different kind of animal. In evaluating the claims of microevolution and macroevolution, the author shows that evolution is contrary to what the Bible teaches. Biblical teaching and the creation account show that plants and animals always reproduce after their kind.

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The Creation of the Heavens and the Earth (5): Extremely Long "Days" & Death Before the Fall

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Was there death before the Fall? This article answers this question with a resounding 'No'. Death, even of the animals, came due to the fall of Adam into sin.

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The Creation of the Heavens and the Earth (4): The Creation Narrative as Real History

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Did God create the earth in six days, as is presented in Genesis 1, or is it just a mythical story? To deny the historicity of Genesis 1 is very serious. What Christ did and what man is depends on the historicity of Genesis 1. This article concludes that the creation account is real history.

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The Creation of the Heavens and the Earth (3): Created in Six Literal Days

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Did God create the earth in six days, as presented in Genesis 1? There is a movement today that seeks to read the days of creation as symbolic. The author of this article concludes that creation was accomplished in six literal days.

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The Creation of the Heavens and the Earth (2): God Created by His Word - A Truth Understood Only by Faith

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Creation means that God spoke into existence things which were not before. According to Hebrews 11:3, this truth can only be accepted by faith.

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The Creation of the Heavens and the Earth (1): The Wondrous Act of God

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Creation means that God spoke into existence things which were not before. This is totally different from evolution or the Big Bang theory. The fact that "God spoke, and it was" gives Christians comfort that God will always accomplish His good pleasure. Therefore creation is crucial to trusting God.

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Holy Baptism: Sign of God’s Unconditional Covenant

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Baptism is the visible sign of God’s grace to His church. This article looks at children of believers as members of the church, and also discusses infant baptism as believer's baptism.

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Holy Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant

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  • James A. Laning

Baptism is the visible sign of God’s grace to His church. In it God speaks and points His church to His promises. However, these promises can only be received by faith. This sacrament must be cherished by God’s people. The author also discusses the fact that baptism is not necessary for salvation.

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The Idea and Importance of the Sacraments (3)

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  • James A. Laning

Not only does God tell us about His love and grace, but He also makes them visible to us in the sacraments. This article discusses the sacraments and the church and why there are only two sacraments.

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The Idea and Importance of the Sacraments (2)

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  • James A. Laning

Not only does God tell us about His love and grace, but He also makes them visible to us in the sacraments. This article discusses sacraments as seals and as a means of grace.

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The Idea and Importance of the Sacraments (1)

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  • James A. Laning

Not only does God tell us about His love and grace, but He also makes them visible to us in the sacraments. This article is about the sacraments as signs of grace.

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Wycliffe’s Doctrine of the Lord’s Supper

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  • James A. Laning

Why is John Wycliffe called the morning star of the Reformation? This article focuses Wycliffe’s teaching on the Lord’s Supper over against the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. Wycliffe's stand against the Mass paved a way for the proper celebration of the Lord’s Supper by God’s church.

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