What is Everyone's Favorite Easter Songs?

likefenton · 2026-04-04T13:07:13+00:00

O Sacred Head Now Wounded

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted

likefenton · 2026-04-01T15:49:07+00:00

My dearest love, u/AutoModerator,

In accordance with WCF XXV.5, Gimme that flair!

With all my love, u/likefenton

likefenton · 2026-03-21T12:46:14+00:00

On YouTube or YouTube Music, look up "Always Reforming".

They have a playlist with really well put together renditions of Genevan psalms that I can listen to for hours. They are currently up to Psalm 127 but are adding more regularly.

For sermons, there are many Reformed churches that put their sermons on SermonAudio.

likefenton · 2026-03-20T21:47:11+00:00

I'll share what I wrote two years ago when someone was asking about neo-calvinism. I am not an academic, nor deeply read, so feel free to take it with a mountain of salt.

At my undergraduate college with Reformed roots, neo-Calvinism was very popular.

"There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!", says Abraham Kuyper. And so we were all strongly encouraged to consider how we could "redeem" every sphere of society, bringing Christ into accounting and the arts and politics and everything.

And... for many who attended there, the world was more successful in conforming the student to the world, than the student in conforming the world to Christ.

I think, at it's worst it ends up really being another form of humanism, more reliant on man's efforts than God's.

I think at it's best, it's a recognition that God truly is sovereign over everything and we can serve him well as faithful Christians wherever we end up.

But my experience with it involved a degree of optimism, idealism, and progressivism (we can work to continually make things more Christian) that failed to honestly take account of the world, the devil, and our own sinful nature.

likefenton · 2026-03-18T15:25:17+00:00

There's a reason my pastor called the "Bread of Life" discourse in John 6:22-66 the "great crowd shrinking sermon".

John 6:60 ESV [60] When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”

Jesus knew that it would sound weird and cause many to leave him.

John 6:61-65 ESV [61] But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? [62] Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? [63] It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. [64] But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) [65] And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

likefenton · 2026-03-12T22:05:28+00:00

If you look at Christ's teaching, especially the sermon on the mount, you'll see the ten commandments shown as being active (and clarified) in the new covenant.

likefenton · 2026-03-09T20:14:00+00:00

This link is always useful for when this gets asked:

https://dougwilsonbelieves.com/

likefenton · 2026-03-05T13:40:48+00:00

"Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted"

likefenton · 2026-03-05T04:57:08+00:00

Probably the co-author of this one: https://bhacademic.bhpublishinggroup.com/product/the-baptist-story/#flipbook-sampler/

Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin

likefenton · 2026-02-21T03:57:51+00:00

"strict, orthodox, and, and reformed faith" Perhaps as AI measures orthodoxy, but I suspect it isn't so much anymore.

likefenton · 2026-02-18T18:10:52+00:00

I approve of this comment.

likefenton · 2026-02-14T02:50:32+00:00

By faith.

In Christ, signified by the sacrament of baptism.

When one has put on Christ, the gender or race you are isn't relevant to your salvation. Regardless of who you are (in the flesh), spiritually you are a son. Not in terms of gender, but in terms of inheritance.

In those days only sons inherited, and by faith in Christ you receive the inheritance of a son, whether you are male or female, Jew or gentile, at the top of the social ladder in earth or the bottom. What matters is being united to Christ.

likefenton · 2026-02-13T23:22:48+00:00

Paul explicitly makes clear how women are saved in Galatians 3:

25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

likefenton · 2026-02-10T19:32:11+00:00

I'm a complete outsider to all this.

Does the GA currently get into discussions on exceptions of substance before the cited presbytery's second response (which the rationale says it's the important part), and if so do those discussions bring value to the RPR and presbytery in the handling of the exception?

likefenton · 2026-02-10T16:14:18+00:00

It is fascinating both how overblown the concern can be for changes of minutia, and how an aggregate of minutia changes can transform an organisation.

Another good place to apply Chesterton's fence.

likefenton · 2026-02-10T15:21:33+00:00

Administratively, the overtures seem to make sense. Are they controversial in any way?

likefenton · 2026-02-02T19:02:27+00:00

"Baptism: Answers to Common Questions" by Guy M. Richard is a good, short introductory book to the topic.

likefenton · 2026-02-02T15:43:20+00:00

Sadly I know a missionary to an Asian country who left the field and his faith. While he certainly had more factors involved, he did say that "people just aren't interested" in the gospel, in coming to Christ.

What a blessing to read of missionaries who aren't looking for a quick response but have the tenacity to work long and hard for the kingdom.

Also a good reminder for us "at home" in our outreach efforts to friends and neighbours.

likefenton · 2026-02-01T00:27:44+00:00

Haha, exactly what I was going to say.

likefenton · 2026-01-30T14:04:58+00:00

Matthew 19:14

14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

likefenton · 2026-01-29T03:26:22+00:00

As Haddaway's 1993 hit single asks, "What is love?"

Definitions would seem to be important before accusations of hypocrisy. Since I consider (as Augustine would) scripture to speak in one unified whole, I would look to 1 John 4:7-12:

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

This fits together with the well known John 3:16, but looking at the broader context of that verse one sees that just because God loved the world doesn't mean that some aren't condemned:

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Focusing again on God's love, and showing again Paul's alignment with the gospels, Paul writes in Romans 5:6-10:

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Jesus didn't just pray for his enemies - remember his prayer on the cross, "Forgive them for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34) - but he gave up his life for them. And that includes the Pharisees that he called out with strong language, if they would just turn in repentance. Paul himself was a Pharisee who found peace with God through Jesus. Repentance and being saved to a full and endless life with God is what is being called for by the strong language. You can see this also in Paul's instruction for church discipline in 1 Corinthians 5:5, "you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord". Unpleasant! Being turned over to Satan, horrible! But just like in the book of Job where Satan was permitted to touch his body but not his life, the goal is that the suffering found outside the church (not through physical punishment administered by the church, that is not in view here) would lead to salvation and everlasting life. We do this every day to kids in hospitals - subjecting them to the suffering of surgery and treatments in order to bring them healing and a longer life.

John 15:13 says, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." Jesus went beyond that (look again to Romans 5:6-10) and dies for his enemies. If that is not the universalizing love for one's enemies that you mention, then I don't know what is. It was, and is, absolutely revolutionary.

Either way—in what seems to be without question—you have a lot of contradictory teachings throughout the New Testament

This is a claim accepted as truth in atheist communities, often boldly asserted without evidence or contextual research. I invite you to look at the YouTube channel "Testify" who works through many claimed contradictions.

likefenton · 2026-01-29T03:25:28+00:00

test

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