A common objection I have heard from people regarding Reformed theology and the doctrines discussed in the Canons of Dort is that it will lead to Christians not sharing the gospel message with other people, as God has only chosen to save some. The Canons of Dort explicitly reject the mentality...
Why was Jesus’s death a part of God’s plan to bring salvation to sinful humans who had rebelled and rejected God’s Word? The Second Main Point of the Canons of Dort addresses this question in its opening articles. It begins by noting that alongside of God’s mercy is His...
The Second Main Point of the Canons of Dort deals with how Christ’s death leads to the redemption of sinful humans. When people discuss the points of the Canons of Dort using the acronym TULIP (note that this acronym does not reflect the order of the points of Dort), this point is often...
I really wrestled with whether or not to write this series of posts on the Canons of Dort because the doctrine of election is one that is often misunderstood and debated among Christians. It can provoke quite a response, and I wasn’t sure if a blog would be the appropriate platform to...
One of the most surprising and remarkable things I found when I started “Digging into Dort” in preparation of this series is that the Canons of Dort address a question I am often asked as a pastor, but one that is not mentioned in the more widely known and read Reformed statements of...
The First Main Point of the Canons of Dort deals with the doctrines of divine predestination and reprobation. We have dealt with the idea of election over the past few posts, but we will now turn to see what the Canons teach about reprobation (and what it means). The Canons recognize that this...
As we discussed last week, a major concern with the doctrine of election is that viewing some people as elect would seem to cause arrogance, but in fact this idea actually leads to humility. Another common concern is that it may lead to Christians not seeking to live lives of obedience because...
