Reformed Theology and Ethics

God's Missional Nature The important term Missio Dei (Mission of God) needs a biblical foundation. The sending of God by God is a foundational motive in the New Testament. Even at the very beginning of salvation history, shortly after creation, God became the first missionary. In Jesus, God is the missionary par excellence, and in the Holy Spirit, God is the most successful missionary. Mission is part of the nature of God, and therefore mission can only be described holistically and in a manner that transforms human mission into the image of God's mission.

John Dury (1596-1680) grew up in England with connections to the heads of state, and was advised by an eminent chaplain that to reconcile the divisions of the protestant churches would be the greatest work of peacemaking (Matt 5:9) that one could do.  Dury subsequently devoted his entire adult life’s work to this end, with indefatigable journeys, letter writing and conferencing among the leading church figures of the day.  The titles of his many writings also bear out this purpose.

This particular work is the first part of a brief summary outline of practical scriptural living and ethics, intended as an ecumenical effort to unite churches abroad.  Previous to this work, a letter was written by William Gouge, Obadiah Sedgwick and others to James Ussher asking him to lead a joint project to write such a body of divinity.  Ussher was favorable to the project but it was interrupted by the English Civil War.  Other signers to this effort included: John Downame, George Walker, Adoniram Byfield, Sidrach Simpson, Richard Culverwell, George Hughes and Joseph Symonds.  Dury ended up writing the desired outline of practical divinity.

Published in The Baptist Bulletin, this brief article (written for a non-academic yet informed Church audience) explores and clarifies the biblical link between eschatology and the Christian life by way of several key New Testament texts. Specifically, it argues that a Christian’s understanding of what the Bible says about the future has a direct impact on their daily discipleship and sanctification in the present.

Une simple analyse qui met en lumière la situation présente du secteur de la FTP dans le contexte délicat du long retard dans l'application de la nouvelle législation régissant le secteur, et qui ouvre aussi la voie à une meilleure compréhension des enjeux.

In A Spirituality of Character Formation, Ribera presented four affirmations to frame the
discussion about character education: 1) Character formation is the responsibility of the home,
the church, and the state, 2) Character formation is a spiritual endeavor, 3) Character formation
addresses standards, motives, and ends, and 4) Character formation makes room for ambiguity,
tension, and paradox. In the course of the discussion Ribera interacted with several prominent
voices in the field of character education, namely Alfie Kohn, David Purpel, and Glenn Tinder.
In addition, Ribera made use of a triadic framework of prophet, priest, and king, and integrated
the ethical work of thinkers like: C. S. Lewis, Cornelius Van Til, and Louis P. Pojman.

In the preface, the author clearly articulates both what motivated this project, which began as his PhD dissertation, and his purpose in writing the book. With respect to the former, Waymeyer observes that concomitant to “the remarkable resurgence of reformed theology” within evangelicalism over the past few decades—which he regards as a very positive development—has been a trend toward an adoption of either eschatological agnosticism or amillennialism (vii). In response to the eschatological agnostic, Waymeyer rightly asserts, “Scripture reveals too much about the subject of eschatology for Christians to be content in the dark, especially those who preach the Word and shepherd the flock” (vii). In regard to amillennialism, Waymeyer observes that while those joining the ranks of reformed theology often spend several years studying the scriptural doctrine of predestination prior to self-identifying as Calvinists, they far too quickly embrace amillennialism without much study of the pertinent biblical texts “simply because they see it as an indispensable part of the reformed system” (vii). In response to such trends, Waymeyer calls for careful consideration of his “premillennial response to the most compelling arguments for amillennialism” (viii). He aims “not only to clarify the key differences between these two competing millennial views, but also to provide an exegetical critique of the two-age model of amillennialism” (viii).

God the Father is the author and initiator of our salvation. He restores our communion—lost in Adam—by revealing his love for us in Christ’s atonement for our sins through the Holy Spirit and by imputing to us Christ’s righteousness. He does this by the Holy Spirit by means of bringing about the necessary condition to lead us into repentance and into the obedience of faith, which glorifies the Father for his work of mercy.

헤르만 바빙크(1854-1921)는 교의학자였지만 중요한 윤리학 작품도 남겼다. 최근에 발간된 『개혁파 윤리학』은 아주 탁월한 기독교 윤리학 저서이다. 바빙크의 『개혁교의학』과 『개혁파 윤리학』은 다음과 같은 밀접한 관련성이 있다. 첫째, 『개혁파 윤리학』은 『개혁교의학』에 나타난 종합적-발생론적 방법론을 사용한다. 둘째, 『개혁파 윤리학』은 교의학과 윤리학의 상호보완적 관계성을 유지한다. 셋째, 『개혁파 윤리학』은 교의학과 윤리학을 밀접하게 관련시키면서도, 교의학을 너무 많이 개입시키지 않고 윤리학에서 꼭 다뤄야 하는 교의학의 내용만을 엄선해서 다룬다. 넷째, 『개혁파 윤리학』의 내용은 『개혁교의학』과 내용상으로 짝을 이룬다. 다섯째, 바빙크는 교의학과 윤리학에서 철학과 깊이 있게 대화한다. 여섯째, 바빙크의 교의학과 윤리학은 초기 근대 개혁파 신학에서 많은 내용들을 인용하고 다룬다. 일곱째, 바빙크의 교의학과 윤리학은 성경을 근거로 주제를 전개하고 결론을 완성한다. 바빙크 사후 100주년을 기념하는 오늘날의 개혁신학이 앞으로의 100년을 건설적으로 모색하고자 한다면, 바빙크라는 거인의 어깨에 올라가서 보다 성경적이면서도, 역사적 자료에 충실하고, 현대 학문과 대화하면서, 오늘날의 교회와 사회의 구체적 문제에 응답하는 교의학과 윤리학을 발전시켜 나가야 할 것이다.
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Herman Bavinck (1854-1921) was a dogmatician, but he also wrote important ethical works. The recently published Reformist Ethics is an excellent book on Christian ethics. Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics and his Reformed Ethics are closely related. (1) Reformed Ethics uses the synthetic-genetic method endorsed in Reformed Dogmatics; (2) Reformed Ethics shows a complementary relationship between dogmatics and ethics; (3) Reformed Ethics intimately relates dogmatics to ethics but carefully selects and treats only the theological topics that should be dealt with in ethics without involving dogmatics too much; (4) the content of Reformed Ethics is paired with Reformed Dogmatics; (5) Bavinck has an in-depth dialogue with philosophy in both works; (6) the two works quote and deal with a lot of material from early modern Reformed theology; and (7) Reformed Dogmatics and Reformed Ethics develop the subjects and complete their conclusions based on the Scriptures. If today’s Reformed theology, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Bavinck’s death, wants to constructively explore the next 100 years, it should climb on his shoulders and develop dogmatics and ethics that respond to specific problems of the church and society while being more biblical and faithful to historical data and conversing with modern academic studies.

Este artigo tem como objetivo responder a seguinte pergunta: como cristãos devem se engajar com as tecnologias digitais? O autor argumenta que a doutrina da vida comum desenvolvida pelos reformadores continua sendo promissora se aplicada aos recentes dilemas da era digital. Em primeiro lugar, o artigo introduz a doutrina reformada de vocação destinada a uma santa interação no mundo. Em seguida, o autor define o conceito tecnologia digital e apresenta os desafios impostos por ela. Por fim, o autor sugere algumas disciplinas digitais para orientar o uso cristão intencional de tais tecnologias. Em linhas gerais, o autor reconhece a utilidade das tecnologias digitais como expressões da criatividade humana, sem ser ingênuo diante do potencial perigoso e idólatra que elas possuem.

To understand the relationships of God's Word to cultures, we should consider at least four complementary themes. God's Word is the ultimate critic of cultures; it correlates with the questions and needs of each culture; it constructs a new Christian counter-culture, and it contributes ideas, practices, and institutions to cultures.

This essay proposes that the Reformed theology of ordinary life has promising principles that can be applied to the recent challenges of the digital age. It first examines how contemporary scholars have grappled with the challenges posed by virtual life, highlighting their advantages and disadvantages. Then, it suggests that the Reformed attitude for sanctifying ordinary life leads Christians inevitably to embrace discipline in their use of technology. The author recommends digital resistance and digital intentionality as judicious parameters for Christian engagement in a digital age.

<한글초록>
본 논문은 트랜스휴머니즘의 인간론, 구원론, 종말론을 전통신학 및 개혁신학의 관점에서 평가하는 것을 목표로 한다. 트랜스휴머니즘은 인간이 가진 신체적, 정신적 조건이 기술을 통해서 얼마든지 변할 수 있다고 보는 사상이다. 첫째, 트랜스휴머니스트들은 인간에 대한 이해를 급격하게 변화시킨다. 트랜스휴머니스트들은 인간의 정체성을 담고 있는 정보 패턴만 보존된다면 인간은 보존되는 것이며, 나머지는 젤리에 불과하다고 주장한다. 반대로, 성경과 전통신학 및 개혁신학의 인간관은 인간을 무엇보다 “하나님의 형상”을 따라 지음 받은 “영-육 통일체”로 본다. 둘째, 트랜스휴머니스트들이 기독교에 던지는 질문은 구원에 대한 이해와도 밀접하게 관련이 된다. 그들 중에 어떤 이들은 “정보(데이터)”의 보존을 통해서 구원을 획득하고자 한다. 다른 이들은 “뇌파조작”이나 “증강”을 통해서 구원을 획득하려고 한다. 이와 반대로, 전통신학과 개혁신학은 구원은 반드시 예수 그리스도를 통해서 은혜로 주어진다고 가르친다. 그리스도께서 성육신하신 것은 인간이 지닌 육체의 소중함을 일깨워 준다. 성경이 제시하는 구원관은 개인주의적인 관점이 아니라 공동체의 공공선을 추구하는 구원관이다. 셋째, 트랜스휴머니스트들은 종말론에 있어서도 여러 가지 도전을 제기한다. 트랜스휴머니스트들은 세 종류의 불멸성 즉 “생물학적 불멸성”, “생체공학적인 불멸성”, 그리고 “가상적 불멸성”을 추구한다. 기독교는 개인적이고 우주적인 종말을 가르친다. 성경은 인간의 부활과 하나님의 종말적 심판을 긴밀하게 연결시킨다. 종말의 부활은 영혼과 육체를 모두 가진 전인으로의 부활이다. 그것은 죄와 사망과 사탄에 대한 완전한 승리이다. 종말의 부활은 단지 인간들과만 관련된 것이 아니라, 온 우주의 갱신과도 연관된다. 그 축복의 핵심은 하나님과의 교제의 완성이며, 천사와 및 신자들과 나누는 교제의 충만함이다. 결론적으로 트랜스휴머니즘의 인간론, 구원론, 종말론은 개혁신학과 양립할 수 없다. 트랜스휴머니즘은 기술이 우리를 초(超)인간화 할 것이라고 장담하지만, 사실 그 결과 생기는 것은 비(非)인간화이다.
<Abstract>
This essay aims to evaluate the anthropology, soteriology, and eschatology of transhumanism from the perspectives of the Scriptures and Reformed theology. Transhumanism is the belief that humans can change their physical and mental conditions through technology. First, transhumanists radically change the understanding of humanity. They claim that if only information patterns about human identities are preserved, humans are preserved, and that the physical parts of human beings are just jelly. In contrast, the anthropology of the Bible, Christian tradition, and Reformed theology regards human beings above all as “psycho-somatic unity” created according to the image of God (imago dei). Second, the question that transhumanists ask of Christianity is closely related to their understanding of salvation. Some of them seek salvation through the preservation of information or data. Others seek salvation through “brain manipulation” or “enhancement.” On the contrary, the Scriptures and Reformed theology teach that salvation must be given by grace through Jesus Christ. The incarnation of Christ is a reminder of the preciousness of the human body. The soteriology presented by the Scriptures is not an individualistic view but a view that pursues the common good of the community. Third, transhumanists pose a number of challenges in eschatology. They pursue three types of immortality: “biological immortality,” “bionic immortality,” and “virtual immortality.” Contrary to this, Christianity teaches both a personal and a cosmic end. The Scriptures closely relate human resurrection with God’s eschatological judgment. The resurrection of the eschaton is a resurrection of the whole person, both soul and body. The eschaton is a complete victory over sin, death, and Satan. The eschatological resurrection not only relates to humans but also to the renewal of the whole universe. The core of the eschatological blessing is the completion of fellowship with God and the fullness of fellowship with angels and believers. In conclusion, the anthropology, soteriology, and eschatology of transhumanism are incompatible with the Scriptures and Reformed theology. Transhumanism assures that technology will super-humanize us, but, in fact, the result is de-humanization.

"This important new book by Thomas K. Johnson casts new light on the
meaning of Romans 1. By treating the passage as a missions training manual, he draws out surprising new interpretations for evangelism and apologetics. Johnson shows how we can join Paul in being proud (‘not
ashamed’) of the gospel, full of confidence that it continues to speak to the human condition even in a postmodern age.” Nancy Pearcey

Lexham Press is pleased to announce the publication of a major series of new translations of Abraham Kuyper’s key works in public theology. Never before available in English, these works will introduce a new audience to the thoughts of one of Christianity’s most thoughtful public theologians. Comprised of 8 key works spread over 12 volumes, this series will be made available in both a high-quality hardback edition and an enhanced electronic Logos edition. Works of the preeminent statesman, educator and Reformed theologian Abraham Kuyper on topics ranging from politics and economics to the Lordship of Christ, ethics, and Islam will be made available in English for the first time. These volumes will provide rich resources for the church as Christians seek to live faithfully in the world today.

A central question in Christian ethics is the relationship between the moral principles we should follow within the Christian community and the ethics followed in the secular societies in which we live. Our dilemma is that we have received a revelation of God's moral will in the Bible and in creation which must shape the identity of believers over against unbelieving cultures, while our neighbors follow the ethics of other worldviews which concern us deeply. Remember the Holocaust, where the ethics of a secular ideology wreaked destruction in an entire society. How should we, as Christians whom God has called to a distinct identity, participate in the moral considerations that will shape our cultures and communicate some of our convictions in a way that brings moral light into our worlds? Johnson offers the insight gained by 20 years of teaching ethics in secular universities in Europe and North America. First he addresses questions of sex, marriage, and family; then questions of work and economics; and finally theological and philosophical foundations.

There are parallels between certain themes in Christian ethics and key issues addressed by Humanitarian Islam. An elucidation will promote communication and future cooperation, as well as serve an education function among Christians. We can begin with hermeneutics.
This is a selection from the book "Humanitarian Islam, Evangelical Christianity, and the Clash of Civilizations."

Few issues have been as divisive for the contemporary church as the doctrine of irre- sistible grace. In the debates surrounding this doctrine, there has been an overwhelm- ing tendency for theologies of grace to focus on the effects that grace has on particular human beings. Alongside this tendency, there has arisen a danger that we forget that God’s grace is God’s grace; that it is God’s free, personal, and beneficent disposition and action. In this article, I turn to Karl Barth to consider a way forward for interpreting the irresistible nature of grace that does not focus on its effectuality but on its theocentric, participative, and covenantal character.

While it is not the purpose of this paper to address the broad debate over the role of Beza in changing Calvin's thought immediately following his death, the specific case of On the Rights of Magistrates does provide a clear refutation of the above historiographical narrative. Specifically, Calvin's thought as it was expressed in The Institutes of the Christian Religion appears to have served as the fundamental framework around which Beza crafted his argument in On the Rights of Magistrates. In the realm of political theory, Calvin's understanding of the role of government and rulers is reflected in the explicit assumptions about government which Beza makes. Furthermore, Beza uses a number of theological concepts which mirror the theological focuses of the Institutes itself. Finally, Calvin bequeathed to Beza a series of practical rules for how different elements of the political order should relate to one another. Therefore, John Calvin's The Institutes must be seen as a crucial influence on Theodore Beza's On the Rights of Magistrates.

English translation of Ethica Christiana, ex sacris literis collecta (Herborn, 1610).

Georg Pasor (1570-1637) began teaching at the Herborn Academy in 1597, and was successively professor of Hebrew at Herborn (1607-1626) and Greek at the University of Franeker (1626-1637). He is famous for his Lexicon Graeco-Latinum (Herborn, 1619), which remained in print for over 150 years. While at Herborn he produced the work translated here. In this work, Pasor provides a sketch of Christian virtues and duties. The work is characterized both by voluminous biblical references and integration of philosophical virtues. This harmonization of biblical sources and philosophical virtues is seen not only in specific virtues such as justice, where Pasor approves the familiar Aristotelian division between distributive and commutative justice, but also on the title page itself, where Pasor states that James 1:22 agrees substantially with Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics 1.3.

This book examines John Calvin’s sense of vocation.

1) It begins with an analysis of thinking on prophecy in early, medieval, and Reformation theology.

2) It finds Calvin within a non-mystical, non-apocalyptic prophetic tradition that focused on scriptural interpretation.

3) It argues Calvin believed his prophetic authority was the same as Isaiah and Jeremiah, and suggests that he may have held himself to be infallible in matters related to Christian doctrine.

4) It argues that starting from about 1555, Calvin began to conceive the idea of encouraging one of the French 'lesser magistrates' (the princes of the blood royal) to rise up in armed conflict against the sitting French king with the aim of taking the throne.

5) Thus, it argues that when that did happen in 1562 when Louis of Condé gathered troops in Orléans and declared their intentions to liberate King Charles IX from the evil councillors surrounding him, this had Calvin's fingerprints on it -- Calvin was to a significant degree responsible for this turn of events.

6) Calvin pursued this plan, I argue, as one of a number of approaches to winning France for the gospel. In this way, the volume explores Calvin's sense of vocation and the impact this had on his political thought.

This article is an initial attempt to bring the subject of baptism and to a lesser extent infant
baptism in particular, as demonstrated in Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics, into a conversation
with the practice of this phenomenon in African Reformed churches in South Africa, specifically
the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA). Whilst the Roman Catholic and
Reformed traditions regarding the sacraments differ significantly in the understanding of this
subject, this article will examine Barth’s understanding of baptism. This is done by critically
examining key themes in his Church Dogmatics. The praxis of the sacraments and especially
that of baptism continue to be a praxis that is highly venerated in African Reformed theological
circles. This is so because it is believed that symbolism continues to occupy centre stage in
African Reformed churches. In a sense therefore it seems that the African Reformed Christian
leans more towards a Roman Catholic understanding of this sacrament. Is that perhaps true?
Essentially this conversation will explore the relationship of faith to baptism and how this
impacts on infant baptism for instance.

40 essays by Ronnie Hsia, Ulrich Leinsle, Marius Reiser, Thomas Marschler, Trent Pomplun, Jean-Louis Quantin, William O'Brien SJ, Stefania Tutino, Carl Trueman, Andreas Beck, Willem van Asselt, Eric Carlsson, Stephen Hampton, Benjamin Mayes, Robert Kolb, Risto Saarinnen, Ola Tjorholm, Sarah Mortimer, Jeff Bach, Keith Stanglin, Hartmut Lehmann, Jonathan Strom, Craig Atwood, Stephen Burnett, Emanuele Colombo, Aza Goudriaan, Carolina Armenteros, Eric Watkins, Maria Rosa Antognazza, Stephen Gaukroger, Jonathan Israel, John Henry.

The Reformed tradition has long understood the second commandment to forbid making any image (physical or mental) of any person of the Godhead. Many today, however, are taking exception to the Reformed confessional documents regarding the second commandment or ignoring them altogether. This essay argues that the Reformed understanding of the second commandment is not an isolated and detached take on a specific ethical point, but in fact the entire Reformed doctrinal system supports the prohibition against making images of the divine.

Miroslav Volf’s Allah: A Christian Response created a sensation in South Korea in various ways. On the one hand, it made a positive contribution to help many Islamophobics in Korean Churches to better understand Islam and Muslims. On the other hand, it caused much theological debate regarding Volf’s idea of “God” since he suggests reconciling the Christian God and the Islamic Allah. This essay attempts to analyze and evaluate the doctrine of God in Volf’s Allah on four points. First, Volf’s formulation of “God” cannot be harmonized with traditional theology such as that of Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and Bavinck. Second, the “God” in Volf’s book cannot side with biblical theology. If Volf’s idea of “God” were biblical, Christianity would have to accept a heretical concept of God such as the Jehovah of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Third, Volf’s Allah is logically inconsistent. His doctrine of “God” and his strategy for reconciliation between Christianity and Islam in Allah contradicts with Volf’s previous two books, After Our Likeness, which emphasizes relational Trinitarianism, and Exclusion and Embrace, which prefers “embrace” to “inclusion.” Fourth, Volf’s understanding of “God” cannot satisfy the concept of the Islamic Allah in its traditional description. Most traditional Muslims do not accept the Trinitarian God of Christianity, and they believe that the Quran, not the Christian Bible and Jesus Christ, is the final revelation of Allah. Thus, Reformed theology should not accept Volf’s idea of “God” as conceptualized in his book Allah. Volf theologically excludes Jesus Christ and the Trinity in his formulation of a very curious “God” in order to politically embrace Muslims. // 미로슬라브 볼프의 『알라』(IVP, 2016)는 여러 면에서 센세이션을 불러일으켰다. 특히 이슬람에 대한 무지와 공포가 만연한 한국교회에 이슬람을 제대로 이해할 수 있도록 지적인 자극을 제공했다. 하지만 『알라』에서 제시하는 볼프의 신론(神論)은 여러 모로 정통 기독교 신론을 위협하는 위험한 사상이다. 『알라』에 나타난 신론을 분석하고 평가하는 것을 목표로 삼는 본 논문은 아래와 같은 주장들을 제시할 것이다. 첫째, 볼프가 『알라』에서 제시하는 신론은 아우구스티누스, 루터, 칼빈, 바빙크 등이 가르쳤던 정통적인 삼위일체론적 기독교 신론을 떠난 것이다. 둘째, 볼프의 신론은 성경신학적 측면에서 볼 때에 매우 위험한 사상이다. 볼프의 신론이 기독교의 하나님을 묘사하는 것이라면 이단들의 신론 가령 여호와의 증인에서 제공하는 신론도 역시 기독교의 하나님을 묘사하는 것이 될 것이다. 셋째, 『알라』에서 제시된 신론은 논리적 측면에서 문제가 많다. 그의 신론은 이전에 『삼위일체와 교회』에서 자신이 제시했던 관계적 삼위일체론과 모순이며, 『배제와 포용』에서 제시한 방법과도 맞지 않는 전략을 취한다. 넷째, 볼프가 묘사하는 이슬람의 ‘알라’는 사실상 이슬람에서 보더라도 부족한 모습이다. ‘알라’와 기독교의 하나님을 억지로 끼워 맞추려는 노력은 이슬람 측의 삼위일체론 이해와 종말론의 관점에서 볼 때에 실패할 수밖에 없는 기획인데, 볼프는 이런 점들을 무시하고 있다. 따라서 이 책 『알라』를 통하여 기독교와 이슬람 사이의 정치신학적 대화를 시도하고자 한 볼프의 의도는 이해한다 하더라도, 그의 신론을 개혁신학이 받아들일 수는 없다. ‘알라’를 포용하려다가 ‘삼위일체 하나님’을 배제시켜 버리는 형국이 되기 때문이다.

Many scholars have argued that the Protestant Reformation generally departed from virtue ethics, and this claim is often accepted by Protestant ethicists. This essay argues against such discontinuity by demonstrating John Calvin’s reception of ethical concepts from Augustine and Aristotle. Calvin drew on Augustine’s concept of eudaimonia and many aspects of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics , including concepts of choice, habit, virtue as a mean, and the specific virtues of justice and prudence. Calvin also evaluated the problem of pagan virtue in light of traditional Augustinian texts discussed in the medieval period. He interpreted the Decalogue as teaching virtue, including the cardinal virtues of justice and temperance. Calvin was not the harbinger of an entirely new ethical paradigm, but rather a participant in the mainstream of Christian thinkers who maintained a dual interest in Aristotelian and Augustinian eudaimonist virtue ethics.

In this article, originally written for a presentation at Oral Roberts College of Theology and Ministry, I am condensing material from my book Spirit Hermeneutics and some subsequent discussions. (Further documentation will be found there.) I am leaving out some other discussions treated in the book, such as biblical epistemology, so as to focus here on two commonly discussed sides of Spirit hermeneutics.  At the risk of suspense, I will preface my remarks by noting that I am a charismatic biblical scholar who fully affirms both sides of what I am addressing here.

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Although there are many studies on John Calvin's teaching on natural law, the relation between natural law and Roman law has received relatively less attention. This essay examines the relation between natural law and Roman law in Calvin's exegetical writing on the Mosaic law. I argue that Calvin regarded Roman law as an exemplary, albeit imperfect, witness to the natural law, and he used Roman law to aid in his interpretation of the Mosaic law. Since he assumed that Roman law embodies principles of natural law, Calvin drew on Roman law as an aid in order to distinguish natural from positive law within the Mosaic law. He also broadened the scope of commandments in the second table of the Decalogue by comparison with natural and Roman law. Yet although Calvin drew many continuities between Mosaic and Roman laws, he remained critical of the Roman system due to various failings in comparison with Scripture and principles of natural law.

Paper ini melakukan tinjauan ulang atas doktrin keselamatan Injili dari perspektif Reformed. Keselamatan dalam kekristenan bergantung penuh pada anugerah, namun prinsip anugerah itu sudah tidak amazing lagi karena dikotori oleh kemauan manusia Dari pengalaman tersebut selalu ada isu yang ingin menggugatnya, termasuk pelajar-pelajar Soteriologi injili. Konsep injili tentang anugerah keselamatan berhulu dari doktrin pemilihan Allah dan secara konsisten bermuara pada doktrin ketekunan orang percaya. Akhirnya berkonsekuensi pada pekabaran anugerah dan aksi dalam anugerah.

There is a tradition in historiography of the Reformed tradition claiming that James Ussher's works were important sources used at the Westminster Assembly. This essay seeks to substantiate that tradition by examining contextual factors and the sources themselves to discover the many links between Ussher, the Westminster divines, and the documents produced by the Assembly.

This essay attempts to argue that Turretin’s explanation of freedom differs from that of Scotus, and that Turretin’s concepts of necessity and indifference are also different from those of Scotus. Thus, it is not appropriate to call Turretin a Scotist regarding the doctrine of freedom. Turretin takes no heed of Scotus in his formulation of the doctrine of freedom. He follows the basic logic of the Aristotelian tradition. He appears to be a Scotist only because he endorses the typical Aristotelian logic, which is the basis of Scotus’ formulation of the doctrine of freedom. The Scotist ideas about necessity and indifference differ greatly from those of Turretin. Specifically, Turretin’s careful rejection of the notion of indifference in the doctrine of freedom distances him from Scotus. In sum, Turretin’s doctrine of freedom is not Scotist but Reformed.

“개혁파 신학자 튜레틴의 자유의지론은 중세신학자 스코투스와는 달라”
이 논문은 최근 네덜란드에서 안톤 보스를 중심으로 일어난 개혁파 자유의지론에 대한 새로운 해석을 다루고 있다. 보스와 그와 함께 활동하는 학자들에 따르면 개혁파 자유의지론은 중세 신학자 둔스 스코투스(1266-1308년)의 영향을 받아서 형성된 것이라고 한다. 하지만 이 논문은 그러한 해석을 반대하고, 개혁파 자유의지론은 개혁파 신학자들이 다양한 아리스토텔레스(주전 384-322년) 전통을 참조하고 자체적으로 해석하여 형성한 것임을 밝혔다.

English translation of Daniel Colonius (praes.), Positiones ethicae de virtue morali [resp. Petrus Reghemoorterus] (Leiden: Isaac Elzevier, 1622).

Daniel Colonius (1566-1635) is well known for his Analysis paraphrastica of Calvin's Institutes (1636). He studied at Geneva with Theodore Beza and was a participant at the Synod of Dordt (1618-1619). This is a short disputation representing an early seventeenth-century theologian's view of ethics. Colonius is clearly favorable toward virtue ethics and Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics in particular.

THE JOURNAL SEEKS TO PROVIDE  A FORUM: To encourage serious theological thinking and articulation by Pentecostals/Charismatics in Asia; to promote interaction among Asian Pentecostals/Charismatics and dialogue with other Christian traditions; to stimulate creative contextualization of the Christian faith; and to provide a means for Pentecostals/Charismatics to share their theological reflections.

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