<![CDATA[Three Forms Podcast]]>
threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/podcastSubstackSat, 06 Jun 2026 13:43:10 GMThttps://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/1912256.rssThree Forms PodcastThree Forms Podcast is a project exploring the trusted paths of the Reformed Three Forms of Unity, and considering how they apply to our lives today!episodicThree Forms Podcastthreeformspodcast@gmail.comNo<![CDATA[Episode 327: Canons Of Dort, Conclusion]]>After covering the Five Heads of Doctrine, and Rejecting the corresponding errors, the Synod of Dort wrote their own Conclusion to their work! Thanks for listening to our Podcast series. Conclusion Rejection of False Accusations And so this is the clear, simple, and straightforward explanation of the orthodox teaching on the five articles in dispute in the Netherlands, as well as the rejection of the errors by which the Dutch churches have for some time been disturbed. This explanation and rejection the Synod declares to be derived from God’s Word and in agreement with the confessions of the Reformed churches. Hence it clearly appears that those of whom one could hardly expect it have shown no truth, equity, and charity at all in wishing to make the public believe: that the teaching of the Reformed churches on predestination and on the points associated with it by its very nature and tendency draws the minds of people away from all godliness and religion, is an opiate of the flesh and the devil, and is a stronghold where Satan lies in wait for all people, wounds most of them, and fatally pierces many of them with the arrows of both despair and self-assurance; that this teaching makes God the author of sin, unjust, a tyrant, and a hypocrite; and is nothing but a refurbished Stoicism, Manicheism, Libertinism, and Turkism*; that this teaching makes people carnally self-assured, since it persuades them that nothing endangers the salvation of the elect, no matter how they live, so that they may commit the most outrageous crimes with self-assurance; and that on the other hand nothing is of use to the reprobate for salvation even if they have truly performed all the works of the saints; that this teaching means that God predestined and created, by the bare and unqualified choice of his will, without the least regard or consideration of any sin, the greatest part of the world to eternal condemnation; that in the same manner in which election is the source and cause of faith and good works, reprobation is the cause of unbelief and ungodliness; that many infant children of believers are snatched in their innocence from their mothers’ breasts and cruelly cast into hell so that neither the blood of Christ nor their baptism nor the prayers of the church at their baptism can be of any use to them; and very many other slanderous accusations of this kind which the Reformed churches not only disavow but even denounce with their whole heart. Therefore this Synod of Dort in the name of the Lord pleads with all who devoutly call on the name of our Savior Jesus Christ to form their judgment about the faith of the Reformed churches, not on the basis of false accusations gathered from here or there, or even on the basis of the personal statements of a number of ancient and modern authorities—statements which are also often either quoted out of context or misquoted and twisted to convey a different meaning—but on the basis of the churches’ own official confessions and of the present explanation of the orthodox teaching which has been endorsed by the unanimous consent of the members of the whole Synod, one and all. Moreover, the Synod earnestly warns the false accusers themselves to consider how heavy a judgment of God awaits those who give false testimony against so many churches and their confessions, trouble the consciences of the weak, and seek to prejudice the minds of many against the fellowship of true believers. Finally, this Synod urges all fellow ministers in the gospel of Christ to deal with this teaching in a godly and reverent manner, in the academic institutions as well as in the churches; to do so, both in their speaking and writing, with a view to the glory of God’s name, holiness of life, and the comfort of anxious souls; to think and also speak with Scripture according to the analogy of faith; and, finally, to refrain from all those ways of speaking which go beyond the bounds set for us by the genuine sense of the Holy Scriptures and which could give impertinent sophists a just occasion to scoff at the teaching of the Reformed churches or even to bring false accusations against it. May God’s Son Jesus Christ, who sits at the right hand of God and gives gifts to humanity, sanctify us in the truth, lead to the truth those who err, silence the mouths of those who lay false accusations against sound teaching, and equip faithful ministers of God’s Word with a spirit of wisdom and discretion, that all they say may be to the glory of God and the building up of their hearers. Amen.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-327-canons-of-dort-conclusionsubstack:post:196557812Tue, 05 May 2026 15:56:05 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo18743327full<![CDATA[Episode 326: Canons Of Dort, Fifth Head Of Doctrine, Rejection Of Errors, Paragraphs 6-9]]>Did Jesus really pray for our faith to persevere to the end? While some of the Remonstrants claimed he didn't, it appears that they forgot Jesus' pray for the disciples, and us, in John chapter 17! VI Who teach that the teaching of the assurance of perseverance and of salvation is by its very nature and character an opiate of the flesh and is harmful to godliness, good morals, prayer, and other holy exercises, but that, on the contrary, to have doubt about this is praiseworthy. For these people show that they do not know the effective operation of God’s grace and the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and they contradict the apostle John, who asserts the opposite in plain words: “Dear friends, now we are children of God, but what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he is made known, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3). Moreover, they are refuted by the examples of the saints in both the Old and the New Testament, who though assured of their perseverance and salvation yet were constant in prayer and other exercises of godliness. VII Who teach that the faith of those who believe only temporarily does not differ from justifying and saving faith except in duration alone. For Christ himself in Matthew 13:20ff. and Luke 8:13ff. clearly defines these further differences between temporary and true believers: he says that the former receive the seed on rocky ground, and the latter receive it in good ground, or a good heart; the former have no root, and the latter are firmly rooted; the former have no fruit, and the latter produce fruit in varying measure, with steadfastness, or perseverance. VIII Who teach that it is not absurd that people, after losing their former regeneration, should once again, indeed quite often, be reborn. For by this teaching they deny the imperishable nature of God’s seed by which we are born again, contrary to the testimony of the apostle Peter: “Born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable” (1 Pet. 1:23). IX Who teach that Christ nowhere prayed for an unfailing perseverance of believers in faith. For they contradict Christ himself when he says: “I have prayed for you, Peter, that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:32); and John the gospel writer when he testifies in John 17 that it was not only for the apostles, but also for all those who were to believe by their message that Christ prayed: “Holy Father, preserve them in your name” (v. 11); and “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you preserve them from the evil one” (v. 15).



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-326-canons-of-dort-fifthsubstack:post:195761736Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo18143326full<![CDATA[Episode 325: Canons Of Dort, Fifth Head Of Doctrine, Rejection Of Errors, Paragraphs 1 -5]]>Pointing to Scripture, the Synod rejects the errors of those teaching: that God gives you grace to persevere, yet it remains up to you, or you can only have assurance of faith if visited by an angel. Rejection of the Errors Concerning the Teaching of the Perseverance of the Saints. Having set forth the orthodox teaching, the Synod rejects the errors of those: 1 Who teach that the perseverance of true believers is not an effect of election or a gift of God produced by Christ’s death, but a condition of the new ­covenant which people, before what they call their “peremptory” election and justification, must fulfill by their free will. For Holy Scripture testifies that perseverance follows from election and is granted to the chosen by virtue of Christ’s death, resurrection, and intercession: “The chosen obtained it; the others were hardened” (Rom. 11:7); likewise, “He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not, along with him, grant us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised—who also sits at the right hand of God, and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Rom. 8:32-35). 2 Who teach that God does provide believers with sufficient strength to persevere and is ready to preserve this strength in them if they perform their duty, but that even with all those things in place which are necessary to persevere in faith and which God is pleased to use to preserve faith, it still always depends on the choice of human will whether or not to persevere. For this view is obviously Pelagian; and though it intends to make people free it makes them sacrilegious. It is against the enduring consensus of evangelical teaching which takes from humanity all cause for boasting and ascribes the praise for this benefit only to God’s grace. It is also against the testimony of the apostle: “It is God who keeps us strong to the end, so that we will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:8). 3 Who teach that those who truly believe and have been born again not only can forfeit justifying faith as well as grace and salvation totally and to the end, but also in actual fact do often forfeit them and are lost forever. For this opinion nullifies the very grace of justification and regeneration as well as the continual preservation by Christ, contrary to the plain words of the apostle Paul: “If Christ died for us while we were still sinners, we will therefore much more be saved from God’s wrath through him, since we have now been justified by his blood” (Rom. 5:8-9); and contrary to the apostle John: “No one who is born of God is intent on sin, because God’s seed remains in him, nor can he sin, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9); also contrary to the words of Jesus Christ: “I give eternal life to my sheep, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29). 4 Who teach that those who truly believe and have been born again can commit the sin that leads to death (the sin against the Holy Spirit). For the same apostle John, after making mention of those who commit the sin that leads to death and forbidding prayer for them (1 John 5:16-17), immediately adds: “We know that anyone born of God does not commit sin” (that is, that kind of sin), “but the one who was born of God keeps himself safe, and the evil one does not touch him” (v. 18). 5 Who teach that apart from a special revelation no one can have the assurance of future perseverance in this life. For by this teaching the well-founded consolation of true believers in this life is taken away and the doubting of the Romanists is reintroduced into the church. Holy Scripture, however, in many places derives the assurance not from a special and extraordinary revelation but from the marks peculiar to God’s children and from God’s completely reliable promises. So especially the apostle Paul: “Nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:39); and John: “They who obey his commands remain in him and he in them. And this is how we know that he remains in us: by the Spirit he gave us” (1 John 3:24).



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-325-canons-of-dort-fifthsubstack:post:194924144Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19023325full<![CDATA[Episode 324: Canons Of Dort, Fifth Head Of Doctrine, Articles 14-15]]>God's Word isn't just the start of our faith, but the Preaching, Reading, Meditating on, and demonstration thereof through the Sacraments, preserve and build us in our precious faith. Article 14: God’s Use of Means in Perseverance And, just as it has pleased God to begin this work of grace in us by the proclamation of the gospel, so God preserves, continues, and completes this work by the hearing and reading of the gospel, by meditation on it, by its exhortations, threats, and promises, and also by the use of the sacraments. Article 15: Contrasting Reactions to the Teaching of ­Perseverance This teaching about the perseverance of true believers and saints, and about their assurance of it—a teaching which God has very richly revealed in the Word for the glory of his name and for the comfort of the godly, and which God impresses on the hearts of believers—is something which the flesh does not understand, Satan hates, the world ridicules, the ignorant and the hypocrites abuse, and the spirits of error attack. The bride of Christ, on the other hand, has always loved this teaching very tenderly and defended it steadfastly as a priceless treasure; and God, against whom no plan can avail and no strength can prevail, will ensure that the church will continue to do this. To this God alone, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever. Amen.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-234-canons-of-dort-fifthsubstack:post:194223114Tue, 14 Apr 2026 22:20:31 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19083324full<![CDATA[Episode 323: Canons Of Dort, Fifth Head Of Doctrine, Articles 9-13]]>Is assurance of your salvation something you can have? Is it something you must always have at all times? What of seasons of doubt? We consider these questions and more in this episode! Article 9: The Assurance of This Preservation Concerning this preservation of those chosen to salvation and concerning the perseverance of true believers in faith, believers themselves can and do become assured in accordance with the measure of their faith. By this faith they firmly believe that they are and always will remain true and living members of the church, and that they have the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Article 10: The Ground of This Assurance Accordingly, this assurance does not derive from some private revelation beyond or outside the Word, but from faith in the promises of God which are very plentifully revealed in the Word for our comfort, from the testimony of “the Holy Spirit testifying with our spirit that we are God’s children and heirs” (Rom. 8:16-17), and finally from a serious and holy pursuit of a clear conscience and of good works. If God’s chosen ones in this world did not have this well-founded comfort that the victory will be theirs and this reliable guarantee of eternal glory, they would be of all people most miserable. Article 11: Doubts Concerning This Assurance Meanwhile, Scripture testifies that believers have to contend in this life with various doubts of the flesh, and that under severe temptation they do not always experience this full assurance of faith and certainty of perseverance. But God, the Father of all comfort, “does not let them be tempted beyond what they can bear, but with the temptation he also provides a way out” (1 Cor. 10:13), and by the Holy Spirit revives in them the assurance of their perseverance. Article 12: This Assurance as an Incentive to Godliness This assurance of perseverance, however, so far from making true believers proud and carnally self-assured, is rather the true root of humility, of childlike respect, of genuine godliness, of endurance in every conflict, of fervent prayers, of steadfastness in crossbearing and in confessing the truth, and of well-founded joy in God. Reflecting on this benefit provides an incentive to a serious and continual practice of thanksgiving and good works, as is evident from the testimonies of Scripture and the examples of the saints. Article 13: Assurance No Inducement to Carelessness Neither does the renewed confidence of perseverance produce immorality or lack of concern for godliness in those put back on their feet after a fall, but it produces a much greater concern to observe carefully the ways which the Lord prepared in advance. They observe these ways in order that by walking in them they may maintain the assurance of their perseverance, lest, by their abuse of God’s fatherly goodness, the face of the gracious God (for the godly, looking upon that face is sweeter than life, but its withdrawal is more bitter than death) turn away from them again, with the result that they fall into greater anguish of spirit.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-323-canons-of-dort-fifthsubstack:post:193469643Tue, 07 Apr 2026 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19283323full<![CDATA[Episode 322: Canons Of Dort, Fifth Head Of Doctrine, Articles 5-8]]>God's people, at times can fall into grievous, even monstrous sin! But this sin is not a surprise to the Lord, and He still will bring to completion the salvation that He both promised and began. Article 5: The Effects of Such Serious Sins By such monstrous sins, however, they greatly offend God, deserve the sentence of death, grieve the Holy Spirit, suspend the exercise of faith, severely wound the conscience, and sometimes lose the awareness of grace for a time—until, after they have returned to the right way by genuine repentance, God’s fatherly face again shines upon them. Article 6: God’s Saving Intervention For God, who is rich in mercy, according to the unchangeable purpose of election does not take the Holy Spirit from his own completely, even when they fall grievously. Neither does God let them fall down so far that they forfeit the grace of adoption and the state of justification, or commit the sin which leads to death (the sin against the Holy Spirit), and plunge themselves, entirely forsaken by God, into eternal ruin. Article 7: Renewal to Repentance For, in the first place, God preserves in those saints when they fall the imperishable seed from which they have been born again, lest it perish or be dislodged. Secondly, by his Word and Spirit God certainly and effectively renews them to repentance so that they have a heartfelt and godly sorrow for the sins they have committed; seek and obtain, through faith and with a contrite heart, forgiveness in the blood of the Mediator; experience again the grace of a reconciled God; through faith adore God’s mercies; and from then on more eagerly work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. Article 8: The Certainty of This Preservation So it is not by their own merits or strength but by God’s undeserved mercy that they neither forfeit faith and grace totally nor remain in their downfalls to the end and are lost. With respect to themselves this not only easily could happen, but also undoubtedly would happen; but with respect to God it cannot possibly happen. God’s plan cannot be changed; God’s promise cannot fail; the calling according to God’s purpose cannot be revoked; the merit of Christ as well as his interceding and preserving cannot be nullified; and the sealing of the Holy Spirit can neither be invalidated nor wiped out.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-322-canons-of-dort-fifthsubstack:post:192738198Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo18943322full<![CDATA[Episode 321: Canons Of Dort, Fifth Head Of Doctrine, Articles 1-4]]>Just as God's Word teaches that we can not save ourselves, the Fifth Head of Doctrine reminds us that we also do not remain in Jesus by our power. Instead, it is He who preserves His people to the end! The Fifth Main Point of Doctrine The Perseverance of the Saints Article 1: The Regenerate Not Entirely Free from Sin Those people whom God according to his purpose calls into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord and regenerates by the Holy Spirit, God also sets free from the dominion and slavery of sin, though not entirely from the flesh and from the body of sin as long as they are in this life. Article 2: The Believer’s Reaction to Sins of Weakness Hence daily sins of weakness arise, and blemishes cling to even the best works of saints, giving them continual cause to humble themselves before God, to flee for refuge to Christ crucified, to put the flesh to death more and more by the Spirit of supplication and by holy exercises of godliness, and to strain toward the goal of perfection, until they are freed from this body of death and reign with the Lamb of God in heaven. Article 3: God’s Preservation of the Converted Because of these remnants of sin dwelling in them and also because of the temptations of the world and Satan, those who have been converted could not remain standing in this grace if left to their own resources. But God is faithful, mercifully strengthening them in the grace once conferred on them and powerfully preserving them in it to the end. Article 4: The Danger of True Believers’ Falling into ­Serious Sins The power of God strengthening and preserving true believers in grace is more than a match for the flesh. Yet those converted are not always so activated and motivated by God that in certain specific actions they cannot by their own fault depart from the leading of grace, be led astray by the desires of the flesh, and give in to them. For this reason they must constantly watch and pray that they may not be led into temptations. When they fail to do this, not only can they be carried away by the flesh, the world, and Satan into sins, even serious and outrageous ones, but also by God’s just permission they sometimes are so carried away—witness the sad cases, described in Scripture, of David, Peter, and other saints falling into sins.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-321-canons-of-dort-fifthsubstack:post:192131483Wed, 25 Mar 2026 20:28:21 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo20703321full<![CDATA[Episode 320: Canons Of Dort, Third And Fourth Heads Of Doctrine, Rejection Of Errors, Paragraphs 5-9]]>Is our salvation up to us or up to God? This question was at the heart of the error of the Arminians, and thus here the Synod continued to refute that error in these paragraphs. V Who teach that corrupt and natural humanity can make such good use of common grace (by which they mean the light of nature) or of the gifts remaining after the fall that they are able thereby gradually to obtain a greater grace—evangelical or saving grace—as well as salvation itself; and that in this way God, for his part, shows himself ready to reveal Christ to all people, since God provides to all, to a sufficient extent and in an effective manner, the means necessary for the revealing of Christ, for faith, and for repentance. For Scripture, not to mention the experience of all ages, testifies that this is false: “He makes known his words to Jacob, his statutes and his laws to Israel; he has done this for no other nation, and they do not know his laws” (Ps. 147:19-20); “In the past God let all nations go their own way” (Acts 14:16); “They” (Paul and his companions) “were kept by the Holy Spirit from speaking God’s word in Asia”; and “When they had come to Mysia, they tried to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit would not allow them to” (Acts 16:6-7). VI Who teach that in the true conversion of men and women new qualities, dispositions, or gifts cannot be infused or poured into their will by God, and indeed that the faith [or believing] by which we first come to conversion and from which we receive the name “believers” is not a quality or gift infused by God, but only a human act, and that it cannot be called a gift except in respect to the power of attaining faith. For these views contradict the Holy Scriptures, which testify that God does infuse or pour into our hearts the new qualities of faith, obedience, and the experiencing of his love: “I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts” (Jer. 31:33); “I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring” (Isa. 44:3); “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:5). They also conflict with the continuous practice of the Church, which prays with the prophet: “Convert me, Lord, and I shall be converted” (Jer. 31:18). VII Who teach that the grace by which we are converted to God is nothing but a gentle persuasion, or (as others explain it) that the way of God’s acting in conversion that is most noble and suited to human nature is that which happens by persuasion, and that nothing prevents this grace of moral persuasion even by itself from making the natural person spiritual; indeed, that God does not produce the assent of the will except in this manner of moral persuasion, and that the effectiveness of God’s work by which it surpasses the work of Satan consists in the fact that God promises eternal benefits while Satan promises temporal ones. For this teaching is entirely Pelagian and contrary to the whole of Scripture, which recognizes besides this persuasion also another, far more effective and divine way in which the Holy Spirit acts in human conversion. As Ezekiel 36:26 puts it: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; and I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. . . .” VIII Who teach that God in regenerating people does not bring to bear that power of his omnipotence whereby God may powerfully and unfailingly bend the human will to faith and conversion, but that even when God has accomplished all the works of grace which he uses for their conversion, they nevertheless can, and in actual fact often do, so resist God and the Spirit in their intent and will to regenerate them, that they completely thwart their own rebirth; and, indeed, that it remains in their own power whether or not to be reborn. For this does away with all effective functioning of God’s grace in our conversion and subjects the activity of Almighty God to human will; it is contrary to the apostles, who teach that “we believe by virtue of the effective working of God’s mighty strength” (Eph. 1:19), and that “God fulfills the undeserved good will of his kindness and the work of faith in us with power” (2 Thess. 1:11), and likewise that “his divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3). IX Who teach that grace and free choice are concurrent partial causes which cooperate to initiate conversion, and that grace does not precede—in the order of causality—the effective influence of the will; that is to say, that God does not effectively help the human will to come to conversion before that will itself motivates and determines itself. For the early church already condemned this doctrine long ago in the Pelagians, on the basis of the words of the apostle:...



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-320-canons-of-dort-thirdsubstack:post:190978909Tue, 17 Mar 2026 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo18963320full<![CDATA[Episode 319: Canons Of Dort, Third And Fourth Heads Of Doctrine, Paragraphs 1-4]]>Here the Synod rejects those that have failed to correctly triage the human spiritual condition, as they think that Original Sin will not condemn someone to Hell, unless other sins are added to it. Rejection of the Errors Having set forth the orthodox teaching, the Synod rejects the errors of those I Who teach that, properly speaking, it cannot be said that original sin in itself is enough to condemn the whole human race or to warrant temporal and eternal punishments. For they contradict the apostle when he says: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death passed on to all people because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12); also: “The guilt followed one sin and brought condemnation” (Rom. 5:16); likewise: “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). II Who teach that the spiritual gifts or the good dispositions and virtues such as goodness, holiness, and righteousness could not have resided in the ­human will at creation, and therefore could not have been separated from the will at the fall. For this conflicts with the apostle’s description of the image of God in Ephesians 4:24, where he portrays the image in terms of righteousness and holiness, which definitely reside in the will. III Who teach that in spiritual death the spiritual gifts have not been separated from human will, since the will in itself has never been corrupted but only hindered by the darkness of the mind and the unruliness of the emotions, and since the will is able to exercise its innate free capacity once these hindrances are removed, which is to say, it is able of itself to will or choose whatever good is set before it—or else not to will or choose it. This is a novel idea and an error and has the effect of elevating the power of free choice, contrary to the words of Jeremiah the prophet: “The heart itself is deceitful above all things and wicked” (Jer. 17:9); and of the words of the apostle: “All of us also lived among them” (the children of disobedience) “at one time in the passions of our flesh, following the will of our flesh and thoughts” (Eph. 2:3). IV Who teach that unregenerate humanity is not strictly or totally dead in sin or deprived of all capacity for spiritual good but is able to hunger and thirst for righteousness or life and to offer the sacrifice of a broken and contrite spirit which is pleasing to God. For these views are opposed to the plain testimonies of Scripture: “You were dead in your transgressions and sins” (Eph. 2:1, 5); “The imagination of the thoughts of the human heart is only evil all the time” (Gen. 6:5; 8:21). Besides, to hunger and thirst for deliverance from misery and for life, and to offer God the sacrifice of a broken spirit is characteristic only of the regenerate and of those called blessed (Ps. 51:17; Matt. 5:6).



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-319-canons-of-dort-thirdsubstack:post:190520867Tue, 10 Mar 2026 16:04:02 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19823319full<![CDATA[Episode 318: Canons Of Dort, Third And Fourth Heads Of Doctrine, Articles 16-17]]>Though marred by sin, people are not merely "stocks and blocks," or treated as robots, God reprogramming us against our will. Instead, His Spirit treats us as human, while healing and correcting us. Article 16: Regeneration’s Effect However, just as by the fall humans did not cease to be human, endowed with intellect and will, and just as sin, which has spread through the whole human race, did not abolish the nature of the human race but distorted and spiritually killed it, so also this divine grace of regeneration does not act in people as if they were blocks and stones; nor does it abolish the will and its properties or coerce a reluctant will by force, but spiritually revives, heals, reforms, and—in a manner at once pleasing and powerful—bends it back. As a result, a ready and sincere obedience of the Spirit now begins to prevail where before the rebellion and resistance of the flesh were completely dominant. In this the true and spiritual restoration and freedom of our will consists. Thus, if the marvelous Maker of every good thing were not dealing with us, we would have no hope of getting up from our fall by our own free choice, by which we plunged ourselves into ruin when still standing upright. Article 17: God’s Use of Means in Regeneration Just as the almighty work by which God brings forth and sustains our natural life does not rule out but requires the use of means, by which God, according to his infinite wisdom and goodness, has wished to exercise that divine power, so also the aforementioned supernatural work by which God regenerates us in no way rules out or cancels the use of the gospel, which God in great wisdom has appointed to be the seed of regeneration and the food of the soul. For this reason, the apostles and the teachers who followed them taught the people in a godly manner about this grace of God, to give God the glory and to humble all pride, and yet did not neglect meanwhile to keep the people, by means of the holy admonitions of the gospel, under the administration of the Word, the sacraments, and discipline. So even today it is out of the question that the teachers or those taught in the church should presume to test God by separating what God in his good pleasure has wished to be closely joined together. For grace is bestowed through admonitions, and the more readily we perform our duty, the more lustrous the benefit of God working in us usually is, and the better that work advances. To God alone, both for the means and for their saving fruit and effectiveness, all glory is owed forever. Amen.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-318-canons-of-dort-thirdsubstack:post:189790095Tue, 03 Mar 2026 17:56:35 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo18763318full<![CDATA[Episode 317: Canons Of Dort, Third And Fourth Head Of Doctrine, Articles 13-15]]>Scripture does not tell us that we must fully understand all of the details of our Salvation in this life. Instead, we rest in and are satisfied that we have truly received and experienced grace! Article 13: The Incomprehensible Way of Regeneration In this life believers cannot fully understand the way this work occurs; meanwhile, they rest content with knowing and experiencing that, by this grace of God, they do believe with the heart and love their Savior. Article 14: The Way God Gives Faith In this way, therefore, faith is a gift of God, not in the sense that it is offered by God for people to choose, but that it is in actual fact bestowed on them, breathed and infused into them. Nor is it a gift in the sense that God bestows only the potential to believe, but then awaits assent—the act of believing—by human choice; rather, it is a gift in the sense that God who works both willing and acting and, indeed, works all things in all people and produces in them both the will to believe and the belief itself. Article 15: Responses to God’s Grace God does not owe this grace to anyone. For what could God owe to those who have nothing to give that can be paid back? Indeed, what could God owe to those who have nothing of their own to give but sin and falsehood? Therefore those who receive this grace owe and give eternal thanks to God alone; those who do not receive it either do not care at all about these spiritual things and are satisfied with themselves in their condition, or else in self-assurance foolishly boast about having something which they lack. Furthermore, following the example of the apostles, we are to think and to speak in the most favorable way about those who outwardly profess their faith and better their lives, for the inner chambers of the heart are unknown to us. But for others who have not yet been called, we are to pray to the God who calls things that do not exist as though they did. In no way, however, are we to pride ourselves as better than they, as though we had distinguished ourselves from them.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-317-canons-of-dort-thirdsubstack:post:189037438Tue, 24 Feb 2026 17:03:52 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19423317full<![CDATA[Episode 316: Canons Of Dort, Third And Fourth Heads Of Doctrine, Articles 10-12]]>Irresistible Grace summarizes much of the "God active" language we see all throughout Scripture related to our salvation. God is the one that moves and transforms our hearts and minds to respond. Article 10: Conversion as the Work of God The fact that others who are called through the ministry of the gospel do come and are brought to conversion must not be ­credited to human effort, as though one distinguishes oneself by free choice from others who are furnished with equal or sufficient grace for faith and conversion (as the proud heresy of Pelagius maintains). No, it must be credited to God: just as from eternity God chose his own in Christ, so within time God effectively calls them, grants them faith and repentance, and, having rescued them from the dominion of darkness, brings them into the kingdom of his Son, in order that they may declare the wonderful deeds of the One who called them out of darkness into this marvelous light, and may boast not in themselves, but in the Lord, as apostolic words frequently testify in Scripture. Article 11: The Holy Spirit’s Work in Conversion Moreover, when God carries out this good pleasure in the elect, or works true conversion in them, God not only sees to it that the gospel is proclaimed to them outwardly, and enlightens their minds powerfully by the Holy Spirit so that they may rightly understand and discern the things of the Spirit of God, but, by the effective operation of the same regenerating Spirit, God also penetrates into the inmost being, opens the closed heart, softens the hard heart, and circumcises the heart that is uncircumcised. God infuses new qualities into the will, making the dead will alive, the evil one good, the unwilling one willing, and the stubborn one compliant. God activates and strengthens the will so that, like a good tree, it may be enabled to produce the fruits of good deeds. Article 12: Regeneration a Supernatural Work And this is the regeneration, the new creation, the raising from the dead, and the making alive so clearly proclaimed in the Scriptures, which God works in us without our help. But this certainly does not happen only by outward teaching, by moral persuasion, or by such a way of working that, after God’s work is done, it remains in human power whether or not to be reborn or converted. Rather, it is an entirely supernatural work, one that is at the same time most powerful and most pleasing, a marvelous, hidden, and inexpressible work, which is not less than or inferior in power to that of creation or of raising the dead, as Scripture (inspired by the author of this work) teaches. As a result, all those in whose hearts God works in this marvelous way are certainly, unfailingly, and effectively reborn and do actually believe. And then the will, now renewed, is not only activated and motivated by God, but in being activated by God is also itself active. For this reason, people t­hemselves, by that grace which they have received, are also rightly said to believe and to repent.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-316-canons-of-dort-thirdsubstack:post:188396472Wed, 18 Feb 2026 19:20:23 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo20323316full<![CDATA[Episode 315: Canons Of Dort, Third And Fourth Heads Of Doctrine, Articles 7-9]]>God's Word, and thus all Calvinist, believe in the free proclamation and offer of the Gospel. This call is not fake, or half hearted. And when people ignore that call, it is on them, and not God. Article 7: God’s Freedom in Revealing the Gospel In the Old Testament, God revealed this secret of his will to a small number; in the New Testament (now without any distinction between peoples) God discloses it to a large number. The reason for this difference must not be ascribed to the greater worth of one nation over another, or to a better use of the light of nature, but to the free good pleasure and undeserved love of God. Therefore, those who receive so much grace, beyond and in spite of all they deserve, ought to acknowledge it with humble and thankful hearts. On the other hand, with the apostle they ought to adore (but certainly not inquisitively search into) the severity and justice of God’s judgments on the others, who do not receive this grace. Article 8: The Earnest Call of the Gospel Nevertheless, all who are called through the gospel are called earnestly. For urgently and most genuinely God makes known in the Word what is pleasing to him: that those who are called should come to God. God also earnestly promises rest for their souls and eternal life to all who do come and believe. Article 9: Human Responsibility for Rejecting the Gospel The fact that many who are called through the ministry of the gospel do not come and are not brought to conversion must not be blamed on the gospel, nor on Christ, who is offered through the gospel, nor on God, who calls them through the gospel and even bestows various gifts on them, but on the people themselves who are called. Some in self-assurance do not even entertain the Word of life; others do entertain it but do not take it to heart, and for that reason, after the fleeting joy of a temporary faith, they relapse; others choke the seed of the Word with the thorns of life’s cares and with the pleasures of the world and bring forth no fruits. This our Savior teaches in the parable of the sower (Matt. 13).



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-315-canons-of-dort-thirdsubstack:post:187572455Tue, 10 Feb 2026 23:03:37 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19133315full<![CDATA[Episode 314: Canons Of Dort, Third And Fourth Heads Of Doctrine, Articles 4-6]]>While we confess Total Depravity, God's Word does not teach that humans are Utterly Depraved, or as bad as they could be. No, even after the Fall, there still remains glimmerings of our former glory. Article 4: The Inadequacy of the Light of Nature There is, to be sure, a certain light of nature remaining in all people after the fall, by virtue of which they retain some notions about God, natural things, and the difference between what is moral and immoral, and demonstrate a certain eagerness for virtue and for good outward behavior. But this light of nature is far from enabling humans to come to a saving knowledge of God and conversion to him—so far, in fact, that they do not use it rightly even in matters of nature and society. Instead, in various ways they completely distort this light, whatever its precise character, and suppress it in unrighteousness. In doing so all people render themselves without excuse before God. Article 5: The Inadequacy of the Law In this respect, what is true of the light of nature is true also of the Ten Commandments given by God through Moses specifically to the Jews. For humans cannot obtain saving grace through the Decalogue, because, although it does expose the magnitude of their sin and increasingly convict them of their guilt, yet it does not offer a remedy or enable them to escape from human misery, and, indeed, weakened as it is by the flesh, leaves the offender under the curse. Article 6: The Saving Power of the Gospel What, therefore, neither the light of nature nor the law can do, God accomplishes by the power of the Holy Spirit, through the Word or the ministry of reconciliation. This is the gospel about the Messiah, through which it has pleased God to save believers, in both the Old and the New Testaments.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-314-canons-of-dort-thirdsubstack:post:186742808Tue, 03 Feb 2026 16:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19103314full<![CDATA[Episode 313: Canons Of Dort, Third And Fourth Head of Doctrine, Articles 1-3]]>The Third and Fourth Heads of Doctrine were combined, as the Synod of Dort did not disagree with how the Arminians described human depravity. The issue was, they failed to live into their own teaching. The Third and Fourth Main Points of Doctrine Human Corruption, Conversion to God, and the Way It Occurs Article 1: The Effect of the Fall on Human Nature Human beings were originally created in the image of God and were furnished in mind with a true and sound knowledge of the Creator and things spiritual, in will and heart with righteousness, and in all emotions with purity; indeed, the whole human being was holy. However, rebelling against God at the devil’s instigation and by their own free will, they deprived themselves of these outstanding gifts. Rather, in their place they brought upon themselves blindness, terrible darkness, futility, and distortion of judgment in their minds; perversity, defiance, and hardness in their hearts and wills; and finally impurity in all their ­emotions. Article 2: The Spread of Corruption Human beings brought forth children of the same nature as themselves after the fall. That is to say, being corrupt they brought forth corrupt children. The corruption spread, by God’s just judgment, from Adam and Eve to all their descendants—except for Christ alone—not by way of imitation (as in former times the Pelagians would have it) but by way of the propagation of their perverted nature. Article 3: Total Inability Therefore, all people are conceived in sin and are born children of wrath, unfit for any saving good, inclined to evil, dead in their sins, and slaves to sin. Without the grace of the regenerating Holy Spirit they are neither willing nor able to return to God, to reform their distorted nature, or even to dispose themselves to such reform.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-313-canons-of-dort-thirdsubstack:post:185959424Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19313313full<![CDATA[Episode 312: Canons Of Dort, Second Head Of Doctrine, Rejection Of Errors, Paragraphs 5-7]]>The Canons reject the false teaching that Jesus death purchased a blanket reconciliation or reversal of Original Sin, but rather the specific redemption of his people, the church, the bride of Christ. Rejection of the Errors Having set forth the orthodox teaching, the Synod rejects the errors of those: V Who teach that all people have been received into the state of reconciliation and into the grace of the covenant, so that no one on account of original sin is liable to condemnation, or is to be condemned, but that all are free from the guilt of this sin. For this opinion conflicts with Scripture which asserts that we are by nature children of wrath. VI Who make use of the distinction between obtaining and ­applying in order to instill in the unwary and inexperienced the ­opinion that God, as far as he is concerned, wished to bestow equally upon all people the benefits which are gained by Christ’s death; but that the distinction by which some rather than others come to share in the forgiveness of sins and eternal life depends on their own free choice (which applies itself to the grace offered indiscriminately) but does not depend on the unique gift of mercy which effectively works in them, so that they, rather than others, apply that grace to themselves. For, while pretending to set forth this distinction in an acceptable sense, they attempt to give the people the deadly poison of Pelagianism. VII Who teach that Christ neither could die, nor had to die, nor did die for those whom God so dearly loved and chose to eternal life, since such people do not need the death of Christ. For they contradict the apostle, who says: “Christ loved me and gave himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20), and likewise: “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ who died,” that is, for them (Rom. 8:33-34). They also contradict the Savior, who asserts: “I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:15), and “My command is this: Love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for one’s friends” (John 15:12-13).



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-312-canons-of-dort-secondsubstack:post:185167874Tue, 20 Jan 2026 16:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19073312full<![CDATA[Episode 311: Canons Of Dort, Second Head Of Doctrine, Rejection Of Errors, Paragraph 1-4]]>Jesus did not just make salvation possible in theory, but rather accomplished a definite atonement for the sins of his people. Not just a potential, but rather the guarantee of our salvation! Rejection of the Errors Having set forth the orthodox teaching, the Synod rejects the errors of those I Who teach that God the Father appointed his Son to death on the cross without a fixed and definite plan to save anyone by name, so that the necessity, usefulness, and worth of what Christ’s death obtained could have stood intact and altogether perfect, complete and whole, even if the redemption that was obtained had never in actual fact been applied to any individual. For this assertion is an insult to the wisdom of God the Father and to the merit of Jesus Christ, and it is contrary to Scripture. For the Savior speaks as follows: “I lay down my life for the sheep, and I know them” (John 10:15, 27). And Isaiah the prophet says concerning the Savior: “When he shall make himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days, and the will of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand” (Isa. 53:10). Finally, this undermines the article of the creed in which we confess what we believe concerning the Church. II Who teach that the purpose of Christ’s death was not to establish in actual fact a new covenant of grace by his blood, but only to acquire for the Father the mere right to enter once more into a covenant with humanity, whether of grace or of works. For this conflicts with Scripture, which teaches that Christ “has become the guarantee and mediator” of a better—that is, a new—covenant (Heb. 7:22; 9:15), “and that a will is in force only when someone has died” (Heb. 9:17). III Who teach that Christ, by the satisfaction which he gave, did not certainly merit for anyone salvation itself and the faith by which this satisfaction of Christ is effectively applied to salvation, but only acquired for the Father the authority or plenary will to relate in a new way with humanity and to impose such new conditions as he chose, and that the satisfying of these conditions depends on human free choice; consequently, that it was possible that either all or none would fulfill them. For they have too low an opinion of the death of Christ, do not at all acknowledge the foremost fruit or benefit which it brings forth, and summon back from hell the Pelagian error. IV Who teach that what is involved in the new covenant of grace which God the Father made with humanity through the intervening of Christ’s death is not that we are justified before God and saved through faith, insofar as it accepts Christ’s merit, but rather that God, having withdrawn his demand for perfect obedience to the law, counts faith itself, and the imperfect obedience of faith, as perfect obedience to the law, and graciously looks upon this as worthy of the reward of eternal life. For they contradict Scripture: “They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ, whom God presented as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood” (Rom. 3:24-25). And along with the ungodly Socinus, they introduce a new and foreign justification of humanity before God, against the consensus of the whole church.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-311-canons-of-dort-secondsubstack:post:184589591Wed, 14 Jan 2026 20:48:16 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo18783311full<![CDATA[Episode 310: Canons Of Dort, Second Head Of Doctrine, Article 6-9]]>Not all receive Christ' Atonement, but this is not due to any lack or short coming with Christ. Rather the blame is to be imputed wholly upon the lost, who have rejected him. Canons Of Dort, Second Head Of Doctrine Article 6: Unbelief, a Human Responsibility However, that many who have been called through the gospel do not repent or believe in Christ but perish in unbelief is not because the sacrifice of Christ offered on the cross is deficient or insufficient, but because they themselves are at fault. Article 7: Faith God’s Gift But all who genuinely believe and are delivered and saved by Christ’s death from their sins and from destruction receive this favor solely from God’s grace—which God owes to no one—given to them in Christ from eternity. Article 8: The Saving Effectiveness of Christ’s Death For it was the entirely free plan and very gracious will and intention of God the Father that the enlivening and saving effectiveness of his Son’s costly death should work itself out in all the elect, in order that God might grant justifying faith to them only and thereby lead them without fail to salvation. In other words, it was God’s will that Christ through the blood of the cross (by which he confirmed the new covenant) should effectively redeem from every people, tribe, nation, and language all those and only those who were chosen from eternity to salvation and given to him by the Father; that Christ should grant them faith (which, like the Holy Spirit’s other saving gifts, he acquired for them by his death). It was also God’s will that Christ should cleanse them by his blood from all their sins, both original and actual, whether committed before or after their coming to faith; that he should faithfully preserve them to the very end; and that he should finally present them to himself, a glorious people, without spot or wrinkle. Article 9: The Fulfillment of God’s Plan This plan, arising out of God’s eternal love for the elect, from the beginning of the world to the present time has been powerfully carried out and will also be carried out in the future, the gates of hell seeking vainly to prevail against it. As a result, the elect are gathered into one, all in their own time, and there is always a church of believers founded on Christ’s blood, a church which steadfastly loves, persistently worships, and here and in all eternity praises him as her Savior who laid down his life for her on the cross, as a bridegroom for his bride.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-310-canons-of-dort-secondsubstack:post:183683048Tue, 06 Jan 2026 16:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo20233310full<![CDATA[Episode 309: Canons Of Dort, Second Head Of Doctrine, Articles 1-5]]>The ripple effects of sin must be addressed, and thus our redemption must be accomplished! Thankfully, Jesus' sacrifice is both sufficient for the world, and efficiently applied to God's people. The Second Main Point of Doctrine Christ's Death and Human Redemption Through It Article 1: The Punishment Which God’s Justice Requires God is not only supremely merciful, but also supremely just. This justice requires (as God has revealed in the Word) that the sins we have committed against his infinite majesty be punished with both temporal and eternal punishments, of soul as well as body. We cannot escape these punishments unless satisfaction is given to God’s justice. Article 2: The Satisfaction Made by Christ Since, however, we ourselves cannot give this satisfaction or deliver ourselves from God’s wrath, God in boundless mercy has given us as a guarantee his only begotten Son, who was made to be sin and a curse for us, in our place, on the cross, in order that he might give satisfaction for us. Article 3: The Infinite Value of Christ’s Death This death of God’s Son is the only and entirely complete sacrifice and satisfaction for sins; it is of infinite value and worth, more than sufficient to atone for the sins of the whole world. Article 4: Reasons for This Infinite Value This death is of such great value and worth for the reason that the person who suffered it is—as was necessary to be our Savior—not only a true and perfectly holy human, but also the only begotten Son of God, of the same eternal and infinite essence with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Another reason is that this death was accompanied by the experience of God’s wrath and curse, which we by our sins had fully deserved. Article 5: The Mandate to Proclaim the Gospel to All Moreover, it is the promise of the gospel that whoever believes in Christ crucified shall not perish but have eternal life. This promise, together with the command to repent and believe, ought to be announced and declared without differentiation or discrimination to all nations and people, to whom God in his good pleasure sends the gospel.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-309-canons-of-dort-secondsubstack:post:181798778Tue, 16 Dec 2025 16:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19193309full<![CDATA[Episode 308: Canons Of Dort, First Head Of Doctrine, Rejection Of Errors Paragraphs 6-9]]>Rejecting the errors of double talk, the Canons again focus on the Biblical testimony, whereby God's people are given grounds for their confidence in the faith. Rejection of Errors VI: Who teach that not every election to salvation is unchangeable, but that some of the chosen can perish and do in fact perish eternally, with no decision of God to prevent it. By this gross error they make God changeable, destroy the comfort of the godly concerning the steadfastness of their election, and contradict the Holy Scriptures, which teach that “the elect cannot be led astray” (Matt. 24:24), that “Christ does not lose those given to him by the Father” (John 6:39), and that “those whom God predestined, called, and justified, he also glorifies” (Rom. 8:30). VII: Who teach that in this life there is no fruit, no awareness, and no assurance of one’s unchangeable election to glory, except as conditioned upon something changeable and contingent. For not only is it absurd to speak of an uncertain assurance, but these things also militate against the experience of the saints, who with the apostle rejoice from an awareness of their election and sing the praises of this gift of God; who, as Christ urged, “rejoice” with his disciples “that their names have been written in heaven” (Luke 10:20); and finally who hold up against the flaming arrows of the devil’s temptations the awareness of their election, with the question “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?” (Rom. 8:33). VIII: Who teach that it was not on the basis of his just will alone that God decided to leave anyone in the fall of Adam and in the common state of sin and condemnation or to pass anyone by in the imparting of grace necessary for faith and conversion. For these words stand fast: “He has mercy on whom he wishes, and he hardens whom he wishes” (Rom. 9:18). And also: “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (Matt. 13:11). Likewise: “I give glory to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and have revealed them to little children; yes, Father, because that was your pleasure” (Matt. 11:25-26). IX: Who teach that the cause for God’s sending the gospel to one people rather than to another is not merely and solely God’s good pleasure, but rather that one people is better and worthier than the other to whom the gospel is not communicated. For Moses contradicts this when he addresses the people of Israel as follows: “Behold, to Jehovah your God belong the heavens and the highest heavens, the earth and whatever is in it. But Jehovah was inclined in his affection to love your ancestors alone, and chose out their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as at this day” (Deut. 10:14-15). And also Christ: “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! for if those mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes” (Matt. 11:21).



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-308-canons-of-dort-firstsubstack:post:181077712Tue, 09 Dec 2025 16:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19003308full<![CDATA[Episode 307: Canons Of Dort, First Head Of Doctrine, Rejection Of Errors, Paragraphs 1-5]]>While it is important to make the positive case for the truth, the Canons also value the clear and direct refutation of errors, specifically by comparing these false claims to Scripture. Rejection of the Errors I: Who teach that the will of God to save those who would believe and persevere in faith and in the obedience of faith is the whole and entire decision of election to salvation, and that nothing else concerning this decision has been revealed in God’s Word. For they deceive the simple and plainly contradict Holy Scripture in its testimony that God does not only wish to save those who would believe, but that he has also from eternity chosen certain particular people to whom, rather than to others, he would within time grant faith in Christ and perseverance. As Scripture says, “I have revealed your name to those whom you gave me” (John 17:6). Likewise, “All who were appointed for eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48), and “He chose us before the foundation of the world so that we should be holy . . .” (Eph. 1:4). II: Who teach that God’s election to eternal life is of many kinds: one general and indefinite, the other particular and definite; and the latter in turn either incomplete, revocable, conditional, or else complete, irrevocable, and absolute. Likewise, who teach that there is one election to faith and another to salvation, so that there can be an election to justifying faith apart from a nonconditional election to salvation. For this is an invention of the human mind, devised apart from the Scriptures, which distorts the teaching concerning election and breaks up this golden chain of salvation: “Those whom he predestined, he also called; and those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he justified, he also glorified” (Rom. 8:30). III: Who teach that God’s good pleasure and purpose, which Scripture mentions in its teaching of election, does not involve God’s choosing certain particular people rather than others, but involves God’s choosing, out of all possible conditions (including the works of the law) or out of the whole order of things, the intrinsically unworthy act of faith, as well as the imperfect obedience of faith, to be a condition of salvation; and it involves his graciously wishing to count this as perfect obedience and to look upon it as worthy of the reward of eternal life. For by this pernicious error the good pleasure of God and the merit of Christ are robbed of their effectiveness and people are drawn away, by unprofitable inquiries, from the truth of undeserved justification and from the simplicity of the Scriptures. It also gives the lie to these words of the apostle: “God called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of works, but in virtue of his own purpose and the grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time” (2 Tim. 1:9). IV: Who teach that in election to faith a prerequisite condition is that humans should rightly use the light of nature, be upright, unassuming, humble, and disposed to eternal life, as though election depended to some extent on these factors. For this smacks of Pelagius, and it clearly calls into question the words of the apostle: “We lived at one time in the passions of our flesh, following the will of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in transgressions, made us alive with Christ, by whose grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with him and seated us with him in heaven in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages we might show the surpassing riches of his grace, according to his kindness ­toward us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith (and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God) not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:3-9).



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-307-canons-of-dort-firstsubstack:post:180535068Tue, 02 Dec 2025 19:41:01 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo20793307full<![CDATA[Episode 306: Canons Of Dort, First Head Of Doctrine, Articles 17-18]]>Added after the first draft, Article 17 addresses the understandable concern of Godly parents, what happens to children that die in their infancy? Thankfully, our salvation does not rest upon us! Article 17: The Salvation of the Infants of Believers Since we must make judgments about God’s will from his Word, which testifies that the children of believers are holy, not by nature but by virtue of the gracious covenant in which they together with their parents are included, godly parents ought not to doubt the election and salvation of their children whom God calls out of this life in infancy. Article 18: The Proper Attitude Toward Election and ­Reprobation To those who complain about this grace of an undeserved election and about the severity of a just reprobation, we reply with the words of the apostle, “Who are you, O man, to talk back to God?” (Rom. 9:20), and with the words of our Savior, “Have I no right to do what I want with my own?” (Matt. 20:15). We, however, with reverent adoration of these secret things, cry out with the apostle: “Oh, the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways beyond tracing out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Or who has first given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen”



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-306-canons-of-dort-firstsubstack:post:179935125Tue, 25 Nov 2025 16:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19343306full<![CDATA[Episode 305: Canons Of Dort, First Head Of Doctrine, Articles 15-16]]>The doctrine of reprobation deals with God's decree, whereby some are left in their sins, unto eternal judgment. While not a pleasant doctrine to consider, it is what God has revealed in His Word. Article 15: Reprobation Moreover, Holy Scripture most especially highlights this eternal and undeserved grace of our election and brings it out more clearly for us, in that it further bears witness that not all people have been chosen but that some have not been chosen or have been passed by in God’s eternal election—those, that is, concerning whom God, on the basis of his entirely free, most just, irreproachable, and unchangeable good pleasure, made the following decree: to leave them in the common misery into which, by their own fault, they have plunged themselves; not to grant them saving faith and the grace of conversion; but finally to condemn and eternally punish those who have been left in their own ways and under God’s just judgment, not only for their unbelief but also for all their other sins, in order to display his justice. And this is the decree of reprobation, which does not at all make God the author of sin (a blasphemous thought!) but rather its fearful, irreproachable, just judge and avenger. Article 16: Responses to the Teaching of Reprobation Those who do not yet actively experience within themselves a living faith in Christ or an assured confidence of heart, peace of conscience, a zeal for childlike obedience, and a glorying in God through Christ, but who nevertheless use the means by which God has promised to work these things in us—such people ought not to be alarmed at the mention of reprobation, nor to count themselves among the reprobate; rather they ought to continue diligently in the use of the means, to desire fervently a time of more abundant grace, and to wait for it in reverence and humility. On the other hand, those who seriously desire to turn to God, to be pleasing to God alone, and to be delivered from the body of death, but are not yet able to make such progress along the way of godliness and faith as they would like—such people ought much less to stand in fear of the teaching concerning reprobation, since our merciful God has promised not to snuff out a smoldering wick or break a bruised reed.* However, those who have forgotten God and their Savior Jesus Christ and have abandoned themselves wholly to the cares of the world and the pleasures of the flesh—such people have every reason to stand in fear of this teaching, as long as they do not seriously turn to God.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-305-canons-of-dort-firstsubstack:post:179174075Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:45:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo18313305full<![CDATA[Episode 304: Canons Of Dort, First Head Of Doctrine, Articles 11-14]]>The Canons of Dort do not discuss the doctrine of Election as a mystery, that should leave God's people eternally wondering about their salvation, but rather as a reason to have assurance in Christ. Article 11: Election Unchangeable Just as God is most wise, unchangeable, all-knowing, and almighty, so the election made by him can neither be suspended nor altered, revoked, or annulled; neither can God’s chosen ones be cast off, nor their number reduced. Article 12: The Assurance of Election Assurance of their eternal and unchangeable election to salvation is given to the chosen in due time, though by various stages and in differing measure. Such assurance comes not by inquisitive searching into the hidden and deep things of God, but by noticing within themselves, with spiritual joy and holy delight, the unmistakable fruits of election pointed out in God’s Word—such as a true faith in Christ, a childlike fear of God, a godly sorrow for their sins, a hunger and thirst for righteousness, and so on. Article 13: The Fruit of This Assurance In their awareness and assurance of this election, God’s children daily find greater cause to humble themselves before God, to adore the fathomless depth of God’s mercies, to cleanse themselves, and to give fervent love in return to the One who first so greatly loved them. This is far from saying that this teaching concerning election, and reflection upon it, make God’s children lax in observing his commandments or carnally self-assured. By God’s just judgment this does usually happen to those who casually take for granted the grace of election or engage in idle and brazen talk about it but are unwilling to walk in the ways of the chosen. Article 14: Teaching Election Properly By God’s wise plan, this teaching concerning divine election was proclaimed through the prophets, Christ himself, and the apostles, in Old and New Testament times. It was subsequently committed to writing in the Holy Scriptures. So also today in God’s church, for which it was specifically intended, this teaching must be set forth with a spirit of discretion, in a godly and holy manner, at the appropriate time and place, without inquisitive searching into the ways of the Most High. This must be done for the glory of God’s most holy name, and for the lively comfort of God’s people.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-304-canons-of-dort-firstsubstack:post:178606716Tue, 11 Nov 2025 16:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19513304full<![CDATA[Episode 303: Canons Of Dort, First Head Of Doctrine, Articles 8-10]]>Which comes first, faith or election? If salvation and God's plan, to work all things for good (Rom. 8:28), was based upon our fickle faith, His plans would never be secure. But thankfully it is not! Article 8: A Single Decree of Election This election is not of many kinds, but one and the same for all who were to be saved in the Old and the New Testament. For Scripture declares that there is a single good pleasure, purpose, and plan of God’s will, by which he chose us from eternity both to grace and to glory, both to salvation and to the way of salvation, which God prepared in advance for us to walk in. Article 9: Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith This same election took place, not on the basis of foreseen faith, of the obedience of faith, of holiness, or of any other good quality and disposition, as though it were based on a prerequisite cause or condition in the person to be chosen, but rather for the purpose of faith, of the obedience of faith, of holiness, and so on. Accordingly, election is the source of every saving good. Faith, holiness, and the other saving gifts, and at last eternal life itself, flow forth from election as its fruits and effects. As the apostle says, “He chose us” (not because we were, but) “so that we should be holy and blameless before him in love” (Eph. 1:4). Article 10: Election Based on God’s Good Pleasure But the cause of this undeserved election is exclusively the good pleasure of God. This does not involve God’s choosing certain human qualities or actions from among all those possible as a condition of salvation, but rather involves adopting certain particular persons from among the common mass of sinners as God’s own possession. As Scripture says, “When the children were not yet born, and had done nothing either good or bad . . . , she (Rebecca) was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ As it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated’” (Rom. 9:11-13). Also, “All who were appointed for eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48).



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-303-canons-of-dort-firstsubstack:post:177888423Tue, 04 Nov 2025 16:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo18923303full<![CDATA[Episode 302: Canons Of Dort, First Head Of Doctrine, Articles 5-7]]>In these three articles, we start to dig into some of the Biblical evidence of election, not based upon our merit or goodness, but rather in accordance with our heavenly Father's will and purposes. Article 5: The Sources of Unbelief and of Faith The cause or blame for this unbelief, as well as for all other sins, is not at all in God, but in humanity. Faith in Jesus Christ, however, and salvation through him is a free gift of God. As Scripture says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is a gift of God” (Eph. 2:8). Likewise: “It has been freely given to you to believe in Christ” (Phil. 1:29). Article 6: God’s Eternal Decree The fact that some receive from God the gift of faith within time, and that others do not, stems from his eternal decree. For “all his works are known to God from eternity” (Acts 15:18; Eph. 1:11). In accordance with this decree God graciously softens the hearts, however hard, of the elect and inclines them to believe, but by a just judgment God leaves in their wickedness and hardness of heart those who have not been chosen. And in this especially is disclosed to us God’s act—unfathomable, and as merciful as it is just—of distinguishing between people equally lost. This is the well-known decree of election and reprobation revealed in God’s Word. The wicked, impure, and unstable distort this decree to their own ruin, but it provides holy and godly souls with comfort beyond words. Article 7: Election Election is God’s unchangeable purpose by which he did the following: Before the foundation of the world, by sheer grace, according to the free good pleasure of his will, God chose in Christ to salvation a definite number of particular people out of the entire human race, which had fallen by its own fault from its original innocence into sin and ruin. Those chosen were neither better nor more deserving than the others, but lay with them in the common misery. God did this in Christ, whom he also appointed from eternity to be the mediator, the head of all those chosen, and the foundation of their salvation. And so God decreed to give to Christ those chosen for salvation, and to call and draw them effectively into Christ’s fellowship through the Word and Spirit. In other words, God decreed to grant them true faith in Christ, to justify them, to sanctify them, and finally, after powerfully preserving them in the fellowship of the Son, to glorify them. God did all this in order to demonstrate his mercy, to the praise of the riches of God’s glorious grace. As Scripture says, “God chose us in Christ, before the foundation of the world, so that we should be holy and blameless before him with love; he predestined us whom he adopted as his children through Jesus Christ, in himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, by which he freely made us pleasing to himself in his beloved” (Eph. 1:4-6). And elsewhere, “Those whom he predestined, he also called; and those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he justified, he also glorified” (Rom. 8:30).



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-302-canons-of-dort-firstsubstack:post:177404814Tue, 28 Oct 2025 19:53:04 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo20533302full<![CDATA[Episode 301: Canons Of Dort, First Head Of Doctrine, Articles 1-4]]>Divine Election and Reprobation are the primary subject of the first Head of Doctrine, but all of these doctrines are intentionally and necessarily intertwined, so Article 1 starts with sin. The First Main Point of Doctrine Divine Election and Reprobation The Judgment Concerning Divine Predestination Which the Synod Declares to Be in Agreement with the Word of God and Accepted Till Now in the Reformed Churches, Set Forth in Several Articles Article 1: God’s Right to Condemn All People Since all people have sinned in Adam and have come under the sentence of the curse and eternal death, God would have done no one an injustice if it had been his will to leave the entire ­human race in sin and under the curse, and to condemn them on account of their sin. As the apostle says: “The whole world is liable to the condemnation of God” (Rom. 3:19), “All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), and “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Article 2: The Manifestation of God’s Love But this is how God showed his love: he sent his only begotten Son into the world, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (1 John 4:9; John 3:16). Article 3: The Preaching of the Gospel In order that people may be brought to faith, God mercifully sends messengers of this very joyful message to the people and at the time he wills. By this ministry people are called to repentance and faith in Christ crucified. For “how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without someone preaching? And how shall they preach unless they have been sent?” (Rom. 10:14-15). Article 4: A Twofold Response to the Gospel God’s wrath remains on those who do not believe this gospel. But those who do accept it and embrace Jesus the Savior with a true and living faith are delivered through him from God’s wrath and from destruction, and receive the gift of eternal life.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-301-canons-of-dort-firstsubstack:post:176655273Tue, 21 Oct 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo18553301full<![CDATA[Episode 300: Canons of Dort Introduction]]>Today we begin to consider the third of our Three Forms of Unity, the Canons of Dort. In this episode, we discuss its content, context, and point to some helpful resources if you want to dig deeper. Introduction The Decision of the Synod of Dort on the Five Main Points of Doctrine in Dispute in the Netherlands is popularly known as the Canons of Dort. It consists of statements of doctrine adopted by the great Synod of Dort, which met in the city of Dordrecht in 1618-19. Although this was a national synod of the Reformed churches of the Netherlands, it had an international character, since it was composed not only of Dutch delegates but also of twenty-six delegates from eight foreign countries. The Synod of Dort was held in order to settle a serious controversy in the Dutch churches initiated by the rise of Arminianism. Jacob Arminius, a theological professor at Leiden University, questioned the teaching of Calvin and his followers on a number of important points. After Arminius’s death, his own followers presented their views on five of these points in the Remonstrance of 1610. In this document and in later more explicit writings, the Arminians taught election based on foreseen faith, the universal application of Christ’s atonement available to all who freely choose to accept it, limited human depravity, the resistibility of God’s grace, and the possibility of a fall from salvation. In the Canons the Synod of Dort rejected these views and set forth the Reformed teaching on these points with the purpose of offering a deeper assurance of salvation to believers in accordance with the teaching of the Scriptures. The Canons are thus unique among the Reformed confessions because of their original purpose as a judicial decision on the doctrinal points in dispute during the Arminian controversy. The original preface called them a “judgment, in which both the true view, agreeing with God’s Word, concerning the aforesaid five points of doctrine, is explained, and the false view, disagreeing with God’s Word, is rejected.” The Canons also have a narrower scope than the Belgic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism in that they do not cover the whole range of doctrine but focus on the five points of doctrine in dispute. Although in form there are only four points in the Canons of Dort, we speak properly of five points, because the Canons were structured to correspond to the five articles of the 1610 Remonstrance. Main Points Three and Four were combined into one, always designated as Main Point Three/Four. Each of the main points consists of a positive and a negative part, the former being an exposition of the Reformed doctrine on the subject, the latter a repudiation of the corresponding errors. While the Reformed Church in America does not give confessional status to the Rejection of Errors, it nevertheless recognizes that the rejections help interpret the Canons by highlighting the specific errors addressed. The biblical quotations in the Canons are translations from the original Latin and so do not always correspond to current versions. Though not in the original text, subheadings have been added to the positive articles and to the conclusion in order to facilitate study of the Canons.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-300-canons-of-dort-introductionsubstack:post:176151505Tue, 14 Oct 2025 15:55:33 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19143300full<![CDATA[Episode 237: Belgic Confession Article 37]]>The Belgic Confession ends with a discussion of Last Things, Eschatology, as it points God's people to the eternal reality to come! Article 37: The Last Judgement Finally we believe, according to God’s Word, that when the time appointed by the Lord is come (which is unknown to all creatures) and the number of the elect is complete, our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven, bodily and visibly, as he ascended, with great glory and majesty, to declare himself the judge of the living and the dead. He will burn this old world, in fire and flame, in order to cleanse it. Then all human creatures will appear in person before the great judge— men, women, and children, who have lived from the beginning until the end of the world. They will be summoned there “with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet.” For all those who died before that time will be raised from the earth, their spirits being joined and united with their own bodies in which they lived. And as for those who are still alive, they will not die like the others but will be changed “in the twinkling of an eye” from perishable to imperishable. Then the books (that is, the consciences) will be opened, and the dead will be judged according to the things they did in the world, whether good or evil. Indeed, all people will give account of all the idle words they have spoken, which the world regards as only playing games. And then the secrets and hypocrisies of all people will be publicly uncovered in the sight of all. Therefore, with good reason the thought of this judgment is horrible and dreadful to wicked and evil people. But it is very pleasant and a great comfort to the righteous and elect, since their total redemption will then be accomplished. They will then receive the fruits of their labor and of the trouble they have suffered; their innocence will be openly recognized by all; and they will see the terrible vengeance that God will bring on the evil ones who tyrannized, oppressed, and tormented them in this world. The evil ones will be convicted by the witness of their own consciences and shall be made immortal— but only to be tormented in “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” In contrast, the faithful and elect will be crowned with glory and honor. The Son of God will profess their names before God his Father and the holy and elect angels; all tears will be wiped from their eyes; and their cause— at present condemned as heretical and evil by many judges and civil officers— will be acknowledged as the cause of the Son of God. And as a gracious reward the Lord will make them possess a glory such as the human heart could never imagine. So we look forward to that great day with longing in order to enjoy fully the promises of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-237-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:173684251Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo2015<![CDATA[Episode 236: Belgic Confession Article 36]]>The most modified article of the Belgic (like Article 23 in the Westminster Confession), the US context has challenged us to consider exactly what overlap we should expect between church and state. Article 36: The Civil Government We believe that because of the depravity of the human race, our good God has ordained kings, princes, and civil officers. God wants the world to be governed by laws and policies so that human lawlessness may be restrained and that everything may be conducted in good order among human beings. For that purpose God has placed the sword in the hands of the government, to punish evil people and protect the good. And being called in this manner to contribute to the advancement of a society that is pleasing to God, the civil rulers have the task, subject to God’s law, of removing every obstacle to the preaching of the gospel and to every aspect of divine worship. They should do this while completely refraining from every tendency toward exercising absolute authority, and while functioning in the sphere entrusted to them, with the means belonging to them. They should do it in order that the Word of God may have free course; the kingdom of Jesus Christ may make progress; and every anti-Christian power may be resisted. Moreover everyone, regardless of status, condition, or rank, must be subject to the government, and pay taxes, and hold its representatives in honor and respect, and obey them in all things that are not in conflict with God’s Word, praying for them that the Lord may be willing to lead them in all their ways and that we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all piety and decency.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-236-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:173171223Tue, 09 Sep 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19332236full<![CDATA[Episode 235: Belgic Confession Article 35]]>Article 35 is a mouth full in a few different ways! The Lord's Supper, our communal meal, is where our spiritual life is sustained, even if Protestantism has historically been divided over it. Article 35: The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper We believe and confess that our Savior Jesus Christ has ordained and instituted the sacrament of the Holy Supper to nourish and sustain those who are already regenerated and ingrafted into his family, which is his church. Now those who are born again have two lives in them. The one is physical and temporal— they have it from the moment of their first birth, and it is common to all. The other is spiritual and heavenly, and is given them in their second birth— it comes through the Word of the gospel in the communion of the body of Christ; and this life is common to God’s elect only. Thus, to support the physical and earthly life God has prescribed for us an appropriate earthly and material bread, which is as common to all people as life itself. But to maintain the spiritual and heavenly life that belongs to believers, God has sent a living bread that came down from heaven: namely Jesus Christ, who nourishes and maintains the spiritual life of believers when eaten— that is, when appropriated and received spiritually by faith. To represent to us this spiritual and heavenly bread Christ has instituted an earthly and visible bread as the sacrament of his body and wine as the sacrament of his blood. He did this to testify to us that just as truly as we take and hold the sacrament in our hands and eat and drink it with our mouths, by which our life is then sustained, so truly we receive into our souls, for our spiritual life, the true body and true blood of Christ, our only Savior. We receive these by faith, which is the hand and mouth of our souls. Now it is certain that Jesus Christ did not prescribe his sacraments for us in vain, since he works in us all he represents by these holy signs, although the manner in which he does it goes beyond our understanding and is incomprehensible to us, just as the operation of God’s Spirit is hidden and incomprehensible. Yet we do not go wrong when we say that what is eaten is Christ’s own natural body and what is drunk is his own blood— but the manner in which we eat it is not by the mouth, but by the Spirit through faith. In that way Jesus Christ remains always seated at the right hand of God the Father in heaven— but he never refrains on that account to communicate himself to us through faith. This banquet is a spiritual table at which Christ communicates himself to us with all his benefits. At that table he makes us enjoy himself as much as the merits of his suffering and death, as he nourishes, strengthens, and comforts our poor, desolate souls by the eating of his flesh, and relieves and renews them by the drinking of his blood.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-235-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:172594040Tue, 02 Sep 2025 19:15:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo20522235full<![CDATA[Episode 234: Belgic Confession Article 34]]>Baptism is God's welcome to his people, both for those who profess their faith and join from outside, as well as those who are born into the family of God! Article 34: The Sacrament of Baptism We believe and confess that Jesus Christ, in whom the law is fulfilled, has by his shed blood put an end to every other shedding of blood, which anyone might do or wish to do in order to atone or satisfy for sins. Having abolished circumcision, which was done with blood, Christ established in its place the sacrament of baptism. By it we are received into God’s church and set apart from all other people and alien religions, that we may wholly belong to him whose mark and sign we bear. Baptism also witnesses to us that God, being our gracious Father, will be our God forever. Therefore Christ has commanded that all those who belong to him be baptized with pure water “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In this way God signifies to us that just as water washes away the dirt of the body when it is poured on us and also is seen on the bodies of those who are baptized when it is sprinkled on them, so too the blood of Christ does the same thing internally, in the soul, by the Holy Spirit. It washes and cleanses it from its sins and transforms us from being the children of wrath into the children of God. This does not happen by the physical water but by the sprinkling of the precious blood of the Son of God, who is our Red Sea, through which we must pass to escape the tyranny of Pharaoh, who is the devil, and to enter the spiritual land of Canaan. So ministers, as far as their work is concerned, give us the sacrament and what is visible, but our Lord gives what the sacrament signifies— namely the invisible gifts and graces; washing, purifying, and cleansing our souls of all filth and unrighteousness; renewing our hearts and filling them with all comfort; giving us true assurance of his fatherly goodness; clothing us with the “new self” and stripping off the “old self with its practices.” For this reason we believe that anyone who aspires to reach eternal life ought to be baptized only once without ever repeating it— for we cannot be born twice. Yet this baptism is profitable not only when the water is on us and when we receive it but throughout our entire lives. For that reason we reject the error of the Anabaptists who are not content with a single baptism once received and also condemn the baptism of the children of believers. We believe our children ought to be baptized and sealed with the sign of the covenant, as little children were circumcised in Israel on the basis of the same promises made to our children. And truly, Christ has shed his blood no less for washing the little children of believers than he did for adults. Therefore they ought to receive the sign and sacrament of what Christ has done for them, just as the Lord commanded in the law that by offering a lamb for them the sacrament of the suffering and death of Christ would be granted them shortly after their birth. This was the sacrament of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, baptism does for our children what circumcision did for the Jewish people. That is why Paul calls baptism the “circumcision of Christ.”



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-234-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:171385017Tue, 26 Aug 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19412234full<![CDATA[Episode 233: Belgic Confession Article 33]]>Two Sacraments are all we find commanded in God's Word! Yet, these gifts from God are signs and seals that build our faith in Christ, and are a blessing for the people of God! Article 33: The Sacraments We believe that our good God, mindful of our crudeness and weakness, has ordained sacraments for us to seal his promises in us, to pledge good will and grace toward us, and also to nourish and sustain our faith. God has added these to the Word of the gospel to represent better to our external senses both what God enables us to understand by the Word and what he does inwardly in our hearts, confirming in us the salvation he imparts to us. For they are visible signs and seals of something internal and invisible, by means of which God works in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. So they are not empty and hollow signs to fool and deceive us, for their truth is Jesus Christ, without whom they would be nothing. Moreover, we are satisfied with the number of sacraments that Christ our Master has ordained for us. There are only two: the sacrament of baptism and the Holy Supper of Jesus Christ.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-233-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:171389875Tue, 19 Aug 2025 17:44:39 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19232233full<![CDATA[Episode 232: Belgic Confession Article 32]]>What is the "regulative principle," and how is that meant to shape and guide Reformed Worship? Article 32: The Order and Discipline of the Church We also believe that although it is useful and good for those who govern the churches to establish and set up a certain order among themselves for maintaining the body of the church, they ought always to guard against deviating from what Christ, our only Master, has ordained for us. Therefore we reject all human innovations and all laws imposed on us, in our worship of God, which bind and force our consciences in any way. So we accept only what is proper to maintain harmony and unity and to keep all in obedience to God. To that end excommunication, with all it involves, according to the Word of God, is required.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-232-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:170789030Tue, 12 Aug 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19882232full<![CDATA[Episode 231: Belgic Confession Article 31]]>Ministers, Elders, and Deacons are the offices that we see in Scripture, and the expectation is for the church to speak and vote on who holds these offices, along with calling on God's name! Article 31: The Officers of the Church We believe that ministers of the Word of God, elders, and deacons ought to be chosen to their offices by a legitimate election of the church, with prayer in the name of the Lord, and in good order, as the Word of God teaches. So all must be careful not to push themselves forward improperly, but must wait for God’s call, so that they may be assured of their calling and be certain that they are chosen by the Lord. As for the ministers of the Word, they all have the same power and authority, no matter where they may be, since they are all servants of Jesus Christ, the only universal bishop, and the only head of the church. Moreover, to keep God’s holy order from being violated or despised, we say that everyone ought, as much as possible, to hold the ministers of the Word and elders of the church in special esteem, because of the work they do, and be at peace with them, without grumbling, quarreling, or fighting.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-231-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:170181574Tue, 05 Aug 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19592231full<![CDATA[Episode 230: Belgic Confession Article 30]]>How does Christ govern and lead his church? From Scripture, we see that he has given the church three offices, pastors, elders, and deacons. The pastors teach, the elders protect, and deacons to give. Article 30: The Government of the Church We believe that this true church ought to be governed according to the spiritual order that our Lord has taught us in his Word. There should be ministers or pastors to preach the Word of God and administer the sacraments. There should also be elders and deacons, along with the pastors, to make up the council of the church. By this means true religion is preserved; true doctrine is able to take its course; and evil people are corrected spiritually and held in check, so that also the poor and all the afflicted may be helped and comforted according to their need. By this means everything will be done well and in good order in the church, when such persons are elected who are faithful and are chosen according to the rule that Paul gave to Timothy.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-230-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:169557074Tue, 29 Jul 2025 15:52:49 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19062230full<![CDATA[Episode 229: Belgic Confession Article 29]]>What is a church? Certainly every group that has "church" on their front sign would not qualify! Instead, we need to see the faithful implementation of at least three marks, in an ongoing manner. Article 29: The Marks of the True Church We believe that we ought to discern diligently and very carefully, by the Word of God, what is the true church— for all sects in the world today claim for themselves the name of “the church.” We are not speaking here of the company of hypocrites who are mixed among the good in the church and who nonetheless are not part of it, even though they are physically there. But we are speaking of distinguishing the body and fellowship of the true church from all sects that call themselves “the church.” The true church can be recognized if it has the following marks: The church engages in the pure preaching of the gospel; it makes use of the pure administration of the sacraments as Christ instituted them; it practices church discipline for correcting faults. In short, it governs itself according to the pure Word of God, rejecting all things contrary to it and holding Jesus Christ as the only Head. By these marks one can be assured of recognizing the true church— and no one ought to be separated from it. As for those who can belong to the church, we can recognize them by the distinguishing marks of Christians: namely by faith, and by their fleeing from sin and pursuing righteousness, once they have received the one and only Savior, Jesus Christ. They love the true God and their neighbors, without turning to the right or left, and they crucify the flesh and its works. Though great weakness remains in them, they fight against it by the Spirit all the days of their lives, appealing constantly to the blood, suffering, death, and obedience of the Lord Jesus, in whom they have forgiveness of their sins, through faith in him. As for the false church, it assigns more authority to itself and its ordinances than to the Word of God; it does not want to subject itself to the yoke of Christ; it does not administer the sacraments as Christ commanded in his Word; it rather adds to them or subtracts from them as it pleases; it bases itself on humans, more than on Jesus Christ; it persecutes those who live holy lives according to the Word of God and who rebuke it for its faults, greed, and idolatry. These two churches are easy to recognize and thus to distinguish from each other.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-229-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:168951987Tue, 22 Jul 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19972229full<![CDATA[Episode 228: Belgic Confession Article 28]]>Does a Christian need to be a member of a Church? Isn't salvation based on our relationship to Jesus? While that is the root of our salvation, God still expects His people to gather together! Article 28: The Obligations of Church Members We believe that since this holy assembly and congregation is the gathering of those who are saved and there is no salvation apart from it, people ought not to withdraw from it, content to be by themselves, regardless of their status or condition. But all people are obliged to join and unite with it, keeping the unity of the church by submitting to its instruction and discipline, by bending their necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ, and by serving to build up one another, according to the gifts God has given them as members of each other in the same body. And to preserve this unity more effectively, it is the duty of all believers, according to God’s Word, to separate themselves from those who do not belong to the church, in order to join this assembly wherever God has established it, even if civil authorities and royal decrees forbid and death and physical punishment result. And so, all who withdraw from the church or do not join it act contrary to God’s ordinance.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-228-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:168393392Tue, 15 Jul 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1978<![CDATA[Episode 227: Belgic Confession Article 27]]>When did the church begin? Who decides who is in or out? Article 27 teaches that God has one united people, all saved in Jesus, from all times, places, and social and ethnic backgrounds included. Article 27: The Holy Catholic Church We believe and confess one single catholic or universal church— a holy congregation and gathering of true Christian believers, awaiting their entire salvation in Jesus Christ, being washed by his blood, and sanctified and sealed by the Holy Spirit. This church has existed from the beginning of the world and will last until the end, as appears from the fact that Christ is eternal King who cannot be without subjects. And this holy church is preserved by God against the rage of the whole world, even though for a time it may appear very small to human eyes— as though it were snuffed out. For example, during the very dangerous time of Ahab the Lord preserved for himself seven thousand who did not bend their knees to Baal. And so this holy church is not confined, bound, or limited to a certain place or certain people. But it is spread and dispersed throughout the entire world, though still joined and united in heart and will, in one and the same Spirit, by the power of faith.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-227-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:167730101Tue, 08 Jul 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19062227full<![CDATA[Episode 226: Belgic Confession Article 26]]>Prayers and petitions calling upon dead saints, or Mary? While they shared our humanity, why would we think they hear us, or care more than He who demonstrated His love by laying down His life for us? Article 26: The Intercession of Christ We believe that we have no access to God except through the one and only Mediator and Intercessor, “Jesus Christ the righteous,” who therefore was made human, uniting together the divine and human natures, so that we human beings might have access to the divine Majesty. Otherwise we would have no access. But this Mediator, whom the Father has appointed between himself and us, ought not terrify us by his greatness, so that we have to look for another one, according to our fancy. For neither in heaven nor among the creatures on earth is there anyone who loves us more than Jesus Christ does. Although he was “in the form of God,” Christ nevertheless “emptied himself,” taking “human form” and “the form of a slave” for us; and he made himself “like his brothers and sisters in every respect.” Suppose we had to find another intercessor. Who would love us more than he who gave his life for us, even though “we were enemies”? And suppose we had to find one who has prestige and power. Who has as much of these as he who is seated at the right hand of the Father, and who has “all authority in heaven and on earth”? And who will be heard more readily than God’s own dearly beloved Son? So, the practice of honoring the saints as intercessors in fact dishonors them because of its misplaced faith. That was something the saints never did nor asked for, but which in keeping with their duty, as appears from their writings, they consistently refused. We should not plead here that we are unworthy— for it is not a question of offering our prayers on the basis of our own dignity but only on the basis of the excellence and dignity of Jesus Christ, whose righteousness is ours by faith. Since the apostle for good reason wants us to get rid of this foolish fear— or rather, this unbelief— he says to us that Jesus Christ was made like “his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest” to purify the sins of the people. For since he suffered, being tempted, he is also able to help those who are tempted. And further, to encourage us more to approach him he says, “Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” The same apostle says that we “have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus.” “Let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith….” Likewise, Christ “holds his priesthood permanently…. Consequently, he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” What more do we need? For Christ himself declares: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Why should we seek another intercessor? Since it has pleased God to give us the Son as our Intercessor, let us not leave him for another— or rather seek, without ever finding. For, when giving Christ to us, God knew well that we were sinners. Therefore, in following the command of Christ we call on the heavenly Father through Christ, our only Mediator, as we are taught by the Lord’s Prayer, being assured that we shall obtain all we ask of the Father in his name.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-226-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:167232286Tue, 01 Jul 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo19772226full<![CDATA[Episode 225: Belgic Confession Article 25]]>Is God's ceremonial law still important? Should Christians keep all of these commands? Are these laws now purposeless, and to be ignored? Christ has fulfilled these laws, but they still point to Him! Article 25: The Fulfillment of the Law We believe that the ceremonies and symbols of the law have ended with the coming of Christ, and that all foreshadowings have come to an end, so that the use of them ought to be abolished among Christians. Yet the truth and substance of these things remain for us in Jesus Christ, in whom they have been fulfilled. Nevertheless, we continue to use the witnesses drawn from the law and prophets to confirm us in the gospel and to regulate our lives with full integrity for the glory of God, according to the will of God.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-225-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:166728252Tue, 24 Jun 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1920<![CDATA[Episode 224: Belgic Confession Article 24]]>The process of Sanctification can not be stopped in those who have been given the Holy Spirit, and yet not all are growing at the same rate. Article 24 challenges us to strive to grow in God's ways. Article 24: The Sanctification of Sinners We believe that this true faith, produced in us by the hearing of God’s Word and by the work of the Holy Spirit, regenerates us and makes us new creatures, causing us to live a new life and freeing us from the slavery of sin. Therefore, far from making people cold toward living in a pious and holy way, this justifying faith, quite to the contrary, so works within them that apart from it they will never do a thing out of love for God but only out of love for themselves and fear of being condemned. So then, it is impossible for this holy faith to be unfruitful in a human being, seeing that we do not speak of an empty faith but of what Scripture calls “faith working through love,” which moves people to do by themselves the works that God has commanded in the Word. These works, proceeding from the good root of faith, are good and acceptable to God, since they are all sanctified by God’s grace. Yet they do not count toward our justification— for by faith in Christ we are justified, even before we do good works. Otherwise they could not be good, any more than the fruit of a tree could be good if the tree is not good in the first place. So then, we do good works, but not for merit— for what would we merit? Rather, we are indebted to God for the good works we do, and not God to us, since God “is at work in [us], enabling [us] both to will and to work for his good pleasure” —thus keeping in mind what is written: “When you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done.’“ Yet we do not wish to deny that God rewards good works— but it is by grace that God crowns these gifts. Moreover, although we do good works we do not base our salvation on them; for we cannot do any work that is not defiled by our flesh and also worthy of punishment. And even if we could point to one, memory of a single sin is enough for God to reject that work. So we would always be in doubt, tossed back and forth without any certainty, and our poor consciences would be tormented constantly if they did not rest on the merit of the suffering and death of our Savior.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-224-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:165641280Tue, 17 Jun 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1962<![CDATA[Episode 223: Belgic Confession Article 23]]>This article reminds us of the absolute necessity of our Salvation and Justification being based solely upon God's work! If we trusted or relied upon our own works at all, Alas, we would be undone. Article 23: The Justification of Sinners We believe that our blessedness lies in the forgiveness of our sins because of Jesus Christ, and that in it our righteousness before God is contained, as David and Paul teach us when they declare those people blessed to whom God grants righteousness apart from works. And the same apostle says that we are “justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” And therefore we cling to this foundation, which is firm forever, giving all glory to God, humbling ourselves, and recognizing ourselves as we are; not claiming a thing for ourselves or our merits and leaning and resting on the sole obedience of Christ crucified, which is ours when we believe in him. That is enough to cover all our sins and to make us confident, freeing the conscience from the fear, dread, and terror of God’s approach, without doing what our first parents, Adam and Eve, did, who trembled as they tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. In fact, if we had to appear before God relying—no matter how little—on ourselves or some other creature, then, alas, we would be swallowed up. Therefore everyone must say with David: “[Lord,] do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.”



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-223-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:165635957Tue, 10 Jun 2025 15:55:35 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1906<![CDATA[Episode 222: Belgic Confession Article 22]]>Today we focus on our Justification, how God can now treat us just as if we had never sinned nor been a sinner! How? Not by works, but through the gift of Faith! Article 22: The Righteousness of Faith We believe that for us to acquire the true knowledge of this great mystery the Holy Spirit kindles in our hearts a true faith that embraces Jesus Christ, with all his merits, and makes him its own, and no longer looks for anything apart from him. For it must necessarily follow that either all that is required for our salvation is not in Christ or, if all is in him, then those who have Christ by faith have his salvation entirely. Therefore, to say that Christ is not enough but that something else is needed as well is a most enormous blasphemy against God— for it then would follow that Jesus Christ is only half a Savior. And therefore we justly say with Paul that we are justified “by faith alone” or “by faith apart from works.” However, we do not mean, properly speaking, that it is faith itself that justifies us— for faith is only the instrument by which we embrace Christ, our righteousness. But Jesus Christ is our righteousness in making available to us all his merits and all the holy works he has done for us and in our place. And faith is the instrument that keeps us in communion with him and with all his benefits. When those benefits are made ours, they are more than enough to absolve us of our sins.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-222-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:165101201Tue, 03 Jun 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1918<![CDATA[Episode 221: Belgic Confession 21]]>In contrast to the never ending sacrifices of the Old Testament, in Jesus atonement, we learn how our Lord, by his precious blood, provided the effective and once for all sacrifice for my sins! Article 21: The Atonement We believe that Jesus Christ is a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek—made such by an oath—and that he presented himself in our name before his Father, to appease his Father’s wrath with full satisfaction by offering himself on the tree of the cross and pouring out his precious blood for the cleansing of our sins, as the prophets had predicted. For it is written that “the punishment that made us whole” was placed on the Son of God and that “by his bruises we are healed.” He was “like a lamb that is led to the slaughter”; he was “numbered with the transgressors” and condemned as a criminal by Pontius Pilate, though Pilate had declared that he was innocent. So he paid back what he had not stolen, and he suffered—“the righteous for the unrighteous,” in both his body and his soul—in such a way that when he sensed the horrible punishment required by our sins “his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.” He cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And he endured all this for the forgiveness of our sins. Therefore we rightly say with Paul that we know nothing “except Jesus Christ, and him crucified”; we “regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus [our] Lord.” We find all comforts in his wounds and have no need to seek or invent any other means to reconcile ourselves with God than this one and only sacrifice, once made, which renders believers perfect forever. This is also why the angel of God called him Jesus—that is, “Savior”—because he would save his people from their sins.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-221-belgic-confession-21substack:post:164647290Wed, 28 May 2025 20:53:02 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1909<![CDATA[Episode 220: Belgic Confession Article 20]]>The Gospel can be distorted, when one focuses only upon God's Justice or Mercy. But, as Article 20 teaches, the good news of the Gospel is that these two have perfectly met in Christ' sacrifice! Article 20: The Justice and Mercy of God in Christ We believe that God—who is perfectly merciful and also very just— sent the Son to assume the nature in which the disobedience had been committed, in order to bear in it the punishment of sin by his most bitter passion and death. So God made known his justice toward his Son, who was charged with our sin, and he poured out his goodness and mercy on us, who are guilty and worthy of damnation, giving to us his Son to die, by a most perfect love, and raising him to life for our justification, in order that by him we might have immortality and eternal life.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-220-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:164009926Tue, 20 May 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1930<![CDATA[Episode 219: Belgic Confession Article 19]]>What do we do with the Biblical account of who Jesus is? Divine? Human? We see that He was both, yet He was just one person? This reality is our focus today, what theologians call the Hypostatic Union. Article 19: The Two Natures of Christ We believe that by being thus conceived the person of the Son has been inseparably united and joined together with human nature, in such a way that there are not two Sons of God, nor two persons, but two natures united in a single person, with each nature retaining its own distinct properties. Thus his divine nature has always remained uncreated, without beginning of days or end of life, filling heaven and earth. Christ’s human nature has not lost its properties but continues to have those of a creature— it has a beginning of days; it is of a finite nature and retains all that belongs to a real body. And even though he, by his resurrection, gave it immortality, that nonetheless did not change the reality of his human nature; for our salvation and resurrection depend also on the reality of his body. But these two natures are so united together in one person that they are not even separated by his death. So then, what he committed to his Father when he died was a real human spirit which left his body. But meanwhile his divine nature remained united with his human nature even when he was lying in the grave; and his deity never ceased to be in him, just as it was in him when he was a little child, though for a while it did not so reveal itself. These are the reasons why we confess him to be true God and truly human—true God in order to conquer death by his power, and truly human that he might die for us in the weakness of his flesh.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-219-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:163493393Tue, 13 May 2025 17:56:35 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1910<![CDATA[Episode 218: Belgic Confession Article 18]]>We worship on Sunday, remembering Jesus resurrection. But as we do, we are also remembering and celebrating the incarnation that made Jesus' death, and thus resurrection possible! Article 18: The Incarnation So then we confess that God fulfilled the promise made to the early fathers and mothers by the mouth of the holy prophets when he sent the only and eternal Son of God into the world at the time appointed. The Son took the “form of a slave” and was made in “human form,” truly assuming a real human nature, with all its weaknesses, except for sin; being conceived in the womb of the blessed virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, without male participation. And Christ not only assumed human nature as far as the body is concerned but also a real human soul, in order to be a real human being. For since the soul had been lost as well as the body, Christ had to assume them both to save them both together. Therefore we confess (against the heresy of the Anabaptists who deny that Christ assumed human flesh from his mother) that Christ shared the very flesh and blood of children; being the fruit of the loins of David according to the flesh, descended from David according to the flesh; the fruit of the womb of the virgin Mary; born of a woman; the seed of David; the root of Jesse; descended from Judah, having descended from the Jews according to the flesh; descended from Abraham—having assumed descent from Abraham and Sarah, and was made like his brothers and sisters, yet without sin. In this way Christ is truly our Immanuel—that is: “God with us.”



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-218-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:162988680Tue, 06 May 2025 17:41:41 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1936<![CDATA[Episode 217: Belgic Confession Article 17]]>One of the shortest Articles in the Confession, here we continue to explore what our God has done to accomplish our salvation. Article 17: The Recovery of Fallen Humanity We believe that our good God, by marvelous divine wisdom and goodness, seeing that Adam and Eve had plunged themselves in this manner into both physical and spiritual death and made themselves completely miserable, set out to find them, though they, trembling all over, were fleeing from God. And God comforted them, promising to give them his Son, born of a woman, to crush the head of the serpent, and to make them blessed.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-217-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:162320767Tue, 29 Apr 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1911<![CDATA[Episode 216: Belgic Confession Article 16]]>Recognizing our hopeless condition in sin, the Belgic now turns our attention towards our Lord, as we begin to consider what He has done to save us, first through His electing love in Jesus Christ. Belgic Confession Article 16 Eternal Election We believe that all the posterity of Adam being thus fallen into perdition and ruin, by the sin of our first parents, God then did manifest himself such as he is; that is to say, merciful and just: Merciful, since he delivers and preserves from this perdition all, whom he, in his eternal and unchangeable counsel of mere goodness, hath elected in Christ Jesus our Lord, without any respect to their works: Just, in leaving others in the fall and perdition wherein they have involved themselves.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-216-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:161873935Tue, 22 Apr 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1928<![CDATA[Episode 215: Belgic Confession Article 15]]>The world shares the message of Lady Gaga, encouraging us that "we are on the right track because we were born this way." But David, Job, and Paul, warn us that we have a problem from our conception. Article 15: The Doctrine of Original Sin We believe that by the disobedience of Adam original sin has been spread through the whole human race. It is a corruption of the whole human nature—an inherited depravity which even infects small infants in their mother’s womb, and the root which produces in humanity every sort of sin. It is therefore so vile and enormous in God’s sight that it is enough to condemn the human race, and it is not abolished or wholly uprooted even by baptism, seeing that sin constantly boils forth as though from a contaminated spring. Nevertheless, it is not imputed to God’s children for their condemnation but is forgiven by his grace and mercy—not to put them to sleep but so that the awareness of this corruption might often make believers groan as they long to be set free from the body of this death. Therefore we reject the error of the Pelagians who say that this sin is nothing else than a matter of imitation.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-215-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:161375737Tue, 15 Apr 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1993<![CDATA[Episode 214: Belgic Confession Article 14]]>Here we begin to consider the tragedy that is humanity, in that we were created with such honor, in the image of God, but in sinful rebellion, have plunged ourselves into animal like shame. Article 14: The Creation and Fall of Humanity We believe that God created human beings from the dust of the earth and made and formed them in his image and likeness—good, just, and holy; able by their will to conform in all things to the will of God. But when they were in honor they did not understand it and did not recognize their excellence. But they subjected themselves willingly to sin and consequently to death and the curse, lending their ear to the word of the devil. For they transgressed the commandment of life, which they had received, and by their sin they separated themselves from God, who was their true life, having corrupted their entire nature. So they made themselves guilty and subject to physical and spiritual death, having become wicked, perverse, and corrupt in all their ways. They lost all their excellent gifts which they had received from God, and retained none of them except for small traces which are enough to make them inexcusable. Moreover, all the light in us is turned to darkness, as the Scripture teaches us: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” Here John calls the human race “darkness.” Therefore we reject everything taught to the contrary concerning human free will, since humans are nothing but the slaves of sin and cannot do a thing unless it is given them from heaven. For who can boast of being able to do anything good by oneself, since Christ says, “No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me”? Who can glory in their own will when they understand that “the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God”? Who can speak of their own knowledge in view of the fact that “those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit”? In short, who can produce a single thought, knowing that we are not able to think a thing about ourselves, by ourselves, but that “our competence is from God”? And therefore, what the apostle says ought rightly to stand fixed and firm: God works within us both to will and to do according to his good pleasure. For there is no understanding nor will conforming to God’s understanding and will apart from Christ’s involvement, as he teaches us when he says, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-214-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:160436410Tue, 08 Apr 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1865<![CDATA[Episode 213: Belgic Confession Article 13]]>The Providence of God is not fully revealed to us, yet from the Biblical testimony, we rest assured that our Lord is engaged and active in His world. What a comfort for God's people! Article 13: The Doctrine of God's Providence We believe that this good God, after creating all things, did not abandon them to chance or fortune but leads and governs them according to his holy will, in such a way that nothing happens in this world without God’s orderly arrangement. Yet God is not the author of, and cannot be charged with, the sin that occurs. For God’s power and goodness are so great and incomprehensible that God arranges and does his works very well and justly even when the devils and the wicked act unjustly. We do not wish to inquire with undue curiosity into what God does that surpasses human understanding and is beyond our ability to comprehend. But in all humility and reverence we adore the just judgments of God, which are hidden from us, being content to be Christ’s disciples, so as to learn only what God shows us in the Word, without going beyond those limits. This doctrine gives us unspeakable comfort since it teaches us that nothing can happen to us by chance but only by the arrangement of our gracious heavenly Father, who watches over us with fatherly care, sustaining all creatures under his lordship, so that not one of the hairs on our heads (for they are all numbered) nor even a little bird can fall to the ground without the will of our Father. In this thought we rest, knowing that God holds in check the devils and all our enemies, who cannot hurt us without divine permission and will. For that reason we reject the damnable error of the Epicureans, who say that God does not get involved in anything and leaves everything to chance.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-213-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:160427793Wed, 02 Apr 2025 16:00:45 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1863<![CDATA[Episode 212: Belgic Confession Article 12]]>Here we confess that our Lord's creation of all things includes the angels. This opposes those that deny the reality of spirits, or who claim there are equal opposing forces of good and evil. Article 12: The Creation of All Things We believe that the Father, when it seemed good to him, created heaven and earth and all other creatures from nothing, by the Word—that is to say, by the Son. God has given all creatures their being, form, and appearance and their various functions for serving their Creator. Even now God also sustains and governs them all, according to his eternal providence and by his infinite power, that they may serve humanity, in order that humanity may serve God. God has also created the angels good, that they might be messengers of God and serve the elect. Some of them have fallen from the excellence in which God created them into eternal perdition; and the others have persisted and remained in their original state, by the grace of God. The devils and evil spirits are so corrupt that they are enemies of God and of everything good. They lie in wait for the church and every member of it like thieves, with all their power, to destroy and spoil everything by their deceptions. So then, by their own wickedness they are condemned to everlasting damnation, daily awaiting their torments. For that reason we detest the error of the Sadducees, who deny that there are spirits and angels, and also the error of the Manicheans, who say that the devils originated by themselves, being evil by nature, without having been corrupted.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-212-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:159762648Tue, 25 Mar 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1932<![CDATA[Episode 211: Belgic Confession Article 11]]>One reason the Eastern and Western Church divided, was a difference over the role and work of the Holy Spirit. With the Western Church, the Belgic testifies that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son. Article 11: The Deity of the Holy Spirit We believe and confess also that the Holy Spirit proceeds eternally from the Father and the Son—neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but only proceeding from the two of them. In regard to order, the Spirit is the third person of the Trinity—of one and the same essence, and majesty, and glory, with the Father and the Son, being true and eternal God, as the Holy Scriptures teach us.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-211-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:159366324Tue, 18 Mar 2025 20:55:12 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1973<![CDATA[Episode 210: Belgic Confession Article 10]]>Jesus was not just a human, like us, but he is also revealed to be eternal, and thus God. Though this brings us into conflict with Muslims, and challenges our civil religion, we can not deny Scripture. Article 10: The Deity of Christ We believe that Jesus Christ, according to his divine nature, is the only Son of God—eternally begotten, not made or created, for then he would be a creature. He is one in essence with the Father; coeternal; the exact image of the person of the Father and the “reflection of God’s glory,” being like the Father in all things. Jesus Christ is the Son of God not only from the time he assumed our nature but from all eternity, as the following testimonies teach us when they are taken together. Moses says that God created the world; and John says that all things were created through the Word, which he calls God. The apostle says that God created the world through the Son. He also says that God created all things through Jesus Christ. And so it must follow that the one who is called God, the Word, the Son, and Jesus Christ already existed before creating all things. Therefore the prophet Micah says that Christ’s origin is “from ancient days.” And the apostle says that the Son has “neither beginning of days nor end of life.” So then, he is the true eternal God, the Almighty, whom we invoke, worship, and serve.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-210-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:158820013Tue, 11 Mar 2025 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1809<![CDATA[Episode 209: Belgic Confession Article 9]]>While the word Trinity isn't found in God's Word, in Article 9, we have an example of how we take such truths straight from the Scripture. Proof texting is not the "bogeyman" that some today claim! Article 9: The Scriptural Witness on the Trinity All these things we know from the testimonies of Holy Scripture as well as from the effects of the persons, especially from those we feel within ourselves.The testimonies of the Holy Scriptures, which teach us to believe in this Holy Trinity, are written in many places of the Old Testament, which need not be enumerated but only chosen with discretion. In the book of Genesis God says, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness.” So “God created humankind in his image”—indeed, “male and female he created them.” “See, the man has become like one of us.” It appears from this that there is a plurality of persons within the Deity, when God says, “Let us make humankind in our image”—and afterward God indicates the unity in saying, “God created.” It is true that God does not say here how many persons there are—but what is somewhat obscure to us in the Old Testament is very clear in the New. For when our Lord was baptized in the Jordan, the voice of the Father was heard saying, “This is my Son, the Beloved;” the Son was seen in the water; and the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove. So, in the baptism of all believers this form was prescribed by Christ: Baptize all people “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In the Gospel according to Luke the angel Gabriel says to Mary, the mother of our Lord: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.” And in another place it says: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you." [“There are three that testify in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one.”] In all these passages we are fully taught that there are three persons in the one and only divine essence. And although this doctrine surpasses human understanding, we nevertheless believe it now, through the Word, waiting to know and enjoy it fully in heaven. Furthermore, we must note the particular works and activities of these three persons in relation to us. The Father is called our Creator, by reason of his power. The Son is our Savior and Redeemer, by his blood. The Holy Spirit is our Sanctifier, by living in our hearts. This doctrine of the holy Trinity has always been maintained in the true church, from the time of the apostles until the present, against Jews, Muslims, and certain false Christians and heretics, such as Marcion, Mani, Praxeas, Sabellius, Paul of Samosata, Arius, and others like them, who were rightly condemned by the holy fathers. And so, in this matter we willingly accept the three ecumenical creeds—the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian—as well as what the ancient fathers decided in agreement with them.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-209-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:158380793Tue, 04 Mar 2025 17:39:34 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1924<![CDATA[Episode 208: Belgic Confession Article 8]]>One Essence, yet Three Persons? The word Trinity isn't in the Bible, so when did the church start using it? And how do songs from Arius and the Ghost Busters play into our proper understanding of God? We cover it all in this episode! Article 8: The Trinity In keeping with this truth and Word of God we believe in one God, who is one single essence, in whom there are three persons, really, truly, and eternally distinct according to their incommunicable properties— namely, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father is the cause, origin, and source of all things, visible as well as invisible. The Son is the Word, the Wisdom, and the image of the Father. The Holy Spirit is the eternal power and might, proceeding from the Father and the Son. Nevertheless, this distinction does not divide God into three, since Scripture teaches us that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each has a distinct subsistence distinguished by characteristics— yet in such a way that these three persons are only one God. It is evident then that the Father is not the Son and that the Son is not the Father, and that likewise the Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son. Nevertheless, these persons, thus distinct, are neither divided nor fused or mixed together. For the Father did not take on flesh, nor did the Spirit, but only the Son. The Father was never without the Son, nor without the Holy Spirit, since all these are equal from eternity, in one and the same essence. There is neither a first nor a last, for all three are one in truth and power, in goodness and mercy.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-208-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:157889952Tue, 25 Feb 2025 16:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1834<![CDATA[Episode 207: Belgic Confession Article 7]]>The sixth article addressing the authority of God's Word, we consider how catechisms, confessions, and even creeds, hold authority only to the extent that they properly reflect Scripture. Article 7: The Sufficiency of Scripture We believe that this Holy Scripture contains the will of God completely and that everything one must believe to be saved is sufficiently taught in it. For since the entire manner of service which God requires of us is described in it at great length, no one— even an apostle or an angel from heaven, as Paul says— ought to teach other than what the Holy Scriptures have already taught us. For since it is forbidden to add to the Word of God, or take anything away from it, it is plainly demonstrated that the teaching is perfect and complete in all respects. Therefore we must not consider human writings— no matter how holy their authors may have been— equal to the divine writings; nor may we put custom, nor the majority, nor age, nor the passage of times or persons, nor councils, decrees, or official decisions above the truth of God, for truth is above everything else. For all human beings are liars by nature and more vain than vanity itself. Therefore we reject with all our hearts everything that does not agree with this infallible rule, as we are taught to do by the apostles when they say, “Test the spirits to see whether they are from God,” and also, “Do not receive into the house or welcome anyone who comes to you and does not bring this teaching.”



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-207-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:157396820Tue, 18 Feb 2025 16:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo18812207full<![CDATA[Episode 206: Belgic Confession Article 6]]>What are God's people to do with the extra-Biblical books of the Apocrypha? They appear in Roman Catholic Bibles. They are regarded by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Are they banned and forbidden by Protestants? Or, should they be read, even if they are kind of mediocre? Learn more in today's Episode! Article 6: The Difference Between Canonical and Apocryphal Books We distinguish between these holy books and the apocryphal ones, which are the third and fourth books of Esdras; the books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Jesus Sirach, Baruch; what was added to the Story of Esther; the Song of the Three Children in the Furnace; the Story of Susannah; the Story of Bel and the Dragon; the Prayer of Manasseh; and the two books of Maccabees. The church may certainly read these books and learn from them as far as they agree with the canonical books. But they do not have such power and virtue that one could confirm from their testimony any point of faith or of the Christian religion. Much less can they detract from the authority of the other holy books.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-206-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:156925582Tue, 11 Feb 2025 16:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1932<![CDATA[Episode 205: Belgic Confession Article 5]]>What came first, the Bible or the Church? In Article 5 of the Belgic Confession, we continue to outline what we understand about God's Word, and both its authentication and authority. Article 5: The Authority of ScriptureWe receive all these books and these only as holy and canonical, for the regulating, founding, and establishing of our faith. And we believe without a doubt all things contained in them—not so much because the church receives and approves them as such but above all because the Holy Spirit testifies in our hearts that they are from God, and also because they prove themselves to be from God. For even the blind themselves are able to see that the things predicted in them do happen.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-205-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:156416529Tue, 04 Feb 2025 16:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1819<![CDATA[Episode 204: Belgic Confession Article 4]]>Why is the Bible called Canonical? Did the church create the Bible, or does the Bible create the church? When were the 66 books of the Protestant Bible recognized? Episode 204 answers these questions and more! Article 4: The Canonical BooksWe include in the Holy Scripture the two volumes of the Old and New Testaments. They are canonical books with which there can be no quarrel at all.In the church of God the list is as follows: In the Old Testament, the five books of Moses—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; the books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth; the two books of Samuel, and two of Kings; the two books of Chronicles, called Paralipomenon; the first book of Ezra; Nehemiah, Esther, Job; the Psalms of David; the three books of Solomon—Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song; the four major prophets—Isaiah, Jeremiah*, Ezekiel, Daniel; and then the other twelve minor prophets—Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.In the New Testament, the four gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; the Acts of the Apostles; the fourteen letters of Paul—to the Romans; the two letters to the Corinthians; to the Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians; the two letters to the Thessalonians; the two letters to Timothy; to Titus, Philemon, and to the Hebrews; the seven letters of the other apostles—one of James; two of Peter; three of John; one of Jude; and the Revelation of the apostle John.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-204-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:155589081Tue, 28 Jan 2025 16:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1907<![CDATA[Episode 203: Belgic Confession Article 3]]>The second of six Articles focusing on God's Revelation, and specifically the Scripture. Here we discuss how we have received God's Word, and recognize it as both Holy and Divine. Article 3: The Written Word of God We confess that this Word of God was not sent nor delivered “by human will,” but that “men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God,” as Peter says. Afterward our God— with special care for us and our salvation— commanded his servants, the prophets and apostles, to commit this revealed Word to writing. God, with his own finger, wrote the two tables of the law. Therefore we call such writings holy and divine Scriptures.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-203-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:155340482Tue, 21 Jan 2025 18:45:31 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1836<![CDATA[Episode 202: Belgic Confession Article 2]]>While Article 1 confesses the reality of God, Article 2 starts to explore how we come to know this God. Scripture and the Confession point to two books telling us of who God is, Creation and His Word. Article 2: The Means by Which We Know God We know God by two means: First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God: God’s eternal power and divinity, as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20. All these things are enough to convict humans and to leave them without excuse. Second, God makes himself known to us more clearly by his holy and divine Word, as much as we need in this life, for God’s glory and for our salvation.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-202-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:154829008Tue, 14 Jan 2025 16:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1892<![CDATA[Episode 201: Belgic Confession Article 1]]>The Belgic Confession begins with a declaration of who God is. We discuss what the confessions means when it says He is a "simple Being," and then explore ten of His attributes that it focuses on. Article 1: The Only GodWe all believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that there is a single and simple spiritual being, whom we call God— eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, unchangeable, infinite, almighty; completely wise, just, and good, and the overflowing source of all good.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-201-belgic-confession-articlesubstack:post:154339428Tue, 07 Jan 2025 16:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1996<![CDATA[Announcement: Our Three Forms Of Unity Training Event 3/15/2025]]>Our hosts share about an upcoming training opportunity in West Michigan. For more details, or to register, check out the Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/our-three-forms-of-unity-tickets-1050672167737?msockid=3c83194c9de6682f223b0bcc9c986909



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/announcement-our-three-forms-of-unitysubstack:post:153203368Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:54:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo525<![CDATA[Episode 200: Belgic Confession Introduction]]>



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-200-belgic-confession-introductionsubstack:post:152935034Tue, 10 Dec 2024 21:53:21 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1947<![CDATA[Episode 52: Heidelberg Lord's Day 52]]>In this final Lord's Day, we consider our three sworn enemies, the aim of our prayers being God's glory, and our assurance that our God not only hears but answers our prayers! Lord’s Day 52 Q & A 127 Q. What does the sixth petition mean? A. “And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one” means: By ourselves we are too weak to hold our own even for a moment. And our sworn enemies—the devil, the world, and our own flesh—never stop attacking us.And so, Lord, uphold us and make us strong with the strength of your Holy Spirit, so that we may not go down to defeat in this spiritual struggle, but may firmly resist our enemies until we finally win the complete victory. Q & A 128 Q. What does your conclusion to this prayer mean? A. For the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours forever” means: We have made all these petitions of you because, as our all-powerful king, you are both willing and able to give us all that is good; and because your holy name, and not we ourselves, should receive all the praise, forever. Q & A 129 Q. What does that little word “Amen” express? A. “Amen” means: This shall truly and surely be! It is even more sure that God listens to my prayer than that I really desire what I pray for.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-52-heidelberg-lords-day-52substack:post:152519025Tue, 03 Dec 2024 16:46:22 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1975<![CDATA[Episode 51: Heidelberg Lord's Day 51]]>Dave Ramsey encourages us to pay off our debts, but spiritually, we all have debt to the Lord that we can not pay. Yet, He has graciously forgiven our debt, and expects us to now live in forgiveness. Lord’s Day 51 Q & A 126 Q. What does the fifth petition mean? A. “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” means: Because of Christ’s blood, do not hold against us, poor sinners that we are, any of the sins we do or the evil that constantly clings to us. Forgive us just as we are fully determined, as evidence of your grace in us, to forgive our neighbors.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-51-heidelberg-lords-day-51substack:post:152212688Wed, 27 Nov 2024 02:20:42 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1910<![CDATA[Episode 50: Heidelberg Lord's Day 50]]>While the Lord's Prayer starts with several lofty and spiritual requests, the 4th request shows us that our Lord cares about both our bodies and souls. In fact, the two are closely related! Lord’s Day 50 Q & A 125 Q. What does the fourth petition mean? A. “Give us this day our daily bread” means: Do take care of all our physical needs so that we come to know that you are the only source of everything good, and that neither our work and worry nor your gifts can do us any good without your blessing. And so help us to give up our trust in creatures and trust in you alone.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-50-heidelberg-lords-day-50substack:post:151884746Tue, 19 Nov 2024 17:56:59 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1898<![CDATA[Episode 49: Heidelberg Lord's Day 49]]>What is the most dangerous request to pray for? How earnestly and diligently are we seeking and working to see God's Kingdom come? These are some of the questions we explore in today's episode. Lord’s Day 49 Q & A 124 Q. What does the third petition mean? A. “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” means: Help us and all people to reject our own wills and to obey your will without any back talk. Your will alone is good. Help us one and all to carry out the work we are called to, as willingly and faithfully as the angels in heaven.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-49-heidelberg-lords-day-49substack:post:151565700Tue, 12 Nov 2024 21:21:35 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1852<![CDATA[Episode 48: Heidelberg Lord's Day 48]]>What Kingdom are we focused upon? Whose kingdom are we seeking to promote or build? What wars against the kingdom of God, and how do we rightly oppose it? We explore these questions and more today! Lord’s Day 48 Q & A 123 Q. What does the second petition mean? A. “Your kingdom come” means: Rule us by your Word and Spirit in such a way that more and more we submit to you. Preserve your church and make it grow. Destroy the devil’s work; destroy every force which revolts against you and every conspiracy against your holy Word. Do this until your kingdom fully comes, when you will be all in all.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-48-heidelberg-lords-day-48substack:post:151225421Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:01:51 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1868<![CDATA[Episode 47: Heidelberg Lord's Day 47]]>The first request of the Lord's Prayer is that God's name would be glorified! To faithfully do this, we must know who our God is, how he has revealed himself, and avoid being glory thieves. Lord’s Day 47 Q & A 122 Q. What does the first petition mean? A. “Hallowed be your name” means: Help us to truly know you, to honor, glorify, and praise you for all your works and for all that shines forth from them: your almighty power, wisdom, kindness, justice, mercy, and truth. And it means, Help us to direct all our living— what we think, say, and do— so that your name will never be blasphemed because of us but always honored and praised.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-47-heidelberg-lords-day-47substack:post:150875533Tue, 29 Oct 2024 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1824<![CDATA[Episode 46: Heidelberg Lord's Day 46]]>At the very beginning of our prayer, we are instructed to recognize both the immanence and transcendence of our God, as we pray to him as our father, while being reminded of his heavenly abode. Lord’s Day 46 Q & A 120Q. Why did Christ command us to call God “our Father”? A. To awaken in us at the very beginning of our prayer what should be basic to our prayer—a childlike reverence and trust that through Christ God has become our Father, and that just as our parents do not refuse us the things of this life, even less will God our Father refuse to give us what we ask in faith. Q & A 121 Q. Why the words “in heaven”? A. These words teach us not to think of God’s heavenly majesty as something earthly, and to expect everything needed for body and soul from God’s almighty power.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-46-heidelberg-lords-day-46substack:post:150569915Tue, 22 Oct 2024 16:14:56 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1856<![CDATA[Episode 45: Heidelberg Lord's Day 45]]>Today we begin the final section of the Heidelberg Catechism, which focuses on the most important part of our thanksgiving, prayer! Why do we pray if God is in control of everything? How does God use our prayers? Lord’s Day 45 Q & A 116 Q. Why do Christians need to pray? A. Because prayer is the most important part of the thankfulness God requires of us. And also because God gives his grace and Holy Spirit only to those who pray continually and groan inwardly, asking God for these gifts and thanking God for them.Q & A 117 Q. What is the kind of prayer that pleases God and that he listens to? A. First, we must pray from the heart to no other than the one true God, revealed to us in his Word, asking for everything God has commanded us to ask for. Second, we must fully recognize our need and misery, so that we humble ourselves in God’s majestic presence. Third, we must rest on this unshakable foundation: even though we do not deserve it, God will surely listen to our prayer because of Christ our Lord. That is what God promised us in his Word.Q & A 118 Q. What did God command us to pray for? A. Everything we need, spiritually and physically, as embraced in the prayer Christ our Lord himself taught us. Q & A 119 Q. What is this prayer?A. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. For the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours forever. Amen.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-45-heidelberg-lords-day-45substack:post:150274809Tue, 15 Oct 2024 19:41:10 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1946<![CDATA[Episode 44: Heidelberg Lord's Day 44]]>The Tenth Commandment isn't just one more, tacked on to the list, but rather a key that helps us understand our Lord's expectations for the other nine and every area of our lives. Lord’s Day 44 Q & A 113 Q. What is the aim of the tenth commandment? A. That not even the slightest desire or thought contrary to any one of God’s commandments should ever arise in our hearts.Rather, with all our hearts we should always hate sin and take pleasure in whatever is right.Q & A 114Q. But can those converted to God obey these commandments perfectly?A. No. In this life even the holiest have only a small beginning of this obedience.Nevertheless, with all seriousness of purpose, they do begin to live according to all, not only some, of God’s commandments.Q & A 115 Q. Since no one in this life can obey the Ten Commandments perfectly, why does God want them preached so pointedly?A. First, so that the longer we live the more we may come to know our sinfulness and the more eagerly look to Christ for forgiveness of sins and righteousness.Second, so that we may never stop striving, and never stop praying to God for the grace of the Holy Spirit, to be renewed more and more after God’s image, until after this life we reach our goal: perfection.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-44-heidelberg-lords-day-44substack:post:149970566Tue, 08 Oct 2024 15:50:13 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1907<![CDATA[Episode 43: Heidelberg Lord's Day 43]]>Dealing with the 9th Commandment, we are warned about following the pattern of the Devil, the father of lies, and instead challenged to consider how we can better guard our neighbors good name! Lord’s Day 43 Q & A 112 Q. What is the aim of the ninth commandment? A. That I never give false testimony against anyone, twist no one’s words, not gossip or slander, nor join in condemning anyone rashly or without a hearing.Rather, in court and everywhere else, I should avoid lying and deceit of every kind; these are the very devices the devil uses, and they would call down on me God’s intense wrath. I should love the truth, speak it candidly, and openly acknowledge it. And I should do what I can to guard and advance my neighbor’s good name.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-43-heidelberg-lords-day-43substack:post:149668758Tue, 01 Oct 2024 15:54:41 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1889<![CDATA[Episode 42: Heidelberg Lord's Day 42]]>The 8th Commandment reflects the necessity of trust in society, but goes far beyond worrying about a pick-pocket. Tax policy, national debt, state lotteries, even seeking higher education all tie in. Lord’s Day 42 Q & A 110 Q. What does God forbid in the eighth commandment? A. God forbids not only outright theft and robbery, punishable by law. But in God’s sight theft also includes all scheming and swindling in order to get our neighbor’s goods for ourselves, whether by force or means that appear legitimate, such as inaccurate measurements of weight, size, or volume; fraudulent merchandising; counterfeit money; excessive interest; or any other means forbidden by God. In addition God forbids all greed and pointless squandering of his gifts. Q & A 111 Q. What does God require of you in this commandment? A. That I do whatever I can for my neighbor’s good, that I treat others as I would like them to treat me, and that I work faithfully so that I may share with those in need.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-42-heidelberg-lords-day-42substack:post:149354428Tue, 24 Sep 2024 15:50:56 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1907<![CDATA[Episode 41: Heidelberg Lord's Day 41]]>In the 7th Commandment, we are challenged to think about God's good gift of sexuality, and how it is to be honored and protected. Unchastity is rampant in societies, but God's people are to detest it! Lord’s Day 41 Q & A 108 Q. What does the seventh commandment teach us? A. That God condemns all unchastity, and that therefore we should thoroughly detest it and live decent and chaste lives, within or outside of the holy state of marriage. Q & A 109 Q. Does God, in this commandment, forbid only such scandalous sins as adultery?A. We are temples of the Holy Spirit, body and soul, and God wants both to be kept clean and holy. That is why God forbids all unchaste actions, looks, talk, thoughts, or desires, and whatever may incite someone to them.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-41-heidelberg-lords-day-41substack:post:149001560Tue, 17 Sep 2024 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1937<![CDATA[Episode 40: Heidelberg Lord's Day 40]]>Is it ever permissible to kill another human being? Why did the OT have building requirements for roof tops? Is it a sin to ride a motorcycle? Is political speech a violation of the 6th Commandment? We consider these questions and more, as we continue our journey through the Ten Commandments. Lord’s Day 40 Q & A 105 Q. What is God’s will for youin the sixth commandment?A. I am not to belittle, hate, insult, or kill my neighbor— not by my thoughts, my words, my look or gesture, and certainly not by actual deeds— and I am not to be party to this in others; rather, I am to put away all desire for revenge.I am not to harm or recklessly endanger myself either. Prevention of murder is also why government is armed with the sword.Q & A 106Q. Does this commandment refer only to murder?A. By forbidding murder God teaches us that he hates the root of murder: envy, hatred, anger, vindictiveness. In God’s sight all such are disguised forms of murder.Q & A 107Q. Is it enough then that we do not murder our neighbor in any such way?A. No. By condemning envy, hatred, and anger God wants us to love our neighbors as ourselves, to be patient, peace-loving, gentle, merciful, and friendly toward them, to protect them from harm as much as we can, and to do good even to our enemies.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-40-heidelberg-lords-day-40substack:post:148730579Tue, 10 Sep 2024 15:55:04 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1902<![CDATA[Episode 39: Heidelberg Lord's Day 39]]>The 5th Commandment is not just about listening to our moms and dads, but here the Lord is teaching us about the necessity of honoring and submitting to those in authority, as God has given them that position. Lord’s Day 39Q & A 104Q. What is God’s will for you in the fifth commandment?A. That I honor, love, and be loyal to my father and mother and all those in authority over me; that I submit myself with proper obedience to all their good teaching and discipline; and also that I be patient with their failings— for through them God chooses to rule us.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-39-heidelberg-lords-day-39substack:post:148454860Tue, 03 Sep 2024 16:18:23 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1912<![CDATA[Episode 38: Heidelberg Lord's Day 38]]>Has the Fourth Commandment been rendered inoperative? #Sundayfunday is a popular attitude in our culture, but is that appropriate for God's people? Today we consider the importance of the Christian Sabbath. Lord’s Day 38Q & A 103Q. What is God’s will for you in the fourth commandment?A. First, that the gospel ministry and education for it be maintained, and that, especially on the festive day of rest, I diligently attend the assembly of God’s people to learn what God’s Word teaches, to participate in the sacraments, to pray to God publicly, and to bring Christian offerings for the poor.Second, that every day of my life I rest from my evil ways, let the Lord work in me through his Spirit, and so begin in this life the eternal Sabbath.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-38-heidelberg-lords-day-38substack:post:148189626Tue, 27 Aug 2024 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1867<![CDATA[Episode 37: Heidelberg Lord's Day 37]]>The only one of the 10 Commandments the Heidelberg spends two Lord's Days on, we consider why the 3rd Commandment is not an absolute prohibition on taking oaths, but that oaths are a positive way to use God's name. Lord’s Day 37 Q & A 101 Q. But may we swear an oath in God’s name if we do it reverently? A. Yes, when the government demands it, or when necessity requires it, in order to maintain and promote truth and trustworthiness for God’s glory and our neighbor’s good. Such oaths are grounded in God’s Word and were rightly used by the people of God in the Old and New Testaments. Q & A 102 Q. May we also swear by saints or other creatures? A. No. A legitimate oath means calling upon God as the only one who knows my heart to witness to my truthfulness and to punish me if I swear falsely. No creature is worthy of such honor.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-37-heidelberg-lords-day-37substack:post:147923780Tue, 20 Aug 2024 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1886<![CDATA[Episode 36: Heidelberg Lord's Day 36]]>The Lord cares about His Name and reputation, and expects His people to as well. We should defend and honor it, but that also means using it aright, and not just writing G_d. Lord’s Day 36Q & A 99Q. What is the aim of the third commandment?A. That we neither blaspheme nor misuse the name of God by cursing, perjury, or unnecessary oaths, nor share in such horrible sins by being silent bystanders.In summary, we should use the holy name of God only with reverence and awe, so that we may properly confess God, pray to God, and glorify God in all our words and works.Q & A 100Q. Is blasphemy of God’s name by swearing and cursing really such serious sin that God is angry also with those who do not do all they can to help prevent and forbid it?A. Yes, indeed. No sin is greater or provokes God’s wrath more than blaspheming his name. That is why God commanded it to be punished with death.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-36-heidelberg-lords-day-36substack:post:147700523Wed, 14 Aug 2024 12:00:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1853<![CDATA[Episode 35: Heidelberg Lord's Day 35]]>Exploring the Second Commandment, we look at how it governs the way we worship, and how the Lord wishes His people to be instructed. And given Biblical examples, the Lord seems pretty serious about these matters. Lord’s Day 35Q & A 96Q. What is God’s will for us in the second commandment?A. That we in no way make any image of God nor worship him in any other way than has been commanded in God’s Word.Q & A 97Q. May we then not make any image at all?A. God can not and may not be visibly portrayed in any way. Although creatures may be portrayed, yet God forbids making or having such images if one’s intention is to worship them or to serve God through them. Q & A 98Q. But may not images be permitted in churches in place of books for the unlearned?A. No, we should not try to be wiser than God. God wants the Christian community instructed by the living preaching of his Word— not by idols that cannot even talk.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-35-heidelberg-lords-day-35substack:post:147412598Tue, 06 Aug 2024 16:42:51 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1942<![CDATA[Episode 34: Heidelberg Lord's Day 34]]>Our Thankfulness is to be guided by God's Law. Today we start exploring the 10 Commandments, considering 3 purposes for God's Law, and if an Atheist breaks the First Commandment. The Ten CommandmentsLord’s Day 34Q & A 92Q. What is God’s law?A. God spoke all these words:THE FIRST COMMANDMENT“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.”THE SECOND COMMANDMENT“You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.”THE THIRD COMMANDMENT“You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.”THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT“Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work— you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.”THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving to you.”THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT“You shall not murder.”THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT“You shall not commit adultery.”THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT“You shall not steal.”THE NINTH COMMANDMENT“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”THE TENTH COMMANDMENT“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”Q & A 93Q. How are these commandments divided?A. Into two tables. The first has four commandments, teaching us how we ought to live in relation to God. The second has six commandments, teaching us what we owe our neighbor.Q & A 94Q. What does the Lord require in the first commandment?A. That I, not wanting to endanger my own salvation, avoid and shun all idolatry, sorcery, superstitious rites, and prayer to saints or to other creatures.That I rightly know the only true God, trust him alone, and look to God for every good thing humbly and patiently, and love, fear, and honor God with all my heart. In short, that I give up anything rather than go against God’s will in any way.Q & A 95Q. What is idolatry?A. Idolatry is having or inventing something in which one trusts in place of or alongside of the only true God, who has revealed himself in the Word.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-34-heidelberg-lords-day-34substack:post:147185764Wed, 31 Jul 2024 02:46:02 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1893<![CDATA[Episode 33: Heidelberg Lord's Day 33]]>While we are in the Gratitude section, we review one more time the basis of our salvation, and close by focusing on the how we understand what is truly good! Lord’s Day 33Q & A 88Q. What is involved in genuine repentance or conversion?A. Two things: the dying-away of the old self, and the rising-to-life of the new.Q & A 89Q. What is the dying-away of the old self?A. To be genuinely sorry for sin and more and more to hate and run away from it.Q & A 90Q. What is the rising-to-life of the new self?A. Wholehearted joy in God through Christ and a love and delight to live according to the will of God by doing every kind of good work.Q & A 91Q. What are good works?A. Only those which are done out of true faith, conform to God’s law, and are done for God’s glory; and not those based on our own opinion or human tradition.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-33-heidelberg-lords-day-33substack:post:146922902Tue, 23 Jul 2024 16:12:41 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1953<![CDATA[Episode 32: Heidelberg Lord's Day 32]]>Today we enter the 3rd section of the Catechism, noting five of the reasons it gives to motivate our grateful living, and confirming that how one lives is a salvation issue! Part III: GratitudeLord’s Day 32Q & A 86Q. Since we have been delivered from our misery by grace through Christ without any merit of our own, why then should we do good works?A. Because Christ, having redeemed us by his blood, is also restoring us by his Spirit into his image, so that with our whole lives we may show that we are thankful to God for his benefits, so that he may be praised through us, so that we may be assured of our faith by its fruits, and so that by our godly living our neighbors may be won over to Christ.Q & A 87Q. Can those be saved who do not turn to God from their ungrateful and unrepentant ways?A. By no means. Scripture tells us that no unchaste person, no idolater, adulterer, thief, no covetous person, no drunkard, slanderer, robber, or the like will inherit the kingdom of God.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/today-we-enter-the-3rd-section-ofsubstack:post:146675685Tue, 16 Jul 2024 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1806<![CDATA[Episode 31: Heidelberg Lord's Day 31]]>We close this section with old time radio sound effects, exploring the keys of the kingdom, and the authority the Lord has given his church in preaching of the Word and the exercise of discipline unto repentance. Lord’s Day 31Q & A 83Q. What are the keys of the kingdom?A. The preaching of the holy gospel and Christian discipline toward repentance. Both of them open the kingdom of heaven to believers and close it to unbelievers. Q & A 84Q. How does preaching the holy gospel open and close the kingdom of heaven?A. According to the command of Christ: The kingdom of heaven is opened by proclaiming and publicly declaring to all believers, each and every one, that, as often as they accept the gospel promise in true faith, God, because of Christ’s merit, truly forgives all their sins.The kingdom of heaven is closed, however, by proclaiming and publicly declaring to unbelievers and hypocrites that, as long as they do not repent, the wrath of God and eternal condemnation rest on them. God’s judgment, both in this life and in the life to come, is based on this gospel testimony. Q & A 85Q. How is the kingdom of heaven closed and opened by Christian discipline?A. According to the command of Christ: Those who, though called Christians, profess unchristian teachings or live unchristian lives, and who after repeated personal and loving admonitions, refuse to abandon their errors and evil ways, and who after being reported to the church, that is, to those ordained by the church for that purpose, fail to respond also to the church’s admonitions— such persons the church excludes from the Christian community by withholding the sacraments from them, and God also excludes them from the kingdom of Christ. Such persons, when promising and demonstrating genuine reform, are received again as members of Christ and of his church.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-31-heidelberg-lords-day-31substack:post:146417491Tue, 09 Jul 2024 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1904<![CDATA[Episode 30: Heidelberg Lord's Day 30]]>The third and final Lord's Day on the Lord's Supper, we consider more of the historical context, the question of to bracket or not to bracket, and the idea of fencing the table. Lord’s Day 30Q & A 80Q. How does the Lord’s Supper differ from the Roman Catholic Mass?A. The Lord’s Supper declares to us that all our sins are completely forgiven through the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which he himself accomplished on the cross once for all.It also declares to us that the Holy Spirit grafts us into Christ, who with his true body is now in heaven at the right hand of the Father where he wants us to worship him.[But the Mass teaches that the living and the dead do not have their sins forgiven through the suffering of Christ unless Christ is still offered for them daily by the priests. It also teaches that Christ is bodily present under the form of bread and wine where Christ is therefore to be worshiped.Thus the Mass is basically nothing but a denial of the one sacrifice and suffering of Jesus Christ and a condemnable idolatry.]Q & A 81Q. Who should come to the Lord’s table?A. Those who are displeased with themselves because of their sins, but who nevertheless trust that their sins are pardoned and that their remaining weakness is covered by the suffering and death of Christ, and who also desire more and more to strengthen their faith and to lead a better life.Hypocrites and those who are unrepentant, however, eat and drink judgment on themselves.Q & A 82Q. Should those be admitted to the Lord’s Supper who show by what they profess and how they live that they are unbelieving and ungodly?A. No, that would dishonor God’s covenant and bring down God’s wrath upon the entire congregation. Therefore, according to the instruction of Christ and his apostles, the Christian church is duty-bound to exclude such people, by the official use of the keys of the kingdom, until they reform their lives.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-30-heidelberg-lords-day-30substack:post:146217451Tue, 02 Jul 2024 20:08:16 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1923<![CDATA[Episode 29: Heidelberg Lord's Day 29]]>Continuing to explore the Lord's Supper, we discuss some of the Roman Catholic and Lutheran views, that the Heidelberg is pushing back against, while also holding up the sacramental language and reality that God's Word highlights! Lord’s Day 29 Q & A 78Q. Do the bread and wine become the real body and blood of Christ?A. No.Just as the water of baptism is not changed into Christ’s blood and does not itself wash away sins but is simply a divine sign and assurance of these things, so too the holy bread of the Lord’s Supper does not become the actual body of Christ, even though it is called the body of Christ in keeping with the nature and language of sacraments.Q & A 79Q. Why then does Christ call the bread his body and the cup his blood or the new covenant in his blood, and Paul use the words, a sharing in Christ’s body and blood?A. Christ has good reason for these words. He wants to teach us that just as bread and wine nourish the temporal life, so too his crucified body and poured-out blood are the true food and drink of our souls for eternal life.But more important, he wants to assure us, by this visible sign and pledge, that we, through the Holy Spirit’s work, share in his true body and blood as surely as our mouths receive these holy signs in his remembrance, and that all of his suffering and obedience are as definitely ours as if we personally had suffered and made satisfaction for our sins.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-29-heidelberg-lords-day-29substack:post:145986641Tue, 25 Jun 2024 21:22:39 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1841<![CDATA[Episode 28: Heidelberg Lord's Day 28]]>Moving into the second sacrament, the Lord's Super, we consider the way the physical elements engage our sense, and are designed to help us remember our Savior's death, and assure us of our salvation. The Holy Supper of Jesus ChristLord’s Day 28Q & A 75Q. How does the holy supper remind and assure you that you share in Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross and in all his benefits?A. In this way: Christ has commanded me and all believers to eat this broken bread and to drink this cup in remembrance of him. With this command come these promises:First, as surely as I see with my eyes the bread of the Lord broken for me and the cup shared with me, so surely his body was offered and broken for me and his blood poured out for me on the cross.Second, as surely as I receive from the hand of the one who serves, and taste with my mouth the bread and cup of the Lord, given me as sure signs of Christ’s body and blood, so surely he nourishes and refreshes my soul for eternal life with his crucified body and poured-out blood.Q & A 76 Q. What does it mean to eat the crucified body of Christ and to drink his poured-out blood?A. It means to accept with a believing heart the entire suffering and death of Christ and thereby to receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life. But it means more. Through the Holy Spirit, who lives both in Christ and in us, we are united more and more to Christ’s blessed body. And so, although he is in heaven and we are on earth, we are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. And we forever live on and are governed by one Spirit, as the members of our body are by one soul.Q & A 77Q. Where does Christ promise to nourish and refresh believers with his body and blood as surely as they eat this broken bread and drink this cup?A. In the institution of the Lord’s Supper: “The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is [broken]* for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying,‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”This promise is repeated by Paul in these words: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-28-heidelberg-lords-day-28substack:post:145754522Tue, 18 Jun 2024 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1873<![CDATA[Episode 27: Heidelberg Lord's Day 27]]>Episode 27: Heidelberg Lord's Day 27 We explore the dangers and obligations of baptism, God's claim on us through it, why we baptize our children, considering both believer and infant circumcision, and God's anger when it is neglected. Lord’s Day 27 Q & A 72 Q. Does this outward washing with water itself wash away sins? A. No, only Jesus Christ’s blood and the Holy Spirit cleanse us from all sins. Q & A 73 Q. Why then does the Holy Spirit call baptism the water of rebirth and the washing away of sins? A. God has good reason for these words. To begin with, God wants to teach us that the blood and Spirit of Christ take away our sins just as water removes dirt from the body.But more important, God wants to assure us, by this divine pledge and sign, that we are as truly washed of our sins spiritually as our bodies are washed with water physically. Q & A 74 Q. Should infants also be baptized? A. Yes.Infants as well as adults are included in God’s covenant and people, and they, no less than adults, are promised deliverance from sin through Christ’s blood and the Holy Spirit who produces faith.Therefore, by baptism, the sign of the covenant, they too should be incorporated into the Christian church and distinguished from the children of unbelievers. This was done in the Old Testament by circumcision, which was replaced in the New Testament by baptism.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-27-heidelberg-lords-day-27substack:post:145484725Tue, 11 Jun 2024 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1931<![CDATA[Episode 26 : Heidelberg Lord's Day 26]]>Episode 26: Heidelberg Lord's Day 26 Hitting the half way mark through the Heidelberg, we begin focusing on the sacrament of baptism, considering many of the Scriptures that promise the cleansing of God's people, and its enduring value! Holy BaptismLord’s Day 26Q & A 69Q. How does holy baptism remind and assure you that Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross benefits you personally?A. In this way: Christ instituted this outward washing and with it promised that, as surely as water washes away the dirt from the body, so certainly his blood and his Spirit wash away my soul’s impurity, that is, all my sins.Q & A 70Q. What does it mean to be washed with Christ’s blood and Spirit?A. To be washed with Christ’s blood means that God, by grace, has forgiven our sins because of Christ’s blood poured out for us in his sacrifice on the cross.To be washed with Christ’s Spirit means that the Holy Spirit has renewed and sanctified us to be members of Christ, so that more and more we become dead to sin and live holy and blameless lives.Q & A 71Q. Where does Christ promise that we are washed with his blood and Spirit as surely as we are washed with the water of baptism?A. In the institution of baptism, where he says: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”“The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned.”



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-26-heidelberg-lords-day-26substack:post:145296117Tue, 04 Jun 2024 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1966<![CDATA[Episode 25: Heidelberg Lord's Day 25]]>Episode 25: Heidelberg Lord's Day 25 The Catechism now shifts into a section focusing on the Sacraments, exploring how the Lord uses the "telling and showing" of these elements to focus our hearts on the Christ's one sacrifice on the cross.The Holy Sacraments

Lord’s Day 25

Q & A 65

Q. It is through faith alone that we share in Christ and all his benefits: where then does that faith come from?

A. The Holy Spirit produces it in our hearts by the preaching of the holy gospel, and confirms it by the use of the holy sacraments.

Q & A 66

Q. What are sacraments?

A. Sacraments are visible, holy signs and seals.They were instituted by God so that by our use of them he might make us understand more clearly the promise of the gospel, and seal that promise.

And this is God’s gospel promise: to grant us forgiveness of sins and eternal life by grace because of Christ’s one sacrifice accomplished on the cross.

Q & A 67

Q. Are both the word and the sacraments then intended to focus our faith on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as the only ground of our salvation?

A. Yes!In the gospel the Holy Spirit teaches us and by the holy sacraments confirms that our entire salvation rests on Christ’s one sacrifice for us on the cross.

Q & A 68

Q. How many sacraments did Christ institute in the New Testament?

A. Two: holy baptism and the holy supper.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-25-heidelberg-lords-day-25substack:post:145064777Tue, 28 May 2024 15:55:29 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1954<![CDATA[Episode 24: Heidelberg Lord's Day 24]]>Episode 24: Heidelberg Lord's Day 24 In contrast to recent comments from the Pope of Rome, Lord's Day 24 reminds us that we are not mostly good. Instead, like 3 eyed fish and out of spec parts, our goodness fails to earn us any rewards. Lord’s Day 24

Q & A 62

Q. Why can’t our good works be our righteousness before God, or at least a part of our righteousness?

A. Because the righteousness which can pass God’s judgment must be entirely perfect and must in every way measure up to the divine law. But even our best works in this life are imperfect and stained with sin.

Q & A 63

Q. How can our good works be said to merit nothing when God promises to reward them in this life and the next?

A. This reward is not earned; it is a gift of grace.

Q & A 64

Q. But doesn’t this teaching make people indifferent and wicked?

A. No.It is impossible for those grafted into Christ through true faith not to produce fruits of gratitude.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-24-heidelberg-lords-day-24substack:post:144844175Tue, 21 May 2024 15:55:47 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1870<![CDATA[Episode 23: Heidelberg Lord's Day 23]]>Episode 23: Heidelberg Lord's Day 23 We have just explored the Apostle's Creed together, but the next question is, what is the point? How are we made right with God? And does the quality of "our" faith matter or become more effective? Lord’s Day 23Q & A 59 Q. What good does it do you, however, to believe all this?A. In Christ I am righteous before God and heir to life everlasting. Q & A 60 Q. How are you righteous before God?A. Only by true faith in Jesus Christ.Even though my conscience accuses me of having grievously sinned against all God’s commandments, of never having kept any of them, and of still being inclined toward all evil, nevertheless, without any merit of my own, out of sheer grace,God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, and as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me. All I need to do is accept this gift with a believing heart.Q & A 61 Q. Why do you say that through faith alone you are righteous?A. Not because I please God by the worthiness of my faith. It is because only Christ’s satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness make me righteous before God, and because I can accept this righteousness and make it mine in no other way than through faith.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-23-heidelberg-lords-day-23substack:post:144619400Tue, 14 May 2024 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1900<![CDATA[Episode 22: Heidelberg Lord's Day 22]]>Episode 22: Heidelberg Lord's Day 22What is better than Heaven? How can bodies that have returned to the dust, or been scattered in the ocean, be resurrected? Will air travel be no more? These are some of the questions we consider today!

Lord’s Day 22

Q & A 57

Q. How does “the resurrection of the body”comfort you?

A. Not only will my soul be taken immediately after this life to Christ its head, but also my very flesh will be raised by the power of Christ, reunited with my soul, and made like Christ’s glorious body.

Q & A 58

Q. How does the article concerning “life everlasting” comfort you?

A. Even as I already now experience in my heart the beginning of eternal joy, so after this life I will have perfect blessedness such as no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no human heart has ever imagined: a blessedness in which to praise God forever.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-22-heidelberg-lords-day-22substack:post:144396986Tue, 07 May 2024 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1819<![CDATA[Episode 21: Heidelberg Lord's Day 21]]>Episode 21: Heidelberg Lord's Day 21Who makes up "a" or "the" holy catholic church? How are the people of God like Minions, or a Scottish children's story? What comfort, encouragement, and responsibility do we share as believers? Lord’s Day 21

Q & A 54

Q. What do you believe concerning “the holy catholic church”?

A. I believe that the Son of God through his Spirit and Word, out of the entire human race, from the beginning of the world to its end, gathers, protects, and preserves for himself a community chosen for eternal life and united in true faith. And of this community I am and always will be a living member.

Q & A 55

Q. What do you understand by“the communion of saints”?

A. First, that believers one and all, as members of this community, share in Christ and in all his treasures and gifts.

Second, that each member should consider it a duty to use these gifts readily and joyfully for the service and enrichment of the other members.

Q & A 56

Q. What do you believe concerning “the forgiveness of sins”?

A. I believe that God, because of Christ’s satisfaction, will no longer remember any of my sins or my sinful nature which I need to struggle against all my life.

Rather, by grace God grants me the righteousness of Christ to free me forever from judgment.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-21-heidelberg-lords-day-21substack:post:144171992Tue, 30 Apr 2024 15:59:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1936<![CDATA[Episode 20: Heidelberg Lord's Day 20]]>Having explored what the Creed says about Jesus, we now move into the one Q & A on Holy Spirit, exploring both his person hood as well as the hope and comfort he brings God's people. God the Holy Spirit

Lord’s Day 20

Q & A 53

Q. What do you believe concerning “the Holy Spirit”?

A. First, that the Spirit, with the Father and the Son, is eternal God.

Second, that the Spirit is given also to me, so that, through true faith,he makes me share in Christ and all his benefits, comforts me, and will remain with me forever.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-20-heidelberg-lords-day-20substack:post:143892308Tue, 23 Apr 2024 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1878<![CDATA[Episode 19: Heidelberg Lord's Day 19]]>Episode 19: Heidelberg Lord's Day 19 There are plenty of examples of poor leaders and bad kings throughout history, but Lord's Day 19 encourages us that Christ now rules and reigns, and soon will return to judge the living and the dead!Lord’s Day 19

Q & A 50

Q. Why the next words:“and is seated at the right hand of God”?

A. Because Christ ascended to heaven to show there that he is head of his church, the one through whom the Father rules all things.

Q & A 51

Q. How does this glory of Christ our head benefit us?

A. First, through his Holy Spirit he pours out gifts from heaven upon us his members.

Second, by his power he defends us and keeps us safe from all enemies.

Q & A 52

Q. How does Christ’s return “to judge the living and the dead” comfort you?

A. In all distress and persecution, with uplifted head, I confidently await the very judge who has already offered himself to the judgment of God in my place and removed the whole curse from me. Christ will cast all his enemies and mine into everlasting condemnation, but will take me and all his chosen ones to himself into the joy and glory of heaven.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-19-heidelberg-lords-day-19substack:post:143424354Tue, 16 Apr 2024 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1772<![CDATA[Episode 18: Heidelberg Lord's Day 18]]>Episode 18: Heidelberg Lord's Day 18 Focusing on the benefits of Christ Ascension, Tyler is reminded of important lessons he learned in childhood, which help us grasp or picture a few of the many blessings of our Lord's Ascension!Lord’s Day 18

Q & A 46

Q. What do you mean by saying, “He ascended to heaven”?

A. That Christ, while his disciples watched, was taken up from the earth into heaven and remains there on our behalf until he comes again to judge the living and the dead.

Q & A 47

Q. But isn’t Christ with us until the end of the world as he promised us?

A. Christ is true human and true God. In his human nature Christ is not now on earth; but in his divinity, majesty, grace, and Spirit he is never absent from us.

Q & A 48

Q. If his humanity is not present wherever his divinity is, then aren’t the two natures of Christ separated from each other?

A. Certainly not. Since divinity is not limited and is present everywhere, it is evident that

Christ’s divinity is surely beyond the bounds of the humanity that has been taken on, but at the same time his divinity is in and remains personally united to his humanity.

Q & A 49

Q. How does Christ’s ascension to heaven benefit us?

A. First, he is our advocate in heaven in the presence of his Father.

Second, we have our own flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that Christ our head will also take us, his members, up to himself.

Third, he sends his Spirit to us on earth as a corresponding pledge. By the Spirit’s power we seek not earthly things but the things above, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-18-heidelberg-lords-day-18substack:post:143417940Tue, 09 Apr 2024 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1850<![CDATA[Episode 17: Heidelberg Lord's Day 17]]>Episode 17: Heidelberg Lord's Day 17Lord's Day 17 gives us three benefits, or points, that God's people realize by Christ's Resurrection from the dead!Lord’s Day 17

Q & A 45

Q. How does Christ’s resurrection benefit us?

A. First, by his resurrection he has overcome death, so that he might make us share in the righteousness he obtained for us by his death.

Second, by his power we too are already raised to a new life.

Third, Christ’s resurrection is a sure pledge to us of our blessed resurrection.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-17-heidelberg-lords-day-17substack:post:143192749Tue, 02 Apr 2024 15:55:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1819<![CDATA[Episode 16: Heidelberg Lord's Day 16]]>Today the Catechism moves past the suffering of our Lord, focusing on our Lord's death! In these five questions and answers, we walk through Jesus death, crucifixion, burial, and descent into hell!Lord’s Day 16

Q & A 40

Q. Why did Christ have to suffer death?

A. Because God’s justice and truth require it: nothing else could pay for our sins except the death of the Son of God.

Q & A 41

Q. Why was he “buried”?

A. His burial testifies that he really died.

Q & A 42

Q. Since Christ has died for us, why do we still have to die?

A. Our death does not pay the debt of our sins. Rather, it puts an end to our sinning and is our entrance into eternal life.

Q & A 43

Q. What further benefit do we receive from Christ’s sacrifice and death on the cross?

A. By Christ’s power our old selves are crucified, put to death, and buried with him, so that the evil desires of the flesh may no longer rule us, but that instead we may offer ourselves as a sacrifice of gratitude to him.

Q & A 44

Q. Why does the creed add, “He descended to hell”?

A. To assure me during attacks of deepest dread and temptation that Christ my Lord, by suffering unspeakable anguish, pain, and terror of soul, on the cross but also earlier, has delivered me from hellish anguish and torment.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-16-heidelberg-lords-day-16substack:post:142976023Tue, 26 Mar 2024 16:00:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1913<![CDATA[Episode 15: Heidelberg Lord's Day 15]]>



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-15-heidelberg-lords-day-15substack:post:142753954Tue, 19 Mar 2024 16:00:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1913<![CDATA[Episode 14: Heidelberg Lord's Day 14]]>



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-14-heidelberg-lords-day-14substack:post:142544422Tue, 12 Mar 2024 16:00:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1778<![CDATA[Episode 13: Heidelberg Lord's Day 13]]>Episode 13: Heidelberg Lord's Day 13Today we explore the realities of Jesus being the only begotten Son of God, our adoption into God's family, and the call to recognize Jesus as Lord!

Q & A 33

Q. Why is he called God’s “only begotten Son”when we also are God’s children?

A. Because Christ alone is the eternal, natural Son of God. We, however, are adopted children of God— adopted by grace through Christ.

Q & A 34

Q. Why do you call him “our Lord”?

A. Because—

not with gold or silver,but with his precious blood—

he has set us free

from sin and from the tyranny of the devil,

and has bought us,

body and soul,

to be his very own.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-13-heidelberg-lords-day-13substack:post:142328926Tue, 05 Mar 2024 16:57:43 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1859<![CDATA[Episode 12: Heidelberg Lord's Day 12]]>Jesus is Prophet, Priest, and King. In Lord's Day 12, we consider the job descriptions of both our Lord as well as our own, and ask if we are living up to the name that we have received!

Lord’s Day 12

Q & A 31

Q. Why is he called “Christ,” meaning “anointed”?

A. Because he has been ordained by God the Father and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our chief prophet and teacher who fully reveals to us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our deliverance; our only high priest who has delivered us by the one sacrifice of his body, and who continually pleads our cause with the Father; and our eternal king who governs us by his Word and Spirit, and who guards us and keeps us in the freedom he has won for us.

Q & A 32

Q. But why are you called a Christian?

A. Because by faith I am a member of Christ and so I share in his anointing. I am anointed to confess his name, to present myself to him as a living sacrifice of thanks, to strive with a free conscience against sin and the devil in this life, and afterward to reign with Christ over all creation for eternity.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-12-heidelberg-lords-day-12substack:post:142094625Tue, 27 Feb 2024 17:00:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1797<![CDATA[Episode 11: Heidelberg Lord's Day 11]]>Hark, as the Catechism begins considering the second person of the Trinity, our Savior Jesus Christ. If we are trying to add anything to His work, it only proves we do not yet understand who He is!

Lord’s Day 11

Q & A 29

Q. Why is the Son of God called “Jesus,”meaning “savior”?

A. Because he saves us from our sins, and because salvation should not be sought and cannot be found in anyone else.

Q & A 30

Q. Do those who look for their salvation in saints,in themselves, or elsewhere really believe in the only savior Jesus?

A. No.Although they boast of being his,by their actions they deny the only savior, Jesus.

Either Jesus is not a perfect savior,or those who in true faith accept this savior have in him all they need for their salvation.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-11-heidelberg-lords-day-11substack:post:141861016Tue, 20 Feb 2024 17:00:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1783<![CDATA[Episode 10: Heidelberg Lord's Day 10]]>The death of the teaching of Deism, we focus in on the providence of God, and how those that know Him as their Father, can receive both blessings as well as trials from His hand! Lord’s Day 10

Q & A 27

Q. What do you understand by the providence of God?

A. The almighty and ever present power of God by which God upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty— all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand.

Q & A 28

Q. How does the knowledge of God’s creation and providence help us?

A. We can be patient when things go against us, thankful when things go well,and for the future we can have good confidence in our faithful God and Fatherthat nothing in creation will separate us from his love. For all creatures are so completely in God’s hand that without his will they can neither move nor be moved.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-10-heidelberg-lords-day-10substack:post:141637221Tue, 13 Feb 2024 17:00:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1853<![CDATA[Episode 9: Heidelberg Lord's Day 9]]>The first of two Lord's Days focusing on God our Father, we consider His work in creation, from the countless stars, the depths of the sea, and even bumps when mowing our backyards. God the Father Lord’s Day 9 Q & A 26Q. What do you believe when you say, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth”?

A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by his eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ the Son. I trust God so much that I do not doubt he will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and will turn to my good whatever adversity he sends upon me in this sad world. God is able to do this because he is almighty God and desires to do this because he is a faithful Father.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-9-heidelberg-lords-day-9substack:post:141427780Tue, 06 Feb 2024 17:00:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1753<![CDATA[Episode 8: Heidelberg Lord's Day 8]]>In Lord's Day 8, our hosts discuss the Trinitarian structure of the Apostles Creed, and the importance of receiving and accepting our God's testimony about whom He is.Lord’s Day 8

Q & A 24 Q. How are these articles divided?

A. Into three parts: God the Father and our creation; God the Son and our deliverance; and God the Holy Spirit and our sanctification.

Q & A 25 Q. Since there is only one divine being, why do you speak of three: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

A. Because that is how God has revealed himself in his Word: these three distinct persons are one, true, eternal God.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-8-heidelberg-lords-day-8substack:post:141162492Tue, 30 Jan 2024 17:00:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1796<![CDATA[Episode 7: Heidelberg Lord's Day 7]]> In contrast to the false teaching of universalism, our hosts continue to explore our salvation in Christ and the Catechism's beautiful description of true faith!Lord's Day 7Q & A 20

Q. Are all men then saved through Christjust as all were lost through Adam?

A. No.Only those are savedwho by true faithare grafted into Christand accept all his blessings.

Q & A 21Q. What is true faith?

A. True faith is not only a knowledge and convictionthat everything God has revealed in his Word is true;it is also a deep-rooted assurance,created in me by the Holy Spirit through the gospelthat, out of sheer grace earned for us by Christ,not only others, but I too,have had my sins forgiven,have been made forever right with God,and have been granted salvation.

Q & A 22Q. What then must a Christian believe?

A. Everything God promises us in the gospel.That gospel is summarized for usin the articles of our Christian faith - a creed beyond doubt,and confessed throughout the world.

Q & A 23Q. What are these articles?

A. I believe in God, the Father almighty,maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord;who was conceived by the Holy Spiritborn of the virgin Mary;suffered under Pontius Pilate;was crucified, dead, and buried;he descended into hell;the third day he rose again from the dead;he ascended to heavenand sitteth at the right hand of God the Father almighty;from thence he shall cometo judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit;I believe a holy catholic church, the communion of saints;the forgiveness of sins;the resurrection of the body;and the life everlasting.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-7-heidelberg-lords-day-7substack:post:140967434Tue, 23 Jan 2024 17:00:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1886<![CDATA[Episode 6: Heidelberg Lord's Day 6]]>Continuing in the discussion of our salvation, our host discuss the necessary qualities of both a perfect husband and a hero that can save us all! The only name that can save us, Jesus Christ!Lord’s Day 6

Q & A 16

Q. Why must the mediator be a true and righteous human?

A. God’s justice demands that human nature, which has sinned, must pay for sin; but a sinful human could never pay for others.

Q & A 17

Q. Why must the mediator also be true God?

A. So that the mediator, by the power of his divinity, might bear the weight of God’s wrath in his humanity and earn for us and restore to us righteousness and life.

Q & A 18

Q. Then who is this mediator—true God and at the same time a true and righteous human?

A. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was given to us to completely deliver us and make us right with God.

Q & A 19

Q. How do you come to know this?

A. The holy gospel tells me. God began to reveal the gospel already in Paradise; later God proclaimed it by the holy patriarchs and prophets and foreshadowed it by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law; and finally God fulfilled it through his own beloved Son.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-6-heidelberg-lords-day-6substack:post:140711035Tue, 16 Jan 2024 17:00:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1732<![CDATA[Episode 5: Heidelberg Lord's Day 5]]>



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-5-heidelberg-lords-day-5substack:post:140533172Wed, 10 Jan 2024 01:28:05 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1821<![CDATA[Episode 4: Heidelberg Lord's Day 4]]>



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-4-heidelberg-lords-day-4substack:post:140284035Tue, 02 Jan 2024 17:00:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1924<![CDATA[Episode 3: Heidelberg Lord's Day 3]]>Our hosts continue in Part 1 of the Catechism, as they discuss the 3 questions and answers of Lord's Day 3, and why school children used to learn "A." "In Adam's fall, we sinned all."



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-3-heidelberg-lords-day-3substack:post:140093968Tue, 26 Dec 2023 16:58:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1740<![CDATA[Episode 2: Heidelberg Lord's Day 2]]>



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-2-heidelberg-lords-day-2substack:post:139816702Tue, 19 Dec 2023 17:01:00 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1789<![CDATA[Episode 1: Heidelberg Lord's Day 1]]>



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/episode-1-heidelberg-lords-day-1substack:post:139731047Tue, 12 Dec 2023 19:06:51 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo2448<![CDATA[Three Forms Podcast: Episode 0]]>



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/three-forms-podcast-episode-0substack:post:139505736Wed, 06 Dec 2023 16:03:51 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo1650<![CDATA[Three Forms Podcast Announcement]]>



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threeformspodcast.substack.com]]>https://threeformspodcast.substack.com/p/three-forms-podcast-announcementsubstack:post:139501663Wed, 06 Dec 2023 13:28:22 GMTThree Forms PodcastNo130