Resources on Theology

Sunday: The Pastor’s Best Day!

By Charlie Wingard · July 14, 2018 · 0 Comments
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Day of all the week the best, Emblem of eternal rest.* Preparing for the Lord’s Day is the obligation of every Christian, and especially gospel ministers. A part of that preparation means cultivating the right attitude toward Sunday. Yes, it is the best day of the week! Francis Grimké has just the attitude we need: Sunday is a great day for the minister; and if he is the right kind of a minister, it will also be a great day for his flock. Sunday is the day particularly on which he is to meet his flock, on which he is to feed them, to lead them into green pastures and beside still waters. It is the day particularly in which he…

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The Doctrine of Providence: A Confession of Faith

By Charlie Wingard · May 11, 2018 · 0 Comments
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Before the end of the year, I hope to have reread Calvin’s Institutes. This morning I completed Book 1, which concludes with Calvin’s teaching on God’s providence. To aid me in my readings, I am using David Calhoun’s fine devotional volume on the Institutes. I found these words especially helpful: The doctrine of  providence for Calvin is not so much a matter of explanation of what happens as it is a confession of faith. It does not answer all our questions, but it enables us to live without answers until the time comes when we will live without questions. Calvin’s understanding of the Bible’s teaching on providence has immensely practical application. “Gratitude of mind for the favorable outcome of things, patience…

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Ascension Day

By Charlie Wingard · May 10, 2018 · 0 Comments
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Today many Western Christians celebrate Ascension Day, an annual reminder that forty days after his resurrection Christ ascended into heaven (Acts 1:1-11). As a Presbyterian minister, I am not bound by any church calendar. Still, the day prompts me to reflect on Christ’s ascension. When in the pulpit the following Lord’s Day, I preach on the ascension of Christ and on Pentecost the next week. Like the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection, Christ’s ascension and Pentecost are unrepeatable events in the stunning history of God’s mighty work to redeem sinners. The Heidelberg Catechism asks: “How does Christ’s ascension into heaven benefit us?”  First, he pleads our cause in heaven in the presence of his Father. Second, we have our own flesh…

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Ascension Day

By Charlie Wingard · May 10, 2018 · 0 Comments
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Today many Western Christians celebrate Ascension Day, an annual reminder that forty days after his resurrection Christ ascended into heaven (Acts 1:1-11). As a Presbyterian minister, I am not bound by any church calendar. Still, the day prompts me to reflect on Christ’s ascension. When in the pulpit the following Lord’s Day, I preach on the ascension of Christ and on Pentecost the next week. Like the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection, Christ’s ascension and Pentecost are unrepeatable events in the stunning history of God’s mighty work to redeem sinners. The Heidelberg Catechism asks: “How does Christ’s ascension into heaven benefit us?”  First, he pleads our cause in heaven in the presence of his Father. Second, we have our own flesh…

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Wherever The Spirit of Christ Is

By Charlie Wingard · August 8, 2017 · 0 Comments
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Wherever the Spirit of Christ is, He . . . Reveals Christ to the understanding, Enthrones Christ in the affections, Gives Christ the control of the will, Endears Christ to the heart, Glorifies Christ in the soul, and Conforms the person to the lovely likeness of Christ. – James Smith (1802-1862) In Mark Jones, Knowing Christ (Banner of Truth, 2015), 61.

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