Most English versions of the Old Roman Creed and the Apostles Creed state in part "Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord," but some translations of this clause have "only begotten" instead of "only." Is the original language Greek, and is the word here "monogenes?" Do Latin versions of these creeds use "unicus" or "unigenitis" here? I'm trying to learn how the ancient Church understood the word "monogenes."
Cyril of Jerusalem wrote one of the earliest Catechisms in Christianity. Next to the “Teaching of the twelve” also known as the “Didache,” Cyril wrote one of the most influential Catechisms in the history of the Christian church. In order to bring new converts into Christianity, learning the “Catechism” was and is still today the... Read more »
A really good comment was submitted from my contact page in regards to "hades." This is the comment that was sent. "One thing I think you may have not considered or mentioned on the “paradise” issue is it *prior to the resurrection* being a separated compartment of sheol. You did say this was also the... Read more »
We know God is our Health and salvation. As the Hymn states, Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation! (Praise to the Lord, the Almighty) The Bible teaches that God restores us to health when we are sick. “The LORD... Read more »
I received a great question on John 3:16. The question was: “My question is about eternal death. John 3:16 gives two destinies for man, eternal life, or perish. How can perish mean eternal death? Perish means the end of a person. How can it mean living on forever? Sodom is given as an example. Ashes... Read more »
In the article “He descended into hell” I made the statement “Hades, hell, Sheol (is) described with the same attributes” which received the following criticism from someone who visited Apostles-Creed.Org. He sent me an email stating, I noticed that you have an error on your web site. You have conflated Hades/Sheol with Hell. If you... Read more »
Check out a sneak view of a traditional Presbyterian church choir and bells. This is a traditional service in a Presbyterian church that celebrates Christmas evening hymns and prayer. “Vespers” is the sunset evening prayer service in the Orthodox, Western and Eastern Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours. The word comes from the... Read more »
The “Covenant of Grace” is a teaching within the Westminster confession of Faith and the Catechisms that systemetizes and explains core Christisn beliefs. The “Covenant of Grace” consists of the Old and New Testament. They are not two covenants but one. The Old Testament of “time of the law” and the New Testament or “time... Read more »
The teaching in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Shorter and Larger Catechism on the offices of Christ help understand Christ ministry on earth and what He is doing in heaven. Christ fulfills three offices, the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King. His office as Mediator is his once offering himself a sacrifice without... Read more »
An Integral part of understanding Jesus Christ and what He did in His earthly minister is found in the Westminster Confession of Faith Larger Catechism. It says: Our Mediator was called Christ, because he was anointed with the Holy Ghost above measure; and so set apart, and fully furnished with all authority and ability, to... Read more »
The understanding of the Trinity and how God saves us is critical. God the Father predestines us, The Son redeems us in His atonement, and the Holy Spirit regenerates us and causes us to persevere through sanctification. All aspects of the plan of salvation are controlled by God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The... Read more »
This Study guide will teach you the core concepts of the Westminster Confession of Faith pf 1647 and the shorter and Larger Catechisms. The Catechisms are paralleled with the confession so you can see how they are related. To properly follow the lectures you will want to read the Shorter and Larger Catechism and the... Read more »
Below is an Inforgraphic chart that shows the comparison between general soteriological views taught in different Christian denominations. The chart is based off of the TULIP Calvinist theology. This is similar to the Order of Decrees chart made by B.B. Warfield in his book Plan of Salvation. The chart is built off the difference between... Read more »
I recently received a couple questions from my friend ObeyAllGodCommands which stated, Hello, James, I was wondering since spirit and soul are different things and a soul is the combination of a body and a spirit then could a person’s spirit have existed before their soul was created? Also, could different people share/ have the... Read more »
Recently my Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) friend asked me to watch this video “History’s Holy Hoax | Last Day of Prophecy #5” by SDA Pastor Doug Batchelor. I watched the video per his request and felt it was necessary to make a commentary on this video. I would first like to say that my friend... Read more »
There is much confusion on what the early church taught in regards to the Sabbath, the Lord’s Day, and the day of worship. The early Church Fathers never taught that the Sabbath was changed to the first day of the week. The traditional Christian teaching is that Christ died on Friday, was dead and in... Read more »
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Most English versions of the Old Roman Creed and the Apostles Creed state in part "Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord," but some translations of this clause have "only begotten" instead of "only." Is the original language Greek, and is the word here "monogenes?" Do Latin versions of these creeds use "unicus" or "unigenitis" here? I'm trying to learn how the ancient Church understood the word "monogenes." 
