Brian Schwertley
21 articles · 10 topics
Brian M. Schwertley is a minister in the Covenanted Reformed Presbyterian tradition who has written extensively on the regulative principle of worship and Reformed ecclesiology. His major work, Sola Scriptura and the Regulative Principle of Worship, is regarded as the most detailed contemporary defense of the confessional Reformed position on worship.
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An Examination of the Five Points of Calvinism - Part I: Total Depravity
Introduction The modern era is a time of great theological ignorance, indifference, and declension. Most of the denominations and churches which are generally referred to as conservative, Bible-believing and evangelical have in the past few hundred years succumbed to Arminian1 or semi-Pelagian…
An Examination of the Five Points of Calvinism - Part II: Unconditional Election
The Bible clearly teaches that God chose a people for Himself before the foundation of the world. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the…
An Examination of the Five Points of Calvinism - Part III: Limited Atonement
A doctrinal issue which is crucial to our understanding of God’s nature (i.e., His sovereignty) and the gospel is the extent of Christ’s atoning death on the cross.55 There are three different views current among professing Christians today: universalism, inconsistent universalism, and…
An Examination of the Five Points of Calvinism - Part IV: Irrestible Grace
A doctrine crucial to understanding the biblical doctrine of salvation is efficacious grace. Efficacious grace means that men who are dead spiritually are regenerated and effectually called by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works immediately upon the soul infusing a new spiritual life into it,…
An Examination of the Five Points of Calvinism - Part V: Perseverance of the Saints
One of the doctrines of sovereign grace is the perseverance of the saints. This doctrine refers to the biblical teaching which says that those whom God loved before the foundation of the world and chose in Christ, who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and truly believe in Jesus Christ as He is…
An Examination of the Five Points of Calvinism - Part VI: Footnotes
FOOTNOTES: 1 The word Arminianism is used somewhat loosely today. What is commonly referred to as Arminianism today is more often semi-Pelagian. Most modern Arminians do not believe in total depravity but merely that man is spiritually sick. Man still has spiritual ability and thus will choose…
Justification by Faith - Part I: Justification by Faith Alone
A doctrine which contains the heart or essence of the gospel is justification by faith alone. This doctrine is so central to the Christian faith that the apostle Paul proclaimed an anathema upon anyone who would pervert it (Gal. 1:6-9). Yet in spite of the importance attributed to it in the Bible…
Justification by Faith - Part II: The Roman Catholic Doctrine of Justification
There are many reasons why all Bible-believing Christians should have a solid grasp of the Roman Catholic doctrine of justification. First, the Romish theory of justification is a complete denial of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a damnable heresy. Anyone who adheres to such a gross perversion…
Justification by Faith - Part III: Some Current Anti-Gospel Trends in Modern Evangelicalism
Modern Evangelicalism has to a large extent lost many of the biblical doctrines that were emphasized by the Protestant reformers. In the nineteenth and especially the twentieth centuries, the doctrine of justification by faith alone has been assaulted on all sides by a variety of false doctrines.…
Justification by Faith - Part IV: What About the Book of James?
In the debate over the doctrine of justification between Roman Catholics and orthodox Protestants, Romanists often appeal to the book of James as proof that works or human merit have a crucial role to play in a person’s justification before God. In discussions with dedicated intellectual Papists,…
Justification by Faith - Part V: Judgment According to Works
A question often asked even by orthodox believers is: “If all of the guilt of believer’s sins is imputed to Christ on the cross and Christ’s perfect righteousness is imputed to believers, why does the Bible speak so often of a judgment according to works?” The Bible does clearly teach that all men…
The Atonement of Jesus Christ - Part I
Introduction The most important and significant event in history was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Most people know that Jesus was crucified almost 2,000 years ago in Palestine. Many people even have a vague idea regarding the meaning of Christ’s death. They know it has something to do with…
The Atonement of Jesus Christ - Part II
Chapter 2 The Nature of the Atonement The section on the necessity of the atonement dealt primarily with the question: Why did Jesus have to suffer and die a bloody death to redeem the elect? The answer (as noted above) arose out of God’s nature and man’s predicament. When we examine the nature of…
The Atonement of Jesus Christ - Part III
Appendix An Examination of How Judaism Denies the Vicarious Atonement of Jesus Christ In order to help Christians understand Judaism and therefore witness to Jews more effectively, an examination of their doctrine of atonement is necessary. Before we examine how religious Jews deal with sin and…