Doctrine....

Got up early this morning to learn more about Melanchthon. Who he was and what he said and did. I'll leave that to your own research, but as a hint you will find him between discussion of Luther and Calvin.

Kevin DeYoung has a good post: A Doctrine That Must Be Believed
In it he quotes Charles Hodge and stresses:

Let every young Christian and every doubting saint pay attention to those last two sentences. Ditto for the pastor who is more ambiguous about the hard sayings of Scripture than he should be. Sometimes we believe what we believe because we are men (and women) under authority. If we want all the promises of blessing, we must accept the other promises too, even if they are less congenial to the human mind and the natural heart revolts against them.

Another post plays on the theme of a key Doctrine:  Not One Of, but the One


The foundational question for Jesus is not “what do I want you to do?” but “who do you say that I am?” Everything flows from a right understanding of Jesus. Not just what he taught or what he did, but who he is.

Initially, Jesus asked the disciples “Who do people say that I am?” (Mark 8:27). In other words, “What are you guys hearing about me? What’s the word on the street?”
Jesus is not one of; he is the One. Jesus is not a pointer like John, Elijah, or one of the prophets. He is the point. It sounds very lofty to call Jesus a prophet, or a popular teacher, or a wonder worker, or a good man, or a brilliant example, or part of a long line of enlightened figures. But all of these descriptions miss the point. Because in all of them you are saying Jesus is one of (see v. 28). And if you say Jesus is only one of and not the One, you haven’t understood him. You don’t see who He really is. He is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:16).


You may think you’re saying very complimentary things about Jesus when you call him one of the prophets, a great man, an enlightened teacher, but you’re not actually complimenting him at all.

Enjoy reading the whole article.