In this installment of his "Creeds and Confessions" series, Don Arndt transitions from the early church creeds to the larger, more detailed documents known as confessions of faith. After briefly reviewing how creeds like the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds addressed specific doctrinal challenges, he explains that confessions serve as comprehensive systematic theologies—clarifying truth, guarding against error, promoting unity, and functioning as teaching tools. The bulk of the lesson focuses on the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), which Arndt identifies as arguably the most influential confession in Protestant history. He traces its origins in the English Civil War, its production by 150 theologians at Westminster Abbey with over 4,000 biblical references, its unexpected adoption by the Church of Scotland rather than the Church of England, and its lasting impact on Presbyterianism and Reformed Baptist theology—particularly through the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession, which retained Westminster's Calvinist soteriology while correcting its positions on baptism and church government. Arndt also addresses the strengths and dangers of confessions, including the risk of elevating them above Scripture and questions of subscription requirements, before discussing practical questions of inter-denominational cooperation, the importance of drawing doctrinal lines, and the consequences visible in mainline Protestant churches that have abandoned their confessional commitments.

Fear in the Hearts of His Enemies from 2 Samuel 10 unfolds the courage of a covenant king who seeks peace but does not shrink from righteous battle. David sends comfort and receives humiliation. He offers kindness and receives war. Yet the Lord stands with His people. Joab calls the army to courage, to strength for their people and for the cities of their God, and to rest in the sovereign will of the Lord. This sermon presses the church to develop holy courage, to defend the truth without compromise, and to remember that Christ reigns now as the greater Son of David. The enemies of the King will either bow in peace or tremble in fear. The victory belongs to the Lord. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm Beginning Sunday, March 1, worship times change to 10:00am and 5:00pm. 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: [email protected]

God genuinely desires the salvation of every individual, not merely all kinds of people and Christ's atonement was intended for all humanity. While we affirm the Calvinist doctrines of total depravity, unconditional election, and the perseverance of the saints, the traditional Calvinist emphasis on limited atonement does not stand up to Scriptural analysis. An unlimited atonement magnifies the sufficiency and universal offer of Christ's sacrifice. As we search the Scripture for truth, let us maintain a spirit of humility and love in theological debate.

This sermon presents a comprehensive overview of the Reformed Baptist tradition, emphasizing its historical roots in the Puritan movement and the broader Reformation, while highlighting key theological distinctives. It affirms the five solas of the Reformation, Calvinistic doctrines such as total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints, and underscores the necessity of regeneration preceding faith. The speaker articulates a robust confessional identity grounded in the 1689 London Baptist Confession, which serves as a faithful summary of Scripture without claiming infallibility. Central to the tradition is a covenantal framework that structures redemptive history from the covenant of redemption to the new covenant in Christ, informing a clear distinction between moral and positive laws, and guiding worship according to the regulative principle. The Baptist distinctives—believer's baptism by immersion, congregational church governance, and a commitment to credo-baptism—are presented not as divisive but as biblically faithful expressions of Reformed theology, all aimed at honoring God's glory and equipping believers to understand, defend, and live out the Christian faith with coherence and conviction.

In this lesson, we address a necessary clarification in the ongoing discussion surrounding Calvinism and its critics. Rejecting Calvinism does not automatically place a believer in the Arminian camp, and Scripture does not require us to choose between competing theological systems. This episode explains why I am neither Calvinist nor Arminian, and why both systems, in different ways, can go beyond what the Bible plainly teaches. We examine common positions associated with Arminian theology, including views on human ability, the origin of faith, the nature of divine foreknowledge, and the grounding of assurance, and we measure each one carefully against the Word of God. Rather than defending man-centered free will or system-driven sovereignty, this discussion affirms the biblical tension that God is fully sovereign, man is genuinely responsible, grace is absolutely necessary, and salvation is of the Lord from beginning to end.

Session B – Lesson 6 From Dort to TULIP: How Labels Shape Theology In this lesson, we step back from slogans and return to history. We examine the Synod of Dort and the Canons it produced, asking what was actually decided, how those decisions were structured, and why they still shape theological debate today. Rather than arguing doctrine, this session focuses on understanding how Calvinism moved from internal dispute to formal confessional system, and how later teaching tools like the TULIP acronym developed centuries afterward. We explore how labels simplify complex doctrines, how loaded terms quietly frame interpretation before Scripture is examined, and why non-Calvinists are often mischaracterized by the language itself. This lesson lays essential groundwork, clearing away false binaries and preparing the listener for a fair, careful examination of TULIP in the light of Scripture.

Session B, Lesson 3 Clearing the Straw Men on Both Sides In this lesson, we slow the discussion down and clear away the misunderstandings that often derail theological conversations about Calvinism before they ever get to Scripture. Too often, arguments are won by misrepresenting the other side rather than by engaging what is actually believed. That helps no one and honors neither truth nor the Word of God. We address common straw men about Calvinism, but we also deal honestly with the straw men Calvinists often build about their critics. Rejecting Calvinism does not automatically make someone an Arminian, nor does believing in human responsibility mean the gospel is man-centered or that God's sovereignty is diminished. Scripture presents a God who initiates salvation by grace and a man who is genuinely called to repent and believe. This episode is not about labels, systems, or winning debates. It is about clearing the ground so Scripture can speak plainly. Once the straw men are removed on both sides, the real questions can be asked, and the truth can be examined honestly under the authority of God's Word.

The sermon centers on the divine righteousness and justification available through faith in Jesus Christ, grounded in the unmerited grace of God revealed through the Law and the Prophets. It emphasizes that all humanity is spiritually dead and guilty before God, having fallen short of His glory, and that salvation is not achieved by human effort, moral striving, or even faith as a human work, but is solely the result of God's sovereign election and the substitutionary atonement of Christ on the cross. The theological terms of justification, redemption, propitiation, and remission are unpacked to show how God, in perfect justice and mercy, declares sinners righteous by imputing Christ's righteousness and bearing the penalty of sin through His blood, thereby satisfying divine justice. The sermon defends a Calvinistic understanding of salvation, affirming that faith itself is a gift of God, not a human achievement, and that God's eternal purpose to save a people from every nation is both just and gracious, leaving no room for human boasting. Ultimately, the message calls for a humble recognition of spiritual bankruptcy and a reliance on God's sovereign grace alone.

The Authority and Heart of a Good King unfolds the dual portrait of David in 2 Samuel 8–9. The king expands his borders, subdues enemies, establishes justice, and consolidates the kingdom under righteous rule. Yet in the midst of conquest, he pauses to remember a covenant promise. Mephibosheth, crippled and hidden away in obscurity, is summoned not for judgment but for mercy. The table of the king becomes a place of adoption. These chapters reveal more than history. They present a redemptive picture of Christ, the greater Son of David, who conquers by divine authority and gathers sinners by sovereign grace. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: [email protected]