If everyone was persuaded of the truth of Scripture that human nature possesses none of the gifts that the elect receive from their heavenly Father through the regeneration by the Spirit, then there would be no need to argue about these things. In Psalm 36:9, the congregation of faith believers by the mouth of the…

As human beings, we are intoxicated with a high opinion of our own discernment. We think we can understand divine things, even though we are completely ignorant of them. Therefore, the best way to demonstrate our spiritual blindness won't be made through logical arguments but by Scripture. One of the clearest passages that speak to…

I now want the show the relationship between human reason and the kingdom of God. When we speak of the kingdom and spiritual realities, there are three main things we're talking about. The first one is the knowledge of God. The second one is God's fatherly kindness towards us which leads us to salvation. And…

Let me summarize my point so far. When you survey the human race, one distinguishing mark of humans is the ability to reason. This reasoning ability distinguishes us from animals, just like animals are distinguished from inanimate objects. While some individuals are born with reason, their defect does not impair the general kindness of God.…

We should never forgot that the Holy Spirit dispenses many blessings on whomever he wants in order to benefit all humanity. The Spirit gave skill and knowledge to Bezaleel and Aholiab to construct the Tabernacle (Exodus 31:2; 35:30). Therefore, it shouldn't be strange to us that the most important truths in human life are given…

When we read non-Christian authors, we should be reminded that the amazing power of the human mind when they make incredible insights into the world. The human mind still has many admirable gifts from the Creator even though it is fallen and corrupted by sin. If we recognize that the Spirit of God is the…

Next, let's talk about the manual and liberal arts. In these areas, the full force of human intellect is displayed. Of course, not everyone is able to equally learn all of the arts. Yet most people have some capacity to display intelligent in some particular art. This capacity extended not only to learning the art…

I think Augustine's well-known saying is correct: humanity's natural gifts were corrupted by sin and humanity's supernatural gifts were withdrawn. The supernatural gifts would have included faith and righteousness, which would have been sufficient for people to attain eternal life and happiness. When humanity rebelled against God, they were deprived of the spiritual gifts which…

I have always loved the words of Chrysostom, "The foundation of our philosophy is humility." I have also loved Augustine's words even more, "When an orator is asked, 'What is the first principle of being eloquent?' He will say, 'Delivery.' 'What is the second principle?' Answered, 'Delivery.' 'What is the third principle?' Answered: 'Delivery.' But…