Online Library

All of our materials are free to download. Some of these publications are also available as paperback books. Please CLICK HERE to visit the storefront. The electronic versions are most current and considered official.

~ BOOKS ~

FOUNDATIONAL
theology, philosophy, apologetics, ethics, spirituality, and ministry

Systematic Theology
Last modified: 01-01-2009 / Download
This book is an introduction to Christian theology. It emphasizes the interrelatedness of biblical doctrines, and arranges them in a logical progression — from the epistemological precondition of a worldview to the preservation of the believer. The three central motifs of this book are the infallibility of Scripture, the sovereignty of God, and the centrality of the mind.

Ultimate Questions
Last modified: 02-08-2010 / Download
An introduction to the basic principles of a Christian worldview. Contents: 1. Christian Philosophy, 2. Christian Soteriology, and 3. Christian Apologetics.

Presuppositional Confrontations
Last modified: 02-14-2010 / Download
All arguments are ultimately settled by appealing to the soundness of our first principles. The heart of this book consists of an exposition of Paul's encounter with the Athenians in Acts 17. It shows how the apostle confronted non-Christian religions and philosophies, and how we may mirror his approach today. Contents: 1. Challenge, 2. Confrontation, and 3. Conquest.

Apologetics in Conversation
Last modified: 09-26-2008 / Download
This short book presents several important principles in biblical apologetics that enhance one's performance and effectiveness when defending the faith in informal settings. These often neglected principles sound simple, but they are the divine weapons that God has given to us to ensure our victory in spiritual and intellectual confrontations against unbelievers and blasphemers.

The Sermon on the Mount
Last modified: 12-24-2009 / Download
The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) contains some of the most frequently quoted — but just as frequently misused — verses in the Bible. This book provides a basic but careful exposition on the Sermon. In the process, it introduces the Bible's teaching on the kingdom of God, the Christian counter-culture, the place and relevance of God's law, the biblical commandments regarding murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, retaliation, love, as well as Jesus' teaching on biblical inerrancy, hypocritical piety, hypocritical judgment, legalism, materialism, exclusivism, antinomianism, and other topics. In addition, the book includes a number of insights that are useful for apologetics.

Prayer and Revelation
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
Rather than focusing on the technique of prayer, this book discusses prayer from a broader perspective by engaging its relationship with other theological topics. In addition, it urges the reader to dethrone experience and enthrone revelation as the foundation on which to construct our spiritual life in general, and our prayer life in particular.

The Ministry of the Word
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This volume combines three previously published works into a general introduction on the ministry of the word. Contents: 1. Sufficient and Profitable, 2. Preach the Word, and 3. Teach the Nations.

 

EXPOSITIONAL
commentaries on biblical books

Commentary on Malachi
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
Besides providing a basic exegesis of Malachi, this book applies the Old Testament text to Christian life and thought. In the process, it addresses topics such as election, history, marriage, tithing, ministry, reverence, and judgment.

Commentary on Galatians
Last modified: 12-28-2008 / Download
Paul writes to a church that has been infiltrated by false teachers, providing a corrective concerning how a person is justified before God. Besides the fact that it is divine revelation, the enduring relevance of this letter is ensured because it is a statement of the core of the gospel, it defines for us the place of this teaching in relation to other biblical doctrines, and models for us the manner in which we are to defend it against objections and distortions.

Commentary on Ephesians
Last modified: 07-24-2008 / Download
Paul's Letter to the Ephesians amounts to a short course in theology. Because of its majestic and exalted content, it has been hailed as "The Queen of the Epistles." Although it does not cover every theological topic, several central truths that are not explicitly stated are nevertheless assumed or implied. A firm theological foundation leads to spiritual stability, so that God's people will not be tossed here and there by every wind of doctrine. In a day when even professing Christians tolerate just about every "ism" there is, it is all the more important for us to insist on the biblical gospel, that it is God alone who, through Christ alone, sovereignly predestinates, regenerates, reconciles, sanctifies, and establishes his people. This commentary aims to help beginning readers grasp the main theological themes in Paul's letter in a logical and coherent fashion, although the more advanced readers will probably find some useful insights and apt statements as well.

Commentary on Philippians
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
Much of what is called "Christian" teaching today emphasizes the way to emotional peace and physical comfort. In contrast, Paul commends the Philippians for being partners in the faith with him, and encourages them to remain united by the faith, so that they may live for the faith. Paul teaches his readers to seek first the kingdom of God, even if it leads to great suffering and hardship. He says that he can be content under all circumstances by the strength that Christ gives. Instead of using the Christian life as an excuse or a platform to pursue our own interests, this letter from Paul teaches a Christianity that promotes and pursues Christ's interests.

Commentary on Colossians
Last modified: 07-12-2008 / Download
Paul's letter to the Colossians weaves together high theology with holy living, and exhortations with warnings. Its main theme is the fullness of Christ, and the fullness that Christians have in him. Christ's person and work are complete, and Christians have benefited from this completeness. Any attempt to supplement or replace the person and work of Christ therefore undermines and devalues him, and compromises the Christian faith. This commentary confronts several controversial doctrines, including the incomprehensibility of God and the origin of sin and evil. Other features include a summary of systematic theology from the perspective of christology, discussions on true versus false philosophy, true versus false spirituality, what it means to see the Father by "looking at" Jesus, the priorities of Paul in life and prayer, and the true nature of the Great Commission.

Commentary on 1 & 2 Thessalonians
Last modified: 03-22-2009 / Download
The two Pauline letters provide opportunities to cover a wide range of topics. They include the following: the doctrine of Scripture, the doctrine of election, the doctrine of the second coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the "catching up" of believers, the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple, and the slaughter and dispersion of the Jews in AD 70, persecution and providence, the Great Commission, "seeker-hostile" ministry, the relation of metaphysics and ethics in apologetics, justice, revenge, and atonement, the sin of slander, the minister's right to financial support, the sin of idleness, and the correct policy toward idlers, cessationism and prophecy, and some observations on hermeneutics. In addition, an outstanding feature of this book is an extended exposition and argument on the matter of whether the Jews murdered Jesus.

Commentary on First Peter
Last modified: 12-28-2008 / Download
This commentary offers a basic but thorough exposition on the text of First Peter. In the process, it touches on topics such as the doctrine of election, the meaning of divine foreknowledge, issues with Bible translations, the right perspective toward suffering and persecution, the gospel in the Old Testament, the atoning work of Christ, supralapsarianism vs. infralapsarianism, the priesthood of all believers, the intellectual and moral depravity of unbelievers, submission to authority (citizens to officials, slaves to masters, wives to husbands), divine command ethics, bearing witness to Christ by our words and deeds, love and humility within the church community, spiritual gifts, labor and racial issues, the authority and compensation of church elders, and resisting our enemy, the devil.

 

SUPPLEMENTAL
theology, apologetics, expositions, spirituality, and ministry

The Author of Sin
Last modified: 07-11-2009 / Download
This is a collection of short articles on divine sovereignty, human freedom, and the doctrines of grace. It provides a corrective for inconsistent Calvinism.

Captive to Reason
Last modified: 07-05-2009 / Download
This is a collection of short articles on Christian philosophy and apologetics. It includes answers to the objections raised by some professing Christians against biblical metaphysics, epistemology, and apologetics. It is a corrective for both evidentialism and pseudo-presuppositionalism.

Invincible Faith
Last modified: 10-22-2008 / Download
This collection brings together some items of major importance. They include articles related to theology, apologetics, ministry, as well as several biblical expositions and correspondences.

Doctrine and Obedience
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This is a collection of short articles on various aspects of Christian doctrine and practice.

Born Again
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This is an exposition of John 3:1-21, on the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus.

Blasphemy and Mystery
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
Most of the articles in this collection are written in response to objections raised against various aspects of Christianity. Although some of these objections come from unbelievers, several are from professing Christians who have been critical of the consistently God-centered system of theology, philosophy, and apologetics in Scripture. The objections from professing believers against the Christian faith exhibit patterns of reasoning that are remarkably similar to those found in unbelievers, including some of the intellectual habits and assumptions that underlie atheism. In connection with this, several of the articles examine some of the most treasured and ingrained doctrines that professing believers have invented in order to subvert the teachings of Scripture. They show that these traditional doctrines are not only unbiblical, but often even blasphemous.

The View from Above
Last modified: 06-08-2009 / Download
By presenting select episodes and discourses from the life of Christ, the Gospel of John offers a heavenly philosophy that is superior to any earthly philosophy. This book is a collection of articles on the first four chapters of the Gospel. Drawing attention to the foundational principles of this heavenly philosophy, it enables readers to appreciate the wisdom and power that the Lord Jesus had brought to us "from above," so that we may no longer think and live as people "from below." Rather, because we have been born "from above" through Jesus Christ, although we remain in this world, we are no longer of the world. As Christians, we think, speak, and function on a higher plane, an altogether superior level of competence and intelligence.

Reflections on First Timothy
Last modified: 10-13-2009 / Download
A series of reflections on Paul's first letter to Timothy. Chapters include: "The Christian's Self-Definition," "The Non-Christian's True Nature," "Male Leadership in the Church," "Strange Uses of Scripture," "The Doctrines of Demons," and "The Secret of Contentment."

Reflections on Second Timothy
Last modified: 02-08-2010 / Download
A series of reflections on Paul's second letter to Timothy. Chapters include: "God the Author," "A Spirit of Power," "A Public Intellectual System," "Teaching the Devil's Captives," "Theocentrism vs. Anthropocentrism," and "Alone, But Never Alone."

The Light of Our Minds
Last modified: 06-02-2008 / Download
The essays in this book share at least two common themes — namely, the biblical emphasis on the mind and the monopoly of the Christian worldview over the intellectual realm. Christianity preserves rationality, and provides the precondition of intelligibility. Together, these chapters serve as a reminder for the Christian to love God with all his mind (Matthew 22:37), and at the same time illustrate an effective strategy for Christian apologetics. Some readers will be especially interested in the chapter on "the problem of evil" — an issue unbelievers often bring up as an objection against Christianity.

On Good and Evil
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
God wants us to recognize good as good, evil as evil, and never confuse the two. As Christians, we must learn to discern and uphold God's standards regarding good and evil. The purpose of this book is to assist the reader in gaining the ability to discern good and evil, and in addition to this, to unashamedly love good and hate evil, as the Scripture commands us to do.

Pure Religion
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This volume combines six previously published items. Contents: 1. God is not Mocked, 2. Pure Religion, 3. Policy on Charity, 4. The Noble Bereans, 5. The One Thing Needed, and 6. As a Man Thinks.

Godliness with Contentment
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This book is a collection of four articles on topics related to Christian living, such as discipleship, contentment, guidance, and death. Although they address several different subjects, all of them emphasize the necessity of studying and obeying the divine precepts of God; that is, to conform one's thinking and behavior to the words of Scripture.

Renewing the Mind
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
There are five short essays in this collection. Arguing that intellectual neutrality does not exist, the first chapter uses Psalm 1 as its foundation to illustrate that all ideas are either Christian or non-Christian. The second chapter shows that a program of Christian development must first target the mind. The rest of the book provides several examples of the above as the implications of biblical teachings are worked out in areas such as sin, the deity of Christ, the choice of a spouse, war, and capital punishment.

Biblical Healing
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This is a concise introduction to biblical healing. It covers topics such as healing in the atonement, divine authority, methods of healing, ministry protocols, authority structure in the healing ministry, and the biblical view of medicine.

The Parables of Jesus
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This book contains informal expositions on several biblical parables to derive from them some principles for Christian living. The first chapter focuses on several relevant preliminary issues, such as the nature, purpose, and interpretation of parables. It then discuss the parables themselves in the subsequent chapters.

Samson and His Faith
Last modified: 12-28-2008 / Download
In many people's thinking, Samson is inseparably connected to Delilah, and they seem to think that the entirety of his life as recorded in Scripture has to do with his moral weaknesses and sexual lusts. Thus they say that he is the classic case of one who has "charisma without character." However, that is an incomplete and inaccurate portrayal of his life. The Scripture's own commentary on Samson is that he was a man of faith, one of whom "the world was not worthy" (Hebrews 11:38).

 

Many of the articles have been extracted from or collected into the books listed above. They continue to be offered separately because of their independent value.

~ ARTICLES ~

FOUNDATIONAL
theology, philosophy, apologetics, and ministry

Chosen in Christ
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
An exposition of Ephesians 1:3-14. Contents: Election, Reprobation, Redemption, Illumination, Revelation, Reconciliation, Certification, Conclusion.
(Part of Commentary on Ephesians)

The Preservation of the Saints
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This article discusses and explains the expressions, confessions, and biblical passages related to the doctrine of the perseverance or preservation of the saints.
(Part of The Author of Sin)

The Incomprehensibility of God
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
The traditional doctrine of the incomprehensibility of God is unbiblical and blasphemous. Taken from a section of Commentary on Colossians, this article clarifies the biblical teaching on the topic and proposes ways to reformulate the doctrine.
(Part of Commentary on Colossians)

The Problem of Evil
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
A biblical refutation to one of the most popular arguments against Christianity.
(Part of The Author of Sin and The Light of Our Minds)

Professional Morons
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
Examples on how non-Christian philosophers are really no better than the most incompetent non-Christians in the substance of their arguments.
(Part of Captive to Reason)

Sufficient and Profitable
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This is an exposition of 2 Timothy 3:14-17 and 2 Peter 1:20-21, subtitled "The Authority, Sufficiency, and Utility of Scripture."
(Part of The Ministry of the Word)

Teach the Nations
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
Subtitled "Lectures on the Great Commission," this is an exposition of Matthew 28:18-20. The three parts in this series are: 1. The Great Commission, 2. The Christian Message, and 3. The Abiding Presence.
(Part of The Ministry of the Word)

Preach the Word
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
Structured around 2 Timothy 4:1-3, it discusses Christian preaching and education. In the process, it criticizes secular theories on learning methods, and calls for a comprehensive teaching and writing ministry from preachers of the gospel.
(Part of The Ministry of the Word)

The Bible, the Preacher, and the Spirit
Last modified: 10-22-2008 / Download
God has given the Bible a supreme role in the history of mankind and the history of redemption. Its message is usually delivered to men by men, but it is rendered effective in the hearts of men only by the will and power of the Holy Spirit. This article briefly discusses these ideas and suggests several applications.
(Part of Invincible Faith)

The Invincible Church
Last modified: 05-15-2008 / Download
An exposition of Matthew 16:13-18, with emphasis on the promise and prediction of Jesus that the church will endure through time, that it will be indestructible in the face of opposition, and that it will fulfill its mission.
(Part of Invincible Faith)

 

SUPPLEMENTAL
theology, apologetics, spirituality, and ministry

God the Author
Last modified: 12-31-2009 / Download
A consideration of God's sovereignty over all things in the context of his role as the author of the "drama" of redemption.
(Part of Reflections on Second Timothy)

The Blasphemy of Dualism
Last modified: 01-10-2010 / Download
A consideration of the blasphemous implication of denying the total, direct, and causative sovereignty of God over all of creation.
(Part of Reflections on Second Timothy)

Divine Sovereignty and Self-Compatibility
Last modified: 02-06-2010 / Download
The sovereignty of God and the freedom of man are mutually exclusive. To affirm one is to deny the other. If God is absolutely sovereign, then he also decides and causes human choice and desire. And if God is the one who decides and causes human choice and desire, then to say that divine sovereignty and human choice are compatible is only to say that God is compatible with himself. But we already know that, and man is still not free.
(Part of Ultimate Questions)

More than a Potter
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This is a response to the objection, "If God determines all that we do so that we are not free from him in any sense, then we are nothing more than robots and puppets." It also answers a related attack against Romans 9:21.
(Part of The Author of Sin)

Freewill Offerings and Human Freedom
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This is a response to the argument that Scripture teaches that man has "free will" because the term appears in a number of biblical verses.
(Part of The Author of Sin)

Matthew 23:37
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
Proponents of Arminianism frequently cite Matthew 23:37 (or Luke 13:34) to support their theology. And popular or inconsistent Calvinism sometimes uses it to maintain a tension (self-contradiction) within their system. This article explains why the verse does not support either position.
(Part of Invincible Faith)

Jeremiah 32:35
Last modified: 02-05-2009 / Download
A response to the claim that Jeremiah 32:35 refutes the doctrine that God causes all things, including evil.
(Part of The Author of Sin)

Human Struggle and Divine Sovereignty
Last modified: 12-28-2008 / Download
A response to someone who struggles with how God uses his sovereignty over all things. The three major sections deal with the relation between God's sovereignty and human infirmity, human depravity, and human spirituality.
(Part of Invincible Faith)

Arguing by Intuition
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
Many non-Christians and Arminians base the premises of their arguments on intuition, and even many Calvinists needlessly do the same. This article explains why this is fallacious, and urges Christians to cling to revelation alone in presenting and defending the Biblical/Reformed faith.
(Part of The Author of Sin)

Students in the Real World
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This booklet is intended for Christians in high school and university. It offers relevant reminders and suggestions for students, with an emphasis on apologetics. Because of its contribution to apologetics, non-students will also find it a valuable resource.
(Part of Invincible Faith)

Power Apologetics
Last modified: 02-09-2009 / Download
A series of short articles on the aggressive vindication of the faith. "Man's arrogance is revealed in his modest theology. The arrogant man's confidence in his faith is in direct proportion to his confidence in himself, in his own estimation regarding his own intelligence and competence. Since this self-confidence, even if unrealistically large, is not absolute and infinite, then his "faith" must also be accordingly limited. His plea for humility is in fact a plea for removing God's infallible revelation as the basis for faith, and to replace it with man's arrogance as the only foundation for confidence in his religion. The basis for his apologetics is self-worship."
(Part of Captive to Reason)

The Fatal Maneuver
Last modified: 09-14-2008 / Download
A fatal critique against the most popular school of presuppositional apologetics in favor of one that is biblical and rational.
(Part of Captive to Reason)

The Preacher Speaks Philosophy
Last modified: 01-04-2009 / Download
The Preacher speaks to evidentialists and presuppositionalists.
(Part of Captive to Reason)

A Moron By Any Other Name
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This article responds to a question on the use of invectives when speaking to unbelievers.
(Part of Captive to Reason)

The Da Vinci Code
Last modified: 09-17-2008 / Download
This article does not directly engage the content of the novel, The Da Vinci Code, but considers the proper attitude toward this and similar works of falsehood and blasphemy.
(Part of Invincible Faith)

Symptoms of Retardation
Last modified: 12-28-2008 / Download
A lack of intelligence and competence characterizes the arguments of the critics. This short article discusses the symptoms of mental disability and a prescription for their recovery.
(Part of Invincible Faith)

The Story of a System
Last modified: 09-17-2008 / Download
This article discusses the popular idea that the Bible is "story," and how this relates to systematic theology and biblical theology.
(Part of Invincible Faith)

Faith to Move Mountains
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This is an exposition of Mark 11:12-25, with emphasis on the controversial verse, Mark 11:23.
(Part of Invincible Faith)

The Passover Blood
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
The blood of the Passover Lamb delivers God's people from divine wrath. This article discusses the active and intense nature of this wrath, and the corresponding saving power of the blood of Jesus Christ.
(Part of Invincible Faith)

The God of Disasters
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
"Where is God when disasters strike?" Based on a passage from Micah 2, this article answers the question of God's relation to and uses of both natural and "man-made" disasters.
(Part of Invincible Faith)

Recall, Repent, Return
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This is a message based on Revelation 2:4-5: "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."
(Part of Invincible Faith)

Kingdom First
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." This article is an exposition on the meaning and application of this verse.
(Part of Doctrine and Obedience)

God is not Mocked
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This is a revised transcript of a two-part series on Galatians 6:7-9 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
(Part of Pure Religion)

Pure Religion
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This is a revised transcript of a two-part series on James 1:22-27.
(Part of Pure Religion)

Policy on Charity
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
This is a revised transcript of a four-part series on 1 Timothy 5:3-16, with the main focus on verses 3-8.
(Part of Pure Religion)

As a Man Thinks
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
An exposition of Proverbs 22:29-23:8, including the statement, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he."
(Part of Pure Religion)

The Noble Bereans
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
An exposition of Acts 17:11.
(Part of Pure Religion)

The One Thing Needed
Last modified: 04-04-2008 / Download
An exposition of Luke 10:38-42.
(Part of Pure Religion)

Crucify Him!
Last modified: 12-28-2008 / Download
The New Testament insists that the Jews murdered Jesus. It states this explicitly and repeatedly, in different settings, and in various ways. This testimony so pervades Scripture that it is impervious to the efforts of those who would revise or obscure history. In fact, the biblical passages stating that the Jews murdered Jesus are so numerous that a full exposition of them could make up a whole book. This article cites some of these passages with brief comments, and in the process refutes some common attempts at neutralizing this scriptural record.
(Part of Commentary on 1 & 2 Thessalonians)

Cessationism and Rebellion
Last modified: 03-22-2009 / Download
This is a simple argument showing that cessationism is a false doctrine that preaches rebellion against the Lord.
(Part of Commentary on 1 & 2 Thessalonians)

Cessationism and Speaking in Tongues
Last modified: 03-28-2009 / Download
The argument in "Cessationism and Rebellion" is here restated and applied to speaking in tongues. The article then discusses the nature of tongues and counterfeit tongues. It concludes with a call to abandon dishonesty and prejudice in our theology, and to lay hold of the genuine spiritual power that is the inheritance of every Christian.

Some Questions for Empiricists
Last modified: 01-10-2010 / Download
Here are some questions posed to an atheist several years ago in the course of a written exchange. These questions and others like them are unanswerable by any belief system that places any dependence on the reliability of sensations. The questions do not apply only to non-Christian systems, but almost all of them also apply to any system of so-called Christian theology, philosophy, or apologetics that affirms the reliability of sensations, induction, or science.

Faithful in Famine
Last modified: 04-24-2009 / Download
A call to faithfulness at a time of financial crisis and hardship.

A Gang of Pandas
Last modified: 02-10-2010 / Download
Science is essentially, pervasively, undeniably, incurably, and often arrogantly, irrational. To believe that it can discover truth is nothing other than superstition.

Sarcasm and Sovereignty
Last modified: 01-26-2010 / Download
"If God is sovereign over all things, and everything including the Fall came about by his will, then why should I care about anything?"