Jonathan Harris > Recent Status Updates

“Every man is made in the image of God and has impressed upon him the law of God. [This] makes men always accessible to God. [This] assures us that every man, to be a man at all, must already be in contact with the truth. He is so much in contact with the truth that much of his energy is spent in the vain effort to hide this from himself. His efforts to hide this from himself are bound to be self-frustrative.”

“In a certain sense, Kant is an apologist. He defended morality, religion, and theology by completely separating them from knowledge and providing them their own foundational principle. He separates the intellect from the will, knowing and believing, head and heart, theoretical and practical reason…”

“I will argue that Jesus is portrayed in the Gospels as the last Adam whose obedience is necessary for God’s people to experience the blessings of salvation.”

“The Reformed have conceptualized Christianity, not only as a religion but also as a worldview. Hence, natural theology can only be practiced by believers. Faith is necessary even here, just as it was with special revelation.”

“Calvin's starting point was God himself. He reasoned theologically, from God to his works, synthetically, deductively, proceeding from God in his entirety.. The Reformed proceeded from the divinity of God, from God as God.”

“The Roman Catholic schema is that of supranaturalism, of an objective dualism… the donum superadditum is characteristic here… Human beings without the donum superadditum are not sinful by definition, but they are of a lower order, remain in their lower condition, and will not be elevated to fellowship with God… for concupiscence dwells naturally in the flesh.”

“This universe is the creation of a God so rich and full in himself that he needs nothing and no one else to be infinitely satisfied. This universe is not a symptom of need but a signature of generosity.”

“Dependence coincides with freedom. Those who are born of God increasingly become the children of God and bear his image and likeness, because in principle they already are his children. The rule of organic life applies to them: Become what you are!”

“Faith is therefore not a work, but a relinquishment of all work, and an unqualified trust in God who gives life to the dead.”

“[Certainty] is not obtained by looking at ourselves but by looking away from ourselves to Christ. It is grounded upon the promises of God, not in changing experiences or imperfect good works… Faith is and remains by its very nature an unlimited and unconditional trust of the heart in the riches of God’s grace in Christ.”