Cited in sermons
John Renahan
6 sermons · All people cited
2LCF Chapter 25 - Of Marriage
The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith chapter 25 offers a concise yet comprehensive definition of marriage as a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, established by God in creation for companionship, procreation, and the lawful expression of sexual relations. This study works through each paragraph of the confession's chapter on marriage, examining the monogamous nature of marriage, the major purposes for which it was ordained, and the lawful parties who may enter it. The session also draws on Westminster Confession chapters 24, paragraphs 5 and 6, together with Deuteronomy 24, Matthew 5 and 19, and 1 Corinthians 7, to argue that Scripture authorizes divorce on the grounds of porneia and desertion, and that a lawfully divorced innocent party is free to remarry. The Protestant 'permanence view' of marriage is examined and found to be both exegetically deficient and pastorally harmful to innocent parties whom God's own law was designed to protect.
CTF 2025 - Conference details
A brief logistics announcement for a two-day Reformed theology conference (CTF 2025) focused on the divine attributes and perfections of God, featuring lectures by Dr. Dolezal and others. The announcement covers schedule, location, dinner, worship elements, and a live Q&A panel. No Scripture passage is expounded; this is a conference preview, not a sermon.
CTF 2025 - How Did the 2024 Conference Go?
A brief post-conference reflection on the April 2024 Reformed Baptist conference on Chapter 1 of the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. Attendees and a Free Reformed pastor both expressed that the exposition of the confession aligned closely with sound catechetical teaching, underscoring the doctrinal solidarity that exists across confessional traditions. The gathering is described as an occasion for edification, fellowship, and the opening of Scripture in a spirit of unity rather than controversy.
Ask FGBC #6 - Why is historical confessional Christianity important?
The question of why historical confessional Christianity matters is addressed by examining what Scripture itself says about the gifts Christ gives to his church. Drawing on Ephesians 4 and Matthew 28, the argument is made that creeds and confessions are the accumulated fruit of those gifts — the best doctrinal articulation the church has produced across centuries of theological controversy, from Nicaea and Chalcedon through the Second London Confession. To reject them in favor of a 'no creed but the Bible' posture is not humility but a subtle repudiation of the very ecclesiology the Bible commands, and it leaves individuals without the guardrails that preserve orthodox Christianity.
Ask FGBC #1 - What is a Reformed Baptist?
What distinguishes a Reformed Baptist from a generic Calvinist or a generic Baptist? This question-and-answer exchange works through the defining marks of the Reformed Baptist tradition: the supreme authority of Scripture, covenant theology, the regulative principle of worship, the centrality of preaching, believers' baptism by immersion, and congregational church polity. The 1689 Second London Baptist Confession is identified as the clearest doctrinal touchstone, held not loosely but in full subscription — not as an authority alongside Scripture, but because it faithfully summarises Scripture's teaching. The historical designation 'Particular Baptist' is also commended as an accurate and less confusing alternative label for the same tradition.
2024 Conference Theme - Of the Holy Scriptures
This brief conference introduction previews a study of the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689), Chapter 1, 'Of the Holy Scriptures.' The discussion covers the authority, canon, sufficiency, and interpretation of Scripture, with particular attention to the confessional principle that Scripture interprets Scripture (analogia scripturae). Two scholars — one specializing in historical theology and one in hermeneutics — will situate Chapter 1 in its seventeenth-century context and apply its interpretive principles to the contemporary church.