The purpose of [the] author’s exegesis of Old Testament scripture… is to establish the finality of the gospel by contrast with all that went before it (more particularly, by contrast with the Levitical cultus), as the way of perfection, the way which alone leads men to God without any barrier or interruption of access. He establishes the finality of Christianity by establishing the supremacy of Christ, in his person and in his work.
—F.F. Bruce
The heart of man is his worst part before it is regenerated, and the best afterward; it is the seat of principles, and the fountain of actions. The eye of God is, and the eye of the Christian ought to be principally fixed upon it. The greatest difficulty in conversion, is to win the heart to God; and the greatest difficulty after conversion, is to keep the heart with God. Here lies the very force and stress of religion; here is that which makes the way to life a narrow way, and the gate of heaven a strait gate.
—John Flavel
Our status as believers is not tethered to our performance, but Christ’s. Only the gospel can offer the resources to combat our pride, expose our emptiness, and flood our hearts with peace.
“If you really understand Reformed theology, we should all just sit around shaking our heads going, ‘It’s unbelievable. Why would God choose any of us?’ You are so amazed by grace, you’re not picking a fight with anyone, you’re just crying tears of amazement that should lead to a heart for lost people, that God does indeed save, when he doesn’t have to save anybody.”
—Collin Hansen, Young, Restless, Reformed
In 1 Tim 3:2, Paul insists on an elder’s holiness in five major life categories: public, marital, family, personal and doctrinal. Paul sums up these areas with two words: above reproach. This is Paul’s way of saying that the elder should have no loopholes in his character.
Being above reproach means you have an unimpeachable character, but it doesn’t mean you are flawless. There’s a difference between having a bad day and having a bad year; the elder should live in such a way as to be accusation-free and without any sustained or legitimate patterns of sin.
—A Guide to Expository Ministry
Analogia Fidei is a principle of biblical interpretation which supposes that since the Scripture has one Author, it cannot contradict itself and therefore, the primary interpreter of Scripture is the Scripture itself. The Westminster Confession states:
The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself: and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.
Charles Hodge concurs. In his book Systematic Theology, he wrote:
“If the Scriptures be what they claim to be, the word of God, they are the work of one mind, and that mind divine. From this it follows that Scripture cannot contradict Scripture. God cannot teach in one place anything which is inconsistent with what He teaches in another. Hence Scripture must explain Scripture. If a passage admits of different interpretations, that only can be the true one which agrees with what the Bible teaches elsewhere on the same subject.”
The principle is taken from Romans 12:6 (kata tes analogian tes pisteos- “according to the analogy of the faith”).
Jojo Agot 