There are many Christians today who imagine that it is unloving and un-Christian to engage in polemics. Polemics are theological warfare, the practice of opposing, exposing and refuting false teaching.

There are other who imagine that heretics and heresies no longer exist. Heretics, false brethren, false teachers, deceivers and false gospels are only theoretical. This would mean that after centuries of struggle with false doctrine the church can relax. No new threats are on the horizon. The warnings of apostasy can be safely ignored. 

Others believe that it is wrong to name false teachers. 

None of these views is biblical. The minister has the calling to oppose lies out of the love of the truth. Below is a survey of the New Testament. Other passages could be added. 

In 1618-1619 in the Dutch city of Dordrecht a synod met to discuss, and ultimately to condemn, the Arminian heresy, which had been spreading like a leaven throughout the churches in the Netherlands.

The fruit of this Synod of Dordt, at which not only Dutch, but also many foreign delegates were present, was the beautiful creed, the Canons of Dordt.

If there is one "sacred cow" in the modern church it is "freewill." Amost every person I meet in the modern church assumes that 1) man has freewill, 2) that man can use his freewill to choose salvation, 3) that God is a perfect gentleman who would never force salvation on man.

"But there is no such thing as a perfect  church!"

Let's face it, churches in Europe, and in Ireland in particular are very weak. Many of them are false. Many of them teach false doctrine. Many of them teach confusing mixtures of doctrine. Many of them teach no doctrine at all. In many of them the sacraments are corrupted, and there has been no church discipline for generations.

Few deny this charge who look objectively and dispassionately at the situation.

Modern Christians do not like labels. Often, I encounter people who are simply "Bible belieiving" Christians who attend "Bible believing" churches. But, have you ever considered how unhelpful that is?  Of course, all Christians believe the Bible, but many people, including the cults say that they believe the Bible too.

Essentials of Reformed Doctrine is a systematic doctrine class aimed at older teenagers, but adapted in Ireland for adults who want to learn all the doctrines of Christianity.

Lesson 7 is "God's Work in Eternity."

The main subjects covered in this Lesson are:

Part 1: God's eternal counsel and God's decrees concerning sin.

Part 2: Predestination, election and reprobation proved and defended.

The LRF runs an adult reformed doctrine class in which we work through the Essentials of Reformed Doctrine catechism booklet published by the PRCA. Below you will find the lesson outlines based on Lesson 7.

Each lesson outline comes as a handy PDF formatted to be printed as a single double-sided page with narrow margins.

Lesson 7

Lesson 7 Outline 1

Lesson 7 Outline 2

Lesson 5 is "God's Communicable Attributes."

The main subjects covered in this Lesson are:

Part 1: The distinction between incommunicable and communicable attributes; how some of God's attributes can be "communicable;" and God's holiness, righteousness and wisdom.

Part 2: God's communicable attributes continued: God's goodness (His mercy, grace and love).

The LRF runs an adult reformed doctrine class in which we work through the Essentials of Reformed Doctrine catechism booklet published by the PRCA. Below you will find the lesson outlines based on Lesson 5.

Each lesson outline comes as a handy PDF formatted to be printed as a single double-sided page with narrow margins.

Lesson 5

Lesson 5 Outline 1

Lesson 5 Outline 2

Lesson 4 is "God's Incommunicable Attributes."

The main subjects covered in this Lesson are:

Part 1: What it means that God has attributes; the difference between incommunicable and communicable attributes; and God's independence, simplicity and infinity.

Part 2: God's incommunicable attributes continued: God's immutability, omnipotence and omniscience.

The LRF runs an adult reformed doctrine class in which we work through the Essentials of Reformed Doctrine catechism booklet published by the PRCA. Below you will find the lesson outlines based on Lesson 4.

Each lesson outline comes as a handy PDF formatted to be printed as a single double-sided page with narrow margins.

Lesson 4

Lesson 4 Outline 1

Lesson 4 Outline 2

Essentials of Reformed Doctrine is a systematic doctrine class aimed at older teenagers, but adapted in Ireland for adults who want to learn all the doctrines of Christianity.

Lesson 3 is "God's Essence and Names."

The main subjects covered in this Lesson are:

Part 1: God's Essence: who or what God is in distinction from all created reality; and the main characteristics of His essence or being (personal, spiritual, transcendent, immanent).

Part 2: What it means that God has names, and the meaning of His names (God, Lord and Jehovah).

The LRF runs an adult reformed doctrine class in which we work through the Essentials of Reformed Doctrine catechism booklet published by the PRCA. Below you will find the lesson outlines based on Lesson 3.

Each lesson outline comes as a handy PDF formatted to be printed as a single double-sided page with narrow margins.

Lesson 3

Lesson 3 Outline 1

Lesson 3 Outline 2

Essentials of Reformed Doctrine is a systematic doctrine class aimed at older teenagers, but adapted in Ireland for adults who want to learn all the doctrines of Christianity.

Lesson 2 is "Holy Scripture."

The main subjects covered in this Lesson are:

Part 1: The doctrine of inspiration (organic, graphic, verbal and plenary inspiration); how we know the Bible is inspired, and a brief study of the canon of Scripture.

Part 2: The perfections of Holy Scripture as God's Word (its infallibility, inerrancy, authority, unity, sufficiency and perspicuity).

The LRF runs an adult reformed doctrine class in which we work through the Essentials of Reformed Doctrine catechism booklet published by the PRCA. Below you will find the lesson outlines based on Lesson 2.

Each lesson outline comes as a handy PDF formatted to be printed as a single double-sided page with narrow margins.

Lesson 2

Lesson 2 Outline 1

Lesson 2 Outline 2