‭This essay addresses recent criticisms of the doctrine of the ordo salutis (order of salvation) in early modern Reformed theology by (1) surveying recent criticisms, (2) explaining early modern Reformed expressions of the ordo salutis, particularly as they employ the concept of the sorites, a Greco-Roman form of rhetorical argument found in the apostle Paul’s letters, but especially Rom 8.29–30, (3) arguing for the validity and correctness of the early modern exegesis and exposition of Rom 8.29–30, (4) exploring the systematic-theological implications of Paul’s use of a sorites in Rom 8.29–30.‬

Romans 8.29–30 and the Question of the Ordo Salutis

The English Reformation

The Concept of Grace

The Modern Period

A Brief Glossary of Medieval Soteriological Terms

Catholic Responses to Early Protestant Doctrines of Justification

This work was created by Friedrich Blass, professor of classical philology at the University of Halle-Wittenberg, and was continued after his death by Albert Debrunner, professor of Indo-European and classical philology at the University of Bern until his retirement in 1954. The grammar has passed through ten editions from 1896 to 1960. Robert W. Funk, in translating this long-established classic, has also revised it and, in doing so, has incorporated the notes which Professor Debrunner had prepared for a new German edition on which he was working at the time of his death in 1958. Dr. Funk has also had the co-operation of leading British, Continental, and American scholars. The translation places in the hands of English-speaking students a book that belongs in their libraries and in the libraries of every theologian, philologist and pastor alongside the Gingrich-Danker "Greek-English Lexicon." This grammar sets the Greek of the New Testament in the context of Hellenistic Greek and compares and contrasts it with the classical norms. It relates to the New Testament language to its Semitic background, to Greek dialects, and to Latin and has been kept fully abreast of latest developments and manuscript discoveries. It is at no point exclusively dependent on modern editions of the Greek New Testament text but considers variant readings wherever they are significant. It is designed to compress the greatest amount of information into the smallest amount of space consistent with clarity. There are subsections discussing difficult or disputed points and copious citations of primary texts in addition to generous bibliographies for those who wish to pursue specific items further.

A Greek grammar of the New Testament and other early Christian literature

An apology for the true Christian divinity : as the same is held forth and preached by the people, in scorn, called Quakers...

In this study I argue that the Greek of Romans 2:14–15 contains explicit allusions to three phrases from Aristotle, and that Paul combines these allusions with Old Testament (OT) echoes to explain why his fellow Jews have not brought God’s light to the Gentile world—namely, they did not exhibit the exemplary moral performance God called them to. If even Gentiles such as Aristotle recognize the place of the inner urge to do what is right, that recognition exposes the underperformance of Paul’s fellow Jews. This helps to show that the Gentiles who do not have the law are those outside the aura of God’s special light from Israel, rather than Christian Gentiles. This further shows that Paul endorses a form of natural-law thinking and that Christians do no disservice to Paul if they develop this thinking further. C. John Collins, "Echoes of Aristotle in Romans 2:14– 15: Or, Maybe Abimelech Was Not So Bad After All," Journal of Markets & Morality 13, no. 1 (Spring 2010): 123-173