- Humility102
Lowliness of mind; the danger and folly of pride; thinking rightly and modestly of oneself; being humbled before God and others.
- Christ81
The person and work of Jesus Christ; his incarnation, atonement, resurrection, and intercession; the glory and excellency of Christ.
- Culture78
Politics, government, media, technology, and public affairs; criticism of the modern age and its institutions. A claim about society at large, not any quote that mentions the world.
- Faith75
Believing and trusting God; assurance and doubt; the nature and exercise of saving faith; wavering and resting on Christ.
- Counsel66
Soul care and counselling; comforting the troubled; giving and receiving spiritual advice; the cure of souls.
- Knowledge63
Learning, science, reason, and the intellectual life; theories and their limits; education and the pursuit of understanding.
- Grace60
Unmerited favour; grace abounding over sin; God's kindness and patience toward the undeserving; the freeness of the gospel.
- Self-Examination59
Knowing one's own faults; censoriousness and a hasty critical spirit; judging others while ignorant of ourselves; bearing criticism well.
- Sanctification58
Holiness and growth in godliness; perseverance of the saints; the Christian's progress, effort, and dependence on the Spirit.
- The Church56
The nature and identity of the church; membership, unity, and discipline; the visible and invisible church; the body of Christ.
- Love of Neighbour54
Loving and bearing with others; forbearance, forgiveness, kindness, and mercy; covering the faults of our brethren.
- Providence54
God's ordering of our circumstances; his sovereign hand in what befalls us; trusting that he does all things well and appoints our lot in wisdom and love.
- Sin52
Indwelling sin and corruption; conviction and repentance; the sinfulness of sin; confession and mortification.
- God48
The character and attributes of God; the Trinity; Father, Son, and Spirit together; what God is like in himself.
- Ministry42
Pastors, preaching, and the pastoral office; the labour and burden of ministry; the relationship of a minister and his people.
- Worship42
Public worship and the Lord's Day; the ordinances and means of grace; reverence, liturgy, and the gathering of God's people.
- Faith and Works40
Justification and good works; law and gospel; whether works are the cause or the evidence of salvation; obedience flowing from grace rather than earning it.
- Scripture36
The Bible: its inspiration, authority, and sufficiency; reading, studying, and meditating on Scripture; the word of God.
- Affliction28
Trials, suffering, and hardship; what God accomplishes through pain; the benefit and purpose of affliction in the Christian life.
- Prayer28
Praying and intercession; communion with God in prayer; the practice, difficulty, and encouragement of prayer.
- Books and Reading24
Books, reading, and study; the love of books; what and how to read; libraries and the written word.
- Friendship24
Friendship, hospitality, and fellowship; eating together; the joys and duties of Christian company.
- Death and Heaven21
Dying and bereavement; grief and consolation; heaven and the world to come; the hope of glory beyond this life.
- Family21
Marriage, parenting, and raising children; the home and household; husbands, wives, sons and daughters. Human families only — not God as Father, and not the church as a family.
- Singing13
Singing, hymns, psalms, and music; praise sung aloud; the value of sacred music. Must actually concern music or singing, not merely sound or worship in general.
- Deacons12
The diaconate and church office; the character and qualifications of deacons and elders; mercy ministry and service in the church.
- Work and Calling11
A person's job, trade, or daily labour; earning a living; vocation and earthly callings; diligence in ordinary business. NOT 'good works' in the theological sense, and not 'the work of God'.
- Baptism9
Baptism, covenant, and the sacraments; the sign and seal of the covenant; covenant theology and its administration.