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1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 2: Of God and of the Holy Trinity - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 25,807 views | 28,880 words | 2:33:55 hours | 04 March 2015 20:55

... knows all things (1 John 3:20) and ordains all things (Isa. 46:8-11; Eph. 1:11), therefore, His knowledge is most infallible and most exhaustive.

As the Creator, all His creatures owe Him honor, worship, service, and obedience. The Lord Jesus told us that when we do all that God demands we should not feel like we should get a reward for doing what we were obligated to do, for we are merely “unworthy servants” (Luke 17:7-10). It’s the duty of man to obey God and worship Him. Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” We cannot forget the Westminster Shorter Catechism question 1:

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?

A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.

The goal of man’s existence is to be found in God, and not in self. We were made to worship God to live with Him forever. This goal was lost in the Fall, but regained on the cross for all those who have faith in the Son. We look forward to Paradise Regained with our Triune God.

§3 The Doctrine of the Holy Trinity

In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word or Son, and Holy Spirit, 1 of one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided: 2 the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son; all infinite, without beginning, therefore but one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties and personal relations; which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and comfortable dependence on him. 3
1. Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14
2. Ex. 3:14; John 14:11; 1 Cor. 8:6
3. Prov. 8:22-23; John 1:1-3, 14, 18; 3:16; 10:36; 15:26; 16:28; Heb. 1:2; 1 John 4:14; Gal 4:4-6

This God is trinitarian. The word subsistences points to the Persons of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Yet we do not talk about three gods, but one substance of God, in other words, one God Who exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three subsistences of the one substance of God have all power, and eternity in common. Each person is fully God in and of Himself and does not have a 1/3 of the divine being to Himself. Rather, each Person has the whole divine essence (substance, being). Yet this essence is undivided, meaning that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are fully God and share fully in the divine essence and are not “parts” of it.

Then comes the classic formulation of the Persons of the Trinity. This portion can be confusing and it may confound the mind. But should we be surprised that this great God is incomprehensible? Should we be surprised that there are many secrets and mysteries about His life and being? The Father is of none. Meaning that He is neither begotten nor proceeding. The Son is eternally begotten. It is important to note the word eternally here, which denotes that there was not a time when the Son did not exist. Begotten here, according to the historical usage of the word, does not mean created, but describes His relation to the Father as a Son. The Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. This term again is used to describe the relationship of the Spirit to the Father and the Son. Lest there be any confusion, the Confession goes on to say concerning the Perso...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 14: Of Saving Faith - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 22,523 views | 21,954 words | 1:58:30 hours | 05 March 2015 18:34

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Reformed Baptist Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen Saving Faith True Faith Temporal Faith Historical Faith Nature Of Faith Ground Of Faith Elements Of Faith Blessings Of Faith Gift Of Faith Pisteuo Pistis Greek Word Study Expressions For Faith

...out saving faith, let us provide some definitions for faith here. As already quoted, Dr. Grudem defines it as “Trust or dependence on God based on the fact that we take him at his word and believe what he has said.”^[1] But when he specifically defines saving faith, it is “trust in Jesus Christ as a living person for forgiveness of sins and for eternal life with God.”^[21] Keach’s Catechism, specifically on saving faith, says:

Q. 93. What is faith in Jesus Christ?

A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He is offered to us in the gospel. (Heb. 10:39; John 1:12; Phil. 3-9; Gal. 2:15,16)

Biblical faith, essentially, has to do with trust, reliance, confidence in God in Christ, His Word and His promises.

Different Kinds of Faith

Over the centuries, theologians have spoken about different kinds of faith based on the biblical text. There are generally four kinds of faith in the Bible, saving faith being the most prominent.

True Saving Faith

This is the faith that is the instrument of justification. This is the faith that unites us to Christ. This is the faith by which we are sanctified. This is the faith that receives Christ as He is offered to us in the gospel. This is the faith that finds all of its hope and confidence in Christ alone for salvation and life. This is the kind of faith, of which Christ says is “sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty” (Matt. 13:23). This is the kind of faith that endures unlike the others (Matt. 13:18-23). This is the kind of faith that is a gift of God based on Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection. In paragraph 2, we will have more to say about this kind of faith (see here). We will go into more detail about saving faith in paragraph 2.

Temporal Faith

Temporary faith is explicitly mentioned in Scripture, specifically in Luke 8:13. In the Parable of the Sower, they are they who fall upon the rock, receive the word with joy. They believe the truths about Christianity but have no root in them. Therefore, they cannot stand at the time of testing and thus, they fall away. John Gill observes that “their faith is a temporary one, like that of Simon Magus; which shows it is not true faith; for that is an abiding grace, Christ, who is the author, is the finisher of it, and prays for it, that it fail not.”^[20] According to A. H. Strong, “Temporary faith is as irrational and valueless as temporary repentance. It perhaps gained temporary blessing in the way of healing in the time of Christ, but, if not followed by complete surrender of the will, it might even aggravate one’s sin; see John 5:14”^[22]. In paragraph 3, we discuss temporal faith in more detail.

Historical Faith

There is also another category of faith, which is similar to temporal faith in that it is not saving. But historical faith is usually the name given to the kind of faith which people have who believe the truths of the Bible. A lot of people, who even claim to be Christian, have historical faith. Historical faith is that kind of faith that believes that Christ is the Son of God; that He has come to save us; that He died and resurrected. It may believe a lot of orthodox doctrines. But what makes historical faith non-saving is the fact that the person does not, through faith, embrace Christ as his own, in Whom he finds all that he needs. It...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 29: Of Baptism - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 29,307 views | 45,510 words | 3:58:30 hours | 06 March 2015 23:14

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Reformed Baptist Chapter 29 Baptism Believer's Baptism Immersion Dipping Infant Baptism Covenant Theology 1689 Federalism Westminster Federalism

...apparently supplied by the Westminster Confession of Faith 1646.

^ Hercules Collins. Believers Baptism from Heaven, and of Divine Institution. Infants Baptism from Earth, and Human Invention Proved from the Commission of Christ, the great Law-giver to the Gospel-Church. With a Brief, yet sufficient Answer to Thomas Wall’s Book, called, Baptism Anatomized, Together with a brief Answer to a part of Mr. Daniel William’s Catechism, in his Book unto Youth. (London, 1691). p. 6.

^ Benjamin Keach. Gold Refin’d, or, Baptism in its Primitive Purity. Edited by Simon Wartanian. (London, 1689). 12.

^ A. H. Strong. Systematic Theology: A Compendium Designed For The Use Of Theological Students. (London: Pickering & Inglis, 1970. Originally, 1907). p. 931.

^ Stanford E. Murrell. A Foundation For Faith An Introductory Study of Systematic Theology: With References To The Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689. p. 215.

a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible. Taken from the TheWord Bible Software. In loc.

a, b Jamieson, Fausset, Brown. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Full). Taken from the TheWord Bible Software. In loc.

^ Thomas Patient. The Doctrine of Baptism, And the Distinction of the Covenant. Edited by Simon Wartanian (London, 1654). p. 22. Italics original.

^ Wayne Grudem. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994). p. 969, n. 7.

a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n John Gill. Exposition of the Entire Bible. Taken from the TheWord Bible Software. In loc.

^ Strong, Systematic Theology. p. 945.

^ Richard C. Barcellos, “An Exegetical Appraisal of Colossians 2:11-12” in Recovering A Covenantal Heritage: Essays In Baptist Covenant Theology. Edited by Richard C. Barcellos. (Palmdale, CA: RBAP, 2014). p. 459.

^ William D. Mounce. Basics of Biblical Greek: Grammar. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Third Edition, 2013). p. 195.

^ Understanding How Greek Verbs Work. (Blue Letter Bible). Emphasis original.

^ Glossary of grammatical terms. Emphasis original.

^ Barcellos, “Colossians 2:11-12”

a, b Ibid, p. 463.

^ Ibid, p. 466.

^ Ibid, p. 467.

a, b, c John Calvin. Commentaries. Taken from the TheWord Bible Software. In loc.

^ William D. Mounce. Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. (Zondervan, 2006). p. 1150.

^ Henry George Liddell, Scott Robert, Henry Stuart Jones. Liddell-Scott-Jones Lexicon of Classical Greek. Retrieved from TheWord Bible Software. See reference for the Strong’s number.

^ Hercules Collins. The Antidote Proved a Counterfeit or Error Detected, and Believers Baptism Vindicated. (London, 1693). p. 13.

^ John Owen in Covenant Theology: From Adam To Christ. Edited by Ronald D. Miller, James M. Renihan, Francisco Orozco. (Palmdale, CA: Reformed Baptist Academic Press, 2005). p. 198.

^ Token. (The Free Dictionary).

^ Seal. (Webster’s 1913 Dictionary).

^ Mounce, Expository Dictionary. p. 620.

^ Pledge. (The Free Dictionary).

a, b An Appendix. Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Of 1689.

^ Collins, Believers Baptism from Heaven. pp. 12-13. Italics original.

^ Keach, Gold Refin’d. pp. 75-76.

^ The best summary for the case against the canonical inclusion of Mark 16:9-20 that I’ve read is Daniel M. Doriani, “Matthew 28:18-20 and the Institution of Baptism” in The Case For Covenantal Infant Baptism. Ed. Gregg Strawbridge. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2003). pp. 43-48. See also Jam...

A Review of Jeffrey D. Johnson's The Fatal Flaw

Simon Wartanian | 10,246 views | 4,031 words | 0:20:42 hours | 27 November 2015 22:25

Reformed Baptist Covenant Theology 1689 Federalism Westminster Baptism Infant Baptism Book Review Jeffrey Johnson The Fatal Flaw

...r the Old Testament, the inconsistent use of the Elect’s Standard Version (haha) and typo’s. Other than that, 5 stars book.

I will Lord willing, start reading the Kingdom of God some time soon.

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