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Simon Wartanian | 14,377 views | 547 words | 0:02:57 hours | 08 March 2014 16:57

Welcome to The Staunch Calvinist. This is a place where Calvinistic Theology will be displayed. A place where the Doctrines of Grace will be explained and defended. This is a place where the Sovereignty of God is cherished and promoted. We hope you will be ministered to through the material on the website. Our goal is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and honor Him. “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:14

The following document may help you to understand the Biblical case for ‘Calvinism’: God’s Absolute Sovereignty – A case for Calvinism.

I have two sections dedicated to the Doctrines of Grace: defining the Doctrines of Grace & defending the Doctrines of Grace, which are taken from the document above. In the general section, you will find some book reviews and the resources from which I mainly drew the content of the “God’s Absolute Sovereignty” document.

As a Reformed Baptist, I started the 1689 Confession section wherein I seek to explain the chapters and make a biblical case for what is said on a particular subject. As of 18/09/2016, the commentary is complete:

Of the Holy Scriptures
Of God and the Holy Trinity (the attributes of God and a case for the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity)
Of God’s Decree (I make a case for predestination, election, reprobation and absolute sovereignty even over evil and sin)
Of Creation
Of Divine Providence
Of the Fall of Man, Of Sin, And of the Punishment Thereof (Total Depravity)
Of God’s Covenant (1689 Federalism)
Of Christ the Mediator (including a case for the Substitutionary Atonement, Active and Passive Obedience of Christ, Definite Atonement and answers to passages used against the doctrine)
Of Free Will (with the help of Jonathan Edwards, the consistency of moral agency being found in carrying one’s desires, the inconsistencies of libertarian free will, explanation of necessity and inability)
Of Effectual Calling (with a case for infant salvation)
Of Justification (faith is a gift and regeneration precedes faith)
Of Adoption
Of Sanctification
Of Saving Faith
Of Repentance Unto Life and Salvation
Of Good Works
Of The Perseverance Of The Saints (A positive case for the Reformed doctrine and responses to passages such as Hebrews 6 and the like)
Of The Assurance Of Grace And Salvation
Of The Law Of God (Threefold Division of the Law, the Decalogue before Moses, a brief exposition of the Decalogue, ceremonial and civil laws, the abiding moral law under the New Covenant in the OT prophecy and the NT, Threefold Uses of the Law, The Law and the Gospel)
Of The Gospel, And Of The Extent Of The Grace Thereof
Of Christian Liberty And Liberty of Conscience
Of Religious Worship And the Sabbath Day (A case for the Regulative Principle of Worship and the Christian Sabbath)
Of Lawful Oaths And Vows
Of The Civil Magistrate
Of Marriage
Of The Church
Of the Communion of Saints
Of Baptism And The Lord’s Supper
Of Baptism
Of The Lord’s Supper
Of The State Of Man After Death And Of The Resurrection Of The Dead (Intermediate State Hades, Sheol, Heaven; A Case for Amillennial Eschatology; critique of Premillennialism)
Of The Last Judgment (Endless punishment in Hell contra Annihilationism)

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

Simon Wartanian | 9,580 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

...ant was abolished in order to establish the New (Heb 8:6-11).

Different Efficacies – “The old covenant did not contain or offer grace (unmerited mercy – justification, or inward power – sanctification) to its members, while the new covenant does.” (p. 163) The efficacy of the Mosaic was depended upon the obedience of the people as can be seen in many places in the Old Testament (e.g. Ex 19:5-6; Deut 30:19; Gal 3:10). But the efficacy of the New Covenant is not depended upon man, but upon the God-Man. It is He who provides that which God requires. He is the Covenant Keeper and by His doing we are made righteous and have a loving relationship with God. Chapter 13 is dedicated to the discussion of this topic along with questions concerning the law, justification and sanctification established by the New Covenant.

I very much enjoyed these two chapters and benefited from his insights and was strengthened in my position.

In chapter 14 he lays out the nature of the New Covenant in contrast to the Mosaic Old Covenant. The differences include federal headship, theocracy, carnal perpetuity. He furthermore examines a few things like substitutionary atonement, the efficacy of infant baptism and nature of the Church in light of the knowledge gained about the nature of the New and Old covenants.

Chapter 15 is titled “The Meaning of Circumcision.” Here he brings up the two texts most often used by Paedobaptists to make the connection between baptism and circumcision. Those are Genesis 17:10 and Romans 4:11. He examines Romans 4:11 and shows the difference between Abraham’s circumcision and infant circumcision. He furthermore argues that the covenant of circumcision was pertaining to the natural seed of Abraham and not the spiritual seed.

This leads us to the next chapter which is titled “The Error of Integrating the Flesh with the Spirit.” In chapter 16 he seeks to show “the impossibility of applying this verse [Romans 4:11] to new covenant baptism without mixing physical and spiritual realities in the process.” (p. 195)

Covenantal Dichotomism

This book is dividing into two parts. The first was the Fatal Flaw where the Paedobaptist Covenant Theology is examined and combated. The second part is dedicated to the study of continuity and discontinuity between the covenants of God.

Part 2 is a very quick read containing small chapters exploring the connection between the various covenants of God. He focuses on the Abrahamic, Mosaic and Davidic.

Throughout his work (part 1 as well as part 2), Johnson tried to establish and make clear the distinction between Abraham’s twofold seed. So here he also shows and stresses that. It is crucial not apply those things which pertain to the fleshly seed of Abraham to the spiritual seed.

I very much enjoyed the second part also. It was a quicker read, but nonetheless helpful and biblical.

Johnson believes that the covenant with Abraham concerning the fleshly seed under which circumcision was included was a covenant of works. On the other hand the covenant concerning Abraham and his Seed was a covenant of grace as Abraham did not need to do anything. It was a covenant of grace, not the Covenant of Grace (as I seek to capitalize). The Abrahamic Covenant was both conditional and unconditional. It was unconditional for him. He did not do anything to earn such great promises by God, but his fleshly seed had to obey to receive the blessings.

The Abrahamic Covenant had a dual nature a...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 16: Of Good Works - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 13,071 views | 8,785 words | 0:46:07 hours | 05 March 2015 18:58

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Reformed Baptist Good Works Fruits Of Salvation

...s sight.

Good Works Are God’s Good Works In Us

I’ve written in multiple chapters (chapter 7, chapter 9, chapter 10, Chapter 13) about crucial passages as Ezekiel 36:25-27 and Philippians 2:12-13 on the fact that it is God Who works in us His pleasure. It is through His Spirit that we are made able to obey and perform good works. Therefore, I will not discuss the passages related to this point in any considerable length.

According to Ezekiel 36:26-27, it is God Who through His abiding Spirit will cause us to walk in His statutes and obey His rules. This will be the result of a changed nature. The depraved will be made able by faith to please the Lord. Furthermore, we are assured when we work out (not work for) our salvation, that it is, in fact, God Who is at work in us for His pleasure. It is God Who causes us to obey and perform works pleasing in His sight (Phil. 2:12-13). These works which He brings forth in us, God pleases, by grace, to reward us for them. Not only that, but it was God’s purpose from the before the foundation of the earth that we should walk in good works which He prepared for us (Eph. 2:10). Instead of leaving us to remain walking in sin and in disobedience as children of wrath (Eph. 2:2-3), it has pleased God to ordain that we should rather walk in good works. Lastly, it is God Who equips us with everything necessary to carry out His will. He equips us with the faith, the love, the patience, the will, and the strength to do that which is pleasing in His sight, to His own glory (Heb. 13:20-21).

The Call To Do Good Works

The fact that it is God Who works in us His good pleasure, does not put us in an inactive mode, but rather we are encouraged that our work is not in vain and that it has eternal significance. That the Bible calls us to perform good works is undisputed and seen in our commentary on paragraph 1 above. The Bible says:

Heb. 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

We are commanded not only to do good works but to stir and encourage each other in doing good works. When we do that we see the fruit of righteousness in both of us. We see God working in us to do His pleasure and are also edified by the good works of each other. Most of all, we are moved to praise and glorify our God for His work in us.

§4 Even the best of us fall short of much which in duty we are bound to do

They who in their obedience attain to the greatest height which is possible in this life, are so far from being able to supererogate, and to do more than God requires, as that they fall short of much which in duty they are bound to do. 1
1. 1 Kings 8:46; 2 Chron. 6:36; Ps. 130:3; 143:2; Prov. 20:9; Eccles. 7:20; Rom. 3:9, 23; 7:14f.; Gal. 5:17; 1 John 1:6-10; Luke 17:10

Even they who come to the greatest hight of sanctification which is possible in this life, still fall short of the glory of God (Isa. 64:6; Luke 17:10). No man is able to supererogate, meaning, do more than God requires. This is written against the Roman Catholic concept of works of supererogation. These are works performed by the saints beyond what God required of them and they form the treasury of merit from which other believers may benefit. The Confession rejects this concept and declares that even the best works performed by those most far in their sanctifica...