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1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 6: Of the Fall of Man, Of Sin, And of the Punishment Thereof - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 18,142 views | 7,955 words | 0:42:14 hours | 04 March 2015 21:18

...nt with and in Adam. Adam was chosen by God to represent us all in the Garden. If he had passed the probation, all his posterity would have been counted as righteous and would have remained in that state. But because he failed, all his natural posterity fell in him and with him. Thereby even the cutest baby is born with a sinful nature and is dead in sin. This is best seen in Paul’s treatment of Federal Headship in Romans 5:

Rom. 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

Rom. 5:18 Therefore, as one trespass led to Condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

Sin entered into the world through the disobedience of one man, Adam. Through sin, the punishment of sin also entered into the world—death. In Adam, all sinned and thereby also came under the punishment of death. The “all sinned” in Romans 5:12c is not personal sin, but the sin of the representative, Adam. We all sinned because he sinned. His sin and trespass did not only lead to our death, but also to our judgment and Condemnation. His sin brought both physical and spiritual death; natural and eternal death.

When sin entered into the world, separation came between man and God. Separation from all good, physical and spiritual death also, the second death, the death of all eternity and torment in Hell. Sin creates separation between the Creator and creature. The sin that is in us causes Him to grief and be angry with us and make His wrath abide on us (Gen. 6:5-6; John 3:36).

Isa. 59:2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

§3 Original Sin and Federal Headship

They being the root, and by God’s appointment, standing in the room and stead of all mankind, the guilt of the sin was imputed, and corrupted nature conveyed, to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation, being now conceived in sin, and by nature children of wrath, the servants of sin, the subjects of death, and all other miseries, spiritual, temporal, and eternal, unless the Lord Jesus set them free. 1
1. Rom. 5:12-19; 1 Cor. 15:21, 22, 45, 49; Ps 51:5; 58:3; Job 14:4; 15:14; Gen. 8:21; Prov. 22:15; Eph. 2:1-3; Rom. 6:20; Heb. 2:14, 15; 1 Thess. 1:10

They were not only the root, i.e., the first parents of all humans, but also by God’s appointment, standing in the room and stead of all mankind (Rom. 5:12-19). It was God Who decided that Adam be the federal head of all his descendants. This meant that whatever Adam did in the Covenant of Works (see chapter 7) counted for his descendants also. Since Adam disobeyed, all the curses of the Covenant came upon us, too. Thus, the guilt of sin was imputed (Rom. 5:12) to us and the corrupted nature conveyed by ordinary generation, i.e., procreation. Note especially the word ordinary, which excludes our Lord from being under Adam since His birth or generation was unordinary. From our first point of life we are sinful. We are conceived in sin. Conceived in and not by sin. We are by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3), not children of God. And we are subject to all the curses of God because of Adam’s law-breaking and our own sins against God and will remain so unless the Lord Jesus sets us free.

Here is the Confession’s full statement on the classic doctrine of Original Sin, or as Dr. Wa...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 17: Of The Perseverance of the Saints - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 26,450 views | 43,749 words | 3:48:12 hours | 05 March 2015 19:18

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Reformed Baptist Perseverance Of The Saints Preservation Of The Saints Assurance Of Salvation Eternal Security Apostasy Falling Away. Hebrews 6

... His Son (Rom. 6:23), how and on what basis will God revoke His gift? We’re not even talking about the Arminian idea that people have the ability and choice to either accept or reject the gift of God, but we are talking here about those who have (supposedly) already received the gift and have fallen away from the faith. According to this idea, which maintains that eternal life is a gift from God, but could be lost or forfeited, then we would say that it is given by grace but maintained by obedience. But how is this not a works-based damnable gospel which the Scriptures (e.g., Galatians) warn against? Having eternal life means not entering into God’s judgment and coming under His Condemnation, but rather going from spiritual death to life eternal with God in the present and also in the future (John 5:24). How does this fit with the idea of people losing their salvation? Do they after losing their salvation go from life back into spiritual death? Do they now enter into the judgment of God? Do you see what impossible ideas this doctrine of losing one’s salvation leads to?

Therefore, consistent with the two other passages from John we maintain that eternal life presupposes the fact that those who possess it are unable to lose it.

Pauline Corpus

After considering the apostle John and particularly the Lord Jesus’s words in the Gospel, we will move beyond the direct words of Jesus into the writings of the disciples beginning with Paul. Paul has 13 Epistles attributed to his name. He is the one who has some warning passages, passages about “falling away”, but he is also the one who often speaks of assurance of salvation and perseverance. Here, I want to look at a few passages from which we see that Paul taught the doctrine of Perseverance.

Romans 8:28-39 – Nothing can separate us

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Golden Chain of Redemption is a great passage on the assurance of salvation from the beginning until the end and the victory of God’s unconquerable love. Few observations on this passage are in order.

1. First of all, l...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 22: Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 34,803 views | 73,377 words | 6:24:05 hours | 06 March 2015 19:29

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Reformed Baptist Chapter 22 Christian Sabbath Sabbath The Lord's Day Fourth Commandment Day Of Worship Day Of Rest Sunday Religious Worship Church

...hfully and accurately given the meaning, that in vain is God worshipped, when the will of men is substituted in the room of doctrine. By these words, all kinds of will-worship, ( ἐθελοθζησκεία,) as Paul calls it, ( Col 2:23,) are plainly condemned. For, as we have said, since God chooses to be worshipped in no other way than according to his own appointment, he cannot endure new modes of worship to be devised. As soon as men allow themselves to wander beyond the limits of the Word of God, the more labor and anxiety they display in worshipping him, the heavier is the Condemnation which they draw down upon themselves; for by such inventions religion is dishonored.^[12]

Philip Schaff notes on Matthew 15:9 that this “vain worship” is “both groundless (without true principle) and fruitless (without proper results).”^[16]Christ still, under the New Testaments, holds tightly to the Regulative Principle of Worship. He elevates the commandments of God above the tradition of men. God is to be worshiped in the way which He Himself has instituted. It is His worship and He alone has the prerogative to dictate and regulate it. The traditions of men ought not to be added to the commandments of God. If they do, then God is vainly and falsely worshiped.

The Father Seeks Worshipers

John 4:19-24 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

In His encounter with the Samaritan woman, the Lord Jesus goes into a conversation with her about worship. The Samaritans accepted only the Pentateuch and did not worship God in Jerusalem (as they lived outside of Jerusalem). Basically, they did not hold to the Regulative Principle. God had appointed Jerusalem and the Temple to be the place of His worship on earth. But they did not obey the voice of God in this matter. The Lord Jesus says concerning the Samaritans that they “worship what [they] do not know”. But in contrast, “we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22). The Jews worshiped in the place of God’s appointment. The Lord Jesus declares the worship of the Samaritans as false. But He also declares that the hour is coming when the worship of God would not be tied to a particular place. Calvin notes on v. 21—

Woman, believe me. In the first part of this reply, he briefly sets aside the ceremonial worship which had been appointed under the Law; for when he says that the hour is at hand when there shall be no peculiar and fixed place for worship, he means that what Moses delivered was only for a time, and that the time was now approaching when the partition-wall (Eph 2:14) should be thrown down. In this manner he extends the worship of God far beyond its former narrow limits, that the Samaritans might become partakers of it.^[12]

But the hour is here when “the true worshipers”, which means that there are false worshipers, will worship God in “spirit and truth”. What do...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 31: Of the State of Man after Death and Of the Resurrection of the Dead - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 28,422 views | 63,926 words | 5:35:37 hours | 06 March 2015 23:27

...d, but “the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” This means that people also will be judged on that day. It is a day of judgment, it is a day for the destruction of the ungodly (2 Pet. 3:7). For Christians, it is a day in light of which they should lead “lives of holiness and godliness” as they await the coming day of God (2 Pet. 3:11-12).

We see that the Day of the Lord is a day of judgment or more properly, the Day of Judgment, as the New Testament knows only of one day of judgment (e.g., Matt. 10:15; 11:22, 24; 12:36). But it is also a day in which Christians will be blameless and pure, i.e., not fall under God’s Condemnation (Rom. 8:1), but be glorified with and rewarded by Him (cf. Rom. 8:16-18). The day of the Lord is a day of wrath for unbelievers, but a day of salvation and joy for believers. But now let us look at the connection between the Second Coming of Christ the King and the Day of the Lord.

The Parousia, Apokalupsis and the Day of the Lord

I believe that the New Testament teaches that the Parousia, Apokalupsis, Epiphaneia and the different expressions of “the Day of the Lord” refer to the same thing—the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and to what will happen then. There are a few passages that connect the Second Advent with the Day of the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11

1 Thess. 4:13-18 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1 Thess. 5:1-11 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 touches upon the Parousia, resurrection, Rapture and the Day of the Lord. Let us first start by noting the obvious: Paul had no verse or cha...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 12: Of Adoption - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 10,740 views | 2,439 words | 0:12:42 hours | 04 March 2015 21:56

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Reformed Baptist Chapter 12 Chapter Twelve Adoption Children Of God

...s. 46:1; 64:7-8; Prov. 14:26). When trouble comes, in Him can we hide from our enemies. We find our peace in Him because He is the Prince of Peace (Eph. 2:14; Ps. 85:8; Isa. 9:6). As our Father, He provides for our daily needs as we pray to Him (Matt. 6:11, 31-33; 7:11). He cares for us and He loves us as a father loves his children (1 Pet. 5:7).

Chastened

As true and legitimate children, Hebrews 12:3-11 (also Prov. 3:11-12) argues, we are and will be chastened and disciplined by the Father. It is not because He hates us. It is exactly because He loves us that He will discipline us for our sins. He will never condemn those who are in Christ (Rom. 8:1). There is no Condemnation and no one is able to condemn the children of God. But as He is grieved by our sin (Eph. 4:30), so likewise, He has in mind our best and thus disciplines us for our sins, but never condemns us. He welcomes us and cleanses us from sin when we confess them to Him (1 John 1:8-9). He demonstrates His love and care for us and to us through discipline because He does not want us to keep walking in our sins. His will is that all His children attain the “holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). We should subject ourselves to the Father Who lovingly disciplines His children for their good and His glory.

It is important to make a distinction between Condemnation and discipline. Condemnation sends us to hell, but discipline makes us more like our Elder Brother and purifies us from indwelling sin. God’s discipline is motivated by His love for His children, and not vindictive justice. Scripture says, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Heb. 12:6). It is not those whom He hates that He disciplines, but those whom He dearly loves with an everlasting love.

Never Cast Off

We are never cast off from His presence, never. Although He disciples us, He never rejects or forgets us. We are His children and He’s a loving and gracious Father Who will never forget His own. While His discipline may seem painful and harsh, nevertheless, that is not His intention, rather His intention is that we become more holy (Heb. 12:10). See also chapter 17 on The Perseverance of the Saints where we will, Lord willing, make a case for that doctrine and also a Scripture List supporting the Perseverance of the Saints.

The Future Aspect of Adoption

While all that we listed above about our adoption concerns the present (1 John 3:2), yet there is still a future and final aspect of our adoption, namely the resurrection of our bodies. In Romans 8:23, Paul connects our adoption to the redemption of our bodies. Our redemption and adoption with all its privileges and graces will be final and complete on the last day when the Lord raises us up unto glory, to have a body like His (1 John 3:2; Phil. 3:21). Our adoption will be known to everyone on the last day and we will receive our glorified body when our redemption is final and complete.

Conclusion

Dr. Waldron defines adoption as—

Adoption is a change in legal status from that of slave to that of son of God which takes place by faith at the moment of union with Christ, but will be publicly revealed at the resurrection. It is an act of God’s free grace flowing from the electing love of God and Father in eternity and the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit in time, and immediately confers the Spirit of adoption and the privilege of being one of God’s heirs...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 30: Of the Lord's Supper - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 16,632 views | 13,619 words | 1:11:21 hours | 06 March 2015 23:22

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Reformed Baptist Chapter 30 Sacrament Ordinance Lord's Supper Table Of The Lord Communion Eucharist Transubstantiation Roman Catholicism Idolatry Means Of Grace

...the thanksgiving and blessing is not merely for the bread and wine, but more importantly for the sacrifice that He offered on our behalf which is the cause of our communion with Him. Although there is no change in the substance of the bread and wine after the blessing, yet the bread and wine become holy because of what they symbolize. Therefore, those who abused the Lord’s Supper and used it in an unworthy manner were judged by God (1 Cor. 11:27-32) and will be judged by God for their abuse. This bars unbelievers from coming to the Table of the Lord, as they are unclean and unworthy because they are unregenerate. Therefore, when they partake of the Lord’s Supper, they bring Condemnation and not blessing upon themselves, because they partake in that which they have no part in. They eat that which is holy, while they are unholy, are not the subjects of the ordinance, and are unrepentant.

Roman Catholics believe that with the consecration of the bread and wine, they become the Lord’s body and blood, but “Protestants admit in a consecration of the elements, is the simple change of their use, from a common to a sacred and sacramental one.”^[11] Nothing changes as to the substance or form of the bread and wine. They are simply treated as holy because of what they now signify.

§4 Things Contrary To The Nature Of This Ordinance

The denial of the cup to the people, 1 worshipping the elements, the lifting them up, or carrying them about for adoration, and reserving them for any pretended religious use, 2 are all contrary to the nature of this ordinance, and to the institution of Christ. 3
1. Matt. 26:26-28; Mark 14:23; 1 Cor. 11:25-28
2. Exod. 20:4-5
3. Matt. 15:9

For fear of spilling the wine, which in Roman Catholic theology, becomes the blood of Christ, the cup was denied to the people and they partook alone of the bread, which is unbiblical and contrary to the nature of this ordinance, and to the institution of Christ. So is also the worshipping of the elements of bread and wine when they are lifted up and carried for adoration. So also reserving them for any pretended religious use. All these things are contrary to the nature of this ordinance because Holy Scripture knows nothing of these practices, therefore, they are to be rejected.

Denial Of The Cup To The People

Roman Catholics, afraid that people would desecrate the sacrament, give the laity only the bread, while the priests only partook of both the bread and the wine. They assert that Christ is wholly present in both the wine and the bread, therefore, it does not matter if one partakes only of one element, they have the whole Christ. And so, in a sense, it is not necessary for them to partake of both. The Catechism says:

Since Christ is sacramentally present under each of the species, communion under the species of bread alone makes it possible to receive all the fruit of Eucharistic grace. For pastoral reasons this manner of receiving communion has been legitimately established as the most common form in the Latin rite. But “the sign of communion is more complete when given under both kinds, since in that form the sign of the Eucharistic meal appears more clearly.” This is the usual form of receiving communion in the Eastern rites.^[12]

In other words, the reason for the denial of the cup is not because it was commanded by Christ, but because the Catholic clergy thinks it appropriate, although the priests partake of both the bread and wine. Robert Dabney wri...

John Owen's Case For Particular Atonement

Simon Wartanian | 11,406 views | 15,628 words | 1:22:53 hours | 21 March 2017 23:01

John Owen Definite Redemption Limited Atonement Particular Atonement Calvinism Five Point Calvinism Arminianism

...interceding for us.

This passage is used for many purposes. To comfort believers, to argue that none who believe will ever perish, to show the indestructibility of the golden chain of redemption, and so on. Now we want to use this passage to establish the connection between the sacrifice of Christ and His intercession.

The ground for no one being able to bring any charge against God’s elect is laid in the verse before, namely, that God gave His Son “for us all” (v. 32). This furnishes the foundation on which every believer may say, “since Christ died for me and I am in Christ, ‘There is therefore now no Condemnation’ for me (Rom. 8:1).” Furthermore, the reason that no charge can be established is that the Judge of all the earth has already declared us righteous in His sight. Likewise, no one is able to condemn us because Christ died for us and thereby satisfied the wrath of God against our sin (Rom. 3:23-26; 2Cor. 5:21). A substitute received the punishment and became a curse on our behalf (Gal. 3:10-13). Therefore, the justice of God was satisfied on behalf of those for whom this payment or ransom was made.

Not only did Jesus die and that His death was substitutionary for those for whom it was made, but He is also the One Whom death could not hold—He was raised! The primal fruit of His resurrection which Paul mentions in this passage is His intercession “for us.” Following upon His death and resurrection comes His work of intercession. Notice also that the group for whom the Father gave up the Son, namely, the “us”, is the same group who are justified, for whom Christ died and for whom Christ is interceding at the present time!

This is another chain, like the one in Romans 8:29-30, which is not to be broken without breaking the meaning of the passage. Just like in the golden chain of redemption, those who are foreknown (i.e., fore-loved and fore-chosen), are the same group who are predestined, called, justified and glorified. None of those who are foreknown gets to miss any part of the chain. In the same way, the chain in Romans 8:33-34 is that of Christ dying for the elect, the same group in Romans 8:29-30, Christ rising for the elect and Christ interceding for the elect. Owen writes on this passage:

That he died for all and intercedes only for some will scarcely be squared to this text, especially considering the foundation of all this, which is (verse 32) that love of God which moved him to give up Christ to death for us all; upon which the apostle infers a kind of impossibility in not giving us all good things in him; which how it can be reconciled with their opinion who affirm that he gave his Son for millions to whom he will give neither grace nor glory, I cannot see.^[5] (book I, chapter 7)

Dr. Owen obviously does not neglect to take a look at the book of Hebrews in connection to this subject, as it largely deals with the priestly office of our Savior and His priestly work on our behalf. We have tried to exegete some passages from the book of Hebrews in connection to the atonement below. The reader is referred to the chapter^[6] for the rest of the passages which he surveys (e.g. Heb. 7:24-25; 9:11-13; 10:19-22).

The Fruits of Christ’s Intercession

The fruits of Christ’s intercession is the application of the work of redemption to those for whom it was intended. It is the granting of the gift of faith, it is the calling, justification, adoption, sanctification and all the countless graces of God...

Total depravity, Radical corruption - Scripture List

Simon Wartanian | 5,496 views | 3,175 words | 0:16:18 hours | 23 March 2014 18:00

Calvinism Election Predestination Mercy Sovereignty Verse List God Is In Control Total Depravity Radical Corruption

...strong—13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought Condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to Condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

Rom 14:23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

Eph 2:1-3 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Eph 4:17-19 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

Eph 5:1-8 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

Col 2:13-15 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Jas 1:13-14 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself ...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 4: Of Creation - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 17,503 views | 6,589 words | 0:34:34 hours | 04 March 2015 21:12

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Reformed Baptist Chapter 4 Creation Young Earth Creationism Image Of God Imago Dei

...y also had a positive command delivered to them verbally so as to cast away any doubt or excuse. The command was simple and to the point:

Gen. 2:15-17 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

But our parents did disobey God’s command and brought Condemnation to all men. But all those who trust in Christ are justified because of what Christ did on their behalf by His perfect life and on Golgotha (Rom. 5:17-21). Our parents, at the moment of their rebellion, lost holy and sinless communion with God for themselves and for all their descendants when they took and ate of the forbidden fruit, and thus bringing Condemnation and death upon all men. See chapter 7 for more on the Covenant of Works and chapter 6 for more on the Fall.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

(Genesis 1:1)

Footnotes

^ Many Scriptural references have been supplied by Samuel Waldron’s Modern Exposition of 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith which was apparently supplied by the Westminster Confession of Faith 1646.
^ See more at Creation Ministries International. For example Jonathan Sarfati. How could the days of Genesis 1 be literal if the sun wasn’t created until the fourth day?
^ What Luther Says. A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian, compiled by Ewald M. Plass, Concordia, 1959, p. 93.
^ John Calvin. Institutes of the Christian Religion. 3.21.4.
^ Louis Berkhof. Systematic Theology. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Banner of Truth Trust. 1963). p. 203.
^ John M. Frame. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2014). p. 785.
^ J. I. Packer. Concise Theology: A Guide To Historic Christian Beliefs. (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1993). p. 71.
^ Wayne Grudem. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994). p. 444.
^ Richard C. Barcellos. Getting the Garden Right: Adam’s Work and God’s Rest in Light of Christ. (Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2017). p. 120.
^ Packer, Concise Theology. pp. 72-73.

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1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 10: Of Effectual Calling - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 20,708 views | 14,049 words | 1:13:47 hours | 04 March 2015 21:42

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Reformed Baptist Chapter 10 Chapter Ten Effectual Calling Irresistible Grace Regeneration Reformed Theology Calvinism Infant Salvation

...n themselves not conclusive. What we read here is basically that there are people redeemed by the blood of the Lamb from all corners of the world. In heaven and on the New Earth, there will be people from every place on earth. There would be representatives from every tribe and nation. But how can this be said about tribes and places where the gospel has not (yet) come? The Bible is clear that those who are mature in their understanding know that God exists and they hate Him and therefore they are without excuse (Rom. 1:18-23). That won’t work. They will not be pardoned simply because they had not heard the gospel. They knew the God against whom they sinned, that is the basis of their Condemnation, not because they rejected the gospel. But it would be literally true if what is spoken of here are unborn children, infants, children, and the disabled. In this case, we would certainly have representatives and people from all over the world, even places where the gospel has not yet conquered them. Not conclusive in itself, but certainly strengthens our case, I believe.

Condition of Accountability

Dr. MacArthur does not speak of the age of accountability, but the condition of accountability. In his own words:

A child who has not reached moral culpability is a child who has not reached sufficient mature understanding to comprehend convincingly the issues of law and grace, sin and salvation…

At some point the child’s maturation, he or she comes to have an understanding of law and grace. In other words, the child begins to comprehend and understand these principles: God has rules and commandments; sin involves the violation or breaking of God’s laws; forgiveness of sin has been made possible through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross; the grace of God allows for all who believe in and receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and submit to Him as Lord to be cleansed of their sin and live in the newness of life and joyful obedience to Him.

From child to child, that precise age varies. It is the “conditional” that counts, not a calendar.^[8]

It is not a specific age, which God has set that when someone gets passed that they are condemned, while those under that age no matter what they’ve done or what kind of understanding they have they are saved. Rather it is the condition of the child. A child who understands the gospel and willfully rejects it and rebels against God obviously does not have an excuse. But one who is still immature in their understanding and in a sense has “no knowledge of good and evil” (Deut. 1:39), will have an excuse according to Romans 1. God ultimately decides what the condition of accountability is and He always does that which is just (Gen. 18:25).

Damnation by Works

We are saved by grace but damned by works. A very convincing point that Pastor MacArthur makes is that the inhabitants of hell are always described as those who have willfully and rebelliously sinned against God. In his own words:

Scripture teaches that we are saved by grace, but we are damned by work. Scripture teaches that eternal punishment is the wage due those who have willfully sinned. Nowhere in the Bible is anyone ever threatened with hell merely for the guilt inherited from Adam. Instead, whenever Scripture describes the inhabitants of hell, the stress is on their willful acts of sin and rebellion (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:[5-]6; Rev. 21:8; 22:15). Scripture always connects eternal Condemnation with works of un...