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1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 10: Of Effectual Calling - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 20,753 views | 14,049 words | 1:13:47 hours | 04 March 2015 21:42

...r of God and the wisdom of God.

Jews demanded signs from the Lord Jesus and likewise from His disciples. The idea of a crucified Messiah just couldn’t fit their expectations and theology. On the other hand, the Greeks seek wisdom, they seek σοφία (sophia), they’re known for their love of philosophy. But even to the Greeks, the preaching of Christ crucified is foolishness, but more troubling is talking to them about resurrection (see Acts 17:32)! To both of these groups, the message of the Cross is foolishness (1 Cor. 1:18). But there is something different in v. 24. Paul explains the problem that Jews and Greeks have with the message of the Cross and then follows that in v. 24 with a “but.” Yes, it is true that He is a stumbling block and foolishness to these groups, but there is another group. Those who are called. Who are they? Well, they are the ones who see the Lord Christ as He is, not a stumbling block nor folly, but the power and wisdom of God. What is then the difference in the third group? Nothing in themselves, it is merely in the fact that God has called them. Paul is speaking of two groups, each group containing both Jews and Gentiles (or Greeks), but the second group has something different about it. They’re not merely “Jews and Gentiles,” but they are the called (and elected) Jews and Gentiles. Those Jews and Greeks who had heard the message of the Cross preached and concluded that it is folly and a stumbling block were outwardly (general) called, but the Jews and Greeks in v. 24 were called internally, effectually and especially by the Sovereign Holy Spirit so that they see Christ as He is. It is the calling of God which made the difference between the groups in vv. 22-23 and 24. This effectual call came to the believers through the preaching of the gospel and brought them to faith.

Another very clear passage on the special and effectual call of God is Romans 8:28-30, which we have discussed in chapter 3 when dealing with Unconditional Election. Many more passages speak of our calling, which you may look at as: Romans 1:6; 8:28-30; 9:24; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Galatians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 2:12, 14; 2 Timothy 1:9; Hebrews 3:1; 1 Peter 2:9, 21; 2 Peter 1:10; Revelation 17:14.

It is with all this in mind that the Lord Jesus says, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all” (John 6:63). If it was not for the sovereign operation of the Spirit, the message of the Cross would be folly to us. But according to the Father’s eternal purpose, it pleased the Spirit, when we heard the gospel, to regenerate us and raise us up from spiritual death and make us willing to receive the Lord Jesus and see Him as our only hope in life and death. Our nature has to be changed and we have to be made new creatures to be able to respond to the gospel positively. The Lord Jesus says, “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). You have to be born again to see and be able to choose the kingdom. You cannot see or choose the kingdom unless you have been born again. This is all the work of the Spirit of God as the Lord says, “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” referring back to the promise of the New Covenant in Ezekiel 36:25-27. Entering and seeing the kingdom is the same thing. We need to be born again by the Holy Spirit to be able to do that.

Here is a list of the things to which we have been called:

we have been called to belong to Jesus Christ...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 11: Of Justification - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 22,819 views | 23,400 words | 2:03:21 hours | 04 March 2015 21:54

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Reformed Baptist Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven Justification Justification By Faith Alone Sola Fide Sola Gratia Imputed Righteousness Infused Righteousness Roman Catholicism Protestantism

... Or, to give an alternative definition from which all metaphor is excluded: Justification is the reversal of God’s attitude toward the sinner, because of the sinner’s new relation to Christ. God did condemn; he now acquits. He did repel; he now admits to favor.^[4]

Section one first deals with a distortion about justification and then gives the biblical position.

Not Infusion of Righteousness

Roman Catholics believe in what may be called “infused righteousness.” This means that in salvation, the merits of the Lord Jesus on the Cross are infused with the righteousness of the sinner and together they constitute the basis of salvation. Meaning, Christ’s righteousness is not enough, rather it is given to help us with our own righteousness through works and obedience to God and the Roman Catholic Church. In their own words, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

1999 The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. It is the sanctifying or deifying grace received in Baptism. It is in us the source of the work of sanctification:^[5]

This “infused righteousness” is attained by a work, namely baptism. That is the way you get this righteousness. Basically, this position teaches that salvation by grace alone is not enough. You have to add your works and obedience to the work of Christ. It is wrong to think that Roman Catholics do not believe in the necessity of grace. Rather, they don’t believe in the sufficiency of grace. Grace alone is not enough to justify. In their own words from the Council of Trent:

“If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema,” (Council of Trent, Canons on Justification, Canon 9).^[6]

Rome, in these words, has denied the gospel of Christ. They place their curse upon the Protestant and biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone. which is the gospel of our salvation. They have denied justification by faith alone, which I will seek to make a case for below. They confess that faith is necessary, but it is not enough. They confess that grace is necessary, but it is, again, not enough. I assert and will seek to prove that the Bible teaches that faith alone is that which justifies the wicked and not grace/faith plus anything in us.

Imputed Righteousness

Christ’s active obedience is what was imputed to us, which we discussed in chapter 8 (see here). His active obedience refers to Lord’s keeping the Law of God perfectly for us and in our place. All that righteousness which the Lord Jesus earned, the Father credits to us. It is as though we had lived the perfect life of Christ in complete obedience to God. That is how God sees His children. But it is not only His active but also passive obedience which justifies us. His passive obedience refers to His obedience to the Father even to the point of death and torture. It is through Christ’s righteousness and death that we are justified and are in the right with God. Christ provided us a perfect righteousness by perfectly obeying and living the Law of God in our place and He took the penalty of the Law, which was ours, upon Himself. Christ’s righteousness is given and credited to u...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 14: Of Saving Faith - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 20,325 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

... place our faith. Or better said, it speaks about the One in Whom we place our confidence and trust. Berkhof observes that ”This is the most frequent construction in the Septuagint, though it is all but absent from the New Testament...The implication of this construction seems to be that of a firmly fixed confidence in its object.”^[14]

Another construction is pisteuo with epi (ἐπί, G1909). The unbelieving Jews at the Cross said, “let him come down now from the Cross, and we will believe in him [πιστεύσομεν ἐπ’ αὐτόν, pisteusomen ep auton]” (Matt. 27:42). After the resurrection, Christ rebukes the Emmaus Road disciples that they were “slow of heart to believe [πιστεύειν ἐπὶ, pisteuein epi] all that the prophets have spoken” (Luke 24:25). Acts 9:42 speaks of “many [who] believed in the Lord [ἐπίστευσαν...ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον, episteusan...epi ton kurion].” Acts 11:17 speaks of the Gentiles having “believed in [πιστεύσασιν ἐπὶ, pisteusasin epi] the Lord Jesus Christ”. In Acts 11:21 epi is translated with “to” in connection with ἐπιστρέφω (epistrepho, G1994) which means to turn around. In Acts 16:31, it is a command: “Believe in the Lord Jesus [πίστευσον ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν, pisteuson epi ton kurion Iesoun], and you will be saved, you and your household.” See also the following verses where the Lord Jesus is the one believed in: Acts 22:19; Romans 9:33; 10:11; 1 Timothy 1:16; 1 Peter 2:6. In the following cases, it is God the Father Who is believed in: Romans 4:5, 24. This construction, with the dative (i.e. Luke 24:25; Rom. 9:33; 10:11; 1 Tim. 1:16; 1 Pet. 2:6), means firm confidence and rest in its object whether it be Christ or the Scriptures. So we know that whoever believes in Christ “will not be put to shame” (1 Pet. 2:6). This construction, with the accusative (i.e. Matt. 27:24; Acts 9:42; 11:17, 21; 16:31) “includes the idea of moral motion, of mental direction towards the object. The main idea is that of turning with confident trust to Jesus Christ.” It is sometimes translated with on (e.g. in the HCSB, KJV, ISV).

The last and most common construction is pisteuo with eis (εἰς, G1519), translated as “to believe in.” It is found in the following passages: Matthew 18:6; Mark 9:42; John 1:12; 2:11; 3:16, 18, 36; 4:39; 6:29, 35, 40; 7:5, 31, 38-39, 48; 9:35-36; 10:42; 11:25-26, 45, 48; 12:11, 36-37, 42, 44, 46; 14:1, 12; 16:9; 17:20; Acts 14:43; 14:23; 16:31; 19:4; 22:19; Romans 4:5, 24; 10:14; Galatians 2:16; Philippians 1:29; 1 Peter 1:8; 1 John 5:10, 13. As you may notice, this expression most frequently occurs in John. It gives us a sense of putting our confidence and whole trust in and upon Jesus. In a few cases the object is God the Father (John 5:24; 12:44; 14:1; Rom. 4:5, 24). But all the rest have Christ the Lord and Savior as their object. Let us take a few examples. To believe in Christ is to “believe in his name [πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, pisteuosin eis to onama autou]”, which also means to “receive him” as the precious Gift of the gospel (John 1:12). Believing in Christ as the God-given sacrifice is the reason we have eternal life (John 3:16, 36). We do not merely believe that He died, but believe in Him personally, for our sake (e.g. Gal. 2:20). We believe not merely the fact that He died for us, but we place our trust and confidence in Him. Believing in Christ is compared to having hunger and thirst satisfied (John 6:35). One does not merely believe that food and drink will satisfy him, but the taking of them wi...

2 Corinthians 5:14-15, 'he died for all'

Simon Wartanian | 8,235 views | 2,761 words | 0:14:24 hours | 22 April 2016 16:50

2 Corinthians 5 Limited Atonement Unlimited Atonement Definite Redemption Calvinism Arminianism

...n>. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Who else but the elect can say these words? Can any reprobate truly say that they were united with Christ in His death and they frustrated the purpose of His death? Because from Gal 2:20 it is clear that the result from being united with Christ in His death is to live with and for Him. So much so that Paul says that He no longer lives, because he considers himself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ (Rom 6:11). When the Lord Christ died on the Cross for our sin, we also died with Him. We were united with Him in His death and that is the assurance to Paul in Rom 6:5 that we also will be united with Him in the resurrection.

Now we go back to 2 Corinthians, there the all are all who are in Him. All who are in the covenant which the Christ mediates. All whom He represents, all the elect. This is not the only time that Paul uses such a language, just take a look at a passage from 1 Corinthians 15 –

1Cor 15:22-23 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

It is clear what Paul is saying here. No need to go crazy about the “all's” because they are self-explanatory. What Paul is saying is clear. What he says is that in Adam all humanity which was represented by him in the Garden died (Rom 5:12ff). But in Christ all shall be made alive. There is not a single reason to believe that Paul had here in mind any other than the elect. This is seen from the those who will be resurrected. First of all, Christ was raised, but when He comes, at His Parousia, those who belong to Him. Not everyone who has ever lived. But specifically those who belong to Him, who have His Spirit in them (Rom 8:9), i.e. the elect, the Christians. They are the “all” who “shall be made alive” of verse 22. See 1 Corinthians 15:22-23, 'in Christ shall all be made alive'

So likewise in 2 Corinthians 5 Paul uses the same language. He does not mean every single human being, but all who are under the federal headship of Christ the Lord.

When He died, we died with Him, united to Him so that we may share in His resurrection and life (Gal 2:20: Rom 6:3, 8; Col 2:20; 3:3; 2Tim 2:11).

Verse 15 gives us the purpose of His death. This is seen from the use of the ἵνα purpose clause. The ἵνα gives us the purpose and goal for a thing. Do not think that the rendering of ἵνα as “might” or “may” gives conditionality or uncertainty about a thing. The ἵνα may be translated as “that, in order that, so that.” It shows the purpose for the thing done.

The purpose of Christ's death was that the group for which He died, the “all”, may no longer live for themselves, i.e. in sin, but live for and in Him who for their sake died and was raised. Unless we want to say that God is frustrated in His purposes, which is impossible (Job 23:13; 42:2; Prov 19:21; Isa 14:27; Isa 46:10; Dan 4:35; Eph 1:11) we must accept that the group for which Christ died were the elect, i.e. the believers united with Him on the Cross.

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Colossians 1:19-20, 'reconcile to himself all things'

Simon Wartanian | 7,120 views | 2,057 words | 0:11:03 hours | 26 April 2014 22:29

Unconditional Election Limited Atonement Reconciliation Cross Predestination Calvinism

...

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his Cross. (ESV)

This is another one of the verses that Universalists like to use. While this site is not meant to refute Universalism, I’ve seen this verse used against Limited Atonement, so I thought it should be helpful if we could take a look at it and see what it teaches.

The Sovereignty Of Christ

We should realise that the context is actually about the absolute sovereignty of Christ in both creation and preservation. Meaning, it is primarily not about the atonement, but about His sovereign reign over the created cosmos. Let’s take a look at Colossians 1:

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

In this passage we see that Christ is actually the Creator. He is the One who created all that exists. He is the firstborn of creation - that does not mean that He was the first creature, for the text says all things were created by Him. But not only that, but further in verse 18 the word “firstborn” is connected to preeminence. And furthermore, it means that He has the rights of the firstborn, i.e. the heir of all things (e.g. Heb 1:2-4) that He created.

Paul exhausts the language in trying to clearly communicate that the Lord Christ is the Creator of all that exists, even the wicked powers. This he does when he refers to “rulers or authorities” in verse 16. We should take a look at that phrase in Paul to see what he means.

Rulers and Authorities

The closest use of this phrase (εἴτε ἀρχαὶ εἴτε ἐξουσίαι) is in the next chapter:

Col 2:15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities [τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας] and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Christ is declared to be victorious in His Cross over those rulers and authorities, which in the beginning were created by Him and for Him. They have their purpose of existence in Him and in His decree and pleasure. All things, including those evil powers which the Lord Christ triumphed over were created for Christ’s purpose, in order to display His glory somehow.

In Col 2:10 it says that Christ is “the head of all rule and authority”, meaning He is the head both over the good and the bad. He reigns as supreme. But notice here that the verse speaks about institutions and not persons, I mean, about rule and authority, and not rulers and authorities.

In 1Cor 15:24, Christ at His glorious Parousia will destroy all evil “every rule and every authority and power.” That those things are evil which Christ will destroy, needs not be argued about.

In Eph 1:21, Christ reigns supreme “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion” in heavenly places. His reigns is over and above all rule and authority, whether it be good or bad, Paul is not concerned in Ephesians 1. Notice also in Eph 1:10 the uniting together of all things in Christ, similar to the “reconciliation” in Colossians 1:20.

In Eph 3:10 we read that it pleased God to displ...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 13: Of Sanctification - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 16,188 views | 16,934 words | 1:29:010 hours | 05 March 2015 18:23

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Reformed Baptist Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen Sanctification Holiness

...trong through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Through the perfect obedience of Christ to the Father, we have been sanctified and set apart for God’s purpose and use on the Cross when the High Priest offered Himself as the spotless sacrifice. Then the writer to the Hebrews contrasts Christ’s superiority to that of the priests under the Old Covenant. Then in v. 14, he says that His once-for-all-time offering has perfected all of those who are being sanctified. Notice that in v. 12, the writer used the word ἡγιασμένοι (hegiasmenoi, G37), which is a perfect passive participle verb. The perfect tense describes a completed verbal action in the past. The passive voice means that the action is being done unto the subject and not by the subject. Here we see the verb ἁγιάζω (hagiazo, G37) being used as describing something that happened in the past. But we see a few verses later that the same verb, in a different form, is used again. In v. 14, we have the present passive participle ἁγιαζομένους (hagiazomenous). The present tense is the same as the English, it describes something that is happening at the present time when the author is writing. Those who are perfected are the ones who at the present time are being sanctified. We have been set apart for the purpose of God from all eternity and when we come to faith. But even at the present, God is at work in us to do His good pleasure and conform us more into Christ’s image. Notice also that both aspects of our sanctification, either the initial or the continual, are based on Christ’s atoning sacrifice.

God and Man

Notice that with the definition given by Grudem above (see here), he says that sanctification “is a work of God and man”. In this process of sanctification, which is throughout the Christian life, man and God work together to bring about the result that we would be like Christ. Unlike regeneration, which is monergistic, i.e., there is only one power at work, sanctification is synergistic, i.e., there is a “together” working of man and God. Philippians 2 is an interesting text on this point:

Phil. 2:12-16 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

At the beginning of the chapter, Paul points to the Lord Jesus as the great example of humility whom the believers should model. He sets Christ as the example of the perfect faithful servant of God, like Whom all believers should seek to be. Now Paul is telling the believers to work out their salvation (not work for their salvation), namely—to bring the full pe...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 15: Of Repentance Unto Life and Salvation - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 16,160 views | 8,593 words | 0:44:49 hours | 05 March 2015 18:55

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Reformed Baptist Chapter 15 Chapters Fifteen Restoration Repentance Salvation Faith

.../p

The phrase “faithful and just” is amazing. God is faithful because He is our Father and He seeks to bring us to salvation and to a harmonious relationship with Him. He is the covenant God who has committed Himself to His subjects. But He is also just, but how can this be? Proverbs 17:5 says “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD”, how can God justify me and cleanse me of my sin and not be an abomination to Himself?! The answer is: the Lord Jesus Christ. God does not forgive us by overlooking our sins, He forgives us because our sins have been forgiven in Christ who took them upon Himself on the Cross (2 Cor. 5:21). Our sins have been dealt with 2000 years ago, but we experience that forgiveness which was obtained for us on the Cross through daily confession of sin. God is just because He punished Jesus Christ who was the Substitute who bore our sins upon Himself. He punished Someone who “became sin” and God is therefore perfectly just. The glory of the gospel is the fact that God brought salvation to His people through His judgment upon His Son. Jesus Christ was crushed so that we would not be crushed (Isa. 53:10-11). God is just to forgive us because Christ the Sacrifice was offered in our stead and God, having already dealt with our sins on the Cross is now shown to be just to forgive us and cleanse us based on that sacrifice. See more in chapter 8:4 on the Penal Substitutionary Atonement.

David and Peter

Two great men and friends of God are recorded in the Bible to have fallen into great sin. David, the man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22), committed adultery and murdered the husband of the woman. Peter, the one who claimed to be willing to die for his Master (Luke 22:33), denied that he knew Him three times (Luke 22:34). These are tragic and sad stories. We can’t help but mourn and pray that we will not fall into situations like this. But the Confession reminds us that in the Covenant of Grace (i.e., the New Covenant) there is always provision for the forgiveness of sins. Both David and Peter were true believers, they fell and were restored unto repentance.

David wrote an amazing prayer and a song of confession which is often used by believers for the confession of their sins. In Psalm 51 David prays to God to forgive his sins and create in him a clean heart so that he would not sin and do things which are displeasing to his God. We should not miss the fact that God did discipline David for his sin. The son born of adultery died as a punishment for David’s sin (1 Sam. 12). Nonetheless, he was cleansed and restored to the joy of God’s salvation.

In the case of Peter, the Lord Jesus foretold his certain repentance when He told him about his fall. The Lord Jesus told Peter that He has prayed for him and uses that as the basis of Peter’s restoration (Luke 22:31-32). The Lord personally restores Peter in John 21:15-19 by making him confess his love for his Lord three times instead of his previous denial of his Lord three times.

These examples should be a lesson for us. If Peter and David can fall, who were great and holy saints of God, then this means that any Christian, when letting their guard down, can fall into great sins like them. Let us see these stories as tragic accounts of the remaining corruptions of sin in us, but also as lessons of God’s great love for us and forgiveness of our sins. We should never let our guard down. We should always be prepared...

Limited Atonement, Definite Redemption - Scripture List & Case

Simon Wartanian | 7,268 views | 6,400 words | 0:32:47 hours | 23 March 2014 20:51

Calvinism Election Predestination Mercy Sovereignty Verse List God Is In Control Unconditional Election Sovereign Grace

...a href="#_ftnref17" name="_ftn17">[17] Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved..

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Not Infusion of Righteousness

Imputed Righteousness

The Sovereignty Of Christ

Rulers and Authorities

God and Man

David and Peter

§2 The Self-Sufficiency Of God

The Criteria For Good Works

Commanded By God

Performed In Faith