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John Owen's Case For Particular Atonement

Simon Wartanian | 11,414 views | 15,628 words | 1:22:53 hours | 21 March 2017 23:01

...ir stead, neither does He intercede for them.

Although I have added my own exegesis of the passages above, I have greatly benefited from Owen's insight into the connection between Christ sacrifice and His subsequent intercession. This is, in my opinion, a very powerful argument for Particular Atonement. Even if we take into consideration the work of the High Priest on behalf of Israel, for example, on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16). It will quickly be replied by our opponents that the High Priest interceded for all of Israel, which included unbelievers, and the sacrifice was likewise made for all of Israel. We will not object to that fact, only to the supposition that the Membership of the Mosaic and New covenants are the same. The Old Covenant included in it both believers and unbelievers, while the New Covenant includes only believers. It is made only with them and all of its Members have the benefits of the covenant applied to them (Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:6-13). Therefore, the analogy or the type, still stands. The only difference is the people who make up the covenant. On the one hand, the Old Covenant contained both believer and unbeliever alike; while the New Covenant subsists of believers only. The High Priest interceded only for the covenant people of God and not for the heathen and godless. Likewise, our High Priest intercedes not for the world, but for those who are His. Furthermore, we should be able to distinguish between the type (Levitical priesthood) and the antitype (Christ's high priesthood) and keep them distinct.

The End of Christ's Death

Now we have began with book II of Owen's monumental work. He begins by returning to the subject in chapter 1 of book I, which concerned the end (i.e. goal) of Christ's death as Scripture declares it (see above).

The primary, or “supreme and ultimate” end of Christ's death is the glory of God. The glory of God stands at the center in Reformed theology. That is what attracted me at the beginning to Reformed theology. The obsession with the glory of God and trying to do all things to His glory. Everything and anything that God does, He does first of all to and for His glory. Owen cites a few passages to this effect (Prov. 16:4; 2Cor. 4:15; Eph. 1:6, 12; Phil. 1:11; 2:11; Rev. 5:13; I would add Isa. 46:8-11). Owen says:

The Lord doth necessarily aim at himself in the first place, as the chiefest good, yea, indeed, that alone which is good; that is, absolutely and simply so, and not by virtue of communication from another: and therefore in all his works, especially in this which we have in hand, the chiefest of all, he first intends the manifestation of his own glory; which also he fully accomplisheth in the close, to every point and degree by him intended.^[7] (book II, chapter 1)

The secondary, or the end that is “intermediate and subservient to that last end” of Christ's death, which is “the bringing of us unto God” (book II, chapter 1). The salvation of the elect is “subservient” to the glory of God. Generally, if you would ask an Arminian, or a non-Calvinist, what God's primary purpose or plan is, they would likely answer “redemption.” On the other hand, Reformed theologians see that God's glory is the primary goal and end of everything which God does, including the salvation of the elect, but that in itself is not the primary goal; the glory of God is the primary goal.

Before enquiring in the Scriptures, Owen lays down the thesis which he is trying to pr...

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

...e not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your Members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your Members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

2Tim 2:24-26 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Tit 3:3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

Man is not able to come to God or believe in Him on his own

Jn 3:5-7 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

Jn 6:43-47 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

Jn 6:60-71 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” 66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.

Jn 8:39-47 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to the...

Hebrews 2:9, 'Taste Death For Everyone'

Simon Wartanian | 9,607 views | 1,586 words | 0:08:30 hours | 17 June 2014 21:44

Limited Atonement Hebrews 2:9 ESV Study Bible ESV Reformation Study Bible John Gill James White

...erfectly) to become the perfect sacrifice for sins.

Heb. 2:11 he who sanctifies. Jesus makes his people holy through his blood (13:12). those who are sanctified. Jesus’ true followers, who are made holy by his sacrifice (10:10, 14; 13:12). Some commentators think one source is a reference to the common humanity shared by Jesus and those being saved (see 2:12–18), or to their common descent from Abraham. Others think that the “one source” is God the Father. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers. Since they share a common descent (or, since God is their common Father), they are Members of the same family, and therefore brothers.

ESV Reformation Study Bible[3]

2:9 we see him. Jesus has the crown of glory and honor. It must now be shown that He received it as a man, and so can satisfy the words of the psalm quoted.

made lower. The expression can refer to status or to time (that is, “a little later,” Luke 22:58; Acts 5:34). If it refers to time, it indicates the temporary character of Jesus’ humiliation.

taste death for everyone. Here, “everyone” must be understood in the light of the context and of the results of Jesus’ death described elsewhere in Hebrews. It refers to the “many sons” whom God brings to glory (v. 10), whom Jesus calls “brothers” (v. 11). Those for whom Jesus tasted death were made holy and perfect once for all by His sacrifice (10:10, 14), their consciences cleansed from acts that lead to death (9:14), so they are freed from the fear of death (2:14, 15). By contrast, there are those (even within Christian congregations) who do not trust the Son but subject Him to ridicule (6:6). For them, “there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment” (10:26, 27). Thus “everyone” here includes all those (but only those) who persevere in trusting Jesus (3:6, 14).

John Gill said the following about the phrase “for everyone/man”:[4]

that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man; that is, Christ was made a little lower than the angels by becoming man, and assuming a body frail and mortal, that he might die for his church and people: to "taste death", is a Jewish phrase, often to be met with in Rabbinical writings; [See comments on Mt 16:28] and signifies the truth and reality of his death, and the experience he had of the bitterness of it, it being attended with the wrath of God, and curse of the law; though he continued under it but for a little while, it was but a taste; and it includes all kinds of death, he tasted of the death of afflictions, being a man of sorrows all his days, and a corporeal death, and what was equivalent to an eternal one; and so some think the words will bear to be rendered, "that he by the grace of God might taste of every death"; which rendering of the words, if it could be established, as it is agreeable to the context, and to the analogy of faith, would remove all pretence of an argument from this place, in favour of the universal scheme: what moved God to make him lower than the angels, and deliver him up to death, was not any anger towards him, any disregard to him, or because he deserved it, but his "grace", free favour, and love to men; this moved him to provide him as a ransom; to preordain him to be the Lamb slain; to send him in the fulness of time, and give him up to justice and death: the Syriac version reads, "for God himself through his own grace tasted death for all"; Christ died, not merely as...

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

Simon Wartanian | 23,735 views | 28,880 words | 2:33:55 hours | 04 March 2015 20:55

The Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Chapter 2 God Trinity Attributes Of God Immutability Repentance Of God Love Of God Justice Of God Spirituality Of God Monotheism

...="footnote"[11] [anthropopatheia]

Arthur Pink likewise follows the same line of reasoning, but first of all declaring, “Our first reply is, Do the Scriptures contradict themselves? No, that cannot be.” That is the first and most proper response. We have already seen that Scripture is very clear that God does not change His mind, without any qualifications or any contextual difficulties. Therefore, the unclear must be interpreted in light of the clear. Pink goes on to cite Numbers 23:19 and say, “When speaking of Himself, God frequently accommodates His language to our limited capacities. He describes Himself as clothed with bodily Members, as eyes, ears, hands.”^[8]

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges likewise comments on this passage saying that “This is a strong instance of what is called anthropomorphism, an expression descriptive of human emotion or action ascribed to Jehovah (e.g. Gen 3:8, Gen 7:16, Gen 8:21). Such expressions have often given rise to superficial criticisms, depreciatory of Holy Scripture, on the part both of those who are ignorant of Oriental literature, and of those who assume that the Books of Holy Scripture must be free from the literary characteristics of the writers’ age and nationality. In this verse Jehovah is represented as intensely grieved at the frustration of His purposes for the human race. The description is given in the childlike simplicity of the language of an early age: compare Gen 11:5-6; Gen 18:21.”^[16] Moses was not trying to say that God was surprised by the course of actions and now He seeks to change His plan. But rather, He merely describes and speaks about God’s disapproval of human wickedness and His plan to wipe out man from the earth because of their sin. He describes God’s course of action in a human way—in a way that even a child can understand, much like the references given in the above commentary.

1 Samuel 15

Another passage that I want to look at is found in 1 Samuel 15. Both 1 Samuel 15:11, 35 say that God “regretted” (ESV) or “repented” (KJV) making Saul king over Israel. Does this mean that God now realizes that He did not make a wise choice in giving Saul as a prince over Israel? Who would dare make such an accusation of God? Yet some profane men are making such accusations against the Glory of Israel. They believe that God hoped that Saul would have been a good king, but He was sadly disappointed. But such is not the God of the Bible, as we have seen. He is the Immutable Sovereign over all things. How are these two passages to be interpreted? They should be interpreted in light of the clear teaching already established that God does not change His mind (Num. 23:19). But wait. I have forgotten to mention what v. 29 of the same chapter says, “And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” This statement occurs in the same chapter where we twice read that God regretted making Saul king (vv. 11, 35). For the unbeliever, this is a clear contradiction in the Bible, but for the believer, that cannot be. Moreover, the Hebrew words used in these verses are all the same. Therefore, there is a sense in which God regrets or repents, but He does not. Notice that two things common to man are completely denied to God: lying and having regret. For someone to say that God sometimes repents or regrets, must by necessity also say that God sometimes lies. The parallelism simply requires such a connection, but the B...

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

Simon Wartanian | 18,143 views | 7,955 words | 0:42:14 hours | 04 March 2015 21:18

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Reformed Baptist Chapter 6 Fall Of Man Sin Condemnation Total Depravity Total Inability Original Sin Federal Headship

... law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my Members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my Members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

The “I” of Paul is his new identity in Christ, it’s the new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), the sin is his old man, it’s the sinful nature. It’s not what he or any Christian really desires to do, but sometimes we surrender to sin and thus do what we (as new creations) hate to do, yet still choose to do (so much for “free will”). The natural man does not even have the desire to do that which God desires, or have any willingness to serve God, yet the regenerate man does, and still struggles and wars with sin. Sometimes, we still go and visit the grave of the old man and do not leave him to be. We still go to those sins for which our Lord was crucified because our flesh has not been destroyed yet. Oh, that day, when He comes back to give us bodies like His and when we are freed from sinning...Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly, Lord!

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.^[14]

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.
^ Wayne Grudem. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994). p. 494, n. 9.
^ John MacArthur. The MacArthur Study Bible: English Standard Version. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2010). p. 1657.
^ John Gill. Exposition of the Entire Bible. Taken from the TheWord Bible Software. In loc.
a, b Philip Schaff. A Popular Commentary on the New Testament. Taken from the TheWord Bible Software. In loc.
^ David N. Steele, Curtis C. Thomas, S. Lance Quinn. The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Defended, and Documented. (Phillipsburg, N.J.: P & R Publications. 2004). pp. 5-6.
a, b John Gill. Exposition of the Entire Bible. Taken from the TheWord Bible Software. In loc.
^ Charles J. Ellicott. Commentary For English Readers. Taken from the TheWord Bible Software. In loc.
a, b Matthew Poole. English Annotations on the Holy Bible. Taken from the TheWord Bible Software. In loc.
^ Joseph Henry Thayer’s Greek Definitions. Taken from the TheWord Bible Software. See reference for the Strong’s number.
a, b The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Edited by J. J. S. Perowne. Taken from the TheWord Bible Software. In loc.
^ The Free Dictionary. Slave.
^ John Piper. A Baptist Catechism
^ Robert Rob...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 11: Of Justification - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 22,795 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

...s in Acts 3:16 and also from Peter’s mouth. This faith is

by him—Compare “the faith which is by Him,” Ac 3:16. Through Christ: His Spirit, obtained for us in His resurrection and ascension, enabling us to believe. This verse excludes all who do not “by Him believe in God,” and includes all of every age and clime that do. Literally, “are believers in God.” “To believe IN (Greek, 'eis’) God” expresses an internal trust: “by believing to love God, going INTO Him, and cleaving to Him, incorporated into His Members. By this faith the ungodly is justified, so that thenceforth faith itself begins to work by love” [P. LOMBARD].^[28]

Philip Schaff observes:

The object of the belief is elsewhere expressed by the simple dative (Act 16:15, etc.), or by the preposition ‘in’ (Eph 1:1), but here by the preposition ‘toward.’ This more forcible phrase, therefore, exhibits the readers not merely as believing, but as raised to the condition of a settled and loyal faith, and as having God Himself, and nothing lower, for the object of this new conviction. And it is ‘through Him,’ as Peter emphatically reminds them, that they have this new faith. Christ, and only Christ, by all that He had taught and all that He had been on earth, was the means of leading them to this knowledge of God and trust in God.^[17]

Peter writes to a congregation and tells them about their faith in 2 Peter 1:1—

2 Pet. 1:1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

The Greek word for obtained is pretty interesting. It basically refers to obtaining something through a lot. The Greek lexical form λαγχάνω (lagchano, G2975) is defined as “1. to lot, i.e. determine (by implication, receive) especially by lot”.^[26] The word, in its different forms, is also used in Luke 1:9; John 19:24; Acts 1:17, which obviously refers to casting lots. The basic idea conveyed by Peter through his use of this particular word is, I believe, that the faith which we have did not originate with us. It was as it were by lot—outside of our influence. It was given to us. We obtained it. It is the kind of faith that is the same as the apostles’ and it was obtained by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus. Who but God in the Bible controls the results of the lot (Prov 16:33)? One commentary says—

obtained—by grace. Applied by Peter to the receiving of the apostleship, literally, “by allotment”: as the Greek is, Luke 1:9 John 19:24. They did not acquire it for themselves; the divine election is as independent of man’s control, as the lot which is east forth.^[28]

Charles J. Ellicott observes that “The Greek word implies that they have not won it or earned it for themselves, but that it has been allotted to them.”^[7]

We may even consider John 6:44 here:

John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

John 6:65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

This is a passage, which we have spoken of in chapter 3 on election (see here), but it is also relevant here. There is an inability in man to come to God. It is expressed by the word can and not may. The Lord Christ is not holding His hand against anyone who would want to come to Him. He is merely mentioning the fact that natural man does not have the ability to come to Go...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 21: Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 13,588 views | 6,372 words | 0:32:47 hours | 06 March 2015 19:19

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Confession Study Reformed Baptist Chapter 21 Christian Freedom Liberty Liberty Of Conscience Antinomianism

...

Moreover, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are, unlike under the Old Testament, distributed according to God’s will to all believers (1 Cor. 12-14; Rom. 12:3-8). This was not the case under the Old Testament. Back then some of God’s people would have the gifts of the Spirit, but now all of them do. The Spirit came upon the 70 elders of Israel in the wilderness (Num. 11:25). He came upon the judges of Israel (Judg. 3:10, 6:34; 11:29; 14:6, 19; 15:14). He indwelt David (Ps. 51:11; 1 Sam. 16:13). The Holy Spirit could have come upon a person and then depart as in the case of King Saul (1 Sam. 10:6, 10; 11:6; 16:14). But In the New Covenant, not only all covenant Members have the Spirit (under the OT all true believers did have the indwelling Spirit), but also all have some gift(s) of the Holy Spirit:

1 Cor. 12:7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Oh, beloved brothers and sisters, how great are the liberties that God has blessed us with! Praise God from Whom all blessings and liberties flow!

§2 Liberty Of Conscience

God alone is Lord of the conscience, 1 and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in any thing contrary to his word, or not contained in it. 2 So that to believe such doctrines, or obey such commands out of conscience, 3 is to betray true liberty of conscience; and the requiring of an implicit faith, an absolute and blind obedience, is to destroy liberty of conscience and reason also. 4
1. James 4:12; Rom. 14:4; Gal. 5:1
2. Acts 4:19; 5:29; 1 Cor. 7:23; Matt. 15:9
3. Col. 2:20, 22-23; Gal. 1:10; 2:3-5; 5:1
4. Rom. 10:17; 14:23; Acts 17:11; John 4:22; 1 Cor. 3:5; 2 Cor. 1:24

God alone is Lord of the conscience (Jas. 4:12; Rom. 14:4), which means that God alone can dictate to us what we ought or ought not to do or believe. Therefore, since He is Lord of the conscience, He has left the consciences of men free from the doctrines and comments of men which are contrary to His word, or not contained in it (Matt. 15:9; Acts 4:19; 5:29; 1 Cor. 7:23). God has not left the conscience free and that’s it. He has left it free in a specific place, namely, when it comes to the doctrines and comments of men which are against His word, or not contained in it. Therefore, when a church or a person pushes upon others the following and obeying such commandments and doctrines, it is a betrayal to true liberty of conscience and it requires an absolute and blind obedience because that which is to be believed and followed does not come from God.

As God is the Lawgiver, so likewise He is the only One who has the authority to bind or loose the consciences of His moral creatures (Isa. 33:22; Jas. 4:12). He is the One who gives the “you shall” and “you shall not’s.” Therefore, He alone has authority over our conscience concerning obedience and how we should conduct ourselves and what we should believe. This paragraph was written without a doubt with the Roman Catholic Church in mind, which binds the consciences of its Members to a host of unbiblical doctrines concerning Mary, Purgatory, the Mass and so on. These doctrines are based upon the traditions of men and they have no basis in the Holy Scriptures, but spring forth either from misinterpretations of Scripture or plainly from outside the Bible. You can search all you want concerning prayer to the dead or a prayer addressed to anyone other than God, you will find nothing in Scripture. Yet the faithful Roman Catholic reg...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 24: Of the Civil Magistrate - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 11,570 views | 5,667 words | 0:29:28 hours | 06 March 2015 19:38

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Reformed Baptist Chapter 24 Civil Magistrates Civil Government Romans 13

... points: The government magistracy is according to the flesh, but the Christians’ is according to the Spirit; their houses and dwelling remain in this world, but the Christians’ are in heaven; their citizenship is in this world, but the Christians’ citizenship is in heaven; the weapons of their conflict and war are carnal and against the flesh only, but the Christians’ weapons are spiritual, against the fortification of the devil. The worldlings are armed with steel and iron, but the Christians are armed with the armor of God, with truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and the Word of God. In brief, as is the mind of Christ toward us, so shall the mind of the Members of the body of Christ be through Him in all things, that there may be no schism in the body through which it would be destroyed. For every kingdom divided against itself will be destroyed. Now since Christ is as it is written of Him, His Members must also be the same, that His body may remain complete and united to its own advancement and upbuilding.

The Confession was not denying the truths here pointed out by the Anabaptists. But it is saying that this is not inconsistent with a true Christian who takes up the office of a magistrate when called there unto. What should the Christian magistrate do? It is interesting that he is not said to enforce Christianity in general or Particular Baptist theology in particular. He is said to maintain just and peace according to the wholesome laws of each kingdom and commonwealth. He is to govern according to the laws of the land and not make a theocracy of the land in which he is allowed to be a magistrate. As we noted in chapter 19:4, Christians are called to submit to the laws of the land in which they live and not reimplement the Israelite theocracy of the Old Testament. The Christian magistrate is not to enforce the laws of God in his government as it was in the times of the Old Testament. But it is without a doubt that a Christian magistrate has a Christian worldview and therefore, justice and peace mean more to him than an unbelieving magistrate. His views of justice and peace will be and should be influenced by the biblical worldview. But principally, he is to enforce and maintain the wholesome laws of each kingdom and commonwealth. This is obviously different than what other Reformed writers had in mind. For many of them, the government had the duty to maintain the Christian religion and not only the Christian religion in general but Protestant Christianity in particular. But the Baptists did not follow with that as they did not see the New Covenant and the regulations under the New Covenant to be just like those in the times of the Old Covenant with the Mosaic laws. The Mosaic judicial laws were no longer applicable. The only application had to do with their “general equity” (see chapter 19:4). Furthermore, they were being persecuted by those very people who wanted a particular branch of Christianity to be defended by the state, although they were as much Reformed and Christian as they were. Hence the publication of this Confession of Faith to show that we have more things in common than different.

Lastly, there will be times of war, but this has to be upon just and necessary occasions and it is specifically said to be under the New Testament. In other words, not every instance of war in the Old Testament is justifiable now under the New Covenant. But at the same time, this does not mean that no war is justifi...

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

Simon Wartanian | 28,440 views | 63,926 words | 5:35:37 hours | 06 March 2015 23:27

..., but now are brought near to the “commonwealth of Israel” it means that now we are made citizens of Israel. If we are citizens, then we are Israelites by law. In fact, other translations say “citizenship” instead of “commonwealth”, which is clearer (e.g., HCSB, ISV, NET). Not only is this consideration important in stating that the Gentile believers have become citizens of Israel, and thus Israelites, but what is also said in v. 19:

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and Members of the household of God,

Notice that Paul here explicitly states what we implicitly drew from vv. 12-13. The Gentile believers have become fellow citizens of the Israel of God. Notice Paul’s careful wording: they are not called Israel, but they called “the saints” and thus implying that unbelieving Jews are not “Members of the household of God” nor are they citizens of the Israel of God. Rather the saints are those “who were near” and to whom the gospel was preached and who received it (v. 17). The way that “the dividing wall of hostility” was abolished, which separated Gentiles from Jews, was by the abolishing of the ceremonial law. The purpose was “that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace” (v. 15). This is against the Dispensational idea that God wants to have a heavenly people (the Church) and an earthly people (Israel), rather, the will of God is to have a singular people made up of both believing Jews and Gentiles, who are the Temple and dwelling place of God (vv. 19-22).

In conclusion, all these passages teach, contrary to Dispensational doctrine, that the Church is in fact, according to New Testament teaching, the Israel of God.

Literalistic Interpretation Of Prophecy

A lot of Dispensationalists equate literal interpretation with “truth.” If you are interpreting a prophecy symbolically or as not pertaining to Israel after the flesh, you are spiritualizing and thus misinterpreting the passage. Well, the problem is actually that the apostles themselves “spiritualize” Old Testament texts. The clearest example of this is in Acts 15. In the midst of the controversy about the Gentiles and the Jewish church, James the half-brother of the Lord, stands up and says the following:

Acts 15:13-18 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 “‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’

This is very interesting! Not only does James here indicate that the Church was foreseen by the Prophets, indicating that he could cite more prophets if necessary, but also the engrafting of the Gentiles was predicted. This is from the prophecy of Amos 9:11-12, the only problem is that, literally interpreted, the prophecy teaches the restoration of Israel and the Davidic kingdom, not the inclusion of the Gentiles. This passage is problematic to Dispensationalists. The wording of the passage is likewise different. Here is a table which compares the translation of the ESV, the LXX in English and the words spoken by the apostle James:

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1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 1: Of the Holy Scriptures - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 28,175 views | 35,236 words | 3:04:25 hours | 04 March 2015 20:52

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Reformed Baptist Chapter 1 Holy Scriptures Bible Canon Inspiration Authority Inerrancy Infallibility Apocrypha Old Testament New Testament Canon Sufficiency Sola Scriptura

... by the Roman Catholic Church. Therefore, basically, they accept as tradition what accords with their doctrine and deny that which disagrees with them. The words of Jesus to the Pharisees come to mind, “in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men” (Mark 7:7-8). And by teaching the tradition of men they make “void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down” (Mark 7:13). Since Scripture is not the sole and final authority for the Roman Catholic Church, they can teach their false doctrine as authoritative and as binding upon the consciousness of their Members, without any warrant from Holy Writ. In this way, by teaching “Sacred Tradition” and attributing to “Sacred Tradition” the same things as attributed to Scripture, i.e., having God as its source, they make void the true Word of God and worship Him in vain. This is a solemn word from the Lord Jesus Himself to caution us that when tradition, i.e., something which does not have a warrant in the Scriptures, is taught as the Word of God, we worship God in vain, dishonoring Him, and making void the true Word of God. Let us take heed and notice the warning here, both Protestants and Roman Catholics. Roman Catholics demand equal reverence and acceptance both for the Word of God and “Sacred Tradition.” In their own words: “Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.”^[12] Therefore, they dishonor God by teaching the doctrines of men as the commandments of God.

Let us carefully learn what the true doctrine of Sola Scriptura is and what it is not, for caricatures and distortions of Sola Scriptura are abundant. Therefore, it is necessary to know that the doctrine of Sola Scriptura teaches that since the Scriptures are the only inerrant, infallible, certain and God-breathed revelation in the possession of the church, they, therefore, form the highest and supreme authority in the church. As the Lyrical Theologian FLAME says in the song “Sola Scriptura”:

Lately man its been some problems the scriptures have been under attack and that’s crazy
see God’s word is the final authority I’m sorry there’s no way you can sway can’t persuade me
the holy scriptures is the only sufficient certain and infallible rule for the Christian
nothing can be added at all so you can keep your revelation and religious traditions
the-op-nyoo-stos (theopneustus) its God breathed 2 Timothy 3:16
because the scriptures are the only example of God breathed revelation in possession of the church
they form the only infallible rule of faith for and which we base the church
let’s talk about inspiration
God’s the author no mistaken man

See also paragraph 10 on the Scriptures as the supreme judge in all matters.

§2 The 66 Books of the Old and New Testament

Under the name of Holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testaments, which are these:

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OF THE OLD TESTAMENT	OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
Genesis	Matthew
Exodus	Mark
Leviticus	Luke
Numbers	John
Deuteronomy	Paul’s Epistle to the Romans
Joshua	I Corinthians & II Corinthians
Judges	Galatians
Ruth	Ephesians
I Samuel & II Samuel	Philippians
I Kings & II Kings	Colossians
I Chronicles, II Chronicles	I Thessalonians & II Thessalonians
Ezra	I Timothy & II Timothy
Nehemiah