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1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 20: Of the Gospel, and of the Extent of the Grace Thereof - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 13,394 views | 3,261 words | 0:17:00 hours | 05 March 2015 19:57

...he “flesh” and in our sin. Our Lord declares that “It is the Spirit who gives life” and “the flesh is no help at all” (John 6:63). Therefore, if God would be pleased to give us life in Christ, He will send both the gospel and His Spirit to make that work effectual in the hearts of His elect. The gospel is clear and reveals Christ, yet for the gospel to be applied to the hearts of people, the work of the Spirit is crucial and necessary. God cleansed us and regenerated us by the Spirit, “the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). Both the gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit of God, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, are necessary for the salvation of the elect. In this way, we see the Trinitarian work of redemption. The Father Who planned redemption and elected a people to be given to the Son. The Son Who obeyed the Father and accomplished redemption for those given to him. The Spirit Who applies the work and benefits which the Son bought by His blood to His elect. All glory to the Triune God—Yahweh.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

(Romans 1:16)

Footnotes

^ Sam E. Waldron. A Modern Exposition Of The 1689 Baptist Confession Of Faith. (Darlington: Evangelical Press, 2013). pp. 302-303.
^ 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.
^ John Calvin. Commentaries. Taken from the TheWord Bible Software. In loc.

...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 28: Of Baptism and the Lord's Supper - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 13,245 views | 1,873 words | 0:09:53 hours | 06 March 2015 23:11

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Reformed Baptist Chapter 28 Sacraments Ordinances Baptism Lord's Supper

...n power and authority, established two ordinances for the New Covenant people of God. But, what do we mean by ordinance or sacrament? A.H. Strong writes, “By the ordinances, we mean those outward rites which Christ has appointed to be administered in his church as visible signs of the saving truth of the gospel. They are signs, in that they vividly express this truth and confirm it to the believer.”^[2] They are the only visible signs which God has given His people to show the truths of the gospel with. He has not allowed us to use images of any of the blessed Persons of the Trinity (see here), but has given us the bread and wine, and the waters of baptism as signs which symbolize the truths of the gospel.

These two ordinances are to be continued to the end of this world. In the case of the Supper, this could be seen in 1 Corinthians 11:26. We proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. Therefore, since He has not yet come, we should celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Furthermore, His coming will be at the end of the age (Matt. 13:36-43). Therefore, as long as this present age goes on, the people of God ought to proclaim the Lord’s death through the cup and the bread. As for baptism, the Lord, before ascending to His rightful throne, commanded us:

Matt. 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

An important part of discipleship is the baptism of believers. Therefore, as long as people believe, baptism should be practiced. As long as the Lord Jesus receives new disciples, baptism should be observed. After the end of the world, there will be no more new disciples, therefore, that is the time when baptism will cease.

The importance of this chapter is seen at the backdrop of the sevenfold sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Sacrament of Baptism
- It removes the guilt and effects of Original Sin and incorporates the baptized into the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ on earth.
The Sacrament of Confirmation
- ...it was administered immediately after the Sacrament of Baptism. Confirmation perfects our baptism and brings us the graces of the Holy Spirit that were granted to the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday.
The Sacrament of Holy Communion
- This sacrament is the source of great graces that sanctify us and help us grow in the likeness of Jesus Christ.
The Sacrament of Confession
- In reconciling us to God, it is a great source of grace...
The Sacrament of Marriage
- It reflects the union of Jesus Christ and His Church.
The Sacrament of Holy Orders
- The Sacrament of Holy Orders is the continuation of Christ’s priesthood, which He bestowed upon His Apostles. There are three levels to this sacrament: the episcopate, the priesthood, and the diaconate.
The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick
- Traditionally referred to as Extreme Unction or Last Rites, the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is administered both to the dying and to those who are gravely ill or are about to undergo a serious operation, for the recovery of their health and for spiritual strength.^[3]

Instead of merely two, the Roman Catholic Church has declared as sacraments five more things. The sacraments, according to Roman Catholic theology, in themselves administer grace. While on the other hand, Reform...

1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 32: Of the Last Judgment - Commentary

Simon Wartanian | 17,529 views | 16,377 words | 1:25:50 hours | 06 March 2015 23:30

The 1689 Second Baptist Confession Of Faith Confession Commentary Reformed Baptist Chapter 32 Last Judgment Eternal Hell Eternal Suffering Lake Of Fire

...f; ἐκδίκησιν [suffer justice]; the whole of the 9th verse would only contain αἰώνιον [eternal] as a new point.”^[20] Basically, our idea that the wicked receive their punishment stands on the ground of v. 8, even if v. 9 is to be understood merely of separation and not also cause, for we do not separate both when the “presence” is properly defined.

The Lord Jesus, being God and Man, representative of the Father, Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, is the offended party Who will inflict punishment both upon reprobate angels and men.

Manifestation Of His Justice And Grace

Hell is a manifestation of God’s justice and is His wrath, as He has desired in Romans 9:21-24. God wants to show both His fierce anger and His mind-blowing grace. His fierce anger is displayed against those who did not obey the gospel of our Lord, nor sought the face of God for their sins. On the other hand, there is another group, the elect, chosen from before the foundation of the earth, who likewise, on their own, deserve to be under His fierce wrath, but are not. The elect are delivered from the wrath of God by the blood of the Lamb (Rom. 5:9), and they receive mercy and grace, something which God is never ever obligated to give. The reason for God giving these people grace and for having chosen them before the creation of the world is “to the praise of his glorious grace” (Eph. 1:6). The one group, the reprobate, receive justice; while the other group, the elect, receive mercy. R. C. Sproul explains the two categories of justice and non-justice with the following diagram:

There is strict justice that demands the punishment of sin and there is non-justice. Non-justice includes injustice and grace. Injustice is clearly wrong and God is not unjust, and therefore, He is not glorified by being unjust. But He is glorified and praised for being just (see above The Praises Of Heaven), and likewise merciful (e.g., Ps. 28:6; 116:1-2). His glory in non-justice is not by injustice, but by mercy and grace. Mercy and grace are a category outside of strict justice, but it is not injustice. We receive mercy and grace and are justified because of a Substitute who received strict justice on behalf of the elect. In this God is glorified both in His justice and in His grace. For He is shown to be severe against those who dishonor Him, giving His enemies what they deserve; and on the other hand showing amazing grace and condescending to redeem, and thereby glorifying His mercy and grace (Rom. 11:22). God has desired to show all the range of His attributes, from His justice and wrath to His grace, mercy, and love, all of which are holy, holy, holy.

§3 Certainly Persuaded That There Shall Be A Day Of Judgment

As Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there shall be a day of judgment, both to deter all men from sin, 1 and for the greater consolation of the godly in their adversity, 2 so will he have the day unknown to men, that they may shake off all carnal security, and be always watchful, because they know not at what hour the Lord will come, 3 and may ever be prepared to say, Come Lord Jesus; come quickly. 4 Amen.
1. 2 Cor. 5:10-11
2. 2 Thess. 1:5-7
3. Mark 13:35-37; Luke 12:35-40
4. Rev. 22:20

The thought of a day of judgment should deter all men from sin (2 Cor. 5:10-11) as there will come the time when they will have to give an account for each and every sinful action and thought (e.g., Matt. 12:36). Therefore, it is proper to fear and keep the day o...

Review of Dean Davis' The High King of Heaven on Amillennialism

Simon Wartanian | 13,931 views | 8,095 words | 0:42:03 hours | 13 April 2015 23:31

Review Book Review Dean Davis The High King Of Heaven Amillennialism Eschatology Reformed Eschatology

...I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

There is a direct parallel between John 12:31 and Rev 20:3 (also Rev 12:9) where Satan is being cast out.

Notice also the fact that because Satan is now bound, Christ will call all His people to Himself.

Therefore, it is a misreading of the text to assume the binding of Satan means rendering Satan incapable of doing anything.

The 1000 years

The next question is well, what about the 1000 years?

As all numbers in Revelation, they are to be interpreted symbolically.

10 is the number of completion, multiplied 3 times (the number of the Trinity, perfection). It is; the time where the Triune God works in Salvation History for His glory.

The 1000 years are a symbolic number of a very long time, from the Cross to the Parousia. The 1000 years is being looked on from the angle of Gospel proclamation and success, because Satan is bound we can go for the nations.

Other times we read in Revelation about 3,5 years, these are the time of persecution and they also represent the entire Era of Proclamation. Now you may, say come on. How can this be? Well, it depends from which angle we look at it. The 1000 years is great and huge number in the context of the binding of Satan and thus going for the nations. Gospel success.

But the 3,5 years are the time of persecution. 3,5 is a broken seven. 7 is the number of completeness and perfection. 3,5 is imperfect time of the persecution from the world. 3,5 years is also how long the Woman is to be nourished, time reminds us of Elisha when he in the wilderness in utter dependence on God (James 5:17; 1Kings 18). It also reminds us of the Jewish persecution in the time of the Maccabees and Antiochus Epiphanes IV.

Both 3,5 and 1000 years represent the Church Era, but it depends from which angle we look at it. If we look at it from the angle of persecution, it seems of imperfect and incomplete. But if we look at the 1000 years in the context of Satan’s binding it seems so huge and assures us of Gospel success. Let us not forget that many, if not all the disciples expected our Lord to return soon. 1000 is a huge number.

The First Resurrection

There are two possible explanations for this. It is either regeneration or the entrance of the saints to heaven (Dean’s view). I favor the regeneration view because it has direct statements from Scripture and especially from John to confirm this, but I still have some questions which the “entrance to heaven” view answers. I’m challenged by Dean’s view, it seems indeed to fit. [Edit: as of 25-04-2015 I have changed my view of the first resurrection to Dean’s. I believe the first resurrection refers to the believers’ entrance into the Intermediate State.]

Dean’s view say that the first resurrection is not a physical resurrection, indeed the consistent teaching of the NT is that of one general resurrection at the Parousia. The first resurrection refers to the believers’ entrance to heaven and reigning there with Christ.

There are two groups who are reigning with Christ:

The martyrs
1. the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God
Born again believers
1. those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands

The regeneration view sees support in John 5.

John 5:25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, whe...

A Review of Hell Under Fire

Simon Wartanian | 5,484 views | 1,399 words | 0:07:19 hours | 22 January 2017 20:36

Book Review Eschatology Heaven Hell Gehenna Judgment Eternity Annihilationism Universalism Eternal Punishment Hell Under Fire

...e of the best commentaries on Revelation, deals in detail with these passages while interacting fairly and respectfully with the other side.

He shows how the eternality of hell is parallel with the eternality of heaven. Notice how in Revelation 14:11 the torments of the lost who are said to “have no rest, day or night” are side by side with the bliss of the saints who are said to have “rest from their labors” in Revelation 14:13. Notice also the close parallel between Revelation 14:11 and 20:10. Dr. Beale lays a great stress on this and rightfully so. The worshipers of the beast, the reprobate, will meet the same fate as their lord, the unholy Trinity: Satan, the beast and false prophet. Dr. Beale writes, ‘the temporal expression “day and night” (hemeras kai nyktos) clearly refers to ceaseless activity that endures for eternity in 20:10, but the identical sense is strongly implied in 7:15 and 4:8. In 7:15 the clause alludes to the worship of the whole congregation of saints in God's temple in the new creation at the end of the age...Such worship and relief will continue forever” (p. 118).

The parallel between the fate of the wicked and the righteous is also present in the fact that while the righteous “will reign forever and ever” (Rev 22:5), on the other hand, “the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever” (Rev 14:11). Notice that Scripture says that the smoke of their torment, not destruction goes up forever and ever. The expression “forever and ever” is identical for both the righteous as well as the wicked. Torment or punishment by definition implies consciousness. We do not torment or punish a car or a rock; but we do punish criminals. Therefore, “It still remains true that Revelation 14:11 and 20:10-15 are the Achilles’ heel of the annihilationist perspective” (p. 134).

Much more could be said about this chapter, but my advice is to simply pick up the book and read this chapter. It is mind-opening and very helpful.

Summary

I loved the respectful tone of the authors and their respectful and fair interaction with the other side. I enjoyed their fair and honest handling of the Scriptures. I loved the fact that the authors frequently referred back to earlier portions of the book, which tells me that the editor did a great job at putting the book together. Sometimes they even cite earlier portions. Much could be learned from this book, from both its theological as well as pastoral tone, and I will no doubt return and look up the arguments and the texts again. Lord willing, I will try to update my commentary on chapter 32 of the 1689 sometime in the future with the insights I've gained from this work.

My final advice is: tolle lege!

...

I published my commentary on the 1689 Confession of Faith

Simon Wartanian | 5,651 views | 523 words | 0:02:44 hours | 23 April 2021 17:00

Book 1689 Confession Commentary

..., but I couldn’t go over the 700 page limit of the company I first printed my book with. From then, the book was split into 2 volumes, but 8 volumes of ~ 200 pages each was absolutely out of the question. I was discouraged and abandoned the project for a while until I started looking into Amazon and publishing. Seeing that it is independent, it was much easier to manage than with a publishing company, so I started working to publish it with Amazon and the two volumes have finally been published now!

The majority of the content is the same as you will find on this website, but with corrected grammar (I hope) and some expanded sections on eschatology, the person of Christ, the Trinity among others.

The title is a mouthful but I believe accurate: A Layman’s Systematic and Biblical Exposition of the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. I’m not a trained theologian. I’m a software engineer and I’m a theology nerd. I’m a layman who loves the Word of God and the God of the Word. I started working on this project because I wanted to understand my faith better. My objective was to look at various topics holistically and in light of Scripture, taking that as my guide and seeing if it agrees with the Confession. That justifies the adjectives systematic and biblical.

This book wouldn’t be a reality without the help of a lot of dead guys with their books and commentaries in the public domain. I love reading new books, but when I was a student (the time when I was writing the commentary) I couldn’t just afford expensive commentaries on every book of the Bible, and I still believe that there is much to be valued in those old dead guys’ books and commentaries.

For those wishing to buy the books, go to your favorite Amazon and search for “A Layman’s Systematic and Biblical Exposition of the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith”, or:

Distributor	Books
Amazon.com	Vol. 1 - Vol. 2
Amazon.nl	Vol. 1 - Vol. 2
Amazon.de	Vol. 1 - Vol. 2
Amazon.co.uk	Vol. 1 - Vol. 2
Amazon.ca	Vol. 1 - Vol. 2
Amazon.fr	Vol. 1 - Vol. 2
Amazon.es	Vol. 1 - Vol. 2
Amazon.it	Vol. 1 - Vol. 2
Amazon.co.jp	Vol. 1 - Vol. 2

As always, Soli Deo Gloria.

Here are a few samples. From Vol. 1 (chapters 1-18 of the Confession)

From Vol. 2 (chapters 19-32 of the Confession)

<ul class="pagination justify-content-center" style=" text-align: center;margin: 0 auto">  <li class='page-item '> <a class='page-link' href='search?q=Trinity&precision=exact&category=&per_page=10&page=1'><<</a> </li>  <li class='page-item '> <a class='page-link' href='search?q=Trinity&precision=exact&category=&per_page=10&page=2'><</a> </li>  <li class='page-item '> <a class='page-link' href='search?q=Trinity&precision=exact&category=&per_page=10&page=1'>1</a> </li> <li class='page-item '> <a class='page-link' href='search?q=Trinity&precision=exact&category=&per_page=10&page=2'>2</a> </li> <li class='page-item active'> <a class='page-link' href='search?q=Trinity&precision=exact&category=&per_page=10&page=3'>3</a> </li>  <li class='page-item disabled'> <a class='page-link' href='search?q=Trinity&precision=exact&category=&per_page=10&page=3'>></a> </li>  <li class='page-item disabled'> <a class='page-link' href='search?q=Trinity&precision=exact&category=&per_page=10&page=3'>>> </a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <footer> <details>  <summary>© 2014-2024 <a href="https://www.google.com/+SimonWartanian?rel=author">Simon Wartanian</a></summary> <span style="text-align:left; margin-left:10px;"><a href="https://www.thecalvinist.net/about">About</a></span> | <span itemprop="publisher" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Organization"> <span itemprop="name">The Staunch Calvinist</span> </span> | <span style="text-align:right; margin-right:10px;"><a href="https://www.thecalvinist.net/contact">Contact</a></span> <br> <span style="text-align:right; margin-right:10px;"><a href="https://www.thecalvinist.net/sitemap">Sitemap</a></span> <br> <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/staunchcalvinist&width=83&layout=button_count&action=like&size=small&share=false&height=21&appId=232854336887132" width="150" height="21" style="border:none;overflow:hidden;text-align: center" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media">
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