Click HERE for a nice little summary in the review of a book that I have yet to read. The book is by Malcolm Watts. The review is by Richard Barcellos.
What is a Reformed Church? is probably one of the most frequent questions I get asked (after the limited atonement ones) and this review provides a nice synopsis which I am sure is even better elucidated by the book.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
The Significance of Screws and Bolts
From Thomas Witherow's - "The Apostolic Church: Which Is It?" where he discusses the different forms of church government, whether the Bible actually lays out a proper form, and if it does - which is it? Many would argue that this type of conversation doesn't matter - which is why I always enjoy Witherow's opening remarks to this type of argument. Needless to say he rightly disagrees and these few paragraphs could help to restructure much of what you might think is, or is not important.
"It is very common for professing Christians to draw a distinction between essentials and non-essentials in religion, and to infer that, if any fact or doctrine rightly belongs to the latter class, it must be a matter of very little importance, and may in practice be safely set at naught. The great bulk of men take their opinions on trust; they will not undergo the toil of thinking, searching, and reasoning about anything, and one of the most usual expedients adopted to save them the trouble of inquiry, and to turn aside the force of any disagreeable fact, is to meet it by saying, ” The matter is not essential to salvation; therefore we need give ourselves little concern on the subject.”
If the distinction here specified is safe, the inference drawn from it is certainly dangerous. To say that, because a fact of Divine revelation is not essential to salvation, it must of necessity be unimportant, and may or may not be received by us, is to assert a principle, the application of which would make havoc of our Christianity. For, what are the truths essential to salvation? Are they not these: That there is a God; that all men are sinners; that the Son of God died upon the cross to make atonement for the guilty; and that whosoever believes on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved? There is good reason for believing that not a few souls arc now in happiness, who in life knew little more than these—the first principles of the oracles of God—the very alphabet of the Christian system; and if so, no other Divine truths can be counted absolutely essential to salvation. But if all the other truths of revelation are unimportant, because they happen to be non-essentials, it follows that the Word of God itself is in the main unimportant; for by far the greatest portion of it is occupied with matters, the knowledge of which, in the case supposed, is not absolutely indispensable to the everlasting happiness of men. Nor does it alter the case, if we regard the number of fundamental truths to be much greater. Let a man once persuade himself that importance attaches only to what he is pleased to call essentials, whatever their number, and he will, no doubt, shorten his creed and cut away the foundation of many controversies; but he will practically set aside all except a very small part of the Scriptures. If such a principle does not mutilate the Bible, it stigmatizes much of it as trivial. Revelation is all gold for preciousness and purity, but the very touch of such a principle would transmute the most of it into dross.
Though every statement in the Scripture cannot be regarded as absolutely essential to salvation, yet everything there is essential to some other wise and important end, else it would not find a place in the good Word of God. Human wisdom may be baffled in attempting to specify the design of every truth that forms a component part of Divine revelation, but eternity will show us that no portion of it is useless, All Scripture is profitable. A fact written therein may not be essential to human salvation, and yet it may be highly conducive to some other great and gracious purpose in the economy of God—it may be necessary for our personal comfort, for our guidance in life, or for our growth in holiness, and most certainly it is essential to the completeness of the system of Divine truth. The law of the Lord is perfect. Strike out of the Bible the truth that seems the most insignificant of all, and the law of the Lord would not be perfect any more. In architecture, the pinning that fills a crevice in the wall occupies a subordinate position, in comparison with the quoin; but the builder lets us know that the one has an important purpose to serve as well as the other, and does its part to promote the stability and completeness of the house. In shipbuilding, the screws and bolts that gird the ship together are insignificant, as compared with the beams of oak and masts of pine, but they contribute their full share to the safety of the vessel and the security of the passenger. So in the Christian system, every fact, great or small, that God has been pleased to insert in the Bible is, by its very position, invested with importance, answers its end, and, though perhaps justly considered as non-essential to salvation, does not deserve to be accounted as worthless.
Every Divine truth is important, though it may be that all Divine truths are not of equal importance. The simplest statement of the Bible is a matter of more concern to an immortal being than the most sublime sentiment of mere human genius. The one carries with it what the other cannot show—the stamp of the approval of God. The one comes to us from heaven, the other savors of the earth. The one has for us a special interest, as forming a constituent portion of that Word which is a message from God to each individual man; the other is the production of a mind merely human, to which we and all our interests were alike unknown. Any truth merely human should weigh with us light as a feather in comparison with the most insignificant of the truths of God. The faith of a Christian should strive to reach and grasp everything that God has honored with a place in that Word, the design of which is to be a light to our feet as we thread our-way through this dark world. Besides, this, unlike every other book, is not doomed to perish. Heaven and earth may pass away, but the words of Christ shall not pass away. The seal of eternity is stamped on every verse of the Bible. This fact is enough of itself to make every line of it important."
"It is very common for professing Christians to draw a distinction between essentials and non-essentials in religion, and to infer that, if any fact or doctrine rightly belongs to the latter class, it must be a matter of very little importance, and may in practice be safely set at naught. The great bulk of men take their opinions on trust; they will not undergo the toil of thinking, searching, and reasoning about anything, and one of the most usual expedients adopted to save them the trouble of inquiry, and to turn aside the force of any disagreeable fact, is to meet it by saying, ” The matter is not essential to salvation; therefore we need give ourselves little concern on the subject.”
If the distinction here specified is safe, the inference drawn from it is certainly dangerous. To say that, because a fact of Divine revelation is not essential to salvation, it must of necessity be unimportant, and may or may not be received by us, is to assert a principle, the application of which would make havoc of our Christianity. For, what are the truths essential to salvation? Are they not these: That there is a God; that all men are sinners; that the Son of God died upon the cross to make atonement for the guilty; and that whosoever believes on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved? There is good reason for believing that not a few souls arc now in happiness, who in life knew little more than these—the first principles of the oracles of God—the very alphabet of the Christian system; and if so, no other Divine truths can be counted absolutely essential to salvation. But if all the other truths of revelation are unimportant, because they happen to be non-essentials, it follows that the Word of God itself is in the main unimportant; for by far the greatest portion of it is occupied with matters, the knowledge of which, in the case supposed, is not absolutely indispensable to the everlasting happiness of men. Nor does it alter the case, if we regard the number of fundamental truths to be much greater. Let a man once persuade himself that importance attaches only to what he is pleased to call essentials, whatever their number, and he will, no doubt, shorten his creed and cut away the foundation of many controversies; but he will practically set aside all except a very small part of the Scriptures. If such a principle does not mutilate the Bible, it stigmatizes much of it as trivial. Revelation is all gold for preciousness and purity, but the very touch of such a principle would transmute the most of it into dross.
Though every statement in the Scripture cannot be regarded as absolutely essential to salvation, yet everything there is essential to some other wise and important end, else it would not find a place in the good Word of God. Human wisdom may be baffled in attempting to specify the design of every truth that forms a component part of Divine revelation, but eternity will show us that no portion of it is useless, All Scripture is profitable. A fact written therein may not be essential to human salvation, and yet it may be highly conducive to some other great and gracious purpose in the economy of God—it may be necessary for our personal comfort, for our guidance in life, or for our growth in holiness, and most certainly it is essential to the completeness of the system of Divine truth. The law of the Lord is perfect. Strike out of the Bible the truth that seems the most insignificant of all, and the law of the Lord would not be perfect any more. In architecture, the pinning that fills a crevice in the wall occupies a subordinate position, in comparison with the quoin; but the builder lets us know that the one has an important purpose to serve as well as the other, and does its part to promote the stability and completeness of the house. In shipbuilding, the screws and bolts that gird the ship together are insignificant, as compared with the beams of oak and masts of pine, but they contribute their full share to the safety of the vessel and the security of the passenger. So in the Christian system, every fact, great or small, that God has been pleased to insert in the Bible is, by its very position, invested with importance, answers its end, and, though perhaps justly considered as non-essential to salvation, does not deserve to be accounted as worthless.
Every Divine truth is important, though it may be that all Divine truths are not of equal importance. The simplest statement of the Bible is a matter of more concern to an immortal being than the most sublime sentiment of mere human genius. The one carries with it what the other cannot show—the stamp of the approval of God. The one comes to us from heaven, the other savors of the earth. The one has for us a special interest, as forming a constituent portion of that Word which is a message from God to each individual man; the other is the production of a mind merely human, to which we and all our interests were alike unknown. Any truth merely human should weigh with us light as a feather in comparison with the most insignificant of the truths of God. The faith of a Christian should strive to reach and grasp everything that God has honored with a place in that Word, the design of which is to be a light to our feet as we thread our-way through this dark world. Besides, this, unlike every other book, is not doomed to perish. Heaven and earth may pass away, but the words of Christ shall not pass away. The seal of eternity is stamped on every verse of the Bible. This fact is enough of itself to make every line of it important."
Friday, January 27, 2012
Epic Fail??
So, I haven't been posting on the Institutes - but I have been reading it. What's the deal?
Well, a lot has been going on, all good, and I will try to get some information about that up soon. But until then just know that blogging the Institutes was one too many things for me to do this year. And hopefully I can share why before too long.
Lots of stuff in the works. Preparing to make a big move. This little blog will have to serve as an outlet of a different type for a while.
Keep the faith!
Well, a lot has been going on, all good, and I will try to get some information about that up soon. But until then just know that blogging the Institutes was one too many things for me to do this year. And hopefully I can share why before too long.
Lots of stuff in the works. Preparing to make a big move. This little blog will have to serve as an outlet of a different type for a while.
Keep the faith!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Institutes, 1.4.1-4.4
Man has been implanted with an understanding of who (not what) God is. We have the capacity, by the work of the Holy Spirit, to perceive the world around us and further develop an understanding of who God is by the characteristics and attributes displayed in His creation. But without special revelation from the Holy Spirit of the redemptive knowledge of God, what He has done in Christ, this knowledge is “either smothered or corrupted, partly by ignorance, partly by malice.”
From birth, without the grace of God, this seed of knowledge “degenerates.” Men are blind to this truth within them and, mixed with pride and obstinacy, fashion their own god, usually in their own image. Knowing that the true God does exist by this seed of knowledge, they still don’t seek to know God as He reveals Himself, but simply design a god of their own liking. In this way, it is not just that they are innocent out of some apparent ignorance, but they are guilty – knowing there is a God but choosing to construct a false one. Others, almost persuaded, do not deny there is a God, or deny there is One True God, but upon a clear presentation simply reject Him.
This degeneration of the first sort leads to false religion. It attempts to place idols into the position of God in worship and service. Although the term “god” is used, their definition does not align with how He has revealed Himself in His Word. Their idol is named god and he is often worshipped in the True God’s Church.
Or men may simply come to worship “god” out of that implanted understanding that this is what they were created to do. But their worship is not acceptable because it is not according to His covenant, and it is not tied to repentance and belief.
These “degenerations” simply contribute to show that man knows that there is a God and that men were created to glorify Him. Even in sin, from their created nature, made in the image of God, they know (whether they acknowledge or not) that they are creatures made to worship.
From birth, without the grace of God, this seed of knowledge “degenerates.” Men are blind to this truth within them and, mixed with pride and obstinacy, fashion their own god, usually in their own image. Knowing that the true God does exist by this seed of knowledge, they still don’t seek to know God as He reveals Himself, but simply design a god of their own liking. In this way, it is not just that they are innocent out of some apparent ignorance, but they are guilty – knowing there is a God but choosing to construct a false one. Others, almost persuaded, do not deny there is a God, or deny there is One True God, but upon a clear presentation simply reject Him.
This degeneration of the first sort leads to false religion. It attempts to place idols into the position of God in worship and service. Although the term “god” is used, their definition does not align with how He has revealed Himself in His Word. Their idol is named god and he is often worshipped in the True God’s Church.
Or men may simply come to worship “god” out of that implanted understanding that this is what they were created to do. But their worship is not acceptable because it is not according to His covenant, and it is not tied to repentance and belief.
These “degenerations” simply contribute to show that man knows that there is a God and that men were created to glorify Him. Even in sin, from their created nature, made in the image of God, they know (whether they acknowledge or not) that they are creatures made to worship.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Institutes, 1.2.1-3.3
So, I’m obviously having a problem prioritizing commenting on Calvin by way of this blog. Have no doubts that I am reading Calvin, I just don’t necessarily always feel like I have something to say. Stick with me. I’ll get this blog verbosity thing figured out.
Knowledge of God is not possible without piety. Piety is “that reverence joined with love of God which the knowledge of his benefit induces.” So the question in regard to attaining godliness is not “what is God?” We don’t need to speculate on what His physical “makeup” might be, or what God is – we need to know about who He is. The “who” is that He is the Father and Author of salvation, that we can know when Christ the Mediator reconciles Him to us. That we owe everything to Him and that we must establish our complete happiness in Him. Many people acknowledge some idea of “god” but few actually know the One True Living God as He presents Himself in Scripture. We must humble ourselves before Him, pray that He will instruct us, and listen to what He has to say concerning Himself, revere Him, before we can begin to truly know Him. Before this reverence we will only live with a construct of our own speculation.
But it is also true that all men have a general knowledge of God as Creator and Sovereign, although they suppress this truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1). We can see this simply in the fact that men make idols of any and every thing if they do not worship the One True God. We also see that men have a general understanding there is a God in that they can be easily moved to subjection of others by threats of punishments or promise of reward if they will only do what they are told their “god” commands. Men know there is a God. But many do not now know Him and simply live by suppressing the truth and constructing a lie.
Knowledge of God is not possible without piety. Piety is “that reverence joined with love of God which the knowledge of his benefit induces.” So the question in regard to attaining godliness is not “what is God?” We don’t need to speculate on what His physical “makeup” might be, or what God is – we need to know about who He is. The “who” is that He is the Father and Author of salvation, that we can know when Christ the Mediator reconciles Him to us. That we owe everything to Him and that we must establish our complete happiness in Him. Many people acknowledge some idea of “god” but few actually know the One True Living God as He presents Himself in Scripture. We must humble ourselves before Him, pray that He will instruct us, and listen to what He has to say concerning Himself, revere Him, before we can begin to truly know Him. Before this reverence we will only live with a construct of our own speculation.
But it is also true that all men have a general knowledge of God as Creator and Sovereign, although they suppress this truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1). We can see this simply in the fact that men make idols of any and every thing if they do not worship the One True God. We also see that men have a general understanding there is a God in that they can be easily moved to subjection of others by threats of punishments or promise of reward if they will only do what they are told their “god” commands. Men know there is a God. But many do not now know Him and simply live by suppressing the truth and constructing a lie.
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