A Summary of Herman
Witsius' The Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man
Those that have a hard time reading 800 page treatises on theology may
enjoy this short overview. This is taken from Witsius' work and is a
summary of each chapter in that work. It gives an brief outline in
written form of what Witsius' teaches through his two volume work - the
best work on the subject of Covenant Theology .
If you speak German, try this
translation. Book
1 – Explaining
the Covenant of Works
Chapter
1: Of Divine Covenants in General
Chapter
2: Of the Contracting Parties in the Covenant of Works.
Chapter
3: Of the Law or Condition of the Covenant of Works.
Chapter
4: Of the Promises of the Covenant of Works.
Chapter
5: Of the Penal Sanction
Chapter
6: Of the Sacraments of the Covenant of Works.
Chapter
7: Of the First Sabbath.
Chapter
8: Of the Violation of the Covenant of Works on the part
of Man.
Chapter
9: Of the Abrogation of the Covenant of Works on the part
of God.
Book 2 – Explaining
the Covenant of Redemption
Chapter
1: Introduction to the Covenant of Grace
Chapter
2: Introduction to Covenant of Redemption
Chapter
3: The Covenant between the Father and the Son more fully
explained.
Chapter
4: Of the Person of the Surety.
Chapter
5: Of the Suretyship and Satisfaction of Christ.
Chapter
6: What Sufferings of Christ are Satisfactory.
Chapter
7: Of the Efficacy of Christ's Satisfaction.
Chapter
8: Of the Necessity of Christ's Satisfaction.
Chapter
9: Of the Persons for whom Christ Engaged and Satisfied.
Chapter
10: After what manner Christ used the Sacraments.
Book
3: of the Covenant of Grace
or the Covenant of God with the Elect
Chapter
1: Of The Covenant of God with the Elect.
Chapter
2: Of the Oneness of the Covenant of Grace, as to its
Substance.
Chapter
3: Of the Different Economies of the Covenant of Grace.
Chapter
4: Of Election.
Chapter
5: Of Effectual Calling.
Chapter
6: Of Regeneration.
Chapter
7: Of Faith.
Chapter
8: Of Justification
Chapter
9: Of Spiritual Peace.
Chapter
10: Of Adoption
Chapter
11: Of The Spirit of Adoption.
Chapter
12: Of Sanctification.
Chapter
13: Of Conservation.
Chapter
14: Of Glorification.
Book
4: Of the Benefits of
Salvation
Chapter
1: Of the Doctrine of Salvation in the first age of the
World,
Chapter
2: Of The Doctrine of Grace under Noah.
Chapter
3: Of the Doctrine of Grace from Abraham to Moses.
Chapter
4: Of the Decalogue.
Chapter
5: Of the Doctrine of the Prophets.
Chapter
6: Of the Types.
Chapter
7: Of the Sacraments of Grace down to Abraham.
Chapter
8: Of Circumcision.
Chapter
9: Of the Passover.
Chapter
10: Of the extraordinary Sacraments in the Wilderness
Chapter
11: Of the Blessings of the Old Testament.
Chapter
12: Of the Imperfections falsely ascribed to the Old
Testament.
Chapter
13: Of the real defects of the Old Testament.
Chapter
14: Of the Abrogation of the Old Testament.
Chapter
15: Of the Benefits of the New Testament.
Chapter
16: Of Baptism.
Chapter
17: Of the Lord's Supper.
In
studying divine covenants in general, one is treading through
understanding God’s Redemptive Plan throughout history.
This is a matter of Eternal Salvation.
It answers the question: How may a sinful man approach God?
(Exodus 3:5). When a person
injures the sacred mysteries surrounding the divine covenants, they are
twisting the means by which men are saved (Matthew 5:19)
In Scripture, “covenant” is translated in the Hebrew “berith.”
It can have various meanings, such as: 1) An immutable ordinance
made about a thing (Jer. 33:20); 2) A testament that cannot be changed
(Heb. 9:15-17); 3) a sure and stable promise, though it is not mutual
(there are not two parties involved but just God); 4) A precept (Jer.
34:13-14); 5) a general rule or statue; and 6) a mutual agreement
between parties, with respect to something (Gen. 14:13)
God's
covenant with man may be seen as a covenant of
God with man. It is an agreement between God and man, (a pact
or agreement) about the way of
obtaining consummate happiness; including a threatening of eternal
destruction, with which the contemner of the happiness, offered in that
way, is to be punished. (Which is the manner in which Witsius defines
this). In the Hebrew, the meaning is “To cut a
covenant” or “strike a covenant (Genesis 15:10).”
The Greek is the same continuing the Hebrew ideas with the word diaqh,kh.
There are three elements of the covenant – 1) A promise of
eternal life. 2) Prescription of the conditions for obtaining the
promise, and 3) the penal sanction against transgressors of the
conditions of the Covenant. God requires the complete sanctification of
the parties involved in the covenant or threatens punishment. Nor was
the Covenant an option for man.
In
Scripture, there are two covenants of God with man: Covenant of Works.
(“Do this and live…”) and the Covenant of Grace. There are
poignant similarities between the two covenants.
In the Covenant of Works: God manifests himself as supreme
law-giver and chief good desiring to make man a partaker of his eternal
happiness. In the Covenant
of Grace He is infinitely merciful to the elect sinner.
There is a mediator in the covenant of grace, where there is no
mediator in the Covenant of Works.
The contracting parties of the covenant of works are God and man.
In this covenant Adam sustained a two-fold relation, both as man
and as representative of all men. He was created with a reasonable soul
that has the capacity for interaction and power to act perfectly with
knowledge, righteousness and holiness. The whole extent of the image of
God created in Adam consists of three parts: 1) Antecedently, in that it
consists in the spiritual and immortal nature of the soul and in the
faculties of understanding and will, 2) Formally and principally in
these endowments or qualities of the soul, viz. righteousness and
holiness, and 3) Consequentially, in the immortality of the whole man,
and his dominion over the creatures. As head and root, or representative
of mankind the whole of history proves this fact as he was the first man
to whom was spoken the creation ordinances and mandate.
God
is righteous in governing the world in this fashion by the covenant with
Adam in the garden. No one would have complained if Adam had obeyed. People often complain it is not fair since they were not
there, and that they could have succeeded if they were. However, no one can say they could have done better. Since
they are fallen now, they are thinking in a fallen state, and they think
now that they could have done better than a perfect man who had no sin.
But in Adam everyone has sinned personally.
In Adam everyone sinned, as if they had been there.
The
Law of the Covenant is twofold: the law of nature implanted in Adam
which was done at his creation, and the symbolic law concerning the tree
of the knowledge of Good and evil.
The Law of nature is the rule of good and evil, inscribed by God
on man's conscience, even at his creation, and therefore binding upon
him by divine authority. This has not disappeared since the fall.
It is compatible with love and not an enforcement or coercion but
the obligation of a just act based upon the holiness of God.
The law of nature is the same in substance with the Decalogue.
The
Creator/creature distinction necessitates law.
If God did not uphold the law He would deny Himself.
God is the sovereign Creator, not man.
If man were autonomous, then man would be “god.”
The law requires external and internal obedience. It governs not
only our actions but our nature. The
universal precepts of the law are founded upon the nature of God, that
is, an expression of His character.
The
symbolic law was the tree of knowledge of good and evil. (Gen. 2:26-17).
There is a two-fold reason for the symbolic law - with respect to
God, to test and try man's obedience, and with respect to man, probatory
law with reward of eternal life and punishment of eternal death.
A
perfect three-fold keeping of the law was required.
First, of its parts with respect to subject and object: The whole
man, body and soul, had to keep the whole law.
Also of the degree to which it is to be kept: man had to keep the
law with all diligence and heart. Also, man had to persevere: Man had to
persevere in keeping the law without fault.
The
Covenant of Works did include promises contrary to the Socinians. Man's
natural conscience teaches him that God desires not to be served in
vain, nor that obedience to his commands will go unrewarded and for
nought. Rather, true faith is rooted in the word and promise of God.
The tree of life represented the promise of eternal life. It
would have a been a nonsensical statement for God to prohibited Adam
from eating of the tree if something good were not to come from not
eating. It was a seal of the promise of God to Adam if He obeyed. If no
promise had been made, man would have lived without hope and lack of
hope is characteristic of the fall, for the very threatening infers a
promise.
The
promise made to man was eternal life.
Jesus came to do what the law could not do because man sinned. Jesus came to procure eternal life therefore it was promised
to man from the beginning. If
Adam persevered, he would have received what we received by faith in
Jesus Christ. The law
itself was ordained to life (Gal. 3:21).
Christ, the second Adam, earned eternal life for us through the
law. He did what Adam did not do.
If
there was no reward, what kind of covenant would it have been? God would act unjustly against His character of rewarding
those who diligently seek Him and all of Theology Proper would come
crashing to the ground. God
would then violate His character.
The
nature of the promise of God to Adam for eternal life has a number of
foundational truths. God
owes nothing to man. Man cannot merit anything from God. God cannot
punish a holy creature for it would be wrong for God to send a creature
to hell that is just and Holy. This
would be a denial of Himself. God
cannot refuse to grant a holy creature the communion of Himself. If He
did that would throw, again His character in confusion.
He would be saying that he does not delight in holiness and true
piety. And God does not love something in vain.
Chapter
5: Of the Penal Sanction
There
are various observations concerning the penal sanction to note (Gen.
2:17). Death is the
consequence of sin and therefore not natural.
The rebellious and disobedient and them alone are those set with
the consequences of punishment. Death
follows as a consequence of eating from the forbidden tree.
Sin here expressed is the transgression of the symbolic law. The
law seen in the tree of the knowledge of Good and evil, is the more full
expression of the Law of God.
The
term death is used generally to include all its meanings. It is to be
taken in all of its meaning, not just physical death.
It was spoken to Adam as the head of mankind. Corporeal and
spiritual death on behalf of all men as the outcome of his disobedience. This penal sanction would be administered immediately. The
moment he finished his sin in eating the fruit, he felt the change and
it began immediately. Death is the separation of body and soul. Death
means vanity or frustration of this life along with its pain and
miseries. Death means
spiritual death. Death means eternal death of body and soul.
The
necessity of the penal sanction for sin is the majesty, holiness and
justice of God. God is a
jealous God for His own glory and majesty.
God cannot deny Himself, nor can he deny His supreme majesty.
It’s the manifestation of the jealousy of God that is seen here
against sin. He must punish
wickedness. The holiness of
God demonstrates that God cannot be joined with a sinner without
satisfaction made to his justice for He cannot look upon sin. A holy God
hates sin and the sinner. God
manifests his holiness when he punishes the wicked.
The justice of God is an essential attribute of God.
God's justice demands sin be punished with death.
However, God does not delight in the death of the wicked. The
penal sanction of death is based upon the just nature of God. Eternal
death is not an arbitrary sanction. It depends on the holy nature of
God. Sin is infinite in
relation to its attack upon God who is infinite (and not in an absolute
sense since there are degrees of sin), therefore punishment must be
infinite as well. It cannot be removed but by Christ’s blood, it
stands forever.
In
the Covenant of Works there were sacraments.
They are visible proclamations of the covenant. Daily Adam
beholds the sacrament with his eyes, and remembers the promises given to
him, and the threats. They
are there to strengthen our faith in God's promises, and to confirm our
faith (Heb. 6:17-18). They
are also a foretaste of eternal blessings.
Those eternal blessings will be without outward signs and simply
grasp the thing itself signified in these lesser objects at that time,
but now we must use them to strengthen faith for they remind us of our
duty to God. They help us
remember how one is bound to his covenant-God, and they bridle and
restrain him in a certain degree from sin.
The sacraments of the covenant of works are Paradise, the tree of
life, the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the Sabbath.
The
sacrament of Paradise was the Garden of Paradise.
It was a garden planted by God, given to man as steward to take
care of it. Paradise
signified heaven. (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:4; Gen 3:10, Rev. 22:1; Gen
2:12; Rev. 21:27). Paradise
reminded Adam to be active. It
was the pledge of heaven, and Adam was to cultivate that place
continually. He was to keep
the sanctuary of God pure and holy, so that God could come and
“metaphorically – eat of its fruits” with Adam in fellowship (Song
4:16).
The
sacrament of the tree of life signified the Son of God who is the source
of life in all covenants. It
was the sign of the covenant promise of eternal life.
Adam was cut off from the sign when cast out of the garden. Being
cut off from the tree demonstrated the need of a Mediator to bring them
back to the tree. It
was a holy example – for “the fruit of the righteous is a tree of
life (Proverbs 11:30).”
The
sacrament of the tree of knowledge of good and evil signified the
promise of the covenant and the curse of the covenant.
It stood as a memorial of our duty towards God.
Adam should desire the chief good – who is God.
Man should not go after that which is simply pleasing to the
body. God’s rule is the
supreme authority before man, which Adam should have followed as
signified by the tree. Had
Adam obeyed, he would upon his trial have come to the knowledge and
sense of his good to which he was called, and had a natural desire
after, even “eternal life and consummate happiness.”
The
last sacrament of the Covenant of Works is the Sabbath that began at
Creation (Genesis 2:2-3). The
first day was the day blessed – the first day after six days of work.
As a creation sacrament, it is binding upon all men for all time.
It is binding simply on the basis of imitating God. Adam entered
into the Sabbath rest upon completion of his creation.
The first day Adam enjoyed was the Sabbath rest.
God
rejoiced over His work. He ceased from creating anything new and
contemplated his creation. He
rejoiced over what was worthy of His labor – which is consistent with
the character of His goodness. This
set a pattern which man is to copy.
Adam was engaged on the first day of his creation to contemplate
the Creator - resting and contemplating to abstain from every sin. On this day of rest God blessed man.
The
Sabbath is set as a sacrament. God's
resting signified His far more glorious rest for men in heaven (Heb.
4:10) Men enter this rest through the work of Christ which points to the
mystical signification of the Sabbath and heaven.
God's resting signified man's eternal rest in God after his
probation.
Chapter
8: Of the Violation of the Covenant of Works
on the part of Man.
The
covenant in its whole constitution was violated by Adam's sin. The broken Covenant is seen in Hosea 6:7 and Romans 5:12.
Adam was the root of mankind and all of mankind fell in that
transgression.
There
are some important observations concerning Satan's temptation of Adam
and what Satan did there. Satan
doubts God's word. He
doubts or undermines the penalty of sin. He instills Heresy (Rev. 13:11,
“He speaks like a dragon…”) He
promises greater happiness upon obedience to him.
Satan tempted him to obtain that new happiness through
disobedience. He then
appeals to God as a witness to his lie. “Did God really say?”
The serpent was overthrowing the nature of the priestly office of
Adam by causing the priest to doubt God.
Would the sanctuary of God, the holy place of God, be overthrown?
Adam succumbed to the temptation and violated the covenant by
making a covenant with the devil.
Adam's
sin was predetermined by God. The
doctrine of concurrence teaches us this: for man to act, God has to act,
and if God acts then man acts. Man
cannot act independently from God.
(1 Peter 1:19-20, Acts 17:28, Isa. 10:15).
This is a necessity of consequence.
It is not that God “made” Adam sin in his heart, but that God
withholds His morally good influence in Adam.
God's decree is the foundation for man's liberty and He cannot be
the author of sin.
When
Adam sinned, God imputed Adam’s sin to all his posterity.
Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered
the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men,
because all sinned.” An
actual sin is in view. "All"
includes those who did not personally sin. Therefore Adam's sin was
imputed to them. It
is due to Adam's one sin that death came to all. It is analogous to
salvation in Christ who is the Representative head of His elect.
Only one sin of Adam is imputed to his posterity.
All are fallen as a result.
Chapter
9: Of the Abrogation of the Covenant of Works
on the part of God.
There
are important eternal truths that transcend the abrogation of the
covenant. Perfect obedience is (still) required by all men. This should
help us to see that God does not change just because men fall. God still
speaks to people in His Word as if they are not fallen (Do this and
live.), for perfect obedience is necessary to obtain eternal life
(Galatians 5:3).
Disobedience is still punished by death and men are still obliged
to keep the requirements or face the consequences.
The
Fall did not abrogate the duty to keep the law. James Arminius believed
that it did. However, the
obligation to obey is founded principally upon God and not a covenant.
The execution of penal sanctions does not abrogate the law, and
instead God administers a greater punishment.
Inability to keep the law does not negate the responsibility to
obey it. Man is the
cause of his inability. Man's
sin cannot diminish God's authority for that would be contrary to God's
nature. The law does not
change because God does not change (James 1:17, Romans 8:4)
The
Gospel did not abrogate the duty to keep the law.
The Covenant of Grace confirms the Covenant of Works.
Perfect obedience is required to obtain eternal life because
Christ's life and death was necessary to redeem his people.
The very fact that there is a Covenant of Grace demonstrates the
need to uphold the righteous character of God.
The fruit of Christ's work does not change the law but the
sinner. The law does
not change because God does not change. This is critical to understanding the Covenant of Works.
The abrogation on the part of God was that man could no longer
obtain eternal life by the keeping of the law.
Book
2 – Explaining the Covenant of Redemption
Chapter
1: Introduction to the Covenant of Grace
The
consequence to the Fall was that the Covenant of works was broken and
the New Covenant was established. Witsius
says, “When the covenant of works was thus broken by the sin of man,
and abrogated the just judgment of God, wretched man was cast headlong
into the deepest gulf of ruin, whence there could be no escape.”
Man was now without God, as Ephesians 2:12 states that he was,
“having no hope and without God in the world.”
As a result, a further covenant needed to be established with man
– the New Covenant, or Covenant of Grace.
A
New Covenant was setup that promised a coming Mediator to overthrow the
curse. It was new from the
beginning, and characterized in that way throughout redemptive history,
then epitomized in Christ. This
is the foundation of God’s merciful plan to save sinners.
The
Covenant of Grace illustrates God's adorable perfections.
Who can rehearse it all? Wisdom,
power, truth, justice holiness goodness, philanthropy, good-will,
mercy…and the like. It
demonstrates that which Adam would not have known in the garden, but now
revealed through mercy.
It
is helpful to define The Covenant of Grace, or New Covenant in the
following way: “The covenant of grace is a compact or agreement
between God and the elect sinner; God on his part declaring his free
good-will concerning eternal salvation, and every thing relative
thereto, freely to be given to those in covenant, by, and for the
mediator Christ; and man on his part consenting to that good-will by a
sincere faith."
In
other words, as we will see, the Covenant of Grace, made with the elect
is the reality interposed in time of the covenant that God the Father
makes with the Son. In time, this covenant is manifested as the Covenant of
Grace.
Chapter
2: Introduction to Covenant of Redemption
The
Covenant of Redemption is defined as “The Father gives the Son to be
Head and Redeemer of the elect; and the Son presents himself as a
Sponsor or Surety for them.” This
covenant is between God and the Mediator, not the elect and God.
The elect simply reap the benefits of this agreement between God
and the Mediator.
The
Scriptures demonstrate the reality of such a covenant made and we want
to demonstrate this by Scripture to prove the necessity of it.
First, we should observe the nature of the sacraments, which
Christ partook of for they are evidences for the Covenant of
Redemption.. Luke 22:29
"And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed
one upon Me.” The Greek
word diati,qemai,
“to dispose of a covenant” may be better worded “and I engage by covenant unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath engaged
by covenant unto me.” (cf. Hebrews 7:22). He is a surety – he represents us to God and communicates
to us His promises. He
undertook to perform the condition of the covenant where we could not
(Galatians 3:17).
The
contracting parties are, on one side, God, on
the other, Christ; and the agreement between both is ratified.
Christ is the seed to which all the promises of God are
made and complete. He is
the executor of the testament – or diaqakh.
The economic relationship between the Father and Son, that is
Christ calling God Father and God calling Christ servant, points to a
Covenant of Redemption (Isaiah 49:5-6). In
this servanthood, the whole nature of the covenant exists.
Christ calls God his Father, and the Father calls Christ His
servant.
The
contracting parties of the covenant are the Father and Son. (Psalm 16:2;
Isaiah 53:2). It was a
covenant proposed by the Father (John 10:18), and includes a promise and
right to ask for a promise upon obedience (John 10:18; John 12:49; Psalm
2:8; Isaiah 53:10-12) This
covenant was accepted by the Son (John 14:31; Psalm 40:7-8).
This is where many misunderstand how the covenant of grace is
conditional upon obedience, but that Christ accepted such obedience on
behalf of the elect and so the elect, and they alone will be able to
keep such a covenant with God because of Christ.
Christ had to perform and keep the covenant for all this to be
effectual for the salvation of men, thus seen in his baptism to fulfill
all righteousness. The
Father declared that He accepted the suretyship, “in thee I am well
pleased (Luke 3:22).” These
things were sealed by the symbol of the Holy Spirit falling upon Him.
Importance of the Covenant of Redemption is Foundational to Covenant
Theology. It is the
foundation to the whole of our salvation. This Covenant is divided in to three time frames or three
periods: eternity, immediately after the fall, and in the incarnation.
The time period of eternity for this covenant is proven from the
Scriptures (1 Pet. 1:20; Prov. 8:23,; Eph. 1:4; John 17:6; Rev. 13:8). It was then engaged immediately after the fall.
A need for a Mediator was given at the time of the fall (Gen.
3:15; Rom. 3:25; Zech 1:12-13). The time of the incarnation is also demonstrated by the
Scriptures (Psalm 40:7; Hebrews 10:5; Galatians 4:4).
There
is an importance to seeing how Christ related to the Law. As God He was subject to no one and nothing. He is the Son of
God in this respect. As man
He was subject to moral, ceremonial and civil laws.
He partook of the ceremonies and types which He would fulfill.
In this he was obedient. As
mediator He was subject to earn eternal life and pay our debt of sin,
i.e., active and passive obedience.
The active subjection to the law was that he set himself under it
as a rule of life (involuntary), but as a way to save sinners it was a
way to obtain eternal life (voluntary).
His passive obedience consisted of various miseries of body and
soul from the cradle to the cross.
Without His active and passive obedience sinners can never be
saved. His human nature,
then was truly subject to the law and his active obedience is
appropriated to the God-man and not just the human nature which is
necessary for the salvation of God's people.
The relationship between reward and the obedience of Christ is also
critical to understand. Reward
is promised to him which is the highest degree of glory (John 17:1).
To receive this as a man is the perfect fruition of God., being
exalted above all creatures. He
is given the church, receives all power, and gives gifts for the church.
In
order for salvation for men to accrue, the Savior must be true man,
consisting of a soul and body (Heb. 2:10,11,16 17).
This does not mean the human nature was taken into the divine
nature. Rather, the divine
nature “assumed” or took upon the human nature.
The Hebrews passage is an argument for the Incarnation, not
simply a statement about it.
The
Savior must be a righteous man. You
have to be a perfect man in order to save men.
He must fulfill as man what Adam failed to do as man.
The justice of God would never be satisfied unless flesh kept the
covenant bond (Ephesians 5:30; Galatians 4:4).
He had to be a righteous man as Hebrews 4:15 states and Romans
5:19 demonstrates. The
Covenant demands perfect holiness. There has to be a legal purity about
the sacrifice for God to accept it, for an unrighteous man cannot save
himself, and only a righteous man can save others.
The
virgin birth immunized the Savior from original sin.
There are two views seen here: the Symbolic view: the Virgin
birth was a symbol appointed by God whereby he was separated from
sinners. The miracle itself had no inherent power to keep the Savior
from original sin; and the Literal view: Virgin birth had inherent power
to keep the Saviour from original sin because it is possible that part
of the body is not under the curse of sin nor a means of transferring
guilt.
The
Savior must also be true God (Isa. 43:11).
Man is not the Savior, and salvation does not originate with him.
Only God can restore us to true liberty, for he who sets us free,
makes a purchase of us for his property and possession (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
Only God can give us eternal life that is in Himself. Only God
could raise the image of God back to its right state.
Only God can give us the right to become sons of God. Only God
can effect the new creation. Sinful
man cannot but taint the soul. God
must rescue the soul, and make it new.
The
Savior must be God-man. He
had to be man in order to obey, submit, and suffer. (1 Timothy 2:5l;
3:16) He had to be God at the same time in order to have his
obedience, submission, and suffering to be of sufficient value for the
redemption of the elect. He
had to be God at the same time in order to be able to bear the
fierceness of divine wrath and conquer death by his resurrection.
The power of God had to support the human nature to offer it as a
sacrifice.
Chapter
5: Of the Suretyship and Satisfaction of Christ.
Jesus
Christ is called our “Surety” because he made satisfaction to God
for us. The Socinians
define satisfaction as “partial satisfaction,” where man must take
up the rest of the story. The
Biblical definition of satisfaction is complete satisfaction.
Christ
could, without injury or disgrace to himself, perform the satisfaction
to God for us. He was lord
of his life; able to lay His life down for others (John 10:18)
As the God-man He could endure the punishment and perform an
obedience of such value as to be more than equivalent to the obedience
of all the elect. His
life and death demonstrated an incomprehensible love for God and men.
His taking on human flesh was not injurious to His deity since He did
not cease from being God.
God
the Father was able to accept the satisfaction of Christ because it
satisfied the character and nature of God.
It satisfied also the truth of God, the goodness of God, the
justice of God, and the holiness of God - because it demonstrated the
glory of God.
The
relationship between the suretyship of Christ and the law is also
important to observe. The
law was not abrogated or derogated in any fashion.
The law says that perfect obedience is required for eternal life
and that every sinner who is not saved will suffer eternal death.
The law does not state that the very person to be saved must
perform the perfect righteousness or punishment.
The law does not state that the punishment must be infinite with
respect to duration. It was, though, fully satisfied by Christ (Rom.
8:4; Isa. 53:2; John 8:29,46). It
was not unjust for Christ to be punished for us because God can lay the
punishment for sin upon Christ, and Jesus willingly laid down his life
for our sins. We must remember that it is God who determines what is just
and not our intellectual reason.
The
obedience of Christ was for our own good.
His miracles demonstrated the truthfulness of his message.
His holy life was an example to us (1 Pet. 2:21).
His holy life pointed the way to heaven (Heb. 12:14).
The obedience of Christ was performed by Him in our stead in
order that we might receive eternal life (Rom. 5:16-19) and it was
sufficient for all. His deity enabled his obedience to be of inestimable value
for the elect. His humanity
enabled Him to obey in our place. It should be noted that the obedience
of Christ did not abrogate our responsibility to obey the law.
Chapter
6: What Sufferings of Christ are Satisfactory.
All the sufferings of Christ during his humiliation are satisfactory for
the elect and before God’s judgment seat.
The Scripture speaks of the satisfactory sufferings of Christ in
general terms (Isa. 53:1-7; Heb. 2:10; 5:8-9; 1 Pet. 2:21).
The actual death of Christ is considered part of the satisfaction
(Isa. 53:10; Matt. 20:18; John 10:15; 1 Pet. 3:18; Col. 1:21-22; Rom.
5:10; Heb. 9:15; Rom. 8:34). This
is what we call a typological argument for this: the typical
satisfaction was effected by the shedding of blood of the animal,
thereby requiring separation of body and soul (Heb. 10:20)
The veil (Christ's body) had to be rent which was done when he
died as a sacrifice on the cross. Christ's
physical sufferings (e.g. his scourging) are accounted as part of the
satisfaction (Isa. 53:5; 1 Pet. 2:24)
Christ's sufferings in the garden of Gethsemane are also
considered part of His satisfaction.
And it should be noted that His sufferings would violate the
justice of God if they were not endured in our place.
Some
argue that Christ's sufferings were not all satisfactory. However,
Witsius responds to the arguments from Scripture.
He says that the death of Christ was the completion of all of his
sufferings. Christ was
always a priest and mediator (Luke 2:49) since His birth though he was
not publicly inaugurated until the thirtieth year. Moreover, the year is
with reference to Levites and not priests.
Christ's offering was completed on the cross but He was before
that the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Moreover, by
their reasoning Christ would have had to die at one year old.
Christ was still the beloved Son of God even while hanging on the
cross. The creeds and
Catechisms teach this also.
Chapter
7: Of the Efficacy of Christ's Satisfaction.
The efficacy of Christ's satisfaction is twofold. First, Christ obtained
for himself, as Mediator, a right to all of the elect (Ps. 2:8; Isa.
53:10). Christ obtained for the elect immunity from all misery and a
right to eternal life to be applied to them (Matt. 26:28; Gal. 1:4; Tit.
2:14). Christ did not
achieve a bare possibility of salvation but actual salvation for His
elect. The idea of
redemption, ransom and price of redemption infers the reality and not
possibility of salvation. Scripture
declares that the proximate effect of redemption is actual salvation
(Rom. 3:24; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9:12; 1 Cor. 6:20; Acts 20:28;
Gal. 4:4-5). Scripture does
not speak of Christ's death as a possibility of the remission of sins or
a hypothetical possibility, for it is absurd to believe that Christ died
for one who would eventually be sent to hell.
And, since possibility may never become reality, Christ may never
receive the promise given to him by the Father.
However, in terms of timing, the benefits of salvation are not
bestowed upon the elect before effectual calling, faith, repentance, and
actual union with Christ.
James
Arminius argues against an actual salvation of God's elect by Christ's
death. He says that God has
full right to impart those benefits to whom he thinks proper, and on
what conditions he is pleased to prescribe.
He argues that if Christ's death accomplished salvation for the
elect then "they are entitled to ask those benefits of God, in
right payment and purchase made, without God's having any right to
require of them faith in Christ and conversion to God."
Also, "The righteousness wrought out by Christ is not ours
as wrought out, but as imputed to us by faith."
Witsius
answers Arminius’ charges. First,
God is bound to his promise. Faith and repentance are part of the
blessings (Eph. 1:3) bestowed upon the elect on the merit of Christ's
satisfaction. Faith and
repentance are not requisite conditions before some effects of Christ's
death are communicated to a person, e.g. regeneration. Secondly, God's
elect can boldly ask for blessings because of what Christ has done.
No one can ask for those blessings unless he has first been
converted. Thus, God cannot
require faith and obedience as the means to earn the right to ask for
eternal life. This is based upon the person and work of Christ alone.
Thirdly, faith is considered as applying the already accomplished
salvation. It is the result
of Christ's mediation. Salvation
is ours with respect to its right in Christ before we are saved and ours
by possession when we believe, otherwise known as passive and active
justification which are vital for salvation.
Chapter
8: Of the Necessity of Christ's Satisfaction.
Was Christ’s satisfaction necessary, or could have it have been done
in another manner? The real
issue at stake with regard to this controversy is not the absolute power
of God. We must not ask if
God by an act of His power could have saved man another way. That would be to overthrow divine revelation.
God can do nothing but that which is consistent with his
holiness, justice, truth and the rest of his attributes.
The
real issue is the holiness and justice of God. Was Christ's satisfaction
for salvation of the elect owing to the mere good pleasure of God or was
it necessary to satisfy the justice and holiness of God?
The
following may be set forth as real and true arguments in favor of the
necessity of Christ's satisfaction. First, an unnecessary satisfaction
is contrary to the goodness, wisdom and holiness of God.
Second, an unnecessary satisfaction mitigates against the
Scripture's stress on the great love of God as demonstrated in the
giving of his Son. Third, Christ's satisfaction was a declaration of the
righteousness of God which cannot be overthrown (Rom. 3:25).
Fourth, animal sacrifices could not atone for sin (Heb.
10:1,4,11) only the sacrifice of Christ could atone for sin. Fifth,
Hebrews 10:26 infers that sacrifice is necessary for pardon. Sixth, the
necessary satisfaction of Christ exalts the attributes of God. Seventh,
the necessary satisfaction of Christ promotes Christian piety. Eighth,
the necessary satisfaction of Christ does not detract from any of God's
attributes.
Chapter
9: Of the Persons for whom Christ Engaged and Satisfied.
Particular atonement is the cornerstone to the Covenant of Redemption
and its execution. Christ's
satisfaction was sufficient for all, though the Scriptures do not make
mention of a hypothetical possibility of how Christ could have saved
all. Rather, Scripture
demonstrates exactly what Christ did.
Yet, it should be noted that Christ, as man, loved all men
according to the commandment. Also, Christ's satisfaction has brought
much good even to the reprobate in the manner in which it has affected
society in general, or by way of what we would call common grace.
In terms of the reach of the Gospel and the atonement extended to
men, the Gospel is freely offered to all without distinction. Even
though these truths about the general affects of the death of Christ in
the world may be true, Christ only died for the elect.
There
is ample Scriptural support for the doctrine of particular atonement.
The "all" of 2 Cor. 5:15, Heb. 2:9, Col. 1:20, and 1 Tim. 2:6
is restricted to the elect, which means exegetical work is needful in
order to understand the passages in question.
The term "world" in such passages as 1 John 2:2 refers
to "the collective body of believers or of the elect."
Specifically, the Scripture says that Christ died for his sheep, his
church, his people, and his peculiar people (cf. John 10:15; Acts 20:28;
Eph. 5:25; Tit. 2:14). The
accomplishment of Redemption is only as extensive as its application
which means it can only be applied to the elect and was for them alone;
Tit. 2:14. The
accomplishment necessitates application as is implied in the words
"ransom" and "bought." Also, the use of marriage to
describe the relationship between Christ and his church is penetrating
in its typological application (Eph., 5:25).
The sacrifices in the Old Testament which were a type of the
sacrifice of Christ were designed for Israel alone and not for all
people. Even for one to say that the satisfaction of Christ was for all
men, is ludicrous since having Christ die for the reprobate is unworthy
of the wisdom, goodness, and justice of God.
Chapter
10: After what manner Christ used the Sacraments.
It is important to study the role of the Sacraments in the life of
Christ since they help us to see the nature of the Covenant of
Redemption between Him and the Father, as previous noted.
The use of the sacraments was not a matter of choice but a duty
incumbent upon Christ to fulfill as righteousness, as He so told John
the Baptist.
For
Christ, the sacraments were signs and seals of the covenant between God
the Father and God the Son. It
demonstrated the benefits of salvation for His church and that they were
promised to Christ. As a
result of these promises, Christ promised to faithfully redeem the
elect.
The
sacraments which Christ used were circumcision, baptism, the Passover,
and the Lord's Supper. Christ
is set in the center of transition from the Old Testament covenantal
sacraments to the New Testament covenantal sacraments and partook of
them all before God. Not
because he was sinful and needed remission, but because He is the Lord
over those sacraments and instituted them for our benefit, as well as
fulfilling all righteousness in His pact or agreement with the Father.
Book
3: of the Covenant of Grace
or the Covenant of God with the Elect
Chapter
1: Of The Covenant of God with the Elect.
The
contracting parties of the Covenant of Grace are God and the Elect.
God is to be considered in this covenant as all sufficient in
Himself for sinful man. He
is merciful and gracious to sinful man (Ex. 34:6-7).
He is “just” to enter into a relationship with sinners. He is
wise to be able to enter a relationship with sinners because he knows
exactly how to enter into a beneficial relationship based on wisdom
(Eph. 3:10).
The
Elect are to be considered as lost miserable sinners (Tit. 3:4-5).
They are chosen by God to grace and glory, and they are those for
whom Christ died.
In
terms of the roles that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit play in
redeeming men, we term this the economic roles of the Trinity.
The Father is the principle author of salvation (2 Cor. 5:19) and
appointed the elect to be heirs of himself and co-heirs with his Son
(Rom. 8:17). The Son is the
Mediator, Testator and distributor (John 10:28) of all the blessings
acquired in this engagement. The
Spirit applies, signs, and seals the blessings to the elect.
The
covenant with the elect is restricted to the invisible, spiritual
communion of the covenant of Grace. There are promises to them in this
part of the covenant. Salvation
itself and the means leading to it are promised to them (Jer. 31:33).
This is an important notification, in that, in the Covenant of
Grace the elect receive blessings based on promises but the reprobate
who covenant with God receive cursings as a result.
There
are important differences between the promises of the Covenant of Works
and Covenant of Grace. Only
eternal life was promised in the Covenant of Works.
Eternal life and the means to receive it are promised in the
Covenant of Grace.
There
are conditions of obtaining the benefits of the Covenant of Grace.
It is important to define the idea of a condition: a condition is
that action, which being performed gives a man a right to the reward.
According to the definition, there are no conditions in the covenant of
grace. No man has a right
to the reward. The Covenant
of Grace is a unilateral covenant that is sovereignly administered by
God. Whatever can be
conceived as a condition is all included in the universality of the
promises. Thus, these “conditions" are not so much conditions of
the covenant as of the assurance that we shall continue in the covenant.
The
role of faith in the Covenant of Grace is important as a means to
assurance. Eternal life is
promised to all those who believe even as it was promised to all those
who obeyed in the Covenant of Works.
Faith is not a condition properly so-called.
Faith is the way, instrument, or means by which we receive the
promises of eternal life. The
difference between obedience in the Covenant of Works and faith in the
Covenant of Grace is the difference between giving and receiving.
However, there are still threats in the Covenant of Grace.
The threatenings of the Covenant of Grace are derived from the
law from which every curse proceeds.
Chapter
2: Of the Oneness of the Covenant of Grace,
as to its Substance.
Against Dispensationalism, there is a oneness of the Covenant of Grace.
The Old and New Covenants are different with respect to "circumstantials."
However, the Old and New Covenants are the same with respect to their
"substance."
The
Oneness between the Old and New Testaments is of continuity. The one and same eternal life was promised to those in both
covenants. The Old
Testament does not put forth a different means of salvation than the New
Testament. For example,
there is New Testament evidence of the resurrection (John 5:39; Acts
24:14-15; Matt. 22:29). Yet,
there is also Old Testament evidence of the resurrection as well (Gen.
49:19; Job 19:25-27; Dan. 12:2) Old
Testament saints were saved by Christ as were New Testament saints (Acts
15:11; Heb. 13:8; 9:15) (Note
also the necessary implication from John 14:6; Acts 4:12).
Old
Testament saints were saved by faith as were New Testament saints (Hab.
2:4; Gen. 15:6; Ps. 2:12; Isa. 27:5; Heb. 11).
The faith of Old Testament saints was not a general faith but
faith in Christ – the only way a man can be saved (John 8:56; Heb.
11:26; 1 Pet. 1:11).
For
example, it is helpful to look at Gal. 3:23 to see its interpretation of
this. "Faith"
here cannot mean that faith in Christ is new because Paul uses Abraham
as an example for us; Gal. 3:6,7,9.
Faith is meant as the faith of the redemption already completed
as opposed to the hope of the Old Testament saints.
Chapter
3: Of the Different Economies or
Dispensations of the Covenant of Grace.
We have seen there is a similarity between the two Testaments which
cannot be overlooked. However,
there are still some differences, otherwise there would not be an Old
Testament and a New Testament. The
difference consists in the administration of the testaments, not the
actual substance of the testaments themselves.
The "circumstantial" differences of the testaments is
what is in view here. In
the Old Testament the promised land was a pledge of heaven. Bondage to
the elements of the world was a factor, and the exclusion of the
Gentiles was seen in Israel as a nation that looked inward instead of
outwardly. There also
seemed to be a less measure of the Spirit of grace in extent since it
was bound to the leaders of a specific nation, and to certain
individuals.
In
the New Testament such grace expands and the extent of the Spirit
widens. We find the
inheritance of the Gentiles taking place, the reality of freedom in our
Christian liberty, a more plentiful measure of grace abounding by
missionary endeavors.
In
terms of outlining the different dispensations of the Old Testament, we
may break them down into the time periods surrounding Adam to Noah, Noah
to Abraham, Abraham to Moses, Moses to the New Covenant.
Chapter
4: Of Election.
We
must define election as “the eternal, free, and immutable counsel of
God, about revealing the glory of his grace, in the eternal salvation of
some certain persons." It
should set forth certain distinct characteristics that are noteworthy. Election is the counsel of God or decree (2 Tim. 1:9; Eph.
1:11; Rom. 8:28; 9:11). It
is important to distinguish between internal and external election, that
is, the invisible and visible church that has specific ramifications on
how one understands the Covenant of Grace.
Election
is personal. It is not some general decree but a particular designation
of certain individual persons to be saved. The term
"predestinate" means to point out or ordain a certain person
(Acts 17:31; 10:42; Rom. 1:4; Luke 10:20; Phil. 4:3; 2 Tim. 2:19;
John
13:18). Election is eternal
(Acts 11:18; Eph. 1:11,4; Rev. 13:8; 17:8; 2 Tim.l:9; 2 Thess. 2:13). Election is also unconditional based on the decree.
Scripture asserts that the free will of God was the supreme
reason or cause of election (Matt. 11:26; Luke 12:32; Rom. 9:21).
It asserts that foreseen good in man was not a reason for
election (Rom. 9:11; 2 Tim. 1:9). The
purpose or result of election is faith and holiness and thus, they
cannot be the cause (Eph. 1:4; John 15:16; 2 Thess. 2:13). Election is
also immutable for immutability belongs to all the decrees of God in
general (Isa. 14:27; 46:10; Rom. 9:19). God's decree is not suspended on a condition.
If a condition is involved, the condition itself is at the same
time decreed. The
Scriptures ascribe immutability to the divine election; (Rom. 9:11; 2
Tim. 2:19; Isa. 49:15-16; Rev. 3:5; Isa. 4:3).
Election
and assurance are knit together. Assurance
is made possible because of God's election without which we would never
be assured of our salvation. To
attain the assurance of election we need to apply the marks of election
to ourselves. Here we find the marks as effectual calling by the word
and Spirit of God (Rom. 8:30), faith in God and Christ (2 Thess. 2:13),
hatred of evil (2 Tim. 2:19), the sincere and constant study of holiness
(Eph. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13), and the internal witness of the Spirit (Rom.
8:16; Eph. 1:13).
Chapter
5: Of Effectual Calling.
What
is effectual Calling? It is
"an act by which those, who are chosen by God, and redeemed by
Christ, are sweetly invited, and effectually brought from a state of sin
to a state of communion with God in Christ, both externally and
internally." There is
a difference between the effectual call and the external call.
The
external manifestation of God's power which renders men without excuse is proclaimed by natural revelation.
The message of natural revelation (Psa. 19:1-4) is to pursue
heaven and eternity, and to seek after God. It also tells us that there
is some hope of enjoying God due to the patience (2 Pet. 3:9) and
goodness (Rom. 2:4) of God. We cannot enjoy God unless we pursue purity
and holiness.
There
are limits to the effectual nature of natural revelation. It renders men
without excuse, but is not sufficient for salvation.
The
external call of God in the Gospel for salvation is proclaimed by special revelation, not natural
revelation. Natural revelation provides the backdrop for special
revelation, where special revelation is necessary for salvation (Rom.
10:14). The Gospel call is given in different ways and degrees
over the course of history. But it was never universal since some have
never heard it (like the native in the African bush). The call contains
the command to believe in Christ. In order for it to be saving, though,
the external call of special revelation must be accompanied by the
internal call to be effectual.
The
internal call of God is the exercise of God’s infinite power, by which
he converts the soul no less powerfully than sweetly.
God's internal call does not interfere with the freedom of man to
make men puppets, but rather, he makes them willing with a new heart. In order to understand this, we need to distinguish between
the common operations of the Spirit and the moral and supernatural
actions of the Spirit. The
Spirit grieves over the moral turpitude of men (this is as accommodation
takes place in biblical revelation), but in His supernatural actions, He
consistently fulfills His will.
Chapter
6: Of Regeneration.
Regeneration
is that supernatural act of God, whereby a new and divine life is
infused into the elect person who is spiritually dead, and that from the
incorruptible seed of the word of God, made fruitful by the infinite
power of the Spirit. Men
are under the condemnation of spiritual death which is a separation and
alienation from God. It makes men insensible of all spiritual things and
wholly incapable of any act of true life.
The
word regeneration can be used in different ways. It is the first act of passing from death to life, and in
this sense accomplished in a moment. There is no intermediate state
between the regenerate and the unregenerate, for Scripture divides all
of mankind into two classes, sheep and goats (Matt. 25:2-3).
Regeneration can also be seen as the second act or the
manifestation of spiritual life. Sometimes
spiritual life manifests itself slowly as in regenerated infants.
Therefore, a person cannot always determine when he was saved.
Can
there be "Preparations" for regeneration? The Semi-Pelagian view says yes - the sinner prepares or
comes to be regenerated by seeking, asking, repenting, sorrowing for
sin, etc. However, the Scriptures teach that a dead man or bad tree can
do nothing to prepare himself for grace.
The “Reformed" view concerning preparations to
regeneration concerns the breaking of the will, a serious consideration
of the law, a consideration of their own sins and offences against God
and a fear of hell and a despairing of their salvation. The differences
between this view from the Semi-Pelagian view is that these preparations
are not "preparations" of grace but effects or fruits of
regeneration. These "preparations" performed by the reprobate,
no matter how they may appear, are still consistent with spiritual death
and do not lead or prepare for conversion, for a bad tree cannot bear
good fruit. There are no
"preparations" for regeneration in the sense of an act of
passing from death to life. There
are, though, different degrees in regard to spiritual death.
The
author of regeneration is God (John 1:13).
Christ is God and the author of regeneration but also the
meritorious and exemplary cause of our regeneration.
The Holy Spirit is the immediate author of regeneration (John
3:5).
The
seed of regeneration is the word of God. Regeneration does not always
appear to operate in the same manner as is clear in the case of infants.
So, it is incumbent upon all men to place themselves under the teaching
of the word of God. A
person must encourage and nurture the beginning of grace in his life by
engaging in the means of grace.
Chapter
7: Of Faith. I. The acts of faith.
When
we talk about faith, we are talking about the knowledge of the things to
be believed. Knowledge must be a apart of faith or faith cannot exist.
Scripture testifies that faith involves knowledge (Isa. 53:11;
John 17:3 cp. Heb. 2:4; John 6:69; 2 Tim. 1:3). The very nature of faith
dictates knowledge, for assent to something presupposes knowledge.
Faith is produced externally from the preaching of the word and
internally by the teaching of the Holy Spirit. The amount of knowledge
will vary from believer to believer.
The increase of knowledge strengthens faith.
What
do men need to believe in order to be saved?
The things that must be believed in order to be saved are the
divinity of the Scriptures, certain truths with respect to salvation in
Christ, knowledge of your sin, and Christ as the only Savior. The
salvation offered in understanding these things is obtained through
faith. Faith is then assent to and conviction of the truths of the
gospel (Heb. 11:1). This is
a true conviction based upon the truth of God.
In this regard men should have a love of the truth (2 Thess.
2:10) and a hunger and thirst after Christ.
What
is non-saving faith? One
may have a historical faith which is theoretical or naked assent.
Temporary faith engages the heart but only for a time.
These are not true faith. What,
then, is the difference? Non-saving
faith does not properly see the beauty of, or love of, the truth, and
does not engage in self-examination.
The “joy” of non-saving faith arises from novelty and rarity
of the truth, which does not produce the love of God, nor produce proper
fruit.
Even
though hypocritical faith may be found in men, assurance of faith is
possible (2 Tim. 1:12; 2 Cor. 13:5).
One must examine himself according to the acts of faith so they
can be assured by the promises of God.
Sometimes believers do doubt.
Causes of this can be a wrong notion of saving faith, or their
inability to properly discern the proper acts of one's own heart, or
comparing one's faith with the level of faith that is aspired. When we
do gain true assurance, it produces gratefulness to God.
It also is a wonderful consolation for ourselves, and produces
piety and obedience.
Chapter
8: Of Justification
What
does the term "justify" mean?
When we use this in a normative sense, it means “to account,
declare, or prove” (Psa. 82:3; Deut. 25:1; Prov. 17:15; Isa. 5:22-23;
Psa. 51:4; Matt. 11:19; Luke 7:29).
It is used with reference to particular actions of men as well (Psa.
106:30-31; Jer. 3:11; Ez. 16:31. It is used with reference to the state
of man.
In
terms of a helpful definition for salvation, "It is a judicial, but
gracious act of God, whereby the elect and believing sinner, is absolved
from the guilt of his sins, and hath a right to eternal life adjudged to
him, on account of the obedience of Christ, received by faith."
God
is the Judge who declares a sinner righteous. God the Father (Rom. 8:33;
Isa. 43:25; Jam. 4:12; Rom. 3:6), God the Son (John 5:22,27; Matt. 9:2),
and the Spirit applies and seals salvation to believers (1 Cor. 2:12;
Rom. 8:16). The
ground (or matter) of justification is the perfect righteousness of
Christ alone (2 Cor. 5:21). There
is nothing that we add to the righteousness of Christ for our
justification (Gal. 2:21).
The
form of justification consists in the discharging of unrighteousness and
the adjudging of righteousness which includes the forgiveness of sins
and the right to eternal life. The
instrument by which we receive the righteousness of Christ and
justification is by faith alone (Gal. 2:16; Rom. 3:28).
We are justified by faith not in the sense that faith replaces
obedience, for faith is not strictly a condition of justification.
The Reformed creeds say otherwise in certain senses.
Faith is not a work that merits justification, for the condition
of justification is perfect obedience (which was completed in Christ).
The genuine opinion of the reformed is this: that faith
justifies, as it is the bond of our strictest union with Christ, by
which all things that are Christ's become also ours or... as it is the
acceptance of the gift offered, rendering the donation firm and
irrevocable. And the uses
of the doctrine of justification are to display the glory, goodness,
justice and wisdom of God. This
should remove all boasting from the sinner (Isa. 64:6; 1 Cor. 4:7).
Chapter
9: Of Spiritual Peace.
Spiritual Peace is a mutual concord between God and the sinner, who is
justified by faith; so that the heart of God is carried out towards man,
and in like manner, the heart of man towards God, by a delightful
inclination of friendship. The
origin of spiritual peace is God who originates peace with man. It is
the direct result of His mercy and love.
God seeks man and freely offers peace to all men.
With the Elect, God subdues them and saves them.
The
consequence of spiritual peace is friendship with God.
Peace of conscience is a direct result (Rom. 14:7; Eph. 3:12), as
is peace with fellow believers, the angels and with the whole of
creation (Isa. 14:11-12; Hos. 2:18).
Man's
role with regard to spiritual peace is that he should seek spiritual
peace by confessing his sins before God and to believe in Christ alone
for reconciliation with God. He
should humbly submit himself to God and recall he has a responsibility
in preserving spiritual peace.
This is accomplished through daily love for God (John 14:21),
frequent communion with God, to walk in obedience to God (John 14:23),
return to God when you fall into sin (Jer. 3:22), and to submit to God's
providence in our life.
Spiritual
peace can also be interrupted. Believers
can never completely lose peace with God but the sense of peace with God
can be interrupted. God
does not always draw near (Isa. 8:17; Ps. 10:1. 2) and at times is
displeased with his children (Ps. 80:4).
He can also be angry with his children (Ps. 88:16-18; Isa. 57:17)
and may deal with us as an adversary (Job 13:24-27).
He may give us over to be vexed and buffeted by the devil (Job
2:6). This may be the cause
of demonstrating His sovereignty (Matt. 10:15), to show the difference
between this life and the one to come, to demonstrate the excellence of
his grace or to demonstrate the power and goodness of God in preserving
the soul through many trials and sorrows.
From
man's perspective it may be that we see ourselves guilty of a grievous
sin (Isa. 63:10), or lack of fearing God.
At times we are carnally secure with pride, or believe we are
unworthy of the acceptance of divine grace.
What
can one do to retrieve the sense of peace with God? First, we should discover the reason or cause and
remedy it if we can (Lam. 3:40). We
should renew our faith and repentance, be much in prayer for help and
wait patiently upon God to restore us (Lam. 3:26).
Chapter
10: Of Adoption
Adoption is the doctrine of teaching the Christian how one becomes a
“son of God.” All
believers are sons of God (1 John 3:1-2).
(Adam was a son of God in a different sense than this (Luke
3:38)). But how do the
elect become children of God? They
must be born of God (John 1:12-13).
It is enacted by marriage with the Lord Jesus.
It
is important to note the relationship between the Old and New Testament
in terms of adoption. Old
Testament believers were adopted as sons though placed under tutelage.
They were not admitted into the mysteries of God's will and
unable to approach the holy of holies.
Their typological inheritance was the land of Canaan.
In the New Testament believers are not subject to Old Testament
tutelage. They are
introduced into the Father's secret counsels and have free access to the
Father. Their inheritance
is tangible and not typological.
The
blessings given to the sons of God are extraordinary blessings (1 Cor.
2:9). They come from the
glory of our elder brother, Jesus Christ.
These are great and precious promises indeed (2 Pet. 1:4).
We will receive the whole world; both present and future; a
spiritual kingdom; the dignity of being a son of God; victory over sin
(Rom. 6:14,18), the witness of the crushing of Satan (Rom. 16:20),
triumph over a whole conquered world, the inestimable riches of
spiritual gifts and the peace of soul and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom.
14:17). The greatest gift
is God Himself. He is the
Protection from every evil and the Communication of every good.
Chapter
11: Of The Spirit of Adoption.
The
Spirit of adoption is the Holy Spirit, operating those things in the
elect which are suitable to, and becoming, of the sons of God, who love
God, and are beloved by Him. In
the Old Testament the Holy Spirit was bestowed upon believers (Num.
14:24; Neh. 9:20; Ps. 143:10; 51:10-12; Isa. 63:8,11).
It is fallacious to say that the Holy Spirit was not given until
the New Testament for that would overthrow the saint’s salvation.
We should note the work of the Spirit that is common in both testament
periods. There is the
persuasion of the greatest love of the adopter (Psa. 4:7; 31:7; 51:14;
36:7-9; 63:5). God also
instills an obedience due to filial love (Ps. 81:1; 116:1; 119:10).
He gave an expectation of the inheritance to come (Psa. 17:25;
31:19). It must be noted,
though that the work of the Spirit in the Old Testament was more rare
and sparing and mixed with much terror.
The Covenant of Grace was revealed more obscurely, there and
therefore, the operations of the Spirit were obscure – they were so
obscure, comparatively speaking, that the Spirit is said not to have
been under the Old (John 7:39). The Holy Spirit is promised in the Old Testament which
leads some to believe He was not in operation at that time (Isa. 35:6-7;
44:3; Ez. 34:26-27; Joel 2:28; Zech. 14:8).
The
work of the Spirit of adoption enables believers to cry "Abba,
Father" (Rom. 8:15-16). Together
with our spirit He bears witness that we are children of
God
(Rom. 8:15-16).
When
we think about being adopted, the testimony of our conscience must be
well grounded and based upon the marks of a child of God.
These marks are the imitation of our Father, a new life that is
worthy of God and His grace, a true and sincere love for God, a filial
fear and obedience (Mal. 1:6; 1 Pet. 1:17) and an unfeigned brotherly
love. We ought to examine
ourselves according to those marks to see if we posses them.
Chapter
12: Of Sanctification.
What does it mean to be holy? Holiness
is that which is separated from a promiscuous and civil, but especially
from a profane use (Lev. 20:26; 2 Cor. 6:17).
It is whatever is dedicated to, or set apart for God and his
service (Ex. 30:29; 19:5; 1 Chron. 23:13).
It demonstrates that which is pure.
In terms of the present study, sanctification is that real work
of God, by which they, who are chosen, regenerated, and justified, are
continually more and more transformed from the turpitude of sin, to the
purity of the divine image.
There
is a difference between sanctification and effectual calling.
The effect of effectual calling is union with Christ.
The effect of Sanctification is the exercise of holy habits and
graces. The difference
between sanctification and justification is that justification is a
judicial act, terminating in a relative change of state; namely, a
freedom from punishment and a right to life, and sanctification is a
work which terminates in a change of state as to the quality both of
habits and actions. Broadly speaking, it refers to the whole of man's
salvation. Narrowly speaking, it refers to the above definition.
The
process or work of Sanctification is to first put off or mortify the old
man (Col. 2:9; Eph. 4:22). The
second step is to put on or vivification of the new man (Col. 3:10; Eph.
4:24). The three aspects of the Christian life surround grace, faith
and love, but the goal or end of holiness is the glory of God (1 Cor.
10:31).
The
means of sanctification is the word of God and devout meditation of it
(John 17:17). It must be
daily read, heard in preaching (Rom. 10:14,15,17), kept, valued and be
used in times of temptation.
In
terms of the extent of holiness, we cannot attain unto perfection in
this life (the doctrine of Perfectionism - 1 Kings 8:46; Eccl. 7:28;
Prov. 20:9; Jam. 3:2; 1 John 1:8).
The
cause of imperfection is our indwelling flesh or corruption (Gal. 5:17;
Rom. 7:15-16). "Flesh"
refers to remaining corruption, which abides in the whole man (body and
soul) but its principal seat is in the soul itself.
The war within is not between body and soul but between
sanctifying grace and the remains of natural corruption.
God
does not grant perfection to us in this life in order to display the
difference between heaven and earth, to teach us patience, humility, and
sympathy, to teach that salvation is by grace alone, and to demonstrate
the wisdom of God. This is a perfection in degrees which we will not
achieve ultimately until glory.
Chapter
13: Of Conservation.
Conservation is a gracious work of God, whereby He so keeps the elect,
the redeemed, the regenerated, the faithful and the sanctified, though
in themselves weak, and apt to fall away, internally by the most
powerful efficacy of his Spirit, externally by the means which He has
wisely appointed for that purpose, that they shall never quite lose the
habits of those graces once infused into them, but be certainly brought,
by a steadfast perseverance, to eternal salvation.
The Trinity is involved in every area of conversion.
God the Father predestined the elect to eternal salvation and
gave believers to Christ for his inheritance (Ps. 2:8; John 17:6;
10:29). God promised to not
allow the elect to fall from grace to their eternal destruction (Isa.
54:10; Jer. 32:38-40; 31:31-33). He
keeps His elect by His almighty power (1 Pet. 1:5).
God the Son keeps those whom He bought with his blood (John
17:12). Christ prays that
the elect would be kept safe (John 17:15,20). He builds his house with real stones (1 Pet. 2:5) which do
not crumble. Jesus unites
the elect (corporately and individually) to Himself and they are safe
(Eph. 5:23). God the Holy
Spirit continually abides in believers (John 14:16-17).
He is the spring of eternal life in the elect and the Author of
our seal confirming our salvation (Eph. 1:13; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; 2 Tim.
2:19). He gives to us a down payment of our eternal salvation (Eph.
1:14).
The
method or means God uses to preserve us is His infinite and supernatural
power, and His word containing promises, threatenings, exhortations, and
admonitions to excite us to persevere in the faith.
The
doctrine of conservation promotes piety and upholds truth. It promotes
the power, goodness, holiness, and the efficacy of the merits and
intercession of Christ, as well as the power of the Holy Spirit.
This doctrine allures the unconverted, for the promise of eternal
life is more sure and stable. The opposite doctrine promotes
procrastinating repentance until the end of one's life.
This former doctrine motivates one to grow in holiness.
Chapter
14: Of Glorification.
Glorification
is the gracious act of God, whereby He actually translates His chosen
and redeemed people, from an unhappy and base state, to a happy and
glorious one. Glorification
is begun in this life with the first fruits and is consummated in the
life to come. The first fruit of glorification is holiness and shadows of
the vision of God which is apprehended by faith (2 Cor. 5:7; Heb. 11:1),
and an experimental sense of his goodness (Ps. 34:8).
The gracious possession and enjoyment of God is the end of
glorification, besides the glory of God in general (Ps. 145:15).
When
we die, the human soul survives death (Matt. 22:32 (cf. Luke 20:38);
Phil. 1:23; Heb. 12:23; Luke 16; Psa. 31:5; Acts 7:59; Luke 23:43). The
human soul lives, understands and feels either the favor or vengeance of
God after death (Luke 20:38; Matt. 17:3; Phil. 1:23; 2 Cor. 5:8; Rev.
14:15; 1 Cor. 15:19, 30-32).
Upon death, the souls of believers are received into heavenly joys and
mansions (2 Cor. 5:1; Luke 23:43).
There is the joy of being with God and Christ in glory (John
12:26; 17:24), the joy of seeing God in the light of glory (Matt. 5:8),
the joy of loving God, the joy of dwelling in holiness and glory, the
joy more than inexpressible, more than glorious.
The
blessedness of the eternal state for believers begins with the
resurrection of the body (1 Cor. 15). The quality of the body will be changed and all infirmities
will be removed. Only a
spiritual or heavenly body will be able to inherit the kingdom of God (1
Cor. 15:50); that is a body that does not require meat and drink. This
is to show forth the greater glory in the perfections that God has
manifested in His works. We
will also see the redemption of all creation (Rom. 8:19-20), the divine
judgment of the wicked, the gathering together of the elect as one
perfect body, and the perfect conforming of us to the image of Christ.
In this state the redemptive work of God shall be complete which
will be immutable and eternal (Matt. 25:46; Rom. 2:7; 1 Pet. 5:4; 1
Thess. 4:17).
There will also be a difference in quality and quantity of rewards among
the elect, though heaven will be heaven for everyone (Rom. 2:6; 2 Cor.
5:10; 9:6; Gal. 6:8; 1 Cor. 3:8;
Matt.
19:28).
Book
4: Of the Benefits of Salvation
Chapter
1: Of the Doctrine of Salvation in the first age of the World,
We find the first proclamation of the gospel in Gen. 3:14-15.
Here the devil and not the serpent is condemned (cf. 2 Cor. 11:3;
Rev. 12:9; Rom. 16:20). We then see God engaging in the blessings or
benefits promised to man in this gospel.
There will be the curse of the serpent, the destruction of the
devil's power, enmity placed between the serpent and the woman and her
seed (which includes man's sanctification) and the resurrection of the
body. God alone is the author of these benefits, but the meritorious
cause of these benefits is the seed of the woman. The Seed is used collectively but also in an eminent sense it
refers to Jesus Christ. We
must be sure we understand that it refers to both the lineage of the
woman and the elect servant of God – Jesus Christ,
Christ is therefore the meritorious cause of these benefits.
How
will Christ gain such benefits? The
manner of acquisition of these benefits are the sufferings of the Seed
as indicated by "you will bruise his heel."
The heirs of the benefits are Adam and Eve, and the seed of the
woman (i.e., the godly seed of the woman -
Rom. 9:8). The seed of the woman shall be made partakers of the
benefits through faith. This
is indicated by the use of the common term "seed" which
signifies our union with Christ which is by faith.
It is also signified by the conquering of the devil which is
performed by Christ as well as by the elect in Christ by faith.
Where
do we see Adam’s faith? Adam's
faith is seen by calling his wife Eve, and Eve's faith is demonstrated
by her words of hope in the promise when Cain and Seth were born.
However, one must be aware that Adam’s faith is seen prior to
the fall, where Eve’s is consequent to the fall.
Chapter
2: Of The Doctrine of Grace under Noah.
There
is a great amount of grace found in the naming of Noah. The righteous
must contend with sin is the meaning behind his name. There is goodness
and a sense of comfort to be expected as a result of Noah’s birth. God
is the author of the good that will result from him.
The doctrine of grace in the preaching of Noah should be noted. Noah was a preacher of righteousness as 2 Pet. 2:5 states.
Noah preached the doctrine of salvation by the Spirit of Christ
(1 Pet. 3:19-20). Grace is
seen, then in his name, in his coming and in his preaching.
One
may also see the doctrine of grace in the blessing with which Noah
blesses his sons (Gen. 9:26-27). God
is the author of blessing and Shem and his posterity are to be God's
peculiar people. The
doctrine of election for the younger is preferred over the older which
is seen through the entire bible. The
sins of the fathers are visited upon their children as in the case of
Canaan, and the curse. But godliness is even seen as profiting the soul
and body as material blessings are promised to Japheth.
The Church, then, can be seen in this blessing to Noah’s sons
as it resides on the earth, for it should look forward to their
permanent habitation in heaven. Also, it may be noted that the Divine
majesty was to rise from the posterity of Shem and dwell in his tents.
The Gentiles, especially the descendants of Japheth, were to be
allured by the preaching of the gospel to the communion of the church of
Israel. All these things
show the doctrine of grace found in the blessing of Noah to his sons
which is typological to the Church.
Chapter
3: Of the Doctrine of Grace from Abraham to Moses.
One of the most glorious times in the history of redemption is seen in
the doctrine of grace under Abraham.
Grace is seen in the appearances of God to Abraham.
God calls him out of Ur (Gen. 12:1), and speaks to him at Shechem
(Gen. 12:67) and in Bethel (Gen. 13:3-4).
God promises a son and heir for him in time (Gen. 15) and gives
him the sign of circumcision (Gen. 17:1).
At one time, God also became his guest (Gen. 18:1).
In Abraham’s trial, God also commanded him to offer up Isaac in
sacrifice (Gen. 22:1).
Grace is vividly seen in the covenant God made with Abraham.
The time of this covenant was 430 years before the Exodus (Gal.
3:17). The stipulation of
the covenant was first the leaving his country that involved self-denial
(Gen. 12:1). He was also to
not fear which involved faith and love (Gen. 15:1).
He also had to walk before God that involved holiness (Gen.
17:1).
The
promises of the covenant were spiritual promises.
We can divide them into general spiritual promises and special
promises. General spiritual
promises (Gen. 15:1; 17:1,7) contained promises that would protect him
against every evil, and that God Himself would be his reward. He would have communion with God and the continuance of
His favor. The
special spiritual promises to Abraham referred to him as the head and
honorary father of all believers, for the Messiah would be his
descendent, and he is the pattern of faith and blessing to those after
him (Gen. 12:2-3). He had a
promised seed which refers to Isaac (Gen. 21:12), Christ (Gal. 3:16),
and all believers (Rom. 9:8).
Abraham
had great faith in God. He
was justified by faith alone (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:3;
Gal.
3:6). The object of his
faith was the promises made to him (Rom. 4:20-21) and the promises found
in Christ (John 8:56). The
promises made to Abraham were confirmed to Isaac and Jacob.
Chapter
4: Of the Decalogue.
The deliverance of the Ten Commandments to men is a great revelation in
the character of God. The
Trinity (God) is to be acknowledged as Law-giver.
Moses was a minister of God (Deut. 33:4; 5:4-6; Lev. 26:46; Mal.
4:4; John 1:17). The time
is fifty days after the Exodus and the place was Mount Sinai (Deut. 5:2;
Ex. 3:1). The manner of the
giving of the law was accompanied with signs of thunder, lightning,
smoke, and earthquakes (Ex. 19:16,18; Deut. 4:11; Heb. 12:18). God gave
the law in this way to proclaim the majesty of the Law-giver and instill
the fear of God in the people so that they might obey (Ex. 20:20).
The Law given consisted of ten words (Ex. 34:18; Deut. 4:13).
This Law was a prescription of duties which threatened judgment
as a result of disobedience derived from the covenant of works. The
Promises in this Law for obedience derived from the covenant of grace.
When God gave it to Moses it was written by the finger of God and
called the tablets of testimony (Ex. 24:12; 31:18; Deut. 9:10; Ex.
31:18; 34:29).
The
Decalogue is the same as the law of nature therefore it is always
binding. God's authorship requires us to obey.
There is only one church, one kingdom, one king, and one law
which remains binding to all (Eph. 2:14; Rom. 11:17). Even the New
Testament confirms the binding nature of the law (Matt. 5:17; Rom. 13:9;
James 2:8-11; Eph. 6:2). The uses of the law are either seen in itself
or absolutely. It is a
representation of virtue, goodness, and holiness, and the way in which
man can have glorious communion with God (Lev. 18:5; Rom. 7:10).
Yet, this law is still a command of God binding everyone upon the
pain of death. In the pre-fallen state of man it was the rule of
obedience. In the fallen
state of man it is imperative to discover and convince man of his sin
(Rom. 3:20) and bring them to Christ.
It demonstrates to us what Christ had to do on our behalf.
The
Decalogue was a covenant and is called a covenant (Ex. 34:28; Deut. 5:2;
4:13; 9:9). This covenant
contained stipulations (Ex. 19:5-6), and promises (Ex. 20:12).
There was a repetition of the doctrine concerning the law of the
covenant of works in this new pronouncement and was to convict people of
sin and drive them to Christ. This
administration should not be confused with being a formal covenant of
works. Even Paul does not
consider the Mosaic covenant as works, for that is a perversion of the
covenant.
Chapter
5: Of the Doctrine of the Prophets.
The
Old Testament prophets spoke of the person and work of Christ which
Christ Himself attests to (1 Pet. 1:10-11; Acts 10:43; 26:22-23).
Witsius
does not speak further on this subject. He says, "this subject has
been, both formerly and lately, considered by the learned, and treated
with such accuracy, that I have nothing to add."
Chapter
6: Of the Types.
There
are two senses to most things in the Old Testament, the literal sense or
meaning and the mystical sense or meaning which points to Christ, in His
person, states, offices, and works.
They also point to his spiritual body, the church.
In this we should be careful to interpret the types of the Old
Testament properly and precisely. Not all types are explained in the New
Testament even as not all prophecies are explained in the New Testament.
We should have principled guidelines to all our interpretations
of the Bible. The doctrine
of Christ is the key of knowledge without which nothing can be savingly
understood in Moses and the prophets (Lk. 11:42).
We should use the New Testament to interpret the Old Testament so
long as we rightly understand the context of the Old Testament and
simply do not use part or partial information given that may be in the
New Testament. We must be
careful to interpret the kinds of types that we find: natural types,
historical types, and legal types.
The
natural types of the Old Testament refer to the creation of the world
and the creation of man and woman.
The
historical types of the Old Testament refer to the first age of the
world. Abel represented Christ in his humiliation; Enoch represented
Christ in his exaltation. In the second epoch Noah represented Christ,
the ark represented Christ and the church, the flood represented Christ
and the church, Isaac, Moses, and Aaron also.
The
legal types of the Old Testament refer to the Ark of the Covenant and
the day of expiation or atonement in Lev. 16.
Chapter
7: Of the Sacraments of Grace down to Abraham.
Sacraments,
again, are those things that are given by God to man, to be seals of His
covenant, or earnests and pledges of His favor.
The sacraments of the first period is seen in the act of God’s
grace when He made clothing for Adam and Eve as a result of the
sacrifices. Adam and Eve
had sinned, and God provided them with atonement based on sacrifice.
Abel also offered acceptable sacrifices to God, which
demonstrates God employed them to sacrifice to Him based on the need for
cleansing from sin.
The
priests were also in a typical manner “sureties” in so far as they
approached God on behalf of man to offer sacrifices.
God gives Sacraments to men, but God requires sacrifices from
men. The priests offered up
animals for atonement, which had to be without spot or blemish. Christ would later be offered up as the perfect sacrifice for
men, without spot or blemish. Sins
were laid upon these sacrifices (which made them substitutionary) and
forgiveness was enacted as a result of the faith one had in what God
required.
The
sacrament of the second period was the rainbow.
This sacrament was not formally and precisely a sacrament of the
covenant of grace, rather it pointed to the reality of covenantal
preservation for the whole earth. Rather,
it was a confirmation and typical representation of the Covenant of
Grace.
Chapter
8: Of Circumcision.
The
divine institution of circumcision is exceedingly important to
understand since it was a mark of the covenant of God in the flesh of
His people and carries over into the spiritual and powerful realities in
the death of Christ. Circumcision
was first instituted to Abraham and his whole household (Gen. 17:llff).
It was for males only in the material sense, but women are
accounted in and with the men to be in the covenant federally as the
seed passed through the procreative organ of the male.
The reason for a male-only sign was that salvation is not
dependent upon the sign. As
a note, circumcision could be administered by anyone and was to be
performed on the eighth day from birth.
The
necessity of circumcision is demonstrated in that the refusal to
circumcise would lead to excommunication (Gen. 17:14).
This does not mean that infants dying uncircumcised after the
eighth day perished. Again,
the realties behind the sign are not tied to the act itself.
The
spiritual signification of circumcision was that it is first a sign and
seal of the covenant of God with Abraham (Gen. 17:11; Rom. 4:11). There are three spiritual realties taught by circumcision: 1)
our misery, 2) our redemption, and our returns of gratitude.
Circumcision
was to be "an everlasting covenant" signifying to the end of
that age or until the coming of the Messiah.
Witsius says, "Circumcision was the sign and seal of this
covenant; so that all, who duly submitted to this, according to God's
prescription, were solemnly declared by God himself to be partakers of
the promises made to Abraham: and, at the same time openly avowed, that,
by a lively faith, they received the promised Messiah, and expected from
him blessings of every kind. And thus circumcision became to them a seal
of the righteousness of faith, Rom. 4:11."
The reason it was abrogated is that it prefigured that which was
to come in its fullness (Col. 2:17).
Circumcision was the sign of regeneration, which would be
fulfilled in the death of Christ, thus a bloody sacrifice was no longer
needful after Christ, though the realties behind circumcision continue
in every child regenerated before God.
It was part of the wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles
that has been abolished by Christ (Eph. 2:15; Gal. 5:6). And, circumcision was not immediately abrogated, but
gradually, which demonstrates the continuity and not discontinuity of
the Covenant of Grace.
Chapter
9: Of the Passover.
"Passover"
comes from the event where God, while he killed the first born
of
the Egyptians, passed over the doors of the Israelites (Ex. 12:13).
The place of the Passover was first in Egypt (Ex. 12:21), and
second in the wilderness of Sinai (Numb. 9:5) then in the place of God's
choosing (or the Temple) (Deut. 16:5-6).
A
lamb or kid was to be used for the Passover (Ex. 12:3).
It had to be without blemish, male, and of the first year (Ex.
12:5). The lamb was
prepared by setting it apart on the tenth day, was to be killed and its
blood sprinkled on the doorposts. It
was to be roasted thoroughly, then eaten (Ex. 12:9). The bones were not
to be broken and the leftovers were to be burned.
The
mystery or significance of the Passover is peculiar to Israel. It was a demonstration of the salvation of their firstborn
sons, and the bitter herbs represented the bitter life under Pharaoh.
The unleavened bread represented the bread of affliction in
Egypt. The significance of
the Passover to all believers in Christ is that He is our Passover Lamb
(John 1:29,36). Christ was to be taken from among his brethren, was to
be perfect and male (Jer. 31:22). The
sufferings of Christ speak specifically this mystery.
The lamb was to be killed by the whole congregation, and so
likewise was Christ (Luke 23:18). The
blood of the lamb was to be shed, likewise of Christ (1 Pet. 1:19).
The lamb was to be cooked thoroughly, likewise Christ's suffering
was complete and sufficient where the roasting signifies the burning of
the divine wrath, so the place of Christ's sufferings is the same (Luke
12:33;
18:31).
We need to be sprinkled with the blood of Christ, partake and eat of Him
and share in his sufferings for the Gospel.
Chapter
10: Of the extraordinary Sacraments in the Wilderness
The
sacraments in the wilderness were signs and types of God’s promises of
salvation. Such is the Red
Sea and the passage in the cloud (1 Cor. 10:1-2).
"Under the cloud" refers to near, not literally under;
but that meaning of "baptized in the cloud and in the sea" is
what is important. It is
used as baptism in a figurative sense.
The sign of cloud and sea signify the same thing as baptism (1
Pet. 3:21). When the Israelites were baptized into Moses this
means by Moses, not in him as in Christ.
The spiritual significance of the cloud is a symbol of God's
gracious presence. It
prefigured the future incarnation of the Son of God and signified God's
protection towards the elect. God
in Christ takes on the evils that threaten his elect. This was given to
all who passed through the clouds including the women and the children.
The
sacrament of manna is also important to consider (1 Cor. 10:3). The name is derived from "he prepared, appointed,
determined." God used
natural causes to make manna, but it was from God as the principal cause
(Ex. 16:4,8,16; Deut. 8:3,16; Neh. 9:15,20,21). They were to gather it
as instructed, and to gather a double portion for the Lord’s Sabbath.
The mystery or spiritual significance of the manna was that it
represented Christ as the bread of heaven (John 6:32).
Two
other “sacraments” were the water from the rock, and the brazen
serpent. The water from the
rock signified Christ as one who gives us life (1 Cor. 10:4), and the
brazen serpent represented Christ lifted up (John 3:14).
Chapter
11: Of the Blessings of the Old Testament.
God
saved the people of Israel in electing them as a peculiar people (Deut.
7:6). Israel was the
"first born of God", the special treasure, and chosen to glory
in God as their portion (Deut. 26:17).
Out of this people the Messiah would come as an Israelite (Deut.
16:15,18).
The
land of Canaan. was promised to Abraham and his descendants as a portion
typifying heaven (Gen. 12:7; 13:15; 15:7).
It was a picture of our eternal inheritance (Numb. 14:21,23; Ps.
95:11). Canaan was pleasant
for it was God’s land and a picture of God’s grace (Deut. 7:7-8;
4:37-38; Ez. 16:60; 36:32). It
was Joshua the liberator, not Moses (who represented law), who brought
them into the land of Canaan.
The
demonstration of the divine majesty was revealed tot hem at Mt. Sinai
and Gods majesty was revealed in the pillar of cloud and fire, and in
the cloud in the temple to demonstrate His affinity with His people.
Christ
was pictured in the ceremonial law and the godly found much comfort,
delight, and learned much from the ceremonial law.
This does not mean that the ceremonial law was somewhat of a
burden and part of the bondage of the Old Testament economy. It surely was. But
it demonstrates the need of Christ until the coming of Christ.
God
also gave the Israelites the Word of God through His prophets.
The almost uninterrupted succession of inspired prophets is an
amazing testimony to God’s goodness in that they could consult and
learn the will of God. Moses was followed by a succession of prophets with the
exception of some very few and short intervals (1 Sam. 3:1; 2 Chron.
15:3).
Chapter
12: Of the Imperfections
falsely ascribed to the Old Testament.
Some
people make false accusations about the Old Testament.
For instance, some say that there are no true or permanent
benefits of salvation in the Old Testament. However, Christ bestowed on
believers, even under the Mosaic economy, true benefits in and with the
typical shadows. A mutable
economy in some respects does not imply mutable in all respects.
We should distinguish between salvation and the promise of
salvation and not between salvation and temporal benefits.
Christ's promise was sufficient to bestow eternal salvation on
Old Testament believers, otherwise the Old Testament does not speak of
Christ and salvation at all.
Circumcision
of the heart or regeneration is a New Testament blessing, which belongs
“properly” to the Covenant of Grace, and thus was in the Old
Testament (Deut. 30:6 refers to a period within the Old Testament).
Some
say that the writing of the law on the heart is a New Testament
blessing. This is nonsense. Old Testament saints had the law written on their hearts (Ps.
119:11,16,47). Old
Testament saints loved God without fear with exceeding joy, which
assumes the writing of the law on their hearts.
Some
say that there is no proper forgiveness of sins in the Old Testament.
This overthrows the very word of scripture in the Old Testament
(Ps. 130:4; 32; 103;
51;
Ex. 34:7; cf. Jam. 2:21; Rom. 4:2-3).
Even Jesus forgave sins before He died on the cross which would
have been properly fixed to the Old Testament (Matt. 9:2).
The
difference between the Old Testament and New Testament refers to the
actual transferring of sins upon Christ and the actual expiating of sin
by Christ. It is a matter
of time, not effectiveness.
Some
say that adoption is a New Testament blessing, but it existed in the Old
Testament (Job 34:36; Isa. 63:16; cf. Gal. 4:4-7).
Old Testament believers were considered and treated as young
children and thus did not differ much from servants, but this does not
negate true adoption.
Some
say that peace of conscience is a New Testament blessing, but the
Scriptures affirm that Old Testament believers had peace of conscience
(Ps. 3:5; 4:3; 17:15). Their
sin was forgiven which brought peace.
Old Testament believers did not have the peace that comes from
the ransom being fully paid but they did have peace knowing that they
did not have to pay it and that the Messiah would one day do so.
They were as much under the wrath of God and power of sin as we
are in the New Testament. The
difference only lies within the finished work of Christ which we look
back to and they looked forward to.
Chapter
13: Of the real defects of the Old Testament.
What
issues can we take with the Old Testament in reality concerning the
defects of waiting for the Messiah to come?
First, the cause of salvation was not completed. Secondly, There
is an obscurity of the Old Testament economy in types and shadows.
Thirdly, greater threatenings of the Law were seen and felt, and lesser
promises of grace (Heb. 12:18). Fourthly,
there was a real bondage to the ceremonial law which would be later
abolished (Gal. 4:3,9).
Laws
cannot in and of themselves make one perfect, and they had no elements
of holiness in themselves. Their mystical significance pointed to Christ.
They contained an element of enmity between God and Israel and
Israel and the Gentiles. The
gospel, though, later, was the epitome of freedom.
There
was a work of the spirit of bondage in the Old Testament that taught
that it was good to submit to the ceremonial laws.
But, it should have forced them to seek the spiritual
significance of the laws and not to cleave to the outward rite only.
It should have inclined the wills of believers and taught them to
long for the liberty of the new covenant.
In
the Old Testament we also find a more “scanty” measure of the gifts
of grace with respect to their extent among the people.
God only called the nation of Israel to be His people.
In that one nation, very few were partakers of saving grace (1
Cor. 10:5). They had little
knowledge of spiritual mysteries, little abundance of spiritual
consolations due to ceremonial laws.
Old Testament believers had a hunger and thirst for a better
condition according to God's promise (John 8:56; Matt. 13:17; Heb.
11:13).
Chapter
14: Of the Abrogation of the Old Testament.
When
the Gospel had come, the ceremonial law was abrogated.
It was first founded on the free and arbitrary will of God, but
God prefers the moral over the ceremonial law (1 Sam. 15:22; Isa. 1:11;
Jer. 7:22).
The
ceremonial law was abrogated, for it was intended for the people of
Israel alone. The
Scriptures foretold their abrogation (Deut. 18:15,18. b. Jer. 31:31-34;
Jer. 3:16-17; Ps. 110:4; cf. Heb. 8:11-13; Dan. 9:27).
This was to be fulfilled in the coming of Christ
The
ceremonial law ought, one time or other, to be abrogated. Without that
taking place, the fullness of the inclusion of the Gentiles into the
kingdom makes the ceremonial laws impossible to keep. The ceremonial
laws are but shadows, and a yoke to be broken.
The sign of their abrogation was the coming of Christ (John
4:21). The ceremonial law
was abrogated by Christ's death, and such an abrogation was confirmed by
the resurrection of Christ and His ascension and gift of the Holy
Spirit. The ceremonial law was finally abrogated at the destruction of
Jerusalem since it was still lingering even after the death of Christ
because of Jews who were zealous for the law.
Chapter
15: Of the Benefits of the New Testament.
There
are obvious and wonderful benefits in the New Testament over the Old
Testament. There is the
real and true presence of the Messiah (1 Tim. 1:15).
In Him the Gospel of the Kingdom is completed.
In Him the calling of the Gentiles has taken place and the grace
of Christ has gone over all the world (Ps. 2:8; Isa. 49:6; Luke 2:40).
The appointed apostles brought this proclamation of the good
news, and the Gentiles responded quickly to it.
In
the New Testament there is a more abundant and delightful measure of the
Spirit (Zech. 9:12; Isa. 44:2-3; 35:7; Joel 2:28).
The effects of the Spirit can be seen in a more clear and
distinct knowledge of the mysteries of faith (Isa. 11:9; 54:13: Jer.
31:34; 1 John 2:27), a more generous, a more sublime and cheerful degree
of holiness (Isa. 33:24; 35:9; 60:21-22; Zech. 10:5; 12:8), a more
delightful consolation (Isa. 40:1-2; 60:1-2; 55:11; 66:12-14; John
14:16; Acts 9:31; Eph. 1:13; 2 Cor. 1:22), a filial boldness, which is
now greater, as adoption itself, and its effects are more conspicuous;
Gal. 4:6) and the gifts of the Spirit are more extent (Mk. 16:16-18;
Acts 10:45-46; 19:6; 21:8; 1 Cor. 12:7-11).
In
the New Testament there is a greater freedom in Christian liberty.
It is a liberty common to all believers from the tyranny of the
devil, from the reigning and condemning power of sin, from the rigor of
the law, from death., and from the laws of men.
Now
a question arises about the restoration of Israel.
Is this going to happen? In
Romans 11:25-27 Paul is explaining a mystery, and the interest of
Gentiles is involved. Paul
does speak of a literal
Israel. He says that Israel is considered as a nation from beginning
to end and a part of it has now been hardened.
The hardening will continue until the fullness of the Gentiles
come into the kingdom. All
Israel (the nation as a whole) will be saved when the fullness of the
Gentiles have come. "All
Israel" does not refer to mystical Israel but to the Jewish nation
(according to Herman Witsius). In
verses 1 and 14, Paul refers them to his own pedigree, calls them his
own flesh and kindred, and distinguishes them from the Gentiles.
Paul is dealing with a mystery but it is no mystery that Jews
were converted with the Gentiles. Witsius
uses the following Scriptural support: Lev. 26:41-45; Deut. 4:30-31;
30:1-6; 32:43; Psa. 102:14-18; 85:9-10; Isa. 11:11-12; 19:24-25;
49:14ff; 62; Jer. 3:18ff; 33:24-26; Ez. 36:24ff; 37:15; 34:25ff.; Hosea
13:29; Luke 21:24; 2 Cor. 3:16.
Chapter
16: Of Baptism.
With
the Jews there is a twofold use of baptism that is important to
consider: the baptism of uncleanness and the baptism of Proselytism.
Jews did baptize, which should help New Testament Christians see
the continuity between the covenants and not so much the discontinuity.
There
are two Divine institutions of baptism that we find in the New
Testament: John's baptism (Luke 3:2; John 1:33) and what we call
Christian baptism. The
similarities between the two baptisms is that they both are based on
God's command, both involve water, both are administered into faith and
confession of Christ, both are a sign and seal of the remission of sins,
and both involve an obligation to repent.
The differences between the two baptisms is that John's baptism
was from God but not from Christ as the Mediator.
John's baptism was a preparation, introduction, or initiation for
Christian baptism. God communicated a more sparing measure of the Spirit in
John's baptism than in Christian Baptism.
In
discussing Christian baptism we begin with the mode of baptism. Some immerse and some sprinkle.
Arguments for immersion are that Christ and the Apostles used
this mode as seen by the example of the ancient church.
"Baptize" often refers to immersion linguistically and
there seems to be a more full likeness between the sign and the thing
signified in immersion. In
terms of those who sprinkle, the example of the three thousand (Acts
2:41) in one day and of Cornelius, Lydia, and the jailer exclude the
possibility of immersion. "Baptize"
can refer to sprinkling or pouring linguistically.
And the thing signified by baptism is explained in the Old
Testament and New Testament in terms of sprinkling and pouring (Isa.
52:15; Ez. 36:25; Heb. 12:24; 1 Pet. 1:2; Heb. 9:13-14).
Immersing or sprinkling once or three times is indifferent
though. It is to be done in the name of the Triune God.
The
spiritual meaning of baptism is connected with the communion with Christ
and His body along with all his benefits (1 Cor. 12:13; Tit. 3:5; 1 Pet.
3:21). It is also an
engagement to an important duty (1 Pet. 3:21).
Its particular meaning is that water signifies the blood as the
impetrating cause (Heb. 12:24; 1 Pet. 1:2), and the Spirit as the
applying cause (Isa. 44:3; Ez. 36:25-27). It signifies both present and
future benefits received from union with Christ.
And as circumcision, it signifies the putting off of sin (1 Pet.
3:21), and the putting on of Christ (Gal. 3:26-27) - regeneration.
It also demonstrates our duty towards God (Matt. 28:19-20),
ourselves (Rom. 6:3-6), and our brother (1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:3,5).
In
baptism there is a description of what the Trinity engages in – the
Father promises salvation, the Son obtains salvation as mediator, and
the Holy Spirit applies salvation.
The
children of believers are also to be baptized as federal agents of the
covenant. Children of
believers in the Old Testament were to receive the sign of the covenant
(Gen. 17). Peter speaks of the inclusion of children in the
covenant in the New Testament in the famous restoration passage of Acts
(Acts 2:38-39), as does Christ with the little children who own the
kingdom of heaven (Matt. 16:13-15; Luke 18:15).
The children of believers are called "holy" federally
(1 Cor. 7:14), thus, all those who belong to the church of God have a
right to baptism. Baptism
fulfills and takes the place of circumcision as a covenant sign, but not
by way of abrogation (Col. 2:11-12).
Chapter
17: Of the Lord's Supper.
The
Lord’s Supper is the second sacrament of the New Testament next to
baptism. The elements of
the Lord's Supper are the bread and wine.
This enables the sacrament to be enjoyed universally and is
consistent with the New Testament economy.
It is no longer a bloody sacrament like Passover since the
Passover is fulfilled by Christ and He alone is the bloody sacrifice.
Unleavened bread should be used and wine should be used.
Red is preferable but not necessary.
Christ
took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it.
His words with respect to the bread were to take, eat, and do
this in remembrance of me. He
then explained that this was His body, which is given for you. In terms of the cup, Christ took the cup, gave thanks, and
gave it. He said that they
should drink ye all of it, in remembrance of Me.
It meant that it was the blood of the New Covenant, which is shed
for the remission of sins. The
Disciples received both the bread and the cup, and ate the bread and
drank the cup.
Those
who would partake of the Lord’s Supper have necessary requirements.
They must have a knowledge of the faith and are able to discern
the Lord's body. They
should be able to understand the analogy of the sacrament and show the
Lord's death until He comes. They
must have a repentant and believing heart.
In this way, infants are therefore excluded from the Lord's
Supper, as young infants were excluded from the Passover.
The
spiritual meaning of the Lord's Supper is that it is a sign for our
instruction. The bread
signifies the body of Christ, and the wine signifies the blood of
Christ. The taking of the
element sets forth Christ to believers, the breaking of the bread
represents Christ's death, the pouring of the wine represents his shed
blood, and the receiving of the elements signifies their receiving
Christ. We should meditate
upon Christ when eating and drinking the elements for in these we have
communion with Christ. It
ends up being a seal, ratifying to us the promises and grace of God.
In this seal we receive true and real blessings that identify
union and communion with Him and us, and set forth future blessings of
the life to come. It is a
solemn duty to Christ that we partake worthily.
We should keep to our duties before Him as a faithful, and loving
spouse. We should reciprocate the love of Christ exhibited in the
Supper. We should remember
Christ's death on our behalf.
FINIS
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