Wednesday, August 20th, 2008
This section of the Confession of faith deals with God’s unconditional election of those predestined for life. The bible clearly states that salvation is wholly a work of grace through faith in Christ so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 and since salvation is pure unmerited grace, then there is no room for works. Today’s confession makes this abundantly clear:
3 points –
1) God predestined some to life before the foundation of the world and this choice is eternal, and unchangeable
2) The choice was out of God’s free grace, good pleasure and love; not based on any quality or works of man
3) God’s election manifests his glory by displaying his holiness of wrath in the destruction of the wicked and displaying the perfection of his mercy and love in saving the elect.
Those people who are predestined to life, God—before the foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal and unchangeable purpose and the secret counsel and good pleasure of his will—has chosen in Christ to everlasting glory. He chose them out of his free grace and love alone, not because he foresaw faith, or good works, or perseverance in either of these, or anything else in the creature, as conditions or causes moving him to do this; and all to the praise of his glorious grace.
(WCF 3.5)
Tags: Add new tag, bible, faith, salvation, westminster
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Wednesday, August 20th, 2008
That WCF 3.3 is concerned about God’s grace for both the elect and the reprobate. For the reprobate, God’s grace, mercy, patience is highlighted (and obviously God’s justice, but not just God’s justice). Eph. 2:3 “among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
If, from eternity, God had predestined the elect for grace and mercy (Eph 1:4-5), but in history the elect were for a time “children of [God's] wrath”, the converse could also be said: from eternity God had foreordained the reprobate to damnation, but in history the reprobate were for a time recipients of God’s common grace, mercy and patience.
To state it simply: after Adam’s fall, the human race was headed to hell. All of us deserve hell. However it was by God’s good pleasure that he decreed that some may be saved through Jesus Christ. All of us deserve hell, but for a short time, we all are recipients of God’s common grace, mercy and patience. Again this is for His glory.
By God’s decree, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestined to everlasting life, and others are foreordained to everlasting death.
Tags: christ, decree, faith, wcf, westminster
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