Thursday, March 4th, 2010
To summarize the previous five sections concerning repentance:
1. It is a Gospel Grace meaning true repentance brings life. Godly Sorrow leads to repentance which leads to salvation. 2 Cor 7:10.
2. By repentance we mean hating sin and turning to Christ and seeking his mercy. In repenting we recognize that we are sinners, that it is only through Christ that we are righteous and only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can change.
3-4. We recognize the need for repentance and even daily repentance we are not mindful of the things of God. No sin so small that it does not deserve damnation nor any sin so great that it can bring damnation to those who truly repent.
5. Our repentance should be to repent of each particular sin particularly. Each specific sin reveals or is an indication of some part of our heart that is still captivated by something besides God.
As we close off Chapter 15, we note that God’s desire for repentance is not only in a right vertical relationship between God and man but also a right relationship horizontally, between man and man.
We see two aspects in this horizontal dimension of repentance:
The offender (the one who sins against his brother or the church) confessing his sin, and having sorrow for his sin, declaring his repentance to the offended party AND
The offended party being reconciled to the offender and receiving him in love.
We have few passages regarding horizontal repentance:
James 5:16 Confess your faults to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Matthew 5:23″Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
Matthew 18: 21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.
True repentance means confessing specific sins specifically, recognizing our fallen condition and that we all desperately need Christ and recognizing that those that sin against us also desperately need Christ. We are called to pray and forgive them when they fail and have them pray and forgive us when we fail. There is also a great urgency to do this quickly. We are not to let unconfessed sin nor unforgiveness linger or simmer as it will destroy relationships. True repentance leads to true worship and true fellowship.
As genuine repentance is the gift of Christ, its exercise is an indication that the person exercising it is forgiven by Christ.
We, then, as sons through faith in Christ, can have Shalom with our Father… wholeness and peace, reconciliation and love… just as Jesus had with his Father. This Shalom is what God desires for us to have with one another…
6. It is the duty of each one to make private confession of his sins to God, praying for pardon (and whoever confesses his sins, prays for forgiveness, and forsakes those sins shall find mercy). Similarly, anyone who has scandalized a brother, or the church of Christ, ought to be willing by private or public confession, and sorrow for his sin, to declare his repentance to those that are offended, who are then to be reconciled to him and receive him in love.
Tags: confession of faith, repentance
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
Two responses of Christians to God’s salvation through Jesus Christ is faith and repentance.
Faith as we recall is belief and trust in the promise and work of Jesus Christ for salvation, Repentance is the turning away from sin and turning to God, it is the putting off sin and putting on righteousness.
Romans 2:4 says that it is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. We recognize that repentance is a grace given to us from God. It is not something we can boast in because apart from Christ we cannot truly repent, it is a gift of God.
Today’s confession calls it a Gospel grace.
As Christians, God has given us the grace to turn away from sin and to turn to God. Because of this we must do this often as well as call others to repentance. Our lives must be lives of continual repentance of confessing our sins and turning to God. This is how we work out our salvation. That is why we have the confession of sin during our worship service every week.
Let’s read today’s confession acknowledging that it is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance.
Repentance unto life is a gospel grace, the doctrine of which is to be preached by every minister of the gospel, just as is the doctrine of faith in Christ.
Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 15, Section 1
Tags: confession of faith, repentance, westminster confession of faith
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Saturday, December 12th, 2009
In our salvation, we learn that we have a new standing in Christ, declared righteous, adopted into the family of God. We also learn that God is working in us to make us more like Christ, God is helping us to die to sin and to mortify the lusts in our hearts. He is moving us into a life of holiness and this process is called sanctification. We learn from this confession that our sanctification we will never be perfect in this life. There will always be a continual battle, a struggle between our sinful nature and the Spirit.
Romans 7:21-23 says:
21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
22For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;
23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
We will continue to struggle in our lives. Will we ever be perfect? Yes, the Apostle Paul says “that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 1:6] But he recognizes that in this life we will face our enemy every day until that day. This confession is a helpful reminder that God is working in us, reminding us that even though Christ has restored us, we will still continue to fail, to sin, to struggle… no matter how good we are, no matter how far we think we have come along, there will be times of relapse… and that our lives must be lives of continual faith and repentance.
And this is our comfort, our wonderful and loving God still loves us because of Christ and His atoning work on the cross for all of His children who still struggles with sin, and who still fail. Yet, Christ’s work is greater than our sins, the Fathers’s love deeper than our failures, and the Spirit’s loving presence more powerful than any of our struggles.
This sanctification, although imperfect in this life, is effected in every part of man’s nature. Some remnants of corruption still persist in every part, and so there arises a continual and irreconcilable war—the flesh warring against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.
Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 13, Section 2
Tags: sanctification
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Friday, November 20th, 2009
The following is a link to the Chinese translation of the Westminster Confession of Faith found at CCEL.ORG
Westminster Confession of Faith (Chinese)
Tags: chinese, westminster confession of faith
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Saturday, September 26th, 2009
Last week we were introduced to Justification. As a reminder justification is the forgiveness of our sins and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness. Though we were spiritually dead, we receive a right standing with God (we are justified) through faith in Jesus Christ. When God opens our hearts to trust in Christ, our sins become his and his righteousness become ours.
Today’s confession speaks about this faith. It says that justifying faith is not dead, but works by love. What does that mean? Ephesians 2:8-10 sheds some light on this issue. It says: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Salvation is a gift of God. We do not earn it, we do not deserve it. It is a gift of God so that no one can boast… but our salvation doesn’t leave us where we are. God continues to shape us and mold us into the image of his Son, Jesus. As our old pastor use to say, it is a package deal. Justification is accompanied by other saving graces including sanctification, adoption, faith and repentance, good works, glorification, and others. It is a package deal.
As a quick warning… If you are a Christian and think that because I believe Christ and he forgives all my sins… I can go on sinning all the more because he’s gonna forgive me… then you are truly mistaken.
As we read today’s confession we are reminded that faith alone in Christ justifies us, (saves us), but our faith does not remain alone… it is accompanied by a real inward change of our hearts to do good works prepared by God. That is what a true Christian experiences.
Faith—receiving and resting on Christ and his righteousness—is the only instrument of justification; yet it is not the only grace in the person justified, but is always accompanied by all other saving graces. Justifying faith is not dead, but works by love.
Tags: justification, westminster confession of faith
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Friday, September 4th, 2009
This confession deals with a difficult and sensitive issue. As we dealt with effectual calling, it is the outward call, the preaching of the Gospel and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. What happens to people who are not capable of making a decision for Christ die, like infants? What is their eternal destiny?
This confession really hit home recently when a family friend lost their four month old baby girl. This confession is a great comfort to the grieving by revealing the great mercy of our God.
This is a sensitive topic because we know that all man is born into sin, this includes babies. If we are all born under sin, and salvation is by faith in Christ (which infants do not seem to have the mental capacity to exercise), then it might at first seem that no infants can be saved. However, that would be a premature and unbiblical conclusion.
The difficulty is then how do we reconcile God’s justice with his mercy and compassion?
Scripture does not say very much about the eternal destiny of babies. Ephesians 1:4 says that “He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” God in his great love has predestined his people, the elect to be saved in Jesus Christ… that includes elect persons who are not capable of grasping the outward call like infants who die in infancy.
It is important to emphasize that God is not saving infants because they are innocent. He is saving them because, although they are sinful, God is true to His name when He says that He will be gracious to whom He will be gracious and will show mercy on whom He will show mercy.
This truth underscores the greatness and the depth of God’s love and mercy when an infant He has chosen to be part of His family is allowed to die even before she is able to publicly confess her faith in Christ, God is still able and willing to save from hell.
As we comfort one another, especially those parents who lost their little ones, we turn them to Jesus Christ and allow them to see how truly merciful and compassionate our God is.
Confession of Faith 10.3 Elect infants who die in infancy are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit, who works when, where, and how he pleases. So also are all other elect persons who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word.
Tags: christianity, salvation, westminster confession of faith
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Sunday, August 16th, 2009
Why do some people believe in the gospel and others don’t? Today we will see that when the Gospel is preached some very important things happen. We see that in our fallen state we would naturally reject Christ and reject his free offer of salvation.
However when the Gospel is preached something mysterious and awesome happens. We call this Effectual Calling. Through the spoken word of God, the spirit of God moves in some people and not in others… and regenerates our hearts. He gives us eyes to see and ears to hear and minds/hearts to understand the Gospel.
We see the Gospel as the power of God unto salvation for all that believe… It is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ that calls us into a loving relationship with God, it is also in this call that the loving God sends his Spirit to draw men to himself.
When we feel conviction of sin, when we are reminded of his goodness, his loving kindness, when we understand the great salvation in which we have been saved, it is because the spirit of God has changed our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. This is a working of God… the power of God… the grace of God so that we may come freely to him, out of our own free will.
Two important points to note about Effectual Calling:
1) God calls us through the Word and his Spirit. That is why the preaching and teaching of the word is so important. It is through the Word that we see God’s spirit moving to change and draw people to himself.
2) Is God unfair? Some say it is not fair that God chooses some to be saved and others to go to hell. But we know that salvation is grace, which is by definition undeserved. No one deserves it. If we acted in our own free will we would not choose God. If we want fairness, if we want justice, the sinless Christ would not have died and we would be the ones condemned to death. We recognize that salvation is a gift… it is by the grace of God.
Let’s read together Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 10, Section 1. It’s a long section so I encourage you to read this again in your spare time and to mediate on God’s work of salvation:
1. All those—and only those—whom God has predestined to life, he is pleased to call effectually in his appointed and accepted time, by his Word and Spirit. He calls them from the state of sin and death—in which they are by nature—to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ. In this calling, God enlightens their minds spiritually and savingly, so that they understand the things of God. He takes away their hearts of stone and gives them hearts of flesh, renews their wills, and by his almighty power turns them to what is good and effectually draws them to Jesus Christ. Yet he does this in such a way that they come most freely, being made willing by his grace.
Tags: calling, salvation, westminster confession of faith
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Tuesday, June 16th, 2009
To all those for whom Christ purchased redemption, he certainly and effectually applies and communicates it. He makes intercession for them and reveals to them, in and by the Word, the mysteries of salvation. He effectually persuades them by his Spirit to believe and obey, and governs their hearts by his Word and Spirit. He overcomes all their enemies by his almighty power and wisdom in such a manner, and by such ways, as are most agreeable to his wonderful and unsearchable administration.
In concluding chapter 8 of the westminster confession of faith, in which we confess Christ as mediator…
We learn that those whom Christ worked to save by His life, death, and resurrection will most certainly be saved and will never be lost. In our struggles, in our failures, when we fall, when we reject Christ, when we stumble, when we sin, we have an advocate. We have Christ who continually pursues us, we have Christ who fights for us, we have Christ who sends his Spirit to give us life, to give us the necessary faith in Christ, to strengthen us, to empower us, to remind us of the truth, and to persuade us to obey….
Because we are in union with Christ, we have a constant reminder that He will not leave us nor forsake us. It is in this union that we will experience our personal weakness and his power, and strength, and love.
It is in love that Christ redeemed us, and it is in love that Christ pursues us to the end…
Tags: westminster confession of faith
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Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
Although the work of redemption was not actually accomplished by Christ until after his incarnation, yet the power, efficacy, and benefits of it were applied to the elect in all ages successively from the beginning of the world, in and by those promises, types, and sacrifices by which Christ was revealed and signified to be the seed of the woman who would bruise the serpent’s head, and to be the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
– Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 8, section 6
Chapter 8, section 6 of the confession describes that even though Christ’s work was accomplished after his incarnation it was still effective prior to his coming but in different ways.
In God’s infinite wisdom and through his master plan, he set forth in motion a rescue plan for humanity. This plan was actually foretold in Genesis right after the fall of Adam and Eve.
God said to the serpent in Genesis 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heal.
And throughout redemptive history we saw various promises, types, and sacrifices which pointed to this truth… pointing to a coming savior who would defeat the serpent. People were saved because they believed in God’s promised salvation. When Christ finally came into this world, God fulfilled this promise with Christ as our mediator. So all believers or the elect are able to benefit in this salvation, both believers in ages past before Christ’s incarnation, as well as believers after Christ’s incarnation.
This can be summarized in Galatians 4:4 says that “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
In conclusion, John 3:16 summarizes it for us: “For God so loved the world, that he sent his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
It is through faith in God’s Son Jesus Christ that we are saved.
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Thursday, April 16th, 2009
Chapter 8 of the Westminster Confession of Faith looks at Jesus Christ as Mediator.
Background in church history. The first two centuries after Christ, the church battled mostly against generalized doctrinal errors like paganism and Gnosticism. Between the third and fourth centuries, the Doctrine of the Trinity came under fire. It was at the Councils of Nicea and Constantinople that the statement of the Church’s faith and creeds concerning the orthodox understanding of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were crystallized.
After that, the big controversy was over the Doctrine of Christ. Between the fifth and seventh century, theologians debated and argued whether Christ was only divine and not human or if he were two persons, one divine and the other human or if he was both divine and human in one person… It was at the council of Chalcedon in AD 451 where the church formulated the true doctrine of Christ’s person. We learn last week that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, the Godhead and the manhood, were inseparably joined together in one person without conversion, composition, or confusion.
In this section of the Confession we learn how the human nature of Christ was equipped for his mediatorial work by the power of the Holy Spirit. We also see why he needed to be God to perform this work, that he was invested with authority and ability by God the Father to execute this work.
Why did Jesus have to be Man? Only in being man was Christ qualified to become the second Adam to undo the wrong of the first Adam… Only as a man could he keep to the law perfectly where Adam failed in meeting the condition of the covenant of works. Only as a man could Jesus experience suffering and accomplish the work of salvation.
Why did Jesus have to be God? Because a man could not have endured what the mediator endured. If we look at the Old Testament, Moses, Noah, David… they were all men yet they sinned. They could not perfectly fulfill the law of God and were in need of a savior. A mere man could not satisfy divine justice. A mere man could not endure the wrath of God as Christ did. Only by being both divine and human could Christ as mediator fulfill the requirements of the law of God.
In his human nature, united to the divine nature, the Lord Jesus was set apart and anointed with the Holy Spirit beyond measure, having in him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In him the Father was pleased to have all fullness dwell, so that—being holy, blameless, and undefiled, full of grace and truth—he might be completely equipped to fulfill the office of a mediator and guarantor. He did not take this office to himself but was called to it by his Father, who put all power and judgment into his hand and commanded him to execute it.
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