Being Chinese and Reformed (Reforming) » » reformed theology

Reformed view on baptism

reformed — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:04:31 +0000

This is a good article on Baptism by R Scott Clark from Westminster Cal.

Introduction

Among Western Christians there are four major views on baptism:

1 Baptism is the means of spiritual renewal and initial justification and sanctification through the infusion of grace received in it, in such a way that one cannot be saved ordinarily without it. Baptism communicates saving grace, by the working of its own power. Children of all church members and unbaptized adult converts must be baptized (Roman Catholic).

2 Baptism is a public testimony to one’s faith in Jesus Christ. Only those who have reached the age of discretion can make such a profession of faith. Therefore, only those who are able to confess Christ should be baptized. (Baptist).

3 Baptism is so closely related to the gospel that through it, Christians receive eternal life and without baptism there can be no assurance of salvation. Both the children of believers and unbaptized adult believers should be baptized (Lutheran).

4 Baptism is a means of sanctifying grace and a gospel ministry to the people of God. It is a sign and seal of the Covenant of Grace illustrating what Christ has done for his people and sealing salvation to the same. Therefore covenant children of believing parents as well as unbaptized adult converts should be baptized. (Reformed).

Protestants uniformly reject the Roman Catholic view of baptism as unbiblical and sub-Christian since it replaces faith as the instrument of justification. Among Bible-believing Protestant churches, the Baptist view is easily the most common and the Reformed view is probably the least well known. The view labeled Lutheran is probably somewhere in the middle in popularity. Unfortunately, many Bible-believing Christians assume that all infant baptizing (paedobaptist) churches are identical.
This essay is intended in part to change that perception. I believe (perhaps naively) that if more Bible-believing Christians understood the Reformed view of baptism, they would accept our explanation of what God’s Word says about baptism. I also intend to give Reformed believers a clearer understanding of what God’s Word says about baptism and to answer objections which are often made against the Reformed position.

New Calvinism

reformed — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:32:21 +0000

Time has a top ten things changing the world article.

The New Calvinism ranks as #3 top idea changing the world right now.

Related Post:
Young, Restless, and Reformed

Young, Reformed and Restless

reformed — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:49:20 +0000

I read an article about this in Christianity Today a few years back when I didn’t even know what reformed meant. It’s interesting to see how this “movement” or “revival” is gaining a foothold in various denominations and individuals. Being in the PCA has opened my eyes to Calvinism and reformed movement.

I also have to thank my old pastors, sovereign grace ministries, mars hill church in seattle, tim keller’s church and RTS for giving me a better understanding. It’s cool to see the maturation of my faith… even at infancy how it all relates within this framework of the Christian faith.

This article from Reformation21 is a good indicator of the direction of the revival of the reformed faith. If we are to survive, we cannot have Calvinism triumphalism… neither can we devour one another. That is what happened in the past. We need to balance humility with the great truths of scripture. Knowledge indeed puffs up and we must be prepared with the temptation when the time arises. Equipped with the word of God but also prepared to use it with the right attitude.

Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 5, Section 7

reformed — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:50:33 +0000

The scope of God’s providence reaches all creatures, it touches everyone, believer, unbeliever, good, evil but God’s providence is worked out in a special way for the church.

Exodus 19:5-8 – God says the whole earth is mine, and he says to the church you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. We learn that God is everywhere, but God’s heart is to be with the church. God owns the whole universe but God owns the church as his own people, his treasured possession. God is everywhere but God desires to be with his people…

In Ephesians 1:23, Paul says the fullness of him who fills all in all… God is everywhere, he fills everything… but God is here with his church in a special way. God is with his church in a different way than with the world.

Two powerful truths we can learn from today’s confession.
1. God controls all things, he owns all things, he is everywhere
2. God cares for his church in a special way;

The church, anyone who is in Christ, is his treasured possession. We learn that God enters into a special relationship with man. This relationship is such that “God is our God and we are his people.” It is within this covenant relationship that God cares for his people the church.

We will look at that more in the following weeks. But for today, remember that God has planned in a special way to care for his people. If you are in Christ, you are in a covenant relationship with the God of the universe who cares for you and loves you. God loves his children even to the point where He has placed them in a particular local church to uniquely form each congregation.

WCF 5.7. As, in general, the providence of God reaches to all creatures, so, in a very special way, it cares for his church and disposes all things for its good.

Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 5, Section 5

reformed — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:10:28 +0000

If as 2 Corinthians say, If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation the old has gone and the new has come, why are Christians still being tempted and falling into sin? Why do Christians suffer from temptations?

Today’s confession addresses this issue. God in his providence allows his children to face temptations for a time, so that they will not only face the truth of their own deceitful hearts, but also draw his children to depend on him more.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 7:10 that “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death…” When we repent of our sins, when we turn to God both for help and salvation, he shows us a better way. He shows us he is the only way. Apart from him we can do nothing.

Paul later goes on in the same letter in 2 Cor. 12:7-10, to keep him from being conceited by all these great revelations he received, God sent him a thorn in his flesh to torment him. Three times Paul pleaded with the Lord to take it away, but instead God said “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul concludes that he will boast more gladly about his weakness so that Christ’s power may rest on him. For Christ’s sake, he will delight in weaknesses, in insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties because when he is weak, then he is strong.

God in his providence will use even our weaknesses to draw us to rely on his grace against future occasions for sinning and to fulfill his other holy purposes. His grace truly is sufficient for us for his power is made perfect in weakness.

5. The most wise, righteous, and gracious God often leaves his own children, for a time, to manifold temptations and to the corruption of their own hearts. He does this to chastise them for their past sins, to humble them by making them aware of the hidden strength of the corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts, and then to raise them to a closer, more constant dependence upon himself for their support, to make them more watchful against all future occasions for sinning, and to fulfill various other just and holy purposes.

Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 5, Section 2

reformed — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:48:13 +0000

In Chapter 3, when we looked at God’s eternal decree, we confessed that God ordains whatsoever comes to pass, yet he is not the author of sin… nor does he violate second causes, but establishes them.

Last week, in section 1 we confessed that God is in control of everything, he governs and directs all which he does for his own glory. This week we expand on the governance of his creatures by maintaining that he does not violate second causes such as the free actions of people, but rather establishes them. He maintains man’s liberty free wills..

Please note that whenever we talk about the divine sovereignty of God, our sinful hearts will always object. One objection we’ll look at today is that “if God controls everything, then I am not responsible for what I do…”

This objection is based on the assumption that when God controls human actions, he forces us to do his will whether we want to or not. To put it more bluntly, IF God controlled all things, then he also controls me to sin against my will, then God would be responsible and not I.

The bible however goes into great detail teaching that we are responsible because when left to our own will, we sin. God is infinite, eternal and unchangeable – he is able to let us do as we please, allow free will or second causes, yet is absolutely certain that we do what he has predetermined what we will do.

One example of this is in Genesis where we see the relationship between Joseph and his brothers. “as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people (Gen 50:20). They did evil, they did it freely… and yet… this was all according to God’s will. This is a great mystery.

Although—in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first Cause—all things come to pass unchangeably and infallibly; yet, by the same providence, he orders them to occur according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently.

Westminster Confession of Faith chapter 5, section 2 (Modern English Version)

Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 4 Section 2

reformed — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:03:05 +0000

Chapter 4 – God’s creation

2. After God had made everything else, he created mankind. He made them male and female, with rational and immortal souls, endowed with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, after his own image. They had the law of God written in their hearts and had power to fulfill it. They were, however, under a possibility of transgressing, being left to the liberty of their own will, which was subject to change. In addition to this law written in their hearts, they received a command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As long as they obeyed this command, they were happy in their communion with God and had dominion over the creatures.

In section 1, we acknowledged that God created the world and everything in it. He did it for his good pleasure in the space of six days and all very good…

Section 2 looks at three aspects of God’s final act of creation.
1) God’s crowning work of creation was man
2) Man was made in the image of God
3) God created man with free will

1. Man is God’s crowning work of creation

After God created the universe… he created a planet that can sustain life, and after that, he created the animals and after that, finally created man… In Genesis 2, we learn that God created man from the dust of the earth and breathed the breath of life into man. As the confession states, man was endowed with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, after his own image. Man was the made a little lower than angels as the psalmist wrote.

2. What does it mean that Man is made in God’s image? In Genesis 1 God made man in his own image, male and female he created them. A commentator says that man originally was an image of the Triune God in that he was made to function as prophet, priest, and king. As a prophet man was endowed with physical senses and mental ability to learn truth. As a priest, he possessed the desire to worship God in true holiness. And as king he had the ability to subject all to the purpose and will of God.

3. The last aspect of God’s final act of creation was that God created man with free will. Man had the freedom to obey the law of God. God gave man the ability to live life happily with God, but with that freedom also came the ability to break God’s law.

As we look at humanity today, we see the effects of man’s fall… we see the ugly side of man… but let’s also remember the original state of man… Man as highly regarded by God, man as the image bearers of God, and man that originally lived in perfect obedience and communion with God.