Tag Archives: salvation

Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 10, Section 3

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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.

Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 10, Section 1

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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.

Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 3 section 5

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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)

The LORD saves… and is glorified… and is faithful

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the book of isaiah has been one of those books in the bible that slows me down. there are so many things I just don’t understand/hard to understand.

i read through isaiah 36-37 today about how assyria threatened to destroy judah, but through hezekiah’s prayer and isaiah’s prophecy, God saves the day and His glory is made known.

hezekiah ends his pray by pleading with God… “now, o LORD our God, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, LORD, are God.” isaiah 37:20

isaiah says this is what God says… “For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant david’s sake.”

God will act according to His will… for His name sake and to keep His covenant. God is faithful to His word and is faithful to uphold his holiness, glory, and majesty.

a recurring theme throughout isaiah and the histroy of israel is the forming of alliances with unholy allies either for convenience sake, security, wealth, etc, but God wanted His people to rely solely on Him. He wanted a people who would be HIS people and HIS alone.

and that continues to be His desire for us. He wants us to be a people who will look to Him, to cry to Him, to seek Him in all things… for all things… He wants us to be His people and He wants to be our God. All to Him for His name sake and for His glory and for His Kingdom…