Father and our God, we come to you in the name of our Lord Jesus, and we pray that you would bless our time together this morning. We pray that you would sanctify us, that you would grow us in holiness, that we would come to know you better and to know ourselves better in light of you, that you would, by your Spirit, conform us to the image of Christ. We pray for all of our folks who won't be here this morning for whatever the reason, that you would bless them and be with them where they are, help them to worship you where they are in spirit and in truth. For those with sickness, we pray that you would heal them. For those with other hardships, we pray that you would be a comfort to them in their time of need and help us to be the hands and feet of Christ that do comfort them. And we pray that you would bless us afterward, later this morning, when we move into our formal time of worship, that you would help us to worship you in spirit and in truth. And we pray this all in Christ's name, amen. Okay, so we have been going through these various reasons why God would providentially bring His children to a place of falling into sin. This is not the reprobates, those out there. These are those who are elect, truly regenerate, and yet we still struggle with sin. And so we've gone through these various reasons. I'm not going to rehash those. I'm just kind of trying to bring you back up to speed. What I am going to do, though, is I'm going to start by reading Sections 5, 6, and 7, which is what we've been working to cover on the chapter regarding providence. Section 5, it says this, the perfectly wise, righteous, and gracious God often allows His own children for a time to experience a variety of temptations and the sinfulness of their own hearts. He does this to chastise them for their former sins or to make them aware of the hidden strength of the corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts. so that they may be humbled. He also does this to lead them to a closer and more constant dependence on Him to sustain them, to make them more cautious about all future circumstances that may lead to sin and for other just and holy purposes. So whatever happens to any of His elect happens by His appointment for His glory and for their good. In section 6 it says, God as the righteous judge sometimes blinds and hardens wicked and ungodly people because of their sins. He withholds His grace from them by which they could have been enlightened in their understanding and had their hearts renewed. Not only that, but sometimes He also takes away the gifts they already had and exposes them to situations that their corrupt natures turn into opportunities for sin. Moreover, He gives them over to their own lusts, the temptations of the world, and the power of Satan so that they harden themselves in response to the same influences that God uses to soften others. And then section seven, the providence of God in a general way includes all creatures, but in a special way, it takes care of his church and arranges all things to its good. So this is where we're picking up today. The confession says, so whatever happens to any of his elect happens by his appointment for his glory and for their good. Speaking of the elect's good. So on this, R.C. Sproul comments, quote, this is a simple expression of God the Father's benevolent care for His children. His principal will for our lives is our sanctification. Would you like to know what God wants from us? He wants us to be holy, conformed to the image of His Son. That should be our chief concern in life, end quote. So on this, I've got three passages I want us to look at. Of course, we're gonna have to read the one that I go to so often, Romans 8, 28 through 30. Romans 8, verses 28 through 30, it says this. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son. Calvinists tend to put a lot of emphasis on predestination, but not always as much emphasis on predestination to what? This predestination is not just to faith, salvation in some generic sense, although those things are true. It's not less, it's more. We are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren. And these whom He predestined, He also called. And these whom He called, He also justified. And these whom He justified, He also glorified. All right, now let's look at 1 Thessalonians, chapter four. I'm gonna read verses one through eight, but more particularly, I'm wanting to draw your attention to verse three, okay? So, 1 Thessalonians 4, 1 through 8, with particular attention to verse 3. Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God, just as you actually do walk, that you excel still more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification. That is, that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God. And that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter, because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity. but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you." So, of course, the point there is, what is the will of God for us? Our sanctification, which is another way of saying our being conformed to the image of Christ. Now remember, We're considering this in the context of why would God allow us to fall, temporarily of course, but allow us to fall into sin, right? And so in some way this is allowing us to fall into sin, then leads to us, by His Spirit, putting sin to death in an even better way than we were before we fell into the sin, okay? because what we've seen is he allows us to fall into sin because of some already existing sin, okay? All right, one more, 1 Peter chapter one, verses one and two. 1 Peter 1, verses 1 and 2. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bivnia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood. May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. Peter's writing, of course, to the churches in these various places, but he's describing the saints as, first notice, this is a Trinitarian work, okay? Father, Son, and Spirit are all present, actively present in our salvation. He says, chosen, chosen by whom? Well, God, of course, right? Chosen by the Father according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. okay, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit. So, sanctifying in one sense, most literally this means to be set apart to holy use, okay, as opposed to a common use. So, in one way, we could look at this and say, okay, chosen to be set apart from the world to God's holy use. But then also, we think of sanctification as a progressive growing up into the image of Christ. I think we could probably say both ideas are present here. Okay, so we are set apart for a purpose. And here's why I'm saying I think we can say both ideas are set apart. So we're set apart to what end? To obey Jesus Christ. What that actually looks like is we're His disciples, and a disciple, once he is fully trained, looks like his master. You see that? So set aside So sanctified in the sense of set apart, and then also sanctified in the sense of progressively growing into the image of Christ. And again, if we put this now in the context of, one, does God allow us to fall into sin? Again, there's this existing sin. Perhaps we're blind to it, or perhaps we're prideful about it, or for whatever reason, we're hanging on to it. And so he allows us to fall. that we may put the sin we fell into to death, yes, but also this other previously existing sin. So now, the end result is we are now more and more conformed to the image of Christ. Okay, let me pause here. Any questions or comments? Yeah, we're not Gnostics, that's right. The fleshly, in the tangible sense of the term, the fleshly is good. Go ahead. I was gonna say that in 1 Peter, there were three operations, purposes, why we were set apart. The last one is to be sprinkled with his blood. Purified. So, in the context of falling in sin. Yep, sprinkled with his blood to be purified. Yeah. Yep, that's right. In Humble's lesson, We go, if we confess our sins, He's faithful and just, forgive us our sins. So that's like an ongoing process. And we're supposed to mirror that, become like our master by washing one another's feet. We're not. No, that's good. Any other questions or comments before we move on? Yes. So maybe to put it in a different context, but the same point, sort of like the already not yet kind of thing, there is a sense in which we are already perfected in Christ. Because you go back to that passage in Romans, each of those steps or links in the golden chain, if you want to put it that way, is spoken of in the past tense, as if it already occurred. And we know in terms of the chronology, we haven't actually reached glorification yet. Right? So to us, our final glorification, that is a future event. But God, speaking through Paul, speaks of it as if it were already true. And so I think we have to acknowledge, in a sense, it is already true. Okay? But then, in another sense, we're still awaiting it. So it's sort of a already, not yet, there's a already present perfection, and then there's also a future consummate perfection that we're going towards, right? Yeah. Yeah, and Isaiah. I know what you're talking about. Yeah. I know the actual words, but I'm not going to be able to quote it right now. It's not coming to me. There you go. Yeah, that's right. So, yeah, that's a good point. Anyway, that's a long way for me to say, that's a good point. All right, so as we move to section 6, we see a shift in focus from God's sovereign providence over the sin of the elect to His sovereign providence over the sin of the reprobate. Speaking of the corresponding passages in the Westminster Confession, R.C. Sproul rightly says of this section that it, quote, may be the hardest and most controversial section in the Confession, end quote. This idea that God is providentially guiding is totally sovereign over human sin. Surely, if you've had any sort of conversations with people of a different theological persuasion, this is the objection. Somehow this is supposed to make God the author of sin. Somehow this is not fair, because since God decreed it from eternity and providentially brings it about, then there was no chance. They never had a chance to be saved. Well, of course, that's assuming that there's no such thing as secondary causality. It's assuming there's no such thing as free will. And we've seen over and over through the confession to this point, we affirm all of those things. Section six begins this way. God as the righteous judge. Okay, don't just breeze by that. That's very important to note. God is a righteous judge. So God is the righteous judge. Sometimes blinds and hardens wicked and ungodly people because of their sin. Okay? So sin is the cause of their blindness, creating more sin, causing more blindness, creating more sin, and we just have this never-ending cycle. Yes? Pharaoh is a good example, yep. Another example that comes to my mind is the Jewish leaders that we've been, as we've been going through John's gospel, right? Their spiritual blindness is being brought out by John in that gospel. Because, of course, Christ is cast as the light of the world, right? And then you have the light heals the blind man that he may see, and yet here's all these people who say they do see, but they don't. And what makes their blindness so horrific is they truly believe that they do, right? And I think that's the logical conclusion when you keep going through this cycle, because the sin just builds and builds and builds and builds. And as the sin builds, so does the blindness. Anyway, so as is customary, The framers of the Confession are careful to maintain that God is a righteous judge, and that all that follows is indeed His dealings with sinful creatures. And that is the next thing. The people with whom God is interacting in this section are not poor, innocent people, and God makes them, as in He forces them to sin, as if it were against their will. That's not. They're already sinners. Okay? Their hearts are naturally inclined to evil. So, as righteous judgment against such people, God further hardens and blinds them. Again, Pharaoh is a good example because we see And depending on where you're reading, it says, God hardened his heart, Pharaoh hardened his own heart. So both are true. Let's look at Isaiah chapter six. Now, here's what's somewhat stunning about this passage when you put it in its context, okay? We're going to read about the reprobate and their sin, okay? But understand, the people being described here were part of the covenant community, or if you want to put it another way, the church as it existed in the Old Testament. So we're not just looking at people out there. These were in the midst, these were in the bosom of the church. And we could say the same thing about those Jews that were opposing Jesus and ultimately crucified Him by the hands of unjust men, right? But, okay, so Isaiah chapter six, we're gonna read, we'll pick up at verse eight and read at the end of the chapter. So this is Isaiah speaking, he says, then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send? And who will go for us? Then I said, here am I, send me. He said, go and tell this people, Israel. Keep on listening, but do not perceive. Keep on looking, but do not understand. Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull and their eyes dim. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and return and be healed. Then I said, Lord, how long? And he answered, until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, houses are without people and the land is utterly desolate. The Lord has removed men far away and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. Yet there will be a tenth portion in it, and it will again be subject to burning, like a terebinth or an oak whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump." Think of it this way, there's warnings against covenant judgment. You go back to Deuteronomy, you have the covenant blessings and the covenant cursings. And the covenant cursings, of course, are for unfaithfulness. Well, Israel has been consistently unfaithful. And so now Isaiah is one of the latter prophets, okay? One of the last warners of Israel, so to speak. Another way we can talk about this, though, is it's the gospel. So, when we think about the gospel, there are curses involved. And the curses are for those who are outside of it. Those who do not believe. Those who do not believe the gospel receive a curse. Those who believe are saved. So, this is talking about those who do not believe God. They do not believe the prophets that He has put His Word in the mouth of. Let's look at Romans 1. This one I think this actually entails both Gentiles and Jews, this passage. Some people think this is just supposed to be about the Gentile world. I think it's probably both. And then Paul from there, and I'm not gonna read this right now, but when he's talking about how all are condemned under sin, from there Paul kind of breaks it up and goes, okay, Jew here, Gentile here, everyone's a sinner, we all need Jesus, okay? But in, actually I'm gonna back up. I want us to focus on verses 24 and 28, but I'm actually, I'm gonna start with 16, verse 16, just because I want you to see how, what I was just saying, how when we're talking about the gospel, there are curses and there are blessings, but the curses are for rejecting the gospel. The curses are not of the gospel itself. So it says, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed. So see that, note this. So righteousness of God is being revealed in verse 17. For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written, but the righteous man shall live by faith. And then in the next verse it says this, for the wrath of God is revealed. So in 17 we have the righteousness of God revealed. In 18 we have the wrath of God revealed. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Because that which is known about God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools." Sort of what we were talking about earlier about Believing they see, they are blind. And the more they believe they see, the deeper the blindness becomes. That sort of thing. So, professing to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore, God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity. That's kind of what I'm wanting you to God gave them over to the lust of their own hearts. These are not innocent people. As it were, He took the restraints off. So that's really what we're talking about when we say that He hardens someone. He takes His restraining grace off and says, this is what you want, have at it. So, He gave them over to the lusts of their hearts and purity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them, for they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason, God gave them over to degrading passions. for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural. And in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind to do those things which are not proper. being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful, and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. So, God's hardening of these people is not an active, okay, now I'm pulling this string, your puppet string now, and so now you're gonna go sin. That's not what it means when it says God hardens people. Now God is sovereign over the fact that they're sinning, but it is God who is taking the restraints off, as it were, and allowing them to have their heart's desire, the end of which is their own destruction. Sproul states this, quote, when abandoning people, God abandons them to themselves. Far from taking away their free will, he delivers them over to their free will, by which they choose to do the evil desires of their hearts, end quote. I have... I have two more passages, so I'm gonna go ahead and try to get through these, and then that's where we'll stop, okay? The next passage is Romans 11, seven through 10, which says, actually, let me do this. Romans 11, seven through 15. So Paul says this, what shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it never be. On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the law. For I would not have known about coveting if the law had not said, you shall not covet. But sin taking opportunity through the commandment produced in me coveting of every kind. For apart from the law, sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died. And this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me. Okay, so the purpose of this, though, is revealed in 11 through 15, which is why I wanted to go ahead and read that. For sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me. So then the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Therefore, did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be. Rather, it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment, sin would become utterly sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing I do not understand, for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate." And then finally, Revelation 22, the very last chapter of the Bible. Revelation 22 verse 11, "...let the one who does wrong still do wrong, and the one who is filthy still be filthy, and let the one who is righteous still practice righteousness, and the one who is holy still keep himself holy." Alright, of course that's referring to those who in the final judgment, that's how they're going to be judged. Righteous, unrighteous, okay? All right, that is a good place for us to stop. So does anybody have any questions or additional comments? All right, if not, oh, go ahead. You know, it says that not only that, but sometimes He also takes away the gifts they already have. And He also does that to, you know, to save people. He'll take away, you know, for Job, He took away all of the gifts. But it wasn't to bring him to sin, it was to, you know... Well, it was to bring him to repentance, that's right. Well, and we also see that the exact same act can bring one to righteousness and one to further hardening. Also on that, think about this. I'm not going to flip over there and read it, but Hebrews 6 talks about those who had tasted the heavenly gift. Right? They've once been enlightened, they've tasted the heavenly gift. I understand that to mean they were baptized and they took the Lord's Supper, and yet they apostatized. Okay? even within the church, the visible church. Of course, the invisible church is composed of the elect. None will fall away there. But as far as the visible church, we know that there are some who are part of the visible church, and yet they fall away. like Judas. That's actually probably the best example because he was there during all of Christ's earthly ministry. He was there for it all. He saw the back and forth. He heard the private conversation. He heard the warning about beware the leaven of the Pharisees and still made a deal with the devil, literally. All right, let's go ahead and dismiss. Our Father and our God, we thank you for our time together this morning. We pray you'd help us to continue to learn about these things and to be changed by them more and more to the image of Christ. Again, I pray that you would bless our formal time of worship in just a few moments, help us to worship you in spirit and in truth. And we pray all of this in the name of our Lord Jesus, amen.