Tonight we're going to continue our study in Chapter 3 of the Westminster Confession of Faith, looking at the last two sections of it. But before we turn to it, let's have a word of prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we come to you tonight grateful that you are indeed the one who is sovereign over all the events of our lives, over everything that happens in this world. We thank you that you do control all things, not only to your glory, but for the good of your people. We thank you for the assurance that we can have, that you care for us, that all things will work together for good, and that we are part of your plan, and that you plan for us blessed things, and above all, that you have made our destiny that of final glorification and being with you forever. We acknowledge our unworthiness to enjoy this comfort, these blessings, and this hope, We do pray that you would make us more grateful in the way that we live, in the way that we speak to others, in the testimony that we give. We do pray also that you would help us tonight to understand better the high and holy mystery of your providence and your control over all things, and that we would be faithful to your word as we study. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. Chapter 3. Nonetheless, Mr. Confession is of God's eternal decree. We have spent a few lessons looking at it already, and tonight I'd like to finish up by considering sections 7 and 8. Let me read them for you first of all. The rest of mankind, God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of his own will, whereby he extendeth or withholdeth mercy as he pleaseth, for the glory of the sovereign power over his creatures to pass by, and to ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their sin to the praise of his glorious justice." And in the last section, the doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care. that men, attending the will of God revealed in his word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may from the certainty of their effectual vocation be assured of their eternal election. So shall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence, and admiration of God, and of humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the gospel. We were, I think, pretty much finished with Section 7 last time we were together. Section 7 declares the doctrine of reprobation. And as a reminder, there are many people who are willing to say God has predestined those who are going to be saved, but they can't bring themselves to hold the logical corollary, which is really just the other side of the coin, that God has chosen those who are going to be lost as well. This section of the confession reminds us, to help us in our understanding and acceptance of this doctrine, that God extends or withholds mercy as He pleases. In the nature of the case, by definition, mercy is not something that is owed to anyone, and therefore it makes no sense to try to construe reprobation as somehow unfair to those who are not chosen by God. All of mankind is fallen in Adam and all of mankind deserves condemnation. That God should choose to save any is an act of mercy that none of those who receive it deserve. And there can be no law laid upon God, no principle over his head applied to him, by which if he extends a blessing or mercy to some, he must extend it to all. You'll notice also at the end of section 7, that we're told that reprobation redounds to the praise of God. When we make it simply a matter of theological argument and dispute, and especially when people can get on their high horse and act rather bitter and nasty about these sorts of things, we've really lost sight of the biblical presentation of the doctrine of reprobation, at least as it's understood or was understood by the Puritans who wrote the Westminster Confession. the doctrine of reprobation should lead us to praise God. But notice that what we praise in the case of reprobation is his glorious justice. Elsewhere in the confession where we have been taught that predestination leads us to praise God, the emphasis is upon praise of God's grace and mercy. And so predestination does illustrate for us God's full character, not only that he is a forgiving God, but he's also a just God, and the events whereby he illustrates his mercy and his justice are alike part of his plan, predestined by him and subject to his sovereign counsel. Now, do you want to ask any questions tonight about reprobation that you didn't have an opportunity to ask last week? No? Boy, I tell you, we knocked him dead. Every possible problem has been handled. Well, I guess once you get to the place that you recognize that Section 8 says that this is a high mystery, not just reprobation, but the whole doctrine of predestination, it's a high mystery. In the end, all questions, it seems to me, are going to come down to either recognizing that we're not above God and cannot comprehend his ways with the world, so it's mysterious, or we have no right to dispute with God in the way that he does things. As Paul says in Romans 9, doesn't the potter have the right to do with the clay whatever he wants? The potter can make a beautiful vase, or he can make a sewer pipe out of the clay. And what he chooses to do with those materials is his business. And in the same way, God has the right to do whatever he wishes to do, with mankind that he has made. In some he makes vessels of wrath fit for destruction, in the others he makes vessels that show his mercy and grace and praise him for that. Have you ever dealt with anyone on the idea of the representative concept of Adam? I mean, why would it be set up this way unless this is the case? I mean, how do they deal with that idea of representation? At least the evangelicals. They will admit that. The doctrine that Christ is our federal head, analogous to Christ, did I say, the doctrine that Adam is our federal head, parallel to Christ being our federal head, is something that many evangelicals I think lose sight of. They don't reason in terms of it or take it into account. And it doesn't surprise me then that much of evangelical theology has a deficient view of the atonement in addition to a deficient view of our relationship to Adam and our original sin. One prominent apologist here in this area, Southern California, Has actually gone so far as to question the doctrine of original sin Now of course that's departing from orthodox historic Christianity It's certainly departing from the teaching of the Bible as I see it, but to answer your question Many people either don't know or don't reason in terms of and then there are some who might even outright Reject the idea that we are represented. We were represented by Adam In Adams' fall, we fell all. What's the little limerick? Tell me if that a thing. Joe. On the federalism versus Augustinianism dialogue. Federalism versus Augustinianism? Yeah, the Augustinian view that... I guess the federal view on this question says Part of the problem in citing the question is that I'm trying to get it clarified in my mind. I'm going to ask you to do that. The reason I butted in there is because Augustine wasn't contrary to the federal view of representation. No, but in terms of... This is sort of like a narrower divide inside of federalism in general. The Augustinian view says, as I understand it, that the reason all felon Adam has to do with something somehow inherited from Adam in that fall, the federal view would say that no, Adam acted for the race, but it isn't that he somehow congenitally lost for the race. Right, well that's an ongoing debate even in American Presbyterian circles over the nature of the imputation of Adam's sin. One view holds that what we inherit from Adam is his fallen defective character so that all of us are sinful and we're going to be punished for that. But we don't inherit the guilt of Adam because no one can be guilty for what somebody else does. The other view is that yes, we do inherit a fallen nature from Adam. However, he was our federal representative and therefore what accrues to him in terms of that representation is what accrues to those whom he represented. So that his guilt is our guilt. In the same way Jesus' merit is our merit even though we didn't do it. So those are the two basic views and I don't think we need to go into that. Now we can probably talk more about it when we get to that in the confession of the nature of original sin. Okay let's look at the last section of chapter 3 finally. Many of you think we don't ever get done with the chapter, but tonight we get to. The doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, and now we have cited below text gathered under footnote S. They begin with Paul's words in Romans 9.20, Nay, but, O man, who art thou that replyest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? In Romans 11.33, O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out. then the Old Testament passage, Deuteronomy 29.29. The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. The first text from Romans chapter 9 supports the notion that this doctrine of predestination is a mystery. And recognizing its mysterious character, we should proceed with caution, with prudence, as the Puritans said, when we deal with the doctrine, answering questions about it, drawing inferences from it, and so forth. Paul says, by way of rhetorical challenge, who are you to talk back to God? That's not a popular way to settle things in our day and age, but it's quite biblical and it's appropriate to the character of God. No one has the right to question God or to draw his ways into scrutiny as though there might be something wrong with him. And so the Puritans, of course, I'm sure they were familiar from their own lives and experience in their day, even as you are familiar, in our day, that many people approach this with a cavalier, a somewhat high and mighty, if not maybe snotty and arrogant attitude. That God owes me an answer about these things. The Puritans said, be careful. This is, one, a mystery. Now, do the Puritans thereby mean that this is a self-contradictory way of seeing things? Do they affirm one thing and then deny the very same thing in the very same sense? And then turn around and say, well, both are true, it's a great mystery. So that's not a mystery, that's a contradiction. It's conceptually muddled. No one can understand a contradiction. Can't make sense of it at all. Or you might say, you could prove anything from a contradiction, so there's nothing to understand there. I mean, you can approach it either way. But the Puritans do not present predestination as contradictory, they present it as mysterious. That is to say, there may be things about this that we can't understand, even though they make perfectly good, logical sense. I don't understand how God predestines my free acts. The reason for it is that in my own experience, if I were to, quote-unquote, predestine something you're going to do, The only way that I could absolutely, positively, ironclad be sure that you do it is by depriving you of your freedom. I mean, it's one thing for me to kind of watch your behavior and understand the factors that are going into a decision and make a really good guess and maybe be right 99% of the time about what you're going to do under such circumstances, you know, be limited in the way that I've said. But I can't be certain of what you're going to do unless I control you. So I may have to put a gun to your back and say, you know, go do this, or I may have to drug you, or some people think you can be hypnotized and controlled, whatever it may be. So I don't know how to predestine your decisions and yet leave you genuinely free in what you do. However, God can do that. So that's a mystery. But there's nothing contradictory about it, because I'm not asserting one proposition and then denying the very same proposition understood in the same way. This is a mystery, and it's called a high mystery. They don't want to just take this as a mundane garden variety thing that goes beyond our intelligence, but it's something that should be treated as lofty, holy, something we should approach cautiously. It's to be handled with special prudence and care. Not only does Paul say, you have no right to talk back to God. Oh, I want to comment on that further. In Romans 9, although it's not cited here in the proof text, the specific thing that leads Paul to give that response, he says, you'll say to me, who can resist his will? Paul says, you're going to tell me if God predestines everything, I'm forced to do what I do. And it's just at that point, which isn't at the sticking point, whenever you get into a conversation, how can God predestine things? He's got to be forcing me. And Paul says, you'll say, and he says, but man, who are you to talk back to God? Who are you to draw that kind of inference? That isn't what God says about what he's doing and therefore you're wrong. to say that because that would of course would bring reproach upon the character and the justice of God. Alright, so this is a high mystery to be handled with special prudence and care. That it's a mystery is proven from Romans 11.33 and this supports my presentation of the Puritan view of mystery. Paul says, O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out. What makes it mysterious is not that it's contradictory or conceptually muddled somehow. The doctrine of predestination is deep. O the depth of the riches of his wisdom, how unsearchable are his judgments. See, we can't fathom. We can't search to the end. We can't get down to the bottom, if you will, to use the expression. of what God does. So this is a mystery. It's to be approached with prudence and with care. And Deuteronomy 29.29 reinforces this by reminding us that those things which are secret, that God hasn't chosen to reveal to us, we're supposed to leave alone. The secret things belong to the Lord our God. It's not uncommon in our discourse, in our way of thinking about things and when someone says to us, well this is a secret or I've got a secret, we want to search it out and find out what the secret is, you know, like, oh tell me what the secret is or give me a clue or something like that. But the Bible, when it says there are things which are secret, reinforces that by saying, and they're supposed to stay that way, the secret things belong to the Lord our God. Don't inquire into them, don't try to find them out, they are none of your business. Well, that's a real slap in the face to proud, sinful men who especially think they have the right to put God in the dock and ask Him questions as His judge and demand an answer. Give an account of yourself, God. What right have you not to save everybody? What right have you to run the universe the way you are? Well, God doesn't allow us to ask Him those questions or to put Him on the spot in that way. And so it shouldn't surprise us that God says, those things which I have kept to myself as the secret, I'm going to keep to myself and they are not yours to look into. You are to look into those things which are revealed. It's not unusual to find that people who are hot and bothered about the doctrine of predestination are not people who have spent a great deal of time studying what God has revealed for them to know in the scriptures. I don't want to deny that there are people of Arminian persuasion that are avid Bible students. I know that's possible. But in my experience, quite honestly, those people who have had the greatest difficulty accepting predestination and have argued against it the most, I'd also say generally give the impression that they are people that have studied the Bible and have a real reverent attitude toward it. Isn't that interesting how they go together? God says the secret things belong to me, the revealed things are yours and your children's and all generations. So pay attention to what I have told you and don't try to fathom and to search out those things which I have kept to myself. Dave. We just told certain parables and so forth and he picked us up from the side and he explained what he meant by this and that. In eternity will God reveal I think in eternity we're going to have a far better understanding of what God has revealed. And a perfect understanding of what God has revealed. In the text? In the text. But we will not, I won't deny, I was going to say we won't know everything, because obviously that's a characteristic of God, so we won't know everything. But there are going to be plenty of mysteries that are not revealed to us in eternity, or to say that again more precisely, we have no assurance that God's going to answer all of our questions. What about just the text? But in the text of scripture, which he gave for us to understand, I believe we will have a glorified and perfected understanding. However, there are things which he doesn't tell us in the text, and I don't see any assurance there that later he's going to say, okay, now I'll let you know about these things. God will always be God, we will always be creatures, even glorified creatures are not going to know everything or have any right to have every mystery explained to them. Do you think it will be progressive understanding of the text or do you think it will be instantaneous? I think, I don't know how worthwhile what I think is, but I think it's going to be a progressive It's going to be progression from perfection to perfection. You mustn't understand perfection as meaning that all of the implications and stuff. I think our knowledge will grow, but what we have earlier will still be infallible and perfect, but they'll be quantitatively more, qualitatively the same. But that's only my opinion. Some people would say you'll know it instantaneously. Anyway, the doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, that men attending the will of God revealed in his word, not the secret things, but that which is revealed in his word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may from the certainty of their effectual vocation, what is vocation a reference to? We're not familiar with this language. Calling. Calling, exactly, from the Latin. vocation means to be called. And of course there was a day when people thought of the business they did for making their money on a daily basis, their vocation was a calling from God. But before we had that broad sense of calling, there has been throughout the history of Christianity based on the text of scripture an understanding that God calls people to belong to him. And so someone who doubts his salvation or has questions could be said to be having doubts about whether God is calling him to belong to the kingdom of God. Okay? Now, do people doubt their calling? Do we ever go through that? Do we ever wonder whether God really is bidding us to come? Well, my guess is all of us do. And there are conditions under which we do it more often. Others, especially when we're drifting from the Lord or living in sin that we won't turn from and so forth but sometimes God allows Satan to put us under a time of depression to try us and for other reasons to draw us closer to himself but nevertheless for various reasons we might not always have full assurance of our calling of our salvation and here the Puritans say that if men will attend the will of God that's revealed in his word and give obedience to it they may from the certainty of their effectual calling, that is to know with confidence that God has called them and done so effectively, be assured of their eternal election. Now, is there a subtle contradiction in what I've just taught you? On the one hand, I said that what God has predestined is his secret. The secret things belong to the Lord. But now we are told that we can be assured of our eternal election. Well, I think probably the way to resolve that apparent contradiction is to understand, first of all, that the secret things that we're not supposed to pry into pertain to what God has predestined universally or generally. Whereas the one thing that we do have some interest in and a right to inquire into is our relationship to God. I shouldn't go looking into your relationship to God, or what God plans to do in the World Series this year, or why he's had Western culture lead the world in terms of economic growth and so forth. All, you know, from big to small things that none of my business to inquire into, but it is entirely my business to be interested in whether God's called me to belong to it. And on that point of predestination, Interestingly, the Puritan said we can have assurance that we are predestinated. And how does that assurance come? By the way, there's another chapter that deals with this, so we'll have more discussion of it later. But how does that assurance come? By attending to the will of God revealed in His Word and yielding obedience to that Word. When you doubt your salvation or your calling, you should ask yourself, am I paying attention to what God tells me? And am I obeying it? Am I submitting to it? Do I have an attitude of reverence and reception with respect to it? Because if we are paying attention to the Word, not only do we find a lifestyle laid out for us that if we are obedient to it, we can say, well, I can see from my own life that God has changed me and so forth, but we also have promises that God has given that we're to believe on His say-so. So when God gives a promise that He forgives us even our besetting sins, and I get down in the mouth and depressed and wonder why would God put up with me, here I am sinning in the same way again, if I attend to his word and submit to it, then I believe his promise over against the accusation of my own conscience and even the accusation of the evil one, Satan, who is the great accuser of the brothers. So that if I will pay attention to what God has revealed, I can have an assurance in my own particular case of something that he has not revealed. The secret matter of my eternal destiny. Isn't that remarkable? The text that they give us, listed under T, 2 Peter 1.10, Wherefore the rather brothers, give diligence to make your calling and election sure for if you do these things you shall never fall. You can make your election sure. Now I'm sure that what that means is the appearance that you are elect can be confirmed or stabilized by the way you pursue in diligence, obedience and submission to God's word. And then the last part of section 8 really covers the entire chapter of God's eternal decree. And I really appreciate it for its positive note. So shall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence, and admiration of God. Here we read Ephesians 1.6, to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. And then Romans 11.33, which has already been spoken of previously, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. So this doctrine affords a matter of praise, reverence, and admiration of God and of humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the gospel. The proof text listed under W, Romans 11.5, even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it is of works, then it is no more grace, otherwise work is no more work. Verse 20, Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear. The doctrine of predestination reminds us that our standing with God is a matter of grace. You haven't understood the doctrine if it doesn't just humble and tenderize your heart to say, God has been so merciful to me. Moreover, it's not something about which we could ever be arrogant if we understood it properly. An arrogant Calvinist is a contradiction in terms. Somebody who believes in predestination and is high-minded does not believe predestination as the Bible presents it. And as this one verse, and there are others really that could have been used, but Romans 11.20 says, be not high-minded, but rather stand in reverence, fear God. Every day you have your devotions, it would be good for you to remember that, so there's absolutely no reason for God to be listening to me, or to extend mercy to me. I have nothing at all which he has not given me, and that he hasn't made possible, he provides the the sustaining grace for. Consequently, I have no place for pride. I have no place to think, well, I'm the blessed... What is the expression? The blessed possessor. You know? I have to look upon myself with humility and stand before God with awe and reverence. Moreover, it leads me to have diligence and abundant consolation. 2 Peter 1.10, be diligent to make your election sure. And then Romans 8.33, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. You see, if we believe in predestination, then we can have assurance and consolation that we will be saved to the uttermost. If you don't believe in predestination, I mean, if you really didn't think this was all in God's hands, then you'd have to ask yourself, based on what you know about yourself and about the way things go, you know, among human beings, do you have any right to think that you will persevere to the end? Do you have any right to think that throughout your life you'll continue to believe that you won't renounce Christ, you know, two days before you die? Or ten minutes before you die? No, you don't. I mean, in all honesty, there's no reason to think that about yourself unless you have really too high and proud a view of who you are and what's possible to happen in your life and for what you might believe. But if we know that our calling is based on God's work, then we can be sure that what He has begun, He will complete. No one can lay anything to our charge. And so that gives us abundant consolation. Luke 10 verse 20 is also cited, notwithstanding in this rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you but rejoice because your names are written in heaven. We can have great praise and joy no matter what happens to us knowing that regardless God has a destiny for us because our names are written in heaven that is going to be wonderful. I want to close by just having you contemplate the alternative. What if God were not sovereign in the sense that he predestines whatever takes place? Would there be the possibility of predictive prophecy? If God didn't predestine the course of history then God couldn't absolutely predict what's going to happen in history because there's some factor outside of his control that is going to determine what actually happens. Somebody can say, well he can look down through the corridor of history and see it, but no he can't. He can't see it if he doesn't control it. He's got to wait just like the rest of us do to find out what's going to happen. Predictive prophecy is based on the doctrine of predestination. Can God be God if there are factors outside of himself that he has to wait upon which he doesn't control? Contingencies that, no he's not adequate to himself because he may have plans that get messed up. That happens to you, doesn't it? Happens to me. Happened to me today. I was typing along and my computer went kaflooey and so what I thought I was going to be doing I didn't end up doing, at least not at that time. But God's not like me. He doesn't make plans and then pursue them only to find some factor outside of his control, you know, gets in the way. God could not be God. in the biblical sense, if he didn't predestine everything that happens. Could we have any assurance of our salvation? I've already covered that, but I'll ask you again. On what basis could we be sure if God hadn't predestined it and therefore will assure us that it comes about? And what consolation is there in adversity if you don't believe in predestination? I put this question to my students sometimes If you go to the hospital in those tragic times when you have to be with parents who have lost a child, run over by a car, some disease at childbirth, and their hearts are just broken, is there any consolation in saying, you know, the devil did this, God couldn't help it? No, I think that's the utmost despair, that we have a God who couldn't do anything about it. I realize it seems very hard and it's a tough bullet to bite. But in all honesty, the only consolation you have in a tragic moment like that is to say, God is the one who planned this. And yes, it hurts. But because God planned it, there will be good that comes from it. We have to believe that sometimes when we can't see. We have to believe that by faith. Because God promises that it's true. We know that all things work together for good. But all things cannot work together for good if they're not under the control of God as planned. And so in the end, I think the Puritans have done the right thing. They've ended on just the right note. Predestination should be cautiously approached as a mystery, approached with humility and a submissive spirit. And when understood properly, it should lead us to praise God, to become diligent in our efforts as believers, and to have great consolation. Without the doctrine of predestination, we would lose the softness of God, the assurance of salvation, the nature of scripture, and any kind of personal consolation and distress. Do you have any questions about this chapter? I have a question about the New England church. Obviously their view of church membership was a bit deformed. They thought somebody had to undergo a conversion experience in order for them to become community members. What do you think of that, their view, putting aside the church membership view, what do you think about their own diligence in looking after their own calling and making sure, do you think they even went to extreme there as well or do you think we're just too lax today? looking to a tour of calling, looking for the assurance of our salvation. Well, I think both are true. I think we are too lax today. There's a great deal of what the Puritans would call carnal assurance around, fleshly assurance that people are saved because they signed a decision card or walked the aisle or whatever. And the Puritans, of course, would greatly rebuke that. They'd say, you'd better look into your election. You better examine your life and ask whether you really are saved. And so we are too lax today. But on the other hand, I do think the Puritans went overboard, or some, I should say, went overboard. And the practice became so morbid and so introspective that they lost sight of the joy and confidence that is ours in looking at the scripture and that we are saved. It's almost as though a person is encouraged by some Puritan writers to go through the the dark night of the soul and do this introspection, but the minute he starts to see some light, you know, and to feel something good and confident, it's like, no, no, go back to the darkness or, you know, put your nose to the ground again here. And I'm probably overdoing it, but I think they overdid it, and that's what I'm getting at. So I think we have to find the happy balance between the assurances of Scripture and yet always watching ourselves to make sure we aren't becoming presumptuous and allowing ourselves to live self-deceptively in the comfort of disobedience. Alright, when we're again together to study, we'll be going into the next chapter and you might want to read ahead and prepare for that.