Chapter 9: The Revelation Of Humanity Flashcards
What are the four states of existence according to Thomas Boston?
The fourfold State:
- Man in the state of innocence
- Man in the state of corruption
- “ State of grace
- “ eternal state
Describe The state of man in innocence according to Boston.
This reflects our humanity as God intended it.
Boston says this is primitive integrity where we stood before God in “original righteousness.”
How does Boston define Original Righteousness?
It is the righteousness wherein man was created.
- it was the conformity of the faculties and powers of man’s soul to the moral law.
Describe man’s state of corrupt nature according to Boston’s fourfold state.
This is the state of entire Depravity.
• the totality of our being is tainted by sin.
• our corruption it consists of original and actual sin.
• an utter inability for man to respond to the gospel.
Describe the state of grace in Boston’s fourfold state of humanity.
He calls it the state of “begun recovery.”
Regeneration begins a supernatural change of the whole person.
• we begin to partake in happiness that we will inherit in eternal life.
How is regeneration in contrast to total Depravity?
God redeems us in Christ.
In Christ and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit;
1. Our minds are illuminated
2. Our wills are renewed
3. Our affections are changed
4. Our consciences are enlivened.
5. Our bodies are rehabilitated.
Describe the effects of illumination and renewal from regeneration.
Our minds are illuminated.
- we begin to behold truths that we once distained.
Our wills are renewed:
- we now long to do what is honoring to God.
Describe the changes of “affections reorientated” and “consciences enlivened” from regeneration.
Our affections are reoriented in that we now delight in the things God delights in.
Our consciences are enlivened - we are sensitive to the demands of the law.
Describe what it means that our “bodies are rehabilitated” in regeneration.
Our bodies are rehabilitated- that is, we long to be holy, pure, and blameless.
What is the Enchiridion?
Augustine’s work is a manual on faith, hope, and love.
Bostons fourfold state is based on Augustine’s 4 stages of the Christian life.
Augustine’s fourfold state in the Enchiridion parallels the development of the doctrine of grace - tracing the story of the gospel throughout scripture.
What are Augustine’s four stages of humanity?
Stage 1 - refers to our place before the giving of the law.
• Time of Noah and is a place of darkness and ignorance.
Stage 2 - period under the law.
• we are not coerced to break God’s law. We do this willfully.
Stage 3 - stage under grace.
• manifested by the coming of the mediator who brings forgiveness for our sin.
Stage 4 - period of perfect peace.
• experience in eternity
• reserved for believers
• state of eternal happiness living under the light of God’s benediction.
What is the purpose of the 4 states or stages of humanity, whether Boston, Augustine, or others?
Theologians have noticed a relationship between human choice and will.
Humans act according to their will.
as such, theologians look at the nature of the will in each of the 4 states/stages.
- This is called the fourfold development of the will.
What are the four states of the “development of the will”?
- State of innocence:
- Posse peccare, posse non peccare - State of sin:
- non posse non peccare - State of grace:
- posse non peccare - State of glory:
- Non posse peccare
Posse peccare, posse non peccare
Able to sin or able not to sin.
This is man in the state of innocence.
Non posse non peccare
Not able to not sin.
This is man in the state of sin.
-We are posse peccare (able to sin) and non posse non peccare.
In other words, we are incapable of doing anything but sin.
Posse non peccare
we are able to not sin.
This is man in the state of grace.
- We have been regenerated and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit we are able not to sin.
What are the concepts of mortification and Vivification?
Mortification is the putting to death of sin
(or at least putting to death the deeds of the flesh)
Vivification is putting on the qualities of Christ.
- We walk in the newness of life.
The two relate to the idea that in the state of grace we are able to not sin (posse non peccare)
Non posse peccare
not able to sin.
This is the state of man in glory.
sin has been conquered. it is impossible to sin in the glorified state.
How does the WCF 9 summarize man’s free will?
- God hath endowed man with natural liberty, neither forced nor determined to do good or evil. (original state)
- Man has the ability to change. (original state)
- Man lost all ability towards spiritual goodness toward his own salvation by his fall.
- God gives us the ability, by his grace, to will that which is pleasing to him. (state of grace)
- Finally, in the state of glory, man is made perfectly and immutably free to good alone.
What is Deism and Fatalism?
Deism says God is uninvolved with our lives, and we are wholly responsible for all that comes to pass.
Converesely,
Fatalism says that God is entirely involved in all things, and is the only cause of all events.
What is the Doctrine of Concursus?
A concursus is a converging of two ideas held in tension and in harmony with one another.
Two common examples:
- Joseph tells his brothers what they meant for evil, God meant for good.
- both God and Pharaoh harden Pharaoh’s heart
Describe First causes as it relates to human will and freedom.
God is the first cause. He is the primary and ultimate reason for all things being the way they are. (Vos)
- He uses ordinary and regular means to bring about his sovereign purposes. (Concursus)
Since God is the first cause, all things come to pass, immutable and infallibly according to his eternal design. (Machen)
***first causes do not negate the secondary causes such as the law of nature and free actions of humans.
Describe Secondary causes as it relates to human will and freedom.
God’s sovereign rule does not nullify personal responsibility.
Machen describes them as “NOT independent forces whose cooperation God needs, but rather means that God employs exactly as he will.
God also ordains the events of history to transpire according to the nature of secondary causes.
(See necessary, free, and contingent second causes)
What are necessary causes?
Necessary causes - these are causes which must exist for us to live our lives.
- The Noahaic covenant provides for normal seasons in order for us to enjoy the rhythms of life.
- law of gravity, etc.
