Chapter 9: The Revelation Of Humanity

Question 1

What are the four states of existence according to Thomas Boston?

Answer 1

The fourfold State:

1. Man in the state of innocence
2. Man in the state of corruption
3. “ State of grace
4. “ eternal state

Question 2

Describe The state of man in innocence according to Boston.

Answer 2

This reflects our humanity as God intended it.

Boston says this is primitive integrity where we stood before God in “original righteousness.”

Question 3

How does Boston define Original Righteousness?

Answer 3

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.

Question 4

Describe man’s state of corrupt nature according to Boston’s fourfold state.

Answer 4

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.

Question 5

Describe the state of grace in Boston’s fourfold state of humanity.

Answer 5

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.

Question 6

How is regeneration in contrast to total Depravity?

Answer 6

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.

Question 7

Describe the effects of illumination and renewal from regeneration.

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

Describe the changes of “affections reorientated” and “consciences enlivened” from regeneration.

Answer 8

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.

Question 9

Describe what it means that our “bodies are rehabilitated” in regeneration.

Answer 9

Our bodies are rehabilitated- that is, we long to be holy, pure, and blameless.

Question 10

What is the Enchiridion?

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

What are Augustine’s four stages of humanity?

Answer 11

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.

Question 12

What is the purpose of the 4 states or stages of humanity, whether Boston, Augustine, or others?

Answer 12

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.

Question 13

What are the four states of the “development of the will”?

Answer 13

1. State of innocence:
   - Posse peccare, posse non peccare
2. State of sin:
   - non posse non peccare
3. State of grace:
   - posse non peccare
4. State of glory:
   - Non posse peccare

Question 14

Posse peccare, posse non peccare

Answer 14

Able to sin or able not to sin.

This is man in the state of innocence.

Question 15

Non posse non peccare

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

Posse non peccare

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

What are the concepts of mortification and Vivification?

Answer 17

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)

Question 18

Non posse peccare

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

How does the WCF 9 summarize man’s free will?

Answer 19

1. God hath endowed man with natural liberty, neither forced nor determined to do good or evil. (original state)
2. Man has the ability to change. (original state)
3. Man lost all ability towards spiritual goodness toward his own salvation by his fall.
4. God gives us the ability, by his grace, to will that which is pleasing to him. (state of grace)
5. Finally, in the state of glory, man is made perfectly and immutably free to good alone.

Question 20

What is Deism and Fatalism?

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

What is the Doctrine of Concursus?

Answer 21

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

Question 22

Describe First causes as it relates to human will and freedom.

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

Describe Secondary causes as it relates to human will and freedom.

Answer 23

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)

Question 24

What are necessary causes?

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

What are the three types of secondary causes?

Answer 25

1. Necessary
2. free or free agency
3. contingent

Question 26

What is the Free agency secondary cause?

Answer 26

Everything God created works according to its nature.

And, we are created to be moral agents who are responsible for our thoughts, musings, feelings, words, etc.

Question 27

Define and describe Contingent causes.

Answer 27

Contingent causes are those which are dependent on something else to occur.

• “if-then” scenarios
  i.e. 1 Kings 22 we see the prophet Micaiah predict the death of Ahab. if this prophecy comes true, then he is a true prophet.

Question 28

What is John Owen’s last book called? What is it about?

Answer 28

Meditations and discourses on the Glory of Christ (1684)

In this Owens reflects on the glory, person and office of Christ as the object of our faith, love, delight and admiration.

• Owens reflects on the difference between beholding christ on earth through faith as opposed to beholding Christ by sight in glory.

Faith begins what sight perfects. The object of both is Christ.

Question 29

How does the book of revelation help us reflect on humanity?

Answer 29

The book of Revelation ends with a description of the ultimate home for God’s people, and reminds us we are made for communion with God, for our eternal happiness.

And, all that we have been given is for the purpose of glorifying God and enjoying him forever.

What was lost in the garden will be regained and enhanced in the new heaven and new earth.

Question 30

The Bible has been described as both a flower and a bookend. describe the flower.

Answer 30

The theme of communion with God is seen in how the Bible begins and ends.

• The seed is Genesis with its picture of Eden as an embryonic form of God’s dwelling place.
• The books of the old and New testaments are the growing flower.
• Revelation is the fully blossomed flower.

Question 31

How is the book of Revelation the fully blossomed flower of the Bible?

Answer 31

It shows us the vision of a redeemed humanity who praise the Lamb who is on His throne.

We see in Rev 21 & 22 the greatest vision of humans communing with God anywhere in scripture.

this is the full revelation of humanity.

Question 32

The Bible has been described as both a flower and a bookend. describe the bookend.

Answer 32

The first book and last book parallel each other.
* (see note card on this)

What was lost in the first Adam is reclaimed and enhanced by the second Adam.

Question 33

How does Genesis and Revelation parallel each other?

Answer 33

• Genesis 1 God creates heaven and earth. Rev 21 God creates a new heaven and new earth.
• Gen 1 the sun, moon, and stars are a source of light. Rev 21 the glory of God is the source of light.
• Gen 3 paradise is lost and the tree of life is guarded. Rev 22 paradise is regained and access to the tree of life is now opened by Christ.

Question 34

In what two ways will the first heaven and earth pass away?

Answer 34

Note: John uses imagery from Isaiah 65 & 66 to describe the beauty of heaven as a place where God’s people permanently reside.

1. On earth we relate to Christ through faith. In heaven, we will relate to him by sight.
   
   • doubt and unbelief will be no more.
2. The “sea” will be no more.
   - the sea in revelation is a place of turbulence, distress, and sin.
   - in heaven there will be no beast.

Question 35

What is the Immanuel Principle?

Answer 35

The common refrain is “I will be your God and you will be my people.”

Revelation 21:3 tells us that “the dwelling place of God is with man.”

Though God’s people dwell in the new Jerusalem and new earth - heaven is the covenant presence of God.