E. God’s Way of Salvation (WCF 7-9; WLC 20, 30–56; WSC 12, 20–28) Flashcards
What is a covenant?
- a binding agreement between two parties with promises and obligations
- “A covenant is a pact or agreement between two parties. It may be, and among men most generally is, an agreement [between equal parties]; but it may also be [imposed by a superior upon an inferior]. It is generally confirmed by a solemn ceremony as in the presence of God, and thereby obtains an inviolable character. Each one of the parties binds himself to the fulfilment of certain promises on the basis of stipulated conditions.” (Berhoff)
What is the Covenant of Works (Life)? Who are its parties?
• Between God and Adam/Eve in the Garden. If Adam obeyed he would have life. He was not to eat of the forbidden fruit.
Is there a present validity to the Covenant of Works (Life)? What is it?
• Yes, in some senses it is still in force
o If we could obey we perfectly God’s law it would lead to life
o The punishment for this covenant is still in effect: death
• In other senses no, it is not in effect
o We no longer face the specific command (to not eat)
o Since we have a sinful nature, we cannot fulfill the provisions
o Christ has kept it, and through faith in Him we gain the benefits of it
What is the Covenant of Redemption? Who are its parties?
• “It is an agreement among the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in which the Son agreed to become a man, be our representative, obey the demands of the covenant of works on our behalf, and pay the penalty for sin, which we deserved” (Grudem, 518)
• Among the members of the Trinity
- (John 10 - this was Jesus’ mission: to lay down his life)
Discuss the Covenant of Grace.
Covenant of Grace: God's free promise of grace where salvation is promised through Christ by faith • Adam/Eve (Genesis 3:15, 21) • Noah (Genesis 9:8-17) • Abraham (Genesis 15:1-21; 17:1-27) • Moses (Exodus 19-24, especially 24) • David (2 Samuel 7:5-16) • New Covenant (Jeremiah 33:19-22)
How is the Covenant of Grace related to the Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Noahic Covenants?
They are all under the covenant of grace, but are different administrations
- Abrahamic: Promises to be received by faith (Family)
- Mosaic: A guardian to curb sin, convict sinners, and guide God’s people (National)
- Noahic: A covenant providing common grace, giving time for the full promises of God to be fulfilled in Christ
Discuss the relationship between the Old and New Covenants. Defend from Scripture.
One covenant of grace in two dispensations or administrations.
The Old Covenant was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances.
The New covenant is dispensed are the preaching of the Word, and the administration of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper: which, though fewer in number, and administered with more simplicity, and less outward glory, yet, in them, it is held forth in more fullness, evidence and spiritual efficacy, to all nations
The Old Covenant was a guardian (Gal. 3)
Explain and define (with Scripture proofs) the orthodox doctrine of the person of Christ.
- One Person, fully God and fully man (John 1 - Divinity, 1 Tim 2 - Humanity: the man Jesus Christ, Heb 4 - tempted as we were)
• (A21) Jesus, being the eternal Son of God, became man (John 1:14), and so was, and continues to be, God and man in two distinct natures and one person (Romans 9:5), forever (Hebrews 7:24)
Briefly discuss the natures of Christ, including….
~ Was Christ a human person?
~ Does Christ have a soul?
~ What is kenosis?
~ Did Christ lay aside any of His divine attributes at the incarnation?
~ Jesus became man (John 1 - God tabernacled among us)
~ Jesus took on a human body and a reasonable soul (Matt 26 - my soul is sorrowful)
~ Kenosis: The Greek term for “emptying” (Phil 2)
~ No, God cannot stop being God and still be God; His human nature was fully human, and his divine nature always and everywhere was fully divine; Jesus emptied Himself not of His deity nor His divine attributes, but His prerogative (His glory and His privileges)(Colossians 2:9 - the fullness of deity)
Docetism
- End of 1st Century
- Jesus: Divine, but not human
- Taught by Basilides, Valentinus, Patripassians, Sabellians,
- Heresy: A view that says, “Christ only seemed to become a man.”
- Refuted by Irenaeus, 1 John 4:1-3
- Reply: If Christ were not fully human He could not redeem humanity (Heb. 2:14; 1 John 4:1-3)
- Jesus laid this view aside even in His resurrection by inviting Thomas to touch His wounds (John 20:24ff.).
Arius
- 4th Century
- Jesus is human, but not divine
- Arius, presbyter of Alexandria; Origen
- Heresy: Homoiousios: Jesus has appearance of God, is of similar substance. He is the first and highest created being.
- Refuted by Athanasius; Nicaea 325
- Reply: Athanasius: Jesus homoousios –one substance with God; Only a divine Christ can save (Phil. 2:6; Rev. 1:
Nestorius
- 5th Century
- Jesus is human and divine
- Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople
- Heresy: 1 moral being
2 people
schizophrenic - Refuted by Cyril of Alexandria; Ephesus 431
- Reply: 2 natures in 1 person
Indivisible
Apollinarius
- 4th Century
- Jesus is divine, but not human
- Apollinarius, bishop of Laodicea; Justin Martyr
- Heresy: Human body, Divine mind/soul; the divine Logos took the place of the human mind. Opposed use of theotokos. Only human nature died.
- Refuted by Vitalis; Damascus; Basil; Theodosius; Gregory of Nazianzus; Gregory of Nyssa; Constantinople 381
- Reply: Human mind & divine mind in human
Eutyches
- 5th Century
- Jesus is neither human or divine
- Eutychians; Theodosius II
- Heresy: 1 mixed nature after incarnation
New Hybrid: neither human or divine - Refuted by Flavian of Constantinople; Pope Leo; Theodoret; Eusebius of Dorylaeum; Chalcedon 451
- Reply: 2 natures: communication between them
Are any of the early heresies regarding the natures of Christ held today? If so, by whom?
• JW- Jesus is not divine
• Mormons- Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus was Jehovah himself, God of Israel, not son of Jehovah
- Coptics - monophysite
Explain and defend the doctrine of the “communication of properties.”
Human and Divine (John 1)
- This means that the one person of Jesus can exhibit attributes of divinity (omnipresence, all knowing, etc.) and at the same time exhibit attributes of humanity (eating, walking, learning, growing, etc.). The communicatio idiomatum does not mean, however, that anything particular to the divine nature was communicated to the human nature. Likewise, it does not mean that anything particular to the human nature was communicated to the divine nature.
What is the “extra Calvinisticum?”
The Calvinistic Extra. The Lutherans believed in the ubiquity (omnipresence) of Christ’s human body and nature, whereas the Calvinists have believed the historic view that Christ’s human body-and-soul is not infinite or omnipresent, but is only now at the right hand of the Father.
- the finite human nature of Christ is not capable of containing His infinite divine nature in its entirety).Thus, ever since the Incarnation, there is still infinite deity beyond Christ’s human nature. The beyond is “extra” or outside, infinite.
Define the names of Jesus …
- Jesus
- Son of Man
- Christ
- Son of God
- Lord
- Lamb of God
~ Jesus: The Hebrew yeshua’ or yehoshua’, meaning “Jehovah saves,” is transliterated into English as the name Joshua. In Greek, it became Iesous, thence Iesus in Latin and Jesus in English. Since Jesus was actually Jehovah performing saving work, his name yeshua’, “Jehovah saves,” coincides precisely.
~ Son of Man: From his mother Jesus inherited mortality. Hebrew ben ‘adam denotes “a son of Adam,” that is, any mortal man (Dan. 8:17). Thus, as a son of Adam, Jesus represents Adam’s children, acting as their agent with the Father. As both Son of God and Son of Man, Jesus stands between God and man as mediator. With the definite article, the Son of Man described an expected apocalyptic heavenly figure, identified with the Messiah (Dan. 7:13). Jesus is the son of the archetypal Man, the perfect heavenly Man, the Eternal Father (Moses 6:57; 7:35). In this sense, “Son of Man” equals “Son of God” and conveys an intentional ambiguity, reflecting both Jesus’ mortal and immortal parentage.
~ Christ: Greek for Messiah (anointed one) is Christos, Christ in English. Thus, “Jesus Christ” joins a name and a title, and means Jesus the Messiah.
~ Son of God: Jesus was not the son of any mortal man. His biological father was God, the Father. As Son of God, Jesus represents the Father and acts as his agent in all things.
~ Lord: Name used for Jesus, also used in OT for God
~ Lamb of God: In the first Passover, a slain lamb’s blood was daubed on Israelites’ houses to avert the destroyer. In the New Testament, Jesus is understood as a Passover lamb supplied by God, and Passover stands as a type for the death of Jesus, the Lamb of God, whose blood, through baptism and the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, protects Christians from the destroyer, Satan. According to Moses 5:6-8, animal sacrifices were to be “a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father.”
How was Christ born?
• Conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the virgin Mary
Explain and defend (including Scripture proofs) the Virgin Birth.
- Jesus was conceived in the womb of his mother Mary by a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit and without a human father
- Luke 1:27,31,35; Gal. 4:4
What is the humiliation of Christ? (Q27)
• Being born, and in a low condition
• Made under the law
• Undergoing the miseries of life, the wrath of God and the cursed death on the cross
• Being buried and continuing under the power of death for a time
- Phil 2: Christ Hymn
Discuss “glorified body”.
The “glorified body” is the resurrected state whereby 1) the body is animated and guided wholly by the Spirit, 2) is free from sinful inclinations (1 Cor 6:13–14), and 3) is imperishable—free from sickness and decay—glorious, and powerful (1 Cor 15:42–44).
What are the offices of Christ? How does Christ execute them? (Questions 23-26)
- Prophet: In revealing to us, by His word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation
- Priest: In offering up Himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and reconcile us to God, and in making continual intercession for us
- King: In subduing us to Himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all His and our enemies
Who is the only redeemer of God’s elect? (Q21)
WSC 21: “The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, forever.”
What is a redeemer?
- A redeemer is one who delivers someone else from captivity. A payment made by which such a release is obtained.
- Applied to Jesus Christ as the “Redeemer” of mankind from judgment for their sins, by His death on the cross in payment for the penalty of those sins. The redemption payment is validated through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, which guarantees and assures that the payment by Jesus Christ was sufficient and acceptable to God.
What is atonement?
• At-one-ment: God and sinners made one
• It has to do with the mercy seat of the Old Testament tabernacle, where the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled once a year at the Day of Atonement. In Old Testament ritual, that sacrifice was made by the high priest for the people of Israel and taken by him into the Holy of Holies. By the blood of the sacrificial victim, Israel was made acceptable to the holy Divine Being. (Gerstner)
- Jesus made atonement for us through his sacrifice on the cross
Was the atonement necessary? Explain and defend (include Scripture proofs).
- God could have saved no-one, but none could be saved without it
- Sinners/Rebels/Radical Depravity
- Acts 4:12 - Salvation is found in no one else, Luke 24 - did not the Christ have to suffer these things
Why isn’t a good life enough to gain salvation?
Because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23) and are by nature objects of wrath (Eph 2:3).
WCF 16.7 Works done by unregenerate men, although, for the matter of them, they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and others;(1) yet, because they proceed not from an heart purified by faith;(2) nor are done in a right manner, according to the Word;(3) nor to a right end, the glory of God;(4) they are therefore sinful, and cannot please God, or make a man meet to receive grace from God.(5) And yet, their neglect of them is more sinful and displeasing unto God.(6)
(1) 2 Kings 10:30,31; 1 Kings 21:27,29; Phil. 1:15,16,18.
(2) Gen. 4:5; Heb. 11:4,6.
(3) 1 Cor. 13:3; Isa. 1:12.
(4) Matt. 6:2,5,16.
(5) Hag. 2:14; Tit. 1:15; Amos 5:21,22; Hosea 1:4; Rom. 9:16; Tit. 3:15.
(6) Ps. 14:4; Ps. 36:3; Job 21:14,15; Matt. 25:41,42,43,45; Matt. 23:3.
Expiation
“Expiation is an action that has sin as its object; it denotes the covering, putting away or rubbing out of sin so that it no longer constitutes a barrier to friendly fellowship between man and God.” (Packer)
Propitiation
“Propitiation…denotes all that expiation means, and the pacifying of the wrath of God thereby.” (Packer)
Reconciliation
To “reconcile means to restore a relationship, to renew a friendship. So an original relationship is presupposed which, having been broken, has been recovered by Christ.” (Stott)
Imputation
- “To reckon to someone the blessing, curse, debt, etc. of another.
- Adam’s sin is imputed to all people (Rom. 5:12-21), therefore, we are all guilty before God.
- Our sins were put upon, imputed, to Jesus on the cross where He became sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21) and died with them (Isaiah 53:4-6). Therefore, our sins are forgiven.
- The righteousness that was His through His perfect obedience to the Father in His complete obedience to the Law is imputed, given, to us. In short, our sins were given to Jesus. His righteousness was given to us.
- Technically speaking our sins were imputed to Jesus. His righteousness was imputed to us.”
What is the nature of the atonement? Discuss “penal substitutionary atonement
The Penal-Substitution Theory of the atonement maintains that Christ died on the cross as a substitute for sinners. God imputed the guilt of our sins to Christ, and he, in our place, bore the punishment that we deserve. This was a full payment for sins, which satisfied both the wrath and the righteousness of God, so that He could forgive sinners without compromising His own holy standard. (Romans 3 - sacrifice of propitation, Lev 16 - Scapegoat)
What of Christ’s work remains to be done?
- Christ’s work is finished (John 19:30 - it is finished)
- He will return to judge and to make all things new (Rev 20-21, 1 Cor 15 - he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. )
Were OT believers saved by Christ? Explain and defend (include Scripture proofs).
WCF 11.6 The justification of believers under the Old Testament was, in all these respects, one and the same with the justification of believers under the New Testament.(1) (Romans 4 - Abraham justified by faith)
(1)Gal. 3:9,13,14; Rom. 4:22,23,24; Heb. 13:8.
Will any for whom Christ died be lost? Explain and defend (include Scripture proofs).
• No
• To all those for whom Christ hath purchased redemption, he doth certainly and effectually apply and communicate the same… (WCF VIII:8)
• John 6:37,39 - all who the Father gives to me will come to me
- John 10 - no one can snatch them out of my hand
Trace revelation of the person and work of Christ from the beginning of the Old Testament.
- Genesis 3:15 speaks of the seed of woman, which Paul later applies to Christ (Rom 16:20).
- Genesis 14:17–20. The appearance of Melchizedek to whom Abraham tithes and from whom Abraham receives a blessing foreshadows the priesthood of Christ (cf. Heb 7) and some have even seen this as a appearance of the pre-existent Christ.
- Genesis 49:10: “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.”
- Exodus 12. The Passover witnesses to Christ (cf. 1 Cor 5:7).
- Jesus work was prefigured in the sacrificial system (Lev 1–7) and his mediatorial role was prefigured in the priesthood (Lev 8–9).
- Deuteronomy 18:15 speaks of a prophet whom the Lord God would raise up and to whom the Israelites would have to listen (cf. Acts 7:37).
- 2 Samuel 7 speaks of an everlasting kingdom for David and a unique Father/Son relationship between God and one of David’s descendants, which Hebrews 1:5 applies to Christ.
- Certain Psalms are Messianic, such as Psalm 2:7 (cf. Heb 1:5; 5:5), and Psalm 110:1,4 (cf. Mat 22:41–46; Heb 5:6).
- Isaiah 53, the Suffering Servant.
- Jeremiah 31:31–34, the New Covenant.
- Ezekiel 34:20–24, God’s Shepherd, his servant David, who will tend God’s flock (cf. John 10).
Define and distinguish the active and passive obedience of Christ.
- Active: Christ’s life of perfect obedience (Romans 5 - through one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous)
- Passive: Christ’s suffering obedience, his suffering and death on the cross to pay the price for our sins (Mark 10 - to give his life as a ransom for many)
What happened in the resurrection of Christ?
- God raised Jesus from the dead in a new resurrected body as the first-fruits of a more widespread resurrection.
1) A declaration by the Father of death and sin’s defeat and the fulfillment of the covenant of works (Romans 6 - death no longer has dominion over him, Rev 1 -Christ has the keys to death)
2) It declared Jesus to be the Son of God (Romans 1)
3) It enacted the justification, and other benefits that believers receive in Christ and secured their final resurrection (1 Cor 15 - Christ’s life secures life for many: In Christ all will be made alive)
Redemption
At “its most basic to ‘redeem’ is to buy or buy back, whether as a purchase or a ransom. Inevitably, then, the emphasis of the redemption image is on our sorry state – indeed our captivity – in sin which made an act of divine rescue necessary.” (Stott)
