Walking Through Westminster, WCF 3.6-8

Friends,

First of all, I apologize for the lack of consistency lately. The move into our new apartment has been busy, stressful, and has left little time for writing. Secondly, it has occurred to me that going through the confession one point at a time is a slow process. While fine for personal progress, it makes for a very sluggish blog series. Considering that, my aim for the future of this series will be to take larger chunks of the confession together, perhaps several sections or even whole chapters at a time. The goal will be to make it through the whole confession by the end of summer 2017, still taking a reasonable amount of time to process and understand. Hopefully, this will also make for easier and more enjoyable reading. Thanks for Walking Through Westminster with me!

Westminster Confession of Faith 3.6-8

"VI. As God has appointed the elect unto glory, so has He, by the eternal and most free purpose of His will, foreordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore, they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto faith in Christ by His Spirit working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by His power, through faith, unto salvation. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.

VII. The rest of mankind God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of His own will, whereby He extends or withholds mercy, as He pleases, for the glory of His 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.

VIII. 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."

Summary

In foreordaining the salvation of His chosen people, God not only appointed their end, but the ways in which they would reach that end. This logically follows from what has already been established in chapter 3, namely, that God has foreordained all things; from the birth and death of galaxies, to the growth of every leaf on a tree. However, this section specifies this truth with regard to salvation. God has not only ordained the "what" (i.e. that the elect shall be saved), but He has also ordained how, when, where, and why the elect shall be saved. The progression of salvation is laid out as such: fallen state > redemption by Christ > effectual calling by the Spirit > justification > adoption > sanctification > glorification in eternity. Because God is the one doing this work in the believer, the confession specifies that no one but the elect only receive any part of this saving work. Therefore, it is never the case that a reprobate person could participate in any of this progression. 

Rather, the reprobate person is given over by God to dishonor and wrath for their sin. As has already been said, God does not force them to sin and then punish them for it; instead, God merely allows them to do what they desire to do in their sinful nature. God never violates the will of His creatures, whether toward salvation or reprobation. Because of our limited capacity to understand God and His will, which the confession calls "unsearchable", we must handle the doctrine of predestination with great care. Too many Christians run rough shod with this doctrine and do great harm to themselves and/or others. We must remember our finite ability to understand all things, and instead accept that God's ways are always best, because He does all things well. The doctrine of predestination ought to lead the soul to heartfelt obedience, assurance of salvation, and to cause the believer to grow in love for God and love for others.

+ Blessings in Christ +