Walking Through Westminster, WCF 8.1

 Westminster Confession of Faith 8.1

It pleased God, in His eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son, to be the Mediator between God and man, the Prophet, Priest, and King, the Head and Savior of His Church, the Heir of all things, and Judge of the world: unto whom He did from all eternity give a people, to be His seed, and to be by Him in time redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified.

Summary

Before the foundation of the world; before anything was created; when there was nothing but the eternal, Triune God, the Father made a covenant with the Son, to give Him a people as His seed and bride. The Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, was chosen by the Father and ordained to procure this people for Himself. He did this by becoming a number of things for them. 

First, the Son became their Mediator. A mediator is a legal position, someone appointed to reconcile two conflicting parties. By our sins, we have driven a wedge between us and God; we have ruined the relationship. The Son becomes the Mediator between God and man by taking human nature on Himself in His divinity. He can reconcile God and man because He is God and man. 

He became our Prophet, Priest, and King. A prophet is one who speaks forth the word of the Lord. Jesus is the Word of God, so He is the perfect One to speak God's Word (John 1:1-5, 14). A priest makes sacrifices to atone for sins (Hebrews 8:3). Christ was not only the perfect High Priest, but He was also the perfect sacrifice: the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world (John 1:29). He is both Priest and Sacrifice, making a perfect sacrifice for sins which never needs repeating or modification (Hebrews 10:14). A king rules and governs a people. Christ is the King of the world, having ascended to sit in glory at the right hand of the Father (Acts 2:33-36). It is His right to receive heartfelt, joyful obedience from all the world, and anyone who would not render it to Him is a rebel and worthy of judgment. 

Christ is the Head of the Church, and there is no other. There is no way in which the bishop of Rome is head of the Church, and any claim as such is blasphemy. He is the Savior of the Church, the only one who can redeem them from sin. He is the Heir of all things; Jesus will, in the Last Day, inherit all things as His rightful possession. He has de jure rights to all obedience and worship, meaning that they are His right in theory, and in the Last Day He will receive them de facto, meaning in reality. 

He is the Judge of the world, and all who try to maintain their independence and rebellion from Him will be crushed in the Judgment. All of His enemies will be trampled under His feet (c.f. Psalm 110) and any who attempt to oppose Him will not escape. There is a common saying, often tattooed on people or emblazoned on clothing, "Only God can judge me". While this is a true saying, the reality is that God's judgment will be infinitely worse than any unkind word of a fellow sinner. Christ's judgment will be perfect, unflinching, unerring. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1, "it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble [the Church], and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ". Yet, the grace of God is manifested in that He has made a way to escape this fierce judgment. The only way of salvation is to believe on the Lord Jesus; to put your faith in Him, to depend on Him alone for salvation, to repent from sins and to turn exclusively to the work of Jesus Christ in the cross. That is the only way of salvation.

+ Blessings in Christ +

Late Summer Update and Request 2017

Friends,

We are one month in! It's been an outstanding first month and we are loving the apartment ministry. We've met a bunch of our neighbors, had great conversations in English and Spanish, played soccer with some ninos, and had our first community event (pool party with ice cream for all!) So far, the Liv Apartment ministry seems to be a hit. We have plans to start English and Spanish Bible studies soon, so we can translate some of these great neighborly interactions into spiritual outreach and development. We are humbled, nervous, and excited about what God plans to do through us here! For those who don't know, this step into apartment ministry was well outside our comfort zone, but God is faithful, and we thank Him that He knows better than us when to tear down the walls of our comfort!

On another exciting note, East Charlotte PCA, the church where Olivia and I have been members for about a year-and-a-half, has offered me a position as a pastoral apprentice. The primary emphasis of this position will be on outreach and evangelism. This will be more serious than the internship I had at New Covenant ARP, and will look much more like full-time pastoral ministry. I am thrilled about this development and am looking forward to going deeper into the calling God has on my life! The church does not have funds to pay me at this point, so I will need to start raising financial support at some point in the future. However, I am still gainfully employed and can continue to work as we get support in place, until the point where I can focus on the Liv Apartment ministry and the apprenticeship full-time. 

What we really need at this point is your prayers. I plan to start sending out newsletters as a more official way of updating people about our ministry, now and into the future. If you enjoy hearing about our work and would commit to praying for us, I would love to put you down and send you our updates! Feel free to email me (keithginn08@gmail.com) or respond with a comment if interested.

In the midst of the stress and excitement of this new ministry, I consider Colossians 4:2-3, "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ". If you desire to pray alongside of and for us, we would love to have you as a prayer partner! We look forward to sharing this great adventure with you!

We love y'all!

+ Blessings in Christ +

Walking Through Westminster, WCF 7.4-6

Westminster Confession of Faith 7.4-6

IV. This covenant of grace is frequently set forth in scripture by the name of a testament, in reference to the death of Jesus Christ the Testator, and to the everlasting inheritance, with all things belonging to it, therein bequeathed.

V. This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the Gospel: under the law it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all foresignifying Christ to come; which were, for that time, sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they had full remission of sins, and eternal salvation; and is called the Old Testament.

VI. Under the Gospel, when Christ, the substance, was exhibited, the ordinances in which this 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, both Jews and Gentiles; and is called the New Testament. There are not therefore two covenants of grace, differing in substance, but one and the same, under various dispensations.

Summary

The covenant of grace which God made with His people through Christ is frequently called a "testament" in Scripture, with the same usage as "last will and testament". It is called a "testament" because it requires the death of the Testator before it comes into effect. Jesus Christ, by His death and resurrection, procured all the benefits of the covenant of grace for His elect people. This is a good reminder that the covenant of grace is much more personal than a covenant of business or a national treaty. The covenant of grace exists only inasmuch as Jesus Christ agreed with God the Father, before all worlds began, that He would die for sinners yet to be created and that He would reconcile them to God in Himself. The covenant of grace is not like an inanimate document, but is comprehended in a person, the Lord Jesus.

The covenant of grace was administered in the Old Testament through all the types and foreshadowings of Christ: the sacraments, sacrifices, patriarchal promises, and all other such ordinances. For that time, they were acceptable to God as obedience and the demonstration of faith. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, these types and shadows trained the Old Testament Church to look forward to Christ, the promised One.However, while these things were accepted by God under the Old Testament, with the inauguration of the New Covenant, they have ceased to be acceptable, at least in the same manner. For example, to reintroduce animal sacrifices into a worship service would be blasphemous, denying the finished work of Jesus. But the animal sacrifices still teach us something about the work of Christ, and our sacrificial worship as the Church. Paul says, for instance, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1) 

With the coming of the New Covenant we receive the substance, rather than the shadows, of the covenant of grace. The signs of this New Covenant are the preaching of the Word, the administration of baptism, and the Lord's supper. These sacraments and signs are fewer than under the Old Covenant, but they hold forth with greater clarity the fullness of Christ, freely offered to all nations under the Gospel. These sacraments and signs fulfill and supersede the old signs, making any notion of bringing them back unworthy of thought. Not only is their efficacy gone under the New covenant, but it would be to trample upon the cross of Christ as insufficient. The one covenant of grace has new signs and sacraments, revealing greater amounts of God's glory, under the New covenant in Christ.

+ Blessings in Christ +