OFFICER TRAINING 2017 SESSION 5

Transcription

1 1 OFFICER TRAINING 2017 SESSION 5 Layout: The Doctrine of God o The Trinity o God s eternal decrees o Creation Material & Spiritual 4 accepted views of Creation in the PCA Week 5 Study Questions WEEK 6 topics: Continuing with the Doctrine of God, and the Doctrine of Man The Doctrine of God WCF: Chapter 2 Of God, and of the Holy Trinity Chapters 2-5 of the Confession deal specifically with God s REIGN over all things. 2.1 o This section defines our awe-inspiring God! o God is infinite in His being & perfection. He has no reason to change & never has changed since the beginning of time. EX: For I the LORD do not change. Malachi 3:6. EX: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8. EX: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17. o Without body & parts = the Reformed doctrine of divine simplicity. Simplicity is the condition for God s absoluteness. o The impassibility of God is also taught in this section. This doctrine teaches that God is not/does not respond out of emotions like we do. As you read in Frame, God is transcendent He is above what He has created however, emotions are a communicable attribute that we do share with God. EX:

2 2 Jesus wept John 11:35. God can experience emotion since He created them, but He doesn t RESPOND to them or SIN from them. In other words, there isn t a cause/effect or a before/after with God like there is with humans. 2.2 o The immediate thing to notice is how many times the word all is used: 8x! The point? GOD REIGNS. This section is a wonderful definition for the Sovereignty of God. o All sufficient = He is independent of any other being. EX: For you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. Revelation 4:11. o In His sight all things are open and known = this is hinting at the difference between foreknowledge vs. foresight. Foreknowledge = The personal, relational knowledge by which God thought of certain people in a saving relationship to himself before creation of the world. (Wayne Grudem) Foresight = God doesn t know the certain/final whereabouts of His creatures but has a general idea. 2.3 o This section deals with the eternal ordering of the Trinity. The Bible does reveal an order to us: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 John 5:7) o How in the world do we explain/bring justice to the Trinity? The word Trinity is NOT mentioned in the Bible, so how can we defend it? While God is One, He exists in three persons as one substance. I like to think of this like a cell of our bodies it s one substance and inside has many parts/functions. Frame alludes to a triangle & each person of the Trinity is a side of a triangle. Warning: We have to be careful concerning illustrations of the Trinity, because this can lead to Modalism (the heretical view that God is only one God who operates in 3 different modes of people. He picks and chooses which God He wants to be). The doctrine of the Trinity was what the entire Nicene Creed of 325 AD was making its point over, as well as defeating Arianism the belief that Christ was a created being. He was somewhat halfway in between God & Man, a demi-god perhaps. There are times in the OT where God speaks of himself in a plural sense: EX: Let us make man in our image. Genesis 1:26. EX: And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2. In the NT, we have direct passages where all three are mentioned: EX: For there are three that testify. 1 John 5:7.

3 3 EX: The Baptism of Jesus in all Gospel Accounts: The voice of God the Father from Heaven, Jesus physically present, the Holy Spirit descending as a dove (which was also witnessed by John the Baptist according to John s account). o 2-fold perception of the Trinity: Ontological deals with the being of the Trinity. God the Father is NOT: Created, Begotten, or Proceeding God the Son is: Begotten (Greek: monogenes) God the Holy Spirit is: Proceeding Economical deals with the role of the Trinity. Great example: Ephesians 1: God chooses & decrees Jesus purchases (Redemption is Accomplished) Holy Spirit illumines/regenerates (Redemption is Applied) Another example is in the Calvin acrostic of TULIP: Unconditional Election = God the Father Limited Atonement = God the Son Irresistible Grace = God the Holy Spirit o Key Phrase: equal in power and glory Differences in made vs. begotten: God the Son is begotten while God the Holy Spirit proceeds from both God the Father and God the Son. The Western Church (continental US) believes in a double procession of the Trinity: God the Son proceeds from God the Father and God the Holy Spirit proceeds from God the Son. The Eastern Church believes in single procession. Only God the Holy Spirit proceeds from God the Son. This is what the Great Schism of 1054 in the Eastern/Western Churches was about. Why is this important? If you believe in single procession, it limits what the Trinity can do. o Operations of the Trinity: Opera ad intra = works within the Trinity that do not infringe on the Divine oneness of God. EX: Generation or Inspiration. Opera ad extra = works which outwardly reveal the Trinity that can be ascribed to one person of the Trinity more than the others. EX: Election by God the Father, Redemption by God the Son, Effectual Calling and Regeneration by God the Holy Spirit. o Comfort & Disclaimer: The fact that it s hard for humans to fully fathom/explain the Trinity shows us the credibility of the Bible even more! WCF: Chapter 3 Of God s Eternal Decrees 20 DAYS were spent comprising this chapter due to so many heated discussions 3.1 & 3.2 o freely & unchangeably ordain whatever comes to pass

4 4 God is in control of ALL outcomes, hypotheticals, reasoning God knows everything. The moment we say He DOESN T know something, He is no longer completely sovereign. Through providence His eternal plan unfolds. This section is dealing with the Supralapsarianism vs. Infralapsarianism debate of God s Worldly Order: SUPRA: Election Creation Fall Redemption INFRA: Creation Fall Election Redemption Both terms originated from Calvin s student: Theodore Beza ( ). Both terms deal with the logical order of God s decrees. Infralapsarianism has the mentality of God covering up His mistakes from Genesis 1-6, whereas a Supralapsarian would say God made no mistakes from Genesis 1-6 & never has/will. Infralapsarians try to rationalize how a good & merciful God could do The Flood. Why are these two terms important? Supralapsarianism deals with the complete foreknowledge of God, where Infralapsarianism deals with the foresight of God. The rumor was that the Westminster Divines were about 70% Supra, 30% Infra in their methods of theology. o Yet neither is God the author of sin Throughout history, theologians in all denominations have struggled with in their views on God with this phrase. Sometimes you will hear someone say The Problem of Evil. Reformed View: God is the author of sin itself the concept, the possibility, the universe of sin so He could give us His Son as our Mediator. Mankind is the publisher of sin. Mankind is the one who sins, because God isn t tempted by evil, nor does He do any evil work (James 1:13). God doesn t agree with it (as a publisher may not agree with everything in a book written by the author), but created a universe where it is possible. In Eternity, we will live in a universe where sin is NOT possible! Frame s view is very similar: He condemns sin, hates it, and will destroy it. So, theologians sometimes say that God is not the author of sin. The author of a book not only writes it but he recommends what is in it. A publisher distributes a book but does not necessarily agree with it. We may see that in relation to sin, God is like a publisher, not like an author Frame, p.103. Pastor s View: I would say God is the author the originator of sin so that mankind could/would eventually sin, so He could provide a Mediator. Man publishes that sin. If we say God is not the author of the original idea/concept of sin & only man is, then God s sovereignty comes into question because man brought something into the world God was unaware of/didn t know would happen.

5 5 3.3 o In Reformed Theology, we call this section double predestination. This is the belief that God before the foundation of the world predestined some to everlasting life & others He predestined to everlasting death. EX: The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. Proverbs 15:3. EX: The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. Proverbs 16:33. o Single predestination is the view that God only knows who s going to HEAVEN He isn t sure about unbelievers & their final whereabouts. This is an Arminian mode of thinking that man can choose when to save himself & may not save himself in time before he/she dies. o What exactly is predestination? Presbyterians get the most heat over this word/view, so as Church Officers, we must be able to articulate what it means, as well as Biblically defend it. Predestination is the Biblical teaching on how God knows whatever may or can come to pass under all hypothetical conditions, including someone s final whereabouts. Usually you ll hear someone define it like: God knows who is going to heaven & who is going to Hell. Predestination is NOT limited to only that, thus why Predestination & Providence go hand-in-hand together in theology. Not only are people predestined, but events as well (Luke 22:22, Ephesians 1:1-11, Jeremiah 29:11-13). o Is Predestination Biblical? Absolutely & is very comforting. Here are some common observations & objections to Predestination: Observation: Man does NOT have free will, only God does. We live in a universe that God created. Whether we like it or not, we play by his rules and thankfully, He has given us His Word as our moral compass. People say they don t like God having a plan for them, but Scripture teaches that man doesn t want anything to do with God (Romans 3:10-12, 23)! Man has a choice to do things, but the overall end result and the reasons why he made that choice are given to him by God, whether it be through blessing him or teaching him the consequences of sin. Instead of saying FREE WILL, in reality we say FREE CHOICE. God doesn t force us to do anything. Our choices are a reflection of our character. Observation: Predestination is different than FATE. Fate is impersonal and omits God. There is no order in fate and denies final causes. Fate denies human responsibility: chance & random. Predestination says God is the first cause to everything. Observation: Predestination does NOT make man like a robot who goes from Point A to Point B. God s overall plan unfolds for us through Providence (which we will discuss in Session 6).

6 6 Objection: Predestination makes God the author of sin. Sin is a permissive decree. God predetermined that Jesus would be crucified on the Cross, but man was the one that had that plan unfold through secondary causes/ordinary means. God has ordained the end of time and also the ways/means to that end. Objection: Predestination represents God as being unjustly partial in that He wrongly discriminates people. Is it wrong for God to send people to Hell for unrepentant sin when Romans 6:23 teaches us that the price of our sin is DEATH regardless of who we are? We could speak of injustice only if man had a claim on God, and God owed man eternal salvation. BUT all men have forfeited the blessings of God. EX: Joshua 7 with Achan & his family being killed by stones and fire. What if God hadn t punished and let it slip? o We need to be able to articulate what we believe because as 3.8 says, the doctrine of the high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence & care. o We also should commend how 3.8 ends regarding predestination: So shall this doctrine bring praise, reverence, and admiration of God; and humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all who sincerely obey the Gospel. 3.4 o Both angels and men are doubly predestined. The angels that are predestined to Hell have already arrived there & became demons. The sum of the elect & who ends up where is FINAL & already established. There are NO changes by God later on there are no erase marks to be found. This is extremely comforting for us because God is the only one eternally responsible for the well-being of people s souls. NOT MAN. o There is nothing fuzzy about the math. (Derek Thomas) 3.5 o God chose the elect NOT based off anything we have done = Unconditional Election (Ephesians 1:1-11, 2:8-10; Romans 3:23, 5:8-9, 2 Corinthians 5:20-21, Colossians 1:13, 2:14). WCF: Chapter 4 Of Creation Opening Remarks: You might be thinking, why in the world do we have to talk about this? God created the World in 6 days & rested on the 7 th the end! Let s move on. However, man and his reasoning mind has not been content with that simplistic view over time. We need to be able to defend & articulate our views on Creation for people who question the Bible in general: 4.1

7 7 o What exactly does the phrase: in the space of six days mean? The PCA General Assembly in 2000 said this phrase means 1 of 3 things: 24-hour period of time, making it a day. This is a non-specific duration of time. This phrase was designed to be vague & no one knows. o out of nothing. When dealing with Creation there is a two-fold sense: Material: When we say material world, we mean anything involving our senses. A common definition of creation: The work and free act of God by which He produced the world and all that is in it out of nothing for the manifestation of His glory. God didn t need the world and thus, made it from scratch. The Latin phrase sometimes used for this is ex nihilo meaning from/out of nothing (Hebrews 11:3, Colossians 1:16). Another difficult thing to grasp because we are bound by time is that There was no time before creation, since the world was brought into being with time rather than in time. God s eternity means that he has an existence without the passage/presence of time. Jesus and the Holy Spirit were also a part of Creation (Genesis 1:2, John 1:1-3). The Trinity has always been involved every step of the way. Spiritual: When we say the spiritual world of creation, we are referring to things the human eye cannot see, but know are there. The Bible teaches that we are not alone, that we battle things spiritual in nature, that our human flesh and blood is not all there is. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12. There are two sides: good and evil. The Bible never tells us exactly when God made angels and demons, or when the great Rebellion happened from Satan in heaven. However, they were made before WOMAN, so all angels & demons resemble a man. Isaiah 14:12-14 & Luke 10:18 teach us that Satan, along with all angels, were created by God to serve Him and His kingdom forever. Nowhere in the Bible is Satan called Lucifer, this is a misinterpretation of the word/phrasing of morning star and the Hebrew word heylel from Isaiah 14. Even though an exact sin isn t mentioned of what Satan did to get kicked out of heaven, it s obvious from Isaiah that it was rebellion and pride, trying to overthrow the throne of God. Satan is NOT omnipresent or omniscient as many people assume/think. He is NOT an equal adversary of Christ. o The existence of angels is mentioned over 90x in the Bible. A few examples: 2 Samuel 14:20, 2 Kings 6, Matthew 24:36, Jude 6, Revelation 14:10, Ephesians 6:2, Hebrews 1:14, Psalm 91:11, 103:20.

8 8 o The Bible also teaches that there are certain classes of angels: Angels with no distinction = Genesis 18, Exodus 23. The word angel in Hebrew is malak and means messenger. If you read the Exodus account, not only was there a pillar of fire/cloud leading the people, but also a powerful angel who stayed with them until Judges 2. An angel mentioned by name in this category is Gabriel (Daniel 8 & 9). Cherubim = they reveal God s power, majesty, and glory. They are fierce and powerful, they guard the Holiness of the Garden of Eden, also in tabernacle and temple (Genesis 3:24, Exodus 25, Psalm 18). Seraphim = mentioned ONLY in Isaiah 6. They stand as servants round about the throne of the heavenly King, sing His praises and are ever ready to do His bidding. Seraphim means burning ones. Angel of the Lord = may/may not be Jesus at times in various theophanic forms. People automatically assume that s what it is, but the Bible never flat out says this. There are certain incidences where we know it is Jesus, such as in Exodus 3. A common example is with Daniel 3 and the Fiery Furnace. It never flat out says it was Jesus. Archangels = one of the 2 angels mentioned by name is called an archangel, Michael, who we see in Daniel 10, Jude, and Revelation 12. o What do angels do though? How many of them are there? They serve believers, watch over them, are present in the church and all around us (Hebrews 13:2). Number of angels: Hundreds of thousands! EX: Jesus states he could have 12 legions of angels at his fingertips if he wanted as in Matthew 26:53. A Legion at that time being the equivalent of 4-6,000 soldiers in the Roman army. The reason we are looking at angels with our discussion on Creation is because they are a part of Creation in the spiritual realm. 4 Views on Creation accepted in the PCA: o Literal, 24-hour Calendar-Day View Creation unfolded exactly as we read it unfolding in the Bible. God is sovereign and didn t need any additional time to make all that He did in 6 days. In Genesis 1, we get a two-fold display of how everything comes together: Separation 1 Light and Darkness 2 Sky and Sea (horizon forms) 3 Separate Seas and dry land with vegetation Filling 4 Sun, moon, and stars 5 Birds and fish 6 Land animals and man o Apologetics for a 24-hour, literal view:

9 9 1. The Hebrew word yom denotes an ordinary day, but sometimes it can mean a longer period of time as we see in Isaiah/Jeremiah BUT in response to that, we would say: 2. There is a repeated mentioning of morning and night in the Creation account, why would the days be longer than 24 hours if they mentioned that a start & finish? All six days in Genesis 1 end with and there was evening and there was morning 3. In Exodus 20:9-11 = Israel is commanded to labor six days and to rest on the seventh, because God did this! Moses would only be familiar with this meaning of the word day used in this context. 4. If we change the meaning of the word day in Genesis 1 & 2, we must change it & leave it ambiguous everywhere else in the Bible. Why should we only be selective in its meaning in Genesis 1 & 2? o Day Age View Belief that the Creation account is an unknown period of time because of the uncertainty of the meaning of the Hebrew word yom and also because the 7th day in Genesis 2 isn t concluded with the phrase and there was evening and there was morning on the 7th day. Problem: If you start changing the meaning of the word day here in Genesis, then everything else in the Bible regarding the word day becomes ambiguous. If a day is longer than 24 hours here, then was Jesus in the ground longer than 3 days? o Framework View Belief that the days of Creation are more topical than they are literal. The argument here stems mainly from Genesis 2:5-6: When no bush of the field was yet in land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground It s fair to argue that Genesis 2:5-6 happened during Genesis 1 and that Moses here is simply explaining what things were like before rain and before man came into existence. God s mode of operation was ordinary providence, and since light (Day one) without luminaries (Day four) is not ordinary providence, the six days of creation in Gen 1 must be topical, not sequential. We could respond here: Why not? If God is the origin of light as 1 John 5 states, then surely He could make the sun and moon without them having light. The sun can be the sun without the essence of light if God wants it to be. o Analogical Day View Belief that the days mentioned in Genesis 1 and 2 are God s work days and not what we would consider to be a day. The days are ordered to structure our pattern/routine for the week, but these days could have been longer or shorter. The days are periods of unspecified

10 10 length and they may overlap with each other. Very similar to the Day Age View, only difference is that God s definition of a day is different than ours. Main verses for argumentation: EX: For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night Psalm 90:4. EX: But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day 2 Peter 3: o reasoning minds & immortal souls Disproving the theory of Annihilationism. Annihilationism is the teaching that after death unbelievers suffer an immediate penalty of God s wrath and their souls are annihilated/destroyed, so they no longer exist. However, the Bible does not teach this. Sin has eternal consequences. Many Seventh-Day Adventists & Jehovah s Witnesses believe in this doctrine. This doctrine has always been present since early Christian roots, but saw a resurgence in the 1980 s. We don t simply have a soul, but ARE a soul The soul is aware of WHO you are without your brain. (Derek Thomas)

11 11 WEEK 5 STUDY QUESTIONS Answer the following questions & study them throughout Officer Training. Many of these same questions will be asked of you by the Session during Examination. 1. Define these words: o Predestination o Annihilationism o Creation 2. What s the difference between foreknowledge & foresight? What is the correct view to hold? 3. What are the differences between the Supralapsarianism & Infralapsarianism arguments for viewing God s Worldly Order of his eternal decrees? 4. Is the doctrine of predestination Biblical? Be able to explain & defend your answer:

12 12 5. What are the differences between single & double predestination? 6. How would you explain the Trinity & prove it from Scripture? 7. What are the two folds of Creation? What does each one involve? o Material & Spiritual 8. Should we worship angels? 9. What is your personal view of Creation in Genesis 1 & 2? Be able to defend your answer Biblically. 10. Briefly elaborate on the 4 acceptable views of Creation in the PCA: