View from the Top!

The view of Big Bear Lake from way up at the top of Bertha Peak is
amazing! You can see the entire lake from above.

We caught a bear!

We found a bear and thought it made for a great capture. This is the
group of guys that will be braving the 20 degree night on our guys
camping trip to Big Bear!

Creation

--> In the beginning it pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for the manifestation of the glory of His eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, to create or make the world and all things in it both visible and invisible, in the space of six days, and all very good.

--> After God had made all other creatures, He created man, male and female, with reasoning and immortal souls, rendering them fit to live that life for Him for which they were created;

• being made in the image of God, in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness; having the law of God written in their hearts, and having the power to fulfill it;
• and yet living under a possibility of transgressing, being left to the liberty of their own will which was subject to change.

--> Besides the law written in their hearts, they received a command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. While they kept this command they were happy in their communion with God, and had dominion over all other creatures.

Today’s morsel is brief, and on the surface would seem to be a simple summary of the creation account in Genesis, but when read carefully, you see some deep theology boiled down very well. Note first, that we see the Trinity involved in creation. Also note that creation is six literal days, not six “time periods” as some would say.

Adam and Eve were created so that they could honor and glorify God. The next two bullet points pretty much stand on their own. Studying the idea of “free will” (not a good term to use, as it can mean different things to different people) or better yet “man’s responsibility,” is something that can take a lot of time and thought. The Confession here, boils it down as well as I’ve seen.

We don’t know how long Adam and Eve were in the garden before the fall, but it is important to see the state they existed in before the fall. Seeing this helps us to begin to understand the problems we face in our world today. The problems of society, and indeed in our personal lives, can all be traced back to this.

Seeing the original plan (“While they kept this command...”) helps us to begin understanding the problem of our depravity. What a great summary the Confession gives us of the creation account. Carefully boiled down theology of creation. For those who have been at SIX33 on Wednesday nights, the idea of “compressed theology” that James has introduced to us is done very well in this section of the Confession. It’s always good to take a look back at the beginning. (The next two sections will develop this further as we look at Divine Providence and The Fall of Man, Sin, and Punishment)

Rob

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I Confess to not posting

So I haven't given up on the Confession. The last couple of weeks have been super busy. This week, I've got to prepare for three messages as well as getting ready for our Mission Trip to San Francisco.

The next installment of the 1689 London Baptist Confession will come soon.

In the meantime - all is well in the HSM. On Tuesday, the eTeam met and we had the opportunity to share the Gospel with 20 people! All the students were very excited about it. I can't wait until next Tuesday to see what happens.

Have an amazing weekend! Check out www.teampyro.blogspot.com for some great Spurgeon stuff every weekend.

Rob

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Today, we look at God’s Decree. To me, this is an extremely comforting doctrine. It has also historically been one that is misunderstood by many. Much of the this comes from not properly understanding what foreknowledge is. In “The Attributes of God” A.W. Pink says “‘foreknowledge’ is never used in Scripture in connection with events or actions; instead, it always has reference to persons. It is persons God is said to ‘foreknow,’ not the actions of those persons.”

God’s Decree

--> God has decreed in Himself from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably, all things which shall ever come to pass.

• Yet in such a way that God is neither the author of sin nor does He have fellowship with any in the committing of sins, nor is violence offered to the will of the creature , nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.
• In all this God’s wisdom is displayed, disposing all things, and also His power and faithfulness in accomplishing His decree.

--> Although God knows everything which may or can come to pass under all imaginable conditions, yet He has not decreed anything because He foresaw it in the future, or because it would come to pass under certain conditions.

--> By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels are predestinated or foreordained to eternal life through Jesus Christ, to the praise of His glorious grace. Others are left to act in their sin to their just condemnation, to the praise of His glorious justice.

--> Those angels and men thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed, and the number of them is so certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished.

--> Those of mankind who are predestinated to life, God chose before the foundation of the world was laid, in accordance with His eternal and immutable purpose and the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will. God chose them in Christ for everlasting glory, solely out of His free grace and love, without anything in the creature as a condition or cause moving Him to choose.

--> As God has appointed the elect unto glory, so, by the eternal and completely free intention of His will, He has foreordained all the means. Accordingly, those who are elected, being fallen in Adam:

• are redeemed by Christ,
• are effectually called to faith in Christ by His Spirit working in due season,
• are justified, adopted, sanctified,
• and are kept by His power through faith unto salvation;
• neither are any but the elect redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved.

--> The doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, in order that men who are heeding the will of God revealed in His Word, and who are yielding obedience to it, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation be assured of their eternal election. So shall this doctrine provide cause for praise, reverence, admiration of God, and also provide cause for humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all who sincerely obey the Gospel.

That God has chosen me is a extremely comforting thought. Charles Spurgeon has said, “I believe in the Doctrine of Election because I am quite certain of these things:

• If God had not chosen me, I would never have chosen Him.

• I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterward.

• He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love.

There are a few reasons why we should sincerely love the Doctrine of Election: (These are adapted from Richard Phillips book “What’s So Great About the Doctrines of Grace)

1. Unconditional Election promotes humility and not pride. We must realize that we were chosen in spite of our utter unworthiness. It does not mean that we are somehow special or superior to others.

2. Unconditional Election promotes holiness and not license. Holiness is the goal for which we are saved. Those predestined to salvation are predestined to holiness. Ephesians 1:4 & 2:10. Happiness isn’t the priority of the Christian life. Holiness is.

3. Unconditional Election promotes assurance of salvation. Election tells us that it’s not us who chose God, but God who chose us. This changes everything about my struggle for assurance.

4. Unconditional Election promotes the glory of God. It does not promote my own glory. If my salvation depends solely on God, then He gets all the glory when I am saved.

We must always keep in mind that James tells us that we are saved and regenerated through the power of the Word of God. When we speak of sharing or proclaiming the Gospel, we must be sharing and proclaiming Scripture. My explanation of Scripture might be great. My own personal testimony might be powerful and moving, but it is God’s Word that I must proclaim if I am to accurately share the Gospel.

One of our mandates as Believers in Christ is evangelism. We must share the Gospel.

Don Elbourne Jr. says, “The doctrine of election does not negate evangelism, it ensures its success. Let’s boldly proclaim the Gospel to everyone. Let’s savor the supremacy of Christ over all things as He uses our collective evangelistic voices to call people to Himself for His glory.”

God has decreed that we should share the Gospel. He has chosen to draw people to Himself through our proclamation of the Gospel. Let’s keep our central focus upon the Gospel. It’s all about the Gospel.

Ask yourself daily, “What Is the Gospel?” As you answer this question, your heart will be encouraged and you will be brought into a greater dependence upon Him in whom “we live and move and have our being.”

Seeking Him,

Rob

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