Chapter 2
Salvation Accomplished: The God of Our Profession
The God of the Bible is the only God who can save us from sin and death. It is imperative that we know who He is as He has revealed Himself to us in His infallible Word and how He has accomplished our redemption in Christ. He is the One we profess.
The God of the Bible
Who is God? What has He revealed about Himself in His Word, the Bible?
Shorter Catechism Q.#4 What is God? A. God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. Q.#5 Are there more Gods than one? A. There is but One only, the living and true God.
The world in sin makes God after its own sinful image. The Bible calls this idolatry. After describing the "idols of the nations" as "the work of men's hands" the Psalmist shows that they are not living, but impotent. "Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them" (Ps. 135:13-18). By contrast "the LORD is great, and our God is above all gods. Whatsoever the LORD pleases He does..." (vs. 5,6). He judges the nations and has compassion on His servants. He is sovereign over history and creation. The world wants to control God. It wants to see Him as dependent on creation in some way. It purposely confuses the Creator with His creation. Monism and Pantheism make God identical with everything. Deism makes Him a distant originator of the universe. But in His infallible Word the true and living God reveals Himself as the Sovereign Creator who controls history for His glorious and wise purposes.
The Attributes of God
What are His attributes?
The attributes (essential personal characteristics) listed in The Shorter Catechism can be divided into two categories: communicable and incommunicable. His communicable attributes are those attributes that He gives in a limited (finite) way to man, who is made in His image: spirit, being, wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and truth. Man perfectly reflected these attributes as he was originally created. He is completely dependent on God. These are also known as His "moral attributes." His incommunicable attributes are those attributes that are utterly unique to God: infinite, eternal and unchangeable. These are also known as His "natural attributes." These attributes teach us that God is separate from His creation. He is totally independent of what He has made. He created freely. The word infinite literally means "without boundaries" (Ps. 145:3). God is limitless. Eternal means that God is unbounded by time (Ps. 90:2). Unchangeable means that He is immutable, unbounded by space-time history. He is the "I AM THAT I AM" (Exod. 3:14) who never changes (Mal. 3:6). God is incomprehensible. While He may be truly known in as much as He chooses to reveal Himself to us, our knowledge of God is not exhaustive, nor can it ever be since we are creatures and will remain so in glory (Isa. 55:8,9).
The Trinity
Is God personal?
Shorter Catechism Q.#6 How many persons are there in the Godhead? A. There are three persons in the Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.
The world views God either as impersonal or as a limited person. In both cases man seeks to control God by imagining Him be to manageable. He is, in fact, neither limited or impersonal. He is triune. He is perfect diversity in unity. The three persons communicate eternally in glorious divine perfection, harmony and love. The profundity of this truth requires us to submit our minds to God's revelation. He is after all God. He would hardly command our respect, worship and awe if He were anything less. As we have said He is incomprehensible. "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts'" (Isaiah 55:7,8). The doctrine of the Trinity is veiled in the Old Testament. Before God created man He declared "Let us make man in Our image..." (Genesis 1:26). God refers to Himself with the "plural of majesty" indicating a plurality of persons. The triple blessing of Aaron in Numbers 6:24-26 indicates the Trinitarian nature of God. The angelic doxology in the heavenly throne room vision of Isaiah (6:3) is a similar revelation: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory." The Messianic Psalms refer to the Messiah as God. Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1 to confound the rebellious Pharisees with proof of His deity. "'What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?' They said to Him, 'The Son of David.' He said to them, 'How then does David in the Spirit call Him Lord, saying: The LORD said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies My footstool'? If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He His Son?'" No one dared respond (Matt. 22:41-46). The Trinity is fully revealed in the consummate redemptive revelation of Jesus Christ and His Spirit in the New Covenant epoch. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are explicitly present at the baptism of Jesus into His Messianic office (Matt. 3:16, 17). It is into the triune name of God that the nations are to be baptized in fulfilling the Christ's Great Commission to make disciple of all nations (Matt. 28:19). Scripture texts which indicate a subordination of the Son to the Father and the Spirit to the Father and the Son are to be understood in terms of their roles in relation to their work of creation and redemption. The Son incarnate, who is the Suffering Servant, says: "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of the Father who sent Me" (Jn. 5:30). And yet He also says: "I and My Father are one" (Jn. 10:30). Eternally the three persons are "equal in power and glory." The following chart shows the relationships of each of the three persons in eternity (opera ad intra - working within the Trinity) and in time (opera ad extra - working in history).
The Son and the Spirit are given the same names and attributes as the Father in Holy Scripture. They also perform the same works and are accorded the same Worship as the Father. The Son and the Spirit are the "Jehovah" (Yahweh or LORD) of the Old Testament. Beware of human illustrations of the Trinity, such as water = liquid, ice and steam. These each illustrate heresies in the history of the church. The Creator transcends all created examples. This doctrine is not meant to be the subject of speculation beyond what is revealed in God's Word. It is meant to make us bow before such a glorious and awesome God in worship and service. So God is not only personal but Tri-personal. The universe is therefore ultimately personal. What a contrast with the impersonal universe of Atheism or Pantheism.
The Sovereignty of God
Does God control all things?
Shorter Catechism Q.#7 What are the decrees of God? A. The decrees of God are his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath fore-ordained whatsoever comes to pass.
God has a plan which He sovereignly and freely established in the counsels of eternity. His purposes are in the "Lamb slain from the foundations of the world" (Rev. 13:8). Paul told the Ephesian church that God "chose us in Him before the foundation of the world...having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,...being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will...that we...should be to the praise of His glory" (Eph. 1:4,5,11,12). The focus of God's plan is on His incarnate Son and the people who are united to Him as the new humanity. But this focus can only be realized by One who is in control of all things. God is in absolute control (cf. Ps. 33:11; 115:3; Prov. 16:33; Dan. 4:17; Rom. 8:28-30). Even the wickedest act ever perpetrated in history, the crucifixion of the Lord of glory, was ordained by God. "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death" (Acts 2:23). Here we see that God is sovereign and man is responsible. This is a great mystery, but it is clearly revealed by God in His infallible Word. This great truth is revealed to humble sinful men who wish to claim sovereignty over their own lives and destinies. It is also meant to comfort God's people. The victory of Jesus Christ is only sure in the hands of a sovereign God. Some have claimed that God cannot be both good and sovereign. He must be both to be God and His Word confirms this from beginning to end. This very challenge is faced squarely by the Apostle Paul. "He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. You will say to me then, 'Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?' But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to Him who formed it, 'Why have you made me like this?'" (Rom. 9:18-20). On the other hand no one can say God is not merciful. In Jesus Christ He extends His mercy to all. "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out" (Jn. 6:37). As with the doctrine of the Trinity this truth is meant to lead us to humbly put our trust in God. This is the great issue of human existence. Autonomy or theonomy. Man rules or God rules. "Let God be God." He is whether or not anyone acknowledges it. Only those who do will spend eternity in His glorious presence. For the Christian this is not debatable it is imperative. This is not Fatalism (what will be will be), nor is God responsible for evil. God is living and so are we. God is sovereign and man is responsible. The alternative is life without a plan and therefore without meaning; a world in moral chaos and without hope; history without a purpose and ending in emptiness. Thank God that the wise, powerful and merciful God of the Bible is in control of all things.
How did God put His plan into effect?
Shorter Catechism Q.#8 How doth God execute his decrees? A. God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence. As an architectural designer I drew many plans that were never executed. But God's plan is not so. His plans are always wisely made, powerfully, perfectly and completely executed.
The Creator
Did God create all things?
Shorter Catechism Q.#9 What is the work of creation? A. The work of creation is, God's making all things of nothing, in the space of six days, and all very good. Q.#10 How did God create man? A. God created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. The Triune God of the Bible created all things out of nothing (ex nihilo). Note that each person of the Trinity had a part in creation (cf. Gen. 1:2; John 1:3,10; Heb. 1:2,3; Col. 1:16). Furthermore it is the God of the Bible and no other god who created all things. The Bible begins with a challenge to all would-be gods: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). In Genesis 2:4 we are told that "the LORD God made the earth and the heavens..." LORD is God's covenant name. It is the name He reveals to His redeemed people, the church. All other explanations of origins are bogus. The fact that He created all things out of nothing (ex nihilo - Heb. 11:3) accents the fact that the Creator and the creature are separate, and that the creation is entirely dependent upon the Creator. Eastern religions see creation as an emanation of God. God is identical with creation. Thus, created reality is not created to them. This is really an evasion of God's Lordship. This is why the Bible begins, with an assertion of God's Lordship over creation. Evolution only evades the question of origins by positing enormous time periods for the development of present reality, while reducing that reality to the material. This also evades the explanation of the astonishing order and complexity of the world and its interdependent systems. It is no wonder that the Darwinian dominance of academia is being challenged by the "spirituality" of the New Age movement as well as scientists, who, since the emergence of Big Bang Theory have been uncovering an increasing array of evidence for design. The idea of a random universe is both intellectually and spiritually unsatisfying. The Christian is not surprised by this because it is not the truth. The creation took place in the space of six days. While some take this to be six twenty four hour days, it is difficult to explain the various elements in the order given. For example the sun, by which we measure hours, was not created until the fourth day. Furthermore, the word for day (yom) in Hebrew is often used of various time periods other than twenty four hours. What is clear is that creation is an utterly unique event performed entirely by the powerful commands of God, who called all things into being. His explanation of that event is revealed in terms that we can understand, and which form the basis for the patterns of creational life and redemption. Man was created in God's image (Gen. 1:26; 2:7). Actually Scripture says he is God's image, body and soul. He was miraculously and specially created by God. God "sculpted" him out of the dust of the earth and breathed into him the "breath" (spirit) of life. Rather than being the highest form of animal he is unique because he was created to commune with God and reflect His glory. Theistic Evolution posits God giving His image to a higher primate at a certain point after the initial creation. This theory is a contradiction in terms, because Evolution posits a godless random universe developed by chance. There is no evidence in the Bible for this compromise theory. Man is the special creation of God. Thus God gave man the ability to recreate, to plan and build culture; to develop the potentialities of creation. This is often called the "Cultural Mandate" - "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Gen. 1:28). God also created man male and female. The clear distinction between the sexes by creation forms the basis for a heterosexual understanding of human sexuality. It also demonstrates that the difference of roles is not a essentially result of cultural development. Woman was formed out of man, not to assert her inferiority, but to reveal her uniqueness as a "suitable helper" (Gen. 2:20) to man. "Suitable" does not imply slavery or inferiority, but rather that she is a companion image-bearer suited to complement her husband in the task of having dominion over the earth for God's glory.
The Providence of God
Does God control His creation and history?
Shorter Catechism Q.#11 What are God's works of providence? A. God's works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions. God not only created all things, but because He did so with a purpose, He controls His creation and its history in order to achieve that purpose. The God of the Bible is not the deity of Deism who started things in motion and left the outcome to the vicissitudes of history like a clock maker. Nor is He the deity of Fate like Allah who controls people like puppets. The God of the Bible preserves and governs all things so as to preserve the integrity of man's choices and actions and yet insure that the outcome is according to His plan. Note carefully that the God who is in control is holy. He preserves and governs in a way completely consistent with His divine perfections. He is also infinitely wise and not capricious. He controls the means as well as the ends. He has a perspective on reality which is complete. He is omniscient, knowing the beginning from the end. He is also powerful, able to control every element in realizing His plan. He is omnipresent (present everywhere) and omnipotent (all powerful). He is able to meet the needs of every creature, but especially His people, working all things for their good (Rom. 8:28; cf. Deut. 8:3; Ps. 145:9; Acts 14:17; 17:28; Heb. 1:3). This wonderful truth is meant to humble the proud and comfort God's people. A world out of God's control is not only a frightening prospect but an impossible concept.
The Sin of Man
The Fall
Is man a sinner and was he always a sinner?
Shorter Catechism Q.#1 What is the chief end of man? A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. Q.#10 How did God create man? A. God created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. Q.#12 What special act of providence did God exercise toward man in the estate wherein he was created? A. When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him, upon condition of perfect obedience; forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon the pain of death. Q.#13 Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created? A. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by their sinning against God. Crucial to our self-understanding is the fact that man is not what he ought to be; in his present fallen state is not the way he was created to be. Adam and Eve were created positively righteous. They had uninterrupted communion with their Creator. God entered into a Covenant of Life with them. A covenant is a soveriegnly established relationship between God and His people. After they were created God pronounced His entire creation "very good" (Gen. 1:31). They were created in "knowledge, righteousness and holiness." Every thought, word and deed pleased God. Their dominion over creation, their cultivation of the garden of Eden, brought glory to God, because they did everything as servants of their Maker with thanksgiving. Modern environmental problems are a not the result of man's using God's creation. We were created to be masters of it. The problem is not using His creation for His grand purposes. The first question of The Shorter Catechism beautifully states the purpose of human life: "to glorify God and enjoy him forever." To glorify God means to reveal the excellencies of who He is. It is to demonstrate in thought word and deed how truly wonderful God is. Because God created man for this purpose he is miserable pursuing any other purpose in life. To glorify Him is to enjoy Him. This alone is man's happiness. Any other enjoyment is temporary and futile because it is not connected with God. Man's perfection came to an end when he fell into sin and rebellion by disobeying God. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was placed by God in the garden as a test of Adam's loyalty. All other trees were his to enjoy (Gen. 2:16). But this tree and its fruit were forbidden (Gen. 2:17). It was a test to see if man would live by God's word or seek his own wisdom independently of God. The Evil One, Satan, came in the guise of a beautiful snake, and deceitfully suggested that God was keeping something good from Adam and Eve. In other words God's word is not sufficient to live by. God does not know what is best for mankind (Gen. 3:1-6). The result of giving into this awful temptation was spiritual and physical death, just as God had graciously warned them (Gen. 2:17; 3:7ff). Death in the Bible is separation from God. Ultimately this leads to separation from our bodies and human history and one day after judgment, separation from God in hell. Immediately after their first sin Adam and Eve tried to cover up their sense of shame and hid because of the true guilt of their disobedience (Gen. 3:7,8). In this life we are by nature "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1). Anyone who doubts that the Bible teaches that man is totally depraved needs only read Romans 3:9-20 or Jeremiah 17:9 "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" Anyone who doubts that man actually is totally depraved needs only to read the daily newspaper and look honestly at his own heart. Total Depravity
What does it mean that he is a sinner?
Shorter Catechism Q.#14 What is sin? A. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. Q.#15 What was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created? A. The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created, was their eating the forbidden fruit. Q.#16 Did all mankind fall in Adam's first transgression? A. The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity; all mankind, descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him, in his first transgression. Q.#17 Into what estate did the fall bring mankind? A. The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. Q.#18 Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell? A. The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam's first sin, the want of original righteousness, the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called Original Sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it. Sin is the breaking of God's law, which is best summarized in the Ten Commandments. "Sin is lawlessness" (1 John 3:4). Sin is failing to do what God has commanded and doing what He has forbidden. When the Bible says that man is a sinner it means that he is not only breaking God's law as a matter of course; but also that he a natural disposition to do so. This is referred to as Total Depravity (TULIP, see Appendix E). In what sense is mankind totally depraved or sinful? First, every person is a sinner. This is so because of the covenant that God made with Adam in the beginning. As the representative of all mankind, he brought all into sin by his fall (Rom. 5: 12-21). Thus everyone born of Adam's race inherits a sinful nature. No one is exempt from Original Sin. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). Second, every aspect of each person is sinful. The intellect, the will and the emotions as well as the body are corrupted by sin. Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5). Third, every thought, word and deed is corrupted by sin. "Actual transgressions" proceed from our sinful selves. "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies" (Matt. 15:19). How does this square with our experience of the pleasant non-Christian next door neighbor or the heroic act of bravery by a person who is not a Christian? First, sin is defined by God and is judged ultimately only from His perspective. Proverbs 21:4 says that even the "plowing of the wicked" is sin. How so? The "civil righteousness" (plowing is in itself a good activity) of the sinner fails to meet God's threefold standard of "good". For a thought, word or deed to be good according to God's Word it must come from the right motive: the love of God and one's neighbor; be based on the right standard: God's written Word; and must have the right goal: God's glory. Thus what we call "good works" are only outwardly good from to God's viewpoint. These works are done by the unbeliever out of self-preservation. Second, God encourages such "civic righteousness" in a fallen world, because without it the world would be an unbearable place to live. These "good" works are a reflection of God's goodness or what is often called His Common Grace. They show the work of God's law written on their hearts (Rom. 2:15). All of the gifts and virtues of unbelievers are God's kind gift to an undeserving and ungrateful world (Matt. 5:45). One day they will be called to account for how they have used such grace (Rom. 2:4,5).
What are the consequences of man's being a sinner?
Q.#19 What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell? A. All mankind by their fall lost communion with God are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever. Ever since the fall of Adam all mankind has been born in sin with sinful hearts that can do nothing but live in rebellion against God. As a consequence all mankind is under God's wrath and curse. This explains the turmoil, tragedy and brokenness of human history. The curse of Adam and his heirs is connected with sin, which by its nature works misery into the human situation. Sin is lovelessness, selfishness. Our alienation from God spills over into every relationship including our relationship with ourselves. Witness the psychological problems of mankind. Our alienation also includes creation. Witness pollution, disease and disaster. All misery and every disaster in the world is a stark reminder that God is justly angry with our rebellious ways. Death is the ultimate wake up call. No amount of wishful thinking or Eastern mystical babble will suffice in the hour of death. And after this judgment and hell (Heb. 9:27, more on this in Chapter 7). However, the fact that man is now not the way he was created to be is really a source of hope when looked at from a Biblical perspective. If there is nothing essentially wrong with mankind then the way things are is the way they will always be. This of course does not explain the longing of mankind for a better existence. The problem is that all of those longings apart from the solution that God has provided are utopian, literally no place. But God has provided a marvelous alternative to this desperate situation in which we find ourselves.
Christ the Redeemer
Is there any hope for mankind in such a desperate situation?
The Promise of a Redeemer
Shorter Catechism Q.#20 Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery? A. God having, out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer. The plan of salvation, conceived by God in the counsels of eternity, was first put into effect through a promise. Immediately after the fall of Adam God graciously promised to redeem Adam from his sin and its consequences. He entered into a new relationship with a portion of mankind, His "elect" (to be discussed in the next chapter). This relationship was in the form of another covenant called The Covenant of Grace. He did this through a promise called the protevangelium or the "First Gospel (Good News)". He told the Serpent: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" (Gen. 3:15). Here was the first promise of a Redeemer who would be a man born of the woman's lineage. Though Satan would make him suffer by wounding Him (bruising His heel), the Redeemer would have the ultimate victory by crushing his head (symbol of authority). The entire history of redemption from this point on is the story of the battle between the seeds. At stake is God's Lordship over His creation, especially humanity. God promises to crush the Great Usurper and all of his disciples. He also promises to save the Seed and all of His disciples. The Covenant of Grace is the relationship sovereignly established by God through His undeserved favor. Through the person and work of the Mediator-Seed He establishes union and communion with Himself, restoring the broken relationship between God and man and confirming it permanently in union with a new, Second and final Head of a new humanity, thus raising God's image-bearer to its consummation in Jesus Christ. This redemptive reality was prefigured in the Old Testament in a gradually unfolding revelation of Jesus Christ. The promise of redemption was renewed and expanded to the Patriarchs. The world wide blessings of an everlasting covenant were given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Gen. 17:1-8; 49:8-12). "Now to Abraham and His Seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, 'And to your Seed,' who is Christ" (Gal. 3:16). The Tabernacle and Temple depicted the covenant relationship: "I will set My tabernacle among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people" (Lev. 26:11,12). The Lord renewed The Covenant of Grace with King David (1 Sam. 7:12-17), who was a type of Christ and depicted Christ's suffering and glory in his Psalms. The prophets foretold the coming of God Incarnate who would be born of a virgin and suffer for His people's sins and be raised from the dead to rule in glory forever in a new heaven and a new earth (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 66:22). The entire Old Testament is a rich revelation of Jesus Christ. As He opened the Old Testament Scriptures to the disciples on the Emmaus Road "beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself...These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me" (Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39).
The Person of the Redeemer
Shorter Catechism Q.#21 Who is the Redeemer of God's elect? A. 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. Q.#22 How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man? A. Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and born of her, yet without sin. The plan and promise of salvation were accomplished in the incarnation of God's Son. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. ... No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him" (John 1:14, 18). The unique and miraculous event of the incarnation, in which God the Son became man, required His conception in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah had prophesied: "Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel" (lit. "God with us"; Isa. 7:14). The angel Gabriel came to Mary and said: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). After reciting the Davidic royal lineage of Jesus on His covenant father's side Matthew records: "Now the birth of Jesus was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 1:18). It should not surprise us that this magnificent miracle is unthinkable to the Naturalist who presupposes that the Sovereign God of the Bible does not exist. Without the Virgin Birth there can be no Christianity. Only so can God the Son take to Himself a complete human nature to become the Christ who takes away the sins of the world. If He was not fully God He could not satisfy God's justice through His substitutionary death to pay the enormous infinite penalty for our sins. The value of His death had to be infinite. If He was not God He could not have overshadowed the sinful nature of Adam that was inherited by Mary. If He was not fully man, with a true body and soul, He could not obey in our place as a man. Only One who was fully man, yet without sin, could be the Mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15). The teacher of morality envisioned by the Liberals is not a sufficient Savior. Neither is the angelic being of the Jehovah's Witnesses, who is neither fully God nor fully man. On the other hand the mere appearance of a man who was fully God, as held by the ancient Docetists odes not meet the Biblical demand either. Thus the Mediator revealed by God in the Bible and in history must be "both God and man, in two distinct natures, and one person forever." God Himself has completely identified with us. He was tempted at every point just like we are, and yet without sin. Truly He came to save sinners like us from our sins.
The Work of the Redeemer
Shorter Catechism Q.#23 What offices doth Christ execute as our Redeemer? A. Christ, as our Redeemer, executeth the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation. Q.#24 How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet? A. Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation. Q.#25 How doth Christ execute the office of a priest? A. Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and reconcile us to God; and in making continual intercession for us. Q.#26 How doth Christ execute the office of a king? A. Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies. Q.#27 Wherein did Christ's humiliation consist? A. Christ's humiliation consisted in his being born, and that in low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross; in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time. Q.#28 Wherein consisteth Christ's exaltation? A. Christ's exaltation consisteth in his rising again from the dead on the third day, in ascending up into heaven, in sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and in coming to judge the world at the last day. "Christ" (lit. "the Anointed One" or Messiah) is not a proper name but a title of office, the Biblical office of Mediator. When Jesus was baptized He was anointed to fulfill His Messianic office. This one office is threefold: Prophet, Priest and King. Each of these is prefigured by various individuals in the Old Testament. Each is necessary "to save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). Moses was a prophet who looked for a Greater Prophet (Deut. 18:15-22); Aaron was a Priest who looked for the Ultimate Priest (Hebrews); David was a king who looked for a Greater King (2 Samuel 7:12-16). All of these are embodied in Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:1-3). As Prophet Jesus speaks and is the final revelation of God to man. He is the Word made flesh. He is the Author of the whole Bible (1 Pet. 1:11), bringing the Scriptures to their completion with the apostolic revelation of the New Testament (John 14:26). He speaks today as that Word is preached and taught to the nations (Matt. 28:18-20). As King He has spoiled the Usurper's dominion along with all principalities and powers, crushing the head of the Serpent through the work of the cross (Col. 2:15; Eph. 4:7-10). He subdues His people through conquering their hearts (Eph. 2:6). He rules and defends us. All authority in heaven and on earth is His (Matt. 28:18). He is "King of kings and Lord of lords" (1 Tim. 6:15). As Priest He represents us before God. The New Testament vocabulary used to describe the nature of His priestly work in our behalf is rich. He is our Advocate (1 John 2:1). He died as a substitute for His people to satisfy God's justice. He is the Propitiation for our sins. This means that His finished work appeased the just anger of God caused by our sins (Rom. 3:25; 1 John 2:2). His sinless life was lived in our place (active obedience, Heb. 4:15). His sinless suffering on the cross paid the penalty as He gave His life for our sins (passive obedience, 2 Cor. 5:21). He gave His life as a Substitute, taking our place before God's judgment (Rom. 5:6). He is our Ransom (Mark 10:45), paying the price of Redemption (Eph. 1:7) for our sins and Reconciling us to God (Rom. 5:10). He is presently our Intercessor at God's right hand (Heb. 7:25). There is one very important question concerning the nature of Christ's accomplishment which needs to be answered. For whom did Christ Die? The answer to this question is known as the Third Point of Calvinism - Limited Atonement (TULIP, see Appendix E). Christ died for His elect, all of them and only for them. If in fact, as some (Arminians) maintain, He died in the place of every single person in the whole world, then according to justice everyone must be saved. If the penalty is paid then God will not exact that penalty again. To say otherwise is to impugn God's absolute justice. Of course the Bible clearly teaches that many will not be saved (2 Thess. 1:6-10; Matt. 25:46). Thus the Arminian makes the effect of Christ's work on the cross depend on man's choice. Such an atonement then provides only a potential salvation. No actual payment is made. This is not the teaching of Scripture because this is not the nature of the finished work of Christ on the cross. The Bible teaches that Christ died for His elect people. His work on the cross had a definite object: to procure the salvation of His elect. The very nature of Christ's work as a Substitute involves His actually taking our place under God's judgment for our sin. Redemption requires that the price of the penalty actually be paid. God's design in sending Christ was "to save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). Anything less than this undermines the effectiveness, power and purpose of Christ's death. Furthermore, the nature of God's love in Christ is such that He rescues people who are dead in sin and unable and unwilling to come to Him. If the effectiveness of Christ's death depended on human choice nobody would be saved. "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). As to the definiteness of the atonement the nature of love itself teaches us that love must have a definite object. No woman would be impressed with a lover who claimed to love all woman in general. She is only impressed when he makes her the actual object of his love. True love always has a definite object. Such is the love of Christ, the husband, for His bride the church (Gal. 2:20; Eph. 1:4; 5:25). The word "foreknew" in Romans 8:29 does not mean that God foresaw who would choose Him. It means that God in eternity set his love upon us. "Know" in Hebrew referred to a relation of intimacy and delight: "Adam knew his wife Eve" (Gen. 4:1). "You only have I known of all the families of the earth" (Amos 3:2; cf. Gen. 18:19; Jer. 1:5; John 10:14; 2 Tim. 2:19). Christ's giving of Himself for His church was to make her holy, nothing less. If His death only potentially saves everyone then it is a failure. No Christian would wish to impugn His work in this way. The problem is that few think through the logic of their beliefs. Paul says Christ "loved me and gave Himself for me." C. H. Spurgeon used an excellent illustration to distinguish this Biblical truth from the error of an unlimited or indefinite atonement. The Arminian bridge of salvation is wide enough for all of humanity, but only goes half way to the other side, thus giving hope to all but actual salvation to none. The Biblical or Calvinistic bridge is narrower, only designed for God's elect, but though it is limited it goes all the way to the other side, actually saving all for whom it was designed. The infallible historical record establishes the genuineness of Jesus person and work. His miracles attest His deity. After reading from Joel on the Day of Pentecost Peter asserted: "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst..." (Acts 2:22). This man was crucified and raised from the dead. His resurrection was the consummate miracle proving His Sonship and the pleasure of God in His accomplishment on the cross (2:23-36). Mark records the remarkable story of the paralytic whom Christ forgives of his sins (Mark 2:5). The scribes accuse Jesus of blasphemy because only God can forgive sins. Christ responds by asking whether it is easier to forgive sins or heal. Of course, both are the work of God. Christ's healing of the paralytic authenticates His authority as God. Notice that when the apostles heal they do not forgive sins but proclaim the divinely given message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The message that the crucified and risen Christ forgives sins is authenticated by their miracles. It is impossible to separate the supernatural claims of the Bible from the teachings of Jesus. His teachings are inextricably connected with His deity. The entire Bible testifies that the Jesus of history is God incarnate. This is written for us that we may with Thomas bow before the Christ of Scripture and confess "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28). He was either a lunatic, a liar or the Son of God. The most important question ever asked is "Whom do men say that I am?" (Matt. 16:16). The only answer that will save you from sin, death and hell is the answer of the confessing apostle Peter: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." This is what it means to make a good profession of Jesus Christ.
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