The Riddleblog

B. B. Warfield -- "The Christ that Paul Preached"

The excerpt which follows was originally published in The Expositor, 8th ser., v. xv, 1918, pp. 90-110.

It has been republished in The Works of Benjamin B. Warfield, vol ii, Biblical Doctrines, 235-252

Paul is writing the Address of his Epistle to the Romans, then, with his mind fixed on the divine dignity of Christ. It is this divine Christ who, he must be understood to be telling his readers, constitutes the substance of his Gospel-proclamation. He does not leave us, however, merely to infer this. He openly declares it. The Gospel he preaches, he says, concerns precisely “the Son of God … Jesus Christ our Lord.” He expressly says, then, that he presents Christ in his preaching as “our Lord.” It was the divine Christ that he preached, the Christ that the eye of faith could not distinguish from God, who was addressed in common with God in prayer, and was looked to in common with God as the source of all spiritual blessings. Paul does not speak of Christ here, however, merely as “our Lord.” He gives Him the two designations: “the Son of God … Jesus Christ our Lord.” The second designation obviously is explanatory of the first. Not as if it were the more current or the more intelligible designation. It may, or it may not, have been both the one and the other; but that is not the point here.
The point here is that it is the more intimate, the more appealing designation. It is the designation which tells what Christ is to us. He is our Lord, He to whom we go in prayer, He to whom we look for blessings, He to whom all our religious emotions turn, on whom all our hopes are set—for this life and for that to come. Paul tells the Romans that this is the Christ that he preaches, their and his Lord whom both they and he reverence and worship and love and trust in. This is, of course, what he mainly wishes to say to them; and it is up to this that all else that he says of the Christ that he preaches leads.
The other designation—“the Son of God”—which Paul prefixes to this in his fundamental declaration concerning the Christ that he preached, supplies the basis for this. It does not tell us what Christ is to us, but what Christ is in Himself. In Himself He is the Son of God; and it is only because He is the Son of God in Himself, that He can be and is our Lord. The Lordship of Christ is rooted by Paul, in other words, not in any adventitious circumstances connected with His historical manifestation; not in any powers or dignities conferred on Him or acquired by Him; but fundamentally in His metaphysical nature. The designation “Son of God” is a metaphysical designation and tells us what He is in His being of being. And what it tells us that Christ is in His being of being is that He is just what God is. It is undeniable.

You can read the entire essay here: Warfield -- "The Christ that Paul Preached"

B. B. WarfieldKim RiddlebargerApril 19, 2023The Christ Paul PreachedComment

“Live as People Who Are Free” – (1 Peter 2:13-25) – Words from Peter to the Pilgrim Church (Part Five)

Those Christians receiving this letter from the apostle Peter are aliens in their own land. They have been displaced from their homes by a decree from the Roman emperor Claudius several years earlier. As elect exiles, beloved by God, and members of Christ’s church, Christians of the diaspora in Asia Minor are to consider themselves as the New Israel enduring their own time in the wilderness. In God’s sight, believers in Jesus compose a chosen race, a spiritual house, a royal priesthood, and holy nation dwelling within the midst of the civil kingdom. In the first half of 1 Peter 2, Peter exhorts these Christians to keep their conduct honorable before the Gentiles persecuting them, so that those who speak evil of them will be forced to give glory to God. In the last half of chapter 2 (vv. 13-17), Peter instructs these elect exiles how to view the civil magistrate which oppresses them. Then, in vv. 18-25, Peter instructs those Christians who are slaves and servants, how to respond to their masters. If Christians are to live honorable lives before the watching Gentiles, they must have a proper view of the civil government. As for those who were bound to their masters–the large caste of slaves in the Roman empire, many of who were Christians–they are to serve their masters and follow the example of Jesus, who, more than all men, suffered unspeakable injustice and humiliation.

At the end of chapter 1 of his first epistle, Peter gives three imperatives to those believers whom God caused to be born again, who already have been sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, and who are set apart (sanctified) by God for obedience. These imperatives are Peter’s exhortation to fix our hope upon Jesus (v. 13), to live holy lives which reflect the holiness of our creator and redeemer (vv. 14-16), and to live in the fear of the Lord, because the one we invoke as our Father is also judge of all the earth (vv. 17-19).[1] The practical implications of these commands are spelled out in the next section, vv. 1-12, of chapter 2.

Peter implores his readers/hearers to set themselves apart from “all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.” To prepare themselves for action (as Peter exhorted his readers in verse 13 of the first chapter), Christians should see themselves as “newborn infants, [who] long for the pure spiritual milk,” of God’s word. Christians are to realize that their struggles arise because of their identification with Jesus, who was the rejected foundation stone of Israel’s messianic kingdom. Yet, at the same time, Jesus is the foundation of a spiritual temple composed of all those who have been delivered from their sins by the blood of Jesus, and who are identified as a New Israel by Peter, who uses a number of images taken directly from the Old Testament and applies them to Christ’s church. Peter encourages his struggling readers to consider their identity as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

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I PeterKim RiddlebargerApril 17, 2023living as free people, The civil magistrateComment

Coming Soon! -- The Blessed Hope Podcast Episodes on 2 Thessalonians

I am hard at work on the concluding episodes of season two of our podcast series on Paul’s two Thessalonian Letters entitled, “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven.”

In our remaining episodes on 2 Thessalonians, we will cover Christ’s return to vindicate his persecuted people (2 Thessalonians 1:5-12), Paul’s discussion of a great apostasy, and the appearing of the “man of sin” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). How does Paul’s man of sin relate to the doctrine of antichrist, thought to be an end-times personification of evil, who is presently being restrained? We will conclude our time in this letter by considering Paul’s instructions to the Thessalonian church as they await the Lord’s return (2 Thessalonians 3:1-18).

You can catch all of the previous episodes in this series, as well as season one on the Book of Galatians, here: "The Blessed Hope Podcast with Dr. Kim Riddlebarger" or here: The Blessed Hope Podcast

Blessed Hope PodcastKim RiddlebargerApril 14, 20232 ThessaloniansComment

The Basics -- Divine Image-Bearers

With the language of the eighth Psalm clearly in mind (“you have made [man] a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor” v. 5), Reformed theologian Cornelius Van Til declared that as an image-bearer, Adam was created to be like God in every way in which a creature can be like God. These words sound rather shocking when we first hear them. But as Van Til goes on to point out, because Adam is a creature, he can never be more than a creature. He will never be divine. Christians cannot talk about the creation of humanity without first being clear about the fact that God is distinct from his creation, and he cannot be identified either with the world around us or its creatures.

The biblical account tells us that Adam was created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26), which indicates that Adam is neither divine, nor the product of some unspecified primordial process. Adam was created by a direct act of God in which Adam’s body was created by God from the dust of the earth, while his soul was created when God breathed life into the first human (Genesis 2:7). The divine image extends to Eve as well (Genesis 2:4-24). To be human then, is to be male or female and to bear God’s image in both body and soul, which exist as a unity of both spiritual (the soul) and material (the body) elements. To be a divine image bearer is to be an ectype (copy) of which God is archetype (original).

Because all men and women are divine image-bearers, we are truly like God, and we possess all of the so-called communicable attributes of God–albeit in creaturely form and measure. This is what constitutes us as “human” beings, distinct from and superior in intellectual, moral, and rational capabilities to the creatures who make up the animal kingdom. The creation of Adam and Eve marks the high point of the creation account (Genesis 1:28-31), as God pronounced the first man Adam to be “very good.”

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The BasicsKim RiddlebargerApril 12, 2023Divine image-bearersComment

I Was a Recent Guest on Several Podcasts — Here Are the Links

To listen to the recent interviews on Renewalcast and Pilgrim Radio, follow the link below

eschatology, Amillennialism, Reformed ResourcesKim RiddlebargerApril 11, 2023Amillennialism, AntichristComment

Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith -- Article Nine, First Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 9: Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith

This same election took place, not on the basis of foreseen faith, of the obedience of faith, of holiness, or of any other good quality and disposition, as though it were based on a prerequisite cause or condition in the person to be chosen, but rather for the purpose of faith, of the obedience of faith, of holiness, and so on. Accordingly, election is the source of each of the benefits of salvation. Faith, holiness, and the other saving gifts, and at last eternal life itself, flow forth from election as its fruits and effects. As the apostle says, He chose us (not because we were, but) so that we should be holy and blameless before him in love (Eph. 1:4).

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The authors of the Canons move on to make the point that since the Scriptures teach that election is based upon God’s good pleasure and purpose (and nothing good within us), election cannot be based upon anything external to God (i.e., something good that God sees in the creature). It is equally clear that God does not elect any as the consequence of some action that the creature takes which causes or motivates God to respond (in this case, the exercise of faith). The view of election set forth in the Canons assigns all glory to God when we believe the gospel, and all blame to us if we do not.

Many have tried to evade the force of this critical point by arguing that God’s election is based upon factors external to God, i.e., something which the creature does. God sets things in motion (by providing a generic, universal, and non-saving grace), and he then reacts to what his creatures do with the grace he’s made available to them. But this amounts to nothing more than a practical deism and mistakenly assumes that Adam’s fall has left us with the ability to choose Christ apart from prior regeneration.

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He Is Risen! A Blessed Easter to You and Yours!

From the Heidelberg Catechism . . .

Q & A 45 How does Christ’s resurrection benefit us?

A. First, by his resurrection he has overcome death, so that he might make us share in the righteousness he obtained for us by his death.

Second, by his power we too are already raised to a new life.

Third, Christ’s resurrection is a sure pledge to us of our blessed resurrection.

Warfield on Charles Finney's Gospel -- "A Mere System of Morals"

Toward the end of his illustrious career at Princeton Theological Seminary, B. B. Warfield took up his pen (beginning in 1918) in response to the burgeoning movement known as “Christian perfectionism,” and the closely related “higher-life” teaching. Both were then making a significant impact upon American Christianity. Warfield identified both as theological descendants of the ancient heresy of Pelagianism, now injected into the American evangelical bloodstream by one Charles Grandison Finney (1792-1875) and his many followers of the “Oberlin School” and among the higher-life teachers.

What follows are but a few brief citations from Warfield’s volume Perfectionism, (Volume Two) published posthumously in 1932. In a lengthy essay, Warfield dissects Finney’s theological “system,” exposing it for what is is, a “mere system of morals,” which in Warfield’s estimation would function just as well with God as without him.

Warfield writes of Finney’s theological system . . .

This brings us back to the point of view with which we began—that the real reason of the election of the elect is their salvability, that is, under the system of government [according to Finney] established by God as the wisest. God elects those whom He can save, and leaves un-elected those whom He cannot save, consistently with the system of government which He has determined to establish as the wisest and best (170).
The ultimate reason why the entire action of God in salvation is confined by Finney to persuasion lies in his conviction that nothing more is needed—or, indeed, is possible (172).
It speaks volumes meanwhile for the strength of Finney’s conviction that man is quite able to save himself and in point of fact actually does, in every instance of his salvation, save himself, that he maintained it in the face of such broad facts of experience to the contrary. How can man be affirmed to be fully able and altogether competent to an act never performed by any man whatever, except under an action of the Spirit under which he invariably performs it? (178).

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“You Are a Chosen Race” ( Peter 2:1-12) – Words from Peter to the Pilgrim Church (Part Four)

Many of the elect exiles to whom Peter is writing have been forcibly removed from their homes, usually because of their faith in Jesus Christ and for refusing to worship pagan deities. These exiles are undergoing a difficult time of trial and testing. They possess a heavenly citizenship and a living hope which determines what they believe and what they do. But how should these elect exiles think of themselves during their sojourn? Merely as individual sojourners, marking time until they die? What should their identity be as they struggle in this world, despised and rejected, and during times when their faith is put to the test? Peter answers this question in verses 1-12 of the second chapter of Peter’s first epistle. What can we learn from their situation and example?

Recap of 1 Peter 1:13-25 – Three Imperatives

In verses 13-19 of I Peter 1, the apostle issues three imperatives (commands). These commands unfold against the background of the gospel promises made in the previous verses (3-12). Peter’s readers/hearers have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit (set apart for God’s purposes), they have been sprinkled with the blood of Jesus (forgiven of their sins), and they have been set apart for obedience (sanctification). The commands which follow the gospel promises are given to the elect exiles (Christian believers) mentioned in the opening verse of this epistle. Obedience to these imperatives is the means through which elect exiles identify themselves as citizens of heaven (believers in Jesus), while they dwell in the midst of the civil kingdom, where they now find themselves undergoing various trials which test their faith.

The first imperative is that the apostle instructs us to fix our hope upon Jesus (v. 13). Jesus will keep all of the promises he makes to us in the gospel. We live this life in light of the realization of God’s promise of a heavenly inheritance in the next. Second, Peter exhorts us to live holy lives which reflect the holiness of our creator and redeemer (verses 14-16). We are to strive for holiness out of gratitude for all that God has done for us in Jesus Christ. The third imperative is that we are to live in the fear of the Lord, because the one we invoke as our Father is also judge of all the earth (verses 17-19).[1] The practical implications of these commands are spelled out in the next section of this epistle, verses 1-12, of chapter 2.

Far too often the imperatives in I Peter (and similar passages) are read by Christians in light of individual and personal sanctification. In other words, Peter is talking to me (not a church or group of Christians) and these imperatives primarily refer to “my personal walk with the Lord.” But the apostle mentions the “love of our brothers [and sisters]” and commands us to love one another (v. 22) using language which comes from the Old Testament, and which applied to the people of Israel–a nation chosen by God, and set apart for his purposes. Peter now applies the same language to Christians in the context of their membership in Christ’s church. The command to love one another which is worked out in the opening verses of the second chapter (verses 1-3), and which leads to a discussion of the church’s identity (in verses 4-10), reminds us that sanctification and the striving for holiness take place within the community of sinful people who together believe in Jesus Christ. This mirrors the nation of Israel as a people “set apart” by God unto himself and for his purposes.

To read the rest, follow the link below

I PeterKim RiddlebargerApril 3, 2023A chosen race, The rejected stone Comment

A New Episode of the Blessed Hope Podcast! "We Urge You Brothers" — Instructions Regarding What to Do Until Jesus Returns (1 Thessalonians 5:12-28)

Episode Synopsis:

Since the Lord will return suddenly and unexpectedly, what are the Thessalonians to do until Jesus’s return? Paul has already encouraged them earlier in his letter, telling them that they are doing well despite the persecution and on-going threats they were receiving from Jews and Greco-Roman pagans in Thessalonica. But Paul knows there is always the possibility that things might go south. Therefore, he uses his closing remarks to urge the Thessalonians to be at peace among themselves and respect those who labor among them.

Paul also takes the opportunity to urge them to encourage any strugglers and malingerers in their midst, to do good, to pray without ceasing, and to avoid evil. He reminds them that the Lord will deliver them from their enemies and right all wrongs on the day of judgment. Paul urges the Thessalonians not to quench the Spirit, nor despise prophecy. He prays that God will sanctify them so that they might be blameless on the day of the Lord’s return. He then instructs the brothers to make sure his letter is read aloud in the churches, so any questions the congregation had about the Lord’s return might be answered.

As we have come to see from Paul, there is much practical wisdom here, which is as much a benefit to Christians now as it was to Thessalonicans who first heard this letter read in their churches.

To see the show notes and listen to the podcast, follow the link below:

Blessed Hope PodcastKim RiddlebargerMarch 31, 2023Grieving the Spirit, TrichotomyComment

The Basics -- God's Providence

A Christian doctrine of creation establishes a Christian doctrine of providence. As God created all things out of nothing, so too, he upholds and sustains those things which he has created. Just as in the doctrine of creation, here too we encounter the triune God working in and through all that he has made. Paul lays out this connection between creation and providence in his letter to the Colossians, “for by him [the Son] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). We read elsewhere that the Holy Spirit too was hovering over the face of the deep at creation (Genesis 1:2, Psalm 33:6). Thus we affirm that God the Father works all things in and through the Son, in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, nothing can happen that is outside the will, purpose, and superintendence of God. This is the foundation of a Christian doctrine of providence. The Creator maintains and directs his creation. He does not sleep nor slumber, nor is he ever caught off-guard or unaware.

There are several ways in which we ought think about God’s providence. The first is that God controls, sustains, and directs all things so that they fulfill the purpose for which they have been created. This is often spoken of as “preservation.” As the Bible reveals that God created all things by his all-powerful word, so too, his same word governs the creatures he has made. God commands the creatures he has made to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:22). He commands the same of Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:28). God does not merely act upon creation as an all-powerful external force, he acts within his creation, sustaining, and directing every portion of it as the all-powerful creator and sustainer.

To read the rest, follow the link below:

"A Single Decision of Election" -- Article Eight, First Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 8: A Single Decision of Election

This election is not of many kinds; it is one and the same election for all who were to be saved in the Old and the New Testament. For Scripture declares that there is a single good pleasure, purpose, and plan of God’s will, by which he chose us from eternity both to grace and to glory, both to salvation and to the way of salvation, which he prepared in advance for us to walk in.

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Scripture teaches us that election is based upon God’s eternal counsel and purpose, and is a mystery to us unless revealed by God in his word or through the passage of time, when that which God has decreed in eternity past comes to fruition in human history (cf. Ephesians 1:3-14). The previous articles have pointed out that election is not based upon anything God foresees in the creature. He sovereignly decrees what comes to pass, and does not merely react to what his creatures may or may not do.

In Article Eight, we now learn that God’s decree is one. God does not have multiple wills or purposes, as for example, when our Lutheran friends contend that God has an antecedent (prior) will to save all men and women, and a consequent (subsequent) will to save those who believe and do not resist grace (i.e., the elect). This may be a sincere attempt to solve the problem of reprobation (God not choosing some to be saved, thereby rendering them objects of his wrath), but ends up creating another unnecessary problem–two apparently contradictory wills within God. These two wills include God’s will to save all, and his subsequent will to save the elect, only because his prior will (the salvation of all), cannot be realized.

To read the rest, follow the link below

The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerMarch 27, 2023A single decree of electionComment

A Funeral for My Friend

My dear friend Ron recently died in Christ. Ron was one of those guys who was rather unassuming but everyone seemed to know him and he had many friends. I first met him way back when Christians United for Reformation (CURE) held their Friday night “Academy” lectures in Orange County, around the time the White Horse Inn first went on the air. He was there every week.

Once the White Horse Inn hit the airwaves in the LA area, Ron probably listened to every episode. He bought cassette tapes of everything CURE did, passed them out to friends, and then bought more.

When Christ Reformed Church was in the planning stages, Ron was there, at every meeting, probably the most excited person in the room to see things get up and going. He was there when Christ Reformed held its trial run services in Mike Horton’s living room. He was there the first Sunday we held “official” worship services.

He seemed to be there every Sunday, for every Bible Study and Academy. He always had insightful questions, appreciated the lessons, and expressed gratitude for what the doctrines of grace, law and gospel, and the Heidelberg Catechism had done to change his life and grant him assurance. He’d often tell me with a glint of excitement, “God is so good!”

Twenty-five plus years later, Ron was still at Christ Reformed Church every Sunday, though he was now past 80 and in failing health. He was still a working veterinarian, ensured his family came to church, still loving the gospel, still expressing the joy of his salvation.

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“Why the Law?” Some Thoughts on Galatians 3:15-25

In light of Paul’s exposing of the Judaizer’s faulty understanding of redemptive history, the apostle returns to the fundamental question, “why the law?” No doubt, the law serves a very important purpose, but we must be very clear as to what that purpose is. In Galatians 3, especially verses 15-25, Paul explains that the primary purpose of the law is to show us that we are sinners who need a Savior. According to the second use, the law functions as a stern tutor of a guardian of a minor. The law holds us prisoner to sin until we are released from its tutorial function when we embrace Jesus Christ through faith. The law accomplishes its purpose when it exposes how sinful we truly are. Once we have come to faith in Jesus, the law is no longer a guardian for us, like that needed by small children.

When we consider the law from this perspective–the so-called “second” or “theological” use of the law– a number of things should be noted. For one thing, it should be absolutely clear that there will be no one who obtains the promise because they obeyed the law, or earned God’s favor through their good works, or through their obedience to God’s commandments. Paul is both emphatic and clear. The law was not given to bring life. It was given to inflict the curse and death.

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GalatiansKim RiddlebargerMarch 23, 2023Why the Law of God?Comment

Louis Berkhof on the Historical Development of the Church's Doctrine of Antichrist

Berkhof’s summation of church’s development of the doctrine of “Antichrist” across time is very helpful. As you can see, there has been little consensus about this. Berkhof is also writing before more recent speculation generation by the prophecy pundits, especially in light of Israel being re-installed in her ancient homeland.

Historically, there have been different opinions respecting Antichrist. In the ancient Church many maintained that Antichrist would be a Jew, pretending to be the Messiah and ruling at Jerusalem. Many recent commentators are of the opinion that Paul and others mistakenly thought that some Roman emperor would be Antichrist, and that John clearly had Nero in mind in Rev. 13:18, since the letters in the Hebrew words for “emperor Nero” are exactly equivalent to 666, Rev. 13:18. Since the time of the Reformation many, among whom also Reformed scholars, looked upon papal Rome, and in some cases even on some particular Pope, as Antichrist. And the papacy indeed reveals several traits of Antichrist as he is pictured in Scripture. Yet it will hardly do to identify it with Antichrist. It is better to say that there are elements of Antichrist in the papacy. Positively, we can only say: (a) that the anti-Christian principle was already at work in the days of Paul and John according to their own testimony; (b) that it will reach its highest power towards the end of the world; (c) that Daniel pictures the political, Paul the ecclesiastical, and John in the book of Revelation both sides of it: the two may be successive revelations of the anti-Christian power; and (d) that probably this power will finally be concentrated in a single individual, the embodiment of all wickedness.

L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co., 1938). 702.

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Amillennialism, eschatologyKim RiddlebargerMarch 20, 2023Antichrst Comments

A New Episode of the Blessed Hope! "Like a Thief in the Night" — Paul's Discussion of the Timing of the our Lord's Return in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Episode Synopsis:

Date-setting has been a problem for God’s people since the days of the apostles. Church history is full of the accounts of those who, for whatever reason, attempted to figure out when Jesus will return, set dates, and then miserably failed to predict the unpredictable. Two recent examples should suffice. Edgar C. Whisenant predicted the Lord’s return in 1988 in his booklet, “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988.” When that failed, he went for 1989. When that failed he picked 1993. And when that failed, he went for 1994. He died in 2001, preventing any future date-setting. The first book created quite a stir, and sold lots of copies (4.5 million of them). Although the later volumes (each with a revised date of Christ’s return) drew less of an audience, Whisenant’s reach was still far larger than anything than any sound theologian has written on the end times before or after.

And there was Harold Camping–a CRC elder–who, in 2005, predicted that Jesus would return on May 21, 2011. According to Camping, those who were saved would be taken to heaven while five months of fire, brimstone, and plagues will strike the earth, with millions dying under the divine onslaught. Following his own time-line Camping concluded that on October 21, 2011 (five months after the rapture), final destruction would come upon the world. When none of this materialized, Camping was completely discredited, his radio empire nearly collapsed, and in response, he called upon Christians to leave their churches because they had all become apostate! By that I take Camping to mean that Christians stopped listening to him and churches were calling him out for his date setting. So, they were at fault not Camping.

When we turn to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 of Paul’s Thessalonian letter, and carefully consider what Paul teaches about the Lord’s parousia, (coming) it does not take long to realize that according to Paul, Christ’s return will be like “a thief in the night.” The Lord’s return will be sudden and unexpected, and will bring about sudden destruction (i.e., final judgment) upon those who do not expect it because they are blissfully indifferent to the awful fate which awaits all those apart from faith in Jesus Christ.

To listen to this episode and see the show notes, follow the link below

“This Word Is the Good News” (1 Peter 1:13-25) – Words from Peter to the Pilgrim Church (Part Three)

The Distinguishing Feature of a Heavenly Citizenship

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then you are also a citizen of the heavenly kingdom. Our heavenly citizenship also means that we are, in a sense, resident aliens in the land in which we live (in our case, the United States of America). In light of our dual citizenship, the question raised by our text is what, if anything, distinguishes us from the non-Christians around us?

The answer to this question is to be found in the simple fact that Christianity is not a culture, but a system of doctrine. Generally speaking, Christians do not identify themselves by wearing a unique Christian costume (clothing, hairstyle, etc.). Or by eating or not eating certain foods. Or by withdrawing from daily life and keeping to ourselves in Christian communities isolated from the non-Christians around us. There are notable exceptions to be sure–but these are exceptions nonetheless. The Amish wear distinctive clothing and avoid modern “worldly” contrivances, the Seventh Day Adventists follow certain dietary laws, and there are orders in the Roman church which cloister themselves so as to be fully devoted to a life of contemplation, or to support vows of celibacy, poverty, or silence.

But Peter mentions none of these things when writing his first letter to Christian exiles in Asia Minor. The Apostle exhorts Christian aliens to identify ourselves as citizens of heaven by our doctrine (what we profess about the Triune God) and by our conduct, (we strive to be holy as the Lord is holy). This is how we as Christians distinguish ourselves from the non-Christians around us–our doctrine and life.

In part three of our series on Peter’s words to a pilgrim church, we move further into the opening chapter where Peter describes how Christian aliens are to conduct themselves during their earthly sojourn. Peter is writing to a group of struggling Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor (Turkey). His readers/hearers had been displaced from their homes several years earlier as a result of a decree by the Roman emperor Claudius, who granted confiscated land to retired Roman soldiers in the regions mentioned by Peter. Yet, there is a sense in which all Christians are similarly “elect exiles”–the term Peter uses when referring to Christians hearing and reading this letter. What Peter says to those elect exiles uprooted by the Diaspora in the first century, also applies to us. How do we conduct ourselves as resident aliens in the modern world in light of Peter’s exhortation to those in first century Asia Minor to live holy lives?

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Musings (3/13/2023)

Here’s R. C. Sproul’s take on B. B. Warfield’s legacy (including an account of Warfield’s death): R. C. Sproul — Warfield, "Defender of the Faith"
J-Mac at the 2023 Shepherd’s Conference Redux. Despite his age and recent health issues, John MacArthur was his feisty old self at the recent Shepherd’s Conference, calling the Book of Zechariah an “amillennialist’s nightmare.” Sorry, Dr. MacArthur, I beg to differ . . . Evil in the Millennial Age? An Exposition of Zechariah 14
Some of the old dust-ups surrounding J-Mac’s dispensationalism resurfaced on Twitter as fallout from MacArthur’s sermon/lecture on Zechariah. Here’s My Reply to John MacArthur 2007 Shepherd's Conference Straw Man Attack on Amillennialism
So too, MacArthur’s rather loose proximity to the Reformed tradition was raised again. Here’s the best response to J-Mac’s “Reformed” credentials I’ve seen yet: Richard Muller's "How Many Points?" takes a look at how J-Mac would fare in Calvin's Geneva. Here’s a hint. Not well.

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The Basics -- Creation

As C. S. Lewis quipped in Mere Christianity, “God likes matter. He invented it.” Although we can easily overlook this important theological connection, the Christian doctrine of God requires a corresponding Christian doctrine of creation. There are three important elements to consider when reflecting upon how Christians should understand the created order, including things seen and unseen.

First, Scripture affirms that God created all things. Nothing which now exists, exists apart from the fact that God created it. All created things, therefore, owe their existence to God’s eternal decree that particular things do exist because he wills it. The second distinct feature of a Christian doctrine of creation is that since God created all things, God is therefore distinct from all created things and beings. This is apparent from the very opening declaration of the Bible–“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Creation is not part of God (pantheism), nor is creation within the being of God (panentheism). This fact sets Christianity apart from a number of religions–especially those of the east, or those who see a dualism between spirit and matter in opposition to one another, as found in ancient Greek philosophy. A third aspect is that having created all things, God pronounced them “good,” a benediction which is repeated throughout the seven days of creation of Genesis 1. These three facts not only frame a distinctive Christian doctrine of creation, they stand in opposition to a great deal of contemporary opinion to the contrary.

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"Election" -- Article Seven, First Head of Doctrine, The Canons of Dort

Article 7: Election

Election [or choosing] is God’s unchangeable purpose by which he did the following:

Before the foundation of the world, by sheer grace, according to the free good pleasure of his will, he chose in Christ to salvation a definite number of particular people out of the entire human race, which had fallen by its own fault from its original innocence into sin and ruin. Those chosen were neither better nor more deserving than the others, but lay with them in the common misery. He did this in Christ, whom he also appointed from eternity to be the mediator, the head of all those chosen, and the foundation of their salvation.

And so he decided to give the chosen ones to Christ to be saved, and to call and draw them effectively into Christ’s fellowship through his Word and Spirit. In other words, he decided to grant them true faith in Christ, to justify them, to sanctify them, and finally, after powerfully preserving them in the fellowship of his Son, to glorify them.

God did all this in order to demonstrate his mercy, to the praise of the riches of his glorious grace.

As Scripture says, “God chose us in Christ, before the foundation of the world, so that we should be holy and blameless before him with love; he predestined us whom he adopted as his children through Jesus Christ, in himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, by which he freely made us pleasing to himself in his beloved” (Eph. 1:4–6). And elsewhere, “Those whom he predestined, he also called; and those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he justified, he also glorified” (Rom. 8:30).

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In Article Seven, the Canons set forth a working definition of the doctrine of election which will be used throughout the following articles. It is important to define our terms from the outset and this is what the authors do here. We can best understand this definition by working our way through the main points in order.

First, the Canons teach that election took place in eternity past—“Before the foundation of the world.” Paul teaches this in Ephesians 1:4-6, and his point should be carefully considered so that we remove from our thinking all notions of election being based upon something God foresees the creature doing–as in the case of those who argue that God merely knows in advance what we will do under certain conditions and then he reacts accordingly. While election takes place in eternity past, God executes his eternal decree in time and space. Redemptive history, the biblical account of our redemption from sin and the curse, is therefore the outworking of God’s eternal decree. This too can be seen in Ephesians 1:7-10, when Paul speaks of the work of Christ for us, and then in verses 11-14, when he speaks of Christ’s work being applied to believers by the Holy Spirit. Redemption is decreed (Election), accomplished by Christ, and then applied to us by the Holy Spirit.

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Kim RiddlebargerMarch 8, 2023