On Jesus, Glory, And Election

God's righteousness is not the enemy of His mercy. His commitment to uphold the worth of His name does not cosign me to destruction, though I have besmeared His name by indifference and distrust. Rather, in the death of his Son, Jesus Christ, god conspired to vindicate his righteousness and justify sinners in one act. Which means His zeal to be glorified and His zeal to save sinners are one.

- John Piper, God's Passion for His Glory (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1998).

On Enjoying God To Overcoming Sin

"The joy of the Lord will arm us against the assaults of our spiritual enemies and put our mouths out of the taste for those pleasures with which the tempter baits his hooks"

- Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, vol. 2 (Old Tappan: Fleming H. Revell, 1708), 1096.

On The Chief End Of Man

All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend tot his end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.

- Blaise Pascal, Pascal's Pensées, trans. W.F. Trotter (New York: E.P. Dutton, 1958), 113, thought #425.

On Grace, Sovereignty, And Grace

Therefore this alien righteousness, instilled in us without our works by grace alone-while the Father, to be sure, inwardly draws us to Christ- is set opposite original sin, likewise alien, which we acquire without our works by birth alone. Christ daily drives out the old Adam more and more in accordance with the extent to which faith and knowledge of Christ grow. For alien righteousness is not instilled all at once, but it begins, makes progress, and is finally perfected at the end through death.

- Martin Luther, Two Kinds of Righteousness, in Martin Luther's Basic Theological Writings, ed. Timothy Lull (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1989).

On Salvation, Union With Christ, And Imputation

Through faith in Christ, therefore, Christ's righteousness becomes our righteousness and all that he has becomes ours; rather, he himself becomes ours. Therefore the Apostle calls it "the righteousness of God" in Rom. 1:17: For in the gospel "the righteousness of god is revealed...; as it is written, "the righteous shall live by his faith.'" Finally, in the same epistle, chapter 3:28, such a faith is called "righteousness of God": "We hold that man is justified by faith." This is an infinite righteousness, and one that swallows up all sins in a moment, for it is impossible that sin should exist in Christ. On the contrary, he who trusts in Christ exists in Christ; he is one with Christ, having the same righteousness as he. It is therefore impossible that sin should remain in him. This righteousness is primary; it is the basis, the cause, the source of all our own actual righteousness. For this is the righteousness given in place of the original righteousness lost in Adam. It accomplishes the same as that original righteousness would have accomplished; rather, it accomplishes more.

- Martin Luther, Two Kinds of Righteousness, in Martin Luther's Basic Theological Writings, ed. Timothy Lull (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1989).

On Reformed Baptists

I admit this might not be the point that Clark is making. Further, up front, this is simply a digression of thought that is the result of a thought provoking comment. R. Scott Clark notes:

"Calling a Baptist 'Reformed' is like calling a Presbyterian 'Baptist' because they believe in believer's baptism."1

I think Clark has a good point. One should be cautious and deliberate in how one applies labels. To do so flippantly can result in a misrepresentation. With that said, is it a misnomer to call a Baptist Reformed? I argue no. Simply, it seems as though a Reformed Baptist would argue that they are indeed Baptist, but, more specifically, they are Baptist with theologically Reformed leanings. More to the point, it seems as though Reformed Baptists would argue that they are Baptists who affirm the five Solas of the Reformation and the five points of Calvinism.

Thus, it seems to me that "Reformed Baptist" is a fair category, and the label is proper. It also seems to me like this discussion (this blog post included) as to whether Reformed Baptists is a proper category is about as important as punctuation. Just because one is a reformed Baptist doesn't mean that they must hold to a paedobaptism. It is simply a more definite category of one's theological leanings. However, I admit, I make these remarks in a setting where religious liberty is a reality. Marpeck might have a different opinion.

1. Clark's comment can be found on his blog: http://heidelblog.wordpress.com in the post on June 6, 2009.

On Calvinism

J. I. Packer provides insightful commentary:

     "Now, here are two coherent interpretations of the biblical gospel (Arminianism and Calvinism), which stand in evident opposition to each other. The difference between them is not primarily one of emphasis, but of content. One proclaims a God who saves; the other speaks of a God Who enables man to save himself. One view presents the three great acts of the Holy Trinity for the recovering of lost mankind -election by the Father, redemption by the Son, calling by the Spirit- as directed towards the same persons, and as securing their salvation infallibly. The other view gives each act a different reference (the objects of redemption being all mankind, of calling, those who hear the gospel, and election, those who hearers who respond), and denies that any man's salvation is secured by any of them. The two theologies thus conceive the plan of salvation in quite different terms. One makes salvation depend on the work of God, the other on a work of man; one regards faith as part of God's gift of salvation, the other as man's own contribution to salvation; one gives all the glory of saving believers to God, the other divides the praise between God, Who, so to speak, built the machinery of salvation, and man, who by believing operated it. Plainly, these differences are important, and the permanent value of the 'five points,' as a summary of Calvinism, s that they make clear the points at which, and the extent to which, these two conceptions are at variance. 

     However, it would not be correct simply to equate Calvinism with the "five points." Five points of our own will make this clear.

     In the first place, Calvinism is a whole world-view, stemming from a clear vision of God as the whole world's Maker and King. Calvinism is the consistent endeavour to acknowledge the Creator as the Lord, working all things after the counsel of His will. Calvinism is a theocentric way of thinking about all life under the direction and control of God's own Word. Calvinism, in other words, is the theology of the Bible viewed from the perspective of the Bible -the God-centered outlook which sees the Creator as the source, and means, and end, of everything that is, both in nature and in grace. Calvinism is thus theism (belief in God as the ground of all things), religion (dependence on God as the giver of all things), and evangelicalism (trust in God through Christ for all things), all in their purest and most highly developed form. And Calvinism is a unified philosophy of history which sees the whole diversity of processes and events that take place in God's world as no more, and no less, than the outworking of His great preordained plan for His creatures and His church. The five points assert no more than that God is sovereign in saving the individual, but Calvinism, as such is concerned with the much broader assertion that He is sovereign everywhere."

 - J. I. Packer, "Introductory Essay," in The Death of Death in the Death of Christ: A Treatise of the Redemption and Reconciliation that Is in the Blood of Christ, With the Merit Thereof, and Satisfaction Wrought Thereby, 1-25, (Banner of Truth, 2002).

On John Locke's Political Theory

"It's important to remember that John Locke is a cradle Calvinist. He learned basic Calvinistic theory as part of his basic upbringing. He spent time in the Netherlands, a haven of Calvinism among other faiths. And he spent time in coffee houses learning about what toleration means, about what social contract means, about what natural rights mean, about what the rights of nature entail. And I dare say that a number of his basic [political] ideas are simply genetic reflexes or in of his Puritan heritage part of those ingenious repositioning of those Calvinistic ideas so that they would become palatable to an Anglican and Royalist community."

 - John Witte Jr., Jonas Robitscher Professor of Law, Director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University.

On God, Man, and Scripture

Question: What is the chief end of man?
Answer: Man's chief end is to glorify God (1Cor 10:31), and to enjoy Him forever (Ps 73:25f).

Question: What rule has God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him?
Answer: The Word of God which is contained in the Scripture of the Old and New Testaments (Eph 2:20; 2Tim 3:14-17) is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify God and enjoy Him (1Jn 1:3).

Question: What do the Scriptures principally teach?
Answer: The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man (2Tim 1:13; Eccles 12:13).

 - Charles H. Spurgeon, A Catechism With Proofs (Pasadena: Pilgrim Publications, 1985).