My
objections to some of the declarations of the Westminster Confession of faith;
NOT EXHAUSTIVE. I could expand on every point and produce a more comprehensive
writing.
The gospel - http://www.stand4thelord.com/p/the-gospel-only-good-news-and-only.html
- CHAPTER 3: OF GOD’s Eternal
Decree: from all eternity did by the most wise
and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably ordain
whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby neither is God the author
of sin; nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is
the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather
established. Objection: Every scene in a movie is part of the script that was written
by the author/writer of the story. Sin was thus authored by God in the
telling of the story of Christ. IF God did not author sin then some other
being did it and God is not sovereign. God is not made unrighteous for
authoring sin or bringing evil. He is IMMUTABLY HOLY AND RIGHTEOUS and
whatever He does is holy and righteous by virtue of Him doing it, not by
because His creation disagrees or approves of it.
2. CHAPTER
4 Of Creation:
After God had made all other creatures, He created man, male and female, with
reasonable and immortal souls, endued with knowledge, righteousness, and true
holiness after His own image, having the law of God written in their hearts, and
power to fulfill it; and yet under a possibility of transgressing,
being left to the liberty of their own will, which was subject unto change.
Objection: Adam and Eve did not have the power to
fulfill the Law of God even in their innocence. IMPOSSIBLE. The Law of God
could only be fulfilled by the Man from Heaven, the LORD, JESUS CHRIST. The Law
of God could ONLY BE DONE BY ONE WHO IS GOD HIMSELF. That is why God did not
subcontract the elect's salvation even to holy angels.
3. CHAPTER 6: Of the Fall of Man, of
Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof: Our first parents, begin seduced by the subtlety and
temptations of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit. This their sin God
was pleased, according to His wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed
to order it to His own glory.
By this sin they fell from their original righteousness
and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in
all the faculties and parts of soul and body.” Objection: Adam and Eve did not have any righteousness.
Being Innocent does not mean righteous. Infants are born innocent but are not
righteous.
4. CHAPTER 7: Of God’s Covenant with Man The first covenant made with man was
a covenant of works, wherein life was promised to Adam, and in him to
his posterity, upon condition of perfect and personal obedience.
Objection: There was
no life promised to Adam due to his obedience. There was no CONDITIONAL
CLAUSE or IF_THEN-clause in Genesis 2: 17, ,” "but of the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day
that you eat of it you shall surely die." Adam was not under a Covenant of
works. Federal headship does not necessarily require or imply a covenant of
works. Adam was formed as the first man to represent all humanity in sin, death
and condemnation. That was his federal headship, not in a covenant of works
to bring life. Romans 5 does not teach Adam’s covenant of works. IT speaks
of the ONENESS/SINGLESS OF the Transgression that brought sin, death and
condemnation and CONTRASTS/COMPARES it to the SINGLENESS OF THE ONE ACT OF
OBEDIENCE OFTHE ONE MAN, the LORD JESUS, that brought justification and life.
5. Man by his fall having made himself
incapable of life by that covenant (1) (Man was ALWAYS INCAPABLE OF
LIFE-by reason of being of the dust), the Lord was pleased to
make a second, commonly called the covenant of grace (2): wherein He freely
offered unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ (3), requiring
of them faith in Him, that they may be saved, and promising to give unto
all those that are ordained unto life, His Holy Spirit, to make them willing
and able to believe. Objections:
(Man was ALWAYS INCAPABLE OF LIFE-by reason of being of the dust), 2) The
covenant of grace was NOT IN REACTION TO THE FALL. The Covenant of Grace is
ETERNAL and was ALWAYS PLAN A as Jesus and the cross were always PLAN A. 3.
Salvation is not FREELY OFFERED. That implies human free-will and denies a lot
of the doctrines that undergird salvation (election, predestination and God’s
glory and exclusion of human boasting). Salvation IS FREELY BESTOWED/EVEN
IMPOSED On the elect by God’s decree. 4. Requiring faith that they may be
saved, that is conditioning salvation on faith. God
required Christ and His blood for the salvation of the elect. Faith as a gift
is not a requirement that is CAUSATIVE OF SALVATION. IT is EVIDENCE OF
POSSESSION OF SALVATION-the substance of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE OF
THINGS NOT SEEN.
6. CHAPTER 11: Of Justification:
God did, from all eternity, decree to justify the elect; and Christ did,
in the fullness of time, die for their sins and rise again for their
justification; nevertheless they are not justified until the Holy Spirit
doth, in due time, actually apply Christ unto them.” Objection: The elect were justified when their
SURETY AND SUBSTITUTE stood for them and paid for all their sin debt on
the cross. He perfected/justified forever the sanctified by the one
offering of Himself. If the elect are still guilty of their sins before
faith, then it means those sins would have to be IMPUTED TO CHRIST when
the person comes to faith, which means CHRIST MUST BE CRUCIFIED AGAIN AND
AGAIN when a sinner comes to faith. Gospel preaching is used by God to
discover to us the elect and to bring them to the knowledge of Christ,
because He already knows them.
7. God doth
continue to forgive the sins of those that are justified; and although
they can never fall from the state of justification, yet they may by
their sins fall under God’s Fatherly displeasure, and not have the light
of His countenance restored unto them, until they humble themselves,
confess their sins, beg pardon, and renew their faith and repentance. Objection: God
does not continue to forgive the sins of those that are
justified. HE ALREADY FORGAVE THEM. "Their sins and their lawless
deeds I will remember no more." The forgiveness of the sins of the
elect was a ONE TIME ACT as the cross was a ONE TIME ACT.
8. CHAPTER 13 Of
Sanctification:
They who are effectually called and regenerated, having a new
heart and a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified, really and
personally, through the virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection, by His Word
and Spirit dwelling in them; the dominion of the whole body of sin is
destroyed (1), and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and
mortified, and they more and more quickened and strengthened, in all saving
graces, to the practice of true holiness, without
which no man shall see the Lord (2). Objection: The
dominion of the whole body of sin is not destroyed by sanctification. IT WAS
DESTROYED BY THE DEATH OF CHRIST. “knowing this, that our old man was
crucified with Him , that the body of sin might be done away
with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” Rom 6: 6. 2). to the practice of
true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord (Heb 12:14). The holiness without
which no man will see the Lord is not our holiness worked in the flesh. It is
the holiness of Christ, the righteousness of Christ, the holiness of the gospel
as opposed to the holiness of the Law as the Hebrew Christians were being
seduced to follow. “By His will we have been made holy
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Heb 10: 10
9. CHAPTER 19: Of the Law of God:
God gave to Adam a law, as a covenant of works, by which He bound him and
all his posterity to personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience;
promised life upon the fulfilling, and threatened death upon the breach
of it; and endued him with power and ability to keep it. Objection: This does not add up given the NEW
TESTAMENT and God’s revelation of His eternal purpose in Christ. No life
promised to Adam nor his posterity based on their obedience. Life was
ONLY promised to Christ’s posterity on condition of His death on the
cross. Life is only given by the One who possesses it, in whom it is
INTRINSIC TO HIS SUBSTANCE OR NATURE.
10. Although true believers be not
under the law as a covenant of works, to be thereby justified or
condemned; yet is it of great use to them, as well as to others; in that,
as a rule of life, informing them of the will of God and their duty, it
directs and binds them to walk accordingly; discovering also the sinful
pollutions of their nature, hearts, and lives; so as, examining
themselves thereby, they may come to further conviction of, humiliation
for, and hatred against sin; together with a clearer sight of the need
they have of Christ, and the perfection of His obedience.” Objection: The redeemed ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW AS A
RULE OF LIFE… The Law continues its testimony as the LETTER THAT KILLS,
the MINISTRY OF DEATH AND CONDEMNATION, TO INCREASE SIN and to BRING
WRATH. The believer is under the RULE OF CHRIST THROUGH THE GOSPEL AND
THE MINISTRATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
11. CHAPTER 28: Of Baptism: Not
only those that do actually profess faith in and obedience unto Christ,
but also the infants of one or both believing parents are to be baptized.
Objection: There is no command to baptize
infants under the New Covenant. This is a tradition of man-Roman
Catholicism. Salvation cannot be expedited. God will bring all the elect
to the knowledge of Christ in His time. The children of believing parents
are NOT NECESSARILY ELECT-remember Jacob (elect) and Ishmael ( of the
same mother and mother, even grand parents-Romans 9-that the purpose of
God in elections should stand).
12. The efficacy of baptism is not tied
to that moment of time wherein it is administered; yet, notwithstanding, by the
right use of this ordinance, the grace promised is not only offered, but really
exhibited and conferred by the Holy Ghost, to such (whether of age or infants)
as that grace belongeth unto, according to the counsel of God’s own will, in
His appointed time. Objection: There is no grace
that is conferred by the Holy Spirit in water baptism. Graces are conferred in
SPIRIT BAPTISM done by Christ Jesus. Water baptism speaks to an EXISTING
REALITY and is not bringing in new Spiritual realities.
13. CHAPTER 30: Of Church Censures:
To these officers the keys of the kingdom of heaven are committed, by
virtue whereof they have power respectively to retain and remit sins, to
shut that kingdom against the impenitent, both by the word and
censures; and to open it unto penitent sinners, by the ministry of the
gospel, and by absolution from censures, as occasion shall require.” Objections: Yes, there is church discipline and it
is necessary because the Lord commanded it, but there is no officer in
the church who has power to retain and remit sin. That is the OFFICE and
PRIVELEGE of Christ alone. That is Roman Catholicism. The kingdom of God
cannot be shut by a mere man. It is impossible.
By Pastor James Guyo for BSGC and it is free.
Edited by Cash Willis
