Originally when I started this blog a month ago, I was planning on going through the Gospel of Jesus Christ during the first week and making a post on that. I did procrastinate a lot, but when I did look at it, I felt so over-whelmed by the magnitude of the Gospel. Thoughts such as, "How do I know that God is holy?" came to mind as I read through the little booklet.
At last, I came to the conclusion that because I had so many questions, I needed a systematic understanding of God the Father, Christ, the Bible, and the doctrines contained therein to satisfy my thirst.
What better way to learn systematic theology than to study the Westminster Confession of Faith!
The Westminster Confession of Faith has 33 chapters. Each of these chapters is broken up into sections. I am going to take each of these chapters section by section and write a little post on each. There are approx 172 sections altogether.
I should also say that the WCF comes with Scripture proofs and thus I will not be taking the liberty to discuss every single statement and prove every single phrase. If you Google for the Westminster Confession of Faith with Scripture Proofs, you will find plenty of copies.
1.1 Although the light of nature and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men unexcusable; yet are they no sufficiency to give that knowledge of God and of His will, which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal Himself, and to declare that His will unto His Church; and afterwards for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the Church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing: which maketh the Holy Scripture to be most necessary; those former ways of God's revealing His will unto His people being now ceased.
Men have no excuse. Or at least this is the claim that the WCF makes. Yet, the question must be asked, excused from what? God has a perfect and just law that all men must follow. If the smallest part of his law is transgressed, if a man does one little thing that is contrary to the nature of God, then he creates a division between himself and God. Romans 14:11-12 says, "For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."
I can imagine a man standing before God and saying, "But I did not know that you existed! It is unfair; it is unjust that you would expect me to know of you and know of your law. How can you punish me for eternity?" This kind of excuse is what the WCF is talking about. No man is allowed this excuse.
What does it mean for the average Joe, your blue-collared worker? Is he excused because of his ignorance of God? What about the farmer tilling his lands in the Wimmera? What about the rich young man in Melbourne who is well-learned in history and the arts? Then there are the Indians from Peru, a lot of them have surely never heard of God?
It is the light of nature and the works of creation and providence that manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God. Christ says in Psalm 19:1-3, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night uttereth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard."
(Natural theology deals with the idea that nature demands a God with the characteristics of our God. RL Dabney has a systematic theology where he deals with natural theology over the course of two chapters. He also summarises other Puritan writers on the topic.)
Even though God is manifest through nature, creation, and providence, this information alone does not give us knowledge of Christ, his death, and his atonement nor provide us with a strong foundation to argue the law of God.
How grateful I am that God saw it fit to reveal Himself. He revealed himself originally through the prophets and later through Christ and the apostles. Then, God was pleased to preserve his Word in writing that we may be able to have a copy. I can just imagine the confusion and corruption that could have crept into the true story of Christ's salvation and of the history of the early patriarchs and the nation of Israel if God had not preserved his revelation.
Because this revelation of God is the only way we can find out about God's plan for our salvation it is most necessary.
The very last phrase in the first section says this, "those former ways of God's revealing His will unto His people being now ceased." When I read the Bible, I read it as a completed work. If someone came to me and asked me if I had heard of the latest prophecy from God, I would laugh at them and tell them that God does not give new prophesies any more. However, I cannot prove from Scripture that God has indeed ceased to give new prophesies. The only proof text that the WCF offers to me does not provide enough proof for me. Yet, these 70 men that spent 5 years putting together the confession of faith. They must have chosen the text for the precise reason that it does prove this phrase.
In summary, men have no excuse not to know there is a God, yet it pleased God to reveal himself and his plan for salvation to us.
At last, I came to the conclusion that because I had so many questions, I needed a systematic understanding of God the Father, Christ, the Bible, and the doctrines contained therein to satisfy my thirst.
What better way to learn systematic theology than to study the Westminster Confession of Faith!
The Westminster Confession of Faith has 33 chapters. Each of these chapters is broken up into sections. I am going to take each of these chapters section by section and write a little post on each. There are approx 172 sections altogether.
I should also say that the WCF comes with Scripture proofs and thus I will not be taking the liberty to discuss every single statement and prove every single phrase. If you Google for the Westminster Confession of Faith with Scripture Proofs, you will find plenty of copies.
1.1 Although the light of nature and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men unexcusable; yet are they no sufficiency to give that knowledge of God and of His will, which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal Himself, and to declare that His will unto His Church; and afterwards for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the Church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing: which maketh the Holy Scripture to be most necessary; those former ways of God's revealing His will unto His people being now ceased.
Men have no excuse. Or at least this is the claim that the WCF makes. Yet, the question must be asked, excused from what? God has a perfect and just law that all men must follow. If the smallest part of his law is transgressed, if a man does one little thing that is contrary to the nature of God, then he creates a division between himself and God. Romans 14:11-12 says, "For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."
I can imagine a man standing before God and saying, "But I did not know that you existed! It is unfair; it is unjust that you would expect me to know of you and know of your law. How can you punish me for eternity?" This kind of excuse is what the WCF is talking about. No man is allowed this excuse.
What does it mean for the average Joe, your blue-collared worker? Is he excused because of his ignorance of God? What about the farmer tilling his lands in the Wimmera? What about the rich young man in Melbourne who is well-learned in history and the arts? Then there are the Indians from Peru, a lot of them have surely never heard of God?
It is the light of nature and the works of creation and providence that manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God. Christ says in Psalm 19:1-3, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night uttereth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard."
(Natural theology deals with the idea that nature demands a God with the characteristics of our God. RL Dabney has a systematic theology where he deals with natural theology over the course of two chapters. He also summarises other Puritan writers on the topic.)
Even though God is manifest through nature, creation, and providence, this information alone does not give us knowledge of Christ, his death, and his atonement nor provide us with a strong foundation to argue the law of God.
How grateful I am that God saw it fit to reveal Himself. He revealed himself originally through the prophets and later through Christ and the apostles. Then, God was pleased to preserve his Word in writing that we may be able to have a copy. I can just imagine the confusion and corruption that could have crept into the true story of Christ's salvation and of the history of the early patriarchs and the nation of Israel if God had not preserved his revelation.
Because this revelation of God is the only way we can find out about God's plan for our salvation it is most necessary.
The very last phrase in the first section says this, "those former ways of God's revealing His will unto His people being now ceased." When I read the Bible, I read it as a completed work. If someone came to me and asked me if I had heard of the latest prophecy from God, I would laugh at them and tell them that God does not give new prophesies any more. However, I cannot prove from Scripture that God has indeed ceased to give new prophesies. The only proof text that the WCF offers to me does not provide enough proof for me. Yet, these 70 men that spent 5 years putting together the confession of faith. They must have chosen the text for the precise reason that it does prove this phrase.
In summary, men have no excuse not to know there is a God, yet it pleased God to reveal himself and his plan for salvation to us.
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