WCF 3.1 - Of God's Eternal Decree

WCF 3.1 God 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.

This chapter takes up right where the last chapter finished. At the end of the last chapter, the Trinity was discussed and I raised the question, "How can an eternal being be begotten?" And now at the very start of this chapter, we see God's eternal nature talked about again. God from all eternity did ordain whatsoever comes to pass. God knows all things, so I can only presume that God has always known everything since he is immutable (unchangeable). And if God has always known everything, there never has been a time when he did not know about this very second and everything that is happening across his creation at this second. But this also means that God, right now and at this very point in time, also knows all other seconds from the beginning of time to the end of time.

WCF 2.2 talked about this and some proof texts of God's nature are:

Hebrews 4:13 - "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do."

Romans 11:33 - "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out! V34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?"

Psalm 147:5 - "Great is our Lord, and great of power: his understanding is infinite."

Acts 15:18 - "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world."

Ezekiel 11:5 - "And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the Lord; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them."

This is the incredible benefit of systematic theology. Because of what you already know to be true about God, you arrive at certain conclusions when you read other texts.

Ephesians 1:11 says that God worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. Because we know that God is infinite in his understanding, that all his works were known from the beginning of the world, and that God is immutable, we can rightly say that God's infinite understanding was known from at least the beginning of the world.

I also want to briefly mention Acts 2:23 which is a proof text for the last part of this section. Acts 2:23 says, "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain."

God is infinite in his understanding, all his works were known from the beginning of the world, God is immutable, and now he also delivered Christ to be crucified and slain. Yet, notice that it says, "ye have taken" and notice that it says "ye ... by wicked hands have crucified and slain"

So in plain and simple language, God ordained for his Son to die and yet the men who killed him are wicked and guilty of this terrible sin.  

WCF 2.3 - Of God and the Holy Trinity

WCF 2.3 In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. The Father is of none, neither begotten, nor proceeding: the Son is eternally begotten of the Father: the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.

This is one doctrine that has generated lots of heresy over the last 2,000 years. And I even held to a heretical belief of the Trinity for most of my life up until now. I was listening to a message by Dr Joe Morecraft III on the history of the early church. In this message, he also addressed many of the early heresies that plagued the church and as he briefly explained what each one was, I realised that my belief in the Trinity was condemned as heresy. It was my belief that God was one person and that at the same time he was three persons. I had just taken it for granted that I had the correct belief in the Trinity. However, I now know that God is not one person and also three persons, but in fact he is of one Godhead and three persons.

What is the Godhead? All of those characteristics and attributes that the previous two sections discussed about God apply to the Godhead. God is eternal, almighty, immutable, loving, hates the wicked and so forth. The Holy Ghost is no more God than the Father is and the Father is no less God than Christ is. This means that all are equally God. This means that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are also all eternal; never having beginning or end.

Then there are three distinct, separate, distinguishable persons that are the Godhead. God the Son was begotten of the Father (John 1:14). The Holy Ghost proceeded from the Father and the Son (John 15:26 & Galatians 4:6). Yet God the Father was not begotten of either nor did he proceed from any.

You might ask how it is possible for someone who is begotten to be eternal. I think that once you understand how a being can be eternal, that is never having beginning and never having any end, you will be able to understand how an eternal being can be begotten. Until then, we must believe in the testimony of the entire counsel of God.

WCF 2.2 - Of God and the Holy Trinity

WCF 2.2 God hath all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of Himself; and is alone in and unto Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which he hath made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting His own glory in, by, unto, and upon them: He is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things; and hath most sovereign domain over them, to do by them, for them, or upon them whatsoever Himself pleaseth. In His sight all things are open and manifest; His knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature, so as nothing is to Him contingent, or uncertain. He is most holy in all His counsels, in all His works, and in all His commands. To Him is due from angles and men, and every other creature, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience He is pleased to require of them.

Recently I attended a large Pentecostal revival meeting in Melbourne. The main speaker for the evening was a well known minster to the world's largest congregation. At one stage in his sermon he spoke on how God was a God of love and that because he was a God of love he needed people to love him too. And part of the reason he created people is that because he was a God of love, he must have men to love him and he needs men to love him. Now it is true that God is a God of love and that God is the very definition of love, however to say that God needs our love or something else from us raised my alarm bells.

So the question is, does God need anything from his creatures or does he need anything from any other part of his creation?

Acts 17:24-25 says, "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshiped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things."

God is eternal and God has always existed. He never had a beginning and he does not have an end. Our earth and universe and the human race were created only 6,000 years ago. God is eternal, which means if you went back one thousand years, or one million years, or one googillion years God would still be alive and well. Yet if he needed something from us, then he had to go without for a really long time. For all that time before he created the world, he was lacking that little something called human love. This is not true. Job 22:2-3

God can whatever he likes with his creation.

Revelation 4:11 says, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

1 Timothy 6:15 says, "Which in his times shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords."

Daniel 4:25 & 35 says, "That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. V35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?"

What a powerful and almighty God is our God. How sufficient is he in and of himself. What a pleasure it is to serve him whole-heartedly. 

WCF 2.1 - Of God, and the Holy Trinity

WCF 2.1 There is but one only, living, and true God: who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute, working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will, for His own glory; most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him; and withal, most just and terrible in His judgments, hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty.

Wow!

God is. How can I begin compare him to anything else? I wanted to say God is great, but this does not sum him up. I wanted to say He is almighty, but this does not sum him up. I wanted to say that he was immutable or that he was immense or that he was incomprehensible, but this does not sum him up.

There is only one God and this means that he is unique since if there was any other begin that possessed the characteristics of God, this being would have to be God also. And he is alive! We do not serve a God that is carved in stone, or that is a figment of our imaginations. He is living and he is the only true God.

God is also free to do whatever he wishes to do. Some men are prone to believe that God really wants to do certain things, but that man is able to resist or thwart God. Certain people believe that Jesus died for every man that has ever lived and that he deeply desires a relationship with each and every man, but these men are just stubborn and hardhearted and they will not let him save them no matter what he might try. Psalm 115:3 and Ephesians 1:11 state that God has done whatever he has pleased except when man resists him and he also works some all things after the counsel of man's of his own will. Man has such a high view of himself and yet God is almighty and all powerful.

God is love. And God is gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. But Psalm 5:5 says that God hates all workers of iniquity. Not only does he hate wicked men, but he also abhors the bloody and deceitful man. Furthermore, God cannot and will not at all acquit the wicked nor by any means clear the guilty.

It is good and pleasant and encouraging to know that God does love those whom are covered with the blood of Christ and those that are covered by the blood of Christ will receive the grace, mercy, long-suffering, abundant goodness, and forgiveness of God.

Don't forget that if you want to see the Scriptural proof, make sure you get yourself a copy of the Westminster Confession of Faith with Scripture Proofs. The Scripture proofs show why the men that wrote the WCF wrote what they did and have made the claims that they have.

WCF 1.10 - Of The Holy Scriptures

WCF 1.10 The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined; and in whose sentence we are to rest; can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in Scripture.

What is the final court of appeal, the judge, the answer to all controversies and disagreements about religion?

What is the standard by which the decrees of Christian councils can be judged?

How can you discern if ancient writers like Augustine or Plato speak truth or if they are humanistic like Marx or Darwin? How do you know if Marx or Darwin are humanistic and not godly?

Is there truth in what your elders, your father, your mother, your brother, your sister, or your neighbour has been sharing with you?

When a man says that the Holy Spirit has revealed a certain passage of Scripture unto him, how do we know that he is not mistaken?

All of these are to be examined and inspected and compared to the Scriptures. Only the Word of God, the whole counsel of God, the Holy Scripture is the standard by which we may compare all things. Any man who says anything contrary to what God has said is against God and a lier.

How do you know what God has said? By reading his Word and asking God to show you the fullness of his Word.

James 1:5 - If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 

WCF 1.9 - Of the Holy Scriptures

WCF 1.9 The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself: and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one) it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.

Can any testament, book, chapter, verse, sentence, or word be taken in isolation to the rest of the Scriptures? Is it possible for Gary to get one thing from a part of Scripture, yet for Jim to get some totally different interpretation that "God has shown him personally."

2 Peter 1:20-21 says, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. V21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

No scripture is of any private interpretation. No man will get a "Spirit-filled" revelation of a part of Scripture that has been first revealed to him and no other or that contradicts other parts of Scripture. No man today can claim that he has a new word or interpretation from God that everybody needs to listen to. Yet there are still many false prophets today who claim to get on-going new revelation or claim to be the only one to have the right interpretation of particular Scriptures. Men and women who think like this are only fooling themselves, for no scripture is of private interpretation.

In Acts 15, certain of the Jews believed that the Gentile Christians needed to be circumcised to be saved. There was lots of contention around this issue and Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem for a discussion with the other elders. Peter responded in verses 6-11 and said that there should be no additional bondage placed upon the Gentiles because the Gentiles too were able to be saved by grace alone.

Then James got up and spoke these words in verse 13 onwards, "Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:"

Even at this time when there were still new prophecies being spoken, James did not say, "Well Peter, you are a man of great discernment and a pillar of our faith. I think that you should be trusted on this one." No he said, "Peter has declared such unto you and the words of the prophets (the Old Testament prophets) agree with him! And because what Peter has said is in line with the rest of Scripture, we need to listen to him!"

And so it is the same with any preacher, minister, elder, deacon, father, or friend, we should listen to them if what they say is in line with the rest of Scripture. If a man does say something that is out of line with other parts of the Scripture and is taken out of context with the whole counsel of God, then we need to search diligently to find out the true meaning of that passage.

Don't forget; for all the Scripture proofs of the Westminster Confession of Faith, you need to get a copy of the Westminster Confession of Faith with Scripture Proofs and read it for yourself. http://www.fpbookroom.org/shop/acatalog/F_P_Bookroom_Free_Presbyterian_Publications_14.html 

WCF 1.8 - Of the Holy Scriptures

WCF 1.8 The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old), and the New Testament in Greek (which at the time of the writing of it was most generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God, and by His singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical; so as, in all controversies of religion, the Church is finally to appeal unto them. But, because these original tongues are not known to all the people of God, who have a right unto, and interest in the Scriptures, and are commanded, in the fear of God, to read and search them, therefore they are to be translated into the vulgar language of every nation unto which they come, that the Word of God dwelling plentifully in all, they may worship him in an acceptable manner; and, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, may have hope.

This is what Genesis 1:2 looks like in Hebrew.

This is what 1 Corinthians 13 looks like in Greek.

The Bible was originally written in both Hebrew and Greek with the tiniest portions of Aramaic. These languages were providentially chosen by God to preserve his whole counsel. Hebrew was the language of the nation of Israel and then Judah. Greek was a bit like our English language today since the Greek was the business language of the world and if you went to another country at the time of Christ you could hope that some of the people would speak Greek. This is also why Jesus and the disciples quoted from the Septuagint which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament.

Matthew 5:18 says, "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

JOT, n. [ Heb. yod.] An iota; a point; a tittle; the least quantity assignable.
TITTLE, n. [from tit, small.] A small particle; a minute part; a jot; an iota.

A quick search on wikipedia for tittle also yields this information:
"A tittle is a small distinguishing mark, such as a diacritic or the dot on a lowercase i or j. The tittle is an integral part of the glyph of i and j, but diacritic dots can appear over other letters in various languages...

In the Greek original translated as English "jot and tittle" are found the words iota and keraia (Greek: κεραία).[1] Iota is the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet (ι). Alternatively, it may represent yodh (י), the smallest letter of the Hebrew and Aramaic alphabets. "Keraia" is a hook or serif, possibly referring to other Greek diacritics, or possibly to the hooks on Hebrew or Aramaic letters, (ב) versus (כ)..."

If not one iota, small particle, minute part, jot, tittle, the smallest letter of the Greek or Hebrew alphabet, or the dot above the letter i or j shall be lost or forgotten until heaven and earth pass and all be fulfilled we can confidently assert that God MUST preserve his word or this verse would be impossible. If the preservation of God's whole counsel was left up to us, we would have been bound to make a mistake and make mistakes upon mistakes until the entire Word of God was corrupted. Yet Christ promised that no small part of the law would pass away until all be fulfilled. So we must have a copy of the scriptures that is preserved in its original form.

It is the Hebrew and the Greek that were originally inspired by God and it was of these languages that it was promised that not one jot or one tittle should depart. So when the Church has a controversy over a part of scripture that has been translated into a 'vulgar' language, the only court of appeal is the scriptures in the original languages.

The people of God are commanded to read and search the scriptures. John 5:39 says, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." Jesus commanded us to search the scriptures, but how are we to search the scriptures if we cannot read Hebrew or Greek? The Roman Catholics have translations of the Bible in Latin, but not many people can read it. The only way for the common person to know what the Latin Bible says is for the priest to read the Bible and then translate it into the common language. This severely limits the ability of the Christian to search the scriptures on their own.

In 1 Corinthians 14:6-28, Paul admonishes those that speak in tongues that are unknown to the average person in that place. He tells the Corinthians to interpret these sayings and if there is no one there to interpret these sayings, then the person is to keep his peace. Not only does this verse allow for the translation of prophecy, but it requires it for the edification of others. What does it profit us if a man reads to us a portion of the scriptures in Hebrew or Greek? We cannot understand it and neither would it edify us unless a man translates or interprets it for us. Could there be any greater interpretation of the scriptures than a complete translation of the Bible that has stayed faithful to the original languages?

This section finishes by quoting Romans 15:4, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

WCF 1.7 - Of the Holy Scriptures

WCF 1.7 - All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all: yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them.

One only needs to look at the huge variety of doctrine in the Christian church to realise that all things in Scripture are not plain and obvious. If there are 12 different positions on a certain doctrine or verse, then 11 of those positions are wrong. The schisms, the arguments, and the debates among the churches and even fellow Christian brothers are a result of an incorrect understanding of Scripture.

The proof text for the phrase, "All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all:" is 2 Peter 3:16 which says, "As also in all his (Paul's) epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."

Peter holds the epistles of Paul on the same level as "the other scriptures". And yet at the same time, he also admits that some things within Paul's epistles are hard to be understood just like in the rest of Scripture. So we can conclude that it is not only the New Testament that has controversial parts, but also the Old Testament. The Sadducee and the Pharisees had different beliefs before the New Testament was written.

However, it is good to remember that the whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith, and life is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture. 2 Timothy 3:15-17 Even though there may be controversy and debate and disagreement, the whole counsel of God is still able to be found. Yet one part of the Scripture cannot be taken in isolation to the rest of Scripture. Each and every verse of Scripture needs to be taken in light of the whole counsel of God concerning all things.

The WCF ends this section with encouragement. While not all things are plain and simple, yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them. This is encouragement for every man in that in spite of his imperfect knowledge of all doctrine and his imperfect knowledge of God, he can still clearly find the doctrine of salvation.

It is good to remember that the inward illumination of the Spirit of God is necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word. 1 Corinthians 2:9-12

WCF 1.6 - Of the Holy Scriptures

Sometimes I have to work an early morning shift. My Dad owns two rural mail contracts and anytime one of the men we employ is sick or takes holidays I am the replacement for them. One of my friends recently took leave and so for the past two weeks I have been working an early morning shift. The change in routine knocks you for six and your body takes about two weeks to adjust to the new schedule. Now that I am fully adjusted to the early morning shift it is time for me to get back into the normal routine.

WCF 1.6
The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith, and life is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. Nevertheless we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word: and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the Church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed.

If you have a tough decision to make, imagine if you were friends with the world's wisest man. You could come to him freely and ask any question of him and the answer that he gave to you would be best course of action for you to take. How much more then, if you had access to the mind and counsel of God. Imagine if the Creator of the universe had given us a book containing his counsel. Imagine if this counsel was readily available and was sufficient for all our needs, had an answer to every problem, and was right every time. Wouldn't that be great!

God, the Creator of the universe, the Elector of my soul, the unopposed Sovereign who no man can thwart, has in his great providence given to us, me, you, a collection of writings. These writings do indeed contain his whole counsel and right now at this point in history we have unprecedented access to a copy of his Word. Every man in the whole world could have a copy of his book and the Bible has been put into many of the world's languages. If a man could not find a translation of the Bible in his language, he could still begin to learn another language or find a man who could speak both a Biblically translated language and his own.

The proof text given for the first sentence of WCF 1.6 is 2 Timothy 3:15-17, "15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

The first thing to note from this passage is that the holy scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation. Who is God? Who is man? Should man be afraid of God? What hope does man have to reconcile himself with God? The answers to these questions all lie within the pages of God's Word.

All scripture yields profit when it is searched for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. Why? That a godly man might be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

PERFECT, a. [L. perfectus, perficio, to complete; per and facio, to do or make through, to carry to the end.]

1. Finished; complete; consummate; not defective; having all that is requisite to its nature and kind; as a perfect statue; a perfect likeness; a perfect work; a perfect system.

As full, as perfect in a hair as heart.

2. Fully informed; completely skilled; as men perfect in the use of arms; perfect in discipline.

3. Complete in moral excellencies.

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect. Matt.5.

4. Manifesting perfection.

My strength is made perfect in weakness. 2 Cor.12.

THROUGHLY, adv. thru'ly. Completely; fully; wholly.

FURNISHED, a. Supplied; garnished; fitted with necessaries.

(All definitions taken from Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary.)

Verse 17 could thus read:
That the man of God may be complete in moral excellencies, completely fitted with necessities unto all good works.

The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith, and life is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture:

For example, a part of God's counsel that is expressly set down in scripture is the fifth commandment which is to honour your father and your mother. It is easy to see from this commandment that you are required to give your parents honour.

But some things are not expressly set down and by knowing principle #1 you can arrive at principle #2. 1 Timothy 5:1-2 says, "Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; the younger men as brethren; the elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity."

We can thus say, if we are to honour our fathers as expressly set down in the fifth commandment, and we are to treat an elder man as a father, then we must also honour an elder man like we would honour our father. The same logic applies to any express command about our relationship to older women, younger men, and younger women.

There are two disclaimers at the end of this section. The first is that the Spirit of God is necessary for the saving understanding of such things revealed in the Word. The second is that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God and government of the Church that are common to human actions and societies.

An example of the second point is that although God has given us counsel of how he wishes to be worshiped, he did not say that people must meet together at a certain time or exactly how much scripture he would like us to read or exactly how long the prayer should be or in what order or style the Bible is to be preached through. These things are left up to the discretion of the minster and his congregation. However, little discretionary decisions are NEVER to go against any other principles contained in the whole counsel of God.

Do you want to know how you should live? Read the whole counsel of God.