1689 19:4 The Present Status of the Judicial Law | Confessing the Faith

"This paragraph is clearly based on Calvin’s treatment of the judicial law in the Institutes. This treatment is very relevant in light of the idea of the abiding validity of the judicial law being espoused in our day."

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1689 19:3-4 The Threefold Division of the Law | Confessing the Faith

"The Confession in these paragraphs distinguishes three types of laws in the law of Moses: the moral, the ceremonial, and judicial and asserts that the ceremonial and judicial have been fulfilled and abolished, but that the moral law continues to bind all men."

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1689 19:2 The Ten Commandments | Confessing the Faith

"Here the Confession teaches the substantial equivalence of the requirements of the law written on Adam’s heart with the Ten Commandments."

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1689 19:2 The Law Written in the Heart of Adam | Confessing the Faith

"John Murray remarks, ‘The law of God confronts them and registers itself in their consciousness by reason of what they natively and constitutionally are’."

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1689 19:1 Of the Law of God "The subject of this chapter has been a matter of controversy among Calvinistic Baptists. Some have pronounced the Confession, ‘Presbyterian’, or, ‘legalistic’, at this point, asserting that its Baptist authors were swayed by historical circumstances to conform to their Presbyterian or Puritan brothers on this issue." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

1689 18:4 Assurance of Salvation is Variable | Confessing the Faith

"General negligence may vitiate assurance. Failure to use the means of grace may cause one’s assurance of salvation to decline. This is a warning to fervently use the appointed public and private means of grace."

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1689 18:3 Assurance of Salvation is Attainable | Confessing the Faith

"There are three points in this paragraph: the difficulty of attaining assurance, the provision for attaining assurance and the duty of attaining assurance."

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"The Confession is asserting that there is an assurance of salvation which will not deceive us, about which we cannot be mistaken, which goes beyond mere probability. This should reassure the one who says, “I want to have assurance, but I am so fearful of being mistaken and deceiving myself.” There is an assurance of salvation which you may have, which will not deceive you, which is infallible."

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"The burden of the Confession in its first paragraph is to assert the reality that true believers may have assurance in this life."

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"The historical background of this chapter grows out of controversy. God overrules controversy for the purpose of clarifying the truth for his church."

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"Modern easy-believism has objected to the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints and taught in its place the doctrine which has become popularly known as “eternal security.” While the Confession does in a sense teach eternal security, it does not teach the popular view that eternal security means that men will be saved regardless of how they live and irrespective of whether they repent of the grievous sins into which they fall."

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"Paragraph 3 speaks of the difficulties which attend perseverance in the Christian life and the reality that grievous sin may still be committed by authentic believers. Having spoken of the various causes of backsliding, paragraph 3 goes on to speak of the tragic fruits of backsliding. It lists five such sour fruits."

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"The central assertion of this qualifying paragraph may be stated as follows: True Christians may and do fall into grievous sins and continue in them for a time." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"God’s covenant of grace does not fail to save those in covenant with Him. It actually and unfailingly saves all those in the covenant."

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Chapter 17, Paragraph 2, traces the certainty of perseverance to five solid grounds in God’s work of salvation.

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"Interestingly, this paragraph on the grounds or causes of the preservation of the saints begins by telling us what that cause is not. It is not our free will."

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Having stated and explained this wonderful doctrine in the opening sentence of its first paragraph, the same paragraph expands and explains the doctrine by speaking of:

1. The cause of perseverance

2. The obstacles to perseverance

3. The assurances of perseverance

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"Today we consider Chapter 17 of the Confession which takes up the great, biblical and Reformed doctrine Of the Perseverance of the Saints. That is also the title of the chapter. Because of the amalgamation of the Augustinian doctrine of grace with the Romish sacramentalism before the Reformation a measure of confusion reigned on this important subject. But with the Reformation the new clarity on this subject embodied in this chapter was attained."

A good work must meet or confirm to four criteria. It must have the right matter (it must be a thing which God commands); the right root (it must proceed from a heart purified by faith); the right manner (God’s work must be done God’s way) and the right end (the glory of God must be its ultimate purpose). For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

The good works of believers are accepted by God. They are not all rejected as filthy and unworthy. This is a great encouragement. But how can it be? For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org