Confessing the Faith

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." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

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." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

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." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

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'." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

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." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

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." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"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." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"The burden of the Confession in its first paragraph is to assert the reality that true believers may have assurance in this life." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"The historical background of this chapter grows out of controversy. God overrules controversy for the purpose of clarifying the truth for his church." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"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." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"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." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"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." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

Chapter 17, Paragraph 2, traces the certainty of perseverance to five solid grounds in God's work of salvation. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"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." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

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 For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"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

This paragraph limits good works by teaching that “Works of supererogation are impossible.” For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"The Spirit of God is the sovereign and efficient cause of good works! Not only is the previous grace of the Spirit crucial, but a present actual influence is also necessary." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

Today we return to consider Chapter 16 of the Confession which takes up the important subject “Of Good Works.” Paragraph 2 of this chapter provides an important corrective to the hyper-grace movement and its many imbalanced assertions. It speaks of “The importance of good works” For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"Today we come to consider Chapter 16 of the Confession which takes up the important subject “Of Good Works.” As we take up this subject, it seems necessary to me to remind ourselves of the confusion which reigns over the subject of “good works.” On the one hand, there is the ongoing tendency of the human heart to find in our good works the ground or instrumental cause of salvation. On the other hand, there is the tendency of the so-called “free grace” movement to fall far short of what the Bible teaches about the importance of good works. Extreme and unqualified statements are not hard to be found on this subject. This makes me very glad for the sound, faithful, and orthodox guidance of the 1689 on this subject." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this episode, we continue to consider Chapter 15 of the Confession which takes up the important subject “Of Repentance unto Life.” Chapters four and five conclude this chapter with two important thoughts. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this episode we continue to consider Chapter 15 of the Confession which takes up the important subject “Of Repentance unto Life.” Paragraph 3 provides a wonderful definition of repentance which can be illustrated by means of the analogy of a tree with soil, roots, trunk and branches, and finally fruit. Today, let's consider the fruit that grows on this tree of repentance. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this episode we continue to consider Chapter 15 of the Confession which takes up the important subject “Of Repentance unto Life.” Paragraph 3 provides a wonderful definition of repentance which can be illustrated by means of the analogy of a tree with soil, roots, trunk and branches, and finally fruit. Today, let's consider the trunk and branches of this tree of repentance. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

Paragraph 3 provides a wonderful definition of repentance which can beillustrated by means of the analogy of a tree with soil, roots, trunk andbranches, and finally, fruit. Today, let's consider the roots of this tree of repentance.

In this episode, we continue to consider Chapter 15 of the Confession which takes up the important subject “Of Repentance unto Life.” Paragraph 3 provides a wonderful definition of repentance unto life. “This saving repentance is an evangelical grace, whereby a person, being by the Holy Spirit made sensible of the manifold evils of his sin, doth, by faith in Christ, humble himself for it with godly sorrow, detestation of it, and self-abhorrency, praying for pardon and strength of grace, with a purpose and endeavour, by supplies of the Spirit, to walk before God unto all well-pleasing in all things.” For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

Today we come to consider Chapter 15 of the Confession which takes up the important subject “Of Repentance unto Life.” The first two paragraphs distinguish two distinct groups who receive repentance unto life. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this episode, Dr. Waldron discusses distinctions between false faith and saving faith. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

We have been considering Chapter 14 of the Confession which opens up the subject, Of Saving Faith. We have worked our way through its three paragraphs. In this talk I need to say something about the nature of saving faith. Reformed theology traditionally speaks of saving faith as consisting of three things. The Reformed taught that faith consisted of notitia (knowledge), assensus (assent), and fiducia (trust). This teaching is certainly true, but I think it will be helpful to refer to the fact that in the Bible saving faith is described in Two Complementary Ways. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

We have been thinking about the great teaching of the Confession on saving faith found in Chapter 14 of the Confession. Having considered its source and its acts, we come to paragraph 3 and think about the distinctiveness of saving faith. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

We are considering Chapter 14 of the Confession which deals with the great and crucial subject of saving faith. Paragraph 2 speaks of the acts of saving faith, that is, its various responses to the Scriptures. This lengthy paragraph says three things about the responses of saving faith to Scripture. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

Today we begin to consider Chapter 14 of the Confession which takes up the important subject “Of Saving Faith.” The first paragraph speaks of the very important and (in our day) misunderstanding of the Source of Saving Faith. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"In this conversation about Chapter 13 of the Confession, I want to continue to pursue the question of how the Christian is to prosecute or engage in the work of sanctification. How does one go about prosecuting the task of becoming holy? What does one do to that end? Some teach that involves no more than the passive activities of reckoning and yielding. Is that correct?" For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this conversation about Chapter 13 of the Confession, I want to continue to pursue the question of how the Christian is to prosecute or engage in the work of sanctification. How does one go about prosecuting the task of becoming holy? What does one do to that end? Some teach that involves no more than the passive activities of reckoning and yielding. Is that correct? For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this conversation about Chapter 13 of the Confession, I want to speak of how the Christian is to prosecute or engage in the work of sanctification. How does one go about prosecuting the task of becoming holy? What does one do to that end? For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

This episode addresses the following questions: How do we die to sin? What does it mean to die to sin? When do we die to sin? What is the result of dying to sin? What is our practical duty as a result of dying to sin? For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"Definitive sanctification is simply another way of referring to that basic and radical change that takes place in a sinner's moral and ethical condition when he is united to Christ in effectual calling and regeneration. It reminds us of the fact that progressive sanctification does not take place in a vacuum. It presupposes effectual calling, regeneration, union with Christ and even justification. Regeneration, like sanctification, effects a change in us, that is to say, in our moral character (John 3:3-8; 1 John 2:29; 3:9-10). It initiates the moral change that progressive sanctification enlarges and continues. When we think of sanctification, it is most often of progressive or ongoing sanctification of which we are thinking. Simply in terms of mere frequency, however, this word refers to definitive sanctification more frequently than progressive sanctification." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this devotional walk of the 2LCF, Sam Waldron covers 1689 13:3 "Of Sanctification." The distinctives of genuine sanctification must be balanced with the other distinctive of progressive sanctification. It is described in paragraph 3. That distinctive is progress in grace. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this devotional walk of the 2LCF, Sam Waldron covers 1689 13:2-3 "Of Sanctification." We saw last time that paragraph provides a summary description of sanctification. Paragraphs 2 and 3 which conclude this chapter take up the peculiar distinctives of progressive sanctification. For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

In this devotional walk of the 2LCF, Sam Waldron covers 1689 13:1 "Of Sanctification." "We come today to consider chapter 13 of the confession which takes up the important subject "Of Sanctification." This is an important subject but one in which many errors abound in our day. In this time together my goal is to simply read, explain, and briefly apply its first paragraph." For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

While the corporate adoption of the church, the New Covenant Israel, is implied in Romans 8:15, 23 and Ephesians 1:5, it is the reference of Galatians 4:5 to adoption which most clearly refers to the corporate adoption of the church as a redemptive-historical event. The entire context of Gal. 4:5 supports this assertion.

One of the five biblical occurrences of adoption explicitly describes the national adoption of Israel (Rom. 9:4). Paul in listing the great privileges which the physical nation of Israel had enjoyed speaks first of ‘the adoption'. The presence of the article manifests that this adoption was a definite, well-known fact. Israel is frequently described as God's son in the Old Testament (Exod. 4:22; Deut. 32:5-6, 18-20; Isa. 45:9-11; Jer. 31:9; Mal. 2:10). Special reference is, however, made to passages which speak of the redemption of Israel from bondage along with Israel's sonship (Exod. 19:5; Deut. 7:6-8; Ezek. 16:1-15; Jer. 3:1-22).

We come today to continue our study of Chapter 12 of the Confession and the important subject “of Adoption.” Last time I asserted the need to distinguish between adoption in the history of redemption and adoption in the application of salvation. In this podcast I want to survey adoption in the history of redemption. Remember this has to do with the people of God corporately in the history of redemption and not specifically with adoption as one of the blessings we receive when redemption is applied individually to us. Though these two dimensions of adoption are closely related, they must be distinguished. Confessing the Faith is a theological and devotional walk through the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith with host Sam Waldron, Pastor of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY and President of Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary. Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary is a Confessional Reformed Baptist Seminary Providing affordable online theological education to help the Church in its calling to train faithful men. To learn more about CBTS, visit https://CBTSeminary.org.

We come today to consider Chapter 12 of the Confession which takes up the important subject “of Adoption.” This is a wonderful and comforting biblical subject which well warrants our meditation after our study of justification in the previous chapter of the Confession. The text of this chapter of the Confession is almost verbatim with that of the Westminster Confession. This fact underscores the complete agreement of the Reformed with regard to the doctrine of adoption. It is one of the common places of Reformed doctrine. Confessing the Faith is a theological and devotional walk through the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith with host Sam Waldron, Pastor of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY and President of Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary. Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary is a Confessional Reformed Baptist Seminary Providing affordable online theological education to help the Church in its calling to train faithful men. To learn more about CBTS, visit https://CBTSeminary.org.

In our study of Chapter 11, entitled, Of Justification, we have seen the necessity, agent, meaning, and basis of justification. Now we turn to its instrument. Confessing the Faith is a theological and devotional walk through the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith with host Sam Waldron, Pastor of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY and President of Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary. Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary is a Confessional Reformed Baptist Seminary Providing affordable online theological education to help the Church in its calling to train faithful men. To learn more about CBTS, visit https://CBTSeminary.org.

The active and passive obedience of Christ are not two separate parts of Christ's work, but His one work looked at in two ways. Confessing the Faith is a theological and devotional walk through the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith with host Sam Waldron, Pastor of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY and President of Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary. Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary is a Confessional Reformed Baptist Seminary Providing affordable online theological education to help the Church in its calling to train faithful men. To learn more about CBTS, visit https://CBTSeminary.org.

God declares us righteous. But on what basis does He do this? What is the righteousness which he takes into account when He says we are righteous? Some have understood Rom 4:3-5 to teach that God looks at our faith or our evangelical obedience as the basis for His verdict that we are righteous. The truth is that such an interpretation is a radical betrayal of the biblical doctrine of justification. Confessing the Faith is a theological and devotional walk through the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith with host Sam Waldron, Pastor of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY and President of Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary. Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary is a Confessional Reformed Baptist Seminary Providing affordable online theological education to help the Church in its calling to train faithful men. To learn more about CBTS, visit https://CBTSeminary.org.

Last time I left the great question hanging: How can a sinful man be just before the holy God? Chapter 11 of 1689 seeks to answer the question. Having seen the necessity of justification, consider next the agent of justification. Confessing the Faith is a theological and devotional walk through the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith with host Sam Waldron, Pastor of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY and President of Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary. Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary is a Confessional Reformed Baptist Seminary Providing affordable online theological education to help the Church in its calling to train faithful men. To learn more about CBTS, visit https://CBTSeminary.org.