1689 London Baptist Confession (part 23)

Father in heaven We thank you and praise you for who you are and all that you have done on our behalf Lord as we Look to your word what it says about Adoption about how you graciously brought us into you your family how you call us your own Lord, I pray that you would bless our time Father for those who are still traveling and for those who will be here for the morning service.

Just pray that you would guide them here safely as they travel through the rain in Jesus name we pray amen. Well. We're going through the 1689 confession of faith, and I have to tell you I'm I'm not. I'm not really I'm not really bragging.

But I've never had such a long syllabus before it's actually it's filled my entire notebook, and I'm I'm like I I'm actually gonna have to get rid of some pages. It's kind of shocking I Think we're right now up to like page 98 or something oh.

And I've got some duplicate pages in there so I can get rid of those nice. Well so Why do we have a Confession of faith, it's interesting I Just got a new copy of it because you need a new copy of a 1689 London Baptist confession of faith.

Why do we have a confession of faith anyway? What are some reasons for having one to know what we believe and why we believe it true yes? Erickson did you have a thought? Okay, so you were just gonna copy off her homework Charlie.

Charlie. Okay, so confession is a way of saying what the Bible says. Which is absolutely true right? It's it's our understanding of the Bible. Why else would we have a confession of faith? Erickson. Memorization that's a good answer so we can memorize it and therefore know you know more effectively what doctrines the church believes.

What else? Brad. Good answer guidelines good answer. Yeah, I feel like we're doing family feud again. We did. Taylor. Excellent answer and really the one I was after provides a point of unity with whom with all Christians, maybe Everyone else who agrees.

Charlie. Okay to prevent doctrinal drift, but to get back to what Brad was saying it. It unites us with those of like-minded faith right, but it also unites us with those who came before us of Like-minded faith, which is also an important point.

It's good to know that we're Not on an island all by ourselves that nobody else Agrees with us or ever has agreed with us that we're the inventors of new doctrine. So we don't want to we don't want to be those guys.

Last week we were talking about justification which has become Amazingly to me has become quite a topic in the church today and one of the reasons it's become quite a topic is because people are I Don't want to say they're redefining it what they're doing is they're they're debating some of the nuances some of the finer points and What winds up happening there in fact there was a?

Unless you guys are really up on your social media stuff. You might not know this, but there was a Well-known professor and author who challenged another Professor and author to a debate. Said he'd fly down to where this guy is a professor and debate him.

And I just thought this it was a meaningless point and here's why because the nuances are so fine if we were all sitting there as knowledgeable as we are as Knowledgeable as where if we were listening to these two guys debate.

We probably wouldn't catch the difference between what they were saying. It's only when you read it. And you can study it and really look at what they're saying that it makes any sense at all and one of the one of the things that's come up is this whole idea of I Mentioned it last week, and I'll just briefly talk about it this idea that somehow we can have What are called sufficient works?

Sufficient works that were justified by faith alone that were made right with God by faith alone in Christ alone but then at the final judgment That God determines whether or not we get into heaven based not on Only on the finished work of Christ, but also on the fact that we have sufficient works in other words to demonstrate that we were Actually Christians and and to me that can get into a pretty fine point which is this faith that saves is Never alone true or false.

Is it time for coffee or was that question unclear? When you get saved is it true or false that God has prepared good works for you to walk in? During the course of your life that is true, and we know that from Ephesians 2.

So then the question though is are those works The basis the basis for some form of judgment later on in other words Is God going to stand at the ultimate bar? You know knowing that you've been saved from hell, but now you stand before him at the entrance of heaven.

Why should I let you into heaven and you say I have? Sufficient works. Erickson okay say that again. No longer judged by the law. Okay, and therefore we're no longer judged by our works, and why would that be?

Okay, because we're in Christ, right? So Charlie go ahead, okay, let me repeat that there is no work that you have done That you were not appointed to Do and also we would say that any that you were appointed to do you will do well.

Why is that because? It was The decreed will of God and the decreed will of God always comes to pass right I Could that be a hoop to jump through that's a fine question. I'm not really I'm not really sure I'm equipped to answer that I and and I and that's what I mean when I say you know when they talk about debates and stuff like that some of the some of the finer points I Think ultimately it would come down to I think most of us would probably go With the guy who was challenging the other guy because I think it would come down to is if we listen to them audibly.

We'd probably just vote for the guy that we like the best or who had the best Presentation or whatever because the the points are not so big. It's not like the one guy's gonna say and stand up and say well.

You're you're getting into heaven on the basis of your works. He's not gonna say that. Right he's gonna say faith while it works is dead, and we're all gonna say well. That's right. Yeah, he wins. But it's really it's really It's been interesting to watch because they're really they're they're discussing fine points, but they're pretty big points.

Yes, I'm. Well he and he's not saying they're saved by works, but what he's saying is that there's a there's a final salvation and at that final or the final judgment at that final judgment you have to have sufficient works and Sufficient is is a nebulous term right?

What does that mean how many are sufficient and You know when do you meet that threshold, and I don't know you know because we don't see that in Scripture. We see works. We don't see terms like sufficient works, and we don't have a list of works that are necessary.

Like Charlie said you know there are works that are appointed for us it. But you know here's what here's what doesn't happen you get saved and God goes okay Steve. Here's your list of works that you need to do during the course of your lifetime and once you've done that I'm calling you home.

We don't have that right all we have is the commands of Scripture to work out our Sanctification to work out our salvation with fear and trembling we have those things right we know that once we are Saved we have new desires.

New affections, and we actually have spiritual gifts and so we serve. What we don't know is We Don't know the big picture. We don't know how all those things work together. What we do know is is that we whatever we do you know is it possible that I I'll just use me because that way I don't have to point the finger at you.

Is it possible that Steve will ever have enough works. Where God says you know what Steve good job enter into my rest. Is that possible? Well, why not? Does it say well done my good and faithful servant, you know.

Isn't that possible for I or are you just saying this because it's me Frank. Okay, who qualifies that the work was good in the first place right except for God himself I'd like to have a nickel for every time my good works Have burned up, and that's you know just my wife's opinion so.

And there goes another work right there Charlie and see now you can see how it would you know that was well said right? It is a manifestation of the free will versus Sovereignty kind of thing and you know who gets the credit for them and all that and yes, we work for or we're Striving to please the Lord, but ultimately our strivings are not Efficacious in other words.

There's nothing that we do that adds to our Salvation and when we get to heaven you know whatever crowns we have I always think that's kind of a Funny idea, but whatever crowns we have we surrender the Lord anyway, so you know how does that all work out?

And I I I Guess you know my concern always is that we don't want to wind up in some kind of Work salvation mentality, and so it's really to me. It's a really fine line and Something that we have to watch other thoughts Frank well I mean, I I think I think well, I don't have to go to the context.

I mean, I think he's definitely talking about My understanding right at the top my head would be you know false converts false teachers people who were never really converted because he says what not I knew you but You had insufficient works, but I never knew you so That's one of the counter arguments the thief on the cross.

You know he had no time and You know I mean I What people typically will say is you know you don't make a rule out of the exception? So you know the thief on the cross is kind of the asterisk, but I think it does tell us something about the idea of You know how many works are sufficient.

Well, I'll go two ways on that Because I like to have my cake and eat it too. So Sufficient works could be zero okay, like the thief on the cross and sufficient works could be you know in a scale of 0 to 100 100 and Why is that?

Because all the works that are sufficient in my mind Are in Christ Jesus. He did everything that I you know what can I add to the work of Jesus and the answer is nothing Frank. When does God's truth become truth?

Well God's truth only becomes truth when it's true to me. How do you how neo-orthodox of me? Yeah, well, that's Charlie you're just a natural-born theologian it it really They and that is the rub right there the act of obedience of Christ.

What does the act of obedience of Christ? Ultimately does it benefit us or not? Was his work sufficient, you know did. Are we being much more. Shall we be saved by his what? Life, right. Well, what is it about his life that saves us?

The passive obedience of Christ is when he Went to the cross When he was wrongly accused and he didn't defend himself and he willingly went to the cross and died for our sins. The active obedience of Christ is Fulfilling the law is fully obeying everything that he was commanded to do.

So we get We get the the fruits of his passive obedience. That is to say we get forgiveness of sins. Redemption being bought back. The question then is do we also get Credit for what he did not just what he you know.

That that he could have stopped the whole process, but he willingly went to the cross Wrongly accused never did anything wrong all those kind of things, but we also get credit for everything that he did, right?

And Is that enough to get to heaven or not? That is the issue. Okay, so any other questions or thoughts about justification for we move along. I'm uh, okay. Let me see if I can. I I think I understood the part where you said that where we were talking about the The passive obedience because that keeps us out of hell, but the rest of it was Okay, our substitute in obedience.

I like that right? He's our substitute in death, right? He pays the penalty and he's also our substitute in Obedience because he did everything that we're supposed to do that. We don't do he fulfilled the law for us.

Is that okay? Yeah, I like that other thoughts. Okay. All right, so we're going to move on to adoption adoption and this is what the London Confession of Faith 1689 says about adoption all those that are justified.

That is to say they're declared Righteous, they're seen as righteous and this is a word I don't even know if I say this right because the word that we don't use and maybe maybe we should bring that work I'm bringing this one back all those that are justified God I Can't even say it thou shaft thou shaft.

How do you say that? Vouch safed vouch safed vouch safed the OU CH vouch Safed but it's it's one word. So if you say he vouch safed That's two words safe. Vouch safed. Yeah, it sounds German. Sorry. It's just two words jammed together.

But it I had to look it up so I actually put it in parentheses so that so that I would mark that off as Additional, you know to it means to grant or furnish often in a gracious or condescending manner.

So God granted in a condescending manner That In and for the sake of his only son Jesus Christ to make many partakers. That's the part I mean, I'll I'll leave out for the sake of making it clear God granted in a condescending manner to make partakers of the grace of adoption.

By which they are taken into the number and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God have his name put upon them receive the spirit of adoption have access to the throne of grace with boldness and are enabled to cry Abba Father and They are pitied protected provided for and chastened by him as by a father yet never cast off but sealed to the day of redemption and Inherit the promises as heirs of everlasting salvation.

This is pretty much. This is the whole deal right here. I mean we just like This is this is all the I guess we could put it this way. We're talking about adoption. We're talking about really the fruits of salvation, right?

What do we get? What does it mean to be justified and this is kind of the the fruits of that Waldron says it is vital to understand the biblical teaching of adoption so that we may fully understand the implications of our individual Adoption as it pertains to our salvation.

What does it mean to be adopted when you yeah to be brought into okay, okay to be brought into a family. Which is so important, right you become an error. Error yeah, you know I want to I'll just say hair you become a hair because when I say error.

It sounds like I'm saying error. Okay. You're not a mistake. All right, let's look at that it literally means to be placed as a son or a daughter. Right to be brought in as a son or daughter. Let's look at Romans 8 15.

And we're gonna see because I thought this was kind of a bizarre idea in the beginning, you know a bizarre kind of Link to it. Romans 8 15 Cross reference to it and so would somebody read that place. Romans 8 15.

Excuse me. Okay, so Why do you suppose he references this passage here? I mean other than the fact that says adoptions by sons. There's a contrast he's trying to draw which is what? Okay, the difference between being a servant and a son right?

That we're not somehow Brought into the household of God shackled in but it would be wrong anyway, because it's the spirit of slavery. But let me let me read what Leon Morris says then we'll discuss a little bit more.

He says slavery would have meant a good deal more to Paul's readers who were in daily contact with it than it does to us and of course America has its own history with slavery, but slavery America was a good deal worse than it was in.

Even in ancient Rome in most cases Paul had been arguing that they Have been given a wonderful freedom in Christ a freedom that they may enjoy to the full. Even if in their physical existence, they were in fact slaves.

We might not have expected him to say again. But the word is apparently used in the sense of back and refers to reversions to the safe from which they had been delivered. Christ had delivered them from their bondage to sin.

They must not think that the spirit would lead them back to it. In other words you've been set free by the Sun. You've been set free from. Slavery says not only have you been set free from slavery, but you have been adopted by the father.

To which you can appeal to him as your father. Morris Morris goes on to say on the contrary believers receive the spirit of adoption and. Then he says the concept of adoptions taken from Roman law. It is useful word for Paul for it signifies being granted.

The full rights and privileges of sonship in a family to which one does not belong by nature. This is a good illustration Of what it means to become a Christian. The believer is admitted to the heavenly family to which he has no rights of his own.

But he is now admitted and call can call God father. It is it is kind of stunning to think about the transition that takes place. When we think you know justification. Before you got saved you stood condemned before God.

After Justification you are declared righteous because you are in Christ, so he no longer sees You and your sin. He sees the Lord Jesus Christ in his perfection. Before you were saved you were a slave to sin.

You were a son of the devil. You were a son of the first Adam. One might say and Some do say in fact Andrew Smith said that to me on Wednesday night. And it's true, right? Dead and your sins in trespasses all those kind of things, but after salvation you're no longer a son of Satan.

You're no longer in bondage to sin, but you've been set free and you are a Son of the Creator a son of the Living God. This is I mean it is an amazing thing to think about. You know as Paul writes in Colossians.

Transferred for the kingdom of darkness. Into the kingdom of his dear son all these things are true. You know in that moment of salvation. Let's look at Galatians 4 verses 4 to 6. Galatians 4 verses 4 to 6.

I'm just thinking I don't know bear with me for a minute. But I'm thinking this is a good week to go on a diet. Okay, so Galatians 4 verses 4 to 6 my mind is this morning who would read that please go ahead before I even read.

Thank you. Before I even read what kissed marker says about this. I just want us to to look at that Verse 5 where it says to redeem those who were under the law. And you know a lot of times when we think about being under the law.

We just mean what subject to the law, but I think you know in reading this passage it would not be wrong to see the law as what a Taskmaster or I was even thinking of a burden. Right that that we just come into this world like what like this with the law on our back right we're just burdened by that law and then as We are adopted in Christ that burden is ultimately removed from us by The finished work of Christ and so we are able to Call him father.

Simon Kistemacher said this about this passage. He said the purpose of the father in sending his son and of the son and condescending to be born of a woman under law. Was that we might not only be delivered from the greatest evil But might also be crowned with the choicest blessing.

The best interpreter of Paul's statement in Galatians 4 verse 4 or 5 is Paul himself. In 2nd Corinthians 8 he says for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though He was rich yet for your sake.

He became poor that through that you through his poverty might become rich. Rich indeed week we become for we are made members of the father's family with respect to this adoption. It is rather useless to look for human analogies for it surpasses anything that takes place on earth.

It bestows upon its recipients not only a new name a new legal standing and a new family relationship. Which would all be true of a human adoption, but also a new image the image of Christ. Earthly parents may love an adopted child ever so much.

Nevertheless. They are to a certain extent Unable to impart their spirit to that child. But when God adopts he imparts to us the spirit of his son so there is a an Additional sense in that adoption a change that takes place in us any thoughts of that before I move to the big controversy of the day.

Because every day I like to bring in a controversy. Okay, so here's the big controversy, and I think this is what my wife the only reason my wife came this morning I'm picking on her. I don't know why.

Who was the original Son of God the original Son of God? And see I know this is gonna be controversial because the way I phrased it who's the original Son of God. Okay, we have one bid for Adam. Jesus would would be the other logical answer, but I'm gonna go with Adam.

So let's look let's look at that and it's gonna be controversial. It's controversial. See if I and the reason I reason I phrased it this way if I said because I really want the original human Son of God and if I said that then everybody go well, that's Adam.

So I wanted to be you know make you think for a second. Let's look at and it's interesting though. Where it's stated effectively, and then how we have to kind of backtrack. Let's look at Luke Chapter 3 and I'm gonna open my Bible here so that I can just sort of condense this for us.

And I'm gonna start in verse 23. Okay, so here we are in the genealogy of Jesus Christ Jesus when he began his ministry was about 30 years of age being the son as was supposed of Joseph the son of Healy the son of Matthew the son of Levi the son of etc. Etc. Etc.

So now skip all the way down. We're gonna skip all the son of the son of the son of down to 38 the son of Enos the son of Seth the son of Adam the Son of God. Referring to Adam being the Son of God. So he was called that and we can also deduce it Waldron says let's now look at Genesis chapter 1 and We'll see kind of how where?

This idea is even developed a bit in the Old Testament. I mean, it's a it's a little bit of a stretch, but I think it's pretty plain if you study it Genesis 1 verses 26 and 27 familiar verses. In fact, I'll have somebody else read that who wants to read 26 and 27.

Go ahead Ferdie. Okay, then so we we have that and you know, the key element there is For our purpose anyway is let us make man in our own image. Right. Now, let's turn over to Genesis 5 and what somebody read verses 1 to 3.

Okay, so we see that the parallel here is between God making man in his own image after his likeness and then he says in Chapter 5 when God created man, he made them in the likeness of God, etc. Etc. But in verse 3 he notices or he says that Adam fathers a son in his own likeness after his own image and named him Seth so the comparison is This was Seth.

Seth was Adam's son in the same way. They're saying that the implication is that Adam was God's son in the sense that he was created in the image of God. And that's what it explicitly says in the Gospel of Luke.

So Okay, so the emphasis of our adoption is in our Change of status, but it also involves us having a different nature. Let's look at John 5 18 to 23 and we'll see that this is a nature that Jesus shares With believers.

John 5 18, this is why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him because Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own father making himself equal with God. So Jesus said to them truly truly I say to you the son can do nothing of his own accord.

But only what he sees the father doing. For whatever the father does that the son does likewise for the father loves the son and shows him all that he himself is doing and Greater works than these will he show him so that you may marvel.

For as the father raises the dead and gives them life. So also the son gives life to whom he will. The the father judges no one but has given all judgment to the son that all may honor the son. Just as they honor the father.

Whoever does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him now. Did you catch that how Jesus shares his nature with us? It's kind of subtle. He's waiting. He's waiting. He's waiting. Okay, I'll stop waiting.

Yeah, go ahead Charlie and and this is it right? I mean that new life. What does it mean that we have that new life. All these things that were that we're talking about are involved in that new life including adoption.

So and when we get the image of which we I didn't read that one I mean we're we know that we're being conformed in the image of Jesus being conformed to the image of his dear son and That's part of the whole.

When we're regenerated we get that new nature and perfectly and we're being conformed. We're being sanctified. We're being made more Christlike throughout our life. Let's see. Let's look at also John 8 33.

Because the truth is Satan is no longer the father of believers, right? God is we have a new nature so that we can comprehend the things of God. John 8 33. Again these are implications of the text not direct often not direct statements.

John 8 33 they answered him and this is a longer passage. They answered him. We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. I mean, we've already been talking about this whole idea of being set free from Slavery that we're now sons that we can now cry Abba father.

Jesus goes on he says how is it that you say you will become free? Jesus answered them truly truly. I say to you Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever.

The Sun remains forever. Right again all these kind of references to what we've been talking about Verse 36. So if the Sun sets you free you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham physical offspring of Abraham yet.

You seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my father and you do what you have heard from your father. They answered him. Abraham is our father. Jesus said to them if you were a bro, if you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did but now you seek to kill me a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God.

This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did they said to him we were not born of sexual immorality. We have one father even God. Jesus said to them if God were your father you would love me for I came from God and I am here.

I came not of my own accord. But he Sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil and your will is to do your father's desires.

He was a murderer from the beginning and has nothing to do with the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies he speaks out of his own character for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth you do not believe me.

Which one of you convicts me of sin if I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God. Here's the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God and Here's what he's saying.

I mean he really gets right down to it there at the end. But basically there are two categories of people in the world. We like to see and certainly the world likes to see it as you know, some kind of continuum.

But the truth is you're either a child of God or you're a child of Satan. You either bear the image as it were of Satan or of we could say the first Adam, you know that Inability to understand the things of God or you bear the image of Christ.

And he says they're at the end of that. He says, you know that they don't receive it. Why because they can't they're Deceived by their father. They are you know, they follow after their father. But at the end he says the reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God and he also says That whoever is of God.

Here's the words of God. This is like 1st Corinthians 2 14 language, right? How do we understand scripture when unbelievers don't because the Holy Spirit enables us to do that. It's our nature that enables us to understand these things and it is the nature of the unsaved people not to understand them.

Thoughts or questions about that. They are made in the image of God, but that image is Certainly marred by original sin and by the sin that they commit, right? So yes made in the image but An imperfect image that is not going to get any better right apart from a work of God to be Regenerated caused to be born again so that the sanctification process starts.

Yes, Adam was made perfect. Mm-hmm. Well, I mean certainly Adam was made. Adam was made in the image of God and when he sinned he plunged the whole human race into sin and thus caused that spiritual separation spiritual death to occur and So the redemption, you know when we're talking about Adoption when we're talking about regeneration when we're talking about All the things that we have in Christ as I said earlier one of those things that begins is the restoration.

Basically of that of the of that image Erickson. Well, yeah, I I mean if I understand your question, correct correctly. You're saying you know, where does original sin where does it begin to be handed down?

Is that what you're asking? Well, I mean all of their children, right? Cain Abel Seth all of them however many there were and of course the girls were not named but however many there were or most of them were not named however many there were they all had the original sin every single one of them from.

You know that time for does the moment they got kicked out of the Garden of Eden. They all had original sin, so. Does that answer your question? Okay Freddy it is innate to worship and I think what you said is also right that.

Because it's it's part of us. It's part of our our Being part of our makeup to want to worship something. We will worship Ourselves or we will worship false gods and I thought it was interesting when I was reading Deuteronomy 32 yesterday when we were up at the at the beautiful camp Spofford.

That Moses says, you know to Israel you guys are gonna worship gods. Basically that you're just gonna make up on the spot. None of your God none of your fathers have ever known these gods. You're just gonna go up and just make them up as you go along because you just want to worship something.

Anything other than the God who exists and that is the heart of mankind right that we are born worshipers and if we're not satisfied with we're certainly as Unbelievers, you know before Christ certainly not Satisfied with the God who is so what do they do?

They create gods after their own imaginings in their own image that satisfy their needs, right? So we wind up with you know The God of Oprah and the God of this and that the God of that because we want someone who tells us.

We want a God who matches our desires. And And that's what you know when people say well, you know. You're I've heard this argument for that. You're only a Christian because you grew up in a Christian culture and Christianity is comfortable to you.

And I like well not exactly I didn't really grow up in a Christian culture. I grew up in a works culture and Christianity is anything but comfortable to me. It was really a jolt. Do I see a hand over here?

Seeing none. Yes, Charlie. Okay. We need to close but let me just kind of summarize if I can what Charlie said. He said, you know, we're born. We have the communicable attributes of God inherent in us in that we're able to love we're able to Even seek after certain Forms of knowledge and and there's there there are communicable attributes of God that are granted to us.

But what we are absolutely lacking is an ability to grasp ultimate truth. Because we are born children of darkness and so the truth is an unknown to us, you know it's it's it's and it's certainly something that we do not like or embrace and certainly not love and then after Salvation a whole new realm is open to us.

Namely that of you know the truth and and so that's where I think again we get back to sanctification because Once we understand what the truth is and we start pursuing that and developing our knowledge of the holy shall I say.

You know God uses that the Holy Spirit uses that and transforms us into the image of his son slowly, but surely. Anyway, we need it close father. Thank you for your word. Thank you for the blessing of adoption.