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A Little Time With The 1689: Day 55

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Day 55

Of God’s Decree

Chapter 3, Paragraph 1.

“..in which appears His wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing His decree.”

Scripture Lookup

Numbers 23:19.

Ephesians 1:3-5.

Reflection

Through the unfolding of events, God’s wisdom, power, and faithfulness is displayed. Through the actions and movements of individuals, through the rise and fall of nations, through natural cause and effect, God’s decrees are carried out. These decrees have divine wisdom to their order, divine power to their potency, and divine faithfulness to their steadfast path.

Is there anything that God has failed to accomplish? How often we look at our own circumstances, at a difficult situation, and think that God will not fulfill His promises! And yet, when we look at Scripture, we see God working throughout history to fulfill His will. The wisdom of God is shown in decreeing the ultimate order to bring our good and God’s glory. A Savior is promised in Genesis, and it is foretold that the serpent will bruise his heel, but that this Savior will crush the serpent’s head. Sinners are blind to their sin, but the Gospel opens their eyes and God is glorified.

The power of God to accomplish His decrees is demonstrated throughout history. The Israelites, oppressed by Pharaoh, are released from slavery through God’s might. They occupy the promised land of Canaan through His aid. Jesus, conspired against, betrayed, beaten, crucified, rises from the dead. The church, persecuted and hated, spreads and grows through the mighty power of God.

God’s faithfulness is thus shown in the outworkings of history. What He has said, will be accomplished. We look to the past and see His faithfulness to His promises. We can look to the future and be confident that He will continue to be faithful to His promises. To have such a trustworthy, strong, and wise God as our God is such a marvelous privilege!

Questions to Consider

  • Can you see the wisdom, power and faithfulness of God when reflecting on your life?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 54

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Day 54

Of God’s Decree

Chapter 3, Paragraph 1.

“… nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established;...”

Scripture Lookup

Acts 4:27,28.

John 19:11.

Reflection

Asked to lead my college Bible study group, I chose to work through the book Putting Amazing Back Into Grace by Michael Horton. I had recently learned of the doctrines of grace, and was eager to share that knowledge with the group of ladies who attended Campus Crusade with me. All claimed to be Christian, so diving into these great doctrines would be fun. Or so I thought.

The other girls balked when the idea that God was sovereign over all was introduced. “I’m not a robot!” one young woman vehemently said. You know what? She was right. Reformed theology agrees with her: God does not carry out His decrees by violating human will. Through His wisdom, He carries out His decrees while allowing for freedom of will and action.

It is important to remember that while God has decreed all that comes to pass, that does not mean that we have no responsibility in our actions. Fatalism is not biblical. Rather, God orchestrates so that all things work according to the counsel of His will, yet in that orchestration uses our desires and events to serve His purposes. Thus we are still responsible for how we think and behave. May we seek His aid to freely do His will.

Questions to Consider

  • Does the notion that God has decreed all that comes to pass, yet we still have free agency, confuse you?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 52

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Day 52

Of God’s Decree

Chapter 3, Paragraph 1.

“God hath decreed in himself from all Eternity by the most wise and holy Counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably, all things whatsoever comes to pass;…”

Scripture Lookup

Isaiah 46:10.

Ephesians 1:11.

Hebrews 6:17.

Romans 9: 15,18.

Reflection

God has determined whatsoever comes to pass.

He has determined it.God decreed this in himself. He has determined it alone. There are no advisors to God, and no conditions placed upon Him. God only needs to consult His own will to decree what will happen, and his decrees are done freely. Every nanosecond of time has been set and directed by Him. There is no event, large or small, that takes Him by surprise, because there is no event that veers from His decree.

He has determined it by His own will. It is not done haphazardly. God decrees by his own will, which is most wise and holy. It is infinitely perfect in its purpose and execution.

He has determined it, and it is unchangeable. His decrees do not change. They are perfect. What He has said, will happen. Nothing can sway Him, persuade Him, or manipulate Him. There is no fickleness with God!

We can take comfort in knowing that nothing can thwart the decrees of God, and that His sovereignty is good, just, and absolute. He is infinitely gracious, holy, almighty, and knowledgeable. Would you really want anything to be outside of His control?

Questions to Consider

  • Is there any aspect of life that you have considered to be outside of God’s decree?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 50

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Day 50

Of God and of the Holy Trinity

Chapter 2, Paragraph 3.

“…the Father is of none neither begotten nor proceeding, the Son is Eternally begotten of the Father;. ..”

Scripture Lookup

John 1:14, 18.

Reflection

“Begotten” is a term you don’t hear much anymore. So when we read that the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, we’re confused. What does that even mean?

First off, “begotten” means to father. If you read the King James Version of the Bible, you will see that so-and-so “begat” someone. For example, Adam “begot” Seth; he fathered Seth. We can also say that Seth was begotten of Adam. So when it states in the Confession that the Son is begotten of the Father, it means that the Father is the father of the Son.

Does this mean that the Son was created by the Father? NO!

This is where grammar is useful. The Son is begotten of the Father, not the Son was begotten! This is a continuous relationship between the Father and the Son. It is an eternal begetting that has always existed, and always will continue to exist.

C.S. Lewis explains it this way:

…God is a Being which contains three Persons while remaining one Being, just as a cube contains six squares while remaining one body. But as soon as I begin trying to explain how these Persons are connected I have to use words which make it sound as if one of then was there before the  others….We say that the First begets or produces the second; we call it begetting, not making, because what He produces is of the same kind as Himself. In that way the word Father is the only word to use. But unfortunately it suggests that He is there first – just as a human father exists before his son. But that is not so. There is no before and after about it.

Questions to Consider

  • Can you explain to someone the relationship between the Father and the Son?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 49

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Day 49

Of God and of the Holy Trinity

Chapter 2, Paragraph 3.

“…of one substance, power, and Eternity, each having the Divine Essence, yet the Essence undivided,..”

Scripture Lookup

Exodus 3:14.

John 14:11.

1 Cor. 8:6.

Reflection

God is one, and in this one being are three subsistences: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These are all of the same substance, power, and Eternity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are of one substance. God is spirit. This means that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are spirit, because they are God. All three persons of the trinity are of one power. They all, being God, have the power of God. They are of one Eternity. There never was a time when the Father was not. There never was a time when the Son was not. There never was a time when the Holy Spirit was not.

All persons of the trinity have the Divine Essence. What does that mean? Oxford dictionaries defines essence as “the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, that determines its character”.  So the Father is fully God, the Son is fully God, and the Holy Spirit is fully God. No member of the trinity is more or less God than any other member.

Recall, though, that God is one. Therefore, the Divine Essence of God is undivided. There are not three divine beings who are fully God, but rather, three divine persons of which God subsists. Richard Barcellos writes, “The three persons do not each possess one third of the divine essence. The essence of God is indivisible (not separable into parts). The essence of God cannot be cut into parts – it’s all or nothing.”

Questions to Consider

  • Could you give a definition of the trinity if asked?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 48

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Day 48

Of God and of the Holy Trinity

Chapter 2, Paragraph 3.

“In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word (or Son), and Holy Spirit,…”

Scripture Lookup

1 John 5:7.

Matt. 28:19.

2 Cor. 13:14

Reflection

“Are there more gods than one?”

“No, there is only one God.”

The children’s catechism is so helpful to this sidetracked momma of many. When teaching my children these questions and answers over and over, the questions, answers, and Scripture verses are taught to me as well. I may not have the more “grown-up” catechisms memorized, nor all the ins and outs of the Confession, but I have a good foundation from which to build. And all of them agree that there is one God.

That God one is the starting point for understanding who God is. He is the only living God, the only true God, who is not made up of parts. It is important to remember that “we believe in one God”, as the Nicene creed begins.

Yet there is a fundamental doctrine of Christianity that sets it apart from any other conception of deity:

the trinity.

God does not have parts, yet He consists of three subsistences, or as some put it, persons. They are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is not divided, but yet exists in three persons. We need to be careful how we explain the trinity lest we accidentally fall into heresy.

How can we wrap our heads around this? Well, as Sam Waldron writes, “This doctrine of the Trinity is and must for ever be a divine mystery.” Remember, if God is infinitely greater than we are, He is not going to be fully grasped by our finite minds. We base the truth of the trinity on Biblical support, but accept it upon faith.

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

-Reginald Heber

Questions to Consider

  • What about the trinity would you like to further learn?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 47

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Day 47

Of God and of the Holy Trinity

Chapter 2, Paragraph 2.

“…and in all his Commands; to him is due from angels and men, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience as Creatures they owe unto the Creator, and whatever he is further pleased to require of them.”

Scripture Lookup

Revelation 5:12-14.

Reflection

Love so amazing, so divine,

demands my soul, my life, my all.

-Isaac Watts, “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross”

He is worthy.

In Western culture, rebellion and distrust of authority is the norm. Even with those leaders we like, we are apt to follow only as long as we choose. The moment we disagree with a policy, up go the arguments: “Who does he think he is?” “All leaders are corrupt!” “They can’t tell me what to do!” Naturally, this distrust extends to God. The unbeliever denies His existence, or defames His character, all in a vain effort to be autonomous. Like the poem Invictus by Henley, they want to be the master of their fate, the captain of their soul.

As sinners, this attitude of rebellion is nothing new: Adam and Eve, anyone? The nation of Israel, often called “stiff-necked”? Even when we become Christians, we tend to resist the demands of God when they are not agreeable to us. Got any idols in your life that you can’t live without? Do you want to be accepted by others, no matter what compromises may have to be made? Is your desire for comfort keeping you from following His commands?

When we study who God is, we cannot but come to the logical conclusion that yes, He is to be worshiped. Yes, He is to be served. Yes, He is to be obeyed. And yes, we ought to be willing to do whatever else He may require. Because He is worth it.

Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. -John 6:68

May we lay down our lives to be in submission to Him. May He help us to do so.

Questions to Consider

  • How are you cultivating a submissive heart to God?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 45

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Day 45

Of God and of the Holy Trinity

Chapter 2, Paragraph 2.

“…His knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the Creature, so as nothing is to him contingent, or uncertain;…”

Scripture Lookup

Ezekiel 11:5.

Acts 15: 18.

Reflection

We live in an era of information overload. Why do I need to know what so-and-so celebrity who lives thousands of miles away and whom I’ve never met eats, wears, and does? Why are televisions universal these days, popping up at restaurants, dentists’ offices, and airports, streaming constantly whatever topic is fashionable at the moment? It’s enough to make one want to crawl into a cave and live life as a hermit!

Yet God knows everything there is to know. His knowledge knows no limits. Not only does He know what Mr. Celebrity ate this morning, He knows what he was thinking when he ate it, how that meal was prepared, the chemical composition of the plate it was served on, and so on. He knows this about every single person on this planet as well, and this knowledge does not weary God.

God’s knowledge is without error. We can be so easily deceived by biased reports, shady sources and “fake news”. We can misunderstand the intent of what someone tells us, we can mishear what is said, and we can repeat incorrect information while believing that it is true. Not so with God. He never misunderstands, and discerns rightly, as He is truth.

We might not always know the right answer to a problem, or the correct course of action to take in a situation. But God does not need to wait to see what His creation will do before He moves next. He does not engage with creation as if it were a chess match, anticipating all the possible moves his creature might make so as to respond accordingly. He already knows what will happen.

How does it help us right now to know that God knows everything infinitely and infallibly? We know who to go to for help. We can bring our prayers and supplications before Him because nothing is beyond His knowledge. He knows what you need before you ask it (Matthew 6:8). He will never “tune out” from all that goes on in this world. We can rest in that.

Questions to Consider

  • Do you ever think that God doesn’t understand?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 44

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Day 44

Of God and of the Holy Trinity

Chapter 2, Paragraph 2.

“…in his sight all things are open and manifest,…”

Scripture Lookup

Hebrews 4:13.

Reflection

Why do we think we can hide from God?

We laugh at the baby who clasps her hands tight over her face so that we can’t see her. Silly thing! Of course we can see her. Yet she persists, thinking that she can be hidden from the world by shutting it out.

We read the account of Adam and Eve, who after eating the fruit, hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God. “How ridiculous!” we think. “God is everywhere. Didn’t they know that?”

And yet…

we think we can hide our thoughts, our misdeeds, our sins from God’s sight.

When I delivered my child via c-section, there were many in the operating room who saw parts of me that I prefer only my husband seeing. Through the paralyzing effects of the anesthesia, I was powerless to hide. The doctor made the incision, and my insides were exposed. If humans can see so much of us, how much more can God?

O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. -Psalm 69:5 (ESV)

He sees your sin. Don’t try to hide it from Him. Flee to Him for forgiveness.

Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need. -Hebrew 4:16 (NASB)

Question to Consider

  • Is there anything you are trying to hide from God?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 43

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Day 43

Of God and of the Holy Trinity

Chapter 2, Paragraph 2.

“…and he hath most sovereign dominion over all creatures, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatsoever himself pleaseth;…”

Scripture Lookup

Daniel 4:25, 34, 35.

Reflection

God demonstrates His power and rule over His creation time and time again.

He divided the sea and delivered the Israelites (Exodus 14).

He uses a donkey to speak to Balaam (Numbers 22).

He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11).

This same God is demonstrating His power and rule here and now.

He works ALL things – not all kinds of things, not a few things, but 100% – for the good of those that love Him, who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:38). How could He do so if He did not have sovereign dominion over His creation?

We may be struggling. Various events in the world, and possibly in our own lives, may confuse us. It may seem to us that God is not working among His creatures. Yet His word tells us otherwise, and His word is sure. Do not let the trials of this world loosen your grip from that truth!

Questions to Consider

  • Can you see God’s sovereign dominion over His creatures at this time?