Chapell Meeks Aa 2 E - Theology: God's Way Of Salvation

Front 1

Six features of a covenant

Back 1

An agreement between persons consisting of:
POPBOW
1. parties
2. obligations/stipulations
3. promises
4. blessings and curses
5. oaths/vows
6. witnesses.

God’s covenant with man is described as a “voluntary condescension on God’s part” (WCF 7).

Front 2

What is the Covenant of Works? Who are its parties?

Think... What special act of providence did God exercise toward man in the estate wherein he was created?

Back 2

(WSC 12) When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him, upon condition of perfect obedience; forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon pain of death.

God
Adam and his descendants

Front 3

What is the present validity of the Covenant of Works?

Back 3

The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but also for his descendants, all mankind descending from him through ordinary generation sinned in him and fell with him in his first transgression.

Front 4

What is the Covenant of Redemption? who are its parties?

(think... did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery?)

Back 4

(WSC 20) God, having out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer.

(WLC 31) The covenant of grace was made with Christ as the second Adam, and in turn to all the elect as his seed.

Front 5

Discuss the Covenant of Grace

GET PO

Back 5

GET PO
1. Gracious = God had no obligation to enter into covenant and his word is the insurance of its validity.
2. Eternal = cannot be broken
3. Trinitarian = Father elects, Son justifies, Spirit applies effectually
4. Particular = only effectual for the elect, not universal in scope
5. One covenant of grace with various administrations (dispensations)

Front 6

Discuss the relationship between the Old and New Covenants. Defend from Scripture.

Back 6

continuity - one covenant with different administrations/dispensations:

Gal 3:14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

2 Cor 3:14 - "When they read the old (παλαιός) covenant a veil remains over their eyes..."

Heb 8:13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first (πρῶτος) one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

WCF 7. 6 & WLC 32 - 35

Front 7

Explain and defend the orthodox doctrine of the person of Christ.

Think - Who is the only redeemer of God's elect

Back 7

(WSC 21) The only redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal son of God, became man, and so was, and continues to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, forever.

Fully man - Luke 1:35 - birth of Christ,
Fully God - Col. 2:9 - in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily
Heb 1 & Jn 1 for synthesis of these two points.

Front 8

Discuss the natures of Christ, including:
Was Christ a human person?
Does Christ have a soul?

Think - How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?

Back 8

Yes Christ was a human person with a soul.

In addition to the Gospel's accounts of Christ's humanity, Luke 23:46 Jesus says "into thy hands I commit my spirit"

(WSC 22) Christ took to himself a true body and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary and born of her, yet without sin.

Front 9

What is kenosis?

Back 9

a theological term from Philippians 2:5-11 which refers to the incarnation of Christ.

He is described as having “emptied himself” and taken human form. In taking on human flesh, Christ is spoken of undergoing some manner of self-limitation (humiliation).

The emptying has two aspects: taking on the likeness of sinful humanity and enduring death on the cross.

Front 10

Did Christ lay aside any of his divine attributes at the incarnation?

Back 10

Not according to Col 2:9 - “in Christ, all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form”

"extra calvinisticum"

Front 11

Explain and rebut the challenges to orthodox Christology posed by Docetism

Back 11

Christ only appears to become a man, the suffering and other human traits were merely imaginary phenomena - not a true body and a rational soul at the incarnation.

Rebuttal -
John 1:14 - Word became flesh
John 20 and Thomas touching the nail prints and the wounded side of Jesus.

Front 12

Explain and rebut the challenges to orthodox Christology posed by Arius

Back 12

Christ is not the eternal son of God, rather the first created being. Jesus was a heavenly being and an intermediary between God and man – but still a created being.

Rebuttal - John 1:1-14. In the beginning was the Word... Word was with God, Word was God.... and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us!!

Front 13

Explain and rebut the challenges to orthodox Christology posed by Nestorius

Back 13

Christ is divided into two persons, a human and divine.

Rebuttal - Col. 2:9: For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

Front 14

Explain and rebut the challenges to orthodox Christology posed by Apollinarius

Back 14

Christ lacked a human soul, rather it was replaced by the logos. Allowed Christ only a divine nature and no human initiative

WSC 22 - “reasonable soul”

Luke 1:35 "born of Mary"
John 1:1 "became flesh"
Luke 2:40,52 "grew, became strong, increased in wisdom, stature and in favor with God and man"
Luke 23:46 - "Into thy hands I commit my spirit"

Front 15

Explain and rebut the challenges to orthodox Christology posed by Eutyches

Back 15

Christ only had one nature, a mixture of both human and divine. (implying that Christ was a "third something" made from the mixture of divinity and humanity).

WSC #21 - The only Redeemer of God's elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, forever.

WSC #22 - Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and born of her yet without sin.

Front 16

Are any these early Christological heresies regarding the nature of Christ held today? If so, by whom?

Back 16

The Jehovah Witnesses and the Mormons hold a form of Arianism.

Front 17

Explain and defend the doctrine of the “communication of properties.”

Back 17

attempts to account for the way in which each of Christ’s natures’ properties are interchanged in the unity of his person-hood. Both the human and divine properties are held in common by the one person of Christ in the incarnation.

Front 18

Define the following name:
Jesus

Back 18

he will save his people from their sins

Front 19

Define the following name:
Son of Man

Back 19

Jesus favorite title for himself, taken from the book of Daniel

Front 20

Define the following name:
Christ

Back 20

Messiah, the anointed one of God

Front 21

Define the following name:
Son of God

Back 21

Jesus unique reality as the second member of the trinity

Front 22

Define the following name:
Lord

Back 22

New Testament designation for Christ as Yahweh.

Front 23

Define the following name:
Lamb of God

Back 23

Jesus as the sacrificial lamb who takes away the sins of the world

Front 24

How was Christ born?

Back 24

Luke 1:26-38 & 2:1-6 Birth of Christ to the virgin Mary

Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and born of her yet without sin. WSC #22

Front 25

Explain and defend the Virgin Birth.

Back 25

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Luke 1:26-38 Birth of Jesus foretold by Gabriel

WSC 22 - Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and born of her yet without sin. WSC #22

Front 26

Trace the revelation of the person and work of Christ from the beginning of the Old Testament.

Back 26

promised redeemer in Gen 3:15
roles of prophet, priest, and king
temple implements, sacrifices, and laws
Angel of the Lord - pre incarnations

Front 27

What is the humiliation of Christ?

Back 27

Christ’s humiliation consisted in being born and that in a low condition made under the law undergoing the miseries of this life the wrath of God and the cursed death of the cross, in being buried and continuing under the power of death for a time.” WSC #26

Front 28

Define and distinguish the active and passive obedience of Christ.

Back 28

Active = He fulfills the stipulations of the moral law in perfect obedience
Passive= He willingly undergoes the curses of the law for our sakes.

Front 29

What happened in the resurrection of Christ?

Back 29

Christ's exaltation -

which altogether consisteth in his rising again from the dead on the third day, in ascending up into heaven, in sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and in coming to judge the world at the last day. – WSC#28

Front 30

Discuss the “glorified body”

Back 30

the resurrected state whereby the body is animated and guided wholly by the Spirit, free from sinful inclinations, imperishable, glorious and powerful.

"made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity"

1 Cor 13:12 Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known

1 Th 4:17–18. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001),
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001),

Front 31

What are the offices of Christ?

Back 31

Christ, as our Redeemer, executeth the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation. WSC #23

Front 32

Who is the only redeemer of God’s elect?

Back 32

The only Redeemer of God's elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, for ever. -WSC 21

Front 33

What is a redeemer?

Back 33

Someone who buys back another from slavery or bondage of some sort.

Front 34

What is the atonement?

Back 34

Christ paying the penalty for our sin. He died my death and paid my debt.

Combines the images of justifying, reconciling, substituting, and assuaging God’s wrath.

Front 35

Was the atonement necessary?

Back 35

Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Rom 6:23 - wages of sin...)

2 Cor 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Gal 4:3-5 ... we were enslaved...God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Front 36

Why isn’t a good life enough to gain salvation?

Back 36

Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Rom 6:23 - wages of sin...)

Ephesians 2:1-10 - dead in trespasses and sins.... it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, not a result of works, so that no one may boast

Front 37

Define Expiation

Back 37

the act of making amends or reparation for guilt or wrongdoing; atonement

Front 38

Define Propitiation

Back 38

turn away/satisfy God’s wrath

Front 39

Define Reconciliation

Back 39

restoring alienated people back into fellowship

Front 40

Define Redemption

Back 40

to buy back at a price

Front 41

Define Imputation

Back 41

to reckon, to charge to one’s account. Christ’s righteousness is imputed to believers.

Front 42

What is the nature of the atonement?

Discuss “penal substitutionary atonement”.

Back 42

Satisfaction to God for the breaking of the law

Penal Substitution - law is broken, so there must be a punishment.

The fulfillment of the law is in Christ through His vicarious obedience (active and passive, progressive and climatic), which is accomplished by His work on the cross.

Atonement purifies the sinner - includes removal of guilt and sin, cleaning of heart and conscious before God.

Christ became sin for us that we may receive declaration of righteousness from God. - 2 Cor 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might
become the righteousness of God.

Gal 3:13-14 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Front 43

What of Christ’s work remains to be done?

Back 43

The calling of the elect to salvation, his second coming, and the subsequent judgement of all the nations.

Front 44

Were the Old Testament believers saved by Christ?

Back 44

Yes... Heb 10:1-4 the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities…

WCF 8.6 - Although the work of redemption was not actually wrought by Christ till after His incarnation, yet the virtue, efficacy, and benefits thereof were communicated unto the elect, in all ages successively from the beginning of the world....

Promise of the Redeemer looked forward to by OT saints as we look back at the cross

Front 45

Will any for whom Christ died be lost?

Back 45

WCF 8.8 - To all those for whom Christ hath purchased redemption, he doth certainly and effectually apply and communicate the same...

Jn 10:29 …My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand

Front 46

How is the Covenant of Grace related to the Abrahamic Covenant?

Back 46

The promised Redeemer (seed of Gen 3:15) is coming one step closer in the covenant with Abraham. God chooses one man to be the eventual father of the promised Redeemer, the scope of the covenant encompasses all nations (eventually), and the sign of circumcision is added to the covenant as a physical reminder of God’s faithfulness to his covenant.

Front 47

How is the Covenant of Grace related to the Mosaic Covenant?

Back 47

The stipulations of the law are given in great detail under this administration of the covenant, regarding sacrifice, worship, and community, as a response to the redemption God achieves on behalf of his people.

Front 48

How is the Covenant of Grace related to the Noahic Covenant?

Back 48

This administration of the covenant underscores God’s intention not to abandon the work of his hands but to sustain, preserve, and redeem his good creation through families, despite the ongoing presence of sin in the world.

Front 49

How does Christ execute the office of a prophet?

Back 49

Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation. WSC #24

Front 50

How does Christ execute the office of a priest?

Back 50

Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and reconcile us to God, and in making continual intercession for us. WSC #25

Front 51

How does Christ execute the office of a king?

Back 51

Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies. WSC #26

Front 52

What is Ransom Theory of Atonement?

Back 52

The earliest theory which claimed that Christ offered himself as a ransom (Mark 10:45).

It was not clear in its understanding of exactly to whom the ransom was paid. Many early church fathers viewed the ransom as paid to Satan.

Front 53

What is the Recapitulation Theory of Atonement?

Back 53

Originated with Irenaeus (125-202 AD).

Christ as the new Adam, who systematically undoes what Adam did. (ex. Adam was disobedient concerning God's edict concerning the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, Christ was obedient even to death on the wood of a tree).

Irenaeus is the first to draw comparisons between Eve and Mary, contrasting the faithlessness of the former with the faithfulness of the latter.

In addition to reversing the wrongs done by Adam, Irenaeus thinks of Christ as "recapitulating" or "summing up" human life.

Front 54

What is the the Satisfaction (or Commercial) Theory of Atonement?

Back 54

Originated with Anselm of Canterbury

God's offended honor and dignity could only be satisfied by the sacrifice of the God-man, Jesus Christ.

Anselm offered compelling biblical evidence that the atonement was not a ransom paid by God to the devil but rather a debt paid to God on behalf of sinners.

Anselm's work established a foundation for the Protestant Reformation, specifically the understanding of justification by faith

Front 55

What is the Penal-Substitution Theory of Atonement?

Back 55

Christ died for man, in man's place, taking his sins and bearing them for him. The bearing of man's sins takes the punishment for them and sets the believer free from the penal demands of the law: The righteousness of the law and the holiness of God are satisfied by this substitution.

This is an extension of Anselm's Satisfaction theory which introduced the satisfaction aspect of Christ's work and its necessity; however, the Reformers saw it as insufficient because it was referenced to God's honor rather than his justice and holiness and was couched more in terms of a commercial transaction than a penal substitution.

Front 56

What is the Moral Example Theory of Atonement?

Back 56

Formulated by Peter Abalard, partially in reaction against Anselm's Satisfaction theory, this view was held by the 16th century Socinians.

Christ died to influence mankind toward moral improvement.

This theory denies that Christ died to satisfy any principle of divine justice, but teaches instead that His death was designed to greatly impress mankind with a sense of God's love, resulting in softening their hearts and leading them to repentance.

In this theory, the Atonement is not directed towards God with the purpose of maintaining His justice, but towards man with the purpose of persuading him to right action.