1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 2: Paragraph 3: The Trinity: Part Five
OUTLINE Union Communion INTRODUCTION Today we want to conclude our look at the doctrine of the Trinity. There are many aspects of the doctrine we have not explored. This is indeed one of the deepest doctrines we could ever hope to encounter as we are dealing with the triune nature of God. There are complexities here which can occupy the Christian for eternity. But we want to look at the practical value of this doctrine before we leave it. The doctrine of the Trinity is not just a mystery to occupy the intellectually curious, not it is the very...
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1689 Baptist Confession Chap. 2: Para. 3: The Trinity: Part Four
OUTLINE The name of the Son The Begotten-ness of the Son The descriptions of the Son INTRODUCTION As we are coming to grips with the confessions teaching on the Trinity, we have had to go back in time to the councils of Nicea and Constantinople. We have had to learn about Arius and Athanasius, the Cappadocian Fathers and the Pneumatomachians. We have had to learn some big words like homoousios meaning same substance. The 1689 which is the longest statement on the Trinity in the 17th century has packed all the good stuff from these early creeds into one...
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Chap. 2: Para: 3: The Trinity: Part Three
OUTLINE Nicea Constantinople INTRODUCTION For those who suffer from technologophobia (the fear of technical terms); or those those who suffer from disconeologophobia (the fear of learning new words); or who have Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia (the fear of long words), today is going to be a living nightmare. We come to one of the most important teachings in the Bible, the Trinitarian nature of our God and this is an area where we are stretched to the ends of human language and conception to articulate what we understand the bible to be saying. I know there is a reactionary attitude that thinks...
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Chapter 2: Paragraph 3: The Trinity: Part Two
OUTLINE The divinity of the Son The divinity of the Spirit INTRODUCTION We continue with the doctrine of the Trinity. Last week we made a beginning at looking at the biblical data establishing that in both the OT and the NT there is a very clear plurality of persons that is presented to us in the form of progressive revelation. We recognized that the Bible does not present the evidence of God’s nature in a textbook form but because each part is God’s word and we cannot make God a liar who contradicts Himself we take all the data...
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1689 London Baptist Confession Chapter 2 Paragraph 3: The Trinity: Part One
OUTLINE Plurality of persons Divinity of persons INTRODUCTION We come now to the glorious doctrine of the Trinity. The 1689 out of the 3 confessions of this era is the fullest in what it says. ‘In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word or Son, and Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided: the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son; all infinite, without beginning, therefore but one God, who is not...
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Luke 2:39-52: The Childhood of Jesus
‘Who am I?’ a basic question that all of us have struggled to answer. For many of us this has been a tremendous struggle, for those brought up in a Christian home and taught a biblical worldview, you have been saved from unnecessary confusion in so many areas. Many today think they are nothing more than evolved apes; others are experiencing gender dysphoria; many are struggling with basic questions about what career they should do, what do they like and want to pursue, etc. My own personal time of crisis with all of these questions were my teenage years,...
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Contradictions in the Bible
Nearly anyone you speak to today will say that the Bible is full of contradictions, therefore it cannot be a solid basis upon which to build our faith in God. I suggest that anytime someone says this ask them for one example, it will probably be the case that they are repeating something that they have heard and not something that they have established by their own research. This will be our last study in apologetics in this series. Next week we will begin a series through the minor prophet, Jonah. There are many different types of apparent contradictions...
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Jesus Christ as an argument for Christianity
Introduction: One of the greatest proofs of the truthfulness of Christianity is Jesus Christ Himself. Once at a dinner party on St Helena Napoleon was part of a discussion on who Jesus Christ was. He sat silently while everyone else shared their opinions. Some thought him man others thought Him God, at the end of it all Napoleon declared, ‘I know men, and Jesus was no man.’ He is considered to be the most influential person in history. One author highlights the following: ‘We have no record of his date of birth, yet all the world’s chronology is linked...
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Romans 12:12: Suffering Survival Kit
Outline Rejoice in hope Patient in tribulation Constant in prayer Introduction ‘But man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward,’ these are the famous words of Job 5:7. Suffering is the inevitable portion of every child of Adam. This suffering is a result of the fall, all of God’s creation was put under the curse but a promise was given of a Saviour who would make all things new. In the OT when God wanted to point forward to that New Creation He would suspend some of the effects of the fall. He did this for the...
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Review of the Trinity
Introduction As you will know Mike Beck and I have recently been to India to teach at the Coonoor Theological Studies group that happens every year. It was a great time and we taught on theological topics. Mike taught on the Two Adams examining the covenantal structure of revelation. I taught on the Trinity. The teachings were very well received and I wanted to share with you just two parts of the teaching which I thought helped the students the most. I hope these will refresh and clarify this wonderful doctrine for you as well. The error triangle Let’s...
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Revelation 1:4-6: The God of the suffering Church
Introduction: One of the most important lessons from the Psalms is that one of our biggest needs when suffering is worship. When we are down and out, when we are depressed and surrounded we need a vision, a reminder, the conviction of who our God is and His goodness towards us. If you page through the Psalms even when the psalmist is going through great trials there is worship. A meditation upon God and His work. Psalm 33 is a wonderful example of this. We can see by the last verse in the psalm that the psalmist is writing...
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