Chapter 58. Of the Application of Predestination.
WILLIAM PERKINS
Chapter 58. Of the Application of Predestination.
The right applying of Predestination to the persons of men is very necessary, and it has two parts: The first is the judgment of particular predestination, the second is the use of it.
The judgment and discerning of man's own predestination, is to be performed by means of these rules which follow.
I. The Elect alone, and all those who are elect, not only may be, but also in God's good time, are sure of election in Christ to eternal life. 1Cor 2.12; 2Cor 13.5.
II. They do not have this knowledge from the first causes of Election, but rather from the last effects of it; and these are especially two: The testimony of God's
Spirit, Rom 8.16; and the works of Sanctification, 2Pet 1.10.
III. If any doubt this testimony, it will appear to them whether it comes from the Spirit of God, or their own carnal presumption.
First, by a full persuasion which they will have of it; for the Holy Ghost will not barely say it, but will persuade them that they are the children of God — which the flesh cannot in any way do.
Secondly, by the manner of persuasion; for the Holy Ghost does not draw reasons from the works or worthiness of man, but from God's favour and love. And this kind of persuasion is far different from that which Satan uses.
Thirdly, by the effects of that testimony; for if the persuasion arises from presumption, it is a dead persuasion. But contrarily, it is most lively and stirring if it comes from the Holy Ghost. For those who are
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persuaded that they are elected, and adopted children of God, will love God; they will trust in Him; and they will call upon Him with their whole heart.
IV. If the testimony of God's Spirit is not so powerful in the Elect, then they may judge their election by that other effect of the Holy Ghost: namely, Sanctification — just as we judge by heat that there is a fire, when we cannot see the flame itself.
V. And of all the effects of Sanctification, these are the most notable:
To feel our wants, and in bitterness of heart, to bewail the offence against God in every sin.
To strive against the flesh; that is, to resist, and to hate the ungodly motions of it, and with grief to think them onerous and troublesome.
To desire earnestly and vehemently the grace of God, and merit of Christ, to obtain eternal life.
When it is obtained, to account it a most precious jewel, Phi 3.8. [Mat 13.46]
To love the minister of God's word, in that he is a minister, and a Christian, in that he is a Christian, and for that cause, if need requires it, to be ready to spend our blood with them. Mat 10.39-41; 1Joh 3.16.
To call upon God earnestly, and with tears.
To desire and love Christ's coming, and the Day of Judgment, that an end may be made of the days of sin.
To flee all occasions of sin, and to seriously endeavour to come to newness of life.
To persevere in these things to the last gasp of life.
Luther has a good sentence for this purpose: He that would serve God must believe what cannot be seen, hope for what is deferred, and love God when he shows himself an enemy; and thus remain to the end.
WILLIAM PERKINS
VI. Now, if it is so that all the effects of the Spirit are very feeble in the godly, they must know this: that God tests them. Yet they must not be dismayed by this, because it is most sure that if they have faith as much as a grain of mustard seed, and are as weak as a young infant, it is sufficient to ingraft them into Christ. And therefore, they must not doubt their election, just because they feel that their faith is feeble, and the effects of the Holy Ghost are faint within them.
VII. Nor should someone who has not yet felt in his heart any of these effects, quickly conclude that he is a Reprobate. But rather, let him use the word of God, and the Sacraments, that he may have an inward sense of the power of Christ drawing him to Him, and an assurance of his redemption by Christ's death and passion.
VIII. No man may peremptorily set down that he or any other is a reprobate. For God oftentimes prefers those who seemed to be most of all estranged from His favour, to be in His kingdom above those who in man's judgment, were the children of the Kingdom. This is why Christ says, The Publicans and harlots go before you; Mat 21.31 and many a one is called at the eleventh hour, Mat 20.9 as appears by that notable example of the thief on the cross. Luk 23.43
The uses which may be made of this Doctrine of Predestination are very many.
First, for our instruction, we are taught these things:
I. That there is neither any justification by works, nor any works of ours, that are meritorious. For Election is by the free grace of God; and therefore,
Justification is likewise. For, as I said before, the cause of the cause, is the cause of the thing caused. And for this reason, in the work of salvation, grace wholly challenges all to itself. Rom 11.5, At this time there is a remnant through the election of grace. 2Tim 1.9, Who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own
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purpose and grace, which was given to us through Christ Jesus before the world was. Phi 1.29, To you it is given for Christ, that not only should you believe in him, but also suffer for his sake. Rom 3.24, We are justified freely by grace. Tit 3.5, Not by the works of righteousness which we had done, but according to His mercy He saved us. Eze 36.27, I will cause you to walk in my statutes. Rom 6.23, The gift of God is eternal life.
II. That Astrology, teaching what men will be by forecasting nativities, is ridiculous and impious. This is because it determines what such men will be like in life and conduct, whom God in His predestination has made unlike. Jacob and Esau, born of the same parents, and almost in the same moment of time (for Jacob held Esau by the heel as he was born) were of most unlike dispositions, and had diverse events [in their lives]. We may see the same thing in twins and others who are born at the same time.
III. That God is most wise, omnipotent, and merciful.
Rom 11.33, O the wonderful riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! Eph 1.5,
Who has predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.
Secondly, being the servants of Christ, we are admonished, I. To fight against all doubting and diffidence about our salvation, because neither depends on works, nor faith,
but upon God's decree, which is immutable.
Luk 10.20, Rejoice that your names are written in the Book of Life. Rom 8.33-34, Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's chosen? It is God that justifies; who shall condemn? 2Tim 2.19,
This teaches us that the anchor of hope must be fixed in the truth, and in the stability of the immutable good pleasure of God.
So that, even if our faith is so tossed that it is in danger of shipwreck, nevertheless, it must never sink to the bottom; but even in the midst of danger, let it
WILLIAM PERKINS
take hold upon repentance, as on a board, and so recover itself.
II. To humble our souls under the mighty hand of God. For we are as clay in the hand of the Potter, Rom
9.21. Through infidelity they are broken off; but you stand through faith. Do not be high minded, but fear.
III. To give all glory to God. 2Th 2.13, We ought to give thanks always to God for you brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation.
IV. To bear crosses patiently. Rom 8.29. Those whom He knew before, He has also predestined to be made like unto the image of His Son. This likeness to Christ is in bearing afflictions. Phi 3.10, That I may know Him, and the virtue of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His afflictions, to be made conformable to His death.
V. To do good works. Eph 2.10, We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God has ordained, that we should walk in them.
This much concerning Theology.
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Notes 1. See the chart on the previous page. ↩ 2. Everything is caused by something prior to itself; following that train of regression, everything leads back to a first cause of all things. God is more than a first cause, but He is at least a first cause. Hence Paul's observation, "For since the creation of the world, what is invisible is clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and divinity, so that they are without excuse…" (Rom 1:20) Apart from God's special revelation in His word, we may not know God's true nature, nor His Plan of Salvation, but we should all know that there is a God; and we can learn much about our Creator, from His creation. ↩ 3. El Shaddai – almighty. ↩ 4. Perhaps this should be tied to Luke 17.29-30, "but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed." ↩ 5. From the Nicene Creed, 325 AD; or "true God of true God." ↩
6. A "second cause" is an intervening cause of something. If you drop an egg and it breaks, the primary cause is gravity; secondary causes include dropping it, a hard floor, fragile shell, etc. Whether things happen by necessity or contingency ("for lack of a nail, the kingdom was lost"), they're all secondary to God's will — even chance and probability. ↩
7. Act 17:3 …explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead. Joh 10:17-18 Therefore My
Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. Orig.
Mat 25.39 ("when did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?"). ↩ 8. Orig. "at his will." The Greek is eis, meaning "unto" or "for." –
WHG ↩ 9. Act 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; Act 4:27-28 For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius
Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. ↩
WILLIAM PERKINS
10. A concave mirror, magnifying glass, or other glass lens, which focuses the rays of the sun on a select spot. ↩
11. The Greek is clear that they were not made out of pre-existing matter, which God merely made visible. He made them ex nihilo, out of nothing (Gen 1.1-2). "I beseech you, my son, look upon heaven and earth, and all that is in them: and consider that God made them out of nothing, and mankind also (2Macc 7:28 DRA) ↩
12. 2Co 12:4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. ↩
13. That is, wisdom is a tree of life, Pro 3.13. ↩ 14. Commination: a threat of divine punishment or vengeance. ↩
15. That is, not only is our nature sinful, but all its fruits thereby become tainted and sinful (all our thoughts, words, and deeds).
We call this "pervasive depravity." Perkins will address this in Chapter 12 below. – WHG ↩ 16. Orig. "rather miraculously…" ↩ 17. Adam is our federal head. Therefore, first, his act of sin is our act of sin: it is imputed to us. It follows, secondly, that the guilt of his original sin is likewise imputed to us, as his progeny.
Thirdly, sin is propagated to his progeny. This will be explained in the next chapter, on Original Sin. ↩ 18. Gen 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ↩ 19. He refers here to chap. 10: propagation is either positive (by our nature), or privative (lacking His Spirit). ↩
20. Contemn: to look down on with disdain; despise. ↩ 21. Inescation: an obsolete term meaning the act of baiting or alluring. ↩ 22. Gen 3.17 Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. ↩ 23. Gen 3.7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. ↩ 24. Orig. astonying: being stunned, paralysed, astounded, or bewildered. ↩ 25. Rom 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. ↩
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26. Jer 24:9 'I will deliver them to trouble into all the kingdoms of the earth, for their harm, to be a reproach and a byword, a taunt and a curse, in all places where I shall drive them. ↩
27. Passion here means physical affliction. ↩ 28. In human form, Jesus could only be in one place at a time.
Hence the need to send his Spirit to live in us: that through his people, Christ would no longer be restricted, but goes wherever his people go, and does whatever his people do. "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me," etc. – Gal 2.20. This how we do "greater things" than he did (Joh 14.12). They're not better or more powerful things; they are simply more extensive in scope (as to time and place). – WHG ↩ 29.
Council of Chalcedon, 451:
Communicatio Idiomatum (Communion of Properties) was the answer to combining Divine and Human natures in one Person (a dual nature, not two natures). Each "form" of Christ, as God and human, operates in communion. Each carries out its own activities, but only while in communion with the other. ↩ 30. This isn't quite the perpetual virginity of Mary, taught by Roman Catholics; it is perpetual celibacy after Christ's birth.
AND YET: "Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You." (Mar
3:31-32) "Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?"
(Mat 13:55) His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. (Joh 7:3) — WHG ↩
31. God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods. (Psa 82:1) ↩ 32. The Hebrew is kopher; a ransom to satisfy a debt. Because the ransom is paid, reconciliation results. ↩
33. The Greek is hilasterion, a propitiation or appeasement to satisfy God's wrath; reconciliation results. ↩
34. This predates William Harvey (1578-1657), considered to be the first modern English physician. Harvey was still a student at Padua in Italy when Perkins wrote this. Columbus is apparently unknown today. – WHG ↩ 35. And He said to her, "What do you wish?" She said to Him,
"Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom." (Mat 20:21) ↩
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36. The Greek is antilempsis: to lay hold of; to apprehend or perceive something — i.e., to see a need and meet it. ↩
37. To attest to others. ↩ 38. Affiance is defined above, previous page. It is a pledge of faithfulness and trust. ↩ 39. Mal 1:2, 3 "I have loved you," says the LORD. "Yet you say, 'In what way have You loved us?' Was not Esau Jacob's brother?"
Says the LORD. "Yet Jacob I have loved; But Esau I have hated…" ↩ 40. On page 19, Perkins translated it as we have it, "My punishment is greater than I can bear." The Hebrew is avon, which can mean either iniquity, or its punishment. The Douay-Rheims (1582) matches the wording here. ↩
41. … for it does not submit to the law of God. ↩ 42. Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living
God. ↩ 43. Epiphanius of Salamis (c.310-403) bishop of Salamis, Cyprus, at the end of the 4th century. ↩ 44. Historiae Ecclesiasticae Tripartitae Epitome, compiled about 510. This abridged history of the early Christian Church is known as the Tripartite History; it was the standard manual of Church history in Medieval Europe. ↩ 45. Col 2:23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. ↩
46. Mendicant monks begged for food and funds, living on the charity of others. – WHG ↩ 47. Originally, "parratour" [parrator, or parator] – one who administers an oath at a Bishop's visitation, and warns the churchwardens (who help a parish priest with his secular duties), and sidemen (ushers) of their duties. HJF Swayne,
Churchwardens' Accounts of S. Edmund & S. Thomas, Sarum, 1443-1702 (Salisbury, 1895), pp. xiv, xxxix. ↩
48. That is, secret knowledge or incantations. ↩ 49. Legerdemain: deceit; an illusory feat considered magical by naive observers. ↩ 50. Deu 18:10 "There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer [poel: one who brings the clouds], etc. ↩
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51. Mat 6:17-18 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. ↩ 52. 2Chr19:2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, "should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Therefore the wrath of the LORD is upon you." ↩ 53. Mal 2:11 Judah has dealt treacherously, And an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem, For Judah has profaned The LORD'S holy institution which He loves: He has married the daughter of a foreign god. ↩
54. Fond: here it means foolish, trivial, thoughtless. ↩ 55. Job 3:1 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. Jer 15:10 Woe is me, my mother, That you have borne me, A man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent for interest, Nor have men lent to me for interest. Every one of them curses me. ↩
56. Deu 18:10-12 "There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 "or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 "For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. ↩ 57. That is, forecasting a favorable birth by the alignment of the stars and planets. ↩ 58. Isaac Newton was not yet born, and wouldn't publish his
Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, till 1687. ↩ 59. That is, looking to the alignment of stars and planets to determine the most favorable time to do something. ↩
60. Horoscope: a diagram of the positions of the planets and signs of the zodiac at a particular time and place. ↩
61. Num 25:11 "Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal. ↩
62. Asseveration: an emphatic declaration, made as if no supporting evidence were necessary. ↩ 63. 1Co 15:31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ
Jesus our Lord, I die daily. ↩
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64. Jos 22:29 "Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn from following the LORD this day, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of the LORD our God which is before His tabernacle." ↩ 65. 1Sam 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. ↩
66. Heb 4:8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. ↩
67. Speaking of an offering to be delivered to the needy saints in Jerusalem. ↩ 68. The Hebrew is "mish-bath" – like "shab-bath," it is a cessation.
↩ 69. God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods [elohim, or judges]. (Psa 82:1) ↩
70. That is, Abimelech was a title, not a name. ↩ 71. Salute: a sign of honoring or commending someone – in this case, by asking for their blessing, or counsel. ↩
72. 1Co 12:21-25 And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." 22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. 23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, 24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, 25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. ↩
73. Job 31:13-14 If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me, 14 What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer
Him? ↩ 74. Tit 2:4-7 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. 6 Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded, 7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility. ↩ 75. Pro 20:30 Blows that hurt cleanse away evil, As do stripes, the inner depths of the heart. ↩
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76. Eye-service: obeying only when being watched. ↩ 77. A piker doesn't do his fair share, taking what isn't earned; this includes pilfering and embezzling. ↩ 78. 1Pet 2:20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. ↩
79. Act 4:19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. ↩ 80. Mat 15:5 "But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother,
"Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- 6 'then he need not honor his father or mother.' ↩
81. 1Tim 5:4 But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God. ↩
82. Sitting down: seeking a position of honor, in effect a throne, above others. ↩ 83. Dan 3:28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! ↩
84. Naughty: Evil, wicked, morally reprehensible. The term is now used primarily in jest, as if winking at sin. ↩
85. Rom 12.3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. ↩ 86. Synecdoche: substituting a more inclusive term for a less inclusive one, or vice versa – as in "fifty head of cattle." ↩
87. Orig., "casting a man's sins in his teeth." ↩ 88. Emulations: contests, i.e., attempts to outdo one another. ↩
89. It was the practice during Perkins' time, to award benefices (paid positions in the church, overseeing a given parish). Often it was paid for by a benefactor – a politically connected and powerful individual – and awarded to a clergyman as a favor. A clergyman might be granted a number of such benefices, thus accumulating substantial personal wealth. But there was no requirement to be physically present in that parish. That imposed a greater burden on those who were in fact present there. They needed assistance; and such assistance had been funded; but the one filling the position was not actually available
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to work in that parish. Perkins is denouncing the practice as unbiblical. – WHG ↩ 90. Eze 34:4 "The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. Eze 34:18 "Is it not enough for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture-- and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet? ↩ 91. Lev 19:17 You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. ↩ 92. Their father was Terah, so that their god was not the true God.
It was the god or gods that Terah, Nahor, and Abraham worshipped while idolaters; Laban continued to worship them.
Jos 24:15 "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River... But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." ↩
93. That is, you can exercise prudence without doubting God (Mat 4.6-7). The fact of fleeing isn't proof of distrust. ↩
94. Fleeing is not itself an offense; it must be taken as an offense by those remaining, as if it is their right to keep you. ↩
95. All of us have levels of responsibility to others. The first level is family; the second level is community. If there are those who have a higher level of responsibility for someone than you do, you are free to meet your own responsibilities. ↩
96. Concupiscence: a desire for sexual intimacy; or an inordinate or misplaced desire. ↩ 97. That is, during her menstrual period. ↩
98. Hebrew niddah, impurity or quarantine; as distinct from a sickness (Heb. choliy) ↩ 99. Chambering: euphemism for taking someone to bed; "sleeping around." ↩ 100. Strumpet: a promiscuous or disreputable woman. ↩
101. Giglot: giddy (impulsive), unfaithful, wanton (unrestrained). ↩ 102. 1Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe
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and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; ↩
103. Mal 3:8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. ↩ 104. Socrates of Constantinople (c. 380-439); also known as Socrates Scholasticus — a 5th-century church historian, and contemporary of Sozomen and Theodoret. His History covers the years 305 to 439, but was not compiled until 510. ↩
105. Joh 6:12 He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost." ↩
106. Jubilee occurred every fifty years. It required that any property that had been leased or purchased during that time, be returned to the original owner, as his birthright or inheritance.
This ensured the allotment of the Promised Land remained under each Tribe. Meanwhile, the lease or purchase price was proportionate to the number of years remaining till Jubilee. If a lot of years remained, the property had a higher price, and vice versa. – WHG ↩ 107. This is an unusual standard. Instead of basing interest on time of use, it looks at the return on investment – the profit gained over the lending period. The borrower is to share his increase with the lender. ↩ 108. In other words, you have no obligation to sell at a loss, merely to benefit the other party. ↩ 109. In the law, this is called a warrant of merchantability: that the goods are as advertised, and do what they should. ↩
110. Pro 22:26 Do not be one of those who shakes hands in a pledge, One of those who is surety for debts; ↩
111. Flatterings: tempting tidbits that we're inclined to swallow. ↩ 112. NLT Pro 27:14 A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse! ↩ 113. Gal 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. ↩
114. Here it means any sinful desire for what belongs to another. ↩ 115. That is, coveting is what goes on in our heart, and has not yet led to acting upon it. The wrongful desire is the sin. ↩
116. If there is intent to do harm, and it progresses to planning that harm, even if caught before the act, it is unlawful. ↩
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117. Col 3:5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ↩ 118. Jas 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. ↩ 119. Eph 4:23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; ↩
120. 2Cor 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ↩
121. Heb 12:18-21 For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. 20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: "And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow."
And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.") ↩ 122. Rom 4:11 "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised." – That is, at the point when he was circumcised.
Therefore, his faith preceded his circumcision. ↩ 123. There is a comma strategically placed after "converted."
Rightly using the sacraments does not convert. Rather, having been converted, rightly using the sacraments confirms it; having been converted, rightly using the sacraments imparts the graces of Christ — by faith. Hence, the sacraments are a means of grace, not a cause of salvation. – WHG ↩
124. Children of believing parents indirectly partake of (or benefit by) the covenant blessings their parents enjoy. They are instructed in the ways of Christ. However, though partaking of the covenant blessings, they are not justified by baptism
(contrary to the Roman Catholic doctrine of baptismal regeneration). We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, personally attested. And yet, Christ died for all the elect, so that none of them should be lost (Joh 6.39). That includes those dying in infancy, with or without baptism. Baptism does not save; it is a sign of the Covenant Promise. This is handled more at length in chapter 35. — WHG ↩
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125. Being "sanctified," or set apart, or dedicated to holy ends, is not equivalent to being justified. ↩ 126. Rom 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. ↩ 127. Joh 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ↩ 128. The term "transubstantiated" became orthodoxy in 1215 at the 4th Lateran Council. ↩ 129. In other words, Christ has ascended and sits at the right hand of God the Father, until He returns in glory to judge the earth.
He is no longer here in any form, but only by His Spirit whom He sent when he ascended. (Joh 16.7) – WHG ↩
130. In any physical form, He cannot be in two places at once. ↩ 131. Joh 6:54-56 "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. Verses
63-64 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.
The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. "But there are some of you who do not believe." ↩
132. Rom 8:30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. 1Cor 1:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. ↩
133. Eph 2:22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. ↩ 134. Joined with Joh 15.5-10, the sense is that, by abiding in Christ
(abiding in His love and in obedience to his commands), we eat his flesh and drink his blood — for his words (his commands) are spirit and they are life (Joh 6.63). – WHG ↩
135. "Public man" is a technical term. Jesus Christ did not come as a "private man" to act and live for himself; rather he is a "public man" – a representative and agent of the elect. Just as "in Adam" we all died, "in Christ" we all live, by faith (Rom 5.12-21). This is federal headship, by which our sins are imputed to him, to be atoned for by him, on our behalf. This is why he is called the Son of Man (Mat 20.28); He is our Surety (Heb 7.22). Likewise, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, because He is also the Son of God (Joh 3.18), perfect in all His ways; and we are united
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to Him (made one with him) by the Spirit of God, through faith (Joh 17.21-22; 1Cor 12.13). This is what makes us heirs and co-heirs with Him (Rom 8.17), and members of His body (1Cor
6.15; Eph 5.30), both figuratively and truly. – WHG ↩ 136. Humors: in the Middle Ages, these were thought to be four fluids in the body, whose balance determined our emotional and physical state, but they were not themselves part of our body. ↩
137. Mollify: cause to be more favorably inclined. Here it refers to regeneration, the enlivening of the faculties. ↩
138. Bowels: in Middle English, the core of their being; their innermost parts. ↩ 139. Joh 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. ↩ 140. 2Cor 1:22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. ↩ 141. Joh 6:35 And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. Joh 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. ↩ 142. Rom 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law?
Of works? No, but by the law of faith. ↩ 143. Mat 17:5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Hear Him!" 1Joh 3:23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ... ↩
144. In other words, just because Christ suffered, that doesn't keep us from suffering, though it is for different reasons. By the same reasoning, just because Christ obeyed, that doesn't keep us from obeying, though for different reasons. ↩
145. Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." ↩ 146. 2Cor 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. ↩
147. Job 33:24-25 Then He is gracious to him, and says, 'Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom;' His flesh shall be young like a child's, He shall return to the days of his youth. ↩
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148. 1Th 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom
7:15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ↩ 149. 1Cor 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ↩ 150. Legal contrition: sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation for breaking the law of God. ↩ 151. 1Joh 3:10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. ↩
152. This seems out of context for what Perkins intends. Paul is soliciting funds from Corinth to support the church at Jerusalem.
They are to give from what they have, and not beyond what they have. He's not asking them to disadvantage themselves to help others. Perkins is suggesting that any remedy requires a practical, not an impractical sacrifice. 1Joh 3:17 But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? ↩
153. Act 16:14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. ↩
154. Psa 26:6 I will wash my hands in innocence; So I will go about Your altar, O LORD. ↩ 155. Act 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" ↩ 156. A mysterious "sweating" plague swept through England in the early 1500s. The symptoms were described by physician John
Caius and others: it began with a sense of apprehension, followed by cold shivers, giddiness, headache, and severe pains in the neck, shoulders and limbs. After the cold stage, lasting from half an hour to three hours, the hot and sweating stage followed. The characteristic sweat broke out suddenly, with a sense of heat, headache, delirium, rapid pulse, and intense thirst. In the final stages, there was an irresistible urge to sleep.
↩ 157. Rom 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. Luk 16:10 "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 1Cor 6:2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will
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be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? ↩ 158. Eph 4:1 …walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. ↩ 159. Mat 23:12 "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. 1Pet 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. ↩ 160. Phi 2.5-8 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ
Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation... He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ↩ 161. 2Sam 7:14 "I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. ↩ 162. Col 1:24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church. ↩ 163. Psa 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. ↩ 164. This 1600 edition was missing a portion of the verse. It is supplied from the 1616 edition. – WHG ↩ 165. Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. ↩ 166. Modern translations: "and not bear sin because of him;" i.e., not join or aid him in sin by your silence. ↩
167. Rom 8:30 Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. ↩ 168. Sanctified, here, means set aside or purged (removed), perhaps referring to Act 2.26-28 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. 27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.' John Owen later described this as, "The Death of Death in the Death of Christ." ↩
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169. Phi 1:12 But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel; ↩ 170. 2Cor 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ↩ 171. 1Cor 15:45 "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. ↩
172. The reformers rejected this Catholic doctrine as Arminian heresy. It asserts that God's sovereignty is subject to man's free will. And so, what it proposes is a false gospel. ↩
173. In Roman Catholic doctrine, a venial sin (as opposed to one of the seven mortal sins), is a pardonable sin. It is regarded as entailing only a partial loss of grace – as though grace were a commodity to be weighed and offered to God on one's own behalf to merit salvation, or rewards, or amelioration of sin. It is a doctrine of works and personal merit. There is no good news in any of this, no true Gospel of Jesus Christ. – WHG ↩
174. In other words, a Christian can never know whether he is saved or not; there is no assurance of salvation. He may strive a lifetime to save himself through his works and the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church, and never be free of the debt of sin, or his fear of hell; never actually realize the joy of salvation. –
WHG ↩ 175. Obduration: being intractable and indifferent toward sin; hard-hearted; stubbornly impenitent. ↩ 176. Roberto Bellarmine (1542-1621) – Jesuit cardinal and theologian. He supported the decrees of the Council of Trent. He was involved in Galileo's trial, and in the trial of Fulgenzio
Manfredi, who was tried by the Roman Inquisition, declared a relapsed heretic, and sentenced to be burnt at the stake.
Bellarmine staunchly defended these doctrines. ↩ 177. Contumacy: obstinate rebelliousness and insubordination; here, resistance to God's authority. ↩ 178. 2Th 2:13 …because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. ↩ 179. Eph 1:4, 9 He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world… 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself; ↩
180. Rom 9:16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. ↩
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181. Baptism is the sign of faith in the NT, corresponding to circumcision in the OT (Col 2.11). ↩ 182. Eph 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Col 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. ↩ 183. Eph 2:2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience; Rom 6:17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. ↩ 184. Evangelical obedience: obedience performed with a heart transformed by the Gospel. It is not done to obtain salvation, but rather, in response to having obtained it by God's grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. It refers to our personal righteousness (i.e., our godliness), as distinct from the imputed righteousness of Christ. – WHG ↩ 185. Patient: a passive entity that is not the agent, but is directly involved in or affected by the active agent. ↩
186. Luk 12:29 "And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind." ↩
187. Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God; Gal 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out,
"Abba, Father!" ↩ 188. Sophistry: making a deliberately invalid argument, with ingenuity in reasoning, but hoping to deceive. ↩
189. Aristotle claims four causes are needed to explain change in the world. These causes are material, formal, efficient, and final.
The material cause is what something is made of. The formal cause is either what makes a form singular; or what exemplifies it, like a concept in the mind which gives rise to that form. The efficient cause is what actually produces it. The final cause is why efficient causes do what they do, and why formal causes do what they do – it concerns purpose and meaning. So, carving a statue of a king begins in the sculptor's mind (formal cause), requires a block of marble (material cause), physically carving it with hammer and chisel (efficient cause), to honor the king (its final cause). – WHG ↩ 190. Rom 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous. ↩
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191. 2Cor 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. ↩
192. Isa 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. ↩
193. "Sanctified" does not mean without sin. At the instant of our justification, we are objectively sanctified in the sight of God; i.e., we are accounted perfectly holy in Christ; that's a one-time event. But we are subjectively and progressively sanctified in this life: we're increasingly conformed to the spiritual reality
(Rom 6.6; Eph 4.20-24; Col 3.9-10). — WHG ↩ 194. It may be said that salvation rests on two pillars: justification, and sanctification; you can't have one without the other.
Justification is from God alone; but sanctification is cooperative (Col 1.29). Faith is all we need to be justified; but faithful works offer hope (a firm expectation) of sanctification. – WHG ↩
195. Metonymy: substituting the name of an attribute for the thing itself (as in 'they counted heads'). ↩ 196. Here is a basis for many holding a bipartite view of mankind, that we are body (carnal) and soul (spirit). Others hold a tripartite view, that we are body (soma), soul (psuche), and spirit
(pneuma). Bipartites equate the soul with the spirit. The Greek psuche means breath, or life. The word pneuma means the immaterial essence of someone, or what moves us. It's akin to our personality, as when Christ said that John the Baptist was "of the spirit of Elijah." (Luk 1.17) To complicate matters, the body
(soma) is distinguished from the flesh (sarx): Joh 1.14, "the Word became flesh" (sarx). Yet sarx also describes our earthly nature, a constant summons to gratify its desires (Rom 7.18). — WHG ↩
197. We have a righteousness (Perkins calls it justice) which comes from God by faith, satisfying His justice. We are therefore declared just, or righteous. Phi 3:9, and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. ↩ 198. 1Joh 3:23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. ↩ 199. Puritan John Owen would later say that election is not a necessary part of the Gospel call. It is enough to believe that Christ died for sinners, and that we are a sinner. This was true of the crowd at Pentecost, the robber on the cross, the jailer, the centurion Cornelius, etc. In the 2nd part of his answer, Perkins equates election with assurance of salvation. The logic is simple:
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we believe that Christ is our Lord and Saviour, and therefore we are elect (see III). – WHG ↩ 200. Perkins is pointing out that evangelical obedience assures us of our salvation, without a special revelation from God. We obey out of faith, in thanksgiving for the justification we've already received. Yet, works of obedience are visible evidences of our faith, and therefore of our justification. Works alone do not and cannot justify; nor alone are they a sure proof of justification.
Combined with faith, however, they can assure us of our justification. – WHG ↩ 201. Joh 6:35, 37 "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 37
"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me..." ↩ 202. Etethesan – placed or affixed. ↩ 203. Literally, pre-written or pre-recorded. ↩
204. If we're predestined to be saved in Christ, Christ is predestined to save us. Rom 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Eph 1:5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will… ↩
205. 1Pet 2:8 "A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. ↩ 206. Psa 78:36-37 Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth, And they lied to Him with their tongue; 37 For their heart was not steadfast with Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant. ↩ 207. 1Tim 1:19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck. ↩
208. Mat 12:31 Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. ↩ 209. Oppugn: to challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of something. ↩ 210. Mat 12:32 "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. Joh 3:2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." ↩
211. Dilection: delight in or lovingkindness towards someone. ↩
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212. That is, He loves them for the purposes for which He created them. He created some for destruction (Rom 9.22). ↩
213. Mat 25:32-34, 41 32 "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 "And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world… 41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." ↩
214. Col 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. ↩
215. In other words, hell would be empty. But it is not empty, nor is it an empty threat: Mat 5.29; Joh 17.12; Luk 12.5. ↩
216. Rom 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. ↩
217. Rom 5:18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one
Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous. ↩ 218. Eph 2:2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. Joh 8:42, 44
Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me… "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. ↩
219. 2Pet 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. ↩
220. That is, men can only judge externals; only God judges the heart. 1Jo 2:18-19 even now many antichrists have come... 19
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had
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been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
↩ 221. That is, faith in Christ is the conditional cause of their salvation, not the necessary instrument to receive salvation by grace. It asserts that Christ made all men salvable (universal atonement), but actually saved no one. – WHG ↩
222. Rom 16:20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. ↩ 223. With perhaps 70% of evangelicals now embracing universal atonement, this may indeed be consoling to them. But the question is not whether it is consoling, but whether it is true.
There can be no consolation in a lie. – WHG ↩ 224. Mat 10:30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ↩
225. Rom 9:13 As it is written, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated." ↩ 226. Joh 3:36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." ↩ 227. Luk 8:2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities-- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons. ↩ 228. tartaroo – the Greek equivalent of Gehenna, the fiery hell; not Hades or Sheol, the resting place of the dead. ↩
229. 1Cor 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 2Cor 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you are disqualified. ↩ 230. Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God; 2Pet 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; ↩ 231. 1Joh 3:16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
↩ 232. This is why we say that faith is not the cause of our salvation, but the instrument by which we receive God's free gift. ↩
233. 2Tim 2:19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." ↩