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Westminster Confession of Faith

Westminster Confession of Faith. CHAPTER 8. Of Christ the Mediator – Section III.

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Westminster Confession of Faith

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  1. Westminster Confessionof Faith CHAPTER 8

  2. Of Christ the Mediator – Section III • III. The Lord Jesus, in His human nature thus united to the divine, was sanctified, and anointed with the Holy Spirit, above measure, having in Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; in whom it pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell; to the end that, being holy, harmless, undefiled, and full of grace and truth, He might be thoroughly furnished to execute the office of a Mediator and Surety. Which office He took not unto Himself, but was thereunto called by His Father, who put all power and judgment into His hand, and gave Him commandment to execute the same.

  3. Highlights… • “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” – Col 2.3 • Worldview implications • Epistemology = theory of knowledge > how we know what we know • all fullness should dwell • Col 1.19 19 because he was well pleased for all the fullness to dwell in him – LEB 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell - ESV

  4. Col 2.9 - (θεότης > theotes) • Col 2.9 • Fullness of DEITY dwells bodily • 12.13 θεότης, ητος f; θειότης, ητος f; θεῖονa, ου n: (derivatives of θεόςa ‘God,’ 12.1) the nature or state of being God—‘deity, divine nature, divine being.’ • ‘in him dwells all the fullness of divine nature in bodily form’ Col 2:9. • θεότης (LN 12.13) (BAGD…‘deity’ [BAGD, Herm, LN, Lns, NIC, WBC; NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV], ‘Godhead’ [NTC; KJV, REB], ‘divine nature’ [LN; TEV], ‘divinity’ [BAGD; NJB], ‘divine being’ [LN], ‘God’ [SSA; CEV, NLT, TNT]. It means God’s essence [Alf, Ea, EG, ICC, Lg, LN, Lt, Mrt, My, NTC, WBC], his being [Alf, Ea, EG, EGT, Lns, My, WBC], the Godhead [Lg, Lt, My, NIC, WBC], God himself [EG, Lns, Mrt, SSA, TNTC], the divine nature [ICC, Mou, NIC, TH], the quality of being just like God [Ea, LN, TH], the quality of being divine [Herm].

  5. Highlights Cont… • Mediator and Romans 8 • 33 Who shall bring any chargeagainst God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died---more than that, who was raised---who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is intercedingfor us. • Law court language • Judge, guilty and advocate present • The guilty party no longer goes before the judge alone • “all power and judgment into His hand” – Matt 28 • The dual natures of Christ • Fully divine • Fully human • Never shall the two natures meet – not like the Greek gods (ex. Hercules)

  6. Section IV • IV. This office the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake; which that He might discharge, He was made under the law, and did perfectly fulfil it; endured most grievous torments immediately in His soul, and most painful sufferings in His body; was crucified, and died, was buried, and remained under the power of death, yet saw no corruption. On the third day He arose from the dead, with the same body in which He suffered, with which also he ascended into heaven, and there sits at the right hand of His Father, making intercession, and shall return, to judge men and angels, at the end of the world.

  7. Christ’s Willingness > Phil 2.1-8 • “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

  8. “made under the law…perfectly fulfilled it” • 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. (Phil 3.8-9, ESV) • 8 More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things --- indeed, I regard them as dung! --- that I may gain Christ, 9 and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ's faithfulness --- a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ's faithfulness. (Phil 3.8-9, NET)

  9. Imputation of Christ - Active • Active Obedience – the perfect law keeping of Christ is imputed to the believer • Therefore, they are no longer under the condemnation of the law • What Adam did not do, Christ did for us • Rom 6.14 – “For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace.”

  10. Imputation of Christ - Passive • Passive Obedience – the death, burial and resurrection of Christ is imputed to the believer • Therefore, we are currently reigning with Christ • And, the punishment due to us fell on Christ • 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.” • Christ being “made sin” is not an ontological transfer of sinfulness • But instead, legal transfer of debt/sin

  11. God’s Justice • If God were to just bypass sin, without ultimate punishment, then, he would not be just. • If God were to exact all sin to the specific individual (the sinner), without an avenue for redemption, he would not be the justifier., then he would not be a justifier. • Rom 3.21- “But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified about by the law and the prophets—22 that is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. For there is no distinction, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God made publicly available as the mercy seat through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness, because of the passing over of previously committed sins, 26 in the forbearance of God, for the demonstration of his righteousness in the present time, so that he should be just and the one who justifies the person by faith in Jesus.”

  12. “sits at the right hand” • The expression ‘to be seated on the right side of’ is an idiom meaning ‘to be in a position of high status’ [LN (87.34)], ‘in the place of honor and power’ [NLT], ‘to have been given supreme authority and the highest honor’ [SSA]. • It does not refer to a certain place in heaven [Lns, NIC, WBC], but means God’s almighty power and majesty, which Christ possesses [Lns]. It means that Christ has a dignity equal with that of God [Mrt]. This does not imply that believers are also at the right hand of God [EG]. • Martha King, An Exegetical Summary of Colossians, 2nd ed. (Dallas, TX: SIL International, 2008), 219.

  13. Section V • V. The Lord Jesus, by His perfect obedience, and sacrifice of Himself, which He through the eternal Spirit, once offered up unto God, has fully satisfied the justice of His Father; and purchased, not only reconciliation, but an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for those whom the Father has given unto Him. • Adam v. Christ • Isa 53.10-11 • “given Him” – Jn 6.37-39 • 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

  14. V. The Lord Jesus, by His perfect obedience, and sacrifice of Himself, which He through the eternal Spirit, once offered up unto God, has fully satisfied the justice of His Father; and purchased, not only reconciliation, but an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for those whom the Father has given unto Him. 10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. (Isa 53.10-11)

  15. Christ’s Work as High Priest (“once offered”) 6 Now these things having been prepared in this way, the priests enter into the first tent ⌊continually⌋ as they* accomplish their service, 7 but only the high priest enters into the second tent once a year, not without blood, which he offers on behalf of himself and the sins of the people committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit was making this clear, that the way into the holy place was not yet revealed, while* the first tent was still in existence, 9 which was a symbol for the present time, in which both the gifts and sacrifices which were offered were not able to perfect the worshiperwith respect to the conscience, 10 concerning instead only food and drink and different washings, regulations of outward things imposed until the time of setting things right. 11 But Christ has arrived as a high priest of the good things to come. Through the greater and more perfect tent not made by hands, that is, not of this creation, 12 and not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered once for all into the most holy place, obtaining eternal redemption. Heb 9:6–12.

  16. Our High Priest is Seated • Meaning, His work is accomplished • Unlike the work of the other High Priests, who continually offered sacrifices • Christ’s work is perfect, whole and satisfying to the Father. • “Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seatedat the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. 5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things.” Heb 8.1-5, ESV)

  17. Section VI • VI. 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, in and by those promises, types, and sacrifices, wherein He was revealed, and signified to be the seed of the woman which should bruise the serpent's head; and the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world; being yesterday and today the same, and forever. • OT and NT saints have the same covenant head • Same redemption • Justification by faith – Habk 2.4 v. Rom 1.17 • “the righteous shall live by faith” • Looking back and looking forward • Gen 3.15 - Covenant of Grace

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