The point of the Catechism here is to impress us with the fact that the justification of believing sinners by God is an act of free and sheer grace....God freely forgives the
sins of believers without regard to anything done by us to procure that forgiveness; and on the other hand, God insists on and receives the full satisfaction of His justice and Law, as the meritorious, procuring cause of that forgiveness. (811)

First, justification is by sheer grace because God accepted the satisfaction of His justice from a Surety, which He might have demanded justly of every sinner without exception, if He had chosen to do so. (811)

He is the substitute of sinners, taking upon Himself the full debt which was due to God’s justice from sinners. He was ready to engage in this task voluntarily (Heb.
10:9). Whatever He suffered for us did not infer the least injustice in God who inflicted it. (812)

Second, God Himself provided this Surety in the person of His own only Son, imputing His righteousness to believing sinners. (813)

Furthermore, the grace of God is manifested in the Son of God’s willingness to become incarnate and engage Himself as our Surety to satisfy in full God’s justice....

"Without his consent the justice of God could not have exacted the debt of him. He being perfectly innocent, could not be obliged to suffer punishment; and it would have been unjust in God to have inflicted it, had he not been willing to be charged with our guilt, and to stand in our room and stead." 141 Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 2:95. (814)


Third, God requires of sinners nothing of them for their justification; but faith in Christ alone, which faith is His gift....The fact that justification is by faith alone and not by the works of the Law is proof that justification is by God’s grace alone. (814)


God was under no obligation to give anybody the gift of faith; but out of grace, He mercifully and sovereignly chose to do so to the praise and glory of His matchless
grace. Justification, then, is by the sheer grace of God, because the one instrument which God requires of us to be justified, He Himself provides: “For TO YOU IT HAS BEEN GRANTED for Christ’s sake, NOT ONLY TO BELIEVE IN HIM, but also to suffer for His sake” (Phil. 1:29; emphasis added). In this verse, God reveals that He has given to us, His people, as a gift of His grace: (1) The ability to believe, and (2) The privilege of suffering and enduring hardship for Christ’s sake. (815)

The synonyms for faith in the Old Testament are many. Thus we read much of trusting in, on, to God, or in His Word, His name, His mercy, His salvation, of seeking and finding refuge in God or in the shadow of His wings, of committing ourselves to God, setting confidence in Him, looking to Him, relying upon Him, staying upon Him, setting or fixing the heart upon Him, binding our love on Him, cleaving to Him. (816)

The Greek word for “believe” in the Septuagint and the New Testament is pisteuein. ...
In the New Testament, “faith” and “believing” are joined to various prepositions and cases that confirm and intensify the Old Testament’s conception of faith—To believe in God the Redeemer, to assent to His word, and with firm and unwavering confidence to rest in security and trustfulness upon Him alone for salvation. (817-818)

Justifying faith "consists neither in assent nor in obedience, but in a reliant trust in the invisible Author of all good (Heb. xi:27), in which the mind is set upon the things that are above and not on the things that are upon the earth (Col. iii:2; 2 Cor. 4:16–18, Mt. 6:25).…" 149. Warfield, Biblical and Theological Studies, 422–23. (819)

The first element of justifying faith is KNOWLEDGE, or UNDERSTANDING. ...
The knowledge of faith has to do with the content of faith, what faith believes, the Biblical information to be received, understood and embraced. To be saved a person must believe certain basic, divinely-revealed information from the Bible.
...
"I cannot have faith in nothing. My faith must have content or an object. Before I
can have a personal relationship with God or anyone else, I must first be aware of them to some degree. I must have some intelligible understanding of what or whom I am believing. I cannot have God in my heart if he is not in my head....To be saved we may not require an exhaustive or comprehensive knowledge of God, for none of us possesses such comprehensive knowledge, but we must have some knowledge and we must have some right knowledge about God."151 Sproul, Faith Alone, 77. 
(820-821)

We learn that knowledge is essential to justifying faith in several places in the Bible. (1) “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17)....(2) “Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me”
(in faith), said Jesus (John 6:45). Learning implies understanding of the Word of God as essential to coming in faith to Christ. (3)...It should be obvious that the Word of God can be of no benefit to us, and that no one can obtain faith by the hearing of that Word, unless that person has some understanding of it. “The task of proclaiming the gospel includes more than an imparting of information, but not
less. It demands a constant clarification of the content of the gospel.”155 (4) “This is eternal life, that they might know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent” (John 17:3). Personal knowledge of God of necessity includes knowledge about God drawn from the Bible by the help of the Spirit. (5)“Since every
believer is obligated to confess Christ (Matt. 10:32), to give an account of his faith (1 Pet. 3:15), it is therefore absolutely necessary that he have knowledge of those matters which he believes. He can neither confess nor give an account of that which he does not know.”156 (6) “By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities” (Isa. 53:11).
155. Sproul, Faith Alone, 78.
156. Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, 2:272.
(821-822)

The second element of justifying faith is intellectual ASSENT, or BELIEF....In other words, faith is not a risky and blind “leap in the dark,” making ourselves believe something is true when we do not know it is true. “Telling a blind person to believe
he can see when he cannot see makes as much sense as telling a person to fly when he cannot fly. Saving faith involves assent to what is true, not what is false.” 162
Sproul, Faith Alone, 79. (823)

Faith is and, indeed, must be a steadfastness of the heart, which does not waver, wobble, shake, tremble, or doubt, but stands firm and is sure of its case.… When this Word enters the heart by true faith, it makes the heart as firm, sure, and certain as it is itself, so that the heart is unmoved, stubborn, and hard in the face of every
temptation, the devil, death, and anything whatever, boldly and proudly despising and mocking everything that spells doubt, fear, evil, and wrath. For it knows that God’s Word cannot lie. (824)

The Bible teaches that ASSENT is an essential element of justifying faith. (1) In Hebrews 11:1 faith is described as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith is the confident assurance that God is faithful and true, that He will do what He has promised in His Word....(2) Hebrews 10:22 calls upon us to draw near to God “with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith,”...(3) “He
who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true” (John 3:33)....(4) If we “receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for the witness of God is this, that He has borne witness concerning His Son. The one who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; the one who does not believe
God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness that God has given concerning His Son” (1 John 5:9–10)....(5) “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). It is the considered judgment of Paul, the believer, that the gospel of Christ is fully reliable and “trustworthy.” (825)

The third element of justifying faith is TRUST. To appreciate this element, we must consider the case of Satan and his response to Christ. Satan had “knowledge” of Christ. He was clearly aware of who He was. He “assented” to the truth of the identity of Christ.
"But Satan personally places no… trust in Christ. He resists Christ. He does will to oppose Christ. He has no affection for Christ. In fact he despises Christ. His unmitigated hatred for Christ displays itself in an enmity that knows no bounds.…
Satan has no affection for Christ because he sees nothing lovable about Christ." 169. Sproul, Faith Alone, 85. (826)

In faith the believer ENTRUSTS himself and his eternal salvation to Jesus Christ. He relies upon Him, rests and leans upon Him. (826)

Our Catechism Q. 72 on justifying faith assumes that faith is comprised of these three elements: understanding (knowledge), assent (belief), and trust. (828)

The Bible speaks of different “kinds” of faith, three of which are produced by man, and therefore not justifying faith; and the fourth is produced by God in the heart of man, and is therefore justifying faith. (834)

[Historical Faith]: This is a purely intellectual apprehension of the truth and history
of the Bible, without any moral or spiritual purpose....This kind of faith may be the result of tradition, education, public opinion, or insight. It may be very orthodox and Biblical, but it is not rooted in the heart, and therefore not justifying faith. (834)

["Miraculous" Faith]: This kind of faith is a persuasion in the mind of a person that a
miracle will be performed by him or in his behalf, which is not rooted in the heart. This is “a heartfelt conviction generated by the immediate operation of God, that a given supernatural act will either occur due to a command given by us, or will be wrought upon us.”190 Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, 2:264. (835)

[Temporary Faith]: This faith, produced by man is a persuasion of the truths of the
Bible which is "accompanied with some promptings of the conscience, and a stirring of the affections, but is not rooted in a regenerate heart.… It is called a temporary faith, because it is not permanent and fails to maintain itself in days of trial and persecution. This does not mean that it may not last as long as life lasts. It is quite possible that it will perish only at death, but then it surely ceases.…" 191. Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 502. (835)

[Justifying Faith]: Saving faith is a gift of God’s grace (Eph. 2:8, 9) rooted in the
regenerate heart. It is “a certain conviction, wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, as to the truth of the gospel, and a hearty reliance (trust) on the promises of God in Christ.”192 Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 503. (836)

First, there would be no saving faith at all in the entire human race, if God had left sinners to themselves, for the Bible says that unbelievers are “dead in [their] trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1); that “the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:7, 8). (841-842)

Second, “God has made faith a gift so that (1). He will get credit for our salvation and (2) we will not get the credit.”199 Tom Wells, Faith: The Gift of God (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1983), 137 (842)

The Apostle Paul tells us that sinners believe in Jesus because of God’s mighty exertion of His omnipotence into their lives enabling them to do what they could not do in their own strength‑believe in Jesus....It is nothing less than the almighty work of God in the human heart that produces faith in Christ. Our faith is due to the same Divine omnipotence that raised Christ from the dead. (842-843)

The Holy Spirit of God works faith in the heart in the new birth, or regeneration....Without the regenerating work of the Spirit of God from heaven, no one is able to understand, appreciate, or give assent to the reality and saving power
of the kingdom of God, because of the blindness and death of the sinner’s condition....Without the purifying, regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in
the heart, no one is able to enter the kingdom of God, which is salvation, which entrance is made by repentance and faith. (843-844)

The point John is making is this: believing in Jesus is the consequence, not the cause of the new birth. Faith in Jesus Christ is the effect of regeneration. (844)

What does the Holy Spirit do in the work of regeneration enabling a person to believe in Jesus?...God works faith in the sinner by changing his heart, by removing the hard heart full of hostility and rebellion toward God, replacing it with a heart that is soft and responsive to God, full of love for Him and the desire to please
Him, and by filling that new heart with His own Holy Spirit who is in the regenerate a constant source of divine power enabling and motivating him to do whatever pleases God. (845)

In creating faith in the heart the Holy Spirit of God uses the Word of God....It is Christ’s powerful voice heard in the preached Word that produces faith. Faith is born hearing the voice of the resurrected Christ in His written Word preached. (847)

(1) The Bible is full of commands and invitations encouraging sinners to come to Him for salvation. ...
(2) Faith is a giving up, or an entrusting, of ourselves to Christ to be entirely and eternally His. The Word of God sets forth Christ as having a right to our total commitment, having purchased us for Himself with His own blood. ...
(3) Faith looks to Christ alone for forgiveness of sins. The Word of God presents Christ to us as having made full satisfaction for our sins in His own obedience and death, as the propitiation for our sins, turning away God’s anger, satisfying God’s justice and reconciling us to God, by being our substitute, bearing the curse of our
sins in Himself for us. ...
(4) Faith is a trusting in and resting on Christ alone for salvation. The Word of God presents Him to us as an all-sufficient Savior, “able to save to the uttermost all who come to God by Him” (Heb. 7:25). Faith trusts Him to fulfill all His promises, because the Word tells us that He has engaged Himself to make good all the
promises of God to all who believe, because “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.” (2 Cor. 1:20). 
(847-848)

The Catechism tells us that justifying faith receiveth and resteth upon Christ and his righteousness (LC, Q. 72). The Bible is unequivocal: the One on whom faith rests for salvation is the God of Grace, God our Redeemer in the Lord Jesus Christ. “This one object of saving faith never varies from the beginning to the end of the scriptural
revelation.”209. Warfield, Biblical and Theological Studies, 423. (849)

The point is that justifying faith is a faith that BELIEVES IN GOD, and therefore BELIEVES GOD. Faith in God in Christ and faith in the Word of God are inseparable in justifying faith. (851)

      Racheal

The Biblical truth of the invincible call of God to salvation, known also as effecual calling, answers these questions: Why do some people believe in Jesus, while others do not? Is it because some people are more prone naturally to spiritual things while others are less prone? Is the answer in man or in God? Is our salvation initiated by us or by God? Does our eternal destiny rest in our hands or in the hands of God? Why is it that some receive Christ early in life and others very late in life? (661)

The necessity for an invincible call of God to salvation is to be found in the total depravity and total inability of fallen human beings. That human beings are totally depraved, i.e., that every aspect of their being, intellect, personality, character, body and soul are corrupted by sin, is taught in Romans 3:9–12, 19–20... (661)

Sinners need a BIG and POWERFUL gospel to save them, a gospel which does not stop with a free offer of salvation, for if it stopped with the mere offer, fallen human beings in their depravity and inability, (i.e., their spiritual deadness), would not and could not respond positively to that offer, however freely it is made. (662)

Being dead in our sins, loving the darkness and hating the light, we cannot help ourselves without His help and we cannot in and of ourselves take any steps toward Him, for, as Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). (662-663)

Sinners need a gospel which can get them in their helplessness to Jesus, who is their only hope, their only cure, their only Savior....We must be brought to Him, and powerfully drawn to Him if He is going to save us. This truth of effectual calling shows us the BIGNESS of the Bible’s gospel, its INVINCIBLE POWER TO SAVE and its SUITABLENESS to save the lowest of sinners (Acts 26:18). (663)

The Bible presents us with two kinds of “calls”—The EXTERNAL call and the INTERNAL call, also referred to as the GENERAL call and the SPECIAL call, or the call of the gospel and the call of God the Father. (664)

The external and general call of the gospel originates with the Church of Christ, bearing witness to the world of the gospel of Christ. It is to be issued to everybody indiscriminately: Whosoever will may come! When the Christian presents the gospel to unbelievers, urging them to repent of their sins and trust Christ as
their Lord and Savior, he is issuing the external, general call of the gospel. (664)

The internal and special call to salvation originates with God the Father: “No one can come to Me,” said Jesus, “unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44).26 He issues this call to His elect and to them alone: “these whom He predestined, He also called” (Rom. 8:30). No non-elect person has ever heard or will ever hear this saving call of the Father. (664-665)

Therefore, this internal call of the Father comes to a person’s heart with such Divine power that it is invincible, so that no one  who receives it can ultimately and finally resist it. It calls the sinner out of darkness into light with irresistible might. (665)

This invincible call of God is of God’s free and special grace alone, not from anything at all foreseen in man, who is altogether passive therein (WCF, X, ii); and it originates with his free and special love to his elect, and from nothing in them moving him thereunto, because in themselves they are dead in sin (LCQ. 67). (666)

 Furthermore, the person whom God effectively calls to salvation, is altogether passive therein, until, being quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit, he is thereby enabled to answer this call, and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it (WCF, X, ii). This Divine call is not mere moral or intellectual persuasion, motivating the sinner to convert in his own ability. It is, as we have seen, the exertion of Divine power upon the elect sinner’s soul giving it a new spiritual life and a new way of living and of acting. It enables him to repent of His sins and believe in Jesus Christ. This repentance and faith are acts of the human being resulting from the radical change brought about in him by the recreative omnipotence of God in regeneration and effectual calling. (666-667)

Ezekiel was told by God to prophesy to a valley of bones, bleached by the sun. He did, and as He did, God raised these bones from the dead to new and obedient living. At the moment the call of God comes to a person, his eyes are blinded, his ears are deaf, his tongue is dumb, his arm is withered, his conscience is calloused, his soul is dead, his heart is stone. But the effect of that call on him is the opening of his blind eyes, the unstopping of his deaf ears, the loosing of his dumb tongue, the healing of his withered arm, the softening of his calloused conscience, the change of his heart to flesh, the resurrecting of his dead soul. (667)

In this invincible call, God does four things to the elect sinner. (1) He convinces and convicts him of his sin and misery...(2) He enlightens his mind in the knowledge of Christ...(3) He renews and liberates his will...(4) He fully persuades and enables him to embrace Jesus Christ, who is freely offered in the gospel... (668)

God alone is the origin of the internal, invincible call: “Walk in a manner worthy of THE GOD WHO CALLS YOU into His own kingdom and glory” (1 Thess. 2:12; emphasis added)....No human being has the power to call himself out of his spiritual darkness so that he actually comes to Christ on his own. “Salvation is of the Lord!” God alone must accomplish and apply, as well as plan our salvation; and He has perfectly done so....In one sense, it is God who also issues the external call through His servants, so that to refuse the general call of the gospel is to refuse the offer of God Himself, which refusal amounts to death (Prov. 1:20; 8:36)....But God does not always back the general call of the gospel with omnipotence, which means that the general call can be resisted and rejected. (669)

God the Father, by the agency of the Holy Spirit, is the One who effectively calls sinners to come to Christ, and when He calls them, they come....That inner drawing-call of the Father by His Word and Spirit is always accompanied with Divine omnipotence (John 6:37). The Father not only planned our salvation in eternity before the creation of the world (Eph. 1:3–6); He not only sent His Son to save His people (Matt. 1:21; John 3:16); but He also is involved in the actual applying and conveying of that salvation, accomplished by Christ, to chosen sinners by personally, powerfully and supernaturally drawing them individually to Christ (Rom. 8:20). (669)

God the Father chose us in Christ. He justifies us in Christ. He adopts us in Christ. He sanctifies us in Christ. By initiating the entire process of salvation, the Father CALLS US in Christ. (670)

If in the external call of the gospel we are to present the gospel to all people indiscriminately, to whom does the internal call of the Father come?...The Bible is unmistakably clear that the invincible call of God comes ONLY TO HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE, all of them and only them....God effectively calls to salvation those whom He has predestined to receive salvation in Christ. (670)

FIRST, it is ALMIGHTY and therefore INVINCIBLE and IRRESISTIBLE. Because it comes to God’s elect sinners, still dead in their sins, God’s saving call must come with irresistible resurrecting power, if it is actually to save those sinners. 

To say that God’s omnipotence can be ultimately resisted by men, is to set the power of man above the power of God, which is an absurd and blasphemous thought.

John Flavel, an English Puritan, once wrote: “Let the soul whom the Father draws struggle ever so much, it shall come, yea, and come willing too, when the drawing power of God is upon it.”31 John Flavel, The Method of Grace (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1977), 83. (670-671)

SECOND, the invincible call of God is AGREEABLE TO MAN’S CREATED NATURE....God does not draw sinful human beings to Christ asbrute beasts are drawn and compelled. God works upon the mind of the sinner in presenting the word in a convincing manner and He works powerfully on the will and heart persuading them that Christ is worth more than silver or gold. He powerfully renews their wills, changes their hearts, and enables them to come to Christ voluntarily and gladly. (672)

THIRD, God’s invincible call is IMMUTABLE AND IRREVERSIBLE....God’s calling is not subject to change and itwill never be withdrawn. (672)

FOURTH, it is a HIGH calling....This “high calling of God” is “high” for two reasons. (1) It callsus out of sin and out of a world of sin: “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance” (1 Pet. 1:14)....(2) It calls us to holiness of life: “Like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior” (1 Pet. 1:15). (673)

FIFTH, it is a SOVEREIGN call of God. (674)

He has chosen to use His Word and Spirit, who convinces us of the divine authority of the written Word and who applies that Word to the hearts of the elect. (674)

When the Holy Spirit couples the invincible call of God with our external call of the
gospel according to the Word of God, sinners come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. (676)

FIRST, the invincible call of God convicts us of our sin and misery.

SECOND, the invincible call of God enlightens our minds in the knowledge of Christ.

THIRD, the invincible call of God renews and liberates our wills, persuading and enabling us to receive Christ as our Lord and Savior and to embrace Him as our prophet, priest and king.
(676-677)

In effectual calling God gives us the disposition, will, heart and unquenchable desire to bow to Christ in love, faith and submission: “no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3). (678)

If our understanding is not clear on this gracious aspect of the gospel, we will not be correct on any other aspect of it. For the material out of which the gospel is made is not woven but knit material— pull out one thread and the whole garment falls apart. (679)

The invincible call of God is that act of God in us whereby God brings all of His eternal plans and promises into our experience and individual, personal history. (680)

This Biblical truth of the invincible call of God is the nerve of Biblical evangelism. (680)

Belief in this doctrine will keep us from the common sin of presenting a minimal and superficial gospel watered down to make it more attractive and more acceptable to modern man. (680)

"Calling [is] the effect and evidence of election.… every one confirms his calling by leading a holy and pious life.… God effectually calls whom he has preordained to life in his secret counsel before the foundation of the world; and he also carries on the perpetual course of calling through grace alone. But as he has chosen us, and calls us for this end, that we may be pure and spotless in his presence; purity of life is not improperly called the evidence and proof of election, by which the faithful may not only testify to others that they are the children of God, but also confirm themselves in this confidence, in such a manner, however, that they fix their solid foundation on something else.… The import of what is said is, that the children of God are distinguished from the reprobate by this mark, that they live a godly and holy life, because this is the design and end of election [and of effectual calling].”
36. Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries, 22 vols., ed. by Henry Beveridge (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1979), 22:376–77 (682)

...how do we make our calling and election sure? First, by believing in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Second, by filling out our faith, furnishing it with Christian virtues. (683)

The same Bible that teaches us to believe in Divine predestination and the priority of regeneration to faith, also teaches us to believe in the free offer of the gospel. The Bible recognizes no conflict between them. Predestination is the guarantee that many will receive the free offer of the gospel. Regeneration and effectual calling enable sinners to receive the free offer of the gospel in faith and repentance. The free offer of the gospel is God’s way of maintaining His claims on the hearts and consciences of human beings, as well as being a constant reminder of man’s total accountability to God. The external, general call of the gospel to the world includes the free offer of the gospel to the world. (685)

By the phrase, “the free offer of the gospel,” we mean the following. (1) It is a FREE offer in that ALL who receive Christ, will be saved. There are no exceptions. It is by faith in Christ alone, and not by human merit or works. (2) It is a PERSONAL offer, in that it is addressed to everyone who hears it....(3) It is a REAL and SINCERE offer....(4) It is a COMMANDING offer (Luke 14:23; 1 John 2:23; John 6:29). The Westminster Confession (VII, iii) states that in the covenant of grace God freely offereth unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, REQUIRING of them faith in Him, that they may be saved....(5) It is an URGENT and SOLEMN offer. (686-687)

The freeness and universality of the offers of the gospel of salvation are based on three truths:
(1) The unity of God: “Or is God the God of Jews only? Is HE not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one” (Rom. 3:29–30). God saves sinners in such a way as to show that He is the God of the whole world and not just a section of it. Because there is only one God, there is only one way of saving sinners—through faith in Christ. 
(2) The universal lordship of Jesus Christ: “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for ‘Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Rom. 10:12–13)....
(3) The richness of His grace: “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him” (Rom. 10:12). God is ready and willing to save abundantly all who come to Him through faith in Christ. There are no exceptions (Isa. 55:1–8). (687-688)

      Racheal

These benefits are union and communion with Christ in grace and glory. These two classifications: (1) Union and communion with Christ in grace; and (2) Union and
1. As we have seen, by the invisible church the Westminster Standards mean the whole number of the elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one under Christ the Head. See Eph. 1:10, 22, 23; John 10:16; John 11:52. communion with Christ in glory, describe all the rich blessings Christ bought for us with His own blood, in this life and in the life to come.
Christ not only purchased these benefits for us in His death, He arose from the dead to bring them personally into the lives of everyone He died to save. (638-639)

...believers in Jesus are “in Christ,” i.e., inseparably, representatively, vitally, and consciously united to Christ. This saving union is not due to our own efforts or wishes or prayers. We are united to Christ “by His doing.” God Himself created this union by His grace. We enjoy this relationship, not because we are wiser or better than others, but because of the sheer grace of God. (639-640)

This is not simply to say that because Christ is the true wisdom, in Christ the
believer is truly wise. It is to say far more. “Wisdom” is immediately interpreted in historical-redemptive language, righteousness, sanctification and redemption....“True wisdom is to be understood in terms of the three illustrative metaphors, which refer to the saving event of Christ.… Wisdom does not have to do with ‘getting smart,’ nor with status or rhetoric. God’s wisdom—the real thing—has to do with salvation through Christ Jesus.”4 Gordon Fee, New International Commentary on the New Testament The First Epistle to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, [1973]1987), 86–87.  (640)

“Righteousness” equals justification in Paul’s epistles. It is not an ethical term here, but rather a forensic one, referring to the believer’s right legal standing in Christ before God, despite his guilt from having broken God’s law. “sanctification” (1:2) is an ethical term (6:11). As “righteousness” is that which satisfies the demands of God’s Law as a rule of justification; “Sanctification” is that which satisfies the demands of God’s Law as a rule of duty. (641)

In justification Christ credits His own righteousness to our account, paying our debt with God; and in sanctification, Christ by His Spirit imparts His own righteousness to us, conforming us more and more into His image. (641)

Fallen man is ignorant of spiritual realities, and therefore in need of “wisdom.” He is guilty, in need of “righteousness.” He is depraved, in need of “holiness.” He is a slave to sin and Satan, in need of “redemption.” All these become ours the instant God places us “in Christ,” because Christ and His benefits are inseparable....Because of our union with Christ, whatever He deserves, we receive; and whatever He did, we enjoy its consequences.
The totality of the Christian’s existence and experience is viewed in the New Testament as being “in Christ.” (462)

“The life of faith is one of living union and communion with the exalted and ever-present Redeemer.”9 This is the point of Jesus’ sermon in John 15 about the Vine and the Branches. He is the daily source of our life, strength, and fruitfulness as Christians. Without Him our lives would be rootless, sapless and fruitless.9. John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1955), 169. (643)

First, it is like the union of a vine with its branches (John 15:5) or the trunk of an olive tree and its limbs (Rom. 11: 16–24)....It is only as the branches are connected to the stock of the vine or tree that the life-sustaining, fruit-producing sap flows
from the trunk to the limbs. 
Second, it is also like the union that exists between God the Father and God the Son. This, of course, is a mystery. Jesus prayed for His people “that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in Us” (John 17:21). This is NOT a union of essence, resulting in the deification of man. It is a
spiritual union between Christ and believers that is described, but it is one which is like the intimacy, profundity, and indissolubility of the union that exists between the Persons of the Trinity.
Third, our union with Christ is like the union between the head of the body, the body itself, and the members of the body...This pictures the church as a community
of feeling, life and emotion, energized by the Head, who is Christ, the source of the body’s vitality and volition.
Fourth, it is also like the precious union between husband and wife....As husband and wife, Christ and His church are united by a sacred bond, constituting them one
legal person, with Christ as the head.
Fifth, this spiritual union is like the union of bricks in a house to their foundation and cornerstone: “So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, IN WHOM the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a
holy temple IN THE LORD” (Eph. 2:19–21). The Cornerstone sustains the rest.
Sixth, this union is like the nourishment which the physical body receives by the food it digests.
Seventh, “the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (1 Cor. 6:17). This difficult verse denotes the closeness of this union, “inasmuch as the same spirit dwells in believers which dwelt in Christ, though with different views and designs,
they are wrought up, in their measure, to the same temper and disposition; or as it is expressed elsewhere, ‘the same mind is in them that was in Christ.’”11. Thomas Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 2 vols. (Canada:Still Waters Revival Books, [1855] 1993), 2:47 (645-646)

From these figures certain attributes of our union with Christ become evident.
It is A UNION OF PROFOUND AND LOVING INTIMACY...
It is A SPIRITUAL UNION, not a metaphysical one, because the created can never become one in essence with the Uncreated, nor the finite with the Infinite.
It is A VITAL UNION, in which Christ is the source of our life, strength, vitality, blessedness and salvation...
It is A MYSTICAL UNION: “This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church” (Eph. 5:32). This is not to imply that it is something vague and unintelligible, or that it is some irrational emotion that overtakes us. It is to say that this union was hidden in the mind of God until He revealed it to us in the Bible by His Spirit.
It is A RECIPROCAL UNION. Christ, by His Spirit acts first and unites us to Himself, then, by His grace, we respond, and unite ourselves to Him by faith...
It is AN INDISSOLUBLE AND ETERNAL UNION. 

(647-648)

Union with Christ establishes a LEGAL UNION between Christ and those who belong to Him: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are IN CHRIST JESUS” (Rom. 8:1). By virtue of our close and vital union with Christ, we have His righteousness credited to us and we are “accepted in the Beloved.” This is justification.
To be accepted with God, God demands of us payment for our sins as well as a sinlessly perfect life, neither of which are we able to give. Therefore, in sheer grace, God sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sins, and to provide that perfectly righteous obedience to God in His own life for all those who are united to Him by faith. So that, by grace through faith, His righteousness, His obedience unto
death, and His sacrifice become ours, and we enjoy the benefits of what He accomplished. (648)

Our mystical union with Christ establishes a SPIRITUAL UNION, in which we participate in the influences of Christ’s endless life in our own life; and by which the qualities and virtues of Christ’s human life become the fruit of the Spirit in our life. (649)

Our union with Christ establishes a COMMUNION OF SAINTS. As bricks in a temple, we are related to each other as well as to Christ. As members of Christ’s body, we are organically dependent upon each other in the one body. (649)

Our communion in grace means that, in fellowship with Christ, and by virtue of the accomplishments of His work as the Mediator of the Covenant of Grace, redeeming us from our sins and reconciling us to God, believers are justified (Q. 70), adopted (Q. 74), and sanctified (Q. 75). Because of our union with Christ, we commune, fellowship and participate in all those saving benefits which He purchased for
us with His own blood....Such a communion of grace which believers have with Christ implies, on His part, infinite and merciful condescension in which He was pleased to communicate such magnificent blessings to us, and, on our part, unfathomable honors and privileges which we enjoy from His hand. (651-652)

The communion which believers have with Christ in glory is the highest honor we are capable of receiving from God. Our communion in glory (Q. 82), begins in
this life, in the enjoyment of foretastes of the life to come (Q. 83), and continues after death into the eternal bliss of the immediate presence of God (Q. 86). (654)

...those in Christ experience in this life:
(1) An exhilarating sense of God’s love for them: “Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:5).
(2) Peace of conscience: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).
(3) Joy in the Holy Spirit: “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).
(4) Hope of glory: Through Christ “we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:2). 
All of these blessings are firstfruits of glory with Christ, or as the hymn has it, “foretastes of glory divine,” which will be perfected after death for us, so that even now, we are complete in Christ, in whom God’s fulness dwells (Col. 2:9, 10; Eph. 2:5; Rom. 5:5, 6; Rom. 5:1, 2; Rom. 14:17). God gives us these foretastes so that we “may love and long for Christ’s appearing, when [we] shall reap the full harvest of glory.” 17 Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 2:219. (655)

The point is that, whereas all human beings have a craving for community, their efforts at creating it are self-destructive because of their spiritual schizophrenia. And more importantly, community is impossible without communion; and communion between human beings is impossible apart from communion with Jesus Christ. (659)

In Christ” the punishment and tyrannical power of sin are dealt with sufficiently and finally; therefore only in Christ can true communion with God and true community among men be experienced. Only those who receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will participate in this one, true communion. (660)

     Racheal

First, the church of Jesus Christ has both the attribute of visibility, as we have seen, and the attribute of invisibility. In some aspects it is visible—profession of faith in Christ, congregational worship, the marks of a true church, its government and organization; and in some aspects it is invisible to the human eye, in that it cannot be fully, totally and perfectly comprehended and identified. (548)

The invisibility of the church must never be considered apart from its visibility, because “the church as it exists on earth is both visible and invisible.” 328. Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 565. (549)

Second, the manner in which the church’s attribute of “invisibility” is expressed is imprecise, misleading, and less than Biblical. This visible-invisible description of the church is an old one, used by Augustine, Wycliffe, and was commonly used during the Protestant Reformation...The problem is with the phrase the invisible church (L.C.Q. 64). Is it proper to speak of the invisibility of the church, since the concept is essentially misleading, and more importantly, since the Bible does not distinguish between the visible church and the invisible church? Is better terminology at hand that is less misleading, more enlightening, and more Biblical? (549-550)

In what sense is the phrase, the invisible church, misleading, and how has the idea been abused? Many have assumed that this terminology implies two churches: an invisible church and a visible church, one with different members from the other. (552)

"One may not divide the church into a visible and invisible church. One and the same person is invisible as far as the soul, will, intellect, and affections are concerned, and he is visible as far as his body and motions are concerned. As one person cannot be divided into an invisible and a visible person, one may not divide the church into a visible and invisible church, for then it would seem as if there were two churches,
each being a different church. One may also not divide the church into a visible and invisible church as far as the members themselves are concerned, as if the one had different members from the other." 335 . Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, 2:5–6. (552)

Most certainly, the Westminster fathers themselves would today share our misgivings about the “visible-invisible” approach to understanding the church of God. To be fair to them, we should point out why they expressed themselves in this manner, distinguishing, but not completely separating the invisible church from the visible church.  (553-554)

The definition of “the invisible church” in the Larger Catechism is, in reality, the definition of the church in its idea and complete sense. (554)

It should again be noted that those whom Jesus will “gather together into one,” are considered to be “the children of God,” BEFORE they are gathered by effectual
calling, while they are still “scattered abroad.” Christ will gather all His chosen children “into one” church under His Headship. (555)

"All that hear the gospel, and live in the visible church, are not saved; but they only who are true members of the church invisible." (WLC, Q. 61)

Although the visible church may have some in its membership whose profession of faith appears credible, but whose unregenerate hearts are far from God (2 Tim. 2:19, 20), all of the effectually called elect of God are to be found in the membership of the visible church. The “visible church” includes the “invisible church;” however, they are not totally co-extensive. Although “the same individuals who constitute the church considered as invisible, belong also to the church considered as visible;… many who belong to the visible, are not comprehended in the invisible Church.” 339 
Shaw, The Reformed Faith, 261. (556-557)

The Larger Catechism Q. 65 says simply that the members of the invisible church by Christ enjoy union and communion with Him in grace and glory. It then gives its Scriptural support (John 17:21; Eph. 2:5, 6; John 17:24). However, several further Questions grow out of this Answer. Question 66 explains the union and communion believers have with the exalted Christ. Questions 67–68 explain effectual calling as the method by which God brings us into vital union with Christ. Question 69 explains the communion in grace which believers have with Christ. Questions 70–81 explain the ingredients of this communion in grace with Christ as justification, adoption, sanctification, faith, repentance, eternal security, and assurance of salvation. Question 82 explains the communion in glory which believers have with Christ, in this life, immediately after death, and at last perfected at the resurrection and day of judgment. Question 83 explains the nature of our communion in glory with Christ which believers enjoy in this life. Questions 84–85 prepare the way for the answer of Question 86 by explaining death; and
then, Question 86 explains the nature of the communion in glory with Christ which believers enjoy immediately after death. Finally, Questions 87–90 explain this communion in glory which believers will enjoy when they are at last perfected at the resurrection and day of judgment. So then, it is obvious that the Answer to Question 65 is not as simple as it may appear. (557)

First, this communion we have with Christ in grace and in glory, which comprises the blessings of salvation in this world and the next forever, is enjoyed by the chosen of God only because of our union with Christ. We are first united to Christ, and then we are made partakers of His blessings. Communion with Christ is rooted in union with Christ. (558)

Second, this union and communion with God in Christ is the unifying and central promise of all “the covenants of promise.”...This phrase: “I shall be your God, and you shall be My people” “may be designated as the ‘Immanuel principle’ of the
covenant. The heart of the covenant is the declaration that ‘God is with us.’” 341 O. Palmer Robertson, The Christ of the Covenants (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1980), 46. (558)

Third, the chosen of God enjoy the blessings of union and communion with Christ in grace and glory by Christ. (559)

Although the Larger Catechism is regretfully silent regarding the mission of the church of Christ, the Westminster Confession of Faith (XXV, iii), sets forth in clear, although abbreviated language, the mission of the church, the spiritual power making that mission effective, and the divinely-ordained means by which that mission is to be carried out:
"Unto this catholic visible church Christ hath given the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of God, FOR THE GATHERING AND PERFECTING OF THE SAINTS in this life, to the end of the world; and doth, by his own presence and Spirit,
according to his promise, make them effectual thereunto." (560)

In defining the mission of the church as the gathering and perfecting of the saints, the Westminster fathers are not only reflecting Biblical language, they are teaching that the mission of the church is twofold, one aspect of it directed to the sinful world, and another aspect of it directed toward believers in Jesus, members of the
church, i.e., saints. (561)

...an essential aspect of our evangelism in bringing people to Christ, is bringing them into His visible church, to gather these converts together in the Christian Synagogue under the headship of Christ. Biblical evangelism is the presentation of Jesus Christ boldly and “in the power of the Holy Spirit, that men shall come to put their trust in God through Him, to accept Him as their Savior, and serve Him as their King IN THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS CHURCH.” 350. J. I. Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1961), 37–38. Emphasis added. (565)

Christ has also commissioned His church to perfect those who have been gathered together out of the world into one under Christ. (567)

[Refers to Ephesians 4:11-12]

First, the ascended and exalted Savior, Jesus Christ, to whom all power and authority have been given, has given His church the gifts of “apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers” as offices that are necessary for the maintenance of the unity and purity of the church (Eph. 4:1–10). These offices comprise the preaching and teaching ministry of the church.
Second, the work of the church in its ministry of the Word is “the equipping [or perfecting] of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12). The Greek word for “perfecting” is kataptismos, which has a variety of meanings: “to unite and bind together,” “to reduce to order,” “to render
complete, or perfect,” “to prepare or render fit for us,” “to equip.” ...
So then, by means of the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, the Church has the responsibility to prepare, equip and render fit “the saints.”...And by the
ministry of the Word, the Church equips these true believers to live and think in a manner consistent with what God says He has made of them in Christ. They must be taught how to live as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession.” Furthermore, they must be equipped to fulfill the task that has been assigned them—to “proclaim the excellencies of Him” who called them out of darkness into His glorious light. ...
Third, the ministry of the Word has the task of “equipping” the members of the church that the members of the church might be prepared and enabled to participate effectively in “the work of service” and “the building up of the body of Christ.” ...
So then, the church, in its ministry of the Word is to perfect and equip the members of the church to do the work of SERVICE (diakonia) and EDIFICATION (oikodomen) to one another in the church. “The work of SERVICE” refers to the work of mutual service and acts of kindness and compassion by each person of the congregation with one another in Christ-like fashion, for “even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). The ministry of the Word has as its purpose equipping believers to serve one another. 
(568-569)

     Racheal

He cares for His church and protects her as her “good shepherd,” leads her to rest, safety, nourishment and healing, gathering her, leading her, protecting her through all the hazards of life, John 10. He cares for her as a “father” cares for his children with tender and compassionate concern for their safety and welfare (Deut. 32:7). (523)

The church enjoys the personal, liberating, preserving government of God in Christ by which she is distinguished from the world: The Lord Jesus, as king and head of his church, hath therein appointed a government in the hand of church-officers, distinct from the civil magistrate (WCF, XXX, i). (524)

Christ governs His church so that it will be preserved in all ages, notwithstanding the opposition of all enemies. (525)

The Lord God Himself destroys the enemies of Christ’s church in history, whenever they direct their machinery of war against her. God will strike them with confusion and insanity, causing them to be a terror to themselves. On many occasions, whom God would destroy, He first drives mad. “They are deprived of their reason, of the power of strategic planning, by their insane fury, their fanatic hatred of the Lord and His Church.” 303 Laetsch, Bible Commentary on the Minor Prophets, 480. (528)

The Westminster Confession of Faith has an entire chapter (XXVI) explaining the meaning and implications of the communion of saints, in which chapter we are given a definition of this communion and its basis in Christ (XXVI, i), the responsibilities of the saints to each other (XXVI, ii), and a clarification of the nature of this communion, (XXVI, iii).
All saints, that are united to Jesus Christ their Head, by His Spirit, and by faith, have fellowship with Him in His graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory: and, being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other’s gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man (WCF, XXVI, i).
All true believers are united to Jesus Christ in a legal union with Him, and in a spiritual union with Him. ...
Being in vital union with Christ in His life, death and resurrection, true believers are united to one another, and have communion with each other. They form one body, and are united to Christ their common Head: “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many,
are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (Rom. 12:4–5). 

Saints by profession, are bound to maintain an holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God, and in performing such other
spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification; as also in relieving each other in outward things, according to their several abilities and necessities. Which communion, as God offereth opportunity, is to be extended unto all those who, in every place, call upon the name of the Lord Jesus (WCF, XXVI, ii).
First, we are bound to maintain an holy fellowship and communion in the worship of the God. Therefore, like the apostolic church, the visible church today ought to assemble regularly for the public worship of God: “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). ...
Second, we are bound to perform such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification. We ought to be “kindly affectioned one to another, with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another, to bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ, to rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep with them that weep,” to offer up fervent “supplication for all saints,” and “as they have opportunity, do good to all men, especially to them who are of the household of faith.” ...
Third, we are bound to relieve each other in outward things, according to their several abilities and necessities. Members of the church will try to take care of each other physically and materially, as well as spiritually, as they are able. ...
In fact our communion with and charity toward our brothers is not limited to one family or one congregation, rather, this communion, concern and charity is to be extended unto all those who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus (1 Cor. 1:1f).

This communion which the saints have with Christ, doth not make them in any wise partakers of the substance of His Godhead, or to be equal with Christ in any respect: either of which to affirm is impious and blasphemous. Nor doth their communion one with another, as saints, take away, or infringe the title or propriety which each man hath in his goods and possessions (WCF, XXVI, iii).
This paragraph guards against two heretical opinions. (a) The communion of the saints with Christ does not in any way involve a participation of human beings in the essence of the Godhead—the blending of the finite with the infinite—nor does such communion constitute any kind of equality between the believer and the Almighty God. (b) The communion of the saints with each other does not in any way take away or infringe upon the rights of the private property of the saints. This doctrine may not be used to support the common ownership of property as in communism. 
(530-535)

God-ordained aids to faith are often called “the effectual, or effective means of salvation” or “means of grace.” These “external” means or instruments of the saving grace of God include the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the reading and preaching of the Word of God and prayer. They are the instruments which
God has provided for us to use diligently, through which He brings the benefits of salvation into our lives. As we use these means of grace, we are to pray earnestly that God would use them to work His grace in our hearts. (535)

We must not use these means of grace and salvation in a careless, haphazard, indifferent or superstitious manner, as though we neither expected nor desired to receive anything from God through them. We should use them diligently, which implies taking advantage of every opportunity to use these means of grace, and earnestly desiring and expecting God’s grace through them. (536)

In the reading and preaching of the Word of God Jesus Christ is offered to sinners...Or, as the Catechism has it: The visible church hath the privilege… of
enjoying… offers of grace by Christ to all the members of it in the ministry of the gospel, testifying, that whosoever believes in him shall be saved, and excluding none that will come unto Him (WLC, Q. 63). (536-537)

When the Word of God is faithfully read and preached in the visible church, in and through it the living Christ Himself offers Himself and His saving grace to all the members of that church: “He [i.e., the LORD] declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel. (537)

In the preached Word, Christ personally and spiritually comes to His church and preaches the gospel of peace (Eph. 2:17) in irresistible omnipotence; so that,
whatever Christ preaches happens. (538)

The facts to which the living Christ testifies, according to the Larger Catechism Q. 63, are two: (1) Whosoever believes in Him shall be saved, and (2) None [will be excluded] that will come to Him. (538)

The Westminster Confession of Faith (XXV, ii), makes the statement that the church is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation. This is quite a statement. ...
"There is no ordinary possibility of salvation out of the visible church. This is widely different from the doctrine of the Romish Church, which affirms that the Roman Catholic is the only Church, and that there is no salvation out of that Church.…
[W]e are not so presumptuous as to confine the possibility of salvation within the limits of any particular Church, neither do we absolutely affirm that there is no possibility of salvation out of the universal visible Church. Our Confession, in terms
remarkably guarded, only asserts, that “out of the visible Church, there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.” There is, then, a possibility of salvation without its pale; for a person may, by some means, such as by the perusal of the Scriptures,
be brought to the knowledge of the truth, and have no opportunity of joining himself to the Church; but such cases are extraordinary: and, as God usually works by means, there is no ordinary possibility of salvation out of the visible Church, because those who are out of the Church are destitute of the ordinary means of salvation." 314. Shaw, The Reformed Faith, 265. (540)

The point is that everyone who desires to be saved from sin is obligated to join the visible church, to remain with her and not to separate himself from her. (541)

According to Candlish the kingdom and the church can be identified in two
essentials. (1) “The subjects of Christ’s kingdom are the same who are members of the Church invisible.”318...(2) In both the church and the kingdom, the persons are gathered into the name of Jesus Christ, “by the vital power of God’s redeeming love in Jesus Christ, brought to bear upon them through the Holy Spirit.”319 So then, if one is to count himself as a citizen of the kingdom of Christ and a participant in
the peace and salvation of that kingdom, he must be a member of the visible church, ordinarily.
318. Smith, Systematic Theology, 2:532.
319. Smith, Systematic Theology, 2:532. (543)

In so far as the visible Church is instrumental in the establishment and extension of the Kingdom, it is, of course, subordinate to this as a means to an end. The Kingdom may be said to be a broader concept than the Church, because it aims at nothing less than the complete control of all the manifestations of life. It represents the dominion of God in every sphere of human endeavor. 323 Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 570 (545)

The Bible also portrays the visible church as the house and family of God. (546)

      Racheal

“There is only one people of God, the church, established in the Old Testament and brought to maturity in the New Testament.” 250. Randy Booth, Children of the Promise: The Biblical Case for Infant Baptism (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1995), 82. (484-485)

Hebrews 3:2-6: In this text, the unity and continuity of the church in the Old
Testament and New Testament are pictured in the figure of a “house” that is under construction...(a) Both Moses and Jesus are building ONE HOUSE, not two. (b) The house Moses and Jesus are building is “His house,” i.e., it belongs to Jesus (3:2). (c) Although both Moses and Jesus are builders of this one house, Jesus is far superior to Moses, because Moses is only a faithful “servant” in the house, and Jesus is the owner, “the Son over His house” (vs. 6), and the ultimate “builder” of the house, with Moses as His instrument and tool (vs. 3–4). (d) Jesus’ one house, built by Jesus Himself for Himself using Moses as His instrument is the Church...We are being taught here that the church of Christ is one in the Old Testament and the New Testament. (485)

Acts 7:38: The organization of the covenant people of God in the Old Testament
is expressly called “the congregation in the wilderness,” and the Greek word for “church” or “congregation” is ekklesia in this text. (485)

Romans 9:24-26/Hosea 1:10-11: In Hosea 1:10–11, we are given a prophecy regarding “the sons of Israel;” and in Romans 9:24–26, Paul, without hesitation, applies this very passage to the church of Christ. He can do this, because the church of God is one in the Old Testament and New Testament. (485-486)

Hebrews 8:6-13/Jeremiah 31: 31-34: In Jeremiah 31:31–34, the prophet speaks of a New Covenant that Jehovah will make with “the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” Hebrews 8:6–13 quotes this passage, “which speaks so plainly and specifically of Israel and Judah, and applies it to the church of the new covenant.”
251. Booth, Children of the Promise, 84. (486)

Romans 11:17-24: Paul uses the imagery of an olive tree to show us that the church of the Old Testament continues under the New Covenant....the tree remained healthy and the Gentile branches of a wild olive tree were grafted into it. (486)

I Peter 2:9/Exodus 19:5-6

Galatians 3:15-22: The covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis 12–17 still
stands....As the children of believers were members of that covenant (Gen. 17:7), “the inference is irresistible that they are members still, unless their positive exclusion can be pointed out in the New Testament.” 255 Robert L. Dabney, Lectures In Systematic Theology, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, [1878]1975), 783 (487-488)

Galatians 3:28-29; 6:16: In these texts, once again, the New Testament gives the church of Christ names and descriptions that originally were applied to the
covenant people of God in the Old Testament....This means that, as under the Abrahamic Covenant, the “spiritual seed” is to be found among the “physical seed” of believers, hence, as in the Old Testament, believers and their children are taken into covenant with God in the New Testament church. For this reason, the church of Christ is called “the Israel of God” in 6:16. (488)

Hebrews 12:22: The author of Hebrews uses Old Testament imagery to describe the privileges and blessings of church members through faith in Jesus Christ. In coming “to Jesus the Mediator of a new covenant,” we are coming to “Mount Zion,” where God’s covenant people worshipped Him in the Temple, to “the city of the living God,” which is “the heavenly Jerusalem.” (489)

Ephesians 2:12, 19-20: Until reconciled to God by the blood of Christ (2:13), unbelievers today, as unbelieving Gentiles in the Old Testament, are outside
the church of God...Therefore, to use Paul’s own words, to be outside the Christian Church is to be “separate from Christ, EXCLUDED FROM THE COMMONWEALTH
OF ISRAEL, AND STRANGERS TO THE COVENANTS OF PROMISE, having no hope and without God in the world” (2:12; emphasis added). (489)

The Holy Spirit is the creator of this spiritual unity of the church in Christ. This “one Spirit” forms “one body” and calls God’s chosen people to “one hope of your calling.” In the church there is “one faith” in “one Lord” signified and sealed by “one baptism,” where we worship and serve our “one God and Father.” (490)

The concreteness of this Spiritual unity of the church is seen in the church’s united commitment to and confession of “the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 3), i.e., that completed body of revealed truth in the Bible which all true Christians believe. (490-491)

"Evil as well as good is included in the divine purpose. It is purposed not as evil, but for the sake of the good which infinite wisdom evolves from it.… By the prevalence of disorders and other evils in the church, God puts his people to the test. They are tried as gold in the furnace, and their genuineness is made to appear. It is a great consolation to know that dissensions, whether in the church or in the state, are not fortuitous, but are ordered by the providence of God, and are designed, as storms, for the purpose of purification." 263. Hodge, A Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians, 218. (493)

In the Apostles’ Creed, we confess: I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints…There is nothing suspicious about the word “catholic.” It means “universal, supra-national, transcending national, racial and all ethnic boundaries.” (494)

First, the church is catholic in that it is universal....The church’s catholicity is rooted in the scope of the redemptive work of Christ, who purchased “men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9).


The church is no longer confined to one nation as was largely true in the Old Testament. Now it consists of all those throughout the world—in all ages and places of the world—who credibly profess the Christian religion, together with their children.

Second, the church is catholic in that it is identical. In other words the church is catholic in space and in time. Throughout its history from the Old Testament to the present, the church cannot and does not alter her basic nature. She is always comprised of those who credibly profess the Christian religion along with their children.

Third, the church is catholic in that it is orthodox. Her orthodoxy guarantees her continuous self-identity. The church is orthodox in that her foundation is in the “apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the chief corner stone” (Eph. 2:20).


Fourth, the church is catholic in that it is continuous.

To say that the church is continuous throughout history is to say that the church is indestructible....Individual congregations and denominations may come and go, but the church of Christ on earth will never perish.

The continuance of the church is not something automatic. It is indestructible because God preserves it and provides for it....He will never allow His church to be completely overwhelmed with heresy. He will renew His church and lead her into all truth by the presence and work of His Holy Spirit.

Fifth, “catholicity” refers to the wholeness and fullness of the church’s faith and life in Christ.
(495-499)

First, there are no boundaries to the proclamation of the gospel of salvation in Christ.

Second, all people all over the world throughout history benefit from the grace of God and the redemptive work of Christ, whether they are Christians or not. In 1 Timothy 4:10, the living God is said to be “the Savior of all men, especially of believers. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45).

Third, that the catholic church has boundaries is evident from the New Testament. After excommunicating the impenitently wicked member from the Corinthian church, Paul instructs the rest of the church not to eat with him until he is restored (1 Cor. 5:11). Paul clarifies that he is not calling the church to total isolation from the
unbelieving world, but to the consistent application of excommunication to a “so-called brother” (vs. 11)...To speak of some people being “outside” the church and others as being “within” the church is to speak of a boundary line.

The question is: what is the boundary of the visible catholic church? Answer: a credible profession of faith in the Christian religion.

Fourth, the spatial boundaries of the church are always moving outward, as the church is enlarged and extended by the proclamation of the Word of God in the conversion of sinners: “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).

Fifth, those inside the church must never lose sight of those who are on the outside. Their proclamation of the gospel and compassionate service does not halt at the boundary line. Outsiders may become insiders by faith in Christ and the credible profession of that faith.

Therefore, sixth, be careful in “judging” who is on the outside. Do not demand something other or more than Christ demanded.

...we must be careful about developing an unduly and improper narrowness and exclusiveness regarding our assessment of members of the catholic church.

How may we be properly narrow while avoiding the sin of improper narrowness and the condemnation of Jesus? (1) Believe that the victory of Christ’s kingdom is not dependent upon us. (2) Believe in the absolute sovereignty of God in revealing His truth to His people. (3) Be willing to have as much fellowship as possible with all Bible-believing Christians and be willing to give a cup to one of these “little ones.” (4) Be willing to learn God’s truth from wherever and whomever He reveals it. (5) Do not ever compromise any part of the Word of God for any reason whatever. (6) Wherever you and another Christian can agree praise God for it, enjoy it and look for other areas of agreement, based on the Word of God.

(501-507)

Therefore, if the church is to experience a continuing reformation by the Word and Spirit of God, and thus be truly catholic, she must repent and learn (and practice) the meaning of these five words: “control, continuity, concern, contrition and commitment.”279
If the church is to be truly catholic and truly reformed, she must be CONTROLLED by no one else but by Jesus Christ, who governs her by His Word. She must derive her strength and life from the divine CONTINUITY of Christ’s redeeming work, submitting herself to His constant judgment and mercy. She must make discipling all the world’s nations to Christ her basic CONCERN. Because of all her sins and shortcomings, she must live in constant CONTRITION. And, finally, if the church is to be truly catholic, she must, in continual repentance of sin, be driven to ever new COMMITMENTS to Christ, His church and His world. 279. Vassady, The Church: Evangelical, Catholic and Reformed, 33. (508) 

Leaving a church for any of the following reasons is schism, and therefore sinful: (1) Personal offenses because of the misconduct of individual members; (2) Wrong decisions by the elders or leaders that are of no lasting injury to the church; (3) Differences of opinion among the members of the church about issues that cannot
be determined by the Word of God and not contained in the doctrinal confession of the church; (4) Difference of opinion regarding “circumstances” of worship and church government; (5) Errors in the teaching of some teachers in the church that are infrequent and not openly approved by the authorities in the church; (6) Relaxed discipline in admitting improper people into the communion of the church; (7) Relaxed discipline in not consistently disciplining and censuring those who are guilty of scandals in the church, “provided the ordinances themselves are retained in purity, the rules of discipline not being set aside”; (8) Irregularities or abuses of different kinds in a church which beg for reformation. (508-509)

The membership of the visible church in the Old Testament and the New Testament is comprised of all those who profess the true religion, and of their children.  (511)

The one requirement for membership in the visible church is a credible profession of faith in Christ and the true religion of the Bible by all those who are not incapable of making such a profession, viz. infants and mentally impaired or retarded children of believers. Such a profession of faith makes a person, together with his entire
household, members of the visible church, which is God’s covenant community. (512)

"Credible Profession" 
A true profession of faith is a credible, intelligent and consistent profession of
faith. As Larger Catechism Q. 166 states we are to profess our faith in Christ AND obedience to Him. So then, to profess faith in Christ necessarily includes a  profession of obedience to Him, i.e., a vowing “to yield an external subjection to all the ordinances and institutions of Christ [revealed in the Bible].” 287 James Fisher, The Westminster Shorter Catechism Explained (Philadelphia, PA: Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath-School Work [1753] 1911), 193. (514)

Therefore, a credible profession of faith in Christ is credible because: (1) The profession is knowledgeable; (2) It is accurate, i.e., in accord with the Bible; and (3) A correspondence exists between profession and life, i.e., it includes a commitment to obedience to God. (515)

Who has the God-given responsibility to determine the credibility of the profession of faith of those intending to become members of the visible church? It is to the governing officers of the church, who are the guardians of the membership of the church, responsible for the administration of the government and discipline of the church, that Christ has given “the keys of the kingdom” (Matt. 16:19). (515)

First, Peter was the first of the apostles to use the keys. He used the key of Biblical doctrine on the Day of Pentecost in a great Christian Sermon. Later in the home of Cornelius, he used the key of discipline by the Bible when he pronounced the sentence of exclusion from the church on Simon the sorcerer.
Second, “the keys of the kingdom” by which the doors of the church are shut and bound by chain and lock, and opened when the chain is loosed, is a figurative form of expressing authority to admit to the membership of the church and to exclude from that membership. ...
Third, this power to chain the church door forbidding admittance to the impenitent and to loose the chain to admit the believing was not given to Peter alone. ...
Only those may rule in the church now and use the keys of the kingdom and “bind” and “loose,” who have been appointed by the apostles of Christ to do so; and so, as we have seen, those men (that class of officers) are called in the New Testament, presbyters, pastors, elders, bishops, ministers of the word. (515-516)


Profession of the True Religion

Larger Catechism Q. 62 states that church membership is comprised of those who profess the true religion, along with their children; and Question 166 explains that baptism should be administered to those who profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to Him, along with their children....So that, to the Westminster fathers, to profess the true religion is to profess their faith in Christ and is to profess the true reformed religion. Therefore to profess faith in Christ publicly, is to profess that, believing Him to be the incarnate Son of God and only Savior of sinners, we rest upon Him alone for salvation; and that we believe in the whole system of doctrine of Christianity revealed in the Bible. (517)

By the true religion the Catechism means “the whole of those doctrines deduced from the holy scriptures, which are contained in our Confession of Faith, and Catechisms, [hence, the true reformed religion], as agreeing, in the main, with the Confessions of other reformed churches, 2 Tim. 1:13: ‘Hold fast the form of sound
words.’” 293 Fisher, The Westminster Shorter Catechism Explained, 194.  (517)


And Their Children

Because, as we have seen, God has only one church extending from the beginning to the end of time, its membership remains the same in both the Old Testament and the New Testament: those who profess the true religion and their children. If the children of believers were members of the church in the Old Testament, and if
the church is one under both testaments, then they are members of the church now. (519)

      Racheal

The sixth office, that of deacon, is essential to the health of the church—physically, spiritually, and socially—for another reason. It is “the office of love” in the church. His [the deacon's] concern is love in that it shows Christians how to love one another practically and effectively. (443-444)

As the word, “oversight,” summarizes the work of the elder, so the word “service” summarizes the work of the deacon. It is a physical, material and social work in that it is concerned with the relief of physical, material and social needs in the congregation.
Because of the spiritual, serving, caring nature of the office of deacon, his serving ministry draws a sharp line between the church and the world....The church dispenses the mercy of Christ to Christ’s people and to the world Christ made....Significantly, the Bible tells us that of the seven deacons chosen by the church in Jerusalem, Stephen and Philip were active also as evangelists. 
The office of deacon is rooted in the sympathy for the poor and needy that characterized the covenant community of the Old Testament: “You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land” (Deut. 15:11)...The apostolic church took seriously its responsibility to care for the needy. It systematically cared for its widows (1 Tim. 5:3f) and frequently received offerings for its needy members (2 Cor. 8–9). It believed that “pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:27). (444)

The function of the deacon is to manage the financial affairs of the church, especially with reference to the collections and distributions of the churches monies and properties to the needy.
Deacons must be men of piety, sound judgment, prudence, knowledge of the Word and world, and weight of character. (446)

The Bible does not assign to deacons any role in the government of the church. The responsibility is in the hands of the ruling elders. Therefore, although they may be invited to Session meetings, they have no vote as the rulers of the church. (447)

Deacons serve Christ when they serve the church. And the service they give involves the giving of food and drink, extending shelter, providing clothes, visiting the sick, loaning or giving money to the needy, giving work to the needy, expressing sympathy and compassion in observable and practical ways, like being present in times of crisis or giving financial advice if needed. (448)

"[T]he deacons must also care for the souls of their poor, for they are as fathers to them; and whatever one member is obligated to do to another, they must excel in doing to those over whom the Lord has placed them. (1). They must instruct the ignorant, and bring them to the church services and to catechism instruction. (2). They must exhort, rebuke, and comfort according to individual circumstances. (3). They must visit the sick, either preparing their souls for the hour of death, or exhorting them to increase in godliness if they may again become healthy. In doing so they will “purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith
which is in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 3:13)." 205 Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, 2:151–52. (449)

First, the greatest Deacon who ever lived, upon whom our lives and salvation depends is the Lord Jesus Christ. His deaconing work in our behalf is the basis for the forgiveness of our sins and our acceptance in the family of God. (453)
 
Second, those who hold the office of deacon are not the only ones who are to do the work of a “deacon.” All Christians are called to the “work of service” (διακονιασ) (Eph. 4:12). All Christians are to be servants and ministers of God to each other, deaconing to each other in the name of Christ. (456)

Third, Isaiah 58:5–12 teaches us that service is power. This text presents us with three fundamental truths: (1) true repentance is characterized by concrete and practical service to those in need; (2) Christian service is the giving of ourselves to people in need; and (3) God promises that Christian service will have great effects. (457)

Seventh, according to The Westminster Form of Presbyterial Church-Government, the New Testament church had the office of teacher (“doctor”) (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11): “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers.” He, as a minister of the word, as well as the pastor, has the authority to administer the sacraments. (459)

"Pastors and Teachers are supposed by some to denote one office, because the apostle does not, as in the other parts of the verse, say, “and some, pastors; and some, teachers;”… but and some, pastors and teachers.… I partly agree with them,
that Paul speaks indiscriminately of pastors and teachers as belonging to one and the same class, and that the name teacher does, to some extent, apply to all pastors. But this does not appear to me a sufficient reason why two offices, which I find to differ from each other, should be confounded. Teaching is, no doubt, the duty of all pastors; but to maintain sound doctrine requires a talent for interpreting 
Scripture, and a man may be a teacher who is not qualified to preach. Pastors, in my opinion, are those who have the charge of a particular flock; though I have no objection to their receiving the name of teachers, if it be understood that there is a distinct class of teachers, who preside both in the education of pastors and in the instruction of the whole church. It may sometimes happen, that the same person is
both a pastor and a teacher, but the duties to be performed are entirely different." 221 John Calvin, Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul to the Galatians and Ephesians, trans. by Rev. William Pringle, 21:279. (459-460)

Eighth, the office of evangelist was an office in the New Testament church (Eph. 4:11, 12; Acts 21:8; 2 Tim. 4:5). The evangelist
"differed from the apostles and prophets in that, so far as we are informed, he did not possess the same extraordinary or higher charisms [miraculous gifts of the Spirit]; he differed from the pastors and presbyters, that he was not tied down to any particular district. He was simply an itinerating minister, whose duty was to preach the gospel to any who knew it not, and to organize a church in any locality where the material existed and opportunity offered. Having placed the new society [congregation] under officers of its own, he passed on to other districts and provinces where similar work had to be done. The evangelist of the apostolic age is the missionary, whose work was [and is] twofold:—the preaching of the gospel [to the lost] and the organization of churches [out of converts to his preaching].… The evangelist is a pioneer, opening up the way for the church and ministry." 222 Witherow, The Form of the Christian Temple, 38–9. (460-461)

The authority of the church comes directly from God, “being exercised and enforced, not only or chiefly because of the permission or consent of its members,
but because it is a positive Divine institution, apart altogether from that consent.… In other words, the source of church power is not in the members, but in Christ [Matt. 28:18].” 226 Bannerman, The Church of Christ, 1:191–92. (462-463)

The standard defining the nature and extent of church authority is the entire Word of God written—sola scriptura—not the laws of the state, the civil constitution of a nation, nor the will of the members or officers. (463)

The authority of church officers and church courts is subordinate to Christ and His Word, and is, therefore, ministerial,
"having no authority or discretion of their own, and being merely ministers or servants to carry out the will and execute the appointments of Christ.… In reference to the office-bearers of the Church, of whatsoever place or authority in it, they, if they keep within their office, are but the instruments in the hands of Christ Himself, acting in His name, ruling by His authority, and carrying into effect no more than His instructions." 229 Bannerman, The Church of Christ, 1:219. (464)

Second, God’s authority is directly related to the exercise of church authority and the decisions of church courts. (464)

Jesus Christ, as Head and King of His church, has given church courts a threefold authority: authority in matters of doctrine; authority in matters of worship; and authority in matters of discipline. (465)

As the pillar, guardian and custodian of the revealed truth of God, the church
is to be a witness, interpreter and defender of Biblical truth to the consciences, minds, hearts and lives of people, both inside and outside the church. (465)

The church is the official custodian and teacher of the Word of God to those within her membership (1 Tim. 3:15; Matt. 28:19–20; 2 Tim. 2:2). The Head of the church has commissioned His church to guard His Word from supplementation, perversion, alteration or abridgement. (465)

The church is also commissioned by Christ to be the authoritative witness to the world on behalf of the truth of the Word of God (Acts 1:8; Phil. 2:15–16). In being Christ’s authoritative witness to the world, she is also to confess her faith solemnly, boldly and clearly in the face of the world’s unbelief and evil (Eph. 5:1f). This responsibility of confessing the truth of the Word of God to the world has been discharged by the church historically by the framing of summaries of the truth in confessions of faith or catechisms...Such confessions and catechisms, concisely and precisely bearing witness to revealed truth over against falsehood serves a twofold purpose: (1) A witness for the truth; and (2) A protest against false doctrines. (466)

The church has the authority to put into effect the institutions, ordinances and laws appointed by Christ in His church, which does NOT involve the power to bind the conscience of its members to the observance of new and additional ordinances enacted by itself. (467)

The authority of the church in matters of worship is concerned with the following three points. (1) The church is commissioned to preserve from generation to generation the public worship of God according to the way God Himself has commanded in His Word. (2) The church is to preserve from generation to generation the observance of the Christian Sabbath according to the way God
Himself has commanded for it to be observed in His Word. (3) The church has the responsibility to maintain the office of the minister of the Word from generation to generation... (467)

The church has the power to apply church discipline, to admit and to exclude from the fellowship of the church, and to govern the conduct of members while they continue as members. (468)

How is the purity of the church, in its doctrine and life, to be maintained? ...
First of all, church discipline is rooted in self-discipline....
Three means are presented in the Bible whereby a church can preserve and advance its purity of doctrine and practice....(1) The careful admission of people into the church’s membership and to the Lord’s Table by the elders; (2) The practice of loving church discipline in the congregation; and (3) The careful, faithful preaching and teaching of the whole Word of God.  (469-470)

The one requirement for church membership is a credible profession of faith in Christ and the Bible (Matt. 16:16–18; Acts 2:41; Matt. 28:19). A credible profession of faith is a profession of faith in Christ and the Bible that is believable, that is in general conformity with the teachings of the Bible and that is demonstrated in a life of obedience to God in the one making the profession. (470)

Elders must exercise great care and vigilance in this area of receiving people into the church, praying that God would give them discernment, courage and wisdom (James 1:5) so as not to expect too little or demand too much from those who would come under their shepherding oversight and join the congregation committed to their charge. (471)

Discipline and discipleship are the same thing. It is the training of a believer to live an increasingly faithful life of devotion to Jesus Christ, glorifying and enjoying God in all he is and does. Christian discipline or discipleship is comprised of three components: instruction, which is preventive discipline, chastisement, which is corrective discipline, and counseling, which is restorative discipline.
Preventive discipline is the exercise of the authority Christ gave His church to instruct and guide its members in the revealed ways of God (Deut. 29:29) and to promote purity and peace in the church (Matt. 16:19). It involves the active, vigorous and consistent preaching and teaching of the Word of God, catechizing, training and instructing the young and old in the true revealed religion....
Restorative discipline is essential to the purity of the church. It is not only to be practiced by the ministers and elders, but by all the members of the church, who, as they are filled with faith, goodness, knowledge and wisdom from the Word, are “competent to counsel” (Rom. 15:13–14). ...
Corrective discipline is needed in the congregation, because all congregations are comprised of believing sinners....When a church member wanders into sinful paths, inadvertently or deliberately, he needs loving correction and restoration, much as an erring child needs correction, even chastisement to learn that the way of the transgressor is hard so that he might be restored. (471-472)

[The latter point is further broken out in the following:]

First, the person who is offended and concerned because of some sin against him from another church member is to approach the offender in love about his sin and the problems arising from it, in an effort to set things straight, and to save the brother from further hurt and shame.
Second, if this fails, he is to take witnesses with him either to witness the offender’s refusal to repent, or to back up the pleas of the offended person that the offender make things right with God and with his brothers and sisters (James 5:19, 20).
Third, if this fails, the matter is to be brought before the rulerrepresentatives
of the church—the Session of elders—to offer a solution through prayer, love, counseling and the searching of the Scriptures. (472)
Fourth, if this fails, and the offender hardens himself in his impenitency, the Session is to excommunicate him from the fellowship of the church, and he is to be treated by the church as apostate and an unbeliever who is outside the warmth and safety of the church, that he might be forced to live by the consequences of his rebellious decision, be brought to his senses and to repentance, that he might be restored to Christ and to His church. The elders also make such a judgment for the sake of the purity of the church that Christ might be glorified and honored by all men. (474)

First, the reception of members. 

Second, the edification of members.

Third, the exclusion of impenitent offenders.

Fourth, the restoration of penitents.


(477-478)

First, church authority is limited in that it is distinctly and exclusively
spiritual authority.

Second, church authority is limited by its Origin, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of the church, from whom it is derived. The authority of the office-bearers in the church is subordinate to Christ’s authority and is purely ministerial, not legislative.

Third, church authority is limited by the Standard by which it is to be exercised, i.e., the written Word of God.

Fourth, church authority is limited by the subjects of that authority, that is, it is limited by the privileges and duties of the Christian people themselves. 

(478-479)

The church, under Christ her King, is an independent domain, even as the state is. The church is a separate institution with its own powers, functions and jurisdiction....Ecclesiastical constitutions have no authority in civil government; and civil constitutions have no authority in ecclesiastical government. To reject this limitation is political, cultural and ecclesiastical suicide....Its government is in the hands of the officers of the church and is distinct from the civil magistrate.
After having said this, it must be reiterated emphatically that this institutional separation of church and state does not imply any antithesis between God and state, Christianity and state, Biblical morality and state, or Bible and state. Religious neutrality in politics is a myth the humanists try to impose on Christians, while they themselves are never neutral. (479)

     Racheal

In the New Testament history of the apostolic church we see three kinds of presbyteries: congregational presbyteries, or sessions of local churches;
regional presbyteries, which are referred today simply as presbyteries; and synodical presbyteries, or general assemblies....These three types of presbyteries in the Christian church were modeled after the Jewish system of church government with its three ecclesiastical courts: the Sanhedrin, corresponding to the synodical
presbytery; the Presbytery, corresponding to the regional presbytery; and the Synogogue, with its rulers, corresponding to the session in the local congregation. (359)

First, in the New Testament we see elders given the authority by Christ (through calling, election and ordination), to govern the congregation (local church) of which they are members....Each local church had a plurality of elders, and when the elders were officially in session, together they ruled and managed the local church. (359)

Second, in the apostolic church we see broader presbyteries representing
several churches regionally, which we know today simply as presbyteries, to distinguish them from sessions. The New Testament speaks of a plurality of elders associated and assembled together as a presbytery, governing the congregations which they represented. (350-360)

"There is in the Word of Christ a pattern of one presbyterial government in common over several single congregations in one church." 80. Hall, The Divine Right of Church-Government, 217.  (361)

Third, in the apostolic church in the New Testament, we see the existence of synodical presbyteries, or what we call today general assemblies (Heb. 12:22f) or synods....This would mean that as the session has oversight of the local region, and the presbytery over a specific region, synod would have oversight over all the church in all regions of a larger region. Furthermore, it would mean that as church
members have the right to appeal a session’s decision to a presbytery, so they have the right to appeal a presbytery’s decision to a synod or general assembly. (362-363)

Now, what is the Biblical basis for believing that the apostolic church had synodical presbyteries? ...
First, the Old Testament presents us with a church court in Israel superior to her other courts (Ex. 18:22–26; Deut. 17:8, 12 compared with 2 Chron. 19:8, 11; Ps. 122:4–5). If the ecclesiastical government of the church of Israel in the Old Testament had “synagogues in every City which were subordinate to the Supreme Ecclesiastical Court at Jerusalem, then there ought to be a subordination of particular Churches among us to higher assemblies.” 88
Second, Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:15–21 infer such synodical presbyteries as church courts of appeal.
Third, the unity and catholicity of the visible church is the theological foundation for church government by synodical presbyteries. Christ has one visible catholic church. He has given this church His form of government for her in the Bible. The ordinances Christ has instituted belong to the entire visible church for her edification, and not just to single congregations.
Fourth, the apostolic church provides us with a model for synodical presbyteries in the New Testament, i.e., Acts 15 and 16. The regional presbyterial church at Antioch, and probably the churches of Syria and Cilicia as well (vs. 23, 41) sent representatives to a broader synodical presbyterial church at Jerusalem to settle an issue that was troubling the less broad region of Antioch, Syria and Cilicia.
88. Hall, The Divine Right of Church-Government, 239. (363-365)

The power of presbyteries is limited by the lordship of Christ and the Word of God. It is the spiritual power of the keys of the kingdom, not the political power of the sword. It is neither absolute nor infallible, but limited and fallible. All of its decrees and decisions are to be in total agreement with the Word of God. And if the decision of any presbytery is not consonant with that Word, a member or a presbytery has the right of appeal, from the local session to the regional presbytery to the synodical presbytery or general assembly. Furthermore, the power of presbytery is not only persuasive, it is also juridical. In other words, the presbytery is not only able to give solemn advice and counsel with forceful moral persuasions, but every one within its bounds is “obliged reverently to esteem, and dutifully to submit unto so far as agreeable to the Word of Christ.”95 Hall, The Divine Right of Church-Government, 224. (366)

[1] The Standard of Christian Authority
The presbytery at Jerusalem settled the dispute in Antioch by the exposition
and application of the Word of God (15:16), as the only way of understanding
God’s providence and of refuting false teachers. This teaches us that the only standard by which the affairs of the church are to be regulated is the revealed will of God. (368)

[2] The Authority of Church Officers 
"The inspired record of this Council of Jerusalem plainly sanctions the Presbyterian principle of the right of the office bearers of the church, as distinguished from the ordinary members, to decide judicially any disputes that may arise about the affairs of the church,—to be the ordinary interpreters and administrators of Christ’s laws for the government of His house." 98 Cunningham, Historical Theology, 1:50. (368)

[3] The Place of Church Members
"Now, the way in which they are here introduced, plainly implies that they did not stand upon the same platform in the matter with the apostles and elders… It does imply, however, that after the apostles and elders had made up their minds as
to what was the mind and will of God in this matter, and what decision should be pronounced, the subject was brought before the people,—that they were called upon to attend to it, to exercise their judgment upon it, and to make up their mind regarding it." 102. Cunningham, Historical Theology, 1:55–56 (371)

[4] The Subordination of Church Courts
"The whole transaction here recorded… naturally and obviously wears the aspect of the church at Antioch referring an important and difficult question, because of its importance and difficulty, and because of its affecting the interests of the whole church, to the church of Jerusalem, as to a superior authority; and of that church accordingly entertaining the reference, and giving an authoritative decision upon the subject referred to them." 103. Cunningham, Historical Theology, 1:59–60. (372)

[5] The Obligation of Apostolic Practice
It was a deliberative assembly, proceeding by discourses and disputes, not by apostolic Spirit-produced words. In Acts 15, we see the ordinary procedures of presbytery: debate, dispute, exposition and application of the Bible, and voting.
Why would all this be needed if the apostles present were acting in a miraculous and extraordinary manner? (379)

[6] The Divine Right of Presbyterian Government

The first office in the church is the office of Head and King of the
church, which is the Lord Jesus Christ....“Christ is the real King and Head of the Church, as a visible organisation, ruling it by His statutes, and ordinances, and officers, and forces, as truly and literally as David or Solomon ruled the covenant people of old.”119 Walker, quoted in Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 582. (385)

Christ’s kingly authority is manifested in His church in a variety of ways. (1) He instituted the church...(2) He instituted the means of grace which His church must administer: the Word of God and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper ...(3) He gave to His church its constitution and officers, and bestowed on them authority to rule the church in His name...(4) He is always present with His church when it meets for worship, acting and speaking through its officers... (386)

The second and third offices in the church were those of the apostles and prophets in the New Testament. The apostles and prophets, as vehicles of verbal and inerrant revelation from God, constitute the foundation of the church with Christ as the “cornerstone,” i.e., the principal support and cause of growth: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow-citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone” (Eph. 2:19–20). The Spirit-revealed, written teachings of the Christ-commissioned apostles and prophets are
the doctrinal and organizational foundation of the Christian church through the ages to the very end of the world. (386)

Neither the office of apostle nor the office of prophet were meant to be perpetual offices in the church. They were extraordinary and temporary offices inseparably connected to the laying of the foundation of the Christian church in the first century (Eph. 2:19, 20). (387)

The office of the minister of the Word is a permanent office in the church. We know this to be the case for four reasons. (1) Christ commissioned His church to disciple, baptize and instruct all nations to the end of the world by the preaching and teaching of the Word of God (Matt. 28:18–20). (2) The Spirit-inspired and Christ commissioned apostles made provision in the New Testament for this history-long mission with the institution of the office of minister to succeed the apostles after they passed off the scene....(3) Ephesians 4:11–13 tells us that the ministerial
office will be needed “until we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” (4) The permanency of the office of minister is assumed in the words of Jesus in Luke 12:42–43: “And the Lord said, ‘Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.’” (388)

As contemporary French Calvinist, Pierre Marcel has written: “the power of the preached Word is the very power of God… for it accomplishes the works which the Godhead alone is able to perform in the hearts of lost men; its effectiveness is divine.” 126 Pierre Marcel, The Relevance of Preaching, trans. by Rob Roy McGregor (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1963), 14. (393)

The point Paul is making is that the preaching of Christ is to be heard in the preaching of heralds of the gospel, and that it is heard with such power that it raises the spiritual dead to new life and subdues the rebel’s heart to faith and submission to Him. (394)

Not every Christian is called to “herald the gospel,” although all Christians are to evangelize. ...
So then, to be “sent” is to be commissioned by Christ to serve, represent and speak for Him officially in His own authority, as an ambassador and herald. (395)

Only ordained officers in the church specifically “sent” by Christ to “herald” the gospel are authorized by Him to proclaim His gospel. The point is that not all Christians are to be “preachers.” In fact, a person should think long and hard before he aspires to this teaching office. As James 3:1 warns us: “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment.” (398)

There are two parts to the call into the ministry of preaching: an internal call of the Holy Spirit and an outward call of the Church, both of which originate with Christ Himself. Furthermore, there are two parts of the internal call of the Spirit of Christ to the office of preaching: desire and fitness. (416)

[1] The inward call:
Wilhelmus á Brakel writes that this inner desire for the work of preaching grows out of "an extraordinary love (a) for Christ and a desire to make Him known; (b) for the church to present her as a chaste virgin to Christ (2 Cor. 11:2) and to cause her to shine forth with light and holiness to the honor of God; (c) for the souls of the unconverted to snatch them from the fire, as well as of the converted to strengthen, comfort, and continually provide them with spiritual food." 141 Wilhelmus á Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, 4 vols (Morgan, PA: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1992), 2:122. (417)

The general attitudes flowing from the obedience to Christ that must be present in anyone called to preach are:
"1. Self-discipline, not just in academics, but in all of life, from prayer and Bible study to proper habits of rest and exercise.
2. Self-sacrifice, a genuine willingness to endure hardship in terms of finances, peer esteem, physical comfort if the cause of Christ demands it.
3. Self-giving, not only to the powerful and wealthy, but also to the weak, the poor, to any who are in need in any way.
4. Self-control, a sense of the Spirit’s sanctifying work in one’s own life, an awareness that Christ alone is one’s Master." 147. Nederhood, “The Minister’s Call,” 55–6. (419-420)

[2] The outward call:
Those who are called of God must cheerfully submit themselves to the examination, approval and ordination of the church. Christ sends men to preach through the
“sending” of the church (Acts 13:2; 15:26). A person’s sense of an inward call must be checked and confirmed by the elders of the church, lest he be guilty of appointing himself to the office of preaching, and therefore preach “unsent.” (420)

In every organized church there should be three classes of officers: (1) At least one minister of the Word, or preaching elder, (2) At least two ruling elders, and (3) Deacons. The office of ruling elder is of vital and necessary importance in the church, because “the laws which Christ has appointed for the government and edification of his people cannot possibly be executed without such a class of officers.” 152. Miller, The Ruling Elder, 172. (422)

Ruling elders are absolutely necessary for a healthy and useful church....Neither the purity nor the beauty nor the orderliness of the churches of Christ, nor the credible witness to the world of the majesty and authority of Christ, can be maintained for long without ruling elders in each church, faithfully carrying out the shepherding duties Christ has assigned them. (423)

The office of elder goes all the way back to the days of Moses, some 3500 years
ago. The New Testament office of elder is a continuation and clarification of the Old Testament office of elder. He was a man of maturity and experience deserving honor...OT elders were the representative heads of families, who had the wisdom, discernment and experience to rule in the life of the covenant community, socially, judicially and morally. (423)

Why are elders so vitally important to the health and usefulness of the church?...Because ruling elders are to be the guardians, managers, shepherds
and servants of the church which Christ purchased with His own blood...They serve the church as Christ serves the church as her Guardian, Governor and Good Shepherd. (424)

The two chief services rendered to the church by the ruling elder are INSTRUCTION and GOVERNMENT. (425)

In 1846, the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland adopted this excellent summary of the duties of elders:
"1. That they sit in session along with the minister, and assist in the administration of discipline and in the spiritual government of the church.
2. That they take a careful oversight of the people’s morals and religious principles, of the attendance upon public ordinances, and of the state of personal and family religion.
3. That they visit the sick from time to time in their several districts.
4. That they superintend the religious instruction of the young, and assist the minister in ascertaining the qualifications of applicants for admission to sealing ordinances.
5. That they superintend and promote the formation of meetings within their districts for prayer, reading of the Scriptures, and Christian fellowship among the members of the church." 159 David Dickson, The Elder and His Work (Dallas, TX: Presbyterian Heritage
Publications, 1990), 10. (426-427)

Elders are to be elected by the congregation in which they will serve, and ordained by the session of that church with the laying on of hands. They are elected for life and not for a limited term. This election to the office of elder “continues through life, unless the individual be deposed from office. Like a minister of the gospel, he cannot
lay aside his office at pleasure.” 162 . Miller, The Ruling Elder, 270. (427)

The Positive (pages 430-432):
Above Reproach
Marital Fidelity
Ordered-Believing Household
Hospitable
Lover of Good
Sensible and Sober-Minded
Just
Devout
Self-Controlled
God-Gifted Teacher

The Negative (pages 432-433)
Self-Willed
Quick-Tempered
Addicted to Wine
Pugnacious
Fond of Sordid Gain
A New Convert

...Jesus would have us obey, submit, appreciate, and esteem very highly in love those whom He makes ruling elders by His Spirit. We are to give to them loving submission as they work diligently overseeing us (“have charge over you”) and instructing/counseling us (“instruction”). We are to submit to their faithful, personal shepherding oversight of ourselves and our families in the church;
and to their faithful instruction in and preaching of the Word of God. (434)

When they must painfully exercise church discipline, we must not be offended with them for the faithful performance of duty. Rather, we must make the words of the psalmist our own: “Let the righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me; it is oil upon the head; do not let my head refuse it” (Ps. 141:5). (435)

The office of ruling elder is a permanent office in the church....Moreover, “term eldership” is contrary to the implications of election and ordination to office.
However, elders may be removed from office for a variety of reasons. He may be removed for false doctrine, ungodliness, the absence of those gifts necessary for him to function as an elder, inability to exercise the functions of an elder—either because of age, infirmity or change of location....But, an elder may not simply leave office by a letter of resignation, unless that request is approved by the Session. (438) 

First, the fact that the elder was considered qualified for the office because of the gifts of the Spirit qualifying him for office argues against “term eldership. (438)

Second, election of a man to the office of elder by the congregation and his ordination by the Session also argue against “term eldership.” The congregation elects him and the Session ordains him because they are convinced he is qualified by the Holy Spirit to hold the office of elder. Through this process, Christ the Head of the church, and the Holy Spirit who indwells the church, are calling this particular man to the office of elder. (439)

Third, if the teaching elders and the ruling elders have parity in the exercise of church authority, then “term eldership” seems out of the question. The teaching elder is ordained to that office for life....It is inconsistent with the idea of parity for ruling elders not to be elected and ordained on an equally permanent basis. (440)

     Racheal

Jesus "was exposed to all the temptations that every human being has to contend with—except, however, those temptations that come from within as a result of the inward original taint or of the influence of former sins. Owing to His intrinsic
spotlessness, temptations in His case could only come from the outside. Plummer rightly observes in his connection that “the fact that the solicitations came wholly from without, and were not born from within, does not prevent that which was offered to Him being regarded as desirable. The force of the temptation depends, not upon the sin involved in what is proposed, but upon the advantage connected with it.” "217 Geldenhuys, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, 156–57. (255)

“For we do not have a great High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin,” (Heb. 4:15...). This verse teaches us that the temptations of Christ were “without
sin” in their SOURCE and NATURE as well as in their RESULT....Christ was tempted without sin, or sinlessly, in all points like as we are. (256)

'...the sinlessness of Jesus augments His capacity for sympathy; for in every
case, He felt the full force of temptation.… And Westcott remarks at Hebrews ii:18: “Sympathy with the sinner in his trial does not depend on the experience of sin, but on the experience of the strength of the temptation to sin, which only the sinless can know in its full intensity..." ' 219. Geldenhuys, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, 157. (256-257)

But the question is: could Jesus have given in to temptation and really sinned? Was it possible for Him to sin? (257)

First, THE EXPLANATION OF CHRIST’S IMPECCABILITY.
"The Last Adam differs from the first Adam, by reason of His impeccability.… He was not only able to overcome temptation, but He was unable to be overcome by it. An impeccable will is one that is so mighty in its self-determination to do good that it cannot be conquered by any temptation to evil, however great.…
"The angels who fell could have repelled temptation with that degree of power given them by creation, and so might Adam. But in neither case was it infallibly certain that they would repel it. Though they were holy, they were not impeccable. Their will could be overcome, because it was not omnipotent, and their perseverance was left to themselves and not made sure by extraordinary grace. The case of Jesus Christ, the second Adam, was different, in that he was not only able to resist temptation, but it was infallibly certain that he would resist it." 
221. Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, 2:330–31. (257-258)

Second, THE BIBLICAL BASIS FOR CHRIST’S IMPECCABILITY.
The Biblical proof for Christ’s impeccability includes the following points. (1) The unchangeableness of Christ, taught in Hebrews 13:8, pertains to all the characteristics (and perfections) of His person. His holiness is one of those characteristics; therefore, Christ’s holiness is unchangeable—it cannot and will not become unholiness. (2) A changeable holiness is incompatible with the other divine perfections of the God-man. The possibility of being overcome by temptation is inconsistent with Christ’s omnipotence. Furthermore, the success of the temptation depends, in part, upon deceiving the person tempted (1 Tim. 2:14). A finite intelligence may be deceived, but not an infinite omniscience possessed by the God-man, thus making His apostasy impossible. (3) A holiness capable of change is irreconcilable with the fact that the God-man is the author of holiness (Heb. 12:2; 1 Cor. 15:45). (258)

Third, THE THEOLOGICAL BASIS FOR CHRIST’S IMPECCABILITY. ...
"Christ’s person is constituted of two natures: one divine and the other human. The divine nature is both intemptable and impeccable....The human nature, on the contrary, is both temptable and peccable, [i.e., capable, not only of being tempted, but also of yielding to temptation]. When these two natures are UNITED in one theanthropic [i.e., divine-human] person, as they are in the incarnation, the divine determines and controls the human, not the human the divine.… Consequently, what might be done by the human nature if ALONE, and by itself, cannot be done by it in this UNION with omnipotent holiness....Consequently, Christ, while having a peccable human NATURE in his constitution, was an impeccable PERSON. Impeccability characterizes the God-man as a totality, while peccability is a property of his humanity."222 

"It is the divine nature, and not the human, which is the base of Christ’s person...."[a.] If the human nature and not the divine had been the root and base of Christ’s person, he would have been a man-God and not a God-man...
"[b.] That the personality of the God-man depends primarily upon the divine nature, and not upon the human, is also evinced by the fact that this complex theanthropic personality was not destroyed by the death of Christ. At the crucifixion, the union between the human soul and the human body was dissolved temporarily, but the union between the Logos, [the living Word of God, John 1:1], and the human soul and body was not.… Between Christ’s death and resurrection,
both the human soul and the human body were still united with the Logos....
"The God-man existed between the crucifixion and the resurrection, notwithstanding the separation between the human soul and body, as truly as he did before, as he does this instant. And this, because it was the immutable divinity and not the mutable humanity, which constitutes the foundation of his personality....
"[c.] That the divinity and not the humanity is dominant and controlling in Christ’s person, is proved by the fact that his acts of power were regulated by it...When the divine nature withdrew its support from the human, the latter was as helpless as it is in an ordinary human creature. And when the divine nature imparted its power, the human nature became “mighty in word and deed.”...
"[d.] [T]he knowledge of the God-man depended upon the divinenature for its amount, and this proves that the divinity is dominant in His person." 224
222. Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, 2:332–33; 224. Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, 2:269–73.
(258-262)

Some have interpreted the text as saying that between Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, Christ went to hell to evangelize the lost souls there. (267)

Others have understood the text as teaching that Christ preached through the preaching of Noah to the disobedient people of his day, and who, because they persisted in their disobedience are now “spirits in prison” in hell. According to this view they were not in hell when Christ preached to them through Noah, but they are in hell now. (268)

According to Brown, in His resurrection, Christ was infinitely endowed by the Holy Spirit with an immeasurable superabundance of life so as to enable Him to give
eternal life to those dead in their sins (John 12:24, 32; 3:34). (268) [I'm not completely clear on this last one.]

The resurrected Christ, during His ascension to God’s right hand, proclaimed His victory over sin, Satan and death to the fallen spirit-world, (Satan and demons), who are chained in darkness until their eternal damnation on the final day of judgment, when they are cast into the bottomless pit of hell. ...

Amazing! The resurrected, glorified, exalted Christ, ascending to the highest place of honor and power in the universe—God’s right hand, enters the world of Satan and demons, forcibly calls them to gather, and declares His victory over sin, Satan, and death to them, who a few hours earlier were rejoicing that they had destroyed
God’s Son in death and the grave. Now they are informed authoritatively that, while they “bruised His heel,” He had, in fact, crushed their heads (Gen. 3:15f). What a sermon that must have been! What a congregation, forced to listen to every word! It was a congregation comprised only of Satan and his fiendish, totally evil,
murderous, lying, envious, enraged, monstrous demons. The risen Christ takes the pulpit, calls the service to order, looks at His congregation and triumphantly shouts: YOU ARE FINISHED! I HAVE DEFEATED YOU FOREVER! I AM COMING BACK AT THE END OF HISTORY TO CAST YOU INTO THE BOTTOMLESS PIT OF
HELL! UNTIL THEN, I AM KEEPING YOU CHAINED IN DARKNESS, AWAITING THAT GREAT DAY OF JUDGMENT, WHEN I WILL SAY TO YOU—GO TO HELL! (269)

The Apostles’ Creed refers to Christ’s burial as His descent into hell— He descended into hell...His human spirit remained under the power of death, still being humiliated and tormented for our sin, experiencing the full penalty for sin and the full punishment of hell in our behalf, until His resurrection, for His exaltation and rest from His redemptive work did not begin until His resurrection from the grave (Heb. 4:10)...From Friday until Sunday morning, Jesus suffered the torments of hell for us. (271)

"By the descent of Christ into hell, all those who believe in Him are secured from descending thither; He went into those regions of darkness that our souls might never come into those torments which are there. By His descent He freed us from our fears, as by His ascension He secured us of our hopes." 226. http://www.lectionarycentral.com/saturd/Pearson.html (271)

Some have interpreted the phrase in the Creed—He descended into hell—metaphorically. They say that it is simply a non-literal way of saying that in Christ’s suffering, death and burial, He suffered the full punishment of our sin in our behalf. (272)

Others would say that the view defended in this essay seems to contradict Jesus clear and decisive statement on the cross: “It is finished” (19:30), i.e., “salvation has been fully accomplished and secured by My death on the cross” (Heb. 9:12)...When He spoke those words, He obviously had not died yet, although He soon would die. He was anticipating the completion of the suffering and humiliation that was necessary to secure eternal salvation for all for whom He died, i.e., death and burial, during which His human spirit descended into hell. (273)

Some would object to our view saying that it flies in the face of Jesus’ words to the believing thief on the cross: “Today, you shall be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43)...the loving presence of God the Son did fill Paradise, in fact, the whole universe cannot contain Him, even while His human body was in the grave and His human spirit was in hell. So then, the believing thief on the cross, entering Paradise immediately upon death, was in the presence of the Son of God enjoying fellowship with Him. (273)

Finally, others would object by pointing out that in dying on the cross, Jesus said to God the Father, “Into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46)...He is saying to His Father, whom He loved with all His heart, what He said in the Garden of Gethsemane, when He sweat drops of blood, “Because I trust You and love You, Father, and be cause I want to finish the work You gave Me to do to save sinners, I
submit Myself to You to completely. Not My will, but Yours be done, even if it means that I must descend into hell.” (273-274)

      Racheal

Notice should be given to three points in Acts 1:1–3 regarding the ascension of Jesus: (1) His ascension took place forty days after His resurrection; (2) During the forty day interim, Jesus conversed with His disciples about the kingdom of God; and (3) At the conclusion of the forty days He gave His disciples the Great
Commission to preach the gospel to all nations. (215)

At His ascension, Jesus Christ left earth and went to Heaven, actually and physically: “He was lifted up while they were looking on.” His ascension consisted in a change of place. In His humanity, He was on earth before it. After it, in His humanity, He is in Heaven, at God’s right hand (Heb. 12:2). It also consisted in a change in the humanity of Christ, which was further exalted into “the fulness
of heavenly glory and was perfectly adapted to the life of heaven.” 187 Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 350. (220)

Christ’s ascension was as historical as His crucifixion and resurrection, all of which are wonders of grace. When we examine Luke 24 and Acts 1, we find that the ascension of Christ was of His person; that it was thoroughly visible; that it was an actual transfer of His person (in His humanity) from one place (earth) to another
(Heaven), which is another sphere of the universe and as equally a definite locality as earth, though far more glorious. (220)

Because of Christ’s ascension, the church of Christ is the recipient of many benefits and responsibilities. Included among them are: (1) The Great Commission to make the world’s nations Christ’s disciples (Matt. 28:19); (2) Victory over all enemies (Eph. 4:8); (3) Spiritual gifts to believers (Eph. 4:8f); (4) Exalted aspirations in believers (Col. 3:1); (5) A prepared place for us (John 14:3). (221)

The ascended Christ bestows His Holy Spirit, and with Him all spiritual blessings and gifts upon His church. ...
Since that time, the Spirit, the third Person in the Trinity, is the agent of the 
crucified, exalted Christ by whom Christ continues His prophetic, priestly and kingly ministry in human hearts and human societies. (222)

"The result of the power of the Baptism of the Spirit according to Acts 1:8 is first of all not what men do but what they become. The greatness of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not that it is an event beyond the joining of a man to the ascended
Christ but that it is precisely this event itself. To be baptized in the Spirit is to become Christ’s." 189 Frederick Dale Bruner, A Theology of the Holy Spirit: The Pentecostal Experience (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., [1970] 1977), 160. (224)

The third phase of Christ’s exaltation is His Session, i.e., His being seated at the right hand of God: “When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High” (Heb. 1:3). (225)

“The right hand of God” is the highest position of authority and honor possible. ...
Christ, being seated at God’s right hand, is therefore the infinitely exalted, victorious Lord, crowned by God as the Mediator- King of all creation to advance all the purposes of redemption (Eph. 1:19f). (226)

Sitting at God’s right hand, Jesus is not only an enthroned King, He is also a seated High Priest. Levitical priests of the Old Testament never finished their work. They were always offering sacrifices for God’s people; but Christ, by His once-for-all sacrifice of Himself securing forever our salvation, is now seated, signifying that His redemptive work is finished, complete and perfect. (227)

However, the session of Christ not only presents us with the continuation of His work as king, and His priestly work of intercession, it also presents us with the continuation of His work as prophet. Through His Holy Spirit and the written Word of God, He leads His church into all truth, so that His church becomes the foundation and pillar of revealed Divine truth. (228)

His ascension brought manifold blessings to His people, it always brought infinite
blessings to Himself as the God-man. (1) It brought Him all fulness of joy. ...(2) It brought Him all fulness of glory. (228)

The very end of the world is called The Day of the Lord. That will be the day when Jesus Christ shall return to earth, physically, personally, visibly, publicly, loudly and gloriously...The Revelation of Christ is the end of the world, the day of the Lord, when Jesus comes back in clouds of glory to judge all people. With this ending will be the perfection of the New Heavens and New Earth, which are the home of righteousness (Rev. 21–22), when the whole creation is purified and recreated, when paradise with God is fully restored to His people in Christ. (231-232)

The Bible uses several terms to describe the Return of Christ. It is called the Parousia, which Greek word means “Presence” or “Coming,” denoting the advent and resulting presence of a king or conqueror. (235)

The Return of Christ is also referred to as the Epiphaneia, which means the “Appearing,” denoting the coming forth and manifestation of rich blessings out of a hidden background. ...
Another term in the New Testament for the return of Christ is Apokalupsis, meaning the unveiling or the revelation, denoting the removal of that which now obstructs our vision of Christ. ...
These terms, (Parousia, Epiphaneia, Apokalupsis) are all descriptions of one and the same event. Some, however, try to interpret them as describing separate and successive events or comings....First, the Bible does not speak of the returns of Christ at the end. Instead it equates the Parousia, Epiphaneia, Apokalupsis and the Telos, meaning “the end,” all referring to the same event. (236)


The victory commenced at Calvary, is advanced by the Gospel of the Kingdom and is concluded in the climax of the victory at the return of Christ (Heb. 2:14; Rev. 20:10). (237)

This privilege of judging the world is the crowning honor of his exalted lordship rewarded Him by God for His humiliation. It is the capstone of His exaltation. He will judge those who so unjustly judged Him. He shall have the last word of judgment! (238)

What is the purpose of this climactic event called the Second Coming of Christ or Judgment Day? It is for the purpose of glorious revelation....First, God’s holy and righteous character will be fully revealed and vindicated...Second, the majesty of Jesus Christ will be fully revealed: “so that at the name of Jesus ‘every knee will bow,’ of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10f)....Third, the glory of God’s grace in the eternal salvation of His elect will be displayed...Fourth, the glory of God’s justice in the damnation of the wicked will be manifested...Fifth, the true and glorious state of the sons of God will be revealed to all: “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God” (Rom. 8:19). Sixth, the utter sinfulness of the wicked will be revealed
to all... (239)

First, THE RELATION OF CHRIST’S REDEMPTIVE WORK AND HIS JUDGING WORK. It is one work; and Christians have a joyful interest in both aspects. It is only when Christ comes as Judge that our redemption is completed, justification finally proclaimed, victory consummated, and the last consequences of sin obliterated from the universe....We would be unable to justify ourselves, but when we see our Almighty Friend and Substitute on that judgment seat, we will rejoice, for our sentence of condemnation was passed in Him forever: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). ...

Second, THE IDENTITY OF THOSE WHO WILL STAND BEFORE CHRIST’S TRIBUNAL. ...

The point is that, contrary to the teaching of Dispensationalism, every person who has ever lived and all wicked angels will be summoned before the great Judgment Throne of Christ. All wicked angels will be there, according to Jude 4. All human beings without exception will be there according to Eccl. 12:14; Ps. 50:4; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 2:5f; Rom. 14:10; Matt. 12:36–37; Rev. 20:12; Matt. 8:29; 1 Cor. 6:3; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6. ...

Third, THE NATURE OF THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED BEFORE CHRIST’S TRIBUNAL ON THAT DAY. Judgment Day will be a day in which all those who stand before Christ will render account of all their thoughts, words and deeds throughout their lives...

Fourth, THE STANDARD BY WHICH CHRIST WILL DISPENSE HIS JUDGMENT ON THAT DAY. The Standard on that Day will be nothing less than the revealed will of God! The people who have never heard the gospel will be judged according to the Law of God written on their hearts and consciences...

Fifth, THE NATURE OF THE JUDGMENT RENDERED BY CHRIST ON THAT DAY. The judgment rendered by Christ on that Day will be according to the works we have done and the kind of life we have lived. (240-244)

Christ’s blessed voice on that Day will bring incomparable joy to all true believers and indescribable horror to all unbelievers! Belief in the certainty of the Day of Judgment in believers should stir up evangelistic zeal (2 Cor. 5:10–11); produce perseverance under mistreatment and persecution (Rom. 12:9); motivate diligence in living holy lives (2 Pet. 3:11–14); excite watchfulness and constancy (Matt. 24:42–44); and produce comfort, hope, optimism, and assurance of victory in Christ (2 Thes. 1:5–9). (247)

Here, in this cross and crown, is your salvation, comfort, hope and dignity, as a Christian person. (249)

It must be carefully noted that Christ suffered before He was exalted. His cross came before His crown. So it is with Christ’s disciples: suffering for Christ precedes exaltation..."The world looks upon humility as that which will make contemptible,
but it is the ready way to honour; the way to rise is to fall; the way to ascend is to descend. Humility exalts us in the esteem of men, and it exalts us to a higher throne in heaven." 210 Watson, Body of Divinity, 144. (250)

All attempts of man to exalt himself without Christ lead to his humiliation, for, as the Bible says, pride always comes before destruction, and arrogance and self-trust before a fall. Man’s exaltation is only in Christ, who was humiliated to save us from that humiliation and all the other consequences of our sin. Only a society built on the truth of the humiliation and exaltation of Christ, and of believers in Him, can stand....A humanistic culture is a humiliated and humiliating culture. A Christian culture is an highly exalted and advanced civilization. A culture cannot advance without Christ; and a apostate culture can only lead to decline. (251)

If you are resting in a humiliated Christ and submitting to an exalted Christ for salvation, then live completely for Christ, as Christ lived, died and arose entirely for you. Greater things are expected from you than from other people. (252)

      Racheal