Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Genesis: Introductory Notes

GENESIS

Varied notes:

1. Anonymous, but “part of a unified Pentateuch.” Choke, choke from liberals.

2. It's quite arbitrary and dismissive, as comfortable presuppositions allow, to exclude the New Testament testimony to Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch in the 15th century B.C. “Moses gave you circumcision” (Jn. 7.22; Acts 15) which is uniquely given in Genesis 17. There are more.

3. The history provides a masterful foundation for the Law.

4. It establishes amongst the patriarchs Israel’s unique covenantal relationship to Jehovah (Dt. 9.5). God elects Israel to this relationship as a source to bless the world. A special people for a unique purpose and exclusively God's.

5. Creation stories are basic to ancient worldviews. It was natural that Moses included such in Genesis 1-11. There are stories amongst Africans, Chinese, Nords, and Ancient Near Eastern contexts.

A. Mesopotamia—Enuma Elish
B. A flood account in Atrahasis Epic
C. 11th tablet of Gilgamesh Epic
D. Elba texts, 24th century B.C.
E. Mari texts, 18th century B.C.
F. There are others.

6. David’s crafts Psalm 8 with Genesis 1-2 as the canonical basis. The story is less about how and when and more about why and who.

7. The documentary theory of J, E, D, P has been set forth, but few believe it is of any use these days. More to follow on this now-dead theory once called the "assured results of scholarship" by 19th and 20th century liberals.

8. There are 10 parts identified by “this is the genealogy [history] of…”

A. The first 3 are pre-Flood

B. The last 7 are post-Flood

C. There is the “redemptive” and “electing” line through Seth and Shem: genealogies 2 and 5. Oh no, not election please. We "elect" God dontcha know?

D. The “epochal covenant transactions” are between Noah and Abraham: genealogies 3 and 6. The recovery in the Reformation of reading the Bible covenantally, notably Calvin, is sage.

E. Election occurs in/across and is narrower than "visible" covenant lines: (1) Isaac versus Ishmael. (2) Jacob versus Esau. Conflict and separation. It’s Article 17 of the 39 (now buried), denied by Pelagians and Semi-Pelagians in all their forms, ancient and modern. Romans 9 rules the school. End of discussion for Greeks, Romanists, Tractarians, Charismatics, many evangelicals, and most of the modern American Anglicans. Also, “election” cuts across covenant lines. Or, one may wear the sign and not have the reality. Or, one can be baptized as an infant and be a “child of the first Adam,” guilty, dead in his sins and trespasses and a “child of wrath.” Head-for-head-regeneration in baptism is a fiction. The Gorham decision in 1850 of the Church of England adopts this as the official teaching (until other corruptions spread).

F. Total depravity.

i. Token religion, murder-fratricide, and vengeance—Cain (Gen. 4)

ii. Tyranny, sexual disorders, harems, bondages and continuous wickedness of thinking (Pre-Flood culture and kings, Gen. 6).

iii. Erecting anti-kingdoms of God in the service of the anti-God or anti-Christ spirit, replete with hubris, bragging, narcissism, and corrupted minds, wills, and feelings—Nimrod’s infamous Tower (Gen. 10/11).

iv. The verdict: “Man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Gen. 6.5)

v. The patriarchs--none of them--are saints either. Abraham and Joseph might be leaders of the lot, but Jacob leaves much to be desired.

G. God: Spirit, Creator, Infinite, Holy, Just, Omniscient, Omnipotent, Gracious and the Redeemer (variously). Christ was the “Lamb slain before the foundation of the world” and the “election” of God is before the foundation of the world. Jacob was chosen before the world began (Rom. 9). More needs to be developed here.

H. God’s electing and covenantal purposes

i. God elects the seed of the woman to be the Redeemer to crush the serpent and the curse: or, to crush the Anti-Christ. The ultimate “seed” promised to Adam, Eve, and Old Testament believers (and New Testament ones) is “Christ is the seed” (Gal. 3. 16). Can you hear the Arminian teeth grinding?

ii. Election and blessing of Abraham—promised an eternal seed (church), land (new heavens and new earth), and King (Christ).

iii. The ultimate offspring of Abraham are the elect and justified (Gen.12.1-3; Gal. 3.16) who believe the same Gospel as Abraham (Gal. 3.6-9) and who, as believers, possess the reality of circumcision and baptism, Christ’s redemption (Gal. 3.26-29).

I. Abraham trusts God’s promises for the birth of the child Isaac, his return from death by resurrection if sacrificed (see Hebrews 11.19), and an innumerable progeny. He was justified by faith alone apart from works (Romans 4). We can hear the Romanists, Greeks and Tractarians choke here.

J. Joseph lives from the divine Word of God, trusting securely in the covenant promises and God’s over-ruling goodness to bring good out of evil, murderousness, hatred, anger, and slave-trading. Joseph forgives his criminal and lawless brothers. Joseph saves them from recrimination while “Confessing” his Protestant and Reformed faith (tsk! tsk!), justified by faith alone.

K. Lovely transition with noteworthy connection between Joseph in Genesis 50.24-25 to Exodus 1.

L. The genealogies of Genesis 5, advanced in Genesis 11 (and others), are completed by the birth of His Majesty, the seed of Eve, our Redeemer, two natures in one Person (Mt. 1.1-18; Lk. 3.23-27).

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