Presbytopia Session 2

OPEN IN PRAYER

Starting session 2

Q8 What is the Trinity? pg. 20

How can God embody love when love is relational?

How could He love before He created objects of love?

Well, there’s another attribute that shows God’s love from all eternity.

We call it the mystery of the Trinity – one God in three persons.

God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Spirit have Love for each person of the God head.

The Bible speaks of one God. Moses said, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one’ (Deut. 6:4)

while Jesus said, ‘I and the Father are one’ (John 10:30).

And this one God also reveals Himself in three persons.

After Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, the gospel writer Mark describes the interaction between the three persons of the Trinity in these words:

Mark 1:10-11 says

When he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased’ (Mark 1:10-11).

Some Common Errors about the Trinity which are still active today that Ken brings out in the chapter are

Wrong -Here, the participants aren’t three separate gods (tri-theism), for that would destroy their ‘oneness

Wrong - Nor are they three appearances of the same God (modalism), for that would destroy their unique personalities and make the story nonsensical.

Correct - Instead, we see three persons – who are all one God – interacting with each other. Just because we can’t fully wrap our minds around it doesn’t make it any less true.

Our Westminster Standard declare this truth of the Bible as well in Westminster Shorter Catechism questions 5 & 6.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 5

Question 5

Are there more Gods than one?

There is but One only, the living and true God. (Deut. 6:4, Jer. 10:10)

Question 6

How many persons are there in the Godhead?

There are three persons in the Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. (1 John 5:7, Matt. 28:19)

Next in Question 9

Q9 How is the Son divine? What purpose does He serve? pg. 20

Lets read John 1:1

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

‘For in him the whole fullness of the deity dwells bodily’ (Col. 2:9).

‘He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature’ (Heb. 1:3).

Identifying Himself with God’s self-disclosure, ‘I am who I am’ (Exod. 3:14), J

Jesus made the following claims about Himself: ‘I am the bread of life’ (John 6:48),

‘I am the light of the world’ (John 8:12),

‘I am the resurrection and the life’ (John 11:25)

‘Before Abraham was, I am’ (John 8:58).

Ken points out that

The Apostle John, in particular, leaves us without any doubt about the divinity of Jesus in the Book of Revelation.

First he recorded, ‘“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty”’ (Rev. 1:8).

Then upon seeing ‘one like a son of man’ in a vision, he ‘fell at his feet as though dead’ (Rev. 1:13, 17a).

This reminds us of Isaiah’s experience, the typical reaction to seeing God through impure eyes.

John’s vision, however, wasn’t finished: ‘But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades”’ (Rev. 1:17b-18).

Notice how the Son used the same language as the Lord God to describe Himself (e.g., ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’) with one exception: He also mentioned that He died.

God the Father never died, but His Son Jesus Christ died on the Cross and was raised from the dead.

What does this mean?

It means that John encountered Jesus in his vision.

It means that Jesus is the Eternal One, even the Infinite One. He is God.

Why is this important? It matters a great deal in the plan of salvation, but for now it serves a specific purpose: the Son reveals the Father to His people.

We wouldn’t know God and His salvation if Jesus hadn’t come.

He said as much in John 14:6-7: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.

For centuries, people have desired to see God

The countless statues and images that fill our museums testify to this truth.

Jesus, however, had a different answer for His disciples: ‘If you want to see God, you’re looking right at him!’

The last question for chapter 2 says

Q10 How is the Spirit divine and a person? What purpose does He serve? pg. 21

He is called the Holy Spirit. Some groups consider Him nothing more than a force, but the Bible doesn’t support such an idea.

When the Apostle Peter confronted Ananias about his deception, he mentioned this specific person of the Trinity. He said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? … You have not lied to men but to God’ (Acts 5:3-4).

Notice that Peter specifically referred to the Spirit as God. Also notice that he considered the Spirit a person. Only a person can be lied to and only a person can be grieved (Eph. 4:30).

Eph 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

The Spirit is just as personal as the Father and the Son. But isn’t it enough to have the Father and the Son?

Why do we need the Spirit?

Ken will later in the book discuss this in more detail, but for now

He serves a specific purpose: the Spirit reveals the Son to His people.

Jesus said, ‘But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me’ (John 15:26).

Paul reminded his readers that ‘no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit’ (1 Cor. 12:3).

1 cor 12:3 “Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.”

The Trinity is essential in understanding who God is. The problem is that many Christians don’t know what to do with it.

Many regard it as intellectual dogma with few practical benefits.

As we will see, the Trinity isn’t some irrelevant doctrine to be acknowledged and then ignored.

Rather, it describes God’s love from all eternity, three persons working together for the good of God’s people, demonstrated in the gospel.

If their was only one thing this is the one you want to get correct.

How we think about about God as One God and three person.

Let’s go on to Chapter 3 next.

Chapter 3 Man who He Was pg.23

Ken begins the chapter by pointing us to the Origins of Man.

God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life according to (Gen. 2:7).

Ken points out that this is different, even intimate. Animals were made ‘according to their kind’ (Gen. 1:11-12, 21, 24-25),

but man was made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26).

Some one read Gen 1:26

Gen 1:26 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.””

Does this mean that we look like God?

No it does not

Ken points out that Jesus Christ is called the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15).

Col 1:15 “He is thhis imagee image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

Paul described the Lord as one ‘who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see’ in (1 Tim. 6:16).

1 tim 6:16 “who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.”

So if God is unapproachable light

If God is Invisible.

If God is a Spirit.

then How are we made in his image?

Q1 states we first need to know what the image of God is?

Q1 What is the image of God?

The simple answer is that mankind reflects aspects of God’s attributes to the lesser creation.

Becasue we know we are not unapproachable light, Invisible.

WSC 10 states

The Westminster Shorter Catechism (Question 10)

Question 10How did God create man?God created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. (Gen. 1:26–28, Col. 3:10, Eph. 4:24)

Genesis 5:1-3 Speaks about Adam being created in the image of God.

Can someone read Gen 5:1-3

Gen 5:1-3 “This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.”

Ken points out that the language of Gen 1:26-27 is repeated, with one surprising addition:

the first man fathered a son in his own likeness after his image.

Since his image is God’s image,

this makes him God’s child (cf. Luke 3:38).

Luke 3:38 points out this image bearing fact in the geneology of Jesus in Verse 38 that Adam was made as an image bearer of God.

Luke 3:38 “the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”

This offers an insight into the nature of man.

God didn’t just creating us as a higher species than the animals

God makes us His children.

We’re created according to His kind.

The second part of Question 1 is

Q1 part 2 What are some characteristics of being an image-bearer?

image bearers - Are created to know God according to Gen 2:16-17 “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.””

Ken points out that Adam had conversations with God.

Adam was given knowledge and Responsibility.

And it was in this responsibility that Adam displayed his image bearing.

Adam Ruled the lesser creation Gen 1:26 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.””

Adam named the animals Gen 2:19 “Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.”

Adam named the woman Gen 2:23 “Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.””

The Lord multiplies the lesser creatures throughout the earth Gen 1:22 “And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.””

Adam is also to be fruitful and multiply according to Gen 1:28 “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.””

We also have work that God has given us.

So we work like God works

God’s work was the creating

Adam’s was to Be fruitful with the woman creating children that would have dominion over the earth and the creation.

God named man’

Man named the animals and the woman.

This is how Adam was an image bearer.

We were to WORK & GUARD

Work in the Garden

Which would also be Guarding the Holy place of God

He points out that the the Hebrew word “SMAR” in Genesis 2:15 translated keep can also mean guard.

the Holy place of God.

Ken points out that Adam’s task would have been too guard and the garden which would include the tree of life.

Next in question 2

Q2 What was the goal of mankind? pg. 25

The first sentence under the section the Covenant of Works

Man was to enter into God’s eternal rest symbolized by the Sabbath.

Read Gen 2:1-3 “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”

Read Heb 4:4-11 “For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” And again in this passage he said, “They shall not enter my rest.” Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”

Ken points us to what means man would achieve this goal?

The second half of question 2

By what means would man achieve this goal?

Covenant

Q3 What is a covenant?

What is a covenant?

Simply put, it’s a legal relationship.

Marriage is an example of a covenant between two people (Mal. 2:14 “But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.”

Ancient Near Eastern covenant treaties involved blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience

Read Deut 28

(Deut. 28 ““And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. The Lord will establ…”

Q4 Describe the covenant of works.

God made His first covenant with Adam, the first man (Hosea 6:7 “But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.”

This was called the covenant of works.

What did it involve?

By keeping this covenant, Adam had the potential to earn eternal life for himself and his descendants.

Who were the parties?

Adam & God

Adam was given a test. It involved two trees: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

God forbade Adam to eat of the second tree and punctuated His command with an ominous curse: ‘for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’

(Gen. 2:17 “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.””

This curse, however, suggests that the opposite would also be true.

If Adam does not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil then he would earn the right to eat of the tree of life, a sign and seal of eternal life

Gen. 3:22 “Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—””

Rev. 2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’”

This would involve more than a continuation of his present state in the garden. It would cause a transition from innocence to glory.

Who was the catalyst?

The test, however, was not so easy; it also involved a catalyst. ‘Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made’ (Gen. 3:1).

How was it more crafty? Well for one thing it could talk! But even more important is the force behind the serpent.

Revelation 12:9 identifies this ‘ancient serpent’ with the names Devil (slanderer) and Satan (enemy). Jesus called him ‘a murderer from the beginning’ and ‘the father of all lies’ (John 8:44).

This is the agent of temptation who would challenge Adam’s loyalty to the covenant.

Ultimately it would challenge man to decide between two sources of revelation: the word of the Lord and the word of the serpent.

What were the blessings and curses?

knowledge was At stake was nothing less than the relationship between God as creator and man as His creature.

The blessing was fellowship with God.

The curse was seperation from God.

Q5 Why did the serpent approach the woman?

Notice how the serpent went around God’s authority structure to tempt the woman. She was created to complement man and be his helpmate

(Gen. 2:20-25 “ not to represent the covenant family in dealings with talking serpents!

Notice how the serpent created doubt (‘Did God actually say?’) and outright lied (‘You will not surely die’).

Q6 Did Adam succeed in meeting the requirements of the covenant of works? Why or why not?

The Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 12

Question 13

Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?

Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God. (Gen. 3:6–8,13, Eccl. 7:29)

(Gen. 3:6). Notice how Adam failed on all accounts.

He didn’t guard the sanctuary from the intruder.

He didn’t guard his wife from the intruder.

And worst of all, he listened to the word of the serpent instead of the word of God.

He failed the test and broke the covenant of works.

Something was about to change between God and His image-bearers and that something was sin.

Chapter 4 SIN What Man Has Done

Q1 What is Sin? What Does it involve?

Read Questions 14

The Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 14

Question 14

What is sin?

Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. (1 John 3:4)

What is sin?

Ken says In a nutshell, sin is a violation of God’s law. It’s not doing what you should do or doing what you shouldn’t do

What does the book of James say regarding sin?

James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.”

Also the New Testament gives us further revelation on sin.

for those who think they can achieve perfect law-keeping,

That sin involves not only our actions but its our though life and things that we say.

Jesus expands our thinking by considering bitterness a form of murder.

Lets read Matt 5:21-22 and 5:27-28

(Matt. 5:21-22 ““You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

(Matt. 5:27-28 ““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Q2 What is the implication of Adam and his wife’s nakedness? What did they do about it?

Q3 How did sin affect the relationships in the Garden of Eden?

Ken points out

For Adam and Eve, it immediately led to guilt.

After eating the forbidden fruit, their eyes were opened, but what did they see?

Did they experience deep and mysterious truths?

No, they discovered something about themselves, something they hadn’t noticed before – their nakedness.

WSC 18 describes how sin effected Adam and Mankind.

It says

The Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 18

Question 18

Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell?

The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam’ s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called Original Sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it. (Rom. 5:12,19, Rom. 5:10–20, Eph. 2:1–3, James 1:14–15, Matt. 15:19)

So Satan the deceiver and liar really is a liar.

He told them they would be like God

But it only spoiled their relationship with God.

They experienced this Guilt.

Ken points out

The point is not that they were nude,

but uncovered.

They realized that they were naked before a holy and righteous God.

So what did they do to fix the problem?

They made a covering.

They sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

(Gen. 3:7). They tried to cover up their guilt.

Q4 In what ways does Adam’s sin affect us? Discuss original sin.

WSC 19 states

The Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 19

Question 19

What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell?

All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, (Gen. 3:8,10,24) are under his wrath and curse, (Eph. 2:2–3, Gal. 3:10) and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever. (Lam. 3:39, Rom. 6:23, Matt. 25:41,46)

So we have lost communion with God

And we know from Galatians 3:10 that those who rely on keeping the law to Justify themselves are under a curse.

Gal 3:10 “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.””

Rom 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

There were more consequences for Adam and his wife.

Ken points out

Sin would also lead to suffering. Now women would experience the pains of childbearing (Gen. 3:16).

Even their greatest joy would involve great pain.

Man, on the other hand, would experience the common curse.

The Lord’s creation that was declared ‘very good’ (Gen. 1:31) would now yield crops only through hard labor

(Gen. 3:17-19) states

By the sweat of his face, man would battle through the thorns and thistles to provide for his family.

Man was created to have dominion over the earth, but now the earth.

So original Sin not only effected our spiritual relationship with God it effected our lives here on earth.

So original Sin we find out not only effects Adam and Eve but all their decedent's

WSC 16 asks the question

Did all mankind fall in Adam’ s first transgression?

The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity; all mankind, descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him, in his first transgression. (Gen. 2:16–17, Rom. 5:12, 1 Cor. 15:21–22)

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—”

1 COr 15:21-22 “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

A modern example is a president’s connection to his nation.

If the president declares war on a foreign nation, then all of his citizens are at war with that foreign nation because he represents them in this matter.

On the field of battle, the foreign soldiers wouldn’t make distinctions between the president’s supporters and critics; all would be regarded as the enemy.

In a similar way, the human race is connected to Adam. Acting on our behalf, he declared war against God by siding with the serpent.

His failure to keep the covenant is deemed to be our failure.

This is so important that Paul repeatedly made this point in Romans chapter 5:

Q5 Discuss other consequences of sin. Explain what is worse than death.

Ken Points out

This is bad news, but it gets even worse. Death, you see, isn’t the ultimate destination. Contrasting the fear of physical death with an even graver consequence,

Rread Luke 12:4-5

Jesus said in Luke 12:4-5 ““I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!”

Hell is a place where sinners will experience the wrath of God, not for a time, but for eternity (Matt. 25:46).

It’s depicted as a fiery furnace or an outer darkness characterized by ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth’ (Matt. 13:50; 22:13).

The Book of Revelation pictures the serpent, his minions, and ‘everyone whose name is not written in the book of life’ in a lake of fire ‘where they will be tormented day and night forever and ever’ (Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 15).

All sin deserves this punishment. It’s what we’ve earned through our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. This is really bad news.

Close in Prayer

pray for the Pastor

Pray that the Spirit would make the Word effectual in the lives of his people in the Church

Pray that Covenant OPC would contiue to grow in the grace of God and Rest in the finished Work of Christ.