Christ Fulfils the Covenant

How Does Christ Fulfil the Covenant of Grace for Us?

Christ fulfilled the Covenant of Grace through His life, death, and resurrection, thereby accomplishing the redemption and salvation of His people. His work can be understood in the following aspects:

-- 1. Incarnation: By taking on human nature and being born of the Virgin Mary, Christ united Himself with humanity, making it possible for Him to represent and redeem His people (John 1:14; Galatians 4:4-5).

-- 2. Perfect Obedience: Christ lived a sinless life in perfect obedience to God's law, fulfilling the righteousness required by God on behalf of His people (Matthew 5:17; Romans 5:18-19; Hebrews 4:15).

-- 3. Atoning Sacrifice: Christ's death on the cross served as a substitutionary atonement, satisfying the wrath of God against sin and providing forgiveness and reconciliation for those who believe in Him (Isaiah 53:4-6; Romans 3:25; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:2).

-- 4. Resurrection: Christ's resurrection from the dead confirmed His victory over sin, death, and the powers of evil, demonstrating His divine power and the efficacy of His redemptive work (Romans 1:4; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22; Colossians 2:15).

-- 5. Ascension and Intercession: After His resurrection, Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He now serves as our High Priest and Advocate, interceding on our behalf and ensuring that the benefits of His redemptive work are applied to His people (Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20-23).

-- 6. Final Consummation: Christ will return in glory to judge the living and the dead, bringing about the ultimate fulfillment of the Covenant of Grace as He ushers in the new heavens and new earth, where righteousness dwells and His people enjoy eternal life in His presence (Revelation 21:1-4; 2 Peter 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Through these aspects of His work, Christ fulfilled the Covenant of Grace, securing salvation for His people and establishing the basis for their eternal relationship with God.

Calvin on Free-will (by Monergism).

 

by John Calvin

Editor’s Introduction

In The Bondage and Liberation of the Will, John Calvin responds to the Roman Catholic theologian Albert Pighius, who had attacked Calvin’s teaching on the bondage of the human will. Calvin’s concern is to show that the necessity of sin does not mean that sinners are externally forced to sin against their will. To make that distinction clear, he identifies four ways the will may be described: free, enslaved, voluntary, or coerced.

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The following is a fresh translation from Calvin’s original Latin:

But since Pighius continually confuses necessity with coercion, and since it is of the greatest importance for the present question that we understand and carefully retain the distinction between them, we must observe how these four things differ from one another: a will may be free, enslaved, voluntary, or coerced.

By a free will people ordinarily understand—and Pighius likewise defines it in this way—a will that has it within its power to choose either good or evil.

A coerced will, properly speaking, cannot exist, since the two ideas contradict one another. Nevertheless, for the sake of instruction we must explain what is meant, so that it may be understood what coercion is. We therefore call that will coerced which does not incline this way or that of its own accord, or by an inward movement of choice, but is violently driven by an external force.

We call a will voluntary when it moves of its own accord in the direction in which it is carried, and is neither seized by force nor dragged unwillingly.

Finally, an enslaved will is one which, because of its corruption, is held captive under the dominion of evil desires, so that it can choose nothing but evil, even though it does so willingly and gladly, without being driven by any external force.

According to these definitions, we grant that man possesses choice and that his choice is voluntary, so that if he does anything evil, it must be imputed to him and to his own voluntary choice. We exclude coercion and violence, because these are contrary to the nature of the will and cannot coexist with it.

But we deny that the will is free, because through man’s inborn wickedness it is necessarily carried toward evil and can desire nothing but evil.

From this it may be seen how great the difference is between necessity and coercion. For we do not say that man is dragged unwillingly into sinning, but that because his will is corrupt, he is held captive under the yoke of sin and therefore necessarily wills what is evil. For where there is slavery, there is necessity. Yet it makes a very great difference whether that slavery is voluntary or coerced.

We locate the necessity of sinning nowhere else than in the corruption of the will; from this it follows that the will itself acts voluntarily.

Thus it is clear that voluntariness and necessity can exist together at the same time, despite Pighius’s attempt to evade this by supposing that man is free only if he does neither good nor evil necessarily.

Source: John Calvin, Defensio sanae et orthodoxae doctrinae de servitute et liberatione humani arbitrii, adversus calumnias Alberti Pighii Campensis, in Ioannis Calvini Opera quae supersunt omnia, ed. Guilielmus Baum, Eduardus Cunitz, and Eduardus Reuss, vol. 6, Corpus Reformatorum 34 (Brunsvigae: C. A. Schwetschke et Filium, 1867), pp. 279–280, esp. p. 280.

HEART MUST YIELD

7 TRUTHS ABOUT WHY FACTS ALONE RARELY CHANGE MINDS EVIDENCE MATTERS. THE HEART MUST YIELD.

01  Evidence can establish the truth;  it cannot make a resistant heart  welcome it.  *John 5:39–40; John 12:37*

02  People often reject the truth not  because the evidence is weak,  but because the truth threatens what they love.  *John 3:19–20; 2 Thessalonians 2:10–12*

03  The mind frequently becomes the  heart’s defense attorney, inventing  reasons to protect what the heart desires.  *Romans 1:18, 21–25*

04  When a false belief becomes part of  someone’s identity, correction feels  less like enlightenment and more like  personal annihilation.  *Ephesians 4:22–24; Matthew 16:24–25*

05  Overwhelming evidence may harden  resistance when accepting it would  cost too much.  *John 11:47–53; Acts 19:23–28*

06  Changing a mind requires more than receiving new information; it requires  repentance—a willingness to become  a different person.  *Acts 2:37–38; 2 Timothy 2:25–26*

07  Ultimately, only God can open the  heart to receive the truth the mind has heard. *Luke 24:45; Acts 16:14; 2 Corinthians 4:6*

Source :  MONERGISM.

Drive You to Christ

 The law is perfect. It reveals God's holiness, exposes our sin, and leaves the whole world accountable before Him (Rom. 3:19). The weakness is not in the law but in our flesh (Rom. 8:3). Therefore, do not lower God's standard when you fail. Let the law humble you and drive you to Christ, who fulfilled it perfectly and secured righteousness for all who trust in Him.

Monergism.

We Love Something

 The human heart was created to love, and it will never remain empty. If we do not set our affection upon God, we will inevitably give our love to something else, whether the passing pleasures of the world, the deceitfulness of sin, or the idols of our own desires. Yet all these things are unworthy objects of ultimate devotion, for they cannot satisfy the soul, endure the test of time, or save us in the day of judgment. By contrast, God is infinitely lovely, perfectly good, and the source of every true blessing. To love Him is not merely a duty but the highest privilege of man, for in loving God we find the very purpose for which we were created and the only object of affection that can never disappoint, decay, or be taken away. He who loves God most becomes the richest blessing to those around him.

Monergism; (probably elaborating on Thomas Watson).

Thomas Waston.

 Taken Entirely from Monergism Blog:  Article entitled 

Resting in the Righteousness of Christ

To be united to Christ by grace though faith is to be counted as having lived His life, obeyed His law, suffered His punishment, died His death, and risen in His resurrection. The believer is not merely inspired by Christ; he is represented by Him. Christ’s perfect obedience was rendered on our behalf; He fulfilled every command of God’s law in our place (Romans 5:19; Galatians 4:4-5). His death was not merely an act of martyrdom. It was the full exhaustion of the law’s curse for our sin (Galatians 3:13). And His resurrection from the dead is the public declaration from God that the believer is now justified, fully accepted and acquitted in His sight (Romans 4:25; 1 Timothy 3:16).

This means justification is not a process, nor is it contingent upon our progress. It is a once-for-all verdict, grounded in the finished work of Christ, granted before we perform any act of obedience or experience any inward renewal (Titus 3:5-7). Our status before God does not rise and fall with our spiritual condition. It is as unchanging as the righteousness of Jesus Himself (Hebrews 13:8; 1 Corinthians 1:30). The gospel, then, assures trembling sinners that the moment they are in Christ, they are as justified as they ever will be (Romans 8:1; Colossians 2:10).

Such a gospel dismantles every attempt to mingle Christ’s righteousness with our own works. Even the slightest reliance on our obedience (whether in gaining or maintaining favor with God) undermines the very grace of the gospel (Galatians 2:21). It dishonors Christ by implying that His obedience was insufficient (Hebrews 10:14). Worse still, it leaves the conscience without peace, for if our standing with God is even partially based on our performance, we will never rest, never know security, and never truly be free from guilt (Romans 5:1; Hebrews 9:14).

But faith ... true, saving faith ... looks away from self entirely. It does not contribute; it receives. It rests wholly on the righteousness of Another (Philippians 3:9). This righteousness is not infused, earned, or grown into. It is imputed, credited by God Himself (Romans 4:5-6; 2 Corinthians 5:21). It is alien to us, but ours by grace. In trusting Christ alone, the believer finds unshakable peace, because his salvation rests not on shifting sands, but on the finished and faultless work of the Son of God (Isaiah 32:17; John 19:30).

Monergism Article on Repentance

 Do you think repentance means we simply stop sinning?

Repentance does not mean to simply stop sinning. Instead, it involves the grace-enabled act of turning to the sole Person with the capacity to empower an individual to overcome sin—namely, Christ. Being a Christian is not a self-salvation project, but rather an appeal to the divine grace of God in Jesus Christ as the sole hope for redemption. Bereft of this divine intervention, human beings would remain perpetually incapable of change, irrespective of therapeutic interventions or the exertion of willpower. Prior to Christ's opening of the heart to the gospel, every individual remains ensnared in inescapable bondage. The necessity of Christ's intervention underscores the futility of attempting self-salvation. Part of the problem is that people are still stuck on trying, at least partly, to save themselves. As articulated in Luke 18:27, what is impossible for humanity—faith and repentance—is possible with God.

Here is an analogy that helps us further understand the nature of repentance:

Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Just as you don't need a doctor unless you are sick, similarly, you don't need a Savior unless you are a sinner. Christ's mission is to save those who recognize themselves as sinners in need of redemption. By nature, humans are inclined toward pride, resisting the admission of their status as rebellious sinners who require rescue. In the context of the aforementioned quotation, the Pharisees interrogate Jesus about his association with tax collectors and sinners, believing themselves to be more righteous. However, this self-righteousness ultimately exposes them as individuals who fail to recognize their own sinfulness and need for grace. Instead, they remain trapped in a cycle of pride, erroneously believing that they merit God's favor.

Thus, the call to repentance commences with the acknowledgment of one's entrapment in sin, the recognition of one's incapacity to escape its grasp, and the appeal to Christ as the sole means of deliverance from both the guilt and power of sin. In this way, repentance transcends the mere cessation of sinful actions (an impossible supposition) and encompasses a profound, grace-facilitated transformation in the individual's relationship with God, enabled by Jesus Christ.

God uses Means

God does not save people in a vacuum, apart from means, but through the preaching of the gospel. That is the means He uses to gather His elect. A farmer cannot hope to harvest a crop if he sits around and does nothing. He must plant seed. But the reverse is also true. He can work till he's blue in the face, he can cast seed in the ground he plows up, but unless the blessing of rain falls from heaven, the seed will remain dormant and all his work will be in vain. Similarly when we cast the seed of the gospel, we must also pray to to our Heavenly Father that He would send His Holy Spirit to open the hearts of the hearers … for, apart from His blessing the seed will fall on deaf ears. 

 Although we may intellectually understand this truth, it is easy to forget its significance in our daily lives. All too often we affirm this truth and then put it away in a file cabinet in some dark basement. It is easy to be tempted to rely on our own persuasive arguments to change the hearts of others, but we must remember that only God can transform a person's heart. Therefore, we must consistently pray before and after we share the gospel with others. We must plead with God to disarm the natural hostility of their hearts and open their minds to the truth. We must also pray for ourselves, that we may be gentle and wise in our approach, and that our defense of the Bible may be both cogent and compassionate. But how often do we forget to pray when sharing the gospel? Let us never forget the importance of seeking God's intervention as we share the good news of salvation. 

 (1 Corinthians 3:6-7, Acts 16:14, 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5, James 1:18, John 15:5, Romans 10:14, 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, 1 Peter 3:15, Colossians 4:6)