{"id":4996,"date":"2020-08-21T00:29:07","date_gmt":"2020-08-21T00:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acallformen.com\/?p=4996"},"modified":"2021-08-17T14:49:12","modified_gmt":"2021-08-17T19:49:12","slug":"authentic-christianity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acallformen.com\/index.php\/2020\/08\/21\/authentic-christianity\/","title":{"rendered":"Authentic Christianity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.5.6″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″]

Authentic Christianity<\/strong><\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 {An Exposition of The Theology and Ethics of The Westminster Larger Catechism}<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joseph C. Morecraft III<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Review<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have been blessed with a copy of this reprint commentary on the Larger Catechism.\u00a0 I am currently on page 143, \u201cE. The Biblical Hermeneutics of the Westminster Standards\u201d ; Chapter 2, volume 1 of this 3,800-page 8 volume set.\u00a0 My purpose for beginning this commentary was for proofreading, but I have also begun to enjoy the thorough explanation of the catechism, the confession of faith, and what the circumstances where in England and Scotland when these documents were drafted.\u00a0 Joseph C. Morecraft III has masterfully crafted a work that I pray is used to glorify our God for the education of the saints.
<\/strong><\/p>\n

Morecraft gives the following as to the need for the Bible:<\/p>\n

2. The Need for Special Revelation
God was under no compulsion to give the human race special revelation in addition to general revelation, nor can any such revelation be forced out of Him (Rom. 11:33\u201334).\u00a0 Any revelation from God flows out of His sheer and sovereign mercy. \u201cJesus said, \u2018I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.\u00a0 Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.\u00a0 All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him\u201d (Matt. 11:25\u201327).\u00a0 However, a special written revelation from God is necessary for human beings if we are ever to know God, His will, and His ways.<\/p>\n

This is true for three reasons:
\u00a0 \u00a0First, we need a special and written revelation from God because of our created limitations and the complexity of revealed truth.\u00a0 Our memory, imagination, and rationality are too limited and the truth of God too vast, intricate, and above us (Isa. 55:8\u20139).\u00a0 We need a written revelation of the mind of God in words and sentences that accurately reveal the mind of God and that, at the same time, are meaningful to us.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0Second, we need a special and written revelation from God because of the incompleteness of the revelation in creation.\u00a0 General revelation is insufficient to give the knowledge of God that is necessary for salvation:\u00a0 \u201cFor since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. …we speak God\u2019s wisdom in a mystery, …which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, \u2018Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.\u2019 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit\u201d (1 Cor. 1:21; 2:7\u201310).<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0Creation reveals a Creator but not a Redeemer.\u00a0 Even unfallen Adam needed additional special revelation to interpret what he saw in creation around him (Gen. 1:28).\u00a0 Mankind was created to live by the word of God from the very beginning to the very end (Deut. 8:3). To say that general revelation is not a complete revelation of God\u00a0is not in any way to imply that there is any defect in general revelation.\u00a0 When we speak of the insufficiency of general revelation we do not wish to suggest that this revelation is as such insufficient for its purpose.\u00a0 It has been noted how all creation, including man\u2019s own psychological constitution, is inherently revelatory of God.\u00a0 This revelation was so clear and unavoidable that man was always confronted with the face of God. But in sinning, man, as it were, took out his own eyes, so that he could no longer see God in his general revelation.\u00a0 Moreover, through this act of self-immolation, man not only made himself helpless but also guilty and polluted before God.\u00a0 It is therefore to the condition of man as a sinner, not to man as finite, that the idea of the necessity of a special or saving revelation must be attached.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0Third, we need a special and written revelation from God because of the darkness and perversion of the human mind caused by sin (Gen. 6:5; Rom. 8:6\u20137; John 3:19, 20; Rom. 3:9; Eph. 2:1\u20132).\u00a0 The twisting, distorting, and polluting effects of sin greatly influence the human mind along with all other aspects of human experience (2 Cor. 4:3\u20134).\u00a0 The mind\u2019s reasoning and perceiving abilities are not reliable guides to truth and knowledge apart from the Biblical revelation and Spiritual illumination.\u00a0 Man\u2019s condition after the entrance of sin is, therefore, not that of a poor innocent man, but that of a criminal who has committed high treason.\u00a0 Thus the necessity for a special revelation lies primarily in the subjective rebellion of man.\u00a0 The special revelation that must be given to man, if he is to be saved, must consist not only of the \u201cobjective\u201d work of Christ in his death and resurrection, but also result in a subjective change from this state of rebellion to a state of obedience.\u00a0 The work of the Holy Spirit in granting regeneration to God\u2019s people is therefore implied in the work of Christ.[i]<\/a><\/o:p><\/p>\n

Morecraft gives these reasons for the catechism:
\u00a0 \u00a0What is the value of the Larger Catechism for the church today? [I]t contains some outstanding summaries of Biblical Doctrine,\u2026it gives a rich and full exposition of the Ten Commandments. No other such exposition gives us a more helpful and detailed treatment of the ethical and social teachings of the Bible\u2026it gives a full-orbed doctrine of the church, \u2026it is a full, balanced, edifying summary of the Christian Faith, a useful aid to the Christian growing in the knowledge of the Word of God…[ii]<\/a><\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0When I first obtained this commentary, I was almost intimidated by its size.\u00a0 As I have moved further and further into it, I have come to enjoy the ease of navigation (the whole of volume 8 is a navigation tool, including a complete table of contents and scripture index; among three other indices, and a bibliography) and this commentary\u2019s easy readability.\u00a0 I use this commentary as a tool to do my \u201c\u2026best to present [my]self to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth\u201d 2 Timothy 2:15.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

[i]<\/a> Morecraft III, Joseph C., Authentic Christianity<\/em> (Four Falls Press, 2019), 125-128.
[ii]<\/a> Ibid., 60, 61.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

westminstercommentary.com<\/a><\/o:p><\/p>\n

\n
<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Authentic Christianity \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 {An Exposition of The Theology and Ethics of The Westminster Larger Catechism} Joseph C. Morecraft III A Review I have been blessed with a copy of this reprint commentary on the Larger Catechism.\u00a0 I am currently […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4997,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"\n

Book Review by Bryon Michael Donner<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"



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Authentic Christianity<\/strong>
{An Exposition of The Theology and Ethics of The Westminster Larger Catechism}
Joseph C. Morecraft III<\/strong>
A Review
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I have been blessed with a copy of this reprint commentary on the Larger Catechism.\u00a0 I am currently on page 143, \u201cE. The Biblical Hermeneutics of the Westminster Standards\u201d ; Chapter 2, volume 1 of this 3,800-page 8 volume set.\u00a0 My purpose for beginning this commentary was for proofreading, but I have also begun to enjoy the thorough explanation of the catechism, the confession of faith , and what the circumstances where in England and Scotland when these documents were drafted.\u00a0 Joseph C. Morecraft III has masterfully crafted a work that I pray is used to glorify our God for the education of the saints.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Morecraft gives the following as to the need for the Bible:
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0
2. The Need for Special Revelation
God was under no compulsion to give the human race special
revelation in addition to general revelation, nor can any such revelation
be forced out of Him (Rom. 11:33\u201334). Any revelation from God
flows out of His sheer and sovereign mercy. \u201cJesus said, \u2018I praise You,
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things
from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes,
Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have
been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son,
except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son,
and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him\u201d (Matt. 11:25\u201327).
However, a special written revelation from God is necessary for
human beings if we are ever to know God, His will, and His ways.
This is true for three reasons:
First, we need a special and written revelation from God because
of our created limitations and the complexity of revealed truth. Our
memory, imagination, and rationality are too limited and the truth of
God too vast, intricate, and above us (Isa. 55:8\u20139). We need a written
revelation of the mind of God in words and sentences that accurately
reveal the mind of God and that, at the same time, are meaningful
to us.
Second, we need a special and written revelation from God because
of the incompleteness of the revelation in creation. General revelation
is insufficient to give the knowledge of God that is necessary for
salvation: \u201cFor since in the wisdom of God the world through its
wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the
foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. ...we
speak God\u2019s wisdom in a mystery, ...which God predestined before
the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age
has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have
crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, \u2018Things which
eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered
the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.\u2019
For to us God revealed them through the Spirit\u201d (1 Cor. 1:21; 2:7\u201310).
Creation reveals a Creator but not a Redeemer. Even unfallen Adam
needed additional special revelation to interpret what he saw in
creation around him (Gen. 1:28). Mankind was created to live by the
word of God from the very beginning to the very end (Deut. 8:3).
To say that general revelation is not a complete revelation of God
is not in any way to imply that there is any defect in general revelation.
When we speak of the insufficiency of general revelation we do not wish
to suggest that this revelation is as such insufficient for its purpose. It has
been noted how all creation, including man\u2019s own psychological
constitution, is inherently revelatory of God. This revelation was so clear and
unavoidable that man was always confronted with the face of God. But
in sinning, man, as it were, took out his own eyes, so that he could no
longer see God in his general revelation. Moreover, through this act of
self-immolation, man not only made himself helpless but also guilty and
polluted before God. It is therefore to the condition of man as a sinner, not
to man as finite, that the idea of the necessity of a special or saving
revelation must be attached.
Third, we need a special and written revelation from God because
of the darkness and perversion of the human mind caused by sin
(Gen. 6:5; Rom. 8:6\u20137; John 3:19, 20; Rom. 3:9; Eph. 2:1\u20132). The
twisting, distorting, and polluting effects of sin greatly influence
the human mind along with all other aspects of human experience
(2 Cor. 4:3\u20134). The mind\u2019s reasoning and perceiving abilities are not
reliable guides to truth and knowledge apart from the Biblical
revelation and Spiritual illumination.
Man\u2019s condition after the entrance of sin is, therefore, not that of a poor
innocent man, but that of a criminal who has committed high treason.
Thus the necessity for a special revelation lies primarily in the subjective
rebellion of man. The special revelation that must be given to man, if he
is to be saved, must consist not only of the \u201cobjective\u201d work of Christ in
his death and resurrection, but also result in a subjective change from this
state of rebellion to a state of obedience. The work of the Holy Spirit in
granting regeneration to God\u2019s people is therefore implied in the work of
Christ.[i]<\/a>
\u00a0
Morecraft gives these reasons for the catechism:
\u00a0What is the value of the Larger Catechism for the church today?
[I]t contains some outstanding summaries of Biblical Doctrine,\u2026it gives a rich
and full exposition of the Ten Commandments. No other such
exposition gives us a more helpful and detailed treatment of the ethical
and social teachings of the Bible\u2026it gives a full-orbed doc-
trine of the church, \u2026it is a full, balanced, edifying summary of the Christian Faith, a
useful aid to the Christian growing in the knowledge of the Word of God...[ii]<\/a>
\u00a0
When I first obtained this commentary, I was almost intimidated by its size.\u00a0 As I have moved further and further into it, I have come to enjoy the ease of navigation (the whole of volume 8 is a navigation tool, including a complete table of contents and scripture index; among three other indices, and a bibliography) and this commentary\u2019s easy readability.\u00a0 I use this commentary as a tool to do my \u201c\u2026best to present [my]self to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth\u201d 2 Timothy 2:15.


[i]<\/a> Morecraft III, Joseph C., Authentic Christianity<\/em> (Four Falls Press, 2019), 125-128.
[ii]<\/a> Ibid., 60, 61.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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