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Sin, Satan, and Satan’s Fall
I was recently directed to some questions about Sin, Satan, and Satan’s fall. Did Satan exist before Adam and Eve? How and when did he fall? The Scriptures do not specify when God created the angels or when specifically Satan fell. Jude 6 states: “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left…
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Response to Objections Regarding Merit and the Covenant of Works
In Paul’s epistles to the Romans and Galatians, Paul drives home a message of the futility of works to provide merit, and the need for grace. This message is an important aspect of the gospel, for those who seek salvation through works will perish: Romans 9:31-3331But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath…
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Thoughts / Distinctions on Merit and Adam
Is the Covenant of Works a covenant based on merit? We affirm. By the covenant of works, we mean that covenant provided to Adam, which takes the form, “do this and live.” Thus, when we speak of the covenant of works, we are not distinguishing between the New Testament and the Old Testament, but between…
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The Real Turretin and Pictet on: Christ’s Righteousness
Turretin writes: Such is the perfection of the atonement, that it corresponds to the justice of God revealed in the Word, to the demands of the law, and to the miseries and necessities of those for whom it was made. Had it been in its own nature deficient, and derived its sufficiency only from God’s…
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Witsius Explains the Righteousness of Christ
Herman WitsiusThe Economy of the Covenants Between God and ManBook II, Chapter V XI. But we must proceed a step further, and affirm, moreover to that the obedience of Christ was accomplished by him, be believed, that it was in our room, in order thereby to obtain for us a right to eternal life. The…
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Was Adam Offered Heavenly Life?
More specifically, the question is whether he was offered heavenly life before the fall. Pastor Wes White provides an illuminating discussion (link). Interestingly, this meshes well with another recent post of mine (Turretin cf. Goodwin). Naturally, Pastor White makes good use of Turretin in his explanation. -TurretinFan To God be the Glory!
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Real Goodwin Compared to Real Turretin
Over at a Thomas Goodwin blog (hosted by someone who enjoys the writings of the historical Thomas Goodwin – and a blog that I enjoy reading and could generally recommend) there is a new post that compares Goodwin and Turretin on the issue of what would have happened to Adam had he continued in righteousness.…
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Why Did Adam Sin? Objections Answered
“Orthodox” has objected to my previous post (here) as follows: You’re totally ignoring the issue. Adam had a non-corrupt nature. But he defied that nature and sinned. People today have a corrupt nature. But they can defy that nature and repent. If you deny the latter, then you cannot wave away the theological problem of…
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Why Did Adam Sin?
One reader (“Orthodox”) asked: So why did Adam sin? Because God made him bad? Adam ate the forbidden fruit because he listened to his wife, rather than God. Genesis 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded…
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The Real Turretin on: the Fall
The Reformed Reader has some very brief excerpts from the real Turretin on the faith of Adam before compared to after the Fall (link). -Turretinfan To God be the Glory!