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We thank you for this beautiful 
day. We thank you for the demonstration of your wisdom and your power 
and your goodness in the created order. We thank you for your 
blessing upon us in terms of providence, the way that you 
sustain and govern us each and every day. As well, we praise 
you for redemption. and the blood atonement wrought 
by our Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf. We pray now that the 
Holy Spirit would guide us as we study Christian doctrine. 
We pray that all that we do today in the house of the Lord would 
redound to the praise and glory of our great God, even Father, 
Son, and Holy Spirit. Do forgive us now for all sin 
and unrighteousness and transgression, and we ask in the name of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. We can turn to chapter 
20 in the Confession of Faith. Cam is away, he's preaching in 
the church in Southern California today in Palmdale, Grace Reformed 
Baptist Church, where Pastor Richard Barcelos is the pastor. 
So I'm going to take chapter 20 of the gospel and of the extent 
of the grace thereof. I'll read it and then we'll look 
at it in some detail. So chapter 20, beginning in paragraph 
1, the covenant of works being broken by sin and made unprofitable 
unto life, God was pleased to give forth the promise of Christ, 
the seed of the woman, as the means of calling the elect. and 
be getting in them faith and repentance. In this promise, 
the gospel, as to the substance of it, was revealed, and is therein 
effectual for the conversion and salvation of sinners. This 
promise of Christ and salvation by Him is revealed only by the 
Word of God. Neither do the works of creation 
or providence with the light of nature make discovery of Christ 
or of grace by him so much as in a general or obscure way, 
much less that men destitute of the revelation of him by the 
promise or gospel should be enabled thereby to attain saving faith 
or repentance. The revelation of the gospel 
unto sinners made in diverse times and by sundry parts, with 
the addition of promises and precepts for the obedience required 
therein, as to the nations and persons to whom it is granted, 
is merely of the sovereign will and good pleasure of God, not 
being annexed by virtue of any promise due to the improvement 
of men's natural abilities. by virtue of common light received 
without it, which none ever did make, or can do so. And therefore 
in all ages the preaching of the gospel has been granted unto 
persons and nations as to the extent or straightening of it 
in great variety according to the counsel of the will of God. 
Although the gospel be the only outward means of revealing Christ 
and saving grace, and is as such abundantly sufficient thereunto, 
yet that men who are dead in trespasses may be born again, 
quickened or regenerated, there is moreover necessary and effectual 
insuperable work of the Holy Spirit upon the whole soul, for 
the producing in them a new spiritual life, without which no other 
means will affect their conversion unto God. Amen. Well, just by 
way of observation, there is no corresponding chapter here, 
or this particular chapter, in the Westminster Confession of 
Faith. So the London Divines, the particular Baptists, followed 
the Savoy Congregationalists at this particular point. So 
going forward from chapters 21 and on, you'll see, obviously, 
substantial correspondence between Westminster and Second London. 
but it's not a direct chapter and paragraph correspondence. 
And as far as the Savoy, they made this observation. Remember, 
these were what we call Congregationalists or Independents. They differed 
a bit from Presbyterians. And certainly, we imitate or 
follow them in terms of polity. So they state a few things we 
have added for obviating some erroneous opinions. that have 
been more broadly and boldly here of late maintained by the 
assertors, that in former times, after the 19th chapter of the 
law, we have added a chapter of the gospel, it being a title 
that may not be omitted in a confession of faith, in which chapter what 
is dispersed, and by imitation in the assembly's confession, 
with some little addition, is here brought together, and more 
fully under one head. Now, there's various reasons 
given why the second London guys followed Savoy at this particular 
place. Sam Waldron suggests they were 
combating deism, and deism is essentially the idea that God 
made the world, and sort of like a clockmaker, a watchmaker, he 
makes it, puts it on the shelf, and then sort of lets it do its 
things. Jim Renahan says that's probably 
not the issue in the context. It was probably Arminianism or 
Sassanianism and such, and thus they followed Savoy at this particular 
place. So whatever the particular reasons 
are, we have here not a revelation of the gospel per se. In fact, 
if you look at this chapter, it doesn't describe, define, 
or tell us specifically what the gospel is. I think the assumption 
is that they've already done that in all of the previous chapters 
up until this particular point. But what you see here is the 
recurring emphasis on revelation, the revelation of the gospel 
in terms of God's plan to save sinners. Begins with the promise 
in the garden in paragraph 1, emphasizes its nature as special 
revelation in paragraph 2, highlights the sovereignty of God and the 
spread of it in paragraph 3, and then declares the absolute 
necessity of the Holy Spirit for its reception in paragraph 
4. I do quite like the way the Savoy 
recommends or mentions that. So following the law, there ought 
to have been a chapter on the gospel. As Spurgeon says, if 
you get law and gospel right in your approach to scripture, 
you're going to be a good theologian. You get the law and the gospel 
wrong, and you're not going to be a good theologian. So it's 
an absolutely important paradigm that we understand law and gospel. So we'll look at the contents 
here, specifically under these four heads, the promise of the 
gospel, paragraph one, the revelation of the gospel in paragraph two, 
the basis of the revelation of the gospel in paragraph three, 
and then the work of the Holy Spirit and the revelation of 
the gospel in paragraph four. So look first with me at paragraph 
one. We note the context, the covenant 
of works being broken by said and made unprofitable unto life. Again, that assumes much of what's 
already preceded in terms of what the confession has taught 
up to this particular place. So the Covenant of Works being 
broken by sin. Some have questioned the Second 
London Confession with specific reference to the Covenant of 
Works. Because in Chapter 7, they don't mention specifically 
the Covenant of Works the way that the Westminster Confession 
does. So in the minds of some, the Second London Divines didn't 
subscribe to this doctrine of the Covenant of Works. That is 
simply untrue. We see the Covenant of Works 
here referenced in the Confession. We see it as well in Chapter 
6, Paragraph 1. In Chapter 7, at Paragraphs 1 
and 3. Chapter 19, Paragraph 6, twice. And then here again in Chapter 
20, Paragraph 1. So the scriptural teaching on 
the Covenant of Works is obviously in Genesis Chapter 2. Though 
the word covenant is absent, we know from the Dabbitic covenant 
revealed by God in 2 Samuel 7, even though the language of covenant 
is not used in 2 Samuel 7, subsequent or later revelation tells us 
it was in fact a covenant. You see that specifically in 
Psalm 89, and then I think as well in Psalm 132. So you don't 
have to have the word present for the doctrine to be present. 
This is called the word concept fallacy, and it is indeed a logical 
fallacy and a fallacy oftentimes replete in scriptural exposition. You see it with Jehovah's Witnesses. 
They say that the Bible doesn't have the word Trinity. Well, 
just because the word Trinity is absent from the Bible doesn't 
mean the doctrine of the Trinity is absent. So specifically here, 
the reference is made to the context of the revelation of 
the gospel at the conclusion of this covenant of works that 
God made with Adam and Eve. So notice it speaks concerning 
this covenant that because it was broken by sin and made unprofitable 
unto life. So as a result of Adam's sin, 
he forfeit eternal life. It wasn't just a betterment in 
a created state, but it was a betterment unto eternal life and blessing 
and glory with God. So that was what was conveyed, 
but because it was broken and because of sin, Therefore, no 
longer is Adam or man able to reach God by virtue of a covenant 
of works. So, the covenant of works is 
unprofitable in terms of our approach to God. I think the 
Scriptures make that evidently clear, especially when we come 
to the new covenant revelation in the New Testament. You have the Apostle Paul say 
in Romans 3, Therefore, by the works of the law, no flesh will 
be justified in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge 
of sin. So in Romans 3.20, you have a 
death knell placed upon this approach by man unto God with 
reference to his own works. We have the entirety of the book 
of Romans, the entirety of the book of Galatians, and I would 
argue beginning in Genesis chapters 3 and 15. The revelation of the gospel 
first comes in the promise of the surety or the seed of the 
woman that is going to crush the head of the serpent. And 
then, of course, Abraham believed God, and it was accounted unto 
him as righteousness. So the unprofitability of the 
covenant of works by which men seek acceptance with God. So 
though the covenant of works formally was concluded with reference 
to Adam and Eve, nevertheless, informally, the covenant of works 
continues. in the sense that if men choose 
or women choose acceptance by God through their own law-keeping, 
they are thus placing themselves under a covenant of works. They 
are putting themselves under the obligation to render exact 
and entire and perpetual and perfect obedience to the law, 
or they'll never be accepted by God. So that first statement 
in terms of setting the context for the revelation of the gospel 
is absolutely crucial and underscores the necessity of the revelation 
of the gospel. If sinners are going to be accepted 
by God, it's not going to come through those sinners. It's not 
going to be by their merit. or by their law-keeping or their 
righteousness, because Adam, the federal head, sinned, and 
we sinned in him. And thus, as a result, there 
is no approach to God apart from the last Adam, which is the Lord 
Jesus Christ." It's very important to maintain both a covenant of 
works and a covenant of grace approach to scripture as well. 
And I would say, broadly speaking, the answer to the categories 
of law and gospel. Of course, the three theological 
covenants that we find in Scripture are covenant of redemption, the 
pre-temporal, intra-Trinitarian covenant where God intends to 
save sinners, the Father intends to save sinners by Jesus Christ, 
covenant of works, and then covenant of grace. So that's the context. And then note specifically, we 
see the content of the revelation of the gospel. Note the author. God was pleased to give forth 
the promise of Christ. I think it's always important 
that we underscore the initiative, or divine initiative, in terms 
of saving religion. It's not man coming to himself 
and saying, I've made a mess of my life, I better get it fixed 
with God. No, it's God who comes in His 
grace and in His mercy to needy sinners. So you've got divine 
initiative, and then you've got divine revelation. God was pleased 
to give forth the promise of Christ. And I think that's important 
to get, and not only in this confessional context, but in 
terms of Genesis 3.15. And you could turn there specifically, 
remember the broken covenant of works, God comes to deal with 
Adam and Eve, He comes to indict them and to reign them relative 
to their sin and disobedience to Him. And, of course, they 
seek to pass the buck, first the woman to the serpent, and 
then the man to God, and then to the woman. And then when God 
comes to deal with them, specifically in verse 14 in chapter 3, He 
says, first to the serpent. So it begins with judgment, begins 
with condemnation, begins with an expression of His damnation. Because you have done this, you 
are cursed more than all cattle and more than every beast of 
the field. On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust 
all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between 
you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He shall 
bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." Again, notice 
that's promise, that's declaration, that's proposition. God's not 
telling Adam and Eve, now I want you to go out and be a better 
boy and be a better girl such that you can get your act together 
and then I will accept you. No, the basis for our reception 
by God is through promise. It is through grace. So the fact 
that God gave a promise here instead of a command highlights 
the graciousness involved in this plan as well as the instrumentality 
of faith in this plan. Commands are given such that 
we may obey. Promises are given such that 
we may believe. And as we work our way through 
Scripture, we know that even that faith by which we believe 
is given by God's grace to us. So dead sinners don't have the 
ability to believe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They 
must be born again. They must be regenerated. They 
must be granted those graces of faith and repentance. But 
the fact that we see God's purpose and plan to save His people from 
their sins come by way of promise and not command everywhere upholds 
the doctrine of justification by faith alone. So then notice, 
after the author, we see the object, the promise of Christ, 
the seed of the woman. And I think that when we reflect 
upon Genesis 3.15, it's good for us to remember, and I've 
preached this many times, and I've taught this many times, 
but remember that Genesis 3.15, as brief as it may seem, holds 
in it basically the rest of the scripture. Thak Bhavink says 
that the rest of the Bible is basically commentary on Genesis 
3.15. G.K. Beale makes the same statement. 
He says it's a programmatic verse and the rest of subsequent revelation 
is basically expounding and amplifying and explaining how it is that 
the one who said, I will put enmity between you and the woman 
and between your seed and her seed, he shall bruise your head 
and you shall bruise his heel, how that comes to pass. So again, 
it's a most important promise that we need to understand. So 
the first thing it tells us is that the Redeemer would be a 
man born of a woman. In other words, you're not looking 
for an angelic being. You're looking for a man born 
of a woman. And the fact that it only references 
the woman at least hints towards the virgin birth of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. We know that he was born not 
by ordinary generation, eternally begotten of the Father, but in 
time conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. So we are by 
ordinary generation. We have parents, we have DNA, 
we have the sexual congress that obtains between our parents, 
and then we have the gestation period, and then we exit the 
womb. So Jesus assumes our humanity 
to himself, and it is by way of a supernatural work of the 
Holy Spirit. As well, you see that the Redeemer 
would accomplish victory through suffering. Notice, he shall bruise 
your head, and you shall bruise his heel. So already in Genesis 
3.15, we're taught to look for a man born of a woman that would 
accomplish his particular task through some degree of suffering. 
And when we look at the suffering, I think it indicates everything 
that the prophet Isaiah announces in chapter 53 of his prophecy, 
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and everything we 
see in Matthew chapters 26 and 27. He was a man of sorrows. He was acquainted with grief. 
There would, in fact, be suffering, but as well there would be death. 
He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. I 
think Michael Reitelnick makes the good observation. Since in 
the context, the tempter has taken the form of a serpent, 
it is likely that the tempter's blow would be equated with a 
serpent's bite. And in the case of this animal, 
the Hebrew generally uses it to speak of a venomous and lethal 
snake. Most likely, therefore, the text 
is speaking of two comparable death blows. The future Redeemer 
will strike the head of the tempter and thereby kill it, and at the 
same time, the tempter will strike the heel of the Redeemer and 
kill him. Again, I would argue that God 
ultimately is the one that was pleased to crush and bruise our 
Lord Jesus, but I think the point is made. So the bruising of His 
heel involves both suffering and death that would come when 
the Lord Jesus was born of a woman and would accomplish suffering 
through death, suffering and death. And then notice the Redeemer 
would accomplish total victory. If you look at those death wounds 
inflicted, he shall bruise your head." So in other words, what 
he comes to do when he's born of a woman, when he assumes our 
humanity, is to accomplish total victory. He does what Adam, the 
first, forfeit in the garden. So the last Adam is successful. So in the revelation of the gospel, 
we see as well that this then is the means by which the elect 
will be called. So notice, God was pleased to 
give forth the promise of Christ, the seed of the woman, as the 
means of calling the elect and begetting in them faith and repentance. You've got in nut form or seed 
form here basically everything that we see happening in the 
early chapters of Genesis and then, as I said, commented on 
throughout the rest of Scripture. So as the means of calling the 
elect, begetting in them faith and repentance, and then it goes 
on to say, in this promise the gospel, as to the substance of 
it, was revealed, and is therein effectual for the conversion 
and salvation of sinners. So, ideally, if we just stopped 
here, we'd say, well, there's no other way that sinners can 
ever make it to heaven. There's no other way. Based on 
a broken covenant of works, our connection to Adam covenantally, 
the result of not only original sin, but all the actual transgressions 
that do proceed from that, it's a helpless situation. And so 
then the confession goes on to explain, in various ways, the 
connection to other things that are suggested after we ponder 
paragraph one. So then notice, secondly, the 
revelation of the gospel in paragraph two. And there's two things that 
we see in this particular paragraph. First, the place of special revelation, 
and then secondly, the inadequacy of general revelation. And I 
want to qualify inadequacy. If I say inadequacy of general 
revelation, I don't mean it's deficient. I don't mean it's 
bad. I don't mean that it's faulty. 
I don't mean that it's wrong. I don't mean that it is somehow 
distorted or messed up. Rather, it was never given to 
function in the means or ways by which sinners are saved. In 
other words, God's revelation of himself in the created and 
providential order is not redemptive. It nevertheless leaves men without 
excuse, as the confession is going to go on to say. But the 
inadequacy of general revelation does not speak to its badness 
or to its problematic character. I think I've made that known 
in many times discussing the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant 
wasn't bad. The Old Covenant wasn't faulty. 
The Old Covenant wasn't, you know, distorted or twisted. The 
Old Covenant served exactly the purposes for which God gave it. 
General Revelation serves exactly the purposes for which God gave 
it. And just by way of summary in an explanation of general 
and special revelation, the Belgic Confession in Article 2 asks 
the means by which we know God. We know Him by two means. First, 
by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, 
since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book 
in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to 
make us ponder the invisible things of God, His eternal power 
and His divinity, as the Apostle Paul says in Romans 1.20. All 
these things are enough to convict men and to leave them without 
excuse. Second, He makes Himself known 
to us more openly by His holy and divine Word, as much as we 
need in this life for His glory and for the salvation of His 
own. So I think the divines here, following the Savoy divines, 
are being very attentive and being very wise in their approach 
to this particular subject. Because when we consider the 
gospel, we have to conclude it's the only way that man will ever 
gain acceptance with God. And without the gospel, man is 
doomed to eternity in hell. So therefore, it makes essential 
prayer on the part of the people of God for evangelism and for 
missions. It makes essential on the part 
of the people of God in witnessing not just to point to the created 
order to show the glory of God manifest, but to point them to 
that empty tomb, to point them to that risen Savior, to point 
them to that gospel truth by which there is grace and salvation 
to be had. So the doctrine of general revelation, 
I know you know the text, but let's reflect again on them. 
Notice in Psalm 19, we have both the place of general revelation 
and special revelation in one psalm. Psalm 19, verse 1, to 
the chief musician, Psalm of David, the heavens declare the 
glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto 
day utters speech and night unto night reveals knowledge. There 
is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their 
line has gone out through all the earth and their words to 
the end of the world. In them he has set a tabernacle 
for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and 
rejoices like a strong man to run its race. Its rising is from 
one end of heaven, and its circuit to the other end, and there is 
nothing hidden from its heat." So you see, the manifestation 
of God through the created order, through the providential order 
as well. In fact, if you look back in your confession to chapter 
4, chapter 4 specifically in paragraph 1, In the beginning, 
it pleased God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for the manifestation 
of the glory of His eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, to create 
or make the world and all things therein, whether visible or invisible, 
in the space of six days, and all very good. Drop down to chapter 
5 of Divine Providence, paragraph 1. God, the good creator of all 
things, in his infinite power and wisdom, doth uphold, direct, 
dispose, and govern all creatures and things, from the greatest 
even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, to 
the end for the which they were created, according unto his infallible 
foreknowledge and the free and immutable counsel of his own 
will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, 
infinite goodness, and mercy." So in creation and in providence, 
through what we call general revelation, the confession at 
times calls it the light of nature, when you look out at the world, 
when you see God's government of the world, you can see His 
wisdom. You can see his power. You can see his goodness. When 
we come to the redemptive order and what God does in and through 
our Lord Jesus Christ, I would argue that then goodness takes 
on additional form. Grace, mercy, kindness to hell-deserving 
sinners. So general revelation is satisfactory 
to pronounce the glory of God in the created and providential 
order. Turn to the book of Romans in 
Romans chapter 1. Romans 1, I would suggest these 
are the two primary proof texts, there's others to be sure, but 
the primary proof text concerning what we call general revelation 
or the revelation of God in the light of nature. So notice in 
Romans 118, four, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against 
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth 
in unrighteousness. So you see, that's a pretty blanket 
statement in terms of God's displeasure upon his creatures. The wrath 
of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness 
of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. And as Paul 
goes, it pretty much assumes that he better, not that he better, 
but that he should furnish some rationale as to why this is the 
case. Why is it that the wrath of God 
is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness 
of men? Well, he gives a bit there at 
the end of verse 18, who suppressed the truth and unrighteousness. 
And then he gives us the specific purpose involved in general revelation. because what may be known of 
God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them." In 
other words, there's no such thing as a true atheist. I realize 
there are those who claim to be atheists. I realize there 
are those who like to parade themselves in their pseudo-knowledge 
that claim that Yeah, there's no proof for the existence of 
God. But the scripture tells us otherwise. 
It is manifest in them. As God's creature, as those made 
by God, we have at least somewhere in the recesses of our dark and 
hardened hearts some knowledge of the holy. And I think Paul 
makes that statement again in chapter 2, but that's going to 
take us far afield. But notice what he goes on to 
say. 4. Here's the rationale. Here's the reason. Here's the 
proof of what he says in verse 19. Because what may be known 
of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. Here's 
the purpose of the light of nature or of general revelation. For 
since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are 
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, 
even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Because although they knew God, 
they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became 
futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 
professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory 
of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible 
man, and birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things." 
You see, it's not that general revelation has failed. General 
revelation does what it's supposed to do. It shows the glory of 
God. It demonstrates His wisdom, His 
power, and His goodness. But with reference to general 
revelation and man's appropriation of it, he died in Adam. He's a sinner as a result of 
that covenant of works being broken. So what does he do when 
he sees the wisdom and the power and the goodness of God revealed 
to him in the created order? He suppresses that truth in unrighteousness. Basically, what Paul is saying 
here is that the effect should lead us to the cause. The created 
things that we see in this world that manifest that wisdom and 
power and goodness of God should lead us back to God and cause 
us to reflect upon how great and glorious He is. But because 
we're sinners, we suppress that truth in unrighteousness. So 
going on in the confession, notice what he says. or notice what 
they say in chapter 20, not chapter 4 or 5. Chapter 20, paragraph 
2, this promise of Christ and salvation by him is revealed 
only by the word of God. Neither do the works of creation 
or providence with the light of nature make discovery of Christ 
or of grace by him so much as in a general or obscure way. 
which again was God's purpose, God's intention, so we don't 
call into question light of nature or general revelation and somehow 
try to discard it or somehow try to say that it was bad. It 
functioned in the purpose for which God gave it. So in other 
words, if you take your children or your grandchildren to the 
zoo tomorrow and you're walking around and you're seeing all 
the objects of God's creation, it's a wonderful time for you 
to say, look at God's wisdom. Look at the way that he made 
the giraffe. Look at the way that he made the lion. Look at 
the way that he made apex predators and prey animals. Look at that 
wisdom displayed. But that doesn't teach them about 
blood atonement. The apex predator tearing apart 
its prey isn't blood atonement. They need to know about blood 
atonement. They need to know what Paul says 
in Hebrews 9, without the shedding of blood there is no remission. 
So the zoo can tell you lots of good things about who God 
is. The lake, the ocean, the starry heavens, all of that can 
tell us much about God. Wisdom, power, goodness. but 
it's the revelation of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ that 
is the essential data necessary for sinners to believe, by the 
grace of God, such that they can have everlasting life. So 
we have the place of special revelation and the inadequacy 
of general revelation upheld. And just by way of the necessity 
of special revelation, we've seen it in our studies in John's 
Gospel. Jesus, in that sixth I Am statement in John 14, 6, 
he says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to 
the Father except through me. But Jesus, we know that the Father 
exists based on creation and providence. That's not going 
to get you to heaven. You need to know that Jesus, 
the Son of God, took on our humanity and is indeed the way, the truth, 
and the life, and that no one can come to the Father except 
through Him. Notice in Romans 1, 16, and 17, 
before Paul gets to the universal condemnation of all men under 
sin and the method or means by which God redeems them, he gives 
as his thesis statement Romans 1, 16, and 17. For I'm not ashamed 
of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation 
for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the 
Greek, for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith 
to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. The 
beluga whale and the giraffe and the apex predator doesn't 
show us or declare to us propositionally the righteousness of God. And 
I would argue in this context the righteousness of God that 
Paul is dealing with is not the perfection of God wherein he 
is right. That's certainly in the background, 
but in the context, it's the righteousness that God demands 
and that God provides through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I think that what we have there 
is similar to what Paul says in Philippians chapter 3, and 
verse nine. You can turn there, because I 
think it's absolutely crucial that we understand Paul's argument 
in terms of the revelation of the righteousness of God in Romans, 
and then again in Galatians, and I would say under his whole 
redemptive or soteriological scheme, oftentimes means the 
righteousness that he demands in accordance with his perfection, 
but the righteousness that he supplies in accordance with his 
promise of the coming of the Son of God to save us from our 
sins. Notice in Philippians 3.9, "...and 
be found in him, not having my own righteousness which is from 
the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness 
which is from God by faith." You've probably read the story 
about Martin Luther and all of his hardships and heartaches 
going into his conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ. He was 
a monk, and he'd go to the confessional booth for hours at a time. Now 
I was brought up Roman Catholic, that's typically not the way 
that you went through that. You tried to get in and out without 
incident. You tried to get in and out, 
get your punishment, the prayers you had to say, and get out of 
there as quickly as you came in. So that Luther would go in 
there for three or four hours, he obviously had a burdened conscience. 
Remember Sproul commenting on that. He says, what kind of trouble 
did a monk get into in a monastery? I coveted Philip's bun. I wanted 
extra soup. What kind of trouble do you get 
in that necessitates three or four hours in a monastery? Well, 
it was when Luther understood it's the righteousness that God 
demands in accordance with his perfection of righteousness, 
and that God supplies in the gospel. That's when heaven, as 
it were, opened up, or paradise opened up. So this is absolutely 
crucial. It is the revelation of the gospel 
in which God, who is righteous and demands perfect righteousness, 
supplies us so that He can be both just and the justifier of 
the one who has faith in Jesus. It is God who justifies the ungodly. He doesn't do that by sacrificing 
his perfection of righteousness. He does that by sending a substitute 
who upholds that standard of righteousness and who, for us 
men and for our salvation, lives and dies and is raised again. 
So Romans 1.16, if you're inclined, you can write Ephesians 1.13, 
James 1.18, 1 Peter 1.23, where it is crucial that we have the 
revelation of the gospel in order for salvation. Then, of course, 
Peter's statement in Acts 4. There's no other name given under 
heaven by which we must be saved. If anything, what this particular 
chapter is doing is underscoring, highlighting, bold-facing, and 
making sure, by way of reiteration, that we understand how important 
this gospel is, not only for us and our well-being in terms 
of eternity, but for our children, for our grandchildren, for our 
neighbors, for our friends, for the heathen. In fact, Dr. Renahan speculates that part 
of the reason for this chapter may have been ecclesiastical. New England congregationalists 
were being blasted for their lack of missionary enterprise 
with reference to the Native Americans. And so they put this 
in there as sort of the basis upon which they would engage 
this particular activity of a gospel ministry to the Native Americans 
in America at that particular time. So we have the place of 
special revelation, and then we have the inadequacy of general 
revelation. And I'm sorry to keep turning 
you back and forth, but look again at Romans 1. What Paul 
says there is absolutely crucial that we get in terms of the purpose 
of general revelation. But then again, the insufficiency 
or inadequacy of general revelation. Verse 20, for since the creation 
of the world is invisible, attributes are clearly seen, being understood 
by the things that are made, even as eternal power and Godhead, 
so that they are without excuse. They're literally without an 
apologetic. They're without a defense. No 
sinner on the day of judgment will be able to say, well, this 
isn't fair. You just didn't reveal yourself. You just didn't show 
yourself. God showed himself, but they suppressed that truth 
in unrighteousness. It's usually here, well let's 
just finish the paragraph and then see what it's usually here. 
It's usually here that people say, well that's not fair. It's 
not fair. It's not fair that the heathen 
in the bush that doesn't get the gospel doesn't get to go 
to heaven. Well, if you read Paul's argument 
correctly, you'll understand that the heathen in the bush 
isn't going to hell because he didn't get the gospel. The heathen 
in the bush is going into hell because he disobeyed God. He transgressed God's law. He 
lacked conformity unto it. He didn't do what was required 
of him based on his knowledge of God revealed through the light 
of nature. And as well, when it comes to 
the matter of salvation of sinners, salvation isn't fair. No one 
deserves it. It's not fair that we're going 
to heaven. It's not fair that you and I 
are heaven-bound while the heathen and the bush are destitute of 
God's gospel. It's not fair. It's the glory 
of the gospel. It's grace. It's mercy. Be careful 
when you demand fair from God, because your next stop might 
be flaming, fiery hell. Fair is the moment we sin, we're 
cut off and thrown away. Fair demands that God pay us 
what is accordingly due to us. So it's grace. God does not owe 
anyone salvation. And paragraph three will make 
that very clear. Notice, specifically about the 
fourth line down, is merely of the sovereign will and good pleasure 
of God. So I always say be careful about 
questioning God's fairness, because it is a breach ultimately of 
your confidence in his sovereignty or good pleasure. And it is a 
demand that we are more important or take priority over God. In the prophet Ezekiel, God indicts 
the nation of Israel through the prophet. He says, your children 
or the sons of your children say, the way of the Lord is not 
fair. This is no new thing. If you've ever talked to anybody 
about Calvinism or the Reformed faith, doesn't it usually end 
there? But that's not fair. That doesn't 
seem right. It makes us puppets. What does 
God say to the prophet Ezekiel? But it's their way that's not 
fair. It's them who have sinned. It's 
them who have disobeyed. So it is just because God does 
not owe anyone salvation, and it is just because ultimately 
man goes to hell because of his sin or transgression against 
our holy God. Now that then brings us thirdly 
to the basis of the revelation of the gospel. Note first a positive 
statement. the revelation of the gospel 
unto sinners made in diverse times and by sundry parts with 
the addition of promises and precepts for the obedience required 
therein as to the nations and persons to whom it is granted 
is merely of the sovereign will and good pleasure of God." Again, 
the idea being that there is this absolute necessity in terms 
of understanding that it's God's sovereignty and it's God's good 
pleasure that is ultimate here. It's not, you know, when we thank 
God for our salvation, certainly one of the things that I think 
we thank Him for is that we get to go to heaven. We get to be 
in Christ. We get to see Christ. You know, 
the bright eye is not our garment, but her dear bridegroom's face. 
All that sort of thing is true, but the primary end is the glory 
of God. It's His honor. It's His praise. 
It's His, you know, being magnified. So the historical revelation 
of the gospel is given, very summary statement here, made 
in divers times and by sundry parts, with the addition of promises 
and precepts and the obedience required therein. So Genesis 
3.15, promise of redemption by the seed of the woman, and he 
will crush the head of the serpent. So isn't that what the rest of 
the Old Testament tells us? Isn't that what the rest of the 
Old Testament no pun intended, fleshes out for us and then when 
we come to the new covenant we get the blazing glory in the 
fullness of time God sent forth his son born of a woman, born 
under the law to redeem those under the law. Tell me Paul doesn't 
have Genesis 3.15 in his mind when he is writing gospel truth. Genesis 315 is foundational or 
programmatic for everything else that follows, and that's what 
the Confession is doing here in a wide swath, made in diverse 
times and by sundry parts. But notice, it is according to 
the sovereign will and good pleasure of God. Notice the negative statement, 
not being annexed by virtue of any promise to the due improvement 
of men's natural abilities, by virtue of common light received 
without it, which none ever did make or can do so. Now, this 
is where I think Dr. Renahan is spot on. Baxter, for 
instance, thought it was not a good emphasis to suggest that 
only through the revelation of the gospel are sinners saved. 
There are those who teach that today. They call them the righteous 
or believing pagan. based on the light of nature 
that they have, based on their conduct, according to that light 
of nature, they can be content with the idea that they're going 
to be accepted by God into heaven. That is a pernicious doctrine. 
That is a bad thing. And so that's what the confession 
is pointing out here. This promise of the gospel not 
being annexed by virtue of any promise to the due improvement 
of men's natural abilities. When we send out missionaries 
to the heathen, it's not live based on the light of nature 
that you have and do your best constantly, and you can hope 
for God's acceptance in the final end. Sort of a due improvement 
of men's natural abilities, or by virtue of common light received 
without it, which none ever did make or can do so. So the Confession 
is basically stomping out any notion of Baxterianism, any notion 
of a Sassanianism or an Arminianism that would somehow suggest that 
just based on your light, based on your place, based on the fact 
that you're a heathen out in the bush and you haven't had 
the Gospel, you can be content that our God's going to accept 
you. They point to New Testament people like Cornelius, who was 
a God-fearing Gentile. There were other God-fearing 
Gentiles in the New Testament. I don't think that means they 
were saved until they believed the gospel in terms of who Jesus 
Christ was. I think God-fearing Gentile in 
the book of Acts were Gentiles who were interested in Israel's 
God. So they would go to synagogue and they would hear about Yahweh. 
They'd hear the Old Testament preached or taught. Certainly 
they had an interest in those things, but in terms of the salvation 
of Cornelius, it wasn't until God sent Peter. If he's already 
a God-fearing Gentile, he's already accepted with God, then why send 
Peter to bring to him the gospel of Jesus Christ? So you see, 
this chapter is absolutely crucial in terms of foundation with reference 
to evangelism and missions. If we get this wrong, if we get 
this idea that the heathen in the bush is somehow okay based 
on his response to the light of nature, doing the best that 
he can, the confession says, no, that's not the way. And why, 
if that was the way, do the New Testament documents only emphasize 
ever the absolute instrumentality of faith in the revealed Christ 
and the Gospel? Faith comes by what? Hearing. 
And hearing by what? The Word of God. James 1.18, 
of His own will, you have been brought forth by the Word of 
Truth. So if we don't get this chapter, 
we're going to be somewhat stilted or imbalanced when it comes to 
the proclamation of God's gospel. So we've got a positive statement 
in terms of the historical revelation, the sovereignty of God, and then 
a negative consideration. And then we find this positive 
affirmation at the end. And therefore, in all ages, the 
preaching of the gospel has been granted unto persons and nations 
as to the extent or straightening of it in great variety according 
to the counsel of the will of God. And then that then brings 
us finally to paragraph four. And again, I think the wisdom 
of these divines is obvious in the way that they make sure they 
tie up any loose ends. Okay, so we've got the revelation 
of the gospel. We've got the propagation, or the necessity 
of the propagation of the gospel. So what might we be inclined 
to think? Well, just get the gospel over to the heathen, they'll 
be saved. No, remember, it's God's sovereignty and it's God's 
good pleasure. So what does that necessitate? 
It doesn't necessitate on the part of the heathen and the bush 
the free will, because remember, there's a broken covenant of 
works. The man in sin is not only totally depraved, but he's 
totally unable to fix the problem that he has with God. So we see 
again, as we've seen previously in the confession, the absolute 
necessity of the Holy Spirit. So you see, when we build our 
theology or our foundation for evangelism and missions, yeah, 
get Bibles printed, get preachers taught, get the churches to send 
them, get the heathen to gather to hear them. but pray for the 
ministry of the Holy Spirit to fall upon that so that sinners 
will be saved. So the work of the Holy Spirit 
and the revelation of the Gospel. First, the sufficiency of the 
Gospel, and then secondly, the necessity of the Spirit. Notice, 
although the Gospel be the only outward means of revealing Christ 
and saving grace, and is as such abundantly sufficient thereunto, 
So that's a great statement. Everything they've said is true. 
You've got to have the gospel. Faith does come by hearing, hearing 
by the Word of God. There is no other name given 
under heaven by which we must be saved. It's the Holy Spirit. 
But we are often inclined to imbalance on one side or the 
other. We've got the Bible, we've got the gospel, we've got the 
preacher, we've got the hearer. Therefore, No, we are dependent 
always upon the ministry and the aid of the Holy Spirit and 
that's what's being highlighted here. So notice, it continues, 
yet that men who are dead in trespasses may be born again, 
quickened or regenerated. There is moreover necessary and 
effectual insuperable work of the Holy Spirit upon the whole 
soul for the producing in them a new spiritual life without 
which no other means will affect their conversion unto God. summarizing, 
again, several chapters prior to this, in particular, chapter 
10, paragraph 1, on effectual calling. So I think it's good 
here to make the observation that you have both a general 
or an external call of the gospel, and then an effectual or internal 
call of the gospel. So we've got printed Bibles, 
we've got qualified preachers, we've got a bunch of needy pagans 
or heathens, and that gospel preacher gives them the truth. 
That's the general call. That's the external call. Jesus 
speaks to this in Mark 16. Go and preach the gospel to who? 
To every creature. That's the general call. But 
the effectual or the internal call is wrought by the Holy Spirit. 
So you've got Bible, you've got preacher, you've got heathen. 
They're gathered together. Some believe and others don't. 
What's the difference? The ones who believe were smarter, 
Wiser? Understood the issues more clearer? 
No, the Holy Spirit came upon them and that's the emphasis 
in this particular part. So you've got an external call 
and an internal call. You've got a general call and 
you've got an effectual call. If asked, are we as Calvinists 
or Reformed people about giving the call of salvation to sinners? 
Absolutely! Go preach the gospel to every 
creature. Tell sinners everywhere that 
God is holy, you are not, and that he sent his only begotten 
Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but 
have everlasting life. We generally and externally call 
all men everywhere. but we are dependent upon the 
internal or effectual calling of the Holy Spirit to make man 
willing in the day of his power." So I think this chapter is very 
helpful following a statement concerning the law of God to 
understand the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, not only in 
terms of its content, but the context that it provides for 
us in terms of moving forward in our own Christian life, but 
with reference to the salvation of others. So we see the divine 
initiative in salvation, the sovereignty of God in salvation, 
and I think the hopeful, you know, specific message is the 
absolute necessity of the gospel. If we don't get that, we are 
going to be imbalanced. If we don't understand that, 
we're going to be wrong. If we have this idea that God-fearing 
Gentiles can come into God's acceptance based on the light 
of nature, we're not operating in a manner consistent with chapter 
20. Well, I'll pray, and then if there's any questions or comments. 
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you 
for the gospel of our salvation. We thank you for this first gospel 
promise in Genesis 3.15 and the way the Old Testament continues 
to amplify and to explain that. And then we see the blazing glory 
of the Son of God in the New Covenant, the revelation of the 
Son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those under 
the law. Thank you for so great a salvation. We pray specifically 
with mind to this chapter, the confession that you would send 
your Holy Spirit, God, as we gather for worship. We suspect, 
we know that sinners will come, those who are dead in their trespasses 
and sins. And while the intention is to 
make known the general or external call of the gospel, we pray that 
the Spirit would be at work internally and effectually to bring forth 
needy sinners that are dead in their trespasses and sins to 
life and light in Jesus Christ our Lord. Not only here, but 
throughout this nation and to the uttermost parts of the earth, 
bless gospel preaching today by the presence and the power 
of the Holy Spirit. And we pray in Jesus' name, amen.