Difference between revisions of "Adam and Conscience"
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=Objectives= | =Objectives= | ||
*Students will recognize God's use of conscience to demonstrate that He alone is good. | *Students will recognize God's use of conscience to demonstrate that He alone is good. | ||
| + | *Students will recognize that none of innocent | ||
| + | *Students will recognize problems associated with a covenant of grace | ||
| + | |||
| + | =Materials= | ||
| + | [[Adam and Conscience Handout]] | ||
=Opening= | =Opening= | ||
| + | *What are some things that society seems to all agree are universally wrong? | ||
| + | **Murder | ||
| + | **Theft | ||
| + | ***Note: society seems to mess this up as time goes on. For example, abortion is murder but society seems to turn a blind eye to this. However, it seems that ben in turning a blind eye society does not endorse this but rather sees it as the lesser of two evils. Don't let a discussion of how bad society is getting get in the way of the lesson but rather use this question to prompt the idea of a conscience written on the heart. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | *What do "universal evils" demonstrate? | ||
| + | **We all are subject to the law of God written on our hearts. | ||
=Main Body= | =Main Body= | ||
==The Fall== | ==The Fall== | ||
*What events are described in Genesis 3:1-7? | *What events are described in Genesis 3:1-7? | ||
| − | **The Fall. Whether we adopt a Covenant of Works, Edenic | + | **The Fall. Whether we adopt a Covenant of Works, Edenic pseudo-covenant, or a dispensation of innocence we have a problem. Adam failed to live up to the standard God had set forth. A natural question is what does God do now? |
==A Covenant of Grace?== | ==A Covenant of Grace?== | ||
| − | Many theologians | + | Many theologians deal with the fall of man through a Covenant of Grace. In the Westminster Confession of Faith it states <blockquote>Man, by his fall, having made himself incapable of life by that covenant, the Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly called the covenant of grace; wherein he freely offers unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ; requiring of them faith in Him, that they may be saved, and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto eternal life his Holy Spirit, to make them willing, and able to believe. |
This covenant of grace is frequently set forth in scripture by the name of a testament, in reference to the death of Jesus Christ the Testator, and to the everlasting inheritance, with all things belonging to it, therein bequeathed. | This covenant of grace is frequently set forth in scripture by the name of a testament, in reference to the death of Jesus Christ the Testator, and to the everlasting inheritance, with all things belonging to it, therein bequeathed. | ||
This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the Gospel: under the law it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all foresignifying Christ to come; which were, for that time, sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they had full remission of sins, and eternal salvation; and is called the Old Testament.<ref>https://reformed.org/documents/wcf_with_proofs/</ref></blockquote> | This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the Gospel: under the law it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all foresignifying Christ to come; which were, for that time, sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they had full remission of sins, and eternal salvation; and is called the Old Testament.<ref>https://reformed.org/documents/wcf_with_proofs/</ref></blockquote> | ||
| Line 19: | Line 32: | ||
*According to the confession, what purpose did circumcision and other ordinances play in the Old Testament? | *According to the confession, what purpose did circumcision and other ordinances play in the Old Testament? | ||
| − | **They were "sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah." | + | **They were "sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah." So what do they mean by "build up the elect in the faith?" Based upon the Canons of Dort and the Heidlberg Catechism, it appears that one would argue that under the Covenant of Grace, grace is administered through the ordinances of circumcision, passover etc.<blockquote>Since we must make judgments about God’s will from his Word, which testifies that the children of believers are holy, not by nature but by virtue of the gracious covenant in which they together with their parents are included, godly parents ought not to doubt the election and salvation of their children whom God calls out of this life in infancy.<ref>Article 17 https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/confessions/canons-dort</ref> </blockquote> <blockquote>Are infants also to be baptized? Yes, for since they, as well as their parents, belong to the covenant and people of God, and through the blood of Christ both redemption from sin and the Holy Spirit, who works faith, are promised to them no less than to their parents, they are also by Baptism, as a sign of the covenant, to be engrafted into the Christian Church, and distinguished from the children of unbelievers, as was done in the Old Testament by circumcision, in place of which in the New Testament Baptism is appointed. <ref>Question 74 from http://www.rcus.org/heidelberg-catechism-2011/</ref></blockquote> |
| + | |||
| + | *What is the order of events presented on Ephesians 1:13? How does this compare with the confessions above? | ||
| + | **Hear, Believed, Sealed. In addition to this passage we have passages like John 7:39 which seems to indicate that believers prior to Christ's death did no have a permanent indwelling. In fact, the first three chapters of Ephesians seem to counter a lot of that which is presented in the Covenant of Grace. | ||
| + | |||
| + | We don't have enough time to fully deal with everything proposed in the covenant of grace. Houghton argues that "In one sense, the covenant of grace seems to be offered to sinners without regard to their election, offering them salvation on the condition of faith in Christ. Yet, in another sense, the covenant of grace is made with only the elect, promising to give them the Holy Spirit Who would enable them to have that faith."<ref>Houghton, Myron. Law & Grace. Regular Baptist Books, 2011. page 66</ref>. We suggest that dispensationalism provides a more robust way of understanding God's dealings with man post-fall. But first, we address what might be thought of as an Adamic Covenant. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==The Adamic Covenant== | ||
| + | |||
| + | *According to Genesis 3:14-19, what promises dos God issue to creation after the fall? | ||
| + | **Serpent would be forced to move on its belly. | ||
| + | **Satan would be defeated by the offspring of the woman. | ||
| + | **Women would have pain in childbearing | ||
| + | **Woman would be forced to submit to man | ||
| + | **Man would be forced to work in order to eat | ||
| + | **Man would eventually die | ||
| + | **The ground would be cursed by thorns and thistles. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *Are these promises conditional or unconditional? | ||
| + | **These are unconditional promises. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *What actions were taken to ratify this covenant in Genesis 3:21? | ||
| + | **God sacrificed an animal and provided a covering as a prophetic sign of what would come. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==The Dispensation of Conscience== | ||
| + | After the fall, God still expected man to do good and shun evil, but now man had a conscience. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *According to Romans 2:12-15, what does the conscience of man accomplish? | ||
| + | **The conscience of man gives us knowledge of right and wrong. Ultimately, we all know what it means to live after God's standard. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *According Hebrews 11:4-6, what was God's ultimate standard during the dispensation of conscience? | ||
| + | **Faith, are we have what is the most powerful aspect of dispensationalism. In dispensational it has always been, is always, and always will be faith that God demands from humanity. At every stage God provides salvation by grace through faith. During the dispensation of conscience it was faith that God would provide a future Messiah who would crush satan. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *What does 1 Peter 1:20 teach us about God's original plan? | ||
| + | **God, prior to creation, ordained Christ to be the solution to sin. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *How is humanity described in Romans 1:18-32? | ||
| + | **ungodly - a lack of reverence, devotion, and worship. | ||
| + | **unrighteous - not conforming to God's law | ||
| + | **Suppressors of truth - ignoring the evidence | ||
| + | **Debased - The Greek word δοκιμαζω refers to a test or proof. The addition of α in front of the word as in Romans 1:28 means to not pass the test. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *According to Genesis 6:5-8, what is the result of the dispensation of conscience? | ||
| + | **Man failed to obey God and God sent the flood. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | Earlier we talk about dispensationalism as "a 'divine order of affairs' or a 'period of administration.' It is a specific time in the unfolding drama of redemption wherein God ordains a specific arrangement of events and commands for a specific purpose. His purpose includes the defeat of evil."<ref>Geisler, Norman L. Systematic theology: In one volume. Bethany House, 2011. pg 796</ref> In the dispensation of conscience we can see that part of God's plan. Specifically, we see that man cannot himself do good even when he knows good and evil. God uses each dispensation to demonstrate His goodness and defeat evil. | ||
| + | |||
| + | =Conclusion= | ||
| + | *What are the implications of the dispensation of conscience for The Church today? | ||
| + | **All people are equipped with a conscience but that conscience only serves to demonstrate our total depravity. From this we can take several interesting positions | ||
| + | ***We are all totally depraved and in need of a savior, all our good comes from Christ. We should not think too highly of ourselves. | ||
| + | ***We must reach the unreached with the message of the gospel because they cannot plead ignorance | ||
| + | ***God is working to defeat evil and in His sovereignty He has chosen to use us in that plan. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *How would you respond to someone who invited you to celebrate their new born child's baptism? | ||
| + | **The purpose of this discussion is to get people to talk about false teaching with grace and humility. | ||
| + | |||
| + | =References= | ||
Latest revision as of 21:32, 23 March 2019
Contents
Objectives
- Students will recognize God's use of conscience to demonstrate that He alone is good.
- Students will recognize that none of innocent
- Students will recognize problems associated with a covenant of grace
Materials
Opening
- What are some things that society seems to all agree are universally wrong?
- Murder
- Theft
- Note: society seems to mess this up as time goes on. For example, abortion is murder but society seems to turn a blind eye to this. However, it seems that ben in turning a blind eye society does not endorse this but rather sees it as the lesser of two evils. Don't let a discussion of how bad society is getting get in the way of the lesson but rather use this question to prompt the idea of a conscience written on the heart.
- What do "universal evils" demonstrate?
- We all are subject to the law of God written on our hearts.
Main Body
The Fall
- What events are described in Genesis 3:1-7?
- The Fall. Whether we adopt a Covenant of Works, Edenic pseudo-covenant, or a dispensation of innocence we have a problem. Adam failed to live up to the standard God had set forth. A natural question is what does God do now?
A Covenant of Grace?
Many theologians deal with the fall of man through a Covenant of Grace. In the Westminster Confession of Faith it statesMan, by his fall, having made himself incapable of life by that covenant, the Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly called the covenant of grace; wherein he freely offers unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ; requiring of them faith in Him, that they may be saved, and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto eternal life his Holy Spirit, to make them willing, and able to believe.This covenant of grace is frequently set forth in scripture by the name of a testament, in reference to the death of Jesus Christ the Testator, and to the everlasting inheritance, with all things belonging to it, therein bequeathed.
This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the Gospel: under the law it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all foresignifying Christ to come; which were, for that time, sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they had full remission of sins, and eternal salvation; and is called the Old Testament.[1]
- Pay special attention to some of the language. According to the confession, when does someone receive the Holy Spirit, and to what purpose is the Holy Spirit received?
- According to the confession the Holy Spirit is received prior to salvation and the Holy Spirit serves the purpose of making someone willing and able to believe.
- According to the confession, what purpose did circumcision and other ordinances play in the Old Testament?
- They were "sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah." So what do they mean by "build up the elect in the faith?" Based upon the Canons of Dort and the Heidlberg Catechism, it appears that one would argue that under the Covenant of Grace, grace is administered through the ordinances of circumcision, passover etc.
Since we must make judgments about God’s will from his Word, which testifies that the children of believers are holy, not by nature but by virtue of the gracious covenant in which they together with their parents are included, godly parents ought not to doubt the election and salvation of their children whom God calls out of this life in infancy.[2]
Are infants also to be baptized? Yes, for since they, as well as their parents, belong to the covenant and people of God, and through the blood of Christ both redemption from sin and the Holy Spirit, who works faith, are promised to them no less than to their parents, they are also by Baptism, as a sign of the covenant, to be engrafted into the Christian Church, and distinguished from the children of unbelievers, as was done in the Old Testament by circumcision, in place of which in the New Testament Baptism is appointed. [3]
- They were "sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah." So what do they mean by "build up the elect in the faith?" Based upon the Canons of Dort and the Heidlberg Catechism, it appears that one would argue that under the Covenant of Grace, grace is administered through the ordinances of circumcision, passover etc.
- What is the order of events presented on Ephesians 1:13? How does this compare with the confessions above?
- Hear, Believed, Sealed. In addition to this passage we have passages like John 7:39 which seems to indicate that believers prior to Christ's death did no have a permanent indwelling. In fact, the first three chapters of Ephesians seem to counter a lot of that which is presented in the Covenant of Grace.
We don't have enough time to fully deal with everything proposed in the covenant of grace. Houghton argues that "In one sense, the covenant of grace seems to be offered to sinners without regard to their election, offering them salvation on the condition of faith in Christ. Yet, in another sense, the covenant of grace is made with only the elect, promising to give them the Holy Spirit Who would enable them to have that faith."[4]. We suggest that dispensationalism provides a more robust way of understanding God's dealings with man post-fall. But first, we address what might be thought of as an Adamic Covenant.
The Adamic Covenant
- According to Genesis 3:14-19, what promises dos God issue to creation after the fall?
- Serpent would be forced to move on its belly.
- Satan would be defeated by the offspring of the woman.
- Women would have pain in childbearing
- Woman would be forced to submit to man
- Man would be forced to work in order to eat
- Man would eventually die
- The ground would be cursed by thorns and thistles.
- Are these promises conditional or unconditional?
- These are unconditional promises.
- What actions were taken to ratify this covenant in Genesis 3:21?
- God sacrificed an animal and provided a covering as a prophetic sign of what would come.
The Dispensation of Conscience
After the fall, God still expected man to do good and shun evil, but now man had a conscience.
- According to Romans 2:12-15, what does the conscience of man accomplish?
- The conscience of man gives us knowledge of right and wrong. Ultimately, we all know what it means to live after God's standard.
- According Hebrews 11:4-6, what was God's ultimate standard during the dispensation of conscience?
- Faith, are we have what is the most powerful aspect of dispensationalism. In dispensational it has always been, is always, and always will be faith that God demands from humanity. At every stage God provides salvation by grace through faith. During the dispensation of conscience it was faith that God would provide a future Messiah who would crush satan.
- What does 1 Peter 1:20 teach us about God's original plan?
- God, prior to creation, ordained Christ to be the solution to sin.
- How is humanity described in Romans 1:18-32?
- ungodly - a lack of reverence, devotion, and worship.
- unrighteous - not conforming to God's law
- Suppressors of truth - ignoring the evidence
- Debased - The Greek word δοκιμαζω refers to a test or proof. The addition of α in front of the word as in Romans 1:28 means to not pass the test.
- According to Genesis 6:5-8, what is the result of the dispensation of conscience?
- Man failed to obey God and God sent the flood.
Earlier we talk about dispensationalism as "a 'divine order of affairs' or a 'period of administration.' It is a specific time in the unfolding drama of redemption wherein God ordains a specific arrangement of events and commands for a specific purpose. His purpose includes the defeat of evil."[5] In the dispensation of conscience we can see that part of God's plan. Specifically, we see that man cannot himself do good even when he knows good and evil. God uses each dispensation to demonstrate His goodness and defeat evil.
Conclusion
- What are the implications of the dispensation of conscience for The Church today?
- All people are equipped with a conscience but that conscience only serves to demonstrate our total depravity. From this we can take several interesting positions
- We are all totally depraved and in need of a savior, all our good comes from Christ. We should not think too highly of ourselves.
- We must reach the unreached with the message of the gospel because they cannot plead ignorance
- God is working to defeat evil and in His sovereignty He has chosen to use us in that plan.
- All people are equipped with a conscience but that conscience only serves to demonstrate our total depravity. From this we can take several interesting positions
- How would you respond to someone who invited you to celebrate their new born child's baptism?
- The purpose of this discussion is to get people to talk about false teaching with grace and humility.
References
- ↑ https://reformed.org/documents/wcf_with_proofs/
- ↑ Article 17 https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/confessions/canons-dort
- ↑ Question 74 from http://www.rcus.org/heidelberg-catechism-2011/
- ↑ Houghton, Myron. Law & Grace. Regular Baptist Books, 2011. page 66
- ↑ Geisler, Norman L. Systematic theology: In one volume. Bethany House, 2011. pg 796
