The Chalcedonian Creed

Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, unconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the properties of each nature being preserved and both concurring into one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the Fathers has handed down to us.

Since God has prescribed to us how He would be worshipped by us, whenever we turn away in the very smallest degree from this rule, we make to ourselves other gods, and degrade Him from His right place.

-- John Calvin, Commentary on Exodus [20:3]

Can we throw in California, too? How much cash do we need to make this deal happen?

Decalogue from the Geneva Psalter:

As a part of Calvin's liturgy, the church would sing the Ten Commandments, notably following confession and absolution. This ordering plus the pleasant tone of the music conveys the third use of the law, that it is indeed a joy to obey our Father.

Happy Sabbath, brothers. Psalm 46, from the Scottish Psalter.

https://youtu.be/GGzuUfQD-G4

One of the best pastor's conferences ever, the Federal Vision Conference held in 2002 at Auburn Avenue Presbyterian Church, is available in full audio here. I would highly recommend it to your listening, especially the Q&A panels.

https://archive.org/details/2002TheFederalVision

There are two parts in the [Second] Commandment -- the first forbids the erection of a graven image, or any likeness; the second prohibits the transferring of the worship which God claims for Himself alone, to any of these phantoms or delusive shows. Therefore, to devise any image of God, is in itself impious; because by this corruption His Majesty is adulterated, and He is figured to be other than He is.

-- John Calvin, Commentary on Exodus [20:4]

P1: The church is commanded to baptize the nations (Matt. 28:20)
P2: Nations include infants.
C: Therefore, the church is commanded to baptize infants.

P1: If God has previously prescribed a standard, we are to assume it remains in force unless explicitly or logically deducibly told otherwise.
P2: In the Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic administrations all explicitly included children in the covenant and when God attached signs, the children also received them.
P3: There is no explicit or logically deducible command contrary.
C: Therefore, children remain in the covenant and recieve its signs.

If God had wanted to give us the Bible in film or movie format, he would have done so.

The Chosen and similar idolatries are just images and icons that move on a screen.

A covenant is a bond in blood sovereignly administered.

With the phrase "bond in blood," we may infer both that this is a life and death bond, and that it follows one's bloodline.

With the phrase "sovereignly administered," we may infer both that one's inclusion is not voluntary, nor are the terms of the administration.

The Book of Acts Is Not Normative:

It was written, along with Luke's gospel, to chronicle the extraordinary events of Jesus' coming and the ramifications thereof. Numerous errors arise from attempting to make it normative.

1) Charismaticism and continuationism, which ignore the later portions of the New Testament and attempt to make the sign gifts normative.

2) Credobaptists, who assume no children were present at Pentecost or in the households, and make adult confession the prerequisite for all.

3) Pacifists and anabaptists, who blot out the entire Old Testament in their pseudo-masochistic desire to make the church once again a persecuted minority with no power.

On reflection, it was unfair to compare journalists to prostitutes.
Prostitutes actually provide a service.

Only a Living Faith Justifies: WCF 11.2:

II. Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification: yet is it not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but works by love.


Bare assent is no better than the papists' "implicit faith." Cf. WCF 14.2.

Isaiah 1:11-17, BRP

“What to me is the multitude of your Bible studies?" says the Lord; "I have had enough of Bible studies and of prayers and small groups; I do not delight in evening services, or prayer meetings, or Wednesday services.

When you come to appear before me, who requires of you this trampling of my chuches?

Bring no more long sermons; the liturgy is an abomination to me. Hymns and catechism and the call to worship— I cannot endure iniquity and prayer meetings.

Your monthly communion and your fellowship meals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them.

When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil,

learn to do good; seek my law, correct your anarchotyranny; defend the unborn, plead for those your laws oppress."

Presumptive Salvation of Covenant Children:

Since we are to judge of the will of God from His Word which testifies that the children of believers are holy, not by nature, but in virtue of the covenant of grace, in which they, together with the parents, are comprehended, godly parents have no reason to doubt of the election and salvation of their children whom it pleaseth God to call out of this life in their infancy.

-- Canons of Dort, Article 17

God's name is profaned whenever any detraction is made from His supreme wisdom, infinite power, justice, truth, clemency, and rectitude. If a shorter definition be preferred, let us say that His name is what Paul calls to gnoston, "that which may be known" of Him.

-- John Calvin, Commentary on Exodus [20:7]

Christian Children Are in the Covenant:

All the children of those that believe are included in the covenant, and church of God, unless they exclude themselves. They are, therefore, also disciples of Christ, because they are born in the church, or school of Christ; and hence the Holy Spirit teaches them in a manner adapted to their capacity and age..... those are not to be excluded from baptism, to whom the benefit of the remission of sins, and of regeneration belongs. But this benefit belongs to the infants of the church.... He who will now diligently examine these testimonies from the word of God, will see that it is not only lawful, but that baptism ought to be administered to infants also; for they are holy; the promise is unto them; the kingdom of heaven is theirs; and God, who is certainly not the God of the wicked, declares that he will also be their God.

-- Zacharias Ursinus, Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism, Q74

Note: this differs from the view that only the elect are in the Covenant of Grace.

A Distraction from True Idolatry:

It has today become popular to condemn people for "making an idol" of their work, vocation, family, spouse, etc.

It's true in the abstract that these normally good things can become idols, but the Bible never speaks of them as such.

This is generally a red herring, a distraction from the real idols plaguing the church: social media, video games, pornography, partying, sportsball, news fearmongering etc.

Typology and symbolism are pervasive in Scripture. Jesus and the Apostles frequently employ these tools in their interpretation of Scripture, and so should we.

The answer to bad typology and symbolism is good typology and symbolism, just like the answer to bad didactical exegesis is good didactical exegesis. (Paraphrase of James Jordan in the lecture below)

https://youtu.be/IACY2BLIyzg?si=l2icTnkwk-VzTb2o