Recap:
Sunday School:
On the side note, while pondering on Ute's discussion regarding infant vs. believer's baptisms at Ocean Grove beach house, I realized something important. It's been there all along, but I just never would have put it this way as a persuasive argument, particularly to those who have great desire to have union and fellowship with others while still being caught in the false theology that believer's baptism brings. I could have tried:
Believers' baptism (BB) can never honestly accept paedobaptism (PB), but PB always readily accepts BB.
When I brought up John Piper's indirect rebuking of R.C. Sproul "Sproul, you are not baptized my brother", the group at the beach were appalled by Piper.
While we were doing our Week 7 topic on Prayer in Sunday School, going through WLC's questions on Prayer, I thought of building up a list of questions to ask Pastor Chris when the time comes to discuss with him about Evangelism (for myself) in the Bridgewater area. I shall put these questions in the comments here.
In Sunday School, the topic of what's heaven like was brought up. New Heaven and New Earth mentioned but the pastor support total destruction of the old and the complete creation of the new, instead of the historical Christian reformed approach of "renewal" and "restoration". I added an excerpt from a very good article on this from TGC in the comment section. The pastor's argument is of the fundamentalists' camp, focusing more dispensationally rather than covenantally. It is renewal or restoration because of Romans 8 and the fact that Jesus' resurrection was the first fruit of the new. Renewal is complete, but a completely new creation is basically ex-nihilo which is absurd as far as our resurrection goes. This fundamentalist view, which John MacArthur also holds is a bit gnostic in my opinion: Hate all things material in this world, but love the spiritual. The pastor's argument was based on 2 Peter 3, where everything gets burned up therefore renewal is not possible. John Calvin is clear against that argument in his commentary, that basically nobody knows about how the fire will dissolve, but focus should be placed on what God exhorts here:
What afterwards follows, respecting the burning of heaven and earth, requires no long explanation, if indeed we duly consider what is intended. For it was not his purpose to speak refinedly of fire and storm, and other things, but only that he might introduce an exhortation, which he immediately adds, even that we ought to strive after newness of life. For he thus reasons, that as heaven and earth are to be purged by fire, that they may correspond with the kingdom of Christ, hence the renovation of men is much more necessary. Mischievous, then, are those interpreters who consume much labor on refined speculations, since the Apostle applies his doctrine to godly exhortations. Calvin on 2 Peter 3:10
I believe the pastor's definition of renewal/restoring is the problem. It seemed narrower than ought. The renewal appears to be the terminology used organically in Scripture on this, but the definition should not be narrowed just because we don't have clear understanding of it.
The pastor emphasized: You could be more comfortable with God than with any other human being. Who on Earth is closer than God to us? The intent was to drive at the dependency solely on God. But I wondered if the pastor would dare go as far as stating "your parents, your spouses, your children, etc" which would be biblical and more crucial to his point.
The pastor also said "All theophany are christophany", which I think is problematic. As the burning bush is theophany but can hardly be considered strictly christophany, or Abraham and the Fire (by Tim Keller Jul 3, 2011 @20:00 time), etc. Though we are not denying the anticipation of Jesus in all theophany but this may even run the risk of being christomonic. Therefore because christophany refers only to the second person of the triune God, all theophany are triune, all theophany are not christophany, but all christophany are theophany.
Sermon on 1John 5:12-18
1John 5:13 The repetition of "that believe on the name of the Son of God...that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" has the connotation of "from faith to faith".
1John 5:16 If one ever needs to learn about John Calvin's take on Venial vs. Mortal sins, his commentary here takes the cake.
Evangelism in Bridgewater, questions to ask Pastor Chris:
- How consistent would he be doing Sunday School, because what he's doing here trumps most other churches and their pastors.
- Is he okay with me bringing non-believers to Sunday School (tough questions/comments expected)? Since he hosted it with zeal in apologetics and gospel centeredness graciously.
- Ask him what made him change from BB to PB (baptism) because he did mentioned it in Sunday School one time, though many weren't listening, apparently.
- What do you mean by church programs? i.e. perhaps discerning between Bingo (fake gospel) vs. ESL (gospel mission)?
- You said you did American Evangelism as a teen (8/6/2023 Sunday School), when were you converted by your uncle? couldn't be during your catholic time. And it seemed that you have been traumatized by it, was your uncle involved?
- His thoughts on pastors leaving/changing churches
- How/what made you transitioned from fundamentalist to reformed?
- local regulation on/against preaching in streets, campus, public, door to door, prisons, etc.?
Follow up question: If you were asked to pray at city council, would you?
Excerpt from TGC on New Heaven and New Earth:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/new-heaven-new-earth/
The New Heaven and New Earth
AN ESSAY BY
Matt Emerson
....
The second set of dogmatic issues connected to the new heavens and new earth concerns the relation of creation and the eschaton. In the doctrine of eschatology, this is a question of 1) whether or not the new creation is a renewal of the old creation or a brand-new creation that follows on the complete destruction of the old creation, and 2) how the new creation relates to Christ’s work, and particularly to his resurrection. While some in recent years have argued for what amounts to a complete destruction of the current creation (e.g. John MacArthur in his commentary on 2Pet 3), the historic Christian position is that the new creation is a renewal of the old creation, in which Christ’s work and particularly his death and resurrection remove the effects and source of sin and thereby bring restoration not only to human beings but to all that God has made This accords with the biblical data, including an affirmation of creation’s goodness (Gen 1:3, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31) and God’s care for it, the scope of redemption encompassing all that was affected by the fall, the prophetic hope that it is the current created order that will be restored in the new creation (e.g. Isa 65:17ff.), the continuity our resurrected bodies will have with our current fallen bodies (1Cor 15), and creation’s own longing for restoration and liberation from the curse of sin (cf. e.g. Rom 8:22–23). Regarding Christ’s work, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the firstfruits of the new creation that points forward to the resurrection of believers to eternal life and also to the renewal of God’s creation.
Finally, the topic of the new heavens and new earth is associated with the relation between the old and new covenants, both with respect to when the promises of Israel are fulfilled and to whether or not the new creation renews the old creation or completely replaces it. Both of these issues essentially come down to whether one affirms a more dispensational or a more covenantal understanding of how the old and new covenants relate.
FURTHER READING
I do not necessarily advocate for or agree with everything said in every resource listed below. Nevertheless, this list will give the reader starting points for further reading on this doctrine.
Blogs
“Revelation 21–22: A New Heaven and a New Earth.” The Bible Project.
Dennis Johnson. “The New Heavens and New Earth.”
John Piper, “The Triumph of the Gospel in the New Heavens and the New Earth.” Desiring God.
Sam Storms. “The New Heaven and New Earth: Revelation 21:1–8.” Enjoying God.
Books
Allen, Michael. Grounded in Heaven: Recentering Christian Hope and Life on God. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2018.
Alcorn, Randy. Heaven. Wheaton: Tyndale, 2004.
Alexander, T. D. From Eden to the New Jerusalem: An Introduction to Biblical Theology. Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic, 2009.
Beale, G. K. The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God. NSBT 17. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2004.
Boersma, Hans. Heavenly Participation: The Weaving of a Sacramental Tapestry. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011.
Gentry, Peter J. and Stephen J. Wellum. Kingdom Through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants, 2nd Wheaton: Crossway, 2018.
Emerson, Matthew Y. Christ and the New Creation: A Canonical Approach to the Theology of the New Testament. Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2013.
Emerson, Matthew Y. “Does God Own a Death Star? The Destruction of the Cosmos in 2 Peter 3:1–13.” SWJT 2 (2015): 281–93.
Middleton, Richard. A New Heaven and a New Earth: Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014.
Williams, Michael D. Far as the Curse is Found: The Covenant Story of Redemption. Phillipsburg: P&R, 2005.
Wright, N. T. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. New York: HarperOne, 2008.