Tuesday, August 9, 2016

New Covenant Theology System?

We confess that there is only one God who is the greatest conceivable being, the most perfect being. God is one essence that is three distinct persons, coequal and coeternal, neither divided nor separated, namely, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Bible alone is the God breathed, inerrant, infallible, Word of God. It is sufficient, necessary, authoritative, and clear as our ultimate standard for all thought and human experience. It alone provides us with a worldview that is the ultimate coherent explanation of everything; it is livable and provides hope with fulfillment.

God created man in his image (i.e. with an intellect, will and emotions, to rule over creation). But man sinned against God with the result that man became sinners by inheritance, imputation and imitation.

God established a covenant and theocratic government exclusively with Israel. He chose them over all the nations to enter in a covenant. This covenant and theocratic government was binding to only Israel and those within the nation of Israel. Thus, for example, if one was in the land of Israel, he or she was obligated to comply with the rules of the land. If, however, one was not an Israelite or was simply outside the land of Israel, he or she was outside the covenant or jurisdiction of the theocratic government. So there is a clear distinction that must be kept. The Old Testament laws were obligatory: to a particular covenant people, namely Israel, and in a particular land---the land of Israel. Second, there is no division in the OT explicitly or implicitly between the Law of God (e.g. moral, civil and ceremonial). Hence, the whole Mosaic Law is a simple indivisible unit thus without parts; but nevertheless, we may make artificial obligatory distinctions. There is epistemic divisions but no ontic divisions. All OT laws were given by God either directly or indirectly (e.g. spoken/written by God or through men) as imperatives--thus moral in nature.

There are two types of laws God has legislated: Covenantal (relative to a covenant, people, place and time) and Trans-covenantal (objectively binding independent of any covenant, people, place and time). The former is particular; the latter is general. The way this is cashed out is that sin can refer to a description or a prescription; but for any formal connotation, it refers to any violation of God's commands in state, disposition, (i.e. internal/intrinsic) and/or act (i.e. external/extrinsic).

God legislates the law as an expression of his character, will and nature. God is not bound by any laws, since a law entails a lawgiver; rather, He is goodness itself. However, God can issue commands to be bound to them ( i.e. Covenants, promises). Kant provided a helpful distinction between following a rule and acting in accordance to a rule. We are obligated to follow God's laws. God naturally is morally perfect and good thus acts in accordance to the issued laws.

The triune God eternally planned/decreed (i.e. factual necessity) to save a particular people (from diverse covenants) for His glory and their good. This single eternal plan was centered on the Son, Jesus Christ, to the glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Father sent the Son to take upon flesh and die as their (i.e. sinful mankind) substitute to absorb their sins, the Holy Spirit applies the work of Christ to justify and sanctify them in Christ.

The Son became incarnate to rescue man from sin. Christ suffered and died upon the cross, and was resurrected three days later, to pay the penalty for our sins and purchase a place in heaven for us. Christ offers this as a free gift to all by faith. It is not earned nor deserved. Saving faith is trusting in Jesus alone for salvation. The New Testament clearly indicates the Old Covenant, with its laws, has been fulfilled in Christ and the New Covenant, with its laws, Christ has established.

Christ alone is our living prophet, priest and king, never ceasing to teach, intercede and rule.

Christ established one never ceasing, universal, united, church which is comprised of all believers; yet it is exemplified in a diversity of local churches.

We know all these things to be true since this is God's testimony in the Bible. The Holy Spirit's inter-witness testifies this to us.  If it's rejected the alternative is utter irrationality.

Christian Philosophy

Christian Epistemology: All knowledge finds its source from God's special and general revelation.
Metaphysics: All things finds their source, support and end from God.
Ethics: All objective moral values/duties find their source, support and end from God's commands (that express God's essential goodness).

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