The Riddleblog

"Why the Incarnation?" Calvin's Explanation

The situation would surely have been hopeless had the very majesty of God not descended to us, since it was not in our power to ascend to him. Hence, it was necessary for the Son of God to become for us “Immanuel, that is, God with us” [Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23], and in such a way that his divinity and our human nature might by mutual connection grow together. Otherwise the nearness would not have been near enough, nor the affinity sufficiently firm, for us to hope that God might dwell with us. So great was the disagreement between our uncleanness and God’s perfect purity! Even if man had remained free from all stain, his condition would have been too lowly for him to reach God without a Mediator. What, then, of man: plunged by his mortal ruin into death and hell, defiled with so many spots, befouled with his own corruption, and overwhelmed with every curse? In undertaking to describe the Mediator, Paul then, with good reason, distinctly reminds us that He is man: “One mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ” [1 Tim. 2:5].

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Biblical Theology, Biblical Events, Reformed ResourcesKim RiddlebargerDecember 21, 2022Christ's IncarnationComment

"Jesus -- The Messianic Heir, the True Adam and Israel" -- Horton on the Person of Christ

Why the Birth of the Savior?

All of God’s covenantal purposes converge in Jesus Christ. The Son is the eternal Mediator of the covenant of redemption which already in eternity rendered him, by anticipation, the one who would become incarnate and give his life for his people (1 Pe 1:20–21; Eph 1:4–5, 11). He is also the Last Adam, who undoes the curse of the first Adam and fulfills the covenant of creation for his elect, thereby winning the right to be not only the risen head but the resurrection-life-giving Lord. Therefore, the covenant of grace of which Christ is the mediatorial head is secured eternally in the covenant of redemption. “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him” (2 Co 1:20).
Although Israel, like Adam, failed to drive the serpent out of God’s holy garden and instead succumbed to the seduction of God’s archenemy, God pledges that he will not utterly destroy Israel but will preserve a remnant from which will emerge the Messiah who will bring an ultimate salvation and an everlasting kingdom of righteousness not only to Jews but to the nations. If the works principle inherent in the Sinai covenant stood alone, neither Israel nor the world would have any hope.
Yet even in its exile, Israel too is given the promise that its coming Shepherd will gather his scattered sheep and bring redemption to the ends of the earth. The enlargement of Jerusalem promised with the new covenant in Jeremiah 31 and 32 is anticipated elsewhere, sometimes in passages that even recast the traditional roles of the oppressor (Egypt and Assyria) as the oppressed who are delivered from bondage and taken as God’s own people (Isa 19:18–23). Isaiah 60 sets before us the vision of ships from all over the world entering Israel’s harbor, laden this time not with implements of war but with rich treasures. “Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” (v. 3). A royal procession of the nations and their kings, into gates that never close (v. 11), echoes the Sabbath enthronement of God in the beginning, with the parade of the creature-kings before the Lord in the day-frames of Genesis 1 and 2. Psalm 2 evokes the courtroom scene, with the creature-kings arrayed before the Sabbath splendor of the Great King and his anointed one (Messiah), but in war rather than tribute, with the Great King laughing at the self-confident posturing of the earth’s rulers who reject the Messiah, yet promising salvation from this coming judgment for “all who take refuge in him.”

Michael Horton, The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 446-447.

Eschatological Patience

In an age of economic difficulties, sweeping cultural change, political upheaval and tribalism, along with with the fear generated by nuclear threats coming from Vlad the Invader, people have questions about the end times. Understandably so.

Although we find general signs of the end (i.e., wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, pestilence and famine—cf. Matthew 24:3 ff), the Bible does not give us the kind of specifics people often want. One of biggest sources of speculation surrounds a future Antichrist—Who? When?

Here we find helpful words of wisdom from Geerhardus Vos, the father of Reformed amillennialism. As Vos puts it in regard to Antichrist speculation, “2 Thessalonians belongs among the many prophecies, whose final and best exegete will be the eschatological fulfillment, and in regard to which it behooves the saints to exercise a peculiar kind of eschatological patience.” (Pauline Eschatology, 133)

My Vos to English translation goes like this. “Many of the things we speculate about won’t become clear to us until they happen. We’ll know it when we see it. Until then, we must wait patiently!”

Yes, Jesus Christ will return to bring about the final consummation on the day appointed by God, but not on the day we might wish or expect. In the meantime, we wait and go about our mission of preaching Christ to all the nations (Matthew 24:14; 28:19-20) all the while praying with Paul (1 Corinthians 16:22), “Maranatha, Lord come!”

The Basics: In the Beginning--God

The Bible opens with a remarkable statement in Genesis 1:1– “In the Beginning, God . . .”

This simple assertion is packed with meaning. Some of the most fundamental truths of the Christian faith are found in this short declaration, and it is important to give them due consideration.

The first thing this passage tells us is that before anything was created, God was (Psalm 90:2). In fact, God always was, without beginning or end. Since God alone is uncreated, we speak of him as eternal. God exists before time, and is not bound by the succession of moments (time) as are we.

As the creation account unfolds in the subsequent verses of Genesis 1, we learn that the eternal God creates all things. Whatever now exists, exists only because God created it. There is no such thing as eternal matter. There is no eternal realm of mental forms (or ideas) as Plato led us to believe. There is no primordial world with an eternal convulsing of matter–ever expanding, ever contracting–as taught in much of contemporary science. There is only the eternal God who created all things, and who already was in the beginning. This indicates that nothing exists apart from the will of God, and all created things (the heavens and earth, humans as well as angels) are necessarily contingent, and depend upon God for their existence (Amos 5:8, Nehemiah 9:6).

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Speaking of Podcasts . . .

Shane Rosenthal, the long-time producer of the White Horse Inn and dear friend, has developed a new podcast, The Humble Skeptic. The Humble Skeptic is highly recommended and is devoted to sane and thoughtful dialogue about religious truth claims. Be sure to check it out!

Lydia McGrew says,

Shane Rosenthal’s fascinating new podcast, The Humble Skeptic, aims to show that a Christianity founded solidly on evidence can boldly answer the “outsider test” for truth in religious matters. With an emphasis on eyewitness testimony, careful thinking, and common sense, it promises to be an excellent addition to the apologetics podcast menu.

Mike Horton says,

Shane Rosenthal’s Humble Skeptic podcast is superb! I was drawn in by the subject matter and narration of the first episode and am looking forward to hearing what’s next. Humble Skepticism — what a concept!

You can listen to the pilot episode here.

History and Culture, Reformed ResourcesKim RiddlebargerOctober 17, 2022Humble Skeptic

Charles Hodge on the Trinity

I’ve always found this definition from Charles Hodge to be succinct and helpful.

“The Father says I; the Son says I; and Spirit says I. The Father says Thou to the Son, and the Son says Thou to the Father; and in like manner the Father and the Son use the pronouns He and Him in reference to the Spirit. The Father loves the Son; the Son loves the Father; the Spirit testifies of the Son. The Father, Son and Spirit are severally subject and object. They act and are acted upon, or are objects of action. Nothing is added to these facts when it is said that the Father, Son and Spirit are distinct persons; for a person is an intelligent subject who can say I, who can be addressed as Thou, and who can act and be the object of action. The summation of the above facts is expressed in the proposition, The one divine Being subsists in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This proposition adds nothing to the facts themselves; for the facts are (1.) That there is one divine Being. (2) The Father, the Son and Spirit are divine. (3.) The Father, Son and Spirit are in the sense just stated, distinct persons. (4.) Attributes being inseparable from substance, the Scriptures, in saying that the Father, Son and Spirit possess the same attributes, say they are one in substance; and, if the same in substance, they are equal in power and glory”

From Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, I.444

Warfield on Paedobaptism

From Warfield’s essay, “Christian Baptism” (Presbyterian Board of Publication 1920), reprinted in Selected Shorter Writings, Vol. 1, (325-331)

Naturally, therefore, this sign and seal belongs only to those who are the Lord's. Or, to put it rather in the positive form, this sign and seal belongs to all those who are the Lord's. There are no distinctions of race or station, sex or age; there is but one prerequisite -- that we are the Lord's. What it means is just this and nothing else: that we are the Lord's. What it pledges is just this and nothing else: that the Lord will keep us as his own. We need not raise the question, then, whether infants are to be baptized. Of course they are, if infants, too, may be the Lord's. Naturally, as with adults, it is only the infants who are the Lord's who are to be baptized; but equally naturally as with adults, all infants that are the Lord's are to be baptized. Being the Lord's they have a right to the sign that they are the Lord's and to the pledge of the Lord's holy keeping. Circumcision, which held the place in the old covenant that baptism holds in the new, was to be given to all infants born within the covenant. Baptism must follow the same rule. This and this only can determine its conference: Is the recipient a child of the covenant, with a right therefore to the sign and seal of the covenant? We cannot withhold the sign and seal of the covenant from those who are of the covenant.

To read this excerpt in its entirety, follow the link below

B. B. Warfield, Biblical Theology, Reformed ResourcesKim RiddlebargerSeptember 24, 2022Warfield on infant baptismComment

My Tabletalk Essay on "Man as a Body-Soul Composite"

The good folks at Tabletalk have been keeping me busy. Here’s my essay from the September 2022 issue.

Tabletalk -- "Man as a Body-Soul Composite"

Biblical Events, Biblical Theology, Reformed ResourcesKim RiddlebargerSeptember 1, 2022Trichotomy, Body-Soul CompositeComment

“I Am Unable to Attend” -- Charles Hodge’s Response to an Invitation from Pope Pius IX to Attend the First Vatican Council

Charles Hodge’s reply to Pius IX’s invitation to attend Vatican I (which convened in 1870) remains a theological gem—a classic and succinct Reformed response to Romanism. I doubt Pius IX ever actually saw it, much less read it. I can just imagine a papal secretary informing Pius in a meeting when the agenda came to correspondence received. “Your holiness, we have received a negative reply to attend the assembly from the sect of Presbyterians in America.” Who knows, it may have ended up the Vatican trash. In any case, thanks to Banner of Truth for maintaining this remarkable letter on on their website.

I simply post the first two paragraphs to whet your appetite to read Hodge’s entire reply, which he signed on behalf of the two General Assemblies of the Presbyterian Church in the USA.

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Believing as we do, that it is the will of Christ that his Church on earth should be united, and recognizing the duty of doing all we consistently can to promote Christian charity and fellowship, we deem it right briefly to present the reasons which forbid our participation in the deliberations of the approaching Council.
It is not because we have renounced any article of the catholic faith. We are not heretics. We cordially receive all the doctrines contained in that Symbol which is known as the Apostles’ Creed. We regard all doctrinal decisions of the first six ecumenical councils to be consistent with the Word of God, and because of that consistency, we receive them as expressing our faith. We therefore believe the doctrine of the Trinity and of the person of Christ as those doctrines are expressed in the symbols adopted by the Council of Nicea AD321, that of the Council of Constantinople AD381 and more fully that of the Council of Chalcedon AD451. We believe that there are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are the same in substance and equal in power and glory. We believe that the Eternal Son of God became man by taking to himself a true body and a reasonable soul, and so was, and continues to be, both God and man in two distinct natures and one person forever. We believe that our adorable Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the prophet who should come into the world, whose teachings we are bound to believe and on whose promises we rely. He is the High Priest whose infinitely meritorious satisfaction to divine justice, and whose ever prevalent intercession, is the sole ground of the sinner’s justification and acceptance before God. We acknowledge him to be our Lord not only because we are his creatures but also because we are the purchase of his blood. To his authority we are bound to submit, in his care we confide, and to his service all creatures in heaven and earth should be devoted.

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You can read the rest here, at the Banner of Truth’s website: Charles Hodge's letter to Pius IX

My Ligonier Essay, "What is Meditation?"

From my recent essay on Ligonier.org:

Christian forms of meditation are closely associated with prayer. Prayer is a conversation with another to whom we turn—someone outside ourselves. We pray to God the Father, through the mediation of Jesus Christ in His role as intercessor between God and His people (1 Tim. 2:5), in the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:12–17). There is no possibility of prayer if we turn within. Who will answer me? Am I praying to myself? What if I get an answer? That is a sign of much deeper trouble.
Simply turning within ourselves offers no enduring hope for the relief from those stresses, pains, and frustrations that decidedly Eastern-religion practitioners of meditation are seeking. We need a Savior greater than ourselves, who, crucified for our sins and raised from the dead, has ascended to the Father’s right hand where He lives to make intercession for His people (Heb. 7:25). Such a Savior can and does hear our pleas, and He answers when we cry out to Him.

To read the rest, "What is Meditation"

Reformed ResourcesKim RiddlebargerAugust 9, 2022meditationComment

"The Triple Cure: Jesus Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King" -- Some Reflections on the Three Offices of Christ

Jesus Christ - Our Prophet, Priest and King

The diagnosis is not very good: we are ignorant, guilty, and corrupt.

As a litany of biblical texts reveals, we find ourselves as fallen sinners ravaged by this threefold consequence of our sins. Our foolish hearts are darkened (Romans 1:21) and our thoughts are continually evil (Genesis 6:5). Our minds are clouded by sin and ignorant of the things of God (Ephesians 4:17-18), although in our folly we often boast about our supposed knowledge and great wisdom. Paul tells us that we have exchanged God’s truth for a lie (Romans 1:25). Our minds are “blinded by the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Like a blind man pitifully groping his way through life, so our sin has blinded us to the truth of God. Intoxicated by our own self-righteousness, like boastful drunkards we stumble through life seeking to justify ourselves before God.

We labor under the tremendous weight of guilt–the penalty for our many infractions of the law of God. While many of us are quite adept at ignoring God's just verdict against them, many others feel like they will buckle under the weight of God's heavy hand. Not only are we guilty for our own individual violations of God’s law in thought, word, and deed, but we are also rendered guilty for our participation in the sin of Adam, whose own guilt has been imputed to all of us as his biological and federal children (Romans 5:12, 18-19). While we may delude ourselves into thinking that we have sinned against our neighbors only, David knew that this was not true. “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,” (Psalm 51:4). Because of our guilt, there is no way we can dare stand in the presence of God. “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” (Psalm 130:3). He does keep such a record and we cannot stand.

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Pilgrims on the Way -- Wisdom from Our Reformed Fathers in Uncertain Times

There is a good reason why Michael Horton’s volume The Christian Faith is subtitled, A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way. The Christian life can, perhaps, be best understood as a pilgrim journey to the heavenly city. This has long been a theme in Reformed theology—especially when our fathers were wrestling with the question, “what kind of theology do Christians possess in a fallen world?” John Bunyan’s beloved allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress, explores this conundrum when his own pilgrim journey landed him in an English jail as a non-conformist. Bunyan took up his pen to explain his traumatic circumstances in light of his confidence in God’s sovereign purposes. Understanding the Christian life as a pilgrim’s journey resonates with us because Christian believers experience life’s ups and downs precisely as a journey to a better place.

A generation ago, many Americans Christians felt like the “pilgrim” moniker really wasn’t fitting, nor was it particularly useful. Yes, life has its ups and downs, but all in all, many (especially evangelicals) felt quite at home. Life was pretty good. The pilgrim’s journey will likely take us to better places. America was the world’s sole super power after all, making another destructive world war unlikely because the biggest and baddest kid on the block isn’t likely to be challenged. Despite occasional fears of recession and a few economic blips, America’s economy rolled along with relatively low inflation, with a good return on investments. Better yet, this was a time of great advances in consumer technologies and home electronics. American Evangelicals even had a seat at the table of political power, or at least thought they did—the reality was they were allowed a place in partisan politics because they represented an important voting block. Enjoying the post World War Two good times, American Christians easily fell victim to the malaise Francis Schaeffer identified as “personal peace and affluency.” Sure, many thought, we may be pilgrims, but our pilgrim journey doesn’t take us through genuine peril. Yes, there were still the usual annoying trials and troubles, but there was no real sense of urgency to reach the goal. All is well. We like it here and we are in no hurry to leave.

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Using God

Using God — The Entrepreneurial Spirit of American Christianity

It has been said that pride is the oldest sin in the universe and that it shows no signs of growing weaker with age. Pride is the overestimation of our own worth and the inevitable tendency to exaggerate our own accomplishments. If the Bible is clear about anything, it is that ours is a fallen race and that human pride is the inevitable consequence of the fall. God warned the people of Israel to exercise great care in this regard, “lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery . . . . Beware lest you say in your heart, `My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’” In Romans 1:22, Paul speaks of human pride in these terms; “Claiming to be wise, they became fools.” Because of sin, we suppress the fact that God is the source of all that we have. We see ourselves as far more important than we are. We act as though all of life rises and sets upon our own shadow. Therefore, we are constantly tempted to use God to suit our own sinful ends.

Perhaps it might help to frame the matter like this. When we become great in our own eyes, our estimation of God and his purposes is necessarily diminished. Like two people sitting on opposite ends of a playground teeter-totter, when the person sitting on one end goes up, the other person goes down. The same applies to our estimation of God. When our own desires and whims are elevated over God and his glory–the very essence of sinful pride–God is necessarily diminished in our estimation. When this happens, our own skewed self-estimation replaces the uncomfortable truth we seek to evade–that God is great and we are not.

To read the rest of this essay, click here Using God

Musings . . .

God told me to tell you to read, R. S. Clark on the Dangers of "God Told Me"

Sen. Ben Sasse on Tech Disruption, Political Addiction, and the Loss of Community. Sen Sasse is my go-to guy on these issues.

Guelzo's book on Robert E. Lee is finally here! Guelzo is the right historian to tell the story of the “Marble Man” in the post-Charlottesville era. I can’t wait to read it

Athanasius on the Death of Arius:

Granted, there is certainly a perverse temptation to take delight in the affliction experienced by others. But when it comes to the fall of an arch-enemy of the gospel, there is a slight measure of satisfaction when justice finally prevails. It falls to Athanasius to inform us of manner of Arius’ death, the very night before Arius was to be ordained as Bishop.

“When the Bishop Alexander heard this (that Arius had under oath declared that he held the right faith) he was greatly distressed, and entering into the church stretched forth his hands unto God, and bewailed himself; and casting himself upon his face in the chancel, he prayed laying on the pavement . . . . `If Arius is brought to communion tomorrow let me, Thy servant depart, and destroy not the pious with the impious; but if Thou wilt spare Thy Church . . . . take off Arius, lest if he enter into the Church, and the heresy also may seem to enter with him, and henceforth impiety may be accounted for piety.’ When the Bishop had thus prayed, he retired with great anxiety, and a wonderful and extraordinary circumstance took place. . . . Arius . . . talked very wildly, [but] urged by the necessities of nature withdrew, and suddenly, in the language of Scripture, `falling headlong he burst asunder in the midst,' and immediately expired as he lay, and was deprived both of communion and of his life together. Such has been the end of Arius” (Athanasius, “To Serapion, Concerning the Death of Arius,” in NPNF, Vol. IV. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1978), 564 ff.)

Athanasius, no doubt, felt a measure of divine vindication. “The antichristian gang of the Arian madmen has been shewn to be unpleasing to God and impious.”

Reformed Resources, History and Culture, MusingsKim RiddlebargerOctober 2, 2021Race and racism, God told me, R. E. Lee, Allen GuelzoComment

Some Thoughts on a Friday -- Mostly About Books

Thanks so much to the folks at Banner of Truth for reprinting Louis Berkhof’s venerable Systematic Theology. Not only does this volume include Berkhof’s Introduction to Systematic Theology, (a full book in its own right) but the entire volume has been given a refreshed typeset. I’m thrilled. I have used it constantly for the last forty years. My current copy is falling apart. Hope this one has a good binding and will lie flat when open. You can get it here: New Edition of Berkhof's Systematic Theology

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The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill

If you’ve not been following the Christianity Today podcast series, “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill,” I highly recommend it. The series (still incomplete) has been widely praised and generated much interest. It is superbly done. Essentially, it is the Mark Driscoll story.

But to my mind this sad tale is the consequence of a non-existent ecclesiology, which proves beyond all shadow of a doubt, how important it is that the church be governed according to biblical mandate, and by officers properly chosen and supervised as spelled out in the New Testament (i.e.,1 Timothy 3:1-13). I know, the chapters on ecclesiology are the least read chapters in any systematic theology text, but just because these chapters tend to come at the end, does not mean they are unimportant. A church with a sound ecclesiology is a bulwark against what happened with the “make it up as you go along” ecclesiology of Mars Hill.

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