This article is one I posted to a message board called “theChan”. The site has since been reformatted, and this posting deleted. The first half of this article is posted here.
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Bill Twisse’s next problem with the CCF is the teaching that Adam was innocent:
[BT] This teaching is a bulwark of paradox theology. An innocent person without impulse to sin plunged all humanity into sin. No further comment needed, as I have discussed this extensively in the past.
[CA] Since I have not seen Mr. Twisse’s “extensive discussion” of the innocence of Adam, I will not respond to it here, except to list some of the verses referred to in the CCF, and note that they teach that God made man “upright” and “in His own image”. In what way can it be said that Adam and Eve were made “in the image” of God, if not in their innocence?
Genesis 1: (26) And God said, let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creepers creeping on the earth. (27) And God created the man ***in His own image*** ; in the image of God He created him.
Ecclesiastes 7: (29) See, this only I have found, that ***God has made man upright*** , but they have sought out many inventions.
James 3: (9) By this we bless God and the Father; and by this we curse men having come into being ***according to the image of God***.
Bill Twisse next takes issue with the CCF position on “Grace”:
[BT] Grace is the unmerited favor of God imputed in the righteousness and death of our Savior Jesus Christ. Regeneration and faith are benefits of God resulting from grace, not grace itself. The OTC confession only follows former Protestant and Roman Catholic error in confusing regeneration with saving grace. Regeneration is a work of God in the soul to apply the benefits of the atonement. Grace is the declaration of favor conferred in the atonement——outside of the experience of the sinner.
[CA] This makes me wonder how closely Bill has read the CCF. Here is what it actually says:
“In covenanting with Jesus Christ, God the Father covenanted with all the elect in Jesus Christ, to be their God and to reveal His divine love, mercy, grace, and wisdom to them by saving them through the work of Jesus Christ their Redeemer. … Further, as part of the terms of this covenant, the Father decreed to send the Holy Spirit to indwell His elect people. “ II.D.1.b & c
“The gospel is God’s promise to save His people, giving them all the blessings of salvation from regeneration to final glory, conditioned exclusively on the atoning blood and imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, totally apart from the sinner’s works and efforts.”V.B.1
“Regeneration (also known as the new birth) is that grace in which the Holy Spirit brings a sinner from spiritual death to spiritual life, … Regeneration is never preceded by any condition the sinner meets, can meet, or is enabled to meet. ” V.C.1
Nothing here even implies that Regeneration is anything BUT a “benefit resulting from grace”. Nothing here even implies that Regeneration is itself a saving grace, or that it is not a work of God.
Bill’s assertion that “Grace is the declaration of favor conferred in the atonement——outside of the experience of the sinner.” is equivocation. Grace is ALWAYS experienced by the sinner; it can never be experienced by anyone BUT a sinner. However, grace is NEVER *MERITED* by the sinner – as the Confession clearly says.
[BT] Paradox theology is almost always employed to explain the justice of hell. Two contradictory propositions:
.All the sufferings of hell can never pay for even one sin (so why do they exist in relation to sin?)
.Sin offends an infinitely holy God; thus it is an infinite crime deserving infinite punishment.
The scriptures cited do not even begin to prove these two propositions in the way that they are stated.
[CA] First, the CCF clearly repudiates paradox theology:
“God is a logical being, and the knowledge that He imparts to His people is logical and noncontradictory. God is not paradoxical or illogical, for God cannot be against Himself.” II.A.7
Second, there is no paradox here. The second statement (“Sin offends an infinitely holy God; thus it is an infinite crime deserving infinite punishment”) is an explanation of the first (“All the sufferings of hell can never pay for even one sin”).
Here is what the Confession teaches about the doctrine of Hell:
“All for whom Jesus Christ did not die will live eternally in the pit of Hell and will be eternally tormented for their sins. Souls who are tormented in the next life will never suffer enough to even begin to pay for as much as one sin. Scripture rejects the lie that souls in Hell cease to exist or cease to be tormented, as this is a denial that offending the infinitely holy God is an infinite crime deserving of an infinite punishment. Scripture also rejects the lie of Purgatory as well as the lie that those who perish denying the doctrines of the gospel will finally accept them in heaven.” VII.B.
Third, I will print out some of the verses listed in support of the doctrine of Hell, and let the reader decide if they prove the disputed propositions.
Deuteronomy 32: (22) For a fire has been kindled in My anger, and it burns to the lowest Sheol, and consumes the earth and its produce; and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.
Deuteronomy 32: (41) If I have sharpened My glittering sword, and My hand lays hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to My foes, and I will repay those who hate Me.
Psalms 9: (17) The wicked shall be turned to Sheol, all the nations forgetting God.
Proverbs 27: (20) Sheol and destruction are never satisfied, so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Isaiah 33: (14) The sinners of Zion are afraid; terror has seized profane ones; who of us shall tarry with consuming fire? Who of us shall tarry with everlasting burnings?
Matthew 13: (41) The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all the offenses, and those who practice lawlessness. (42) And they will throw them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and gnashing of the teeth.
Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.
Mark 9: (43) And if your hand offend you, cut it off. For it is profitable for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go away into Hell, into the unquenchable fire, (44) where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out.
Luke 16: (23) And being in torments in hell, lifting up his eyes, he sees Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. (24) And calling he said, Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering in this flame.
Romans 2: (5) But according to your hardness and your impenitent heart, do you treasure up to yourself wrath in a day of wrath, and revelation of a righteous judgment of God?
2 Thessalonians 1: (6) since it is a just thing with God to pay back tribulation to the ones troubling you, (7) and to give you, those being afflicted, relief with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from Heaven with angels of His power, (8) in flaming fire giving full vengeance to those not knowing God, and to those not obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Jude 1: (6) And those angels not having kept their first place, but having deserted their dwelling-place, He has kept in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of a great Day; (7) as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them, in like manner to these, committing fornication, and going away after other flesh, laid down an example before-times, undergoing vengeance of everlasting fire.
Revelation 14: (11) And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. And those worshiping the beast and its image have no rest night and day, even if anyone receives the mark of its name.
[CA] Bill Twisse concludes his section on the CCF’s teaching of Hell by saying:
[BT] I firmly confess and believe in substitutionary atonement. The sufferings and death of Christ were the righteous God/man suffering the just deserts of the unrighteous–in their stead. These sufferings propitiated the wrath of God so that the elect will never experience it themselves.
[CA] This is fine, so far as it goes, but it doesn’t tell us what, if anything happens to the non-elect. Did Jesus suffer for them, too? Do they experience the wrath of God? Are they destroyed by it?
Finally, Bill Twisse offers some examples of “omissions” from the CCF. The first “omission” has to do with Jesus’ impeccability:
[BT] In the Christology section, nothing is said about Christ’’s impeccability. This is a major omission if one is intent on honoring the Christ of revelation in the darkness of all of today’’s heresy.
[CA] Actually, the Christology section DOES have something to say about Jesus’ impeccability:
“He was born of a virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit, contracting no guilt or
defilement from Adam. He was totally and completely without sin.” IV.A.1
The second “omission” is this:
[BT] Legal additions to the gospel that ultimately result in denying it are not condemned: Sabbatarianism, tithing, sacraments, sacred buildings, systems of false prophetic interpretation, ‘‘steps’’ to holiness, worldly promotional methods.
[CA] While none of these things are mentioned by name, the CCF does have something to say about relying on works as a means of gaining or maintaining God’s favor:
“The gospel, which is clearly revealed within the Scriptures, is the power of God to salvation to everyone believing. No man ever has, or ever can be, saved apart from the knowledge of this gospel, for it is this gospel and this alone that glorifies God in all His redemptive attributes. Scripture rejects the lie that a regenerate person may be ignorant of the gospel or that the people of God were saved by various other means under various other dispensations (such as the keeping of the law in the time of Moses, etc.).” V.B.3
“Faith is not a condition of or prerequisite to salvation; instead, faith believes that Jesus Christ alone met all the conditions for salvation. Faith is the instrument through which a believer receives the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ and is justified. No man is justified before God by works. Salvation by grace alone through faith alone is diametrically opposed to salvation by works. Scripture rejects the lie that man is able to keep the law of God or even a mere summary of the law as a means of gaining God’s favor, let alone that he is able to obey the law beyond what God requires.” V.C.4
“A believer’s assurance does not lie in his obedience to the law, his continued repentance, or anything else but in the sure and certain promise of God through the work of Jesus Christ alone received by faith.” V.C.6
[CA] Thus, the CCF clearly teaches that no keeping of the Law can ever bring anyone favor with God, or assurance of his favor.
If anyone would like to ask questions, or otherwise correspond, my e-mail is c_adams@s******m.net
Christopher Adams.
The Gospel & Its Enemies 