PCRT Grand Rapids addresses 1-3
March 19, 2011
Derek Thomas: Behold, What Love!
In a warm, passionate manner, Derek Thomas introduced us to the doctrine of adoption. A quote from Calvin helped set the tenor for the address, "the first title of the Spirit is the Spirit of sonship." Thomas helped us understand that while the Fatherhood of God is spoken of in different ways in the Bible - in the intra-Trinitarian relationship between the Father and Son, in the creative sense that all humans are God's children, and in the theocratic sense of God's fatherhood of Israel - through adoption God is our Father in a redemptive manner. Even the whisper of such a truth that God would adopt us rebels as beloved sons should cause us to put an exclamation point on this wonderful grace.
Thomas parsed the doctrine adoption by splitting it into four categories: its character, its pattern, its wonder, and its responsibilities.
Thomas defined the character of adoption over and against the other steps of the order of salvation, such as justification and regeneration. While the other steps of the order of salvation are treasured truths, we should not minimize adoption - as some have done throughout church history - to an addendum.
Thomas explained the pattern of adoption throughout the Bible by thinking about the relationship between God and his people from Genesis all the way to the New Testament.
Thomas' address built to its crescendo when discussing the wonder of adoption. To impress adoption's glorious character upon us, Thomas explored John's use of the Greek 'potapos' in 1 John 3:1. John uses it to convey something that is beyond any comparison or categorization and the fact that John uses this word after 60 years of walking with Christ should underline the joy we can and should feel at the great truth that the most powerful, loving, gracious person in universe is our God and Father.
Thomas concluded by pointing to the responsibilities that this adoption entails. He encourages us to pay attention to our responsibilities in the addresses to come.
I left encouraged and feeling as if I had drank grace out of a fire hose.
Steve Lawson: Saved into the Family
Steve Lawson walked us through Galatians 4:1-7. He explained the slavery to which we were subject before our salvation. Lawson argued that this slavery consisted of our servitude to the Mosaic Law and to its curse due to our disobedience. Since we were slaves we were blocked from God's inheritance. For Lawson, the curse of these first three verses serves as a dark backdrop to highlight the brilliant grace that is to come.
This grace, beginning in v 4, occurred in the fullness of time - religiously, politically, and linguistically - when our great, adopting Father chose to send his Son. In order to redeem us and act as our great Brother, this divine Son became fully human and lived under the Mosaic Law. God's grace did not stop with redemption, however; rather, we were redeemed in order that we might become sons rather than slaves. Lawson argued that this adoption is the apex of the order of salvation standing on the shoulders of the great truths of justification, sanctification, regeneration, and all the other blessings. God proves this adoption to us by giving us His very Spirit as a down payment of all the glorious inheritance that is to come to us believers and to meet all our true needs here on earth. This Spirit of sonship moves in our heart to help us claim and proclaim this truth that God is our Father.
Joel Beeke: Like Father, Like Son
In his astute and pastoral fashion, Joel Beeke opened the glories of John 1:12-13 to us. He approached the text with three points: gracious adoption, supernatural rebirth, and amazing likeness. Beeke, as usual, drew not only from Scripture but from an ocean of Puritan examples and theological formulations.
Gracious adoption - For adoption, we are called upon to receive Christ and not receive him in any fashion that suits our minds and hearts but to receive him as grace, truth, and God incarnate. This adoption is accompanied by the right to be sons of God. While there are many benefits in the order of salvation, Beeke sees this doctrine of adoption as a summary of them all. This doctrine embraces all the truths of the order of salvation and gives us an additional status - sons of God and moreover heirs of God and brothers of Jesus Christ. While we do have this status, it takes some time to feel and enjoy the familiarity of it. This status comes from God Almighty and no one should dare deny this truth. We should seek to abide in this truth with the result of power and peace.
Supernatural rebirth - Our rebirth is not based on anything in our human descent, in human power, or in our own depraved will; rather, it is of supernatural origin and agency.
Amazing likeness - While our status is truly as sons of God, we are to be formed increasingly into His likeness. In this likeness and union, we are to point people to our Brother Christ and our heavenly Father.
For this image to be formed in us, we are to (1) obey and imitate our Father and elder Brother and love His image bearers. Beeke confronted us with the truth that if we are in the family of God we have no business sinning and should give it no foothold in our lives. (2) We are to have childlike reverence and love in everything to our Father and elder Brother. (3) We are to submit to our Father and elder Brother in every single providence. (4) We are to rejoice in and relish the presence of our Father and elder Brother.
I can think of no better or more seemly way to spend a morning than in God's word.
In a warm, passionate manner, Derek Thomas introduced us to the doctrine of adoption. A quote from Calvin helped set the tenor for the address, "the first title of the Spirit is the Spirit of sonship." Thomas helped us understand that while the Fatherhood of God is spoken of in different ways in the Bible - in the intra-Trinitarian relationship between the Father and Son, in the creative sense that all humans are God's children, and in the theocratic sense of God's fatherhood of Israel - through adoption God is our Father in a redemptive manner. Even the whisper of such a truth that God would adopt us rebels as beloved sons should cause us to put an exclamation point on this wonderful grace.
Thomas parsed the doctrine adoption by splitting it into four categories: its character, its pattern, its wonder, and its responsibilities.
Thomas defined the character of adoption over and against the other steps of the order of salvation, such as justification and regeneration. While the other steps of the order of salvation are treasured truths, we should not minimize adoption - as some have done throughout church history - to an addendum.
Thomas explained the pattern of adoption throughout the Bible by thinking about the relationship between God and his people from Genesis all the way to the New Testament.
Thomas' address built to its crescendo when discussing the wonder of adoption. To impress adoption's glorious character upon us, Thomas explored John's use of the Greek 'potapos' in 1 John 3:1. John uses it to convey something that is beyond any comparison or categorization and the fact that John uses this word after 60 years of walking with Christ should underline the joy we can and should feel at the great truth that the most powerful, loving, gracious person in universe is our God and Father.
Thomas concluded by pointing to the responsibilities that this adoption entails. He encourages us to pay attention to our responsibilities in the addresses to come.
I left encouraged and feeling as if I had drank grace out of a fire hose.
Steve Lawson: Saved into the Family
Steve Lawson walked us through Galatians 4:1-7. He explained the slavery to which we were subject before our salvation. Lawson argued that this slavery consisted of our servitude to the Mosaic Law and to its curse due to our disobedience. Since we were slaves we were blocked from God's inheritance. For Lawson, the curse of these first three verses serves as a dark backdrop to highlight the brilliant grace that is to come.
This grace, beginning in v 4, occurred in the fullness of time - religiously, politically, and linguistically - when our great, adopting Father chose to send his Son. In order to redeem us and act as our great Brother, this divine Son became fully human and lived under the Mosaic Law. God's grace did not stop with redemption, however; rather, we were redeemed in order that we might become sons rather than slaves. Lawson argued that this adoption is the apex of the order of salvation standing on the shoulders of the great truths of justification, sanctification, regeneration, and all the other blessings. God proves this adoption to us by giving us His very Spirit as a down payment of all the glorious inheritance that is to come to us believers and to meet all our true needs here on earth. This Spirit of sonship moves in our heart to help us claim and proclaim this truth that God is our Father.
Joel Beeke: Like Father, Like Son
In his astute and pastoral fashion, Joel Beeke opened the glories of John 1:12-13 to us. He approached the text with three points: gracious adoption, supernatural rebirth, and amazing likeness. Beeke, as usual, drew not only from Scripture but from an ocean of Puritan examples and theological formulations.
Gracious adoption - For adoption, we are called upon to receive Christ and not receive him in any fashion that suits our minds and hearts but to receive him as grace, truth, and God incarnate. This adoption is accompanied by the right to be sons of God. While there are many benefits in the order of salvation, Beeke sees this doctrine of adoption as a summary of them all. This doctrine embraces all the truths of the order of salvation and gives us an additional status - sons of God and moreover heirs of God and brothers of Jesus Christ. While we do have this status, it takes some time to feel and enjoy the familiarity of it. This status comes from God Almighty and no one should dare deny this truth. We should seek to abide in this truth with the result of power and peace.
Supernatural rebirth - Our rebirth is not based on anything in our human descent, in human power, or in our own depraved will; rather, it is of supernatural origin and agency.
Amazing likeness - While our status is truly as sons of God, we are to be formed increasingly into His likeness. In this likeness and union, we are to point people to our Brother Christ and our heavenly Father.
For this image to be formed in us, we are to (1) obey and imitate our Father and elder Brother and love His image bearers. Beeke confronted us with the truth that if we are in the family of God we have no business sinning and should give it no foothold in our lives. (2) We are to have childlike reverence and love in everything to our Father and elder Brother. (3) We are to submit to our Father and elder Brother in every single providence. (4) We are to rejoice in and relish the presence of our Father and elder Brother.
I can think of no better or more seemly way to spend a morning than in God's word.
