Joshua's Rejoinder to Starting Block 1

I've reproduced the questions and comments that Jacob had for my starting block in quotations and italics. My rejoinders are directly below each of his comments/questions.

Epistemology
-I would like to see a further defense of propositional truth. Off the top of my head I am thinking about metaphorical truth as another way of communicating about reality. The bigger issue though is that propositions are a way of talking about reality and are not truth in and of themselves. It would seem that you took Truth out of Metaphysics and limited it only to Epistemology.

A proposition is defined as the meaning of a declarative sentence. Metaphors contain propositions insofar as they can be considered meaningful. If sense can be made of the metaphor, it is propositional, just in figurative garb. Truth is defined as the outcome of an argument that is both valid and sound. The opposite of true is false. Only propositions can be understood to be true or false. Questions and interrogatory sentences aren't propositions because they cannot be answered true or false. They can be made into propositions if taken in separate form. All statements about physical or spiritual reality (metaphysics) are propositional in nature.

-Why is ‘absolute’ certainty important to justification? Is this type of certainty even in the range of possibility for an individual created being? What does faith look like in through the eyes of this brand of certainty?

My post didn't mentions "absolute" certainty. Absolute here is nothing more than a superfluous adjective. One is either certain (knows without doubt) or uncertain (believes, but without deductive rationale). A created individual endowed with reason, which is an aspect of being created in God's image, can be certain. Certainty is the product of deductive conclusions. So long as the premises are known to be true, the conclusions drawn from them must also be true, and that certainly. Faith is a bit more complicated topic, and one we should take up in one of our subsequent postings. Perhaps after we tackle Truth, we should deal with faith.

-It seems like you are equating ‘placing Scripture as the only venue for certainty therefore the only source of knowledge’ with ‘preserving the value of Scripture’. Clarity and defense are needed.

I don't think I am conflating the two. We mustn't conflate certainty with the psychological matter of true belief. True belief does not always equal certainty. As for preserving the value of Scripture, I think such is always the case when we describe Scripture in a way that is true. So describing Scripture as the source of certain knowledge is to preserve its value. I'm not sure what clarity is lacking on that point. A defense of the position requires you to pose some sort of argument against it.

- An explanation/definition of ‘direct illumination’ is crucial?

The work of the Holy Spirit to enlighten the mind to the truth. Read Augustine's "On the Teacher," or De Magistro. Christ is who enlightens all minds to the truth, even unbelieving minds. He does not enlighten every mind to saving truth, but anything that is true comes from Christ revealing it to ours minds.

-How does Scripture fulfill the requirements of knowledge better then anything else? In other words, what support do you have that ‘direct illumination’ only occurs with Scripture?

Two ways.
1) Scripture testifies that it is God's Word to man, and God, being the source of Truth, is therefore the most reliable (indeed, the only reliable) means of attaining truth.
2) Scripture frequently testifies to the fact that wisdom, knowledge, and truth come from God. Unless you wish to embrace pantheism, God is not identical with what He has created, therefore what God has created cannot be a source of Truth, for God alone is the source of Truth.

-To summarize, if truth is not grounded into reality but grounded in our knowledge of reality then the only way to advert relativism is to insist on the certainty of knowledge. With this you are internally consistent. Your entire system therefore hinges in the inherent certainty and clarity in the connection between the Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and your mind. Once again you recognize this.

I don't know how you arrived at this conclusion. Truth is not grounded in our minds. Truth is grounded in God, who enlightens our minds to know what is true. By "reality" do you mean the created world exclusively or preeminently? God is the foundation of reality, so my recognition that Truth is sourced in God and known by us when He reveals it to our minds, and reveals it certainly through His Word, is not a denial of truth grounded in "reality." God is more "real" than His creation, since creation is contingent, whereas God is not.

I can see two major categories of problems with such a system. The first is a limited scope. It would seem on first glance that you are not casting a wide enough net, that there will be things that will not fit into your system that you will have to make unnatural connections with later on. I don’t have any specific examples so we will just have to wait until we get to more specific categories to see if my prediction is right. The second (and more important) is a consistency with reality. While observation in your system does not give authority, there should be legitimate interpretation of any individual experience/observation that comes up. (legitimate being the potentially disputed word there) I see potential problems with the normative Christian experience and the certainty of knowledge from Scripture.

I think you are seeing things that are not there. Most of what you are saying here is unspecified. How am I limiting my scope? What is not being fit into my system? As you say, specific examples would be appreciated. Your sense of the matter may simply be a result of the confusion I've tried to address above.

Metaphysics
-‘unknowable in the strictest sense of knowledge’ needs more explanation.

The original quotes was: "Things in themselves are unknowable in the strictest sense of the word."

I'm simply saying that God has not revealed to us the full nature of created things. You can provide a definition of "tree" and I can agree to it. Beyond these definitions, however, we do not reach some intuited notion of "treeness." The comment was particularly a reply to philosophies that find language inadequate to provide a knowledge of things. It was probably more than was necessary, and unhelpful at that.

-Explanations such as ‘math propositions derived from Scripture’ seems unnecessary and overly complicated not to mention metaphysically unsound.

Why is it unnecessary to say that mathematics is derivative of Scriptural truth? How is the statement "metaphysically unsound"? Jacob, I appreciate your opinion, but you are going to have to provide reasons why your opinions of my view are valid criticism, as opposed to making unsubstantiated assertions.

-I have many problems with nature being not having any self-revelatory aspects. So we will need a longer discussion about this later.

Ok. When you do discuss this, I would like for you to provide an argument demonstrating how inanimate objects can be self-revelatory. My argument is that the truth concerning created objects is revealed by their Creator, by His illumination of our minds. I noted that such knowledge is certain only when deduced from Scripture. You can make true statements about creation, but the epistemic ground upon which you stand and make such statements as a Christian is different from the epistemic ground upon which an atheist stands. When you and the atheist agree to the true statement, "The tree is healthy and has edible fruit" you are both correct, but your presuppositions (God made the tree) are sound and consistent whereas his (Evolution made the tree) are unsound and inconsistent. How exactly does "The tree is healthy and has edible fruit" in itself, apart from these presuppositions, lead to knowledge about God?

-While a hierarchy within a system is not necessarily bad it seems like everything in your system is overtly determined by epistemology (something like an epistemological dictatorship). A potential problems being a rather small Metaphysics: is there anything in existence outside the potential realm of our knowledge?

I think three things need to be distinguished here.
1) My system, insofar as it is mine, is determined by what I know, or more specifically, what there is to know, which is to say, it is determined by my epistemology. Can a system be governed without knowledge?
2) My system, insofar as it is correct, is determined by God's Truth, and not by my own epistemology. The source and ground of truth is not my knowledge of it, but God's self-knowledge.
3) God has not revealed all truths to men, but every truth that God has revealed is truth that we should seek to know. No one can discover metaphysical truths that God has not determined to reveal. For example, we do not have the ability to describe the precise way in which God inspired each and every Biblical writer as to the Truth. We know that God did inspire these men. We know that God inspired them by making use of their human personality and abilities. We know that God inspired them fully, and not in part. But there are certainly metaphysical questions that we do not have answers to, nor will we ever, unless God reveals them in glory.

I think you are conflating what I may know certainly or truly with what may be known certainly or truly. The individual's grasp of the truth is not equal to the whole of truth that may be grasped. However, the ground of truth is fixed in God, the source of all truth, and is known only by His revelation of it to our minds.

-This leads to my other observation: that your embrace of rationalism due to your epistemology. A potential problem with exclusive reliance on rationalism is a system that starts to resemble a ‘mental’ Gnosticism. Everything starts to depend on mental functions/capacity. The rest of the body and physical existence is essentially without purpose.

You are making some strained connections here Jacob. What exactly do you suppose by the term "rationalism"? Do you mean atheistic rationalism? Deistic rationalism? Stoic rationalism? I conceive of myself as a Christian rationalist, that is, one who accepts the Bible to be the Word of God as my fundamental axiom, from which all other truths may be deduced or must rely upon for their validity. The opposite of any kind of rationalism is irrationalism. The counterpart to rationalism that is not irrational is empiricism. Are you an irrationalist or an empiricist? If so, we can debate about the merits of these epistemologies, but it would be best to do so prior to associating me with gnosticism. Besides, I think your attribution is more evidence of your failure to distinguish the ground of knowledge (God) from my ability to possess that knowledge subjectively. Accepting that truth is spiritual (God is a Spirit, after all) does not lead to a denial of the reality of physical substance, or its purposes. I'm baffled as to how you would reach that conclusion, but if you want to explain yourself, I'm listening.

Ethics
-I don’t have many questions concerning ethics besides providing further detail into what glorifies God.

We can do this in a subsequent topic posting if you like. My basic answer would be that, insofar as we consider the responsibility of human beings, what glorifies God is obedience to His commands. But in a fuller sense, all that happens brings glory to God, because all things happen according to His will, and the purpose of His willing is to glorify Himself.

Starting Block - Joshua

First, thanks are due to Jacob for thinking up and starting this whole endeavor. Given my epistemology it is necessary for me to have Scriptural warrants for my conclusions. Although I will omit references for every conclusion, where conclusions are contested, I shall provide the appropriate passages from which I am inferring the conclusion. I will also make frequent reference to the Westminster Confession of Faith, which I hold to be the most complete and most accurate summary of the doctrines taught in Scripture.

Epistemology

Of first importance are starting points and definitions.

Axiom: The Bible is the Word of God. The important distinction to recognize here is that “the Bible” is not the binding, paper, or ink that make up the physical elements of Scripture, but precisely the ideas or propositions that are God’s thoughts communicated to our minds.

Knowledge is justified true belief. As such, one cannot know anything without the proper justification for one’s belief.

Belief is assent of the intellect and is enacted by the will in accordance to one’s affections. The intellect is the faculty of reason, the will is the faculty of desire, and the affections are the faculty of disposition. While these faculties may be distinguished for analysis, they exist, persist, and cooperate in a unity. The unity of the faculties has been marred by sin resulting from the Fall (Gen. 3, Rom. 1-3), but not so far as to destroy the right use of any of them, given the proper Spirit of faith (reviving the will and affections) and the proper objects of faith (to which the intellect may truly consent)

Truth is propositional. Whatever may be asserted concerning anything can only be true or false as a proposition. A structure or object is not “true” apart from a predicate that defines the nature of the subject. For example, the bare noun “Joshua” has no truth as such. The statement, “Joshua is the name of the person who is typing this sentence” is a proposition that is either true or false. The reality of any object, belief concerning that object, or any other aspect of knowledge or opinion whatever, can only be true insofar as it is propositional.

Justification pertains to the necessity of one’s belief. A proposition that has been established as true is only justified insofar as one is certain of its truth. The proposition, “The sun has risen today” may be a true belief verified by observation, but the deeper question persists: what justification does observation afford? A good measure of careful consideration testifies to the tentative nature of all observation, given the variation of our senses, their dependency upon a context, their inability to generalize beyond that context with certainty, and a host of other difficulties that may be found in the history of philosophical thought. Given the necessity of justification that cannot be assailed in the acquisition of knowledge, it is wise (though not popular) to conclude that the only justification for true belief that is certain is provided by the propositions of Scripture alone. The justification for these propositions comes from God very God, who has attested to Himself by means of Scripture, as it has been recorded and preserved in the 66 books of the Bible, which are commonly called the Christian Old and New Testaments.

Knowledge, therefore, is completely contained within God’s Word. Whatever cannot be found there explicitly or by good and necessary consequence (WCF 1) may be true and worthy of rational belief, but it cannot be justified true belief, which is the definition of knowledge. Although some may consider this definition of knowledge to be unnecessarily reductive, I believe it preserves the singularly essential value of Scripture, which is the Christian’s only rule for faith and life (WCF 1). Not only does this definition preserve the value of Scripture, but it also disdains prideful vanity that would place trust in conclusions drawn from autonomous human reason, from individual experience, from common opinion, and from unjustified assumptions—all of which the flesh uses to deceive us into rebellion against the holy God, His Spirit, and the blessed Son.

Concerning objects of knowledge then: Knowledge of Truth must be found in Scripture alone.

How, or by what means, does one acquire knowledge? Knowledge of the truth set forth in Scripture comes by the direct illumination of the Holy Spirit to the mind of an individual. This illumination is the gift of faith which comes normatively through the reading and/or hearing of the Word of God declared and exposited, but may come specially to those who do not evidence the ability to assent to the truth of Scripture (i.e. infants and the infirm).

Confer also the Westminster Confession of Faith:

Of the holy Scripture.

I. Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence, do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of his will, which is necessary unto salvation; therefore it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his Church; and afterwards for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the Church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the holy Scripture to be most necessary; those former ways of God's revealing his will unto his people being now ceased. [note that the phrase “light of nature” refer to the conscience, that is, our rational mind made in the image of God]

II. Under the name of holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the Books of the Old and New Testament, which are these: [lists the 66 books of the Bible: 39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament] All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.

III. The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the Canon of Scripture; and therefore are of no authority in the Church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved, or made use of, than other human writings.

IV. The authority of the holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or Church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the Author thereof; and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God.

V. We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Church to an high and reverent esteem of the holy Scripture; and the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God; yet, notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.

VI. The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. Nevertheless we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word; and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and the government of the Church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed.

VII. All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed, for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them.

VIII. The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old), and the New Testament in Greek (which at the time of the writing of it was most generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God, and by his singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical; so as in all controversies of religion the Church is finally to appeal unto them. But because these original tongues are not known to all the people of God who have right unto, and interest in, the Scriptures, and are commanded, in the fear of God, to read and search them, therefore they are to be translated into the vulgar language of every nation unto which they come, that the Word of God dwelling plentifully in all, they may worship him in an acceptable manner, and, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, may have hope.

IX. The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture, is the Scripture itself; and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it may be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.

X. The Supreme Judge, by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.

Metaphysics

What can be known about what is, can be known only by the Word of God. Our epistemology carries over into our metaphysics this basic presupposition.

Things in themselves are unknowable in the strictest sense of knowledge. Still, the Bible contains many propositions about what is. For example, humanity is the image of God, particularly the humanity of Christ, which is the perfect image of God as compared to the incomplete image seen in Adam and his posterity. Thus we have anthropology—knowledge of what humanity is. The course of human existence too is revealed in Scripture. It is the unfolding of God’s self-glorification in the destruction and redemption of Creation, including His chief creation, humanity. Thus we have history—knowledge of what purpose existence has.

Scientific knowledge of things is also revealed in Scripture. Although men have derived the principles of mathematics and geometry (two deductive sciences) apart from attention to Scripture, the basic principles of mathematics and geometry are known to come from God’s revelation (cf. Ex. 31:1-5), and a few have recently undertaken to deduce basic principle of mathematics from propositions of Scripture. Wisdom and discernment concerning such matters of metaphysics come from God as the source of all knowledge, and knowledge of things brought to our minds are efficiently caused by His decree (Prov. 2:6, JPS tanslation).

Nature is therefore not self-revelatory. Rather, nature is the revelation of God’s power, which can only be known as such by the Word of God, which declares this truth to men. Nature is a testimony only through the Word of God that teaches us how to understand nature as a species of revelation. Nature does not disclose itself or its constitution, nor does observation by human minds guarantee, in any sense whatsoever, knowledge of what is. For certainty, which is necessary for knowledge, cannot come by induction, which is the chief method of scientific observation. It is more accurate to consider the products of scientific discovery heuristics, or ways of manipulating what is for useful (or diabolical) purposes.

For more specific statements concerning God, Creation, and humanity, I happily defer to the Westminster Confession and its sublime statements on the matter:

Of God, and of the Holy Trinity.

I. There is but one only living and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute, working all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will, for his won glory, most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek him; and withal most just and terrible in his judgments; hating all sin; and who will by no means clear the guilty.

II. God hath all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of himself; and is alone in and unto himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which he hath made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting his own glory in, by, unto, and upon them; he is the alone foundation of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom, are all things; and hath most sovereign dominion over them, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatsoever himself pleaseth. In his sight all things are open and manifest; his knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature; so as nothing is to him contingent or uncertain. He is most holy in all his counsels, in all his works, and in all his commands. To him is due from angels and men, and every other creature, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience he is pleased to require of them.

III. In the unity of the Godhead there be three Persons of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.

Of Creation.

I. It pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for the manifestation of the glory of his eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, in the beginning, to create or make of nothing the world, and all things therein, whether visible or invisible, in the space of six days, and all very good.

II. After God had made all other creatures, he created man, male and female, with reasonable and immortal souls, endued with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness after his own image, having the law of God written in their hearts, and power to fulfill it; and yet under a possibility of transgressing, being left to the liberty of their own will, which was subject unto change. Besides this law written in their hearts, they received a command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; which while they kept were happy in their communion with God, and had dominion over the creatures.

Of Providence.

I. God, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.

II. Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly, yet, by the same providence, he ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently.

III. God, in his ordinary providence, maketh use of means, yet is free to work without, above, and against them, at his pleasure.

IV. The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God, so far manifest themselves in his providence, that it extendeth itself even to the first Fall, and all other sins of angels and men, and that not by a bare permission, but such as hath joined with it a most wise and powerful bounding, and otherwise ordering and governing of them, in a manifold dispensation, to his own holy ends; yet so, as the sinfulness thereof proceedeth only from the creature, and not from God; who being most holy and righteous, neither is nor can be the author or approver of sin.

V. The most wise, righteous, and gracious God, doth oftentimes leave for a season his own children to manifold temptations and the corruption of their own hearts, to chastise them for their former sins, or to discover unto them the hidden strength of corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts, that they may be humbled; and to raise them to a more close and constant dependence for their support upon himself, and to make them more watchful against all future occasions of sin, and for sundry other just and holy ends.

VI. As for those wicked and ungodly men whom God, as a righteous judge, for former sins, doth blind and harden; from them he not only withholdeth his grace, whereby they might have been enlightened in their understandings, and wrought upon their hearts; but sometimes also withdraweth the gifts which they had; and exposeth them to such objects as their corruption makes occasion of sin; and withal, gives them over to their own lusts, the temptations of the world, and the power of Satan; whereby it comes to pass that they harden themselves, even under those means which God useth for the softening of others.

VII. As the providence of God doth, in general, reach to all creatures, so, after a most special manner, it taketh care of his Church, and disposeth all things to the good thereof.

Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment thereof.

I. Our first parents, begin seduced by the subtlety and temptations of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit. This their sin God was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory.

II. By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body.

III. They being the root of mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by original generation.

IV. From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions.

V. This corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated; and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both itself, and all the motions thereof, are truly and properly sin.

VI. Every sin, both original and actual, being a transgression of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunto, doth, in its own nature, bring guilt upon the sinner, whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God, and curse of the law, and so made subject to death, with all miseries spiritual, temporal, and eternal.

Of God's Covenant with Man.

I. The distance between God and the creature is so great, that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience unto him as their Creator, yet they could never have any fruition of him, as their blessedness and reward, but by some voluntary condescension on God's part, which he hath been pleased to express by way of covenant.

II. The first covenant made with man was a covenant of works, wherein life was promised to Adam, and in him to his posterity, upon condition of perfect and personal obedience.

III. Man by his fall having made himself incapable of life by that covenant, the Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly called the covenant of grace: wherein he freely offered unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them faith in him, that they may be saved, and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto life, his Holy Spirit, to make them willing and able to believe.

IV. This covenant of grace is frequently set forth in the Scripture by the name of a testament, in reference to the death of Jesus Christ, the testator, and to the everlasting inheritance, with all things belonging to it, therein bequeathed.

V. This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the gospel: under the law it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all fore-signifying Christ to come, which were for that time sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they had full remission of sins, and eternal salvation, and is called the Old Testament.

VI. Under the gospel, when Christ the substance was exhibited, the ordinances in which this covenant is dispensed, are the preaching of the Word, and the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper; which, though fewer in number, and administered with more simplicity and less outward glory, yet in them it is held forth in more fullness, evidence, and spiritual efficacy, to all nations, both Jews and Gentiles; and is called the New Testament. There are not, therefore, two covenants of grace differing in substance, but one and the same under various dispensations.

Ethics

The opening question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks: “What is the chief end of man?” Its answers provides the most basic formulation of ethics: “Man’s chief end is the glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.”

As for the details of that chief end, the Law of God summarizes what duties are required of men to please God, and the fulfillment of the Law in Christ’s obedience has not removed the necessity of following the Law. What manner of relevance certain stipulations of the Law have been completed in Christ’s work and what principles continue to operate as binding are a matter of some debate and require careful consideration. Nevertheless, it can be well affirmed that ALL men are intended to obey the Law of God that remains relevant to our present age and that NO other source of law has validity toward the end of glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. This aspect of Law is of great importance in our understanding of culture, civil government, and the relationship between the various spheres of government (individual, family, church, vocational, civil, etc.).

I again happily defer to the relevant statements of the WCF:

Of the Law of God.

I. God gave to Adam a law, as a covenant of works, by which he bound him and all his posterity to personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience; promised life upon the fulfilling, and threatened death upon the breach of it; and endued him with power and ability to keep it.

II. This law, after his Fall, continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness; and, as such, was delivered by God upon mount Sinai in ten commandments, and written in two tables; the first four commandments containing our duty toward God, and the other six our duty to man.

III. Besides this law, commonly called moral, God was pleased to give to the people of Israel, as a Church under age, ceremonial laws, containing several typical ordinances, partly of worship, prefiguring Christ, his graces, actions, sufferings, and benefits; and partly holding forth divers instructions of moral duties. All which ceremonial laws are now abrogated under the New Testament.

IV. To them also, as a body politic, he gave sundry judicial laws, which expired together with the state of that people, not obliging any other, now, further than the general equity thereof may require.

V. The moral law doth forever bind all, as well justified persons as others, to the obedience thereof; and that not only in regard of the matter contained in it, but also in respect of the authority of God the Creator who gave it. Neither doth Christ in the gospel any way dissolve, but much strengthen, this obligation.

VI. Although true believers be not under the law as a covenant of works, to be thereby justified or condemned; yet is it of great use to them, as well as to others; in that, as a rule of life, informing them of the will of God and their duty, it directs and binds them to walk accordingly; discovering also the sinful pollutions of their nature, hearts, and lives; so as, examining themselves thereby, they may come to further conviction of, humiliation for, and hatred against sin; together with a clearer sight of the need they have of Christ, and the perfection of his obedience. It is likewise of use to the regenerate, to restrain their corruptions, in that it forbids sin, and the threatenings of it serve to show what even their sins deserve, and what afflictions in this life they may expect for them, although freed from the curse thereof threatened in the law. The promises of it, in like manner, show them God's approbation of obedience, and what blessings they may expect upon the performance thereof; although not as due to them by the law as a covenant of works: so as a man's doing good, and refraining from evil, because the law encourageth to the one, and deterreth from the other, is no evidence of his being under the law, and not under grace.

VII. Neither are the forementioned uses of the law contrary to the grace of the gospel, but do sweetly comply with it: the Spirit of Christ subduing and enabling the will of man to do that freely and cheerfully, which the will of God, revealed in the law, requireth to be done.

Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience.

I. The liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the gospel consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin, the condemning wrath of God, the curse of the moral law; and in their being delivered from this present evil world, bondage to Satan, and dominion of sin, from the evil of afflictions, the sting of death, the victory of the grave, and everlasting damnation; as also in their free access to God, and their yielding obedience unto him, not out of slavish fear, but a childlike love, and a willing mind. All which were common also to believers under the law; but under the New Testament the liberty of Christians is further enlarged in their freedom from the yoke of the ceremonial law, to which the Jewish Church was subjected; and in greater boldness of access to the throne of grace, and in fuller communications of the free Spirit of God, than believers under the law did ordinarily partake of.

II. God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in any thing contrary to his Word, or beside it in matters of faith on worship. So that to believe such doctrines, or to obey such commandments out of conscience, is to betray true liberty of conscience; and the requiring an implicit faith, and an absolute and blind obedience, is to destroy liberty of conscience, and reason also.

III. They who, upon pretense of Christian liberty, do practice any sin, or cherish any lust, do thereby destroy the end of Christian liberty; which is, that, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, we might serve the Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

IV. And because the powers which God hath ordained, and the liberty which Christ hath purchased, are not intended by God to destroy, but mutually to uphold and preserve one another; they who, upon pretence of Christian liberty, shall oppose any lawful power, or the lawful exercise of it, whether it be civil or ecclesiastical, resist the ordinance of God. And, for their publishing of such opinions, or maintaining of such practices, as are contrary to the light of nature, or to the known principles of Christianity, whether concerning faith, worship, or conversation; or, to the power of godliness; or, such erroneous opinions or practices, as either in their own nature, or in the manner of publishing or maintaining them, are destructive to the external peace and order which Christ hath established in the Church, they may lawfully be called to account, and proceeded against by the censures of the Church, and by the power of the civil magistrate.

Starting Block - Jacob

There are several routes in which to go about organizing your worldview. Since we will be dealing with things on a philosophical level, I am structuring my response with the traditional categories of metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. Even within this framework there are several starting points; I will start off with what I know, followed by how I know it, finishing with the implications of such a view.


Metaphysics
Why is there existence?

First: Who is God?

God is.
He had no creator, He has no higher authority, His existence was not caused.

He is goodness and righteousness, He is beauty. His attributes are the universal and objective. His will is Truth. It is absolute; His purpose cannot be overturned; He is the authority.

He is the Creator of everything: including reality, matter, space, time, immaterial existence, natural law, life, and man. Everything He has created contains a record of His Truth, and must be subject to His righteousness (which produces Justice) and His will/purpose.

Therefore the purpose of existence will be found through Him for He is its Creator, and subsequently purpose is found through His incarnation into created existence: Christ. Christ’s purpose in the incarnation is the glorification of the Father through a love for the world that was shown through the sacrificial atonement of His death and resurrection for Adam’s transgression that resulted in the Fall.

Why am I here?

First: Who is man?

Man is created in God’s image, and though he has been set above all things in order to glorify his Creator with his authority, he has rebelled and introduced Sin into his heart and death into the world.

We were created in order to worship (give glory) to God. Whether we am aware of this reality or not, whether we actively pursue this reality or not, this will be the end result of our life. I exist because I am part of a larger story of God’s redemption of the world.

Epistemology
How do I know stuff (see Truth)?

First, What is Truth?

God is Truth. Truth is the actual order, nature, and purpose of anything in existence. Truth is the design of the building in both the mind of the Architect and in the constructed building.

There are two ways in which we come to Truth. We can come to it from a human perspective. This is primarily through rational (deduction, analysis, metaphor, logic, intuition, emotion, unconscious, dreams, etc.) analysis of empirical data (observation and experiences of the material world through senses).

The second way we can come to it is if it is given to us from a higher perspective. Scripture is revealed Truth directly from God. Also we all require the guidance of the Holy Spirit for direct personal revelation in all areas of knowledge.

Most often it is a combination of the two. Ex. When looking at a piece of abstract art, the Holy Spirit might guide our intuition to stir up an idea based off of previous experience and formal geometric composition in which we receive insight into God’s purpose.

What are the limitations and restrictions we face?

Due to the limited nature of the human perspective, without revelation from a greater perspective we cannot know the entire purpose of existence from deduction.

Due to the limits of the human mind, the fullness of Truth (the entirety of the nature of God and His purposes) cannot be fully known.

Due to the destructive power of the Fall, we cannot fully trust our own objectivity, judgment, and motivations and there are purposes working against our knowledge both physical or spiritual.


Ethics
What does this mean for me (How am I to live in light of such a view)?

If my purpose is to worship God and worship of God is acknowledging, proclaiming, and living in such a way that His Truth is revealed and existence being reconciled back to Him, then I need to seek Truth and fight for redemption in all things (including myself, the church, the human race, the world, etc).

Introduction

The purpose of this blog is to organize our worldview into a communicable manner and then to hold it up to the scrutiny of one another and anybody else who cares to comment.

The first step will be to compose what I have labeled as “starting blocks”. These are relatively brief philosophical summaries of our respective worldviews. They are our first attempt in which to organize our thoughts and provide a place in which to springboard into further details and categories later on.

If anyone else feels like participating, I will be more than happy to post their views as well. Just e-mail me at iron.sharpens.iron@hotmail.com