Blog Archives: October 2017

Question 9: What is the work of creation? Answer: The work of creation is God's making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good. This question takes us directly to Genesis 1, which begins, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." It is essentially a brief commentary on this chapter. "Of nothing" indicates that God did not simply organize pre-existent material into a universe. He created the material. We can see the importance of this distinction when we come to Genesis ...

Question 8: How doth God execute his decrees? Answer: God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence. While pondering the decrees of God stretches our minds as far as they can go, considering the works of God is much more straightforward. God's decrees are plans, not actual "things" in any concrete sense. God's works are the unfolding of those plans in real life experience. There are two basic works identified here. The first is the work of creation, which was accomplished in six days at the beginning of time. The ...

Question 7: What are the decrees of God? Answer: The decrees of God are, his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass. How far can the human mind go in understanding God? Although we are creatures bound by time who cannot fully comprehend what it means for God to exist without having that same boundary, God does allow us a small glimpse beyond the border of time. He does this by teaching us of his eternal decree. Before there was time (and even to say ...

Question 6: How many persons are there in the Godhead? Answer: There are three persons in the Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. The teaching that the one God exists in three Persons is a great and difficult mystery. It is not the teaching that the one God has three "sides" or "faces", but is not truly three - this is the heresy known as modalism. Nor is it the teaching that Father, Son, and Spirit can be separated into three distinct beings - the ...

Question 5: Are there more Gods than one? Answer: There is but one only, the living and true God. At times the Bible will make reference to other gods. In doing so it acknowledges that people often treat things other than God as objects of worship. However, these gods have two great weaknesses: they are dead, and they are false. They are dead because there is no life in them. They neither live nor give life. They are false because the name 'god' is ultimately incorrect. They are not gods at all. Moses challenges the people of Israel in ...