The ‘Book of Nature’ in Reformed Theology

In Sunday School yesterday, we were talking about the ‘book of nature.’ This is a concept found in the Belgic Confession (1561), one of the foundational confessions of Reformed theology.

Article II of the Belgic Confession reads:

By What Means God is Made Known to Us

We know Him by two means: First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God: his eternal power and his divinity, as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20. All these things are enough to convict men and to leave them without excuse. Second, he makes himself known to us more openly by his holy and divine Word, as much as we need in this life, for his glory and for the salvation of his own. [emphasis mine]

This passage from the Belgic Confession makes the point that God has actually given us two books by which we may know him: nature and Scripture. One is written in the ‘letters’ of “creatures, great and small,” and the other with letters written in ink, but both ‘books’ teach us the truth about God.

We may ask, is there any difference between these two books other than that one is found in nature and the other is a literal book? Article II tells us that, though he does reveal his truth in nature, God reveals himself “more openly” in the Bible. That is, even though we can learn things about God and his ways from nature, we learn his truth more clearly and easily from Scripture. In fact, since Scripture alone reveals the Gospel of Christ (2 Tim. 3:15; Rom. 10:14-17), we learn certain things about God and his purposes from the Bible that we simply could not learn from nature.

The idea that God has made himself known by two books should lead Christians to study both with appreciation and reverence for God. The book of nature should lead us to have a respect and interest in those disciplines committed to the study of nature; whether they realize it or not, they study the truth of God. Nevertheless, because God has revealed himself more fully in Scripture than in nature, the natural sciences ought never be regarded as our ultimate authority in matters of faith and practice. Scripture alone is our ultimate authority in such areas.

An Evening Prayer

Previously, I posted a morning prayer from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Here is a (slightly revised) evening prayer used for family devotions, as found in the BCP:

(Part 1- Lord’s Prayer)
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

(Part 2- Confession of Sins, with a Prayer for Contrition [sincere remorse] and Repentance)
Most merciful God, who are of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, and hast promised forgiveness to all those who confess their sins; We come before thee in an humble sense of our own unworthiness, acknowledging our manifold transgressions, of thy righteous laws (Here let him or her who reads make a short pause, that every one may secretly confess the sins and failings of that day). But, O gracious Father, who desirest not the death of a sinner, look upon us, we beseech [eagerly beg] thee, in mercy, and forgive us all our transgressions. Make us deeply sensible of the great evil of them; and work in us an hearty contrition; that we may obtain forgiveness at thy hands, who art ever ready to receive humble and penitent sinners; for the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ, our only Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.

(Part 3- Prayer for Grace to Reform and Grow Better)
And lest, through our own frailty, or the temptations which encompass us, we be drawn again into sin, vouchsafe [graciously give] us , we beseech [eagerly beg] thee, the direction and assistance of thy Holy Spirit. Reform whatever is amiss in the temper and disposition [state] of our souls; that no unclean thoughts, unlawful designs, or inordinate desires, may rest there. Purge our hearts from envy, hatred, and malice; that we may never suffer the sun to go down upon our wrath; but may always go to our rest in peace, charity, and good-will, with a conscience void of offense towards thee, and towards men; that so we may be preserved pure and blameless, unto the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

(Part 4- The Intercession)
And accept, O Lord, our intercessions for all mankind. Let the light of thy Gospel shine upon all nations; and may as many as have received it, lives as becomes it. Be gracious unto thy Church; and grant that every member of the same, in his vocation [calling] and ministry, may serve thee faithfully. Bless all in authority over us; and so rule their hearts and strengthen their hands, that they may punish wickedness and vice, and protect thy church and its officers.* Send down thy blessings, temporal and spiritual, upon our relations [relatives], friends, and neighbours. Reward all who have done us good, and pardon all those who have done or wish us evil, and give them repentance and better minds. Be merciful to all who are in any trouble; and do thou, the God of pity, administer to them according to their several necessities; for his sake who went about doing good, thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

(Part 5- The Thanksgiving)
To our prayers, O Lord, we join our unfeigned [sincere] thanks for all thy mercies; for our being, our reason, and all other endowments and faculties of soul and body; for our health, friends, food, and raiment [clothing], and all the other comforts and conveniences of life. Above all, we adore thy mercy in sending thy only Son into the world, to redeem us from sin and eternal death, and in giving us the knowledge and sense of our duty towards thee. We bless thee for thy patience with us, notwithstanding our many and great provocations [offenses]; for all the directions, assistances, and comforts of thy Holy Spirit; for thy continual care and watchful providence over us through the whole course of our lives; and particularly for the mercies and benefits of the past day; beseeching [eagerly begging] thee to continue these thy blessings to us, and to give us grace to show our thankfulness in a sincere obedience to his laws, through whose merits and intercession we received them all, thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

(Part 6- Prayer for God’s Protection through the Night Following)
In particular, we beseech [eagerly beg] thee to continue thy gracious protection to us this night. Defend us from all dangers and mischiefs [harm], and from the fear of them; that we may enjoy such refreshing sleep as may fit us for the duties of the coming day. And grant us grace always to live in such a state that we may never be afraid to die; so that, living and dying, we may be thine, through the merits and satisfaction of thy Son Christ Jesus, in whose Name we offer up those our imperfect prayers. Amen.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.

* the prayer originally says, “Bless all in authority over us; and so rule their hearts and strengthen their hands, that they may punish wickedness and vice, and maintain thy true religion and virtue.”

These words seem to point to the state’s involvement in the ministry of the church, which stands at odds with the Westminster Confession of Faith (1788 American revision). The WCF 23.3 says of the state, “Civil magistrates may not assume to themselves the administration of Word and sacraments; or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven; or, in the least, interfere in matters of faith.” According to the WCF, it is the duty of ministers and deacons–not the state– to maintain true religion and virtue in the church. Nevertheless, the state does have an important role towards the church. WCF 23.3 goes on to say, “Yet, as nursing fathers, it is the duty of civil magistrates to protect the church of our common Lord, without giving preference to any denomination of Christians above the rest, in such a manner that all ecclesiastical persons whatever shall enjoy the full, free, and unquestioned liberty of discharging every part of their sacred functions, without violence and danger.” In short, the duty of the state towards the church is to protect it and its officers from harm, so that the church can carry out its divinely-given calling in the world, safely.

In light of these differences between the BCP and the Westminster Confession, I have attempted a slight ‘Westminster-ized’ revision of this part of the prayer, so that it would be in greater agreement with our confessional standards.

The Lure of Rome

Office Hours, a Westminster Seminary California podcast, talks to Dr. W. Robert Godfrey, President of Westminster Seminary California and Professor of Church History, about why evangelicals and other Protestants become Roman Catholic and how we should respond.

Click here to listen.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Preaching

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was a Welsh Calvinistic-Methodist preacher in the 20th century. Many consider him to be one of, if not, the greatest expository preacher of the last one hundred years. The following is a portion of an interview that he did shortly after his retirement from ministry. He discusses why he went into ministry, and what he believes is important to sound preaching. Enjoy!

 

Not Sure What to Pray in the Morning? Try This!

Prayer is a discipline in the Christian life… which means that, as important as it is, it can be really difficult to do sometimes. Sometimes we want to pray but we aren’t quite sure what to pray for, or we have a hard time thinking of good words to use. Written prayers can be helpful in this regard. Though it is good to be able to pray without the help of written words, there is also profit in praying written prayers. Written prayers can edify us and help us to concentrate our thoughts on God. The Book of Common Prayer (1928) has a nice morning prayer, which I commend to you. It is written for family worship, but it is perfectly suitable for personal prayer, too. Not sure what to pray in the morning? Try this prayer!

(Part 1- Lord’s Prayer)
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trepasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

(Part 2- Acknowledgment of God’s Mercy and Preservation Especially through the Night Past)
Almighty and everlasting God, in whom we live and move and have our being; We, thy needy creatures, render thee our humble praises, for thy preservation of us from the beginning of our lives to this day, and especially for having delivered us from the dangers of the past night. For these thy mercies, we bless and magnify thy glorious Name; humbly beseeching [eagerly begging] thee to accept this our morning sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving; for his sake who lay down in the grave, and rose again for us, thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

(Part 3- Dedication of Soul and Body to God’s Service, with a Resolution to be Growing Daily in Goodness)
And since it is of thy mercy, O gracious Father, that another day is added to our lives; We here dedicate both our souls and our bodies to thee and thy service, in a sober [earnest], righteous, and godly life: in which resolution, do thou, O merciful God, confirm and strengthen us; that, as we grow in age, we may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

(Part 4- Prayer for Grace to Enable Us to Perform that Resolution)
But, O God, who knowest the weakness and corruption of our nature, and the manifold temptations which we daily meet with; We humbly beseech [eagerly beg] thee to have compassion on our infirmities, and to give us the constant assistance of thy Holy Spirit; that we may be effectually restrained from sin, and incited [encouraged] to our duty. Imprint upon our hearts such a dread of thy judgments, and such a grateful sense of thy goodness to us, as may make us both afraid and ashamed to offend thee. And, above all, keep in our minds a lively remembrance of that great day, in which we must give a strict account of our thoughts, words, and actions to him whom thou hast appointed the Judge of quick [living] and dead, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Part 5- For Grace to Guide and Keep Us the Following Day, and for God’s Blessing on the Business of the Same)
In particular, we implore [beg urgently] thy grace and protection for the ensuing day. Keep us temperate in all things, and diligent in our several callings. Grant us patience under our afflictions. Give us grace to be just and upright in all our dealings; quiet and peaceable; full of compassion; and ready to do good to all men, according to our abilities and opportunities. Direct us in all our ways. Defend us from all dangers and adversities; and be graciously pleased to take us, and all who are dear to us, under thy fatherly care and protection. These things, and whatever else thou shalt see to be necessary and covenient [fitting] to us, we humbly beg, through the merits and mediation of thy Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.

Adam and Israel

We will be starting a sermon series on the book of Genesis in a couple of weeks. To pave the way for that, we will spend a couple of weeks in Sunday school tackling introductory questions related to the book of Genesis. Last week, we looked at the question: who wrote the book of Genesis? I argued that the evidence favors the view that Moses wrote the book of Genesis. But we might wonder why Moses would write a book that gives so much attention to the creation of the world and the first man and woman? How would that be relevant to Israel as they entered the Promised Land? The following quote brings to light some very interesting connections between Adam’s situation and Israel’s situation, and shows part of the relevance of the story of Adam for Israel.

These first three chapters of Genesis were of particular significance to Israel on the borders of the Promised Land because Israel shared many similarities with Adam. William Dumbrell explains:

“Significant for biblical eschatology are the several analogies that can be drawn between the man Adam and the nation Israel: Israel was created, as was Adam, outside the divine space to be occupied–Israel outside of Canaan and Adam outside of the garden. Both Israel and Adam were placed in divine space: Israel in Canaan and Adam in Eden. Israel was given, as was Adam, law by which the divine space could be retained.”

The question for Israel was simple. Would she obey the law, or would she, like Adam, disobey and be exiled from the land? If Adam proved unfaithful to God in the perfect environment, could Israel hope to keep the law in a land surrounded by idolaters?

Keith Mathison, From Age to Age (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 2009), 27.

As Reformed Christians, we also see important discontinuity between Adam and Israel. God had entered into a Covenant of Works with Adam in the garden (see WCF 7.2), but Israel was under the Covenant of Grace (WCF 7.3-5). Nevertheless, the above quotation shows the importance of the story of Adam for Israel as they entered the good land.