Status Updates From The Christian's Reasonable ...

"Come, children of God, meditate upon the suffering Jesus. Do not do so by viewing it as merely a history... but as the suffering of your Surety who took your place and paid for your sins"

He does not hold to a local descent of Christ to Hades.

His stuff on particular redemption is great. One quote:

"Christ's high-priestly office consists of sacrifice and prayer. These two elements are inseparable... Christ excludes many from his intercession, limiting it to some only. 'I pray for them... for them thou hast given me' (John 17:9). Consequently, his sacrifice and death are not for all men."

"Wherever love for this King is active, there will be exceptional light, clarity, and delight in the soul."

"It grieves me that one impugns the compassion of the Lord Jesus. Oh, that one would know Him as He is! How many a weak believer would then have bold access, pour out his heart with tears and supplications, and have confidence that He would help!"

Good arguments for the CoW in Genesis 1-3

Angels and Demons.

À Brakel thinks that God prepares temporary bodies for angels to unite with, explaining how they interact with matter.

glorious chapter on creation.

"In a Godly frame of mind go outdoors and lift up your eyes on high to observe the immeasurable dimensions of the universe and consider yourself as a grain of sand surrounded by all this."

"Observe heaven's beautiful countenance. How delightful are the distant heavenly blue, The Fluffy clouds, the elegant Moon, the multitude of glittering Stars. "

Its like a Reformed John Muir ❤️

Good chapter on Covenant of Redemption

"It is a Covenant of Love between those whose love proceeds from within themselves, without there being any loveableness in the object of this love. Oh how blessed is he who is incorporated in this Covenant and, being enveloped and irradiated by this eternal love, is stirred up to love in return."

á Brakel's definition of God's decree:

"the eternal, volitional, all-wise, sovereign, and immutable purpose of God concerning all and every matter, comprehending both the time and the manner in which these matters will occur."

Fascinating aside: "Angels upon assumption of a human body, or a pilot directing a ship, are present - not in an animating fashion, but in such a manner which enables them to mobilize such bodies or the ship."

á Brakel is so practical too: "If so much light... joy... be derived from an obscure glimmer of the Trinity now... how will the soul be affected by the sight of God then!"

Excellent defense of the orthodox Trinity.

"The believer in all his religious exercises operates from this principle. Guided by the Holy Spirit he goes to the Son, and through the Son to the Father."

As the taxis descends in the economy of redemption (Father - Son - Spirit) so the believer ascends the taxis (Spirit - Son - Father). I first heard this in Sanders (Intro. to the Holy Spirit). Cool to see it here

Really good section on eternal generation. Ill be back to this in the future.

Finished chapter on God's essence. I find it intriguing that although he is open to natural theology and the "3 ways," he frames the attributes in thr classic Reformed "incommunicable" and "communicable." You can see him accenting some biblical assertions with natural theology as he goes. Seems like a good model of actually using philosophy as a handmaiden, not equal to or above Scriputre.

Eternity and Simplicitly. À Brakel is def a scholastic !

"Whoever wishes to know more concerning God's essence should join me in worship as we close our eyes before this unapproachable light."

"Such is our god, who not only is all-sufficient in Himself but who in His all-sufficiency can fill and saturate the soul to such an overflowing measure that it has need of nothing else but to have God as his portion."