Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 10 September, 2017
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind ...” (Rom. 12:2)
Morning Service - 11:00 AM
Righteousness by Faith Alone (3)
David and the Non-Imputation of Sins
[download] [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Psalm 32
Text: Romans 4:6-8
I. The Meaning of It
II. The Significance of It
III. The Blessedness of It
Psalms: 98:1-9; 50:13-18; 51:1-7; 32:1-5
Evening Service - 6:00 PM
Righteousness by Faith Alone (4)
David and the Imputation of Righteousness
[download]
[youtube]
Scripture Reading: Romans 4
Text: Romans 4:6-8
I. The Argument of Scripture
II. The Comparison With Abraham
III. The Height of Blessedness
Psalms: 130:1-8; 50:19-23; 25:6-12; 32:1-5
For CDs of the sermons and DVDs of the worship services,
contact
Stephen Murray
If you desire a pastoral visit, please contact Rev. Stewart
or the elders
CPRC Website: www.cprc.co.uk • Live Webcast:
www.cprf.co.uk/live.html
CPRC YouTube: www.youtube.com/cprcni
CPRC Facebook:
www.facebook.com/CovenantPRC
Quotes to Consider
Belgic Confession 23: “We believe that our salvation consists in the remission of our sins for Jesus Christ’s sake, and that therein our righteousness before God is implied; as David and Paul teach us, declaring this to be the happiness of man, that God imputes righteousness to him without works. And the same apostle saith that we are justified freely by His grace, through the redemption which is in Jesus Christ ...”
Charles Hodge: “The righteousness of Christ is imputed to the believer for his justification. The word impute is familiar and unambiguous. To impute is to ascribe to, to reckon to, to lay to one’s charge. When we say we impute a good or bad motive to a man, or that a good or evil action is imputed to him, no one misunderstands our meaning. Philemon had no doubt what Paul meant when he told him to impute to him the debt of Onesimus [Phile. 18]. ‘Let not the king impute anything unto his servant.’ (1 Sam. xxii. 15.) ‘Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me.’ (2 Sam. xix. 19.) ‘Neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it.’ (Lev. vii. 19.) ‘Blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood.’ (Lev. xvii.4.) ‘Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.’ (Ps. xxxii.2.) ‘Unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.’ (Rom. iv. 6.) God is ‘in Christ not imputing their trespasses utno them.’ (2 Cor. v. 19.) The meaning of these and similar passages of Scripture has never been disputed. Every one understands them. We use the word impute in its simple admitted sense, when we say that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the believer for his justification” (Systematic Theology, vol. 3, p. 144).
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
Monday catechism classes begin tomorrow evening:
5:45 PM - Corey & Katelyn (Beginners OT, Book 1)
6:30 PM - Taylor, Josh, Bradley & Samuel (Juniors NT)
7:15 PM - Jacob, Alex & Nathan (Heidelberg Catechism, Book 1)
The Council meets tomorrow night, 11 September, at 8 PM.
Tuesday Bible Study meets this week at 11 AM to consider the year of jubilee.
Belgic Confession Class starts again on Wednesday at 7:45 PM at church. We will be looking at Article 33 on the sacraments.
Ladies’ Bible Study begins this Friday at 10:30 AM at church. We are going to continue our look at Proverbs, discussing the study on “Hatred.” All ladies are welcome.
Men’s Bible Study meets this Saturday at 8 pm at the Kennedys to look at chapter 8 of War of Words entitled “Getting to the Destination.”
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s Day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. Haak is “The Secret Providence of God” (Ps. 57:2).
S. Wales Lecture: Rev. Stewart will speak on “Martin Luther and God’s Saving Righteousness” in Margam on Thursday, 28 September, at 7:15 PM.
CPRC Reformation Conference: Prof. Engelsma will speaking here on Saturday, 21 October, at 11 AM on “Martin Luther: Theologian of the Glory of God” and at 1 PM on “Justification in Paul and in James.” (Lunch will be served between the two lectures.) Plan now to attend! Flyers are available on the back table.
Offerings: General Fund: £655.35. Building Fund: £249.80. Donation: £200 (England).
Translations: 1 Church Slavonic (Lord’s Days 1-12 of the Heidelberg Catechism), 3 Portuguese.
PRC News: Immanuel PRC (Lacombe, Alberta) called Candidate Feenstra. Southwest PRC plans to call today from a trio of Rev. A. Lanning, Cand. Noorman and Cand. Regnerus. The new trio for the third missionary to the Philippines is Revs. Brummel, J. Laning and Smit.
On 31 August, Prof. Cammenga and Rev. W. Langerak left for S. Korea as representatives of the PRC Contact Committee, as authorized by Synod 2017. They have been following up on contacts with individuals and churches. In addition, they spoke at a Reformation conference, as well as in three different Reformed seminaries, several churches, and to various groups. They plan to return tomorrow.
The Westminster Catechisms on Justification and Sanctification
Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q. 33. What is justification?
A. Justification is an act of God’s free grace,[1] wherein
he pardoneth all our sins,[2] and accepteth us as righteous
in his sight,[3] only for the righteousness of Christ
imputed to us,[4] and received by faith alone.[5]
[1] Rom. 3:24
[2] Rom. 4:6-8; II Cor. 5:19
[3] II Cor. 5:21
[4] Rom. 4:6, 11; 5:19
[5] Gal. 2:16; Phil. 3:9
Westminster Larger Catechism, Q. 70: What is justification?
A. 70: Justification is an act of God’s free grace unto
sinners,[1] in which he pardoneth all their sins, accepteth
and accounteth their persons righteous in his sight;[2] not
for any thing wrought in them, or done by them,[3] but only
for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ,
by God imputed to them,[4] and received by faith alone.[5]
[1] Rom. 3:22, 24-25; 4:5
[2] II Cor. 5:19, 21; Rom.
3:22-25, 27-28
[3] Titus 3:5, 7; Eph. 1:7
[4] Rom. 4:6-8; 5:17-19
[5] Acts 10:43; Gal. 2:16; Phil. 3:9
Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q. 35. What is
sanctification?
A. Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace,[1]
whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of
God,[2] and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and
live unto righteousness.[3]
[1] Eze. 36:27; Phil. 2:13; II Thess. 2:13
[2] II Cor. 5:17; Eph. 4:23-24; I Thess. 5:23
[3] Eze. 36:25-27; Rom. 6:4, 6, 12-14; II Cor. 7:1; I Pet.
2:24
Westminster Larger Catechism, Q. 75: What is sanctification?
A. 75: Sanctification is a work of God’s grace, whereby they
whom God hath, before the foundation of the world, chosen to be holy, are in time, through the powerful
operation of his Spirit [1] applying the death and resurrection of Christ unto them,[2]
renewed in their whole man after the image of God;[3] having the seeds of repentance unto life,
and all other saving graces, put into their hearts,[4] and those graces so stirred up, increased,
and strengthened,[5] as that they more and more die unto
sin, and rise unto newness of life.[6]
[1] Eph. 1:4; I Cor. 6:11; II Thess. 2:13
[2] Rom. 6:4-6
[3] Eph. 4:23-24
[4] Acts 11:18; I John 3:9
[5] Jude 20; Heb. 6:11-12; Eph. 3:16-19; Col. 1:10-11
[6] Rom. 6:4, 14; Gal. 5:24
Westminster Larger Catechism, Q. 77: Wherein do
justification and sanctification differ?
A. 77: Although sanctification be inseparably joined with
justification,[1] yet they differ, in that God in
justification imputeth the righteousness of Christ;[2] in
sanctification his Spirit infuseth grace, and enableth to
the exercise thereof;[3] in the former, sin is pardoned;[4]
in the other, it is subdued:[5] the one doth equally free
all believers from the revenging wrath of God, and that
perfectly in this life, that they never fall into
condemnation;[6] the other is neither equal in all,[7] nor
in this life perfect in any,[8] but growing up to
perfection.[9]