BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY...

(Photos mine)

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; The third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. (Apostles' Creed).

BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY...

The Word did not pass through Mary as water passes through a pipe. Rather He took of her substance as He started to develop as an embryo. Jesus is made of the same substance as Mary and all human beings. The Word joined the human race from the moment Mary conceived by the Holy Ghost. This was the Word becoming flesh.

When the Word became flesh He did not stop being God. He did not empty Himself of His divinity to take on Mary’s substance. Jesus has two natures that remain ever distinct. He is not two Persons, a divine person and a human person. Rather he is one divine Person with two natures, the divine and the human. As to His divine nature He knows all things. As to His human nature He not only has to grow in stature, but also in wisdom.

Usually Christians are good at defending the fact the Jesus is God, but falter when trying to explain the fact of His humanity. The tendency is to ascribe divine attributes to His humanity. But Jesus is like us in every way apart from our sin. He experienced hunger, thirst, fatigue. God does not get hungry, thirsty, or tired!

After Jesus was born Mary probably went on to give birth to other children, Jesus’s (half) brothers and sisters (though see Calvin). Jesus was born in the usual fashion, and afterward Mary underwent ‘the days of her purification according to the law of Moses’ … ‘As it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘"Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD"’ Luke 2:22-23. Thus any claim that Mary is some sort of eternal virgin is based on fiction not Scripture.

Being conceived in the womb of the virgin is part of Christ’s humiliation. Indeed every aspect of His incarnation on earth right up to His ascension is part of Christ’s humiliation. He left His glory in Heaven became a Man and ascended back to glory to receive (as a Man) glory, an everlasting dominion, a people innumerable and an everlasting Kingdom.

Jesus is the ‘Seed of the Woman’ that was promised immediately after Adam rebelled against God. Note that He is the woman’s seed, i.e., He was made or born of Mary.

The shepherds witnessed the newborn Babe in a manger. He was born of the woman, the Virgin, in Bethlehem, the place prophesied 500 years before the event. His goings forth are from old, from everlasting. The Son of God from etenity became the Son of Man in time. He was seen as a Child by the wise men. He was seen in the Temple as twelve-year old. This all attests to the fact that Jesus grew in stature. He did not suddenly appear on earth with an adult body from Heaven. Rather, He is like us in every way apart from sin.

Under inspiration of the Holy Ghost some 700 years before the event Isaiah wrote, ‘For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’ Isaiah 9:6.

DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS

In the early 1940s Bing Crosby began singing ‘I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know.’ As a sleigh needs reindeer so Christmas needs snow! White Christmases were guaranteed when I lived in Canada, then Scotland, and then Canada again. But now that I live in Queensland, Australia, like Bing Crosby, I can only dream of Christmas snow!

I remember as a youngster being warmed inside and out on a cold night after visiting the local bakery heated by its own ovens. Their hot bread rolls were the best in the world! Shepherds left their flocks in the field and went to Bethlehem, the ‘House of Bread,’ to see the ‘Bread from Heaven.’

When was that very first Christmas? For, around Christmastime it’s common to hear that Christ Jesus was not born on December 25. However, the person stating this usually admits to not knowing when Jesus was born. But, if we don’t know when Jesus was born, then what makes some people so sure it wasn’t on December 25?

Who would disagree that the event of the incarnation and subsequent birth of Christ is not cause for celebration? ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us’ John 1:14. His incarnation and birth were spoken of some seven hundred years before the actual event, ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel’ Isaiah 7:14. And what about the verse of Isaiah that speaks as if the event had already happened? ‘For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’ Isaiah 9:6.

Of the great event the Commentator Norval Geldenhuys says, ‘Whether 25th December is really the birth-date of Jesus, as some people still maintain, or not makes no essential difference to the significance of the day to all believers throughout the length and breadth of the world. It is the great event itself that is commemorated and not the day as such.’

However, the Commentator William Hendriksen says, ‘It is true that during the reign of Constantine special enquiry was made with respect to the date of Christ’s birth, and that Dec. 25 received official sanction. However, much earlier than this the attention of students was focused on this very date; for example, by Hippolytus. He was a disciple of Irenaeus, who was a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of the apostle John. That Jesus was born December 25 can neither be proved or disproved. I fully agree, however, with Lenski’s statement, “While December 25 is only traditional, it is a least traditional.”’

Hendriksen has built a fairly strong case that the traditional date might very well be correct! But regardless of the date, the birth of the Saviour of the world is worth celebrating!

Shepherds were tending their flocks near Bethlehem on that great day. ‘And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”’ Luke 2:9-14.

I confess that as a youngster I was more into celebrating the idea of presents at Christmas than the birth of Christ. Any notion of connecting Christmas with Christ regularly got trampled beneath Santa’s boots. Mind you, singing ‘Away in a Manger’ would sometimes outshine the Christmas tree lights by sweeping Christ’s spotlight across my heart. Every Christmas, with the rest of the kids at school, I was trotted off to church where we’d inevitably sing ‘Away in a Manger’ from the Church of Scotland Hymnary. As much as any youngster could I really meant the words we sang: ‘I love Thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky / and stay by my side until morning is nigh / Be near me Lord Jesus; I ask Thee to stay / Close by me for ever, and love me, I pray.’ (Hymn 657). As an adult I mean these words even more!

The wise men worshipped the Child Jesus (Matt. 2:11). As a child so did I in a childlike way! But I wandered far from Jesus as a young adult, but even so, I was still dreaming of a time of childhood innocence, those white Christmases. Then as an adult I gave the Jesus of the Bible my full study. Now I crave that childlike faith! For Jesus says, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea’ Matthew 18:3-6.

If ‘Christmas is for the kids!’ then why are some adults so afraid to mention the word ‘Christmas’ at Christmas? The once innocent terms ‘Happy Holidays’ and ‘Seasons Greetings’ now serve to signify a thinly veiled rejection of Christ. And why do some push for the removal of the ‘Nativity Scene’ from public places? If we are to reject Christmas then it must be done on a Biblical basis and not at the whim of ‘Bible Bashers’ (i.e., those who reject the Bible as God’s Word). Yes, it is good to test our Western traditions against Scripture, but I fear that it is not Christmas that is being rejected by some, but Christ!

Could the West really be losing sight of Christ in the current snowstorm of political correctness? Perhaps. But I think that those who disown Christ have simply been running a somewhat successful PC campaign. However, it’s really just a ‘snow job’ by the Christmas ‘grinches.’ It’s people with millstones around their necks that place stumbling blocks in the children’s path!

Ever gentle as falling snow, Christians are way too gracious in their tolerance of the present anti-Christian spirit. Christians should grab their snow blowers and begin clearing the way that leads to life.

Keep on dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones we used to know.

CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY GHOST...

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; The third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. (Apostles' Creed).

CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY GHOST...

The Spirit of God who was hovering over the face of the waters in the beginning is the same Holy Ghost who came upon Mary. The power of the Father Almighty overshadowed her, as the Word began adding flesh to Himself in her womb. In other words Mary conceived not by a man but by the Holy Ghost.

Each Person in the Godhead is of one substance, equal in power, and eternity. The eternal God who in the beginning spoke His Word and that which was not became that which is by the power of their Holy Spirit, here worked tenderly at the microscopic level. Indeed this is the God who designed thistledown, butterfly wings, diaphanous creatures, not to mention heart-membranes. This is the God who speaks with thunder as well as a whisper.

As to His divinity Jesus is of the same substance as God. As to His humanity He is of the same substance as Mary. Mary, like all human beings, is of the same substance as Adam. Thus, Jesus did not bring His body from Heaven, but like us He is made from the moist soil of this earth, the same earth that God made in the beginning.

The Holy Ghost was hovering over Mary’s waters until the birth of Jesus. He is the One who forms our inward parts, covering us in our mother’s womb. He does it all in secret, weaving us together in the depths of the earth, just as He did with Adam when He made him.

It is said by some that seas and trees are the lungs of the planet earth, but rather it is the Holy Ghost who is the earth’s breathing apparatus, including yours and mine. The archaic word “ghost” when used of the Holy Ghost is usually modified as “spirit.” However, in the Bible the same word is used for breath and wind. Context is the guide to knowing the best way to translate. The Holy Ghost or Spirit is therefore also the Breath of God.

We speak words while breathing out. The breathed out Word of God has been set in Scripture, supervised by the Holy Ghost. The Spirit works with the (written) Word when forming Christ in those He regenerates and converts. The Spirit worked the Word (i.e., the Son of God), when forming Christ in Mary’s womb using her substance, presumably impregnating one of her eggs.

Joseph, to whom Mary was engaged to be married, at this time wanted to call the whole thing off. However, it was explained to him that that which was conceived in Mary’s womb was of the Holy Spirit. By Joseph’s acceptance of this word from the angel we note that he knew about the Holy Ghost or Spirit. It was the same when Mary was told the Holy Spirit was going to come upon her. Therefore she and her husband had prior knowledge of the triune nature of God.

Right after Adam sinned Genesis records the promise of the Seed of the Woman who would crush the serpent’s head. Some seven hundred years prior to Christ’s conception in Mary’s womb the LORD had promised through His prophet Isaiah that a virgin would conceive and bear a Son who would be “Immanuel”, i.e., God with us. Therefore the Holy Ghost worked with the (written) Word to convince both Mary and Joseph of the truth of this conception! Like us they would have searched the Scriptures to make sure these things were so.

All mankind is fallen in Adam, including Mary. Does this mean that because Jesus is of her substance that He too is sinful? First off matter itself is not evil. It is a Gnostic heresy to claim that matter is inherently evil! However, the whole human race became fallen when Adam sinned, which is to say that we became separated from God on account of Adam’s sin as the Federal or Covenant head of mankind, and our own sin.

The Word became flesh to reconcile us to God. However, Christ the Word had no sin of His own on account of who He is, i.e., the eternal Word of God. Therefore He is the Holy One right from the very moment of His conception.

The Holy One conceived by the Holy Ghost in the virgin’s womb is the new Adam, the firstfruits of the new humanity. He is the Federal or Covenant Head, i.e., He is the representative of all who believe in Him for salvation. It is on account of His two natures, the divine uniting unconfusedly with the human, that we see the reconciliation of God in Christ. He brings God and man together in perfect harmony by having two whole, perfect, and distinct natures. Thus He is the perfect Person to have as Mediator between God and men.

Under the supervision of the Holy Ghost, when Jesus was fully formed, He opened the womb of Mary, being born in the usual manner.

JESUS CHRIST HIS ONLY SON OUR LORD...

(Photo - nifty Church of Scotland Flag)

'I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; The third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.' (The Apostles' Creed)

JESUS CHRIST HIS ONLY SON OUR LORD...

The subscriber to the Apostles’ Creed believes that Jesus Christ is the only Son of the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. The name Jesus derives from Joshua, “Jehovah saves.” Christ means “anointed” or “christed”. And Jesus is “Immanuel”, which means God with us.

The Creed subscriber therefore believes that Jesus is the Middle Person in the Trinity or triune God come to earth from heaven in the form of a man. Thus Jesus is the eternal Word or Son of God who became also flesh. He is Jehovah clothed in humanity, clothed in the dust of creation. He is the Seed of the Woman Jehovah God promised right after Adam rebelled in the Garden.

Jesus then is the “Rock” that was with the people of God during their wilderness travels. He is the Angel of the LORD, the Angel of the Covenant, the One who spoke to Moses from the burning bush, the One who was in the Pillar of Fire by night, and the Pillar of Cloud by day. He is the One who was in the furnace with Meshach, Shadrach, and Abed-Nego. Again, He is Immanuel, God with us.

However, the eternal Middle Person of the Godhead, God the Son, did not become the Son of Man until he was conceived in Mary’s womb and born in Bethlehem. The Son of God is also the Son of Man. He has two natures, the divine and the human, but is One Divine Person forever.

The two natures of Christ must not be confused or confounded, lest we ascribe divine attributes to His humanity or human attributes to His divinity. We must not make God a mere man or a mere man God. Thus, like the three Person of the Trinity, we must keep Christ’s two natures distinct but never separate. Christ is not a human person and a divine person. He is one Divine Person with a divine nature and a human nature.

As God Christ has infinite knowledge because God is infinite in His being. As a man Christ has finite because a man is finite in his being. Think about the Triune God. Each Person is distinct from the Others. The Father has Fatherhood, the Son has Sonship, and the Spirit has Spirithood, Yes, there are distinctions between the Person of the Godhead. The Father owns the qualities of a Father but He does not own the qualities of a Son, these belong to Christ. Thus the qualities of divinity belong to Christ’s divine nature and the qualities of humanity belong to His human nature. These distinctions must be adhered to lest we end up worshipping a false Jesus Chrsit!

The eternal plan of God, i.e., the eternal covenant of God was that the Son would enter creation as a fully human being, live a perfect life as a representative, and lay down His perfect life for a people innumerable, a people chosen by the Father in eternity past and represented by Christ in time. Thus in the eternal covenant the Father (as Maker of heaven and earth) promised to give the Son a people and a place (the world or heaven and earth) if the Son would perfectly keep the covenant’s conditions.

The first Adam failed to keep the covenant so God sent a replacement Adam into the world to redeem it. Therefore the new Adam, i.e., Jesus Christ receives what the old Adam would have received had he not broken the covenant, (uniting himself and mankind to Satan), but had instead kept it. All authority inheaven and earth has been given to Jesus.

Those who believe in Jesus Christ have been saved by a man, the Man Christ Jesus. When Jesus duelled with the devil in the wilderness He did not use His divine power to ward off Satan, but simply relied on the Word of God, “It is written…” Nor did He call down twelve legions of angels to assist Him when He, as the replacement Adam, was in the Garden, i.e., the Garden of Gethsemane.

God did not wink from heaven and save us. The Son of God as the Son of Man saved us. Blood! Sweat! Tears! We are not saved by God’s inherent righteousness. We are saved by the righteous works of the man Jesus Christ – which righteousness is imputed to those who believe in Him.

Jesus is our covenant representative, i.e., human being representing human beings. As Adam is the federal head of the old humanity, Jesus, as the new Adam, is the federal head of the new humanity, i.e., all who believe in Him for salvation. As the Godman all His works are of infinite merit. His keeping of God’s Law, i.e., the covenant (with all its stipulations), is of infinite value. He kept the covenant as if it were the believer who was keeping it. He kept it perfectly just as Adam and all his children (you and I) should have done but did not.

His death on the cross was to pay the penalty for our sins, i.e., our breaking of the covenant (and al lits stipulations). The wages of sin is death. In His death He also represented the death of the believer. Thus He took away the penalty. Therefore death has lost its sting for the believer. Jehovah saves! Jehovah-Jesus saves!

The Hebrew YHWH (i.e., Jehovah) means "the eternal." The Hebrew plural word "Elohim" means the triune God. The three Persons in the Godhead are one God: "The LORD our God, the LORD is one!" Jesus Christ is our Lord because He is the LORD! The LORD is Jehovah and Jesus Christ is the LORD! And salvation is of the LORD because Jehovah-Jesus saves.

MAKER OF HEAVEN & EARTH

(Photos mine)

'I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; The third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.' (The Apostles' Creed)

MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH…

According to the Apostles’ Creed God is the Maker (or source) of all things – ‘Maker of heaven and earth.’ (Though He is not the Author of evil), He is also the Author of the subscriber to the Creed’s belief (or faith) in Him. In our fallen or unredeemed condition we reject God and even refuse to believe in Him. However, when the Holy Spirit, who hovered over the face of the waters in the beginning, comes upon us and savingly works with the Word within us, we gladly believe in Him. This is reconciliation.

The Father speaks His Word and Their Spirit brings it to pass! Thus God reveals His Omnipotence and His attributes through the things He has made. He reveals His goodness through their upkeep. Flora and fauna are constantly being renewed and sustained. He reveals something of His justice in destruction and catastrophe.

As Maker of heaven and earth He works all things according to His eternal plan. He is working all things (including evil) together toward a glorious climax at the end of history. History is the outworking of God’s plan for the future.

What can thwart the Maker of heaven and earth’s plan? We see something His Omnipotence in the splitting of an atom. Whole cities can have their power supplied by the splitting of an atom. The awesome power of an atom was horribly demonstrated in WWII when cities were destroyed and hundreds of thousands of lives were lost as the immediate result. Think of all the specks of dust in the universe. Think of the Omnipotent power of the One who made it all merely by the command to ‘Let it be!’

The Maker of heaven and earth holds it all together. He controls the whirring protons and neutrons. In His goodness and justice God controls the path of every atom individually and all atoms collectively. He is working them, He is working heaven and earth and all therein towards all a glorious end. That glorious end is the renewal of this creation – a new heavens and a new earth.

God leaves us without excuse for not believing in Him and therefore worshipping and serving Him. As the Maker of heaven and earth He reveals Himself through:

a) The things He has made.

b) The things He has written (i.e., the Holy Bible).

c) Your conscience (that either accuses or excuses you).

The goodness of God is demonstrated in His saving from destruction a (large) portion of humanity. His justice is demonstrated in His by-passing some of humanity and leaving them in their rebellion toward Him. Those who are saved are saved by God’s grace alone. Those who are damned are damned by their own sins alone.

The Maker of heaven and earth is also maker of the Lake of Fire. The Lake of Fire is full of hellfire and is reserved for those angels (including the devil) who did not remain as God created them (i.e., as good angels). We too as the human race did not remain as God created us, and like the devil and his demons we chose to reject Him and go our own way. However, keep in mind that the Maker of heaven and earth ordained this to come to pass. The rebellion of His moral creatures is all part of the Maker of heaven and earth’s grand design!

Keep in mind that the Maker of heaven and earth is the Father Almighty. Almighty means Omnipotent. Therefore nothing that comes to pass comes to pass without the Father’s sovereignty. Not a hair from our head or a sparrow falls to ground outside of His sovereign control. Not one atom is misplaced. The Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth has designed all creation with an ultimate purpose in mind. Your and my rebellion against, the devil and demons rebellion against Him, is simply part of His eternal plan being worked out in time.

Space, time, and matter are creatures that work for God. Whether good or evil, believer or unbeliever, Theist or Atheist, we all work for God. He is Maker of heaven and earth. It all belongs to Him to dispose of as He pleases.

In our struggle to understand pain and suffering on earth we need to know and remember that God has done, is doing, and will do what is right. He understands all things because He is Maker of heaven and earth.

THE FATHER ALMIGHTY

(Photo mine - Presbyterian church in front of Mt Wellington, Tasmania)

'I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; The third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.' (The Apostles' Creed)

THE FATHER ALMIGHTY…

The Apostles’ Creed begins with the words ‘I believe in God, the Father Almighty.’ Thus we see that God is referred to as ‘the Father Almighty.’ Even though God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, when the subscriber refers to the triune God he calls Him ‘Father.’ Therefore on account of the believer being adopted into the family of God the believer is now able to call God ‘Father.’ Of the Father representing the Trinity, comments Herman Bavinck,

'The Father is pre-eminent in the works of creation and redemption; He represents the Trinity; hence, He is often called God, even by Christ. Nevertheless, the Son and the Holy Spirit are also God.'[1]

The title ‘Father’ reveals an intimacy between the believer and God (and vice versa). It suggests that reconciliation has already taken place between the believer and God. This reconciliation could only come about because God is Almighty. To be Almighty is to be Omnipotent or all-powerful.

There can only ever be one Almighty at a time. Two or more ‘Almighties’ is an oxymoron. Thus the true and living God alone is the all-powerful One. The Son and the Holy Spirit equally share in the almightiness or omnipotence of the Father because the Lord God is one.

In the beginning the eternal Father spoke His eternal Word and Their eternal Spirit went about the business of making heaven and earth. Thus the three Persons in the Godhead (Father, Word or Son, and Spirit), made heaven and earth. God is Almighty because He alone is the Creator. All other things are creatures of His creation. Some creatures may be powerful, such as space, time, matter, angels, and even man, but God alone is all-powerful.

Because the Father is Almighty He is able to bring His eternal plan into being and to pass. Merely by speaking His Almighty Word in the power of Their Almighty Spirit God brings that which is out of that which is not.

The Bible reveals that God’s plan from eternity is:

     a) To make heaven and earth and all therein.

     b) To make man in His own image and likeness.

     c) To redeem a large portion of (fallen) mankind by sending His Son into the world as Redeemer.

     d) To send the Holy Spirit into the world with the Word (the Law and the Gospel) to bring redemption’s benefits and apply them to all who believe.

Nothing can thwart the Father Almighty’s plan. Indeed He works all things (including sin) together for good. Although they receive many blessings from God in the here and now, believers will only see and receive the full benefits of their redemption after their resurrection at the Last Day. All believe that the Father Almighty will bring to pass everything He has promised in His written Word.

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[1] Herman Bavinck, The Doctrine Of God, Translated by William Hendriksen, Banner of Truth, Reprinted 1991, p. 266.