Pastor's Corner — Providence Presbyterian Church

The Morning Devotional: WCF 18.3 (Part Two)

The Morning Devotional for June 1, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 18.3 (Part Two)

III. This infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties before he be partaker of it:a yet, being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may, without extraordinary revelation, in the right use of ordinary means, attain thereunto.b And therefore it is the duty of everyone to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure;c that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience,d the proper fruits of this assurance: so far is it from inclining men to looseness.e

The Morning Devotional: WCF 18.3 (Part One)

The Morning Devotional for May 31, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 18.3 (Part One)

III. This infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties before he be partaker of it:a yet, being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may, without extraordinary revelation, in the right use of ordinary means, attain thereunto.b

The Morning Devotional: WCF 18.2

The Morning Devotional for May 30, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 18.2

II. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion, grounded upon a fallible hope;a but an infallible assurance of faith, founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation,b the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made,c the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God:d which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption.e

The Morning Devotional: WCF 18.1 (Part Two)

The Morning Devotional for May 29, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 18.1 (Part Two)

I. Although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favour of God and estate of salvation,a which hope of theirs shall perish:b yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before him, may in this life be certainly assured that they are in a state of grace,c and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed.d

devotional, confessions, Westminster ConfessionWilliam HillMay 29, 2023assurance, grace, 1 John 5, 1 John 2, Romans 5

The Morning Devotional: WCF 18.1 (Part One)

The Morning Devotional for May 26, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 18.1 (Part One)

I. Although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favour of God and estate of salvation,a which hope of theirs shall perish:b yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before him, may in this life be certainly assured that they are in a state of grace,c and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed.d

The Morning Devotional: WCF 17.3

The Morning Devotional for May 25, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 17.3

III. Nevertheless they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins;a and for a time continue therein:b whereby they incur God’s displeasure,c and grieve his Holy Spirit;d come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts;ehave their hearts hardened,f and their consciences wounded;g hurt and scandalize others,hand bring temporal judgments upon themselves.i

The Morning Devotional: WCF 17.2

The Morning Devotional for May 24, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 17.2

II. This perseverance of the saints depends, not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father;a upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ;b the abiding of the Spirit and of the seed of God within them;c and the nature of the covenant of grace:d from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof.e

The Morning Devotional: WCF 17.1

The Morning Devotional for May 23, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 17.1

I. They whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.a

The Morning Devotional: WCF 16.7

The Morning Devotional for May 22, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 16.7

VII. Works done by unregenerate men, although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and others;a yet because they proceed not from a heart purified by faith,b nor are done in a right manner, according to the Word,c nor to a right end, the glory of God;d they are therefore sinful, and cannot please God, or make a man meet to receive grace from God.e And yet their neglect of them is more sinful and displeasing unto God.f

The Morning Devotional: WCF 16.6

The Morning Devotional for May 19, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 16.6

VI. Yet notwithstanding, the persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in him,a not as though they were in this life wholly unblamable and unreprovable in God’s sight;b but that he, looking upon them in his Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections.c

The Morning Devotional: WCF 16.5

The Morning Devotional for May 18, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 16.5

V. We cannot, by our best works, merit pardon of sin, or eternal life at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come, and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom by them we can neither profit nor satisfy for the debt of our former sins;a but when we have done all we can, we have done but our duty, and are unprofitable servants;b and because, as they are good, they proceed from his Spirit;c and as they are wrought by us, they are defiled and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection that they cannot endure the severity of God’s judgment.d

The Morning Devotional: WCF 16.4

The Morning Devotional for May 17, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 16.

IV. They who in their obedience attain to the greatest height which is possible in this life, are so far from being able to supererogate and to do more than God requires, as that they fall short of much which in duty they are bound to do.a

The Pastor’s Corner

The blog of Pastor William F. Hill, Jr.