Pastor's Corner — Providence Presbyterian Church

The Morning Devotional: WCF 2.1 (Part Two)

The Morning Devotional for January 20, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 2.1 (Part Two)

I. There is but one onlya living and true God,b who is infinite in being and perfection,c a most pure spirit,d invisible,e without body, parts,f or passions,g immutable,h immense,i eternal,jincomprehensible,k almighty,l most wise,m most holy,n most free,o most absolute,p working all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will,q for his own glory;r most loving,s gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin;t the rewarder of them that diligently seek him;u and withal most just and terrible in his judgments;v hating all sin,w and who will by no means clear the guilty.x

devotional, confessions, videoWilliam HillJanuary 20, 2023devotional, Westminster Standards, 1 John 4:8, Eph. 1:11, Prov. 16:4, Ex. 34:6-7, God

The Morning Devotional: WCF 2.1 (Part One)

The Morning Devotional for January 19, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 2.1 (Part One)

I. There is but one onlya living and true God,b who is infinite in being and perfection,c a most pure spirit,d invisible,e without body, parts,f or passions,g immutable,h immense,i eternal,jincomprehensible,k almighty,l most wise,m most holy,n most free,o most absolute,p working all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will,q for his own glory;r most loving,s gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin;t the rewarder of them that diligently seek him;u and withal most just and terrible in his judgments;v hating all sin,w and who will by no means clear the guilty.x

confessions, devotional, videoWilliam HillJanuary 19, 2023devotional, Westminster Standards, God, Deut. 6:4, John 4:24

The Morning Devotional: WCF 1.9-10

The Morning Devotional for January 18, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 1.9-10

IX. The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself; and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly. A

a. Acts 15:15; 2 Pet 1:20-21.

Bible Knowledge Project: Genesis 2

READ: Genesis 2

Genesis two has been regarded by most scholars to be a microscopic look into the creation of man. It is another account of the creation of our first parents. Additionally, this chapter highlights the nature and importance of the Sabbath and that of marriage.

2:1-3

This section highlights the importance of the Sabbath day. That day is significant and set aside by God for the express purpose of worshiping him. On the other six days, God called his work “good.” On the seventh day, no such reference is made. Instead, he calls it holy – a day set apart from the other activities accompanying creation week. There is a second observation of significance in this section: the absence of the phrase “evening and morning,” which we find connected to the other days of creation. There is a good reason for that: the seventh day is the day of worship, and worship never ends. Man was made on the sixth day to worship God on the seventh. All of our life is to be an act of worship, and we were made to glorify God with everything we do, say, or think (1 Cor. 10:31; WSC 1).

bible readingWilliam HillJanuary 17, 2023Genesis 2, Sabbath, marriage

The Morning Devotional: WCF 1.7-8

The Morning Devotional for January 17, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 1.7-8

VII. All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all;a yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed, for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them.b

a. 2 Pet 3:16. • b. Psa 119:105, 130.

devotional, confessions, Westminster Confession, videoWilliam HillJanuary 17, 2023devotional, Greek, Hebrews

The Morning Devotional: WCF 1.6 (Part Two)

The Morning Devotional for January 16, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 1.6

The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.a Nevertheless we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word;b and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the Church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed.c

confessions, devotional, Westminster Confession, videoWilliam HillJanuary 16, 2023devotional

Bible Knowledge Project: Matthew 1

Read: Matthew 1

1:1-14

The gospel of Matthew begins with a genealogy ending with the birth of Christ. Matthew’s genealogy is designed to show us the kingly line of Christ and is divided neatly into three 14 generation cycles.

1:18-25

This section highlights the birth of Christ. The critical aspect of the narrative is found in 1:18, where we read that his name “will be called Jesus for he will save his people from their sins.” At the very beginning of the earthly ministry of Christ, we have a clearly stated purpose for his advent: the salvation of sinners. The whole purpose and mission of the Savior is to give his life a ransom for sin.

bible readingWilliam HillJanuary 13, 2023Matthew 1, Bible Knowledge

The Morning Devotional: WCF 1.6 (Part One)

The Morning Devotional for January 13, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 1.6

The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.a Nevertheless we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word;b and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the Church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed.c

a. Gal 1:8-9; 2 Thes 2:2; 2 Tim 3:15-17. • b. John 6:45; 1 Cor 2:9-12. • c. 1 Cor 11:13-14; 14:26, 40.

The Morning Devotional: WCF 1.4-5

The Morning Devotional for January 12, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 1.4-5

IV. The authority of the holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the Author thereof; and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God.a

a. 1 Thes 2:13; 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:19, 21; 1 John 5:9.

The Morning Devotional: WCF 1.2-3

The Morning Devotional for January 11, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 1.2-3

II. Under the name of holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testaments, which are these:

Of the Old TestamentGenesis. Exodus. Leviticus. Numbers. Deuteronomy. Joshua. Judges. Ruth. I Samuel. II Samuel. I Kings. II Kings. I Chronicles.II Chronicles. Ezra. Nehemiah. Esther. Job. Psalms. Proverbs. Ecclesiastes. The Song of Songs. Isaiah. Jeremiah. Lamentations. Ezekiel.Daniel. Hosea. Joel. Amos. Obadiah. Jonah. Micah. Nahum. Habakkuk. Zephaniah. Haggai. Zechariah. Malachi.Of the New TestamentThe Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. The Acts of the Apostles. Paul’s Epistles to the Romans. Corinthians I.Corinthians II. Galatians. Ephesians. Philippians. Colossians. Thessalonians I. Thessalonians II. To Timothy I. To Timothy II. To Titus. To Philemon.The Epistle to the Hebrews. The Epistle of James. The First and Second Epistles of Peter. The First, Second, and Third Epistles of John. The Epistle of Jude. The Revelation.

devotional, Westminster Confession, confessionsWilliam HillJanuary 11, 2023Scripture, Bible, inspiration, authorty, faith, life, canon

Bible Knowledge Project: Genesis 1

Read: Genesis 1
The opening chapter of the Bible starts with a grand declaration, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” There is no defense of God’s existence. There is only a statement that it is God who created all things, visible and invisible.

God determined to create all things in the space of six days, and the account of it is given to us in 1:3-31. The following is a short summary of the days of creation:

bible readingWilliam HillJanuary 10, 2023Genesis 1, creation, man

The Morning Devotional: WCF 1.1 (Part Two)

The Morning Devotional for January 10, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 1.1 (Part Two)

Of the Holy Scripture

1. Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence, do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; a yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of his will, which is necessary unto salvation;b therefore it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his Church;c and afterwards, for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the Church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing;d which maketh the holy Scripture to be most necessary;e those former ways of God’s revealing his will unto his people being now ceased.f

a.Psa 19:1-3; Rom 1:19-20; 1:32 with Rom. 2:1; 2:14-15. • b. 1 Cor 1:21; 2:13-14. • c. Heb 1:1. • d. Prov 22:19-21; Isa 8:19-20; Mat 4:4, 7, 10; Luke 1:3-4; Rom 15:4. • e. 2 Tim 3:15; 2 Pet 1:19. • f. Heb 1:1-2.

devotional, video, Westminster ConfessionWilliam HillJanuary 10, 2023Bible, devotional, Scripture

The Pastor’s Corner

The blog of Pastor William F. Hill, Jr.