The Riches of His Glorious Inheritance in the Saints
Week 5
Westminster Larger Catechism Q57-89
Where are we going?
Question
Topic
57, 58 
59, 60 
The benefits of redemption & how applied
Who are the recipients?
Justification and Sanctification: What’s the difference?
Dr. David Van Drunen
The visible church
The Invisible Church
Union with Christ &Effectual Call
Communion in Grace with Christ – Justification
Justifying Faith
Communion in Grace with Christ – Adoption &
Sanctification
The Difference Between Justification and Sanctification
Perseverance and Assurance of Believers
Communion in Glory with Christ – in this life
Communion in Glory with Christ – after death
The Final Judgment

61-63 
64-65 
66-68
69-71
72-73
74-76
77-78
79-81
82-83
84-87
88-89
Week
1
2
10/13/2013
10/20/2013
10/27/2013
3
4
5
6
7
8
11/3/2013
11/10/2013
11/17/2013
11/24/2013
12/1/2013
12/8/2013
9
10
11
12
13
12/15/2013
12/22/2013
12/29/2013
1/5/2014
1/12/2013
Our theme for the next several weeks:
“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the
Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not
cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my
prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation
in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts
enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which
he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious
inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable
greatness of his power toward us who believe,…”
(Eph 1:15-19)
More background…
• The WLC (and the WSC) is an OUTLINE of doctrine
extracted from the Bible.
• Answers many (most) of the questions that we might ask
regarding the Christian life and experience.
• We will look at the “Benefits of Redemption” or as Paul
stated, “…that you may know what is the hope to which
he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious
inheritance in the saints,….” (Eph 1:18)
• First the context in our outline of doctrine to establish the
FOUNDATION:
The WLC Begins with the End
Man’s Chief End:
Glorify & Enjoy God [Q1]
An Apology for God’s Being [Q2]
God’s Revelation of Himself
[Q3]
An Apology for God’s Word [Q4]
A Summary of God’s Word [Q5]
What to Believe
(God’s & His Works) [Q6-90]
What to Do (Man’s Duty) [Q91-196]
A Biblical Pattern: Believe => Do
This pattern is not arbitrary – why did they outline it this
way?
Because it has its roots in Scripture:
• Belief begets practice. What you believe WILL dictate
how you behave. Examples:
– Paul’s letters – Romans 1-11 explain the work of God then at
12:1 “I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God to
present your bodies a living sacrifice…”
– Ephesians 1- 3 declares the work of God in salvation then at 4:1
“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner
worthy of the calling to which you have been called,…”
– Even in the giving of the 10 commandments we see this pattern:
““I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods
before me….” [God: “This is Who I am and who you are –
therefore DO this…”]
What to Believe
(God & His Works)
[Q6-90]
A Summary of what to believe about God [Q6]
Who God is… [Q7-11]
What God is… [Q7]
The Persons of the
Godhead
[Q8-11]
What God does…[Q12 –
90]
Q. 57. What benefits hath Christ procured by his
mediation?
A. Christ, by his mediation, hath procured redemption, with
all other benefits of the covenant of grace.
me·di·a·tion /mēdēˈāSHən/
noun: mediation; plural noun: mediations
1. intervention in a dispute in order to resolve it; arbitration.
"the parties have sought mediation and it has failed"
• intervention in a process or relationship; intercession.
"they are offering sacrifice and mediation between God and man"
re·demp·tion /riˈdempSHən/
noun: redemption; plural noun: redemptions
1. the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.
"God's plans for the redemption of his world"
2. the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for
payment, or clearing a debt.
What did Christ’s work accomplish?
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the
good things that have come, then through the
greater and more perfect tent (not made with
hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once
for all into the holy places, not by means of the
blood of goats and calves but by means of his own
blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
(Heb 9:11-12 ESV)
For even the Son of Man came not to be served
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for
many.” (Mark 10:45 ESV)
Q. 58. How do we come to be made partakers of the
benefits which Christ hath procured?
A. We are made partakers of the benefits which Christ hath
procured, by the application of them unto us, which is the
work especially of God the Holy Ghost.
… are made partakers… by the application of them …
Who is doing the work here?
Remember where we are in the catechism outline?
What to believe about God > His works > His
decrees > His works of providence
What is the difference between the work of the Holy Spirit
and that of Christ?
Christ: redemption accomplished (Q 36 – 56)
Holy Spirit: redemption applied (Q 57 – 90)
Q. 59. Who are made partakers of redemption through
Christ?
A. Redemption is certainly applied, and effectually
communicated, to all those for whom Christ hath purchased
it; who are in time by the Holy Ghost enabled to believe in
Christ according to the gospel.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me
shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I
said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that
the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I
will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my
own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him
who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given
me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have
eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:35-40,
ESV)
Q. 59. Who are made partakers of redemption through
Christ?
A. Redemption is certainly applied, and effectually
communicated, to all those for whom Christ hath purchased
it; who are in time by the Holy Ghost enabled to believe in
Christ according to the gospel.
What is that group of people called for whom Christ died?
• His people
• His sheep
• His church
• His body
• The elect (Eph 1)
• Those whom He foreknew (Rom 8:29-30)
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to
the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among
many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and
those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified
he also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30, ESV)
… who are in time by the Holy Ghost enabled to believe…
The ETERNAL perspective [ABOVE ‘THE LINE’]:
… even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
(Ephesians 1:4 ESV)
The TEMPORAL perspective [BELOW ‘THE LINE’:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you
once walked, following the course of this world, following
the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at
work in the sons of disobedience –
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love
with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our
trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace
you have been saved— (Ephesians 2:1-2 and 4-5 ESV)
Q. 60. Can they who have never heard the gospel, and
so know not Jesus Christ, nor believe in him, be saved
by their living according to the light of nature?
A. They who, having never heard the gospel, know not
Jesus Christ, and believe not in him, cannot be saved, be
they never so diligent to frame their lives according to the
light of nature, or the laws of that religion which they
profess; neither is there salvation in any other, but in Christ
alone, who is the Savior only of his body the church.
What about the poor savage who has not had a
chance to hear the gospel? God surely would not
send them to hell if they never even had the
chance to hear the gospel?
Q.61. Are all they saved who hear the gospel, and live
in the church?
A. All that hear the gospel, and live in the visible church,
are not saved; but they only who are true members of the
church invisible.
VISIBLE Church?
INVISIBLE Church?
Isn’t that double-speak?
Where does the Bible say anything about a VISIBLE and an INVISIBLE church?
If the invisible church is what really matters… then, can I just join that one?
A visible church is deduced from the Scriptures…
• “… tell it to the church….” (Matthew 18:15-17, ESV)
– How can you “tell it to the church” unless there is a visible,
organized group to which you can tell it?
• Obey your leaders and submit to them,… (Hebrews 13:17,
ESV)
– How can you obey this command unless you know who “your
leaders” are?
– Can leaders give an account for everyone that crosses their path?
• “… not neglecting to meet together, …” (Hebrews 10:23-25,
ESV)
– We are to stir up one another to love and good works – how?
– By (not neglecting) meeting together regularly….
– This is an encouragement to one another
• This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what
remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I
directed you— (Titus 1:5, ESV)
– The church was visible and organized with leadership and members
that could be seen.
Q.62. What is the visible church?
A. The visible church is a society made up of all such as in
all ages and places of the world do profess the true
religion, and of their children.
•
•
•
•
A society
Those in all ages and places
Profess the true religion
And of their children
How can you tell a TRUE church?
Belgic Confession
Article 29: The Marks of the True Church
• the pure preaching of the gospel
• pure administration of the sacraments
• church discipline for correcting faults
Westminster Confession (25):
4. This catholic church hath been sometimes more, sometimes
less visible. And particular churches, which are members
hereof, are more or less pure, according as the doctrine of the
gospel is taught and embraced, ordinances administered, and
public worship performed more or less purely in them.
Q.63. What are the special privileges of the visible
church?
A. The visible church hath the privilege of being under
God's special care and government; of being protected and
preserved in all ages, not withstanding the opposition of all
enemies; and of enjoying the communion of saints, the
ordinary means of salvation, and offers of grace by Christ
to all the members of it in the ministry of the gospel,
testifying, that whosoever believes in him shall be saved,
and excluding none that will come unto him.
The Benefits of the Visible Church
…enjoying the communion of the saints,…
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without
wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us
consider how to stir up one another to love and good
works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of
some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as
you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:23-25, ESV)
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in
every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with
joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the
first day until now. (Philippians 1:3 ESV)
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who
weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be
haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in
your own sight. (Romans 12:15-16, ESV)
The Benefits of the Visible Church
… the ordinary means of salvation, and offers of grace by
Christ to all the members of it in the ministry of the
gospel,…
What is a means?
Why does the WLC refer to the church enjoying the
ordinary means?
The Benefits of the Visible Church
… the ordinary means of salvation, and offers of grace by Christ
to all the members of it in the ministry of the gospel,…
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth
and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you
will be saved…. (Romans 10:8-9, ESV)
How then will they call on him in whom they have not
believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they
have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone
preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?
As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach
the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For
Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from
us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the
word of Christ. (Romans 10:14-17, ESV)
The Benefits of the Visible Church
… the ordinary means of salvation, and offers of grace by
Christ to all the members of it in the ministry of the
gospel,…
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists,
the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the
work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until
we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of
the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no
longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and
carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human
cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (Ephesians
4:11-14, ESV)
The Benefits of the Visible Church
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to
himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is,
in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not
counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to
us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are
ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through
us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to
God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20, ESV)
To the extent that in more conservative circles preaching
has been reduced to its didactic function or to inspiration
and moral uplift, it is not surprising that younger believers
look for alternative means of grace. Typically we prefer
what we can see to what we hear: “ A picture is worth a
thousand and words.” Our new images may not be statues
that we venerate, but there is a real danger in Protestant
churches of once again silencing God’s living and active
speech (i.e., the exposition of Scripture) in a sea of our own
insights, visual drama, and the blue luminosity of our
computer screens. Yet our Lord chose not only the content
but the medium. We do not find God; he finds us. Faith
comes not by feeling, thinking, seeing, or striving, but by
hearing.
- Michael Horton, “The Christian Faith, A Systematic
Theology for pilgrims on the Way”
What do you expect in the public assembly of the church?
Proclamation does involve doctrinal and ethical instruction, of course.
The law and the gospel not only kill and make alive; they direct our life
and doctrine. However, we must come to church expecting nothing less
than God's gracious assault on the citadels of our autonomy, our
supposing that we could ascend to God by our theological acumen any
more than by our actions. This confrontation occurs not only in the
sermon, but in the entire liturgy, including the singing, whose purpose is
to "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing
one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Col 3:16). While
carefully distinguishing the Spirit's illumination of the preached Word
from the Spirit's inspiration of the canonical Word, we can affirm that
the content-Christ and all of his benefits-is exactly the same. This
should create a sense of urgency and expectancy in our public
assembly, as God addresses us here and now.'!
- Michael Horton, “The Christian Faith, A Systematic Theology for
pilgrims on the Way”
Q. 64. What is the invisible church?
A. The invisible church is the whole number of the elect,
that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one under
Christ the head.
Humanity
This could represent ALL
of time and history.
Invisible
Church
This could represent a
snapshot in time.
Visible
Church
SIZE of CIRCLES NOT TO SCALE!!
Q. 65. What special benefits do the members of the
invisible church enjoy by Christ?
A. The members of the invisible church by Christ enjoy
union and communion with him in grace and glory.
This question serves as a GATEWAY or OUTLINE to the
following questions in the catechism ….
What is union with Christ?
What is communion with Him?
What does that look like now?
What will it look like in glory?
•
•
•
•
QUESTIONS?
COMMENTS?
OBJECTIONS?
MUSINGS?
The Hatfield & McCoy Feud
Why were whole extended families involved?
Where else can you see this kind of unity or association?
Pearl Harbor Attack
Attack on US on 9-11-01
Q. 66. What is that union which the elect have with
Christ?
A. The union which the elect have with Christ is the work of
God’s grace, whereby they are spiritually and mystically,
yet really and inseparably, joined to Christ as their head
and husband; which is done in their effectual calling.
What is that union the elect have with Christ?
• Matthew 25:41-46 – the least of these…
• Acts 26:14 – confrontation of Saul
• John 17:21 – …that they may also be in us…
• 1 Corinthians 15:22 - …in Adam … in Christ…
• 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 – in Christ a new creation
• Ephesians 5: 25-33 - … a profound mystery…
How should that affect the way we live?
What we do Christ does…
• 1 Corinthians 6:15-20 …
• Galatians 2:20 - It is no longer I who live…
• Philippians 1:21 - … for me to live is Christ,…
Q. 67. What is effectual calling?
A. Effectual calling is the work of God’s almighty power and
grace, whereby (out of his free and special love to his elect,
and from nothing in them moving him thereunto) he doth, in
his accepted time, invite and draw them to Jesus Christ, by
his Word and Spirit; savingly enlightening their minds,
renewing and powerfully determining their wills, so as they
(although in themselves dead in sin) are hereby made
willing and able freely to answer his call, and to accept and
embrace the grace offered and conveyed therein.
It is EFFECTUAL [Producing or sufficient to produce a
desired effect; fully adequate.]
• Romans 8:28-30 - … those who are called according to
his purpose…
What other kind of call is there? What’s the difference?