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Confessions

WHOAMI
What I hold on to as foundation of theology
Cessationism
Denominational affiliation
View of God
Soteriological stand
Soteriology in history
Creeds and confessions of faith
The order of decrees
Of human soul
Bible version
Hermeneutics
Epistemology and Apologetics
Of creation and age of Earth and Universe
Worship
Eschatology
Method in preaching
God’s sovereignty
Man’s inability

Deeply influenced by the last patristic and the first medieval father of Western Christianity, Augustine of Hippo, who wrote the Confessions, his own autobiographical work, consisting of 13 books, I have decided to have the same on my website. However, as much as I want to write personal and private stuff in a public domain, I am at the present time, restrained to do so, lest others may stumble and fall. Hence, here, I may write daily, but in private.

I am the chief of sinners. That’s what I want to always acknowledge and remind myself, not to think that I am better than others when it comes to morality. I have personal and selfish motives, even if I do good to others. That in itself is wrong. Even if I do not know that I have wrong motives, I may still have one. By His grace I try to always examine myself of my own motives when I do good works to others. Most of the time, yes. I cannot, within myself, find anything innately of good nature. To my friends, colleagues, and even enemies, don’t be bothered by these. This is in the level of my understanding of the doctrines of grace, original sin, and total depravity. My dealings with others, in work and in society are as normal and authentic as any person can have.

In coming to Christ, I have nothing to bring. I cannot bring my good works, for there are technically none. That is the truth of all scriptures.

As it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one; :11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. :12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10)

Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. (Ecclesiastes 7:20)

I don’t want to argue with the scriptures when it says no one does good, not even one. It’s either I do good, and the scripture is wrong, or the scripture is correct and my works are not good in God’s standards.

We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Isaiah 64:6)

“Nothing in my hands I bring, Simply to your cross I cling,”

Non posse non peccare. This is the condition of man after the fall of Adam. This literally means, not able not to sin. That, I always see in myself. Others may say that I am just too hard on myself. I am not, believe me. It is just that, for me, theology matters. That what matters to me. That what governs me when I move from one place to the other; when I move from one work to the other; and when disaster comes, et. al. It’s a pillow where I can rest my weary head.

Theological worldview. I also want this section of my website to contain the theological worldview that I believe in. I hope that nothing in here, is of private interpretation, but rather, should be based on the greatest men in history - Paul, Augustine, Athanasius, Polycarp, Calvin, Luther, Whitefield, Edwards, among others - lest I become a heretic.

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WHOAMI

I am a believer of Jesus Christ.
I am a Christian.

What I hold on to as foundation of theology

I hold to the five (5) Solas of the Reformation:
- Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)
- Solus Christus (Christ Alone)
- Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
- Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
- Soli Deo Gloria (The Glory of God Alone)
I hold to the TULIP of the Synod of Dordrecht:
- Total Depravity
- Unconditional Election
- Limited Atonement
- Irresistible Grace
- Perseverance of the Saints

Cessationism

I am a cessationist. I don’t subscribe to Continuationism. The offices of the apostles, prophets, faith healers, and tongues speaker/interpreter have ceased after the apostolic age - the age of miracles - so that the 66 books of the canon could be closed. Further, the tongues in the Bible refers to other human languages and not mystical utterances or prayer languages.

Denominational affiliation

I am a Particular Baptist. Now, commonly known as Reformed Baptist. While there are few Protestants compared to Roman Catholics, and few Baptists amongst other Protestant denominations, there are very very few Particular or Reformed Baptists at this modern age. Here are the distinguishing marks:

Particular Baptists are calvinists (Particular and Reformed Baptists).
Strict Baptists are hyper-calvinists.
General Baptists are arminians (Fundamental Baptists, Bible Baptists, and other non-reformed baptist churches).

Here’s how they differ:

Particular and General baptists differ particularly in the atonement of Jesus Christ. The former, they believe that Christ died for all, past, present and future who ever walked and lived on this earth. The latter, they believe that Christ died only to the elect.
Strict baptists believes like that of a Particular baptists when it comes to the atonement of Christ, but they do differ in the offer the gospel. They don’t preach the gospel to all but only to the elect.

I am a baptized believer who was baptized as a believer. I reject baptist successionism - the view held most often by the Bible Baptist Churches that Christ built His church through John the Baptist, or anything similar. Bible baptists are generally considered under general baptists.

View of God

I hold the Trinity view of God. I hold the view of Athanasius of Alexandria. I therefore reject Arianism. Consequently, I also reject Ebionism, Docetism, Apollinarianism, Nestorianism, and Eutychianism. Likewise, in today’s modern churches, I reject modern form of Arianism e.g., INC, JW, Oneness Pentecostalism, et. al.

Soteriological stand

I am a monergist. I hold to monergism. I reject synergism.

Soteriology in history

I am a Paulinist. I am an Augustinian. I reject Pelagianism and Semi-Pelagianism. I am a (5-point) Calvinist. I reject Arminianism.

Creeds and confessions of faith

I subscribe to 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. Likewise, the other historic confessions of faith upholding the sovereignty of God such as

the Three (3) Forms of Unity and
the Westminster Confession of Faith.

I find myself however, can’t agree with some of specific points in the said confessions, even to some points in 1689 BCF.

The order of decrees

I hold the Supralapsarian view more than the Infralapsarian view with emphasis that the Decree of God is immediate and not progressive like humans; and that, though we often speak of the “Decrees of God” in plural, there is only but one comprehensive Decree of God, singular.

More to the decree of God, I believe that God decreed all in detail, even sin. However, it shall be noted that, the decree to act, is not an act in itself.

Of human soul

I hold the Traducianism view over the views of Soul Creationism and Preëxistence.

Bible version

My choice of Bible Version is the King James Version (KJV) and the English Standard Version (ESV). I reject KJV onlyist.

Hermeneutics

I hold the Grammatical Historial in Hermeneutics. I reject private interpretation especially if it came out isolated from century that is very recent.

Epistemology and Apologetics

I hold the Presuppositional Epistemology or Apologetics.

Of creation and age of Earth and Universe

I am a Literal Biblical Creationist. I therefore hold the Young Earth - Young Universe view. I am open for Omphalos hypothesis, and Last Tuesdayism argument in support for the Old Eart - Old Universe view, but still maintain the Young Earth - Young Universe view.

Worship

I hold the Regulative Principle in worship. What else can bring glory to God other than what He has laid down in His written Word.

Eschatology

I hold the Amillennial view in eschatology. I hold that the millennium is not a literal 1,000 years, rather means “unnumbered” years. I hold that it is not earthly millennium but heavenly with those who died in Christ already, thus their intermediate state (first resurrection).

I am intolerant, narrow minded, and stubbornly committed to that which is taught by God and declared by his Word. The Bible demands a very narrow mind or a closed mind - a mind that is resolute in the fact that there is but one way and one road. The bible prepares us for this reality by indicating that “there are few who will find it” (Matt. 7:14).

Method in preaching

I really hate topical preaching when done regularly every Sunday. It should be occasionally. I love expository preaching book by book, chapter by chapter and verse by verse.

God’s sovereignty

It is God who

draws people to Himself (John 6:44,65);
creates a clean heart (Psalm 51:10);
appoints people to believe (Acts 13:48);
works faith in the believer (John 6:28-29);
chooses who is to be holy and blameless (Eph. 1:4);
chooses us for salvation (2 Thess. 2:13-14);
grants the act of believing (Phil. 1:29);
grants repentance (2 Tim. 2:24-26);
calls according to His purpose (2 Tim. 1:9);
causes us to be born again (1 Pet. 1:3);
predestines us to salvation (Rom. 8:29-30);
predestines us to adoption (Eph. 1:5);
predestines us according to His purpose (Eph. 1:11); and
makes us born again not by our will but by His will (John 1:12-13).

Man’s inability

It is man who

is deceitful and desperately sick (Jer. 17:9);
is full of evil (Mark 7:21-23);
loves darkness rather than light (John 3:19);
is unrighteous, does not understand, does not seek for God (Rom. 3:10-12);
is helpless and ungodly (Rom. 5:6);
is dead in his trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1);
is by nature a child of wrath (Eph. 2:3);
cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14); and
is a slave of sin (Rom. 6:16-20).