We believe that God created man out of the dust of the
earth, and made and formed him after His own image and likeness, good,
righteous, and holy, capable in all things to will agreeably to the will of
God. But being in honor, he understood it not, neither knew his excellency, but
wilfully subjected himself to sin, and consequently to death and the curse,
giving ear to the words of the devil. For the commandment of life which he had
received he transgressed; and by sin separated himself from God, who was his
true life; having corrupted his whole nature; whereby he made himself liable to
corporal and spiritual death. And being thus become wicked, perverse, and
corrupt in all his ways, he hath lost all his excellent gifts which he had
received from God, and retained only a
few remains thereof, which, however, are sufficient to leave man
without excuse; for all the light which is in us is changed into darkness, as
the Scriptures teach us, saying: The light shineth in darkness, and the
darkness comprehendeth it not, where St. John calleth men darkness (Belg. Conf., 14).
COMMON
GRACE ARGUMENT:
This
article of the confession is thought to indirectly provide support for the
doctrine of common grace; “For,” it is argued, “if it wasn’t for common grace,
man would have no remains whatsoever
of ‘the excellent gifts which he had received from God,’ but would have become
a beast, or a devil, at the fall.”
These “remains”
of his excellent gifts are said to be elements of original goodness in man, by
which he still possesses the ability to perform good works, in the sight of God,
in the civil realm, and such elements of original goodness can only be still
there as the result of an inward operation of grace, restraining his depravity
and the powers of sin and death therein.
(I)
Prof. Herman C. Hanko
[Source: Another Look at
Common Grace (2019 edition), pp. 154-156]
In support of the doctrine of
the restraint of sin, appeal is made to the fact that the Belgic Confession [Art. 14] speaks of man retaining a few remains
of the excellent gifts which he lost because of the fall; and that the Canons [3–4.4] speak of “glimmerings of
natural light” which fallen man retains, by which he has some knowledge of God,
of natural things, and of the differences between good and evil. And further,
that, because of these glimmerings, he discovers some regard for virtue, good
order in society, and for maintaining an orderly external deportment.
It is clear that both articles
refer directly to the passages in Romans 1 and 2 which we discussed above. Both
use the same language in some respects, and both creeds specifically refer to
the fact that God continues to give fallen man some remnants of His excellent
gifts that he might be without excuse.
Both articles speak of natural
light—the Belgic by referring to
remnants of excellent gifts, and the Canons
by referring to glimmerings of natural light.
What are these “remnants of
natural light”? Very obviously, the creeds refer to the fact that, even after
man fall, man did not become a beast or animal—as Dr.
Abraham Kuyper (and others) insist would have happened, if it had not been for
common grace. He remained a man. His
natural light (in distinction from spiritual light) are those gifts which
guarantee that he is still a man. Man is still rational because he retains a
mind. He is still moral because he retains a will. He is still a creature with
a soul—which soul shall endure beyond death so that he may stand in the
judgment and be justly and righteously punished for his sin.
These gifts of natural light
are, according to the creeds, the means by which he still has some knowledge of
God, of natural things, and of the differences between good and evil. It is
because he has natural light, in a measure, that he is still able to have some
regard for virtue, good order in society, and for maintaining an orderly
external deportment. If he lacked these he would no longer be man.
But they are, after all, only glimmerings and remnants. Even as far as the natural light which man continues to
possess is concerned, man has only bits
and pieces. That is, the fall was so devastating in its consequences that
even man’s natural powers of mind and
will, which he retained, are remnants and glimmerings. They are the few scraps
a seamstress has left over when her dress is completed, essentially worthless.
They are the sputterings of a candle in comparison with the light of the sun.
Man’s natural powers of soul were far greater before he fell than after God
visited him with death.
But these glimmerings and
remnants are enough to hold man accountable before God. They are enough to give
man some knowledge of God, of natural things, and of the difference between
good and evil. And so man still is responsible for what he does. If he had not
these glimmerings, he would not be accountable before God for his idolatry and
sin. But now he is.
But if you should inquire
whether this is grace, the creeds
make no mention at all of such grace. And if you should think that these
glimmerings “restrain sin,” the creeds are quite emphatic that they do not.
Man’s regard for virtue and good order in society and his efforts to maintain
an orderly external deportment are for
his own selfish benefit, for he is able
to see that society would sink into chaos, and life would be impossible, if
God’s law were not externally observed.
The Canons are quite insistent on making the point. All these
glimmerings are not only insufficient to bring him to a saving knowledge of God
and to true conversion, but man is even incapable
of using this natural light aright in things natural and civil. He
suppresses the truth, renders it holy polluted, holds it in unrighteousness,
and corrupts it in every way possible. And so he becomes inexcusable before
God.
---------------------------------------------------
(II)
More to
come! (DV)
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