In Genesis 3:15, we have a great promise from God. He won't let Satan have the victory over us. He will sent His Son, Jesus ("the seed of the woman". Through His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus will triumph over Satan - for us. Satan will bruise Jesus' heel. We see this in Jesus' suffering on the Cross. Jesus will bruise Satan's head. We see this in Jesus' mighty resurrection from the dead. When Jesus was crucified, it seemed that Satan had the upper hand. That's the way it seemed, but it's not the way really was. That was only the bruising of Jesus' heel. Soon, it would be made clear that it was Jesus who had the upper hand. His triumph was revealed in his glorious resurrection - the bruising of Satan's head. When we read these words, we may say, "Satan is still alive and kicking." Yes. That's true, but his head has been bruised - and this is the beginning of the end for him. Satan's end will come when he is "cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:10). Then, there will be the ultimate triumph of the Lord - "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:4). We have seen the beginning of the fulfilment of God's great promise. We shall see the complete fulfilment of His promise. This is the work of His amazing grace, and we give all the glory to Him.
In this post, I will draw comparisons between Arminius and Berkouwer. * Bangs points out that the historical situation in Holland was not a simple one - Calvinism coming in, Arminius nearly ruining it and the Synod of Dort restoring it: “The earliest Dutch Reformed leaders don’t seem to be Calvinists at all. They rise out of the soil, here and there, nurtured by the old Dutch biblical piety, not seized by dogmatic insights, but steadily pressing toward a purified life of faith according to Scripture” (p. 21). This emphasis is similar to Berkouwer’s insistence that election is not a special gnosis for the theological elite. Rather, it is a confession of faith, arising from the hearts of those who have come to know the grace of God ( Divine Election (DE), p. 216). * Bangs observes that Arminius’ theological method is “practical and through faith”: “For the Theology which belongs to this world, is practical and through faith: Theoretical Theology belongs to the o...
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