Scriptural and Rational Defence of Eternal Punishment in Hell against Annihilationism

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Annihilationism. The belief that all the wicked will be judged by God and thrown into the lake of fire, where they will cease to exist. Some annihilationists suggest that this will occur instantaneously, while others believe that the unrighteous may experience a brief period of awareness. However, all annihilationists agree that no individual, however wicked, will suffer eternally a conscious existence in hell. [Pocket Dict. Theological Terms]
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The Eternality of Future Punishment
Not only is the future judgment of unbelievers irreversible, but their punishment is eternal. We do not reject merely the idea that all will be saved; we also reject the contention that none will be eternally punished. The school of thought known as annihilationism, on the other hand, maintains that although not everyone will be saved, there is only one class of future existence. Those who are saved will have an unending life; those who are not saved will be eliminated or annihilated. They will simply cease to exist. While granting that not everyone deserves to be saved, to receive everlasting bliss, this position maintains that no one deserves endless suffering…

The problem with all of the forms of annihilationism is that they contradict biblical teaching. Continue reading “Scriptural and Rational Defence of Eternal Punishment in Hell against Annihilationism”

Special Characteristics of God-Inspired Scripture. IAB-05/10

Special Characteristics of God-Inspired Scripture. IAB-05/10

A. Two predicates or qualities of inspiration
1) Inspiration is plenary. That is to say, ‘the whole of Scripture is given by divine inspiration.’ The whole of the Scripture, from beginning to end and inclusive of all its parts, is inspired.

2) Inspiration is verbal. The inspiration of Scripture extends down to its very words. This affirms that each word of the original was given by divine inspiration. In affirming plenary, verbal inspiration, we are saying that ‘the Scriptures not only contain but are the Word of God, and hence that all their elements and all their affirmations are absolutely errorless, and binding the faith and obedience of men.

B. Perspicuity or Clarity of Scripture. The Bible is clear enough to be understood by anyone who is willing to read it with the help of the Holy Spirit, using ordinary means and is willing to obey it.

C. Holy Scripture contains all things necessary to salvation; so that whatsoever is not read therein, not may be proved thereby is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of the faith. The closing of Canon of Scripture implies the completeness and sufficiency of its contents, just as it expresses a conviction of the fulfillment, and completion of revelation.

D. The Bible is its own interpreter. Scripture contains within itself the material and ruling principles by which the meaning of any particular verse may be determined.

You can watch the full video at
Special Characteristics of God-Inspired Scripture. IAB-05/10

God and the Laws of Logic. Archetypal Ectypal Model vs Theistic Conceptual Realism Model

The Theistic Conceptual Realism Model view of relationship between God and logic

The Archetypal Ectypal Model view of relationship between God and logic

Key:
AEM = Archetypal-Ectypal Model.
TCRM = Theistic Conceptual Realism Model
ATSC = Archetypal Trinitarian Self Coherence
I =  ‘‘l’’ refers to the laws of logic as we know it, an accommodated form of the ectypal laws of thought in God’s mind
————- Continue reading “God and the Laws of Logic. Archetypal Ectypal Model vs Theistic Conceptual Realism Model”

Herman Bavinck Archetypal-Ectypal Model of Knowledge and True Theology. BB003

Divine revelation is the foundation of true knowledge of God
For Herman Bavinck, the only adequate foundation for human knowledge of God is God’s self-disclosure. Without divine revelation, human knowledge remains speculative and distorted by finitude and sin. Divine revelation bridges the knowledge gap between God and man, but what is the relationship between knowledge in God and knowledge that is revealed to us? Continue reading “Herman Bavinck Archetypal-Ectypal Model of Knowledge and True Theology. BB003”

Historical Revelation and the Divine Inspiration of the Bible. IAB-04/10

Historical Revelation and the Divine Inspiration of the Bible. KP10-IAB-04/10

A. Biblical revelation is historical revelation. God established a covenant with Israel in the time of Moses, governed by a written document. This document which should be seen in the context of the suzerainty treaties of the ancient Near East…God’s relation to Israel is structured by a written text. The covenant words are a holy text from the God of the Covenant. Precedent for written prophecy. Prophets after the time of Moses and Joshua also produced written documents setting forth the words that God gave to them. It is evident that during the OT period itself, a body of writings developed that could be quoted as divinely authoritative.

B. The New Testament as God’s Written Words
There is no reason for thinking that the new covenant is any less verbal than was the old. Covenants by their very nature are verbal transactions… Jesus and the apostles revered the OT as God’s Word, as we have seen, and they also identified themselves as God’s prophets, bringing God’s words to the world…The words of Jesus and the apostles were also intended to be preserved for later generations…Only a written document can preserve these words as God’s personal words to us.

C. Biblical Definition of Inspiration
In revelation we have the vertical reception of God’s truth while in inspiration we have the horizontal communication of that revelation accurately to others. Continue reading “Historical Revelation and the Divine Inspiration of the Bible. IAB-04/10”

Herman Bavinck’s Metaphysics of Knowledge. BB002

Herman Bavinck’s Metaphysics of Knowledge. BB002

Knowledge beyond the Immanuel Kant’s Bounds of Pure Reason
“Pure reason” refers to Immanuel Kant’s idea of the faculty of reason operating independently and applying a priori concepts or innate forms and categories of thought to impose order to makes sense of sensations received from the world. Effectively, the mind becomes the measure and bounds of all knowledge. But we can never be sure if there is correspondence between the structured experience in mind and reality outside the mind. Kant’s conclusion is that there is an unbridgeable gap between what the mind perceives with its constructed concepts and representations (phenomena) and the world or the things-in-themselves (noumena).

Herman Bavinck agrees with Kant that the mind plays a determinative role for all meaningful experience but Bavinck argues that Kant’s epistemological dualism undermines knowledge altogether. “For, says idealism [Kant], if a thing and the representation of a thing are two different realities, then we must despair of knowledge of the thing. Since we simply can never test our representation of a thing by the thing itself, we can never step outside of ourselves, of our representational world…We always remain inside the circle of our representations and never come into contact with the thing itself, only with our representation of the thing. Stated differently, only that which is conscious exists for us; I can only think the thought, not the thing itself. That which is not my thought is inconceivable, unknowable to me; it does not exist for me.” [RD 1.216] Continue reading “Herman Bavinck’s Metaphysics of Knowledge. BB002”

Christ’s Attestation of the Bible as the Word of God. IAB. Part 03/10

A. Christ’s attestation is the foundation of Christian belief in the Bible as God’s word. IAB. Part 03/10

B. Question: What did Jesus Christ say about the nature of the Bible as God’s Word being? Christ as the resurrected saviour spoke with infallible authority. He confirmed the divine authority of the Old Testament, that is, Scripture as God’s revealed Word is normative for moral conduct before God and is the final authority in settling theological disputes.

C. The New Testament claims to be on the level of authority of the O.T. (2Peter 3:16). Christ had promised the disciples of the Spirit to guide them into all the truth (John 16:12, 13; Matt. 10:20; Mark 13:11; Luke 12:12); and the commandments of the Lord did come through the apostles (2 Peter 3:2).

D. Conclusion: The bible as the basis of faith is thus well summed up in Eph. 2:20, “Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.”

You can view the video at:
Christ’s attestation is the foundation of Christian belief in the Bible as God’s word. IAB. Part 03/10

Transgenderism as Ancient Gnosticism in New Garb. A Response*

Gnostic Anthropology
One of the primary themes of gnostic anthropology is that the material body is a part of a “lesser” reality, one that is not connected to the “true” self. This understanding of the human person intentionally disconnects the body from the soul, as the body (including biological sex) needs to be transcended in order to achieve salvation…

Transgenderism
The American Psychological Association defines “transgender” as “an umbrella term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression, or behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth.” Continue reading “Transgenderism as Ancient Gnosticism in New Garb. A Response*”

Attestation of Bible as God’s Inspired Word Grounded Christ’s Infallible Authority. IAB Part 02/10

Attestation of Bible as God’s Inspired Word Grounded in Christ’s Infallible Authority. IAB Part 02/10

A. The Finality of the Bible
WCF 1.10. The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined…and in whose judgment we are to rest, can be nothing other than the Holy Spirit speaking in Scripture.
Only an infallible Bible is adequate to serve as the final authority in religious truth claims. In concrete terms, the Holy Spirit will bear witness about Jesus (John 15:26)

B. The self-attestation of the Bible is not an abstract assertion. It is grounded in the words of Jesus Christ.

C. The Classical Method in Proving the Bible as the Inspire Word of God
1. The Bible is basically a reliable and trustworthy document.
2. On the basis of this reliable document we have sufficient evidence to believe confidently that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
3. Jesus as the Son of God is an infallible authority.
4. Jesus Christ teaches the Bible is more than generally trustworthy; it is the very Word of God.
5. That the Word, in that it comes from God, is utterly trustworthy because God is utterly trustworthy.

Conclusion – on the basis of the infallible authority of Jesus Christ, the Church believes the Bible is utterly trustworthy, i.e. infallible.

You can view the video at
Attestation of Bible as God’s Inspired Word Grounded in Christ’s Infallible Authority. IAB Part 02/10

The Self-Attestation of the Bible as the Inspired Word of God.

The Self-Attestation of the Bible as the Inspired Word of God. KP10-IAB.Part 01/10

A. God has spoken: Necessity of special or biblical revelation.
Two divisions of revelation: (1) General or natural revelation which pertains to God’s revelation in nature and history, (2) Special revelation inscribed in the Bible which is God’s authoritative, infallible and inerrant Word.

B. Two approaches to the Bible
1. Approach the Bible based on so-called neutral criteria & evidence. Problem: a) In reality there is no neutral criteria of judgment. b) At best this approach can demonstrate the Bible as an accurate document but it cannot demonstrate the Bible as God’s revealed Word.

2. Begin with the Bible’s self-testimony to be the inspired Word of God which is self-evidencing and self-authenticating, and then proceed to handle doubts and difficulties.
Premise: God’s revealed Word should display its own power of conviction when it is accompanied by the Holy Spirit.

The final foundation in doctrine of inspiration and authority of the Bible is not historical-critical scholarship, the magisterium etc. It is the infallible attestation of Jesus Christ with the witness of the Spirit.

You may view the video podcast at
The Self-Attestation of the Bible as the Inspired Word of God. KP10-IAB.Part 01/10