Christ certainly and effectively applies and communicates his redemption to all those for whom has purchased it, making intercession for them, and revealing the mysteries of salvation to them, in and by the Word. He effectually persuades them by his Spirit to believe and obey, and he governs their hearts by his Word and Spirit, overcoming all their enemies by his almighty power and wisdom, in such ways as are most consistent with his wonderful and unsearchable arranging of things.
(WCF 8.8)
Chapter 8 of our confession has been largely concerned with the theology of our Lord and His work as our mediator. Article 8 (which is the last of the chapter) has more of an application of the things that we have seen thus far.
First, all Christians can be greatly encouraged that we couldn’t be anymore secure in our Heavenly Father’s love because Jesus Christ (God the Son) became flesh and dwelt among us (Jn 1:1-3,14,18). He was born under the law, and lived a totally sinless life in thought, word and deed (Gal 3:13, 2 Cor 5:21 c.f. 1 Pet 1:22) and He did this to give His life as a sacrifice on behalf of His people (Isa 53, Rom 3:25a, 1 Jn 2:2). Because the wages of sin is death (and Jesus never once sinned), death couldn’t hold Him in the grave, and thus He was raised from death victorious (Rom 6:23, 1 Cor 15:3-4). This wasn’t just for His own edification, but for our justification in that anyone from anywhere who believes that Christ was the atoning sacrifice is justified (Rom 4:25, 2 Cor 5:21, Gal 3:13). To put that simply; all that was earned by Christ (in His life, death and resurrection) is credited to all those that trust Him and all that He has done (Rom 6:23, 10:9), or as the confession states it ‘Christ certainly and effectively applies and communicates his redemption to all those for whom has purchased it’
Second, all Christians can be greatly encouraged that we couldn’t be anymore secure in our Heavenly Father’s love because Christ’s work didn’t just stop at Calvery, no He is continually interceding for us before our Heavenly Father (Rom 8:34, 1 Jn 1:21, Heb 7:25). Thus He is for us in the Heavens, but also continues to speak to us by and through His word, the Bible, illuminating it’s deep truths so that we might walk in the way we should go (Eph 1:18, Ps 119:105). Or as the confession sums it up He is ‘making intercession for them, and revealing the mysteries of salvation to them, in and by the Word.’
Third, all Christians can be greatly encouraged that we couldn’t be anymore secure in our Heavenly Father’s love because we have the Spirit of God living in us (Acts 2:38, Rom 8:13, Gal 5:5). Now the Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, and He marks us as His for salvation, and what He starts with His people He finishes (Eph 1:13-14, Php 1:6). He is the one who works with us all the days of our lives as we struggle and strive with the flesh and to put sin to death (Rom 8:14, Gal 5:16, 25). But this is the Christian life because the Spirit makes us alive and willing to obey, or as our confession puts it, ‘He effectually persuades them by his Spirit to believe and obey, and he governs their hearts by his Word and Spirit’
Fourth, all Christians can be greatly encouraged that we couldn’t be anymore secure in our Heavenly Father’s love because we live in hope by faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6), but somehow God has broken through our spiritual deadness and gifted us the ability to not just trust the gospel, but obey it as well (Eph 2:8-9 c.f. Jn 6:29). The gospel proclaims that the King of God’s kingdom has arrived and that His people’s greatest enemy has been defeated and that there will come a time where we will see the full manifestation of that that really means (1 Cor 15:26, Eph 1:22-23). That is the hope we have, or as we read here, we trust Christ, that His gospel is true and that He will be the One that will be ‘overcoming all their enemies by his almighty power and wisdom, in such ways as are most consistent with his wonderful and unsearchable arranging of things.'