2 Timothy 4:3-4

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

We usually apply these verses to Federal Visionists. Alas, we regret to inform our readers that today they remind us of the sad apostasy that has recently come to light.

Our dear leader, R. Scott Clark, recently argued that all NAPARC churches are wrong, and that he alone is right.

Let that sink in.

He wrote in response to a would-be critic: "[H]ow could it be that virtually ALL the NAPARC churches ... are wrong and you alone are right?"

Dr. Clark was not writing about the Federal Vision, but he might as well have been. When someone opposes NAPARC, they are opposing the Holy See that God uses to infallibly guide his invisible church.

Apparently, NAPARC is simply a pawn in Dr. Clark's agenda. When he agrees with NAPARC, then NAPARC is the arbiter of all things Reformed. When he disagrees with NAPARC, then NAPARC can conveniently be tossed aside.

Thus, for Dr. Clark, NAPARC is only a tool to be used or abused or ignored. Just like the Federal Visionists, Dr. Clark disregards the authority of NAPARC.

Obviously, Dr. Clark has taken the first step in the slippery slope from orthodoxy to heterodoxy. First, NAPARC is wrong. Second, Federal Vision is not so bad. Third, home to Rome.

Dr. Clark is now one small step removed from the CREC and two steps removed from praying to Mary. May God have mercy on his soul!

1 Timothy 2:5-6

“For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:5-6).

Federal Visionists love this verse because they think that Christ gave himself as a ransom for all. Conversely, such a sentiment denies Limited Atonement, the doctrine that is one of the fundamentals of our modern Reformed cul-de-sac.

The Reformed faith has unanimously insisted that Christ died for the elect only. His death was sufficient, efficient, and beneficent for the elect only. In no way did Christ “give himself” for “all.” In no way was Christ “a ransom” for “all.”

This is known as Limited Atonement, which was first articulated in the Canons of Dordt as one of the Five Points of Calvinism (it is the “L” in TULIP). The Magisterial Reformers, including Boettner, Steele, and Thomas, all held to Limited Atonement.

Federal Visionists are attempting to resurrect the abominable heresy of Amyraldianism, which has been rejected as heterodox and universally condemned by every Reformed creed and blog.

In this passage, the word “all” is a masculine-plural adjective sans antecedent. The lack of a noun means that Paul is using the Genitive of Limitation. Thus, by “all,” Paul does not mean every person, but every kind of person.

Christ gave himself as a ransom for all kinds of people – Dutch Reformed, Swiss Reformed, German Reformed, French Reformed, Scottish Reformed, etc.