What I loved about Dr Waldron's work is his way of explaining the Confession and going through the biblical evidence (as I have been reading Grudem, I would have loved it if Dr Waldron would cite portions of the passages that he was using as proof, rather most of the time, only references were given).

When I started studying the Confession I didn't realizes that a confession is actually a Systematic Theology! :)

Dr Waldron explained things very well, I especially liked his extensive treatment of chapters 29 (Of Baptism), 31 (of the state of man after death and of the resurrection of the dead) and 32 (Of the last judgment). There he interacted with the other side and provided some answers. With the explanations he went also through more detail.

During my study of the 1689 I left some comments about my thoughts on each paragraph that can be viewed here: https://www.thecalvinist.net/post/1689-Second-Baptist-Confession-Of-Faith-With-Commentary-And-Highlighting/922 

Also I have opened a new section wherein I try to go in detail to explain why I agree with the formulation of doctrines in the 1689. The section is found here: https://www.thecalvinist.net/1689 

Few minor problems with the book

One thing that was frustrating me, was the load of typos there. It's not that I'm a grammar nazi, but the quality of the work is so great that the multitude of the typos, wrong headings above pages (pages 103, 381), no spacing between words, wrong numeration really were the only downside, which could have been prevented. Hopefully, they will update it in the future, otherwise we'll just have to wait for James Renihan's exposition of the 1689 that is in progress!

The document can be found here.

General Resources used

• Wayne Grudem; Systematic Theology Chapter 16 – God’s Providence
• A.W. Pink; Sovereignty of God
• R.C. Sproul; What is Reformed Theology?
• David N. Steele, Curtis C. Thomas, S. Lance Quinn; The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Defended, and Documented
• James R White; Potter’s Freedom: A Defense of the Reformation and the Rebuttal of Norman Geisler’s Chosen But Free
• ESV Study Bible
• ESV MacArthur Study Bible
• ESV Reformation Study Bible
• NLT Study Bible
• HCSB Study Bible

Verses

• Nathan Pitchford, What the Bible says about the Doctrines of Grace
• Calvinism Fact Sheet by Joel Barnes
• Scriptures Supporting God’s Full Providence and Sovereign Ordination of All Events
• God is Sovereign
• Verses showing God’s Sovereignty, salvific work, and man’s nature
• The Sovereignty of God, verses

Commentaries

• John Calvin
• John Gill
• John Gill, The Cause of God and Truth
• Bob Utley, You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series (NT)
• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete)
• Johann Albrecht Bengel, Gnomon of the New Testament
• Adam Clarke, Commentary and Critical Notes
• Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges
• Jamieson, Fausset, Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

The Word software resources

• The software can be downloaded from here.
• Various modules can be download from here.

Modules for the commentaries

• Calvin
• Gill
• Utley
• Henry – by default in The Word.
• Bengel
• Clarke
• Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (direct link)
• Albert Barnes New Testament Notes

1. ^ Many Scriptural references have been supplied by Samuel Waldron’s Modern Exposition of 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith which was apparently supplied by the Westminster Confession of Faith 1646.
2. a, b A. H. Strong. Systematic Theology: A Compendium Designed For The Use Of Theological Students. (London: Pickering & Inglis, 1970. Originally, 1907). p. 930.
3. ^ Summarized from Sacraments. Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide.
4. ^ Bob Carr. The London Baptist Confession of Faith | Exposition of Chapter 28.

This book contains 10 chapters dealing, containing among other things, 

• a historical survey about hell up to our day (chapter 1, by Albert Mohler Jr.); 
• the OT and hell (chapter 2, by Daniel I. Block); 
• the Lord Jesus and Hell (chapter 3, by Robert W. Yarbough); 
• Paul and Hell (chapter 4, by Douglas J. Moo); 
• the Apocalypse and Hell (chapter 5, by G. K. Beale); 
• Biblical and Systematic Theology as it relates to hell (chapters 7-8, by Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson, respectively); 
• an examination of Universalism and its arguments (chapter 8, by J. I. Packer); 
• an examination of Annihilationism and its arguments (chapter 9, by Christopher W. Morgan); and finally
• Hell and pastoral theology (chapter 10, by Sinclair Ferguson).

There is a ton to be learned in these chapters by the Bible student. What is to be learned from this book should not only fill our heads with information, but motivate us to share the Gospel with the lost because of the dreadful fate which faces them if they receive not Christ and His righteousness.

The reason we believe in the existence and everlasting nature of hell and of its punishment is simply because we believe that Holy Writ teaches it. If it were not for the words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who spoke more often about hell than Heaven, we would not believe in Hell, because it is so repugnant to our fallen natures.

Interaction

This work continually interacts with popular scholarship as it regards the nature of hell and the arguments for and against Annihilationism in Evangelicalism. Authors most cited and interacted with include John Stott, Clark Pinnock, David Powys and Edward W. Fudge. The authors of this work continually argue that Annihilationists do not look at the whole portrayal of hell as presented by Scripture, but rather choose to focus on and emphasize specific portrayals of hell with neglect to the rest. This accusation is also leveled against those who hold to the traditional view of Hell who emphasize the punishment aspect of hell, while neglecting to share the Gospel, or declaring that hell is also a banishment (not merely a separation of God's presence) and destruction.

The Destruction Picture of Hell

An important and helpful study was Douglas J. Moo's on the meaning of destruction. He accuses Annihilationists of reading their preconceived meaning of destruction as cessation of existence or as "annihilation" rather than deriving its meaning from the whole of Scripture. He shows how it is better and more consistent with the total picture of hell in the Bible to understand the usage of words like destruction to mean "ruin" (p. 106) and "they [the two Greek word groups olethros and apolymi/apoleia] usually refer to the situation of a person or object that has lost the essence of its nature or function" (p. 105), rather than cessation of being. In order to establish this he cites examples where the word group of destruction is used without implying cessation of existence. For example:

testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Acts 20:21)

About a year ago or more,^[1] I started diving into the 1689 Baptist Confession of faith to study it. My main purpose was not to study the Confession per sé, but to study the doctrines asserted by the Confession and to see if they were biblical. My main focus was to teach myself to make a biblical case for cardinal doctrines which Reformed folk believe, and I believe that I have been able to make a biblical case for every (or almost all?) doctrine which is espoused by the Confession to my satisfaction. If you want a study which focuses on the words of the Confession^[2], this is not what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a study which intends to make a case for the doctrines asserted, you may be blessed by this study. Basically, the purpose was to teach myself Systematic Theology and teach myself to defend Reformed doctrine biblically.

I cannot say that I disagree with any doctrine in the Confession, but there may be some who may question whether I hold to the Confession, especially chapter 1, because I consider myself a theological continuationist. I stress theological, because I do not practice “prophecy” or “speaking in tongues.” Practically, I’m a cessationist with a very high view of Holy Writ and critical of charismania and those weird things which you see on the Net of charismatics. The study on the gifts is one which I started, but have not finished yet (I have not read all the books which I have purchased from both sides). But I must honestly say that I’m not convinced of cessationism because I don’t believe the Bible teaches it. The statement in 1:1 which says “those former ways of God’s revealing his will unto his people being now ceased” may be the only one which I would interpret differently.

I’m not big on names, it doesn’t matter to me if one considers me a Reformed Baptist or not, I will not pride myself in that, either way it is not essential to me what title I have besides Δοῦλος Χριστοῦ.