Baptist, What Do You Believe? #6

Article II, Section C: God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Savior, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service. Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28- 32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17.

Introduction We Baptists know very little about the Holy Spirit, and yet it is not because of the lack of Scriputral material. The Scriptural references listed with this section on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit alone are witness to this fact. A quick word search of Holy Spirit turned up ninety-three passages, ninety of them from the New Testament. Add to that references to the Holy Sprit, like Spirit (Gen. 1:3; 6:12; Judges 14:19) and helper (John 14-16), and the references to the third person of the Trinity more than triples. So, why do we Baptists know so little about the Holy Spirit? I believe there are at least three possible reasons:

• With so much ostentatious hoopla that surrounds so much of what we call the Charismatic movement, I believe that Baptists want to stay as far away as possible from the so-called Spirit-filled stuff. Pastor Harris put it so well in a recent Wednesday-evening message on this subject when he said "Afraid of going out on a limb we refuse to get in the tree!"
• Another reason has to do with the nature of the Holy Spirit's work. What He does is not all that visible. When we talk of God the Father, we talk about His acts of creation. We can look all around us and see physically all that He has done. Throughout the pages of the Old testament we see the wrestling match between God and His chosen people, Israel (Gen. 32:28). We see His hand in the raising up and tearing down of empires. God the Son takes on flesh and blood and dwells among us. Jesus walked the dusty roads of Palestine teaching, preaching, and praying. He heals, drives out, and overturns. Most of all, we see the passion of our Savior, and we see Him raised again the third day. The work of the Holy Spirit is so different from that of the Father and the Son. He works in the Spiritual realm, largely unseen. He is much like the wind (John 3:8) You can't see the wind, but you can see its effects, if you pay attention. Look at the paragraph before us in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, and note the work He does: inspires, illumines, exalts, convicts, calls, regenerates, cultivates, comforts, bestows, seals, enlightens, and empowers. These are all things that cannot be directly seen, although, like the wind, you can see the effects of the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those whom He indwells.
• And finally, one big reason little is known about the Holy Spirit is because of the nature of His role. His job is not to proclaim or put forth Himself, but to show forth Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 15:26: "But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me." Paul echoes the same idea in 1 Corinthians 12:3, when he says that "no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit." John also states that the Spirit of God will "confess that jesus Christ has come in the flesh." The third person of the Trinity takes a subordinate role in redemption. His job in this gospel age is to promote Jesus Christ.

Who is the Holy Spirit? Section C gives us just one brief sentence concerning who the Holy Spirit is: The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. We can fall back on the main paragraph that deals with the doctrine of God as a whole and get a few more details. The last sentence there says that He is one with the Father and the Son, and with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. If God is spirit (John 4:24), don't we mean the same person when speaking about the Spirit of God (Gen. 1:2)? That might be a possibility to consider except if it were not for the numerous times when the Father and Holy Spirit are mentioned together as distinct persons. In Genesis 1 verse one speaks of God in the beginning, and in verse two it is the Spirit of God that is hovering over the face of the waters. At Jesus' baptism God speaks from heaven, while at the same time the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus in the form of a dove. At the great commission, Jesus commands His disciples to baptize disciples in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Even though God is a spirit, and does not have a body like men, the Scriptures makes a distinction between the Father and the Holy Spirit. Here again is one of those mysteries that should make us marvel and worship rather than doubt. The Holy Spirit, just like the Father and the Son, is personal. He can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30), He can be blasphemed (Mark 3:29), and He can be lied to (Acts 5:3). If you drop down two verses to Acts 5:5, you notice that Peter, after first asking why Ananias had lied to the Holy Spirit, goes on to state that he has not lied to man, but to God. Here we have a firm affirmation to the deity of the Holy Spirit. He is the Spirit of God, fully divine. Why is the Holy Spirit called the Holy Spirit? Why don't we call the Father and the Son holy? Why is there this adjectival addition to the third person of the Trinity? Is it because the Holy Spirit is more holy than the Father and the Son? By no means. This would violate the orthodox formula of the Trinity: one in essence, three in person. The three persons exist in one essential Godhead, all sharing the same attributes, no one person being more or less of anything than the other two. The main reason the Spirit of God is called the Holy Spirit, is because of the work He performs. Look again at the list of verbs above drawn from Section C: inspires, illumines, exalts, convicts, calls, regenerates, cultivates, comforts, bestows, seals, enlightens, and empowers. The Holy Spirit's primary work, at least in this gospel age, is to draw out lost sinners out of the world through regeneration. Once justified, the Holy Spirit moves on to work in us sanctification through things like illumination, bestowal, enlightenment, and empowerment. Both of these acts are separating us out of the world, making us fit for special use, making us servants of the King. What Does the Holy Spirit Do? Well, we have answered much of what the Holy Spirit does in the previous paragraph dealing with the whole concept of holiness. Before we conclude this brief look at the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, lets look at the Holy Spirit's part in the saving of lost souls.

• Conviction of sin: Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged (John 16:7-11). The gospel has no appeal to the lost sinner until he is aware of the desperate plight that he is in. Thanks be to God that He has sent His Spirit into the world to attend to His preached word, and convict men of sin and righteousness and judgment.
• Regeneration: Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8) Born again? That is what regeneration is all about: being re- generated, born again, made all over again. (In the Greek and the Hebrew language there is just one word for the English words breath, wind, and spirit. The English rendering is determined by the context.) Again, all praise and glory be to God for this essential initial gift from the Holy Spirit to us poor retched sinners who were spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1, Colossians 2:13, Romans 8:7,8)

Conclusion: After the Holy Spirit convicts, calls, and regenerates us, He comes to dwell in us and provides all of the other things listed above, fitting us for service in the King's army. If you try to work your mind through all of this you won't really have time to ponder things like baptism in the Holy Spirit, or second blessings. There is already enough here to stand in amazed silence for the rest of our days. May we do so. Previous Lessons: Baptist, What Do You Believe? #1 (An Introduction) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #2 (On the Doctrine of Scripture) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #3 (On the Doctrine of God) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #4 (On God the Father) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #5 (On God the Holy Spirit)

Baptist, What Do You Believe? #5

God the Son This week we move on to the second section in Article II, concerning God the Son. If ever there is a need for doctrine in the Christian faith, it is at this very point. The faith we call Christianity finds its name from the very one who is its hub, its keystone, its very heart; from Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior. It is a popular saying among many Christian circles, that doctrine divides. That is the main reason so many denominations, especially the newer ones, are very light on doctrine; they hate confrontation and division. They have adopted that famous line from Rodney King: "Can't we all just get along?" Yes, doctrine does divide. That is what it is intended to do. It divides true Christianity from false Christianity, or those belief systems that call themselves Christian. Many groups believe in Jesus, but just as we spoke a couple of weeks ago about the need to define which God, we also need to define which Jesus. The Jehovah's Witness and Mormons believe in Jesus, but they do not believe that He is God. Islam revers Jesus as one of the great prophets, but not as the only begotten Son of God. Controversies over who Jesus is have raged ever since He became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Jesus asked His disciples "Who do people say that I am?" (Mark 8:27) Battling heresy on a number of fronts, the Church nailed down a doctrine of the deity of Christ at the council of Nicea in 325, and the doctrine concerning the dual nature of Jesus at the council of Chalcedon in 451. The so-called Higher criticism in the 19th century, and the Jesus Seminar in the 20th century attempted to take away from, to diminish our Lord and Savior by discrediting the inerrancy of Scripture. Even in our day, Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code has sent shock waves throughout our culture, attempting to cast doubt on the reliable nature of the New Testament concerning the person and work of Jesus. I do not intend to go line by line through Section B, as I have in the other lessons, because the paragraph is pretty straightforward, reading very much like the historic confessions would read on God the Son. The Scripture cited with this section more than adequately cover the material found therein. The paragraph covers both the person and the work of Jesus Christ. In theological terms this is a division between Christology and Soteriology, or basically a division between who Jesus was, and what Jesus did. In a nutshell, this is the gospel. Article II, Section B. God the Son

Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord. Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6- 21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7- 9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16.

Christology: Who is Jesus? Jesus is in a class by Himself. Look what the Section B says about who Jesus is:

Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. . . .taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind . . . . fully God, fully man, . . .

In these statements we see that Jesus was:

• Eternal God (John 5:18; 8:58) and the Son of God (John 10:36), and yet, at the same time. . .
• Real flesh and blood, not just in appearance, but in His very nature (1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 2:14), and also. . .
• Jesus was not one part God and one part man, but fully God (Colossians 1:19), fully man (John 1:14; Philippians 2:7,8).

Jesus must be these things in order to be able to do what it is He came to do. Soteriology: What did Jesus do? This is so much more relevant a question than the trite quip "What would Jesus Do?". It is far more important to know, understand, and embrace with one's whole being what Jesus did do. Let's look at the remainder of Section B:

Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, . . . yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, . . . in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.

There are three things that Jesus did while on earth that are essential to salvation:

• Jesus lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus obeyed completely and perfectly God's holy law. He did for us what we could never do for ourselves: satisfy the demands of God's holy law.
• Jesus died the death of a criminal. He died in such way that signified that He was cursed of God (Galatians 3:13). He bore the wrath of God on the cross in our place.
• Three days later Jesus Christ rose from the dead (Acts 2:24). This signified God's satisfaction, that the price paid was sufficient to meet God's righteous justice.

It is all summed up in 2 Corinthians 5:21: For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. What a great transaction: our sins laid on Him on the cross; His righteousness (from those thirty-some-odd years of perfect obedience) laid on us who believe. This section on God the Son goes on to finish the story of Christ's work after His life, death/burial, and resurrection:

• Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9).
• Jesus is our One Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5), effecting reconciliation between us and God (Ephesians 2:16).
• Jesus will come again some day to judge the world and consummate His redemptive work (2 Timothy 4:1).
• Jesus dwells in every believer (2 Corinthians 5:17).

There are so many other particulars that Jesus did that relate to this central message of the gospel: He crushed the head of the serpent, conquered death and hell, established His church, broken our bondage to slavery, vanquished our fear of death, and on the list goes; but all of these are subsumed under the topic of what Christ did in His person and work. The material found in this one paragraph on the doctrine of God the Son is enough to keep us occupied, and wondering, and praising God for the rest of our lives. Let us begin to do so.

Previous Lessons: Baptist, What Do You Believe? #1 (An Introduction) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #2 (On the Doctrine of Scripture) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #3 (On the Doctrine of God) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #4 (On God the Father)

Baptist, What Do You Believe? #4

Article II, Section A: God the Father Words for Review from Last Week: incomprehensible, deism, dualism, pantheism, polytheism, immutable, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, righteous Introduction In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, and as He does, he instructs them to refer to God as Our Father. In the gospels Jesus refers to God as Father more often than He does any other name or title for God. This paragraph dealing with the first person of the Trinity touches only on the issue of God as Father. To be sure there are many more facets and categories dealing with God, but this brief description is only concerned with God's governance or economy in time and space over what He has made. Other attributes of God will surface elsewhere in latter articles of this confession, where they will fit better. Article II, Section A. God the Father

God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men. Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7.

God as Father reigns . . . God reigns and rules, but His reign is a fatherly reign. God's reign over His creation, especially over the sons of Adam, is not the cold, calculated reign of a monarch, but the reign of a father over a household. God is sovereign, no doubt, but His sovereignty is in context of His goodness. If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13 . . . with providential care over His universe, His creatures, Providence is a word you don't hear very much any more. In previous centuries in America Providence was commonly used as a name for God. From providence we get the word provide, which is made up of a root and a prefix. The prefix pro gives the meaning of forward or ahead. You see the idea in words like propeller, which pushes a boat forward. When you promote something, you are pushing something forward, setting it out in front, so that it can be seen better. The root of provide comes from the Latin word videre: to see. We see that root word in words like video, visible, and vision. When you put the root and the prefix together, you get to the heart of the meaning of provide. To provide for your family is to see future needs, and then plan accordingly. God's providential care is exactly like that. His seeing of future needs aren't just good guessing, wisdom, or insight. The eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-seeing God of the universe sees and knows all things, past, present, and future. Those categories of time and space have no meaning in eternity. The Bible says that He sees the end from the beginning. Isaiah 46:10 One of the most touching stories found in the pages of the Old Testament is found in Genesis chapter 22, where God commands Abraham to take his son Isaac and sacrifice him up on mountain top in the land of Moriah. The key passage is found in verses 7 and 8 with an exchange between Abraham and his son: And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. And of course, you know the rest of the story. God did provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering. . . . and the flow of the stream of human history . . . Again, Isaiah 46:10 is a fitting verse: declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ God is in control of all matters in the universe, from the greatest to the smallest. His providence extends even to the flow of the stream of human history. . . . according to the purposes of His grace. First of all, God is a gracious God. He hasn't left us in our sins, He graciously has made a way to be reconciled to Him. Secondly, all of the flow of the stream of human history is according to His purpose, which is gracious. We cannot see the big picture, because we are not God, so, much of what we see seems to us not to be good. Why is there evil in the world? Why are there natural disasters that kill and injure "indiscriminately"? We have so many of these kind of questions. The short answer to the situation in general is all about sin. As transgressors of a just and holy God, we don't deserve even a fraction of the good we do receive. God could have consigned us all to Hell immediately as he did the angels who rebelled against Him (2 Peter 2:4). Paul's praise of God's grace in Ephesians 1 is a good place to begin to see the gracious purposes of our God and Father. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. Here is an echo from the opening paragraph of the article, namely a quartet of absolutes. God is not just the most powerful, most knowing, most living, most wise. When God finishes showing Job who He is in chapters 38 through 41, Job responds by saying "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted." (Job 42:2) To get a small peek at what it means to be all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise, you should read these four chapters in Job. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. When God saves us He adopts us into His family. We enjoy all of the privileges of sonship.

• But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, John 1:12
• For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8:15-17
• . . . to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Galatians 4:5-7

He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men. Sometimes called common grace, God takes good care of all men, whether lost or saved. This bountiful common grace provides an opportunity to repent and believe. God reveals Himself as good to all mankind, by not giving us, as sinners, what we deserve on the spot.

• Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” Acts 14:17
• And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, Acts 17:26-30

Conclusion This brief paragraph on the first person of the Trinity is by no means exhaustive, but there is plenty here to get us started on the majesty and splendor of our great God. Next week we are on to the second section in Article II, God the Son. Previous Lessons: Baptist, What Do You Believe? #1 Baptist, What Do You Believe? #2 Baptist, What Do You Believe? #3

Audio Resources: A great audio clip to get you fired up about the names of God is S. M. Lockridge's My King.

R. C. Sproul's audio series on The Names of God is an excellent survey of the meanings and significance of the names of God. You can order the CD Series from Ligonier Ministries, or you can listen to the streaming audio, which happens to have just finished airing, online from Ligonier's 30-day archive page (for the next few weeks from this post's posting).

Baptist, What Do You Believe? #3

Article II: The Doctrine of God Questions for Review from Article I: 1. Why is the Doctrine of Scripture Article I? 2. Why was the wording in this article changed in the 2000 statement? 3. Who wrote the Bible? 4. What is the purpose of the Bible? 5. Who is the central focus of the Bible? Introduction With the foundation of Article one firmly laid down, dealing with the doctrine of Holy Scripture, we are now ready to move on to Article two, concerning God. This is the best and most logical progression of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. In Article one, we have established that we have a sure and authoritative word, as we stated last week, in which we can confidently speak truth concerning our faith and practice as Baptists. Because Article one states that "The Holy Bible . . . is God's revelation of Himself to man.", and "All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.", it is just natural and right that Article two deal with the doctrine of God. Last week we dug deep and laid a "firm foundation". This week we climb to the pinnacle: the doctrine of God. In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). Which God? When we begin looking into Article two, we want to remember and be faithful to Article one. In other words, use God's Holy Scripture to describe and define God. The reason it is necessary to have a doctrine of God, especially in this day, is that many have used all sorts of sources other than the Bible to define their god. Perhaps most popular of all is the god each individual spins out of his own fallen, perverted head. The problem is best described in the introduction to a lecture my pastor gave back in October of 2005 on the doctrine of God:

"The vast majority of Americans say they believe in God. I have no reason to question that – in fact I think they do. The problem is, “Which God do they believe in?” Is it the God who has revealed himself in history and in the pages of the Bible or is it the god of Islam, Mormonism, Hinduism, New Age thinking, pantheism or paganism? Is it a god of one of the world’s religions or a designer god of their own making? Our culture is very spiritual."

We will cover only the opening paragraph this week, following each of the next three weeks with each person of the Trinity separately. Let's look now at the opening paragraph of Article 2. Article 2: The Doctrine of God There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. The Incomprehensibility of God This word incomprehensible doesn't mean we can't know anything about God. We just cannot know God exhaustively. If we could, then God wouldn't be very great, would He? The only reason we know anything about God is that He desires to be known by His creatures, and reveals Himself to them. There is, and always will be more to know about God. Even in heaven we will not know all there is to know about Him. What a thought to consider; that in heaven we will never stop learning about Him, never stop being amazed, never grow tired of worshiping, throughout all eternity. This concept of incomprehensibility is not stated explicitly in the article, but the profusion of the absolutes (infinite, perfections, all powerful, all knowing, perfect, highest, and eternal) greatly imply the idea. One God The opening statement, There is one and only one living and true God rules out many things:

• dualism: two equal and opposite powers in the universe are locked in eternal combat.
• pantheism: all things are god or contain god.
• polytheism: there are many gods.

There is only one God: Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 46:9. May The Force Be with You God is Intellegent, Spiritual, and Personal, not an impersonal force or source of energy. No, He doesn't have a body like men, but He is intellegent and personal, and yes, He is a He. God is Active. To say that God is Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the Universe, is to say that he has been active, and still is, and forever will be, concerning the universe and His created beings.

• In creation: He created all that is.
• In redemption: When man fell, God made a way to redeem men.
• In preservation: He preserves all of creation, before and after the fall. Without Gods hand on the universe it would all fly apart into oblivion.
• In governance: God is in charge of this universe, which means nothing happens by accident.

To say that God is Creator is also to say that He was not created. He is self-existent. God is the only being who has the power of being in and of Himself. All others have a derived being, a contingent being. When Moses asked God's name at the burning bush in Exodus 3:14, God told Moses "I am who I am." God never refers to Himself as "I was", or "I will be". Unlike all of God's creatures, who are constantly changing, God just IS. In other words, there is no change in God (James 1:17). He, like His Son, is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Infinity God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. What do these words mean?

• holy: God is other, separate, in a class by Himself. He is not like man, or any other created being.
• infinite: God's holiness has no boundaries, no beginning or end. That is why God is incomprehensible. No one can get his mind completely around it all.
• all other perfections: This is just a quick way of saying that infinite in holiness is just the first in a long list of God's perfections. God's other perfections include immutability, omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, righteousness, truthfulness, love, judgment, and wrath.

Open Theism God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. Because of the relatively new aberration of Open Theism, this sentence was added in the 2000 BF&M. It restates, more pointedly, what the previous sentence obviously implies by all other [infinite] perfections. Open Theism states that God does not know the future, but He is a good guesser. God's word clearly teaches otherwise: I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,' (Isaiah 46:9, 10) Our Duty To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. It goes without saying that God, as described in this brief article, deserves nothing less than our highest love, reverence, and obedience; even as the catechism begins with: The chief end of man is to glorify God and to love Him forever. This is not just our obligation, this is the reason we were made. The Trinity The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. This last sentence sets up the next three sub-articles, each one dealing with a separate person of the Trinity. The wording of this sentence draws heavily from the historical creeds and confessions of Christianity. It carefully maintains the unity of one God, while affirming the mysterious reality of the Trinity. In the next three weeks we will be looking more closely at the three persons of the Godhead. Previous Lessons: Baptist, What Do You Believe? #1: Introduction: Creeds and Confessions Baptist, What Do You Believe? #2: Article I: The Doctrine of Scriptures Acknowledgement: I would like to express my appreciation for the Wednesday evening teaching series by Pastor Rod Harris, on the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. He was kind enough to give me his entire set of study notes and other resources on this series entitled What Does it Mean to be Baptist?, delivered between October 5, 2005 and March 29, 2006. In my lessons I have drawn heavily from his notes, as well as the delivered messages.

Baptist, What Do You Believe? #2

The Doctrine of Scripture Questions for Review 1. What are the differences between a creed and a confession of faith? 2. What does orthodox mean? 3. What is a heretic? 4. What are some reasons for Baptists to have confessions? 5. What are some reasons for Baptists to know and study their confession? 6. What are two hallmarks of Baptists? Introduction The world knows Baptists better for what they don't believe (in) than for what they do believe. "Baptists don't smoke, drink, or chew, or go out with girls that do.", is a catchy phrase I hear often at work. Especially, Baptist don't dance. When the push for the lottery a couple of years ago came to Oklahoma, the Baptists were against it. I can remember as a young adult when liquor-by-the-drink became law, the Baptist opposed it. Now I'm not against Baptists standing up against the moral ills of our society, but one has to ask the question, "Does anybody out there know what we DO believe?" Perhaps an even more important question follows. Baptist, What Do You Believe? That is the title of this series. That is my main goal in this study, to make you ask yourself what it is that you believe. In my Sunday school class I periodically grill my students with a series of questions: "What do you believe about your faith? What does it mean to be a Christian? Does it matter what you believe? Is it important to know why you believe what you believe? Can you explain to a classmate their need for a Savior, and how to repent and believe? As a Christian, where do you go to find out what your faith is all about?" I go on to impress upon them that they are going to be the future pastors, teachers, music directors, deacons, etc., etc. I have noticed, that in the past year, the reality of what kind of shoes they are expected to fill has had an effect. One of the best, most effective, systematic ways to know who you are as a Christian (first) and Baptist (second) is to study the document your Southern Baptist Convention has adopted. In doing this, they have declared "This is what we believe." Being Baptist and Being Biblical Being a Baptist has historically meant being biblical. We are known as a people of the Book. There should be no contradiction here. All of the confessions of faith from the very beginning of Baptist history have had their basis in Holy Scripture, and have dealt with the nature and importance of Scripture as their very first article. The BF&M2000 is no exception. Why is The Scriptures the First Article of the BF&M2000? The article on the Scriptures is the foundation of every other article found in this confession. Without a trustworthy source for our beliefs, how can we know that what we believe is true? Without having an authoritative standard to go by, we are reduced to all of the other religions of the world, which is nothing more than the opinions of men. Once we establish the content, quality, and purpose of the Scriptures, then we can go and confidently speak with authority on all of the other articles that follow. Note that after each article there are numerous references to Scripture that back up the statements made. Changes in the BF&M2000 1. The Holy Bible . . . is God's revelation of Himself to man. This is a strengthening of the 1963 article on the Holy Scriptures, which stated: The Holy Bible . . . is the record of God's revelation of Himself to man. The two statements sound alike, but the real difference is substantial. To say that the Bible is a record of God's revelation is to imply that its authors were nothing more than reporters and historians who chronicled the events as they happened or as they were told to them. This one word lends the idea of a second-hand source to the Bible. It leaves open the option of fallibility and errancy. This stronger statement in the 2000 revision reflects a more conservative leadership in the convention, and reflects more accurately what most SBC congregations have believed all along. 2. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. This sentence was added in the BF&M2000. Again, this addition makes a stronger first article, and reinforces Baptists' historical belief in inerrancy. 3. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation. This last sentence of the article on the Scriptures replaces a similar sounding last sentence in the 1963 confession: The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ. Again, a stronger statement has replaced a weaker. Among other things, in a very subtle way the 2000 statement comes down solidly against the Scofield style of dispensationalism. From the seed of woman in Genesis 3:15, to the offering of Isaac in Genesis 22, to Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness, to Psalm 110, to Isaiah 53, to the Alpha and the Omega of the Revelation of John, to all the others in between that I failed to mention; Christ is the scarlet thread that runs throughout Holy Scriptures. The Bible is Truth This does not mean that the Bible is exhaustive truth. God's word cannot teach us how to repair lawn mowers, or prune apple trees. It doesn't truthfully tell us everything about everything. But concerning those things it touches it is . . . truth, without any mixture of error. Article I. The Scriptures (with references interspersed)

• The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. (Exodus 24:4; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21)
• It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. (Psalm 19:7-10; See especially Psalm 119; Romans 15:4)
• It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. (John 17:17)
• Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. (Psalm 119:160; Hebrews 6:18)
• It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, (Psalm 119:89; Isaiah 40:8; Luke 21:33; 1 Peter 1:25)
• the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. (Acts 17:9; Romans 16:25, 26; 2 Timothy 3:17)
• All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation. (Genesis 3:14,15; Luke 24:25-27, 44-46; John 5:39; Hebrews 1:2)

Previous Lessons: Baptist, What Do You Believe? #1

Baptist, What Do You Believe? #1

Introduction: Creeds and Confessions Creeds What is the difference between the two? A creed, such as the Apostles Creed, is usually much shorter than a confession. The main reason this is so is that the primary purpose of a creed is to define the barest minimum requirement for orthodoxy. In other words, anything outside the boundaries of a creed defined non-Christianity. A creed often arose in response to vital disputes in the church. These disputes usually dealt with the nature of Jesus. Was He truly a man? Was He truly God? How do you define the Trinity? Creeds, like confessions define what one believes. The word Creed comes from the Latin verb credo, which means "I believe". Creeds, because of their nature, defining essentials, are more binding. To not accept a creed as representative of your beliefs means to not believe in true Christianity. This is called heresy. A person in this position is called a heritic. For instance, if you do not believe that Jesus is God, as the Jehovah's Witness believe, you are not a Christian. Confessions Confessions as a rule are much more detailed than creeds. Whereas creeds usually consist of one paragraph or article, confessions have many articles, with several paragraphs each. Confessions contain the same essentials found in creeds, but they also contain what would be called non-essentials. the essentials are defined in more detail, and the non-essentials are thoroughly defined. Confessions are not so much a binding statement to insure orthodoxy, but they are more a declaration of what a group of like-minded people believe. In other words: What is it that holds us together? What is it that makes us first Christian, and second Baptist? Why Do We Have Confessions of Faith and Why Do We Study Them? Baptists from the begining of their existence have had confessions of faith. There are several reasons for this. The report in the front of the BF&M2000 explains several of these reasons.

• "Baptists are a people of deep beliefs and cherished doctrines." If you have something you believe deeply and cherish, then you will want to defend what you believe. A confession does this by laying out in logical, systematic order what we believe.
• "Through out history we have . . . [adopted] statements of faith as a witness to our beliefs and a pledge of our faithfulness to the doctrines revealed in Holy Scripture." This statement shows a two-fold purpose for confessions: a witness to the world, and a pledge to God and each other to be faithful to God's word.

One of the first Baptist confessions, the First London Confession of 1646 states in it introduction that it was published "for the vindication of the truth and information of the ignorant; likewise for the taking off those aspersions which are frequently, both in pulpit and print, unjustly cast upon them." Why Do We Keep Revising our Confession? Again, to borrow from the preamble to our BFM2000: "New challenges to faith appear in every age." The preamble goes on to explain the issues of the day that brought about the need for each revision and addition to the previous confession. If nothing else, language changes; words' meanings change. Is a Confession on Equal Footing with Scripture? Baptists have never held their confession up to the standard of Holy Scripture. Note in the preamble statements number two and four:

(2) That we do not regard [confessions] as complete statements of our faith, having any quality of finality or infallibility. As in the past so in the future, Baptists should hold themselves free to revise their statements of faith as may seem to them wise and expedient at any time. (4) That the sole authority for faith and practice among Baptists is the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Confessions are only guides in interpretation, having no authority over the conscience.

Baptist Hallmarks There have been two hallmarks to Baptist belief from the very begining. They are religious liberty, and the priesthood of believers. They are cherished blessings, and at the same time the source of much dispute among baptists. Again, let's look at one of the closing paragraphs of the BFM2000 preamble: "Baptists cherish and defend religious liberty, and deny the right of any secular or religious authority to impose a confession of faith upon a church or body of churches. We honor the principles of soul competency and the priesthood of believers, affirming together both our liberty in Christ and our accountability to each other under the Word of God." Religious liberty and the priesthood of believers are not priveledges, they are responsibilities. Many people use these two catch phrases to justify reletavism. Religious liberty or liberty of conscience does not mean that every belief is true and valid, it means that I have the responsibility to respect other's beliefs, and to know what I believe and why. The priesthood of believers does not mean that I have the right to interpret God's word any way I see fit. I have a responsibility as an individual to study God's word, and with the aid of others who have gone on before me, to determine what that Word says. Long or Short? The farther you go back the longer the confessions seem to be. Is this a problem? Why is our BFM2000 barely one tenth the length of the 1689? Which is better, and why? Here is a comparason of length among two confessions, one modern and one old, and the Apostles Creed. The Apostles' Creed: 110 words Baptist Faith & Message 2000: 4044 words (3016 without scripture references), with 18 articles, and 78 paragraphs. 1689 confession: 16,806 words, with 32 articles and 707 paragraphs. One thing that makes our shorter, but not too short, confession better is that it provides breadth for many churches to come together and cooperate on issues such as missions and education. As we cover the various articles in the coming weeks we will look at how the brevity allows latitude on non-essential issues. Reference material: Preamble to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 The 1689 Confession The Apostles' Creed

Downloading Sermons by Series

I have just put up a new link near the top of the side bar which makes it much easier to browse and download the audio sermons that we have available at Bulldogs and Piggies. I only have two categories at this time, BFM2000 and Guests, but I will add pages as time permits featuring other sermon series. I hope that this "series" arrangement will make browsing and downloading audio files much easier than before.

• The BFM2000 page features an 18-part study of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, which was delivered by Pastor Rod Harris on Wednesday evenings.
• The Guests page contains the five sermons preached by Pastor Wade Burleson preached here in early April, 2006, during special meetings. Our audio equipment gave us fits during these meetings, so the audio leaves something to be desired on several of the messages. Our apologies.

Please feel free to download these sermons and distribute them where ever you see fit.

You Were Grafted In

It has been such a warm spring, and yesterday was so beautiful, I got up early before work and grafted a young pecan tree so that it would bear paper-shell pecans in the future. Every time I graft I think about Romans 11. What a wonderful, startling, and fearful picture of being included in God's gracious covenant. I took pictures to show the process. You can view the slide show if you like. Update: I failed to mention that this is called a four-flap banana graft, and the variety being grafted on is "Pawnee". Yes, I know, in Romans 11 Paul is referring to olive trees. Even though I am sure the type of graft was different, the same principle applies. I guess the illustration that grabs me is the fact that that little "dead" piece of scion wood gets its life from the stock, or "root". Simply amazing.

Extend Resurrection Day

Here are a couple of ways to bring Resurrection Sunday with you into this new work week:

• Listen to our pianist, Rebekah's offertory special from yesterday. You can find the audio file to Hear the Bells Ringing, They're Singing in the sidebar. The audio is a little rough, but that's because it's live. Listen to it soon; download it if you like; the file will be traded out with whatever she plays next Sunday (if it's not a copywrited tune).
  
• Listen to Pastor Rod's sermon, Resurrection Hope from yesterday. Wade Burleson's preaching was very good last week, but I feel like Dorothy in Oz: "There's no place like home. . . There's no place like home. . . There's. . . ." Again, the audio is a bit rough, but that was because our #1 lapel mic went on the fritz, so the old back-up had to be pressed into service. Listen to the message and not the audio quality, and give God the glory for a risen Savior.
  

Wrapping up Pilgrims Progress

Well, last Sunday the young men in my Sunday-school class finished reading the Pilgrim's Progress. During our discussion time, we talked about how much was made over Christian and Hopefull by the heavenly host (Luke 15:7)Nas they were being escorted up into the Celestial city. I also mentioned to class how it was expressly pointed out how an opening to Hell existed even near to the Clestial city, ever so much as one existed near the begining and in the middle of the pilgrim's journey. We also discussed the contrast between the reception of Christian and Hopefull, and that of Ignorance; how he could not produce his scroll, and that the Lord of the place would not even see him, and how he was carried away to the opening of Hell.

This Sunday I am confident Pastor Rod will present an excellent Easter message, so in Sunday school we are going to wrap up Pilgrim's Progress by looking at the life of John Bunyan. I did that a bit at the begining of our reading several months back, but I have found some more material from an audio biography by Dr. Piper on the life of John Bunyan that has aired this week in four parts, so I am going to give a bit more detailed info on Bunyan's life. I also began reading Tom Nettles book, By His Grace and for His Glory, and have just gotten to the chapter that discusses Bunyan, so I plan to use some of that too.

The week after Easter I will begin taking the class through The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, article by article. I will be leaning heavily upon Pastor Rod's notes from his recently-finished Wednesday-evening lessons on the same subject. If you would like to hear those audio tapes, they are available online at Bulldogs and Piggies. They began back in October and you can find them under the title "What Does It Mean to be Baptist? (#'s 1-18).

Christ is Risen!
He is Risen indeed!

Have a blessed Resurrection day.
Wayne Hatcher

Church Music

While Tom Ascol was away last week, he had Ken Puls filling in as guest blogger at Founders Ministry Blog. His topic over a four-part series was Finding Our Voices in Worship. In this series Puls guides the reader through three tests to use in selecting music for worship.

• Part one deals with the veracity of music.
• Part two deals with the suitability of music.
• Part three deals with the authenticity of music.
• Part four gives suggestions for ways to help a church find its voice. (not yet posted)

These tests are made up of scriptural as well as pragmatic considerations. To be sure, these tests are very general, leaving a bit of wiggle room for musical style and taste; but if you are honest in your assessment, and truly desire to please God through your church singing, then you will find this series of posts most helpful.

Pilgrim's Progress: The Enchanted Ground

Our readings take us this Sunday to the final leg of Christian and Hopeful's journey. One of the best things that our Savior has given us for that journey is the support of fellow like-minded travelers and a good testimony of God's grace in us. As is illustrated here, let us make good use of both to shake off the "drowsyness" of this world.

We will probably read on past the listed passage today, as summer is creeping up, and I want to start a study of the Baptist Faith and Message soon. Besides, my wife and her girls have already finished PP, as they are faster readers than my boys.

I saw then in my dream, that they went till they came into a certain country, whose air naturally tended to make one drowsy, if he came a stranger into it. And here HOPEFUL began to be very dull and heavy of sleep; wherefore he said unto CHRISTIAN, "I do now begin to grow so drowsy, that I can scarcely hold up mine eyes; let us lie down here and take one nap."
Chr. "By no means," said the other; "lest sleeping, we never awake more."
Hope. Why, my brother, sleep is sweet to the labouring man; we may be refreshed if we take a nap.
Chr. Do you not remember that one of the shepherds bade us beware of the Enchanted Ground? He meant by that, that we should beware of sleeping; wherefore let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober. (1 Thessalonians 5:6 )
Hope. I acknowledge myself in a fault; and had I been here alone, I had, by sleeping, run the danger of death. I see it is true that the wise man saith, "Two are better than one". (Ecclesiastes 4:9) Hitherto hath thy company been my mercy; and thou shalt have a good reward for thy labour.
Chr. "Now," then said CHRISTIAN, "to prevent drowsiness in this place, let us fall into good discourse."
Hope. "With all my heart," said the other.
Chr. Where shall we begin?
Hope. Where God began with us.

What a Week!

What a whirlwind week this has been for Southern Baptists. If you don't know what I mean, then you have some considerable reading to get you up to speed. Follow the links in this post, and follow the links found at those web logs, and after about a week of steady reading you will be up to speed. I am sure that the emotions of countless concerned Christians, Southern Baptist and otherwise, have been on an emotional roller-coaster ride as they waited for news from the International Mission Board meeting this week in Tampa, Florida. One day news was good, then the next it was not so good. Business from one day which looked favorable, on closer scrutiny didn't look so good the next. New policy papers superseding the "Blue Book" were the end one day, only to reveal glimmers of hope on closer scrutiny the next. And then cries of "Where was the apology?", and "With this kind of secrecy descending over the IMB, I don't know if I can give to the Cooperative Program any more." Since this issue surfaced shortly before the first of the year (It has really been below the surface since last summer.) I haven't posted much on it because there were numerous others who, being closer to the situation, have been doing a very fine job of it. As this came to a crisis this week, there were a few things that I feel haven't been said, or haven't been adequately emphasized.

• "Where was the apology?" I have yet to hear Wade Burleson complaining with this question, so why should anyone else on his behalf? I have read every post Wade Burleson has posted on Grace and Truth to You, and I have yet to find a harsh or unkind word. He doesn't take swipes, is not sarcastic, doesn't gripe. Read his last two posts here and here, and look at how a godly and gracious Christian man responds to great personal upheaval. We all have before us an object lesson of what it means to obey Philippians 2:5. Wade wants Christ to be magnified in his life, as well as in the IMB. He's a part of the IMB, so it starts with him. He has larger motives than just his own personal reputation.
• "I don't know if I can give to the Cooperative Program any more." Cutting off funds is going to help all of those missionaries - uhhh, how? When they all have to come home, the lost are going to be reached - uhhh, how? Sounds to me like cutting your nose off to spite your face. It is way too early to be saying, or even thinking, things like this. A great post that I did read, which emphasized the missionaries, was by Marty Duren, at the SBC Outpost. A better post you will not find to both inspire and convict concerning those laboring in the mission fields.
• The Sovereignty of God: Especially for us in the reformed tradition, where is our confidence in the doctrines of grace? Is our God on his throne, or not? I thought about Wade a couple days ago in light of these events. Is it too dramatic to say he may be the Luther, or Edwards, or Whitfield of our day? What is God doing, or about to do through him? I found this same theme of God's sovereignty, much more eloquently than I have put it, at CrossConnect, by David Phillips.
• Determined and optimistic: Again, I found one - there may be more - post that wasn't doom and gloom. Bowden McElroy at Interregnum, who I had the priveledge to meet a couple of weeks ago, had this to say: "I am neither shocked, outraged, depressed, or angry over the recent changes Wade and Marty have written about. Instead, I am determined." This comes from a man who very likely will see one, if not of his daughters enter the mission field in the not too distant future under the umbrella of the IMB.

Back when I use to blog on a wider range of issues, I always liked to quote something, anything from Douglas Wilson. I try in vain to keep up with what goes on over at Blog and Mablog, since his pen is never idle. When I find the time I can always find something good to read there, even though I don't agree with much of his ecclesiology. Besides, I enjoy his "serrated" wit. Turns out, even Wilson may be watching the comings and goings over at the IMB. In yesterday's post he drops a line that indicates he very well may be: "Keeping track of all the groups that go all the way back is almost as hard as keeping track of all the Presbyterian microbrew continuing church movements that go all the way back to Thomas Chalmers. Oh, and I forgot the Baptists. Their trail of blood goes all the way back." You never know who may be watching. That's something we need to keep in mind too.

Special Guest Speaker

My pastor has been on a well-deserved vacation this week. In his place we were blessed to hear Brother Bowden McElroy both this morning and evening. I became acquainted with Brother McElroy a few weeks ago through his web log, Interregnum, only to find out a few days later that my pastor knew him. The next thing I knew he was slated to speak this week to provide much-needed supply for my pastor. The name of his two messages were The Blame Game, from Psalm 3, and Fear, from Psalm 3. You can also access these two sermons at the podcast site at Bulldogs and Piggies. Thank you, Brother McElroy.

Pilgrim's Progress: The Flatterer & Atheist

Well, we finally worked our way through the Delectable Mountains, and the story of Little-Faith. Moving on to the next section, I have selected to post a much shorter passage, one that my class will be able to work through in a single Sunday. The proximity of these two short passages resting side by side is evidence of the fact that pitfalls in the Christian journey can be disguised behind plesantries (flattery), or have no disguises at all (atheist). As followers of Christ we must be prepared for the kisses of the enemy (Proverbs 27:6) as well as his blows.

The Flatterer So they went on, and IGNORANCE followed. They went then till they came to a place where they saw a way put itself into their way, and seemed withal to lie as straight as the way which they should go; and here they knew not which of the two to take, for both seemed straight before them; therefore here they stood still to consider. And as they were thinking about the way, behold a man, black of flesh, but covered with a very light robe, came to them and asked them, "Why they stood there?" They answered, "They were going to the Celestial City, but knew not which of these ways to take." "Follow me!" said the man; "it is thither that I am going." So they followed him in the way that but now came into the road, which by degrees turned and turned them so from the city that they desired to go to, that in a little time their faces were turned away from it; yet they followed him. But by and by, before they were aware, he led them both within the compass of a net, in which they were both so entangled that they knew not what to do; and with that the white robe fell off the black man's back: then they saw where they were. Wherefore there they lay crying some time; for they could not get themselves out. Chr. Then said CHRISTIAN to his fellow, "Now do I see myself in an error. Did not the shepherds bid us beware of the flatterers? As is the saying of the wise man, so we have found it this day: 'A man that flatters his neighbour spreads a net for his feet'". Hope. They also gave us a note of directions about the way, for our more sure finding thereof; but therein we have also forgotten to read, and have not kept ourselves from the paths of the destroyer. Here David was wiser than we; for, saith he, "Concerning the works of men, by the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer." Thus they lay bewailing themselves in the net. At last they espied a shining one coming towards them, with a whip of small cord in his hand. When he was come to the place where they were, he asked them whence they came? and what they did there? They told him, "That they were poor pilgrims going to Zion; but were led out of their way by a black man clothed in white, who bid us," said they, "follow him; for he was going thither too." Then said he with the whip, "It is FLATTERER, a false apostle, that hath transformed himself into an angel of light". So he rent the net, and let the men out Then said he to them, "Follow me, that I may set you in your way again." So he led them back to the way which they had left to follow the Flatterer. Then he asked them, saying, "Where did you lie the last night?" They said, "with the shepherds upon the Delectable Mountains." He asked them then, "If they had not of those shepherds a note of direction for the way?" They answered, "Yes." "But did you," said he, "when you were at a stand, pluck out and read your note?" They answered, "No." He asked them why? They said they forgot. He asked, moreover, "If the shepherds did not bid them beware of the Flatterer?" They answered, "Yes; but we did not imagine," said they, "that this fine spoken man had been he". Then I saw in my dream that he commanded them to lie down; which when they did, he chastised them sore to teach them the good way wherein they should walk. And as he chastised them, he said "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore, and repent". This done, he bade them go on their way, and take good heed to the other directions of the shepherds. So they thanked him for all his kindness; and went softly along the right way, singing: "Come hither, you that walk along the way; See how the pilgrims fare that go astray! They catched are in an entangling net, 'Cause they good counsel lightly did forget. 'Tis true they rescued were; but yet you see They're scourged to boot. Let this your caution be!" Atheist Now after awhile, they perceived afar off one coming softly and alone, all along the highway, to meet them. Then said CHRISTIAN to his fellow, "Yonder is a man with his back toward Zion; and he is coming to meet us." Hope. I see him; let us take heed to ourselves now, lest he should prove a flatterer also. So he drew nearer and nearer; and at last came up unto them. His name was ATHEIST; and he asked them whither they were going? Chr. We are going to the Mount Zion. Then ATHEIST fell into a very great laughter. Chr. What is the meaning of your laughter? Atheist. I laugh to see what ignorant persons you are, to take upon you so tedious a journey, and yet are like to have nothing but your travel for your pains. Chr. Why, man; do you think we shall not be received? Ath. Received! There is no such place as you dream of in all this world. Chr. But there is in the world to come. Ath. When I was at home in mine own country, I heard as you now affirm, and from that hearing went out to see; and have been seeking this city these twenty years, but find no more of it than I did the first day I set out. Chr. We have both heard and believe that there is such a place to be found. Ath. Had not I, when at home, believed, I had not come thus far to seek; but finding none (and yet I should, had there been such a place to be found, for I have gone to seek it farther than you), I am going back again, and will seek to refresh myself with the things that I then cast away for hopes of that which I now see is not. Chr. Then said CHRISTIAN to HOPEFUL, his fellow, "Is it true which this man hath said ?" Hope. "Take heed, he is one of the flatterers; remember what it hath cost us once already for our hearkening to such kind of fellows. What! no Mount Zion! did we not see from the Delectable Mountains the gate of the city? Also, are we not now to walk by faith? Let us go on," said HOPEFUL; "lest the man with the whip overtake us again. You should have taught me that lesson, which I will round you in the ears withal: 'Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causes to err from the words of knowledge.' I say, my brother, cease to hear him, and let us believe to the saving of the soul". Chr. My brother, I did not put the question to thee, for that I doubted of the truth of our belief myself; but to prove thee, and to fetch from thee a fruit of the honesty of thy heart. As for this man, I know that he is blinded by the god of this world: let thee and I go on, knowing that we have belief of the truth, and "no lie is of the truth". Hope. Now do I rejoice in hope of the glory of God! So they turned away from the man; and he, laughing at them, went his way.

May the Mind of Christ My Savior: Author's biographies

This beautiful hymn amazes me because it comes, lyrics and tune, out of the 20th century. It reads and sounds like it should come from the Puritan era. Kate Barclay Wilkinson, the author of "May the Mind of Christ My Savior", was born in 1859, in Wooland Bank, Timperley, Cheshire, England. A member of the Church of England, she was involved in a ministry to girls and young women in west London. It was cited in some of the biographies that I read that her husband was an engineer. It should be instructive to us all of how a woman of an obviously high social standing spent her talents for the Kingdom of God. The words to her hymn, as well as the example of her selfless life, should cause us too to seek to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5-8). Kate Barclay Wilkinson died on December 28, 1928, in Kensington, London, England. Arthur Cyril Barham-Gould, composed the hymn tune ST. LEONARDS. He was born in England in 1891 and educated at Ridley Hall at Cambridge. He was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1927. He served from that time at various churches until his death. He died on February 14, 1953, in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. Both of these figures being servants of God in the Church of England; would that that church were filled with such servants even today.

May the Mind of Christ My Savior

May the mind of Christ, my Savior, Live in me from day to day, By His love and power controlling All I do and say. May the Word of God dwell richly In my heart from hour to hour, So that all may see I triumph Only through His power. May the peace of God my Father Rule my life in everything, That I may be calm to comfort Sick and sorrowing. May the love of Jesus fill me As the waters fill the sea; Him exalting, self abasing, This is victory. May I run the race before me, Strong and brave to face the foe, Looking only unto Jesus As I onward go. May His beauty rest upon me, As I seek the lost to win, And may they forget the channel, Seeing only Him.

The Proper Vision

Many posts over the Christian blogosphere, probably more than any of us realize, have been devoted to this won't-go-away controversy concerning the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board. I have grown weary of all of the logical arguments, all of the rational positions, all of the speculations of intent, good will, bad will, etc., from either perspective. What I want to see is more posts like the samples I have excerpted below. To borrow from the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, in this matter, let's have an eye towards the "great objects" of God's Kingdom (Article XIV: Cooperation) Art Rogers at 12 Witnesses, commenting on the book Eating the Elephant by Thom Rainer and Chuck Lawless.

The main tenet, with which I must agree, is that the structure is not the primary problem of any church. It is the focus of the church that becomes the root of all problems. Have we got God's heart for the lost in the forefront of our minds? When we are able to do that, we can move toward whatever programming we may need. If we truly value the lost, we will give up our own comfort and be willing to risk much to get the job done.

Pastor Wade Burleson at Grace and Truth to You

I hope that we as Southern Baptists can come to the realization that what we are striving for in our mission efforts around the world is the evangelization and discipleship of people in need of a Savior.

Not-So-Traditional Hymnody

For those of you who enjoy the rich, full, Scriptural content of those old hymns, here are a couple of sites dedicated to solid lyrics. This first site uses the old lyrics of days (many) gone by, and either "modernizes" the tune or creates a new one. The other site is thoroughly modern, creating brand new church music. It all depends on what you are use to, but I think most will find the music available at these two sites profitable. This link gets you to Bob Kauflin's Blog. The music resources are found in the right margin. CD's and music books are available for purchase, as well as other resources. Kauflin's blog is very good too if you are involved in leading music in worship, no matter what style of music your church has. Indelible Grace Music has a good many freely downloadable files of sheet music, piano scores, sample audio files, and great articles. CD's of the performed music are also available for sale here. Go to the "Resources" block in the left margin. If you are a Mac user, this site is NOT Safari-frendly. Use Firefox instead.

Pilgrim's Progress: The Delectable Mountains & Little Faith

This lesson was intended for last Sunday, but since we got winter-stormed out, it will be tackled this next Sunday. All of the other posts and calendar items intended for last Sunday will all be handled next Sunday also. We did actually have Sunday morning service. The turnout was light, but for those who came it was well worth the price of admission. You ought to go over to Bulldogs and Piggies and listen to the audio of Pastor Rod’s message entitled A Godly Perspective on Stuff from Matthew 6. In working our way through John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress we come to that part dealing with Christian and Hopeful arriving at the Delectable Mountains, shortly followed by their encounter with Ignorance and Little-Faith. Concerning this last character, a very short piece of the exchange between Hopeful and Christian caught my attention:

Hopeful: Why did not LITTLE-FAITH pluck up a greater heart? He might, methinks, have stood one brush with them, and have yielded when there had been no remedy. Christian: But for such footmen as thee and I are, let us never desire to meet with an enemy, nor vaunt as if we could do better, when we hear of others that they have been foiled; nor be tickled at the thoughts of our own manhood, for such commonly come by the worst when tried.

Our discussion will center primarily around our attitudes in our Christian walk; how we view our and our brothers' standing in Christ:

• Don't despise a brother who has fallen, looking on him as somehow weaker or less spiritual than you are, because he is not. We should seek to hold up and restore, not to glory over another's fall into sin. Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Galatians 6:1
• Don't be arrogant and think that it could never happen to you. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 1 Corinthians 10:12
• Realize and understand that the God who saves us is also the God who sustains us and keeps us. It is not in our power to bring about our own salvation, and it is not in our own power to preserve ourselves, either. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39
• Realize that anything we are or ever hope to be is not because of our own efforts, but God's But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 1 Corinthians 15:10
• Lastly, we should realize that even though salvation, from first to last is of God, and even though we are told the believer is secure, we are commanded to work, to strive, to examine and test concerning our salvation. Philippians 2:12, Luke 13:24, 2 Corinthians 3:15