Blog Trolling: Are Calvinists less Passionate about Evangelism?

As I was perusing my various feeds this morning I came across this one by Nathan White on Strange Baptist Fire.

Over lunch the other day a friend of mine shared a rather common perception about many who label themselves ‘Calvinists’. Obviously, I am a Calvinist, and this gentleman was as well, but his opinion came out of a concern for what he sees within Calvinistic circles.

He said (paraphrased):

‘Have you noticed how Calvinists just aren’t as passionate about evangelism as the Arminians? Even when I was an Arminian, it seemed that I had such a greater fervor for witnessing and reaching the lost than I do now as a Calvinist.’

To read the rest of this go here.

Technorati tags: Gospel, Evangelism, Christian, Calvinism, Arminianism

This Is Where I Am Right Now

I’m preparing to preach this Sunday at the local Hispanic Church. It’s been a while since I’ve preached in Spanish, so most of your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

I’ll be preaching Sunday morning around 11:00 in Lenoir City, and Sunday evening around 5:30 in Loudon. Those of you who have ever been south of the border know what I mean by ‘around’.

I’ll be preaching 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, The Gospel: God’s Glory in the Face of Christ.

 

Introduction: In Chapter 3:7-18, Paul contrasts the Old and New Covenants. He calls the Old Covenant a ministry of death, while he calls the New Covenant a ministry of the Spirit. Paul does nothing to take away the glory of the Old Covenant, instead, he does the opposite. He tells of the glory of the Old Covenant, a glory that when Moses descended Mount Sinai, he had to cover his face, because of the glory that shone as he had been in the presence of God. But whatever glory the Old covenant had is far surpassed in the New. This is why, Paul says, “We use great boldness of speech.” Not like Moses, who hid the glory of the Old Covenant by the veil over his face, but by the clear preaching of the Gospel. And as the Gospel is preached we are beholding the Glory of the Lord, and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.
I. The Open Proclamation Of The Gospel 1-2

A. The Privilege Of Proclaiming
B. The Renunciation Of Trickery
C. The Commendation Of Truth

II. The Veiling Of The Gospel 3-4

A. Those Who Are Perishing
B. The God Of This Age Matt 11:25, Rom 11:8-10, 1 John 5:19, Eph 2:2
C. What Is Hidden? The Glory Of Christ

III. The Revelation Of The Gospel 5-6

A. We Preach Christ
B. A Supernatural Work
Just as God has called everything into existence ex nihilo, He has called His elect out to be a kind of firstfruits of His new creation. He has called those whom He foreknew, not based upon their good works, because they are fallen creatures, and incapable of any sort of works that are pleasing to Him, but out of the nothingness of our fallen selves He has created us unto good works.
We may express our wonder at the created order, the galaxies and wideness of creation, or the glory of God that is seen in the smallest insect in the minute detail and complex order that exists within it’s small shell. But for the Christian, the work of redemption is every bit as breathtaking, every bit as glorious, every bit as lovely as any other supernatural work of God. We intend to give God as much glory in this supernatural work of salvation as we give Him for His equally supernatural work of Creation.
C. The Goal Of The Gospel
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” (Isa 40:1-9)

Conclusion: We gaze intently upon the glory of God as we look into the face of Christ by reading (devotionally), hearing (preaching), seeing (in the ordinances), and speaking (meditating upon) the Gospel. The Gospel is not a commendation of our own selves, but the revelation of the glory of God in the face of Christ. This leaves no room for boasting, for, “Salvation is of the Lord.”

The History of the Baptist Faith and Message

The Baptist Faith and Message (hereafter and evermore termed BF&M) was adopted by the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in 1925. The Committee on Statement of Baptist Faith and Message had previously been charged with the task of considering “the advisability of issuing another statement of the Baptist Faith and Message, and report at the next Convention.”

Under the leadership of E. Y. Mullins, the committee recommended that the Convention of 1925 adopt the New Hampshire Confession of 1833 with some revisions. The New Hampshire Confession was a statement of faith that had already experienced wide circulation throughout early Southern Baptist life, and as such was a natural choice for promoting unity of faith throughout the denomination. Some distinctive articles that were revised in the New Hampshire Confession for Southern Baptist use were those articles that promoted a strict Calvinistic view of the Doctrines of Grace and the article which defined a Gospel Church. (Instead of linking all the revisions and expansions here, there are links at the end of the post where comparisons can be made.) The reason for all the revisions made to the New Hampshire Confession were for the needs of the day. In some cases the need of the day was greater clarity (the New Hampshire confession was 92 years old at the time), while in other cases the need of the day was for less division for the sake of the Great Commission. The result was a Statement of Faith which, in my opinion, suited the denomination well, but was not necessarily a Statement of Faith that would outline the particular distinctives of the Church on the local level.

The motion passed and the BF&M (1925) was adopted. Along with the adoption of the BF&M (1925), another statement was adopted. This was a statement of the Baptist conception of the nature and use of confessions of faith.

Baptists approve and circulate confessions of faith with the following understanding, namely:

1. That they constitute a consensus of opinion of some Baptist body, large or small, for the general instruction and guidance of our own people and others concerning those articles of the Christian faith which are most surely conditions of salvation revealed in the New Testament, viz., repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.

2. That we do not regard them as complete statements of our faith, having any quality of finality or infallibility. As in the past so in the future Baptist should hold themselves free to revise their statements of faith as may seem to them wise and expedient at any time.

3. That any group of Baptists, large or small, have the inherent right to draw up for themselves and publish to the world a confession of their faith whenever they may think it advisable to do so.

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.

5. That they are statements of religious convictions, drawn from the Scriptures, and are not to be used to hamper freedom of thought or investigation in other realms of life.

These five points (especially points 1 and 2) are important for many of the debates that are taking place today about the scope and authority of the BF&M. Subsequent revisions (1963 and 2000) of the BF&M have always upheld these five points without revision.

Point number two was taken under advice by the Convention of 1962 and a committee to revise the BF&M (1925) was formed. The next year the revision of the BF&M (1963) was adopted by the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Kansas City.

In 1998 the BF&M (1963) was amended to include an article on The Family.

Another complete revision to the BF&M was made in 1999. This revision was adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 2000 and is the current version in use today.

For a comparison of the 3 versions of the BF&M, click here.  To see the New Hampshire Confessio, from which the BF&M was adapted, click here.

Another Blog

Here’s a blog that should be a good resource for Southern Baptists.

Southern Baptist Echoes

Evangelical Jargon

It’s been a while since we did a Evangelical Jargon post. So here’s another one.

“It’s a Relationship, not Religion.”

I like to call the thinking behind this the ‘Religion of Relationship’. This ‘Religion of Relationship’ sets up a certain aspect of our relationship with God as though the relationship itself is God. We are invited to a relationship, live in the power of our relationship, and pray by virtue of our relationship.

The religion of Christ calls us to Himself, gives His Spirit and grace for daily living, and bids us make our petitions known to God based upon both our relationship with Christ and Christ’s relationship to the Father.

Not that I deny the truth behind the relationship part. We are in a relationship with the Triune God. But that does not necessarily mean that we are not in a religious relationship with the Triune God.

God is not my buddy. He’s not my celestial grandpa, or my imaginary friend. He’s my God. The proper relationship between us is not only of Father and son, but of Creator and creature, Sovereign and subject, Holy and sinner, Savior and redeemed.

I get e-mails…

Most I classify as a Hormel product and place it in the appropriate folder.  Sometimes however, I get some from a dear brother in the Lord who tends to ask me questions that require me to spend some time in the word. 

So what do you do with false professors?  What do you do with those who confess Christ as Lord with their mouths but act as if he isn’t with their lives?

What if they are your sons?  What if after X number of years in so called Sunday School they reject the teachings and live as they want.  What do you do if the church you attend say:  “Oh boys will be boys thats normal.” 

So what do you do? 

Desiring God Book Sale

The Desiring God book sale starts tomorrow and ends Thursday.  Every book in the Desiring God Store is only $5.00.

I wholeheartedly endorse all of John Piper’s books.  (If J. I. Packer stops endorsing books, I’m ready to step in.)

Blogging the Baptist Faith and Message

I don’t like doing series of posts because I usually end up not being able to complete the series in a timely fashion.  This is due to, (1) my busy schedule, and (2) my laziness.

That being said, there seems to be a lot of confusion out there about what the BF&M says about some key doctrines.  In this series of posts I will attempt to provide a helpful commentary on the articles of faith expressed in the BF&M.

The first post will be a short history of the BF&M, while the following posts will be short commentaries on each article.  At least I intend for the posts to be short.  Conciseness is a virtue.  Martin Luther once said, “I would not have preachers torment their hearers, and detain them with long and tedious preaching, for the delight of hearing vanishes therewith, and the preachers hurt themselves.”  The same can be said for blogging.  I would not have bloggers torment their readers, and detain them with long and tedious posting, for the delight of reading vanishes therewith, and the bloggers hurt themselves.

I want these posts to be read, therefore, I will do my best to make them short.

Look for the first BF&M post this Friday, with subsequent posts each Friday thereafter.

Martin Luther on…

Scripture.

These quotations are taken from Luther’s Tabletalk.

No greater mischief can happen to a Christian people than to have God’s Word taken from them or falsified so that they no longer have it pure and clear.  God, grant that we and our descendants be not witnesses of such a calamity.

Let us not lose the Bible, but with diligence, in fear and invocation of God, read and preach it.  While that remains and flourishes, all prospers with the state; ’tis head and empress of all arts and faculties.  Let but divinity fall, and I would not give a straw for the rest.

 I have grounded my preaching upon the literal word; he that pleases may follow me; he that will not may stay.  I call upon Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Moses, and all the saints to say whether they ever fundamentally comprehended on single word of God without studying it over and over and over again.  The Psalm says; His understanding is infinite.  The saints, indeed, know God’s Word, and can discourse of it, but the practice is another matter; therein we shall ever remain scholars.

We must know how to teach God’s Word properly and discerningly, because those who hear it are diverse.  Some are struck with fear in the conscience, perplexed, and awed by their sins, in apprehension of God’s anger, and penitent.  These people must be comforted with the consolations of the Gospel.  Others are hardened, obstinate, stiff-necked, rebel-hearted.  These must be made afraid of the law by examples of God’s wrath, such as the fires of Elijah, the deluge, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the downfall of Jerusalem.  These hard heads need sound knocks.

The Church Fathers and the Interpretation of Scripture

For the Early Church Fathers the interpretation of Scripture was not merely an intellectual activity. Biblical interpretation for the Fathers was a physical discipline accomplished by the whole person. To be sure there were extremes and misinterpretations present in their works to be avoided, but I believe there are a few principles that we would do well to learn from them.  Here are three applications that I believe are important for the days in which we live.

First, the interpreter of Scripture must be a Christian. The Fathers were not content to relinquish the words of Christ and His Apostles to the many heretics that desired to twist their words.

Unless, therefore, a man by God’s great grace receives the power to understand what has been said and done by the prophets, the appearance of being able to repeat the words or the deeds will not profit him, if he cannot explain the argument of them. And will they not assuredly appear contemptible to many, since they are related by those who understood them not?-Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho.

Irenaeus also in various sections of Against Heresies, condemns those heretics who would subvert passages from the Gospels. The very fact that the Fathers believed one must be a Christian first to interpret the Scriptures properly, and their work in preserving the the truth of the Gospel contained in the writings of the Apostles probably are the very reason that these heretics began to write their own pseudo-gospels, commonly referred to now as the ‘gnostic gospels’.

Paul himself in his first letter to the Corinthians tells us,

For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1Co 2:11-16 ESV)

To understand and properly interpret Scripture one must be a Christian who is indwelt by the Spirit of God.

Second, Scripture must be interpreted in the context of a Christian community. There are no ‘lone ranger’ Christians for the Church Fathers. If someone who claims the name of Christ is not involved in the community of believers, he cannot properly interpret Scripture. Further, the aim of interpretation is the edification of the whole community of believers and not the sport of idle speculation.

“But since they neglect every path of righteousness, and look only to this one point, namely, which of the propositions submitted to them they shall bind or loose, (like those persons who in the theatres perform wrestling matches in public, but not that kind of wrestling in which the victory is won according to the rules of the sport, but a kind to deceive the eyes of those who are ignorant in such matters, and to catch applause), and every marketplace must buzz with their talking; and every dinner party be worried to death with silly talk and boredom; and every festival be made unfestive and full of dejection, and every occasion of mourning be consoled by a greater calamity—their questions—and all the women’s apartments accustomed to simplicity be thrown into confusion and be robbed of its flower of modesty by the torrent of their words…since, I say this is so, the evil is intolerable and not to be borne, and our Great Mystery is in danger of being made a thing of little moment. Well then, let these spies bear with us, moved as we are with fatherly compassion, and as holy Jeremiah says, torn in our hearts; let them bear with us so far as not to give a savage reception to our discourse upon this subject; and let them, if indeed they can, restrain their tongues for a short while and lend us their ears. However that may be, you shall at any rate suffer no loss. For either we shall have spoken in the ears of them that will hear, and our words will bear some fruit, namely an advantage to you (since the Sower soweth the Word upon every kind of mind; and the good and fertile bears fruit), or else you will depart despising this discourse of ours as you have despised others, and having drawn from it further material for gainsaying and railing at us, upon which to feast yourselves yet more…

Not to every one, my friends, does it belong to philosophize about God; not to every one; the Subject is not so cheap and low; and I will add, not before every audience, nor at all times, nor on all points; but on certain occasions, and before certain persons, and within certain limits.” -Gregory of Nazianzus, First Theological Oration.

While Scripture is personally edifying, the attempt to divorce the Scriptures from the people of the Scriptures is disastrous to one’s spiritual life.

A final point, though not the final point, of application of the Fathers interpretation of Scripture is this…Scripture is to be interpreted as God’s Words.  There is a tendency today to read Scripture as man’s interpretation of God.  The truth is that Scripture is God’s revelation of Himself to man.

…and that we might receive the teaching concerning the transcendent nature of the Deity which is given to us, as it were, “through a glass darkly” from the older Scriptures,—from the Law, and the Prophets, and the Sapiential Books, as an evidence of the truth fully revealed to us, reverently accepting the meaning of the things which have been spoken, so as to accord in the faith set forth by the Lord of the whole Scripture, which faith we guard as we received it, word for word, in purity, without falsification, judging even a slight divergence from the words delivered to us an extreme blasphemy and impiety.-Gregory of Nyssa, Against Eunomius.

Moreover, concerning the righteousness which the law enjoined, confirmatory utterances are found both with the prophets and in the Gospels, because they all spoke inspired by one Spirit of God.-Theophilus, To Autolycus, Book Three.

We have learned the plan of our salvation from no one else other than from those through whom the gospel has come down to us. For they did at one time proclaim the gospel in public. And, at a later period, by the will of God, they handed the gospel down to us in the Scriptures-to be the ‘ground and pillar of our faith.’-Irenaus, Against Heresies.

For the Fathers, the Bible is authoritative because it is the Word of God.  To interpret it otherwise causes us to lose it’s meaning and authority.

So now that we are on our way to interpreting Scripture, remember to carry with you your faith in Christ, your place in the Church, and your dependence upon the God who reveals Himself.