The 1689 London Baptist Confession

The Fall of Man, Sin and Punishment

--> Although God created man upright and perfect, and gave him a righteous law, which secured life for him while he kept it, and although God warned him that he would die if he broke it, yet man did not live long in this honor.

• Satan, using the subtlety of the serpent to subdue Eve, seduced Adam by her, and he, without any compulsion, willfully transgressed the law of their creation and the command given to them by eating the forbidden fruit.
• And this act God, according to His wise and holy counsel, was pleased to permit, having purposed to order it to His own glory.

--> Our first parents, by this sin, fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and we in them. For from this, death came upon all: all becoming dead in sin and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body.

--> They being the root, and by God’s appointment, standing in the room and stead of all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and their corrupted nature conveyed, to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation. Their descendants are therefore conceived in sin, and are by nature the children of wrath, the servants of sin, and the subjects of death and all other miseries, spiritual, temporal, and eternal, unless the Lord Jesus sets them free.

--> All actual transgressions proceed from this original corruption, by which we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil.

--> During this life the corruption of nature remains in those who are regenerated, and although it is pardoned and mortified through Christ, yet this corrupt nature and all its motions are truly and properly sinful.

I think this is a very important doctrine to understand. This is the Doctrine of Total Depravity. We must understand that we are sinful. This is the starting point. Unless you understand your complete and total sinfulness, you’ll never really “get” your need for a Savior. This is also an important part of the Gospel presentation. When sharing the Gospel, we want people to understand that they are sinners and that apart from the forgiveness that Christ provides, we have no hope.

Psalm 51:5 says, “I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” We are sinful from the very moment of conception. It’s who we are.

Genesis 6:5 says, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” This is a pretty broad sweeping statement. Not just every thought, but every intention of every thought. It’s all “only evil continually.” If that doesn’t give you a full picture of your own depravity, let’s look at one more: Romans 3:10-12, which says, “as it is written: None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Eight times in these three short verses we see our universal condition. The final three words “not even one” are pretty final.

We are not greatly hindered in our ability to make a decision for Christ. We are not in need of some help to choose to follow Christ. Christ didn’t die merely to make it possible for us to choose to follow Christ.

God, in His divine sovereignty and grace, sent Christ to suffer for all of our sins and, as 1 Peter 3:18 puts it, “so that he might bring us to God…” We must understand our depravity. When we realize that we’re not even looking for God, it makes the Gospel even more beautiful, humbling, and amazing. I was drowning in my own depravity, totally doing my own thing, and in the midst of that, God sent Christ to show “his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romand 5:8)

Back to the 1689 Confession

Divine Providence

--> God the good Creator of all things, in His infinite power and wisdom, upholds, directs, disposes and governs all creatures and things, from the greatest to the least, by His most wise and holy providence, to the end for which they were created.

• God governs according to His infallible foreknowledge and the free and unchanging counsel of His own will;
• for the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, boundless goodness, and mercy.

--> Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, Who is the First Cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly; so that nothing happens to anyone by chance, or outside His providence, yet by His providence He orders events to occur according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently.

--> God, in His ordinary providence makes use of means, yet He is free to work outside, above, and against them at His pleasure.

--> The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God so far manifest themselves in His providence, that His determinate counsel extends even to the first fall, and all other sinful actions of both angels and men.

• This is not merely by a bare permission, but by a form of permission in which He included the most wise and powerful limitations, and other means of restricting and controlling sin. These various limitations have been designed by God to bring about his most holy purposes.
• Yet, in all these affairs, the sinfulness of both angels and men comes only from them and not from God, Who is altogether holy and righteous, and can never be the author or approver of sin.

--> The most wise, righteous, and gracious God often leaves, for a time, His own children to various temptations, and to the corruptions of their own hearts, in order to chastise them for the sins which they have committed, or to show them the hidden strength of corruption and deceitfulness still in their hearts, so that they may be humbled and aroused to a more close and constant dependence upon Himself for their support, and that they may be made more watchful against future occasions of sin. Other just and holy objectives are also served by such action by God. Therefore whatever happens to any of His select is by His appointment, for His glory, and for their good.

--> As for those wicked and ungodly men whom God as a righteous judge, blinds and hardens for former sin, from them He not only withholds His grace, by which they might have been enlightened in their understanding and affected in their hearts, but sometimes He also withdraws the gifts which they had and exposes them to certain objects which their corrupt state will make the occasion of sin.

• God gives them over to their own lusts, the temptations of the world, and the power of Satan, so that eventually they harden themselves under the same influences which God uses for the softening of others.

--> As the providence of God in general reaches to all creatures, so, in a more special manner, it takes care of His church, and governs all things to the good of His church.

There is much theology in this section. Whole books could be written on this, and in fact many have. As I read through it, the first paragraph bullet point that says “for the praise of His glory...” reminds me of the beginning section of our Gospel presentation. Ephesians 1:3-14 (one long sentence in the Greek) says this three times. I love how the statement attaches the glory of God to wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy. It brings several of God’s attributes together with His glory.

The next two sections are an attempt to address the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. A.W. Pink says that there is a difficulty in determining exactly where one ends and the other begins. He also points out that the responsibility of man is born out of the sovereignty of God. There is most certainly a difficulty in reconciling the fact that God is sovereignly in charge of everything, yet man is also responsible for his actions. We are not robots or puppets. How this all works, I don’t know.

What I do know is this:

• God is sovereign. Nothing can stay His hand.

• I am responsible for my actions.

I am responsible to make every effort be obedient to Scripture.

The last six words are the most comforting of this entire section. Whatever we come to understand about the sovereignty and providence of God, we should always remember this - it is all “to the good of His church.” The church, God’s chosen people, are the ones that He has chosen to set His special love upon. He not only knew us before the foundation of the world and sent His son to die specifically for us, but all that He does is ultimately “to the good of His church.”

Final Closing Thoughts

So here I sit on the bus, about 3 1/2 hours from home. This year has certainly been a different adventure from the “typical” first weekend in December. For the past eight years, we’ve gone to Mexico this weekend. The Mexico trips have always been great. The first December I was here, we went to Mexico and took 600 shoeboxes down and worked with Iglesia Christiana El Buen Pastor. We did two different programs. One, involving mostly a craft, puppet show, and a couple of songs for the younger children. The older children would get a program including songs, games, and sharing the Gospel in Spanish. Following the program, every child received their gift.

Over the years I’ve been to Mexico, we expanded the program to include a street carnival with balloon animals, face painting, and games. The number of shoeboxes grew to over 1500, and the ministry expanded beyond just the children to include women in the hospital, a group of indians about two hours out of Ensenada, and even a Gospel saturation, distributing close to 2,000 copies of the Gospel of John in Spanish to four different communities in the Ensenada area.

The Ministry in Mexico has not only grown in what the HSM trip does, but also in the groups that participate. The Immanuel Young Adult Ministry has been to Mexico twice to give away food and tons of clothing. The Men’s Ministry has gone down a few times to help with construction. Last year, when the church was able to relocate to an old theater in the downtown area of Ensenada, the Immanuel Orchestra was able to participate in the first worship service in their new location. We’ve even had many people from Immanuel donate money to help this church and have given the church over $20,000 in funds, which translates to significantly more in Mexico. Our gift of $20,000 to them would be like someone giving us about a million dollars.

It was a hard decision to not go to Mexico this year. In July, the people of Immanuel donated 433 shoeboxes. We were off to a great start in collecting shoeboxes. The trip is one that flows pretty smoothly. We have a good system down for planning/preparation meetings, teams, and doing what we do down there. Each year there are many new participants, but there are also many return participants. It’s a great blend of new and old and the trip always flows pretty smoothly. Well.... after we get across the border, that is. The border crossing has always been the one element of the trip that always makes me nervous (there are quite a few “border crossing” stories I could tell you, but that’s a blog for another time).

With all that’s going on in Mexico right now, and after discussing it with quite a few people, we decided that this year wasn’t a good year to take 40 high school students into Mexico. The task became to come up with an alternative. We weren’t looking to just “fill the time slot” and do something, but we wanted to do legitimate ministry in a new area. Because of a trip to San Francisco with our choir about six years ago, I know a couple of missionaries there. After a couple of phone calls and a few emails, we had a plan coming together.

Preparations for this trip were very different from Mexico. The trip to Mexico kind of plans itself, so to speak. Because we’ve done it for so long, everyone kind of knows what to do and the team approach we’ve used works very well. San Francisco wasn’t quite the same. The scenario was pretty fluid right up until we got there. The one thing that I knew we were going to do in San Francisco was share the Gospel. My main goal for this trip was for everyone going (adults included) to learn to share the Gospel, which would include memorizing all the verses that go along with the Gospel presentation we use in the HSM. Along with that, the main purpose for this trip was to share the Gospel with people in San Francisco.

The weekend was very different, but very good. After getting stuff unloaded at Western Hills Baptist Church, where we were staying, we headed up to the city and Fisherman’s Wharf where we split up into our Gospel Teams (2-3 people on each team) to try and engage people with the goal of sharing the Gospel with them. After spending about an hour doing this, the teams came back with a variety of stories. Some were rejected, some go to talk a bit, but many had great conversations and were able to share the Gospel. It was a great experience for our students. As a youth pastor, I was so proud of my students, who had not only learned 14 passages of Scripture, but were going out in what would not be the most “gospel-friendly” of environments, and sharing the Gospel with people.

On Saturday, we helped out at the Page Street Baptist Center. Page Street is a community center in the Haight/Ashbury district of San Francisco. It’s been a Community Center continually since 1968. It is run by Eric and Linda Bergquist, two missionaries who have been ministering in the city for about 20 years. We came in, Eric and Linda talked to us about ministry in San Francisco and serving others, then we jumped right in and went to work. We did a lot of work around the center, cleaning up and making breakfast, and serving several people that live in the community who just dropped by. We had some great conversations with people and were able again to share the Gospel a few times. Two teams went out into the neighborhood. One team wasn’t able to engage with anyone, but the other team was able to talk to a couple of people, one guy they shared the Gospel with, and were able to talk to him for over half an hour.

After lunch at Naan & Curry, a fabulous Indian restaurant that some enjoyed and some did not, we headed to Chinatown. Our task in Chinatown was quite different from anything we’ve ever done. We were attempting to gather demographic information for church planting efforts in Chinatown. It was not the easiest of tasks. There is definitely a cultural barrier there. We did some caroling, gave out quite a few Christmas Cards, each with a Gospel tract in it, then did a bit of shopping (you can’t go to Chinatown and not do some shopping).

Sunday morning was spent with the congregation at Western Hills Baptist. Our Worship Team led in worship and did an amazing job. The SWC (HS Choir) sang a couple of songs and definitely rocked the house with their closing song “Shackles.” The people of Western Hills were not only very hospitable in welcoming us into their facility to sleep, saving us quite a bit of money on lodging, but were so gracious and thankful of our ministry there with them. The morning worship service was definitely a SIX33 HSM event!!! Again, I was so proud of our students in how well they led and served in the morning worship service.

Overall, it was a great weekend. I honestly can’t think of any problems we had. The students were great, the adults were great (I don’t want to call them “chaperones” because they did so much more than just “chaperone” - all of the adults truly served and ministered just like the students did - I’m proud of them as well), the ministry times were great. Again - just a great weekend.

I don’t know what next year will hold, but we were invited to come back any time both by the people of Western Hills and by the Page Street Center. San Francisco just might become one of our new “spots.”

Thanks to everyone in the Immanuel family who so faithfully support the SIX33 HSM in so many ways. Thanks to all the parents who so graciously allow us to be a part of their children’s lives. We have such an amazing group of students and I am truly blessed to be a part of what God is doing both in and through their lives.

Seeking Him,

Rob

<><

P.S. - a special GIANT THANK YOU to Pete Younkman, our fearless bus driver. Pete is such a servant. I could write a whole blog just about the amazing example of servanthood he is. He’s driven for us on many trips and he’s so consistent. He just drives, and serves quietly and consistently. We can all learn to be better servants by simply observing and imitating him. Thanks Pete! We love you and appreciate you.

Heading Home

So this morning went really well. The worship team did an ecxcellent
job leading us in worship. The choir's songs were great. Everyone in
the church was very appreciative and we received a lot of positive
feedback.
Shep, the Youth Pastor, invited us to come back and stay any time
we're in the SF area. Western Hills really has shown us some great
hospitality.
We're pulling out right now, so... See ya soon!
Rob Signs
<><

Shackles

Worship team

Angels...

The choir performing in the worship service.

Worship in 10

Shep talking to us for a few minutes in preparation for worship. The
HS worship team is leading in worship and the choir is doing two
songs. I'm looking forward to a great morning of worship.

Getting ready for worship

Up and Stirring

So even though it's the Christmas season, you couldn't say "not a creature was stirring" last night. I was startled awake several times throughout the night thinking "is that a bear?!?!" Then I remembered I'm not camping (even though I'm sleeping in a sleeping bag) and that noise isn't a bear. It was the bear-like snoring of "Joe" (the name has been changed to protect the not-so-innocent snorer). Thankfully, I had my sound-isolating earphones with me, so I put them in, hit "play" and went back to sleep.

This morning is going to be a great morning. We'll be reading Colossians for our quiet time, then a quick bite of breakfast. Shep (the Youth Pastor here at Western Hills) will be coming up to pray with us shortly before the worship service begins to help us prepare our hearts for worship.

Then, in the worship service, our SIX33 Worship Band will be leading the congregation in worship as well as the SWC (Student Worship Choir) leading in a couple of songs.

I'm so thankful for the opportunity we have been given to lead this congregation in worship. Our worship band has worked hard to not only put together a great worship set with Scripture and Christ-honoring lyrics, but they've spent extra time rehearsing and preparing to lead this morning. Be praying for us as we lead this local body into God's presence this morning. Pray that we can truly come together to exalt God this morning.

There will certainly be much to report back this coming Wednesday at SIX33. All parents of the students who participated in the trip are invited to come and hear the students talk about their experience here. We'll be showing some slides from the trip as well as hearing about what God did both in and through us. (I'll give you a preview - when I asked the group last night "how many of you were able to share the Gospel, or participate in sharing the Gospel with someone this weekend?" I'm pretty sure I saw every hand go up!!!)

More to come later this morning as we participate in worship with the people of Western Hills...

Pizza for dinner

After a very adventurous lunch at the Indian buffet, we opted for
pizza for dinner. After dinner, we're headed to the Golden Gate bridge
for a quick run across & back.

Alas - when we got there, it was closed to pedestrians. We did, however, find a great scenic lookout on the other side of the bay. The view of San Francisco and the Bridge from across the bay was quite beautiful.

All in all - a great, and very successful day!

Caroling in Chinatown

We were caroling in front of the Charity Cultural Chinese Center and
we were joined by a friend we met while singing.

Surveying

I'm not 100% sure, but I think this might be a .99 store...

Surveys

Getting ready to try and gather some information for the Church
Planting efforts here in Chinatown.

Chinatown!

Hello from Union Square

We stopped in Union Square to talk with a missionary from India for a
few minutes. As we ate lunch, one of our students asked him my
favorite question: "what is the Gospel?"
He spent a few minutes telling us about the church he's planting here
in SF and encouraging us to share the Gospel.

Buffet style

We'll take a vote later to see what the consensus was... :-)

Nann & Curry

I love Indian food! Carrie and Pete appear to be undecided...

Riding the MUNI

So we're on the city bus, heading for lunch at Naan & Curry. We're
meeting a missionary from India there. I'm hungry and excited.
Caroling & sharing the Gospel in Chinatown after lunch. :-)

More decorations

Making some real live wreaths to decorate.

Delicious French Toast

We had a delicious hot breakfast at the Page St. Center.

Upholstery Team

So there's a great variety of things to do here.

Page St Center

This has been a Community center since 1968

Christmas decorations

Making some Christmas deorations for the Center

Eric assigning a project

Our Chefs!

Making breakfast

Organizing the Library

More cleaning

Cleaning at Page

This is San Francisco

Eric Bergquist

Eric, the missionary that runs the Page Street Center greets us and
gives us instruction for what we're doing here today.

About to head out

We're not fully awake, but we will be shortly. We'lre about to have
our Quiet Time and head for the Center.

(Not So) Bright and Early

So we're mostly up and getting ready for the day. We had a pretty good night's sleep here at Western Hills Baptist Church in San Mateo. The church is about 25 minutes South of the City.

Last night was really fun. Every team that went out got to talk to several people. Some of the people we talked to didn't want to hear what we had to say. Some were receptive. Several of the Gospel Teams were able to share the Gospel completely with someone.

I would definitely call it a successful night of sharing the Gospel!

After that, we went out to have dinner. I had Crab Gumbo in a sourdough bowl. Definitely super-delicious! The Ice Cream Sundaes at Ghiradelli Square were definitely all they are rumored to be. If you're ever here, it's worth the effort.

Today's schedule is definitely busy. Here's the rundown of what we're going to be doing:

• Quiet Time

• Making Breakfast at the Page Street Center

We'll be serving breakfast to some of the homeless that stayed there.

We'll be headed out into the neigborhood to give breakfast to other homeless in the area.

• Cleaning up the Center

• Helping them cook and prepare for a couple of events this coming week

• Lunch at an Indian Restaurant with a couple of missionaries from India

• Caroling in Chinatown and sharing the Gospel with store owners.

• Gathering Chinatown demographic information for church planters

And of course

• Sharing the Gospel with people as we go throughout our day.

Keep checking back as I'll be posting pictures as we go through the day.

Colossians 4:3

Rob

<><

Ghiradelli Ice Cream

April said: "this is why I came on this trip!"

Ghiradelli Square

Chowder in a bread bowl

No explanation should be necessary

100' Tree

So we met at this tree at Pier 39. It's at least 100' tall and it's
REAL! we headed out to share the Gospel with people. Most of the teams
are still out. A few are back. More stories later.

We're in the City!

So as we headed into the city to go share the Gospel, the students
were practicing sharing the Gospel with each other on their own. I'm
so proud of these students! The picture doesn't do justice to Downtown
SF. In just a few minutes, we'll be getting off the bus and heading
out with each of our Gospel Teams on task to share the Gospel with at
least one person before we eat dinner and do the tourist thing.
Be praying that we have opportunities to share and that we share
clearly.

We've arrived safe & sound

Shep (the Youth Pastor here at Western Hills) welcomed us, gave us a
tour of the church, and prayed for us and out efforts here. Right now
we're about to head out to Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square to
first share the Gospel in our Gospel Teams, then eat some clam chowder
and be tourists! Our sharing should begin around 6:00ish, so we covet
your prayers during that time.

Lunch Stop

We just had lunch. The hand dryers in the bathrooms were "hand
deforming." Very fun! We're all fed & full and back on the road. Only
"five more minutes..."

296 Miles to go

If only we could average 70 MPH...

Rest Stop

So we ran into Krystyl's dad, Michael at our first rest stop. He
spotted the bus and followed us in to say "hi" to his daughter.
2-1/2 hours down, 5 more minutes to go! ;--)

Headin' for San Francisco!

We're all packed and ready and pulling out 5 minutes ahead of
schedule! Keep checking back for updates throughout the trip...

Packed and Ready!

So I'm much better at packing "light" than I used to be (although my students might tell you differently). I still never pack until very late the night before. Then, while packing, I think of 1,000 other things to do. All this typically means that I'm up way later than I planned packing.

It's a little after midnight and I'm mostly packed for the trip. I'll be packed soon then off to bed. It's been a busy day getting everything ready for departure in the morning, but we'll be ready to go way too early.

Keep checking back for updates throughout the day. I'll be posting updates several times a day, more when we're doing ministry. Keep checking back for a "play-by-play" of all that's going on.

As you pray for us - pray Colossians 4:3-4, "...pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ... that I may make it clear..."

Our purpose for this trip is to share the Gospel as much as we can. My personal goal is that everyone on the trip has the opportunity to share the Gospel with someone at least once.

More soon...

Rob

<><

View from the Top!

The view of Big Bear Lake from way up at the top of Bertha Peak is
amazing! You can see the entire lake from above.

We caught a bear!

We found a bear and thought it made for a great capture. This is the
group of guys that will be braving the 20 degree night on our guys
camping trip to Big Bear!

Creation

--> In the beginning it pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for the manifestation of the glory of His eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, to create or make the world and all things in it both visible and invisible, in the space of six days, and all very good.

--> After God had made all other creatures, He created man, male and female, with reasoning and immortal souls, rendering them fit to live that life for Him for which they were created;

• being made in the image of God, in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness; having the law of God written in their hearts, and having the power to fulfill it;
• and yet living under a possibility of transgressing, being left to the liberty of their own will which was subject to change.

--> Besides the law written in their hearts, they received a command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. While they kept this command they were happy in their communion with God, and had dominion over all other creatures.

Today’s morsel is brief, and on the surface would seem to be a simple summary of the creation account in Genesis, but when read carefully, you see some deep theology boiled down very well. Note first, that we see the Trinity involved in creation. Also note that creation is six literal days, not six “time periods” as some would say.

Adam and Eve were created so that they could honor and glorify God. The next two bullet points pretty much stand on their own. Studying the idea of “free will” (not a good term to use, as it can mean different things to different people) or better yet “man’s responsibility,” is something that can take a lot of time and thought. The Confession here, boils it down as well as I’ve seen.

We don’t know how long Adam and Eve were in the garden before the fall, but it is important to see the state they existed in before the fall. Seeing this helps us to begin to understand the problems we face in our world today. The problems of society, and indeed in our personal lives, can all be traced back to this.

Seeing the original plan (“While they kept this command...”) helps us to begin understanding the problem of our depravity. What a great summary the Confession gives us of the creation account. Carefully boiled down theology of creation. For those who have been at SIX33 on Wednesday nights, the idea of “compressed theology” that James has introduced to us is done very well in this section of the Confession. It’s always good to take a look back at the beginning. (The next two sections will develop this further as we look at Divine Providence and The Fall of Man, Sin, and Punishment)

Rob

<><

I Confess to not posting

So I haven't given up on the Confession. The last couple of weeks have been super busy. This week, I've got to prepare for three messages as well as getting ready for our Mission Trip to San Francisco.

The next installment of the 1689 London Baptist Confession will come soon.

In the meantime - all is well in the HSM. On Tuesday, the eTeam met and we had the opportunity to share the Gospel with 20 people! All the students were very excited about it. I can't wait until next Tuesday to see what happens.

Have an amazing weekend! Check out www.teampyro.blogspot.com for some great Spurgeon stuff every weekend.

Rob

<><

Today, we look at God’s Decree. To me, this is an extremely comforting doctrine. It has also historically been one that is misunderstood by many. Much of the this comes from not properly understanding what foreknowledge is. In “The Attributes of God” A.W. Pink says “‘foreknowledge’ is never used in Scripture in connection with events or actions; instead, it always has reference to persons. It is persons God is said to ‘foreknow,’ not the actions of those persons.”

God’s Decree

--> God has decreed in Himself from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably, all things which shall ever come to pass.

• Yet in such a way that God is neither the author of sin nor does He have fellowship with any in the committing of sins, nor is violence offered to the will of the creature , nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.
• In all this God’s wisdom is displayed, disposing all things, and also His power and faithfulness in accomplishing His decree.

--> Although God knows everything which may or can come to pass under all imaginable conditions, yet He has not decreed anything because He foresaw it in the future, or because it would come to pass under certain conditions.

--> By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels are predestinated or foreordained to eternal life through Jesus Christ, to the praise of His glorious grace. Others are left to act in their sin to their just condemnation, to the praise of His glorious justice.

--> Those angels and men thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed, and the number of them is so certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished.

--> Those of mankind who are predestinated to life, God chose before the foundation of the world was laid, in accordance with His eternal and immutable purpose and the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will. God chose them in Christ for everlasting glory, solely out of His free grace and love, without anything in the creature as a condition or cause moving Him to choose.

--> As God has appointed the elect unto glory, so, by the eternal and completely free intention of His will, He has foreordained all the means. Accordingly, those who are elected, being fallen in Adam:

• are redeemed by Christ,
• are effectually called to faith in Christ by His Spirit working in due season,
• are justified, adopted, sanctified,
• and are kept by His power through faith unto salvation;
• neither are any but the elect redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved.

--> The doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, in order that men who are heeding the will of God revealed in His Word, and who are yielding obedience to it, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation be assured of their eternal election. So shall this doctrine provide cause for praise, reverence, admiration of God, and also provide cause for humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all who sincerely obey the Gospel.

That God has chosen me is a extremely comforting thought. Charles Spurgeon has said, “I believe in the Doctrine of Election because I am quite certain of these things:

• If God had not chosen me, I would never have chosen Him.

• I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterward.

• He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love.

There are a few reasons why we should sincerely love the Doctrine of Election: (These are adapted from Richard Phillips book “What’s So Great About the Doctrines of Grace)

1. Unconditional Election promotes humility and not pride. We must realize that we were chosen in spite of our utter unworthiness. It does not mean that we are somehow special or superior to others.

2. Unconditional Election promotes holiness and not license. Holiness is the goal for which we are saved. Those predestined to salvation are predestined to holiness. Ephesians 1:4 & 2:10. Happiness isn’t the priority of the Christian life. Holiness is.

3. Unconditional Election promotes assurance of salvation. Election tells us that it’s not us who chose God, but God who chose us. This changes everything about my struggle for assurance.

4. Unconditional Election promotes the glory of God. It does not promote my own glory. If my salvation depends solely on God, then He gets all the glory when I am saved.

We must always keep in mind that James tells us that we are saved and regenerated through the power of the Word of God. When we speak of sharing or proclaiming the Gospel, we must be sharing and proclaiming Scripture. My explanation of Scripture might be great. My own personal testimony might be powerful and moving, but it is God’s Word that I must proclaim if I am to accurately share the Gospel.

One of our mandates as Believers in Christ is evangelism. We must share the Gospel.

Don Elbourne Jr. says, “The doctrine of election does not negate evangelism, it ensures its success. Let’s boldly proclaim the Gospel to everyone. Let’s savor the supremacy of Christ over all things as He uses our collective evangelistic voices to call people to Himself for His glory.”

God has decreed that we should share the Gospel. He has chosen to draw people to Himself through our proclamation of the Gospel. Let’s keep our central focus upon the Gospel. It’s all about the Gospel.

Ask yourself daily, “What Is the Gospel?” As you answer this question, your heart will be encouraged and you will be brought into a greater dependence upon Him in whom “we live and move and have our being.”

Seeking Him,

Rob

<><

Speaking of the Prosperity Gospel

I won't name any names, but as I was reading "The Attributes of God" this afternoon, something occurred to me...

A.W. Pink writes this in Chapter 15 of "The Attributes of God" in the Chapter on The Love of God:

"Here then is abundant cause for trust and patience under Divine affliction, Christ was beloved of the Father, yet he was not exempted from poverty, disgrace, and persecution. He hungered and thirsted. Thus, it was not incompatible with God's love for Christ when He permitted men to spit upon him and smite him. Then let no Christian call into question God's love when he is brought under painful afflictions and trials. God did not enrich Christ on earth with temporal prosperity..."

So if my attitude toward life is the key to success, then Christ should have been the richest, most prosperous, most successful guy ever. Certainly Jesus never had a bad attitude. Certainly He never had a sinful attitude toward anything. Certainly He always did exactly what God would have wanted Him to do, right? Certainly even the wildest prosperity Gospel preacher would not claim that Jesus exhibited anything other than complete holiness and righteousness.

So then - why was he not prosperous?

Because the prosperity Gospel is a lie. It comes from man's inventions, not from the Scriptures.

God's children should never doubt His love for them. They should never measure it by the "stuff" they have or the situation they find themselves in. We should look to the Gospel, for in it we see the true love of God. When we truly understand what God has done for us, in the midst of our not only not deserving it, but also not even seeking/desiring it - we should be humbled beyond measure.

My "need" for a nice car is destroyed.

My "need" for a comfy bed is destroyed.

My "need" for a delicious meal is destroyed.

Christ died for me. Took the punishment that I deserve.

Now I can approach with confidence the throne of grace.

That is enough.

"I need no other argument, I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me."

Rob

<><

P.S. - the next installment of the "1689 Confession" is coming in the next day or so...

God and the Holy Trinity

So today, we look at God and the Trinity.
From time to time, one of my students will send me a text asking me a theological question. Sometimes they’re reading their Bible and a question about what they’re reading pops up. Sometimes, it’s a random question they have. Sometimes, they’re having a spiritual conversation with a friend and something comes up that they’re not sure how to answer. The other day, one of my students sent me a text around 10:30 p.m. asking this: “my friend is asking ‘what or who is God?’” (the student told me a couple of days later, “yeah it was late. I don’t know what I was thinking...)

While my answer was certainly accurate, what I should have done was to simply point to this confession.
Currently, my own understanding of who God is is growing by leaps and bounds. I’ve been reading through A.W. Pink’s classic book “The Attributes of God.” It’s a thin book, only 117 pages, but in the 17 short chapters that this book contains, there’s an amazing amount of depth. If you haven’t read “Attributes,” I highly recommend reading it.

Are you familiar with a “Sermon Jam?” There are quite a few of them out there. It’s where someone takes a sermon, edits it down to five minutes or so, using the “highlights” of the sermon, and puts dramatic background music and cool images in. Then it’s posted to YouTube (for a great example, click here).
Well, when I read what the 1689 Confession says about who God is, it’s so good and gives such a great description of who God is, it almost becomes a Sermon Jam in my head.

God and the Holy Trinity

--> The Lord our God is the one and only living and true God; Whose subsistence is in and of Himself - Who is infinite in being and perfection; Whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but Himself; 

• Who is a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions 

• Who alone has immortality

• Who dwells in the light which no man can approach, Who is immutable (unchangeable), immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, in every way infinite, most holy, most wise, most free, most absolute;

• Who works all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will, for His own glory; 

• Who is most loving, gracious, merciful, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth;
• Who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin;

• Who is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him; 

• and Who, at the same time, is most just and terrible in His judgements, hating all sin and Who will by no means clear the guilty. 


--> God, having all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and from Himself, is unique in being all-sufficient, both in Himself and to Himself, not standing in need of any creature which He has made, nor deriving any glory from such. - On the contrary, it is God Who manifests His own glory in them, through them, to them and upon them. He is the only fountain of all being; from Whom, through Whom, and to Whom all things exist and move. 

• He has completely sovereign dominion over all creatures, to do through them, for them, or to them whatever He pleases. 

• In His sight all things are open and manifest; His knowledge is infinite, infallible, and not dependent on the creature. 
• Therefore, nothing is for Him contingent or uncertain.

• He is most holy in all His counsels, in all His works, and in all His commands. 

• To Him is due from angels and men whatever worship, service, or obedience, they owe as creatures to the Creator, and whatever else He is pleased to require from them. 


--> In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word or Son, and the Holy Spirit. All are one in substance, power, and eternity; each having the whole divine essence, yet this essence being undivided. The Father was not derived from any other being; He was neither brought into being by, nor did He issue from any other being.

• The Son is eternally begotten of the Father. 

• The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.

• All three are infinite, without beginning, and are therefore only one God, Who is not to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties, and also their personal relations.
• This doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and our comfortable dependence on Him. 


I pray that today you would be overwhelmed by the truth and reality of who God is. Before you go to bed tonight, spend some time thanking God for all He has done for you. Read Romans 8 and Psalm 136.

The confession begins with “The Holy Scriptures.” The confession paints a beautiful picture of Scripture. We must approach Scripture correctly. We must have the right response to Scripture (James 1:18-22) #4 Gives a brief explanation of the Canonization process, how we came to have the books of the Bible. Simply put: we recognize what is God’s Word. It does not become God’s Word because it was declared to be so.

This is a great place to start when we look at doctrine, for how we view Scripture is very important. We must have a right view of Scripture to have a healthy spiritual life. There are many words used to describe Scripture in the first section. All of them are important. Scripture is the vehicle through which the Holy Spirit regenerates us and through which God saves us. (James 1:18-21, 1 Peter 1:23)

John MacArthur says “It is the divine power behind the truth of Scripture that is able to initiate salvation, keep it alive and growing, and finally bring it to final glory, complete and perfect. We have been saved (justified) through the power of the Word of God; we are kept saved (sanctified) through the power of the Word; and we will be ultimately, completely, and eternally saved (glorified) through the power of the Word.” (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: James, p. 76)

It all begins with the Word of God. We must start in the right place and start in the right direction. Take a few minutes to read what the confession says about the Word of God. It is clear, pretty concise, and very rich in truth. Keep all this in mind the next time you sit down for your “Quiet Time.” We are saved through the Word, and our spiritual growth comes as a result of the input of the Word into our lives, both through sitting under good Biblical teaching and through personal study of the Scriptures.

The Holy Scriptures

The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. Although the light of nature and the works of creation and providence manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God so much that man is left without any excuse, they are not sufficient to provide that knowledge of God and His will which is necessary for salvation. 
Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in divers manners to reveal Himself, and to declare His will to His church; 

- and afterward, for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church, protecting it against the corruption of the flesh and the malice of Satan and the world,
it pleased the Lord to commit His revealed Truth wholly to writing. Therefore the Holy Scriptures are most necessary, those former ways by which God revealed His will unto His people having now ceased. 


• We have established the 66 books of the Old and New Testament. All these books are given by the inspiration of God to be the rule of faith and life. 
The books commonly called “The Apocrypha” not being of divine inspiration, are not part of the canon or rule of Scripture and are therefore of no authority to the church of God, nor are they to be approved of or made use of any differently from other human writings.

• The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, depends not on the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God its Author (Who is Truth itself). Therefore it is to be received because it is the Word of God.

• We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the people of God to gain a high and reverent estimation of the Holy Scriptures. We may be similarly affected by the nature of the Scriptures—the heavenliness of the contents, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole, which is to give all glory to God, the full disclosure it makes of the only way of man's salvation, together with many other incomparable excellencies and entire perfections. By all the evidence the Scripture more than proves itself to be the Word of God. Yet, notwithstanding this, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth of Scripture and its divine authority, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts. 


• The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture, to which nothing is to be added at any time, either by new revelation of the Spirit, or by the traditions of men. Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word. 
There are some circumstances concerning the worship of God and church government which are common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word which are always to be observed. 


• All things in scripture are not equally plain in themselves, nor equally clear to everyone, yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded and revealed in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the educated but also the uneducated may attain a sufficient understanding of them by the due use of ordinary means.

• The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old), and the New Testament in Greek (which at the time of its writing was most generally known to the nations) were immediately inspired by God, and were kept pure through subsequent ages by His singular care and providence. They are therefore authentic , so that in all controversies of religion , the church must appeal to them as final. But because these original tongues are not known to all the people of God who have a right to, and an interest in the Scriptures, and who are commanded to read and search them in the fear of God, the Scriptures are therefore to be translated into the ordinary language of every nation into which they come, so that, with the Word of God living richly in all, people may worship God in an acceptable manner, and through patience and comfort of the Scriptures may have hope.

(Rob's note - since it is the original text that is inspired, when choosing which translation to use, make sure you are using one that is more "literal" so that the Bible you're studying is as close to the original inspired version as possible. The more "paraphrased" your translation, the farther away from what God said you get)

• The infallible rule for the interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself, and therefore whenever there is a question about the true and full sense of any scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched by other passages which speak more clearly.

• The supreme judge, by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and by which must be examined all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, and doctrines of men and private spirits can be no other than the Holy Scripture, delivered by the Spirit. And in the sentence of Scripture we are to rest, for it is in Scripture, delivered by the Spirit, that our faith is finally resolved.

I hope looking at some of the essential doctrines of the Christian faith is as encouraging to you as it is to me when I read these. Reading about the sufficiency and power of Scripture inspires me to want to read more and when we read and study Scripture keeping these things in mind, it paves the way for the power of the Word of God to truly be at work in us.
(Check back soon. The next section on "God and the Holy Trinity" will be posted in a couple of days)

Seeking Him,
Rob
<><