Tuesday, September 9, 2008

The Contemporary Church

Newspring is a huge church in our area, and like many megachurches today, they have constructed their worship service to reach the unchurched. The service is not really a worship service, but a rock concert followed by a sermon which is often a comedy routine. As someone recently commented to me after attending there for a few weeks, it is all done on a "kindergarten level." Here are a few words from John Armstrong that explains the Newspring phenomenon and one reason why it is misguided. (This is an excerpt from an article titled The Contemporary Church, by John A. Armstrong)
http://glenwoodhills.org/etc/printer-friendly.asp?ID=623

The Destruction of Congregational Worship


The whole "seeker sensitive" approach presumes that the Lord's Day church gathering is principally for recruiting the unchurched, or evangelizing the lost. This idea can be traced to the "revivalism" of 19th century American experience, where the focus during this era was then moved from the church gathering to worship God, to be edified, to receive the sacraments and to enjoy fellowship with Christ and one another, to "drawing the net," or getting decisions from the lost. This new "seeker-sensitive" approach is just a sharper and more carefully defined (dare we say, "neatly packaged") version of the same approach. It is clearly not Reformational, but even more importantly it is clearly not Biblical.

While we try to entice the world to come to church to hear the Gospel,the New Testament proclaims a powerful church worshipping God going out into the world in order to reach lost (cf. The Book of Acts). True revivals have historically proved again and again, if they prove anything at all, that a revived and healthy church reaches a dying and lost world through its own awakened people. The real problem is that we have a dying and sadly unhealthy church in the late 20th century and we are trying something, it seems at times almost anything, to bring back life. The new way to do this is to attack the "traditional" church and suggest that our problem is to be found in what we do on Sundays. It is argued, "Contemporaneity will bring back the crowds, thus the life of our church." The real problem, however, is not what we do (i.e. in the so-called traditional service), but that we do what we do without power, without careful thought, and without integrity and passion. But a very important question begs to be answered: What really is the biblical reason for the church to gather in public meetings on the Lord's Day? A simple reading of the Scriptures gives an unmistakably clear answer--God-centered, Scripture-directed worship. The New Testament plainly teaches that our corporate worship is for God. Stated in the extreme, for the sake of clearer understanding, public worship will always follow one of two models:
  1. Anthropocentric
  2. Theocentric
A human focused worship service sounds oxymoronic but it is, in reality, a valid description when you carefully listen to the descriptions given by the teachers of the "seeker-sensitive" model. Where does this model begin? We are urged to focus on the target, i.e. the audience, or the human person. Remember the driving question behind all of this approach is: How can we design our service and shape our ministry in worship so it will be inviting to the person we desire to reach?

The Distinctives of this Approach to Worship are:
  1. It produces a different kind of preaching--exposition is "too heavy," thus we need story-laden anecdotal messages, or "McLite" services, as one has called them.

  2. It thrives on strained attempt to "be relevant." Anything much more than 20 years old is considered useless. Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, has said on several occasions that he will never quote Charles Spurgeon in his public seeker services. Why? He confidently assures fellow ministers that Spurgeon is outdated and will not speak the language of their modern hearers. I for one am concerned that this creates, intended or otherwise, a "reverse elitism": We are the ones who communicate with our age, but does it not follow from this that Isaiah, Jesus, Paul and John are also irrelevant? They did not have Subarus, after all. The unfortunate result will be a generation that thinks the evangelical movement came from nowhere - with no heritage or roots.

  3. There is, in this movement, evidence of a consistent and radical pragmatism. The audience is "sovereign," as we have seen. Why are we in this particular place, doing what we are doing on this particular day? For whom do we gather? The new approach seems to answer, "For man!" The result is a corruption of theology at virtually every point. Take doctrines like human depravity, unconditional election and perseverance. What place do these have in making people feel good about their church experience? What is happening in many large and fast growing churches is profoundly troubling. All of this does not bode well for sermons which will be based upon careful biblical study. An example of this was a sermon I heard in a "seeker- sensitive" service where the pastor preached on the question: "Why Did Moses Strike the Rock?" The answer had nothing to do with the text or the context. What he gave as an answer to this question was the result of psychotherapeutic interpretations of Moses' behavior which were the result of parenting and its influence upon his early childhood years.
A theocentric worship must begin with God, quite obviously. It must begin with an awesome, holy, Creator, who is both transcendent and immanent. He is pure, altogether holy, and dwells in unapproachable light. Those who worship him must realize that he is an all consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29) and therefore, Christ's mediation must be central if we are not on the basis of, to be destroyed in his presence. This approach to worship asks: What does God require of us? It answers, with biblical warrant, that God wants us to worship him in the stupendous truth of who he is and what he has accomplished, not on the basis of what we feel or believe we need (cf. John 4:23,24). Have you ever noticed that Jesus does evangelism by issuing a call for radically God-centered worship! Does this Word also tell us how we are to worship, and what we are to do? The answer of most is, No. This means, practically, that we are free to do whatever we please as long as we are sincere. The Protestant Reformer John Calvin feared this same kind of movement in his day. He observed that "given man's propensity to fashion and worship idols," man will invariably worship such idols if worship is not regulated in some sense by God and his Word.

This historic approach asks: Where does worship begin? It answers, with no hesitation, "With God!" It asks, further, the profound question: How can we shape our public worship in order to glorify God, give Him praise, and trust and delight in him alone? Yes, we must understand the times" (1 Chronicles 12:32), but this does not mean we must start with the times, or surrender to the times, or adopt the trends of the times in the place of revealed truth.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

I read this today on a FaceBook profile:

“Everyone's truth is different, as to each and every one, reality is perception, and perception reality. It is only from a thorough searching deep within, not from some external source, that we come to some degree of commonality concerning truth.”

My response:
"There is only one truth. The foundation of truth is God Himself, who is truth. Reality is the way God perceives everything. Therefore, to know the truth, we must line up our thinking with God’s. Truth is found ultimately, not in ourselves, but in Jesus Christ who is truth, and in the infallible word of God. Only by coming to Jesus and the Scriptures will we also come together. True unity and true freedom can only exist among people who believe the truth." (John 8:32; 14:6; 17:17, Ephesians 4:13-15)

The same individual wonders "why abortion ever became anything other than a personal family decision."

My response:
How about "You shall not murder." ~ Exodus 20:13
How about taking a look at:
4D ULTRASOUND PICTURES OF UNBORN BABIES

Monday, July 21, 2008

simple truths

1. ROMANS 3:23 - All have sinned

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

2. ROMANS 6:23 - All deserve hell; heaven is a free gift

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

3. JOHN 14:6 - Jesus is the only way to heaven

Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

4. 1 CORINTHIANS 15:3,4 - What Jesus did

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures"

5. ROMANS 10:9-11; Luke 13:3 - What you must do

"If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. "

"I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."

6. JOHN 1:12; EPH. 2:8-9 - Receive Christ; Don't trust works

"To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."

7. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:15 - The life He calls you to live

"And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."



Saturday, July 19, 2008

The Divine Spiration of Scripture - A Review by Dr J R de Witt

This an excellent review by Dr. J R de Witt of a new book by A.T.B. McGowan titled The Divine Spiration of Scripture.
The book attempts to present an alternative view to the traditional, biblical view of the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture. Dr. de Witt demonstrates that this alternative view presented by McGowan is found wanting.
The Divine Spiration of Scripture
- A Review by Dr J R de Witt

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Theological Papers

This past year I have taken two classes at Erskine Seminary and written two papers. One has to do with the doctrine of Justification and the other deals with B. B. Warfield's doctrine of the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture.

"John Calvin’s Doctrine of Justification: An Overview and Comparison with Robert Gundry"


"Benjamin Breckenridge Warfield: The Defense of the Word of God Written"


"The Shack"


The Shack is a new book that thousands of undiscerning Christians are all excited about. Listen to this message by Dr. Al Mohler to get the truth.

A Look at “The Shack







Also read a thorough reviewof The Shack by Tim Challies.
http://www.challies.com/media/The_Shack.pdf

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Scripture - a Final Revelation

Sola Scriptura
Scripture - a Final Revelation














Christianity is based upon revelation from God.
We as reformed Protestants are committed to the principle of "Sola Scriptura", or Scripture alone. Through Scripture, God has revealed all that is necessary for us to know about Himself, and about our salvation. In fact, we say that the "Holy Scripture alone is our infallible authority for all matters of faith and practice.

Scripture alone is able to bring a person to saving faith in Jesus Christ. No mere man can do it, nor can the church, nor a vision or some experience. General revelation cannot bring man to saving knowledge of God. The Bible alone reveals the way of salvation and the way to please God.

Last week we looked at Chapter one, Section one of the WCF. The last sentence of Sect. 1 says: "which maketh the Holy Scripture to be most necessary; those former ways of God's revealing his will unto his people being now ceased."

What are those "former ways of God's revealing Himself?"
There was the audible voice of God, there were dreams and visions, there were tongues and prophecies, and miracles. These ways of God's revealing His will were temporary. How do we know they were temporary?
Let's take a look at 1Corinthians 13:8-13
"Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

1. Paul said that tongues, prophecy and the special gift of knowledge were temporary. All 3 would cease at some point.
2. In contrast to these three gifts, "faith, hope and love" remain.
3. V. 9 says, "For we know in part and we prophesy in part" - Revelation through these gifts is partial - incomplete.
4. v. 10 says, "but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears." The Greek word for "perfection" is "teleios", which means "brought to its end, finished; wanting nothing necessary to completeness". In other words, the partial or temporary means of revelation would be replaced by something that was permanent and complete. At that time there would be no need for further revelation. I.e. when the Scriptures were completed the temporary revelatory gifts would cease.
5. V. 11, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." The state of childhood is state of immaturity and limitations. "The temporary partial revelation was like the childish ways that would be replaced by adult ones (the complete revelation)." (J. Adams) Those who seek to speak in tongues and have the miraculous gifts of prophecy and knowledge today are trying to go back to when the church was in the period of childhood. Since we have the completed Scriptures, there is no need to go backward.
6. V. 12, " Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."
The mirrors in those days were not like our mirrors. They were bronze mirrors that reflected a poor, fuzzy, dim image. The mirrors we have today allow us to see ourselves clearly face to face. So today, since the Scriptures have been completed, it is like seeing face to face - that is, we see the truth much more clearly now. It has come into sharper focus.
Paul has not made any reference here to heaven or the eternal state. He has been discussing God's methods of revelation. He is not introducing another subject here.

7. "Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." It says nothing about heaven here. When Paul says "I shall know fully", Gary Crampton says he means that he "would know fully all that God has chosen to reveal" i.e. the Scriptures.
If Paul meant to refer to heaven in v. 12 then v. 13 would make no sense. "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
If Paul was talking about the eternal state, love would remain, but not faith and hope. Faith and hope will not be necessary in heaven! Faith will be turned to sight! Hope will be realized!

The prophet Daniel said, in 9:24 "Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy."
Daniel refers to a time when vision and prophecy would be sealed up. Paul simply reiterates this fact.

John MacArthur states that: "The Bible records only three periods of history in which human beings were given the gift of performing miracles (that would authenticate the message of those called to proclaim it):
1. During the ministries of Moses and Joshua.
2. During the ministries of Elijah and Elisha
3. During the ministries of Jesus and the apostles.

"Each period lasted only about 70 years and then abruptly ended. The NT miracle age was for the purpose of confirming the Word as given by Jesus and the apostles."

Hebrews 2:3-4 says, "This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will."
The writer tells the purpose of these miracles - to confirm the message of salvation. He even speaks of these miraculous gifts as if they had already ceased.

Tongues and other sign gifts have ceased because the NT has been completed. Nothing is to be added to the Bible. If tongues really were for today, then we would still have revelation from God and the Bible would keep being written, but we know this is not the case. Nowhere in the writings of the early church fathers do we find a reference to the practice of tongues.
MacArthur said that "The historians and theologians of the early church unanimously maintained that tongues ceased to exist after the time of the apostles. The only exception of which we know was within the movement led by Montanus, a second century heretic who believed that divine revelation continued through him beyond the NT."
Apparently no other tongues-speaking was practiced in Christianity until the 17th and 18th centuries, when it appeared in certain RCC groups and the Shakers. Then in the 19th century, the Irvingites in London claimed to speak in tongues and have new revelations of the Spirit. Around the turn of the 20th century the holiness movement started, which later developed into modern Pentecostalism. The Charismatic movement which began in the 1960's, brought the practice of tongues and new revelations beyond Pentecostalism into other churches - both Protestant and Catholic.

But in contrast to this relatively recent movement which we are in the midst of, we hold to the historic Protestant and biblical position - which is that the miraculous, revelatory gifts have now ceased because their purpose has ceased - and the Scriptures are complete. God's written word is that perfect, complete and final revelation of God until we go to live with Him forever.

Scripture alone is the only revelation from God we have today. It is the only revelation we need. It is sufficient for all of life and godliness until Christ returns.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Justification Test

I can't remember where I got this, but it is worth going through to think about this important matter of justification.

Justification Test
1. According to Romans 8:30, whom does God justify?

2. God justifies:
a. the godly
b. the ungodly
c. the sincere
(Read Romans 4:5 after you circle your answer!)

3. What two things does God do in justification? (pick two)
a. infuses righteousness into us
b. pardons our sins
c. credits our faith as merit
d. imputes Christ's righteousness to our account
e. causes us to be born again
f. gives us grace to do works to gain it
(See Ephesians 1:7; Jeremiah 23:6; Romans 3:21-22; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9)

4. The righteousness of Christ consisted of:
a. His baptism
b. His death on the cross
c. His obedience to the law
d. His devotion to prayer
e. going to the temple to offer sacrifices
f. all of the above
(See Romans 5:19)

5. Justification by faith means that:
a. our faith deserves to be rewarded
b. by faith we do what God commands
c. we believe we were worth saving
d. by faith we receive the grace to work out our salvation
e. by faith we receive and rest on Christ and His righteousness alone
(See John 1:12; Romans 3:28)

6. Circle all that are true statements about faith:
a. you either have faith or works in your life
b. faith is the only instrument of justification
c. faith is a necessary condition of justification
d. faith is given to all people, but only some choose to believe
e. faith must be strong to be saving
f. faith is a gift, not a condition
g. faith is assent to the truth
(See Ephesians 2:8-10)

7. If we are Justified by faith alone, it means that:
a. we may sin as we please
b. we may never sin again
c. we may sin some as long as we ask forgiveness later
d. we must grow in holiness
(2 Corinthians 7:1)

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Sola Scriptura - part one

Sola Scriptura

Christianity is based upon revelation from God. If God had not chosen to reveal Himself to man, there would be no knowledge of Him, or of salvation. We as reformed Protestants are committed to the principle of "Sola Scriptura", or Scripture alone. Through Scripture, God has revealed all that is necessary for us to know about Himself, and about our salvation. In fact, we say that the Holy Scripture alone is our infallible authority for all matters of faith and practice.

But this foundational teaching is being undermined today and many are being led astray by the views of Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Anglicanism. Also, Pragmatism and Mysticism have undermined Sola Scriptura in the church today.

In the church today we find that there are those who want to add to the Scriptures and those who want to take away from them. Sola Scriptura is abandoned on the one hand by the legalists - who add the traditions of men to Scripture. And this teaching is nullified by the Antinomians and liberals who seek to take away from God's word. Within evangelical churches - those who claim to hold to the inerrancy of the Bible, there are many problems. The church has gravitated toward Psychology, sociology, marketing and politics instead of staying firmly rooted in the Bible.

We must declare and live by Sola Scriptura, if we would honor God and keep the church strong in our day. The Bible alone is God's authoritative word.

In defending this position, over the next several weeks, we will look at the Scripture itself and the WCF as a guide to understanding this position. We believe that Scripture alone is authoritative, as well as sufficient for all of life and godliness. It is the Roman Catholic church in particular that has mounted recent attacks upon this doctrine. For example, One book by a Catholic author, Robert Sungenis, is titled Not by Scripture Alone: A Catholic Critique of the Protestant Doctrine of Sola Scriptura. The Catholic church teaches that the Bible and Church tradition are of equal authority in matters of faith and practice. According to the RCC, in the Council of Trent, they anathematize anyone who adheres to the Reformed doctrine of Sola Scriptura.

The WCF stands in absolute contrast to the position of the RCC. The Westminster Confession of Faith was written to formulate a doctrinal statement that could unite England, Scotland and Ireland. A group of 140 theologians, or Divines, were commissioned by Parliament in 1643 to produce a creed for the people. They met over a period of over 5 years in 1,163 sessions. Daily they exegeted the Bible from the original languages. The primary rule that these men laid down for themselves as they began their work reflects that the doctrine of Sola Scriptura guided all their work.

Each Monday morning every member was required to take the following vow: "I do seriously promise and vow, in the presence of Almighty God, that in the Assembly whereof I am a member, I will maintain nothing in point of doctrine but what I believe to be most agreeable to the Word of God."

Chapter one of the WCF is titled: Of the Holy Scripture. In that chapter we find these topics: The necessity of Scripture, the identity of Scripture, the inspiration of Scripture, the authority of Scripture, the self-authentication of Scripture, the sufficiency of Scripture, the clarity of Scripture, the transmission and preservation of Scripture, the interpretation of Scripture, and the finality of Scripture.

Tonight, briefly, let's look at chapter one of the Confession, which has to do with the Necessity of Scripture.

Chapter I

I. Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men unexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of his will, which is necessary unto salvation.

The Bible teaches that God has revealed Himself in both general and special revelation. General revelation is called general because of it's audience - to all mankind. It is general also in its content. It does not reveal the specifics of salvation. Special revelation is found on in the Scriptures and is much more detailed in content. General revelation must always be interpreted in light of special revelation. (True before and after the fall) General revelation reveals God as Creator, while Special revelation reveals Him as Savior.

When the Confession says, "the light of nature", it speaks about the innate idea of God.

*READ - Romans 1:18-21,32; 2:14-15

All men are created in the image of God. The idea of God is stamped upon our soul. So, when man looks at the creation, he thinks "God did this." The creation itself didn't tell him. The creation itself cannot set forth any propositions. God puts this knowledge in every human being.

General revelation and the innate idea of God leaves all men without excuse. But it is insufficient to reveal God's will for our salvation.

"Therefore" continues the confession, "it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his church; and afterwards, for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing: which makes the Holy Scripture to be most necessary; those former ways of God's revealing his will unto his people being now ceased."

The Scriptures are necessary - if anyone is going to know God's will and be saved. Because general revelation is insufficient, special revelation is necessary. Men cannot be saved without it. But the RCC along with liberal Protestants have said otherwise. The RCC has stated the following: "Those who, do not know the Gospel, but who nevertheless seek God and try in their actions to do His will as they know it through the dictates of conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation."

Contrast this with the WCF chap. X, Sect. 4:

"… much less can men, not professing the Christian religion, be saved in any other way whatsoever, be they never so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature, and the laws of that religion they do profess. And, to assert and maintain that they may, is very pernicious, and to be detested."

Some have said that we can "prove" the existence of God apart from Scripture. Thomas Acquinas and the RCC teach this. Some evangelical Protestants teach this. You don't have to prove something that is already innately known. Now, to be sure, the sinfulness of man causes him to suppress this truth of God's existence. Dr. Gary Crampton, in his book THE SUFFICIENCY OF SCRIPTURE, says "One should not attempt to prove God; He is the necessary premise of all proof, the object of knowledge better known than any other."

Even with such innate knowledge of God, it is not enough to tell us that God is a Trinity, or what God has done to save us. To know the true God truly and savingly, we need the Bible. The Scripture is most necessary! And even if a person has the Scriptures, he or she cannot understand them apart from the enabling of the Holy Spirit. God reveals His truth to whomever He pleases - the Spirit blows like the wind, wherever He wills, and He has made His Word necessary to know His saving truth.

Scripture alone is able to bring a person to saving faith in Jesus Christ. No mere man can do it, nor can the church, nor a vision or some experience. The Bible alone reveals the way of salvation and the way to please God. Yes there are teachers in the church who teach and explain, but the Bible alone is the source of their doctrine and not church tradition.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

OPTIONS

OPTIONS

God or no God?
God

Christian God or another religion's God?
Christian God

Scripture alone or Church/tradition/Scripture?
Scripture alone

Christ alone or Christ plus something else?
Christ alone

Grace alone or grace plus self effort?
Grace alone.

Faith alone or faith/works/sacraments/?
Faith alone

My choice or God's choice?
God's

Saturday, March 29, 2008

The Bible

John Calvin said that we ought “to attempt nothing but by Divine authority.” Next question -- Where is that Divine authority found?
-Not the church
-Not within yourself
-Not culture
-Not government
-Not your personal experience
-Not some new revelation
-Not some priest, nor pope

Divine authority is found in the 66 books of the Bible. (sorry, no Apocrypha) Every word is inspired of God and every word is infallible. Therefore, the Bible alone is the final authority. So, yes, "Scripture Alone" should be the motto of every believer. We test all things by Scripture -- all doctrines, all churches, all our actions, all councils, preachers, priests and popes.

If you are not reading the Bible, learning the Bible and following the Bible, you are living for yourself and have put yourself or something else in the place of authority. If you don't know Scripture, you can't live by Scripture, and if you don't live by Scripture, you are not living by the authority of God. It is in Scripture that we learn about Christ, who is the only way of salvation. It is in the Bible that we find out that "by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." ~ Ephesians 2:8,9

Divine authority is found in Scripture, which is God's holy, inspired, inerrant, infallible Word.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17

"To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." ~ Isaiah 8:20

"The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever." ~ Psalms 119:160

"Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven." ~ Psalms 119:89

"These were more fair–minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." ~ Acts 17:11

The Authority and Inspiration of the Scriptures - B. B. Warfield
http://homepage.mac.com/shanerosenthal/reformationink/bbwauthority.htm

How to Have Assurance of Salvation - Chapter Two

Chapter Two – True and False Assurance

The starting point in the pursuit of full assurance is self-examination.

2Corinthians 13:5 says, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?"

The Bible clearly calls upon us to question ourselves -- to examine ourselves and determine whether we are saved and have Scriptural reasons for this assurance. The Bible tells us to examine ourselves, not so that we who are saved would begin to doubt; but for the following two reasons:

1) That on the one hand those who are not saved would not be deceived by a false assurance.

2) That those are truly saved would come to have a firm and biblical assurance of it.

The Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 18 is titled, “Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation.” There are four paragraphs or sections in this chapter. Dr. Joel Beeke, in his excellent book The Quest for Full Assurance, says “Its four brief paragraphs include the following themes: 1) The possibility of assurance, 2) The foundation of assurance, 3) The cultivation of assurance, and

4) The renewal of assurance.”

Let's look now at chapter 18 section one of the Confession, which has to do with the possibility of assurance:

I. Hypocrites and other unregenerate men may deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of their being in God's favor and about their being saved. Their presumptions will die with them. However, those who truly believe in the Lord Jesus, who honestly love him, and try to walk in good conscience before him, may in this life be assured with certainty that they are in the state of grace. They may also rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, and they will never be ashamed of that hope.

There is a false assurance and on the other hand, a true assurance of salvation. There are those who think they are saved who are not. They are deceived about the state of their soul.

Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?"

Ultimately, only God knows those who are saved. 2Timothy 2:19 says, "The Lord knows those who are his." We can be deceived about our own salvation and about the salvation of others, but the Lord is not deceived. Hebrews 4:13 declares that, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

The confession says that such persons have "false hopes and carnal presumptions of their being in God's favor and about their being saved. Their presumptions will die with them."

The natural man is a religious man. He wants to go to heaven, but has no right or claim to heaven. He flatters himself that he is good enough to be accepted by God. Man naturally has a spirit of self-righteousness and self-confidence.

There are those who say they have faith in Christ, and yet there is no fruit and evidence of that faith. This is what the Bible calls “dead faith.” James 1:22 says, “But become doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” James 2:20 says, “But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”

Then there are some who have outward works that appear to be good, but their trust is in the works and not in Christ for salvation.

Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Outward works, even done in the name of Christ, may be part of a false profession of faith. Such persons need to repent of their self-righteousness and trust in Christ alone and come to know Him as their Savior and Lord.

How can we distinguish true from false assurance? A.A. Hodge gives four tests that enable us to distinguish true from false assurance:

1) True assurance produces real humility; false assurance begets spiritual pride. (1 Cor. 15:10; Gal. 6:14.)

2) The true leads to increased diligence in the practice of holiness; the false leads to sloth and self–indulgence. (Ps. 51:12,13,19.)

3) The true leads to candid self–examination and to a desire to be searched and corrected by God; the false leads to a disposition to be satisfied with appearance and to avoid accurate investigation. (Ps. 139:23,24.)

4) The true leads to constant aspirations after more intimate fellowship with God. (1 John 3:2,3.)[1]

I like what G.I. Williamson said, “It is not the strength of one's conviction which proves the validity of his assurance but the character of one's conviction.”[2]

Professor Sinclair Ferguson summarizes the confession's concern about false assurance well. He said:

It is… terribly possible for someone to have a kind of faith and assurance that is little more than self-confidence, born out of an intellectual conviction rather than out of a helpless casting of one's sinful self upon a willing Savior. But so long as there is a vestige of reliance on my righteousness, my service, my knowledge of Scripture, -- so long as I rely on my faith rather than on Christ's work alone -- so long am I the possessor of a false and temporal assurance. The sands of time are littered with the strewn wreckage of men and women who have made shipwreck of their souls because they went forward with a false assurance, not having really laid the foundation of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That is a tremendous danger.[3]

It is interesting that Ferguson said that they “went forward with a false assurance. I am convinced that countless thousands of people in the Bible Belt think they are saved because they “went forward at some meeting! Un-biblical methods of evangelism inevitably lead to much false assurance of salvation.

Look now again at what the last half of section one of the Confession said:

"…those who truly believe in the Lord Jesus, who honestly love him, and try to walk in good conscience before him, may in this life be assured with certainty that they are in the state of grace."

There is such a thing as true assurance of salvation. Genuine faith in the Lord Jesus is the foundation of such assurance. “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1John 5:13)

Sincere love for Christ is also part of that equation. Notice that the confession did not say perfect love for Christ, but sincere love -- i.e. not hypocritical.

Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself (assure him?) to him.” (John 14:21)

Walking in good conscience before God is part of our assurance. A person who goes to God daily, confessing and forsaking sin, will build up his or her assurance.

Lastly, the confession says, “They may also rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, and they will never be ashamed of that hope.” Assurance is a subset of hope, joy and peace. Romans 14:17 reminds us that “the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

While it is possible to be deceived about one’s salvation, the Bible encourages us to seek and find a full assurance of faith.

__________________



[1] A.A. Hodge, The Confession of Faith, p. 239.

[2] G.I. Williamson, Westminster Confession of Faith: for Study Classes

[3] Quoted in The Quest for Full Assurance, Dr. Joel Beeke p. 121

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

How to Have Assurance of Salvation

Chapter One – What is Assurance?

This short study is for any person who has a desire to be certain of his or her eternal destiny. You may not even believe at this point that it is possible to know such a thing, much less to have certainty about it. Let me assure you, the Bible teaches that a person can know with certainty where you will go after death. Would you like to know and be sure about it? Then read on with prayer that the God of the universe will help you in this pursuit.

In this study of the "assurance of salvation" we will mainly draw from the teaching of Scripture and the Westminster Confession of Faith.

When we speak of the "assurance of salvation" we are talking about something that is somewhat subjective, although many objective elements are involved. Assurance of salvation is a gift of God. Only God can grant assurance but He does so through several means.

Let me give you a definition of assurance by Donald Whitney from his book How Can I Be Sure I'm a Christian.

"Assurance of salvation is a God-given awareness that He has accepted the death of Christ on your behalf and forgiven you of your sins. It involves confidence that God loves you, that He has chosen you, and that you will go to heaven. Assurance includes a sense of freedom from the guilt of sin, relief from the fear of judgment, and joy in your relationship with God as your Father."

Do you know for certain that you are saved and in a state of grace? Are you sure that if you died today, you would enter heaven? My prayer is that after reading this book you will be able to answer these questions in the affirmative, and for the right reasons.

Why ought believers to study this doctrine? For three reasons:

1. Because the Scriptures teach that it is something we may have.

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1John 5:13)

The purpose of the book of 1John is to give believers joy and assurance of their salvation. Therefore, it is a privilege that God's word says we may enjoy.

2. Because it is very beneficial to have this assurance.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1Corinthians 13:13)

Assurance and hope are very much related. Hope, in Scripture, has to do with an assured confidence before God. If we do not have an assured hope, we will be fearful and hesitant in the battle against sin and darkness.

"But, since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation." (1Thessalonians 5:8)

This verse indicates that the hope of salvation will be a helmet to protect us from evil. The context of this verse indicates that this is one way in which we can be prepared for the second coming of Christ.

3. Because we are commanded to seek this assurance.

"Therefore, brothers, rather be diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things, you shall never fall." (2Peter 1:10) We will look more at this verse later.

Of course there have been many objections to this doctrine of assurance. Here are three:

1. Some believe that it would be presumptuous, or prideful to claim that you know for sure you are going to heaven.

However, if the Bible says we may attain such assurance, it would actually be presumptuous not to seek it! Assurance would be presumptuous if we based salvation partly upon our works, as Roman Catholics do. They say that full assurance is not possible and therefore would be presumptuous to claim it.

2. Some say that the Bible teaches that a person can fall away from grace.

Those passages are a warning to unbelievers in the church who have a false assurance and a disobedient lifestyle. There are many more passages in Scripture which show that a true believer in Christ will never perish.

3. Others say that this teaching leads to slackness in obedient living.

This is far from the truth. 2Peter 1:10 says that in order to attain assurance, there must be diligence in the Christian life. God has tied our assurance partly to our obedience. Though our salvation is by grace alone, our assurance of that grace is enjoyed fully only when we are walking close to Christ and in ways that please Him.

Let's look briefly at that verse in 2Peter 1:10:

"Therefore, brothers, rather be diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things, you shall never fall."

To say that you are certain of salvation is to say that you are sure you are going to heaven when you die. It is the same as saying that you are sure you have been called by God's Spirit to believe in Christ and be saved. It is the same thing as saying you are sure that you are one of the elect.

Election is the foundation upon which all else rests. In order to be assured of our election, we must reason backwards from our faith, obedience and calling. If you have been called, and if you possess faith and obedience, then you can be certain that you are one of the elect.

Peter is not saying that God's election depends upon us in any way. God's decree of election is certain and unchanging. What Peter is urging is that each individual who professes faith in Christ must seek to become assured of his own election and salvation. I am not to try and assure others of my salvation. The verb in this verse "to make" is in the middle voice. The middle voice indicates the subject performing an action upon himself (reflexive action) or for his own benefit.

Peter is saying that each person who professes faith ought to make certain of his own calling and election. In order to gain such a firm assurance, where does one begin? The starting place in the pursuit of full assurance is self-examination.

2Corinthians 13:5 says, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?"

So, are you in the faith? Are you sure? Is Jesus Christ in you? Are you one of the elect? I had someone in my church years ago tell me that they didn't think it was right to ever question anyone’s salvation. Of course we are not to judge others' hearts. We can't possibly know the heart of another human being.

But the Bible clearly calls upon us to question ourselves -- to examine ourselves and see whether we are saved and have Scriptural reasons for this assurance. The Bible tells us to examine ourselves, not so that we who are saved would begin to doubt; but for the following two reasons:

1) That on the one hand those who are not saved would not be deceived by a false assurance.

2) That those are truly saved would come to have a solid assurance of it.

Those who are truly saved ought not be shaken by self-examination. Those who are unsaved ought to be shaken -- out of their self-deception.

Over the next few chapters we will look at HOW we can obtain this assurance and WHAT it is that we must do to make sure of salvation.

____________________

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

The Real Secret

The Real Secret

Can I let you in on a secret? What if I told you that there was an ancient secret that you could tap into that would bring you untold wealth, success and happiness in life? That is exactly what the recent book and the film titled “The Secret” claim. The Secret” claims that “You’ll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that’s within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life. …men and women have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness.” The power to have these things resides in you and in certain laws that exist in the universe. Ultimately, these laws are used to get you the car, the money, the relationship and the happiness that you want. As "The Secret" puts it, all you have to do is "put in your order with the universe." Ask. Believe. Receive. That's the mantra. It is a nothing more than a New Age version of the prosperity gospel. All you have to do is think the right thoughts and you will get rid of disease, find the right person, and get rich.

The flip side to “The Secret” is that if bad things happen to you, it's all your fault. As surely as your thoughts bring health, wealth and love, they are also responsible for any illness, poverty or misery that comes your way. The truth is that you and I are not in control of the things that happen to us in life – God is. And he brings both prosperity and sometimes hardship, according to his sovereign will. The good news is there is a secret to life – not a secret of how to abound and be prosperous, but how to be content no matter what your circumstances. The apostle Paul said, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.” Would you like to learn this secret? Then listen to these verses from Philippians chapter four.

PHILIPPIANS 4:10-13

10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.
11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:
12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

In verse 11 Paul said that he had learned to be content. Contentment is not a gift or a natural disposition. It is something to be learned. Have you learned contentment? If Paul learned contentment then there is hope for you and me to learn also. The word Paul used for “learn” in this verse means “to learn by use and practice; i.e. by experience.” The school of Christ often involves hardship and trials. Paul had his share of them. He suffered more than any other apostle. In order to learn the lesson of contentment in the Christian life, Christ will put you through things that will stretch you and test you. You will probably fail many times before you learn this lesson. But learn this lesson you must. God will keep testing you and humbling you until you learn. Sanctification does not come about overnight. God is patient and will teach us until we learn, but from our standpoint it may seem to take a while.
The test of contentment can come either through poverty or prosperity; through hardship or through success. The poor person says, “I’ll be content when I can just get out of poverty. The rich person says, “I’ll be content when I have a little more.” But if you think like that, you’ll never be content. Do you ever think that way? I’ll be content when _______ happens. I’ll be content when I meet the man or woman of my dreams. Or, I’ll be content when I get the house I’ve always wanted, or the furnishings for that house. I’ll be content when I get the job I’ve always wanted, the car I want, the boat, the vacation, etc. Ecclesiastes 5:10 says, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.” If you love things, you’ll never be satisfied with things. You’ll never have enough. Jesus said you can’t love or serve both God and mammon. But if you love God instead of things – you’ll be satisfied.

In Psalm 73 we read the musings of Asaph who became discontented with his lot in life. Asaph said, “I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.” He looked at their prosperity and their comfortable lives and he began to be envious. He thought about his life and it seemed as if there was no reward for seeking God. He said, “Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence.” Do you ever feel that way? That you have tried to serve God and be committed to him and you begin to wonder where it’s gotten you? You may think that you have served God for many years and you have nothing to show for it. You question whether it has been worth it. That is what Asaph was thinking.

But Asaph did something – the psalm says that he went into the sanctuary of God. There he gained the perspective he needed. He realized what the destiny of the wicked would be. Though they seemed to be at peace and well-off, in a moment God would bring them “down to destruction.” He confessed his foolishness and his ignorance. He acknowledged the presence of God and his guidance. In Psalm 73:25 Asaph said, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.” You see, the true goal of contentment is to be content with God alone as the object of our affections. It’s not that God doesn’t want us to enjoy the things of this life – he does. It is not that we should have no drive or ambition to achieve things in life – we should. But we are to be satisfied with God alone. Calvin stated that “If we give the smallest portion of our affections to the creatures, we in so far defraud God of the honor which belongs to him.” Contentment then is satisfaction with your circumstances because God is ordering those circumstances and God is present with you in those circumstances. Paul is talking about contentment with the things you and I cannot control. We are never to be content with our current level of sanctification. However we must always be content with the providence of God in our lives. Learn to meditate on God’s Providence so that you learn to think this way: The Lord willed it, it must therefore be endured; not only because it would be wrong to strive with him, but also because God wills only what is good and right for me. (paraphrase of John Calvin)

How then did Paul learn contentment? What was his secret? Verse 13 contains the answer – “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” What is the secret of contentment? Jesus Christ. Do you really know Him? Have you put your full trust in Him as your all in all? Draw from his strength and you can do all things. You can have contentment in any and every situation. You can do all the things that Paul mentions in his letter to the Philippians. You can do whatever God commands you to do.

The world’s “Secret” is to find a way to make more money, get better health and find a great relationship in order to find contentment. God’s way is to find Jesus Christ and then find contentment. Apart from Christ, you will never be content, no matter if you gain the whole world. There is no substitute for an intimate relationship with God through Christ to bring true contentment to your soul.