1 December 2012

Gods Sovereignty in the London Baptist Confessions of Faith

LBCF (1689)
1. God hath decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein; 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 which appears his wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing his decree.

In this issue:
Page 1 The sovereignty of God Page 2 Gods sovereignty in the early London Baptist Confessions of Faith Page 3 Spurgeon Quote II Peter 3:9 The Persecuted Church Page 4

This month were focusing on Gods sovereignty, and well look at it from two different perspectives: On one hand there are some who seem to worship the doctrines of election and predestination as much as they do Christ. They seldom want to talk about anything else, and they wonder if anyone of a different understanding can be saved. Their enthusiasm is great, but it ought to be tempered with the realization that all truth not only comes from but also points to Christ. While the doctrines speaking to His sovereignty are indispensable and satisfying to the soul, they must only promote and glorify Him and no one else.

2. Although God knoweth whatsoever may or can come to pass, upon all supposed conditions, yet hath he not decreed anything, because he foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions. 3. 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 being left to act in their sin to their just condemnation, to the praise of his glorious justice. 4. These angels and men thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed, and their number so certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished. 5. Those of mankind that are predestinated to life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of his will, hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory, out of his mere free grace and love, without any other thing in the creature as a condition or cause moving him thereunto.

In the Greek Arminianism Defined The Spot Light

On the other hand theres a perspective which treats Gods sovereignty as though election and predestination are merely finer points of secondary importance, and perhaps these are things best left to scholars in tall towers. However, I wonder if Abraham would agree. Was it just a theological particular to be called out from among the Gentiles or was his election at the foundation of his hope and calling? We shouldnt decide a person isnt saved just because of a different understanding, yet also we should know that Gods choice to extend grace is essential to our hope. Words like predestination and election shouldnt be whispered. Its rather unfortunate that in our time this truth has been given a name such as Calvinism or an acronym such as TULIP. We shouldnt be too quick to even call it the doctrines of grace. It is no more and no less than the truth about Christ. Sovereignty is not a special field or pet doctrineits the basis in which sinners like us can put any hope in being saved: God promised!

LBCF (1646)
God had decreed in Himself, before the world was, concerning all things, whether necessary, accidental or voluntary, with all the circumstances of them, to work, dispose, and bring about all things according to the counsel of His own will, to His glory: (Yet without being the [chargeable] author of sin, or having fellowship with any therein) in which appears His wisdom in disposing all things, unchangeableness, power, and faithfulness in accomplishing His decree: And God hath before the foundation of the world, foreordained some men to eternal life, through Jesus Christ, to the praise and glory of His grace; [having foreordained and] leaving the rest in their sin to their just condemnation, to the praise of His justice.

Samuel Richardson (1602-1658) was a pastor at Wapping Baptist Church in London and a signer of the 1646 LBCF

"I do not serve the god of the Arminians at all; I have nothing to do with him, and I do not bow down before the Baal they have set up; he is not my God, nor shall he ever be; I fear him not, nor tremble at his presence...The God that saith today and denieth tomorrow, that justifieth today and condemns the next is no relation to my God in the least degree. He may be a relation of Ashtaroth or Baal, but Jehovah never was or can be his name."

What about 2 Peter 3:9? Does it say God wants everyone to be saved? Note the context: there are some people who say Hes not coming back (:3-4), but they ignore the fact that God kept His promise to Noah that He would destroy the earth with water (:5-6). A promise like it stands now: God will destroy the earth with fire (:7), but He has promised to save us. It may seem like Hes not coming back, but dont worry; Hes not slow in keeping His promise; Hes patient, not willing that any of the heirs of the promise should perish. He wont destroy the world until each of us has come to repentance (:8-9)!

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In the Greek The Greek words for foreknow or foreknowledge only appear seven times in the New Testament. Two of those times the word means to have knowledge of certain facts beforehand (Acts 26:5, II Pet. 3:17), but both of those verses are talking about mens foreknowledge. The other five times these words are used they always means either to foreordain or to choose (Acts 2:23; Rom. 8:29; 11:2; I Pet. 1:2; 1:20). Our salvation and standing before God isnt random. Its rooted and grounded in God's eternal love for us!
Arminianism is based on the teachings of Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609). It teaches that all men have the ability to choose or reject Gods salvation (free will), and that Christ died on the cross for every person in existence. Since salvation is a matter of personal decision, no one is guaranteed security from falling away, so some will be saved and lost again. It sounds good to say that God never overrides mans free will, but to do this we must also believe that grace is a reward for those who make a good decision. It also sounds good to say that Christ died for everyone, but that puts God in the awful predicament of holding sinners accountable for sin thats supposedly already been covered with blood. Today we see forms of Arminianism in nearly every church. We must be careful to witness to Gods glory without thinking were somehow able or responsible to convict or persuade natural men regarding spiritual truth.

Alireza Seyyedian is a 37-year-old former Muslim who has been a Christian since 2006. Last year, security forces confiscated his computer during a raid on his apartment. Authorities then discovered video of Alirezas baptism in Turkey on the computer. In December 2011 he was sentenced to six years in prison, for crimes against national security and propaganda against the regime. The judge stated that since Alireza was baptized in Turkey, he was trying to express the lack of freedom in Iran and was therefore propagating against the regime. He was also accused of holding regular meetings with former Muslims and distributing Bibles among youth. They also said he had communication with Zionist satellite TV channels such as Mohabat TV and Radio Mojde and shared worship hymns he had written with them. The verdict also falsely accused him of being a member of the Jesus Only cult. On March 14, 2012, Alireza was caught seeking to flee Iran for Turkey. He was arrested and transported back to Tehran where he was imprisoned in Evin prison. He was put in Section 350 of the prison, which is where political prisoners are held. That part of the prison is run by VEVAK, the intelligence service that reports to Ayatollah Khameini and is beyond the control of Irans prison authorities. According to one report, the conditions of this section of the prison are unsanitary, and each cell is overcrowded with around 30 political prisoners. www.prisoneralert.com

Each month we highlight a Baptist church of very similar belief. We dont necessarily endorse their every teaching, but we want you to be aware of our likeminded brothers and sisters all over the world. This month weve chosen New Covenant Baptist Fellowship in Evans, New York pastored by Joseph Krygier. You can see what theyre doing and learn how to pray for them at fbceny.org shearhart.sermon.net www.sermonaudio.com/newgracebaptist www.facebook.com/ngbaptist

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