Unapologetic, part 2: Faith & science

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Warfield on Predestination
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WRESTLING WITH SIN

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Five minutes with Jonty Rhodes

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Phi lippians 1 v 9-11

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CONTENTS
03

First word

04

Five minutes wi th Jonty Rhodes

06

Unapologetic, part 2: Fai th & Science

08

Wrestling wi th sin
A Sermon on Romans 7:14-25

10

Benjamin Warfield on Predesti nation

12

HABAKKUK 1: 1-11

Book Reviews

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14

The Absolute Conformi ty to Gods Word

16

Meet the Moodys

17

From the churches

21

Praise & Prayer

22

Book reviews

24

Best of the blogs

FIRST WORD
Whilst studying the letters to the seven churches
in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 recently, I was
particularly struck by the words of Jesus describing the
circumstances of the Philadelphian church:
I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an
open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you
have but little power, and yet you have kept my word
and have not denied my name. (Revelation 3:8)

irstly, notice that this was a weak church. Jesus

says, you have but little power. We do not know in
exactly what way this church lacked strength. Perhaps
they had very small numbers, and when they met
together for worship it all felt a little thin on the ground.
Perhaps they lacked resources due to the fact that many
of the believers there were poor. Or perhaps many of
these Christians were very new believers, and therefore
the church lacked maturity and leadership. For whatever
reason, this church struggled with weakness.
How encouraged they must have been to read that the
Lord Jesus himself knew them (v8) and loved them (v9)!
In the eyes of the world they were insignificant, but not
in the eyes of Jesus.
Secondly, this was a strategic church. Despite their
weaknesses and lack of strength, Jesus has set before
them an open door.
If you were to visit this church on a Sunday morning, you
would never think that you were in a strategic church.
You would look around and quietly think to yourself,

Will this church even be here in ten years? But the

Lords ways are not our ways! The Lord had placed
this open door, this particular opportunity for fruitful
outreach, before the church.
And thirdly, notice that this was a faithful church.
What had this small band of believers done about this
opportunity placed before them? They had grabbed it
with both hands! Jesus says to them, you have kept my
word and have not denied my name. Despite the fact
that they faced persecution and opposition for being
Christians (v9-10), this church had endured such for the
sake of the name of Jesus. They were weak, but at the
same time they were strategic, and they were faithful!
It strikes me that there is much about many of our
EPC congregations that mirrors this Philadelphian
congregation. Many of us feel weak; our numbers
are modest, and we feel stretched both in terms of
manpower and resources. But praise God, we are a
strategic church, because the Lord has placed an open
door for the gospel before us! What a delight it is to hear
of hundreds of people hearing the gospel through mums
and toddler groups, YPA meetings, summer camps,
and a host of other ministries as well. And so, let us
thank God that, despite our weaknesses, he is using us
strategically in his purposes. And like this Philadelphian
church, let us be faithful, by keeping the Lords word,
and not denying the Lords name.
3

Five minutes with

Jonty Rhodes

COVENANT THEOLOGY
Hi there Jonty, thanks for taking the time to chat to us. In

For those who are new to the idea of covenant, can you give

your book, Raiding the Lost Ark, you give a very clear and

us a helpful definition of what a covenant is, and what is

helpful introduction to covenant theology. You mention

meant by covenant theology?

that covenant thinking has fallen somewhat out of fashion

recently, to our loss. Why do you think that is?

Covenant is the word God uses to describe his relationship

with his people. You wont come across anyone in the Bible

Good question! Ive a couple of guesses, though theyre just

claiming I have a relationship with God. Youll find plenty

that: guesses. And whether they apply outside England I

talking about being in covenant with him! Covenant theology

dont know. Weve certainly lost touch with our heritage; you

is simply the study of that relationship.

cant read Calvin, Owen, Edwards or the Puritans without

constantly hitting the idea of covenant. I suspect though

Having written a book about it, you are clearly convinced

that were rarely reading these guys! In my context too there

that it is important and valuable for Christians to have

is something of a suspicion of covenant theology, partly

a grasp of covenant theology. What do you see as the

because even amongst conservative evangelicals theres

main benefits, pastorally, of appreciating the covenantal

a nervousness of Reformed doctrine more generally, and

structure of the Bibles story?

partly because some unhelpful distortions of classic covenant

theology (primarily from the USA!) are getting confused with

Following from your previous question, our relationship with

the real thing.

God is more complex than we sometimes imagine. God is a

Father who loves his children unconditionally, yet in Corinth
he strikes some of those same children dead when they
disobey him. Were told that God so loved the world that he
gave his Son up to death, yet not everyone in that world ends
up saved. Christians believe were saved by grace alone, yet

Aside from your book, what other resources would

you point people towards if they want to grow in their
understanding of covenant theology?
Ive struggled to find many entry level books hence in
desperation writing one until someone does a better job!
My first introduction was a book called The Christ of the
Covenants by O. Palmer Robertson - its probably the modern
classic. If youre brave enough to go straight to the older
classics then I like John Balls A Treatise on the Covenant of
Grace. But Id be tempted to get hold of a good Reformed
Systematic theology (perhaps Herman Bavinck), and read the
relevant section; that way you get lots of other gold too!
Finally, tell us a bit about your plans for the future. You
are currently pastor of Christ Church Derby, but plans are
John tells us well be judged according to what
weve done. Covenant theology holds the key

afoot for some changes further down the line. Whats in the
pipeline, and how can people pray for you?

to unlocking these kinds of puzzles, as it zooms in

on the way Gods relationship to his people develops
throughout the Bible. It also helps us see that Genesis
to Revelation is one story, and that the Old Testament
therefore has lots to teach us.

Thanks yes thats right, Easter 2017 my family is going

to move to Leeds, and God willing, plant a church in the city
centre, on behalf of the International Presbyterian Church
(IPC). Leeds is the third largest city in the UK, and hardly has
any Bible teaching churches, and certainly no Presbyterians.

How does our understanding of covenant theology shape

Ive no idea where well get a congregation from, so that

our understanding of the sacraments of the Lords Supper

would be our main prayer request!

and Baptism?
Great, thanks for your time!
Well, at the most basic level it reminds us that these are
signs of the covenant. Baptism is the sign of entry into
the covenant people of God, and the Lords Supper that of
continuing to walk with him. They mark out the church as
best we can see it. As a pastor I cant magically and infallibly
see who has been born again, but I can see who has been
baptised, and therefore been called by God to live out the
covenant relationship. Covenant underpins this. For example,
in the Old Testament Jewish boys were circumcised as a sign
they were part of the covenant people of God. In the New
Covenant, the sign becomes baptism and is applied to both
genders and all nations. As a Presbyterian I believe that, like
circumcision, the sign of baptism should also be given to the
children of believers; they too are part of Gods covenant
people. Why do I believe this? Because at heart we are in the
same covenant as Abraham and his descendants,
albeit updated.

Jonty Rhodes is minister of Christ Church Derby,

a congregation of the International Presbyterian
Church, having planted the church in 2010. He is
married to Georgina, and they have two little girls.

Unapologetic

PART 2: Faith and Science

t is a commonly expressed view that modern science and

Christian faith are conflicting beliefs; that one cannot fully
participate in scientific discourse and keep ones faith; that
you cannot be a Christian and a scientist. This view may be
held by both Christians and opponents of Christianity. The
secular world views the physicist who holds a position in the
church with suspicion and similarly in church circles some
may wonder if they are compromising their faith in the pursuit
of their scientific studies. But is this really the case?
I am assuming that the readership of this magazine will
be familiar with the Christian worldview but perhaps less
comfortable with the world of science. As with any discussion,
definitions are important, so what do I mean by science?
A contemporary dictionary definition is The intellectual
and practical activity encompassing the systematic study
of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural
world through observation and experiment. The word is
derived from the Latin scientia meaning to know. Historically
it refers to any body of organised knowledge but, as the
definition states, it has come to mean a specific approach to
the study of the natural world. This approach may also be
described as the hypothetico-deductive method. The scientist
observes a natural phenomenon, for example, the rainbow.
The next step involves generating an explanation for how
the phenomenon occurs - the hypothesis - water droplets
in the air act like a prism. Then the hypothesis is tested by
an experiment - replicating the refraction of white light
through water to make a colour spectrum. If the hypothesis
stands the test it may be assumed to be true. The scientific
explanation is not the whole explanation for how the world
is but it is part of the explanation. We would not be happy
with our childrens science teacher if they were merely told
that God had ordained rainbows and referred them to the
story of Noah. Scientific knowledge is essentially based on
the best available hypothesis which holds until a better one
is found. For example, Isaac Newtons theories about gravity
were superseded by those of Albert Einstein and again by the
development of quantum mechanics. The rules of science
have been described as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.

5.

It is guided by natural law;

It has to be explanatory by reference to natural law;
It is testable against the empirical world;
Its conclusions are tentative - that is, not necessarily
the final word; and
It is falsifiable.

The transient nature of scientific knowledge may be

illustrated by the following: As a trainee doctor, I spent some
time in the Department of Clinical Pharmacology. One of the
senior academic staff would frequently preface lectures with
the comment that half of what he was about to say would
subsequently be proved false. The problem was he did not
know which half.
So far, so good, but how does this conflict with Christian
beliefs? Conflict may come in one of two ways. Firstly, when
the working hypothesis runs counter to what is held to be
the Biblical world view. The often cited example of this is the
Italian Galileo Galileis proof of Polish astronomer Nicolaus
Copernicus revolutionary hypothesis that the Earth orbited
the Sun and was not itself the centre of the cosmos. Whilst
the so-called geocentric view owed more to the thoughts
of Grecian philosophers Aristotle and Ptolemy than the
Bible, it had come to be part of the accepted world-view of
Christendom. Verses such as Psalm 104:5 He set the earth
on its foundations, so that it should never be moved also
seemed to support the thought. Yet Galileo did not set out
to cause theological controversy and viewed his approach
as being in line with the Augustinian application of reason.
In this instance the conflation of the Greek non-Christian
system of thought with poetic language in the Psalms led to
wrong beliefs about the nature of the cosmos resulting in an
apparent conflict between faith and science.
In fact many pioneering scientists based their programme
of research on the principle that the natural order would be
amenable to study because it was the work of a reasonable
Creator. Examples include Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who
conducted his experiments on light according to the principle
that nature selects the most direct course of action - a belief
founded on his theological conviction that God created the

world such that maximum simplicity and perfection could be

realised; Carl Linnaeus devised his biological classification
on the basis that God created organisms in distinct types;
astronomer Johannes Kepler felt that working out the laws
of planetary motion was thinking Gods thoughts after
him. Others include physicist James Clerk Maxwell and the
mathematician Sir Isaac Newton. Many modern scientists
also find no conflict between their faith and their studies. Two
notable examples from Northern Ireland are John Lennox,
Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University, and Alister
McGrath, who completed doctoral studies in biophysics at the
University of Oxford before pursuing studies in theology.

A particular focus of the religion/science debate is the origin

of mankind and the cosmos. As stated, how we interpret
information depends on our presuppositions - evidence of
an expanding universe may suggest to one the impersonal
Big Bang or to another the divine act of creation. Evidence
of human mitochondrial DNA all tracking back to a single
female for one will point to the palaeontologists Lucy and to
another, Eve in the Garden of Eden. Hence our presuppositions
and worldview are as important as the data we discuss. We
may need to engage in what Francis Schaeffer termed preevangelism - asking people to question some of their basic
beliefs.

The second source of conflict is deeper seated and relates

to beliefs about the nature of knowledge itself. Philosopher
Bertrand Russell stated Whatever knowledge is attainable,
must be attained by scientific means; and what science
cannot discover, mankind cannot know. More recently
biologist Richard Dawkins is quoted as saying Truth means
scientific truth. It is not without some irony that these
statements cannot themselves be proved scientifically and

How then should we respond? In his first epistle the apostle

Peter urges believers to always be prepared to make a
defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope
that is in you. We should prepare ourselves - both Alister
McGrath and John Lennox have written books exploring the
relationship of science and faith that can help us in this regard
(McGrath: Dawkins God: Genes, memes and the meaning of
life / Lennox: Gods Undertaker: Has science buried God?).

reflect philosophical positions. This is not to underestimate

the influence of this view. Science moves from being a method
of study to an overarching worldview (this is sometimes
termed scientism). This has become a dominant world view
among the scientific community, particularly in life sciences
where it is tantamount to heresy to question the application
of Darwinian evolution, even when applied to fields outside
of biology. In education there have been hard fought battles
regarding the legitimacy of even mentioning God as creator
in discussion of the origins of life or the cosmos. And yet
this change - from science as a field of study to science as a
complete explanation for all phenomena - is a philosophical
one. It takes us from beyond the observable natural world
- what can be measured and tested by experiment - into
conjecture about the nature of truth and knowledge and the
origins of the universe. We move beyond the physical (in Greek
metaphysical), from science to philosophy, and questions that
Dawkins and colleagues state cannot be answered by science,
and therefore truths which cannot be known.
The methodology of science can provide facts and
information, but how we interpret that information depends
on our worldview. For those who follow Dawkins and allow
for only scientific explanations, the account of the angel
Gabriel appearing to Mary could be explained as fiction, hoax,
lies, psychosis, or even the visitation of an extra-terrestrial

We should also remember that Peters exhortation continues

that we should make our defence with gentleness and
respect and that patience and kindness in our approach to
apologetics will say as much, if not more, than the words of
our arguments.

being. The one explanation that would not be allowed is the

appearance of an actual angel. Dawkins decries the faith
Christians put in the Bible. However, accepting the current
mathematical models explaining black holes or investing
billions of dollars in the search for the Higgs Boson particle at
CERNs Large Hadron Collider also requires faith.

A final warning: We have considered the tentative nature of

much scientific dogma, and seen the problems that the church
establishment encountered by conflating Greek science with
theology in the case of Galileo. We must avoid latching on to
scientific models to bolster our faith - I am thinking here in
particular of the creation science movement - as such models
may prove false and so provide straw men for our opponents
to knock down. We can be conversant with science and the
current debate but we must base our beliefs on the truths of
God as revealed in Scripture.

Michael Trimble has been attending Stranmillis

EPC since 1993, and works as a physician in Royal
Victoria Hospital. He is married to Rachel and they
have three children, David, Sophie and Solomon.

Wrestling
with Sin
C

hristians often express

disappointment with their level of
holiness, even to the point of doubting
whether they really are saved. Ministers
regularly come across this. Someone will
say, I have been a Christian for so many
years at least, I thought I was but
as I look at my life, and I see how many
times I sin and there are sins that just
keep coming back. Now I am wondering
whether I was ever a Christian in the
first place. How can a Christian fail so
many times and do things so displeasing
to God?
Have you ever asked that question? I
remember a former pastor telling me,
The Christian who is disturbed by their
own sin is not the person who needs to
worry about salvation. The people who
do need to worry are those who dont
care about their sin. One would perhaps
need to qualify that statement a little,
but essentially that is the biblical picture
painted of the Christian life: the person
who has truly become a Christian, who
has truly been regenerated, whose old
self has died with Christ on the cross
and has been raised to new lifethat
person now is launched into a war. It is
not a war on the outside with the rest
of the world but a war that takes place
within our own persons, between the
inner man/person and indwelling sin.
Paul, writing as a pastor in Romans
7:14-24 helps us see that this is the
normal Christian experience and will
take us through this step by step.

Is Paul talking about a Christian?

We need to ask whether in this passage
Paul is talking about a Christian at all.
8

A Sermon on Romans 7:14-25

so religious and law-minded? What

In verses 7-13 Paul talks about his
was the great criticism that he levelled
experience before he was a Christian.
against them? Woe to you, scribes and
He was a top student in Judaism and
Pharisees, hypocrites! (Matthew 23:13)
the law but as he looked back he saw
Why did Jesus say that? They didnt
how the law that he sought to conform
really love the law nor did they love God
his life to had a strange effect on him.
they loved a lot of other things: fine
It seemed to stimulate more sin: when
robes, to be greeted by people in the
the commandment came, sin came alive
public spaces, to be seen to be praying
and I died. (7:9) Sin was a power in his
- all the trappings that went with the
life that he was not able to control and
religious life - but not really the law.
the introduction of the law only served
Paul was a coveter, the hypocrite who
to stimulate sin to more animated
had secret loves. But now, as a Christian
activity in his life. His was a particular
he has had this extraordinary work of
sin: covetousness was continually
God done in him where he longs to do
aroused within his heart.
the things God has commanded.
Turning to verses 14-25, are these also
Thirdly, Paul is a person
about his past life or is it
The Christian who is
who takes joy in the
his life now as a Christian?
disturbed
by
their
own
sin
is
fact that Christ has
There are many who have
not the person who needs to delivered him from the
found it hard to believe
worry about salvation. The
penalty and power of
they describe a Christian
people who do need to worry sin: Wretched man that
because of the strong
are those who dont care
I am! Who will deliver
language in v14, I am of
about their sin
me from this body of
the flesh, sold under sin.
death? Thanks be to
It sounds like the old life!
God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
But it is not, for three reasons.
(vv24-25). Paul is describing the hope
Firstly, there is the change of tense. In
of every Christian, a hope not in self and
vv7-13 he has been speaking about his
law keeping, but in Christ our redeemer.
experience in the past, but from v14 he
is speaking about his current experience.
So this passage is describing the life of
Secondly, he longs to do good: For I
the Christian, even though it consists of
have the desire to do what is right,
an inner battle against sin. How do you
(v18), and later, I delight in the law
think about your sin? Do you ever think
of God... (v22). This marks a complete
about it? Or do you go for days on end
change from his past life. A nonbefore it occurs to you that you may
Christian cannot love the law he or
have sinned? Maybe you have never
she doesnt care. We might say Hang
really thought about it, assuming that
on a minute! Didnt Paul love the law
everything will be OK for you and that
before he was a Christian? Well, think
as God looks at you, there isnt really
about it for a minute remember all
much of a problem! Well, let me warn
those Pharisees and lawyers who
you that is not real Christianity. It is a
came to challenge Jesus, who seemed

counterfeit Christianity - because every

true Christian becomes acutely aware
of their own sin. He or she is regularly
humbled at the sight of it, laments its
presence and as a result is regularly
turning to Jesus Christ, the only one who
can deliver him/her from this body of
death. Are you lamenting the presence
of sin and turning to Christ today?

What is going on inside the

Christian?
Let us examine with Paul what is going
on inside the Christian: there are three
things we need to observe.
The first is the contradiction between
what you want to do, and what
you actually do. Paul says I dont
understand my own actions (v15a).
Have you ever had that experience? You
wake up in the morning and you resolve
to live for God today whenever I am
tempted I will resist! Then you get to
the end of the day and you think, why
did I do thatand thatand that? Why?
This is the normal Christian experience.
You love God. You love Jesus. You want
to serve him. But you still end up doing
things that you hate you sin, you fail.
We live with contradiction. Why?
Note the second observation: you
still have indwelling sin in your flesh.
Earlier we noted that Paul puts this
very strongly, I am of the flesh, sold
under sin. (v14). What does he mean by
flesh? He does not mean the meat he
is made of! He means the whole him,
body and soul with all its corruption
and propensity towards sin. He is sold
under sin - this is the language of
slavery. His flesh is like a slave to the
power of sin.
Now, that sounds a bit like being a
non-Christian, and to an extent it is true.
There are aspects of our existence as
Christians that are the same: we are still
tempted and we still find that we fall
into sin as Christians, just like before we
were Christians.
But there is a third observation: we
have been renewed inwardly. This is
the radical difference for the Christian
compared to the non-Christian. A seed
has been planted within the Christian. A
new life has been given to the Christian
and this begins to express itself in new
ways. I want to do different things live
my life in new ways. I love to do good,
even though I am aware that there is

evil in my own flesh, but now I delight

in the law of God, in my inner being
(v22). That term inner being or inner
man is really important because this
inner person, the real you, the most
fundamental essence of your being has
been changed.

I have mentioned three kinds of people.

There is the kind who professes to be a
Christian, does all the churchy stuff, but
in the heart does not have a care at all
about their own sin. That person is not
actually a Christian at all. They have still
to discover the depths of their need and
come empty handed to Jesus Christ to
be saved.

Paul has a really interesting way now

of looking at himself and all Christians:
So we do not lose heart.
The second person
Though our outer self is
A seed has been planted
is the true Christian
wasting away, our inner
within the Christian. A new life who knows she is
self is being renewed
day by day. (2 Cor 4:16). has been given to the Christian in a spiritual battle
and this begins to express
that is going on in her
The new Christian is
itself in new ways
very person but she
undergoing a process
is discouraged and
of renewal. It begins
wonders whether she is a Christian. She
inside the inner man/woman and
needs to turn afresh to Jesus and spend
the process necessarily brings about
time gazing upon him and realising once
conflict. There are two laws at work:
more just what he has achieved for her
on the one hand, the law of sin, which
and that because of him, she may be
has reigned in your life before you were
fully assured.
a Christian but now has been toppled
off the throne. It is still present in a
Then there is the person who is a
rearguard action, causing you still at
Christian who is aware of the spiritual
times to do things you do not want
battle within but knows without a
to do. But on the other, there is the
doubt, like Paul did, that Jesus is the one
renewed inner man, which now lives
who will save him.
within, with a new mind which wants to
serve the law of God.
Which are you today?
So this inner conflict is something the
Christian will necessarily experience
and it will never let up. That is what
war is like. It does not stop until there
is victory. For the Christian, it does not
stop until we are glorified.

Jesus the Deliverer

This may seem a bit miserable the
Christian life is going to be hard! Well,
Paul is not miserable because the
difficulties only cause him to turn his
attention to the one in whom real
lasting joy can be found: Thanks be
to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
(v25).
This is what sustains the Christian. We
do not look at our failings, and think
therefore I am not a Christian. Instead
we turn to Jesus Christ and see that his
victory on the cross is our hope. Through
it I am free from the rule and reign of
sin, not because I am winning against
my sin, but because he has won for me.
Thus my heart is lifted up in praise and
thanksgiving for his abundant kindness
to me.

Stephen Dancer is married to

Susan, and father of one.
He has a PhD in physics. He worked
for 14 years in the aerospace
industry and became a chartered
engineer. He also has a BA in
Theological Studies. He has been
a minister of the gospel at Solihull
Presbyterian Church, part of the
EPCEW, since March, 2007.

Benjamin Warfield
on Predestination:
Lessons in Theological and
Evangelistic Engagement

n his article Some Thoughts on Predestination, originally

published in the Christian Workers Magazine in December
1916, Benjamin Warfield sets out a robust defence of the
doctrine of predestination and, in the process, provides
an object lesson in how to argue against opponents of
Christianity as well as those who deny key truths of Christian
theology. Though perhaps not his original intention, Warfields
article models the methods that we might usefully employ
when it comes to refuting objections to our worldview. Not
many, if any, of us have the intellectual abilities of Warfield,
but we can all learn from his polemical approach. In particular,
it is the way his argument addresses the three faculties of
the soul the mind, the heart and the will that ismost
instructive.
Taking the last of these first, it is notable how Warfield
exposes mans deep-rooted psychological aversion to any
notion that he is under the control and authority of another.
Although the Bible is full of the doctrine of predestination,
people hate the thought that they are not the autonomous
determiners of their own destiny. Ever since the Fall,
we have an in-built abhorrence of the idea that we are
dependent creatures. As Warfield says, Our difficulties
with Predestination arise from a, no doubt not unnatural,
unwillingness to acknowledge ourselves to be wholly at the
disposal of another. We wish to be at our own disposal(W)e
will not admit that we are controlled.
In other words, a wilful pride gets in the way of our
acceptance that we are under Gods control. Predestination
humbles us and we tend not to enjoy being humbled. That
is probably the main reason behind peoples rejection of
predestination: they simply dont want to believe it. Warfield
adeptly exposes such wilful refusal and, whilst it may not
win us many friends or influence with people, we must surely
seek to do the same when it comes to any kind of evangelistic
encounter, apologetic argument or theological debate.
Turning to Warfields second (and main) line of attack, what
is most notable is his use of logic to subvert intellectual
objections to predestination. Warfield makes the thoroughly
convincing case that denial of predestination amounts to a
logical denial of God, proving this by addressing the three
areas of creation, morality, and providence.
In the process, the strong interconnections in Warfields
theology come to the fore.
He says, for example, that to imagine that we are not
controlled is to imagine that there is no God. For when we
say God, we say control. If a single creature which God has

10

made has escaped beyond his control, at the moment that

he has done so he has abolished God. In other words, the
trajectory of any theology which downplays, or even denies,
predestination is atheism. Gods control is rooted in his
creation of all things and, ultimately, in his very being
and character.
Warfield then proceeds to note the moral implications of
rejecting Gods absolute sovereignty, arguing that to make
anything that we cannot or will not control is an immoral act.
Warfield illustrates this by imagining the scenario where a
man manufactures highly explosive material in an orphan
asylum and, when the stuff goes off, seeks to excuse himself
by saying that he could not control it. Of course, no one
would count his excuse validHe relieves himself of none of
the responsibility for the havoc wrought, by pleading inability
to control his creation. In the same way, to suppose that
God has made a universe or even a single being the
control of which he renounces, is to accuse him of similar
immoralityWe have not only dethroned God; we have
demoralized him. Repudiating the doctrine of predestination
has the unhappy consequence of turning God into an
immoral being.
Warfield recognises that no right thinking Christian would
ever go so far as to say or believe such a thing about God,
even if the logic of their position required them to do so. So
often we are saved by our inconsistencies. Nevertheless,
those who deny predestination will often, according to
Warfield, take refuge in a vague antinomy whereby God
controls the universe just enough to control it, and that he
does not control it just enough not to control it. God has, on
this reasoning, a general sovereignty, but not a sovereignty
over every particular detail.

powerful God when the world is full of so much evil.

But such thinking is deeply flawed or, to use Warfields highly
And, if were honest, often we find it hard to trust in God
technical term, palpable paltering. Such a being, who has to
when we suffer. But as Warfield notes, To say Predestination
simply put up with various things in the world which he really
isnot only to say God; it is also to say Theodicy. (Theodicy:
wishes werent so, is not God but a mere godling.
the vindication of divine providence in view of the existence
After all, a being who cannot make a universe to his own
of evil). Only a God who is sovereign can give us hope in the
liking is not God.
darkest times. This is because predestination means that
Warfield then delivers what I consider to be his coup de grace.
everything has a purpose, even our greatest suffering.
Having established that those who repudiate a God who
We may rarely discern that purpose, but we can be sure that,
predestines everything actually have nothing more than a
in his goodness and wisdom, God plans all things for our
mere godling, he points out that the moment such a being
ultimate joy and blessing.
consented to put up with this universe he made it his own
Warfield argues that we all instinctively know this to be true:
even in those particulars which in themselves he would have
No matter what we may say of Predestination in moments
liked to have otherwise. Which means, according to Warfield,
of puzzlement, as we stand in face of the problems of life
that the godling has actually realised those particularities
it is safe to say that at the bottom of our minds we all believe
and has, as such, predestined them! As Warfield says, We
in it. We cannot help believing in it if we believe in God.
have got rid of God, indeed; but we have not got rid of the
Surely the fact that the Christians default reaction in times of
Predestination, to get rid of which we have been willing to
trouble is to pray testifies to the truth of this.
degrade our God into a godling.
And, I would add, we all want this to be true. None of us really
Warfields logical deconstruction of the theology that denies
wants God to be anything less than sovereign. We want him
predestination is devastating. With irrefutable argumentation,
to be the one who ordains the rise of empires and the fall
as well as a healthy dose of mocking humour, he exposes
of sparrows. We want him to be the one who numbers the
the absurdity of his opponents position. Their proposition
hairs on our head. Because only such a God can help us and
is self-defeating. In the end, by rejecting total sovereignty,
give us a hope that soars beyond the dark clouds of suffering.
predestination is not lost, but God certainly is.
Only such a God can assure us that, despite every adverse
Denying predestination impugns God by calling into question
appearance, it is all well with the world.
his creative power and moral character. Warfield also
Some Thoughts on Predestination succeeds in defending
shows that it undermines the doctrine of providence. In a
and promoting this very precious doctrine. How? By exposing
beautifully pithy observation, he asserts that Providence
the wilful pride that recoils at such a truth; by refuting the
is but Predestination in its execution; Predestination is but
logical inconsistencies of the alternative; and by capturing
Providence in its intention. In view of such a statement,
the heart with the hope it engenders. In so doing, Warfield
who can deny that the Lion of Princeton was also the King of
demonstrates the best approach to any kind of theological
Christian Aphorism?
debate or evangelistic encounter: love the
Providence and predestination are
one with whom you are engaged so much
mutually reinforcing truths. Providence
Providence
is
but
that you speak to him in the wholeness
is always purposeful and predestination
of his personality his will, his mind and,
is always performative. Deny the one
Predestination
perhaps above all, his heart. And then,
and you deny the other. Again, note the
in its execution;
having done that, entrust it all to the God
logical interconnectedness of Warfields
Predestination
is
but
who is sovereign and who predestines all
theology. His ability to refute the intellectual
things.
objections of his opponents is rooted in
Providence in
the soil of biblical logic and theological
its intention.
coherence. We too, in our evangelism,
apologetics and doctrinal disputes, must try
to evince a logical precision that flows from
a scripturally-sourced theology. That is how we best engage
the minds of those with whom we engage.
Turning finally to matters of the heart, Warfield has much
to say concerning the practical implications of rejecting
predestination. To do so diminishes our faith and enervates
our prayers, whereas, holding fast to the sovereignty of God
Doug McCallum is the Assistant Minister at Naunton
makes our faith expansive and our prayers bold and confident.
Lane Evangelical Presbyterian Church, where he has
However, it is in the area of hope where I think Warfields
been serving for a year and a half. He is originally
elucidation of the practical benefits of predestination speaks
from a small town in Hertfordshire. He is also a keen
most powerfully into our culture. In my experience, the reality
Liverpool fan and has, as a result, grown accustomed
of suffering continues to be the number one objection to
to living in an era when high expectations are never
belief in God. People struggle to believe in a good and allquite realised.
11

HABAKKUK 1:1-11

Habakkuks own spiritual journey as he pleads with the Lord

for the people, and hears what the Lord has to say.
Whilst we dont know much about Habakkuk we can tell
something about when he lived and what was happening.
The Lord tells us in verse 6 that He is raising up the Chaldeans,
or Babylonians. The Assyrian Empire had collapsed and the
Babylonians were making a rapid rise to become the dominant
force and power. This ruthless nation was taking power over
Assyria, Syria, Palestine, right out to Egypt.
And what about the state of Gods own people? We read
about the state of Judah at this time in verses 2-4.
The prophet was perplexed at the unrighteousness he saw
there. So theres a clue to the time again; we can say this
was after the reforms of godly Josiah, in the reign of his son
Jehoiakim. These were dark years for Judah, the same time as
Jeremiah was prophesying before Babylon came to take them
into captivity.
It was a perplexing time to be a prophet among Gods people.
What was God doing? Why were His people in such difficult
straits? How had they gone so far from God? The godly faithful
prophet pleaded with God, perplexed at what he saw.
2. THE QUESTIONS

Habakkuk is only three chapters long, and yet it is a book

which has as much to say to us in our day as when Habakkuk
first received Gods word. It points us to the character of God,
to the purposes of God, and to His hand on history.
If we are believers we know of the Lords care and great
concern for the very details of our lives. The very hairs of our
head are all numbered; He knows our needs better than we
do. But we also bow before Him as the true and living God, as
the Sovereign God the Lord who is King of this world, before
whom the nations are as a drop in a bucket. The book of
Habakkuk opens up to us that window of the purposes of God
in history, God ruling over all.
What is God doing? - Habakkuk was wrestling with that. Yet
what we see here is that God is at work in His mighty power.
1. THE BURDEN
We dont know much about the background of the prophet
Habakkuk, but we know this: that he had a message from the
Lord. He was a prophet of God, Gods mouthpiece. It literally
tells us here that Habakkuk saw Gods message, with his inner
eye, through the Spirit of God.
And the message is described as a burden. We know what its
like to have to carry some great weight. When youre holding
something heavy you cant wait to put it down. Habakkuk is
carrying this weighty message, this burden, that needs to be
delivered. Gods word is like that; it must be made known.
This isnt some trivial piece of information not worth sharing:
this is Gods true and vital word, this is what Hes about to do
and Habakkuk must make it known. The message must be
brought to Gods people.
But this short book is not directly addressed to the people.
Habakkuk doesnt say, unlike some of the prophets Hear
this, people of Judah. What we have instead is Habakkuks
own prayers to the Lord and the Lords response. This is
12

The prophet begins in verses 2-4 by pouring out his heart to

God. Hes come to God with questions: O Lord, how long shall
I cry...? Why do you show me iniquity, and cause me to see
trouble? Why are these things happening? How long will they
go on?
Thats the cry of his heart. In times of perplexity there is a
wrong way and a right way to come to God. Man has no right
to ask God to justify Himself, no right to judge what God does.
Who would we be if we thought we could judge God? Man is a
finite creature, whose understanding is limited, who has gone
astray from Gods ways. Almighty God is perfect; His ways are
righteous; we must be ready to bow before a perfect, good,
righteous God and submit to Him.
But Habakkuk doesnt come here in unbelief, dishonouring
God. He cries out to God here in perplexity because he
doesnt understand. He knows that Gods ways are good and
right; he confesses that He is of purer eyes than to behold evil
(v. 13) and yet Habakkuk sees wickedness triumphing around
him, and it grieves him. Hes burdened by the state of Gods
people and he cries out to God because of it.
Habakkuk has been praying about these things for some
time. How long shall I cry and you will not hear? He keeps
on praying about the state of the land around him, and hes
baffled by the seeming silence, that his prayers seem to go
unanswered.
What was happening then that grieved Habakkuk so much?
There was violence and disorder and injustice. Plundering
and violence are before me. It was like the days of Noah
when we read that violence filled the earth. Yet this was
in Judah among the Lords people. There should have been
peace among Gods people in the Promised Land, love for their
neighbour, the vulnerable protected and helped. But instead
there was strife and contention, disorder and violence.
In the case of Israel the king was part of the problem. King
Jehoiakim was a brutal, ruthless man who put the prophet

Uriah to death, who took Jeremiahs scroll and cut it with a

knife, such was his disrespect for the word of God. He acted
to oppress the people and ignored Gods word.
Thats what Habakkuk was confronted with. More still we
read that the law was powerless (v.4). There was nothing
wrong with Gods law of course but it wasnt being applied; it
was being ignored. There was no justice; people were doing
what they wanted to do. The wicked were surrounding the
righteous; they were triumphing.
Habakkuk is pleading with God to intervene. He knows the
wickedness he sees all around him is so contrary to Gods
word. He knows they are Gods covenant people and yet the
Lord doesnt intervene as hes expecting. Could God not raise
up another Josiah, another King after Gods heart? Would the
people not go back to Gods word? But it doesnt seem to be
happening.
What do we find perplexing in the church today and in the
spiritual state of our society? Do we plead with God as
Habakkuk does here? When we hear about unbelief and
unfaithfulness in the church, or of churches closing down, and
other churches divided and split into factions, these things
are grievous and troubling, do we pray? When the prevailing
culture has no time for Christianity, when unrighteous
legislation is passed, do we bring these things before God?
We can share something of Habakkuks perplexity, cant we?
Why, Lord have we not prayed for revival? Have we not
prayed for the church in our land? And yet unrighteousness
and wickedness seem to prosper.
3. THE UNEXPECTED ANSWER
The Lord does reply to Habakkuks plea. In fact God is going to
do something which will astound them. In verse 5 the Lord is
calling for our attention: Look, I will work a work in your days
which you would not believe though it were told you.
What is God going to do? What is His great plan and purpose?
Hes going to bring judgement on His people. We know that
the Lord is slow to anger, that Hes longsuffering, but yet
there comes a point at which He will judge, and His judgement
comes swiftly and powerfully. The people of Judah are going
on their own way; wickedness is prevailing. And the Lord
realises it far more than the prophet does; He sees all thats
happening. And now the Lord will act.
But in what an unusual way God will act. God is raising up the
Chaldeans against His own people. Here is this fearful, aweinducing sight of this great nation marching through the land,
ready to take hold of what doesnt belong to them.
See their power! Their horses also are swifter than leopards,
and more fierce than the evening wolves... they fly as the eagle
that hastens to eat. Think of an eagle, a bird of prey, swooping
down ready to take its prey.
They cant be resisted it doesnt matter what alliances Israel
and Judah have formed in the past. The Chaldeans will just
laugh at kings and princes. With little effort they will break
down strongholds.
They will sweep through like the wind. They believe that
might is right. They see this strength as their god (v.11).
They are an unrighteous, ungodly, powerful nation yet God is
using them as His instrument to judge His people.

Theyre not outside of His control; theyre not outside of His

purpose. Now this is a powerful and fearful message that
Habakkuk is told by the Lord. God will send this judgement on
His people in such a way that they wont be able to resist.
Its important to note God was being faithful to His word
here. Gods people were warned when they first entered the
Promised Land what would happen if they were unfaithful.
Deuteronomy 28 v. 49 The Lord will bring a nation against you
from afar, from the end of the earth as swift as the eagle flies,
a nation whose language you will not understand, a nation of
fierce countenance...
God is faithful to His word, Hes perfectly just, wholly
consistent. Habakkuk 1 v.5 is quoted by the Apostle Paul in
Acts 13. Hes preaching to the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch
and he warns that congregation about the dangers of rejecting
the message. But most of the people didnt listen they
rejected the message; they ignored the warning.
And so often thats the case; Gods word warns us of the
seriousness and the reality of Gods judgement. In the days
of Noah people laughed, over the centuries the prophets were
ignored, and people even failed to listen to Christ Himself.
But we do see here an answer to Habakkuks perplexity and to
ours. Its not that God hasnt heard; its not that God doesnt
know or hear the cries of His people. He does know, and He
does rule over all. That truth is very evident in these verses.
This is the God who can raise up the Chaldeans for His
purposes. God doesnt just occasionally intervene in the world
He is the Lord of history. The Sovereign Lord does rule over
all the world. Hes not powerless. Hes able to answer His
peoples cries even in ways we would never expect.
In our own unstable world, in the turbulent times that we
live in, the political instability, the economic questions, the
churchs weakness as we see all of that remember the
Lord is King.
Things are not helpless and hopeless, because God is
Sovereign; He is Lord. Remember He is Lord of history: He
works to His own timetable. God has His time and purpose.
We must trust Him.
God is just and will act as His word says. Are you prepared
to meet the just, holy God? Unrighteousness isnt just in the
world out there its in our hearts, its in our lives and we
can only be clean, we can only be right with God, through Jesus
Christ and what Hes done. We tremble before a holy God
but praise His name there is no condemnation to those who
are in Christ Jesus.

Marcus Hobson has been minister of the Finaghy

EPC congregation since May 2014, having previously
served as an assistant in Durham Presbyterian
Church. He is married to Alison, and they have one
son, Edward.
13

The Absolute Conformity

to Gods Word
Atonement, Part 2:

For a very long time, there have been those who have maintained
that the death of Jesus on the Cross was not what Jesus had
envisaged, nor was it what God intended. If you think about that
for a moment it is actually telling us that God makes mistakes;
God does not know everything, but they, on the other hand, are
wiser than God and have a better understanding of
things. But that is absolute blasphemy. Those who
say such things simply show their ignorance of God, of Christ
and of the Word of God. What happened at the Cross? In our
last study we saw that at the cross, Jesus absolutely conformed to
Gods will. He was the Obedient Servant found again and again
in the Old Testament. In this second study, we shall see that the
cross was in absolute conformity to Gods Word.
The God of the Bible is a God who is all knowing. There are
words used of God in this respect. He is the only one who
is omniscient. What does that mean? It means a perfection
whereby God knows Himself, and all things actual and all things
possible. There are many portions of the Scriptures that declare
that very clearly.
But alongside this, God is also omnipotent. That means that
God has the power to do all that He wills to do.
We saw in our last study that the Father made a Covenant
between the Son and the Holy Spirit and Himself; the Covenant
of Redemption. Now, Christ Jesus on the Cross was doing what
he agreed He would do in eternity before time. But because
of the omniscience and the omnipotence of God, God declared
centuries before the very birth of Christ, exactly what would
happen. Here is the absolute conformity of the Cross to the Old
Testament prophecies. We will only be able to consider just a
few of these.

1) The prophetic word of David

In considering David, we are going back about 1000 years before
the birth of Christ. Now think of that. If you found an old
book in an ancient library, and in browsing through that book,
you discovered your name and details about your life and about
your death, and you discovered that it had been written in the
year 1016! That is exactly what is happening in Psalm 22, and
indeed in so many passages of the Old Testament. This shows
the wonder of the knowledge and understanding of God and the
power of God to bring these things to pass. Amazingly, Psalm
22 had prophecies fulfilled by people who had probably no
knowledge of and no interest in the Old Testament prophecies.
The soldiers crucified Jesus and parted his garments, and cast lots
for his garments, fulfilling Psalm 22:18. They gave Him wine
mixed with gall, fulfilling Psalm 69:21. Roman soldiers fulfilling
Old Testament prophecy. To my mind that is remarkable!
But now we go in time about 300 years, to about 700 BC.

14

2) The prophetic word of Isaiah

We see the Cross very clearly in the prophecy of Isaiah. Take, for
example, these words from Isaiah 52v14:
As many were astonished at You, His appearance was so marred
beyond human semblance, and His form beyond that of the
children of mankind.
Some would say that the death of Christ was no different to that
of thousands who were crucified by the Romans. But when we
think of all that he went through, we see that His death was not
like thousands of others.
Think of his scourging. Stripped to the waist, and thrashed
with a Roman lash, which was something like the cat o nine
tails. Except, in the lash were pieces of bone and metal, you can
imagine the effect of that on a mans back. We see this referred to
in Isaiah 50, another Servant Song: I gave my back to those who
strike and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard. I hid not
my face from shame and spitting.
At the Cross, the hatred of man was seen at its worst. Yet Christ
was totally innocent of all charges. Was there ever such a
miscarriage of justice? The hatred of the religious establishment
was seen at its worst at the Cross. How they hated Him, for
showing that they were terrible hypocrites. Not one ounce of
godliness among all of them. But He was the Holy One!!

3) The prophetic word of others

We ask the question, was Christ aware of all this? Christ
the Lord, he is God the Son, he was very much a part of the
Covenant of Redemption in eternity past. He knew exactly what
would happen.
On the Resurrection Day, various things happened, but one is
recorded in Luke 24. There were two disciples, we are not sure
who they were. One is called Cleopas. The other we do not
know. It might have been his wife or perhaps his brother. They
had been to Jerusalem to meet with the other disciples and they
are on their way home. They had walked 7 miles to Jerusalem,
and now must walk the seven miles home.
We can just imagine the thoughts going through their minds
and the discussion they were having. But suddenly a stranger
appeared beside them. He asked a rather personal question.
What is this conversation you are holding with each other as
you walk? They stop and look sad!! They in return are a little
blunt with Jesus. Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does
not know the things that have happened?
Jesus now asks, What things? Then they briefly tell Him what
has happened, but finish with these words, We hoped that he
was the One who would redeem Israel. They add, Besides
all this, this is the third day since these things happened...some
women amazed us... They did not find his body and said they had
seen angels.
Now we have amazing words from the lips of the Saviour.
O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets
have spoken. Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer
these things and enter into His glory? Luke now tells us that,
Beginning at Moses and all the Prophets he interpreted to them
in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
I have been present at a great many wonderful Bible studies.
But to have the Old Testament Scriptures expounded by the Son
of God Himself and to be told all that was spoken to man about
Him; that must have been amazing!

We have briefly looked at David and Isaiah, but Jesus started

with Moses, a long time before David. And He told these two
disciples that Moses spoke about Him. Consider Deuteronomy
18v18: I will raise up for them a prophet like you, from among
their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he
shall speak to them all that I command him. There we again
have God sending his Son and the Son coming to be the obedient
Servant of Jehovah.
But to bring this to a conclusion, What did Christ Himself say?
In Matthew 12:40, we have the scribes asking Christ for a sign.
His reply was quite astonishing: As Jonah was three days and
three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man
be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. This of
course, was speaking of His Death, Burial and Resurrection!
On different occasions He warned His disciples of what lay
ahead for Him. He would suffer many things and be killed. He
would be crucified. He would give His life a ransom. The Good
Shepherd would lay down His life for his sheep.
We could say so much more. But surely this suffices to show
that all that happened on that day on Mount Calvary was not an
accident, not a mistake, nothing other than Christ fulfilling all
that He had come to do.
He came to do the Fathers will and He came to fulfil all that
the Scriptures said would happen. In Matthew we read so often,
Then was fulfilled all that was spoken by the prophet. When
He was on the Cross, He cried in triumph TETELESTAI,
FULFILLED, COMPLETED.

Conclusion
The death of Christ on the Cross of Calvary was no mistake.
In our last article we saw His absolute conformity to the Fathers
will in all that took place. Christ accomplished all that the
Father sent Him to do, so was able to cry, Tetelestai! Finished!
Completed! Now we see clearly the absolute conformity to
the Old Testament prophetic word concerning the Cross of
Christ. Again, Christ could cry in triumph, Tetelestai! Finished!
Completed! There was nothing left undone. He did all.
It is finished, O what pleasure
Do these precious words afford.
Heavenly blessings, without measure
Flow to us from Christ the Lord.
It is finished, It is finished.
Saints the dying words record.

Jim McClatchey has been in the ministry for the past 45

years, and has served in Lancashire, Lincolnshire, and
Scotland. He now lives in Fermanagh and is a member of
Omagh EPC. He still preaches regularly at home and in
England and Scotland. Jim is married to Irene, and they have 4
children, 9 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

15

Meet the Moodys

Andrew Moody, a member of Stranmillis, is married to
Eunice and serves the Lord in Uganda. We asked them to
tell us a bit about their work and bring us up to date with
how their daughter, Joy is doing.

Who are we?

Andrew is from Ballymena, is a trained pharmacist and

has also studied theology. Eunice is from Jeju Island,
South Korea, and is a trained nurse and midwife. They
met while they were working as missionaries in Kuluva
Hospital, Uganda.

What do we do?

In April 2004 we began working with Nebbi Diocese

in North West Uganda. Andrew opened the Christian
Resource Centre (CRC) which stocks Bibles (in various
languages), hymn books and a good range of Christian
books. We also sell stationery and provide photocopying
services. This helps to pay the staff so that the books
can be sold as cheaply as possible. Currently we are
trying to get copies of the Alur Bible with the help of
Northern Ireland Bible Society. Alur is the main language
in Nebbi and the Bible has been out of stock for about 18
months.
Andrew manages the Diocesan Leadership Training
Centre (Udende) where Rev. Gareth Burke has taught the
pastors of Nebbi Diocese a number of times.
Andrew also teaches theology in different parts of
Uganda when he is invited.
Eunice is the senior nursing officer in the health centre
and is also in charge of the operating theatre. This
means that as well as assisting in any operations, she
has to make sure that all the equipment needed for
surgery has been sterilised and is ready for use. She also
goes around the health centre and prays with patients.

How is Joy?

Our daughter, Joy, is now 12 years old and is taller than

her mother. She attends boarding school (Rift Valley
Academy, RVA) near Nairobi, Kenya. It is a Christian
school like Bingham Academy where Jenni Ray teaches.
Joy is now in 6th Grade (equivalent to 1st form in UK) and
will soon graduate to high school. She has many friends
there, including two Korean girls in her class (she counts
herself Korean). She enjoys life at RVA. She seems to be
content wherever she is, whether at home in Goli or at
RVA. This helps her parents not to miss her too much.

16

Future Plans?

Andrew is in discussion with the Diocese about training

the church teachers/lay readers at Udende. Nebbi
Diocese has only 40 pastors, but over 300 churches.
This means that the church teacher in each church has
the responsibility for preaching and pastoral ministry,
yet they receive little training. Andrew plans, if the
training moves to Udende, to use pastors to train the
church teachers, and also to make sure that the course is
relevant to the ministry they will have.
We are also planning to visit South Sudan in the next few
months. We know a missionary couple there.
Andrew hopes to work with Rev. Paul Kim in teaching
pastoral students from time to time. Eunice hopes to
help local people with medical ministry.

Prayer Points

The centralisation of the training for new church

teachers in Udende.
That the Alur Bible will become available soon.
That our trip to South Sudan would go ahead
as planned.
That the solar system, recently installed in CRC, would
work properly.

Praise God

Joy is well settled in her school.

That Udende is now connected to mains electricity.
That CRC sold over 3500 books and Bibles last year.
That Goli Health Centre was upgraded to level 4 (this
is equivalent to a small hospital).

FROM THE CHURCHES

CEF TRAINING
Another training evening for youth workers was held
on Monday 22 February at our Knock Church. The Youth
Committee had invited CEF staff to come and share two
teaching seminars. The first was on the presentation of
the gospel to children and young people; the second on
encouraging young people to engage in prayer.
Whether fairly new in the job or having been teaching
children for many years, we always learn from these times.

At this time of year when leaders-in-charge of camps are trying to fill up the spaces in the camp teams, we asked Kirsty Burke
and Delwyn Schmidt (Junior camp leader and cook respectively) to reflect on what it takes to serve in these capacities.
Here is what they said.
What it takes to be a camp leader:

What it takes to be a camp cook:

1. Always being alert, even in the middle of the night!

2. Not taking yourself too seriously, i.e. being willing to do
the silly things
3. Having a loud voice
4. Going on trips and joining in the singing on the bus rides
5. Becoming sporty for the week in the hope my team wins
6. Getting to know the children individually
7. Showing something of Jesus love in both my words and
actions in every aspect of camp
8. Praying for the children before and after camp
9. Teaching the children more from Gods word through
stories, memory verses, choruses and dorm groups
10. Helping the kids realise the importance of giving their
lives to Jesus when theyre young and encouraging them
to develop Christian friendships whilst at camp even at
eight years old

1. Being a background part of the camp team

2. Praying before, during and after camp and trusting God
for healthy, appetising food and attentive children
3. Being organised
4. Cooking food in advance if possible
5. Getting tips from ex-cooks (to avoid excessive quantities
of veg, unpopular dishes, etc!)
6. Avoiding over-stressing, being on the ball
7. Loving the children
8. Enjoying the kitchen craic and team meetings
9. If possible, keeping your husband/brother/father handy
as back-up in case of emergency
10. Stickability considering cooking for camp as a physical,
mental and spiritual workout and getting yourself
some muscle!

If you think you might be interested in helping at camp, this year or sometime in the future, speak to your minister.
17

FROM THE CHURCHES

Stephen Roger 25 Years
In January 1991 Stephen Roger was installed as minister in
Ballyclare EPC. 25 years later we marked the anniversary
of his coming with celebration and thanksgiving.
The congregation gathered for a meal on the evening
of Saturday January 16th, joined by Revs Jeff Ballantine
and Robert Beckett, their wives and special guest Rev
Gwynne Evans from Hayes Town Chapel, London. After
dinner, Gwynne spoke of his many years of friendship
with the Roger family and offered encouragement for
the years ahead. Ken McDonald, clerk of session, read
from the minute book to bring us the history of Stephens
call to the congregation and this narrative was taken up
later in the proceedings by RB McKenzie, former clerk
of session, who had also written a fitting poem for the
occasion. On a lighter note, some of the men got together
to sing a traditional Welsh tune (with less than traditional
words), featuring a few of Stephens well-known habits
and several Oscar winning performances! We turned
our hearts to God in worship and gratitude in the time
of hymn singing and Bible reading which followed. RB
McKenzie and Mrs Phoebe Herron, a member in Ballyclare
for 64 years, made presentations to Stephen and Chris on
behalf of the congregation. The singing of the doxology
brought the evening to an end.
The pulpit was occupied by Rev Gwynne Evans on Sunday
morning and by Rev Jeff Ballantine in the evening.
We were blessed and challenged by the preaching from
Ephesians 4 on Gods plans for His church (to call people
in, to give gifts and to build up) and from Hebrews 11&12
on running the race (the hindrances, the encouragements
and the ultimate means, looking unto Jesus). Supper
followed the evening service, during which time Gwynne
sang My song is love unknown and Stephen and
Chris were presented with a photograph which all the
congregation had signed.
We pray that this special weekend will have been an
encouragement to Stephen in his ministry and also to us
as a congregation as we sit under that ministry.

18

SAMUEL BILL
1864-1942
By the time you read this, the
deadline for the submission of this
years Sunday school projects will
have passed. While some will have
filled scrapbooks and produced
power point presentations, many more will have benefited
from hearing the stories in Sunday School or as childrens
talks from the pulpit. This years subjects were Brother
Andrew and Samuel Bill. The former is well known as the
founder of Open Doors, a man who risked his life working to
spread the gospel behind the Iron Curtain. The latter, however,
despite being from these shores, is less well remembered.
Samuel was born in East Belfast of Christian parents in
1864. He attended Ballymacarrett Presbyterian Church and
through his earnest Sunday School teacher came to trust
the Saviour. He involved himself in Christian service through
teenage years and believed God was calling him to work on
the mission field. At the end of his missionary college training
he was certain that God was guiding him to work in a remote
part of Nigeria along the Qua Iboe river with tribal people who
knew nothing of the Gospel. It was part of the region in Africa
known as the White Mans Grave, with danger, disease and
death an ever present reality.

from East Belfast) came to help. God answered prayer in

1890 when they were able to sit at the Lords Table with 11
newborn native believers.
Gradually with more missionary help and supported by the
home (Belfast) Qua Iboe Mission Council, the work grew
under God. A remarkable period of growth in revival blessing
was experienced in the Qua Iboe region in 1927.
Today the Qua Iboe Church (now named the United
Evangelical Church) has well over 1,000 congregations, 3
Bible Colleges, many primary schools, 3 secondary schools, 2
hospitals and a printing press, reaching many with the gospel.
The Qua Iboe Mission Samuel Bill founded is now called
Mission Africa, which today has missionaries in a number of
African countries. Our missionaries Sid and Jean Garland, and
Pamela and Musa Gaiya are connected to Mission Africa.
The story of Samuel Bill tells how God used a humble man,
who as a teenager often sang the hymn All for Jesus and
meant it.

But sure of Gods call he sailed for Nigeria in 1887, without

any financial backing, and served the Lord in that land until his
death in 1942. The work was difficult but Samuel persevered
and was encouraged when his friend Archie Baillie (also
The plaque on the wall in Island Street
City Mission Hall, East Belfast

Samuel Bill International Academy, Nigeria

19

FROM THE CHURCHES

Service of Thanksgiving
for the ministry of
Rev. Dr Robert C Beckett
Crosscollyer Street church was packed on the evening of
Wednesday 6th January 2016 for a Service of Thanksgiving for
the 34 years of full-time ministry of Rev. Dr Robert C Beckett.
Rev. Billy Elliott, Interim Moderator, welcomed everyone and led
in prayer after the singing of O Lord of hosts, how lovely is your
dwelling place from Psalm 84. The Scripture reading was Psalm
146, read by Mr Greg Thompson, B.Th., Community Evangelist
of Crosscollyer Street. The singing of To God be the glory, great
things He has done was heartfelt as the congregation reflected
on Gods faithfulness in enabling Dr Beckett during so many
years of selfless service since his ordination on 7th October
1981.
Rev. Robert Johnston, Moderator of Presbytery, gave a lively and
encouraging address on Psalm 146 the happiness of those
whose help is the Lord: the Christian has Hallelujahs, Help and
Hope. After the hymn Great is thy faithfulness Dr Beckett gave
a word of response, referring to his wide-ranging experiences in
the work and giving glory to God. Rev. Robert Johnston prayed
for Rev. and Mrs Becketts continuing ministries, and brought
the first part of the meeting to a close.
Presentations were made to Dr Beckett by Mr Rowan Perry and
to Mrs Doreen Beckett by Mrs Eleanor Ingram, a new member
of Crosscollyer Street who was converted through Dr Beckett
speaking at her husbands funeral last year.
Tributes were given by Mr Trevor Gilliland, long time session
clerk of Crosscollyer; Mrs Julia Grier (standing in for Mr John Grier
who was unwell and sent his apologies) on behalf of Somerton
Road/Hope Fellowship, with brief messages from Catherine
and Peter Grier; Mr Mervyn Kelly on behalf of the Youth Club
work in Crosscollyer; Mr Stephen Johnston on behalf of EPCEW
and the Johnston family, who played a big part in the history of
Crosscollyer Street; Rev. John McClure on behalf of the Helping
Hand group in Crosscollyer; Rev. David McIlwaine, Newington
Presbyterian Church, on behalf of local churches; and Mr Ernest
Brown on behalf of the denomination, mentioning camps and
the many other ways Dr Beckett has served throughout the
years.
Mr Greg Thompson presented apologies from Mrs Jean
McQuade who was prevented from attending by family illness,
and in her place gave tribute to Doreens work in the Mother &
Toddler group and in many other ways.
Supper was provided by the North Belfast congregations, and
many memories were shared in informal fellowship.

20

Summer

Camps 2016
JUNIORS
2-9 July
Dunluce High School, Bushmills
Leader-in-charge: Heather Watson
Email davidwatson006@btinternet.com

INTERS
2-9 July
Moyallon Centre, Portadown

SENIORS
9-16 July
Ballyclabber RP church, Coleraine

Pray that all our elders and deacons

would be faithful in carrying out their
office and would know wisdom and
strength from God
Pray that God would now be
preparing the next generation of
office-bearers to oversee and serve
His church
Pray that all our youth leaders would
be good examples of Christian living
to the children they work with
Pray for the power of God to fall upon
every Sunday school lesson and
youth meeting
Thank God for His faithfulness to the
Ballyclare congregation over the 25
years of Stephen Rogers ministry
and pray that the teaching received
would yield fruit
Thank God for Robert Becketts many
years of fulltime ministry and praise
God for each life influenced for the
Saviour along the way

Leader-in-charge: Robert Johnston

Email therobertjohnston@hotmail.com
Please get your application in early to avoid
disappointment and to help the leaders with all aspects
of planning. Forms available from your youth leader and
on the church website: www.epcni.org.uk
21

BOOK REVIEWS
Title: Eyes Wide Open
Author: Steve DeWitt
Publisher: Credo House Publishers
Pages: 208
Steve DeWitts Eyes Wide Open
was an unexpected treat about the
rarely discussed subject of beauty.

Pray that both Stephen and Robert

and their families would know Gods
blessing in the future

At its most basic level the book is a

lengthy exposition of Romans 1:20
where Paul teaches that God has
revealed Himself to all people through His creation. Nature is

Praise God for Andrew and Eunice

Moody and pray for their work in
Uganda (see article)

beautiful because it flows from the character of a beautiful

Praise God for the opportunity to visit

seamen with the Gospel when their
ships stop in the Port of Belfast.

pale imitation of, and signpost towards, the One who is truly

Pray that Samuel Cowan would be

led by God to seamen whose hearts
are ready to receive His touch

senses in this world are merely shadows compared to the

Pray that our children and young

adults would be challenged to
consider the need to go into all the
world and that there would be those
who would hear and heed the call of
God to go

Creator. DeWitt explains that true beauty is found in the

triune Godhead alone, and that all other beauty (be it Divine
creation or man-made art) must be understood as being a
beautiful.
DeWitt repeatedly points out that the things that excite our
time when Adams race walked alongside God in the Garden
of Eden. We were made for better and more beautiful things,
and the beauties of this earth whisper this truth to us. Beauty
ushers us towards a beautiful Creator; to enjoy created
beauty for its own sake is, as DeWitt puts it, to think like an
atheist who returns time and time again to charge his glass
without ever being satisfied. These moments of wonder
should bring us to a place of worship as we look forward to
the time when we will gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and
be truly satisfied.
Beautifully crafted, thought provoking and different,
Eyes Wide Open will change the way that you look at the
world around you and stir your heart to worship. Highly
recommended.
Ed Hambleton
Let me say it from the outset: this is a really good book. I
enjoyed it thoroughly and benefited in very specific ways
from the time I spent reading it. Eyes Wide Open is a very
enjoyable, very quotable book, and one that made an
immediate impact on my life. It was a book that showed up
unannounced and a book that was just exactly what I needed
to read at this time. I am glad to commend it to you.
Tim Challies

22

Title: A True and Speedy Use of Christ

Title: A Short History of the Church in Scotland AD300-2015

Author: Alexander Grosse

Author: Author: Rowland S. Ward

Publisher: Soli Deo Gloria

Publisher: New Melbourne Press

Published: 2015

Published: 2015

Pages: 214

Pages:127

RRP:16-99 Our Price:14-99

Our Price: 6-75

Sometimes a book comes into your

hands that you just cant put down.
A True and Speedy Use of Christ, by
Alexander Grosse (1596-1654), is such a book. The subject
matter is based on Colossians 2:9-10: For in him dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete
in him, which is the head of all principality and power. From
these words Grosse opens up a real treasure house of
guidance on how to benefit from the use of Christ in every
situation. He does this by showing: 1) that the benefit derives
from Christ having an infinite fullness in Him, while the
worlds fullness is derivative, a borrowed fullness, and 2) the
great foolishness of our hearts in not contenting ourselves
with Christ, or not closing fully with Christ. This leads Grosse
to exhort his readers to come to Christ, to submit to Him,
because the life of man without faith in Christ is as no life at
all, but a very death.

This volume provides a brief introduction to the Christian

Church in Scotland from the earliest reliable information up to
the present time. It endeavours to avoid the partisan accounts
so often found in such books and it also takes into account
the research of the last 50 years which has thrown fresh light
on many aspects of Scottish Church history.

Grosse then sets forth the necessity of communion with

Christ. Such communion that enables the believer to
apprehend more and more the beauty of Christ in His wisdom,
love, provision and the blessed, sweet and gracious presence
of Christ. And oh what beauty is set before our eyes! This
leads Grosse to stress the joy of those who are partakers of
Christ and how they mature spiritually by communion with
Him: their maturity and joy flow out of apprehending the
fullness of Christ through communion with Him.
Grosse gives four marks that evidence the fullness of
believers through union with Christ and provides four
reasons why the believer should strive for a mature fullness
in personal spiritual life in and through Christ. There is also
a word on how sinners come to Christ and obtain a saving
interest in Him and how to make use of Christ.
Three appendices are added to this wonderfully Christexalting book. The first deals with the danger of neglecting
Christ and the Opportunity of Grace: the second sets forth
Christ as the souls last refuge; the third deals with Pauls
legacy (2 Cor.13:11); something which all believers are
exhorted to follow.
This little book is a must read for all who desire closer,
intimate communion with Christ.

In eight brief chapters the author packs in a lot of detail as he

walks us through almost seventeen hundred years of Church
history, including periods such as the Celtic and Roman
eras (300-1400), the Reformation (1400-1567), the period
of conflict between Episcopalianism and Presbyterianism
(1567-1638), the Covenanters (1638-1688), the Revolution
and Enlightenment (1689-1800), the events leading to the
Disruption (1800-1843) and the modern era of decline which
followed (1843-2015).
The book concludes with a chapter on the division, diversity
and decline of the Church in Scotland. This chapter is as
fascinating as it is depressing, dealing with the period of the
Disruption to the present day, showing how the religious
landscape in Scotland has changed and how the Church has
fragmented and weakened during these years.
This book is an excellent primer for those unfamiliar with
Scottish Church History. It is short, accessible and wellwritten, and also contains many lucid observations for those
more familiar with the subject matter. The debates and issues
which still rumble on within Scottish presbyterianism make
this volume even more relevant, and the author does not
shirk the task of commenting on more recent issues.
The book is not, perhaps, without a little Free Church bias, but
in recent years it is reasonable to say that any modest growth
there may have been in church attendance in Scotland does
appear to be within the Free Church of Scotland. The book
ends on a positive note with the thought that perhaps God
will once again be pleased to revive His Church in Scotland
through a Holy Spirit wrought revival of the truth as it is in
Jesus.

Dr. James Davison

23

Best of the Blogs

A selection of online blogs and articles to challenge and
encourage you in your walk with God and his people
Five Reasons Why Eschatology is Particularly Pastoral
(Jeffrey Stivason)
(www.alliancenet.org/placefortruth/column/theology-onthe-go/five-reasons-why-eschatology-is-particularlypastoral)
Eschatology acquaints us with Biblical expectations in
the midst of present difficulties. Yes, the age to come has
broken in on the present age. But we still live in the present
age. Therefore, says Peter, [do] not be surprised at the fiery
ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing,
as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to
the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on
rejoicing We live in the present evil age. Evil is unsurprising.
Joy is not only the surprise but Gods abiding expectation for
those who live in the overlap of the ages. And because joy is
the result of Gods breaking in - joy is possible!
Stepping Stones to Covenant Baptism (Barry York)
(www.theaquilareport.com/stepping-stones-to-covenantbaptism/)
Often in explanations of covenant baptism, the correlation
is established between the promises God made to Abraham
that were sealed with circumcision and the fulfillment in
Christ of those promises that are now sealed with baptism.
Yet clearly many struggle to make this connection, seeing it
as too far a jump across the divide between the Old and New
Testaments. We need to help them further by pointing out
the stepping stones God has given us that are embedded
throughout the Bible. What are these stepping stones?
Is Church Membership Really Required? (Ricky Jones)
(www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/is-church-membershipreally-required)
Christians seem to think less of it than ever before. If youre
one who looks upon church membership lightly, then I invite
you to reconsider. When we hear the word membership, we
immediately think of a club. A member pays dues, comes to
meetings, and fulfills the obligations of a club member. When
you move, or no longer have time for the club, you simply
withdraw your membership and move on. The Bible says
membership is much more intimate. For no one ever hated
his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ
does the church, because we are members of his body
(Eph. 5:29-30).

24

How to Offend a Room Full of Calvinists (Tim Challies)

(www.challies.com/articles/how-to-offend-a-room-full-ofcalvinists)
Do you want to know how to make a Calvinist angry? Do
you want to know how to offend a whole room full of them?
Just bring up the old line about Reformed theology being
incompatible with evangelism. We have all heard it, we have
all read it, we have all rejected it
Calvin on Lifes Perils and Gods Providence
(Aaron Denlinger)
(www.reformation21.org/blog/2016/02/calvin-on-lifesperils-and-god.php)
Calvin apparently lived with a profound awareness of the
potential for death that constantly accompanies us as human
beings. In 1.17.10 of his Institutes of the Christian Religion,
the Reformer provided a rather sobering catalog of the
innumerable ... deaths that threaten us in our day to day
existence. Its intriguing, and perhaps profitable, to explore
that catalog and reflect upon the ways in which our modern
(sense of) vulnerability to death measures up to at least one
mans (sense of) the same five hundred years ago.
More Goodness Showed To Us Than To Christ (Mark Jones)
(www.reformation21.org/blog/2016/01/god-loved-usmore-than-his-son.php)
Christians affirm that God is good, but just how good is
God? We can speak of him being infinitely good but that
still doesnt help the person in the pew much. People need
specifics. Is it possible that God could show more goodness to
his people than to his beloved Son?