Eggus Blog

The second installment in Dr. James Renihan’s series on Baptist Confessionalism.

Confessional Subscription in Early Baptist History (Part II)

The following is the first installment of a two part series by Dr. James Renihan, Dean, The Institute for Reformed Baptist Studies, Westminster Seminary, California.

Confessional Subscription in Early Baptist History (Part I)

1689 LBC 26. 3 The purest churches under heaven are subject to mixture and error…

Have you ever fallen into the “perfect church” trap? Many have. They delay joining a local body of believers under the guise that the perfect church is just one more Lord’s Day away. But no matter how many churches they visit there is something not quite right about that wannabe perfect church. Maybe they sing/don’t sing psalms, perhaps the pastor preaches too long/too short, they serves grape juice instead of wine, the pastor does/doesn’t wear a robe…I can go on, but for the sake of brevity I’ll end it here.

The point is that there is no perfect church. There are those who believe in believers baptism only, and others who baptize infants, who refuse to join the only good Reformed church in town because it doesn’t share their baptismal conviction. The alternative is no church or a long, long drive to a church that they have to settle for. In the meantime there are churches, made of up of dear saints, that will never know the joy of our fellowship, and vice versa.

If you ever find yourself  looking for a new church home, perform your due diligence, but remember that there is no such thing as a perfect church.

In a previous post I announced that Grace Baptist Church of Odenton recently adopted the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession as our statement of faith.  As a Reformed Baptist congregation does this mean that the Confession supersedes scripture?  This is a fair question, especially for those who are new to the Reformed faith, or Confessionalism.   In this post I will attempt to clarify a few terms and dispel the concern that Confessional churches may be adding to scripture.

What makes Reformed Baptists “Reformed”?

Historically, the Reformation unofficially began on October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the church at Wittenberg.  In his book “A History of the Reformation in the 16th Century”  the famous 19th century historian Jean Henri Merle d’Aubigné wrote:

Luther decided to post a Theses with ninety-five propositions upon it demonstrating the need to reform the indulgence. It was October 31, 1517 at high noon that he posted the document in order to have the people read it the next day on All Saint’s Day. His desire was to set forth the light of truth and make it as plain the noon-day sun. Though the document was not as bold as the current form of Reformed Theology today, it did house the basic essentials of truth and what the Reformation would turn into in the days to come.

Martin Luther reacted to what he perceived were the excesses of the Roman Catholic Church.  His 95 Theses was the pivot on which the Reformation swung.  Originally Luther only sought to reform the Catholic church; but it became apparent that there was to be no negotiating with Rome.  The Reformation, the event to which every Christian church owes it’s existence, had begun in earnest.

As was just said, in it’s infant stages Martin Luther and the early Reformers sought reconciliation with Rome.  As this likelihood quickly evaporated, it became necessary for the Reformation to be defined and unified.  In 1618, Christian leaders gathered in the Dutch city of Dordrecht to refute the erroneous teachings of a group called the Remonstrants.  This meeting is commonly called the Synod of Dordt.  While it was not the intent of the Synod to provide a statement on the Reformed faith, history has judged otherwise.  The Synod published, what is commonly called, the Five Solas of the Reformation.  The five solas are:

1. Sola Scriptura – Scripture alone
2. Solus Christus – Christ alone
3. Sola Gratia – Grace alone
4. Sola Fide – Faith alone
5. Soli Deo Gloria – Glory to God alone

Most Christian churches today believe strictly, or give assent, to the Five Solas.  But the Five Solas alone are not what constitutes a Reformed church.  In my next post I will introduce another product of the Synod of Dordt that has come to specifically define what a Reformed church is.

This blog is usually not about church announcements, but I thought it appropriate to share an important development in the history of Grace Baptist Church.  This afternoon the church voted, unanimously, to adopt the 1689 London Baptist Confession as our statement of faith.  The 1689 LBC is a historical Baptist document, in the Reformed tradition, that summarizes many of the major points of doctrine and practice that was common to Baptists in the 17th century.  This confession has withstood the test of time (320 years to be exact), and it still accurately reflects scripture.  If you’re not acquainted with the 1689 LBC you can read it at Reformed Reader.

The high mystery of predestination needs to be handled with special prudence and caution, so that men, being directed to the will of God revealed in His Word and obeying the same, may become assured of their eternal election through the certainty of their effectual calling.  By this means predestination will promote the praise of God, and reverential awe and wonder.  It will encourage humility and diligence, and bring much comfort to all who sincerely obey the gospel.

We have dealt in this series with God’s Decree being predestined by Himself in eternity past.  Specifically God has elected (chose) those who He would call to Himself through Christ Jesus.  But the very nature of predestination is subject to misunderstanding and extremes and, therefore, needs to be understood in such a way that individuals will be assured of eternal life and not doubt.  The Apostle John wrote this words:

1 John 5:13  These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

A healthy manner in which to view God’s predestination is understand that it exists in the mind of God.  None of us, neither pastor or church member knows who God has chosen for eternal life.  That is a matter of God’s secret will of decree, and is not made known to man except for the general call of the gospel which is for all to repent and believe in Christ.  No Christian should be asking themselves, “Have I been predestined?  Am I elect?”  If the gospel has been sincerely believed, by faith, and if the individual displays the evidence of faith in their life, they have assurance of their salvation.  This is why it is imperative for a Christian to be associated with a local church.  The local church is where the believer will be fed on the Word of God.  The believer is to receive the ordinance of baptism as a visible proclamation of their faith, and regularly partake of the Lord’s Supper as a means of spiritual nourishment.  The fellowship of other believers is a source of great strength between believers.  The discipline of the church is a means by which Christians are kept from straying into sin.  When a Christian is a participating member of a church that provides these things, he will have assurance of his faith.  He will have little difficulty in understanding God’s predestination.  Conversely, when a Christian is disobedient to the Word, it is difficult to understand the assurance of their salvation and they begin to question things that should be believed.  This is true of many areas of the Christian life, not just predestination.
How can predestination be an encouragement to the Christian?  When the gospel is believed by faith, and the evidence of faith is observable, the Christian can be unshakable in the promises of God.  God’s predestination of His elect is as sure as His nature.  What God promises He brings to pass.  So trusting in God’s promises is to trust in His predestination which should be a source of great comfort for those who have placed their faith in Christ.

Not only has God appointed the elect to glory in accordance with the eternal and free purpose of His will, but He has also foreordained the means by which His purpose will be effected.  Since the elect are children of Adam and therefore among those ruined by Adam’s fall into sin, He willed that they should be redeemed by Christ, and effectually called to faith in Christ.  Furthermore, by the working of His Spirit in due season they are justified, adopted, sanctified, and ‘kept by His power through faith unto salvation’.  None but the elect partake of any of these benefits.

God not only chose His elect in eternity past, but He also foreordained the means by which He would accomplish their election.  I suppose someone could ask, “If God is all powerful couldn’t He just decree that His elect are saved and use that as His means?”  It’s a fair question, but it overlooks one glaring problem that God had to address: sin.  Speaking about Adam, Paul wrote:

Romans 5:12  Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned– 

Sin is the ultimate virus and the entire human race is plugged into it.  Each person is born in sin and each person sins (Romans 3:23).  The word of God pronounces both physical and spiritual death because of sin (Genesis 3:19; Ephesians 2:1).  God had to design a way to satisfy the righteous requirement of the Law, which was an eternal payment for an eternal offense against an eternal God.  The satisfaction of that ‘righteous requirement’ would procure the means necessary whereby God could take possession of His elect.

Romans 8:3-4  For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 

Jesus Christ paid the penalty, the righteous requirement of the Law, on the cross.  His death satisfied the eternal nature of man’s offense against God.  This “means” now made possible the working of the Holy Spirit in justifying, adopting, sanctifying, and keeping God’s elect by  His power through faith unto salvation.  

Romans 8:29-30  For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. 

Before the world was made, God’s eternal, immutable purpose, which originated in the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will, moved Him to choose (or to elect), in Christ, certain mankind to everlasting glory.  Out of His mere free grace and love He predestined these chosen ones to life, although there was nothing in them to cause Him to choose them.

 “Before the world was made” euphemistically describes eternity past.  Eternity past is a time without time.  We can’t say, “five years” before the earth or universe was made because the reality of that existence was just God, in perfect fellowship and harmony with Himself.  The authors of the confession qualify God’s purposes as “eternal.”  We have learned that God’s will of decree also existed in eternity past.  It’s important to note that God does not see a human action and then, suddenly, will a decree in response to it.  God knew His decree and all the actions of men that would take place along the way.  Nothing has taken or will take God by surprise.  We see that God’s purpose is “immutable.”  As we learned in our last study immutable means “unchanging.”  God’s purpose (decree) cannot be changed because there is no need to change it.  Why?  Because it “originated in the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will.”  Remember the following passages?

 Ephesians 1:11  ¹¹ also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,

 Philippians 2:13  ¹³ for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

 God acts after the “secret counsel and good pleasure of His will.”  There is none who can counsel God.  Not only does God keep His own counsel, He acts according to His own good pleasure.  All things bring glory to God and satisfy His requirements.  He is pleased with the work of His hands.  That is why God was able to say, “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31)  His will is secret in that only God knows what He intends to do.  “The secret things belong to the LORD our God,” (Deuteronomy 29:29)

 Because of God’s “immutable purpose” He chose, in Christ certain people to eternal life.  Scripture is replete with God’s sovereign choice, which is not contingent on any action of prior choice of those He chose.  We see evidence of this in both the Old and New Testaments.

 Jeremiah 1:5   ⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

 Ephesians 1:4-5  ⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love  ⁵ He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

 What is it about the individuals that God chooses that warrants being chosen?  In other words, what did they do to deserve being chosen?  Nothing.  Nothing at all.  Scripture clearly teaches that no one is deserving of being chosen, of being saved. 

 Romans 3:10-11  ¹⁰ as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;  ¹¹ THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

 Romans 3:23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

 So why does God choose sinners who are undeserving of being chosen?  The confession states, “Out of His mere free grace and love He predestined these chosen ones to life.”  Free grace?  Love? 

 Ephesians 2:4   ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

 Ephesians 2:8   ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

 God saves His elect because of His great love and grace, freely given to those who are undeserving.  This is why we cannot earn God’s favor.  Our sin has separated us from God and the only thing we have earned his death (Romans 6:23).  Salvation is God’s free gift, given to by His loving hand to those whom He has chosen.  But we must understand God’s predestination of His elect through the rest of scripture.  The scripture says, “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” (Romans 10:13)  This is true, it cannot be denied.  WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED!  Yes, God has chosen His elect since before the foundation of the earth.  The Lord knows those who are His.  But remember; only God knows who the elect are.  For this purpose the gospel message is proclaimed to all so that all may believe.  It is the great paradox of the gospel.  All are called to repent and believe, but not all will.  But that does not stop us in gladly proclaiming the good news!

The angels and men who are the subjects God’s predestination are clearly and irreversibly designated, and their number is unalterably fixed.

2 Timothy 2:19 19 Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,”

This paragraph also speaks to God’s omniscience. God knew beforehand the eternal destiny of angels and men. Their destiny is fixed and cannot be changed. Additionally, there number is fixed as well.  God knows how many people will be saved throughout human history.  There is a definite number.  This definite number is a product of God’s predestination in eternity past.  

Because the subject of predestination is so important it is mentioned more than a few times in the 1689 London Baptist Confession. The Presbyterian confession (Westminster Confession of Faith) does the same. Predestination is rooted in A) God’s holiness B) God’s sovereign will of decree C) God’s immutability D) God’s omniscience and E) God’s omnipotence.

Holiness

The word “holy” means to be set apart. God is set apart from His creation inasmuch as He is the creator and we are the created. God’s character is also set apart from His creation. God is without sin. He is full of glory, power, majesty, wisdom and strength. Being holy, God cannot tolerate anything that is not holy; therefore God will not predestine for eternal life that which is sinful.

Leviticus 11:45 ⁴⁵ ‘For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.’”

Sovereign

God acts in complete independence of His creation. He does not seek the wisdom, counsel or permission of any other created being. Since He created all things, He by right is greater than they. When God decrees something it proceeds forth from One who has the absolute authority and right to issue such a decree.

Ephesians 1:11 ¹¹ also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,

Immutability

Immutability means unchangeable. Because God is holy and sovereign, the things He decrees are unchangeable. God’s word is always trustworthy. Whatever God decrees He will do. We may think that God is changing His mind, but that is because we do not understand His motives or have perfect knowledge. Remember that we are the created not the creator. God’s promises are as sure and ironclad.

Malachi 3:6 ⁶ “For I, the LORD, do not change…”

Omniscience

Omniscience means “all knowing.”

About God’s omniscience Joe Nesom writes:

“The word omniscience is not, strictly speaking, a biblical term. The word itself is not found in the Bible. It is a philosophical/theological word that has come into wide usage because, like the word Trinity, it correctly describes the biblical evidence. The word means to see or know all things. For God, if this doctrine is true, everything is eternally “present.” I have recently been going through a box of old newspaper clippings from earlier years. To my astonishment, I had forgotten, not only many things that happened to me, but many of the people involved. Time dims our remembrance of much that has happened. God is not like that. He always knows what is past, present, and future, if he is omniscient.”

God knows all things that are possible to be known. He knew them in eternity past, presently and in the infinite future. God knows the hearts, minds and thoughts of men and angels. God can never be surprised, nor can He forget. No one can teach God. Since God knows all things His sovereign decrees are always made with perfect knowledge of all things and all circumstances.

Psalm 139:2 ² You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar.

John 21:17 “Lord, You know all things;

Omnipotence

Omnipotence means “all powerful.” God is all powerful. He does not need help of any kind in order to act. From the creation of the heavens and the earth, the affairs of men and nations and the eternity to come; God is able to accomplish all that He sets His mind to. In regards to salvation, God is able to saved those whom He has predestined.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Isaiah 40:25-26 ²⁵ “To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One. ²⁶ Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing.

Luke 1:37 ³⁷ “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

By His decree, and for the manifestation of His glory, God has predestinated (or foreordained) certain men and angels to eternal life through Jesus Christ, thus revealing His grace.  Others, whom He has left to perish in their sins, show the terrors of His justice.

First, it is important to remember that God does all things for His glory.  Because there is no one greater than God, it is right for God to glorify Himself.  During His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus’ disciples were shouting, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38).  Because the disciples were glorifying Jesus, the Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” (Luke 18:39)  Instead of rebuking them Jesus said, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” (Luke 18:40)  If you or I were to glorify ourselves it would be sin because there are others greater than us.  But God is not faced with that problem.  He is most holy.  He is above His creation, both in power and in position.  For that reason it is right for God to seek His own glory.

The scripture teaches, and the confession affirms, that God has predestined (chose beforehand) certain people for eternal life (salvation) through Jesus Christ.  The confession actually states that some angels are included in God’s predestination.  For the moment I want to concentrate on the predestination of people.  Why has God chosen some for eternal life?  Let’s turn to the scripture. “What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?  And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,” (Romans 9:22, 23)  We see two things at work in this passage.  First, God’s decree that He had prepared beforehand (in eternity past) vessels of mercy.  ”Vessels of mercy” are those whom God has predestined for eternal life; all those who call upon the name of the Lord.  The second thing we notice is that God’s predestination is a manifestation (or display) of His glory (v. 23).  The decree (proclamation) and the manifestation (display) of God’s glory, is evidenced in predestination.

God’s predestination of certain individuals is also an opportunity for God to reveal His grace.  Grace has been called, “unmerited favor.”  It is not something that can be earned or deserved, it can only be bestowed and received.  The Apostle Paul marks the distinction between grace and works in his letter to the church in Ephesus, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9) Grace, the unmerited favor of God, is gifted to predestined individuals in order that they may believe and be saved.  Works, those things we do to earn God’s favor are utterly and completely rejected.  Why?  ”so that no one may boast.”  If our works played even the smallest part in securing our salvation, then we could boast that some of the credit for salvation belongs to us.  If some of the glory belongs to us then God is not all powerful.  He is not holy or sovereign.  If those things are true than the decree of God is rendered moot.  It becomes no better than the decrees of men.  That is why human works play no part in saving sinners.

What about those who are not predestined to eternal life?  These individuals perish in their sins and face an eternity of torment away from the presence of God.  This horrible fate awaits all those who reject Christ.  It also displays the terrors of God’s justice.  It is a warning for those who would choose their own way and not obey the gospel call of faith in Christ.  And just as God has predestined some unto eternal life, some have also been predestined to know the terrors of His justice. “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (Jude 4) 

This is a difficult biblical truth for some people to hear.  But while it may be difficult to digest, it is the clear teaching of scripture.  Keep one thing in mind; no one knows those whom God has chosen.  Those things remain solely in the mind of God.  This we do know, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” (Romans 10:9-11)  The call to repent and believe goes out to all, and all who respond by faith in Christ alone will be saved!  This is based on God’s promise, not the word of man.  

Lastly, on the subject of chosen angels.  Paul writes to Timothy, “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.” (1 Timothy 5:21)  When Satan rebelled against God, a third of the angels sided with him (Revelation 12:3).  The rest remained faithful to the Lord.  While angels are also predestined they are not able to experience salvation by grace through faith.  Indeed, the idea is a holy spectacle to them (1 Peter 1:12).  Those angels who sinned were provided no hope of salvation.  Angels had access to heaven.  They saw the face of God and beheld His glory.  If one could come into the presence of God Himself and still sin there was no hope.