Baptist Catechism Q. 10

Q: How many persons are there in the Godhead?

A: There are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one God, the same in essence, equal in power and glory.

We are now thinking about another aspect of the being and nature of God in that God is a trinity.

In a simple definition the trinity is three persons in one being. Now in the first instance this sounds like a strange idea that isn’t logically consistent. But, if we think about the categories that are being used we will see that it is indeed logical. Person and being are two different things.

With the difficulty of this idea there should be a preface that there may be written things that don’t seem to make sense or skew the definition that is being aimed at.

So, what is the difference between person and being? Simple definitions would point to the idea that being is existence whereas person is how that being exists. This may seem difficult but it is important that we understand that person and being are bound together. In the case of God there are three persons that share the single being or existence of God.

We can be honest that this is a hard thing to understand. If we compare our existence and the things that make it, we can then look to how the trinity works. Humans exist with being, person, and a body. Our physical nature is a part of our existence in a necessary way. This is important to understand because this is why one of the hopes that the Christian has is a resurrection. A real resurrection where we are given our own body in a glorified state. Our bodies are an integral part of who we are. If this was not the case why bother with the resurrection?

This is important, we are a single existence in one person in one body. God, however, isn’t bound by a body. He is a spirit meaning that He not made of anything material and a part of this physical universe. With that said the existence of God isnt’ limited by the things that we are limited by. A multiple personality disorder is a problem in a person because we know one human being has one person in one body, but God being spirit could easily exist in three persons sharing the same existence or being, at the same time.

With the ability for the being of God to exist in three persons at the same time means that the Son, the second person, can take on flesh and be on earth without breaking up the being of God. While only one person the the trinity could be the messiah because of how humans are, God is not limited because His existence is fully shared between the the persons even if the Son is on the earth.

So how would someone try to show the Bible points to a trinity. In a simple answer we would have to see the all three persons are called God and that they are different and distinct and they work simultaneously. We know the Father is called God because it is the primary name given to Him. However for Jesus, we see that He made claims to deity by calling Himself the ‘Son of Man’ or saying something like ‘before Abraham was, I AM.’ When Ananias and Sapphira, Peter said that they didn’t lie to man but to God, and more specifically the Spirit.

Where are they held in distinction to each other, I would point to Romans 8 where throughout the Chapter we are told that the Spirit and Christ are interceding for us the Father and this is a constant thing that they do. They are interacting with each other meaning they must be distinct, but because they all God they can be in the presence of each other without one being destroyed.

One being and three persons is the nature of God and if we were to think these things through, we could also see that without the trinity, God would not have the perfections that He does or be able to do the things he does. He could not come down and live perfectly and die for the sins of His people and make a perfect payment for the penalty they deserve.

The Joy of Being Confessional pt.2

I would like to continue the idea that Christians are confessional people. The reason I find this important is because I believe there is a joy in being confessional. One of the reasons I laid out last time in that the Bible puts confession as the means on salvation. No one confesses Jesus as Lord without faith and belief, and those things are an act of grace by God. Read that article here.

As we think about why being confessional is a good and important thing I would like to point that Christians have always been a confessional people. The historic creeds are an evidence of this.

Now you may be thinking, “how are the historic creeds confessions?” which you would be right to ask. My simple definition of a confession was a positive statement of ones belief. With that definition, it becomes easy to see how creeds are historic confessions.

The Historic Creeds were all written with in firestorms of controversy. While there were attacks upon the doctrine of the Church, there was a need to answer and solidify in writing the answer to the question, “What do true Christians confess?”

In other words, when Paul writes that we confess the Lord Jesus, what does that mean? It is important that we answer this question considering that the Apostle Paul says by our confession we are saved. This is what the framers of these creeds set out to answer.

The Apostles’ Creed is the earliest of the creeds which means that it is the most basic. Dr. Albert Mohler says in His book about the Apostles’ Creed, “Many Christians may believe more than the Creed but not less.” I would agree with this that the first creeds are a base line Christian doctrine.

Let’s examine this creed for a moment. It begins, “I belive in the Father, Almighty, maker of heaven and earth;” Already we have an affirmation of monotheism, Genesis, God’s attribute of omnipotence, and the trinity. All that is just in the first sentence of the creed.

Next is, “And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten sone, our Lord; who was concieved by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended to heaven; and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the living and the quick and the dead.” Now what do we have hear? Ultimately, we have a rehersing of the whole gospel message! If we are trying to think about a bare bones gospel, this is it. On top of that we also have the diety of Christ, the sinlessnes of Christ, the crucifiction of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, a restatement of the trinity,  and the second coming. There are more points to be added but it is not my intention to be exhaustive about the creed but the point out some of the fundemental elements that are found here, which are truly basic to the faith.

We may have particular opinions about something like the return of Christ, such as the various millennial camps, but all Christians must believe that He is returning to wrap up all things and usher in eternity.

Think about the creeds as guide posts to orthodoxy. This imagery works in a number of ways. First, they line out the basics of what it means to be a Christian, and second, even though they are for our protection, they may still be bypassed and people fall off the path.

How do we bypass the guardrails? By going over them. Raising something above the rails is a good way to get over. What do I mean by this? Simply this: elevating secondary doctrines to the place of primary or fundamental will cause us to go off the path.

How do we protect from wandering off the path? The Historic Creeds help us by focusing upon what is actually fundamental to the faith, bringing things down to the bare bones. It is imprortant to reiterate what Dr. Mohler said, “Many Christians may believe more than the Creed(s) but not less.”

As the confession that we ascribe to may be much longer than the Apostle’s creed. We know that no confession is above the creed but builds upon the foundation of the creed. Christians have been and confessional people and that has brought unity and joy to the body of Christ.

The Baptist Catechism Q.5

Q: How do we know the Bible is the word of God?

A: The Bible evidences itself to be God’s word by the Heavenliness of its doctrine, the unity of its parts, its power to convert sinners and edify saints; but the Spirit of God only, bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in our hearts, is able fully to persuade us that the Bible is the Word of God.

This is the next question that must be dealt with if we consider the flow of the Catechism questions. After we assert that the Old and New Testaments are the word of God and nothing else, we need to back that up with some kind of standard, which this question looks to do. We have all heard about things like the Apocrypha and the ‘other’ gospels such as ‘the gospel of Thomas’ or the ‘gospel of Peter. What are these works not included in the cannon, at least to the reformed/protestant tradition?

First let’s consider the phrase “evidences itself.” What is the meaning of this phrase? We cannot simply assert that the Bible is the word of God without some evidence. The Bible was not created and exalted by man but inspired by God and given to man. This difference is a big one, and we should be able to point to some evidence in and about the Bible to show whether it is from God or man.

So, what could we point to the show that there is something peculiar about the Bible? The first line of evidence is the heavenliness of the doctrine. The truths that the Bible has are precious. They are unlike the things we hear in the world that we are a part of. They are higher and more profound. This heavenliness is an evidence it is from heaven.

Next, the unity of its parts. The Bible is a collection of 66 books written by 44 authors over the span of thousands of years that all point to one person in history, Jesus. This is a truly amazing thing to think about. The Story of the Bible is one story told over many generations. These books do not contradict one another although the authors would not have necessarily met one another. There could probably write a whole post about this point but in simple conclusion, there is no book more unified.

There is also ‘its power to convert sinners and edify the saints.’ This is probably the most powerful and yet most subjective evidence we could point to. Unfortunately, simply having a non-Christian read the Bible is not enough to convert a sinner but without the Bible, there isn’t a prayer to do so either. A sinner is brought to saving faith by the proclaiming of the word and the power of the Spirit. And by making a greater to lesser argument, if that is what is required to save a sinner, how well could that power grow someone who has been given the faith that it produces. Therefore, we should not only take our own time with the word, but we should also gather together around the teaching and proclamation of this word as well.

Last, there is this idea that the Spirit of God only, bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in our hearts, is able fully to persuade us that the Bible is the word of God. The simple question is this, how does someone that thinks the Bible is a bad book come to believe that it is a good book? Well, know that it isn’t by simply reading the Bible. if that were the case, then all the people who look to critique the Bible would not write the articles they do but become Christians. This once again points to the need that the Spirit change the heart and open the eyes to the evidences that are laid out here. If our love for the Bible has grown cold, we should pray for the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to these things, that we made be edified and matured in the faith.

 

The Baptist Catechism Q.2

Q: What is the chief end of man?

A: To glorify God and enjoy him forever?

If you are familiar with historic catechisms, then you know that this was copied from the Westminster Shorter catechism. While some followers may throw a little shade on the Baptist’s for this, we should not forget that this is a very good question. As Question 1 pointed to the primacy of God, this points the purpose of man which is established by God.

I have already answered my first question which is “what is meant by the ‘chief end’ of man?” Simply this is another word for purpose. But the term ‘chief’ does point to the fact that man has other purposes, but there is a main driving purpose that supersedes all other ones.

The next question I would ponder is what does it mean to glorify God? My simple definition would be to live in such a way that God is the purpose and motivation for everything we do. This would be the thrust of 1 Corinthians 10:31 when the Apostle Paul says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.” Think about eating and drinking to God’s glory and how one would do that. We eat properly and not overindulge, which is hard when we have good food and also we eat in thankfulness to God, who is the provider of every good and perfect gift. If I am not doing things according to God standard and motivated by love for God, His glory is not what is in my mind at that moment.

But the next part is how do we enjoy God? This is a very important question in our time, especially for those who would characterize God as a cosmic killjoy, making sure that we are holy and wholly miserable. is enjoying God something that we can do? Well, let’s think about how we enjoy something to begin with. back to the food analogy, how do we enjoy food? Taking a bite and savoring the flavors and goodness. As we eat, our senses of taste, sight, smell, hearing, and touch are all engaged. This is why food can be such an experience and why a lot of us try to be better at cooking.

How would this apply to the enjoyment of God. I would say that one of the ways that we enjoy God is by reading His word and savoring the good flavors that are in it by meditation. Like with food, if we take the time to savor a little we will be able to see more than we could before. “Taste and see that the Lord is good” is what the Psalmist commands us to do. Are we really savoring if we are just reading the scriptures as a mere duty?

Last, what does it mean “forever”? That our ability to both glorify and enjoy God are not bound to just this life. It isn’t you live and you die and that is the end, but there is life beyond life. Our intended purpose from God is that we live in such a way that we glorify and enjoy him not only in this life but in the life to come. All the glory we give and the enjoyment we now have are but a small preview of what is to come, where glory and enjoyment will grow moment by moment for eternity.

To read Question 1, click here.

Thoughts on Baptist Catechism (aka Keach’s Catechism) Q.1

Q. 1: Who is the first and best being?

A: God is the first and best being.

As a means to promote some family worship time we have decided that once a week we are going to work through a couple questions of the Baptist Catechism, which is also known as Keech’s Catechism. I have decided that as I work through the catechism and write things down in my journal version of the catechism, I will share some of my thoughts about the catechism.

As I think through the questions, I will simply ask definitional questions that can help us dig a little bit into the question itself. The first question being what does it mean to be the “first being?” I would think simply that this is a reference to the fact the God is the Pre-eminent one over all of creation. Isaiah 44:6 says, “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: “I am the first and the last; beside me there is no god.” Ultimately, God in this passage is saying that he is above all of creation in a pre-eminent sovereign way. God is the creator of all things and therefore He is above and in control of all things. I would also say that there is a sense that God is also logically first in all things. God must precede creation logically because if the universe did not exist, or have being, there must be something with the power of being within itself and the ability to create subordinate beings for the universe as we know it to exist. Something that is created does not inherently have the power of being, the main example being myself, I have being because I exist but not the power of being because do not I create being.

Second question would be, what does it mean to be the “best being?” I would define this that having all the attributes of being in perfection. God is a being, the source of being, and a perfect being. What does it mean to be a being? Mere existence is a shallow definition. God does not merely exist but how he exists is perfect. God exists in and through His attributes, both incommunicable and communicable. In His incommunicable attributes, meaning attributes only He alone has, such as power he has in perfection, which is why we say he is omnipotent. However, there are communicable attributes, meaning they can be shared, like creativity, he is perfect. This would mean not only is He creative in the sense we have amazing animals and plants and mountains, but he has the ultimate creative property in that he can create out of nothing.

My last question would be a speculation as to why the writers start with this question. Question 2 is the first question the Westminster divides wrote as their first question, which is a fine starting point. I ask this question for this reason, if you are familiar with the reformed catechisms, there is a conversational quality to them. This make sense considering catechisms are designed to help Christians know the faith in an easy to memorize, easy to remember style. My particular speculation is that the writers of the Baptist Catechism wanted to be more faithful to reformed thought as they saw fit. Reformed thought and reasoning, as John Calvin wrote in his ‘Institutes,’ that we must reason from God to man and not vice versa.

Quite honestly, I think this is the main problem of the modern church today. Far too many people deduce doctrine from man up to God. The writers may have seen this happening starting with man’s purpose (Chief end) rather than the being of God, from which man’s purpose would derive.

In conclusion, the first question points to the fact that before we ponder the meaning or purpose of life, we should consider the Author and Creator of life, which will happen in further detail in the rest of the Baptist Catechism.

Reformation Day

Many years ago on this day there was an obscure monk that had some issues with the church, and nailed 95 statements that challenged that doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. Which started a fire that brought back the light of the Gospel to a darkened world that had gone too long without hearing the Gospel in its truest form for many years. We owe a great debt to the reformers for reclaiming the Gospel that was once lost. It wasn’t until the reformers started reading their Bibles that attention was brought to the truth and the corruption of the church. Though Martin Luther was not the first to attempt to address the issues of the Roman Catholic church, he is the most famous. He was the catalyst of the Reformation, but did not intend to start it.

Martin Luther was a local professor in the town of Wittenberg, Germany. If any of the professors wanted to engage in a dialogue they would post the issues they had upon the door of the Church, then the other professors would come and discuss the things that were mentioned. Instead of discussing it, some people took the 95 Thesis and with the help of the printing press, distributed copies to everyone, and the Reformation started and brought the end of the dark ages.

So, what was Martin Luther arguing against? It was a Rome’s use of indulgences. An indulgence is an payment that one would give the Roman Catholic Church so that either one of their relatives or themselves would be able to get out of purgatory and into Heaven. The biggest problem with this, beside the complete unbiblical and anti-biblical teaching, is that the Church was taking from the poorest peasants that eagerly wanted to get their loved ones or themselves to heaven. This is the epitome of the defacing and twisting of the Gospel that shows the deep errors in the Catholic system.

So, let’s consider first what the evident problem is with this teaching. Salvation is not for sale. There is no way that we can buy our salvation or bribe God to let us into heaven. In fact, to get to the heart of what is wrong with indulgences we need to get to the heart of what Purgatory is. Once we get there we will understand that indulgences make sense in light of the unbiblical teaching that is Purgatory.

Rome has at its core a works-righteous system. In Rome, you need to cooperate with the righteousness that was infused in you to produce merit so when you die, if you have enough merit, God will declare you righteous and bring you into heaven. Also in Rome, if you do not cooperate or commit a mortal sin, then you can effectively kill the righteousness in you and then you lose your salvation. If your faith has been shipwrecked, then through confession and doing penance, you can then regain a good standing and develop more merit. Now there is a natural question that all works- righteous systems must answer: what if I don’t do enough to be declared righteous and get into heaven? Will someone do all that work for nothing? What about those that are killed early in life and unable to do enough? All these questions and others like it are answered in the doctrine of Purgatory.

Purgatory is a place that those who die in faith, if they have not died with enough merit, have all that is still sinful in them purged out of them. For someone that thinks that they can earn their way to heaven this would be a welcomed teaching. The problem is that the bible is clear that we are unable to please God, or be righteous enough on our own, to do such a thing. Not only that but as Paul says, “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.” (Romans 4) You see, if we can work our way to heaven then we would not need grace, and the death and resurrection of Christ is for nothing. On top of that but we are no longer owing anything to God but He owes us a debt for what we have done. We then become over God in that we can demand from Him to recognize our righteousness. Instead of God being that standard we become that standard. On top of that but then we boast in ourselves before a perfect and holy God.

I want us to think about the fact that we are not able to bribe our way into the kingdom. We are not able to make a deal to get ourselves into the kingdom. We can only rely on Christ and what he has done for us. There is nothing that we can do in of ourselves to merit the kind of righteousness that is required to be accepted into heaven. Our faith must be in Christ and what he has done for us. If we add anything to the gospel we take away all its power. We tell God that the sacrifice of His son is not good enough for us. We call Jesus a liar by saying that it wasn’t finished when he declared from the Cross that it was finished.

If you are reading this and you have not put your faith in Christ alone, I call to you to stop living in rebellion to God, repent of your sin and self-righteousness, and put your faith in God’s Son, the lamb that takes away the sin of the world, and be reconciled to God today. This is what the Reformers proclaimed and defended it with their lives. It is the only Gospel that can save and today, while it is called today, you can be saved.

Day of Infamy

Today, 75 years ago, Japanese fighter planes flew to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and executed an attack that devastated the harbor and many people that day. That day the United States came to the realization that we cannot and should not stay out of world affairs or eventually they end up on our shores. As was said then, this a day that would live in infamy.

But what about things such as war. Why would the Japanese fly to a country that did not harm them and attack them. Well we know from history that as the United States was in no hurry to go to war, although having the fighting force to change the tide of the war, we decided to park our pacific stationed navy in one place. The Japanese took advantage of a situation to try to cripple us.

As history shows that ended up being a bad idea for it mobilized the United States to action.

As we remember the historical events of today we should think about the fact that war and death are a normal part of our lives because of the fall and the resulting depravity of man. One generation outside Adam and Eve, we see murder and fighting. Oddly enough we see an unprovoked attack performed at an opportune time on a harmless enemy. The depravity of man really does not see much of a bottom. When we think we have reached it humanity never ceases to amaze.

What can we learn from war and death? Clearly the first point is that all these things are a result of sin. The world as it was made by its creator was never meant to be like this. We were meant to live in harmony with God and harmony with one another, but breaking that harmony with God through sin meant the broken harmony of man.

With that being said we can also understand from he attack that the world, as long as it is dominated by sin, will never truly be a safe place. Only when Christ when establishes His throne upon the earth and sets all things right and puts an end to sin will we truly be safe. Fallen men will always look for ways to attain power and will fight all those that oppose them. Fallen men will most of all look to break the rule of Christ over creation but we know that the Lord laughs that their attempts to do this. (Psalm 2)

As we understand that the foundational reason for this is sin, and that not ending until God comes and ends it, how could there be a temporary peace in our time? If events like this are the effects of sin then we need something to take away that sin and free us from the rule of sin. Jesus is the lamb that takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is the one that we need to submit to now so the God of peace and give us peace in this time. Jesus is the on e that can change the hearts of men so they no longer seek after their own power but the Glory of God.

The message of the gospel is the only thing with the power to change men, and we need to spread it to all men everywhere. I pray that as we are in the Christmas season, we can proclaim that The Lamb has come to take away the sin of the world, and He will one day bring an end to events like the one we remember today.

In His Name,

Luke