I bet you thought I had either forgotten this post or just chickened out. Well, here I am. The question I was asked about ecclesiology was not as specific as I would have liked. In fact, it was not specific at all. The querulous one, J.D. Hatfield, was quite brief. I quote:

Ecclesiology

I thought about answering as briefly, e.g., “I’m in favor of it,” but then my wife might read it and inform me, as she often does, that I’m not as funny as I think I am; and that would be devastating.

This will be a thumbnail sketch only. Feel free to ask for more specifics.

The head of the Church is Christ. No arguments so far, I hope. He is represented here on Earth by no man, whether Pope or IFB “man of God.” He ministers to us directly through the Word (that is, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments) and the Holy Spirit.

The form that the Church takes in the world is the local congregation. All believers are to be in fellowship with and under the authority of a local church body. This is not optional. The local congregation is under no authority but Christ’s, but it should be in fellowship with any other congregations that are faithful to sound Biblical doctrine.

The local church is led, according to the New Testament model, by shepherds. These shepherds are called pastors or elders (I will use the term “elder” from here on). It is not led by a single pastor (dictatorship) or by congregational vote (democracy). The church, neither a dictatorship nor a democracy, is also not a republic. That is, the elders are not elected by the congregation. The ruling elders choose and ordain from among the congregation gifted and qualified men as the Lord sends them for the office of elder.

The duty of elders is to teach and apply the Word and administer the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Table. So that they can be unhindered in this duty, they are to appoint deacons to see to the physical needs of the congregation.

Individuals are received into membership based on a credible and Scriptural testimony of faith. Every member, including the elders, is accountable to each other according to Matthew 18.

That is my Ecclesiology in a nutshell. Yes, I realize that I left out Scripture references, so here is one deluxe footnote for you: See the New Testament.

I have never actually been a part of a church that works this way. I would love to hear from those who are, or are at least trying, as to how it works out in your churches.

A man was brought in to the hospital intensive care ward, put in a bed, with tubes coming out everywhere. A week later, another man was admitted, in a similar condition. Both lay there, machines pinging, fluids dripping, etc.

A couple of weeks passed before one of them had the strength to turn towards the other and say:

“Scottish.”

The other turned his head slowly and said:

“Irish.”

This act tired them out so badly it was a week before the first summoned up the strength to say:

“Glasgow.”

Again the second replied in a frail voice:

“Dublin.”

Once more, the strain was too much for them both and they passed out. Days passed before the first man managed to force out the word:

“Jimmy.”

Replied the other:

“Paddy.”

A few hours later, Jimmy managed just enough strength to rasp out weakly:

“Cancer.”

Paddy responded:

“Sagittarius.”

I reioyced, when they sayd to me, We wil go into the house of the Lord. Psalme 122:1 (Geneva Bible)

JESUS MY GLORY

O Lord God,

hou hast commanded me to believe in Jesus;
and I would flee to no other refuge,
wash in no other fountain,
build on no other foundation,
receive from no other fullness,
rest in no other relief.
His water and blood were not severed
in their flow at the cross,
may they never be separated in my creed
and experiences;
May I be equally convinced of the guilt
and pollution of sin,
feel my need of a prince and a savior,
implore of him repentance as well as forgiveness,
love holiness, and be pure in heart,
have the mind of Jesus, and tread in his steps.
Let me not be at my own disposal,
but rejoice that I am under the care of one
who is too wise to err,
too kind in injure,
to tender to crush.
May I scandalize none by my temper and conduct,
but recommend and endear Christ to all around,
bestow good on every one as circumstances permit
and decline no opportunity of usefulness.
Grant that I may value my substance,
not as the medium of pride and luxury,
but as the means of my support and stewardship.
Help me to guide my affections with discretion,
to owe no man anything,
to be able to give to him that needeth,
to feel it my duty and pleasure to be merciful
and forgiving,
to show to the world the likeness of Jesus.

—from The Valley of Vision, Arthur Bennett, editor (Banner of Truth Trust, 2002).

salme 9 (Geneva Bible)
To him that excelleth vpon Muth Labben. A Psalme of Dauid.

1 I will praise the Lorde with my whole heart: I will speake of all thy marueilous workes.
2 I will bee glad, and reioyce in thee: I will sing praise to thy Name, O most High,
3 For that mine enemies are turned backe: they shall fall, and perish at thy presence.
4 For thou hast maintained my right & my cause: thou art set in the throne, and iudgest right.
5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen: thou hast destroyed the wicked: thou hast put out their name for euer and euer.
6 O enemie, destructions are come to a perpetual end, and thou hast destroyed the cities: their memoriall is perished with them.
7 But the Lorde shall sit for euer: hee hath prepared his throne for iudgement.
8 For he shall iudge the worlde in righteousnes, and shall iudge the people with equitie.
9 The Lord also wil be a refuge for the poore, a refuge in due time, euen in affliction.
10 And they that know thy Name, will trust in thee: for thou, Lorde, hast not failed them that seeke thee.
11 Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion: shewe the people his workes.
12 For whe he maketh inquisition for blood, hee remembreth it, and forgetteth not the complaint of the poore.
13 Haue mercie vpon mee, O Lorde: consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate mee, thou that liftest me vp from the gates of death,
14 That I may shewe all thy praises within the gates of the daughter of Zion, and reioyce in thy saluation.
15 The heathen are sunken downe in the pit that they made: in the nette that they hid, is their foote taken.
16 The Lord is knowen by executing iudgement: the wicked is snared in the worke of his owne handes. Higgaion. Selah.
17 The wicked shall turne into hell, and all nations that forget God.
18 For the poore shall not bee alway forgotten: the hope of the afflicted shall not perish for euer.
19 Vp Lord: let not man preuaile: let the heathen be iudged in thy sight.
20 Put them in feare, O Lorde, that the heathen may knowe that they are but men. Selah.

ecommended
Sermons

Steve Weaver
Phillip M. Way
Jason Robertson
John MacArthur
Phil Johnson & Don Green
David Legge
R.C. Sproul

Grace be with you, and Peace from God our Father, and from the Lorde Jesus Christ.

From The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther:

[Erasmus asks] What use or need is there, then, of publishing such things [controversial writings such as these on free will], when so many harmful results seem likely to follow?

[Luther replies]: It should be enough to say simply that God has willed their publication, and the reason of the Divine will is not to be sought, but simply to be adored, and the glory given to God, Who, since He alone is just and wise, wrongs none and can do nothing foolish or inconsiderate—however much it may seem otherwise to us. This answer will satisfy those who fear God. However (to say a little more than I need, since there is so much more that I can say), there are two considerations which require the preaching of these truths. The first is the humbling of our pride, and the comprehending of the grace of God; the second is the nature of Christian faith.

For the first: God has surely promised His grace to the humbled: that is, to those who mourn over and despair of themselves. But a man cannot be thoroughly humbled till he realises that his salvation is utterly beyond his own powers, counsels, efforts, will and works, and depends absolutely on the will, counsel, pleasure and work of Another—God alone. As long as he is persuaded that he can make even the smallest contribution to his salvation, he remains self-confident and does not utterly despair of himself, and so is not humbled before God; but plans out for himself (or at least hopes and longs for) a position, an occasion, a work, which shall bring him final salvation. But he who is out of doubt that his destiny depends entirely on the will of God despairs entirely of himself, chooses nothing for himself, but waits for God to work in him; and such a man is very near to grace for his salvation.

So these truths are published for the sake of the elect, that they may be humbled and brought down to nothing, and so saved. The rest of men resist this humiliation; indeed, they condemn the teaching of self-despair; they want a little something left that they can do for themselves. Secretly they continue proud, and enemies of the grace of God. This, I repeat, one reason—that those who fear God might in humility comprehend, claim and receive His gracious promise.

The second reason is this: faith’s object is things not seen. That there may be room for faith, therefore, all that is believed must be hidden. Yet it is not hidden more deeply than under a contrary appearance of sight, sense and experience. Thus, when God quickens, He does so by killing; when He justifies, He does so by pronouncing guilty; when He carries up to heaven, He does so by bringing down to hell. As Scripture says in 1 Kings 2, ‘The Lord killeth and maketh alive; He bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up’ (1 Sam. 2.6). (This is no place for a fuller account of these things; but those who have read my books are well acquainted with them.) Thus God conceals His eternal mercy and loving kindness beneath eternal wrath, His righteousness beneath unrighteousness. Now, the highest degree of faith is to believe that He is merciful, though He saves so few and damns so many; to believe that He is just, though of His own will He makes us perforce proper subjects for damnation, and seems (in Erasmus’ words) ‘to delight in the torments of poor wretches and to be a fitter object for hate than for love.’ If I could by any means understand how this same God, who makes such a show of wrath and unrighteousness, can yet be merciful and just, there would be no need for faith. But as it is, the impossibility of understanding makes room for the exercise of faith when these things are preached and published; just as, when God kills, faith in life is exercised in death.

—Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will (Revell, 1957) 100-101.

We have been flying the flag of South Dakota in honor of Govornor Mike Rounds and the South Dakota Legislature for enacting HB 1215, "Women's Health and Human Life Protection Act," which banned all prenatal murders (commonly known as abortions) in the state, with the exception of those necessary to save the life of the mother. Yesterday, South Dakota voters rejected that law, most likely because there was no exception for pregnancies caused by rape or incest. The voters in South Dakota apparently agree with the rest of the nation: one atrocity deserves another. So the holocaust continues, and the SD flag comes down.

The citizens of South Dakota had the opportunity to stop the murders of the most helpless and innocent among us. They chose not to.

For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: "It might have been!" -John Greenleaf Whittier

The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone. -Harriet Beecher Stowe

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. -Proverbs 14:12

In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. -Judges 17:6

For the context of this quote, see the comments following this post at Amy's Humble Musings.

While many parents have various reasons for choosing to send their kids to public school, the most often given reason is that their kids are to be salt and light. The reasoning is: If Christians pull out of the public schools, it will go to pot.

Folks, it’s already gone to pot (see article in sidebar) and kids are not evangelizing other kids. As Dr. Phil would say, “How’s that workin’ for ya?”

The religion of the state, secularism, is a religion that opposes God. Did the Israelites hire the Baal worshippers to school their children in the law of God? Did the children of Israel send their kids to the Assyrian schools?

My question in question, “Why do Christians who advocate “salt and light” not send their children to the Islamic School of Jihad for evangelizing? Wouldn’t tuition fees count as giving to missions?” is my way of calling Christian parents to intellectual honesty. If you are really sending your kids to school to be “salt and light,” why not put your money out for the cause? Why not send your kids to a Jewish Day School? A Catholic school?

Each non-God-fearing institution is in need of the Good News. Why do you only choose the “free” one? (By putting the word “free” in quotes, I’m pointing out that robbing citizens of their money isn’t free. If one would disagree with me on this, try not paying your property taxes on a house that you own. But I’m digressing here.) Why not get serious and send our Christian 5-year-olds to Islamic schools?

To deny that the public schools have an agenda to indoctrinate your child into a drone of the secular state is dishonest. See John Taylor Gatto’s The Underground History of American Education.

Christian Day Schools and homeschools are the only viable option to today’s American Christian families. Admittedly, it is high time that Christian schools find creative ways to reduce their tuition and fees. Going back to a New Testament model of worship and living by forgoing all the riff-raff of extravagant buildings, programs, and Halloween festivals that rival a New Orleans’ Mardi Gras is one way to save money. Think of all the kids we could sponsor by TBN donations alone.

In the meantime, droves of parents are taking seriously the call of God to teach our children God’s law (Deu. 6). This responsibility to train belongs to parents, specifically fathers.

As evangelical children leave their faith in droves (see any Barna study), it is crucial that Christian parents stop the insanity–which is, of course, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

The reason that I write about family life issues here is because I believe that culture will be changed on a micro level, not a macro one. In other words, as more and more Christian families walk the narrow way, the Church will be made strong. The world doesn’t need another public Evangelical crusading against homosexuals, as recent news proves. Quiet, ordinary people who have presented themselves to God to use at His disposal will change culture. Little by little, a family here, a family there.

A man went to a costume party carrying his date on his back.

“What in the world are you?” asked the host.

“I’m a snail,” he said.

“But you’re not in costume… and you have a girl on your back!” replied the host.

“Yeah,” he replied, “that’s Michelle!”

I reioyced, when they sayd to me, We wil go into the house of the Lord. Psalme 122:1, (Geneva Bible)

The Evil Heart
by Augustus Toplady (1740-1778)

stonished and distressed,
I turn mine eyes within:
My heart with loads of guilt oppressed,
The seat of every sin.

What crowds of evil thoughts,
What vile affections there!
Distrust, presumption, artful guile,
Pride, envy, slavish fear.

Almighty King of saints,
These tyrant lusts subdue;
Expel the darkness of my mind,
And all my pow'rs renew.

This done, my cheerful voice
Shall loud hosannas raise;
My soul shall glow with gratitude,
My lips proclaim Thy praise.

—from Worthy Is the Lamb (Soli Deo Gloria, 2004).

salme 16 (Geneva Bible)
Michtam of Dauid.

1 Preserue mee, O God: for in thee doe I trust.
2 O my soule, thou hast sayd vnto the Lorde, Thou art my Lord: my weldoing extendeth not to thee,
3 But to the Saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent: all my delite is in them.
4 The sorowes of them, that offer to an other god, shall be multiplied: their offerings of blood will I not offer, neither make mention of their names with my lips.
5 The Lorde is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou shalt mainteine my lot.
6 The lines are fallen vnto me in pleasant places: yea, I haue a faire heritage.
7 I wil prayse the Lorde, who hath giuen me counsell: my reines also teach me in the nightes.
8 I haue set the Lord alwayes before me: for hee is at my right hand: therefore I shall not slide.
9 Wherefore mine heart is glad and my tongue reioyceth: my flesh also doeth rest in hope.
10 For thou wilt not leaue my soule in the graue: neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption.
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is the fulnesse of ioy: and at thy right hand there are pleasures for euermore.

ecommended
Sermons

Steve Weaver
Phillip M. Way
Jason Robertson
John MacArthur
Phil Johnson & Don Green
David Legge
R.C. Sproul

Grace be with you, and Peace from God our Father, and from the Lorde Jesus Christ.

I suspect the Lord may have told Phil Johnson to post this quote from Spurgeon, but I can't say for sure. I can only speak for myself: the Lord told me that Spurgeon was right.

It’s all Darrin’s fault. Having no consideration for weaker brothers, he put a stumbling block in my path. I didn’t mean to do it, honest. I was just looking. It doesn’t hurt to look, does it? Anyway, here is what he did: he posted—callously, I might add—this excerpt from J. H. Merle D’Aubigne’s The History of the Reformation. So I went shopping—just looking, mind you!—and I found it, used. Now, Darrin had stated (the previous link is my witness) that it has rarely been out of print, so I emailed him to enquire if he knew where it could be found new.

This is where it gets ugly. No, it could not be found new; but there were many options, from merely used to antquarian. He sent me links. One of them had over 300 listings. I tried to resist, really, I did. I tried to click back, but the page loaded too fast. I had no choice. I scrolled down. Then I scrolled down some more. Like Jonah, I went down, down, down, until I had gone too far to turn back.

Then I saw it: a promising specimen. I clicked the link. It was a nice set, and reasonably priced. I bookmarked it, virtually guaranteeing my demise. Still, I told myself I was just looking. Certainly, if my wife had walked in and caught me, that would have been my defense: “Just looking, Dear! (nervous laughter here) Really! (more nervous laughter, beginning to perspire) Oh, nothing, heh, heh, just some old (mumbling now, hoping she doesn’t catch the damning word) books.” That’s when I will get THE LOOK.

You see, we’ve been down this road before. My fellow book addicts will understand. Money magically disappears from your pockets when you walk past a bookstore. You wake up clutching a strange hardcover, with no memory of acquiring it. You have books on your shelves that you had to have but haven’t yet read. Challies reviews a book, and you click the Amazon link every time. Of course you don’t buy every one, but you add them to your wishlist until it is bloated beyond any useful limits. Your wife begins to squirrel money away in Switzerland, out of your reach. No, she’s not leaving you—she’s just hiding the grocery money.

I kept scrolling and clicking “next page.” I bookmarked two more pages before I stopped. I now had three serious temptations before me. I clicked back and forth between them feverishly. The one that called my name the loudest was a beautiful 1843 edition in quarter-leather binding. I’ve purchased used books many times before, but I’m no expert on antiquarian books; so I emailed Darrin once more. He gave me his opinions, which were pretty much what I had hoped for. I was gazing hungrily at the screen, mesmerized by antique leather, when my wife walked in, jarring me from my trance. From this point on, my memory is hazy. This is how I remember it.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

I decided to play it straight—as straight as I could, anyway. “I, ah, I’m looking at some books.” Her eyes narrowed. It was THE LOOK. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. THE LOOK is only worth a few, but they are unambiguous. Whatever you are doing when you get THE LOOK, you know exactly what it means, and it is never encouraging.

“What kind of books?” she said, her voice low, eyes narrowed, brows arched. It was THE LOOK, deluxe edition.

“Antique Reformation history books.”

“And how much are they?” It was an accusation, not a question. I gave a number. “Hmmm…,” she said, voice very low. THE LOOK intensified. “I have to do laundry.” She stalked ominously from the room.

I looked at the screen. My cursor was situated directly over the “add to cart” button. My heart began pounding. My ears were ringing. My vision became cloudy. A voice in my head whispered, “It’s now or never!” I heard a click, and another. Then, before my eyes, a form was being filled out. A name—my name! An address—my address! Numbers, dates, click, click! The room was spinning! What is that black bird above my monitor? What does he mean, “Nevermore”? Bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells! Click, click!

I awoke with a start. No! I thought. It was a dream. It had to have been a dream. Then I saw it: the little envelope icon on my taskbar. You’ve got mail. I clicked Outlook Express. There is 1 unread Mail message in your Inbox. Hands trembling, I clicked my inbox. Thanks for your recent order! This is confirmation that your order has been received . . . My heart sank. Then, slowly, the cloud lifted. 1843; leather; History of the Reformation. I couldn’t help it. A warm sensation engulfed my body, and the corners of my mouth began to creep apart until a broad smile stretched across my face.

My wife walked in. “Oh, no,” she said, “you’ve done it, haven’t you?”

I just smiled.

When I was a young turkey, just new to the coop,
My big brother Mike took me out on the stoop.
Then he sat me down, and he spoke real slow,
And he told me there’s something that I needed to know;

His look and his tone I will always remember,
When he told me of the horrors of… Black November.
“Come about August, now listen to me,
Each day you’ll get six meals instead of just three.

“And soon you’ll be thick, where once you were thin,
and you’ll grow a big rubbery thing under your chin.
“And then one morning, when you’re warm in your bed,
In’ll burst the farmer’s wife, and hack off your head.

“Then she’ll pluck out your feathers so you’re all bald ‘n pink,
And scoop out all your insides and leave ya lyin’ in the sink;
“And then comes the worst part,” he said not bluffing,
“She’ll spread your cheeks and pack your backside with stuffing.”

Well, the rest of his words were too grim to repeat,
I sat on the stoop like a winged piece of meat,
And decided on the spot that to avoid being cooked,
I’d have to lay low and remain overlooked.

I began a new diet of nuts and granola,
High-roughage salads, juice, and diet cola;
And as they ate pastries, chocolates, and crepes,
I stayed in my room doing Jane Fonda tapes.
I maintained my weight of two pounds and a half,
And tried not to notice when the bigger birds laughed.

But ’twas I who was laughing, deep under my breath,
As they chomped and they chewed, ever closer to death;
And sure enough when Black November rolled around,
I was the last turkey left in the entire compound.

So now I’m a pet in the farmer’s wife’s lap.
I haven’t a worry, so I eat and I nap.
She held me today, while sewing and humming,
And smiled at me and said, “Now, Christmas is coming…”

-author unknown

I reioyced, when they sayd to me, We wil go into the house of the Lord. Psalme 122:1 (Geneva Bible)

HYMN 8, C. M.
The safety and protection of the church.
Galatians xxvi. 1-16
by Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

ow honorable is the place
Where we adoring stand!
Zion, the glory of the earth,
And beauty of the land!

Bulwarks of mighty grace defend
The city where we dwell;
The walls, of strong salvation made,
Defy the assaults of hell.

Lift up the everlasting gates,
The doors wide open fling;
Enter, ye nations that obey
The statutes of our King.

Here shall you taste unmingled joys,
And live in perfect peace,
You that have known Jehovah’s name.
And ventured on his grace.

Trust in the Lord, for ever trust,
And banish all your fears;
Strength in the Lord Jehovah dwells,
Eternal as his years.

[What though the rebels dwell on high,
His arm shall bring them low;
Low as the caverns of the grave
Their lofty heads shall bow.]

[On Babylon our feet shall tread
In that rejoicing hour;
The ruins of her walls shall spread
A pavement for the poor.]

—The Psalms & Hymns of Isaac Watts. Hymns and Spiritual Songs. Book I: Collected from the Holy Scriptures (Soli Deo Gloria, 1997).

salme 23 (Geneva Bible)
A Psalme of Dauid.

1 The Lorde is my shephearde, I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to rest in greene pasture, and leadeth me by the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soule, and leadeth me in the paths of righteousnesse for his Names sake.
4 Yea, though I should walke through the valley of the shadowe of death, I will feare no euill: for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staffe, they comfort me.
5 Thou doest prepare a table before me in the sight of mine aduersaries: thou doest anoynt mine head with oyle, and my cuppe runneth ouer.
6 Doubtlesse kindnesse and mercie shall followe me all the dayes of my life, and I shall remaine a long season in the house of the Lord.

ecommended
Sermons

Steve Weaver
Phillip M. Way
Jason Robertson
John MacArthur
Phil Johnson & Don Green
David Legge
R.C. Sproul

Grace be with you, and Peace from God our Father, and from the Lorde Jesus Christ.

What, me, a king? Well, actually, yes. Even before Tim Challies, Pope of Christian Blogdom, crowned me King for a Week, I was predestined to the throne. Consider these facts:

In the French deck of cards, the Kings, Queens, and Jacks have names. The King of Hearts is “Charles,” probably after Charles the Great (Charlemagne), or possibly King Charles VII of France. The King of Diamonds is “César,” probably after Julius Cæsar. The King of Clubs is “Alexandre,” probably after Alexander the Great. The King of Spades, which you see here, is none other than {insert trumpet fanfare here} “David,” most likely after the King of Israel.

You will also notice that the French card has “R” for “Roi” where we are accustomed to seeing “K” for “King.” My middle name is “Leroy,” derived from the French “le roi.” From the day of my birth, I have been David the King.

I am told that “David” means “beloved,” which has nothing to do with any of this. It just adds a bit of warm fuzziness to this otherwise emotionless post.

So, welcome to my kingdom. Wipe your feet on the rug and come on in. We have a couple of small feasts planned for this week, but as usual, the best we have is plundered from neighboring castles. See the sidebar, under On the Web, for the freshest victuals.

Tomorrow, we have a very distinguished guest blogger lined up. See you then, and thanks for visiting.

Anyone who has argued much with Catholics against Roman Catholicism has heard this question: “If the Catholic Church is not the true church, then where was the church for all the centuries between the alleged apostasy of Rome and the Reformation?” Dr. Luther says:

In passing, I will here reply to the passage where you [Erasmus] describe it as unbelievable that God should overlook an error in His church for so many ages, and not reveal to any of His saints a point which we maintain to be fundamental in Christian doctrine. In the first place, we do not say that God tolerated this error in His church, or in any of His saints. For the church is ruled by the Spirit of God, and Rom. 8 tells us that the saints are led by the Spirit of God (v. 14). And Christ abides with His church till the end of the world (Matt. 28.20). And the church is the pillar and ground of the truth (i Tim. 3.15). This we know; for the Creed which we all hold runs thus, ‘I believe in the holy catholic church.’ So it is impossible that she should err in even the least article. Even should we grant that some of the elect are held in error throughout their whole life, yet they must of necessity return into the way before they die; for Christ says in John 8: ‘None shall pluck them out of my hand’ (John 10.28). But what is hard and problematical is just this: ascertaining whether those whom you call the church were the church—or, rather, whether after their lifetime of error they were at last brought back to the truth before they died. It does not at once follow that, if God suffered all those consummate scholars whom you quote to err throughout so many ages, therefore He suffered His church to err! Look at Israel, the people of God. There, out of a great number of kings over a long period of time, not one king is mentioned who did not err. Under Elijah the prophet, all the people and every public institution among them had gone astray into idolatry, so that he thought he was the only one left; yet, while the kings and princes, priests and prophets, and all that could be called the people and church of God, were going to ruin, God had reserved seven thousand to Himself (cf. i Kings 19.18). But who saw them, or knew them to be the people of God ? And who will dare to deny that in our day, under these principal men of yours (for you only mention persons of public office and of great name), God has kept to Himself a church among the common people, while allowing all whom you mention to perish like the kingdom of Israel? For it is God’s prerogative to bring down the chosen ones of Israel, and, as Ps. 77 says, to slay their fat ones (Ps. 78.31); but to preserve the dregs and remnant of Israel, according to Isaiah’s words (cf. Isa. 10.22).
   What happened under Christ Himself, when all the apostles were offended at Him, when He was denied and condemned by all the people, and only Joseph, Nicodemus and the thief on the cross were preserved? Was it not the former group who were then called the people of God? Indeed, there was a people of God remaining, but it was not so called; and that which was so called was not it. Who knows whether, throughout the whole course of world history from its beginning, the state of the church has not always been such that some were called the people and saints of God who were not so, while others, who were among them as a remnant, were the people and saints of God, but were not so called?—as appears from the histories of Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob. Look at the time of the Arians, when scarcely five catholic bishops were preserved in the whole world, and they were driven from their sees, while the Arians reigned everywhere, taking to themselves the public name and office of the church. Yet under these heretics Christ preserved His church; though in such a way that it was not for a moment thought or held to be the church.
   Or show me a single bishop discharging his office under the kingdom of the Pope. Show me a single council at which they dealt with matter of religion, and not with gowns, rank, revenues and other profane trifles instead, which only a lunatic could consider the province of the Holy Ghost! Yet they are called the church, despite the fact that all who live as they do are lost, and are anything but the church. Even under them, however, Christ has preserved His church, though not so as to be called the church. How many saints do you think the Inquisitors alone have in time past burned and killed for heretical perversions, such as John Hus and those like him? And many holy men of the same spirit doubtless lived in their day.
   Why do you not rather marvel at this, Erasmus: Since the world began, there have always been superior talents, greater learning, and a more intense earnestness among pagans than among Christians and the people of God. It is as Christ Himself acknowledges: ‘the sons of this world are wiser than the sons of light’ (Luke 16.8). What Christian can be compared with Cicero alone (to say nothing of the Greeks) for ability, learning and hard work? What then shall we say hindered them from finding grace? For they certainly exerted ‘free-will’ to the utmost of their power! Who dare say that not one among them pursued truth with all his heart? Yet we are bound to maintain that not one of them reached it. Will you say in this case too that it is unbelievable that God abandoned so many great men throughout the whole course of history and let them strive in vain? Certainly, if ‘free-will’ has any being and power at all, its being and power must have been present with such men as these, in some one case at least! But it availed nothing; indeed, it always wrought in the wrong direction; so that by this argument alone it can be proved clearly enough that ‘free-will’ is nothing at all, inasmuch as one can show no trace of it from beginning to end of the world!
   But I return to the matter in hand. What wonder, if God should leave all the great men of the church to go their own ways, when He thus allowed all the nations to go their own ways, as Paul says in Acts (cf. Acts 14.16) ? My good Erasmus, God’s church is not so common a thing as the term ‘God’s church’; nor are God’s saints so promiscuously found as the phrase ‘God’s saints.’ The saints are pearls and precious jewels, which the Spirit does not cast before swine; but (as Scripture puts it) He keeps them hid, that the wicked may not see the glory of God! Else, if they were open to the recognition of all, how could they be so vexed and afflicted in the world as they are? So Paul says: ‘Had they known him, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory’ (i Cor. 2.8).
   I do not say this because I deny that those whom you cite are the saints and church of God; but because it cannot be proved that they really are saints, should anyone deny it; it is left completely uncertain; which means that no position is sufficiently guaranteed by their holiness to make good any doctrine. I call them saints, and so regard them; I call them the church, and so judge them—but by the rule of charity, not by the rule of faith. By which I mean that charity, which always thinks the best of everyone, and is not suspicious, but believes and assumes all good of its neighbour, calls every baptized person a saint. There is no danger involved if she is wrong; it is the way of charity to be deceived, for she is open to all the uses and abuses of every man, as being handmaid of all, good and bad, believing and unbelieving, true and false. Faith, however, calls none a saint but him who is proclaimed such by divine sentence; for the way of faith is not to be deceived. Therefore, though we should all look on each other as saints as a matter of charity, none should be declared a saint as a matter of faith, as if it were an article of faith that so-and-so is a saint. (In this way, that adversary of God, the Pope, canonizes as saints men of his own choice, whom he never knew, so setting himself in God’s place [cf. 2 Thess. 2.4].) All that I say of those saints of yours—ours, rather—is this: that, since they differ among themselves, those should rather have been followed who spoke best (that is, for grace against ‘free-will’), leaving aside those who through weakness of the flesh testified of the flesh rather than of the Spirit. So, too, in the case of those who are inconsistent, the places where they speak from the Spirit should have been picked out and held fast, and those where they savour of the flesh let go. This is the right course for the Christian reader, as being the clean beast that parts the hoof and chews the cud (cf. Lev. 11.3; Deut. 14.6)! But as it is we abandon our judgment and swallow everything indiscriminately; or else (what is more wretched still) we reject the better and acclaim the worse in one and the same author, and proceed to affix to those same worse parts the title and authority of his sanctity—which he gained, not by reason of ‘free-will’ or the flesh, but by reason of that which is best of all, even of the Spirit only!

—Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will (Revell, 1957) pp. 119-123.

I was thirty years old before I actually encountered anyone who called themselves Christians and denied the Trinity. I had heard that such people existed, but outside the Jehovah’s Witnesses, I didn’t know who they were. Then, when we moved to this small town in North Dakota, we met a character who had recently left the same church that we began attending. He was a self-styled teacher with a very overpowering personality who had managed to gather a small group of very committed disciples and formed his own “church,” renting a church building in a neighboring town. A few years ago, this little cult built its own facility just a few blocks up the street from our house.

This post is, in a nutshell, what I told one of them when I had the occasion to discuss it, along with a few comments to Trinitarians who explain it badly.

There is one true God, eternally existent in three persons.

There is only one God. In no sense are there three.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4, and quoted again by Jesus in Mark 12:29). “[H]ath not one God created us?” (Malachi 2:10) God is always spoken of as singular. God is always “he,” never “they.” He reigns over the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of the gods. In Luke 18, Jesus is addressed as “Good Master.” His reply: “Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God” [bold type added].

God is three distinct persons. In no sense are they one. All three exist simultaneously and eternally.

The Father is God.
The Son is God.
The Holy Spirit is God.
The Father is never the Son or the Holy Spirit.
The Son is never the Father or the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is never the Father or the Son.

The Trinity is revealed in Scripture from the very beginning. In Genesis 1:2, “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Farther along in verse 26 we find God talking to himself: “Let us make man in our image” [bold type added]. Who was God talking to? Why the plural pronouns? Four thousand years later, John the Apostle wrote of Christ: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:1-3) The Son was present in the beginning, and participated in creation.

“Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. … And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. … He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.” (Matthew 26:36,39,42) Who was Jesus praying to? Was he putting on an act, going through the motions of prayer in order to set an example for his disciples, as some have said? If so, what does that tell us about him? If true, it tells us that God is an actor, a deceiver, a manipulator who plays with our minds like faith-healers and “revival” preachers. No, Jesus, being God, is incapable of any kind of deceit. He was praying to his Father, as one distinct person to another.

The Trinity is probably most clearly demonstrated at Jesus’ baptism: “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17). Jesus was in the Jordan, the Holy Spirit descended upon him, and the Father spoke from Heaven—three distinct persons in three distinct places—simultaneously.

God does not appear at different times and places in different roles or modes. His triunity may not be compared to the way in which we fill different positions yet remain one person, as one man may be a son, husband, father, grandfather, employer or employee, etc., all at once. That is the Modalist heresy.

God also cannot be described as many Trinitarians have attempted to describe him:

The Trinity is not like an egg—yolk, white, shell.
The Trinity is not like an apple—skin, flesh, seeds.
The Trinity is not like water—liquid, solid, vapor.
The Trinity is not like time—past, present, future.
The Trinity is not like space—height, depth, width.

The Trinity is not any other metaphor you’ve thought of. I know, some of you can’t stand not having an explanation for everything. You are very creative and imaginative and love thinking these things up. Well, stop it! You almost persuade me to become a modalist. The Bible tells us quite clearly that God is triune. It does not even begin to tell us how that is so.

You might be surprised to learn that the Thirsty Theologian is not opposed to the church growth movement. That is, not if approved methods are used. Today we send congratulations to Paul Lamey, whose church growth technique has apparently been successful. Go on over to Expository Thoughts to greet the new member and offer congratulations.

To commemorate this auspicious occasion, we are adding Expository Thoughts to our blogroll.

While we're at it, we're adding another very fine blog also. Voice of Vision is the work of J.D. Hatfield, who, for some reason, lives in Florida in spite of the fact that he's not a senior citizen.

So go ahead, click those links. Click them! Now!

George Santayana wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” I believe that is a fair axiom, but I also believe that the past is inevitably repeated because men of every age possess the same sinful natures and the same self-centered desires, resulting in the same foolish actions.

Church historian J. A. Merle D’Abigne writes of the condition of the Church at the time of the Reformation:

At the same time, a profane spirit had invaded religion, and the most solemn recollections of the Church; the seasons which seemed most to summon the faithful to devout reflection and love, were dishonored by buffoonery and profanations altogether heathenish. The humours of Easter held a large place in the annals of the Church. The festival of the Resurrection claiming to be joyfully commemorated, preachers went out of their way to put into their sermons whatever might excite the laughter of the people. One preacher imitated the cuckoo; another hisses like a goose; one dragged to the altar a layman dressed in a monk's cowl. A second related the grossest indecencies; a third recounted the tricks of the Apostle St. Peter;—among others, how, at an inn, he cheated the host, by not paying his reckoning. The lower orders of the clergy followed the example, and turned their superiors into ridicule. The very temples were converted into a stage, and the priest into mountebanks.

Sound familiar, doesn’t it? What they were doing five hundred years ago is being done today. Why? Because the spirit of the age during the sixteenth century is the spirit of our age. People want to be entertained, to have fun, to be made to feel good. Religious leaders want to fill their auditoriums and be admired and make people happy. That is the essence of the gospel in mainstream churches today. In five hundred years, human nature has not changed. Consequently, the methods of attracting audiences have not changed. Religious leaders are still selling the same sugar-coated garbage to those who love it so.

At the same time, because human nature has not changed, the genuine need of sinners has not changed. Sinners do not need self-esteem. They do not need to be entertained. They do not need to go to “church” and be religious. They need the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is not found in entertainment, fun, and games. It is found in the pages of Holy Scripture, and nowhere else.

Pastors, preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine (2Timothy 4:2). Christians, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby (1Peter 2:2).

A dog ran into a butcher shop and dropped a note on the counter. The butcher read the note:

5 lbs. ground beef
2 lbs. bacon

He looked at the dog suspiciously, and saw that it had a twenty-dollar bill in its mouth. It was almost closing time, and there were no other customers in the store, so he decided to fill the list and follow the dog home. He wrapped the meat and put it in a bag. The dog dropped the bill on the counter and watched as the butcher counted out his change and put it in the bag. The butcher set the bag on the floor in front of the dog, who picked it up and ran out the door.

Quickly, the butcher locked up and headed off down the street after the dog. Arriving at the bus stop, the dog looked for a moment at the bus schedule, then trotted over to the bench and sat down. A bus stopped, and the dog looked at the number and remained sitting. A second bus stopped, and the dog got up and hopped on board. The butcher followed. The bus went across town, making a several stops on the way. The dog exited the bus, still carrying the meat, with the butcher close behind.

The dog trotted down the street to the edge of town, where it turned down a narrow, seldom-traveled road. The butcher was beginning to be uneasy, as it was getting late, and he was a long way from home and in a strange place; but he had come this far, and he was still very curious. The road wound through a small patch of woods and across a creek.

Finally, they arrived at a small, run-down house. The butcher, more nervous than before, stayed out of site and watched from a distance. The dog ran up the steps, set down the bag, and scratched at the door. After waiting a few minutes, it backed up and took a run at the door, throwing his body against it. After a few tries, the dog sat down and began barking. Soon the door opened. A large, seedily dressed man came out, picked up the bag, and gave the dog a vicious kick.

“Stupid dog!” he yelled, following that with a string of invectives. That was too much for the butcher. Angrily, he came out of his hiding place.

“What’s wrong with you? That dog just went all the way across town to get your groceries! He’s a genius! He could be on T.V.!”

“A genius, you say?” the man snapped back. “That’s the second time this week he’s forgotten his key!”

I reioyced, when they sayd to me, We wil go into the house of the Lord. Psalme 122:1 (Geneva Bible)

The Love of Jesus

O Father of Jesus,

elp me to approach thee
with deepest reverence,
not with presumption,
not with servile fear, but with holy boldness.
Thou art beyond the grasp of my understanding,
but not beyond that of my love.
Thou knowest that I love thee supremely,
for thou art supremely adorable, good, perfect.

My heart melts at the love of Jesus,
my brother, bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh,
married to me, dead for me, risen for me;
He is mine and I am his,
given to me as well as for me;
I am never so much mine as when I am his,
or so much lost to myself until lost in him;
then I find my true manhood.

But my love is frost and cold, ice and snow;
Let his love warm me,
lighten my burden,
be my heaven;
May it be more revealed to me in all its influences
that my love to him may be more fervent
and glowing;
Let the mighty tide of his everlasting love
cover the rocks of my sin and care;
Then let my spirit float above those things
which had else wrecked my life.

Make me fruitful by living to that love,
my character becoming more beautiful every day.
If traces of Christ's love-artistry be upon me,
may he work on with his divine brush
until the complete image be obtained
and I be made a perfect copy of him,
my Master.

O Lord Jesus, come to me,
O Divine Spirit, rest upon me,
O Holy Father, look on me in mercy
for the sake of the well-beloved.

—from The Valley of Vision, Arthur Bennett, editor (Banner of Truth Trust, 2002).

salme 30 (Geneva Bible)
A Psalme or song of the dedication of the house of Dauid.

1 I will magnifie thee, O Lorde: for thou hast exalted mee, and hast not made my foe to reioyce ouer me.
2 O Lorde my God, I cried vnto thee, and thou hast restored me.
3 O Lorde, thou hast brought vp my soule out of the graue: thou hast reuiued me from them that goe downe into the pit.
4 Sing praises vnto the Lord, ye his Saintes, and giue thankes before the remembrance of his Holinesse.
5 For he endureth but a while in his anger: but in his fauour is life: weeping may abide at euening, but ioy commeth in the morning.
6 And in my prosperitie I sayde, I shall neuer be moued.
7 For thou Lord of thy goodnes hadest made my mountaine to stande strong: but thou didest hide thy face, and I was troubled.
8 Then cried I vnto thee, O Lord, and praied to my Lord.
9 What profite is there in my blood, when I go downe to the pit? shall the dust giue thankes vnto thee? or shall it declare thy trueth?
10 Heare, O Lorde, and haue mercy vpon me: Lord, be thou mine helper.
11 Thou hast turned my mourning into ioy: thou hast loosed my sacke and girded mee with gladnesse.
12 Therefore shal my tongue praise thee and not cease: O Lorde my God, I will giue thankes vnto thee for euer.

ecommended
Sermons

Steve Weaver
Phillip M. Way
Jason Robertson
John MacArthur
Phil Johnson & Don Green
David Legge
R.C. Sproul

Grace be with you, and Peace from God our Father, and from the Lorde Jesus Christ.

Who said:

All sermons which are made up of fine spun distinctions and traditions of men, are exceedingly cold and unimpressive; since nothing can be put forth of that kind, but some acute opponent may overturn it. Holy Scripture alone is clothed with such power and authority, that, setting aside all our reasonings, it constrains us to say, never man spake like this.

John Piper writes,

On July 2, [1505,] on the way home from law school, [Luther] was caught in a thunderstorm and was hurled to the ground by lightning. He cried out, “Help me, St. Anne; I will become a monk.” He feared for his soul and did not know how to find safety in the Gospel. So he took the next best thing, the monastery.

Fifteen days later, to his father’s dismay, he kept his vow. On July 17, 1505, he knocked at the gate of the Augustinian Hermits in Erfurt and asked the prior to accept him into the order. Later he said this choice was a flagrant sin—“not worth a farthing” because made against his father and out of fear. Then he added, “But how much good the merciful Lord has allowed to come of it!” We see this kind of merciful providence over and over again in the history of the church. We saw it powerfully in the life of Augustine, and we will see it in Calvin’s life too. It should protect us from the paralyzing effects of bad decisions in our past. God is not hindered in his sovereign designs from leading us, as he did Luther, out of blunders into fruitful lives of joy.

–John Piper, The Legacy of Sovereign Joy, pp.83-84.

Among the frustrations of conversing with postmodern/emergents is their insistence that the Bible is not the Word of God, but Christ is the Word. True Christianity is not to be found in the written Word, but in relationship with the incarnate Word. To this I reply, “Nonsense!” (Greek – skubalon). John Piper responds more eloquently (and more politely):

Why is the Spirit so silent about the incarnate Word after the age of the New Testament—even among those who encroach on the authority of the book? the answer seems to be that it pleased God to reveal the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, to all succeeding generaions through a book, especially the Gospels. Luther puts it like this:

The apostles themselves considered it necessary to put the New Testament into Greek and to bind it fast to that language, doubtless in order to preserve it for us safe and sound as in a sacred ark. For they foresaw all that was to come and now has come to pass, and knew that if it were contained only in one’s head, wild and fearful disorder and confusion, and many various interpretations, fancies and doctrines would arise in the Church, which could be prevented and from which the plain man could be protected only by committing the New Testament to writing and language.

The ministry of the internal Spirit does not nullify the ministry of the “external Word.” The Spirit does not duplicate what the book was designed to do. The Spirit glorifies the incarnate Word of the Gospels, but he does not re-narrate his words and deeds for illiterate people or negligent pastors.

The immense implication of this for the pastoral ministry and lay ministry is that ministers are essentially brokers of the Word of God transmitted in a book. We are fundamentally readers and teachers and proclaimers of the message of the book. And all of this is for the glory of the incarnate Word and by the power of the indwelling Spirit. But neither the indwelling Spirit nor the incarnate Word leads us away from the book that Luther called “the external Word.” Christ stands forth for our worship and our fellowship and our obedience from the “external Word.” This is where we see “the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). So it is for the sake of Christ that the Spirit broods over the book where Christ is clear, not over trances where he is obscure.

–John Piper, The Legacy of Sovereign Joy, pp. 81-83.

Some people really hate labels. I like them. Labels are very useful. They give us a name for whatever it is we are talking about. Without them, our language would be very clumsy. “I’m going to the place that sells meat, vegetables, dairy, and other consumable commodities. Be back in an hour.” Suppose grocers resisted the label “grocery store”—after all, they sell toothpaste, band-aids, and soap, among other non-grocery items.