Mohler for SBC president

It's been reported that a Texas pastor plans to nominate Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, for president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Personally I've wondered when someone would nominate Dr. Mohler for the position, and this is welcome news, as I'm sure it is for many within the denomination. I've had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Mohler preach and have followed his blog and commentaries for some time. He speaks very articulately to the culture of our day, and is just as articulate and able a theologian. He is well-respected across theological and denominational lines, and would serve well as a Southern Baptist statesman. Dr. Mohler's commitment to Biblical orthodoxy and the spread of the gospel is well-known in Southern Baptist circles and beyond. Whether he will accept the nomination is yet to be known, but to this point I have no knowledge of a public statement saying he intends to decline if nominated. Keep the SBC and Dr. Mohler in prayer. These are critical times for the SBC and evangelicalism at large. You can read the article about the nomination here.

The KJV controversy...which version is "right"?

I've never quite understood the hoopla over the KJV of the bible. Or at least why so many insist that it is the only translation which should be taken as God's word. Let me be clear that I have nothing against the KJV. I think it's a good translation...I just don't think it's the only good translation. Granted, there are many out there that play pretty fast and loose with the original manuscripts, but I would venture that on the whole, the major translations currently available are reliable. At least in the sense that they do not change the message. The question for me is...can any English translation be 100% accurate according to the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts? It seems to me, considering the precise nature of the Greek language, and the fact that in the English language many words can have the same meaning, and one word can have different meanings, that translating Greek into English without losing some precision would be a daunting task to say the least. Add to that the fact that the English language itself is currently undergoing a major upheaval and it only adds to the difficulty. I don't like every new version that hits the bookshelves, but I personally own copies of the KJV, NASB, NIV, and ESV. I've found it helpful to compare passages side by side, and make use of easy to use tools such as Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament words. At the end of the day, I think the problem isn't so much which translation is used as much as it is how God's word is handled by those who proclaim it. In many pulpits today, the Bible is rarely even opened...or if it is, it's to prop up the preacher's own presuppositions on whatever topic or theme he may be speaking to. Real expository preaching, and verse by verse exposition sadly has become the rarity and not the norm. Feel free to chime in with your own thoughts.

Back from hiatus

It's been some time since my last post. Much has been going on with a daughter about to graduate high school, and my own blessed news of finally being accepted into nursing school. I'd like to post one last writing by my friend Jake before moving on to new topics. This is a sermon outline he sent me shortly before he went to be with the LORD. I hope you'll be as blessed by it as I was.

Sinners coming, Christ receiving

Luke 5:2 ¶ And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.14 And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

THE SINNER
a. Let us not discount even the smallest words that were inspired by the Spirit for GOD’s men to put to paper: Thought #1:
‘Behold’ or ‘Lo’, which is to say with some wonderment, question, or emphasis- “LOOK”! Here is one who approaches the Master...in his condition what audacity he has! What stupefied condition has mustered up such courage in such a wretch? Could courage even be found in a diseased outcast such as he, so much as to come near one as our blessed Jesus? Doesn't he know his rightful place in our society, being so willing to come into our presence, much less the presence of the Christ?

Thought #2:(which I believe is the more unlikely as far as their mind-set) ‘Behold’ or ‘Lo’... “LOOK”! What an odd thing for one such as him to be wondering around...how unlikely a thing is this to occur, for the unclean to come into the presence of so many of us who are clean.
~point to consider: the fact that this man did approach the LORD is his woeful condition was noticed with some wonderment and question by his disciples! It is an indictment to modern religion that sinners ‘coming’ to Christ has been made to be such a mundane and common sight, so much so, it doesn't raise the eyebrow in the slightest of any...it is just is what it expected at the ‘end’ of a service.

b. Now consider this: this man was full of leprosy- which is to say that it was full blown, or that he was covered, and rarely, if ever, a person such as this would not be seen in public, much less approaching someone, especially Christ. This leaves much to question as to the authenticity of today’s seekers, who come in flocks and droves ‘to Christ’, not despising or hating their sin, not ‘desperately’, but only because they’ve been told all they have to do is come; they come flippantly and light hearted, with no fear of GOD or loathing of self, only ready to raise their hand, cry a few tears, say the prayer and sign the card; may GOD have mercy on those who come (and those who tell them to) , not to Him, but to their idea of what religion demands. They are not the in the slightest aware that they are covered with putrid sores from the crowns of their heads to soles of their feet. Spiritual leprosy (sin) is often the least of their concerns and even worse it is not the greatest concern of those who ‘want’ to have charge over their souls.
~point to consider: it is a completely unnatural thing for a despicable sinner to at once despise himself and throw himself at the feet and mercy of a Holy GOD

But back to our subject (the leper) at hand: this is the power and grace of our LORD: that He would cause such a change in the will and soul of a person that they would do that which is unnatural (see next point); I am not awe struck when the false prophets(Graham and Hinn come to mind) of our day get thousands to bow at a man made altar; but I am thrown in the dirt when the LORD saves a distressed soul that has had sleepless nights and miserable days, wondering if they would ever find relief over their hopeless and helpless sinful condition.

HIS POSITION
c. Now consider his disposition, his peculiar approach, and his attitude
Dear reader or listener, I say he was NOT hopeless!, But, but an act of GOD almighty had already been wrought in his soul not seen by human eyes; But with that said, he only had one hope; he did not come with a contingency plan, his approach was not rehearsed, coerced, scripted, prompted, or choreographed; he did not come with a pedigree or a claim to something, as the Pharisees thought they had; he did not come with offers of service as some had or other schemes of bartering; he came filthy, wretched, despised and lowly esteemed; the only way a sinner truly comes to Christ! The only way he can come to Christ! The only way he is permitted to come to Christ! The only way ordained of GOD to come to Christ! Do you not believe the scriptures that a man can only come to Christ as the Father draws him? Do you not believe that when the Shepherd calls to His sheep they hear His voice and follow Him? Do you not believe that all that the Father has given to the Son will come to Him, and when they come, that He will not cast them aside? Do you not think that this Lamb slain before the foundation of the world could not recognize one of His sheep, though he be covered in putrid sores and spots.

He did not think it strange to beseech the mercy of God and approach him forthrightly and with boldness, and we should not think it strange when a sinner rightly comes to Christ, for the psalmist rightly states that his people will be made willing in the day of his power; notice he does not address him as others, hoping to appeal to him with flattery; there is no good master, or good teacher, or Rabbi, or any other title; only that which rises up in his heart; he does not have to be told how or when to come to Christ, nor does any have to tell him what to say, and remind that he needs to mean what he says. He calls Him LORD, because He is the LORD of his heart at that moment.

His humility is not feigned, but real, as it is with those who are shown their sin(not simply by man, but by GOD they Holy Ghost and the Word); he does not come as the rich young ruler, who hoped that Christ might confirm his righteous opinion of himself; he does not come as others who would follow, but only after they take care of other worldly affairs; he does not come as those who had been fed loaves and fishes, following after Christ hoping to have their bellies filled again; but his humility is that of one whose soul has been wounded deep, whose pride has been slain, and whose self worth has been laid in the dust; he is as Mary, who can only weep at the savior’s feet, he is as the prodigal, who can only from afar sense the deep unworthiness to even be called a son; he is as the publican, who can only smite his chest and plead for the lord to have mercy on this sinner

THE SAVIOR
d. Now consider this; when he had come this far, he still could only place himself with the goodwill of Christ, though he approaches boldly. He makes no demands, but seeks mercy; he does not presume upon his goodness, but waits upon the mercy of Christ. Those ministers or any others who tell any that GOD is obliged to do anything based on something they've said or done are liars and the truth is not in them.
Whether ignorant(of it) or not, faith had come to his heart, as far as to believe that Christ could do something that was reserved for the high priest of GOD; if not ignorant, then he comes regarding Christ as high priest

Lev. 13:2 This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest:
3 And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper;4 Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water:6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
7 And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.
19 And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness; and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering:20 And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean.

So he came believing that Christ could do something that he could not; as the centurion, knowing that Christ only had to say the word: and this is what he finds
-what all sinnersfind who come to Christ in such a manner...the manner that God both ordains, appoints, and accepts
-he finds the attention of the savior-Christ considers it not a burden to receive his sheep, but views his sheep with love and compassion
-he finds affectionate condescension- as the lord of glory reaches out to a fallen sparrow
-he find a store of compassion- for Christ loves his people, not just as a abstract fact, but in his goodness shown unto them; he makes no offer to sinners to do what they cant, but he does for his own what cannot and could never do; his inward cleansing is as full as his outward and more so, for his flesh will die

THE SAVIOR’S COMMAND
e. Consider what Christ tells him
He tells him not to go and publish (though in other cases he would for this would draw much attention to himself) except to the priests to prove that he had broken no Mosaic law , Christ came to do the will of the father and glorify the father; to have people praise him as a circuit healer or spiritual physician would dishonor him and his father; they (others) could not see who He was, and Christ would not have them worship a false image of God. Christ also did not consider it a great thing that his fame should published; instead of these things, He says go and glorify God and testify to sinners that
- I have been cleansed by the mercy of God
- I have been cleansed completely by God
- I have been cleansed immediately by God
- I have been cleansed in a manner according to the law Moses
- God high priest, our Messiah has cleansed me

-now consider this
-the mercy in God drawing us to his son, and the power of God in doing it
-the faith he gives us toward his son; where there was only unbelief and blindness
-the praise that is due to his son
-the sovereignty of God in saving you

final point to ponder: good food for thought; in the leper going to the priests testifying to the fact that leprosy had been healed by Christ, which they could not do, don't you think the high priest was put on notice

YOU'RE FIRED!!

The Poll is Closing

Ok Folks, the poll, "Is the SBC in doctrinal decline?", will close at 10 p.m. Central Time this evening. Last chance to put your $0.02 worth in. If you haven't voted, please do.

For those who are lurkers out there and don't feel comfortable posting comments, please take a minute to sign the Guestbook...you can leave a screen/blogger name if you like, but at least let me know if the site is a help, blessing, hindrance, nuisance, etc. Let me know if there are subjects you'd like to see discussed. Blessings to all who read.

What is the gospel? Part 2

In keeping with Part 1 of this thread, and with much thanks to "amos" for locating it, I would like to share another of Bro. Jake's writings. In the context of "what is the gospel?", the right preaching of it is of as equal and eternal importance as knowing the content. Consider Bro. Jake's observations:

Look yonder at that man in the pulpit. He is not comely, not much a sight to behold. His suit is not well pressed nor his shoes well shined. His hair as well as his skinned is weathered after years of toiling as to provide for his family. Shake his hand and you wonder if it is lined with sandpaper. If in an affectionate moment he were to share an embrace, you might be left with the impression that you embraced a pole of iron.

His grammar is not always correct. He would be the first to tell you that he is no expert in the Greek and Hebrew languages, though his knowledge of both exceeds that of most of those trained in the seminaries. His voice is booming, but he never shouts. His accent is pronounced, but his words are never garbled. Listen but for a moment, and even the fool recognizes the passion in his voice. Listen for a while, and you realize that wisdom has come to rest in the breast of this man. The Sovereignty of God and the exaltation of Christ are the clear template and subject of every sermon he preaches, yet you will never hear the same sermon twice. He has more knowledge concerning Soteriology and Eschatology than any man that I know, yet has the ability to teach so that the simple-minded can grasp that which beforehand seemed out of reach. To many who are blessed to call him preacher, the most painful part of his preaching is the conclusion, for you hope that he will preach for just a few minutes more. You'll never see him stand at the front of a church pleading for people to come forward and ‘give’ their heart to Jesus. The preaching of the gospel is the invitation to the souls of men, and this preacher has the patience to wait upon the LORD to do the work that He must do to save a sinner.

He could have long ago moved on to greener pastures and to a more ‘thriving area’. Yet for two decades he has tended the ‘little flock’ that GOD has entrusted to him. While we could have always have given him more(and we have tried), he has always pointed out the fact that GOD has always blessed him; Oh he isn't so prideful that he is beyond receiving help when he needs it, but he would much rather help someone else. Our offerings have always been a private matter, but in a church as small as ours, it is really no secret that preacher gives more to the missionary that we support than we give him.

He has never been heavy handed, but has always been stern. He has never been outspoken, but has always chosen his words wisely. Arrogance breeds more of the same, humility chases it away. True leaders don't have to ask men to follow. It is amazing how quickly men will yield to honesty. When problems arise, our pastor has never asked us ‘What do you think we should do?’ He calmly says, ‘What saith the scriptures?’ To date, the scripture has brought us to every solution.

He has never preached to large audiences or ‘packed’ houses. No convention or denomination has ever recognized his achievements or lauded him with praises. He is not a household name and he doesn't get invited to be the guest speaker at conferences and seminars. The parish preachers look down their noses at him, and some have gossiped fiercely about him being a ‘hard shell Calvinist.’ He has never responded in anger or argued with any and has lived his life amongst all in this community in a quiet, peaceful, Christ-like manner.

Look yonder in the pulpit. For the man you see on the LORD’s day, rightfully dividing the word of truth, will display the same countenance and character tomorrow morning and the next day. The humility displayed, that is not feigned. The love that he radiates, that is no counterfeit. He has taught me as much about being Christ-like on Monday as he has on Sunday. I pray daily that the LORD would conform me to the image of His dear son. And I also ask that he would let me be like my preacher.

Jake

Here's your chance.....

The final tally is in on the poll question, "Is the SBC in Doctrinal Decline?": 25 votes total; "Yes, definitely" 17 votes or 68%; "Perhaps" 3 votes or 12%; "Somewhat" 2 votes or 8%; "No not at all" 2 votes or 8%; "Probably, but the worship bands are still pretty cool" 1 vote or 4%. The small turnout was possibly due to voter apathy ;)

What is the gospel?

In these times that would certainly be the question of the hour. What IS the gospel? Much of what passes as a gospel message these days more closely resembles psycho-therapy, or a children's fairy tale than the glorious gospel of grace revealed in the Scriptures. Rather than go into a long diatribe concerning this subject, I will let the words of a friend who now stands in the presence of Truth himself speak. I was honored to have this piece of writing shared with me by this dear brother and friend. Take time to reflect on his words....

“LET’S FACE IT, A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST AIN’T BEEN SAVED

From our first breath, we are wrapped up in iniquity. Nay, let us go further as always to the scripture; from our conception we are bound hand and foot to sin. Over the course of our life we will find it to be so. All of Adam’s race are sinners by nature and by choice. Look over the circle of this earth and you will find some more apt and willing to partake in evil deeds, some that have equal propensity and willingness yet are more constrained, and some that seem to have quite the mastery over their flesh. Yet underneath, they are all equally totally depraved.

Of these, it can be said, they are dead in trespasses and sin, they drink iniquity like water, they do not seek, understand, or love GOD; they are alienated from GOD by the darkness of their hearts and the ignorance of their minds; they are completely blind and deaf to spiritual things (the things of GOD); in them, there dwells no good (righteousness of their own) thing; and they are covered with putrefying wounds from head to toe.

Yet, ever so often, out of the Sovereign love and grace and goodness of GOD, because it alone has pleased Him to do so, because He has done all things after the counsel of His own will, and He has done all things well, He chooses to send forth the wind of His sovereign Spirit to blow into the dark recesses of the soul of one of these wretches whereby, they cry out, ABBA, FATHER.

The spiritually ignorant wretch who had no knowledge of GOD in his heart has his understanding opened whereby he sees a thrice holy GOD glaring at his naked sinful soul. For the first time, he sees himself as GOD has always seen him and fear melts him to the core of his being. He feels that he might die as Holiness gazes at his filthiness laid bare. He trembles as he waits for the mighty hand of judgement at once to come crashing down to destroy him. But he who has been brought to the place of mercy has found it.

And Lo, the hand that he thinks may crush shows him HE who is FAIREST AMONG TEN THOUSAND; THE ROSE OF SHARON now captures his gaze and He is altogether lovely. He weeps as he sees it was this LAMB who was wounded for his transgressions and bruised for his iniquities. Every stripe that he deserved this LAMB bore for him, and he can see that every sinful wound has been healed by Him. Every righteous demand of the law this LAMB lived, for him. He once despised even the mention of this Christ, now his heart can't begin to contain the love that he now has for him.

And what of this one whose understanding has been opened, whose affections have been turned Christ-ward? Is this just some mystical journey that they LORD has brought him on, all for nought? No indeed, for now, the unwilling has been made willing. Willing to walk some silly church aisle? Willing to sign some card? Willing to go through some 4 week new convert course? Heaven forbid! The soul that the LORD has truly saved is now willing to confess with his mouth what the LORD has done to his heart. HE HAS SAVED MY SOUL! Join a REAL new testament church...YES! Follow in the LORD’s baptism...YES! But above all, begin to live like a soul set free. Begin to tell the world around you about the SOVEREIGN, SAVING, GRACE OF GOD!!! BEGIN TO LIVE LIKE THE NEW CREATION THAT YOU ARE IN CHRIST!!!

Let me leave you with a few thoughts and a couple of questions.
-Dead sinners have to be brought to life sovereignly by GOD
-When GOD does this, He does this when He chooses and to whom He chooses
-No matter how hard you try, you can’t make Him save anyone!
-Did GOD save you in the way or in a way described above?
-If you didn't get saved in the way described above or in a similar way, then who saved you or just how did you get saved? “

Bro. Shadrack Jackson Daigrepont (Jake)

"Free Will".....is man's will truly free?

This is a debate no doubt as old as Christianity itself. That man was created a volitional creature is without question, but what guides his choices? This hotly contested issue can be traced back at least as far as the days of the Pelagian controversy, when Pelagius took exception to a prayer by Augustine of Hippo, in which he asked, "Lord command what you will, but give what you command." The debate has continued down through the centuries between the likes of Luther vs. Erasmus, Calvin vs. Arminius, Whitefield vs. Wesley, Nettleton vs. Finney, and more recently, RC Sproul vs. Norman Geisler.

I think it's fair to say that what one believes about this issue is determined by his understanding of what happened in the garden of Eden. As many have stated, there can only be three possibilities concerning the condition of Adam's progeny after the fall: 1) The fall affected only Adam; 2) The human race was affected by the fall, but not completely; 3) That Adam died spiritually, and thus the whole human race was plunged into a state of spiritual death.

In his book, "The Doctrines that Divide", Erwin Lutzer addresses this issue as "Free Will" vs "Predestination".....I tend to think of it more as a matter of "free will vs. bondage of the will. " Do the scriptures address this issue decisively? I will withhold my own view on this subject for the time being, but I challenge each who may comment on this important matter, to make a scriptural argument for whatever position you hold.

note: Nettleton vs Finney wasn't so much a debate between the two men, rather two men who preached during the 2nd Great Awakening from two opposing viewpoints.

Another resource

Just wanted to pass along another preacher I've found on sermonaudio.com that you may want to give a listen when you have the time. His name is Don Fortner. Another sermon series that I highly recommend is by Steve Hartland called, "Decisions, discernment, and the will of God". It's a 4 part series, and is well worth the listen. Both these men can be found in the "sermons by speaker" list on sermonaudio. Hope you enjoy.

Presuppostionalism......an Approach to Apologetics

A few days ago, I offered the commentators on this blog, the opportunity to suggest some topics they would like to discuss. "graceupongrace" has graciously (pun intended) offered up this one for us. These are his/her words for us:

What do you think of when the word "apologetics" comes to mind? New believers who are unfamiliar with apologetics may immediately think of the word apology, which in modern English is used when someone is sorry about something. But in Christianity, apologetics refers to the defense of Christianity, coming from the Greek word "apologia," which means the defense of something. Thus, for many Christians, including many viewers of this website, "apologetics" brings to mind prominent Christians like Josh McDowell ("Evidence That Demands a Verdict") or Lee Strobel ("The Case for Christ"), and their rational arguments for Christianity.

However, what many Christians do not realize is that there is a debate about the proper methods to defend the Christian faith. Cornelius Van Til (1895-1987), former longtime professor at Westminster Theological Seminary, hammered out a method of apologetics known as "presuppositionalism," which has grown in popularity in Reformed circles through the years. In this post, I will endeavor the arduous task of explaining presuppositionalism as simply as possible.

As a preface to the explanation, I will outline a few things that are necessary to understanding presuppositionalism. There are four basic states in the history of mankind. First is creation: God, who is both infinite and personal, created man as a sinless, yet finite, being. Although he is finite, as all other created beings such as animals are, man IS personal, unlike the rest of creation (meaning he is spiritual, rational, moral and emotional). This is the Creator/ creation/ mankind distinction: the Creator is infinite and personal, but His creation is all finite and impersonal, except for man, who is finite yet finite. (I will discuss what it means for man to be finite soon).

The second stage is the fall. Adam's sin led all men to be born into sin, as "in Adam all sinned" (Romans 5). Thus, no longer was man in perfect communion with God; instead, in his fallen state, he is "hostile to God" (Romans 8), his every thought is evil (Genesis 6:5), and God's Word is foolishness to him (1 Corinthians 1:18). By the way, what exactly was Adam/Eve's sin? 1 Corinthians 10:9 warns, "We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents"; the "some of them," here, refers to Adam and Eve, of course. Eve sinned when she seriously weighed the options the serpent gave her. "Well, God says I shouldn't eat from this tree, but the serpent says I'll have more knowledge, etc..." She was not fully relying on God anymore: she was being independent in her thinking and was putting God to the test. This is a crucial point for the upcoming discussion on apologetics.

The third stage is redemption. The cross secured the redemption of all those who believe, and through Christ, true knowledge, holiness and righteousness are being regained (Colossians 3:10, Ephesians 4:22-24). However, this does not mean that man becomes perfect immediately. Instead, he continues to struggle with sin (Romans 7), though he is no longer a slave to sin.

The final stage is glorification. In heaven, Christians will become sinless again, and indeed not even able to sin. In heaven we will always be thinking God's thoughts! However, man will remain finite beings, as only God is infinite.

With these things in mind, let us now consider what it means for man to be "finite."

1. Because we are finite, we are dependent on God for the knowledge he has revealed, and cannot get that knowledge independently; thus we should not follow the world's fallen thinking. "8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority." – Colossians 2:8-9

"17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity." – Ephesians 4:17-18

2. Because we are finite, we as Christians should instead take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, as that is the only way to truly know things. "We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5

"Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God." 1 Corinthians 2:12

3. But because we are finite, even if we're Christians, we can't understand everything. "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." – Deuteronomy 29:29

How does this rely to apologetics?

Presuppositionalism, at its heart, says that when we defend our faith, we should do so, first and foremost, from the Bible instead of relying on arguments which appeal to man's reason (i.e, arguments from history, science, etc), because the Bible is the ultimate source of truth, and man, in his fallen state, cannot be a proper judge of truth. "To trust any principle as more basic than total dependence on God Is to suppose that there is another authority over Christ" (Every Thought Captive).

If we are not dependent on the Bible in apologetics, then we are basically saying we are (1) committed to independence, just as nonbelievers are and just as Eve committed herself to independence when she considered eating the apple, which cannot be justified, because how can you know that you can discover truth on your own? Many other people do the same thing (search for truth independently) and reach different conclusions. We are also (2) buying into the myth of neutrality, that you can find truth if you try to be very objective. The truth is, no one is neutral. "30 Whoever is not with me is against me." Matthew 12:30;

Common question #1: We know that one cannot justify independence, but how can a Christian justify his dependence on the Bible and Christ? One knows the Bible is God's Word "by the testimony of the Holy Spirit and the redeeming work of Christ. God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and Scripture all verify themselves and each other for there can be no authority to which the ultimate authorities appeal. As far as the believer is concerned, there is no one greater by whom God may swear to His authority than Himself" (Every Thought Captive)

Common question #2: Isn't a commitment to Jesus itself initially based on a commitment to independence (being your own judge of truth)? "The Christian realizes this is not the case for he did not commit himself to dependence on God after an independent decision to do so. He was given the grace of God's regeneration apart from his own will. He was thereby enabled to commit himself to total dependence. (Romans 9:16). There is no independent human choice underlying commitment to Christ" (Every Thought Captive)

A Suggested Structure for Biblical Apologetics (the following comes completely from Every Thought Captive):

A. If an issue comes up that gives rise to the presentation of the gospel and an opportunity to defend the Christian faith, first admit your faith commitment, and then answer from dependent certainty or dependent uncertainty

1. Dependent Certainty: If the answer is known, give biblical answer and biblical evidence for the particular issue in question.

2. Dependent Uncertainty: If the answer is not known, give justification of your ignorance and show why Christianity is no less certain.

B. If the unbeliever is not convinced, show him that his disbelief is founded on his commitment to independence, and that this commitment to independence cannot be justified. He will have either established absolute certainty or total uncertainty.

1. Absolute Certainty: If the unbeliever is certain that the evidence is against Christianity, show him that he has not and cannot know enough to be sure he understands his evidence correctly.

2. Total Uncertainty: If the unbeliever is uncertain because there is not enough evidence to be sure, show him that he has not and cannot know enough to be sure that he must be uncertain.

C. Then, challenge the unbeliever to recognize his unjustifiable commitment to independence as the source of his futility, and present the gospel message of repentance and faith.

Remember:

A. When talking with unbelievers, we must first admit our faith commitment – we should not use independent reason to justify our beliefs.

B. The Bible is true whether one believes it or not; Romans 1 says men suppress the truth, and no matter how well we may do, not everyone will come to Christ.

1. 65 And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father." John 6:65

2. "31 He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'" Luke 16:31

3. 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:29

4. "49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, "No more of this!" And he touched his ear and healed him." Luke 22:29-51; the Bible does not say whether this man came to know Christ.

5. Luke 23:43; one man on a cross next to Jesus believed on Christ and was admitted into heaven, the other did not.

6. 11 While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; 13 and they raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" 14 When He saw them, He said to them, " Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they were going, they were cleansed. 15 Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, 16 and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine-where are they? 18 " Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?" 19 And He said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has made you well." Luke 17:11-19; only one healed leper came to Christ.

C. God has promised to use His word, that it will not return void (Hebrews 4:12, Isaiah 55:11).

D. Circular reasoning is impossible to avoid by anybody, but this does not invalidate one's approach. One apologist states, "Unless we are larger than God, we cannot reason about Him by any other way than by a transcendental or circular argument." He refers to this as "spiral reasoning. "We must go around and round a thing to see more of its dimensions and to know more about it, in general, unless we are larger than that which we are investigating" (Rushdoony, By What Standard?). Thus, "Man seeks to understand the infinite (he has eternity in his heart), but he must do it in a way consistent with his nature – in dependence upon His creator."

NOW:

I am not sure if my explanation of presuppositionalism is helpful or not, because I have not explained it to many people before. So you can help me now by asking any questions you have and I will try to answer them to the best of my ability.

I also highly recommend Dr. Richard L. Pratt's Every Thought Captive, from which I quoted several times (I don't have the page numbers because I've loaned the book to someone else, but I had copied several of these quotes down before). Another good book is Dr. John Frame's Apologetics to the Glory of God.

As a footnote : An excellent apologist for reformed doctrine is James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries. allofgrace (blog moderator)

My, how we could use more of this kind of preaching today

Over the last couple of days, I've been listening to some sermons online at sermonaudio.com. If you don't have this site bookmarked, you should add it. There's a wealth of sermons on mp3 format from preachers and teachers all over the country. I discovered one of those rare gifts that God gives to his church in Henry Mahan....a no-nonsense, straightforward preacher of the gospel. I've been greatly blessed hearing him preach the gospel of sovereign grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. There are several pages of his sermons, but there are three I would highly recommend: "They Cry Peace When No Peace", "Salvation is of the Lord", "The Missing Note in Present-Day Preaching"....for those of you interested in a "relevant" message...the last one should fill the bill...in fact I would say it's relevance is timeless. You can find his messages on sermonaudio.com by clicking on "sermons by speaker" in the menu on the left side of the home page...his name is in the list of speakers, listed alphabetically. Enjoy.

"Perseverance of the Saints" or "Once Saved Always Saved"...different expressions of the same doctrine?

Are these two expressions of the security of the believer one and the same doctrine? I think that depends on who you ask. It may seem to be a petty, or perhaps even "non-issue" question, but I believe our understanding of this important doctrine is shaped by how we understand and interpret Biblical revelation, ie: the nature and character of God, the nature of fallen man, the nature of salvation and all it's components--regeneration, repentance, conversion, faith, justification, adoption, sanctification, glorification. At the risk of pinning labels on any one group, as an observation, it has appeared to me that those who hold to the expression "once saved always saved", by and large, also hold to a "carnal Christian" doctrine. On the other hand, some might lay the accusation on the reformed doctrine of "perseverance of the saints", that it implies that one might be truly saved, yet in the end, because of some lapse or failure, not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. It is my hope that some in both these camps will offer their own understanding of this doctrine, and it's implications, based on what the scriptures teach, because I believe all would agree that it is not just a matter of mere theological speculation, but one of eternal importance.

Church Governance & Discipline....What does the Bible teach?

I must admit, this issue is one which I have been bewildered about in the fourteen years of my Christian walk. As a Baptist, I know that we say we are "congregational" in church government...however for me at least, it's been difficult to exactly define. In neither of the two churches I've been a member of, has anything concerning church government been taught. To make matters more confusing, in both those churches, how that government is structured(if indeed it could be called a structure)plays out differently in each congregation. No doubt a result of the belief that each local expression of the body of Christ is autonomous. But I find that variance raises a question for me...which local expression is right? What do the scriptures say about this?

To my admittedly limited knowledge on the subject, there are basically three main forms of church government employed by the various denominations: Episcopal, Presbyterian, and Congregational. All the churches who govern themselves under these three forms, I'm sure believe that the one which they employ is the most Biblical expression. I think regardless of one's views, those views should be conformed to the teaching of scripture. So this brings me back to the question: which form is Biblically correct, or at least the closest to the Biblical pattern? Why, or why not?

I've heard it said that the three marks of a true church are: 1) The faithful preaching and teaching of the Word. 2) Right administration of the sacraments/ordinances. 3) Discipline. Though we might disagree on what constitutes these three marks, I think we could all agree on the importance of all three to any church. What role does church governance have in these three important matters? As we weigh in on this issue and ponder the questions it raises, let's keep in mind these three "marks" of a faithful church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Dispensationalism....Is it Biblical?

I grew up in Baptist churches...I didn't come to faith until I was thirty-seven years old..but in my growing up years, the only eschatological view I remember being taught (though at the time I didn't know what it was called), was dispensationalism. After becoming a believer, the church where I was a member had a Bible reading program which led us through the entire Bible, in the chronology, in a year. It was during that time that I began to question the validity of the premill/pretrib view. As redemptive history began opening up to me...there was a unity and continuity that I saw in it that just didn't seem to fit into that scheme. Of late I've been studying covenant theology from a Baptist perspective..my views are still in formation on that...though I think I can say I'm definitely NOT dispensational. There's been an increasing interest in last things in the past few years with the release of the Jenkins/LaHaye Left Behind series. I hope a few folks will weigh in with their views on this subject, as I think we'd all agree that it's important for us to know what the Bible teaches on these important subjects.

Reformation day

As some of you are aware of (and for those who aren't aware), today is the anniversary of Martin Luther's nailing of his 95 theses on the door at Wittenberg. The reformation was on. In light of all that's going on in my home church, and much of what is going on across the SBC and the larger evangelical church, I think it might be appropriate to pause briefly and reflect on the church (universal) today, and lift up our voices in prayer to seek God's face for these times we are in. I think most would agree, that reformation, revival, and renewal is much needed in Christ's church today, and that begins with me..before we can see these things in the church at large, I must first cry out to God for reformation, revival, and renewal in my heart.

Father I thank you that so long ago, when your church was in turmoil, you raised up men and set their hearts aflame with the glory and wonder of Yourself. I thank you for giving these men as gifts to your church that we may look back and be encouraged in our own times. Father as your servant CH Spurgeon once said, "This is the day for the man, where is the man for the day?" Father forgive me for my sin of indifference, laziness and ingratitude. Forgive me for not removing the log in my own eye before I try to remove the speck from my brother's eye. Forgive me for more often being a sounding brass, rather than an edifying voice. Forgive me for being far to quick to tear down what I think is wrong rather than being an instrument to strengthen what remains. Forgive me for thinking more highly of myself than I ought, instead of preferring my brethren over myself. Father forgive me and cleanse me from these and countless other sins, and by your grace, reform, revive and renew my heart, and once again set it aflame with your glory, and a hunger and thirst for more of you. Revive your works Lord, in the midst of days. In Christ's name and for His glory, Amen.

Seeker Friendly Services

With all the talk about PDC, PDL, and seeker sensitive churches, here's a blog post by Dr. Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary on the subject. Let me know what you think.

Ok folks...we'll give this a shot and see how it goes. This blog was created for Southern Baptists of all stripes to come and discuss the important issues facing our own church families, the SBC, and evangelicalism at large. Please keep comments in a Christ-honoring form. No foul language will be allowed, and please be careful not to make any unsubstantiated claims or accusations.