Drippings from the Honeycomb
More to be desired are [the rules of the Lord] than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. (Psalm 19:10)
“My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Ex 33:14)
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Ps 16:11) It is a wonder we were created to relate to our Creator. We were designed for His presence in our life. His presence means life and light and peace. It is therefore the longing of every human soul that we find rest in the presence of Him who made us. God’s presence, unsurprisingly, is a great theme of the Bible. Presence in the Garden The LORD God was present in His garden. He walked in the cool of the day and spoke with Adam & Eve. There was abundant life in the Garden because God was there. This was symbolized in the tree of life. Presence After the Fall One curse of the Fall is that the Couple were driven from God’s presence. They would know death and decay. However, there remained small ways for God’s people to experience God’s presence: Remembering His Word, prayer, worship and the visitation of Angels. These were all ways in which God’s presence could be mediated. Occasionally God’s Spirit would come upon an individual for a special purpose. All of this was founded upon faith. Presence Under the Old Covenant When God rescued Israel from Egypt He was present with them, leading them by the pillar of cloud and fire. When the Tabernacle was built His glory rested upon the place. This was where God’s people could come to meet with the Lord. Much of the imagery (menorah and artwork of plant life) were reminiscent of the Garden. This was later reflected in the Temple. Presence in the Incarnation God’s people longed for God to be present with them. This longing was finally realized when God became flesh and dwelt among us. The Incarnation or Immanuel, “God with us.” Whoever met Jesus was in the very presence of God and had a taste of life (e.g. healings, etc). Presence in the New Covenant Jesus had said it was to the disciples’ advantage that He return to Heaven for He would send the Helper (Jn 16). They could only be with Jesus if He were with them. When the Helper came, Jesus would be with His followers 24/7/365 and wherever they went. He would come to dwell in their hearts by faith (Eph 4). The Temple was no longer needed for God’s New Covenant people as Christ was our temple (Jn 2:19) who is building us into a spiritual temple (2 Pet 2:15). God’s presence goes wherever the Church goes! (This is why the early Christians forsook the physical Temple; believing its destruction as prophesied by Jesus was a judgement for Jewish unbelief). Presence in the New Heavens and New Earth As wonderful as the Spirit’s help is, we still pine for Jesus to return and physically be with His people. We await Jesus’ return and the New Heavens and the New Earth (a restored Eden) where Rev 21:3 says, And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. Believers will spend eternity with the Lord! Come Lord Jesus, come! Did God save Adam and Eve or in the curse did they ultimately perish in hell?
The Bible isn’t overly clear but there are some hints to suggest they were saved:
Externals If we surveyed ‘Baptists’ merely externally it would be very difficult to answer this question. Some reach to tradition to create an common denominator acrostic of historic Baptist beliefs to answer this question (e.g. baptism, autonomy of local church, priesthood of all believers, etc). Those who claim the mantle differ so widely (and wildly) in their belief and practice (e.g. Arminian & Reformed, liberal and conservative, open and closed communion, conventional and societal, etc) that at minimum we might define Baptist as a loose movement of visible Christians who embrace baptism by immersion (‘believer’ cannot always be assumed because of liberalism). Such tradition or man centred approaches fail to strike at the heart of Baptist identity. For this we must turn to the plumb line of God’s truth and the Baptistic convictions that men and women have derived from it. Internals There are three types of Baptists. Those who are born into Baptist families, those who attend a Baptist church out of expedience and those who are Baptists by conviction.[1] The latter is the only type to be for we don’t want to base our lives on the traditions of men but the doctrines of God (Mk 7:7). What does the Bible teach? In 1812 three Congregationalist missionaries, Adoniram & Ann Judson and Luther Rice, set off for India. They knew they would meet William Carey and the other Baptist missionaries there. They had to defend infant baptism and so studied their Greek New Testaments. It is a great danger studying the Bible for they were all convinced of believer’s baptism by immersion! Upon disembarking they were all baptized. The Christian denomination called Baptist arose during the English Reformation, a time of religious tumult when people were trying to search the Scriptures (sola scriptura) and rediscover NT Christianity. What was the faith and practice of the early Church? Baptists emerged as a reform movement. Baptist historian David Bebbington puts it this way: “They adopted the same principles of punctilious loyalty to God’s word, of passionate desire to worship the Almighty correctly, and of willingness to restructure the church in accordance with God’s precepts. Their biblical, liturgical, and ecclesiastical priorities drove them through Puritan loyalties into separatism and, eventually, to the further step of repudiating infant baptism. Baptists were the people who took Reformation principles to their ultimate conclusion.”[2] Baptist belief and practice flow from the Bible and the Gospel (sola fide) to form their identity: [1] M. Haykin et al, The Baptist Story (2015), 325‒26. [2]D. Bebbington, Baptists Through the Centuries (2010), 23‒24. A BAPTIST: A believer in the biblical Gospel, who has been baptized by immersion as the New Covenant sign and has covenanted together with an autonomous local church under its officers and the Lordship of Christ to fulfil their place in the body; who participate in the Lord’s Supper; who seek to live a holy life for Christ’s sake/God’s glory in accordance with the Word and by the Spirit; and to make the name of Christ known. Secondarily Baptists believe in religious liberty (no one can be forced to believe) and separation of church and state (the Kingdom of God is not the kingdom of this world) because of Scripture and their experience. Summary One of the most famous Baptists, Charles H. Spurgeon, grew up in a godly Congregationalist family. He was converted in a Primitive Methodist Chapel. Soon after he became a Baptist. The following is his recollection of a conversation with his mother: My mother said to me, one day, “Ah, Charles! I often prayed the Lord to make you a Christian, but I never asked that you might become a Baptist.” I could not resist the temptation to reply, “Ah, mother! the Lord has answered your prayer with His usual bounty, and given you exceeding abundantly above what you asked or thought." Baptists do not hold a monopoly on salvation but are convicted as to the biblical nature of their central beliefs and practices. The name does not matter but rather standing for what one believes the Bible teaches.
This is a subject of importance for prospective members and current members.
The answer isn’t because we’re worldly or traditionalists or masterminds. It comes down to the Gospel and the Bible, the Christ ordained nature and design for Christ’s people in local congregations. The Church is A Believing Church (Nature) (Acts 2:41) The Church isn’t made up of those who visibly associate with it. It is made up of those who’ve believed the Gospel. This is true both universally and locally. Given the nominalism of nominal Anglicanism in the 1600s Baptists were doubly sure that the visible Church would only be made up of those with credible confessions. Membership is for believers. The Church Has Christ-given Authority (Design) (Mt 16:18, 18:18) Those called out from the world and united to Christ in faith are His representative body on earth. Believers have the responsibility to seek out visible entrance/association with local congregations. To churches He has given the authority to “bind and loose.” It is the body and not prospective member who ultimately affirms who it believes may enter. To apply and be admitted to the Church is an important matter. It is the skeleton that gives shape to the body. The structure that sustains, enables and guides all of the ‘one another’ relationships and activities within the body (not unlike baptism and marriage). Early Baptists rigorously applied this in welcoming new members and in discipline. Great solemnity was observed in covenanting together to form the local body. Local Christians were seen as “brothers and sisters,” those with whom one had a unique relationship. Membership identifies who represents Jesus. Church Membership is Biblical (Authority) From the emphasis on local congregations, the selection of Deacons, discipline to the submission to leaders, numerous verses bespeak membership in the local church. Early Baptists didn’t invent membership, they observed what they saw in Scripture and applied it to their reformation of the church. Membership is biblical. Church Membership Works Aside from biblical warrant it is difficult to conceive of any other way of defining/organizing, objectively, who and what the church is. The Baptist practice of membership has remained an effective means of ensuring the world knows who represents Jesus for 400 years. Membership works and so we practice it. Read More *Over 2023 we studied Acts and Galatians. At Christmas we studied Lk 1. Central to understanding the transition from the Old Covenant (Testament) to the New is the Biblical storyline of covenants.
8. NEW COVENANT: Christ fulfils the Old Covenants. He is the 2nd Adam, the offspring of woman and Abraham, the faithful Israelite and forever King. In the New Covenant we relate to God through Christ and enjoy all of His benefits. Read the full article below:
Christmas—the real Christmas—lies buried beneath so many layers of wrapping, adornments and tradition that it is worthwhile pausing to unwrap it and find true joy.
DEFINING CHRISTMAS | NOUN [krísməs] The season/day of the year when the birth of the Christ child is celebrated; God’s anointed One, the promised deliverer. In Jesus God took on human form becoming this Christ. Christmas is two words: Christ and missa; Latin from the worship service’s closing prayer meaning “go” or “send” (i.e. mission). Having celebrated the birth of Christ the early Christians went out to proclaim the glad tidings of His coming. The first instance was in AD 336. Christmas is an ancient tradition, however it endures as it is real and relevant; God’s rescue plan that enables a relationship for all who repent and believe. IT’S REAL | MATTHEW 1–2 & LUKE 1–2 Confirmed by ancient Greek, Roman and Jewish sources and faithfully recorded in the Gospel accounts, Jesus was actually born. A first ‘Christmas’ really happened. Josephus (d. 100) said, “Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man.” The biblical author Luke gives more detail by saying, “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus.” You can read the whole story in Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2. IT’S RELEVANT | JOHN 14:9 & ACTS 17:27 Christmas is not just a quaint old story; nor is God a far off and distant reality. We don’t have to wonder who God is or what He is like or how to come to know Him. Jesus said “whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” and “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This is because Jesus is the promised Christ, the son of God. IT’S ABOUT RESCUE | MATTHEW 1:21 Jesus’ name means ‘salvation.’ This is why the angel instructed Joseph to “call Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Mt 1:21). While Jesus was a wise teacher, ultimately, he was born the Christ not just to teach but to rescue sinners through His life, death and resurrection. Before Christmas can be seen as good news we must first acknowledge the bad news. IT ENABLES A RELATIONSHIP | LUKE 24:46–47 As sinners, we do not know God―in fact, we are enemies of God. Yet in His grace God made a way to have a relationship with Him. The appointed means was faith—trust—in the good news of His Son: that God sent His Son, Jesus, who lived and died and rose again so that those turn and trust in Him might receive forgiveness and life eternal through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Through belief in this Saviour we are reconciled with God, adopted and called to live as His children. When we unpack Christmas we find that true joy and meaning comes not in the trappings but in the offer and ultimately acceptance of Christ. As the carol says, “Let every heart prepare Him room.” May your joy be made complete this Christmas by receiving God’s grace through faith in His Son, the Christ. Christmas has always been celebrated like we presently experience it, correct? History shows a varied tradition from no celebration to celebration. APOSTLIC (AD 33–100) Matthew and Luke dedicate two chapters to the infancy stories of Jesus in their Gospels to show how Christ fulfilled OT prophecies. John stressed the significance of the Incarnation, “the Word became flesh.” However, during the first century the Church did not celebrate Christmas. Emphasis was placed on the Lord’s Day as a weekly remembrance of the Resurrection, which was commemorated annually at Passover. PATRISTIC (AD 100–500) The Apostolic trend continued. Many early Christians even opposed remembering the birthdays of martyrs or Jesus seeing their death as their birthday. The first record suggesting the date of Christ’s birth as December 25 was in AD 221 by the Christian historian Sextus Julius Africanus. (Previously it had been remembered in conjunction with His baptism on Jan 6. Some eastern churches continued to observe this but eventually Dec 25 became the majority view). Several explanations have been offered:
That Christmas replaced pagan festivals is further evidenced in when the first Christmas is recorded. It was in Rome in AD 336, after Constantine had made Christianity legal and even the favoured religion of the Empire. As a result the 4th century saw a “powerful trend towards a greater use of ritual and ceremony.” (NN1.97). From Rome this new ceremony spread, attested by numerous 4th century sources. Christmas is two words: Christ and missa; Latin from the worship service’s closing prayer meaning “go” or “send” (i.e. mission). Having celebrated the birth of Christ Christians went out to proclaim the glad tidings of His coming. Still Christmas was a smaller festival compared to the Passover/Easter and the growing traditions of Holy Week and Lent until the 9th century when it attained its own liturgy. Christological debates also helped to cement the importance of Christmas (e.g. Chalcedon, 451) MEDAIEVAL (AD 500–1500) Festivals surrounding the remembrance of Christ’s birth proliferated during the Middle Ages. The basic pattern was present by AD 600: Advent (24 days before Christmas, c. 500s), Christmastide (12 days of Christmas beginning Dec 25–Jan 5), which ended with Epiphany, Jan 6 (wise men). Christmas became part of the elaborate series of festivals to saints and other holy days. The development of a Church year or calendar was ‘complete.’ Gifts were first given in the 1400s. REFORMATIONS (1500–1600) At the Reformation Lutherans and Anglicans modified and simplified the celebration of Christmas but retained it (e.g. Martin Luther wrote ‘Away in a Manger’). The Reformed, Puritans and Presbyterians did not celebrate Christmas. They saw it as a Catholic tradition with no warrant in the Bible. They followed the regulative principle. POST-REFORMATION (1600–1700) Parallel traditions, some celebrating Christmas and others not continued amongst Protestants. Puritans in England and New England banned Christmas altogether. Baptists were part of this tradition who until the late 1800s did not celebrate Christmas. Still, within the Dissenting tradition new carols were written like Isaac Watts’ ‘Joy to the World’ (Congregationalist) and ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing by Charles Wesley (Methodist). From hymnbooks some Dissenters sang at least some carols around Dec 25. Gift giving also increased during this period. MODERN (1800s–1900s) For many Protestants, the presence of high-church traditions coupled with Romanticism (feeling and expression), biblical liberalism and the softening of denominational traditions due to deconfessionalism all contributed to a rise of the celebration of Christmas in traditions which hadn’t previous placed great or any emphasis upon them. The Victorian age was one of expression. Carols proliferated. Cards were given (first commercial, 1843). Industrialization made affordable gifts available, beginning the commercialization of Christmas. The Christmas tree, which had been a German tradition dating to the 1500s, was brought into England from the Germany by the Prince Consort (1848) and made popular by Queen Victoria. Given Germany was one of the later European nations to be evangelized there is an evident link to medieval paganism, and even tree worship in ancient paganism. Slowly trees made there way into church sanctuaries. Perhaps the largest change to Christmas during this time relates to the mythical figure of Santa Claus. Rooted in Saint Nicolas with pagan embellishments, through commercialization, the man in the big red suit co-existed beside Christ, often even in Christian circles. Many of these trends continued into the 1900s; culture and Christianity co-existing and often being tightly interwoven, Christmas culminating on the 25 rather than the 6th of January. POST-MODERN (late 1900s–2000s) By the late 1900s it became clear Christ had been forced out of Christmas. Some advanced ‘political correctness’ such as “happy holidays.” Christmas was now about Santa and gifts and family. ‘Keep Christ in Christmas,’ was the slogan of conservative advocates. REFLECTION Christmas is not inherent to Christianity but was developed, along with associated symbolism, over 1700 years. One of the blessings of the Post-Christian scene is that it is ripe for reflecting upon Christian beliefs and practices (ecclesia semper reformanda est, the Church is always to be reforming):
Bibliography Oxford Dictionary of Christian History Encyclopaedia Britannica Nick Needham, 2000 Years of Christ’s Power True saving, or justifying, faith is the main grounds of Christianity.
Galatians 2:16 says that “we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Christ.” It is through faith that we are saved from damnation. It is by faith that we are declared just or right before God. It is in faith that all the blessings of Christ are given to the unworthy. Yet what is this faith? There are 4+1 necessary elements of saving faith: hear, agree, turn and trust.
3. TURN: The Gospel calls us to respond. This response involves turning (repenting) from our sin, changing our mind, changing direction. We turn from sin and toward Christ. (poenitentiam- to show penance, or sorrow; to change direction; to change one’s mind. From the Greek μετάνοια). a. “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” (Mk 1:15)
All of this can of course appear as if it happens in a moment. For example someone could hear the Gospel, assent to it, recognize without convincing their life is on the wrong path turn and trust in an instant. Or one could hear the Gospel many times, wrestle with believing it to be true, wrestle with their sin and finally come to a place where they actually trust in Jesus. Conversion is like an accordion, either all bunched up or discernible over time. Regardless these are the steps the Bible lays out for us to discern saving faith. So we must hear, agree, turn and trust in order to be saved and we know someone is saved because they persevere in trusting Christ’s promises and commands. See Paul and James.
This is the test of faith we ought to look for in ourselves and in those who profess to be Christians. In our national statement of faith we affirm that “salvation is by the sovereign, electing grace of God.”[1] What is this?
It has a linguistic, biblical, theological and historical meaning. Firstly, when handling the doctrine of election it must be remembered that it, like the Trinity and Creation, election is a “high mystery” of the Faith to be handled with “special prudence and care” (1689. 3.7). Linguistic Sovereign: Sovereign means to have complete claim and control (e.g. arctic sovereignty). The Lord is sovereign. He is a King who reigns. His sovereignty extends even to salvation. “Salvation belongs to the Lord.” Electing: To elect means to choose (e.g. electing a new government). To sovereignly elect/choose in salvation means that salvation is rooted in God’s choice. Grace: Is God’s unmerited favour toward sinners. Since we are totally depraved, dead (Eph 2) and not seekers of God (Ro 3), we could only be saved if God chose to sovereignly save us in accordance with His grace. Biblical Students of the Bible should be familiar with these words and concepts. Without accepting this doctrine there will be many things in the Bible that will remain closed and confusing to us. Election is a plain and unmistakable teaching of the Bible. There are numerous passages that speak of God’s free choice in salvation.
Theological In theological terms, what does this mean? How might we summarize what the Bible teaches about election? Election means that God chose to save some, not based upon a foreknowledge of faith or merit, but sovereignly, freely and in accordance with His own good pleasure to the praise of His glorious grace; whereas He passes over others to the praise of His justice (1689.3.1). Historical The meaning of election must also be understood historically. Christians from Paul, Augustine and reformers like Luther and Calvin, and later Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Anglicans and Baptists all understood election in this biblical-theological way. In fact, if it wasn’t in the Bible it is such a doctrine that no one would believe it. Our 1953 Fellowship statements flows on from our spiritual heritage in the Convention of Ontario and Quebec which stated in 1925 their belief in, “The election and effectual calling of all God’s people.” Just as the words “man” and “woman” have a meaning, we cannot reinvent the meaning of the phrase “sovereign, electing grace.” It’s meaning is rooted in its linguistic, biblical, theological and historical contexts. FAQs Election, while biblical, may be more easily accepted when some FAQs are addressed.
[1] “Salvation,” in Affirmation of Faith. <https://www.fellowship.ca/WhatWeBelieve> (2023). [2] G. Redford, and J.A. James, eds., The Autobiography of William Jay. (London: 1854; reprint, Edinburgh, 1974), 272. Many themes are traced throughout the book of Acts. There is the Spirit, Word, witness, courage, encouragement and care, perseverance, etc. One commonly overlooked area is God’s sovereignty (i.e. the doctrines of grace or predestination, election and providence, from here on simply ‘election’). This shouldn’t surprise us as Paul, Luke’s travelling companion, wrote a great deal on these doctrines in his epistles. Yet, election and evangelism are often seen as being in contradiction rather than complimentary. Examining this theme in Acts reveals this as untrue. Election undergirds evangelism, recognizing that this doctrine is not the content of our witness.
Acts, like most New Testament letters, is not written to a general unbelieving audience but a Christian one. Acts is written by Dr. Luke to Theophilus, “to have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.” (Lk 1). We teach election, not preach it. As such, in Acts, the Gospel is always what is proclaimed to unbelievers even while Luke’s narrative is seasoned with election for the teaching of believers. Election in Acts
We also see this from a simple review of history from recent centuries. History The following all upheld election and are all likewise famous examples of evangelism.
Specifically, it teaches a humble dependence upon the Lord to fulfil such a Great Commission; it grounds us that we preach grace through faith in Christ; it assures us that our mission or fishing for men isn’t in vain, that some will indeed believe the Gospel (2 Ti 2:10- “I endure everything for the sake of the elect”; Tit 1:1); it produces comfort in affliction; and inspires worship for in the end God alone is glorified. |
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