What is the Gospel?

A sermon delivered at Severn Baptist Church on 7/26/2015:

So, you want to learn about Reformed Baptist Theology?

Prominent Reformed Baptist James R. White once made a comment that "My Presbyterian brothers are going to be offended, but listen up. We Reformed Baptists read all your stuff, and you never read a word we have to say. That's my experience."

I think he makes a great point, I've interacted with my fair share of our Presbyterian friends, and to find one that is truly well read on Reformed Baptist Covenant Theology is a rarity, indeed. So, what we'll be doing today is walking through a list of books that every Paedobaptist who wants to understand Baptist covenant theology should read. It seems only fair to me that my friends should read the noteworthy people in our camp, since we as Reformed Baptists are all quite thoroughly educated in their Covenant Theology arguments. It's sad to me how many paedobaptists I've encountered who literally do not know that Baptist Covenant Theology exists, and even sadder that there are those who reject its existence even after being shown thousands of pages (which they usually never read) on the very subject. So, our goal today is to educate. I'm not necessarily trying to persuade people to drop Presbyterianism to become Baptists, but I am encouraging Presbyterians to take the same time getting to know our theology that we have taken to get to know theirs.

So, in no particular order, here's eleven texts that would be a great starting point for someone new to Baptist Covenant Theology:

The Distinctiveness of Baptist Covenant Theology by Pascal Denault
This is probably the ultimate historical work on Baptist Covenant Theology, and, what's more, it leads you to a list of very useful primary sources on the subject from the 17th century.


A Reformed Baptist Manifesto by Sam Waldron and Richard Barcellos
There are areas of theology that I disagree with these two men on very strongly. However, their work in the area of is essential, because it so succinctly presents the infrastructure Reformed Baptist response to several theological schools of thought, and does so very well.

A Discourse of the Covenants that God made with men before the law by Nehemiah Coxe
The link is actually a text that also includes a pieces by congregational paedobaptist John Owen, because the CT is so very similar. However, it's the Coxe work that I want to draw attention to. Nehemiah Coxe is one of the greatest Baptist theologians who ever lived, and he's essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the Reformed Baptist position on Covenant Theology.

The Marrow of True Justification by Benjamin Keach
One of the reasons why the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith was written was to show the groups in 17th century England that had persecuted the Baptists and labeled them as heretics that these Particular Baptists held to the same orthodox faith that the paedobaptists did. This book is a good example of why that claim was true.

Devoted to the Service of the Temple: Piety, Persecution, and Ministry in the Writings of Hercules Collins by Michael Haykin
This text gives an inside look at one of the great catechizers of Reformed Baptist history. Along the way, it also gives insight into the suffering that the movement had to endure to survive in the face of paedobaptistic (I say it that way only because there were at least three major paedobaptist groups in England who oppressed the Baptists) and it also gives a telling glimpse into what life in the Reformed Baptist church looked like, historically.

The Complete Works of Andrew Fuller
This collection is important to understanding how some of the elements of the 17th century Baptist movement prospered in the generations that followed the initial writing of the 1689 Confession.

Abstract of Systematic Theology by JP Boyce
This might be the greatest systematic work ever written by a Reformed Baptist. Also, please do not confuse this author with Presbyterian JM Boice, who, I should say, was a splendid theologian in his own right.

"An Essay on the Kingdom of God" by Abraham Booth
This is actually not the first time I've recommended this essay. It also appears on my discussion on how Reformed Baptists interact with Theonomy. But Booth's work here is a really great example of the Baptist notion of Covenant Theology in an application mode, and for that it's worth bringing up again. He also has a great set of books called Paedobaptism Examined, but those are incredibly hard to find in print, unfortunately.

The Fatal Flaw of the Theology Behind Infant Baptism by: Jeffrey Johnson
Why do we believe in Covenant Theology but reject what some call 'Covenant Baptism'? Here's why. (And by the way, Reformed Baptist baptism, I would argue, is Covenant Baptism, because we baptize those who are actually in the Covenant according to Galatians 3.)

Recovering a Covenantal Heritage Edited by Richard Barcellos
What's great about this text is that it has about 15 articles by many different Reformed Baptist scholars, so it's a great way to get a feel for the basics at play in the questions of Covenant Theology from a Reformed Baptist perspective.

The Covenants by RBC Howell
Howell was the second president in the history of the Southern Baptist Convention, he also happened to be a very strong Reformed Baptist. This is a wonderful exposition of Covenant Theology from a Reformed Baptist perspective.

More resources:

I wanted to include more of the 17th century Baptists than I did. The issue is, it's very hard to find them in print, especially at a reasonable price. But, things are improving on that front. If you happen to have Logos Bible software, search the name Samuel Renihan, and you'll get some reasources on the 17th century Baptists that are really hard to find, elsewhere. You can also find it by searching 'London Baptist Covenant Theology'. 

Also, I would be remiss if I did not like you to www.1689federalism.com. There are multiple schools of thought in Reformed Baptist Covenant Theology, but this one, I believe, holds the most historical precedent and so for the purpose of understanding the position historically I think this site is the most helpful.

And, no, I didn't include Spurgeon and no, it was not a mistake. Spurgeon was the Prince of Preachers, but he was a footsoldier of systematic theologians. 

TO THE REFORMED BAPTISTS READING THIS!

Do your homework, too! Know the authors listed above, and, just as importantly, know the paedobaptist position as well. The perfect place to start with that is Michael Horton's Introducing Covenant Theology. Do NOT try to debate paedobaptists unless you truly understand their position, and, at the same time, educate them on our position.

Taking Responsibility for Tragedy and Identifying the Real Problem: A Response to the Charleston Shooting

It happened, again. Senseless violence in America ending the lives of nine people. This time, it happens to be racism. In other instances we chalk it up to mental illness or some other notion of intolerance we've set up, and we begin to stand on our soap box and declare why we should take steps A-Z to fix the problem. 'Gun control', 'changing media bias', 'changing the conversation about race' or 'changing the conversation about mental disease'... it happens every time, the people who are leaders in the various spheres of influence in this country come up with their program that's going to solve the problem, and the huddled masses follow after them like sheep, blindly repeating the rhetoric.

I want to share two words, one which addresses a very serious criticism of the American church in light of this specific tragedy, and then one that builds on that to flesh out what the root of the problem actually is. So first, let's look in the mirror. The church that this murderer stepped into is 'historically Black'. Why? Well, a big part of the reason why that is the case is because white, conservative, Christians were racist for a very long time. I'm a white, conservative, Christian so that really resonates at my core. On the other hand, as racial wounds have begun to at least somewhat heal in this country and Christian groups (such as my own Southern Baptist Convention) started to own and take responsibility for their dark, racist pasts, there is very little effort on the part of most churches, especially where I am from in the South, to integrate racially.

This is ridiculous. We're supposed to be part of the same body, right? When this murderer (and no, I don't plan on using his name because I don't think he deserves to have it mentioned) walked into a Bible study to kill people of a very specific skin color, why on earth were there not White and Hispanic and Native American brothers and sisters in the Lord there to either stop him, or at least share in the sufferings as one body. This man was able to select his target so easily precisely because even after all this time White folks and Black folks can't seem to get over their own comfort zones and racial biases enough to worship their common Savior together. That is a tragedy in itself on top of the terrible grief we already experience as a country because this sort of thing still happens.

But why does it happen? This division within the body happens for the same reason why the secular society around us can't get the solution right. It all stems from having too weak a sense of human sin and and the role of the Gospel in every possible human good. First of all, man does evil things because man is evil. Without the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the 'righteousness' of man is filthy rags. This means that whatever strategy man comes up with to solve these problems, if there' no Holy Spirit, it's not a righteous strategy, it's insufficient, it's God-less, literally. The fact that our strategies to overcome issues like the murders in Charleston are pretty obvious. However, what is less obvious, but still as vital, is that the segregation in our churches just as driven by the fact that we don't put the Holy Spirit in the middle of how we build our churches and how we address the race problems in our church.

If our solutions God-less, what hope do we really have for it working? We don't. So what do we do instead? Well, quite simply, the answer is we share the Gospel. It may sound simple, but if our problem is that our solutions are not righteous without God, then the key has to be getting God into the lives of the people, and sharing the Gospel, and making the Gospel truly central to our churches. If you're listening to your preferred pundit and they are rooting the problem in 'media bias' or 'racism' then they're deceived, and they are missing the true issue. We should address racism, we should address fair-minded media coverage, but we don't truly fix these things without the work of the Holy Spirit and the Gospel message. Any solution without that, is a lie. We as Christians shouldn't promote it, and we as Christians should be critical of those among us who try to do so.

When the Holy Spirit renews us, and makes us new creatures, only then do we have any hope of making real changes to our society. Promote the Gospel, not the lies of our society that try to fix things through secular activism and legislation without the necessary foundation of the work of the Holy Spirit. 

10 Books, Besides the Bible, that Every Christian Should Read

Initial Apologies:

If someone were to attempt to list all the books that could be beneficial to the life of every single Christian, the list would take days to read, because God, in his wonderful grace, has used many people to communicate the truth about him very beautifully. These ten texts are simply a start, I encourage everyone to be consistently involved in reading wise and godly Christians from the history of the church. So, I am sorry for the essential incomplete nature of this list, but hopefully it will be a strong start for those looking to bolster their reading of texts that seek to teach about our Holy, Triune God. All links below lead to places where the texts can be acquired. The numbers are not a ranking of how I rate the quality of each in relation to the others. 

1. THE FUNDAMENTALS: A TESTIMONY TO THE TRUTH

If you ever wonder where the term 'Fundamentalist' comes from, this text is it. BEFORE you immediately disregard it based on your negative perception of the term 'Fundamentalist', bear with me, please. Originally released as a series of essays from the Bible Institute of Los Angelos, (my personal copy is a two volume set) this text seeks to lay out the core essentials of what the Christian faith is in a collection of essays by a variety of scholars from various denominational backgrounds. Notable authors included B.B. Warfield, Thomas Spurgeon, R.A. Torrey, A.C. Dixon, C.I Scofield, and Charles R. Erdman. It addresses numerous topics from atheism to the Trinity, to the nature of Scripture and the Atonement. You can find it on Kindle for $0.99 or on ntslibrary.com for free. 

2. THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS

This text is possibly the greatest Christian allegory ever written. It is the masterpiece of English Baptist John Bunyan, and it powerfully resonates with those on the Christian walk. Filled with great theological content woven into the fabric of an original story, it is a book that can be of great benefit to children and adults alike. It can be bought rather inexpensively on Amazon or found online for free at ccel.org.

3. FOXE'S BOOK OF MARTYRS

It is vital that Christians understand what their predecessors have suffered for the sake of the Gospel. To lose sight of the all-consuming passion in which those before us have striven to preserve the truth in the face of cultural oppression is to risk allowing ourselves to be lulled to sleep by the rejections of the Gospel in our own culture and era. Time and again, people promoting themselves as 'Christians' have simultaneously promoted the sins and heresies of the world. Such action is not only disrespectful to God, but also to those who died so that we could have the Gospel, today. This book, by John Foxe, is but one of many great texts that draw attention to the struggles of Christians past, and it can be found for as cheaply as $1.00 on Kindle or for free on ccel.  

4. THE NEW TESTAMENT DOCUMENTS: ARE THEY RELIABLE?

F.F. Bruce demonstrates in this concise but brilliant piece of scholarship, that the texts of the New Testament are reliable despite what liberal and atheist scholars have tried to say to the contrary. Being aware of Bruce's argument in this text is a great tool for every Christian to have. This book is $2.00 on Kindle and can be purchased rather cheaply in other formats as well. 

5. THE UNEASY CONSCIENCE OF MODERN FUNDAMENTALISM

Carl F.H. Henry agreed with the theology laid out in The Fundamentals, but he realized that the movement had lost its ability to engage the culture with that truth. In less than ninety pages, he kick-started conservative evangelicalism. This book can be found on Amazon. 

6. ORATIONS AGAINST THE ARIANS

For over half a century Athanasius defended the doctrine of the Trinity against Arianism. This text is the summary of his defense of true Christianity against that heresy. The paperback can be found on Amazon or it can be found on ccel.org for free. 

7. DESIRING GOD

What does it mean to be a Christian hedonist? Essentially, as John Piper argues in his most influential book, it is to fulfill the chief end of man which is to 'glorify God and enjoy him forever'. How does a Christian do this? He tells us that 'God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.' A book centered wholly on the glory of God, this text challenges everything about the modern inclinations of natural man and exhorts him to look heavenward for his satisfaction. This book, and a study guide to go with it, can be found for free at desiringgod.org or can be bought at Amazon.

8. SINNERS IN THE HANDS OF AN ANGRY GOD

Easily the shortest inclusion on our list, but nevertheless essential. This sermon by Jonathan Edwards should remind us why the Grace of God is so necessary in our own lives, and why the Gospel is so needed by the world around us. Beyond that, it is considered a classic piece of American literary history. It is free, here, it is read online, here. It can be bought, here.

9. A Christian Manifesto

There are many precise presentations of the Christian faith, and what it means to live it, out there, but Francis Schaeffer provides us with one of the very best in his Manifesto. It is just as relevant now as it was when he first wrote it, and it will continue to be so by virtue of the truth it conveys. This book can be found on Amazon. 

10. THE EARLY CHURCH

Every Christian should know the history of the early church, and Henry Chadwick delivers it to us in a masterful way in this text. This text can be found on Amazon.

Final Thoughts:

As I said, it is impossible to make an exhaustive list of this sort, but I have tried to provide a varied list that addresses the various needs of the Christian life, and I tried to include texts that would helpful both to Christians of a more academic persuasion and also those who simply wish to be faithful laymen in the service of God. How did I do? What would you include that I did not? Which books were you disappointed to see on my list?

Reformed Baptists and Theonomy

There is a lot of discussion in Reformed circles about Theonomy. I am personally against this teaching, and have my own arguments/reasons why. However, since we've interacted a great deal with the 1689 London Baptist Confession, I thought it would be appropriate to share some resources from Reformed Baptist sources on the topic of Theonomy.

What sort of Theonomy are we talking about?

There are two main types of Theonomy. 'Covenanter' and 'Reconstructionist'. Covenanter Theonomy is not really a Reformed Baptist concern. This form is based on the broader Westminster Standards which existed in Scotland in the 1600s. They have additional documents to the WCF and the Westminster Catechisms that Reformed Baptists have never adopted. Meeting a Covenanter 1689 adherent would be a strange sight, indeed. 

As for the Reconstructionists, one of their leading adherents is actually one of my favorite philosophers. Greg Bahnsen (September 17, 1948 – December 11, 1995), a powerful Christian apologist, was extremely adamant about the view. He wrote several books on the subject, the most notable of which is probably By This Standard: the Authority of God's Law Today. I share the link because, while I disagree with Theonomy, I do not want anyone to think I don't have tremendous respect fro some of the men who hold it, and their arguments deserve to be read, first hand, by someone who is coming to conclusions about Theonomy. 

A further synopsis is given by non-Theonomist RC Sproul, here: http://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-reconstructionism-what-theonomy/?mobile=on

Reformed Baptist reactions:

Sam Waldron, who wrote the exposition of the 1689 that we have dealt with, wrote a very thorough article on the subject of Theonomy, you can find that here:  http://www.reformedreader.org/rbs/tarba.htm

For an older source, I would suggest 1700s Baptist apologist Abraham Booth, and his essay entitled "An Essay on the Kingdom of Christ." You can get a $.99 ebook version of the text on Kindle, and you can read a review of it, here: http://www.1689federalism.com/the-kingdom-of-christ-abraham-booth/

Many of those familiar with Reformed Baptist thought will know about a view of Covenant Theology known as 1689 Federalism. The primary website that supports this view is www.1689federalism.com. On that site, they have the following article:  http://www.1689federalism.com/1689-federalism-theonomy/

The Confession:

Here is the relevant chapter from the 1689 Confession of Faith:

Chapter 24: Of the Civil Magistrate

1._____ God, the supreme Lord and King of all the world, hath ordained civil magistrates to be under him, over the people, for his own glory and the public good; and to this end hath armed them with the power of the sword, for defense and encouragement of them that do good, and for the punishment of evil doers.
( Romans 13:1-4 )

2._____ It is lawful for Christians to accept and execute the office of a magistrate when called there unto; in the management whereof, as they ought especially to maintain justice and peace, according to the wholesome laws of each kingdom and commonwealth, so for that end they may lawfully now, under the New Testament wage war upon just and necessary occasions.
( 2 Samuel 23:3; Psalms 82:3, 4; Luke 3:14 )

3._____ Civil magistrates being set up by God for the ends aforesaid; subjection, in all lawful things commanded by them, ought to be yielded by us in the Lord, not only for wrath, but for conscience sake; and we ought to make supplications and prayers for kings and all that are in authority, that under them we may live a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty.
( Romans 13:5-7; 1 Peter 2:17; 1 Timothy 2:1, 2 )

One might notice a couple of interesting points, here. First, 24.2 seems to assume that each kingdom and commonwealth is going to have its own unique set of laws, and it refers to them as 'wholesome', not 'Biblical' or 'Divine'. Further, Taking points 2 and 3 together suggests a relationship to the government where we participate when we are asked to do so, but otherwise we live in quiet and peaceable submission. This last note of 'quiet and peaceable life' is not found in the Westminster Confession, and indeed, the Baptist confession differs from its older cousin quite a bit in this chapter. Even starker contrast is seen between the 1689 and its congregationally political cousin, the Savoy Declaration. (The latter is, in this author's opinion, is the confession with the strongest theonomic implications.)

Other Reformed voices against Theonomy who are not necessarily Baptists:

Lee Irons (OPC): http://www.upper-register.com/papers/commonargs_print.html

G.I. Williamson (OPC): http://www.reformed.org/ethics/index.html?mainframe=/ethics/GI.html

John Frame (PCA): http://www.frame-poythress.org/penultimate-thoughts-on-theonomy/

T. David Gordon (PCA): http://www.theologicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/gordon_theonomy.pdf

Resources for Hermeneutics

This past Thursday I was blessed with the opportunity to appear on "Theology Matters with the Pellews" to discuss the topic of Hermeneutics and, specifically, the relationship of Philosophy to Hermeneutics. The link to the interview can be found, here:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/truradio/2015/06/04/theology-matters-with-the-pellews-hermeneutics-and-bible-study-methods

Here are the resources referenced on the show and some additional references on the topic:

Definition of Hermeneutics (Carm.org)

Books:

Kevin Vanhoozer: Is There a Meaning in this Text? Review of this book: http://www.frame-poythress.org/review-of-kevin-vanhoozers-is-there-a-meaning-in-this-text/

Biblical Hermeneutics: Five Views

Walter Kaiser: Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics: The Search for Meaning

Kevin Deyoung: Taking God at His Word

Vern Poythress: Inerrancy and the Gospels: A God-Centered Approach to the Challenges of Harmonization

Vern Poythress: Inerrancy and Worldview: Answering Modern Challenges to the Bible

Articles:

Vern Poythress: "Why Must Our Hermeneutics Be Trinitarian"

Walter Kaiser: "Hermeneutics and the Theological Task" 

Justin Taylor: "Hermeneutics 101"

David Garner: "Cereal Aisle Hermeneutics"

Matt Slick: "How to Interpret the Bible"

International Council on Biblical Inerrancy:

The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy

The Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics

Other media:

Vern Poythress: "Hermeneutics in Light of the Divine Author of Scripture" (audio)

D.A. Carson: "Hermeneutics" (audio)

Concluding remarks

Most of these resources are free, the books can all be found at Amazon.com. Thanks, again, to the Pellews for letting me be on their show! It was a tremendous blessing. 

Infant Baptism: Valid but irregular.

I've posted on Baptism, before. You can find that, here. I am a credo-baptist, however, unlike many Baptists, I do not think that someone who was baptized as an infant has a baptism that is necessarily invalid. I think we have an example that makes this consistent with the theology we already have in place. You can listen to a short exposition of that position, here, by John Piper.

A Cognate:

If you took the time to click on the Piper link, what you heard was a description of whether we should baptize those who are mentally challenged to the point that they cannot make a public profession. He argues that we should baptize these folks on the basis of a perception that we can gain from that individual. He then argues that we should probably not baptize these people if we gain no perception from the individual. 

I mostly agree with Piper, here. I think he has focused on God's grace and also defended the sanctity of Baptism in a very meaningful way. Therefore, I also agree with him that the Baptism of these non-professors would be valid.

Infant Baptism?

Okay, so, what about infant baptisms, are all infant baptisms valid? NO, they most certainly are not. Okay, I am sure that I've lost a bunch of folks at this point, but bear with me. I, as a Baptist, don't remember a single time in my life where I did not love God. That's not to say that there was no specific moment where I repented of my sins and professed myself to be a follower of Christ. There was definitely such a time, and it was on December 18th, 1995. I was six years old. But, thinking in terms of a Calvinistic soteriology, I do not believe that I lacked faith in God and his promises before that point, and I do think that God regenerated my soul before that point and brought me to that faith. 

If I had been baptized before my profession, given those details, I would readily accept them as valid. The presence of that regeneration, though prior to my profession, would be evident in a way that was similar to what we have seen in the discussion of the mentally disabled, above. If I am going to count the baptism of the mentally disabled as valid without a clearly articulated profession, it is only consistent that I grant the same to those infants who were baptized and who showed signs of God's regenerative work before articulating a confession. 

Now, in line with what Piper talked about with those who showed no signs of regeneration... if a person who was baptized as an infant do not reflect in their lives the work of regeneration, and live out a rebellion against God without ever having done so, and then they repent and come to faith. I would say that when that person was baptized there was no evidence of the work of redemption and therefore no evidence that God had worked regeneration in their souls. This person was an improper candidate for baptism as an infant.

Why not baptize everyone as infants?

As a Baptist, I believe that the form of baptism prescribed for believers is upon profession of faith. I respect a lot of my paedo-baptist brothers and I cherish them. However, I also believe that baptism by immersion is what is prescribed in Scriptures, and I would readily affirm that a baptism is not invalidated simply because it was not by immersion (Sam Waldron, who wrote an exposition of the LBCF 1689 that I have reviewed a few chapters of, agrees.) So, though a baptism not done by immersion would be irregular, it's still a valid baptism. I think in the case of these infant baptisms we have the same situation. 

Conclusion

A pastor or group of elders at a church is unlikely to know the circumstances of God's regenerative work in a person. Thus, I put the responsibility on the believer to determine their baptismal candidacy as it relates to their infant baptism. I believe this very short description matches a sense in which a person can both hold to credo-baptism and also affirm that infant baptism can be valid, but irregular.