Anchored 3 The Trinity

It was good to be down in Guildford about 40 others for the third of Reformation Today's sessions looking at the 1689 confession. Robert Strivens took two morning sessions expertly guiding us through the confession and some modern errors. Very helpful. In the afternoon there was something more practicial from Bill James and then Alex Arrell again rounded off with a biographical piece - this time his countryman Alexander Carson. This thrd session marks the end of the series in its present format but it is hoped thta something similar can be done in the future. We hope so.

Anchored 2

Today I was at the second Anchored day conference down in Guildford. I think the numbers were down a bit perhaps. Again, it was mainly ministers. Part of the idea is to promote the work of the magazine Reformation Today, now very much tied to the Carey Conference that comes each January. Between 10 am and 3.30 we crammed in four sessions, two from Robert Strivens on the doctrine of God in the 1689 Confession, one from Bill James on the practical side of preaching these doctrines and another from Alex Arrell, one of the pastors in Guildford, who ended the day with a nice piece on John Gill and his Trinitarianism. Plenty of time for discussion this time. It would be worth trying again. Good to meet people as ever.

Luther once again

It was good to be in Westminster Baptist Church once again on Monday for the Westminster Fellowship. Dr Robert Oliver spoke on first on Luther and then on what we can do to conserve the Reformation gains - namely in the areas of Scripture, worship and confessionalism. Dr Oliver is an excellent historian and was able to retell the story with quiet skill, highlighting things that I have missed so far this year (for example that Luther was a friar not a monk as he is usually called and how although Luther was generally unimpressed with Rome the hospitals did impress him). We had a good discussion session too. An interesting question was the construction of confessions. I sought to make the point that confessions are not only a doctrinal stick to beat out heretics but a doctrinal carrot that omits certain controversial matters in order to foster unity (my example was friends in Cyprus who omit the filioque clause in their standards not because they do not believe it but becasue it is such a cause of contention in the Greek speaking world; Mostyn Roberts referenced the way Christ's active obedoence is not stated in the Westminster Confession). This point appeared to be lost on some of those present. We were about twenty all told. Richard March from Milton Keynes chaired.

Grace Baptist Assembly 2016 Final Sessions

On the Tuesday evening Alun McNabb gave his second and final message. In what was no doubt not the first outing for this material he gave us six or seven reasons why Jeremiah would probably find it difficult to secure a pastorate these days. He instanced his God-centredness, his failure to be "seeker friendly", his seriousness, the way he exposed sin, the fact he was emotional and too repetitive and finally his lack of "musicalness". This was good old fashioned stuff.

On our final day we had a fascinating session first on the document "We believe" one of the two standards of the assembly, the other being the Confession of 1689. It being 40 years since the publication of the Affirmation it was good to hear Peter Day recount the origins of the document. Stephen Rees then compared the 1689 and 1966 documents showing how the latter is a shorter more relevant document in modern language. I have never looked seriously at the 1966 Affirmation as it includes a strict view of communion, not my position. However, that is a mistake on my part as there are many good things in it clearly.

That fist session ran over slightly but we were able to get back on track for the final session when Jonathan Chell of Ramsey preached very helpfully from Psalm 23 to close the conference and bringing us back eventually to where we started off.

Assembly plans to gather again in the same place (Hayes Centre, Swanwick) next year, May 9-11. More here.

Dr Sam Waldron

Dr Sam Waldron is in town this week. He has been in pastoral ministry since 1977 and currently serves as one of the pastors at Heritage Baptist Church in Owensboro, Kentucky, and is Academic Dean and Professor of Systematic Theology at Midwest Center for Theological Studies. His many publications include The Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession.

On Monday he speaks at London Theological Seminary on Creeds an Confessions. The Monday Seminar begins at 2:30 pm. Dr Waldron will be discussing the use of creeds and confessions in the local church. In his first session, he will address the legitimacy and necessity of confessions. Confessions and creeds are widely despised as infringements on soul liberty or sola scriptura. In fact, he will argue that they are both legitimate and necessary to the nature of the church.

His second session is described on the LTS website as follows. The extensive creeds of the Reformation are widely seen as hindering the ministry of the church by restricting membership in the church to mature believers and excluding even some of them. In fact, this is a misunderstanding and properly utilised extensive creeds like those of the Reformation are a great blessing and have wonderful utility in the local church. More here.

On Tuesday and Wednesday he will be at the Westminster Conference. He is the first speaker on the second day, on repentance and sola fide. More here. He is also preaching for us next Sunday morning.

Quiet Times with Hercules

Reformation Heritage Books have just brought out another book in their little devotional series Devoted to the service of the Temple. It chiefly presents writings by Hercules Collins (c 1646-1702), a rather forgotten Baptist pioneer who should be better known. Michael Haykin and Steve Weaver have drawn together an excellent set of brief writings by the man. These are beautifully presented and further enhanced by a brief biographical introduction. Hopefully it will be a great blessing to many. More details here or here.

Know what you believe 2

2. God and the Holy Trinity
1. The Lord our God is the one and only living and true God, whose subsistence is in and of himself; who is infinite in being and perfection; whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but himself; who is a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions; who only has immortality; who dwells in the light which no man can approach; who is immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, in every way infinite, most holy, most wise, most free, most absolute; who works all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will, for his own glory; who is most loving, gracious, merciful, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth; who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin; who is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him and who, at the same time, is most just and terrible in his judgements, hating all sin and who will by no means clear the guilty.
1. He is singular. There is only one God, the living and true God, The Lord our God. All others are false. Worship him alone.
2. He is self-existent, not dependent on others but existing by his own power and will. Approach him aware that he depends on no-one for his existence and has to answer to no-one.
3. He is infinite. There is no limit to him or to his perfections. He is beyond us in everything.
4. He is incomprehensible. Because of who he is, none can fully fathom the depths of his person and nature but God himself. We can know him but we cannot fully understand him. There is always a mystery.
5. He is spiritual. Essentially spiritual and invisible, he has no body, is indivisible into parts and not like a creature with passions. A spiritual being must be served spiritually. God hears prayer but is not fickle or capricious in responding.
6. He alone has true immortality in himself. He is without beginning or end. Praise him.
7. He dwells in unapproachable light and is unchanging, vast, everlasting, omnipotent, beyond understanding. We cannot tame God or shut him up in a box. He is always beyond us, higher than our highest thought.
8. He is sovereign. A most holy, wise, free, absolute God, he works out everything in line with the dictates of his own unchanging, most righteous will to this end - his own glory. He controls all things and does as he wants. Bow to his will and seek always what he seeks – his glory.
9. He is love. Loving, gracious, merciful, tolerant, God is full of goodness and truth and one who forgives. Look confidently to him for grace and mercy. Good and true, he will receive all who look to him.
10. He is just. A fair God, he rewards earnest seekers but because he is completely righteous he is very severe when he brings judgement. He hates all sin and refuses to pardon the guilty who do not repent. Be encouraged: God rewards those who seek him. Be warned: he hates sin and robustly judges the guilty.
2. God, having all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and from himself, is unique in being all-sufficient, both in himself and to himself, not standing in need of any creature which he has made, nor deriving any glory from such. On the contrary, it is God who manifests his own glory in them, through them, to them and upon them. He is the only fountain of all being, from whom, through whom and to whom all things exist and move. He has completely sovereign dominion over all creatures, to do through them, for them or to them whatever he pleases. In his sight, all things are open and manifest. His knowledge is infinite, infallible and not dependent on the creature. Therefore, nothing is for him contingent or uncertain. He is most holy in all his counsels, in all his works and in all his commands. To him is due from angels and men whatever worship, service or obedience they owe as creatures to the Creator and whatever else he is pleased to require from them.
1. God is uniquely all-sufficient, both in and to himself. All life, glory, goodness or happiness is found in him. He has no need of any creature nor can he derive any glory from one. We depend on God for life, happiness, glory and goodness. We can only give him what he first gives us.
2. Anything praiseworthy in creatures is God-given. He displays his glory in, through, to and on them. The only source of all being, everything exists and lives from, through and to him. He has absolute, supreme authority over all creatures and does through, for and to them as he pleases. We can only do what God allows. Without him we are nothing. We owe him everything. If we are to be anything worthwhile at all it must be from, through, to and for him.
3. Everything is seen by him and known to him. Omniscient, he has unlimited and complete knowledge, independent of every creature. So nothing for him is dependent on some other factor or at all uncertain. We can hide nothing from him. He always sees us - a comfort to the good, a terror to the wicked.
4. God is utterly holy in all his decisions, actions and commands. We never have reason to complain or object about him or what he does. Whatever happens, whatever he demands, he is sinless.
5. Angels and men owe whatever worship, service or obedience a creature owes his Creator plus anything else God may require. God can never ask too much from us. He made us and sustains us and is our Lord.
3. In this divine and infinite being there are three subsistences: the Father, the Word or Son and the Holy Spirit. All are one in substance, power and eternity; each having the whole divine essence, yet this essence being undivided. The Father was not derived from any other being. He was neither brought into being by, nor did he issue from any other being. The Son is eternally begotten of the Father. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. All three are infinite, without beginning and are therefore only one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties and also their personal relations. This doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and our comfortable dependence on Him.
1. Here the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity is affirmed. In the true God are three subsistences or persons - Father, Son, Spirit. They are one in substance, power, eternity. Each has in him all that it means to be God, something indivisible. The Bible expects us to believe that God is one yet three, each of them being truly and indivisibly God.
2. The Father is characterised by not being derived from or brought into being by or issuing from any other being. We must also believe that the Father is self-existent - not begotten by or proceeding from any.
3. The Son is eternally begotten of the Father. He alone has the quality of being eternally the Father's Son.
4. The Holy Spirit comes out from Father and Son. He alone has the quality of proceeding from both. (Some limit procession to the Father).
5. All three are infinite and without beginning and there is only one God. God’s nature or being should not be divided, though we can distinguish various particular attributes in each person and differences in how they relate. We cannot divide God but we can distinguish how they act in, eg creation, inspiration of Scripture, salvation and prayer. The Father creates by the Word, the Spirit beautifies the work; the Father speaks of the Son by the Spirit; the Father saves through the Son by the Spirit; prayer is to the Father through the Son, by the Spirit.
6. This doctrine is the basis for all fellowship with God and all contented security in him. This is why it is so important to grasp this vital teaching.

The 1689 differs from Westminster at several points here. This can be seen here.

Know what you believe 1b

6. The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down *or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture:* unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelation of the Spirit or traditions of men. Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God and government of the church common to human actions and societies which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed.

**WC in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture:
1. The Bible is sufficient. It teaches all we need to know for God’s glory and our salvation, what to believe and what to do. If not set out explicitly there, it can be logically deduced from it. Our need is not fresh revelation but better Bible knowledge. Study it to know what honours God, how to be saved, what to believe, how to live. Even less obvious things can be known by a more diligent study of its contents.

2. Add nothing to the Bible – not old traditions nor 'new revelations'. Reject both Catholicism and Charismania. Don't follow mere tradition or expect prophecies to supplement the Bible.

3. To understand the Word in a way that leads to salvation we need the Spirit to enlighten our minds. Some have a vast knowledge of the Bible but are unsaved because they lack the Spirit. Pray he will illumine your thinking so that you understand the Bible and are changed by it.

4. The Bible does not go into every practical detail of worship and church order. Some things have to be worked out with honesty and sanctified common sense in light of its general teaching. The Bible does not tell what time to meet on Sundays! With a good conscience work at thinking through the practical details of worship and organising church life on biblical lines.
7. All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all. Yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed and observed for salvation are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned but the unlearned, in a due use of ordinary means, may attain to a sufficient understanding of them.
1. The Bible is clear but not all parts are equally clear and some parts are less easy to understand. Also, some see things quicker than others. Don’t be surprised if there are parts that at first you find hard to understand.
2. However, the Bible is clear enough for both educated and uneducated, by ordinary means, to know all they need to know - what to believe and how to be saved. Never doubt that the Bible is clear enough for even the least educated to be saved if they are willing to hear.
3. The way to know how to be saved is to read the Bible and hear it preached. To be saved – read the Word and hear it preached. Pray that more will hear and be saved.
8. The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old) and the New Testament in Greek (which at the time of the writing of it was most generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God and by his singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentic; so as in all controversies of religion, the church is finally to appeal to them. But because these original tongues are not known to all the people of God, who have a right unto, and interest in the Scriptures, and are commanded in the fear of God to read and search them, therefore they are to be translated into the vulgar language of every nation unto which they come, that the Word of God dwelling plentifully in all, they may worship him in an acceptable manner, and through patience and comfort of the Scriptures may have hope.
1. The Bible, as originally given, is directly inspired by God. He has also watched over it so that we can still have its message today. Consider the Bible, as originally given, truly God-breathed.
2. The Bible has supreme authority for God's people, the church. Accept that our highest authority must always be the Bible.
3. All believers have a right and a duty to read and study the Bible so it should be translated for that to read it, each having his own copy. Be thankful for the Bible in your own language and read it every day.
4. This is how we can all know the riches in God’s Word and worship acceptably, full of hope. Reverently study the Bible and fill your mind with it so that you can worship him in an acceptable way and, helped by the Bible, be filled with hope.
9. The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself and therefore when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold but one), it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.
1. The only infallible rule for interpreting the Bible is the Bible itself. Get help from other authorities but don't make them your rule for understanding the Bible. Your rule for understanding the Bible should be the Bible itself.
2. The Bible is a unity and there are no real contradictions. Accept that though the Bible may appear to contradict itself at certain points it never does so in fact.
3. The clearer parts of the Bible should be used to interpret the less clear. Always understand the Bible on its own terms. Compare Scripture with Scripture. What we need is, as it were, two Bibles – one to interpret the other.
4. The Bible has only one meaning. It may have different applications or different fulfilments but there is only one true meaning.
10. The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men and private spirits are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but *the Holy Scripture delivered by the Spirit, into which Scripture so delivered, our faith is finally resolved.*

**WC the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.
1. The Bible is the supreme judge in every religious question. Accept that what the Bible says is the final judge in any and every religious question.
2. It is superior to statements by church councils, ancient writers and all other human opinions public or private. Beware of giving human opinion of any sort a higher place than the Bible. Even this confession is subject to the Bible.
3. Our faith must rest only on what God has said in the Bible through his Spirit. Be sure that all you believe is rooted only in what the Bible says.

Know what you believe 1a

A simple study of the 1689 Baptist Confession
It's easy to say I believe the Bible but we need to pin down what a person believes it says. Confessions of Faith are useful for
1 Public affirmation and defence of the truth
2 Providing a public standard of fellowship and discipline
3 Providing a concise standard for evaluating ministers of the Word
4 Giving us a sense of historical continuity
The 1689 Baptist (2nd London) Confession is the one I adhere to most closely. The briefer 1st London Confession was issued in 1644, the 2nd London was actually put together in 1677 but not published then, owing to persecution. Like the Congregationalist Savoy Declaration (1658) the 1689 closely follows, where it can, the Presbyterian Westminster Confession (1647).

In red we have the original confession (only punctuation has been altered) followed by comments in blue.
1: The Holy Scriptures
1. The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith and obedience. Although the light of nature and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable, yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and his will which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in divers manners to reveal himself and to declare that his will unto his church and afterward, for the better preserving and propagating of the truth and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary, those former ways of God’s revealing his will unto his people being now ceased.
1. How to be saved, what saving faith is and how to live to please God is revealed in the Bible in sufficient detail, clearly enough and without errors. If you want to know how to be saved, what to believe or how to live as a Christian, look in the Bible. It's there!
2. Man’s conscience, creation and providence (general or natural revelation) are enough to teach us there is a good, wise and powerful God so disobedience is inexcusable. By nature we are ignorant of salvation but we do know God is there so we have no reason not to serve him. Stop making excuses and search the Bible to know God.
3. Because we don't know enough to be saved, it has pleased God at different times, in different ways to supply a special, supernatural revelation of himself to his chosen people. It is a mercy that God has revealed himself, something for which we should be very thankful.
4. So that the truth may be preserved, widely known, kept pure and help God's people despite the world, the flesh and the devil, these revelations were written down. The Bible is now the only source of these essential revelations. We ought to love and get to know the one book in which God shows us all we need to know.
2. Under the name of Holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testaments, which are these:
OF THE OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, The Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.

OF THE NEW TESTAMENT: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts of the Apostles, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation.
All of which are given by the inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.
3. The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon or rule of the Scripture, and, therefore, are of no authority to the church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved or made use of than other human writings.
1. Positively, the Bible contains all the books of Old and New Testaments. We ought to know that God’s revelation came in two stages and be able to see the differences between the two.
2. All 66 books are God breathed and are the only rule for what to believe and how to live. Believe that the Bible is from God and let it regulate all your beliefs and actions.
3. Negatively, the Apocrypha is not part of the Bible and deserves no more respect or use than any other human writing.
4. The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed [and obeyed], dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the author thereof; therefore it is to be received because it is the Word of God.
5. We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the church of God to an high and reverent esteem of the Holy Scriptures; and the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, and the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scopeof the whole (which is to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man’s salvation and many other incomparable excellencies and entire perfections thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God; yet notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.
1. We must accept the Bible as God's Word because of its own inherent authority not what the church or anyone else says. Accept the Bible for what it is. If we believe because the church says we should, the church becomes our highest authority.

2. The Spirit can use external and internal testimony to authenticate the Bible. The church’s witness and the Bible’s self-authenticating testimony (heavenly content, life-changing power, majestic style, perfect harmony, glorification of God, revelation of salvation and other great qualities and perfections) show it is God’s Word. One of the best ways to see what the Bible is, is simply to read it. Don't ignore the church’s witness or the Bible’s own self-authentication.
3. To be entirely sure of the Bible's infallible truth and divine authority we need the Spirit’s direct inward witness through and with the Word. If you doubt the Bible's infallibility and authority, ask God’s Spirit to help you to see it.

Differences between the Westminster and 1689 are minor here. I've highlighted them in black (for additions) and pink (for subtractions). The opening addition puts a clear emphasis on Scripture from the beginning. See here.

Importance of Confessions

I thought this post on the importance of confessions was quite thought provoking.