What Is A Baptist 2 - Walter B. Shurden

Even when I was very young, the meaning of being a Baptist was important to me. As fate would have it, it was an important issue for my family. The next few posts contain some basic information on Baptists and some personal thoughts. These are my notes and thoughts; some things I do not want to forget.

Galatians 5
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Baptist historian Walter B. Shurden's articulation of Baptist characteristics is often mentioned on the internet. His description of Baptist beliefs on liberty are interesting, especially in comparison to the Baptist acronym cited in the previous post.  Most Baptists, I assume, agree with these "Four Freedoms:"

• Soul freedom: the soul is competent before God, and capable of making decisions in matters of faith without coercion or compulsion by any larger religious or civil body
• Church freedom: freedom of the local church from outside interference, whether government or civilian (subject only to the law where it does not interfere with the religious teachings and practices of the church)
• Bible freedom: the individual is free to interpret the Bible for himself or herself, using the best tools of scholarship and biblical study available to the individual
• Religious freedom: the individual is free to choose whether to practice their religion, another religion, or no religion; Separation of church and state is often called the "civil corollary" of religious freedom.

I've noticed over the years each Baptist church seems unified to share values, basic and fundamental doctrines, political beliefs, with little deviation from the norm. I guess, however, this is true for most Christian churches. Oh, and this is no doubt, truly, a good thing.

More From Galatians 5
13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

What Is A Baptist 1 - An Acronym

Even when I was very young, the meaning of being a Baptist was important to me.  As fate would have it, it was an important issue for my family.  The next few posts contain some basic information about Baptists and some personal thoughts.  These are my notes and thoughts; some things I do not want to forget.

1 John 4
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

Like other Christians Baptists fear God, they love God, Jesus Christ is the center of their lives and their spiritual communities.  Unlike many other Christians, Baptists ave a need for personal, conscious decision to accept the grace of God: to be born again, to become a new man, to put one's vile past behind him. Also unlike many other Christians, Baptists have an extra-ordinary interest in the Bible.  Baptists have a desperate need to symbolize this relationship in front of God and man through Baptism. 

There are other characteristics, distincitives, of being a Baptist, which can be seen in this acronym.  It was never clear if some of these distincitives are more important than others. 

Acronym Baptist Baptist Distinctives

• Biblical Authority
• Autonomy of the Local Church
• Priesthood of the Believer
• Two Ordinances
• Individual Religious Liberty
• Saved, Baptized Church Membership
• Two Offices (Pastor and Deacon)
• Separation of Church and State

Over the years, I have come to believe that these distinctives are God's truth revealed in the Bible. 

Note On Partaking Of The Divine Nature

2 Peter 1
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Some questions
What does Peter mean by "partakers of the divine nature?" Can a saved new man in Christ partake of God's divine nature?  Can he partake of it now, here on earth, with some effort? Can he partake of it before Christ's return or before his bodily death?

The short answer to all of these questions is this: I doubt it.  Note that Peter does insert the word "might."

In those awesome moments, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, so wonderful, so intense, even at those moments we can only get a glimpse of an awesome God. And that is our reward for humility....

Hymn By Charles Wesley

Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit
into every troubled breast!
Let us all in thee inherit;
Let us find that second rest.

Calm Ocean And A Roaring Hurricane 3

There are centuries of battles among Baptists, for example between Calvinist Baptists and those Baptists with an Arminian view of Christian life and for another example between between Calvinist Baptists and Dispensationalists. These were, and are, nasty battles about God's sovereignty and man's election.

Here is an example of comments criticising Dispensationalism:

From A. W. Pink, Beloved By Many Baptists: Dispensationalists [are] those who impose their crudities and vagaries, and make their poor dupes believe a wonderful discovery had been made in the 'rightly dividing of the word of truth.

Here is an example of comments criticising Calvinism:

From David Cloud:  I am convinced that John Calvin has caused great and unnecessary divisions among God's people because of dogmatizing his philosophizing about God's sovereignty and election.

Dispensationalism, Arminianism, and Calvinism are frameworks of Bible doctrine. And so, we have the grand battles of the frameworks. And I find this just so sad. Bible-believing Christians, men for whom Christ is the center of their lives, fighting about their deepest, most profound beliefs. Fighting about God, and His will, His ways and His works. It is just a sad sad situation....

I have no particular insights about how one might reconcile these conflicts, each supported by many learned, honest, prayerful Christian men, true believers. I did, however, come across two Bible passages that I find comforting when considering such conflicting Bible doctrine.

2 Corinthians 4
18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

God's will, His way and His works are eternal and may not be absolutely understandable to us. It may be best to maintain some humility as we study and comment on these issues.

John 17
9 .... I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

And finally, as we meditate on our salvation, it is comforting to know that Jesus is praying for us....

Calm Ocean And A Roaring Hurricane 2

As fate would have it, the fate of my birth and up-bringing, I have a more than passing interest in both Covenant Theology and Dispensational Theology. This is my view of Dispensational Theology.

Revelations 19
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

Dispensational Theology is, of course, a theological framework based on dispensations or successive historical periods. And God administers each of these periods under different covenants. It is also based on special relationships between God and Hebrews and between God and Christians. And it is based on the Pre-millennial return of Jesus Christ.

My personal view is this: Dispensational Theology is a hurricane, roaring up the coast. This hurricane is filled with an incredible sense of movement, as it moves through the dispensations, through the ages, from Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Jacob, to Moses, from God's Hebrew past to the Church, toward the rapture, the millennial kingdom, and our final judgement.  And only then, the hurricane finally comes to rest in heaven, our final peace with God. And everyone is part of this unfolding Bible truth, Christians, Jews, saints and the vilest of sinners.

Calm Ocean And A Roaring Hurricane 1

As fate would have it, the fate of my birth and up-bringing, I have a more than passing interest in both Covenant Theology and Dispensational Theology. This is my view of Covenant Theology.

Romans 8
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Covenant Theology, of course, is a theological framework based on the covenants of redemption, works and grace. It is also based on the Analogy Of Faith. And it includes the doctrines of Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace and Perseverance of the Saints.

My personal view is this:  Covenant Theology is a peaceful ocean on a warm, late summer day. All the pieces of the universe fit. The world is timeless, ruled by God's sovereign grace. Everything is connected, reconciled to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We see the timeless powerful Jesus Christ in each passage of the Old Testament, echoing throughout the New Testament. All is well. Jesus, in all his majesty, reigns.

Hermeneutics: Advanced Interpretation

Romans 11
33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

Biblical hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation concerning the books of the Bible. Here is the complete discussion of this subject, including the book "Biblical Hermeneutics," by Milton Terry:

http://www.preteristarchive.com/Books/1883_terry_biblical-hermeneutics.html.

I bought Terry's book a couple of years ago.  It is evidently a 19th Century and classic.  It contains lots of advanced, complicated, no doubt learned, no doubt sensible theology. To my surprise, I could understand it, and I kind of enjoyed it. And while I found it full of theology, it was seemingly devoid of the gospel message, devoid of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. In the end, I not find it to be particularly edifying.

Maybe this is the first rule of hermeneutics: sound, learned, sensible theological interpretation may not be edifying, or, particularly useful....

Hermaneutics: Let's Think About This

Martin Luther Wrote
When I was a monk, I allegorized everything; but now I have given up all allegorizing, and my first and best art is to explain the Scriptures according to the simple sense; for it is in the literal sense that power, doctrine, and art reside.

My sense is, if you conscienciously and regularly study your Bible, your most profound beliefs, about God, about Jesus, about your very salvation, will change.

More From Psalm 33
6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth

Hermaneutics: Bible Prophesy

Daniel 9
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

I was thinking about Daniel's phophecies the other day and came upon an article by Sylvester Hassell, a Baptist minister, historian, and teacher. It had some good insights on the principles we can use to understand Bible prophecy. The following quotes were provided.

Martin Luther
When I was a monk, I allegorized everything; but now I have given up all allegorizing, and my first and best art is to explain the Scriptures according to the simple sense; for it is in the literal sense that power, doctrine, and art reside.

John Calvin
The true meaning of Scripture is the natural and obvious meaning, by which we ought resolutely to abide; the licentious system of the allegorists is undoubtedly a contrivance of Satan to undermine the authority of Scripture, and to take away from the reading of it the true advantage.

C. H. Spurgeon
The Bible is not a compilation of cleaver allegories or instructive poetical traditions; it teaches literal facts, and reveals tremendous realities. It will be an ill day for the church if the pulpit should ever appear to indorse the skeptical hypothesis that Holy Scripture is but the record of a refined mythology, in which globules of truth are dissolved in seas of poetic and imaginary detail.

For as long as I have mind enough to study the Bible, I suspect these quotes will be my basic, guiding principles. Good food for daily life.

Dinah - Revenge

Genesis 34
24 And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.
25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.

In Genesis 34 we have the defilement of Jacob's daughter Dinah by Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite, who longed for her. In order to make amends with Jacob for the ravishing of Dinah, the Hivites agree to be circumcised. Then, in the passage above we have Jacob's final revenge, not only against Shechem, but against all the Hivites.

I tried to find a passage a passage complementary or analogous to this one, so full of exquisite revenge and bloodshed, in the New Testament. Following is the closest I could find, and it only uses the armaments of warfare as a metaphor.

Ephesians 6
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Maybe the New Testament call for humility, meekness and peace is a mandate too tough to meet.

Luke 9
54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of...

Maybe meekness should be called the Impossible Commandment.

Notes And Thoughts On The Analogy Of Faith 4

Here are some final notes and thoughts on the Analogy of Faith and its connection to the Baptist faith.

Romans 12
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

And so, we find that the Analogy Of Faith is one of the key doctrines of the Calvinist theology. And we also find that such Calvinist doctrines were important to our Baptist forefathers. And we find examples of Calvinist doctrines firmly embedded in such Baptist documents as the 1689 London Baptist Confession Of Faith.

Following is a comment from Charles Spurgeon on the 1689 London Baptist Confession Of Faith. It shows the importance of the document and the importance of Calvinist thinking, at least in the 19th Century. It is a wonderful, general comment on this Calvinist, Baptist heritage, and a good conclusion for these posts on the Analogy of Faith.

Spurgeon Comments On The 1689 Baptist Confession Of Faith
This ancient document is the most excellent epitome of the things most surely believed among us. It is not issued as an authoritative rule or code of faith, whereby you may be fettered, but as a means of edification in righteousness. It is an excellent, though not inspired, expression of the teaching of those Holy Scriptures by which all confessions are to be measured. We hold to the humbling truths of God's sovereign grace in the salvation of lost sinners. Salvation is through Christ alone and by faith alone.

Notes And Thoughts On The Analogy Of Faith 3

And here are some additional notes and thoughts on the Analogy of Faith and how it relates to the Baptist historical tradition.

The Analogy of Faith is a doctrine that was particularly important to the early English Baptists, as it was and is to all Calvinist Christians. And, over the past four hundred years, Baptists have shared a number of uniquely Calvinist doctrines with their Reformed Christian brothers.

For an example, we can see the Analogy of Faith reflected in this Seventeenth Century document.

London Baptist Confession Of Faith, 1689 Chapter 1 Paragraph 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 are not many, but one), it must be searched by other places that speak more clearly.

And here is the Bible passage that is cited as a reference for this paragraph 9.

2 Peter 1
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

And so, a question. What is a Baptist to do with a deep, rich theological history, some of which might make a modern-day Baptist uncomfortable, some of which might be disagreeable to a modern-day Baptist?

I have no answer. But, on the other hand, it seems that such theological history should not be dismissed out of hand.