What It Means To Be A Baptist 6 - Southern Baptists

I go to an Independant Fundamental Baptist Church. The pastor preaches a wonderful message from the King James Bible. I find peace in this church. I could never go to, let's say, a Catholic Church or a Methodist or a Pentacostal church. I am sure I would find no peace, whatsoever, in those churches. Now, if circumstances warrant, whatever those cercumstances might be, I do think I could attend a Southern Baptish church, and could adjust.

And so, here are some notes on Southern Baptists.

Isaiah 44
1 Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:
2 thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesh'urun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:
4 and they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the watercourses.

Baptists, and indeed many Christians, have struggled to understand the Bible doctrines of election and predestination. My sense, after some little bit of reading, is that Southern Baptists struggle a little more with these issues than other Baptists.

Following are two quotes from an article written by well-known Southern Baptist author Tom Nettles. It is published on the Southern Baptist Convention website Baptist2baptist.net.

Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility.

I think this Nettles's quote is a representative example of Southern Baptist thought on election.  Here, election appears not to be connected to two words found a number of times in the Bible: predestinate and foreknow. Later in the article Nettles mentions the thoughts of an early 20th Century Baptist.

F. H. Kerfoot, a Southern Baptist theologian and pastor at the turn of the 20th Century, highlighted this doctrine when he wrote, "Nearly all Baptists believe what are usually termed the 'doctrines of grace': the absolute sovereignty and foreknowledge of God; His eternal and unchangeable purposes or decrees; that salvation in its beginning, continuance and completion, is God's free gift; that, in Christ, we are elected or chosen, personally or individually, from eternity, saved and called out from the world, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, through the sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth; . Read Rom 8, 9, 10, 11; Acts 13:48; Eph 1:4-5; 2:1?10; 1 Pet 1:2?5; Jude 24; 2 Tim 1:9; Titus 3:5.

The juxtaposition of the two passages, I think, point to the essence of Southern Baptist thought.  Here is the Southern Baptist struggle to understand the will of God, in the most profound sense.  The two quotes do not seem to finally and conclusively reconcile the doctrines of election and predestination.  Does God elect you because you have faith? Or.  Does God foreknow you, and choose you, and then you have faith? Who acts first? God or Man?

Many years ago, in the 1980's, my mother-in-law lent me her copy of "Baptists And The Bible," by Tom Nettles. It was autographed by the author. After some months I tried to return it to her.  But she said no, I should keep it.  It contains biographies of all of our great Baptist "founders." I have referred to it many times over the years. It is one of my dearest possessions.