Author: kevinjandt

Not to be confused with Universalism, the concept where everyone is saved in the end an understanding of the universal church is often relegated to the dark corners of theology in Orthodox circles because of the focus on the local church.

Don’t misunderstand, this is not to reduce or deflect from the local church. It is the pillar and ground of the truth locally and universally. People must attend a local church, and I agree almost entirely they should be members of a local church. I think there is a time and place when that is not always possible for some time.

What I love about the 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith is the clarity it applies to the church. It heavily focuses on the local church but does not fail to address the universal or “catholic” church.

Chapter 26: paragraph 1: The catholic or universal church, which (with respect to the internal work of the Spirit and truth of grace) may be called invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ, the head thereof; and is the spouse, the body, the fulness of him that fills all in all.¹

Heb. 12:23; Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:10,22–23, 5:23,27,32

These writers used tremendous wisdom in how they articulated the truth about the church. Yes, it is visible, yes it is local, yes it consists of certain assemblies and gatherings of people, but the church consists of the “whole” number of the elect.

“That has been,” that means they are no longer with us, they have passed into eternity. “Are.” This group is currently alive. They are with us today but may not be in the same church as you or me. This is important and the crux of my argument. Lastly, “they shall be,” in short they haven’t been saved just yet. But they will be someday.

Why am I concerned about a universal church that exists around the globe (yes, I’m a round-earther) and meets in different buildings? I’ve encountered groups that don’t believe you can ever leave a church once you are a member or committed to it. It is here we need to be careful. I think this can be abused. There are church-hoppers, and zero commitment Christians out there. That is probably a more significant problem but pinning people to a church where they can only get out if they die is not healthy either.

There are legitimate reasons for leaving that are not sinful, there are other churches that are capable of preaching a gospel message that saves. There are controlling churches that believe they are the center of this universe but they are not and in effect it causes them to be isolationists. They exist only inside their bubble.

Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. Proverbs 18:1

“This man seeks selfish gratification and accepts advice from no one.” – John MacArthur

While most will apply this passage to individuals, it also applies corporately. Insert the church or the leaders into this verse and do you see the problem? A church that isolates itself seeks its own desire. It breaks out against all sound judgment.

When churches believe they are the only game in town and nobody does it the way they do it they create an attitude of spiritual elitism. They won’t allow people to leave which is a product of control-oriented leadership and then leadership becomes everyone else’s conscience. They determine what is best for an individual. Not the individual. They reject the personal element of faith, and it produces a group-think attitude.

These churches are dangerous indeed because they dismiss the individual priest-hood of the believer. They reject the church universal and assume families and fathers are incapable of making sound decisions for themselves and for their loved ones. They reject the teaching of conscience as a viable source of the Holy Spirit working individually in the life of a Christian.

The way to best love this church is to leave. Tell them the truth in love and trust the Spirit of God to deal with them in time, rather than trying to be like them, reject their thinking and believe that the counsel of many will eventually break through.

Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed. Proverbs 15:22

Kevin

Why do they not believe?

It seems so logical to believe, but for most that don’t believe it seems logical to “not” believe and so it only seemed logical for me to explore “belief”.  What is the Christian belief?

We all believe certain things.  Sometimes we believe falsely.  How do we know what is true and what is false?  Is it always and only by our own senses?  Because those can’t always be trusted.

Do we have assurance the sun will rise tomorrow?  Do I know my wife will love me tomorrow the same way she loves me today?  This creates madness in the human mind.  Think of the complexity of the human mind and where did it all come from?  But I digress…

I can’t make you believe anything and you probably can’t make me believe in anything.  We all come to conclusions based on presuppositions mostly.  In a Christian World-view, I presuppose the Bible is true.  In a Secular or Natural World-view, those believe the Bible is not true but whose to say who is right, especially in their view?

Is all truth relative?  What’s true for you is true for you but not for me?  Can truth be relative?  Well, that’s an easy answer for me but is it so easy for you?

There is a distinct clash of views at this point in the argument.

For there to be “truth” there must be a source of absolute truth.  That is the Christian argument.  That true truth is God Himself.  The Beginning and the End.  The One True Constant.  The Law-Giver.  Without this element then there can be no standard by which to live, except what you invent.  Your standard becomes your standard but not mine.

But… If there is a constant, then there is a standard by which all must function and exist.  That standard is the same for you and it is the same for me.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  Matthew 5:17-18

That sure does complicate things, doesn’t it?

Jesus believes the Law and Prophets were given by God that a standard which is to be for all must fully be accomplished.  And this is where it gets tricky for those that don’t believe.  They are accountable to the Law.

And they can’t keep the Law.  Only Christ kept the Law.

Here is where I might upset somebody.

It’s not about believing or un-believing, it’s about rejecting the Law.  Paul said in Romans 1 that truth is suppressed or held down in an attempt to justify unrighteousness.  If I say “there is no god…” then who are you to say I’m wrong?  If there is no god, there is no law, there is no accountability, there is no judgment and there is no eternal reward or eternal punishment.

It’s actually quite convenient.  I get to live like I want and who are you to say I’m wrong?

Is it okay if I steal your wallet?

Philosopher Richard Taylor said:

To say that something is wrong because… it is forbidden by God is… perfectly understandable to anyone who believes in a law-giving God.  But to say that something is wrong… even though no God exists to forbid it, is not understandable… the concept of moral obligation [is] unintelligible apart from the idea of God.  The words remain but their meaning is gone.

For by the works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.  Romans 3:20

Here is the truth.  Today, truth can be received and believed or rejected and denied.  But you don’t get to have it both ways.  You may be a “good” person by the world’s standards, and you are probably a better person than me but Christ was the only one that was perfect and that is the standard by which we will be judged.

Believe on him.  He will never fail you.

Kevin

“In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.” Rupertus Meldenius

The church life can be complex. It can be joyful and downright difficult all at the same time. There are few things that can challenge those in the church much more than matters of conscience. It can seem hard to put your finger on it because what is it actually?

The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) says this about the Scriptures.

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.

This is clear. It’s easy to understand where the conscience leaves room for someone else “feelings” right? I can say, “well my conscience is bothering me about what I’m hearing, seeing or feeling so, therefore, my feelings are validating and I’m now free to do as I please…”

1689 continues:

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.

Through His word, the Lord reveals Himself and declares His will unto His church. This preserves, propogates, establishes and comforts the church. It protects the church against the corruption of the flesh, the malice of Satan and the world.

In short, the word of God is all-sufficient. And yet, the conscience works in concert with the word of God to reveal the truth. Further on in the 1689 we deal specifically with matters of liberty and conscience:

Chapter 21 paragraph 2:

God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in anything contrary to his word, or not contained in it. So that to believe such doctrines, or obey such commands out of conscience, is to betray true liberty of conscience; and the requiring of an implicit faith, absolute and blind obedience, is to destroy liberty of conscience and reason also.

J.I. Packer writes about the Puritan understanding of “the conscience in action” as we try to draw these ideas of the word of God and personal conscience together.

Then, second, this ethical teaching was all given (again, just as in the New Testament) not as a code of routine motions to go through with mechanical exactness, but in the form of attitudes to be maintained and principles to be applied, so that however much teaching and advice a man received, he was always left to make the final decisions and determinations (whether to follow his pastor’s advice; how to apply the given principles in this or that case; etc.) on his own initiative, as spontaneous, responsible acts of his own conscience in the sight of God.

Packer explains that it was important that all things be measured against the word of God, through proper biblical exegesis. This can create problems left unchecked by leaders that desire to control others, so having biblical discernment is paramount to avoid the authoritarian leader.

Puritan ethical teaching was not authoritarian; it was offered as exposition and application of Scripture, and was to be checked against Scripture by those who received it, according to the Protestant principle of the duty of private judgment. The Puritans did not wish men’s consciences to be bound to their own teaching, as such, but to the Word of God only, and to Puritan teaching only so far as it was demonstrably in accord with the Word of God.

What does all this really mean to us today? The Puritan’s view of conscience was traced immediately back to Popery. Coming out of the teaching of Rome, that men should exclusively look to their leaders. While leaders are God given, they are not infallible. Looking back to the quote by Meldenius we can see the goal of the local church and the concerned shepherd.

“In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.”

A Christian’s great desire is to honor the Lord in the essentials of the faith, we must be united. If you do not believe God is triune, we have a problem. We cannot be unified in the faith. This is clear and easy to grasp.

However, as we jump to the non-essentials things tend to get stickier. This is where we need to have balance and grace. Or as Meldenius said… “Liberty”. Liberty or freedom of conscience frees us from the teachings of men. It allows unity without uniformity. It allows for grace and not oppression. When leaders drive home certain biblical texts that place them on the throne we need to beware. The Puritans understood this and it was of great concern for them.

If freedom of conscience is not treasured, is not fought for in and by a local church this should be a concern for you and for me. Christ died not only that we be free from the penalty and condemnation of sin but we also be free from the penalties and condemnation of men. Liberty is never a license to freely sin but it is a priceless element of the gospel of Christ.

While the Lord has given gifts to the church of pastors and teachers their authority is limited and we should allow no-man to take us captive. This is crucial to true Christianity.

Lastly, of course… charity in all things, even in disagreement. Without love we are clanging gongs and tinkling cymbals. We are obnoxious noise makers void of love. But often times true love comes with conflict. Conflict can be and is sometimes necessary. We cannot roll-over, be intimidated or bullied.

May the Lord endow us with wisdom from on-high, and grace to love His church.

Kevin

Back in my younger days, BC (before Christ) I had my hand at the stock market a time or two with pretty mixed results.  Well, let’s be painfully transparent here, it wasn’t good.  I’ve learned some hard lessons.

I can’t honestly ever remember hearing the words, “I’ve got a sure thing for you to invest in…”  but if I had I probably would have given it a try.  Thankfully I’ve abandoned those bad ideas and invest in a slow and steady way.

Remeber the quote that “nothing in this world is certain except for death and taxes”?

There is one sure thing I was reminded of today.  Christ lives.  He is a sure thing.  He is THE sure thing, and more importantly, we have evidence of that surety.  Look at the amazing claim made here and see if you find the evidence as compelling as I do.

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.  Luke 1:1–4

When we want to know about things what do we do?  We dig in, we research it, we seek it out by talking with people, search the internet.  This is what Luke has done, well except search the web.

He did his due-dilligence in the matter because this was important.  The claims made by and about Jesus are hard to believe, but if you had a chance to sit and talk with those that saw them would it be compelling to you?  Luke says you can have “certainty” about these things.

Think about that.  Prophecies from the Old Testament came true before them.  Jesus predicted His death and resurrection. Jesus was resurrected and seen by over 500 eye witnesses.  The testimonies of changed lives.  These are just a quick few mentions.  There are countless reasons to believe and have certainty.

So I’ll ask you…  do you?  Do you believe?  Nothing is stopping you, it’s not the evidence.  It’s your unwillingness to surrender; to give in and believe Christ.  This is what faith is all about.  It’s not blind faith, it’s educated faith and it’s a life changing faith.

Believe the good news today.  It’s a sure thing.

 

Kevin

What exactly is a hypocrite?  I’ve been accused of it before, and I’m sure you have as well.  If you are a Christian you will undoubtedly be accused of being a hypocrite throughout your life.

Let’s first define the term from three different sources.

1. Merriam Webster.com: a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion.

2. Webster 1828: One who feigns to be what he is not; one who has the form of godliness without the power, or who assumes an appearance of piety and virtue, when he is destitute of true religion.

3. New Testament Greek: hypokrisis: acting under a feigned part, i.e. (figuratively) deceit (“hypocrisy”): — condemnation, dissimulation, hypocrisy.

In a sense, these all, (mostly) say the same thing.  The Greek goes on to use the imagery of a stage actor.  Someone pretending to be something he is not.

So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Matthew 23:28

Jesus was condemning the Scribes and Pharisees, the religious elite of the day.  You remember, whitewashed tombs, full of dead men’s bones.  There is little doubt there is a LOT of religious hypocrisy.  Notice they are full of lawlessness.  Here is the defining point.  Looking religious but living in rebellion to God’s word, this is true hypocrisy.

Just because someone calls you a hypocrite doesn’t mean you are one.

The religious hypocrite should be dealt with, just as Jesus did, but not all religion is automatically hypocritical.

True Christianity is an affair of the heart.  It’s an internal desire to please Christ as I stated in yesterday’s post.  We may be hypocritical at times as all mankind is prone to do but won’t reside there.  It won’t be our manner of life.  We desire true piety.

There is another type of hypocrite.

I’m talking about the irreligious, God hater, that thinks to throw the term around and identifying every type of religious person into the class he has determined relieves his conscience of any guilt.  This person, whoever he might be, puts any desire for piety into one camp.  And by doing so, becomes the hypocrite himself.

Do you see that?

After all, who is not hypocritical at times?  Certainly not that guy right?  It’s a dangerous position because in this manner of self-righteousness this guy has exalted himself to the standard of righteousness.

“If everyone just lived the way I do, then everything would be okay…”

“That idiot is the problem with the world…”

“Thin the herd…”

Haven’t we all been there?  I know I have.  Be careful.  Our thoughts, our words, our actions carry responsibility.  Our own words will condemn us.  Yes, judge with righteous judgment but don’t be too quick about it.

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.  Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—  if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:1-5

 

Kevin