Saturday, March 7, 2009

The Reformation Pulpit Feb 14, 2009

The Reformation Pulpit! Feb 14, 2009

What’s wrong with the modern pulpit?

The Method & Manner of Preaching the Gospel must be thoroughly biblical!
The Content of the Gospel Message Preached must be thoroughly biblical!
The Emphasis of every part of the Gospel Message Preached must be thoroughly biblical!

The Gospel is a Message about Saving Faith in Christ!


What does it mean to Believe in Jesus Christ for Salvation?

One of the most misunderstood words in the Bible, is the word faith or believe. There is much failure by preachers to biblically define; what is faith; and what does it mean to believe in Christ? This inexcusable failure on the part of many preachers promotes deception in those who think they have faith, and weakens the assurance of true believers who think they have no faith.

J Gresham Machen: The preacher says believe. . . . But how can a man possibly act on that suggestion, unless he knows what it is to believe. . . . These preachers speak about faith, but they do not tell what faith is. . . . If the way of salvation is faith, it doe seem highly important to tell people who want to be saved . . . just what faith means.[1]

Thomas Brooks: Now how many thousands of Christians are there, that have this faith that is here described . . . who yet question whether they have true faith or no, partly from weakness, partly from temptations, and partly from the various definitions that are given of faith by Protestants, both in their in their preachings and writings; and it is and must be for a lamentation, that in a point so great the trumpet should give such an uncertain sound.[2]

Biblical Reality that all faith is not Saving Faith!

Heb 10:38, 39-“Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him." But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.”

Temporary Faith
Lk 8:13-“But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.”
Mk 4:17-“and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble...”

Demonic Faith
James 2:19-“You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe; and tremble!”
Luke 4:41-“Demons also came out of many, crying out& saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!" And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.”
Mark 1:24-“What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth...I know who You are; the Holy One of God!"

Dead Faith
James 2:17-“Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Miraculous faith
Matt 7:21-“Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'
Acts 8:13-“Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.”

Calvin:

We do not doubt that such persons, prompted by some taste of the Word, greedily seize upon it, and begin to feel its divine power; so that they impose a false show of faith not only upon the eyes of men but even upon their own minds. For they persuade themselves that the reverence that they show to the Word of God is very piety itself, because they count it no impiety unless there is open and admitted reproach or contempt of his Word. Whatever sort of assent that is, it does not at all penetrate to the heart itself, there to remain fixed. And although it seems sometimes to put down roots, they are not living roots. The human heart has so many crannies where vanity hides, so many holes where falsehood lurks, is so decked out with deceiving hypocrisy, that it often dupes itself.[3]

Berkhof:
The Bible does not always speak of faith in the same sense. It refers to a historical faith, consisting in an intellectual acceptance of the truth of Scripture without any real moral or spiritual response. Such a faith does not take the truth seriously and shows no real interest in it. Acts 26:27, 28; James. 2:19. It also speaks of a temporal faith, which embraces the truths of religion with some promptings of conscience and a stirring of the affections, but is not rooted in a regenerated heart. It is called temporal faith, Matt. 13:20, 21, because it has no abiding character and fails to maintain itself in days of trial and persecution. Cf. also Heb. 6:4-6; 1 Tim. 1:19, 20; I John 2:19. Moreover, it makes mention of a miraculous faith, that is a person's conviction that a miracle will be performed by him or in his behalf. Matt. 8:11-13; 17:20; Mark 16:17, 18; John 11:22, 40; Acts 14:9. This faith may or may not be accompanied with saving faith. Finally, it not only names, but stresses the necessity of, saving faith. This has its seat in the heart and is rooted in the regenerated life. Its seed is implanted in regeneration and gradually blossoms into an active faith. It may be defined as a positive conation, wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, as to the truth of the gospel, and a hearty reliance on the promises of God in Christ. [4]

***Crucial Statement by Charles Spurgeon:***

Let it not be imagined that these individuals are necessarily avowed sceptics, for many of them believe much of revealed truth. They believe the Bible to be the word of God; they believe there is a God; they believe that Jesus Christ is come into the world as a Savior; they believe most of the doctrines which cluster around the cross. Alas! they may do this, but yet the wrath of God abideth on them, if they believe not the Son of God. It may surprise you to learn that many of these persons are very much interested in orthodoxy. . . . They have read much, and they are matters of argument in the defense of what they consider to be sound doctrine. They cannot endure heresy, and yet sad is the fact, that believing what they do, and knowing so much, they have not believed the Son of God. They believe the doctrine of election, but they have not the faith of God’s elect: they swear by final perseverance, but persevere in unbelief. They confess all the five points of Calvinism, but they have not come to the one most needful point of looking unto Jesus, that they may be saved. They accept in creed the truths that are assuredly believed among us, but they have not received that faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; at any rate, they have not received it personally and practically for their souls’ salvation. It must be admitted that not a few of these persons are blameless as to their morals. You could not, with the closest observation, find either dishonesty, falsehood, uncleanness, or malice in their outward life; they are not only free from these blots, but they manifest positive excellences. Much of their character is commendable. They frequently are courteous and compassionate, generous and gentle-minded. . . . The one thing needful they are destitute of, they have not believed in Christ Jesus . . . they shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on them. [5]

1] J Gresham Machen, What is Faith ( Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., reprint 1974), p. 43.
[2] Thomas Brooks, The Works of Thomas Brooks (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, reprinted 1980), Vol. 5, p. 52.
[3] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Rio, WI, Ages Digital Library, Ages Software Inc., 2002), Vol. 3, p. 20, 21.
[4] .i.e.: Berkhof, Louis, March 2008, http://www.monergism.com/directory/link_category/Systematic-Theology/
[5] Charles Spurgeon, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit (Rio, WI, Ages Digital Library, Ages Software, Inc.,), Vol. 17, p. 670

No comments:

Post a Comment