Tithing – A Good Place to Start

As a pastor I have often been asked over the years whether or not I think Christians should tithe, and my response is usually, “I think it is a good place to start.” I hope in this article to offer a Scriptural explanation for why I think this is so, especially since the practice appears to have fallen on hard times. There are probably a number of reasons for this, and I have little doubt that a lack of commitment to Christ and His Church, the idolatrous grip of materialism, and plain old selfishness have played some part. But I think the primary reason among thoughtful Evangelicals has to do with their understanding of Scripture. They simply see tithing as a practice that is no longer required of God's people and therefore just don't bother with it. For example, many Christians today rightly observe that we are no longer under the Mosaic law (Rom. 6:14-15; Gal. 3:10-23) and that, since tithing was a part of this Mosaic Law (Lev. 27:30-34; Num. 18:20-21; Deut. 14:22-29), we are therefore no longer required to continue the practice. In addition, it is observed that since tithing is not explicitly taught as a requirement in the New Testament, we have another reason that it is not a necessary practice for Christians.

I agree that there is no clear New Testament teaching commanding Christians to tithe, and this is why the elders at Immanuel Baptist Church (among whom I serve) do not demand that anyone tithe. But that doesn't mean that we would not encourage tithing as a good and godly practice or, as I stated earlier, as a good place to start with one's giving.

At any rate, there seems to be a growing sentiment among Evangelicals to adopt the oppositional stance that asks, “Why should we tithe?” And that is a good question. But today I would rather ask not, “Why should we tithe?” but rather 1) “Why shouldn't we tithe?” and 2) “Why shouldn't we do more than tithe?”

I. Why Shouldn't We Tithe?

In seeking to answer this question, I would like to draw your attention to several lines of argument in Scripture that show that tithing is a good idea.

First, tithing was the example of godly men before the giving of the Mosaic law. For example:

NKJ Genesis 14:18-20 “18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: 'Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.' And he gave him a tithe of all.”

NKJ Genesis 28:20-22 “20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 'If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, 21 so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. 22 And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.'”

Both of these texts are historical narrative passages which tell us about what Abram and Jacob did, but they do not give a command to others to tithe. These passages are descriptive, not prescriptive. However, what they describe is a good response to God that has been recorded for our benefit. And we know that God approved of their tithing, for He later incorporated tithing into the Mosaic law as we have already seen. In fact, I think it may be best to assume that Abraham and Jacob got the idea from God in the first place. But wherever they got the idea, the fact is that the practice was around and found to be good in God's sight before its incorporation into the Mosaic law, which should at least give us some pause about being so quick to dismiss it as simply a part of the Mosaic law that has passed away.

Second, tithing was affirmed by Jesus as a good thing. For example:

NKJ Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”

Jesus clearly says that tithing is something they “ought to have done,” even if He sees the kind of tithing spoken of here as not being among the “weightier matters” of the law. But we must also remember that Jesus warned against the legalistic practice of tithing that does not come from the heart:

NKJ Luke 18:10-14 “10 Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

It is this kind of legalism that so many Christians fear today with respect to the practice of tithing, and they are right to seek to avoid such legalism. But I would hasten to add that just because something may be done in a legalistic way does not mean that it cannot be practiced in a proper way that recognizes that all that we have is by the grace of God. I would also warn against using the charge of legalism as an excuse to be stingy with what God has given us.

Now, as for Matthew 23:23, Jesus is dealing with those who were still under the law, and thus we cannot say that He intended here to enjoin the practice of tithing upon the New Covenant Church. But we can say that He approved of and encouraged tithing as a godly practice if done with the right motives.

Third, the means of supporting the Levites under the Old Covenant is affirmed by Paul as a good example for Christians to follow in support of their ministers under the New Covenant. For example:

NKJ 1 Corinthians 9:1-14 “Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3 My defense to those who examine me is this: 4 Do we have no right to eat and drink? 5 Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working? 7 Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock? 8 Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also? 9 For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." Is it oxen God is concerned about? 10 Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. 11 If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? 12 If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. 13 Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? 14 Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.”

Paul does not explicitly mention the tithes that were given to the Lord for the sustaining of the Levitical priesthood, but the tithe was definitely a primary means of their support. And Paul clearly does see the concept of their sharing in what is given by the people as a model for the support of pastors today. Thus we certainly could say that tithing is a good idea, even if not something that can be demanded (for to demand it when Scripture does not would be the very kind of legalism Jesus despised).

But there is another passage to take note of in 1 Corinthians before moving on:

NKJ 1 Corinthians 16:2 “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”

Again Paul does not explicitly mention tithing or giving any fixed percentage of one's income, but he does clearly see the importance of giving in proportion to what one has. And tithing surely would be a good way of putting this principle into practice.

Fourth, tithing is a good way to honor Christ as our High Priest and King. For example:

NKJ Hebrews 7:1-8 “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated 'king of righteousness,' and then also king of Salem, meaning 'king of peace,' 3 without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. 4 Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. 5 And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; 6 but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. 8 Here mortal men receive [present tense] tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives [present tense].”

Some Christians see in this passage clear evidence of the practice of Christian tithing. They would argue that just as Abraham gave a “tenth” to Melchizedek – who is at the very least said to be a type of Christ in this passage – so we too give “tithes” to Jesus, who is our Great High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. The author of Hebrews, it is argued, assumes that the believers to whom he was writing did tithe, and he obviously thinks this is right.

I am not certain that this way of reading Hebrews 7:8 is correct, and thus I do not see it as an ample basis for saying that Christians should be required to tithe. However, I would observe that, if Abraham honored Melchizedek as a “priest of the Most High God” by giving a tithe to him, why shouldn't we see it as a good way to honor Christ as our Great High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for us? If Abraham honored Melchizedek as the King of Salem by giving a tithe to him, why shouldn't we see it as a good way to honor Christ as our King of kings and Lord of lords? Shouldn't we want to honor Christ at least as much as Abraham honored Melchizedek? I can think of few better ways to acknowledge that Jesus truly is our supreme Lord than to demonstrate that He is more important to us than our money and to do this by giving regularly. And I can hardly think of a more Biblical place to start such giving than with tithing.

I think John Piper communicates my own attitude toward tithing quite well in a sermon entitled Toward the Tithe and Beyond:

One objection to thinking of a tenth of our income as especially belonging to God is that ALL our money belongs to God. Psalm 24:1,

The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.

That is absolutely true. It's why my main way of talking about money year in and year out at Bethlehem is not to focus on tithing, but to focus on lifestyle. What you do with every cent says something about your view of God and what he means to you. And what your values are in this age. And what you think your few years on earth should be spent for. That's true. But God is wise and knows us deeply. He knows that there is something wrong with the husband who answers his wife's complaint that he doesn't give her any time by saying, "What do you mean, I don't give you my time? ALL my time is yours. I work all day long for you and the children." That has a very hollow ring to it if he doesn't give her any "especially time." Giving her some evenings together and some dates does not deny that all his time is for her, it proves it. This is why God declares one day in seven especially God's. They are all his, and making one special proves it.

And this is the way it is with our money and God. Giving God a tenth of our income does not deny that all our money is God's, it proves that we believe it. Tithing is like a constant offering of the first fruits of the whole thing. The tenth is yours, O, Lord, in a special way, because all of it is yours in an ordinary way.

I believe the tithe should be the first check we write after the income deposit is made in the bank. And when you write it, you put a seal over what's left: GOD'S. The tithe reminds us of that, and proves that we really believe it.

So, in summary, can I say that Christians are commanded in Scripture to tithe? No, and to try to demand tithing as though it is commanded of Christians in Scripture would be legalism, which I abhor. However, I do think that I can encourage tithing as a godly practice for Christians to follow in their giving, at least as a good place to start, which leads me to my next question.

II. Why Shouldn't We Do More Than Tithe?

When he came to prepare the way for Christ and to call God's people to repentance, John the Baptist taught, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise” (Luke 3:11, NKJ). This is a kind of giving that goes beyond simply a tithe! It is giving away half of what you have!

But Jesus went even further when He taught about what we should be willing to give up for him. For example:

NKJ Luke 14:33 “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”

So, although the Christian is nowhere commanded to tithe, he is called upon to at least be willing to give up everything for Jesus! And a tenth is a small thing in comparison!

Perhaps the primary text dealing with giving in the Church, however, is found in 2 Corinthians 8-9. Let us consider a couple of key passages in these chapters:

NKJ 2 Corinthians 8:1-9 “Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: 2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. 3 For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, 4 imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. 6 So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. 7 But as you abound in everything -- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us -- see that you abound in this grace also. 8 I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”

Although Paul clearly asserts that he doesn't command such sacrificial giving as that of the Macedonians, he nevertheless does see it as a good example for all to follow, and this is essentially the same approach I am taking here with regard to tithing. I am not saying we should command it, but I am saying that we should encourage it as a good place to start to learn to give sacrificially, so long as we can do so with a joyful heart, which is the matter to which we shall turn next:

NKJ 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 “ 6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9 As it is written: "He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever." 10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, 11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.”

Paul makes it plain that we should only give what we can give cheerfully and not grudgingly, and he gives us some help in doing this by reminding us of the principle of reaping and sowing. Basically, Paul assures us that, if we want to be able to give a lot, then God will make sure we have enough to do it with! His teaching is similar to the Lord's instruction in Malachi and Jesus' admonition in Luke:

NKJ Malachi 3:10 “'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,' says the LORD of hosts, 'If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.'”

NKJ Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Simply put, our willingness to give is directly proportional to our trust in God to take care of us and to keep His promise that He will provide for us to give more than we ever thought possible. This strong encouragement certainly makes me want to venture far beyond the tithe in my giving! But I have had to begin somewhere, and for me the tithe was a good place to start. I hope it will be so for you as well.

Conclusion

Although Christians are not commanded to tithe in the New Testament, we are certainly encouraged to give in proportion to what we have, to give self-sacrificially so long as we can do so with a cheerful heart, and to be encouraged to give by remembering that we cannot out-give God, who will always provide for us.

But perhaps it would be best to end with another quote from John Piper, who again states my own view better than I probably could. In a sermon entitled I Seek Not What Is Yours but You he observes:

I think God took the focus off giving a tithe in the early church because he wants his people to ask themselves a new question. The question that Jesus drives us to ask again and again is not, "How much should I give?" but rather, "How much dare I keep?" One of the differences between the Old Testament and New Testament is the Great Commission. By and large the Old Testament people of God were not a missionary people. But the New Testament Church is fundamentally a missionary people. The spiritual hope and the physical and emotional sustenance that Jesus brought to earth is to be extended by his church to the whole world. The task he gave us is so immense and requires such a stupendous investment of commitment and money that the thought of settling the issue of what we give by a fixed percentage (like a tenth) is simply out of the question. My own conviction is that most middle and upper class Americans who merely tithe are robbing God. In a world where 10,000 people a day starve to death and many more than that are perishing in unbelief the question is not, what percentage must I give?, but how much dare I spend on myself?

Dr. Belcher Update

For those who may be wondering what Dr. Belcher has been up to recently, he informed me a couple of weeks ago that he had just finished writing the 18th Journey book, A Journey in Dispensationalism. No doubt the details of publishing the book are keeping him busy right now, not to mention his pastoral duties and busy speaking schedule.

Stay tuned for more information. I'll be sure to let everyone know when the book is officially released.

And thanks, Doc, for all the hard work!

FICM Response to Reformed Baptist Critics

Back on October 16 I posted an entry entitled Reformed Baptists Address the Family-Integrated Church Movement. In it I gathered responses by Andy Dunkerton (one of the elders at Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Mebane, North Carolina), Sam Waldron (one of the elders at Heritage Baptist Church in Owensboro, Kentucky, and Professor of Systematic Theology at the Midwest Center for Theological Studies), and Jason Webb (a graduate of the Reformed Theological Seminary and a member of Grace Fellowship Church in Bremen, Indiana).

Since these articles were written there have been a number of reactions to them posted by Scott Brown on the blog of the National Center for Family Integrated Churches. So far Brown has written three parts of a planned four part series:

The Church is a "Family of Families" -- A History, Part 1

The Church is a "Family of Families" -- Part 2

In this post, Brown claims that his position is actually consistent with the Baptist Confession of 1689. For example:

It is a falsehood to say that the National Center for Family Integrated Churches advocates a “family of families” ecclesiology. In fact, our understanding of the nature of the church is consistent with the historic doctrinal statements of the faith including the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Heidelberg Catechism, and many other orthodox statements on the church. It is the same understanding I received as a young man when I was in seminary. We do not advocate a “family of families” ecclesiology. Rather, our ecclesiology is as rich and clear as the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 and the Westminster confession.

The Church is a "Family of Families" -- Part 3

In a post entitled "Family of Families" in the News, Brown indicates the fourth part of the series will offer "some insight on what we have learned from this experience."

Brown also responds to one of Jason Webb's assertions regarding the the Puritan approach in a post entitled Did the Puritans have a "Family of Families" Ecclesiology.

Somehow I do not think that this debate will be over any time soon, and it is clear to me that some of the key FICM advocates think that they are being badly misunderstood and misrepresented. But, while I think this may be happening to some extent, it also appears to me that they are responsible for much of the confusion themselves, most particularly due to their use of problematic language and an imbalance in emphasis on the importance of one's biological family versus the spiritual family that is the Church.

At any rate, I thought it only fair that I inform the blog's readers about what those on the other side of the issue have to say. I hope that FICM advocates continue to refine their position and the language used to describe their position, and I hope the writings of my Reformed Baptist brethren may be of assistance to them in this regard.

Update 13 November 2009

Scott Brown has posted The Church Family is a "Family of Families" -- Part 4, in which he gets into more depth about the relationship of the Church family to the biological family.

I still can't shake the feeling that what is in part a proper reaction to the destruction of family life in our culture has become an overreaction.

Update 17 November 2009

Scott Brown has posted yet another article in his series responding to Reformed Baptists objections. It is entitled The Church is a "Family of Families" -- Part 5 and is subtitled "What have we learned from this controversy over 'Family of Families'?" In this article Brown speaks to the way he believes FICM advocates have often been misunderstood and of the way NCFIC will make use of the phrase "family of families" in the future. Although he says that it no longer appears in current NCFIC literature and has been removed from their core document "A Biblical Confession for Uniting Church and Family," he also states that "We have no intention to abandon the use of the phrase or the concept behind it. It is a very important principle that undergirds a biblical understanding of church and family life."

So, while Brown obviously sees that the phrase "family of families" has been problematic when used as a descriptive term for the Church, so much so that it has been removed from all of the NCFIC literature, he nevertheless thinks that there is no need to abandon use of the phrase among FICM advocates.

Jim Domm on the Regulative Principle of Worship

Earlier today an excellent article on the regulative principle of worship was posted on the RBS Tabletalk blog. The article was written by Jim Domm, who is Pastor of Englewood Baptist Church in Englewood, New Jersey, and an M.Div. Student at the Reformed Baptist Seminary.

The article is entitled The Regulative Principle of Worship in Historical Perspective, and it is well worth reading. In it Jim does a terrific job of giving a brief historical and theological overview of the doctrine, as well as a description of the many issues of debate that surround it. For those who may not be familiar with the regulative principle and would like to learn more about it, this article is a good introduction, with footnotes that will lead you into the primary books and articles if you want to go deeper. Nice job, Jim!

Reminder: The Journey Book Giveaway is Coming!

This is just a reminder to the blog's readers that, as I announced on September 1, I am going to offer a free copy of two of the Journey books for Christmas this year to one of the blog's email subscribers. They will include the recent book, A Journey in Heresy, and the first book in the Journey series, A Journey in Grace. If you already have the first book, then I will allow the substitution of another from the series. On December 11 I will draw from the addresses included in the email subscriber list from FeedBurner. So, if you want to have a chance to receive these books, then make sure you sign up as an email subscriber to the blog using the Subscribe in a reader link on the right panel of this page. And make sure you click the "Get Reformed Baptist Blog delivered by email" option.

Current email subscribers are already in the running. I will send the two books to the first email subscriber drawn or that I can contact, so make sure that your email address is valid.

I suspect that once you have read a couple of the books, you will want to read more of them and will recommend them to others as well. As a pastor, I have found that folks have really been helped by them and have found them enjoyable reading as well.

Free Audio Download of John Piper's Desiring God

This month's free audio book from ChristianAudio.com is Desiring God by John Piper. Here is the description from the ChristianAudio.com product page:

"Mind-hammering and heart-warming, Desiring God ignites a passion for God that would set the world ablaze if it were the norm and not the exception today." -Os Guiness


"The healthy biblical realism of this study in Christian motivation comes as a breath of fresh air. Jonathan Edwards, whose ghost walks through most of Piper's pages, would be delighted with his disciple." -J.I. Packer

Scripture reveals that the great business of life is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever. In this paradigm-shattering classic, newly revised and expanded, John Piper reveals that the debate between duty and delight doesn't truly exist: Delight is our duty. Join him as he unveils stunning, life impacting truths you saw in the Bible but never dared to believe.

John Piper, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis since 1980, is the author of The Dangerous Duty of Delight, Desiring God, Future Grace, A Godward Life, and The Pleasures of God. He received his doctorate in theology from the University of Munich and taught biblical studies for six years at Bethel College, St. Paul, before becoming a pastor. He and his wife, Noel, have four sons and one daughter.

This would be a good book to listen to while traveling in the car or perhaps just for some added edification on a Sunday afternoon.

e-Sword: The Best Free Bible Study Software Better Than Ever

I have been a long time user of e-Sword (alongside BibleWorks) and cannot recommend it highly enough. It is a free Bible study software program that rivals many that you would have to pay for and is better that most. And the latest version (9.5.1) is even better, with a fully dockable user interface that enables you to completely customize the layout and "display what you want, where you want it by dragging the views into position with their titlebar." This program also makes basic word studies a breeze and has been of great use to those in my congregation to whom I have recommended it. In fact, they often tell me that they love the layout and how user-friendly the program is. There is not a very steep learning curve with this program, so most anyone can catch on to it quickly.

For those interested, here is the rest of the list of updates in the latest version:

The Bible Search feature now allows the ability to perform case-sensitive searches.

The multi-row tabs are now locked in place, so no more moving targets!

A new Bible book browser has been implemented and is no longer docked to the side of the program. Press the F2 key to display the Lookup Scripture Reference dialog next to the mouse pointer wherever it is located, or access it from the main toolbar with the button next to the "Lookup" combobox.

Study Notes can be made on any verse in the Bible, now including the Orthodox Apocrypha and the Catholic Deuterocanon.

You can now Export the Study Notes and Topic Notes in HTML, Word DOC and Adobe PDF file formats, in addition to the previous plain text and Rich Text formats.

You can now Import both HTML and Word DOC files directly into the Study Notes and Topic Notes.
The Print Preview feature has been updated, and now all printing is performed through it.

Highlighting custom colors are now saved for use between sessions.

Localization of the e-Sword user interface continues with the implementation of fully Unicode compliant controls.

And here is a more complete list of basic features:

All available Bibles, commentaries and dictionaries are readily viewed without having to "tile windows".

Create your own "parallel Bible" with up to any four translations. Studying the Word of God and comparing passages have never been easier!

Integrated editor for creating your own commentaries or study notes, complete with Spell Checking and a Thesaurus! Notes are "linked" to the Bible for easy viewing and can also be exported for portability.

Comprehensive print capabilities, including print preview, allow you to create impressive Bible study handouts from the Study Notes Editor.

Strong's definitions are displayed as ToolTips! Just place the mouse pointer over a Strong's number and the definition will then be displayed.

Scripture references in the Commentary and Dictionary views are displayed as ToolTips! Just place the mouse pointer over the reference and the passage will then be displayed. To go to the passage, just click it!

Easily compare the various translations to see how they rendered the Greek or Hebrew manuscripts.

Powerful search capabilities, yet simple to use. Enter as many words you want to search for and select the search style and range. You can even search on Strong numbers and exclude words from the search!

Use the Verse List to create your own topical lists of Scripture, or cataloging your discoveries!

Copy and print Scripture in a variety of formatting styles. This is also available for search results and verse lists.

Graphics Viewer for studying maps, charts, and other images.

STEP Reader for viewing the various resources you may have invested in from QuickVerse, Bible Companion, and WORDsearch.

Although a number of modules have been developed for purchase by eStudySource, the list of free modules grows daily. There are quite a few free modules already offered at the e-Sword downloads page, such as John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible, Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, the Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament, or A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament. This list has grown steadily over the years.
 
But one of the great things about e-Sword is the ability that users have to create and share their own modules. This means that there are many free user-created resources available at sites like the e-Sword Users site. One user at this site has even created several lists of resources of special interest to Baptists. For example:

1) "The Baptist Theologue": Help Locating Good Doctrinal e-Sword Tools for the Teacher, Preacher, and Student of The Word

2) "The Baptist Expositor": Help Locating Good Expository e-Sword Tools for the Teacher, Preacher, and Student of The Word

3) "The Baptist Disciple" - Recommended Modules List for Teachers, Students, and other Christian Disciples Who Happen to be Baptist

For those who are interested,  I have also made a number of resources of special interest to Reformed Baptists available at my own website here (all the resources with a .top extension are e-Sword Topic Notes files).

If you are looking for a free, user-friendly Bible study program that you can recommend to others in your church, e-Sword is hard to beat!

An Historical Examination of the Doctrine of the Church Among Baptists With Special Reference to Southern Baptists and Church Purity - Chapter 7.3

Part III

The Relation of the Covenantal Concept of the Church to Local Church Purity

Introduction

We have now advanced in our arguments and understanding to the point where we are ready to show a definite relationship between the covenantal concept of the church and the matter of local church purity. Though we stated the principle of purity which flows from this viewpoint of the doctrine of the church, we state it again and seek to discuss its application to the local church. The principle is this. The local church is to be composed, as nearly as possible, of the elect of God, that is to say, those who are included in the covenant of grace or redemption. That is, only those who are already members of the universal church with its basis on and in the covenant of redemption, and who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and have given evidence of such, are fit candidates for membership in the local and visible manifestation of the church.

The writer realizes that to some, who have never been introduced into such a realm of thought concerning the covenant of redemption, this principle may sound revolutionary and even impossible to implement in any sensible or practical way at the local level of the church. This writer contends that if applied properly, it can bring abundant benefits to a local church, but on the other hand it must be admitted, that if it were to be applied by novices in an improper manner, it could have excruciating results. But so does an improper view of the church in any manner bring ruin to a local church, as we have seen.

We now seek to discuss the application of this principle to the local church, noting the benefits and blessings it will bring in the purification of the local body.322

1. The Covenantal Concept of the Church Will Affect Our Evangelism---

Our Theology of Evangelism in Practice and Methods

The effect of such a viewpoint as the covenantal concept of the church on evangelism might very well be the fear that some would have of it. Some might even think that such a view would eliminate evangelism altogether. The writer would argue strongly that this fear is totally inaccurate. It is certainly not sensible nor Scriptural to do evangelistic work in any method or manner, just for the sake of being able to say we are practicing evangelism. On the contrary, our evangelistic practices must be consistent with the Scripture and its theology. It must be done in God's way by God's power, or otherwise we might very well create a monstrosity of methods and means, which get decisions but not true Holy Spirit fruit. Thus we have also created a monstrosity in our churches.

As one is fully committed to the Scriptural basis of the covenantal concept of the church, he will also realize it is not his responsibility, nor does he even have the power within himself, to convert men to Christ. God has a people! He has given them to Christ! We do not know who they are! We do not have the power to call them out nor to redeem them! But it is ours to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, and by that means the Holy Spirit will call out God's people and apply the work of Christ to them.

2. The Covenantal Concept of the Church Will Make Us Better Preachers of the Word of God

as We Shall Be More Reliant on the Word and God's Power

and Less Reliant upon Any Power or Ability within Ourselves

Knowing that it is not within us nor even our responsibility to convert men, and knowing that God does His work through the preaching of the Word of God, we will be moved more and more away from the methods of the flesh to the solid preaching of the Word. The result of this preaching of the Word will be truer and more stable converts.

It is the writer's sad conviction that many pastors of our denomination preach very little of the Word of God, even though they may pride themselves on their conservative outlook. The do not take a text, a passage, or a theme, and study exegetically the verses involved, and then build a solid Biblical sermon from these labors. Instead they preach their experiences, others' experiences, and the main portion of the sermon becomes, not the meat of the Word, but stories and illustrations with possibly a verse or two thrown in along the way. One should not think he has preached the Word just because he has excited someone, or given out some information, or read a text, or even gotten some decisions of some kind, or talked about God, Christ or the Bible, or occupied a pulpit for a certain length of time, or emotionalized while in that place. One can do all of these and never preach the word of God.

To preach the Word is to study the Bible in depth, including its grammar, word meanings, the context, the parallel passages, and then to build a sermon from that labor and study. Obviously, to preach the Word one must spend time delving into the Word, and the man who rests in the covenantal concept of the church will joyously and confidently make this his task. He knows then as he goes into the pulpit or into the local field to witness that he has saturated himself in the Word of God and that God will use the Word to convict (Jeremiah 23:29, Hebrews 4:12, Ephesians 1:17), to regenerate and sanctify sinners (I Peter 1:23, James 1:18, Psalms 119:50, John 3:3, Ephesians 5:25-26, I Peter 2:2), according to His will and purpose.

On the other hand, if we feel it is our duty and responsibility to move upon men's wills in order to cause them to make a decision, we will become exciters and exhorters open to the possibility of attracting every foul and offensive method (foul and offensive to God, while possibly pleasing and alluring to men) of evangelism, worship and preaching. Such techniques may get the desired decisions, but not the stable spiritual fruit. Could this be why, as we pointed out in our introduction, so many of our converts go back to their old ways so soon? Could they be Ishmaels, the fruit of the flesh, instead of Isaacs? (see Galatians 4:27-31) Such is the writer's conviction.

3. The Covenantal Concept of the Church Will Bear a Strong Influence

on Our Methods of Receiving New Members into the Local Church

Realizing that only the elect and regenerate are fit candidates for membership in the local church, we will then receive new members joyously, but not with an overzealous blindness, simply because someone has made a profession of faith. Knowing that Satan is always busy seeking to counterfeit or falsify the work of God (see the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, as well as the parable of the wheat and tares in the same passage), we will be careful to warn those desiring baptism and membership of the possibility of a false profession. We will challenge them of the necessity to count the cost of becoming a Christian and following Christ. We will face them with the responsibility which will be theirs as members of the church. We will inform them of the urgency of the church to watch over their souls with a tender and loving care, after they have been received, even to the necessity of admonition and discipline of their lives, should they become unfaithful or lax in the Christian life or interest in the house of God. We will tell them they are uniting with a fellowship of God's people, and that such a union requires a withdrawal from extreme individualistic tendencies, in order to enter into the sacrificial commitment of their person to that local church fellowship, as part of their commitment to Christ. We will demand of them before receiving them some evidence of a true conversion experience and regeneration. We will share with them the standards, doctrines, duties, and obligations of church membership, expressing also what blessings they can expect of the church towards their life, family, and spiritual growth.

The statement that we will lovingly demand evidence of true regeneration may raise the objection that it is impossible to judge such a subjective matter as a man's personal salvation. The writer acknowledges that there is no absolute and infallible process to determine a man's true standing before God, but to say this is not to say we cannot come close or that we should not attempt such a determination. If the new birth is present, there will be a changed life and some evidence, and this changed life surely can be and must be our starting point.

Someone might further object that this is putting someone between a man and God, which is a violation of the priesthood of the believer. Not so! What we are speaking of presently has nothing to do with a man's standing before God, unless our judicial standing is determined by or aided by church membership. No, here we are speaking of determining a man's proper candidacy for membership in the local church, not salvation. The salvation, regardless of what the church says or does in receiving members, is either present or absent, depending on the truth or falsity of the profession. The church not receiving a person who is truly regenerated into the local church cannot make one unregenerate. On the other hand, the church receiving one who is unregenerate does not make such a one regenerate.

4. The Covenantal Concept of the Church Will Strengthen the Concern and Power

of the Local Church to Practice Reformative Discipline

With the concern to receive into the church only the elect of God, there will be also the burden for membership to evidence the truth of that election in their every day lives. It must be acknowledged that even though we might do the best possible task of seeking to determine the truth or falsity of salvation, we shall err at certain points. Therefore, some shall get into the membership of the local church who are not saved. In many of these lives it will become quite evident very soon. It must be admitted, however, that if and as the church applies the covenantal concept of the church, many will never enter the church's fold of membership, who are now received quickly and blindly. Far better to lose a potential member before he is in the church, than to lose him to the inactive or non-resident roll. But even with discipline, the unsaved will slip into the membership of the church at times. Others, who are true Christians, may fall away for awhile. It is here again that the covenantal concept of the church, which demands that the local church be composed of only the elect, comes into the situation to determine our action. In light of this view of the church, the church must go to these in love to deal with them (which may require much time and patience), yet the final outcome must be the purifying of the church, as they either repent and mend their ways or the church in time must discipline them by exclusion. Whatever the case, the church maintains her purity and God is glorified.

As the church is careful in it reception of members to warn, teach, and to challenge the candidates as they are united with the church, the power of discipline will be substantially greater. In other words, if one goes into the local church as a member with his eyes wide open as to his responsibilities and the church's responsibility towards him, these will be aids to discipline, if one were to go astray. For instance, there will be a deeper understanding of the necessity of discipline, when the church does act. There will be a stronger power and agreement in the church itself, when it acts. When, on the other hand, one unites with a church encased in its own individualism, not understanding the need of commitment to God and fellow believers (which may be altogether absent), the church is robbed of its power to discipline, because we have been negligent in our duty to practice formative discipline. We have sanctioned one's uniting with the church, while still couched in individualism with no evident commitment to Christ or the church that the person is joining. The job of discipline then becomes difficult, if not impossible, which seems to be the situation of our day.

It is admitted by the writer, and even warned by him, that the preceding measures, including the theology and practice of the evangelism, which we have advocated (the true preaching of the Word, the proper methods of receiving members, and formative and reformative discipline) will not be easy to instill nor install into the average Southern Baptist local church, especially one of many year's history and habit of its present weak theology and improper practices. The task would be far more simple when beginning a new work. But in the older church, it may take several and possibly many years of faithful preaching and teaching of the Word, especially the theological principles which are the foundation of the methods we have advocated, namely, the doctrine of the covenantal concept of the church and its related themes.

Further, not only must there be patience in the matter, as one seeks to establish a sound theology upon which one can install the Biblical practices, but it will also call for the sacrifice of some ministerial pride, as we may not have as many baptisms to report, nor such a rapid growth in membership. As conditions are now, this reduction in the addition of new members might bring some denominational or associational loss of face, as all the published statistics could not possibly tell the story of our effort to be faithful to the Word of God in building Christ's church. Furthermore, it could put a pastor under great pressure from his own people, because most churches have been trained and entrenched in a statistic consciousness, which causes them to judge the work of the pastor on the shallow basis of statistics, rather than spiritual growth.

Certainly, the one who holds to the covenantal concept of the church knows the Lord has a deeper means of measurement than numbers, and he has not been called to be a statistic counter, but a faithful preacher and witness of the Word of God, trusting the Holy Spirit to use that Word to accomplish the will of God. Such a preacher smiles, as others look at him sympathetically, thinking his lack of statistics and failure to receive large numbers of new members, as they do, proves him to be an inferior servant, who lacks God's power and blessing. He grieves and prays for these brethren, having been in their place and thus knowing the frustrations of a man-centered theology and ministry and evangelism. He prays for them and rejoices in the true Isaacs, which the Lord gives him, knowing he has more true children of God than the preacher working in the flesh (Galatians 4:27). He knows that anyone can produce Ishmaels by human fleshly means, and he even sorrows over the hours when he did the very same thing, which his brethren are doing now. Still, there is a special joy, as he works and labors in the Spirit, trusting God to produce the Isaacs by His supernatural power. Resting in the covenantal concept of the church, he preaches the word in season and out of season. He reproves, rebukes, exhorts using the Word with all long-suffering and doctrine, assured by faith that God will call out the Isaacs---His elect.

The result of it all may be a slower growth, but his church will be a purer church with a deeper fellowship among God's people, as they realize their duties to God and to one another, as well as the true meaning of salvation and regeneration. There will be a deeper worship and truer service rendered to God. In time there will be a stronger testimony to the community concerning the reality of Christ and the genuineness of the church.

Plus, the ministry itself will take on a new joy, which will without doubt benefit God's people, for it will not be a preacher coming to pastor a church to skim superficially the top of the gospel, so that he might wield it to produce a sudden rash of decisions, which have no meaning, and usually concludes with the preacher vaulting to another place of service, after he has shaken loose the easy and unstable souls of men to join his church in a false manner or for a false reason. But the servant of God preaching the Word of God in its depths will take his people ever and always deeper in the truths of the Word, and as a result, into a deeper experience with Christ, not experience for experience sake alone, but as the product of the true ministry of the Word.

In simple words the covenantal concept of the church with its basis in election will so change our thinking and practices in ministry and in the life of the church that the purity of the church will be guarded at every point---in evangelism, in the reception of members, in the teaching and training of prospective members and the membership also, and in reformative discipline. It was the covenantal concept of the church, which bred the doctrine of purity and regenerate membership into the life of the early English Baptists and the early American Baptists. It has been the loss of that concept, which has allowed the loss of purity in Baptist churches in America, even those of the Southern Baptist Convention.

It is the hope of this writer, that at some time in the near future, Baptist pastors and theologians, might once again open the discussion of the doctrine of the church with consideration being given, not only to our Bible, the supreme authority, but also that we might have the wisdom to search our historical backgrounds, noting once again the Scriptural reality of the covenantal concept of the church, as well as it accompanying blessings.

Hill and Torbet seem to feel that a new discussion of the church among Southern Baptists is almost impossible, as they say:

Because Southern Baptists measure success in numbers, any challenge to reappraise their concept of the Church is likely to be only half heard. So long as statistical progress continues, they hear only the challenge to preserve and improve the present conditions.323

To a large degree this writer must agree with this judgment of Southern Baptists. Yet, he has also sensed a searching and unrest among the pastors, at least some of them. Questions are being asked about the converts and their failure to persevere. Why don't they continue? Whose fault is it---mine or theirs? The agreement is that something is wrong, but no one seems to have given a sufficient or proper answer. Some pastors are leaving the ministry in despair and frustration. Is not the reason obvious? With a false concept of the doctrine of the church, which breeds a false concept of the ministry and a man-centered view of evangelism, many Southern Baptist pastors feel great pressure to produce quantity, not quality, in order to satisfy their churches and also that they themselves might advance in the ministry. Then, when pastors do produce quantity instead of quality, frustration often follows for two reasons. First, in using fleshly methods to gain the desired results, there cannot be the peace and joy in the ministry which only the Holy Spirit can bring to the pastor who works Scripturally. Second, additional frustration comes when these results melt and fade away, failing to give any solid evidence of being truly the regenerate people of God.

The covenantal concept of the church is the light and truth of God's Word, which will revolutionize a man's ministry and the local church he pastors. It is a Scriptural concept. It has proven itself in Baptist history. We have seen how and why Baptists left that covenantal concept and we have seen the results of such error. We have also shown what would be the results of returning to this conviction. Though an entire denomination may never return to such a doctrinal commitment, individual pastors and churches may do so, as God's Spirit enlightens and teaches. This paper is dedicated to that end.

(This paper was written in 1973, and it has been a great joy to see the burden of the writer's heart come to fruition in many Baptist churches of our day! The great doctrines of grace held by the early English Baptists have been revived among many Baptists, and with that the ideas of the necessity of the purity of the church have also been put in place in many churches as well. To God be the glory! May this only be the beginning of the purifying of Baptist churches!)

Notes:

322 In case one questions the legitimacy of the contention we shall make for purity in light of the Old Testament Israel, we must remember that though we have one universal church, there are two eras of its administration locally. Therefore, though it is the same church, made up of the elect of God only, in the Old and New Testament eras, not all matters are similar in the Old and New Testament manifestations of the local people of God. The great difference is that the Old Testament church was within a theocracy and a nation (not all Jews of the Old Testament were saved people---as Abraham and others were saved by grace though faith as we are). This does not change the overall clear reality of the two (the elect of all ages) being members of the universal or invisible church, but it does affect the local manifestation.
323 Samuel S. Hill and Robert G. Torbet, Baptists North and South (Valley Forge: The Judson Press, 1964), p. 70.

An Historical Examination of the Doctrine of the Church Among Baptists With Special Reference to Southern Baptists and Church Purity - Chapter 7.2

Part II

The Covenantal Concept of the Church Shown to Be Scriptural

Having given evidence and argument that the doctrine of the church among Southern Baptists is a rather static issue, we now ask if the covenantal concept of the church, which we have been discussing is in fact Scriptural. We cannot expect in these few pages to deal with the matter fully, for that is not the basic subject of our dissertation. Nor will we have answered all questions and satisfied all mental probings, when we are finished. It is the writer's intention, however, to present a brief but succinct statement of the Scriptural reality of that viewpoint of thinking. We shall approach the subject with a method we have found helpful in teaching and preaching on the subject.

1. The Bible Speaks of a People Known as the Elect

It cannot be denied that the Scriptures speak time and again of a group of people known as the elect. The Greek word used most often in this regard is the word eklektos. We read concerning these elect:

that for their sake---the elect---the days of the tribulation shall be shortened

       Matthew 24:22 and Mark 13:20

that the forces of Satan would deceive this group, the elect, during these days, if it were possible
       Matthew 24:24 and Mark 13:22

that at the coming of Christ the elect will be gathered from the four winds of the earth by angels
       Matthew 24:31 and Mark 13:27

that God shall avenge wrong-doing to this group---the elect
       Luke 18:7

that no one is able to lay anything to the charge of the elect
       Romans 8:33

that this group---the elect---charged to live a certain type of life as the elect of God
       Colossians 3:12

that Paul tells Timothy that he endures all things for the elect's sake
       II Timothy 2:10

that Peter tells us we are the elect according to the foreordination of God
       I Peter 1:2

In other places the elect are referred to as the chosen ones of God, or as having been chosen of God. The Greek words translated in this sense are eklego, or ekloge and eklektos. For instance:

Matthew 22:14 speaks of many being called, but few chosen (eklektos).

Mark 13:20 says the Lord has shortened the days of tribulation for the elect's sake whom He hath chosen (eklektos).315

Acts 9:15 states that the Lord told Ananias that Paul was a chosen vessel (ekloge).

In case one were to claim this election can be said of Paul but not of all believers, Paul in Romans 16:13 refers to Rufus as chosen (eklektos) in the Lord, whoever Rufus was. In I Peter 2:9 Peter refers to the believers he addresses as a chosen generation (eklektos).

Our point in presenting all these passages is to establish the fact that God has a group of people known as His elect, that is, His chosen ones. We still face some deep questions concerning these elect ones, such as, who chose them, and when were they chosen, and upon what basis were they chosen, and for what purpose were they chosen?

2. God Himself Chose the Elect

The Scriptures verify without doubt that the power of the choice of the elect rests or rested ultimately in the hands of God. Ephesians 1:4 leaves no question about the matter, as it states plainly that God has chosen us. In John 15:16 Christ tells His disciples that they have not chosen Him, but rather He has chosen them out of the world.

3. God Chose the Elect before the Foundation of the World

Having shown that God has a group of people known as the elect or as the ones chosen by Him, the next question concerns the time of this choice. Looking at Ephesians 1:4 we see that God's choice of the elect was before the foundation of the world. That is to say, before men ever lived, breathed, moved, walked or existed, God chose for Himself a people to be His own. Paul states in another verse that the grace of salvation was given to us in Christ before the world began (II Timothy 1:9).

That something very unique and paramount took place before or from the foundation of the world is evident from other passages of Scripture as well. We are told there were some truths of deep mystery, which were kept secret from the foundation of the world, yet Christ spoke in parables to reveal them (Matthew 13;35). In Matthew 25:34 we read of some people inheriting the kingdom, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world. In Luke 11:50 we are told that the blood of the prophets was shed also from the foundation of the world. Peter tells us that Christ was foreordained Lamb of God, that is, He was foreordained to shed His blood before the foundation of the world (I Peter 1:19-20). In Revelation 13:8 we read that Christ was slain from the foundation of the world, that is, His death was a certainty by the decree of God from eternity. And in Revelation 17:8 we read of those whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, which is certainly an inference that the names of the elect were written in the book of life from that noted hour---from the foundation of the world.

To summarize these Biblical statements concerning God's activity from or before the foundation of the world, we would note several points.

a. It is clear that God had a plan from eternity past.

b. His plan included the choosing of a people, the planning of their redemption through Christ, the placing of their names in the Lamb's book of life, and the preparing for these people a kingdom.

c. The sending of prophets, who would even die for the opening of the way for the coming Savior.

d. The sending of His own Son to be the Saviour of His chosen people.

All of these events, we say again, were planned and ordained from the foundation of the world. God is a sovereign God, who is working here on earth His plan to accomplish His will and purpose. He is not depending on chance or the accidental or hopeful doing of sinful men, but He will accomplish His purpose from eternity past.

4. God Gave the Elect to His Son Jesus Christ

We add another element of Scriptural truth, as we note, that not only did God choose a people before the foundation of the world and plan their redemption, but He also gave these elect ones to the Son. In John 17 Christ speaks of the work the Father gave him to do.316 In fact, in this chapter of John, we read in several places of those given to Christ by the Father:

Verse 2 " . . . as many as thou hast given Him."

Verse 6 " . . . men who thou gavest me out of the world."

Verse 6 " . . . thou gavest them to me."

Verse 9 " . . . them who thou has given me . . ."

Verse 11 " . . . those whom thou has given me . . . "

Verse 12 " . . .those thou gavest me I have kept . . . "317

5. All of These Elements Together Speak of the Covenant of Redemption

It is from the combined Scriptural data above that we have been noting step by step that we come to speak of the covenant of redemption, or as Gill called it, the covenant of grace. In covenant agreement from the foundation of the world, the Holy Trinity planned redemption. God chose a people to be His own (Ephesians 1:4), and He gave them to His Son (John 17), Who agreed to pay the price of their sin with His own blood (I Peter 1:9). God wrote their names in the Lamb's book of life (Revelation 17:8), and designated the Holy Spirit to apply the work of the Son to this group, His elect people.

6. Spurgeon Speaks of This Covenant of Redemption

Charles H. Spurgeon, the great Baptist preacher of the nineteenth century in England, speaks in eloquent words of his picture of the Covenant of Redemption.

Of the Father's part, Spurgeon wrote:

I, the Most High Jehovah, do hereby give unto my only begotten and well-beloved Son, a people countless beyond the number of the stars, who shall be kept by Him washed from sin, by Him preserved, and kept, and led, and by Him, at last, presented before my throne, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. I covenant by oath and swear by myself, because I can swear by no greater, that those whom I now give to Christ shall be forever the object of my eternal love. Them will I forgive through the merit of the blood, to these will I give a perfect righteousness; these will I adopt and make my sons and daughters, and these shall reign with me through Christ eternally.318

Concerning the Son's part, Spurgeon wrote:

My Father, on my part I covenant that in the fullness of time I will become man. I will take upon myself the form and nature of the fallen race. I will live in their wretched world, and for my people I will keep the law perfectly. I will work out a spotless righteousness, which shall be acceptable to the demands of Thy just and holy law. In due time I will bear the sins of all my people. Thou shalt exact their debts on me; the chastisement of their peace will I endure, and by my stripes they shall be healed. My Father, I covenant and promise that I will be obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. I will magnify Thy law, and make it honorable. I will suffer all they ought to have suffered. I will endure the curse of Thy law, and all the vials of Thy wrath shall be emptied and spent upon my head. I will then rise again; I will ascend into heaven; I will intercede for them at Thy right hand; I will make myself responsible for every one of them, that no one of those who Thou hast given me shall ever be lost, and I will bring all my sheep of whom, by Thy blood, Thou has constituted me the Shepherd---I will bring every one safe to Thee at last.319

Concerning the Holy Spirit's part Spurgeon wrote:

I hereby covenant that all whom the Father giveth to the Son, I will in due time quicken. I will show them their need of redemption; I will cut off from them all groundless hope, and destroy their refuges of lies. I will bring them to the blood of sprinkling; I will give them faith whereby this blood can be applied to them; I will work in them every grace; I will keep their faith alive; I will cleanse them and drive out all depravity from them, and they shall be presented at last spotless and faultless.320

Understand that this was Spurgeon's view of the covenant of grace. We do not claim any absolute authority for his words, but we do see his thoughts clearly and we recognize that we do have here a compilation of Biblical and spiritual phrases and ideas, which pictures a covenant of redemption between the persons of the Godhead from eternity past.

7. The Basis of God's Choice of the Elect Is Grace Alone

We cannot sidestep the key idea in this whole subject, namely the determination of the basis of God's choice of the elect. The standard explanation given by many is that God took a long look down through the corridors of history, and He saw who would choose Him, and He elected them on the basis of their power of choice. This view not only makes man the electing power rather than God, but it also totally ignores the depravity and inability of man in his natural state. In Ephesians 1:6 we read definitely that the basis and foundation of election and predestination is the pleasure of God's will, not man's. This fact certainly removes man as the ultimate power of choice in the matter. The same passage in verse 9 says God has made known to us in these matters the mystery of His will, and that His will is according to His good pleasure, which He has purposed in Himself. Again, verse 11 speaks of predestination as anchored "according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will."

Though this point opens many questions that our minds cannot probe and that we do not have time to even try, we must nonetheless acknowledge the Scriptural nature of this point. It might be helpful, however, to realize that what God did He did in light of man's sin and depravity, even though man had not yet sinned. Further, we must realize that man's depravity is and was total. Man would have received his just and proper reward had God saved no one. God was not obligated to send His Son to save anyone. When the angels sinned, he rescued none of them (II Peter 2:4). So the purpose of God's action cannot be shown to be anything within us or anything we have done or could do. God's action was based on grace alone to those of His choosing, in order that He might magnify the glory of His grace (see Ephesians 1:6 and 12). God is not unfair in saving some while bypassing others. It is a marvel of grace that He saves anyone. In saving the elect He in no wise damages His justice, for those He allows to go to eternal punishment bear the full print of their own sin and depravity, which His justice demands. Again, this doctrine does not relieve us of the duty of preaching and evangelizing, for that is God's way of calling forth and nurturing His elect.

8. The Elect Compose the Church in Its Universal Form

We have arrived at the point where we can speak of the two aspects of the church, the invisible or universal church and the local church, and their relation to one another. It is our contention that the visible form of the church manifests itself in two eras---the Old Testament people of God and the New Testament people of God. And that it is the same covenant of grace and universal church being manifested in both ages. Furthermore, men are saved by the grace of God in Christ in both eras, and all are members of the one body of Christ---the universal church, as it is based on the covenant of redemption.

This is not to minimize the local visible church or to lose it in the glory of the invisible church. There must always be maintained a precious balance between the two, lest we would completely universalize the church, on one hand, or completely localize it on the other hand. So though there are differences of administrations in the two eras of the church (Old Testament and New Testament), it is still the same over all covenant of grace and the same body of Christ.

Perhaps some would desire Scriptural proof of our contention that a remnant of Israel was part of the universal church. This is not to say that all Jews of the Old Testament were the elect or saved. It is to say that God had a people in the Old Testament, who were truly His people. Not all Israel was the true Israel. In fact very few Jews seem to have given evidence of true salvation, but there was still the remnant of grace. There may not have been an organized local church, as in the New Testament, but there was surely the same plan of salvation---by grace through faith and not by the works of the law (Romans 4:3 and Galatians 3:8). There may not have been a visible church, as we see in the New Testament era, but the true people of God were there. The blessings of God, we are told, were preached to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3, Galatians 3:8). Paul says the blessing promised to Abraham has come upon us (Galatians 3:14). We are told that if we be in Christ, we are Abraham's seed (Galatians 3:29).

As one writer says:

The conclusion is that God has ever had but one Church in the world. The Jehovah of the Old Testament is our Lord; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is our covenant God and Father; our Saviour was the saviour of the saints who lived before His advent in the flesh. The divine person who delivered the Israelites out of Egypt; who led them through the wilderness; who appeared in His glory to Isaiah in the temple; towards whose coming the eyes of the people of God turned in faith and hope from the beginning, is He whom we recognize as God manifest in the flesh, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ . . . The blood which He shed for us, was shed from the foundation of the world, as much "for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament" (Hebrews 9:15), as for us and our salvation. The promise unto which the twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hoped to come (Acts 26:7), is the promise on which we rely. The faith which saved Abraham, was, both as to its nature and as to its object, that which is the condition of salvation under the Gospel. "The city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:10), is "Jerusalem the golden," the heaven to which we aspire.321

We conclude this area of our study by summarizing what we have seen concerning the covenant of redemption before the foundations of the world:

God has a group of people known as the elect, chosen by Him from the foundation of the world, the choice being based upon His will alone, for the express purpose of glorifying His grace.

God gave the elect to the Son that the Son might redeem and preserve them by His life and death.

The Holy Spirit was designated by agreement to apply the work of the Son to these chosen ones.

The universal church is based on this covenant between the persons of the Holy Trinity, that is, these elect compose the universal church of all ages.

There must be maintained a delicate but definite balance between these two aspects of the church, that is the visible and invisible, the local and the universal church.

In our next section we will see how this covenantal concept of the invisible church, or what the Bible also calls the body of Christ, can and will bring purity to the local church.
 
Notes:
 
315 The verb here is in the middle voice of the aorist tense, and thus the emphasis is, He has chosen for Himself.
316 See verse 4. The Greek word is dedokas, a prefect tense of didomi, indicating again that the Father from eternity past clearly had a plan, and that he gave the Son a definite work to do which was essential to the completion of His plan.
317 There are two forms of the word didomi in the Greek used in these verses. In verse six the form is in the aorist tense, while the other four references are in the perfect. It is to be note that all of them are tenses of past action.
318 Eric W. Hayden, Spurgeon on Revival (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1962), p. 89.
319 Ibid., pp. 90-91.
320 Ibid.
321 Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1965), Volume III, pp. 551-552.

What is Evangelism?

In the above recorded class, John White talks about what evangelism is as is not. I hope the blog's readers find it as edifying as I did. No doubt my fellow Reformed Baptists will agree with Dr. White's perspective.