The 1689

Introduction

Welcome to the first of the Wednesday night prayer services. It was the habit of the first church I ever pastored in temporarily, that they would meet for the prayers of the saints. It was mostly a “Joey is sick” kind of prayer service, and then the Pastor would preach a five minute sermon. I can’t make promises to keep it to five minutes, but we’ll do our best. We’ll deal with one verse or section from the 1689 Baptist confession tonight, because this is training for elders-to-be in the church - whether deacons, elders or ushers. If you’re going to serve, you need to be prepared to be ahead of the church on doctrinal issues. This is one of the fastest ways.

Today is June 8 - our nation to pray for is Kashmir.

(Take prayer requests)

Today we start on the 1689 Second London Baptist confession of faith. We have a couple of caveats to the traditional interpretation of this confession. we are Dispensational, in the sense that John MacArthur terms “Leaky dispensationalism”. There is truly nothing in the confession that advocates Covenant Theology, Federalism or Dispensationalism. Yes, article 3 mentions covenant - but the confession also mentions dispensations. The mere presence of a word does not guarantee a particular systematic theology. Even if it did, we do understand that the Bible told Daniel to seal his vision until the time of the end. If Dispensationalism is the fulfillment of that -and we believe it is - then viewing Scripture through a systematic theology which embraces post-millennialism, preterism or post-tribulationalism would need to reject that part, or re-evaluate.

All of this said, let us examine the first statement of the confession.

Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century I. The Holy Scriptures

The Holy Scriptures are the only sufficient, certain, and infallible standard of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.

This statement supports one of the five solas of the reformation - sola Scriptura.

The Bible is sufficient. We don’t need anything else. This is the hallmark of the Reformation, rejecting church tradition in favor of God’s word. The Roman church held church tradition was the only lens by which Scripture may be interpreted. To that end, they constructed a Magisterium, the writings of church doctors they held to be superior to that of Scripture. All priests are sworn to interpret Scripture only by the magisterium.

Incidentally, this is the area in which the church is losing - the sufficiency of Scripture. All we need is Scripture. The Bible and nothing more. This was the battle cry of Martin Luther, John Calvin, Zwingli and the rest of the Reformers. This was the cry of the Puritans.

The Bible is sufficient for all matters of faith and practice.

If anyone preaches, prophesies, teaches or writes anything that contradicts Scripture, it is erroneous. It is wrong. It is false. It is lies.

These are strong words? They are the words of the prophet Isaiah, one of the most revered of the Biblical prophets.

Isa 8.20 “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.”

If that sounds like Isiah is saying they will not inherit the kingdom of heaven, then you’re right.

We do need to practice Christian charity in this. There is a difference in having errors in one’s theology, teaching erroneously, teaching heresy, and being a heretic.

For instance, most Reform believers believe in baptizing babies, something for which there is no express Biblical support. They believe that it is implied. We do not agree. This is not apostasy, nor heresy. We believe it is having errors in your theology. Reform Baptists often show a lot more Christian charity on this issue than do Paedo-baptists. By the way, the official doctrinal name for Baptists is Credo-Baptist - we believe only those who can confess Christ is Lord can be Baptized.

2 Ti 3:15-17 “and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

The Bible is certain. In other words, true. The Bible is inerrant, which goes with certain.

This sums up Sola Scriptura - a confession that the Reformers sometimes died for. The Roman church burned alive anyone who tried to translate the Bible into the common language of the people. You’d be placed on a pile of your Bibles, tied in place, and the Bibles would be set afire.

The Bottom line the confession tries to teach us in this first part is this - the teachings of the Bible are Christianity.

Hebrews 1:1–2 NASB95PARA

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

Between Hebrews 1:1-2, 2 Timothy 3:15-17, and Isaiah 8:20, and a healthy and lengthy read of Psalm 119, we see that the Bible is to be used, read, studied, taught from, believed, memorized, consulted and preached. This is where Baptists get their phrase, the Bible is the sole rule of faith and practice.

If you have called yourself a Christian and never read the Bible all the way through, and are not in the habit of turning to the Bible, I’ve got to ask some very concerned questions about your salvation. It is possible to be saved and not read the Bible. Sadly, it is the condition of many Christians. But I worry just a bit when someone who has been a Christian for many years, and they have never read the Bible in its entirety.

If that is your case, then get the Logos or Accordance app for your phone, and set up a reading plan now that will carry you through until the end of the year. Next year, you need to start a reading plan. I do recommend you do it on your computer, as Logos will open a commentary along with your Bible. click on your reading plan, then go to the layouts icon and choose “Bible and commentary.” It keeps the reading plan open, it just adds a commentary to it, linked to it. The pages will scroll along with your Bible. Get in the word, and get the word in you.

Lord, we thank You for Your word, and ask you to be with us in this coming week. Help us o Lord to cultivate a love for your word, and to stay in it every day. All these things we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Numbers 6:24–26 NASB95PARA

The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’