What is the Gospel?

Series by Nathan W. Bingham.









What is the Gospel? - Part 1
What is the Gospel? - Part 2 (Scripture)
What is the Gospel? - Part 3 (God’s Love)
What is the Gospel? - Part 4 (God’s Holiness)
What is the Gospel? - Part 5 (God’s Justice)
What is the Gospel? - Part 6 (God’s Sovereignty)
What is the Gospel? - Part 7 (The Fall & Sin)
What is the Gospel? - Part 8 (Hell)
What is the Gospel? - Part 9 (Summary of Assumed Knowledge)
What is the Gospel? - Part 10 (The Person of Christ)
What is the Gospel? - Part 11 (The Work of Christ)
What is the Gospel? - Part 12 (The Resurrection)
Gospel Review: Who Do You Think That I Am? (Presentation: “Who do you say that I am?” by Grace To You, Source: http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/2425)

ARE YOU SURE YOU LIKE SPURGEON?

... by Alan Maben

Praised by many evangelicals as a great preacher, Charles H. Spurgeon is considered a successful and "safe" example of a "non-theological" ministry. His works are recommended as a means to lead many aspiring pastors into developing their own successful ministries. His Lectures to My Students are often used for this purpose, emphasizing the "practical" aspects of evangelism. But while the form of Spurgeon's successful preaching is often studied by would-be pastors, the content of this Christian giant's preaching and teaching is often ignored. Rather Spurgeon is popularly thought to have heartily approved of the same theology that is presently dominating American culture: Arminianism.

Many Christian leaders, for instance, like to point out Spurgeon as one who also had no formal college training. They ignore the fact that he had a personal library containing more that 10,000 books.1 It is further argued that the success of his ministry in the mid-to-late 19th century was due to his anti-intellectual piety, "his yieldedness to the Spirit," and his Arminianism. The fact is, Spurgeon was not anti-intellectual, nor did he entertain delusions of being so holy that he could allow God to work only if he was "yielded." Most importantly, he was not an Arminian. He was a staunch Calvinist who opposed the dominant religious view of his day (and of ours), Arminianism.2 Even toward the end of his life he could write, "From this doctrine I have not departed to this day." 3 He was grateful that he never wavered from his Calvinism.4 "There is no soul living who holds more firmly to the doctrine of grace than do I..."5 Reading Spurgeon's beliefs, one will see that this tremendously fruitful ministry was built upon the preaching of the biblical gospel. (Continue reading here.)

Does God Save His Elect Through Extra-Ordinary Means? - Part 1

by Nathan W. Bingham

Those who have been following this blog for any length of time will appreciate that Andrew and I are convinced of the importance of doctrine and theology in a believer’s life, as it is from one’s theological presuppositions that we all make decisions of discernment and practically live our lives or serve in ministry. Therefore, I am beginning a short two-part series which will attempt to answer the question, “Does God Save His Elect Through Extra-Ordinary Means?” The reason for this short series is simple; in both real life conversations and online communications, it has become clear that some who would identify themselves as Reformed have come to conclusions that are radically inconsistent with foundational Reformation theology in the area of soteriology.1

Today’s post will positively affirm the extra-ordinary work of God in saving His elect. Consequently establishing that for one to suggest a potential need for any extra-ordinary means is for one to deny the sufficiency of God’s work in the effectual call and regeneration. (Continue reading here.)

Easy Believism

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matt. 7:14, NKJV)

See also: Narrow is 'the Way'

True Assurance vs. False Assurance (Pt. 1)

True Assurance vs. False Assurance (Pt. 2)

What's In A Word

Southern Baptist Sermon on Sovereignty and Responsibility by Basil Manly, Sr.

(I recommend reading the bio of Basil Manly, Sr. which also includes an introduction to the sermon that follows.)

Biography of Basil Manly, Sr.

Basil Manly, Sr. was another of the major architects of Southern Baptist life. Educator, preacher, administrator, and denominationalist, Manly played a strategic role in the development of the major concepts contributing to the uniqueness of Southern Baptists. Having an older brother, Charles, who became governor of North Carolina, and a younger brother, Matthew, who became Justice of the Supreme Court of that state, and himself manifesting no small gifts in several endeavors, both educational and ecclesiastical, no man of his age possessed greater contextual insights or sympathetic gifts to discern the needs of the Baptists of the South in the mid-nineteenth century.

Born in 1798 in Chatham County, North Carolina, Manly graduated from the College of South Carolina in 1821. After approximately four years at Edgefield, South Carolina, he accepted the pastorate of First Baptist Church in Charleston, South Carolina. While there, in addition to satisfying the remarkable demands of such a church field, Manly aided in the establishing of a Baptist newspaper for the South and led with others in the founding of Furman University.

The delightful humors of God's providence, however, establish Manly's greatest work at that time as the formative and pivotal influence on the life of J.P. Boyce. Born in 1827, for the first ten years of his life Boyce benefited from the inimitable ministry of Manly. In his funeral discourse upon the death of Manly in 1868, Boyce recalled the effectiveness of Manly's ministry. (Continue reading here.)

On Sovereignty and Responsibility

NOTES OF
A SERMON
DELIVERED BY
Rev. BASIL MANLY, D.D.
AT
PLEASANT GROVE CHURCHFAYETTE CO., ALA.
APRIL 8th, 1849

Philippians 2: 12, 13. "Work out your own salvation, with fear and trembling; for it is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do, of his good pleasure."

To understand any passage of scripture, we must know to whom it is addressed. This is obviously addressed, in common with the whole epistle, to believers;--"to all saints in Christ Jesus, which are in Philippi." The beginning of the 12th verse, in which our text commences, implies this. "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed; not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence; work out," &c. The terms, therefore, may be readily understood.
He could not mean, by working out our own salvation, devising the plan;--that is the Father's work, and was done long ago. Not redemption or justification;--these were the Son's work, and were accomplished in that one offering, completed when he said 'it is finished,' and went to plead that finished sacrifice before the throne of God. Not regeneration;--that is the Spirit's work, and is evidently supposed to have been already wrought in those very persons;--they were saved-saints--so far, therefore, as regards regeneration, and sanctification, (in part at least,) salvation was already wrought in them.

What, then, is it? It seems to be the yielding of the mind to the motions of the spirit, when once it has been renewed--wrought in or upon, by the Lord. It includes all the duties of practical piety, in the widest sense. It is the power of God which quickens, which implants the life. It is the duty of men to use the means to develop the seminal principle implanted within them. And, as it is the office of the Husbandman to develop the seed he has sown, through the several stages of its growth, to maturity,--so, the christian is to work out his own salvation, by cultivating the principle of grace, and conducting it through all the different stages of growth and christian experience. A reason for thus working is stated; "for it is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do, of his good pleasure."

This interpretation is consistent with the scheme of salvation; since it harmonizes freedom and the power of choice in man, with the sovereignty and antecedent grace of God. The general truth here stated is, that men are acted on by a divine operation; but, at the same time, they act; and so plainly is it exhibited, that these expressions alone would be sufficient to establish it. "work out your own salvation," is an act of man, and the duty of man. "It is God that worketh both to will" (will precedes all moral action) "and to do,"--shows that men are acted on by a divine operation, as precedent to their action and promotive of it. (Continue reading here.)

A Letter from Michael Farris

President of ParentalRights.org

Dear Friend of Parental Rights, I was in the United States Senate this past week meeting with lawyers for a Senate office. They told me directly what I have been hearing indirectly on a regular basis ever since the election.

Those who want to change family policy in America to comply with international law are preparing a full-scale effort to seek ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child during this next Congress. Barbara Boxer recently told a planning group that they intend to use children’s health care as leverage to seek ratification of this UN children’s rights treaty.

Please link to our website to see a succinct summary of the problems with this UN treaty.

The strength of their forces has been greatly increased with the addition of Hillary Clinton as the nominee for Secretary of State. She will have direct control over the submission of this treaty to the Senate and will acquire the authority under international law to sign any other treaty on any subject. (Continue reading here.)

Where Is Your Treasure?

I received a copy of the budget from my church today. This is the second year in a row that I was grieved after perusing it. (Oddly enough, it's also the second budget I received after reading Revolution in World Missions by K. P. Yohannon. The impact was profound. Click the image on the side bar for a free copy.) The thing that bothers me most is the amount of money that remains in our own building. So, I began to look more closely at where the money actually goes. I discovered that approximately 14.3% goes to some endeavor outside our own facility (i.e. missions, pro-life ministry support, and other community ministries, etc.). That leaves the remainder of approximately 85.7% (50.2% excluding ministerial salaries) to be used to minister to ourselves. Does anything seem out of balance here, or is it just me?

Is this what God had in mind when He inspired the prophet Malachi to write:

"Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts." (Mal. 3:10-11, ESV)

I totally agree with bringing in the tithes and giving toward the need. It is all the excess that is upsetting. I have another verse on my mind at the moment.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matt. 6:21, ESV)

It would seem that most churches in our country are committed to a great church experience for its own membership. Try this for a great experience. What if we could just get together, pray, sing a few praises or hymns (to reinforce solid biblical doctrine), and then listen to a sermon committed to solid biblical exegesis (defn.-explanation of a text, esp. of the Bible). Wouldn't that be great? But, that isn't what grows churches these days is it? That isn't what people are seeking. It wouldn't be seeker friendly. It wouldn't be a Me Church.

Well, here is a reminder: There is only one seeker and He is God. No one seeks Him unless they are first sought by Him. We should be more focused on pleasing Him with our worship and resources than we are about being appealing to the masses or entertaining ourselves.

Let me close by asking again, where is your treasure? Look closely and you'll see your heart there also.

Also see Financial Integrity

Recommended Sermon

Genuine Regeneration, by Paul Washer.

Sola Scriptura

"Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God : It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord , declares the Lord God , when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses." Ezekiel 36:22-29 (ESV, emphasis mine)

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" Psalm 46:10 (ESV, emphasis mine)

Hyper-Calvinism, Anti-Calvinism, and Founders Ministries

Posted by Timmy Brister at Provocations & Pantings

Whenever controversy arises in the SBC, it is always helpful to understand the agenda on both sides. Regarding the current controversy over Calvinism, it is important to note that the agenda has often changed. Earlier in the debate, the goal was to (1) discredit and debunk the doctrines of Calvinism (take William Estep’s 1997 article Doctrines Lead to Dunghill for example). The most devastating blow to Calvinism would be, of course, to show that it is unbiblical. However, non-Calvinists have not dealt with the biblical texts, and as the John 3:16 Conference reveals, very little exegesis was offered for their rejection of the doctrines of grace.

When it became apparent that Calvinism could not be stopped by proving the doctrines were unbiblical, the next step (2) was to argue from pragmatism. Calvinism, they say, is contrary to the Great Commission and would result in less baptisms and fewer people being saved. LifeWay Research last year proved that this claim to be false much to the behest of Steve Lemke and some SWBTS professors. Ed Stetzer has just posted a response to those challenging and questioning the research methods and approach regarding the Calvinism study by LifeWay/NAMB Research.

Furthermore, when pragmatism couldn’t snuff it out, the next thing on the agenda (3) was to police Calvinism. In other words, if you can’t beat it, try to control it and marginalize it. This was seen in the denominational talking point of the pastor search committee and Calvinists putting all their cards on the table. Calvinists who are (and should be) up front with Calvinism have to plow through the caricatures and misunderstandings that have been perpetuated over the years. With transparency and integrity as guiding principles, they are told that they should not be wearing Calvinism on their sleeve, that their willing admission therefore constitutes one who is “aggressive and militant.” On the other hand, Calvinists who are perhaps “softer” and less outspoken about their soteriology simply preach the Bible and love the people, but should it be known at a later time they are Calvnists, they are deemed “deceptive, dishonest, and disruptive to our churches.” In some state conventions (Florida, Texas, and Missouri to be specific), non-Calvinist literature was purchased and sent to every pastor in their states in an attempt to sway ministers against Calvinism. Denominational platforms from convention speeches to Baptist state papers to academic “white papers”, the policing effort was rather comprehensive. (Read the rest of this post »)

Recommended Sermon

This sermon, Errors in the Modern Gospel, by Voddie Baucham is a powerful indictment of some of the contemporary practices occurring within the evangelical community. Prayerfully consider the points he is making. Are the contemporary practices of modern evangelism based more on what has become tradition or are they based on the foundation of Scripture?

Words4Life

Consider what a slavery you choose, when you thus make yourselves the servants of every man, whose censures you fear, and whose approbation you are ambitious of. I Cor. vii. 23, "Ye are bought with a price. Be not ye the servants of men:" that is, do not needlessly enthral yourselves. What a task have men-pleasers! they have as many masters as beholders! No wonder if it take them off from the service of God; for the "friendship of the world is enmity to God;" and he that will thus be "a friend of the world, is an enemy to God," James iv. 4. They cannot serve two masters God and the world. You know men will condemn you, if you be true to God: if, therefore, you must needs have the favour of men, you must take it alone without God's favour. A man-pleaser cannot be true to God, because he is a servant to the enemies of his service; the wind of a man's mouth will drive him about as the chaff, from any duty, and to any sin. How servile a person is a man-pleaser! How many masters hath he, and how mean ones! It perverteth the course of your hearts and lives, and turneth all from God to this unprofitable way.

Richard Baxter

1615-1691

Exactly What Does A Calvinist Believe Anyway?

This is a great question if you are like me and happen to have been taught nothing but Arminian thought for thirty years. Thankfully, by the grace of God, He is reforming my theology to be God-centered. Since I am going through the reformation process, this post by Steve Camp is a most helpful explanation. (Especially Articles 1-18)

I'M A CALVINIST, NOT A HYPER-CALVINIST...my first response to David Allen per his remarks following the John 3:16 Conference