Praise Jesus - the Lamb of God

John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Why did John the Baptist refer to Jesus Christ as the "Lamb of God"?  As with most of Jesus' titles, the Old Testament background sheds much needed light.  John the Baptist was not just uttering something out of left field - he had specific reasons these words.  Today's blog will hopefully aid in understanding a little bit better the significance of this title.  Come with me as we journey through the scriptures to accomplish the praise of Jesus Christ - the Lamb of God.

Back to Egypt - The Passover Lamb
In Exodus 12 we see God instituting the Passover celebration on the Eve of the People of God's Exodus' from Egypt, across the Red Sea and eventual journey to Mount Sinai.  Since the days of Abraham they had been in Bondage of slavery for over 400 years.  After nine plagues, God was going to have the death Angel passover the land of Egypt to kill every firstborn son and animal.  The point of the Passover was to exempt any household from the plague, hence when the Angel would see the blood of the passover lamb applied to the door posts and gates, the Death Angel would "Passover" the house, leaving the baby alive.

At Mount Sinai - The Prescribed Lamb
In Numbers 9 it is over 12 months after Israel's flight from Egypt.  God is reminding them again of their need to celebrate the passover.  God had given a secific day - the fourteenth day of Nisan, or what would correspond to our April the fourteenth.  It was on that night that the passover lamb was to be roasted and eaten.  In fact, Numbers 9:3 and 5 in the NASB tells us that this was to be observed at twilight or, as the Hebrew reads, "between the evenings".


Prophetic Scripture tells us of the Messiah suffering as a Lamb - i.e the Predicted Lamb
Fast forward some 700 years later to Isaiah's day.  In Isaiah 53:7-10
we read this remarkable prophecy: "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth;  Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. 8By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? 9His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. 10But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand."
 

At Mount Calvary - the Precious Lamb  
Therefore the Lamb spoken of in the Law of God and predicted in the Prophecies of the Old Testament would come to be fulfilled in the Person of Christ.  According to Mark 14:12, Jesus' crucifixion took place during the time of the Passover.  In fact, He was crucified "between the evenings" of April 14 and April 15, dying three hours before sundown on Friday April 15th.  Paul describes Jesus Christ as the believer's "Passover Lamb".  (1 Corinthians 5:7)

The last Book of the Bible - The Praised Lamb
The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, will forever be associated with what He accomplished in His first coming.  Revelation 5:6 describes Jesus as being "the Lamb who was slain".  In Revelation 5:8 we see the 24 elders, most likely representative of the saints of all ages, bowing down and worshipping Christ the Lamb of God.  In Revelation 5:12 we see both angels and men singing "worthy is the lamb".  Then the vision of Revelation 5 concludes with the Lamb being described as sitting on a throne, equal with God the Father in power and glory. 

So why should we praise Jesus Christ the Lamb of God?  Why was what John the Baptist first spoke about Him so significant?  Because Jesus Christ was pictured by the Passover Lamb, the Prescribed Lamb of the Mosaic Law.  Secondly, Jesus Christ fulfilled the predicted Lamb prophecies of Isaiah.  Thirdly, He is the Precious lamb of God who gave His life and shed His blood for you. (1 Peter 1:17-18)  Then finally, He is the Praised Lamb, as revealed in Revelation.  Let us praise the Lamb of God - Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ - the Lamp of God

Numbers 8:2-3 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you mount the lamps, the seven lamps will give light in the front of the lampstand.’” 3Aaron therefore did so; he mounted its lamps at the front of the lampstand, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Hebrews 9:11-12 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 


The Need for Light from the Lord provided by Christ the Lamp
Yesterday we traced the Golden Lampstand of the Tabernacle and Temple through the Old Testament to show how it pointed to the need for Light.  We begin where we left off, showing how furnishings like the Golden Lampstand picture for us the Person and work of Jesus Christ.  The two passages above demonstrate the validity of such an approach.

Take three Bibles and open them up to compare
It might help the reader to take three Bibles and open up the first to Numbers 8, the second to Hebrews 9 and the third for turning to multiple references.  Often I tell people that though I may not be able to find Jesus Christ in every verse, yet from every verse I can get you to Jesus Christ.  Numbers 8 speaks about the Priests and their ministry, beginning with the Lampstand of which we spoke about yesterday.  Hebrews 9 shows the validity of using the lampstand and Tabernacle system as a way of illustrating the person and work of Jesus Christ.  With the third Bible, I would invite the reader to consider the following New Testament passages that reveal Jesus Christ as the Lamp of God.  Having done this, below shows what God's Word yields concerning Christ - the Lamp of God

Some remarkable parallels between the Lampstand and Jesus Christ
When we look at how the Old Testament Golden Lampstand was made, it sheds remarkable parallels on the person and work of Jesus Christ. First, according to Numbers 8:4, the lampstand was to be made out of pure gold, hammered or beaten.  Jesus Christ was pure, undefiled and seperated from sinners. (Hebrews 9:14).  Christ too was beaten, hammered by the wrath of God and bore the sins of many. (Isaiah 53:1-10; Hebrews 9:28) 

Secondly, the lampstand in the holy place functioned to help the priests see, to make the other furnishings appear in an otherwise dark room. (Numbers 8:1-2)  Likewise, Christ, the True Lamp of God, appeared in human flesh, as a High Priest of things to come. (Hebrews 9:11) 

Thirdly, in Numbers 8:5-22 we see instructions for the priests to be cleansed in preparation for the ministry in the tabernacle.  In Numbers 8:5, 11 and 12, we see reference to the priests being cleansed before the Lord, with a burnt offering being offered to make atonement for them.  Truly this is a reminder that cleansing cannot take place apart from the blood.  The revelation of the lampstand and this ritual of the cleansing and blood appear to be two different instructions from the Lord.  However, when we come to the New Testament, we see the connection.

In Hebrews 9:14 we discover that only Christ, offering himself as an atoning sacrifice, can cleanse the conscience of the believer from dead works.  In 1 John  1:7 we read - "but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."  Thus we see the connection between Christ the Light, Christ's blood and cleansing!

Jesus Christ, the Lamp of God
With our comparison of a few verses in Numbers 8 and Hebrews 9, I hope you can begin to draw the connections between both passages.  With another Bible turn to the verses I am going to list below.  The remarkable thing about scripture is that it not only centers on Jesus Christ, but you can take any doctrine and with Christ trace its development from beginning to end.  Below we see Jesus Christ, the Lamp of God, developed through the New Testament. 




John 1:4,5 "In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."

Matthew 4:16-17 “THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH,
UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED.” 17From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

John 9:5 “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”

2 Corinthians 4:6 "For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."

Hebrews 1:3 "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."

Revelation 1:20 “As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."  Christ of course is the Lord amidst His church, depicted as the Golden lampstand!

Revelations 21:22-24 "I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it." Christ, the Lamb of God, is explicitely called "The Lamp"! 

May you and I today walk by the Lamp of God, Jesus Christ. 

 

 

The Need for light from the Lord

Hebrews 9:1-2 Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary. 2For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place.

Introduction: Connect Old and New Testament through Jesus Christ
From the background of Hebrews 8, the author proceeds to connect the dots between the Old Covenant (Testament) system and New Covenant (Testament) church age by way of Jesus Christ.  Old Covenant rituals and Israel provides pictures, patterns and shadows of the reality of Jesus Christ and His church.  Without replacing Israel entirely, Christ came to fulfill everything anticipated in the Old Testament, inaugurate the promises in the Church age and fulfill His promise to Israel in the age to come. 

With that big picture introduction, we can take a detail mentioned here in Hebrews 9, and trace it from its start in the Old Testament to what it pictures in the New Testament.  The detail which I would like us to consider today is the Golden Lampstand. 

The purpose of the Golden Lampstand in the Old Testament Tabernacle
Hebrews 9:2 makes mention of "the lampstand" among its descriptions of the Tabernacle built during the days of Moses in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers.  The Tabernacle was planned by God and built according to that plan in Exodus 25-40.  Leviticus describes the ministry performed in the Tabernacle, with Numbers listing or reiterating those details.  The Tabernacle was divided into three main areas: The courtyard and then the tent of meeting, subdivided into 2 rooms: the holy place and the most holy place. 

These latter rooms were covered over with several layers of animals skins and embroidered linen.  The one room, the holy place, was where the priests would enter to do their daily ministry on behalf of the people.  The only light source in that particular room would had been the Golden lampstand.  Called the Menorah in Hebrew, the lampstand was to be made of one solid piece of pure beaten gold, capable of holding on its evenly spaced branches seven oil lamps. (Exodus 25:19-40)  Day and night the priests would have to "trim the wicks" of each of the lamps to ensure the continual light needed to ministry in the holy place. (Exodus 30:7)

What we would had seen in the Holy place illuminated by the Golden Lampstand
If you would had been a priest, what would you had observed walking into that sacred room - the Holy Place?  After having washed your hands in the Bronze Laver located in the front of the Tent of meeting, you would had went through a linen veil, and to your left you would had spied the Golden Lampstand.  Its seven lamps would had been flickering but puring forth steady light.  Upon the ceiling you would had seen depictions of Cherubim, the Holy Angels around God's throne, woven into the purple linen.  You may had been overwhelmed, reminded of the fact that your were on holy ground.  Directly in front would be the golden altar of incense, where you would offer of prayers and sweet smelling aromas.  To your right would had been the Table, whereupon was placed twelve unleavened loaves of bread, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. (Hebrews 9:1-7 details this basic layout)  Unless the lampstand was lit, you would had been in total darkness, since no other lightsource existed in that room. 

Old Testament Israel's light grows dim
Throughout the remainder of the Old Testament, we find reference made to the Golden Lampstand.  In 1 Samuel 3:3, we find out that it came to be called "the lamp of God", and sadly, due to neglect, its light had almost went out.  Samuel ministered 400 years after Moses. 

If we fast forward another 400 or so years we come to the days of Daniel the prophet.  The year was 538 b.c, and it was the eve of the fall of Babylon to Persia.  The famous finger of God inscribed the judgment upon the palace wall of Belshazzar, the debaucherous grandson of Nebuchadnezzar and last function ruler of Babylon.  It says in Daniel 5:5 that directly opposite of that famous "writing on the wall" were the spoils of Jerusalem taken by the Babylonians some 70 years prior. In that collection is listed the Golden Lampstand - a mute testimony to the One writing on the wall of Belschazzar's palace. 

The Light that was ignored
The Light of God's word could not be quenched, and despite Daniel's interpretation of the fall of Babylon, the court of Babylon ignored the word and lamp of prophecy.  Sadly, following the ministry of the Prophet Malachi in 396 b.c, 400 years would pass in Israel and the world before a word from God would be heard again. 

The need for light from the Lord
The cry of the Old Testament signalled that Israel, God's lamp to the nations, had failed in her mission.  Though she had failed, God's plan was far from defeated.  Matthew 4:12-17 has Jesus preaching His first sermon, quoting Isaiah 60:1-3, telling the people that He was going to pickup where Israel had dropped the ball. Later on the New Testament tells us that through Christ, God is going to restore Israel, and is currently setting her aside to bring the light of the Gospel to the Gentiles. (Romans 11)  The scripture, preached and live out by the church, is currently is the means through which Christ the Lamp is shining, calling Gentiles to repent and making Israel jealous, preparing her for the time when her Messiah comes. (Romans 11)

Jesus Christ of course is that light.  He alone can fulfill the need for light from the Lord.  More to come tomorrow. 

The inerrant, infallible, sufficient & clear word of God

2 Timothy 3:15 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

Yesterday, we looked at three of those qualities: namely it being the Holy Bible, Divinely Inspired as God's Revelation.  Today we will look at four more qualities, using the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message as our aid in understanding the nature of the Bible.  The entire 2000 Baptist Faith and Message (2000 BFM) can be found on the SBC official website: www.sbc.net .

"without any mixture of error" This next phrase that we come across in the BFM 2000 refers to what Bible teachers call "inerrancy". Literally, the words of the Bible are without error. Inerrancy refers materially to the original manuscripts of the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament. When we say "materially", we mean that the "material", the "words" of the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek manuscripts of the Bible had no errors.  Since those originals are no longer in existence, all of the copies and translations are formally inerrant.  The term "formal" refers to doctrines, historical and scientific information and any idea preserved in the faithful translations and copies of those manuscripts.   I can tell you from having worked in Hebrew and Greek for nearly 20 years (to God be the glory), that you have nothing to fear in regards to your English Bible - it is God's Word.

Jesus and the Apostles themselves used the Greek Translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, treating it as carrying the authority of inerrancy.  Whenever an Apostle quoted the Old Testament in the New Testament, they mainly quoted from the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament.  Jesus Himself noted that "heaven and earth may pass away, but that God's Word would never pass away". (Matthew 5:18)  That includes the copies and translations of the Bible!  As a pastor, I can hold up my English Bible and confidently say that it does not merely contain the Word of God, nor become the word of God when I read it but that it is the inerrant and infallible Word of God.  As the 2000 BFM states: "It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter." Therefore I can literally say without apology that the English Bible I preach from is as much the Word of God as the originals - since God's perfect truth preserved could never derive from an imperfect source. (Psalms 12:6; Proverbs 30:5)

"Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy" With the authority of scripture's inerrancy flowing from perfect original manuscripts and extending such authority down through the copies and translations, what about the matter of trustworthiness? Bible teachers calls this "infallibility", meaning that the Bible is incapable of leading you astray. Inerrancy deals with the contents and wording of the text, whereas infallibility deals with the intent and conclusions of the text. Jesus in John 10:35 said the scripture cannot be broken. The Bible is trustworthy and cannot ever lead you astray.

"It reveals the principles " This is the beginning of the next to last sentence in the first article of the 2000 BFM. What follows in this sentence speaks to what Bible teachers call the scripture's sufficiency. Is the Bible enough to give us universal truths that we can apply to specific situations touching history, eternity and personal life? These universal truths, communicated through the words of scripture, are what we call principles. We must confess as Christians that the Bible is indeed sufficient in covering what God desires us to know and apply for everything.(1 Corinthians 10:6)

"All Scripture is a testimony" What is a testimony? It is a clear statement of what someone saw or experienced in their life. The idea of extracting from scripture what God communicates and testifies about Jesus Christ's person and mission speaks to the Bible's clarity. The Bible is not merely a witness of God's revelation, rather God chose to witness of Himself through the Bible. The Bible is God's revelatory testimony of His mind to man!  Is the Bible a book of riddles and puzzles - or is it clearly understandable to the born-again child of God who reads it through the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit? We can only answer in the affirmative. (1 Corinthians 2:12-16)  This is why preachers preach it, teachers teach it and all Christians are to live God's book - since it is His testimony about His Son - Jesus Christ. (Luke 24:44)

Therefore in these seven statements, we have learned that the Bible is God's book, which is the inspired, revealed, inerrant, infallible, sufficient and clear Word of God.

The Holy Bible - God's Divinely inspired Revelation

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Yesterday we looked at the unique authority of scripture in comparison to secondary forms of authority used in the Christian life.  We concluded that the Bible alone (sola scriptura) is sufficient to be the believer's standard for all faith, practice and understanding.  Also too, we understood that whether it be reason, experience, tradition, teachers or pastors - that these secondary "norms" are "normed", judged and operate in accords to the norming norm - God's Word.  With that said, why is the Bible to be considered the supreme authority for the Christian? Why is it unique and why must all other authorities be considered secondary?  Below we will begin answering that question. 

Seven terms that describe the Southern Baptist View of Scripture
Seven phrases are of particular interest in the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message.  Below three of these phrases will be highlighted in today's blog, namely: "The Holy Bible",  "Divinely Inspired" & "God's Revelation".  These are important terms which hopefully all Southern Baptists and Bible believing Christians would affirm.  The entire 2000 Baptist Faith and Message (2000 BFM( can be found on the SBC official website: www.sbc.net .

"The Holy Bible" This is the first phrase of the 2000 BFM (Baptist Faith and Message) and designates the Book of God.  The Bible is of course the Book of Books, God's Divine Library, composed of 66 books, written by 40 authors, in three languages, over 1500 years, on three continents.  The Holy Spirit of God moved upon these men to compose the more than 774,000 words of the Bible - with each author writing in literary styles of poetry, history, narrative, commands, letters, biographical sketch and prophecy.  The unity of scripture is testimony to its Divine authorship, as well as the sheer amount of fulfilled prophecy.  More than 800 prophecies are found in the Bible.  Concerning Jesus Christ - 109 were fulfilled in His first coming, and 224 point us to His second coming.  The Bible alone is unique in containing fulfilled prophecy - no other so-called Holy book as even one example.  Thus the Bible is a product of God the Holy Spirit working through the writing styles and languages of the Prophets and Apostles.  (2 Peter 1:21)

"Divinely Inspired" This phrase deals with how the Bible was produced.  The term literally means "God breathed".  Just as God breathed into the nostrils of Adam, making him a "living soul" (Genessis 2:7), so did God the Holy Ghost breath through the words of the Prophets and Apostles to make a living book - God's Book - the Bible.  (2 Timothy 3:16-17)  As a Divinely inspired work, the 66 books of the Bible each are used by the Spirit of God to bring about conversion - since no one believes on the Lord apart from scripture. (Psalm 19:7; Romans 10:17)

"God's Revelation" Revelation refers to God making known what was previously unknown.  Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us that the unrevealed things belong to God while the revealed things belong to us and our children.  God did not disclose His will without first making His words known to His prophets in the Old Testament and His Apostles in the New Testament.  (Amos 3:7; John 14)  The Bible is God's revelation in written form.  The 2000 BFM refers to the Bible as Divine revelation or as revealing God's will on three occassions. Thousands of scriptures have the phrase "thus saith the Lord" - lending to the designation of the Bible as "God's revelation".

Thus these three terms: Holy Bible, Divinely inspired and God's revelation aid us in understanding the nature of God's Book - the Bible. 

Why Christians must affirm sola scriptura (scripture alone)

Nehemiah 8:1,8 (1) "And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had given to Israel."  (8)  "They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading."

1 Thesslonians 2:13 "For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe."

Jude 3 "Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints."

The above verses communicate the truth of the Bible's unique authority and its relationship to secondary authority
Sometimes when I am talking to people I'll refer to the fact that I believe that "The Bible Alone" is the sufficient standard for all faith, practice and understanding. To say that sola scriptura (Latin term meaning "Scripture Alone") excludes the need for other secondary authorities would be mistaken. It is important to remember that Bible believing Christianity doesn't advocate "solo scriptura" (i.e - I read the Bible only and by myself and don't need to go to church), but rather sola scriptura (i.e - the Bible is supreme in its authority and I need Bible teachers and the local church to encourage me to read it better understand it and apply it). (Hebrews 10:24-25)  

What the Prophets, Jesus Christ and the Apostles taught about Scripture
As you can see in the above verses, from both the Old Testament era and the New Testament church, scripture held a unique position.  It has and always will be deemed the "Word of God".  Bible teachers sometimes talk about the Bible as the "norming norm", meaning that it is the standard by which all other standards are measured.  Other sources such as reason, experience, tradition, pastoral authority, etc are  "normed norms", meaning that their authority is regulated by scripture.  The doctrinal truth of sola scriptura prevents Christians from falling into two ditches. 

First of all, the Biblical principle of sola scriptura is not teaching that we are to interpret scripture apart from Spirit-gifted preaching and teaching, the local church, fellowship with other Bible believing churches or basic knowledge of church history. (2 Peter 1:20) To read and interpret the Bible apart from other Christians or the local church leads quickly to heresy.  If anything, the Bible as God's book was meant to be applied, preached and lived out by Christians individually and in community with one another.

With that said, the Bible equally affirms that any child of God has the right and ability by the Spirit of God to interpret and apply the text for themselves. To deny the believer's Spirit-led ability to read and apply the Bible leads to unnecessary elevation of church authority and tradition to equal status with scripture. Before too long, church authority, or the Pastor or church tradition replaces the unique authority of scripture - making the Bible fit the given belief system. 

God has given believers pastors, teachers and the local church for the purpose of growing the saints and promoting the Gospel. (1 Corinthians 2:13-16; Ephesians 4:11-12)  Their authority is effective in so far as they depend upon and are regulated by the supreme authority of scripture.
How the Protestant Reformation recaptured the Biblical teaching of Sola Scripture
In the sixteenth century the Reformation arose to recapture the truth declared by the prophets, Christ and the Apostles of unique authority of the Bible above all other secondary forms of authority such as tradition and reason. Over a period of centuries the Roman Catholic Church had developed a triple source understanding of spiritual authority: elevating the teaching authority of the Pope and Church Tradition to the same level as the scriptures.  What resulted was an actual diminishing of scripture's voice. 

In doing so, men such as John Wycliffe in the 1300's and Martin Luther in the 1500's began reaffirming the unique authority of scripture in relationship to other sources.  The Latin term sola scriptura was coined, identifying the unique property of scripture in binding the conscience and converting the soul. Church tradition, doctrinal statements and pastoral authorities, though important, were shown by the Reformers not to possess this same quality like the Bible. Those sources are fallible, whereas the Bible is infallible.  Secondary sources can err, whereas the Bible alone is without error.     

How Southern Baptists uphold the cardinal Reformation principle of the Bible's Unique Authority
From the days of the Apostles down through the Reformation, Baptist people have upheld this vital principle of sola scriptura as defined above. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, the doctrinal statement of the Southern Baptist Covention, defines its purpose and relationship to the scriptures with these two thoughts from its preamble:

1. "Baptists are a people of deep beliefs and cherished doctrines. Throughout our history we have been a confessional people, adopting statements of faith as a witness to our beliefs and a pledge of our faithfulness to the doctrines revealed in Holy Scripture."

2. "Our confessions of faith are rooted in historical precedent, as the church in every age has been called upon to define and defend its beliefs. Each generation of Christians bears the responsibility of guarding the treasury of truth that has been entrusted to us [2 Timothy 1:14]. Facing a new century, Southern Baptists must meet the demands and duties of the present hour."

Even Baptist people recognize that for sake of humility, maintaining doctrinal purity & promoting the Gospel, we need one another and we need to be articulating the truth of God Word in the context of the preaching and teaching of the local church.  Baptist Churches in turn come together and cooperate in organized groups called associations to promote the Gospel and doctrinal purity.  In Baptist life, the Assocation is subject to the authority of the local church.  The local church in turn is led by the Pastor who himself is accountible the people whom He serves.

With that said, to what ultimate authority do such things as doctrinal statements, local churches, Baptist Associations and Pastors submit? What supreme norm has Christ ordained to regulate every area of His church?  The Baptist faith and message states in the first article entitled 'The Bible' - "It (The Bible) reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried."

Therefore may we as God's people keep all the means of Christian growth in their proper perspective - noting that as needful as Pastors, Sunday School teachers, the local church, doctrinal statements, reason, experience, governing authorities are - they all are subsumed under the supreme authority of scripture alone (i.e sola scriptura).  For it is by the scriptures that Christ excercises His reign over the church and communicates His purposes for the world. 

God's Alls: God is All-Powerful and All-Wise

Romans 11:34-36 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? 35Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? 36For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

Quick Review: God is Infinite, and He is the All-Good God
Yesterday we began consider how it is that God is infinite in terms of His being, and how from that nature we understand Him to be the All-Good God.  Psalm 145:9 tells us: "Jehovah is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all His works...thou openest thy hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing."(KJV)  We are considering God mainly from the text of Romans 11:33-36.  In that text we see God's All Goodness (Romans 11:33).  Today we want to consider to other main "Alls" of God: namely God as being "All-powerful" and "All-wise".

God is All-Powerful (omni-potent)
Since God is infinite, and since He is infinitely good, then it follows that He would have to possess the power to accomplish His good intentions. In Romans 11:33, we discover that His "judgments" are unsearchable and His "ways" are unfathomable. The term "way" speaks of the activites of God, and His judgments of course speaks of the Sovereign ability He has to carry them out. For God to be infinitely good and yet not to be infinitely powerful would make Him no better than a creature.

Biblical Christianity asserts that God is both infinitely good and powerful. To be the Creator of all things, God must be all powerful. In the realm of redemption, the cross is the chiefest example of God's omnipotence, demonstrating the love of infinite God and the power of the Son, God in human flesh, to destroy the devil's works and bridge the infinite chasm between all who by grace through faith believe and God. (Colossians 2:13-14; John 3:8) Then of course God is omnipotent due to the fact that He and The Son will bring about the end of history, with the Holy Spirit regulating such history to its appropriate end in the return and reign of Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:20-28) This is alluded to in Romans 11:34-35, which requires God to be omnipotent in order to excercise His judgments and ways.

God is all-wise (omni-sapience). In Romans 11:25-33 we see reference to God's All-Goodness (omni-benevolence); in Romans 11:33 we also see reference to His All-powerfulness (omni-potence); but now we turn to Romans 11:34-36, where we see God's All-wisdom (omni-sapience). Omni-sapience comes from two Latin words: Omni meaning "all" and Sapiens meaning "wise".  Perhaps you have heard of the scientific name for human beings being that of Homo-sapiens-sapiens.  We are beings who a distinguished from all other creatures as possessing some measure of wisdom, understanding.  As human beings created in the image of God, any wisdom we have is from God, who is the source of all knowledge and wisdom. (Genesis 1:26-28; Proverbs 2:2)

Unlike man, God is Wise in and of Himself, without need of any outside counsel in directing the course of history, redemption and deternity.  The All-Wisdom of God is what directs His All-Good intentions and utilizes the All-powerfulness (omnipotence) to accomplish those intentions to their appropriate ends. Included in the wisdom of God are some other "alls": His omniscience or "all-knowingness", as well as His "all-presence" or "omnipresence".

Seeing God's All-Goodness, Power and Wisdom at work in redemption
Romans 11:36 states - "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. The Triune God's work in redemption is an example of the Trinitarian structure of Romans 11:36. The Father planned salvation by His All-Good, All-powerful, All-wise intentions. The Son, by his assuming full humanity, accomplished salvation by the shedding of blood, while still sharing in His full Deity with the Father.  God's Goodness, Strength and Wisdom is the source of salvation to those who by grace through faith believe. Then of course the Spirit in the Wisdom, Goodness and strength He shares with the Father and the Son, applies salvation to all whom He calls, convicts and believes.

God's All Goodness

Romans 11:33 "Oh the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways."

What do we mean when we say God is Infinite
When we speak of God being infinite, by what do we mean? It is a humbling thing to think of such a lofty idea, yet the scriptures bid us to consider the fact that the Triune God is infinite, while everything else is finite.  The word "finite" comes from the Latin finis meaning "having limits or an end".  Whenever you attach that Latin prefix "in" onto the front of that word, you have the meaning "without limits, without end".

When we speak of God being infinite, we are referring to how He fills all parts and wholes in the universe and outside of it, as well as everypart and whole of past, present and future.  Psalm 147:5 tells us: "Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite." Ephesians 1:23, from the original text, describes how Christ in His Divine nature "fully fills the full limit of all things in all things." 

A far more able mind and theologian by the name of Dr. Charles Hodge defines God's infinite nature in Volume One of His Systematic Theology: "As He is not more in one place than in another, but is everywhere equally present, so He does not exist during one period of duration more than another."  Some passages which speak of God being infinite or eternal are: 1 Kings 8:29; Psalm 90:2, Psalm 102:25-27; Isaiah 57:5, 64:6, 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8; Hebrews 13:8; Revelation 1:4

The Alls of God
With those descriptions, we can speak of God, being without limit nor end.  He is infinite.  Since God is infinite, all of His qualities, His characteristics are without limit.  To help the reader capture what were trying to communicate in this blog, I simply refer to God's qualities that point back to His inifinite nature as being "The Alls of God".   The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, the current doctrinal statement of the Southern Baptist Convention, states in its article on God: "God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things past, present and future, including the free decisions of His free creatures."

The Alls of God according to scripture
In a moment you will see why I am referring to the infinite attributes of God as the "Alls of God".  For today's blog I want to give you the scriptures which speak about the first major "All" of God: God's All Goodness (i.e omni-benevolence).  I pray you will find this study to be a boon to your Christian life, since all of us can always have a bigger view of God.

God is All-Good (Omni-Benevolent) When we begin to think about God as infinite, we need to have an all-encompasing description that ties together who He is.  The Bible seems to indicate that God's Goodness as infinite goodness is what fundamentally describes both His character and actions.  I gain this from God's discussion with Moses on Sinai in Exodus 33:17-18, wherein He causes all of His goodness to pass before Moses.  Stephen Charnock in Volume 2 of His work: "The Existence and Attributes of God", pages 210-11, states: "God is originally good, which leads us to acknowledge His infinite goodness, followed by Him being perfectly good and thus Him being immuteably good."

Moses had requested for God to show him His glory.  God in turn did that, revealing His "backparts", a Hebrew idiom no doubt referring to giving Moses a glimpse of the glory through the medium of the Pre-incarnate Christ of biblical revelation.  Psalm 145:9 tells us: "Jehovah is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all His works...thou openest thy hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing."(KJV) 

In Romans 11:25-33, God's All-Goodness or "omni-benevolence" is the launching point for consideration of God's infinite ability and purpose to orchestrate history, redemption and eternity.  It is God being the All-Good God that motivates Him to be redemptive toward fallen humanity.

Tomorrow we will consider further "Alls" of God, namely God being "All-powerful" (i.e omnipotent) and "All-Wise" (i.e omnisapient).

Consecration in the Christian life

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

Today's blog closes out the series we have been doing on consecration.  We have been drawing much of our understanding from Numbers 5-7 and other passages.  Consecration is when I decide to concentrate every area of my life upon the Lord.  As Oswald Chambers and other Christian writers have pointed out - consecration is "my part" in the post-conversion Christian walk, whereas sanctification is "God's part". (Philippians 2:12-13).  As much as consecration is a resolve of the redeemed human will, it cannot begin without the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit supplying the background and basis.

In our study we have identified the following truths concerning consecration:
1. Consecration of the heart
2. Consecration of marriages
3. Consecration of one's life
4. Consecrated church

Today I want to simply list select passages that both topically and explicitly reveal the New Testament's emphasis on consecration for the Christian.  For the sake of the reader I will underline words or phrases that are conveying this idea.

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

Matthew 6:20-21 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Romans 12:1-2 "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 “Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. 18“And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty."

Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

1 Peter 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence

All of these texts occur in contexts where conversion has taken place, God's sanctifying work has begun and the believer is being urged to have his desires match God's desires.  Consecration is the chief fruit in the will of the saint who is experiencing the progressive, sanctifying work of God's Holy Spirit.  I would bid every child of God and myself to resolve ourselves daily unto consecration and pray for the sweet Spirit of God to continue on His work of sanctification. 

Picturing A Consecrated Church

Numbers 7:1 Now on the day that Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed it and consecrated it with all its furnishings and the altar and all its utensils; he anointed them and consecrated them also.

So far this week we have considered the topic of consecration.  Consecration is when I decide to concentrate every area of my life on God.  That means I may choose to abstain from some things in order to draw closer to Him.  As we have labored to show, consecration works in cooperation with the Spirit's work of sanctification which He is working forth, constantly and progressively in our hearts. (Philippians 2:12-13; 2 Peter 1:4-11)

As we consider the importance of consecration from the pattern set forth by it in Numbers 5-7, we can note the following areas:

1. Consecration of our hearts (Numbers 5)
2. Consecration of marriages (Numbers 5)
3. Consecration of one's entire life (Numbers 6)

Today as we look at Numbers 7, we see the activity of consecration as it pertains to entire nation.  We could easily apply this point to be that of corporate consecration: when an entire church, nation, or Christ driven group consecrates itself to the Lord. 

How does a church retain its level of unity and peace with one another
Years ago the late Dr. W.A Criswell, pastor of First Baptist Dallas for over fifty years, was asked a question regarding the incredible unity witnessed among his hundreds of staff members, Deacons and other church leaders.  Dr. Criswell noted that his church had an agreement that centered around being right with God. I summarize his answer:

"We here have followed this principle, that if I'm right with God, and your right with God then we will be right with one another.  However if we find ourselves in disagreement and discord, then we wait, pause, and pray, getting our hearts in tune with God once again.  Once we have done that, we then can walk together, thus moving forward as a church."  Through Dr. Criswell's comments runs this theme of consecration. 

Why consecration is worth it
Numbers 7 was recalling those tender days when the tabernacle had just been finished.  Exodus 40 records this same timeframe.  What an amazing year it must had been, to go from bondage in Egypt to worship of God at the mountain.  The very structure He so ordained to be his house was completed.  We know from the parallel passage in Exodus 40 and Leviticus 8 that the Shekinah glory of God fell and filled that place.  Now the priests and the whole nation were being called unto consecration.  Consecration of their gifts, animals and lives. 

Why such effort? Why such expense? You read through the 89 verses of Numbers 7, and see rituals and offerings.  Its not until the very end you see the point of corporate consecration in Numbers 7:89 - "Now when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim, so He spoke to him."

The Church together ought to aim for corporate consecration
When you look at how the early church in Acts 2:41-47, they had "continually devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching" (Acts 2:42) Furthermore, all of those who had believed together had "everything in common". (Acts 2:44)  Nothing is more beautiful than when a church has consecrated itself among its membership to love Jesus Christ together. 

When the members of the New Testament church have consecrated their hearts, marriages and lives the corporate act of consecration follows.  Christ is building His church, and desires her to be in experience whom she already is by position: a temple of the Holy Spirit, the Bride of Christ.  When a church has corporately resolved to consecrate itself to the Lord, revival results and lives are changed.  May we aim to be what God wants us to be in Jesus Christ!