Author: knightswoodfcc

The church in Britain today is at a very low ebb. Attendances are small. Congregations tend to be ageing and almost all declining. The vast majority of people show little respect for God. His name is blasphemed, His day is desecrated, His commandments are broken, His Gospel is despised and His church is for funerals. Why?

Evolution

The publication of Charles Darwin’s ‘Origin of Species’ in 1859 proved a turning point for Western civilisation. Up till then most people believed in a Creator God and feared Him. Now it appeared that God was not needed and that there was a natural explanation of the origin of the world. Even although evolution was not proved and much evidence existed to cast doubt upon it, yet human unbelief grasped hold of it as an escape from the Creator and Judge.

Liberalism

At the same time as Evolution was carrying all before it in the scientific and popular realm, German liberalism was undermining the church from within. Doubts were cast upon parts of Scripture. Questions were raised. At first it was about matters which appeared somewhat peripheral, eg the authorship of certain Biblical books. However, once doubt was cast upon the Bible’s inerrancy in one area it soon spread. If what Scripture said about the Mosaic authorship of the first five books of the Bible was wrong why believe the Bible on other points?

Entertainment

No age has had so much readily available entertainment as ours. People have no time to think about deeper things. The music is always on and it is of the kind that makes individuals forget God or rebel against Him. Television and video pictures are constantly and alluringly passing before the eyes to fill the mind and distract the thoughts from God. Pleasure is presented as the purpose of life. Envy is encouraged. Marriage vows are smiled at and sexual immorality is portrayed as something which everyone enjoys apart from Victorian hypocrites.

Pluralism

We live in a day when it is popular to regard all religions as having the truth and being different ways to God. Liberal theologians agree. It is considered the height of bigotry to say that the followers of any religion are wrong and on the way to hell. People conclude that there is no such thing as objective truth in the realm of religion.

Ecumenism

There are many churches. Which is right? Perhaps they are all wrong? What is a Christian? Within the large denominations some ministers are obviously heretics since they do not believe fundamental truths such as the atoning death or physical resurrection of Christ. The world hears an Evangelical preaching the Gospel, then hears his neighbouring minister and fellow-worker teaching universalism (that everyone goes to heaven). What is he to believe? The Evangelical treats the heretic as his brother in the church, so is heresy really a soul-damning error? No wonder the world is confused. Does the truth really matter? “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed” (2Jn:10). “If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Gal.1:9).

Funerals

Recently it was forcibly impressed on me just how damaging some funeral services can be for the Gospel. In our world, where ministers are viewed as primarily professional comforters, what is to be said when someone dies who gave no evidence of saving grace? The practice of giving tributes at funerals is becoming very common. In some cases it is an easy exercise, but in other cases, if one is honest, it is very difficult. Sadly many ministers today say what people want to hear whether it is true or not. It is becoming increasingly rare to go to a funeral and not to hear the dead being put to heaven. When the immoral drunkard hears his fellow-sinner sent by a minister to his eternal rest, he either rejects Christianity as lies or continues in his sins assured that he will still somehow get to heaven too.

Persecution

In some parts of the world becoming a Christian could mark you out as a target for beating, imprisonment or even execution. In Britain there is a more subtle form of persecution, but it is one that is very difficult to withstand. The real Christian is despised, patronised, ridiculed and ostracised. If you hide your faith you can be accepted. How hard it is to stand alone, mocked by the majority! How easy to compromise so that the popular people will not laugh at you! How often does one hear a sermon on hell? The world ridicules hell-fire preaching. Certain subjects such as the rôle of husbands and wives are avoided in preaching lest they give offence. There is a fear of mentioning specific sins from the pulpit.

Scandals

No doubt in every age there have been church leaders who have badly disgraced the Christian church by their behaviour. However it seems to be worse in our day. The horrid sins and crimes of Roman Catholic priests have been paraded in public. The uncovered immorality of money-grabbing tele-evangelists cannot be hid. The media loves to publish the scandalous sins of ministers so that Christians of whatever denomination or persuasion can be written off as hypocrites.

Man-made-conversions

In no age has the church been so concerned with results as at present. The number of conversions is the way used for gauging whether a ministry is successful or not. Because numbers are so important shortcuts are taken to ensure results. ‘How to’ manuals sell well. Man does the work of the Holy Spirit for Him. A decision of the will is all that is required of the unconverted. “Make this confession or say this prayer after me. Now you are a Christian. Don’t let the devil tempt you with doubts”. In this way even Evangelical churches are flooded with ‘converts’ who have never been born again. It is strange that ministers, the watchmen, do not fear being held responsible for deceiving souls to hell.

Lost Expectations

Because of the lack of visible results many even in the best churches are losing hope. Evangelism can be very hard work especially if you are seeing little fruit. It is easy to become fatalistic. If God means to convert He will. Meanwhile we sit back and do nothing or lay all the emphasis on teaching and worship. What is the point of speaking to my neighbour about Christ? They are not interested and have made that plain time and time again. What is the point of preaching evangelistically? Few unconverted folk come to my church and those who do have heard it all innumerable times. If we do not expect to see conversions it is unlikely that we shall.

Poor witness

If as Christians we were more consistent in our lives our witness would make more of an impact. Sadly Christians generally are as worldly as the rest of society. Our greed, bad temper, deceitfulness and unkindness undermines our words. Our lack of prayer leaves us without power. Our laziness and fear of man keep our mouths shut when we have evangelistic opportunities presented to us. Surely we need to repent and at the same time plead with the Sovereign Lord for revival!

Do you think of yourself as a soldier? Do you feel you are at war? In one sense you do because the Bible says it. Yet it is easy to forget. The enemy is invisible and pretends that he does not exist and so we are lulled to sleep. But we have a real enemy with large and powerful forces at his disposal. Wake up and fight! There is no way that we can make it to heaven without fighting.

The Enemy

Our enemy is the devil. He has been around for thousands of years during which time he has tempted millions of people. He has trained on the job and has lots of experience. We cannot see him and that gives him a deadly advantage. Further, he has us under constant surveillance. We do not have to speak out for him to hear. He has no physical ears but can hear the thoughts going through our minds. He can whisper into our hearts in such a way as that we cannot readily distinguish his words from our own thoughts. Unlike God, he is not able to be present in more than one place at once. However he has millions of devils under his command and so, wherever we are, devils are never far away. He does not know everything but he is highly intelligent and being thousands of years old he has acquired a vast amount of knowledge.

The Wiles of the Devil

He has many of these. For example, he mixes truth with error. Obvious heresy is easily rejected but when camouflaged with a good dose of truth it is absorbed. Sometimes he emphasises an important point of doctrine but does so at the expense of another point which is disastrously ignored. He can readily quote (or rather misquote) Scripture, which he knows better than any of us. He tempted Christ in this way. Sometimes he appears as an angel of light and would succeed in deceiving the elect to their destruction if that were possible. On other occasions he promises that good can be achieved through evil. The end does not justify the means and we must never do evil that good might come. He is the ruler of the darkness of this world who loves to darken the understanding of men and women. One of his commonest ploys is to strengthen people in the belief that he does not exist. Nowhere in this world are we free from this frightening and powerful enemy.

Satan’s Aim

His great concern is to get us to sin and to do so more and more. He wants us to hurt God. Indeed his aim is to stir up everyone to fight against God. He knows that his battle with God is doomed to failure and that he will soon be cast into hell, yet he is so fanatical that he will fight to the finish. Even in hell he will be yelling his blasphemies against God. He hates the Creator and enjoys destroying. Because God loves His people Satan hates them. He will do all he can to spoil your peace and joy and make you feel miserable. He tries to seduce Christians into backsliding and so to bring shame on God and His church. If he can persuade you to lead others astray or to turn folk from Christ he is jubilant.

The Armour

It is intimidating in the extreme to have such a powerful foe, but God does not leave us to the devil’s mercy. We are provided with armour which is adequate. It is made by God and specially designed for the purpose.

• Belt of Truth. The soldier has to ensure that his flowing garments will not hinder him. Fastening his belt and tucking in his clothes leaves him ready for action. This belt of truth is so important. Deceit and hypocrisy leave us vulnerable to the enemy. Be sincere and hate lies and you will stand strong.
• Breastplate of Righteousness. It is also called the breastplate of faith and love. This is ethical righteousness. Anyone who is careless about morality is in great danger. Yes, we are justified by faith alone but the faith that justifies does not remain alone. Antinomianism is very common today and as Rabbi Duncan said it underlies every heresy. This is the idea that you do not have to bother about God’s law. God forgives your sins and therefore you can live as you like. If we are to stand against Satan we need the breastplate and must strive and struggle to live a holy life. Divine sovereignty in protecting us does not annul our human responsibility.
• Gospel Shoes. It is said that Caesar’s victories were due to the superior footwear of his soldiers. The enemy was caught unprepared by his amazingly fast marches. We too need good shoes. These are the Gospel of peace. It is wonderful to know that Christ died for our sins and rose again. The full price has been paid for our deliverance. When Satan says there is no hope for us and that we might as well give up, he is lying. We have a great Saviour and can be at peace knowing that victory is sure.
• Shield of Faith. The devil shoots burning darts at us to set us on fire. He says there is no God or that God is not fair or that God does not love us. These darts are quenched by faith. We cling to God in trust.
• Helmet of Salvation. It is called in another place the helmet of hope. When Satan says this or that is exciting and that you will enjoy it and be thrilled by it, you need the helmet. You have been saved. There is a wonderful reward waiting for you in heaven. Why sell your soul for the trivial things which Satan offers? What shall it profit a man though he gain the whole world and lose his own soul (Mk.8:36)?
• Sword of the Spirit. Jesus used the sword of God’s Word very effectively in chasing Satan away. We must know our Bibles well. Study the Scriptures. Fill your minds and memories with it. “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written…”
• Prayer. This is a powerful weapon. It underlies and overshadows all the rest. It is vital both in attack and in defence that we use all prayer, always, with all perseverance, for all the saints.

Be Strong
The devil is mightier than we but God is almighty. There is no way in which we by ourselves can resist Satan’s wiles. Yet with God’s help we shall persevere and we are more than conquerors. Satan shall be bruised under our feet shortly (Rom.16:20).

Recently, talking to some of our young folk, it appeared to me that they were uncertain on the matter of infant baptism. Many of our best friends are Baptists. If you want a good Reformed and Evangelical church in England you almost always have to go to a Baptist church. Some of them agree with us in just about everything apart from infant baptism. Who is right? Is it the Refomed, Puritan-loving Baptists or ourselves? Why do we baptise children? It is simply because God requires us to do so.

What is baptism?

It is the sacrament of initiation into Christ and admission into the Christian church. It is the token or mark of the covenant of grace. God made two covenants with man – the covenant of works and the covenant of grace. The covenant of works includes all of us and was broken when Adam ate the forbidden fruit. The covenant of grace is God’s way of saving some of those perishing for breaking the covenant of works. Basically there are only these two covenants. Although the covenant of grace was administered in a different way in the Old Testament yet it is the same covenant as in the New Testament. There is essentially only the one way of salvation in both Testaments. There is only one Saviour and in every age people are required to repent and believe in Him to be saved. If salvation could be obtained in Old Testament times by works then there was no need for Christ to come and Paul’s arguments for justification by faith alone in Christ alone, are negated. The sacrifices and types of the Old Testament were aids to faith and pointed forward to Calvary. The trouble with Baptists is that on this issue they ignore the Old Testament and the one covenant of grace.

Circumcision

In the Old Testament there were two sacraments, circumcision and passover, just as in the New there are baptism and communion. God commanded Abraham: “Every man-child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you” (Gen.17:10-11). That command still stands today. Further God added: “The uncircumcised man-child, whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant” (v14). Circumcision was administered to a child before it had reached the age of discernment, actually when only eight days old. Now it is exactly the same covenant of grace which we have in the New Testament age. Why refuse the token of the covenant to children today? Surely if anything there is a far wider application of the covenant in New Testament times. No longer are the blessings restricted to one nation.

But is it right to link baptism and circumcision so closely? Paul does exactly that when he writes: “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead” (Col.2:11-12). He is writing to Gentiles who are uncircumcised, but here he describes them as being circumcised because they were circumcised in heart, inwardly and spiritually. That cutting off of the sins of the flesh is equated with burial to the old life of sin in baptism wherein also they are risen to a new life. Baptism and circumcision mean the same thing – a break with the past, a cleansing from sin and a new start. This linking of baptism and circumcision is also made by Peter in the words: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1Pet.3:21). Circumcision is the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but to do this merely outwardly and as a sign is not enough. You must be baptised and circumcised in heart.

New Testament examples

No hint is given in the New Testament of such a change of administration as that children should now be refused the covenant sign and should be excluded from the covenant community. Rather, to the contrary, there are several passages which indicate that the children fully participated in covenant blessings and were regarded as part of the visible church. When preaching on the day of Pentecost Peter asserts “The promise is unto you and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:39). Here it is plain that children were given a special place. Do we have any hint of children being baptised in the New Testament? Yes, there are several household baptisms in the New Testament and it is hard for us to believe that there were no children in these families. Paul makes an interesting statement when he says: “The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean, but now are they holy” 1Cor.7:14). Surely the children of Christians are special! They are here described as “holy”. God loves us and loves our children.

Christ makes plain the special place children have in His church. He rebukes the disciples for thrusting them away and implying that they had no place in the new order: “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” (Lk.18:16). The coming of Christ does not exclude or put children further away, but gathers them in. “He took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them” (Mk.10:16).

Why baptise children? As you look at the New Testament superficially it appears to say that you have first to be converted and then you can be baptised. The crowds on the day of Pentecost were baptised when they repented. The Ethiopian eunuch was baptised when he believed. It is still the same in missionary work. Adults profess their conversion in baptism. However when we also consider the Old Testament we see that the token of the covenant was commanded to be administered to children. This still stands because “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2Tim.3:16). When the New Testament is considered in unity with the Old, it in no way opposes infant baptism.

Immerse or sprinkle?

Baptists usually believe that immersion is essential. They argue that the main idea is burial (Rom.6:4) and that the person should be buried in water. But Jesus’ burial was not under water or even under ground, but in a cave. They argue that the Greek word baptizo always means immerse ie bury. However, any good lexicon will show that baptizo has other meanings and indeed that the main idea is to wash. For example this is the word used for the ritual washings before eating and could hardly mean immersion in Luke 11:38. There is not one case in the Bible where we can be sure that the baptised person was immersed. “Divers washings” (baptisms) include “sprinkling the unclean” (Heb.9:10,13). The amount of water is irrelevant because it is symbolic of the application of the blood of Christ to the heart “for the remission (washing away) of sins” (Acts 2:38).