Simple Bible Truths Series, Part Twelve

Man–Sin and Death

It is one of the undeniable facts of life–death.  From our perspective we can rightly discern its universality though we rarely think about its eventual claim upon our own earthly existence.  Scientists spend time and money on theories of man’s origins, but how many have any scientific theories about his end?  Unlike science, God has not left us to face the inevitable in ignorance.

According to the Scriptures death operates in two realms–the physical and the spiritual.  A man is physically dead when his spirit departs his body.  James 2:26, “For as the body without the spirit is dead. . .” and Ecclesiastes 8:8, “There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of his death. . .”

A man is spiritually dead when he is separated from God because of his sin.  Ephesians 2:1, “And you hath he quickened [made alive], who were dead in trespasses and sins.”  Death, then, is a state of separation and not a state of annihilation; therefore, it is a beginning and not just an end.

Simple Bible Truths Series, Part Eleven

Man–Why There Is Sin

Many people have often wondered or even verbalized the question as to why everything is so messed up if God really exists and created the world and mankind.

Genesis 1:31, “And God saw that everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. . .”

To understand why things are so different now from the way that God created them in the Beginning, we need to examine the matter of sin and how it entered into the world bringing with it fear, sorrow, destruction, and death.

Could God have created a world without the possibility of sin and thereby kept its consequences from wrecking havoc?  Yes, He could have; however, without the possibility of evil there can exist no possibility for good either.  God wanted good and its great blessings for His creation, but the blessing of obedience follows only a genuine not a pretense obedience.  If the opportunity for disobedience does not exist, does obedience exist either?  This principle is seen in Isaiah 45:7,

“I [God] form the light, and create darkness: I make peace and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.”

Simple Bible Truths Series, Part Ten

Man-His Creation and Purpose

Origins are an oft-debated subject in scientific, educational, political, and even theological circles.  While it is the “science” or “faith” of origins that gets all the press and the focus in the debates, the consequences of origins must not be overlooked.  “And what are the consequences of origins?” one might ask.  They are whether man has a purpose in his existence and whether he has any accountability concerning the way he lives.

Simple Bible Truths Series, Part Nine

The Bible–Its Trustworthiness

Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”  We all no doubt have suffered the great disappointment of unfulfilled promises.  Someone promised us something, but for whatever reason they did not follow through on their word.  As we have considered the importance of the Bible’s inspiration, preservation, and authority, we still need to consider the Bible’s trustworthiness.  We cannot independently verify God’s accounts of the existence of Heaven, Hell or other like things recorded for us in the Bible nevertheless we know that they are true because of faith.  However, there are a multitude of events that God foretold would occur that are now a part of recorded human history.  In fact one reason why God foretold the unfolding of certain events was to attest to the veracity and, thereby, the trustworthiness of His Word.  Isaiah 46:10, “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. 11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.” 

Interlude

Two factors have been keeping my blogging activities to a minimum of late.  The most important of these factors is that we are in the process of

In Honor-Captain Dale Goetz, United States Army Chaplain

Just last night through a national news program I learned that Captain Dale Goetz, a US Army Chaplain, had been killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.  You can learn more about him here.  From that MBBC article I noticed this statement:

The ‘Old Axe’ of Fundamentalism at Central Baptist Theological Seminary

In my evangelistic travels I have always enjoyed the opportunity to meet and visit with people and to hear about life in the communities where they live.  Strange stories about how some people think have always caught my attention and stayed with me.  One man related to me that he knew a man in his community that had a prized axe that had been in the family for many years.  The man viewed it as an heirloom.  It was said that as the old man reminisces about the axe, he includes a story about how he had to replace its handle after it had broken.  Then there is also the story about how years ago during the time his father used it the axe head itself had been lost and replaced.  The implication and significance of those two merely incidental replacements were lost upon the old man because in his thinking he had the axe his family had always used.

When the present presidential leadership of Central Baptist Theological Seminary speaks of continuing the heritage and vision of that institution, he can only do so in the same way that the above old man did of his “family’s” axe.  There was nothing original left of the old axe, but since the individual parts had been changed out separately with much time elapsing between the events it was possible to think that the axe was something that it no longer was.  So is the case with CBTS.

Hezekiah’s Prayers, Part Four

Isn’t the Promise of Mercy God Meeting Man?

O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.  Isaiah 37:16

In this multipart series on prayer, we have already seen a few important lessons.  First, we were reminded that the Lord alone commands the host and is in complete charge of us His children.  Therefore, neither man nor any hindering circumstance can prevent His will from being performed in our lives.  Secondly, we also learned that through Him we have been granted the promise of prevailing power.  Sometimes this power is demonstrated in delivering us out of great trials and at other times in taking us triumphantly through them.

In this post I will be considering the important significance of King Hezekiah’s third introductory phrase, “that dwellest between the cherubims.”

Under Moses’ leadership the Tabernacle and its furnishings were constructed during Israel’s journey from Egypt to the land of promise.  Concerning the Ark of the Covenant, we read these instructions about its construction in Exodus 25:10-21:

And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. 12 And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. 13 And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. 15 The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. 16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. 17 And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. 18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. 20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. 21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.

The Ark could be described as a box and its separate lid was the Mercy Seat.  Reading further in Exodus would reveal that the Ark was to be placed within a partition in the Tabernacle called the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place.  Into that place no human except for the anointed High Priest was ever to come.  Even the High Priest’s access  was limited to only the Day of Atonement and had to be with blood.

Tucked into these instructions concerning its construction there is another important significance about the Mercy Seat, and I believe that this is the reason that King Hezekiah prayed to the God “that dweltest between the cherubims.”  We can find that significance in

It’s Official: Central Baptist Theological Seminary Refutes Its Historic Separatistic Position

In its “Ethos Statement on Fundamentalism & Evangelicalism” prepared by Dr. Kevin Bauder during the proposed merger with Faith Baptist Theological Seminary is this statement: “For this reason, we believe that careful, limited forms of fellowship [with Conservative Evangelicals] are possible.”

More to follow.

See also “Faith Baptist-Central Baptist Merger Talks Shelved: An Opinion Piece” at In Defense of the Gospel.

NEW LINK on the subject ”a new-fundamentalist manifesto?” at an oxgoad, eh?

ANOTHER NEW LINK “Cogitations Stemming from the Central/Bauder Ethos Statement” or “Do Fundamentalists & Evangelicals ‘Believe, Preach, and Defend the [same] Gospel?” at In Defense of the Gospel.

Update: I continue to work on my follow-up article to this post and trust to have “The ‘Old Axe’ of Fundamentalism at CBTS” published soon.

http://www.centralseminary.edu/about-central/position-a-philosophy/241-ethos-statement-on-fundamentalism-a-evangelicalism

There Is a Difference and It’s a Name Changer!

Why This Issue Should Matter To All Fundamentalists

The importance of ecclesiastical separation in Fundamentalism is such that I believe that it is necessary to reinforce its proper place amidst the present critics’ attempts to cull  men away to a fresh, more “accurate” perspective.

It is evident from Dr. Kevin T. Bauder’s writings that he sees problems within Fundamentalism.  No doubt the heads of many genuine, committed Fundamentalists would nod in agreement with this statement of his,

Much of what transpires under the name of fundamentalism is not the idea, but rather appurtenances.  If fundamentalism is going to be made healthy, it needs a good expectorant.  A few boils need to be lanced.  Perhaps some tumors will require surgery.  These procedures may cause discomfort, but they are done for the health of the body.

Someone who criticizes the phlegm and pus may not hate the body, but rather desire its health.  Someone may lay a tumor bare because the tumor disfigures and threatens the body.  The body is healthier without it. (Dr. Kevin T. Bauder, “Now about Thoses Differences, Part One: Why This Discussion?” In the Nick of Time, May 28, 2010.)

However, there is a real difference in what men believe the appurtenances in Fundamentalism are.  We can be confident, though, that most self-identifying Fundamentalists do not believe that ecclesiastical separation which focuses on church purity is one of them.  Dr. Bauder in attempting to set the record straight for future generations of his “ideal” Fundamentalism wrote the following:

It has been suggested that we practice ecclesiastical separation because we are concerned about the purity of the church.  Strictly speaking, that is not true.  We practice ecclesiastical separation because we are concerned about the purity of the gospel. (Dr. Kevin T. Bauder, “Thinking about the Gospel, Part 5: The Gospel and Christian Fellowship,” In the Nick of Time, July 13, 2007.)

Let us examine what a few unashamed, self-identified Fundamentalists have previously written on the subject of Fundamentalism’s ecclesiastical separation.  It should not be missed that all of these men were associated with prominent Fundamentalist seminaries (Central, Faith, and Detroit).