faith for faith

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks (Heb. 11:3).

The first witness that is presented to testify in the courtroom of the Greatness of the Inheritance of Christ, is the righteous Abel, who offered to God a better sacrifice than did his brother Cain, and was killed by Cain because of the jealousy provoked by his better sacrifice.

Typically when the work of Abel is examined, it is concluded that the sole reason that Abel’s sacrifice was accepted and Cain’s was rejected is because Abel had faith and Cain did not. While it is indeed true that Abel had faith whereas Cain did not, Abel did in fact offer a better sacrifice than Cain did, for we know that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins (cf. Heb. 9:22). Would the situation have been reversed, had Abel offered up to God a sacrifice of fruit rather than of blood, Abel would not have received the same commendation from God regarding his sacrifice.

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In his letter to the Hebrews, the apostle to the Hebrews gives what is perhaps the most quoted definition of faith by Christians, namely, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). The word that is translated “things” in the English Standard Version is pragmaton, from whose root we get the English word pragmatic. When we speak of things pragmatic, we speak of things that are practical, of things that are put into action and are demonstrative. Therefore, I believe that the King James Version translates the passage rightly, saying, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Indeed this is valid in the context as well, for, in the eleventh chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews, the apostle shows, example after example, first the assurance and hope of faithful men of the past and then how that assurance and hope is manifested practically in the lives of those who had faith.

This translation is validated further by the testimony of the Scriptures, for true faith that rests in the blessed assurance of things to come always manifests in the lives of those who have faith. Thus, the brother of our Lord, James, writes in his letter:

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Having attended a Southern Baptist college and seminary for the better part of a decade, I have what is commonly called, “The Great Commission,” imprinted on my brain. At Southeastern Baptist Seminary, it was / is not uncommon to hear multiple messages preached on the Great Commission every semester and to see in its buildings (Jacqumin-Simmons in particular) the passage from Matthew 28 spelled out in golden letters:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Mt. 28:19, 20).

Now the desire to fulfill the final command given by our Lord to his apostles is a great one indeed, and being that it was the final instructions given by Christ, the Great Commission should have a profound impact on how we operate as a Church. And I do not make the case of some, who argue that this command was issued to the disciples alone, but that it is effective till “the end of the age,” when Christ returns as our Champion, and all things are made new.

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The Southern Baptist Convention, began, a most Baptist affiliations do, as a gathering together Baptist churches for the purpose of centralizing resources for the propagation of the Gospel around the world. Fast forward over a hundred years later, you will find a corporate conglomerate that dictates doctrine, that owns the largest publisher of Christian literature in world (viz. LifeWay Christian Resources), that operates its own Willow Tree figurine, VeggieTales, and The Shack distribution stores (viz. LifeWay Christian Stores), that possesses its own insurance agency (viz. Guidestone Financial Resources), that has created and owns its own translation of the Bible (viz. the Holman Christian Standard version), that owns and operates six American seminaries, and that does missions through the International and North American Mission Boards. This transformation is indicative of the shift in the SBC from its former role as the mere centralization of resources for the sake of the Gospel to its present role as a massive, bureaucratic entity that makes preaching the Gospel to the nations a great ordeal.

To understand the great difficulty that the SBC causes with regards to missions, one simply has to look at a decently sized Southern Baptist church. In those churches you might find missionaries who go through the International Mission Board into the nations, but you are likely to find a greater number being sent out directly by those churches thereby by-passing the IMB. The purpose is not that those churches desire to establish their own international identity apart from the IMB, but it is because the IMB has made the process of sending out missionaries so difficult that many who would desire to be missionaries have looked upon the IMB as a great barrier rather than as a great help. They look at the mandatory education requirements and the strict doctrinal conformities and then turn their backs on the IMB and its numerous hoops and look for other options.

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Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Mt. 6:19-21).

The declaration by Christ: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” is one of those that elicits a “No duh” response, for its conclusion is inherent in its declaration. For if one treasures one thing, he by nature follows hard after it with his heart. However, the declaration is a necessary one, for we who would follow after Christ might affirm such with our lips, but our hearts are a different matter. We might be quick as American Christians, whose wealth and health surpasses that of ninety-five percent of the rest of the world, to acknowledge with our minds that Jesus Christ and his Kingdom should be our treasure, however our hearts are far from him. We declare with our lips that this age is passing and that true bliss exists in the Age to come, but, because of where our true treasures lie, we find ourselves investing much more in the things of this passing age than in the coming Kingdom.

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Though there is no explicit declaration in the narrative of Joseph as to the impact that Joseph’s fathers had on his short-upbringing, there can be little doubt that their teachings on God and his Promise had a great impact on his life. For we see in the story of Joseph such trust in God that he does not waver in faith when he is sold into slavery, he refuses, for the sake of the glory of his God alone, to lay down with Potiphar’s wife, he remains unshaken when he is thrown into prison for his stance for God’s glory, and he does not grumble when he is forgotten for two years by the cupbearer for whom he interpreted his favorable dream. Furthermore, when Joseph is entrusted with all power and authority in the land of Egypt, he does not seek the revenge on his brothers that would be so simple for him, but he loves his brothers and declares, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive” (Gen. 50:20). Joseph did all these things in faith, because he had been taught from his youth of the greatness of the God of his fathers. For a God like the God of Abraham, of whom Abraham believed “gives life to the dead, and calls into existence the things that do not exist” (Rm. 4:17) is able to and does cause all things to work together for good for those who love him, insofar as their greatest delight is in him and in his glory (cf. Rm. 8:28; Rm. 5:2). Therefore, Joseph was able to stand fast in his sufferings, for his delight was the delight of his fathers, who were “looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10). The questions that we must all ask ourselves are, “Is our hope in this age the glory of God, and are looking forward to that day when his glory will be fully revealed to us?” Fathers, are you instilling this hope into your children so that they might have the same faith that Joseph had? Just a thought.

John Piper caused quite a stir among Baptists a few years ago when he declared his intentions to make it possible for non-Baptist persons (viz. those who come from other orthodox denominations that practice infant baptism rather than believer’s baptism) to join his church without being baptized as an adult by immersion. I, at that time along with the majority of Baptists, openly ridiculed Piper for what I said was his “pansy stance on Baptism” and his apparent capitulation of doctrine for the sake of church membership. I, however (never to be one to put my foot in my mouth) since that time have reversed my former position and have found myself, for the most part, agreeing with the stance that Piper has made in his church. Though I am sure that I will receive much flak for siding with Piper on this issue, I am convinced that it is the best stance that Baptists can take for the sake of the health of the Body and for its testimony of Christ to the world.

Though I find myself agreeing with Piper on his stance on baptism and church membership, it is not because I have wavered in what I believe is biblical concerning baptism (see Why I am a Baptist). I have, however, since concluded that the issue is not one on the validity of believer’s baptism over other teachings on baptism, but it is one concerning the doctrine of the Church and how the Church is to be gathered together and comprised. The question that must be raised is not, “Is believer’s baptism biblical?” but it is, “Should fellowship be severed because of one’s stance on baptism?” Should we as Baptists deny membership to one who is clearly in Christ and desires membership in a Baptist church but disagrees on the nature of the doctrine of baptism?

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I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment (1Cor. 1:10).

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? (1Cor. 3:1-3).

For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized (1Cor. 11:18,19).

But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit (Jude 17-19).

The question was posed to me in response to my post yesterday on the unity of the Church, on how divisions that exist within the Church reflect upon the trueness of one church over another. From the writings of the apostles, it is clear that divisions within the Church are not the revealed desire of God and that divisions arise because fleshly people gather where only the spiritual should. For the fleshly put their minds on the things of the flesh and, rather than striving for Christ’s glory manifested in his Church, they strive for personal gain and discord. These, as opposed to the spiritual, do not seek after the Kingdom and its righteousness, but they seek for worldly pleasures and esteem and thereby invest in the kingdom of hell.

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For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness (Rm. 12:4-8).

The language that is used to describe the elect of God is that of single person, viz. a bride, though, by his grace, the elect of God are far more in number than one, single person. The purpose is multi-faceted. One facet is the picture of God’s love for his elect, demonstrated most clearly in shadow of healthy human marriage where one man and one woman are joined in a life-long intimacy that transcends any other relationship in human experience. Another facet, which is the that of the apostle presently, is the creation of the image of the Church as one body, who though comprised of many members are one single body performing distinct and vital functions. Each one in the Body might, pictorially, fulfill the function of a heart, another a hand, and another a foot, but each member is dependent upon the whole of the others to function properly.

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For those of you who find yourselves outside the inner-workings of Southern Baptist Convention, you are likely unaware of what is being called the “Great Commission Resurgence” that is being headed up by Dr. Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. The premise of this aim at sparking a movement is this, that the “Conservative Resurgence,” that occurred within the SBC some decades ago against the liberalism that had taken over the denomination, stopped short of what it should have been–that the claiming back of conservative, evangelical doctrine in the hierarchy of the SBC and in its seminaries was not enough to remedy the woes of the SBC and therefore a good portion of the American Church.

These claims have caused a great stir in a denomination that is finding itself moving closer and closer to irrelevancy with each passing generation. There is now essentially a great divide within the denomination, between the older, graying members who are content with leaving things as they are and the younger members who seem to care less and less about the conglomerate which is the SBC. Dr. Akin’s proposal as to the reason for this problem is that the SBC has focused too much upon itself and the American Church and that, for this reason, the SBC has lost its vision and vitality about the great mission of the Church–to be about the business of preaching the Gospel in all the world. This loss of focus is the source of a great deal of the problems within in the SBC, and if the SBC were only to reclaim that focus, it would reclaim its relevancy in the church.

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