Good Doctrine
This week as I prepared to write the bulletin article, there were dozens of thoughts in my head but nothing that clearly stood out as a topic for this article. We began the week preparing for Pam’s surgery which involved multiple doctors’ appointments with each one saturated with dozens of questions. How would the doctors address her complications in both pre-operative and post-operative settings? Amidst these preparations was the weekly list of church duties that I must fulfill to allow the usual conduct of the services. One of these that may seem insignificant is the bulletin article, a task I can sometimes quickly fulfill and at other times seems a forever task. This week it was the forever task at a time when it was least convenient.
I experimented with several ideas before settling into thoughts of the first series of sermons I preached from the Berean pulpit. This series was from the epistle of Jude, chosen for its brevity. In my introduction to the epistle, I claimed I would finish in three sermons. I titled these three sermons, Occasion of the Letter, Occurrences of Apostasy, and Occupation of Believers in Times of Apostasy. Those of you who now know me well would never imagine I could finish a book of the Bible in three weeks and in three sermons. It did not happen. It took seven months and twenty-eight sermons. Jude set the tone for how my ministry would go. In the twenty-one years since, we have never taken surface glances at the scriptures. It seems every word, phrase, and thought needs careful examination. This explains my method and helps you to understand the reason it will be quite some time before we finish the study of Mark’s gospel on Sunday mornings. I suspect this is not too much of a surprise to any of you.
While thinking about the Jude series, I remember the reasons it attracted me and why I chose it to be my first book. It hinged on a major doctrine of scripture. One of my favorite Bible verses has always been Jude 24. The verse begins, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling…” Jude finished his little letter the same way he began. In his salutation of verses 1 and 2, he inserted this phrase: “…preserved in Jesus Christ, and called…”
I said my choice of Jude hinged on a major doctrine. There were rather two that have been bedrock doctrines in my ministry. These are the election of God’s people to salvation and their perseverance in the faith. There is too much on these two intertwined topics to explain in this article—and thus Jude turned into a marathon.
In our Forum Class two weeks ago, we ended with a discussion of God’s election and predestination. Many of you may not recognize that found in the first verse of Jude is God’s election. The word “called” alludes to this. Arising in the conversation was the subject of the call of the gospel and whether it is indiscriminate in its invitation to the sinner. Does God make a distinction in whom He calls? It is clear Jude was not speaking of the general call of the gospel as the preacher broadcasts it to all people. This is a determinate call, for Jude said this call has sanctification within it. It has preservation within it. It has the power of God within it to keep the called from falling.
When studying the scriptures on these subjects, be sure to look for the right words and how the author uses them. It is difficult to overlook the inward, effectual, discriminate call of God in salvation. Only God’s chosen people respond to this call. They are the only ones who hear it.
Pastor V. Mark Smith