Immutable Decrees
At the beginning of this month, our afternoon class on the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith started the third chapter of the Confession. “God’s Decree” is the fascinating subject. Before my other comments in this article, you may wonder why I chose to study this confession instead of one of the other similarly highly regarded ones. One reason is because in the founding of this country this was the overwhelmingly prominent representation of Baptist beliefs in America. Here we call it the Philadelphia Confession of Faith (1742). The Philadelphia Association of Baptist Churches adopted it in 1742 making it the doctrinal standard among American Baptists. The name “Philadelphia Confession” is largely a past reference with most around the world using the Second London Confession name.
When we began chapter 3 on March 1, it was difficult to stifle my excitement and enthusiasm for the opportunity to discuss this subject. I explained to the class that the Decrees of God are the heart and soul of the confession. If we fail here, we upset the worldview of the framers and upend the logical consistency of the confession and more importantly the Word of God. From the time I was eighteen years old, this subject has been the one I most strived for in my ministry. If you hear five of my sermons on any subject and you have a trained ear, you will not miss the foundational doctrine of Decrees. I remember a family who visited our church for the first time over ten years ago. Immediately after the sermon, the congregant asked if the sermon identified my position on the Doctrines of Grace. This was not the exact phraseology, but the essence was the same. Where I stand can sometimes be determined in only one sermon.
This is true in the sermon you will hear today. I do not have enough time to touch on and explain the Decrees in the morning sermon. It will take additional weeks in the afternoon class to do this. This morning it is only a small part but surely an important part. Since all the Doctrines of Grace within the Decrees logically stand or fall together, it is difficult to say this one or that one anchors the whole. If you wonder if I stand for all without equivocation, the answer is a resounding and heavily stamped YES!
I learned an important piece of information in the first class. This entire article may puzzle you even though for nearly twenty-four years in this church I have never wavered from the worldview I describe. You have certainly heard it in more than five sermons. Terminology is your hang-up as it was in the first class. I like to teach using theological terms because it is best for you to know them. Although unfamiliar with the terms for this theological position, when questioned, there were zero deviations of opinion among class members whether the Confession accurately reflects the doctrinal position of our church.
My final comment is about a former member of the church who fell away and then moved away. Personal problems consumed him, which I believe was a sort of personality disorder as the root cause. It disappointed him that I could not solve his problems. His opinion was that I should spend less time on doctrine and more time on innerworkings of personal relationships. Perhaps this is my failing as a pastor. Surely, those things are important, but it is clarity of doctrine that moves me more. I hope not to leave you mistaken that my worldview has God at the center—the God who immutably decreed everything that happens by the perfectly wise and holy counsel of His own free will.
Pastor V. Mark Smith