Week Four: What is God?

WHAT IS GOD?

Surely it would not be too difficult to define God, would it?

The group of godly men who wrote the Westminster Confession of Faith in the 1600’s struggled over this question, spending much time and discussion seeking a biblical answer. One of the commissioners was called on the pray for God’s aid. In his prayer, he addressed God as a spirit who is infinite, eternal, and invisible. At the close of his prayer, the Assembly adopted the opening words of his prayer as the answer to their prayers and to their question.

God is a spirit and does not have a body. Now, that is hard for us to comprehend, for everyone we see and know on earth has a body. How can we know anyone apart from their being in a physical, visible, body?  It is difficult for us to picture anyone – including God – as existing without a visible body.  Yet, Scripture teaches that God is a spirit, without a body. Because He does not have a body, He cannot be seen. Remember what Jesus said to the woman of Samaria?  “God is spirit…,” (John 4:24).  God is also described by the apostle Paul as being “eternal, immortal, and invisible (1 Timothy 1:17).

Everything about God – his wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth – is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable.

That’s a brief statement, but one that is amazing, if we only stop to dwell on it a bit. 

God is infinite, having no limits whatsoever.  He can do all His holy will. (Now the Bible does say in Hebrews 6:18  that it is impossible for God to lie.  But that truth does not deny His ability to do all things; it only underscores that it is infinitely impossible for Him to lie!)

He is eternal, having no beginning and no end (He was never created).  Trying wrapping your mind around that truth!  “The Lord is the everlasting God,” stated the prophet Isaiah, adding, “He will not grow tired or weary” (Isaiah 40:28).

God is unchangeable, never changing in the least. “I the Lord do not change,” God said (Malachi 3:6). Everything else we know changes. We change! The world around us changes!

 Now, take those three attributes and apply them to everything that God is. His wisdom, His power, His holiness, His justice, His goodness, His truth – in short, every quality that He possesses – is infinite, is eternal, and is unchangeable.

It’s a brief statement about an infinitely glorious God!

What a glorious God He is!

Our only biblical response is to humble ourselves before His glory and to give ourselves to Him in worship, adoration, and obedience!

“Praise the Lord.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
(Psalm 106:1)

“As a definition of indefinable Deity, the Shorter Catechism is unexcelled,

unequaled by any other word of man.” 

(J. B. Green, A Harmony of the Westminster Standards)

Elders and Deacons

This Sunday, January 24, NCPC will be ordaining and installing deacons and elders for the class of 2012. Some of these men are being ordained for the first time; others have been previously ordained and are being installed once again to the office, work, and calling of an elder or deacon.

Each time that I participate in such a service, I am reminded of the the high privilege and calling of serving as an officer in Christ's church. It was the apostle Paul, writing to Timothy, who said, "Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer [elder], he desires a noble task" (1 Timothy 3:1).

In the Presbyterian Church of America, elders serve as "overseers" of Christ's flock, having oversight of the life of the church with a focus on worship and sacraments, teaching, discipline, evangelism and missions, and pastoral care. As shepherds of the flock, they carry out the ministry of Christ's in His church and are to care for the church just as Christ does.

Deacons are also servants of Christ's church, having responsibility under the Session (elders) for areas such as mercy ministry, building and grounds, stewardship, and worship assistance. As servants of Christ's church, they also carry out the ministry of Christ, demonstrating that the gospel is a ministry of both Word and deed.

It has been said that "church government is not essential for the being of the church, but is essential for the well-being of the church."  Like a family or a household, a church - whether it be a local congregation or the larger church - must have sound leadership, oversight, nurture, and discipline. Both deacons and elders give that oversight and service to the church.

Now, I may be accused of being a bit biased - after all, I am a Presbyterian pastor - but I truly believe that the Presbyterian form of church government is the most biblical of all church governments. Not perfect in its practice, as the church on earth is made up of people who are fallible. But it is biblical, and I believe, the most biblical of church governments.

Elders of the Presbyterian Church in America - distinguished between "Teaching Elders" (pastors) and "Ruling Elders" (elected from and by the local congregation) - serve on an equal basis as they jointly have spiritual oversight and government of the church, both locally and denominationally. This, I believe, is one of the great strengths of Presbyterian church government and is something that honors the calling of the elder in the local church. It creates a unique relationship that requires constant care - a pastor, while serving in a very significant role, serves with other men who jointly have oversight of the life of the church. When carried out according to Christ's example and command, their ministry demonstrates and exercises Christ's own care and nurture of his church.

I am grateful for these men who serve our congregation and who do so out of love for Christ and His Church!

Week Three: What Does the Bible Primarily Teach?

“JESUS LOVES ME, THIS I KNOW,
FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO”

Having learned that our “chief end in life” is to glorify God and that we must know the Scriptures in order to glorify Him, we do well to ask what the Bible primarily teaches.

What is the message of the Bible?

Does the Bible teach us everything? The obvious answer is "no."  The Bible does not even provide us with all the information that that might want to know about Jesus Christ.  For instance, the Bible tells us very little about the early years of Jesus.We don't even know the exact date of His birth (No, the Bible does NOT say that it was December 25!).

The Bible primarily teaches what we are to believe about God AND what God requires of us!

Is this to say that what we believe about God matters?  That God actually requires something of us?

Yes, it is!

The Bible teaches that there is but one, true God.  God has revealed Himself to us in such a way that all people are responsible to Him, even those who do not have the Bible.  Both nature (creation) and human nature bear witness to the truth that there is a God and we ought to serve Him.  “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

Yet, while God’s revelation of Himself in creation and providence is sufficient to leave all people without excuse, it is insufficient for anyone to be saved.  We must have the Scriptures in order to know who Jesus is and what He did. 

Before my wife and I were married, we came to know each other in manner that would probably be considered unusual today: we wrote letters to one another.  Not emails, not text messages, as those things had not been invented yet, but handwritten, slow-arriving letters.  Letters were never as good as being together in person, but they filled in the gap. Through those daily letters, we came to better know one another.

God has revealed Himself to us in His Word and He has done so that we may know Him.

So for those who say that we need to follow Jesus but not the Bible, I ask: “What Jesus are you following?  How do you know who Jesus is and how to follow Him if the Scriptures are in error?” 

When Paul wrote to Timothy, he warned Timothy of false teachers whose ministry and work promoted “controversies rather than God’s work – which is by faith.”  He went on to say, “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these things and turned to meaningless talk” (1 Timothy 1:3-6).

Unsound teaching hinders both faith and love. Sound teaching – biblical teaching -  promotes love for God.

The Bible teaches us that the fruit of sound doctrine is love that comes from three things: a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. “Some have wandered away from these,” Paul goes on to say.

False teaching cannot encourage or nurture a true love for God.  Sound doctrine and a true love for God cannot be separated.

We must have the Bible if we are to know what God wants us to do and how to do it! 

What a blessing and wonderful gift God has given us in the Scriptures!

“Liberal theology wants love without doctrine.  It is willing to tolerate all kinds of doctrinal error as long as people don’t fight about it. On the other hand, some Reformation churches are willing to go without the love as long as they maintain sound doctrine. But that is neither true love nor true doctrine! Wherever doctrine is the purest, love must be the highest.”   (Philip Graham Ryken, The Reformed Expository Commentary: 1 Timothy).

Do you seek to know God as He is, not as you may imagine Him to be?

Do you accept the Bible as your only infallible rule for all that you are to believe and to do?                       

Week Two: Where do we learn how to glorify God?

AN UNCHANGING WORD FOR CHANGING TIMES

Where do we learn how to enjoy and glorify God?

The Word of God, given in the Old and New Testaments,
 is the only authority by which we are taught how we may enjoy and glorify God.

Once we have understood that God has created each of us for the purpose of glorifying and enjoy Him, we must ask ourselves how we glorify Him.  Right away, we are driven to the Scriptures.  From the Scriptures, we learn that God’s Word, given to us in the Old and New Testaments, is the only authority – and note the word “only” – given to us by which we may learn to glorify and enjoy God.

What is your authority for what you believe?  That is a vital question and it is one that many never adequately consider.  Am I the final authority for what I believe?  Do I trust some combination of the church and of my own beliefs?  Some combination of science and religion?  The “experts?”   Do I base my faith on what “seems” to be right?  And if truth is constantly changing – which it is not – then how do I ever conclusively know what is right?

Remember, too, that we are not discussing trivial matters, matters on which a wrong decision has few consequences. We are dealing with matters of the soul, with eternal matters, and with knowing how to do what God has created us to do.

It makes sense that we should ask the Creator, doesn’t it?

When we do so, we find that the Creator has spoken His Word and has given that Word to us as the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.

At New Covenant Presbyterian Church, we are bound to the Constitution of our wonderful denomination, a Constitution that states that it too is “subject to and subordinate to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, the inerrant Word of God.”   The first vow required of every pastor (teaching elder), every ruling elder, and every deacon is this: “Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as originally given, to be the inerrant Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice?”

 We gratefully affirm the truth of God’s Word as a congregation!  As a pastor, I stand on the absolute and perfect truth of God's Word.  I have believed Scripture to be this in spite of the changes of my former denomination (the Presbyterian Church in the United States) as it and many of its congregations moved further and further away from Scripture.

It is wonderful to discover the depth and power and riches of God’s Word.  It is life-giving to know that we commit ourselves to its authority. Everything we need to know about God in order to glorify and enjoy Him is found in the Bible. We can trust the Bible fully because it is the Word of God, who is never wrong. The Bible always has the final word, for it is God’s Word.


All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 
2 Timothy 3:16-7

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin I the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.  2 Peter 1:20-21

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching….”   Acts 2:42

“Yes,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who way their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares.’ Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the Lord.  “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lives, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,’ declares the Lord.  Jeremiah 23:31-32



Additional Insights....

Those who wrote the Westminster Confession of Faith – the doctrinal standards of the Presbyterian Church in America – made the topic of “The Holy Scripture” to be the first chapter of the Confession, as well as one of the longest chapters.  This priority reflects the importance of Scripture as well as the fact that the Assembly made Scripture the final authority for all their deliberations.

A painting of the Westminster Assembly by John Rogers Herbert (1810 - 1890)
The Assembly affirmed Scripture to be the final authority for all their deliberations.

The rule to guide the members of the Assembly in all their discussions was this:

What any man undertakes to prove as necessary,

He shall make good out of Scripture.

Every member was to take the following vow,

a vow that was read to all the members every Monday morning:

I do seriously promise and vow, in the presence of Almighty God,

that in this Assembly whereof I am a member,

I will maintain nothing in point of doctrine

but what I believe to be most agreeable to the Word of God;

nor in point of discipline,

but what may make most for God’s glory and the peace and good of His Church.

What is your authority?

Are you willing to base your life now and the life to come on it?

Why the PCA?

Dr. Jim Baird, one of twelve men chosen as a steering committee to form the first General Assembly of the PCA in 1973 - and one of only three members of that Committee who are still alive - spoke to a group of pastors and elders at the annual Presbytery Fellowship January 11. Dr. Baird was also sent by the PCA in 1974 to the Asia Rim (Japan through Pakistan) to explain why the PCA was formed. He is a former moderator of the General Assembly and also served as chairman of the Mission to the World and Mission to North America Committees.

His accounts reminded me of men who have been influential in my own life, one of those being Sam Patterson, the first president of Reformed Theological Seminary, and a man who labored within the "Southern" Presbyterian Church for its reformation.

Reminding the group of Israel's example of setting up a pile of stones from the Jordan river as a reminder to future generations of what God had done for them, Dr. Baird noted six historical reasons for the existence of the PCA:

1)  The Purity of Scripture
The Confession of '67 - adopted by the PCUSA as part of its doctrinal standards - was intended to do away with Chapter One of the Westminster Confession of Faith with its foundational view of Scripture as inspired, infallible, and inerrant.

2) The Preservation of Historical Presbyterianism
The doctrinal standards of the PCA are clearly stated in the Westminster Confession of Faith,  a summary of doctrine that Dr. Baird called "the best confession of faith" ever written.

3) The Proclamation of the gospel internationally and locally
The PCA has more international missionaries than many other denominations and is committed to planting new churches at a time when the "old" church has decreased its number of missionaries.

4)  Church Property
Local congregations became embroiled in controversies over ownership of property (and many still are).

5)  Pennies
Stewardship of finances is something about which the Bible has much to say.

6) Peace
"We came away with a lot of peace," commented Dr. Baird.

Week One: For what purpose are we created?

 AN UNCHANGING WORD FOR CHANGING TIMES

For what purpose are we created?
To enjoy and glorify God forever!

A group of over 150 godly and learned men met at Westminster Abbey in London between 1643 and 1649.  They had been summoned by the English Parliament and given the assignment of writing a confession of faith and a plan of government for the Church of England that would restructure the church along Puritan lines. They met 1,163 times during this period.

The result was a work called The Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechisms, documents that have shaped the Presbyterian Church and which serve today as the doctrinal standards for the Presbyterian Church in America.

Was this a group of stern, dismal, foreboding men (with long hair!) whose convictions and actions would cause people to run anywhere but to church?

While one might be given that impression from their portraits (see below!), such was hardly the case.

Samuel Rutherford
Scottish Presbyterian Theologian and Scottish Commissioner
to the Assembly

The first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism is one that reflects the depth of the joy of the Christian lives of these men when they addressed the most fundamental question of all – “What is man’s chief end?” and answered it by saying “Man’s chief end is to glorify and enjoy God forever.”

Isn’t it great when we finally begin to do the very thing for which our Creator has made us?

Psalm 16:11 describes the joy and the pleasure that people have when they learn to consciously live the totality of their lives in the presence of the Lord and to the glory of the Lord.  When we live to enjoy God, we are doing what God has made us to do and what glorifies Him.

Life is not about us!  It’s about glorifying God as we enjoy Him now and forever!

Jesus gloried in the fact that He glorified the Father.  In his prayer recorded in John 17, Jesus said, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.  And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” It is through Jesus alone that we are enabled to do the same.

We at New Covenant Presbyterian Church are discovering the joy of glorifying God while on earth as we live in anticipation of the day when we will be in His presence in eternal glory.   We love to share His good news with others!

Many believe this Assembly to have been the climax of the Reformation. Its membership included many of the most learned and truly Christian leaders of the day among English-speaking peoples.  As an Assembly of Christian scholars it has never been surpassed; it is doubtful that it has ever been equaled.  It gave to the work of Calvin, especially, but the other reformers as well, a rich, marvelous expression, permanence, and influence which are truly amazing.  It was frankly Presbyterian in nature and in character. Presbyterianism thus became the completion of the reformation of the doctrine and government of the Church according to the teachings of the Bible, for English speaking peoples.

 (C. Gregg Singer in The Presbyterian Church: A Manual for New Members)