Reflections on the Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689
23 Aug 14 began a perhaps unbroken, orderly, and personal journey through my favorite written confession of faith. These are my personal reflections on this beloved historic Particular Baptist confession of the Christian Faith.
NEXT-
Section 17, “Of the Perseverance of the Saints.” 17.1b: “…whence he still begets and nourisheth in them faith, repentance, love, joy, hope, and all the graces of the Spirit unto immortality; and though many storms and floods arise and beat against them, yet they shall never be able to take them off that foundation and rock which by faith they are fastened upon…”
If you believe someone truly regenerate can become again lost and estranged from Jesus, your understanding of salvation is rather paltry. AKA pathetic. There are corrective statements in the Bible designed to never allow us to tolerate slothfulness in our lives, but there are other statements designed to never let us imagine that we must keep ourselves saved. The fact of the statement that, “He who endures to the end shall be saved” stirs in the hearts of God’s elect a striding passion in the race. Their hearts cry, “Yes, Lord, he who endures to the end” and in their run they find wind at their backs by it. Those sincerely saved, those insincere, or those at present insincere that may tomorrow be made alive in Christ, are all met by the same phrase as they may need to be met. But, Scripture speaks of salvation as an eternal plan for God’s elect. Romans 8:29-30 leaves no room for a “some” between any of its five phrases. “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” Paul’s conclusion on this sweeping reality is now mine having read what God said here: (Vs. 31): “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” If God has saved someone then it was foreknown by God. If that someone shows themselves called in endurance to the end, then they will as surely be glorified. There is simply no room in this for any “somes” to be inserted. It’s not, “Some who he foreknew…” Is your heart stirred by that, or made fat and lazy by it. If it’s the latter, you’re likely dead in sin.
Two things I’ve heard said I’ll share in closing on this: 1) “How arrogant it would be to say, ‘I could lose my salvation, but I haven’t’”. –John MacArthur. LOL. Amen. 2) “My salvation is dependent upon God’s grip on me; not my grip on him.” I don’t recall who first said this one. The next section of the confession will address other important factors of this statement’s reality. Salvation cannot be lost by a Christian. It’s not the Christians to lose. Salvation belongs to God. He doesn’t lose things.
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