Minsterial Burnout

It is not uncommon for ministers of the gospel that they should consider the finest and inevitable expression of their overwhelming zeal for the kingdom to be going full bore into their work, with little or no consideration given to their physical and emotional limitations. I would rather “burn out than rust out”[1] they say, in a misapplication of that famous statement. Too often the result of such an approach to the service of God is that these Christians find themselves weighed down and worn out. Their usefulness is, for a time, hindered, and they end up padding the statistics of those whose ministries have brought them to the point of what is nowadays called “burnout”.

As one who has, over the course of forty plus years of ministry, experienced “burnout” on two occasions, I want to say that there is a better way. Burn out is not the inevitable consequence for one who wishes to take his calling to ministry seriously. Winston Churchill points us in the right direction. Paul Johnson relates the following: “In 1946, when I was seventeen, I had the good fortune to ask him a question: ‘Mr. Churchill, sir, to what do you attribute your success in life?’ Without pause or hesitation, he replied: ‘Conservation of energy. Never stand up when you can sit down, and never sit down when you can lie down.’ He then got into his limo.”[2] Johnson observes: “Churchill’s great strength was his power of relaxation….the balance he maintained between flat-out work and creative and restorative leisure is worth study by anyone holding a top position.”[3] There is hope then that those who serve the King can burn with zeal and not burn out. Let us explore this subject in honour of one whose zeal for the kingdom is boundless, and whose compassion for those who suffer in service is immeasurable.

ACKNOWLEDGING BURNOUT

Let us begin by acknowledging that burn out is, as they say, “a thing”. Unfortunately, many Christians, and not a few Christian traditions, would affirm that there is no such thing as “burn out”, at least not for Christian ministers. One pastor told me that he was profoundly thankful for the illness that landed him in hospital. Finally, he could get some rest without guilt. I have myself been accused of playing the “mental health” card. However, though understanding and sympathy is not always forthcoming from Christians, both inside and outside the church there is growing acknowledgement of the reality and dangers of burnout.

On our way to a routine pastoral visit, my fellow elder casually asked me how I was doing. I dissolved into tears. Knowing me to be, for the most part, emotionally stable, alarm bells rang in his head. Thus began my first experience of burnout.

Dr. David Murray helpfully defines burnout as “physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual exhaustion and breakdown. It is usually caused by living at too fast a pace, for too long, doing too much.” When you come face to face with a bear, he writes, you go into “fight or flight mode”. The pastor who is burning out is in constant “fight or flight mode”. “We’re living as if we’re in that heightened state all the time. The body then produces chemicals and reactions…This constant inflammation and chemical imbalance that is occurring in our bodies is affecting not only our bodies…(but also) our emotions, our thinking, and ultimately our spiritual lives.”[4] We need to exercise caution when it comes to statistics.[5] The helpful John Mark Ministries warns that often the truth behind the statistics is hard to ascertain as the sources of those statistics are often not given[6]. Nonetheless there is enough reliable information that indicates that burnout is a significant problem in pastoral ranks. George Barna informs us that some 1500 people leave pastoral ministry each month due to burnout, conflict, or moral failure, and that a third of pastors feel burned out within just five years of entering the ministry.[7] The Mayo Clinic identified burnout as “a special type of work-related stress — a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.”[8] The New York Times states: “Members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at rates higher than most Americans. In the last decade, their use of antidepressants has risen, while their life expectancy has fallen. Many would change jobs if they could.”[9] Christopher Ash notes that “almost half of pastors and their wives (the author’s emphasis) say they have experienced depression or burn out to the extent that they needed to take a leave of absence from the ministry.”[10]

On the pages of Holy Scripture, Elijah stands before us as one whose “encounter with the prophets of Baal left him burned out and fearful of the threatenings of Jezebel. He speaks as one who has lost perspective. I’ve had enough; take away my life; I might as well be dead.”[11] On the pages Christian history, we discover that Martin Luther knew what it meant to be overwhelmed, and “although he would have been unfamiliar with the terminology of burnout, his tendency to bouts of melancholy would seem to fit the pattern.”[12]

It should be noted that burnout is not the same as self-denial. The latter is something our Lord Jesus calls us to (Luke 9:23, 24); the former is something that “damages strength and life to no good effect.” The analogy of fire fighting helps clarify the difference. Ash records the words of a pastor who wrote to him:

“It’s been very helpful to me to contemplate the difference between burnout and sacrificial living for the Lord. Your reflections…really helped me to understand the difference. I put it into terms of fighting a fire as I am a volunteer firefighter as well as being a pastor. Obviously you have to push yourself physically when fighting a fire. It’s a stretching experience that is uncomfortable and physically difficult. You must know your limitations while making the sacrifices needed to get the tasks done that must be done

It's foolish to ignore your limitations, to try to be the hero, and cramp up, pass out, or have a heart attack while in a burning structure because you’re beyond the limits of what God has supplied you with the capability of doing. It’s a form of heroic suicide that is counterproductive because you’re now no longer effective in fighting fire and the resources that were dedicated to fighting the fire are now dedicated to saving you.”

It seems to me that many pastors practice the “heroic suicide” about which this brother wrote, and in doing so hinder their usefulness. The idea of “burning out rather than rusting out” calls for heroic service, not heroic suicide.

UNDERSTANDING BURNOUT

The warning signs are usually there. Sleeplessness. Emotional instability. Reduced productivity. A heavy spirit. Exhaustion. “Persistent feelings of nervousness, sometimes escalating into full-blown panic.”[13]  I did not notice any of these signs. It was not until that night when I dissolved into tears in response to a simple question, that I realized something was wrong, and began to wonder what had happened. How did I get to this point?

The simple answer is that we just have too much going on. When I burned out the first time, life was overwhelming: there were problems in the church, I saw no need to rest, a close family member was dying, I was too busy for devotions, I never said “no” to any work, and so on. When my daughter burned out, we wrote down a list of everything she was involved in and all the responsibilities on her plate. The list was staggering, and I was rather astonished that she had not crashed sooner. So yes, the simple answer is that we have too much going on. But now we have to probe a little deeper – how does a pastor get to the point where he has been (as Murray says), “living at too fast a pace, for too long, doing too much”? What drives a minister to “heroic suicide”?

Ministry is difficult: “our work, when earnestly undertaken, lays us open to attacks in the direction of depression. Who can bear the weight of souls without sometimes sinking to the dust?...All mental work tends to weary and to depress, for much study is a weariness of the flesh; but ours is more than mental work – it is heart work, the labour of our inmost soul…Such soul-travail will bring on occasional seasons of exhaustion, when heart and flesh will fail.”[14] Life in general is difficult, and the Christian ministry especially so. Pastor Andrew Roycroft writes: “No therapy, no planning, no good intention, no resistance or defiance, can change the fact that ministry is hard, and that it often entails a seemingly disproportionate amount of suffering and pressure.”[15] Given that, how unwise for ministers of the gospel not to realize that “in the midst of a long stretch of unbroken labour, the same affliction may be looked for. The bow cannot always be bent without fear of breaking.”[16] To avoid breaking the bow let us, let us heed the words of our Lord: “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” (Mark 6:31)

Success is dangerous: sometimes what drives a pastor to superhuman efforts is an ignoble desire for success. In his heart there lives a concern for the glory of God as well as, to a lesser degree, a desire for ministerial success! I have been to enough fraternals to know that a pastor loves to tell the story of how he “built up the church”. A desire for that kind of “success” can drive him to a work rate that sacrifices his health and perhaps even the welfare of his family! I would add that whilst a desire for “success” can be dangerous, “success” itself can also be perilous. “The very hearts that are depressed when all things seem against them, are often unduly exalted in the day of prosperity. Few men are like Samson and can kill a lion without telling others of it…Most of Christ’s labourers probably have as much success as their souls can bear.”[17] 

Pride is pervasive: it accompanies us to seminary, it sidles up into the pulpit with us, and it encourages us to regularly let people know that we are working very, very hard, much harder than lesser mortals. It is at the root of what Ash calls “ministry machismo”. Should you encounter that seemingly indefatigable pastor who never needs time off, Ash’s counsel is that you find a loving way to tell him, “you are behaving like an arrogant fool”.[18] Pride will make you unwilling to admit that you cannot cope anymore, and will drive you on well past the point of breaking. Pride will prevent you from seeking help. Pride will move you to resent those who try to help. Pride will hinder you from coming before God in weakness and crying out fervently to Him for strength. Dr. Lloyd-Jones said somewhere that the besetting sin of the church in the 20th century was self-sufficiency. So it still is. Pride and self-sufficiency have a causative role in the lifestyle that leads to burn out and it hinders the soul that is struggling to cope with burnout.

Delusion is rampant: a quite common ministerial delusion is a “messiah complex”. Take zeal for the glory of God, a love for preaching the truth, a passion for souls, a desire to edify saints, sprinkle in a touch of male ego, a dash of arrogance, a dollop of success, and you have the perfect recipe for a “messiah complex”. The little man with the big “M” on his chest now feels himself indispensable to the church, and quite enjoys his role. Humility prevents him from saying it, but he does feel that the church cannot get along without him. And so, with no regard for his limitations, he will give himself to the work.

Life is complicated: there are times in your life when you feel the way the Israelites did: “Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.” (Exodus 6:9). Sometimes the circumstances God sets before us inevitably result in a heavy heart and a shattered spirit. We can still rejoice. We can “trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain that morn shall tearless be”, but we are weighed down by grief and sadness. A very dear family member had died, and the profound sadness of such a heavy loss, added to a variety of other issues, led to my first burnout. Life is hard and complicated.

Providence is mysterious: sometimes a burnout will happen even when you have everything in place to prevent it. The simple fact is that, in the providence of God, life becomes overwhelming. The burn out happens, then, for the purpose of glorifying God, for the purpose of your growth and sanctification, or perhaps to allow other saints to grow, and other lessons to be taught. I learned from my first burn out and put into practice the lessons I learned. Exercise. Regular devotions. Saying “no” when I had enough on my plate, and so on. But then, twenty years later, it happened again. The reason it happened was simply that there was a confluence of life circumstances which were out of my control, and which together were quite overwhelming. All of these factors put me on the floor again. And it happened not because of an unwise lifestyle, not because of any particular sin, but simply in the wise and mysterious providence of God. God had purposes in bringing this about – to humble, to teach, to renew, to stir. Ray Ortlund explains why you, through no fault of your own, might burn out: “if a faithful pastor experiences burnout, it isn’t necessarily evidence against him. It’s God turning that pastor into living proof that ‘God raises the dead’ (2 Cor. 1:9). It’s what the pastor’s people need to see in him—not only the power of God sustaining him in the normal flow of ministry, but also the power of God resurrecting him from the extreme moments of defeat.”[19]

Paul Johnson writes about Dwight Eisenhower: “So far as I can see, he had only three days’ leave in total from September 1939 to the spring of 1945, during which he normally worked a day lasting from six am to 11 pm.” On March 1945, he and his staff went to Cannes and stayed four days. Eisenhower spent the first two days sleeping. Afterward, he even refused to play bridge: “I can’t keep my mind on cards. All I want to do is sit here and not think.” He would later say that he had “never been so tired, mind and body, in his entire life. He was fifty-five.”[20]

You and I will never have to lead the Allied Forces into battle, but in the mysterious providence of God we may well have days that put us on our backs and bring us to an end of ourselves. We will submit to our Father’s inscrutable wisdom and lean on His omnipotent arm.

ESCAPING BURNOUT

Rest: Andrew Roycroft writes: “One of my grandest mistakes in the lead up to burn out was my rejection of rest as a vital part of my work. I was staying up late, rising early, and very seldom ever switching off to my work. I wore this as a badge of honour (which, admittedly, I only showed to myself), and felt it to be a reassurance that I was ‘doing enough’. Unknown to me, this behaviour was reinforcing my pride and self-sufficiency, while making ruin of the sabbath principle that God has built into our nature as human beings.”[21] Rest, then, is the first order of business in escaping burnout. The Lord Jesus says to us, as He did to His disciples so many years ago: “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest awhile” (Mark 6:31).

Let your rest be thorough: I took roughly three months off work. Others have taken more. I would strongly urge a complete break from work. Now in some cases this is impossible. In a small church, the pastor simply cannot be away for several months. However, if you understand that a complete break is optimal, then perhaps you will do your best to get as much rest as you can in a difficult work context. You will also be more careful to avoid unnecessarily taking on extra work.

It is to be hoped that the burned-out pastor is working alongside elders who are men of wisdom, compassion, and grace. They will see that he is burning out. They will understand this to be a legitimate concern. They will realize that, should time off be given, this faithful servant will struggle with guilt. So, they will take the initiative, insist that he take a break, assure him of their support, and that they will take care of things in his absence. The burned-out brother will receive kindness from their hands and encouragement from their lips. This will help enable a thorough rest. A kind elder said to me years ago: “we want you back when you are better. No sooner. And when you are back, we will adjust your workload and schedule so that this doesn’t happen again.” Thank God for such men!

Let your rest be spiritual: as with Eisenhower, what is usually needed is sleep, and time to sit and not think. However, the sweetest element of time off work is the opportunity to seek the Lord, to read His Word in unhurried fashion, to think and pray, to ponder and meditate, to dive deep into the Word and soar to the heights of fellowship with God. The soul refreshing experience of which Isaiah speaks is what you are after: “but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). During my time off I embarked upon two studies that proved of immense benefit: a study of the names of God, and a study of the beauty of Christ. My burnout came during the tumultuous days of the Covid pandemic. When I returned to work I was convinced that the exploration of these themes which had so refreshed my soul would be of great benefit to my congregation as well.

Let your rest be enjoyable: Christopher Ash writes: “Times of quiet, enjoyment of beauty, the experience of refreshing exercise, stimulating sport, wonderful music, wholesome reading and conversation, can at their best be God’s handmaidens to spiritual refreshment, as they are combined with hearing afresh the promises of God in the gospel”.[22] Idyllic afternoons in my backyard, reading beneath the shade of a tree, did me immeasurable good!

Along with David Murray, I would recommend reading for pleasure, not simply for study and learning. Dr. Murray quotes an author whose reading of War and Peace “put me back in control of my life”! Murray goes on to document the health-giving benefits of pleasure reading.[23] I found the reading of seven of Paul Johnson’s excellent biographies quite exhilarating.[24] They took me to a world not my own, and that was refreshing.

Let your rest be sufficient: once again, this is difficult depending on one’s circumstances. But my fellow elder’s words were wise: “come back when you are ready”.  Too often I hear people say that when they return from time off, they are still exhausted and dread taking up their responsibilities again. Sometimes you do more by doing less. To return refreshed and eager to work will, in the long run, benefit the church as well as the patient!

Let your rest be guilt free: C. H. Spurgeon counsels his students thus: “On, on, on for ever, without recreation, may suit spirits emancipated from this ‘heavy clay’, but while we are in this tabernacle, we must every now and then cry halt and serve the Lord by holy inaction and consecrated leisure. Let no tender conscience doubt the lawfulness of going out of harness for awhile, but learn from the experience of others the necessity and duty of taking timely rest.”[25]

We do not abdicate our responsibility by rest, but rather we “serve the Lord by holy inaction and consecrated leisure”! He adds: “I do not call dolce far niente[26] laziness; there is a sweet doing of nothing which is just the finest medicine in the world for a jaded mind.” Rather than feeling guilty about it, we should understand rest and recuperation as one way in which we serve the Lord, benefit the church, and prolong our ministries.

Let your rest be regular: I am not sure why pastors, when counselling congregants who work 24/7, can refer to those Christians as “workaholics”, when they themselves do precisely the same thing. The inconsistency seems lost on them. It seems to me, however, that regular rest might save one from emergency rest. One day off a week, a few weeks off a year, can do body and soul a world of good and will contribute towards a lifestyle that does not rush headlong towards burnout.

Kindness: Lady Macbeth might have no appreciation for the “milk of human kindness” that flows through her husband’s veins, but kindness is like lifeblood for the burned-out pastor. In Psalm 142 David, who found himself “in a cave”, wrote: “no refuge remains for me, no one cares for my soul”. When you find yourself in that same cave, experiencing those same feelings, how the kindness of others will bless your soul. Like mercy, that kindness seems to drop as “the gentle rain from heaven”. Kindness is one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23) and may be defined as follows: “the inner disposition, created by the Holy Spirit, that causes us to be sensitive to the needs of others, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. Goodness is kindness in action – words or deed.”[27] Some Christians are so wonderfully creative and find such novel and inventive ways of expressing Christian love and demonstrating Spirit-born kindness. And how that buoys the spirit of a downcast and bone-weary servant. It may be as simple and powerful as the tender and encouraging phone messages I received during my burnout, left by the one whom we honour in this volume, messages accompanied by the sensitive comment that a reply would not be looked for. Kindness may come in the form of a card. As Dr. Sam Sheppard, wrongly convicted of the murder of his wife, languished in prison, he was buoyed by letters from his family: “Sam depended on the letters. They were ‘like a shot of epinephrine or a half time pep talk….only better.”[28] A few lines written on a simple card can be a “shot of epinephrine” to a struggling saint! Perhaps you don’t know what to say? A pastor friend told me that one of the most encouraging notes he ever received said simply: “I understand.” Kindness does not require verbosity.

Doctors: the first thing we did when our daughter began to show signs of burnout was to take her to hospital, have a battery of tests run, to ascertain whether there was any serious medical issue at the root of her symptoms. When those tests came back negative, we set about addressing the issue we suspected: burn out. Sometimes general practitioners will be the first to identify the problem of burn out. Andrew Roycroft writes: “when I landed in my GP surgery….my only complaint was some pain in my foot. I left his office in the knowledge that my blood pressure was sky high, that I had to take two weeks enforced leave, and that some major changes would need to take place in my work patterns.” The medical establishment informs us about the physiological reactions to stress and how exhaustion and sickness can result from the unrelenting pressure of being in constant “fight or flight” mode.[29] Such a patient can benefit from being under the care of a faithful osteopath. Such was my experience, for which I will always be grateful.

All that to say that it is important to seek the help of the medical practitioners who are available to you.

AVOIDING BURNOUT

Fair warning: perhaps it would be best to start at the beginning. Seminaries should include, as part of their pastoral theology classes, a warning against the almost irresistible lure of the superhuman pastor. The would-be pastor should be counseled about the reality and the dangers of burnout. If, as we are told, a third of pastors say they feel burned out “within just five years of starting”[30], such an education would seem to be essential. If my experience is anything to go by, young men will find these warnings hard to believe. But try we must! Let seminaries imitate Christopher Ash, who writes: “I have been keen to help (young men) see that the best kinds of ministry are, more often than not, long term and low key. I have tried to prepare them for a marathon, not a short, energetic sprint. In other words, to help them have a lifetime of sustainable sacrifice, rather than an energetic but brief ministry that quickly fades into exhaustion.”[31]

Know Thyself: this sage advice dates to the ancient Greeks, who knew a thing or two, but self knowledge and self-awareness is, sadly, a rare thing amongst Christians, and even amongst ministers. During my first burn out I discovered, while reading Ed Welch’s book When People are Big and God is Small, that I liked to please people and that this contributed to my burn out. The “fear of man (was) a snare” (Proverbs 29:25). How important it is to know yourself and your weaknesses! The merry-go-round of trying to please everybody is absolutely exhausting, and you will be flung from it in no time!

Know yourself. Does pride energize you? Does fear paralyze you? Does personal glory motivate you? Does the need to control drive you? Do past hurts embitter you?

Know yourself – and accept who you are. You are not required to work at the same rate as others. You are required to work as hard as you can – “love so amazing so divine demands my soul, my life, my all” – but your “all” is different from your brother’s. People are different and what energizes one drains another. Social interaction exhausts me, while brothers in the ministry come alive in a crowd. Know yourself and construct your lifestyle and your ministry accordingly.

Build a manageable schedule: do this in consultation with your wife or a faithful friend, since you can probably not be trusted to rightly define “manageable”. Essential to creating and maintaining such a schedule is the invaluable ability to say “no”.  Knowing your limitations and saying “no” to opportunities which will take you beyond them is necessary to survival in the ministry. The tyranny of the urgent should not drive us to make commitments that are delusional. Saying “no” does not mean that you don’t care, but simply that you know your limitations. It is an acknowledgement that “we are but dust and shadow”. God “remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14); we would do well to do the same.

Building a manageable schedule will require the fine art of delegation. Charles Simeon sets a good example. The minister of Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge (from 1783 until his death in 1836) “faced severe opposition in his early ministry” as well as the “routine challenges of shepherding the congregation and found out soon enough that “his candle was in danger of burning out”. He decided to delegate. He “established a ‘visiting society’ and appointed a man and a woman church member to be responsible for the pastoral care of homes in their particular district”.[32] Simeon did not have a father-in-law, for he never married, but perhaps he learned from Moses’ father-in-law, who in Exodus 18:17-23 counsels Moses that to try and do it all yourself is “not good”, that the burden is “too heavy for you”, that he is “not able to do it alone”, and that he should find others to bear the burden with him. That way, “you will be able to endure”. Delegating might wound your pride, but your way will be easier.

Just relax: build enjoyable times into your schedule. Paul Johnson writes: “Churchill’s great strength was his power of relaxation. Sometimes he painted….He loved having his womenfolk with him – Clemmie and his daughters….He liked action movies, such as Stagecoach and Destry Rides Again”[33] – and, of course, he took naps.[34]

Find a hobby. Perhaps chess will help – though not many will find the rigors of that game relaxing. At the very least, don’t spend all your time dashing down the information highway. Stop neurotically checking your email. Don’t carry your phone about as if it were attached to your hand. Fast from social media for a week, advises Doug Groothuis. He requires this of his students at Denver Seminary and says: “the results have been nothing less than profound for the majority of the students….they find more silence, time for reflection, and prayer, and more opportunities to engage family and friends thoughtfully. They become more peaceful and contemplative – and begin to notice how media-saturated most of our culture has become.”[35] So, yes, learn to relax.

CONCLUSION

Recommendations: First, I recommend that you be wary. “Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (I Corinthians 10:12). This can happen to you. Second, I recommend that you be ready. Be ready in case it happens to you, and in case you are called upon to minister to someone to whom this has happened. The best way to be ready is by reading the following books: Christopher Ash’s Zeal Without Burnout, David Murray’s Reset, Brian Croft and Jim Savastio’s The Pastor’s Soul, and Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure.

Reminders: the ministry can lay a man low. “Ten years of toil do not take so much life out of us as we lose in a few hours by Ahithophel the traitor, or Demas the apostate. Strife, also, and division, and slander, and foolish censures, have often laid holy men prostrate, and made them go ‘as with a sword in their bones’”.[36] And sometimes, in the service of our God, we will burn out. But I want to remind you that God knows: “God saw the people of Israel – and God knew” (Exodus 2:25). And I want to assure you that God helps: “let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). And I want to tell you that God restores: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” (II Corinthians 4:7-11) Burn out will strike you down, but by God’s grace it will not destroy you. You will stand again, and serve again, and be useful again. Peter Adam is vicar emeritus of St. Jude’s in Carlton, Australia, and formerly principal of Ridley College in Melbourne and has had a wonderfully useful Christian life but has lived and served Christ “in the shadow of (a) breakdown” he had early in his ministry. Without warning, one Monday morning, “he awoke and began spontaneously to cry, and found himself unable to stop weeping.” He recovered and went on to serve the Lord, but he says that he has never, since then, been able to work more than 50 hours in a week.” However, he learned to “trust God more, and also realized that God can use our weaknesses as well as our strengths”.[37] He was struck down but not crushed, and God has used a weak servant to magnify His strength (II Corinthians 12:7-10). He can do the same for in and through you.

[1] I have seen this attributed to Amy Carmichael and George Whitefield; even Neil Young sang: “It’s better to burn out than to fade away”, in his, “My, My, Hey, Hey (Out of the Blue)”.

[2] Paul Johnson, Churchill (New York, USA: Penguin Books, 2009), page 5.

[3] Ibid., pages 128, 163.

[4] Dr. David Murray, from an article entitled “What is Burnout and Why is it so Dangerous”, found at the following website: https://www.crossway.org/articles/what-is-burnout-and-why-is-it-so-dangerous/

[5] Mark Twain wrote: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics”. Twain wrongly attributed the quote to Benjamin Disraeli. Its origin is uncertain.

[6] See an article titled, “Pastoral Burnout Statistics”, found at the following website: http://www.jmm.org.au/articles/27347.htm

[7] Christopher Ash, Zeal Without Burnout (Epsom, UK: The Good Book Company, 2016), page 16.

[8] From an article titled, “Job Burnout: How to Spot it and Take Action”, found at the following website: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642

[9] Paul Vitello, religion editor for the New York Times, in an article titled, “Taking a Break from the Lord’s Work”, dated August 1, 2010. See also an NPR interview with Vitello found at the following website: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128957149 Vitello shows that burnout and its impact on overall health is a problem in all faith groups.

[10] Ash, Zeal Without Burnout, page 16. We should also note that the World Health Organization includes burnout in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD 11), and defines it as follows: “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”. See: https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases.

[11] Ibid., page 10.

[12] Ibid., page 10.

[13] Ibid., pages 121, 122. Also see Murray, Reset, pages 25-31 for physical, mental, emotional, relational, vocational, moral, spiritual and pastoral warning lights.

[14] Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, (Electronic Edition: June 2012), pages 156.

[15] Andrew Roycroft, in his article, “A Pastor in Therapy”, at the following website: https://thinkingpastorally.com/2019/11/18/a-pastor-in-therapy/. Pastor Roycroft writes about his own burnout in 2019.

[16] Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, page 160.

[17] Ash, Zeal Without Burnout, page 104, 105.

[18] Ibid., page 79.

[19] Ray Ortlund, in an article titled: “Waiting on the Lord to Renew our Strength: Reflections on Pastoral Burnout”, at the following website – https://www.9marks.org/article/waiting-on-the-lord-to-renew-our-strength-reflections-on-pastoral-burnout/

[20] Paul Johnson, Eisenhower (New York, USA: Penguin Books, 2014), page 53.

[21] Roycroft, in his article, “A Pastor in Therapy”, at the following website: https://thinkingpastorally.com/2019/11/18/a-pastor-in-therapy/

[22] Ash, Zeal Without Burnout, pages 74, 75.

[23] Murray, Reset, page 97, 98.

[24] For those who need unimportant details, those biographies were: Darwin, Napoleon, Socrates, George Washington, Mozart, Churchill, and Eisenhower. Highly recommended!

[25] Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, page 161.

[26] Italian: pleasant idleness; sweet doing nothing.

[27] Jerry Bridges, The Practice of Godliness, (Navpress: Cedar Springs, CO, 1983), page 231.

[28] James Neff, The Wrong Man: The Final Verdict on the Dr.  Sam Sheppard Murder Case (Open Road Media: NY, Ebook), page 243.

[29] Stuart Ira Fox, Conceptual Human Physiology (Wm. C. Brown Publishers, Dubuque, Iowa, 1984), page 197.

[30] Ash, Zeal Without Burnout, page 16.

[31] Ibid., page 20.

[32] Ibid., page 11.

[33] Johnson, Churchill, pages 128, 129.

[34] Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, “Winston Churchill’s Secret Productivity Weapon”, an article found at the following website: https://michaelhyatt.com/naps/

[35] Murray, Reset, pages 94, 95.

[36] Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, page 161.

[37] Ash, Zeal Without Burnout, page 17.

The Life and Ministry of William Payne

The Life and Ministry of William Payne

Roger Fellows

Grace Pastors’ Fellowship.  April 8, 2024

To many of you, Bill Payne is just a name. He passed away 27 years ago, in 1997, at the age of 59, so, few here would have had any personal contact with him. However, I imagine that all of you will have heard his name, and most would understand that he was the dominant figure in the history of the Reformed Baptist movement in Ontario (and to some extent in Canada), in the last three decades of the 20th century.

I probably knew Bill as well as anyone outside his immediate family, and I had the privilege of working with him for about 25 years. We had a happy relationship, and never had a cross word or major disagreement in all those years. Bill had by far the greater gifts, yet I believe we complemented each other.

Early years

Bill was born at Knowsley, just outside Liverpool, and as a result would be known as a ‘Scouse’ in Britain. Bill never lost that distinctive Liverpudlian accent. He entered this world on April 16, 1938, the third son of Thomas Lamb Payne and his wife Hannah. There was some religious influence in his early years, as Hannah’s father was a lay preacher, but apart from going to Sunday School at an Anglican church for a while, there was no real contact with the gospel or even any meaningful religious connection. 

Bill’s great love while at school was soccer, and he dreamed of a professional career in that sport. Those who were at the early Carey or Pastors’ Conferences will remember that if a game was organized, Bill would be there still showing considerable ability.

While Bill was in his teens, one of his friends, Malcolm Fenton, was converted. This had quite an impact on Bill, and when his own mother started accompanying Malcolm’s mother to church, Bill wondered what was going on. Eventually his mother persuaded him to go with her, and for the first time in his life, he heard the gospel that he himself would preach later with such clarity. The church was Calvary Baptist Church in Liverpool, and the pastor was A.E. Chillington. Bill drank in the message, and kept going back to hear the Word of God preached. He also began to read and study the Bible for himself. After a few months Bill came to a heart experience of the truths he had heard preached by Pastor Chillington. He was nearly 17 when he was converted.

From the beginning, Bill immersed himself in the Lord’s work at the church, attending every possible meeting, and looking for ways to serve the Lord. It was not long before he was giving his testimony in meetings, and demonstrating a gift for public speaking. When he was 18 he had his first speaking engagement outside his own church. He addressed a nurses’ fellowship in Liverpool. Hetty (later his wife) told me of the amusing conclusion: he did not know how to finish properly, so he simply said, ‘That’s your lot’, and sat down!

Under the faithful ministry of Pastor Chillington, Bill grew in grace and developed his own gifts. Bill always had a great love and respect for the man who was his spiritual father.

While at Calvary Church, Bill met Hetty Stephenson, who was later to become his wife. Hetty had attended Calvary for most of her life, and was converted when she was 13. Both Bill and Hetty had a desire to serve the Lord in a full-time capacity, and together they developed a deep interest in work among Muslims in the Middle East. However, before they could take further steps in this direction, Hetty had to complete her nurse’s training, and Bill had to do two years in the army—National Service, which was required of every able-bodied man in those days. The army is always a stiff test of a Christian’s resolve to stand firm for the Lord, and Bill was equal to the challenge—with the Lord’s enabling grace. He was not ashamed to kneel down by his bed to pray in full view of a barrack room of unbelieving soldiers. Bill spent his military service in Essex (Spurgeon country!) and found a pastor there who encouraged him in his walk with the Lord. The desire to go to the Middle East never wavered, and there were further opportunities to preach. Bill also began to study Greek with a view to entering Bible school.

On returning to Liverpool, Bill took a job in a bank while waiting for Hetty to finish her training. They were married in August of 1959. Together they continued to seek the Lord regarding training for the mission field. While still in the army Bill was considering attending Spurgeon’s College, but Pastor Chillington advised against this because of the liberal tendencies of that school.

About that time, Dr. Slade, the pastor of Jarvis Street Baptist Church and President of Toronto Baptist Seminary, came to speak at Bill’s church. At the close of the service Dr. Slade said he felt there was a young man there who was interested in training for Christian service, and invited him to speak with him afterwards. Hetty had not been able to attend the meeting and Bill told her about it later. They were interested in Christian training, but not in Canada! Their initial reaction was to reject the idea, and they tried to put it out of their minds. However, the Lord had other ideas, and just six weeks later they were on their way to Toronto to attend TBS.

They arrived at the seminary eager to learn, but soon found they had some problems with the doctrines taught there. One was with eschatology. Pastor Chillington had been a premillennialist—a typical pretribulational dispensationalist. Bill and Hetty had never heard any other view, and the amillennialism taught at the seminary seemed heretical. They even gave serious consideration to returning home. However, they were teachable. They were impressed by the godliness of those who taught them, especially Dr. Adams and Dr. Fletcher, and decided to stay and learn with an open mind. It was not long before they were convinced of the amillennial view.

The other problem area was Calvinism. This was also new to Bill and Hetty. Dr. Fletcher was the professor of systematic theology, a godly man, and a convinced Calvinist. Again, Bill and Hetty were patient, and eventually came to accept the doctrines of grace as biblical.

During Bill’s first year at seminary, he was called to the pastorate of Central Baptist Church, a small congregation in Toronto. Bill preached twice every Sunday and also took the mid-week prayer meeting. This was valuable experience for him and added greatly to the training he received at the seminary. Amazingly, despite the heavy load, his academic standing never faltered, and Bill was top student each year.

Throughout the four years of seminary, the vision for missions never left Bill or Hetty, and in their final year they began to give serious thought to finding a missionary society with which they could work. A representative of the Bible Baptist Fellowship came to speak to the students at chapel one day, and, after talking to the man, Bill and Hetty applied for a one year course with the mission in Missouri.

As the school year came to an end, there were two notable events in their lives. Hetty gave birth to their first child, Mark, but then just three days later they received news of the death of Bill’s father. Immediately after graduation they went to England and remained there for most of the summer. When they returned they went to Missouri, but found the time there quite difficult. Although some parts of the course were helpful, they felt they didn’t fit in to the evangelical culture they found there. The biggest heartache was a growing realization that their views on eschatology were going to be a problem. At one point they had been assured that their views wouldn’t be a hindrance, but it finally came down to the question of whether they could sign the mission’s premillennial statement. After much prayer, study and heart-searching, they saw that they could not sign it, and so they were unable to serve with the Bible Baptist Fellowship. This seemed like a major setback. They had been sure that this was God’s will for them, but now the door had closed. What next? Where now? They did not have enough money to go back to England, so they packed up their few possessions and returned to Toronto. That was in December of 1963. Bill was able to get a number of temporary jobs to provide for their basic needs, and there were opportunities to preach, but this was a time when they sought the will of God for their future. As the months passed, Bill had a growing conviction that he should seek an opening in the pastoral ministry. He never lost his interest and burden for the Muslim people, but it was as a pastor that Bill would find his life’s work and ministry

In July of 1964 he was called to be pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Burlington. The Lord blessed his ministry, and during the eight years he was there, the church grew steadily, and the old building became too small. The church bought land a little north of the Queen Elizabeth Way, and erected a commodious new structure. Despite the growth and encouragement, the Lord took Bill and Hetty through some difficult times in their own experience. Their second son, John Charles, was born in October 1965. The baby had Down Syndrome as well as serious heart problems. He lived for only six months, and the many trips back and forth to the hospital stretched the family to the limit. God doesn’t make mistakes in the way he deals with his children, and while the episode brought many tears, it also taught Bill and Hetty many valuable lessons, and prepared them to minister with greater compassion to those who went through trying times. In 1967 the family was completed with the addition of Stephen.

During the years at Calvary, Bill began reading the Puritans. It was then that he gradually came to realize that being Reformed or Calvinistic was far more than holding the five points. The Puritans were men who applied the truths of God’s sovereignty to every part of life, both personal and ecclesiastical. It would affect not only the truth preached, but the worship and evangelism of the church.

My first real contact with Bill was at a meeting of the students and alumni of TBS in March of 69. Bill gave a paper entitled, What Today’s Preachers can Learn from the Puritans. I actually wrote a report of it for the TBS magazine, The Seminarian. Bill was already very enthusiastic about the Puritans.

Many church members are willing to subscribe to the doctrines of grace in theory, but when they are applied, there is often opposition. So it was at Calvary Baptist in Burlington. As Bill sought to apply the reformed faith to church worship, there were quite a few who set themselves against these reforms. The opposition increased until Bill was forced to resign from the church in the fall of 1972. So ended the first main phase of his pastoral ministry.

Among the members at Calvary, many were indignant at the way in which their pastor had been treated. They wanted Bill to continue as their pastor, and although when he resigned it was without any intention of splitting the church, Bill soon saw the need to begin a new work that would meet the spiritual needs of those who had either been converted under his ministry, or whose spiritual lives had been deepened through his preaching and counseling.

Trinity Baptist Church

On October 8, 1972 a small group gathered in the home of John and Wilma Haughie in Burlington for morning and evening services. The following Wednesday a similar group met at the same location to put the new church on a formal footing. The name Trinity Baptist Church was agreed upon, and Bill Payne was asked to be the pastor.

For the next Sunday, October 15, the congregation rented facilities at Trefoil Lodge, and during the next three years or so they met in three different locations in the Burlington area. As the church grew there was an increasing realization that they needed their own facilities. Early in 1975 they were made aware that the Zimmerman United Church on Appleby Line was standing empty. With the Trinity congregation coming from a number of directions it seemed an ideal location, and the purchase was negotiated for $30,000. They already had a building fund of $23,000, and with a special offering were able to raise the remaining money for the purchase. Renovations and an extension were necessary, and it was with great joy and gratitude to God that they moved into the building in February of 1976.

The congregation grew steadily and in 1987 a further addition was made to the building. The auditorium was also redesigned to increase the seating.

A growing congregation and a larger building are always encouraging features in the life of a church, but the story of Trinity is far more than physical growth—it is the story of people growing in spiritual maturity and in love towards one another. It is the story of sinners being converted, and of backsliders being restored. It is the story of people being prepared for service in the kingdom of God. Underlying all this is the faithful preaching of the Word of God, and a shepherding of the flock with love and compassion.

Bill’s pastoral ministry

Reading through the book produced for the 25th anniversary of the church, one is impressed by the many testimonies of those who so appreciated the consistent, faithful ministry of their pastor.

The preacher

Bill did not set out to impress people by his eloquence, even though he was a fine preacher: rather he sought to build people up by the steady exposition of the Word. In a day when few pastors were committed to faithful exposition of the Scriptures, Bill was convinced that this was what God’s people needed. His ‘standard fare’ was consecutive exposition of books of the Bible, though Bill was not a slave to this, and varied his ministry by including topical preaching or sometimes taking isolated texts. Doctrinally Bill was unashamedly a Calvinist, and yet he was not one to beat a drum or play an instrument with only five strings. He was balanced in his preaching, declaring the whole counsel of God, and while he was gracious in his application of the Word, he never hesitated to deal with passages or subjects that were challenging or controversial.

Reading the testimonies of those who sat under Bill’s preaching for many years, it is evident that his preaching instilled in them a love for the Word and for sound doctrine. His ministry, while intellectually stimulating was never merely academic. His concern and his prayer was to see lives changed by the preaching. Despite the fact that a few left the church disaffected, one is impressed by the large number of people who stayed at Trinity for many years, and whose lives were greatly influenced by Bill’s preaching. Several went forth from the church to Seminary, and are now serving the Lord in various parts of the world.

Bill was devoted to God’s Word and read it much, but he was also a great reader of other books too. As already mentioned, he was a great lover of the Puritans. He would often quote from Watson, Owen and others. He had a particular love for John Owen, and did what few of us have done—read Owen’s sixteen volumes right through, covering 25 pages a day. Later in his ministry he told me that he was reading through them a second time! Bill’s reading was not confined to theology—he loved history, both religious and secular, and this would provide him with many illustrations. He had a great admiration for Winston Churchill, but his real hero was Oliver Cromwell. 

Bill’s doctrine

As already mentioned, Bill was unapologetically a Calvinist. He came to embrace the doctrines of grace while at TBS, though initially his adherence to these truths was largely intellectual. It was when he began to read the Puritans, that he came to see that these doctrines have very practical implications, and will affect every aspect of life, both personal and ecclesiastical. As we have seen, it was when he sought to apply the Reformed faith to church life and worship, that he experienced opposition at Calvary Baptist Church in Burlington: opposition that led to his resignation, and then to the founding of Trinity Baptist Church.

Bill’s Calvinism was positive and gracious. There was no harshness in his preaching, and though there was some opposition, there was really no ground for it except with those who resisted the truth of God’s sovereignty.

The pastor

Bill was an excellent pastor. Wilf Ball told of some occasions when he accompanied Bill on pastoral visitation. He spoke of Bill’s obvious compassion for those he visited, but also of his great skill in using the Scriptures to address the various spiritual needs he encountered in the congregation. One man who had temporarily left his wife told of how Bill once ran after him, held him by the arms and pleaded with him to fight the good fight of faith and go back to his family. Thankfully, the man did just that.

Many others have testified of the spiritual help they received from Bill, both from his preaching and his pastoral care.

Just to be at the 25th anniversary of the church only four months after Bill’s death, left a powerful sense of how much he was loved and missed by his congregation.

I believe a good measure of a pastor’s appeal, if I can use that word, is seen in how he relates to children. Some men may be great preachers but are out of touch with the young ones. Bill loved children, and it was evident, to see him in his own church or at family conferences, that the children loved him. One would think that with all the responsibilities of a pastor, Bill could not find time to work with the children’s groups, but Bill made the time, and for virtually all his ministry at Trinity, he and Hetty were involved with the mid-week Children’s Club (8-12’s).

Bill was also a pastor to other pastors as we shall mention later. Many were the occasions when other pastors shared concerns with Bill and were greatly helped by his counsel and sympathy.

The fellow-pastor

I have included here some reflections of Carl Muller who worked as Bill’s Assistant (Associate) for several years. It gives us further insight into the character of the man he worked with. According to Carl, Bill was:

A man of humility: Thomas Brooks, one of Bill Payne’s beloved Puritans, said that ‘he who is little in his own account is great in God’s esteem.’ Bill, then, must have been great in God’s esteem. The man I knew was a man of rare humility. He knew his power, he understood his influence, and he was aware that he could control a room, but he knew at the same time his place before the Holy God. When I first began to work with him, as his assistant, he took me out for coffee and said that should I notice any problems with him or his ministry, I must be sure to tell him. That is the measure of the man. He was a servant who checked his ego at the door. A few years into my work as his assistant he began to refer to me as his associate. I was nothing of the sort, of course, but he was humble enough that he saw nothing untoward in referring to me that way.

A man of principle: I believe that he loved me, and I know that he was unfailingly kind to me, but he would not put up with any nonsense. He would not tolerate any sin, even from his ‘associate’. We were driving somewhere and talking about something, and I began to steer the conversation in the direction of what, to my mind, were the questionable practices of a fellow pastor. ‘I don’t want to hear any gossip,’ he said. Awkward silence. Point taken. Lesson learned, I hope. And then we went on to something else.

A man of devotion: Bill was devoted to his family. I recall a photograph of him dressed up like Santa Claus, wielding a light saber, and flashing a grin which lit up the room. This was all for the delight of his family. I also recall tears. Every family passes through deep waters, and Bill’s family was no different. Bill cared deeply and passionately for his family, and his occasional tears bore eloquent testimony to the fact. Bill was also devoted to his church family. When I started work as his assistant, he sat down with me and told me about the people in the church. He knew them all, very well. Here was a shepherd who had run his hands through the fleece of each one of the sheep. There were no thirteen Edwardsean hours in the study, far away from the people. He was a pastor who knew his people, and he told me of their tendencies, strengths and weaknesses. He expressed his delight in some, and he warned me about others. Some of them broke his heart and others made him marvel. But he knew and loved them all.

A man of humour:  Bill didn’t take himself too seriously. He was not too righteous to laugh at himself. Not too pious so that he couldn’t enjoy a good joke. On my desk is a saying in calligraphy, ‘why pray when you can worry’. It used to be on his desk. When I see his face now, it is a smiling face. Though not one to take himself too seriously he took the things of God seriously indeed, and was passionate about the service of His Lord. So much so that once, having had to stop a service because of heart issue, and while being driven to hospital in an ambulance, his main concern was that his (life threatening) heart condition had ruined the service! A caricature of him as Bugs Bunny, drawn by a colleague, had pride of place in his study. The Reverend Payne was never too proper for a good chuckle.

A man of strength: in a room full of strong men, he was invariably the strongest, but he wielded that strength with grace, humility, humour, and the precision of a surgeon. Once when a preacher was, with excessive zeal, urging a group of pastors that they should all get rid of their televisions, he said, ‘oh no, this is the year the Leafs are going to win the cup’. The comment put the young zealot in his place, eased the tension in the room, and accomplished both with grace and humour. 

A man of weakness: for instance, he was forgetful. But he knew it. The tragic flaw of many who are larger than life is that they do not see their own weaknesses. He was self-aware and knew his flaws. Like his hero, Oliver Cromwell, he saw himself ‘warts and all’. And so, with the casual settledness that is born of humility, he would ask me, every single week, as he drove me home, ‘alright now, where do we turn?’

A man of vision – Bill was a man of Issacher and understood his times. He saw that in the reformed movement, we needed a fraternal, a family conference, a magazine, a fellowship of churches, and he led his partners in ministry in addressing these and other needs of the day. He saw that our church needed to expand its facilities, and at his behest we embarked upon a lengthy process which issued in the construction of a brand-new building. He seemed, so often, to be one step ahead of us.

A man who cooperated: Bill could, and would, work with others. Whilst a leader of men, a pastor for pastors, he could work on a team. And he made lesser men like me feel valuable, appreciated, and confident that we could make a contribution. I was at my first pastors’ conference. During a break I noticed that several prominent pastors, including Bill and the conference keynote speaker, were sitting at a table. To my chagrin, Bill called me over to join them. It was an unpleasant experience, terrified as I was that I might have to say something and thus give evidence that I didn’t belong. But I did learn that day about teamwork, about drawing young men in and making them feel valuable, about ensuring that each member of the body is given opportunity to contribute.

He was exemplary: my life and ministry has been ‘a poor attempt to imitate the man’. God deliver us from slavish imitation of any individual, but in so many ways we would be wise to walk as he walked. For instance, be balanced (his favourite word it seemed), preach with simplicity, clarity and organization (he set the standard), always make application in the sermon (that’s what separates the men from the boys, he would say), work hard (he probably worked too hard, and for a man with a family medical history like his, that was playing with fire – but what an inspiration he was). Trying to follow the example of a man like this has its pitfalls. During the first year after his death, as the pastor of ‘his’ church, I tried to be him. It nearly drove me from the ministry. Thankfully I was helped to try to be like him, without trying to be him. I think my ministry was the better for it.

Pastors’ meetings

While Bill’s chief concern for the last twenty five years of his life was his own church in Burlington, he had a wider vision too—for the Reformed cause in Canada and even further afield. For about two years before I knew Bill, a group of pastors committed to the doctrines of grace met monthly for mutual edification. The venue alternated between Calvary Baptist Church in Burlington when Bill was still there, and Emmanuel Baptist Church in Milton, where Clayton Coles was the pastor. Different men would take turns presenting papers, or sometimes they would listen to tapes by influential men of God such as J.I. Packer, Martyn Lloyd Jones or Rolfe Barnard. The papers or tapes were always followed by lively and helpful discussions. The first meeting I attended was in February 1970, and I was rarely absent after that. The numbers never seemed to get above 15–20. Pastors in southwestern Ontario sometimes complained about the distance to the meetings. To accommodate them we held the meetings the following year in Tilsonburg where Lambert Baptist was then pastor. Numbers didn’t increase, so we moved the venue back to Burlington, then to Toronto. The meetings were always profitable, and the fellowship sweet. Bill’s contribution to these meetings was always significant, whether he was delivering the paper or participating in the discussions. There was no official structure or status in the group, but Bill and Clayton Coles gave leadership. Those were days when there seemed almost a concerted effort within the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches to get rid of any who were convinced Calvinists. About the same time that Bill was forced out of Calvary Baptist, Leigh Powell had to leave Melrose Baptist and others, for example Bruce Schnurr also had to move. Still others were finding that they were ‘marked men’ by the Fellowship hierarchy. That would include myself. The monthly meetings were particularly blessed times for those who were in the throes of battle.

As well as the regular meetings, a number of conferences were arranged at Burlington and at Kenmuir Baptist Church in Mississauga where Ross Lyons was pastor. I didn’t have any personal involvement in the planning of these early meetings, but obviously Bill would be very much at the heart of things. It was at these conferences that we were exposed to such men as Al Martin and Roger Nicole.

In the summer of 1972, it was felt that there was a need to put the pastors’ group on a firmer footing. July 31, 1972 could be considered a significant day in the history of Reformed Baptists in Ontario. Four pastors—Bill Payne, Leigh Powell, Gord Rumford and myself met to make plans for the future. Leigh Powell was appointed chairman, I was asked to be secretary/treasurer, and we agreed on the name: Fellowship for Reformation and Pastoral Studies—regretted ever after—not that there was anything wrong with the name—just its length! For years few have ever called it anything but F.R.P.S. or just Frips, though more recently it has become known as the Grace Pastor’s Fellowship. The monthly meetings were planned a year at a time. Each year we tried to balance the subjects between theological, biographical or historical and practical. As the name suggested we wanted the meetings to be Reformed in their theological emphasis, but pastoral in nature so as to be helpful to those who were pastors. Most of the papers were given by our own circle of men, but once or twice a year we would invite speakers from outside our group, and sometimes we could take advantage of notable speakers who happened to be in the area for other meetings.

We determined as far as possible to have the papers in printed form. The speakers were asked to provide copies of the papers—usually at their own expense! We didn’t have the funds to do otherwise. We also arranged for a subscription list so that those who couldn’t attend the meetings could have the papers mailed out to them. Several copies were sent overseas so we did have a slight international influence. I remember Erroll Hulse saying that he thought the papers were of a very high standard.

The location of the meetings still moved around, but from 1975 on, the regular location became Royal York Baptist Church in Toronto where John Bonham was pastor. Incidentally it was John Bonham who kept bugging me until I started attending the early meetings.

In 1978 Bill became chairman of the FRPS, and from then on was the unquestioned leader of the group.

Most who attended were Baptists—certainly the ‘Founding Fathers’ were, but we were never a Baptist group as such. We deliberately avoided the term in the name of the organization, and were happy to welcome a number of Presbyterian pastors as well as some from other denominations. For a number of years, we enjoyed the fellowship and contributions of Gerald Cressman, a Pentecostal pastor from Elmira, who attended regularly until he moved to a position in Saskatoon. It was good having those of different ecclesiastical persuasions, and while there were differences of opinion, those differences rarely caused any animosity. I can only remember one or two occasions when there was any heat in the discussions, and I believe that the rarity of such problems was due mainly to Bill’s wise and gracious chairmanship. I think we were fairly open with those who were of different persuasion, and sometimes invited them to present their views. John Macleod, a staunch Presbyterian, was asked to speak on the nature of the church. I recall the lively debate when he maintained that heretics should still be put to death! Gerald Cressman, the Pentecostal was asked to speak on the gifts of the Spirit. That also created lively discussion, and poor Gerald was hard pressed, but it was all done in a good-natured way.

It is encouraging to see that the regular monthly pastors meetings continue almost unchanged in format, though the location has changed from time to time, for a variety of reasons.

 

Conferences

Bill had a vision for the Reformed movement in Canada and felt that we should do all we could to promote it. The monthly meetings were useful, but they were geared towards pastors, although anyone was free to attend. Bill suggested that we arrange meetings that many more could attend. As already mentioned, conferences were held earlier but they were not regular. From 1975 to 79 we held three day conferences in Toronto, though the 1978 conference was cancelled at the last minute due to internal problems. That was the same time that Bill took over as chairman. At the first of these conferences Bill gave an unforgettable series on The Intercession of Christ.

Pastors conferences

While these conferences were well attended, we still felt the need to minister more to pastors in particular. From 1980 on we held annual pastors’ conferences. The first was held at Westboro Baptist Church in Ottawa where Jim Clemens was the pastor. After that we met at Camp Shalom near Cambridge. I think we were there for 17 years altogether, before moving to Heritage, then to the Faith Mission Centre near Campbellville, and then back to Camp Shalom, which is ideal for small conferences. Whether you consider it a sad point or an advantage, the conferences were small, never attaining a registration above 25 or 30, though others would come in for some of the meetings, especially in the evenings. Drost Lodge at Camp Shalom has four dormitories each with eight or nine beds off a central room which also serves for the meetings. The compactness of the facilities made for great fellowship and we had many blessed times.

We often wondered why so few attended. It certainly wasn’t for lack of good preaching. Looking over the list of speakers is like a ‘Who’s Who’ of Reformed leaders: John Reisinger, Herbert Carson, Jack Graham, Al Martin, Thom Smith, Don Carson, Mariano DiGangi, Stuart Latimer, Don Garlington, Geoff Thomas, Tom Wells, Stuart Olyott, Henry Krabbendam, Palmer Robertson, John Armstrong. One would anticipate that a much larger group of pastors would want to hear such men, but it seems that many were unwilling to identify with a group who were unashamedly Calvinistic in their beliefs. However, we had fine conferences year after year. In a small group everyone soon gets to know everyone else.

Bill placed his stamp on the conferences. His cheery voice was often heard around the building. He had a great sense of humour, and in a gathering of pastors was wont to let his hair down more than usual. Shrieks of laughter would usually be heard from his dormitory well after bed time. But there was another side too. Several of the pastors came from very discouraging situations, and Bill was always available with a word of encouragement or wise counsel.

Another advantage of small numbers was found in the discussion times held after each day session, and in a special meeting usually held on the last afternoon. All could take part, and there was opportunity for anyone to submit questions for the speakers to answer.

Because of the small number registering for these conferences, we were limited in being able to provide honoraria for the speakers.  In fact only the main speakers would receive any remuneration.  In the case of those speakers coming from Europe, we needed them to come for two or three weeks so that we could have them speak at several of our churches, with each church contributing towards the speakers' expenses.  The result of this for the conference was that the day sessions were usually taken by our own men.  Experienced pastors like Bill were always heard with profit, but the situation also gave opportunity for some of the younger men to develop their gifts.  It is a bit daunting to speak to a group of pastors, however small.  Pastors are a critical bunch, and expect much from those who address them.  It is valuable experience then to put people in that situation, and hopefully the senior pastors among us were gracious in seeking to encourage these men.  Certainly Bill was a great source of encouragement to those starting out in the ministry.  He was a pastor’s pastor and many were the men young and old who were helped by his ministry and advice.

One final bonus at these conferences was in the great meals.  At the early pastors' conferences the staff at Camp Shalom cooked the meals, but to cut costs and increase the quality of the food, some of the pastors' wives agreed to do the cooking.  From then on we were royally dined.  Super-spiritual men will say we gather primarily to feed the soul, but there is no doubt that excellent food and good humour add a great deal to a conference.  These were both in abundance at the pastors' conferences. Arrangements for meals have since changed.

Family Conferences

Both the Payne and Fellows families had attended some of the early Reformed Baptist Family Conferences at Harvey Cedars in New Jersey. These events were organized by the Reformed Baptist Association, a group of seven churches in the north-eastern U.S. Al Martin and Walt Chantry were the two leading figures among them, and as they were insistent that everything be done under the auspices of a local church, Walt Chantry’s church in Carlisle Pa. sponsored the conferences. Al Martin was usually the main speaker in those days, and we were exposed to some powerful preaching. About 500-600 attended and they were rich times. At first we almost felt lost in the crowd, but gradually we got known, and later, both Bill and I were invited to speak at the conference.

It was inevitable that sooner or later one of us would say, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to have something like this in Canada?’ I can’t remember who said it first, but it was probably Bill. Anyway, we began to see what could be done. After looking at a number of sites we decided on Camp Shalom. I have actually got out of chronological order by speaking about pastors’ conferences first, but we actually held the first Family Conference a year before the first pastors’ conference—in 1979. Camp Shalom was chosen because of reasonable prices and also because of its good location. We had contacts in New York state and Michigan as well as our Canadian contingent, so Cambridge seemed a suitable venue.

At the first conference, Walt Chantry spoke on The Riches of God’s Glorious Grace. It was TULIP in disguise. In the early years we followed the pattern of the Harvey Cedars conference by having two morning sessions. The first year Bill repeated and enlarged his series on The Intercession of Christ.

The conference was a great success. We had about 50 that first year and the numbers grew steadily to about 100 by the fifth year in 1983. We always had a good U.S. contingent and this gave an international flavour. Fred Huebner, then a pastor in New York state, brought a group each year, and contributed to the conferences by speaking on occasions, and also by bringing an ever-increasing supply of books at bargain prices. We also had some great international sports contests. The Americans usually beat us at baseball, but at table tennis, Bill and I managed to remain undefeated in doubles competition.

After the first two years we felt that having two morning sessions was too taxing mentally, as most men feel they have to preach for an hour! We changed the format to one session with a discussion period.

In 1984 we moved to a new location—the Lambton Centre at Forest near Sarnia. Numbers dropped slightly the first year, but thereafter steadily increased to over 200, stretching to the limit the facilities at Lambton. In 1994 the conference was moved again, to Maple Grove at Thamesford near Ingersoll. Bill and I with our wives and a few others were involved in evaluating the new site and deciding to move, but it was in that year that my wife and I returned to Britain, so we were not involved in the conferences again until we moved back to Ontario in 1999. After the move, numbers grew to about 400 and in 2006 we moved to Braeside Pentecostal Camp near Paris, maintaining the numbers at about 400. One important point in the choice of venues was to be able to combine cabins with camping facilities, so as to accommodate a variety of participants.

The family conferences have been times of rich ministry and precious fellowship. In the early days, much of the credit, humanly speaking, belonged to Bill Payne. After we had together arranged the programme and contacted the speakers, Bill did most of the organizing of the conferences, though he was ably assisted by people from his own church. In the early years Don Wheaton was Camp Director, and for many years Mark and Merry-Lynn Hudson carried a heavy load in handling registrations, arranging accommodation and taking care of finances.

During the conferences when Bill was still with us, he was often seen at the different camp sites talking with the people. He was always available for a casual chat or for more serious counsel. He was as much at home talking with children as he was with adults. Of course, Bill’s own ministry at the conferences was eagerly anticipated. His expositions were clear and understood by the youngest Christians, as well as appreciated by the mature believers. When sporting activities were arranged, as they generally were, Bill was always in the thick of things. Whether it was soccer, volleyball, baseball or cricket, he would take part enthusiastically, although somewhat limited after his heart problems.

One of the highlights of the family conferences came to be Talent Night, usually held on Wednesday evening after the regular meeting. Individuals and groups would display their skills in singing, instrumentals or in poetry. Some of the items were serious, others were hilarious. Usually the climax of the evening was a piece that Bill had ‘discovered’ in a book of ancient Chinese poems. These poems were of course written by Bill himself and invariably brought the house down. Here is one brief example not published in the book that Trinity put out for the 25th anniversary. It followed an afternoon of competition between the under 30’s and the over 30’s, known as the Golden Oldies.

The Golden Oldies strode with power onto the field of battle,

No longer would they tolerate the young ones boasting prattle,

The bats they boomed, the balls they flew, the young ones were amazed,

They left the baseball diamond astonished and so dazed.

So on to volleyball they went, the Oldies confident,

And through the air they wildly flew and bang—the ball they sent

Over that net with marvellous aim until—no need to say,

The young went further and yet more into sad disarray.

And then as I pondered on this amazing Oldie team,

Like Bunyan many years ago—I woke—it was a dream.

Bill was actually a skilful poet as is seen in the many hymns that came from his pen. This would be a good time to speak of Bill as an author.

Bill as an Author

Bill was skilled with the pen as well as with the tongue.  He produced a number of pamphlets, initially to help his own church members, but they were circulated much more widely than that. Pastor, What is the Difference? explained in plain terms the doctrines of grace compared to both Arminian and Hyper-Calvinistic views. Faith of our Fathers examined the downgrade of doctrine from the times of the Puritans and Spurgeon to the present.  There were several others too. In the Memoir produced for the 25th anniversary, Leigh Powell included a list of Bill’s publications. Bill also produced many papers for the FRPS meetings and conferences, and contributed articles to a variety of Reformed magazines. 

Some of Bill’s Bible studies in the doctrines of grace were published by Joshua Press in 2001 under the title: Life Transforming Truths.

Another of Bill's visions was for a distinctively Canadian periodical.  The culmination of this was the appearance of the first edition of Reformation Canada in October of 78.  It was published four times a year, and Bill was the editor from its inception until the final issue in 94 when Bill had major heart surgery.  It featured articles by Bill himself and others of the Canadian group of pastors.  Sometimes it was frustrating getting people to come up with articles, and it was necessary to put in reprints of other authors.  I helped Bill as associate editor almost from the beginning, and somehow we managed to keep it afloat.  Paid subscriptions never rose beyond 250, but we usually produced 700 copies, most of which were sent out free to individuals and churches.  From time to time, it was necessary to appeal for financial help from our readers, and without fail the Lord moved some to help out.  We never went into debt, although once or twice we were perilously close.  Until one is involved in the regular production of a magazine, and experiences the pressures of meeting production deadlines and raising money, it is hard to appreciate how much is involved in such a venture.  When you add this to Bill's other responsibilities in his own church, the Sovereign Grace Fellowship, preaching at other churches and conferences, and teaching at Toronto Baptist Seminary, his work load was more than most of us would be able to carry.  Whatever Bill did he did well, and did it to the glory of His beloved Lord and Saviour.

One other aspect of Bill's penmanship that I mentioned earlier was hymn writing.  It was another area where he was gifted.  I remember him telling me once that he had written about 100.  Some were used in his own church in Trinity Praise, and other churches have included some in their supplementary hymn books. I give one sample here:

Come my soul and let us praise Him,

He who reigns enthroned above;

Full of truth and grace and glory,

And His name to us is love;

He is worthy of our praises,

His perfections none can share,

Let us praise him, let us praise Him,

And His greatness now declare.

Come my soul and let us praise Him,

For our sins He bled and died;

And our all-sufficient Saviour

Is our Jesus crucified;

Oh the fulness of His mercy!

Oh the richness of His love!

Let us praise Him, let us praise Him,

Ransomed by His precious blood.

Come my soul and let us praise Him,

None with Him can e'er compare;

Safe shall I be in His keeping,

All His glory I may share;

Jesus you alone can save me,

All my trust in you must be;

Oh receive me, Oh receive me

In your grace so rich and free.

Bill as Seminary Professor

Bill taught at TBS from 1978 – 93, though he had been a correspondence course tutor for several years before that. His subjects were Homiletics and Pastoral Theology. After talking to a number of his former students it is clear that his classes were keenly anticipated and much enjoyed. One reason was that they did not require as much reading and study as most other classes, so they gave the students an opportunity to relax somewhat after such courses as Systematic Theology or Greek. Another reason was the helpful and practical nature of the classes. I include some comments given to me by Dale Nevelizer:

As a student at TBS I looked forward to what I called the ‘Payne Days’; that is, Bill's classes in Homiletics and Pastoral Theology. In Homiletics, Bill would spend the first hour in class lectures dealing with sermon construction, delivery, and reviewing sermons of the past. The second hour was given to student preaching and critiquing in Greenway Chapel. Bill's Pastoral Theology class covered the whole range of pastoral duties, practical and personal matters as well as shepherding and counseling the flock. The two words that Bill emphasized to us for pastoral ministry were ‘balance’ and ‘flexibility’. Bill's passion for Calvinism was second to none, and yet he was willing to use other terms if it would better explain and avoid unnecessary controversy. In this Bill was a ‘Compassionate Calvinist’, who would far rather teach the doctrines of grace with enthusiasm and a smile on his face, than with a bully club. Bill also saw the need for humour to lighten some of the stress in pastoral ministry. Although he warned against being ‘the pulpit jester’, yet he encouraged a warm and even humorous approach if it drove home a point. Bill's humour at the Pastors’ Conferences was a much-needed tonic for battle-wearied pastors. It helped me to relax and even to diffuse potentially explosive situations. Bill's leadership seemed to flow from his personality. He was my spiritual and pastoral mentor. I often find myself wondering ‘How would Bill handle this situation?’

 

With his ever-increasing workload and declining health, Bill felt he should give greater attention to the church, so in 93 he resigned as Seminary professor.

International influence

While most of Bill’s ministry was relatively close to home, his gifts became widely recognized, and he was invited to conferences outside Ontario. A number of times he spoke at conferences in the Maritimes, and was frequently invited to the U.S. There were conferences in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New Hampshire, California, Ohio, and Michigan, and he spoke in churches in several other states including Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, South Carolina, Illinois and New York. Almost certainly this list is incomplete. In Britain Bill spoke at the Carey Conference at least once.

Because of his health, Bill had to decline several opportunities to speak overseas, including invitations to South Africa, Jamaica and the Philippines. He was able though to accept an invitation to speak at a WEC conference in Switzerland.

The Sovereign Grace Fellowship

One other important venture that Bill spearheaded was the Sovereign Grace Fellowship. The churches pastored by the sovereign grace men enjoyed fellowship to some extent, and the family conferences would be attended by people from quite a large number of churches. Some of these churches, like Trinity were independent; others were involved in different denominations. Some of course were not Baptist churches, and we rejoiced to have fellowship with those of other persuasions. However, Bill felt a need for a more formal fellowship of Reformed Baptist Churches, and so it was in 1983 that the Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Baptist Churches came into being.

Before looking at the SGF it might be useful to look briefly at the history of Calvinistic Baptist Churches in Canada.

Following the evangelical awakening of the 18th century, Calvinistic Baptist churches multiplied in the U.S. The Philadelphia Association was an influential group, and from these churches evangelists were sent into Canada.

It appears that the first Baptist Church to be formed in Canada was in Nova Scotia. A church was formed through the preaching of Ebenezer Moulton in 1763. Whilst Moulton was essentially a Baptist, it seems that not all the members were of this persuasion. In 1778 a new work was organized with several of the original members included. This was distinctively Baptist, and Moulton was also involved. This church was a vigourous work and within the next hundred years some 20 daughter works were started.

In 1794 the first Baptist church in the Province of Quebec was begun in Sawyerville by a missionary from the U.S. In the middle of winter a hole was cut in the ice of a nearby lake and 15 people were baptized.

The first Baptist Church in Ontario seems to have been formed near Kingston in 1796 also by missionaries from the U.S.

There was not only influence from the U.S. — other men were sent from Scotland. From the church of the Haldane brothers (Robert and James), in Edinburgh, some emigrated to Canada and were responsible for the establishing of Baptist Churches in the Ottawa Valley. One of the most significant leaders at that time was Daniel McPhail who had been converted under the Haldanes. He became known as the Elijah of the Ottawa Valley. His ministry extended from around 1830 to the 1870’s. Genuine revival seems to have accompanied his ministry: hundreds were converted through his preaching, and many churches were established.

The growth of Baptist churches in Canada in the 19th century was steady. In 1848 the Regular Baptist Union of Canada was formed. They held to closed communion, and it can be reasonably assumed that most of the churches were Calvinistic.

In 1888 the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec was started. By 1900 there were 520 member churches, but it was not long before it was severely affected by Liberalism. There were some voices who protested loudly against this tendency, the most vocal of which was T. T. Shields the pastor of Jarvis Street Baptist Church. In 1926, as a result of these protests, Shields was censured by the Convention and expelled. Many evangelicals then withdrew from the Convention, and Shields was the leader in forming the Union of Regular Baptist Churches of Ontario and Quebec in 1927. While some within this group were Calvinistic, the chief distinctive was a stand against Liberalism. Shields it seems did take a Calvinistic stance, although one does not often find these truths declared in his sermons.

By 1930 there were 89 congregations in the Union, but a good many churches while withdrawing from the Convention did not join the Union because of the militancy of

T. T. Shields, mainly in his strong anti-Catholic stance. In 1948 there were divisions within the Union and these eventually led to the formation in 1953 of the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada. While all these churches were evangelical, not many were Calvinistic, and in reality, pastors taking a consistent Calvinistic position were generally opposed by the leaders of the FEBC. One of those who was earmarked and labeled as a ‘Hyper-Calvinist’ was Bill Payne.

Thankfully within the Fellowship there were some who did boldly proclaim the Doctrines of Grace. I tried to get information about the 50’s but was not too successful. One significant figure was John Reisinger. John of course was an American, and was pastor at Long Branch Baptist Church (a Fellowship church) from 1959 to 65. John was the means of several men coming to the Doctrines of Grace. Jim Clemens was his assistant for a few years. He in turn influenced his brother Les. Ron Matthews was converted under John Reisinger’s ministry in 1959 and later took the doctrines of grace to the mission field in Colombia. Another pastor who came to see these truths in the 50’s was Bruce Schnurr. He was brought to the position through reading L. S. Chafer’s Systematic Theology at London Bible Institute. In 1970 Bruce was forced to resign from his church because of his Calvinistic preaching. Bev Ward was another pastor who came to embrace Reformed theology in the 60’s. He was influenced by reading papers from a Puritan Conference. He later ministered in B.C. Then there was Ross Lyon who pastored Kenmuir Baptist for several years until 1970. He also preached these truths. He was followed by Gord Rumford who was there from 1970-75 and was one of the Founding Fathers of the FRPS. Gordon was also influenced by John Reisinger. One other man who perhaps did not preach the Doctrines of Grace loudly, but was nevertheless supportive of those who did, was Bob Brackstone. He was pastor at Chatham for many years and was a great encouragement to people like Bruce Schnurr, and also to Bill Payne. Don Whiteside was another man who was Calvinistic and was a missionary with the Fellowship in Colombia.

The 60’s were difficult days for Calvinistic pastors within the Fellowship. Ironically Reformed men within the Convention had less opposition for the simple reason that there was no statement of faith by which to judge them. The Convention embraced Liberals and Calvinists alike. Loyalty to the Convention was more important than a doctrinal position.

As we have seen, sovereign grace pastors were joined together in strong ties of love and unity of doctrine, but there was no official body to unite them. Bill Payne felt this keenly and sought to bring together those pastors and churches who were committed to the Doctrines of Grace. This came to fruition in 1983 with six founding churches in the Sovereign Grace Fellowship. It was a loose-knit organization that permitted membership of churches with ties to existing denominations, as long as they were not affiliated to the World Council of Churches. A few more joined later, but I don’t believe the number ever exceeded ten. While different men held the position of Chairman, Bill was the recognized leader of the group until his death. Since Bill’s departure we have sought to put the SGF on an even firmer footing, and so it was that in 2001, a constitution was adopted by nine churches and the first convention was held that Fall.

The Sovereign Grace or Reformed Baptist movement is still small but there are encouraging signs of growth and we trust that we, and especially the younger pastors can build upon the foundation laid by Bill Payne and others.

Let me attempt to draw a couple of lessons from what we have seen. Looking back it is legitimate to ask why the growth of the Sovereign Grace movement has been so slow, and numbers so small. Why can we only draw a handful? (The family conferences have obviously been an exception). Quality of ministry is not the reason: as we have already noted, we have had a very high standard of ministry at pastors’ conferences.

One reason has been the reluctance of people, particularly pastors to be identified with the movement for fear of being labeled ‘Hyper-Calvinists’. That was due in part to the hostility shown by the Fellowship hierarchy to Reformed men within the Fellowship. My own church in Bowmanville was in the Fellowship, so I was well aware of that hostility. Since returning to Canada in 1999 I have not had very much opportunity to sense the climate in the Fellowship, but from what I have seen, I get the impression that there is not as much hostility these days, and I can suggest a reason for this. Often when people come to embrace the doctrines of grace it brings a radical change in their ministry. I have heard it described as a ‘second conversion.’ Pastors who change their theological position, wonder why they haven’t seen these things before, and they also wonder how anyone else can fail to see them. Consequently there was in the early days of the movement a tendency to beat the drum of Calvinism in an unbalanced and sometimes a belligerent way. I heard of one situation where a pastor’s Calvinistic preaching had caused deep division in the church. A mediator was brought in and asked the pastor how long it took him to see the doctrines of grace. He replied, ‘Several years’ (I forget the exact number). One of the deacons in the church then spoke up,’ It took you several years, yet you expect us to see these things in a few months.’ I think this aggressive teaching of the doctrines of grace, and an imbalance in the preaching of some, was a cause of hostility against the position. It is important not only to preach the doctrines of grace, but also to exhibit the grace of the doctrines. Bill Payne was certainly one who was balanced and gracious in his preaching, but because of the harshness of a few, he was the recipient of some of the hostility generated against the movement. If all Reformed pastors had followed Bill in his balanced approach to Calvinism, there might well have been less hostility, though it will never be entirely absent in this life, and Bill did experience opposition to his attempts to apply Calvinism in every area of church life.

Another accusation against the Reformed pastors was the neglect of evangelism. Perhaps there was some justification for the charge. Sometimes when men come to see the glorious truths of God’s sovereign grace, they are so taken up with them that they do not preach with as much evangelistic fervour as they should. Some also find it difficult to reconcile God’s electing grace with the free offer of the gospel. Of course one reason why some were accused of having no love for the lost was because they didn’t give altar calls. I recall giving a well known pastor some reformed books and pamphlets, one of which was by Al Martin. I suggested to the pastor that Al would be a good speaker to invite in for special meetings. He asked a single question: ‘Does he give altar calls?’ When I said that he did not, he replied, ‘Then we don’t want him around here!’ He then launched into a tirade against those who had no love for the lost. My defense of the evangelistic nature of Al’s preaching was lost in a torrent of abuse.

Bill did not give ‘altar calls’, and he wrote a pamphlet entitled, Why I do not use the Invitation System, but his sermons were often evangelistic, and contained fervent invitations to come to Christ. He certainly believed in the free offer of the gospel and made that very clear in his preaching. That is another area where we need to emulate our departed brother. As we all know in theory, Reformed truth and evangelistic fervour are not opposed. Church history gives many examples of great preachers and missionaries who were both committed Calvinists and zealous evangelists. We need to follow Bill in demonstrating both sides in our own preaching.

In recent years I have seen much more mellowness among Reformed pastors. We need to be gracious and warm in our preaching of Reformed truth. We also need to be wise in the way in which we introduce Reformed theology in situations where it has not already been widely embraced. Some time ago, I was speaking with a young pastor who was about to start a new pastorate in a church that was not entirely committed to Calvinism, though it had enjoyed a sound biblical, essentially reformed ministry for many years. He was planning to begin his ministry with a series on the ‘five points’, and I urged him not to at that point. It is far better to introduce the doctrines of grace gradually during regular exposition, rather than to introduce them topically at an early stage in one’s ministry. Sadly, he ignored my advice, and the advice of others, and went ahead with his series. In a few months the church was so fractured that it was forced to close.

I am convinced that the Reformed pastors who are around today are much more fervent in their evangelistic preaching than some pastors were in the 60’s and 70’s, and without doubt, Bill Payne showed many the way not only by his own preaching, but also by his teaching in the seminary.

I trust that with a more gracious and balanced preaching of these truths, and a compassionate and zealous preaching of the gospel to the lost, the movement will grow, and that the glorious doctrines of sovereign grace will commend themselves to many and build strong churches with a fervent evangelistic spirit.

Conclusion

I have drawn some lessons throughout this paper, but let me briefly summarize the ways in which Bill’s ministry was an enduring example for us:

1.      He was a faithful preacher and expositor of the Word. Quite prepared to tackle difficult and controversial topics, but doing that in a gracious manner. He was also zealous in his evangelistic preaching.

2.      He was a loving pastor to his people, greatly appreciated by adults and children alike.

3.      He was balanced in his doctrine, never going to extremes one way or another.

4.      He was a pastor’s pastor. A great encouragement to those facing either doctrinal or personal problems. He always found time to help others.

5.      He was a leader in the Reformed Baptist movement, yet was always ready to enjoy fellowship with those of other evangelical denominations.

6.      He was an effective author. Although his writings were not voluminous, they are helpful. His hymns are particularly helpful with sound, God glorifying words and good poetry.

May Bill’s life and ministry be an encouragement, a challenge and an example to us all.

Is That All There Is?

July 26, 2016 by Carl Muller

"Meaningless, meaningless!" says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!" Ecclesiastes 1:2

These words were written 3,000 years ago. Yet they are as up-to-date as today’s newspaper. The Teacher looked at life apart from God and concluded that life was meaningless. Contemporary philosophers have said the same thing. They too have looked at life. They have said that God is dead, or at least, irrelevant, and they too have concluded that life is meaningless and without purpose. There is no rhyme or reason to our existence, they tell us.

In the words of the inimitable 'Lou Grant' of the old Mary Tyler Moore show, "You’re born; you die; and everything in-between is just filler". What a dreadfully pessimistic view of life. The point is, however, that the Biblical perspective is that this is an accurate assessment of existence without God!

Let us get back to the Teacher. He was probably King Solomon, and the book of Ecclesiastes, from which our opening words are taken, is his inspired reflection on life. Ecclesiastes is one of the most fascinating books in the Holy Bible! Solomon devoted himself to study and to explore all that is under heaven. He devoted himself to understanding what life is all about.

"I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the days of their lives", he says (Ecclesiastes 2:3).

We began with his conclusions. Let us see how he arrived at them.

INTELLECT

"I devoted myself to study", says Solomon (1:13). He explored wisdom and knowledge. I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone before me....I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge" (1:16). He was not unlike those today who live for an academic career and the accumulation of a veritable alphabet after their names. Degrees are the thing, they say! And this is what they live for.

What is Solomon’s conclusion?

"Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief." (1:17,18)

Isn’t that the way it is? Does a "PhD" really bring happiness or contentment? Hardly! Perhaps you are able to articulate your misery more eloquently, but education brings no lasting peace.

PLEASURE

Next, Solomon turns to pleasure. In fact he says:

"I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure!" (2:10)

He built gardens and parks. He amassed silver and gold. He acquired men and women singers. He also gathered a harem and gave himself over to the pleasures of the flesh (2:4-8). And what is his conclusion?

"Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after wind, nothing was gained under the sun." (2:11)

Can we not say the same? Have celebrities and rock stars not said the same? Having given themselves over to pleasure, have they not also found it to be an empty thing?

WORK

Now what about work? Solomon turns to work and again he finds the same thing:

"What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labours under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest!"(2:22-23).

(How well we know that!!) And what happens to all that you get? What happens to that great business empire you build?

"I hated all the things I toiled for under the sun", says Solomon, "because I must leave them to the one who comes after me; and who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool" (2:17-19a).

So, intellectual pursuits, pleasure and work are explored and everything is meaningless, says the Word of God!

ADVANCEMENT

Climbing to the top of the corporate ladder. Ah! There is a worthwhile pursuit! Not so, says Solomon.

"I saw that all who live and walk under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor!" (4:15).

The wisest man in all the world says that there is always someone who will do a better job, or offer a better service and is prepared to take you place. In the flash of an eye your white collar, executive position can become redundant, and you are left scrambling. All of this "getting ahead" is meaningless, says Solomon.

RICHES

"I’ve been rich, and I’ve been poor; and believe me, rich is better!" The words of Sophie Tucker strike a responsive chord in many hearts! Rich is better, by far, and so in pursuit of the Almighty Dollar we work long hours, neglect our families, burn ourselves out, and break our backs for money that we have no time to spend. We need the money for the children, for the Jacuzzi, for the BMW; and we must have more! Solomon says:

"Whoever loves money never has money enough; Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless." (5:10)

Truer words were never spoken.

This, then, is Solomon’s view. The wisest man other than Jesus Christ Himself concludes that life without God is meaningless.

The history of man is littered with wrecks of men who testify to the emptiness of all things. Though dead, they still speak and their lives cry out to us of the meaningless of life without God. Howard Hughes, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Napolean, Neitzsche. Brilliant, talented, creative, even revolutionary lives, yet empty without God.

Our own lives speak to us also, though we usually attempt to drown the sound in the deafening roar of furious activity. Yet in the rare quiet moments, perhaps in the lonely hours of the night, we wonder: Is that all there is? Is there nothing more? Perhaps we have achieved much of what we sought, but the anticipation far exceeded the actual event, and we have been left with a nagging emptiness. Is that all there is? Is there nothing to satisfy the soul?

The great theologian Augustine knew all about this. He says to God: You made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you! The Son of God Himself speaks to the issue: What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul (Mark 8:36)?

THAT IS NOT ALL THERE IS!

The Bible brings us good news. Solomon says that the conclusion of the matter is this: "Fear God and keep His commandments" (12:13). Return to God. Seek the forgiveness of God. Seek to know and serve God in reverence and love.

How may I know God, you may rightly ask! The Biblical answer is clear and unequivocal: Jesus Christ! He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:7). He is the Saviour of the world! He is the Son of God who came to die for sinners, and He is able to save them from their sin; and it is sin that is at the root of our trouble! It is rebellion against God that is at the bottom of our turmoil. It is because of sin that we are separated from God. And it is our wickedness that is going to bring the wrath of God upon our heads if we do not flee to Christ.

Friends, we urge you to listen to the words of God:

Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, And to our God, for He will freely pardon! Isaiah 55:6,7

Listen also to the words of the Lord Jesus:

Come unto Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28,29

May God bless His Holy Word to your souls.

Additional reading material is available free of charge. Please request John Blanchard's excellent booklet "Ultimate Questions"

William Wilberforce

October 4, 2010 by Carl Muller

A remarkable moment in a remarkable life occurred on Sunday, October 28, 1787 when William Wilberforce penned these words in his diary: 'God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners.'  Indeed, the Lord had set before him two great goals and these goals were to provide the impetus for a life of intense activity - however it is vital to understand that the man who in these words articulates what would be his life's work wrote as a man fully and fervently committed to Jesus Christ. If this was a defining moment in his life, his conversion to Christ was the great turning point. This man's faith was a faith that worked (James 2:1-18).

After his death the York Herald of August 3, 1833 said: 'His warfare is accomplished, his cause is finished, he kept the faith. Those who regarded him merely as a philanthropist, in the worldly sense of that abused term, know but little of his character.' He was, in a very real sense, God's Politician.

EARLY LIFE

William Wilberforce was born on August 24, 1759, the only son of Robert (a very successful businessman) and Elizabeth (who enjoyed society). Of William's three sisters, only one, Sarah, would reach maturity. Williams father died when he was only nine years old and as a result of the inheritance he received (along with a bestowment from his uncle William) Wilberforce was independently wealthy throughout his life. However, despite being rich in this present age William was not haughty, nor did he trust in uncertain riches. In fact, he would epitomize the apostolic injunction to do good…be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share (I Timothy 6:17-19). He would, in later years, regularly give a quarter of his annual income to the poor.

A year after the death of his father William was sent to live with his uncle and aunt, William and Hannah Wilberforce. Whilst in that home the young lad was exposed to the preaching of George Whitefield and John Newton and was particularly enthralled by the latter's sermons' His mother, thoroughly opposed to evangelical religion (what she considered was little less than poison), spirited him away from London in order to rescue him from the enthusiasts. Years later Williams sons would comment on a rare and pleasing character of piety that marked him during his twelfth year, but whatever religious concerns he had were throttled by his mother and his friends who spared no pains to stifle them As a result, as he grew into young manhood, he gave himself to the theatre, balls, great suppers and card parties.

At age seventeen Wilberforce entered Cambridge University. His academic career was less than sterling. The Wilberforce of Cambridge and of his early years in politics was a feckless, frivolous, fun-loving young man. I used to play cards and nothing else, he would say later. His gregarious nature, his talents, his wit, his kindness, his social powers…and his love of society (made him) the centre of attraction to all the clever and idle of his own college (St. John's). At Cambridge Wilberforce met and became a lifelong friend of William Pitt, the future prime minister of England (in 1783 at the age of 23). Pitt described Wilberforce as one who possessed the greatest natural eloquence of all the men I ever met. This was no mean compliment from a man of Pitt's extraordinary oratorical skills. Both men were amply endowed with the requisite talents for the parry and thrust of parliamentary debate, and it seemed inevitable that they would enter politics. And so it was that Pitt was elected to represent the borough of Appleby, and Wilberforce, at the tender age of 21, was elected to represent his hometown of Hull. Later William would become the representative for the powerful region of Yorkshire, and would serve his nation in Parliament for the next 45 years. William's early days of service were by no means exemplary. The first years I was in Parliament I did nothing – nothing that was to any purpose. My own distinction was my darling object.

CONVERSION

That self-deprecating reference aside, in 1784-5 Wilberforce was at a pinnacle of achievement. At twenty-four, he had won an unassailable position both in politics and society. Office could not long be delayed and the future was bright with opportunities. At this point in his life, God laid hold of him. He would admit that, at the time, in the true sense of the word, he was no Christian. He would also insist that evangelical views were held only by vulgar or at least uninformed enthusiastic persons. However two vacation trips to the continent in the company of Isaac Milner, an evangelical Christian, would prove to be the decisive turning point in Wilberforce's life. In the course of their holidays the two would read and discuss Philip Doddridge's The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul, as well as study the Greek New Testament. Profound conviction of his great sinfulness in having so long neglected the unspeakable mercies of my God and Saviour would follow until finally the gloom lifted on Easter 1786. The change is evident in his diary. Instead of darkness, coldness, weakness and wretched we begin to read about peace and hope. The absence of old prejudices indicate the radical nature of the change God had wrought: Expect to hear myself now universally given out as a Methodist: may God grant it may be said in truth!

It was at this point that John Newton was of immense help to Wilberforce. The fashionable world looked upon evangelicals like Newton with contempt and suspicion and consequently Wilberforce had ten thousand doubts about making contact with him. Eventually he plucked up the courage and visited the erstwhile slave trader. He was not disappointed. He describes the impact of the visit: When I came away I found my mind in a calm and tranquil state; he found in Newton something very pleasing and unaffected, still humorous and quaint, yet with the marks of sainthood. The salient point in the guidance offered by Newton was in the area of Wilberforce's involvement in politics. William had become increasingly convinced that if he were to serve God he would have to withdraw from the world. Newton disagreed. Words that he would write to Wilberforce two years later are actually a pithy summary of what was said on that first visit: It is hoped and believed that the Lord has raised you up for the good of His Church and for the good of the nation. Pitt would offer the same advice, and so the old Africa blasphemer and the future prime minister were instrumental in thrusting Wilberforce back into the arena where his life's work would be performed.

CALLING

There is an oak tree that still stands on the Holwood Estate (Pitt's home) in Kent, which bears the plaque: Wilberforce Oak. It was there that William sat with Pitt (by then resident at 10 Downing Street) and a future prime minister, William Grenville, when those two gave Wilberforce a providential push in the direction of his great work. Wilberforce, said Pitt, why don't you give notice of a motion on the subject of the Slave Trade.

There were several other factors that influenced Wilberforce: Sir Charles Middleton, one of only two publicly known evangelicals in the House of Commons at the time of Wilberforce's conversion (there would be about 100 when he died), brought pressure to bear upon Wilberforce to take up the cause; Thomas Clarke's book Slavery and Commerce in the Human Species and frequent visits by the author to Wilberforce played a significant part; the continued influence, friendship and advice of John Newton. In these and other ways God brought William Wilberforce to the point where he would write: God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners.

CAREER

REFORMATION OF MANNERS

As is clear from Wilberforce's mission statement the cause of the slaves was not his only concern. He is known for the former, but there was more to his agenda. By the reformation of manners Wilberforce meant morals. He would seek to change the face of the nation and address the profligacy of the upper classes and the suffering of the lower classes. Wilberforce's gospel was not a social one – he understood clearly the need for a saving relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ as the root of true reformation of life – yet nonetheless he and his associates exerted an increasingly strong moral pressure on the political arena of the day in an effort to clean up society's blights. Though England was flourishing in many ways, and though the 18th Century may have been no more vice-ridden than many others, it was nonetheless true that no other age has ever paraded its weaknesses quite so openly or excessively.

John Stott quotes J. Wesley Bready's scathing indictment of 18th Century England – Bready describes the deep savagery of much of the 18th Century, which was characterized by the wanton torture of animals for sport, the bestial drunkenness of the populace (even Pitt did not hesitate to show up drunk in the House of Commons), the inhuman traffic in African Negroes, the kidnapping of fellow-countrymen for exportation and sale as slaves, the mortality of parish children, the universal gambling obsession, the savagery of the prison system and the penal code (it was said that there was no country in the world that had so many actions which were punishable by death), the welter of immorality, the prostitution of the theatre…political bribery and corruption…such manifestations suggest that the British people were then perhaps as deeply degraded and debauched as any people in Christendom. Bready goes on to argue that then things began to change. And in the 19th Century slavery and the slave trade were abolished, the prison system was humanized, conditions in factory and mine were improved, education became available to the poor, etc. etc. Whence, then, this pronounced humanity? – this passion for social justice, and sensitivity to human wrongs? There is but one answer commensurate with the stubborn historical truth. It derived from a new social conscience. And if that conscience, admittedly, was the offspring of more than one progenitor, it nonetheless was mothered and nurtured by the Evangelical Revival of vital, practical Christianity… The Evangelical Revival did more to transfigure the moral character of the general populace than any other movement British history can record. In that movement, William Wilberforce played no small part. While he recognized that regulating the outward conduct did not change the hearts of men, he enthusiastically used the political means that were at his disposal to regulate that conduct and make goodness fashionable again. Ever the evangelist, Wilberforce was nonetheless a politician whose passion it was to alleviate suffering and expunge immorality wherever he found it.

To that end the first thing he did was to encourage the King, George III, to reissue the Proclamation for the Encouragement of Piety and Virtue and for the Preventing of Vice, Profaneness and Immorality. To give teeth to the proclamation Wilberforce set up societies to promote virtues at a local level, and addressed issues such as justice, drunkenness, lewdness, literature, and the like; enlisted the aid of the movers and shakers of his day (not all of whom were overtly religious) to promote the movement; gave direction to the many thousands whose lives had been transformed by the preaching of Whitefield and Wesley and enabled them to get involved in the campaign to clean up and reshape the nation.

It should be noted that Wilberforce led by example. His involvement in philanthropic endeavours was monumental. It was said that factories did not spring up more rapidly in Leeds and Manchester than schemes of benevolence beneath his roof. John Pollock's chapter entitled Prisoners and the Poor provides a dizzying survey of Wilberforce's multitudinous activities. He was: involved in prison reform along with Jeremy Bentham and Elizabeth Fry; governor of St. Bartholomew's Hospital; involved in the training of men for the ministry (in the Church of England); involved in the education of the poor and the Sunday school movement; involved in the education of the deaf; generous to a fault and before his marriage he regularly gave away one quarter of his annual income (he also gave an annuity to Charles Wesley's widow from 1792 until her death in 1822).

Wilberforce was founder of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He fought the cause of chimney sweeps (boys sent naked up chimneys to clean them), and single mothers. He sought the welfare of soldiers and sailors…he established orphanages for criminal poor children He helped form the British and Foreign Bible Society (1803), and assisted in the launching of the Church Missionary Society (1798). He was involved in sending missionaries to Tahiti and regularly supported William Carey's Baptist Mission in India. He was involved in the founding of the Society for the Education of Africans and involved too in the founding of the Society for the Relief of Debtors (which over a five year period obtained the release of 14,000 people from debtor's prisons). He was president, vice-president or committee man of no less than sixty-nine societies.

Two hundred years ago Britain was the world's largest slave trading nation. This execrable villainy involved purchasing human beings (for beads and the like), transporting them to the West Indies and the Americas (a trip characterized by unspeakable suffering and during which approximately ten percent of the slaves perished), and upon arriving at the destination, selling these human beings into a life of servitude (strong men for forty pounds each, while the sick and injured were lumped together with women and children and sold off at a discount).

Opposition to the abolition of the slave trade was considerable. This was so for at least two reasons. First, the trade was profitable. The profit was often over 100% of the initial outlay. The trade constituted 4.4% of British exports. Furthermore, 18,000 people in England were involved in making goods to trade for slaves, and upwards of 5500 sailors manned 160 ships. A second argument was the matter of national security. The trade provided training ground for British seamen. Furthermore, were the British to cease to carry slaves, her continental rivals would merely wax rich on her restraint. How much wickedness is justified in the cause of profit and self-interest.

Many had already raised their voice against the slave trade, but the efforts at abolition would be galvanized under the leadership of Wilberforce. The battleground would be the British parliament. The movement had found its champion in the member from York, and he would lead the charge by doggedly introducing bills for abolition into parliament year after year – the first coming in May of 1789.

Though Wilberforce and his companions were on the front lines, they knew that they needed the good will of the English people to give teeth to their efforts. It is on the general impression and feeling of the nation we must rely…so let the flame be fanned. This they did in a variety of ways. The print of Clarke's model of a slave ship and its tragic cargo was widely circulated; a cameo was produced by Josiah Wedgwood which put this plaintive question into the mouth of a slave, Am I not a Man and a Brother?; a boycott was organized against slave-grown sugar; a total of 519 petitions, signed by thousands of British subjects, was presented in the House of Commons; thousands of pamphlets were produced and distributed. John Pollock makes the telling observation that Wilberforce was a proof that a man may change his times, though he cannot do it alone. Indeed he did not. Henry Thornton, Granville Sharp, John Venn, Hannah More, James Stephen, Thomas Clarkson, and Zachary Macaulay were Williams gifted and godly co-labourers in the cause. Under the gracious, diplomatic and deeply spiritual leadership of Wilberforce, these varied personalities and talents were blended to form a formidable force for good to their generation. No prime minister had such a cabinet as Wilberforce could summon to his assistance, opines one writer. It was a unique phenomenon – this brotherhood of Christian politicians. There has never been anything like it since in British public life, writes another. A sad commentary indeed on the English political scene.

The final push in the campaign came on January 2, 1807 when a bill was read in the House of Commons which provided that, after May 1, the African slave trade and all manner of dealing and trading in the purchase of slaves or their transport from Africa to the West Indies or any other territory is utterly abolished, prohibited and declared to be unlawful. The bill passed with a tremendous majority – 283-16. Applause rained down upon Wilberforce as he sat, head in hands, tears streaming down his face. Well, Henry, what shall we abolish next, he would later say to Thornton. The lottery, I think, was the humourless reply.

The last eighteen years of Wilberforce's life would be a sustained effort to bring about the total emancipation of existing slaves. Tracts would be distributed, Wilberforce would write, Thomas Foxwell Buxton would be brought in to take over from the aging and infirm Wilberforce to spearhead the movement. Finally, three months before he died, an ailing Wilberforce was persuaded to present a last petition for abolition before the House of Commons. I had never thought to appear in public again, but it shall never be said that William Wilberforce is silent while the slaves require his help! On July 29, 1833, just three days after the bill for the total abolition of slavery was passed, William Wilberforce, the Washington of Humanity, died

HIS CHARACTER

A Christian Man

Wilberforce was, above all, a Christian man. The fruit of the Spirit was abundantly evident in his life. He was a humble man. He was able to take criticism and also sought to avoid taking credit. He considered himself unworthy of a title. Throughout his life he saw the need to cooperate with other men, realizing he could not do it alone. He was humble enough to see the need to "network". How often zealous pastors fail here. He was a prayerful man. The morning hours were particularly precious to him as he considered them seasons of unusual importance for communing with God.

He was a joyful man, and people enjoyed being around him. He was described as both the most religious man in England as well as the wittiest. He was a man of great faith. He laboured faithfully and fervently and left the results with God. His faith was resilient because it was not a faith in himself, but in God. As he said after one of his defeats, God, has given the very small increase there has been thus far and must give all if there be more. That faith was nurtured by his favourite authors, Philip Doddridge, Richard Baxter, John Owen, John Flavel, John Howe and Jonathan Edwards.

Wilberforce was a man of endurance. In 1791 John Wesley, from his death bed, warned him in a letter: Unless the Divine Power has raised you up to be a "Athanasius against the world", I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing this execrable villainy…Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of god and devils. And face opposition he would. He was slandered in the press – if all that was published about me was true, nothing but a special providence can have prevented my being hanged thirty years ago. He was accused of beating his wife (while he was still single!). Lord Nelson called him a hypocrite and others accused him of inciting insurrection in the West Indies.

A WEAK VESSEL

In addition to persecution Wilberforce had to deal with tremendous health difficulties, and among other things, because of curvature of the spine, had to wear a steel frame for support during the last fifteen to eighteen years of his life. One shoulder began to slope; his head fell forward, a little more each year until it rested on his chest unless lifted by conscious movement…he was obliged to wear a steel girdle cased in leather and an additional support for the arms. Regarding his steel frame he wrote: How gracious is God in giving us such mitigations and helps for our infirmities.

A ZEALOUS EVANGELIST

He was a man of evangelistic zeal. After he died a sheet was found amongst his papers. It was entitled: Friends Paper. It was a list of thirty of his friends, and beside each name were thoughts of how to best press the gospel home to each. Wilberforce spent a good deal of time trying to come up with what he called launchers – ways in which to turn the conversation in a spiritual direction and bring the claims of Christ to bear upon those with whom he was speaking. Here indeed was a Christian man.

A FAMILY MAN

In an age when marital infidelity amongst politicians was frequent and appalling, it is encouraging to read about the Wilberforce home. A whirlwind romance with Barbara Ann Spooner led to a wedding in 1797 and a marriage that was pleasant and happy. Hannah More said that she had never seen an honest gentleman more desperately in love. Wilberforce was an exemplary father who resigned his Yorkshire seat for a seat in the smaller borough of Bramber so that he might spend more time with his growing family. What an example and rebuke to every Christian father too busy to care for his own children. Above all he was concerned for the souls of his offspring. He wrote with much tenderness to his son Samuel: I would be willing to walk barefoot from this place to Sandgate to see clear proof of the great change being begun in my dear Saml at the end of the journey. Nonetheless, while he could say that the spiritual interests of my children is my first object, he also loved playing with them and closed one letter by saying, I am irresistibly summoned to a game of marbles.

LESSONS

Surely the life of Wilberforce should stir the souls of Christian politicians to attempt great things and to remain faithful to God in the often sordid world of politics. God never changes and h is still able to use weak men to accomplish great things. Where are the men of faith who will labour for the good of the Church and the good of the nation?

Let us seek to encourage and support Christians in politics. How vital was the ministry of Newton in giving direction to the newly converted politician. How encouraging must have been a letter from an esteemed man of God such as Wesley. Surely we should seek educate our people as to the legitimacy of involvement in politics, the necessity of maintaining integrity once in politics, and of the need to remain faithful to Biblical principles in the face of the onslaught of secular philosophy and practice. And how we ought to encourage Christians to pray for all who are in places of governmental authority (I Timothy 2:1-3). Too often invective if found more readily upon our lips than intercession.

The slavery issue of our day must be vigorously addressed. The grotesque violence of slavery is matched by the vile, wholesale slaughter of the unborn in our own day. If Wilberforce could not be silent while the slaves needed him, surely our mouths must not be silent for those who cannot speak for themselves. Shame on evangelicals who waffle on this issue, or who, while they wag their tongues, will not lift a finger in the fight.

We ought to be thankful for the long and well documented history of Christian philanthropy. The work of the Christian Church has so richly benefited society. Let us be quick to set the record straight when the uninformed speak of the withering impact of hypocritical Christians upon the world. No. Christians have indeed been light and salt in every generation.

Let Christian leaders follow in the footsteps of this man. Let them humbly and enthusiastically work together, esteeming the gifts of others and eschewing a lone ranger mentality; let them press on in the face of opposition and persecution, disappointment and even disaster; let them seek glory for God and not a name for themselves; let them be inflamed with a love for all God's people and a desire to do good to all; let them throw themselves into their life's work with passion and with faith. It is hoped and believed that the Lord has raised you up for the good of His Church and the good of this nation.

Praying for Politicians

January 11, 2006 by Carl Muller

Joseph Stalin, who killed millions of his fellow Russians because of his paranoid obsession with power, scoffed at a colleague who warned that the Pope was likely to denounce one of Stalin's barbaric plans. "The pope," he sneered, "How many divisions does he have?"(1) This is an example of how many people see religion in general and Christianity in particular. The church is irrelevant. The church has no influence. The church has no impact on the world. Whatever impact it might have is negative. The church is not among the movers and shakers of this world – and, according to Stalin, that is because it has no army. But now consider the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 2:1,2:

'Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.'

Paul implies that the church can have a tremendous impact upon the world.

'Restraining prayer we cease to fight; prayer makes the Christian's armour bright;
And Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.' (Cowper)

The church can have a tremendous impact upon the world but notice what we must do: we must look beyond the halls of power here on earth and go directly to the throne room of the universe and there offer our petitions on behalf of our nation and our world. Go directly to the King of Kings to pray for your king, Paul says to the believer. Praying for politicians is the subject we want to consider in this article.

THE CONTEXT OF PRAYER FOR POLITICIANS

Paul's exhortation that we pray for politicians is not the sum total of what the Scripture has to say to us concerning our relationship with those in authority over us. What does the Scripture have to say then about the place of prayer for politicians in the larger scheme of the Christian life?

PRAYER IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR ACTION

Paul makes it very clear that we are to be like the Lord Jesus. He is described as One who preeminently went about doing good (Acts 10:38). Lepers, bereaved widows, blind men and hungry crowds were happy to be around Him for He did them good. Go, and do likewise, we are told (Luke 10:37). In fact, as we have opportunity, we are to do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10). In this sin sick and suffering world Christians are to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with (their) God (Micah 6:8). In light of such texts we are not simply to pray for politicians but we are to be actively involved in doing good in society. This "doing good" will take a myriad of forms. Christians will be involved in the political realm itself as politicians and seek to promote justice and good in that way. We will be involved in philanthropic efforts – so many benevolent and beneficial institutions have been founded by Christians. Schools, universities, orphanages, and prison ministries – the list goes on and on. Philanthropic endeavours Christians ought to initiate and support would include crisis pregnancy centers and adoption agencies. It is one thing to decry the evil of abortion; it is another to put time, money, and volunteer hours, into the fine work of such ministries. Furthermore, Christians in Canada ought to avail themselves of the opportunity to let their voices be known through letter writing campaigns and various avenues of protest. Bills are before Parliament that fly in the face of Biblical revelation and flagrantly dismiss the claims and commands of God. Let Christians arise and cry aloud. Pray we must! But in this country we still have freedom to speak and write and protest (unlike many of our brethren throughout the world). Let us avail ourselves of these freedoms and speak out against forces that would promote the abomination of homosexuality and destroy the traditional family. The point is this: to say that Christian ought to pray is not to say that they ought not to do things that will promote the good and the just in society. Did Mr. Trudeau desire a "just society"? So do we. And we will work for it.

PRAYER GOES HAND IN HAND WITH SUBMISSION AND RESPECT

Do you recall some of the salient points in Paul's exhortations in Romans 13:1-7? Obey the government because God put them in authority over you (verses 1-5). Pay your taxes and import duties, for the same reason (verse 6,7). Be respectful and give honour to those in governmental authority. Do you recall what Peter said? Submit to those who in authority over you (I Peter 2:13). Show respect for everyone and show respect for the king (2:17). It is beyond the scope of this study to deal with the implications of these texts for the notions of revolutions and coups, but we can think about our own conduct. How do I measure up in light of these clear commands? As they observe my attitude toward the rules of the road, is it apparent to my children that I have respect for the government and that I am submissive to their regulations? Do my business practices and the way I fill out my income tax similarly reflect a respectful and submissive attitude? Does the way I speak about our Prime Minister and the Members of Parliament show that my conversation is influenced by these texts? Remember, God places them there in authority just as surely as He placed Nero in his position as emperor in Paul's day. I suspect that we are as disobedient to the laws of the land and disrespectful of the rulers of the land as we are negligent to pray for those same people. I believe there is a connection.

PRAYER INDICATES THE CONVICTION THAT SOCIETY MUST BE CHANGED FROM THE INSIDE OUT

What is the best thing we can do for the leaders of our land? We can pray for them. What is the best thing we can do for our country? We can pray for them. How forgetful Christians can be of that fundamental truth. In 1985, after Congress had failed to pass his legislative agenda, a prominent New Right leader declared: 'The only way to have a genuine spiritual revival is to have legislative reform…I think we have just been legislated out of the possibility of a spiritual revival.'(2) This is wrong-headed and un-biblical. If society is going to change it must be changed from the insider out. People must be converted, politicians must be saved, and sinners must be won to Christ. The historian J. Wesley Bready, in a book entitled England before and after Wesley: The Evangelical Revival and Social Reform, described the "deep savagery of much of 18th Century England" and says that the "evangelical revival did more to transfigure the moral character of the general populace than any other movement British history can record"(3) Wesley and the leaders of the revival "restored to a nation its soul". Examples like this could be multiplied. But the point is this: whatever involvement individual Christians might have in the politics of our day, the church must ever be faithful to its primary task, that of preaching the gospel to all the world and seeking to make all men disciples of Christ. And, the church must be faithful to pray for that kind of turn-around. No wonder Paul speaks with urgency: Therefore I exhort first of all – do you see the passion? I exhort and I urge you to do this. Now first of all, in terms of priority, you must pray for these people. This is terribly important. And no wonder, since the face of a nation can be changed only when the heart of a nation is changed. And God alone can do that. So, pray!

PRAYER INDICATES CONFIDENCE THAT GOD IS ABLE TO DO MIGHTY THINGS

Paul encourages prayer because he is convinced that God is almighty and thus able to bring about radical change. When we pray for kings we remember that God is King of Kings. When we pray for powerful men we remember that to God the 'nations are as a drop in the bucket, and are counted as small dust on the scales; look He lifts up the isles as a very little thing' (Isaiah 40:15). He puts presidents in power and He brings prime ministers down. Our Lord said to Pilate, You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above (John 19:11). While wars and rumours of wars whirl about us how comforting to remember that God causes wars to cease throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear in two; He burns the shield with fire (Psalm 46:9). We remember that the oft quoted be still and know that I am God is not spoken in the context of a beautiful pastoral scene but rather amidst the clash and clang of sabre rattling nations who are being told to acknowledge the sovereignty of the Almighty God. God can and will do His will in the world. This is our God! The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge (verse 11).

THE CONTENT OF PRAYER FOR POLITICIANS

PRAY FOR ALL MEN, ESPECIALLY LEADERS

Paul tells us that we ought to pray for all types of men. We ought to pray for men in all kinds of groups and for all men without distinction. But in particular we ought to pray for those who are in positions of authority in government. Paul prayed for the king. We are to pray for city councilors, mayors, provincial and federal members of parliament, premiers and prime ministers. Leaders who have the opportunity to display their folly on the world stage ought especially to be on the hearts of God's people. We ought to pray for leaders of countries where the church is persecuted. Being informed about such countries is the first step. Then fervent prayer about such situations must follow.

We might be tempted to leave out of our prayers leaders we consider to be vile. It is sobering to remember that the "king" to whom Paul referred was Nero. Now Nero, while he may not have 'fiddled' while Rome burned, did greet the news about the fire with some glee. He was not averse to 'eliminating' his own family members and was the first emperor to persecute the family of God. Pray for this man, Paul tells these people. Years later, as Paul is about to be beheaded in Nero's Rome, do you think he would have backtracked on this instruction? I think not! He would, in all likelihood, have called all the more urgently for fervent prayer for the soul of this man. Sadly, Nero, as far as we know, died in his sin, lamenting the fact that in him the world was losing a great actor. We ought to pray for leaders of our day before they too die in their sin. No matter the wickedness of the particular politician, we ought to pray that God would save him or her. When you watch the mayor of Toronto frolicking with degenerates on the streets of Toronto in a homosexual parade, what is your response? If it is not to pray for him (and them), then your response is less than Biblical. Remember that Jesus, standing before a great and wicked city, His heart full of love and compassion, lamented: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing (Matthew 23:37). They killed and stoned those whom Jesus had sent to them. But love and compassion for poor sinners evokes this heart-wrenching lament. Love for sinners, even the most vile of politicians, must drive us to our knees, remembering that "the vilest of sinners who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives". Has it occurred to you that it is possible that one day Saddam Hussein (article written before Hussein's execution), George W. Bush, Osama Bin Laden and Tony Blair may all sit down at the wedding feast of the Lamb? If it has not, perhaps it is because you have not been praying for them.

PRAY FOR THE DESPERATE NEED

The word translated 'supplication' especially emphasizes the idea of 'need, lack'. You come and you ask because of a need you have or a need someone else has. What need there is in this world! With the winds of war blowing hot and controversy swirling around his administration's handling of the matter of Iraq's "weapons of mass destruction", U.S. President, George W. Bush, met with several preachers on February 13, 2003. Among the ministers was Max Lucado who asked the President how he could seem so calm and peaceful in the midst of such stress. The President's reply was: "I'm feeling stronger now than I've ever been in my life. And the reason is because every person in America is praying for me. When I stay on my knees, that's when I have power". He was then asked how he would like the ministers to pray for him and Mr. Bush asked that they pray for 'clarity of mind for himself so that he might make wise decisions' and also for his wife and daughters, as he is concerned about their safety. How refreshing, and even startling to see a politician who understands the need for prayer and the need for others to pray for him. For the most part, however, politicians do not see the need and it is thus incumbent upon Christians to do so. Let us survey our national scene. We see an aggressive and militant homosexual lobby and their appalling efforts to destroy a Judeo-Christian concept of the family. We observe rampant immorality on every level. We find that the breakdown of the family has reached epidemic proportions and we grieve over the fact that 55% of children born in Quebec are born out of wedlock.(4) The stunning reality is brought home again to our minds that we live in a country that has no law regarding abortion, and that the slaughter of the unborn continues unabated. Pragmatism and political correctness guide decision making at every level, and knowledge of God and Biblical wisdom are not only rare in society, they are not considered worth pursuing. Amidst all these concerns, the crying need is surely for politicians to be won to Christ. We need to pray not only for wisdom and understanding for politicians but for conversion. Luther was reputed to have said: "I would rather be governed by a competent Turk than an incompetent Christian". We will pray for competence but we want much more. We want to see conversions. This is God's concern. This is what God desires. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth(verses 3,4). Oh that government officials might indeed be God's ministers to you for good (Romans 13:4). But the deeper longing of our hearts is to see them become monuments to His saving grace.

In light of this we should pray for politicians who are Christians, that God would endow them with wisdom, shrewdness, understanding and competence beyond their natural abilities. We should pray that God would grant them boldness and courage in their witness, preserve them unspotted in the often sleazy world of politics and keep their eye true in the murky processes of political wrangling. Further, we should pray for churches and individual Christians who have contact with politicians at every level that they would not simply seek to promote good legislation but that they would promote the kingdom amongst these needy folk.

PRAY FOR SPECIFIC PEOPLE AND ITEMS

The word "supplications" in verse one means "the petitions for the fulfillment of certain definite needs'. Particular needs and particular requests are in view here. We should be particular whenever we pray and especially when we pray for politicians and the political world. Perhaps you know are personally acquainted with individuals in politics – pray faithfully for them! We all know of particular people on the provincial and national scene – pray for them by name. Do we at times succumb to the notion that people like Mr. Chretien are beyond the pale of God's saving grace? God forbid! Does not the conversion of Richard Nixon's hatchet man, Charles Colson, remind us that god can save anybody? Read his book Born Again and be reminded that the hallowed halls of political power are not beyond the reach of God's mighty hand. More significant than that is God's gracious dealings with the most powerful man in the world during the heyday of the Babylonian empire. Read Daniel 4 and see God bringing the great Nebuchadnezzar to his knees and, I believe, to Himself. Or consider Jonah 3 and observe the King of Nineveh as he rises from his throne, lays aside his robe, covers himself with sackcloth and ashes and turns to God. Surely this stirs us to pray for particular people and pray with confidence that God is able to do it.

PRAY WITH THANKSGIVING

We are to bring supplications, prayers and intercessions to God with thanksgiving (verse 2). I recall arriving in Canada many years ago having, in the providence of God, escaped the seething cauldron of racial hatred and violence in South Africa. I recall profound thankfulness sweeping over me when, as a young man, I became a citizen of this great country. Folk like us felt deeply grateful for the privilege of the vote, for the freedom to walk into any public washroom and not look for a colour sign. I was not a believer then and didn't really know whom to thank. But we do, do we not? Are we thankful for the freedoms we enjoy in this country? Are we thankful for the liberty to voice our displeasure? Are we thankful for the prosperity with which we can serve God and promote the kingdom? For many years Canada has been recognized as one of the most desirable places in the world to live. Thank the Lord for what you have here.

PRAY FOR A QUIET AND PEACEFUL LIFE

We ought to pray for politicians, Paul says, in order that we may lead a "quiet and peaceable life" (verse 2). The two words he uses probably suggest the following: peace on the outside (freedom from turmoil brought upon us); peace on the inside (freedom from inner turmoil). And this would be so that the people of God may grow and mature and live a life characterized by all "godliness and reverence" (verse 2). Thank God that, for the most part, we do live a quiet and peaceable life here in Canada. Let us pray that that might continue. We do see disturbing signs of the erosion of these liberties. We have in recent times heard of a Christian couple having their children taken away from them simply because they sought to follow the Biblical admonitions regarding discipline. We have witnessed a Christian school teacher persecuted by authorities because he spoke out against homosexuality, despite his doing so in the most circumspect manner.

End Notes:
1 Charles Colson, Kingdoms in Conflict, (US, Zondervan, 1987), p. 194.
2 Ibid., p. 234.
3 John Stott, Issues Facing Christians Today (Basingstoke, UK, Marshalls Paperbacks, 1984), p. 3.
4 According to University of Montreal research, as reported in the Montreal Gazette.

Doctrines of Grace - Total Depravity

July 1, 1996 by William Payne

Its importance:

Our understanding of the problem will govern our understanding of the treatment needed. If we fail to understand the Biblical teaching on this doctrine our understanding of all the doctrines related to salvation will be faulty. To have a right understanding in this matter is therefore crucial.

To what does the expression refer?

The expression "total depravity" describes the condition of man as he is now in sin, as a result of the "fall" in Adam. It does not indicate man's original state when first created.

What it does not mean:

It does not mean that every man is as evil as he possibly could be. It does not mean that man is incapable of things considered good and noble from a human viewpoint.

What it does mean:

Basically it means that sin has affected every aspect of a man's being. It means that in and of himself, man in the state of sin is unable to do anything which is spiritually good or which will contribute toward his return to and reconciliation with God. Broadly speaking we may view "man" as comprised of mind (intellect, that part of us which thinks and understands); affections (that part of us which "feels", either attracting us to something or repelling us from it); and will (the volitional part which chooses and acts).

How has sin affected these basic elements of man's being?

1. The mind has become darkened with respect to spiritual things: Romans 8:5-8; 1 Corinthians 2:9-14 ( especially vs. 14 ); 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 4:17,18; Colossians 1:21

2. The affections have been corrupted by sin. John 3:19; Job 15:14-16; Genesis 6:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Mark 7:21-23; Isaiah 53:2

3. The will is in bondage to sin.
   
   It is important to appreciate that the will is controlled by the nature; what we do is determined by what we are; the fruit depends on the nature of the tree. The will is not an independent principle, but is always governed by other elements of the nature.
   
   Consider a sheep and a vulture in a field of grass in which there is the carcass of a dead dog. The sheep eat the grass; the vulture eats the dog. Why? Simply because their choice is governed by their nature.
   
   Will man then, with darkened mind and corrupted affections choose Christ and the way of holiness if left to his own free will? No! The faculty of choice is still his, and no one coerces him, but governed by his sinful nature he always makes the wrong choice in spiritual matters if left to himself. John 5:40,43,44; 6:44 (Compare Genesis 37:4). Job 14:4; Jeremiah 13:23. Note especially Romans 3:10-18.
   
   Man is invited and indeed commanded to repent and believe the gospel. It is his responsibility and duty to do so; he cannot be saved unless he repents of sin and exercises faith in Jesus Christ. Yet because of his sinful state he is, of himself, unable to do so. This is the alarming condition of a sinner. His need is a supernatural divine work in his soul. This is how the Bible does explain the reception of Christ by some. See John 1:12,13.

The Bible clearly states what man (by his own will or power) cannot do:

He cannot see the Kingdom of God                                                      John 3.3
He cannot please God                                                                           Romans 8:8
He cannot know the things of God                                                       1 Corinthians 2:14
He cannot say Jesus is Lord (i.e. as being real and genuine to him)    1 Corinthians 12:3
He cannot come to Christ                                                                     John 6:44

The figures by which the Bible describes the work of salvation emphasize the Divine initiative and Divine sovereignty:

It is a resurrection ( i.e. a spiritual resurrection )                                  Ephesians 2:5,6
It is a new creation                                                                                2 Corinthians 5:17
It is regeneration ( being born again )                                                   John 3:3-8
It is a shining of light into darkness                                                      2 Corinthians 4:6
It is a taking away the stony heart and the giving of a new heart and new spirit Ezekiel 36:26,27

Man is indeed totally depraved. Lost in every terrible sense of the word. His desperate need is a supernatural work of God's grace in his soul, to enlighten his mind, re-order his affections and liberate his will, so that he might understand the gospel and desire and choose Jesus Christ.

Doctrines of Grace - Unconditional Election

June 24, 1996 by William Payne

The Fact of Election

What do we mean by the doctrine of election? We mean that out of the ruined mass of fallen humanity God Almighty has chosen a people, a great innumerable company, which He intends to bring to salvation in and through Jesus Christ. It is one of the most prominent doctrines of scripture. The whole Old Testament is based upon the fact of election - God chose the nation of Israel for His own and passed by other nations. In the New Testament words indicating this doctrine are used continually (e.g. elect, chosen, ordained etc.)

The election taught in the Bible is seen to be:

a. Personal                   2 Thessalonians 2:13; Colossians 3:12; John 15:16; 2 Peter 1:10
b. Sovereign                Ephesians 1:5,11; Romans 9:15,16; Matthew 11:25,26
c. Unconditional         Acts 13:48; John 6:37; 10:26
d. Eternal                    Ephesians 1:4; 2 Timothy 1:9; Jeremiah 31:3
e. In Christ                  Ephesians 1:4

The Background to Election

It is vital that we see election against the background of the Fall. It is because this is overlooked or not understood that election is often thought of as "unfair". God is not now dealing with a race of innocents, but a race of rebels and sinners, all of whom deserve eternal damnation. God would be perfectly just to punish all with eternal damnation. He has however decided to save some out of the fallen race that His grace and mercy might be displayed in them. God is not obliged to save any. Rather than being criticized for not saving all, He is to be adored for saving any at all! To think that more people would be in heaven were it not for the decree of election is to totally misunderstand Biblical teaching. The fact is that none would be in heaven were it not for God's election.

Total Depravity (brought about by man's own sin) has rendered humanity in such a condition (see previous page) that when left to themselves men spurn the invitation of the gospel. Were it not for the intervention of sovereign grace all would perish, and all would deserve to perish.

When seen in this light election becomes a precious truth, a cause for praise. The root cause of a man's salvation is the electing grace of God (Romans 9:16). The root cause of a man's damnation is his own sin (Ezekiel 18:20).

The Results of Election

Sometimes human reaction is "if this is true then why preach the gospel; why exhort people to repent and believe?" This is seen to be invalid when we understand that God has not merely chosen people to salvation, but He has ordained that they should be saved through the gospel, through repentance, faith, obedience and holiness.

1 Peter 1:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:13,14; Ephesians 1:4.

No one has grounds for claiming to be saved unless they have exercised repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and have begun to walk in the path of discipleship. Paul said that he knew that the Thessalonians were elect (1 Thessalonians 1:4) but notice how he knew it, compare verses 5-10.

Observe that Romans 9 with its strong teaching on the sovereignty of Divine election is followed by Romans 10 with its free offer of the gospel, note verse 13. No one who has truly repented of their sins, trusted in Christ for salvation, and who is now endeavouring by God's grace to live a life of obedience to Him need fear that they are not elect. The fact that these fruits are in the life is the evidence that they are elect. On the other hand let no one boast that they are the Lord's and elect of God if these fruits are not evident in the life.

The Effects of Election

When a Christian rightly understands this truth it will produce:

Great brokenness and humility before God.A quickening of his love and adoration of God.Encouragement in the service of God (see Acts 10:9,10)

Is Election a Discouragement to Those Who Wish to Be Saved?

It should not be; it need not be.

This doctrine does not contradict or cancel the invitations of the gospel. God always keeps His promises - Acts 16:31; John 6:37; Matthew 11:28f; John 3:36.The warrant of faith is not a knowledge of our personal election, but the invitations and commands of God to come to Christ - Deuteronomy 29:29; 1 John 3:23The invitations of the gospel are expressed in such a way that no person need feel excluded - John 3:16; Romans 10:13.Where there is a desire to be saved, there is evidence that God is at work. But don't let it stop there!

Additional Note

Some feel that election must be explained by the word "foreknowledge" as used in Romans 8:29 and 1 Peter 1:2. The idea being that God elected those whom He knew would respond to the gospel when it was offered to them. A little thought however will reveal that we would then not have a doctrine of election but a doctrine of "ratification" i.e. God choosing those who chose themselves. Furthermore, the "foreknowledge" cannot be interpreted that way because:

It is contrary to the rest of scripture which clearly states that believing is a result of election - Acts 13:48; John 6:37.The two verses appealed to in Romans and 1 Peter do not speak of "what" He foreknew (i.e. something about them; what they did), but "whom" He foreknew. That is God does something with respect to them.Repentance and faith are spoken of in the scriptures as God's gift to His people - Ephesians 2:8; Acts 11:13.The word "know" is used in the Bible of loving (Genesis 4:1; Amos 3:2; Matthew 7:23). To foreknow therefore in these verses (Romans 8:29; 1 Peter 1:2) means to "love beforehand".

Doctrines of Grace - Effectual Calling

June 17, 1996 by William Payne

This doctrine has to do with the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation. While the salvation of God's elect had been secured and purchased by the blood of Christ it was necessary for this salvation to be applied to them, so that they might come into personal possession of that salvation. Bringing the elect to a reception of those blessings in Christ is the work of the Holy Spirit.

DEFINITION

The historical definition of effectual calling is given in the Westminster Shorter Catechism as follows:

"Effectual calling is the work of God's Spirit whereby convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ and renewing our wills, He persuades and enables us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel."

THE GENERAL CALL AND THE EFFECTUAL CALL

Scripture distinguishes between what has been termed the "general" or "universal" call of the gospel and the "effectual" call.

The general call of the gospel can be rejected and indeed is rejected by men and women because of their sinful state. This call is seen in verses such as Isaiah 45:22; Matthew 11:28; Isaiah 55:1. This call is genuine and real and is to be issued by God's servants to all mankind. However, the response to this call is illustrated in the parable of Matthew 22:1-6.

But there is in Scripture an effectual call: that is a call which not only invites and summons but which also carries with it the power to ensure the desired response. The effectual call not only invites sinners to salvation but actually brings them to it. In this call the Holy Spirit makes the general call effectual; it comes through the gospel message to the elect of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. Compare 1 Thessalonians 1:4,5.

It is the effectual call to which the Bible refers most often when it speaks of "call", "called", and "calling". Compare Romans 8:28-30; 1 Corinthians 1:23-27; Hebrews 9:15.

The Bible uses the word "called" to describe Christians. Compare Romans 1:6,7; 1 Corinthians 1:9, Jude 1.

The effectual call is the result of God's purpose. The "purpose" of Romans 8:28 is obviously God's purpose of election referred to in Romans 9:11. The Bible says that God's purposes will most certainly come to pass. Compare Daniel 4:35; Isaiah 46:10,11; Job 23:13,14.

To speak of God "trying" to convert people; the Holy Spirit vainly struggling to achieve a goal he longs for but being frustrated and defeated by the unwillingness of men is to present a pathetic and pitiable God unknown in the Bible.

The Bible clearly teaches that all those given to Christ in the will and purpose of the Father will be brought to Him in salvation. Compare John 6:37,39; 17:2; Hebrews 2:13. The Holy Spirit works in accordance with the purpose of the Father and the purchase of the son in applying salvation to His people.

The faith by which the sinner is joined to Christ and justified before God,
is God's gift to the sinner and is inwrought by the grace of the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:8,9; Acts 18:27; Philippians 1:29.

Note that the same thing is also said about repentance - Acts 11:18; 5:31; 2 Timothy 2:25. This does not mean that God repents and believes for the sinner. The sinner is the one who must repent and believe; but it simply explains to us that the sinner does this "through grace". The Spirit of God operating within that sinner enables him and gives him the ability to repent and believe (He persuades and enables us...see definition). This is part of the work of effectual calling.

IN EFFECTUAL CALLING THE HOLY SPIRIT REVERSES THE TERRIBLE EFFECTS OF THE FALL.

1. He enlightens the mind                      2 Corinthians 4:6
2. He re-orders the affections                Deuteronomy 30:6
3. He liberates the will                           Psalms 110:3

In doing these things and giving the grace of repentance and faith, the Holy Spirit brings the sinner to a willing and joyful acceptance of Christ. The Holy Spirit does not deal with sinners as robots but as human beings. His work in them is always in harmony with their human "make up". He does not force and coerce; He causes them to be willing. This calling of the Spirit is a holy calling (2 Timothy 1:9)

1. It is a calling unto holiness                                  1 Thessalonians 4:7
2. It is a calling out of darkness into light               1 Peter 2:9
3. It is a calling to be saints                                     Romans 1:7
4. It is a calling into the fellowship of Christ          1 Corinthians 1:9
5. It is a calling to follow Christ's example             1 Peter 1:21

Doctrines of Grace - Particular Redemption

June 17, 1996 by William Payne

This third distinctive of Calvinism teaches that Christ offered Himself on the cross not for every person without exception, but specifically for the elect given to Him by the Father. It might be put this way: did Christ die to make the salvation of all merely possible, or did He die to render the salvation of His elect certain? It clarifies the issue to put the focus not on the extent of the atonement (for how many?) but on the intent (for what purpose?).  Those who believe that Christ died redemptively for all without exception believe in "universal redemption"those who believe that Christ died redemptively only for the elect believe in "particular redemption" or "limited atonement".

SOME DIFFICULTIES POSED BY "UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION"

It presents a redemption which doesn't really redeem; an atonement which doesn't atone; a ransom which doesn't actually set free.It presents Christ's work on the cross as a partial failure; for if Christ died with the intent and purpose of saving every person without exception then he has manifestly failed.It doesn't do justice to the Word of God, that the Bible doesn't present Christ?s atonement as something which merely makes salvation possible, but as something which actually saves.It does a disservice to the justice of God, for it suggests that Christ has been punished for the sins of those who are in hell and who are therefore being punished for their sins. God therefore exacts punishment for their sins twice - first in Christ and then in them.

Scriptures which indicate a "limit" on those for whom Christ died:

Isaiah 53:11,12; Matthew 20:28; 26:28; Hebrews 9:28. These verses speak of Christ dying for "many".

Scriptures which indicate that the "many" are a definite group:

John 10:11,15 note v 26; Acts 20:28; Ephesians 5:25; Matthew 1:21

Scriptures which indicate the purpose of Christ's coming and death:

Matthew 1:21; Luke 19:10; 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Peter 3:18. He came to save.

Scriptures which indicate what Christ's death actually accomplished:

Romans 5:10; Galatians 3:13; Hebrews 9:12

These verses indicate that Christ came not just to make the salvation of sinners possible but to actually save them. Not just to make sinners "redeemable" but to actually redeem them. Not just to make them "reconcilable" but to actually reconcile them. That this is not the state of all people would indicate that not all were the objects of Christ?s atoning work, unless we are prepared to accept that His mission was less than successful. The faith by which a sinner becomes a partaker of Christ's salvation is itself the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8,9). It is part of the salvation purchased by Christ for His people. That is why the Bible can speak in terms of a real, definite atonement; an atonement which actually atones, a redemption which actually redeems, a ransom which actually sets the prisoner free. For when Christ died He purchased all that was necessary to "bring to God" all those for whom He died. This included the grace of repentance and faith and the gift of the Spirit.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TERMS USED OF CHRIST'S ATONEMENT

1. Redemption This means the delivery from captivity and misery by the intervention of a price or ransom. Matthew 20:28
2. Reconciliation This means the renewing of friendship between parties previously hostile. Colossians 1:21,22.
3. Propitiation This means the turning away of wrath by means of an offering. To appease, pacify and reconcile Good in respect to His aversion to sin. 1 John 4:10.
4. "Dying for us" The Greek prepositions "huper" and "anti" (usually translated "for") clearly imply substitution. Romans 5:8; Galatians 1:4; Titus 2:14; Matthew 20:28.

At the heart of the Biblical doctrine of the atonement is the idea of substitution: "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities...the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:5,6).

"Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood,
Sealed my pardon with His blood; Hallelujah, what a Saviour"

True substitution and universal redemption cannot exist together. One or the other has to go!

As stated by John Owen, either Christ died for:

All the sins of some men, some of the sins of all men or all the sins of all men.

But does not the Bible speak of Christ dying for "all" and for "the world"? It does indeed; but the following needs to be remembered: "world" is frequently used in the Bible to speak of large numbers e.g. John 12:19; 1 John 5:19. It is also used of "Christian universalism" as opposed to "Jewish nationalism". e.g. John 3:16; 1 John 2:2; compare John 11:50-52.

WHAT IS THE PRACTICAL RELEVANCE OF THIS DOCTRINE?

It magnifies the work of Christ.It gives hope in evangelism.It ministers gloriously to a believer's assurance.It deepens the believer's love for His Lord.It enables us to offer to sinners a truly finished work.

"All" is often used to speak of all without distinction rather than all without exception. e.g. John 12;32; 1 John 2:2; 1 Timothy 2:6

Doctrines of Grace - Perseverance of the Saints

June 10, 1996 by William Payne

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY THIS DOCTRINE?

"Those whom God hath accepted in the Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit and given the precious faith of His elect unto, can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end and be eternally saved..." (Baptist Confession of Faith, 1689).

Once having brought a person to walk the path of life in Christ, the path of faith, love, obedience and holiness, God will ensure that that person continues in that way until He takes him home to glory.

THE NECESSITY OF PERSEVERANCE

1. Perseverance in the faith is the acid test of Christian profession John 8:31; Hebrews 3:6-14
2. Jesus declared that only those who persevered to the end would be saved. Matthew 24:13
3. Perseverance is that which distinguishes the genuine believer from the false professor. 1 John 2:19.

There is such a thing as apostasy (Hebrews 6:1-9). In the light of what we shall consider below such people cannot have been truly in Christ in the first place. Remarkable religious experiences are not the real test of Christian profession. There is such a thing as false (temporary) faith (Matthew 13:20,21).

BUT TRUE SAINTS WILL PERSEVERE, AND FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

The purpose of GodThe salvation of any person comes about ultimately because of the purpose of God. His election is according to God's purpose (Romans 9:11); effectual calling is according is according to God's purpose (Romans 8:28). If a man's salvation is purposed therefore by God (compare Acts 13:48) that salvation will be effected, for God always fulfills His purposes. Isaiah 46:10,11; Daniel 4:35.

The power of God:  in John 10 Jesus links the believers security with both the purpose and the power of God, John 10:29. The Bible declares God to be Almighty (Genesis 17:1); we speak of Him as the omnipotent God. His power extends over things animate and inanimate. Because of the power of God nothing can separate the believer from the love of God, Romans 8:35-39.

The promises of God:  God has promised that His people shall have everlasting life. He has promised that they will be "kept" and brought before His throne. Notice John 10:28; 5:24; 6:39; Matthew 28:20; Titus 1:1,2. God cannot go back on His promises and He declares them to be "yea and amen" in Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 1:20.

The prayers of Christ:  the present ministry of Christ is that of intercession, Romans 8:34. Christ"s prayers are always granted by the Father, John 11:41,42. What is Christ praying for now? See John 17:24. Notice also Hebrews 7:25. This verse is of great significance. It is not enough that we merely begin the Christian life, we must "persevere or perish" (Spurgeon). We must be "saved to the uttermost"; and that comes about through the intercession of the living Christ.Christ is praying that supplies of grace be given to His people, that they might persevere. He is praying that their faith shall not fail (see Luke 22:32). His prayer will be answered!

The permanence of the Spirit's indwelling:  the Spirit of God is given to every believer to be in him and to be with him forever, John 14:16,17. Compare also Ephesians 4:30. None who are the temples of the Holy Spirit will end up in hell.

BUT NOTE WHAT THIS DOCTRINE DOES NOT MEAN

It does not mean that so long as a person has "asked Jesus to come into his heart", that he is therefore saved even though his life is not in the least changed. We must understand that true faith always reveals itself by works and spiritual fruit. James 2:14ff; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Matthew 7:21-23; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 John 1:6; 2:3,4; 3:9,14,24; 5:2-4.It does not mean that a true Christian may not experience periods of backsliding and spiritual decline. Compare Luke 22:31ff.It does not mean that a Christian sits back and does nothing but is nevertheless kept by God. Notice the "conflict" terminology of the New Testament, Ephesians 6:11-20; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Corinthians 10:4,5 etc.

Those who are careless and indifferent to spiritual things and disobedient to the Lord Jesus Christ can take no comfort from this doctrine. It speaks of the perseverance (i.e. the ongoing walk in faith, love, obedience and holiness) of the saints (i.e. those who are separated or committed to Christ). The expression "once saved always saved" is true only AS LONG AS OUR UNDERSTANDING OF "SAVED" IS BIBLICAL. If it is not then the popular expression can be highly dangerous and even fatal. Our forefathers were wiser in their terminology!

But this doctrine is both a stimulus (they must persevere) and a comfort (they shall be preserved) to all true believers. Grace shall keep them, protect them, enable them, strengthen them, preserve them and ultimately bring them home to glory.

"Through many dangers toils and snares
I have already come;
Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home"
(John Newton.)

Doctrines of Grace - Regeneration

June 3, 1996 by William Payne

DEFINITION:

Regeneration is that act of God by which the principle of the new life is implanted in man, and the governing disposition of the soul is made holy, and the first exercise of this new disposition is secured. (L. Berkhof).

THE NEED FOR REGENERATION

Jesus said "you must be born again" (John 3:7). "Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Why is this? Because of our condition "by nature": by nature we are - DEAD in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). Compare Colossians 2:13. Note how this spiritual deadness expresses itself - Ephesians 2:2,3.

WHAT IS A SPIRITUALLY DEAD MAN INCAPABLE OF DOING?

1. He cannot receive the things of the Spirit                                  1 Corinthians 2:14
2. He cannot love and serve God                                                    Romans 8:7,8
3. He cannot come to Christ                                                           John 6:44
4. He is the slave of sin, under its domination and power              Romans 6:16-23; John 8:34

These expressions do not mean that every person is debauched and wallowing in gross and flagrant sin. We may be cultured, well-mannered, educated and outwardly decent from a human perspective and yet be utterly dead spiritually and indifferent to the gospel. Hostility to God is often cloaked - sometimes even by religion! What a dead person needs is life!!

WHAT DOES GOD DO IN REGENERATION?

He implants a new, living, holy principle within the soul.

New - it wasn't there before.  Living - so that it will make its presence felt.  Holy - it will operate counter to sin and incline us to holiness and God

Regeneration is a work of God in the soul unobserved by human eyes; it is known by its results, its effects. God describes this work as the giving of a new heart and a new spirit Ezekiel 36:25-27. The results:

1. Recognition of our sinfulness and a humbling of ourselves           Ezekiel 36:31
2. A receptivity and sensitivity to the things of God                          Ezekiel 36:26
3. Obedience to God (including positive response to the gospel)      Ezekiel 36:27
4. A new relationship with God                                                          Ezekiel 36:28

WHO IS THE AGENT IN REGENERATION?

The Holy Spirit of God John 3:5. We cannot regenerate ourselves! Remember that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity. He is not a force, but a person. Note:

1. Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as "He"                                  John 14:16,17
2. He expresses Himself in scripture                                         Hebrews 3:7ff
3. He may be grieved and resisted                                             Ephesians 4:30, Acts 7:51
4. He loves                                                                                 Romans 15:30
5. He may be lied against                                                          Acts 5:3

The reference "water" in John 3:5 is not a reference to baptism but undoubtedly refers back to Ezekiel 36 passage and has reference to purification and cleansing which is part of the work of regeneration. In the illustration of John 3:8 Jesus intimates 2 things:

There is a mystery connected with the work of the SpiritThere is sovereignty in the work of the Spirit.

He works as He wills. This is true of regeneration: He may quicken one yet not another.

WHAT IS THE INSTRUMENT IN REGENERATION?

The truth which makes us free John 8:32. The Holy Spirit and the Word are like the surgeon and the instrument. You must have both for a successful operation.

WHAT IS THE RESULT OF REGENERATION?

Remember what was said about Ezekiel 36. We may also observe the following:

1. Faith in Christ                                                                         1 John 5:1
2. Love of the Christian brothers                                                1 John 5:1
3. Not practicing a sinful lifestyle                                              1 John 3:9
4. Overcoming the world                                                            1 John 5:4

Regeneration is the fountainhead from which the stream of sanctification flows. In regeneration there is the implanting of the spiritual life: in sanctification the developing and strengthening of it.

BEWARE OF ERROR IN THIS MATTER

Baptism cannot regenerate. No church ritual can regenerate. A human "decision" cannot regenerate. Responding to an altar-call cannot regenerate.

One may be religious yet unregenerate; emotional yet unregenerate; knowledgeable yet unregenerate.

Regeneration is a radical work. It affects the "heart", the "control centre" of the life.

"You must be born again".

Doctrines of Grace - Justification

May 27, 1996 by William Payne

Justification is one of the most important doctrines in the Word of God. It was at the heart of the great Protestant Reformation. If we do not understand this doctrine we do not really understand the Biblical Gospel.

DEFINITION

"Justification is an act of God's free grace wherein He pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone." (Westminster Shorter Catechism)

Justification is concerned with our legal status; our standing before God. The Greek word used in the New Testament is from the language of the law courts. It refers to a declaration that a person is just, free from guilt and exposure to punishment.

It is sometimes said that justification is a declarative act of God, i.e. it refers not to God doing something within a sinner (making him actually holy), but declaring something about the sinner, namely that he is accounted righteous.

Note: Deuteronomy 25:1; Proverbs 17:15; Isaiah 5:23; Luke 7:29; 16:15.

THERE ARE TWO ELEMENTS IN JUSTIFICATION:

Remission (pardon)Restoration to favour (accounted righteous)

Note how these two elements are symbolically presented in Zechariah 3:1-5.

God - The One Who Justifies

See Romans 8:33. This is important for God is "the supreme court" so to speak; there is no appeal from His judgement. His word is final and authoritative.

THE SUBJECTS OF JUSTIFICATION

The same people are described in a number of ways:

a. God's elect                                 Romans 8:33
b. Sinners                                      Romans 5:8,9
c. The ungodly                              Romans 4:5
d. All who believe                        Acts 13:38,39; Romans 4:5; 5:1; Galatians 2:16

THE GROUND OR BASIS OF JUSTIFICATION

The blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ is the basis of the sinner's justification (this is sometimes referred to as the "obedience" of Christ). God is able to declare the believing sinner to be righteous because He imputes (see below) the obedience of Christ to the believer. It is on account of that imputed obedience that God can declare a sinner to be righteous. Romans 3:24,25; 5:8,9; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9; Romans 5:16-19.

To impute means to reckon, to credit, to put to someone's account. Romans 4:6-8 speaks of a "non-imputation" of sin and the imputation of righteousness. The gospel is a message about "provided righteousness". Compare Romans 1:17; 3:21,22. Jesus Christ is "The Lord our Righteousness" - Jeremiah 23:6.

THE MEANS OF JUSTIFICATION

Faith (in Christ) alone. Compare Galatians 3:8; 2:16; Romans 4:5; 5:1; 3:28. Note: Faith is not meritorious; its value lies in the fact that it lays hold of Christ. Faith is the instrument by which the sinner receives and applies Christ and His righteousness to himself. It is not faith which saves him, but Christ made his through faith.

THE EVIDENCE OF JUSTIFICATION

Good works, compare James 2:14-24; Ephesians 2:9-10. James and Paul are not in opposition to each other in the question of justification; they are dealing with different enemies. Paul is dealing with the person who insists that he may be justified by the works of the law. James is dealing with the man who claims he has justifying faith but whose life is devoid of the fruits of it, namely good works.

THE RESULTS OF JUSTIFICATION

1. Freedom from condemnation                    Romans 8:1,33
2. Peace with God                                         Romans 5:1
3. Access to God                                           Romans 5:2
4. Acceptance of our persons                        Romans 8:33,34
5. Title to eternal inheritance                        Titus 3:5-7
6. Eventual glorification                               Romans 8:30

There are no degrees in justification: no believer is more justified than any other. Justification is irreversible, unalterable, immediate (upon the sinner believing on Christ), forever. All believers share this common blessing.

The difference between justification and sanctification will be noted in the next study, as also the connection between them.

THE PRACTICAL VALUE OF THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION

It tells us how we may have peace with God. It is the foundation of all assurance. It is the foundation of true, spiritual, Christian unity. It moves the heart with admiration for God and with love and praise for such a great salvation.

Doctrines of Grace - Sanctification

May 20, 1996 by William Payne

DEFINITIONS

"Sanctification is the work of God's free grace whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin and live unto righteousness." (Westminster Shorter Catechism)

"Sanctification is that continuous operation of the Holy Spirit by which the holy disposition imparted in regeneration is maintained and strengthened." A.H.Strong.

In justification the believer is declared by God to be righteous (see notes on justification); in sanctification the believer is actually made to be holy by God. We may say then that while justification has to do with our standing in the sight of God, sanctification has to do with our actual state.

SANCTIFICATION - JUSTIFICATION - REGENERATION

These three vital elements of the great work of salvation are vitally related. We may view justification as the foundation of the Christian life, and sanctification as the superstructure. You cannot think of one without the other. Sanctification is the evidence of justification. To claim to justified without giving evidence of sanctification is a delusion.

We may say that regeneration is foundational to both the other two, in that there could be no justification without regeneration for faith (through which we are justified) is the action of the new heart given in regeneration. Likewise there could be no sanctification without regeneration because sanctification is but the strengthening and increasing of that holy principle imparted to the soul at regeneration. You cannot be sanctified (holy) in the Biblical sense therefore without being born again. You may well be moral or religious without regeneration but not holy.

THE AUTHOR OF SANCTIFICATION

God Himself                                           1 Thessalonians 5:23; John 17:17; 2 Thessalonians 2:13
In particular God the Holy Spirit           Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 5:18

THE STANDARD OF SANCTIFICATION

This may be expressed in a variety of ways:

God Himself                                                          Matthew 5:48; 1 Peter 1:15,16
The Lord Jesus Christ                                            Romans 8:29
The revealed will of God in scripture                    Romans 12:1,2

The fact that perfection cannot be attained in this life ought not to keep us from making perfection our constant aim.

THE MEANS OF SANCTIFICATION

1. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ                            Acts 15:9
2. The Word of God                                               John 17:17; Acts 20:32
3. Prayer                                                                 Psalms 51:10; Jude v.20
4. Christian fellowship                                           Hebrews 10:24,25; Proverbs 13:20
5. Providential experiences                                    Psalms 119:67,71

THE NECESSITY OF SANCTIFICATION

1. Without it no man shall see the Lord                 Hebrews 12:14
2. By it we bring glory to God                               Matthew 5:16
3. By it we are a witness to others                         Philippians 2:12-16; Titus 3:8

THE CHRISTIAN'S RESPONSIBILITY IN SANCTIFICATION

Though sanctification is a work of God, yet He involves the Christian in it. The Christian is not passive but active in this great work. Compare Philippians 2:12,13

He is to exercise discipline over himself               1 Corinthians 9:25-27
He is to put forth effort                                          2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 12:14
He is to fight                                                          1 Timothy 6:12
He is to run the race                                               Hebrews 12:1

We must recognize of course that our effort is not to be in the energy of the flesh, not in self-confidence, but in complete dependence on God - Romans 8;13; Philippians 4:13

SANCTIFICATION IS INCOMPLETE IN THIS LIFE

Though it effects every part of out life - 1 Thessalonians 5:23 - yet it is not complete - Philippians 3:12-15; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2,3

SANCTIFICATION IS PROGRESSIVE IN NATURE

Biblical figures of speech indicate this: e.g. development from babyhood to adulthood - Hebrews 5:12-14; 1 Peter 2:1,2; Ephesians 4:14,15Biblical exhortations indicate this: 2 Peter 3:18; 1:5-8The prayers of Paul for his converts indicate this: Colossians 1:9,11; Philippians 1:9-11.The general teaching of the New Testament indicates this: 2 Corinthians 7:1; 3:18; Romans 12:2

SOME ATTEMPTED SUBSTITUTES FOR SANCTIFICATION

Morality

Religious ritualism

Hypocrisy

Doctrines of Grace - Adoption

May 6, 1996 by William Payne

DEFINITION

"Adoption is an act of God's free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges, of the sons of God" (Westminster Shorter Catechism)

Dr. Packer calls adoption "the highest privilege the gospel offers". A little thought will confirm this statement. It is one thing to be forgiven of our sins and acquitted at the bar of the Great Judge, that is wonderful in itself; but it is even more wonderful to be made a member of God's family, established as a son or daughter and given all the privileges of God's children.

THE CAUSE OF OUR ADOPTION FROM THE DIVINE PERSPECTIVE

The predestinating purpose of God                     Ephesians 1:5
It is by Jesus Christ                                                                                                                          It is according to the good pleasure of His will                                                                               It is to the praise of the glory of His grace          (v6a)

The wonderful love of God                                 1 John 3:1,2

THE CAUSE OF OUR ADOPTION FROM THE HUMAN PERSPECTIVE

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ                              John 1:12,13; Galatians 3:26

THE GREAT INITIAL BLESSING OF ADOPTION

The gift of the Holy Spirit                                   Galatians 4:6; Romans 8:15

Note that the Holy Spirit produces in the Christian the consciousness of God as Father. This is the great revelation that Christ and the New Testament gives us. In the Old Testament the emphasis is on God as Creator, the Sovereign Lord, the Holy and Just One. These emphases remain in the New Testament but to them is added the new and wonderful dimension that God is the Father of His people (Matthew 6:9). This was the name most frequently on the lips of our Lord; it is the distinctive Christian name for God.

All that the name "Father" implies in the way of love, affection, tenderness, care, provision, fellowship and guidance is to be understood in that wonderful name.

FURTHER BLESSINGS OF ADOPTION

a. Adopted sons are led by the Spirit                                                Romans 8:14
b. They are free from bondage and fear                                            Romans 8:15
c. They are assured of ultimate complete conformity to Christ        1 John 3:2; Romans 8:29

RAMIFICATIONS OF OUR ADOPTION

a. We must seek to imitate the Heavenly Father                             Matthew 5:43-48
b. We must be over comers                                                             Revelation 21:7
c. We must not partake of the world's defilement                           2 Corinthians 6:14-18
d. We must expect the Father's discipline                                       Hebrews 12:4-11

THE EXTRAORDINARY PRIVILEGE OF OUR ADOPTION

a. We are made heirs of God!      Romans 8:17. Compare Hebrews 1:2 and 1 Corinthians 3:21-23
b. We are given an inheritance    Ephesians 1:11 Compare 1 Peter 1:3f

THE PRACTICAL EFFECTS OF THIS DOCTRINE OF ADOPTION

a. It gives us a powerful view of the depths of God's love and grace and should therefore produce love, praise and gratitude in us.
b. It should challenge us to live as children of the King.
c. It should give us confidence in our dealings with God.
d. It gives us encouragement in times of suffering.
e. It breaks down barriers among Christians.
f. It gives us hope and assurance for the future.

Once we are members of God's family by grace we can never cease to be members of that family. We may lose the Father's favour through our sin and unfaithfulness, and we may lose the joy and blessing of fellowship with Him, but we remain children of God in Christ. He will chastise us for our sins in order to renew us to fellowship, but He will not disown His children. But it should ever be the aim of God's children to please the Father and to know the blessing of unbroken fellowship with Him.

A CLOSING WORD ON ADOPTION

"For the sake of His only Son, Jesus Christ, God has been pleased to make all justified persons sharers in the grace of adoption, by means of which they are numbered with, and enjoy the liberties and privileges of children of God. Furthermore God's name is put upon them, they receive the Spirit of adoption, and they are enabled to come boldly to the throne of grace and cry "Abba Father". They are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened by God as by a Father. He never casts them off, but as they remain sealed to the day of redemption, they inherit the promises as heirs of everlasting salvation."

(A Faith to Confess: the 1689 Confession in Modern English)

Doctrines of Grace - Glorification

April 29, 1996 by William Payne

Glorification is the ultimate goal of salvation - Romans 8:30,17. Notice how Paul speaks of it as though it were already accomplished. The glorification of believers will be brought about at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ - 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10. The second coming of Christ is certain - John 14:3; Matthew 24:30, 25:31

IT WILL BE:

a. Personal                            1 Thessalonians 4:16
b. Visible                              Revelation 1:7
c. Glorious                            Mark 13:26

It will catch many by surprise                                                 1 Thessalonians 5:2,3.

It will mark the end of time and usher in the eternal state      2 Peter 3.

A NUMBER OF ELEMENTS MAY BE CONSIDERED AS BELONGING TO THE BELIEVERS' GLORIFICATION:

Resurrection

This refers to the raising up of the dead and the transforming of their bodies. This stupendous truth is insisted on by the Lord Jesus and the New Testament writers - John 5:28-30; 6:39,40. Paul insists that the resurrection of believers is the inevitable outcome of Christ's resurrection - 1 Corinthians 15:20-22. Compare 1 Thessalonians 4:14-16. Believers who are living at the time of Christ's return will not see death, but shall be transformed - 1 Corinthians 15:51,52.

The resurrection body will be glorious indeed. It will be:

a. Not subject to death, decay or corruption                  1 Corinthians 15:42,43,52,53
b. A perfect vehicle for the perfected spirit                   1 Corinthians 15:44
c. Fitted for eternity                                                       1 Thessalonians 4:17
d. Possessed of powers and abilities very different from our present body (Compare the activity of Christ after His resurrection.)
e. Conformed to Christ's glorious resurrection body     1 Corinthians 15:49; Philippians 3:21

The beholding of our beloved Lord and Saviour.

Isaiah. 33:17; Job 19:25-27; 1 John 3:1,2

Face to face with Christ my Saviour
Face to face what will it be,
When with rapture I behold Him,
Jesus Christ who died for me
(C.E. Breck)

The bride eyes not her garments
But her dear bridegroom's face;
I will not look on glory
But on my King of grace;
Not on the crown He giveth,
But on His pierced hands,
The Lamb is all the glory
In Immanuel's land.
(Anne R. Cousins)

Of all the things the saints long for they long for most to see Jesus and to behold His glory - John 17:24.

Total Perfection

a. Freedom from all sin                       Romans 8:29 Word, thought and deed
b. "We shall be like Him"                   1 John 3:2 Compare Revelation 11:22-27 . What a thought!
c. Freedom from all sorrow and pain  Revelation 21:4 Compare Psalms 16:11
d. Confirmation in holiness for ever   Revelation 22:11

Unending and unbroken fellowship with God

Revelation 21:1-3; 22:3-5

The acknowledgement of believers as the children of God

Hebrews 11:16; 2:10-13; Matthew 10:32

Then will He own my worthless name
Before His Father's face,
And in the New Jerusalem
Appoint my soul a place.
(Isaac Watts)

The enjoyment of an environment suited to a glorified state

2 Peter 3:13

APPLICATORY THOUGHTS

How magnificent is God's purpose in salvation!

What a future the Christian has to look forward to!

What madness it is to turn away from such blessings!

Here is a truth to give us songs in the night.

Reflections: My Neighbour the Catholic

October 6, 1985 by Carl Muller

"You shall love your neighbour as yourself!" Mark 12:31

THE FACES IN THE CROWD

As I reflect on Catholicism I realize that faces come to mind, not a system, not a monolithic structure, not a demonic institution. I remember people who were very, very nice.

To be sure, this is my own personal experience, but it is true nonetheless and I suspect it reflects the experience of many others. When my elder sister died, they were very kind to me. When I was an unmannerly and disobedient brat at school the Mother Superior attempted to discipline me and show me a better way. When my family arrived in a new and strange land (California) the nuns befriended us, fed us, connected us with others who could help us, invited us to a New Years Day dinner, and in the cosy confines of the convent introduced our family to the unsettling phenomenon of North American football. A Catholic family provided us with a house and more tokens of kindness than I could possibly relate.

Catholics have touched my life in ways that I shall never forget and always appreciate. That is why it is so sad to see them caught up in a system and in the grip of a religion that is so far from true Biblical Christianity. That is also why it is so sad when Protestants are strident and unkind in their efforts to win Catholics to Christ. "Let your speech be always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one," said Paul (Colossians 4:6a). How often our apologetic has been "salty" in an unsanctified sense.

THE APPEAL OF LOVE

I believe that my neighbour, the Catholic, needs Christian love. It was by their love that I recognized the true followers of Jesus Christ. I had long since left the Catholic Church and embraced secular, godless philosophy. Existentialism and nihilism, even at the age of seventeen, seemed to capture and articulate the pathos and meaninglessness of life.

Nonetheless, in a fashion true to the words of Paul in Romans 1:18 f, I was actually suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. I knew that there was a God. I had learned from the Catholic Church that He was a righteous God and a God who judges. And so, whilst professing in the daylight to subscribe to an atheistic position, in the night watches I fumbled with my beads and prayed the rosary in the hopes that what I had been told so many years ago was actually true - praying the rosary every night will save you. (I hoped that God would overlook the nights that I failed to say my "Hail Marys"!) It was at this point, in the midst of confused ignorance and wicked rebellion, that the love of Christian young people touched my life.

Gracious witness, deeds of kindness, genuine interest, guileless love - these virtues manifested by Christian young people were used of God to woo my soul to the Lord Jesus Christ! I had often leaned hard upon the kindness of others, but had never encountered the love of Jesus flowing through His people. It seemed otherworldly to me - and indeed such love is not natural. I think I saw Jesus Christ first in the faces of those young people. Whatever I say to my Catholic neighbour, I want it to be accompanied by deeds of kindness. When I raise the issues of authority (the Bible alone) and of salvation (by faith alone) I want them to have no doubt that I love them. When I speak the gospel to them I want my actions to speak just as loudly, telling them that they are loved of God and loved by His people.

I want them to see the Lord's face in mine.

THE APPEAL OF WORKS

It was like coming home. It was an arduous journey ended. It was a sweet pillow upon which to rest your head. Indeed it was rest. By grace I had found rest. All those years there had been no rest, and now I had been found of Him and in Him had found rest. What blessed words: "Come to Me, and I will give you rest."

Now, to be sure, salvation by works has a tremendous appeal to the unbelieving mind. The Catholic system had a tremendous appeal to me. In fact, salvation by works has universal appeal. There is something of the Pharisee in all of us and too little of the publican (Luke 18:9-14). So many pay lip service to grace and then seek life by works. This is the way of the Pharisee and that way is alive and well in the Catholic church. But it had an appeal to me. It left my pride intact (I could, after all, earn salvation), my social life untouched (midnight mass is kind to your agenda), and my sinful tendencies unhindered (the confessional was always there to deal with consequent guilt). But of true rest there was nothing.

Works is a cruel taskmaster and the works treadmill leads to despair and disillusionment. It was then that those blessed words touched my ears: "Come to Me, and I will give you rest". Salvation was not to be based on the filthy rags of my own perceived righteousness. The righteousness of God in Jesus Christ was my only hope! Faith in God and in Jesus Christ was the only way! And then, as with Luther, it was as if paradise opened up! And indeed it had.

Yet even now, as a citizen of a heavenly kingdom, I recall the days when I knew by experience that there was no peace for the wicked, that there was no rest in the round of activities prescribed by Rome, that there was deep within a longing for a different, a better way.

What a privilege to point my Catholic neighbour in the direction of the One who is that Way.

THE LOSS OF AWE

It had been a long while since I had been in any Catholic church.

The day of the funeral found our family seated within the hushed confines of the one near our home. While there was much that was distressing to the heart of a child of God, there was also something striking.

What was distressing was the sheer folly of it all. Certainty was expressed that the deceased was in heaven. The certainty was based on baptism, the good works he had done, his involvement in the Catholic Church, and the grace of God. At the end of the day the only thing that really mattered was that the way of salvation espoused and encouraged was not the way of Jesus. And we wept over that.

But what was striking was the ritual, the solemnity, the sobriety, the sense that we were in the presence of Someone wholly "other" than ourselves. It was striking because that sense is only a distant memory for most evangelicals, and many feel well rid of it. Many are rushing headlong to embrace a fun-filled, non-threatening, cheery and up-beat approach to worship.

God forbid that we should feel small and dirty. God forbid that He should come across as "no tame lion". God forbid that we should feel any fear and sense of humiliation. The awesome and majestic Jesus before whom John fell down like a dead man has been ushered out of churches in favour of a deity with whom we can enjoy a fireside chat! So it was striking to sit in the Catholic Church. While it is true that some Catholic churches are adopting the evangelical prescription for success, in this particular parish there was still a sense of solemnity. I remembered the days when I sat in a similar building trying to work my way to heaven. I remembered the hush that came over us when we considered what it was we were about, and who it was we were approaching. God was awesome and exalted. We knew nothing of, "Father", but we knew, at least, that He was in heaven and that it behoved us to treat Him accordingly. I remembered that even in my ignorance I felt I was in the presence of The Holy One, and it made me long for days when evangelicals would flee from the Ringling Brothers approach to church and remember that we worship our "Father who is in heaven"!

I believe my Catholic neighbour is struck by the loss of awe in evangelical churches and is left unimpressed. Furthermore, some professing evangelicals are unimpressed as well and find themselves strangely attracted by Roman ritual. May God give us grace to honour Him and attract others by worship that is marked by reverence and rejoicing.

Let the words of Watts be sung and experienced:

"Before Jehovah's awful throne, ye nations bow with sacred joy!"

Coping With Bereavement

September 1, 1975 by William Payne

At the end of 2 Samuel 18 we have recorded for us David's reaction at the news of the death of his son Absalom. It is a deeply moving record:"Then the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said thus: 'O my son Absalom - my son, my son Absalom - if only I had died in your place! O Absalom, my son, my son!"

Even though this son had brought considerable grief to David, and indeed, had rebelled against his father and tried to wrest the throne away from him, yet David found his death to be a crushing blow. He was still his son, and David found this bereavement hard to bear.

DANGERS

There are some dangers connected with the experience of bereavement.

First, there is the danger of giving way to excessive grief. Bereavement is a difficult thing to cope with as even the great King David found. It is often profound in its impact and sometimes seems shattering to our lives, but we must be careful that we don't allow grief to overwhelm us and make us non-functional. It is normal for a person, after suffering bereavement, to want to take time away from regular activity; we all need time to cope and adjust to the new realities in our life, but some people allow this to go on for years and seem incapable of resuming normal activity. This needs to be guarded against.

Second, there is the danger of withdrawing from friends and from society in general. The bereavement might feel so wounding and painful that the bereaved person just doesn't want to see anyone, nor talk with anyone. Again, that is understandable, and it may be perfectly legitimate to want time alone, but the bereaved person needs to be careful not to isolate themselves from friends, other family members and other people in general. It might take real self-discipline where a person has to virtually force himself to get among other people, but better that than isolating oneself and withdrawing.

Third is the danger of bitterness against God. A stream may appear to be beautifully clear, but when a little boy puts his stick in and stirs it around, plenty of mud and silt comes to the surface, completely changing the picture. So it is sometimes even in a Christian's life. What seems to be so serene and peaceful may soon be radically changed when "hard" providences enter into the life, especially bereavement. Job, who responded to terribly trying circumstances in chapter one, nonetheless gave way to bitterness against God under ongoing trials:

"I am blameless and yet I do not know myself. I despise my life. It is all one thing; therefore I say 'He destroys the blameless and the wicked. If the scourge slay suddenly, He laughs at the plight of the innocent. The earth is given into the hand of the wicked. He covers the face of its judges. If it is not Him, who else could it be?' If I wash myself with snow water, and cleanse my hands with soap, yet you will plunge me into the pit, and my own clotheswill abhor me." Job 9:21-24; 30,31

Satan will often try to incite us to bitterness against God. After a painful bereavement we find ourselves thinking: "After all, is not God all-powerful? Why did He not prevent this from happening? Why did He not spare this loved one to me? does He not have ultimate power over life and death? Why then did He not act and intervene and restore this child, this husband, this wife? And if we are not careful, bitterness creeps into the soul. It must be repudiated by every Christian!

Fourth is the danger of making unwise decisions after a bereavement. The bereaved person feels that the memories are too painful and makes a hasty decision to relocate into a completely new area; perhaps a new town altogether. But when a little time has passed an some healing has entered into the soul there is regret that he or she has left the place of her old friend and acquaintances; he is lonely and misses the old familiar sights and sounds. Sometimes a bereaved person will re-marry hastily after losing a spouse, and maybe live to greatly regret it. The point is to beware of making important decisions, which will greatly affect the rest of your life, in the early aftermath of bereavement. Allow things to settle properly; allow yourself time so that you can make wise and thoughtful decisions.

HOW CAN WE HELP?

How can we help those who have been bereaved? How can we be of practical support to those going through this deep trial? Here are some practical suggestions.

1. PRAY FOR THEM

As Christians we believe in the efficacy of prayer. It is our privilege as children of God through Jesus Christ, to come with confidence and boldness to the throne of grace; we have access through Christ. And it is one of our most sacred responsibilities to bring before God in prayer those who are suffering and going through times of trial and affliction. Pray that God would comfort their hearts; pray that God would give them strength; pray that God would encourage them and keep them firm in their faith. In time of bereavement above all, we should heed the apostolic exhortation to "pray for one another".

2. BE UNDERSTANDING AND SYMPATHETIC

It is one of the glorious things about our Saviour that He is a sympathetic high priest, and he people ought to try to emulate Him in this. We are exhorted to "weep with those who weep", and there is nothing more helpful in a time of distress than having someone who really cares and enters into our afflictions. The bereaved person might need someone just to talk to in the time of sorrow; it might not be anything profound; it might simply be rambling conversation about the one they have lost in death, but a sympathetic and understanding person will provide a listening ear and be a blessing to the needy person. It really does help to know that someone cares.

3. GIVE EXPRESSION TO YOUR SYMPATHY

You may not feel that there is a lot that you can do, but it is surprising how much little things can mean in difficult times. Send a card; write a few apt words briefly. A phone call just to let them know that you care and that you are praying for them will provide encouragement. If you are able to drop in for a few minutes without being obtrusive, all the better. Don't overstay; just a matter of ten or fifteen minutes will probably be adequate unless the person urges you to stay longer.

4. PROVIDE PRACTICAL HELP

If there are children in the bereaved family, could you take them for an afternoon or two to allow the bereaved one and adult members of the family to make the necessary arrangements? What about sending a meal over to save the person having to worry about meals? May the person needs a ride somewhere, or perhaps it would help if you were to pick up groceries for him or her. There may even be phone calls that need to be made and which you could take care of. The Bible reminds us that we are not simply to love in word but in deed and in truth. Practical help is needed.

5. INCLUDE THE BEREAVED IN FELLOWSHIP TIMES

I am thinking here, of course, of the situation when a little time has passed by. There is sometimes a tendency to overlook the bereaved person; maybe you feel a little awkward asking them to a fellowship gathering in case it is viewed as inappropriate, or in case the person gets upset at the though of attending without the loved one who has died. But this person needs fellowship and it is better to extend the invitation and give them the opportunity rather than overlook them.

6. BE MINDFUL OF THE BEREAVED PERSON SUBSEQUENT TO THE FUNERAL

During the period of the funeral, family and friends are gathered about; there are things that simply have to be done, and oftentimes the bereaved person goes "on nerves alone". But after the funeral, when friends and families have returned to their own places, it is often then that reaction sets in. Then, in those post-funeral weeks and months, there is often a sense of desolation and terrible loneliness and pain. It is good therefore to be aware of this and to make a point of contacting, and if possible, visiting the bereaved. These are just a few ways in which we can try to help in a time of need. We shall now consider one other aspect, of great importance for those who are Christians.

WHAT TRUTHS CAN WE SHARE TO HELP SOMEONE COPE WITH BEREAVEMENT?

Here are a few suggestions.

1. THE KNOWLEDGE THAT A BELIEVING LOVED ONE IS WITH THE LORD

Here is a most glorious truth for all believers, that "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord". Every child of God can say like the Apostle Paul, that to be with Christ is "far better", and the prayer of our beloved Lord will certainly be answered: "Father, I will that all those whom you have given me should be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory...." (John 17:24). The very essence of heaven is the presence of Christ. The most sublime word to a Christian is that of Revelation 22:4 - "And they shall see His face." For a bereaved person to know that this is true of their loved one is a source of enormous comfort and encouragement, and this truth should be very much in the fore in times of bereavement.

2. THE CHRISTIAN'S LIFE AND TIMES ARE IN GOD'S HANDS

David's words in Ps. 31:15 are significant: "all my times are in Your hands"; and Job 14:5 reminds us that our days are determined and that the number of our months is with God. John Ryland, a Baptist worthy of the 17th/18th century, expressed this great truth poetically in the words:

Sovereign Ruler of the Skies,
Ever gracious, ever wise;
All my times are in Thy hand,
All events at Thy command.

He that formed me in the womb,
He shall guide me to the tomb;
All my times shall ever be
Ordered by His wise decree.

If that truth can come home to the heart of a bereaved Christian, what an impact and encouragement it can have. The Christian doesn't believe in luck; he knows that with God there are no accidents, everything is under His sovereign control.

3. GOD'S WISDOM AND LOVE ARE PERFECT

In Romans 11:33 we read: "Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and his ways past finding out!" Our wisdom and knowledge are so limited and finite; there is so much that we do not know or understand. But our God is the fount of all wisdom and His knowledge and understanding are infinite. This combined with the fact that His love for His people never fails, and that nothing can separate them from His love, provides a real anchor for the soul. If there is one thing that Satan would love to do it is to shake our confidence in God's love for us, and times of trial, and especially in bereavement, provide him with an opportunity. At such a time we are most vulnerable, but it is at such a time that we need to lay hold ever more firmly on the precious and comforting truth that God's love toward us never changes and never wavers. The bereaved person needs reminding of that often.

4. THE LORD JESUS IS A SYMPATHETIC SAVIOUR AND IS ABLE TO HELP

The Christian glories in the fact that we do not have a God who is remoteand detached from us. On the contrary our God has, in the person of the Son, assumed our nature: He is touched with the feelings of our infirmities; He Himself has trodden this way of tears before us and He is indeed a sympathetic High Priest. Those who are going through difficult times should be encouraged to reflect on the tenderness, compassion and gentleness of Christ, and to consider the fact that He is able and willing to help His people who are in need.

5. A GLORIOUS RE-UNION IS COMING

Death is not the final word with respect to a Christian. Even the lovely thought of the soul being with Christ when it is "absent from the body" is not the last word. There is more to be said, for the Christian looks ahead to the great day of resurrection. And while it is true that human relationships are going to be radically different in that state so that there will be no "marrying or giving in marriage", yet at the same time there will surely be a re-union of those we have loved and who were "in Christ" with us. The second coming of Christ will result in the great gathering of all the elect from the four corners of the earth. In the most wonderful way the family will be complete, and as we rejoiced in the Lord with loved ones here in the earthly life, surely we shall rejoice with them on an even higher plane in the life to come. We may remind bereaved friends of this, that the separation is only until the "day breaks and the shadows flee away".

6. GOD PROMISES HIS HELP TO THOSE GOING THROUGH TIMES OF TRIAL

His word to His grieving, suffering, hurting people is: "Fear not for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, yes I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand! (Isaiah 41:10) And again, speaking through Isaiah: When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you! Isaiah 43:2 How precious the Word of God is in crisis situations. The Lord speaks to us through the Word and the Spirit of God ministers comfort to grieving hearts through the words of Scripture. And how precious is the Lord Himself in such times; His promise of help is not a vain one; He does grant His peace; He does draw near; He proves to be a "very present help in times of trouble". All of this the bereaved Christian needs to be reminded of. God is faithful and He has promised never to leave nor forsake His people. That itself is one of the most precious promises in the Word, and one which believers draw strength from in all circumstances of life.

Imbalance in the Christian Life

March 9, 1975 by William Payne

In Ephesians 6:11 the apostle Paul uses the expression "the wiles of the devil". The Greek word translated "wiles" is that from which we get our English word "method"; it has been translated "schemes, intrigues, devices, deceit and trickery". These words all convey what the apostle had in mind when he used this word; the "wiles of the devil" are those crafty methods he uses to accomplish his purposes. When you have been involved in Pastoral work for some time you get to recognize some of the most frequently used "wiles of the devil", and in my opinion one of his most oft-used methods used to bring trouble in Christian lives is to make them imbalanced people, people of extremes. Let me illustrate this by suggesting three areas where the devil operates in this way.

Take first of all our attitude towards sin. There are many professing Christians within churches today who have been manipulated by Satan into an extreme position where they are altogether too flippant about sin. I am not speaking now about the masses who never darken the doorstep of a church and who make no profession of Christ; of course those people have no concern about sin. They are the "fools" of the book of Proverbs, when it declares that "fools make a mock at sin" (Prov. 14:9). These are people who never give a moments thought about the salvation of their soul; they never give a thought to the fact that they must one day stand before God as their judge. They are immersed in the things of time; sin is just a word which they do not understand, and care nothing about. Now I say I am not speaking about those people. I am rather speaking of those within churches, who do profess the name of Jesus but who have very little concern about sin. Their attitude is flippant, they are full of self-confidence, their conscience seldom seems to bother them, and they are too busy having a great time to bother with self-examination. "I'm saved" they cry, "I made my decision at the evangelistic meeting, and now I don't have to worry about sin any more; if I do sin, well I only have to confess it before God and He is faithful and Just to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness".

Now these people often speak truth. It is true that for a child of God confession of sin brings Fatherly forgiveness and cleansing; it is true that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son cleanses us from all sin; but what troubles the discerning and spiritual mind is the attitude, the flippancy, the "sin is no great sweat" impression which these people convey. They are just far too nonchalant about it! They are far too little concerned about sin. This is an extreme into which the devil would lead those who profess the name of Christ. Sadly some of these people later reveal that their professed conversion was no conversion at all. There was a profession, but there was no real work of grace, there was no new creation in Christ Jesus. Their light estimation of sin, ends in a light estimation of the Saviour, and a light estimation of the Christian faith until one day the whole thing is forgotten as just a phase of their experience in life. Others who are genuinely children of God are trapped in serious sinful situations in which God's name is shamed, and in which their Christian testimony is ruined. Sin is never to be treated lightly; that is an extreme into which the devil leads people.

But then here you see the imbalance; for while there are those who are far too flippant about sin, on the other hand there are those who are obsessed by it in an unhealthy and unscriptural manner. These people, often very dear children of God, become so obsessed by sin that their entire life becomes consumed by the consideration of it. They analyze it, they bewail it, they groan about it; they are so taken up with sin that they virtually become blind to the glorious grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. They are so taken up and overwhelmed by the reality of sin, that they lose sight of the even greater reality of forgiveness through the blood of Jesus. They become so taken up with sin that all joy leaves them, peace forsakes them, life becomes a burden, religion becomes grim, and the problem is that they have been tricked by the devil into a state of imbalance. The joyful significance of perfect redemption and full atonement in Christ is never allowed to dispel their gloom because they are obsessed with sin. This is not a healthy and Biblical concern about sin; it is an unscriptural obsession which is dishonouring to Christ and disastrous to the individual.

Now you see what I mean by imbalance in this area? On the one hand people who are careless and flippant about sin; that's the one extreme. On the other hand those who are obsessed by it to such a degree that they deprive themselves of the joy and comfort which the finished work of Christ ought to bring them. The devil delights to push people to one extreme or the other, whereas the Biblical position would surely be that the Christian is always to take sin seriously; it ought always to cause humbling and grief, but the focus of our attention must always be on that great salvation which is centred on the person and work of Christ, and that great salvation should make the Christian a joyful and praising person.

Let me suggest a second area of imbalance brought about by the wiles of the devil. This relates to the work of the Lord, to the cause of Christ. On the one hand there are those who are too slack in the cause of Jesus. It is a sad reality that in every church there are those people who scarcely put forth any effort in the service of Christ in their church. Some people stagger under the weight of several jobs while others are responsible for nothing. I find it difficult to understand the Christian who has no interest in contributing what he or she can to the service of the Lord. It seems to me that the reaction within a Christian to the fact that they have been redeemed by the infinite cost of the blood of Jesus ought to be deep gratitude, and surely that gratitude ought to display itself by serving the Lord who died for them. The great missionary C.T. Studd once said "if Jesus Christ be God and died for me then no sacrifice is too great for me to make for him". I think every Christian ought to be able to relate to that statement. Every Christian is not called to the same work that Studd was called to, and few perhaps would claim to have his dedication, but his statement should ring a bell in every redeemed heart. If you are redeemed by His blood then you ought to want to serve Him, and the first and most obvious place in which to serve Him is your own church. There are those who talk grandly of what they would like to do in the service of the Lord, and how they would like to contribute to the cause of Christ, but its all very abstract and unreal. All the while they are saying these things there are situations in their own church desperately needing personnel; but they never seem to think of putting their shoulder to the wheel at home. Now that is an extreme to which the devil would seek to bring a Christian, because he is interested in arresting and ruining the work of Christ, especially in the churches. He is happy to see Christians doing nothing for their Lord.

But now there is another extreme in this situation. Here is a Christian who is not going to be kept from serving God. He has been saved and is full of zeal, and bless his heart he is ready to anything in God's service. We could stand more of that kind! But the devil, seeing that he cannot keep him from active service tries to get him to the other extreme, to make him too busy in the cause of Christ. What do I mean by too busy in the cause of Christ? Well I can think of people who have been so busy in the Lord's service that they have neglected their own families for instance. A Christian man is horrified because he discovers that his wife has become involved with another man. He expresses shock and horror; he asks how she as a Christian could do such a thing, and we can well understand and sympathize with his reaction. But when the matter is analyzed with the help of a counselor or Pastor, it becomes apparent that one of the major causes of the disaster is that the man was so involved with religious matters, dashing out to meetings every night, away in support of this or that good cause, that for years he had utterly neglected his wife. He had not recognized his God-given responsibilities to her; he had not been mindful of her needs; he had no time to take her out or just to sit and talk with her. He was busy for the Lord; but he was so busy he lost his wife.

Now that is not far-fetched, it has happened all too often, and let me emphasize that it cuts both ways; sometimes a wife has lost her husband for the same reasons. Now please don't suggest I am justifying unfaithfulness! I am simply pointing out the dangers of being pushed, by the wiles of the devil, into a wrong extreme, so that "busyness" in the cause of Christ, which is desirable and commendable, becomes imbalanced and serious responsibilities are neglected. Indeed let me change the illustration and say that many a Christian has become spiritually impoverished, because they were just too busy even in the Lord's service. They have been so busy dashing here there and everywhere that they have neglected their prayer life, and the study of the Word of God, and they have become spiritually malnourished while all the time they were dashing about supposedly serving God. You see again there must be the balance. There is no excuse for a Christian not serving God and not fulfilling their responsibilities in the church; but be careful that the devil doesn't make you too busy for your souls good.

Let me touch on a third area, this time concerning the raising of children. Here again we have a classic area for imbalance to be produced, and the devil is always ready to inject it. The one extreme here of course is parents who are too slack hi the discipline of their children. Now this can often be a "touchy" subject, and I have known many a man fulfill the old proverb that "fools rush in where angels fear to tread". But we cannot deny that it is a crucial subject, and the Word of God gives it a great deal of attention. Having been involved in the process of raising children for a good number of years now, I have long been convinced that we should always have compassion hi dealing in this area, because it is an area where there are many difficulties. There is no more demanding task than raising children in a right and wise manner. I am always a little cynical when I hear those who have no children waxing eloquent and authoritarian as to how those who have them ought to raise them!

However the subject must be addressed, and it is true to say that there are parents, even Christian parents, who are far too slack in the discipline of their children. Poor Eli, the priest who trained Samuel hi the tabernacle, stands before us in scripture as a sad memorial of the bitterness which often results from a refusal to discipline children. The Bible tells us that Eli would not restrain his sons; he would not say "no" to them, and they turned out, to use the Biblical expression, "sons of Belial". They were a shame to Eli, a disgrace to the priesthood, a disaster to the nation, and an offence to God. And the problem seemed to stem from this slackness in discipline with Eli. Now some Christians hi our day seem to have the same problem. Perhaps the prevailing philosophy of the day rubs off on them. The great thing in our day of course is that corporal punishment is a "no no". You mustn't smack Johnny's bottom for that is displaying violence and Johnny will grow up toting a machine gun! You mustn't smack little Susie because she will then grow up psychologically twisted! The fact of the matter is of course that we already have a lot of Johnnys and Susies who have been brought up under that teaching and who are now tearing society apart; they would have been quite different and society as well as they themselves would now be a lot better off if their bottoms had been smacked in earlier years. Of course there are other elements in discipline which play their part, and you must understand that in speaking of corporal punishment I am not speaking of brutality and the inflicting of serious injury on children; that is a terrible and shameful matter. I am saying however that proper discipline, including corporal punishment when necessary, is most important in raising children, and Christian parents ought not to be affected by the world's outlook, but rather be directed by the Word of God. Christian parents must not be afraid to say "no" to their children; they must not be afraid to restrain them from wickedness, and discipline them as necessary.

But then imbalance comes in here too. If the devil sees that he will not succeed in persuading a Christian parent to withhold discipline, he will try to push that parent to the other extreme, so that he becomes severe and repressive with his children. This is a problem encountered in more than a few Christian homes. The Christian parents know that they must bring their children up in a disciplined manner, but they become so zealous in this that they treat their children as though they were in military service. Every slight infraction is made a great serious offence to be dealt with in the full rigour of the law! Mountains are made out of molehills; perfection is expected and demanded from the children, and woe to them when they don't produce it. No allowance is made for their immaturity, their lack of knowledge and experience; no room is made for their own personal development, and so often what develops is a humourless, repressive, regimented home with sullen resentful children who can't wait to get out of it. The result is so often, children who utterly repudiate everything the parents have stood for - including their Christian faith. Oh, how careful and prayerful Christian parents must be. There is nothing more important than balance in all aspects of Christian life.

May God deliver us from imbalance - one of the wiles of the devil.

Are Altar Calls Biblical?

July 1, 1974 by William Payne

While the necessity of inviting sinners to Jesus is something to be defended, that invitation must be safeguarded. In the evangelism of today, inviting sinners to Christ, which is a matter related to preaching, has been confused with giving altar calls, which is something related to methodology. When today's preachers speak of "giving the invitation," they invariably mean giving an altar call in which people are bidden to walk to the front of the church or auditorium as an indication that they are "accepting Christ."

The great objective to this methodology is that it identifies a physical act with saving faith. No matter how carefully the preacher tries to explain that "coming to the front won't save you," the person being addressed can hardly be blamed for equating the two. All through the sermon he has been told of the importance of coming to Christ, and then at the end of the sermon he is exhorted, "Come to Jesus Christ right now; let this be the moment of decision; come as you are; He will receive you," and at the same time he is directed to come down to the front of the auditorium. I say he can hardly be blamed for believing in his own mind that coming down to the front was indeed that very "coming to Jesus" of which the preacher had been so earnestly speaking.

There are many people whose lives give sad evidence that they are unregenerate, yet feel sure that they have been saved simply because they "came to Jesus" by responding to an alter call. But coming to Christ is a purely spiritual matter. It has nothing to do with the movement of the hands or feet. Coming to Christ involves a response of the mind, heart and will of the sinner (produced of course by the operation of the Spirit), but it is a dangerous thing to link this so closely to any form of altar call.

Many Christians are not aware of the fact that the altar call system, deemed by many today to be so essential to evangelism, was not known in Christian churches until the 19th century. It was Charles Finney who introduced and popularized the system (though occasionally similar methods had been used by some Methodists before Finney), and though it is perhaps consistent with Finney's theological views, it is hardly consistent with a Reformed and Biblical doctrinal position. Men were invited to Christ, and by God's grace, came to Christ for 1,800 years before altar calls came to be used in churches. As sinners are invited to Christ through preaching, as Christ is declared and His gracious Gospel promises unfolded, and sinners are invited to "look and live," the Spirit of God will ensure that His Word shall not return unto Him void.

In preaching the gospel and inviting sinners to come to Christ we must be sure to address the whole man. The weakness of much of today's evangelical preaching lies in the fact that often only an emotional response is sought. An assault on the emotions is made; moving illustrations, and heart-rending anecdotes or personal experiences are used. Soft music and even, at times, special lighting effects are used to produce an emotional response. The outlet for that response is often the altar call discussed above which is identified with coming to Christ. However, when the person is removed from that atmosphere, and returns to the cold world of reality, his "decision" often proves to be spurious.

The inviting of sinners to Christ must be linked with an appeal to the whole person. There is no question that his emotions will be involved. How can one be unemotional when considering the cross and issues relating to the eternal welfare of the soul? The heart must be weaned from sin and the sinner must be brought to see Jesus as more desirable than all else. Only the Holy Spirit can do this of course, but the preacher will want to preach in such a way that the Spirit will use his message in achieving these objectives. The way to the heart must be through the mind. Truth must be presented to the mind if the response of the heart is to be a valid one. The great facts of the gospel must be presented. The sinner must understand the issues involved. The great truths of ruin, redemption and regeneration must be set before him: repentance and faith must be explained. The mind must be reached if the heart is to be rightly moved.

Of course, the mind being enlightened and the heart moved, the will must be exercised. The gospel is not merely a subject for examination, analysis or discussion, but for obedient response. Reformed preachers must not over-react to the false teaching of the day regarding "free will" by failing to recognize the true importance of the will in the conversion experience. As Moses deliberately chose to align himself with the afflicted people of God, and to reject the pleasures of Egypt, so men and women today must choose to walk in the ways of the Lord and reject the world. Reformed preachers ought to feel no hesitation in preaching, "choose ye this day who ye shall serve." Such preachers will want their hearers to understand that the right choice of the will is to be attributed to the grace of the Spirit of God, not to themselves, but they ought still to press on the conscience of their hearers the necessity of the will responding obediently to the gospel.

This leads also to the importance of inviting men to the Biblical Jesus. Again, the abuses of modern evangelism make it necessary to consider this need. The Christ which some have heard about is a revolutionary hero who can yet lead mankind into a social-economic utopia. He is a kind of first century Che Guevara, ready to lead the young rebels against the modern day establishment. The Christ that others have heard about is a psychiatrist-like figure who can take care of all their hang-ups, deliver them from all of their frustrations and cares and give them a life free from any difficulties and worries. He is one who, in a mysterious way, makes marriages full of grace and romance, businessmen eminently successful, and athletes game-winning heroes. Others have heard of a Jesus who can assure them a place in heaven, while allowing them to pursue a life of carnality down here. This Jesus lets you have the best of both worlds; He is a Saviour without being a Lord: He delivers without making demands.

In inviting sinners to Jesus we must make sure that we are inviting them to a Biblical Jesus. I know of no better way to guard against a misleading view of Jesus than to think of Him in terms of His threefold office of prophet, priest and king, and to preach Him to men in this manner. This is not to say of course, that it is not legitimate to single out one aspect of the person or work of Christ in preaching, but it is to say that men must be given to understand who it is they must receive in order to become the sons of God. We are to invite men to Him as prophet: that is, one who will teach them the will of God, and one whose instruction they must believe and receive. We invite them to one who is priest: that is, one who offers up the atoning sacrifice for their sins. We invite them to one is King: that is, one who will exercise rule over them, and to whom they owe allegiance.

If Christ is preached in His offices, and sinners recognize that it is to Him that they are invited and must come, then much confusion and danger will be avoided. The current debate going on as to whether Christ must be received as Lord as well as Saviour if a man is to be saved, must surely be settled if it be recognized that Christ must be preached in all of His offices. To say that Christ does not need to be received as Lord is to say that one may receive Him as prophet and priest but not as king. Such an idea is preposterous. You cannot divide up Christ. He is what He is; prophet, priest and king. To receive Him at all is to receive Him as He is, in His three-fold office.

So in inviting sinners to Christ there are safeguards to be maintained. We must not confuse the invitation to come to Jesus with the altar call: we must address the whole man and we must invite him to a Biblical Jesus.

The Sanctity of Human Life

July 5, 1974 by William Payne

I am taking as my subject this morning "The Sanctity of Human life". When we talk about the sanctity of human life we mean that human life is sacred. Now I intend to deal with the subject in this way. I want to suggest to you three things from the Word of God which bring the sacredness of human life into focus, and then I want to suggest three implications from these Biblical truths.

First of all then, the sanctity or sacredness of human life is brought to life by the fact that humanity was made by Divine creation and in the image of God. This is one of the most important and foundational facts of all the Bible, and it immediately brings us into conflict with humanistic and non-Christian opinion.

The non-Christian of course refuses to acknowledge the Bible as an authority in any matter. But I am speaking this morning as a Christian minister who is unashamedly committed to the inspiration and authority of the Bible, and our purpose this morning is to discover what the Bible has to say about this issue of human life. And the very first thing it says, I repeat, is that human life was a Divine creation in the image of God.

Then God said, 'let us make man in Our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.' Genesis 1:26,27.

God created man! There is nothing more important than that statement. The testimony of the Bible is that humanity is not the product of impersonal evolu¬tionary forces; man is not the result of random natural processes; humanity is not the result of the chance coming together of various chemical particles blown together by amazing coincidence. Humanity is the result of the creative work of Almighty God. God created man.

Furthermore the Bible tells us that God created man in His own image." Let us make man in our own image, according to our likeness.. ."What does that tell us about humanity? Well it tells us that humanity was unique in all of Gods creative work. There was something very special about the human creature which distinguished them from all other creatures. This distinction between man and the rest of creation is brought out very graphically in the second chapter of Genesis where we are given the record of Adam the man naming the animals.

And the Lord God said, 'it is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him, out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But foi Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him'. Genesis 2:18-20

This is not just a case of Adam saying "Oh let's call that one a lion; let's call that one an elephant, etc.!" There is something much more profound here. It is probable that in naming the animals Adam was describing their nature, and God was using this process to make it clear that between him and the animals there was an enormous gap. There was nothing among the animals comparable to him; no animal could be the helper and companion suited to his needs as a man; and so the record goes on to describe the creation of woman. But you see the point of the narrative is to demonstrate the difference between man and the animals; and that difference lay in the fact that man was made in the image of God.

Now what does this expression mean — made in the image of God? Millions of words have been written on this subject and you can read the profound scholars until your head is reeling, but oftentimes you come away with precious little understanding. I don't think that many of them can beat the plain explan¬ation of the beloved commentator Matthew Henry. Henry says that the image of God in man consists of three things. First, the constitution and nature of the soul of man with its faculties of understanding, will and active power. Second, in man's position of dominion and authority over the earth, cp. Gen. 1:26. Third, in knowledge, righteousness and true holiness; and of course he draws that from Eph. 4:24 and Col. 3:10 where the New Testament comments on the renewal of God's image in man through Jesus Christ.

Now the profound might say that's not adequate, but it is adequate enough for our purpose today and it is helpful and straightforward. Made in the image of God; with a rational soul, with understanding, will and power; with a charge to exercise dominion over the earth, and with moral rectitude, righteousness, holiness and knowledge. It was that, that image of God in man that made the enormous difference between humanity and the animals; and even though that image of God has been terribly affected by the Fall into sin, yet it still makes all the difference.

Now secondly, the sanctity of human life was brought into focus when we consider that human nature was dignified by the incarnation of the Son of God. Incarnation means "in flesh", and it refers of course to the fact that the Son of God became man. The second person of the Trinity, whom we now call the Lord Jesus Christ, existed from all eternity as a spiritual Being. He was what John calls "the Word". You remember he begins his gospel "in the beginning was the Word". So here is the second person of the Trinity, this eternal Word, existing from everlasting ages. But now the time comes for Him to play His crucial role in the amazing plan of salvation which the Triune God has devised; and in order for Him to play that crucial part and be the saviour of sinners, the second Person of the Trinity, the eternal Word of God becomes man. He wasn't man before; He was a Divine spiritual Being, but now in this miracle of the incarnation the second person of the Trinity takes into union with His Divine nature human nature. He does not cease to be what He always was; that is He doesn't cease to be God; but He does become something that He was not before, that is man. That is the mystery of the incarnation and it is one of the wonders of the Christian faith. God takes human nature into union with Himself, and He becomes a man. What dignity that bestows upon human nature! This was an amazing action for God to take; it was a great stoop of humility and condescension; and yet God the Son is quite prepared to take it; He is prepared to become man.

You remember the carol we sing at Christmas, "Oh come all ye faithful". Remember that one of the verses says "Lo He abhors not the virgin's womb". Can you imagine the discussion within the Godhead concerning the plan of salvation? Can you imagine the Father saying to the Son. "for you to become the redeemer of men my Son you will have to assume human nature; you will have to take a human body and soul; you will have to become one with them, become a man". What was the reaction of the Son? Did He recoil in horror and say "Father do you realise what you are asking; that I the eternal Word should be conceived as a human in the womb of one of my creatures. That 1 the Creator should become as a creature; Father this is too much to ask." Thank God that was not the reply! "Lo He abhors not the virgin's womb"; and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God became a man, and human nature can never be viewed in quite the same light again.

The third thing which underlines the sanctity of human life is the fact that humanity has an eternal future. Oh says the evolutionist men are no different from the beasts; they are simply a mixture of chemicals, and when they die that is the end of them. Not so says the Word of God. It is true that there is a physical part which returns to its elements; you remember the Biblical statement "dust you are and to dust you shall return;" but the clear testimony of the Word of God is that the spiritual nalure of man continues forever. Indeed we have to go further than that and remind ourselves of the Biblical doctrine of the resurrection. Even from that physical part of us which crumbles and disintegrates God in some miraculous fashion is going to raise up a new body and reunite it to the soul. As a person then you will have an eternal future. You ask me "how can God do that, how could that possibly be brought about". My friends I cannot tell you how. I can direct you to Paul's great discussion of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians:15 where there are many wonderful things said about the resurrection of the body, but I cannot explain how it is to be brought about. Do you think that any man alive can explain all the things the eternal God has done or will do?

I haven't time this morning, nor is it my purpose in this message to try and provide reasons why this will come about. My purpose this morning is simply to point out to you that it is the revelation which God has given in His Word, that you are not destined for extinction after 60 or 70 years, that on the contrary you have an eternal future. You will live forever either under the sunshine of God's love and smile as a child of God through faith in Christ, or under His everlasting punishment and wrath as an unforgiven sinner who rejected the mercy of the gospel freely offered to you in this life. But what an awesome and sobering thought; you will live forever! That great reality underlines the sanctity of human life.

Now we must consider some implications from these truths of God's Word. The first is this; that human life has a God-bestowed dignity upon it which must always be recognised. People are meaningful; people have worth; that is the message of the Word of God. It is true that the human race fell in Adam, and the image of God was terribly marred through that sinful fall. It is true that in sin man is a rebel against God and worthy of punishment; all this is true. But these three great Biblical facts which we have brought out this morning tell us that there is a God-bestowed dignity about men and women that can never be denied by those who accept the testimony of the Bible. Human beings are not just beasts who can be despised, treated with contempt and kicked around by other human beings who may have power over them. No, they are creatures of God, and were made in His image; their nature was dignified by the incarnation; they have an eternal future. Every man and woman; every boy and girl has enormous worth.

We are told these days that teenage suicides are at alarming proportions. Statistics would make one weep. But is it surprising when they have been brought up on teaching that has told them that they are no different from the beast of the field and that they are just an accident of evolution without any true meaning? Here is a message for our teenagers: you are creatures of God made in His image; you are of tremendous worth and significance; every thing about you is important and meaningful. Here is a message for all human beings.

Do you see what an application this has for such things as racism and prejudice? Is a person any less worthwhile, any less meaningful or important, because he has a different colour skin than ours? Because he wears a turban? Because he speaks a different language? Because he has different customs? Because he is of a different nationality? What do these things mean in the light of the three great truths brought out earlier? You see those three truths apply to all human beings. The last people on earth who ought to be prejudiced against people of other colour or culture or nationality are Christians. Those who believe the Word of God ought to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ to all human beings, and to be a witness to them of the saving gospel of grace.

Implication number two is this: to destroy human life without divine authority is a crime of terrible proportions. Notice I said "to take human life without divine authority" is a crime. Sometimes God does sanction the taking of a human life as in the case of the penalty for deliberate and willful murder. It is very significant that in Gen. 9:6 where the death penalty for murder is declared we have a reference to this very issue of man being made in God's image.

'Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.'

It is because men and women are made in God's image, and that therefore human life is so sacred, that when someone dares to take away that human life that crime is viewed by God as so enormous and terrible that only the for¬feiture of his own life can render justice.

What does this have to say then to the practice of the wholesale abortion which is practised in so many countries today, our own included? It surely says that this butchery of human life must stink in the nostrils of God and will inevitably ultimately bring a fearful judgment from God. When millions of lives are snuffed out, in most instances the only reason being that that life is going to inconvenience whose who conceived it, going to upset their future plans and ambitions, such a thing can only be viewed as a national and indeed worldwide disaster by everyone who takes the Bible seriously. If we believe these things which we have looked at in the Bible today then we must raise our voices in protest against the mass killing which goes under the name of abortion. Some will be in a position to do more than others; providentially some will be able to be more effective than others; but everyone who accepts these three great truths ought to give what support they can to the protest against the slaughter of millions of human beings.

The implications can be multiplied. We are living in a world where people are being put to death in enormous numbers by oppressive political regimes for instance. What a century this has been, and continues to be, in terms of human slaughter. It is a tragedy of staggering proportions. I suggest to you that these things ought to make those who believe the truths of the Bible zealous in propo-gating them. The third and final implication is this: the only message which can truly meet human needs is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Why do we have prejudice and hatred and racism? Why do we have political oppression and the horrors of abortion? We have them because of sin; because human nature is in a fallen sin¬ful condition and in rebellion against God. And my friends the only message for this fallen and sin-sick world is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is a gospel which tells of God entering the arena of human existence in order that He might make a way for sinful rebellious men and women to be brought back into that fellowship with God for which they were originally made. It is a message of the forgiveness of sins through the precious blood of God's dear Son. It is a message of new life through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a message of eternal life through the salvation of God.

The Word of God in all its fullness must be proclaimed throughout the world. God has committed that task to His church. Churches must be careful that they don't get sidetracked from that task. We need Christian men and women to get involved with the pressing issues of the day, just as great men such as Wilberforce and Shaftesbury got involved in the crying issues of their day. But the pulpits of the land must remember that their primary function is to preach the gospel and to declare the Word of God, so that sinners might be saved and so that God's people might be equipped for ministry. The ultimate answer to the world's need is the conversion of sinners and the propagation of the truth of God. That's why all Christians should be seekers of souls; that's why all Christians should be bringing others to hear the Word of God; that's why we should be seeking to disseminate the truth by all means.

Remember the last point of our three Biblical statements - humanity has an eternal future. You have an eternal future. Our eternity depends upon our relationship to God through Jesus Christ. Let us all be sure that we have been born of the Spirit of God; let us be sure that our hope and trust is in the Lord Jesus alone and that we personally know His salvation.