For several years, I had oversight over Reformed Baptist church without a pastor. This church has the 1689 CoF as their doctrinal standard! A day came when this church, at its official church members meeting, voted and decided to reject what I have endeavored to show them are the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I relinquished the spiritual oversight.
Constrained by the love of Christ for these dear folks, I wrote this note to call them to remembrance of the gospel truth.
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Brethren of ... Church,
"Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir up by putting you in remembrance... that ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour."
"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God":
The new birth from above that bestows eternal life is the absolute prerequisite to perceiving and believing the things of the Spirit of God. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. Natural man, being dead in trespasses and sins, cannot see, much less receives the things of the Spirit of God. Eternal life MUST PRECEDE faith. Faith is certainly NOT a condition of eternal life, though it is certainly a condition to evidence eternal life.
[The 'woefully blind' insist that the natural man must believe IN ORDER to receive eternal life. ]
"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins":
Natural man, being spiritually dead in trespasses and sins, except he be quickened and given eternal life by the Spirit of Christ, cannot see the kingdom of God. A quickened man possesses eternal life because God has acquitted him of the condemnation of death by forgiving him all his sins, and by applying to him the righteousness of Christ unto justification of life. The removal of the condemnation of death by the Father based solely on the righteousness of Christ alone logically precedes the bestowal of the eternal life by the Spirit of Christ.
[The 'woefully blind' insist that the natural man dead in trespasses and sins must believe IN ORDER to receive eternal life. ]
"Whosoever believes HAS eternal life":
Eternal life is the effect of the new birth by the free and sovereign grace of God. Believing is a an activity of the eternal life that has been bestowed by the free and sovereign grace of God. Believing manifests the presence and possession of that eternal life in a man that has been bestowed freely by the sovereign grace of God when he was still dead in trespasses and sins.
And regeneration unto eternal life logically follows the removal of condemnation of death, i.e. justification unto life. And believing is an activity of eternal life. The order is thus: justification (applied) >> regeneration >> adoption >> faith (works by the indwelling Spirit) >> justification (experiential).
Since the Scriptures repeatedly declares 'whoever believes HAS eternal life', then whoever believes (present tense) is certified/declared/justified/vindicated that he has been given (perfect tense), and does possess (present tense) eternal life. Therefore whosoever believes in Christ has warrant to believe that he has eternal life by the free and sovereign grace of God
Believing is the condition/instrument to make manifest and demonstrate that the bestowal of eternal life be God's free and sovereign grace HAS taken place.
[The 'woefully blind' insist that whosoever will believe shall have eternal life... thus perverting a declarative statement of fact into a conditional statement of offer, i.e. you will get eternal life if you comply with the condition of believing.]
"The just shall live by faith":
Since, the Scriptures repeatedly declares, 'the just shall live by faith,' then whosoever lives (present tense) by faith declares and demonstrates that he has been justified (perfect tense) by the free grace of God. His faith justifies (present tense) evidentially that he has been justified legally by God free and sovereign grace. The justified ones, by God's free and sovereign grace, shall live by faith. Therefore whosoever lives by faith in Christ has warrant to believe that he has been justified by the free and sovereign grace of God.
Condition to evidence:
Believing is the condition/instrument to manifest and evidence the justification and eternal life that God, by His free and sovereign grace alone through the righteousness of Christ, has accomplished, and applied all by Himself without the aid or cooperation of man.
And this faith comes by hearing, even the hearing the word of truth. The preaching of the word of truth draws forth the grace of faith worked in the heart by the indwelling Spirit. For that reason, 'preach the word, be instant in season, and out of season.'
They who insist that believing is the condition to be justified by, and before God and also in order to obtain eternal life are woefully blind to the gospel truth of their salvation (Benjamin Keach)
Thanks for your patience. May the Lord bless and keep you all from wilful ignorance!
putting you in remembrance of BASIC gospel truth,
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