Benjamin Keach's Catechism, Q5: Is the Bible God's Word? Part 2

Q. 5. How do we know that the Bible is the Word of God?

A. The Bible evidences itself to be God's Word by the heavenliness of its doctrine, the unity of its parts, its power to convert sinners and to edify saints; but the Spirit of God only, bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in our hearts, is able fully to persuade us that the Bible is the Word of God. (1 Cor. 2:6,7,13; Ps. 119:18, 129; Acts 10:43, 26:22; Acts 18:28; Heb 4:12; Ps. 19:7-9; Rom. 15:4; John 16:13,14; 1 John 2:20-27; 2 Cor. 3:14-17)

Scripture Proofs

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory . . . . And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. (1 Cor. 2:6, 7, 13)

Open my eyes, that I may behold
     wondrous things out of your law. (Ps. 119:18)

Your testimonies are wonderful;
     therefore my soul keeps them. (Ps. 119:129)

To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. (Acts 10:43)

To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass. (Acts 26:22)

For he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. (Acts 18:28)

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Heb 4:12)

The law of the LORD is perfect,
     reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
     making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
     rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
     enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean,
     enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
     and righteous altogether. (Ps. 19:7-9)

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Rom. 15:4)

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16:13, 14)

But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.

I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. (1 John 2:20-27)

But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Cor. 3:14-17)

In the last post we covered the first part of this answer. Now, we come to the second part: "The Spirit of God only, bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in our hearts, is able fully to persuade us that the Bible is the Word of God." This is the reason why, despite the evidences given in the first part, people still disbelieve: because only God's Spirit can break through our inherent depravity and tendency to "suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Rom. 1:18 NASB).

Again, the Bible itself testifies to the fact that God teaches people through it. Paul talks about how God's Word is "not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit" who "interpret[s] spiritual truths to those who are spiritual" (1 Cor. 2:13). God's Word cannot be fully and truly understood by flesh, but it requires the Spirit who came to "guide [us] into all the truth" and to "take what is [Christ's] and declare it to [us]" (John 16:13, 14). Not only that, but the Spirit only "interpret[s]" spiritual truths to those who are spiritual." Elsewhere Paul states that believers "are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you." Thus, those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells are those who are spiritual, and are those for whom the Holy Spirit interprets spiritual truths. Flesh - that is, those who don't have the Holy Spirit - read the Bible and see only intellectual truths. They are not persuaded of its truth and will not be unless the Spirit, through the Word, teaches them.

To expand on this a little bit, the apostle John even goes so far as to say in 1 John 2, "the anointing that you received from him [the Holy One, v. 20] abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you" (v. 27). We have no need that anyone should teach us. This doesn't mean we should never listen to pastors and theologians who have been studying for decades, or that we should ignore the great titans of church history. It only means that the Holy Spirit teaches us, so that we have no need to be taught by others. I think we should learn from others because they often have great insight. But we don't need to.

The Psalmist petitions to God: "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law" (Ps. 119:18). He wants to behold those wondrous things, so he comes to God, knowing that he is the only one who can show him. Paul expands on this when he speaks of the Israelites, "To this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed" (2 Cor. 3:15-16). Not only does the Lord remove the veil, but Paul is very clear that "only through Christ is it taken away" (v. 14, emphasis added). God is the only one who can reveal the true meaning of Scripture.

However, he often chooses to do this through human teachers. These teachers, like all believers, ultimately learn from the Spirit. Paul said, "To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass" (Acts 26:22). Paul preached from God's Word, and he had God's help. Had not God used Paul, all of Paul's preaching would have resulted in nothing. Instead, however, God worked with his Word through him to reach many and change the face of the world.

So, despite all the evidence that the Bible is God's Word, we will never believe this unless God himself reveals it to us. God alone, through his Word, is able to work his mighty works. If that is true, we need to be in the Bible daily, earnestly desiring to know his will.

To read the full catechism, click here.

Benjamin Keach's Catechism, Q5: Is the Bible God's Word? Part 1

Q. 5. How do we know that the Bible is the Word of God?

A. The Bible evidences itself to be God's Word by the heavenliness of its doctrine, the unity of its parts, its power to convert sinners and to edify saints; but the Spirit of God only, bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in our hearts, is able fully to persuade us that the Bible is the Word of God. (1 Cor. 2:6,7,13; Ps. 119:18, 129; Acts 10:43, 26:22; Acts 18:28; Heb 4:12; Ps. 19:7-9; Rom. 15:4; John 16:13,14; 1 John 2:20-27; 2 Cor. 3:14-17)

Scripture Proofs

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory . . . . And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. (1 Cor. 2:6, 7, 13)

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. (Ps. 119:18)

Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. (Ps. 119:129)

To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. (Acts 10:43)

To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass. (Acts 26:22)

For he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. (Acts 18:28)

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Heb 4:12)

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul;the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. (Ps. 19:7-9)

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Rom. 15:4)

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16:13, 14)

But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.

I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. (1 John 2:20-27)

But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Cor. 3:14-17)

There are a whole lot of Scripture proofs for this question! I generally try to touch on all of the proofs at least somewhat for each question, so I've decided to cover this question in two posts. Otherwise, the one post would be ridiculously long.

So, in the last post, we went through the question "What is the Word of God?" The answer given was "the Bible." The answer gave no reason why we should see that the Bible is God's Word, and we didn't try to find a reason; we simply established what we should expect from the Bible if it really is God's Word. Now we come to the evidence. Like I've previously stated, I'm not looking to make an apologetic case for the Bible. I'm just studying the catechism and learning from it.

Like the third answer, this answer comes in two parts: the evidence we all see and the work of the Holy Spirit in convincing us of the truth. We'll cover the first part today, which says, "The Bible evidences itself to be God's Word by the heavenliness of its doctrine, the unity of its parts, its power to convert sinners and to edify saints."

If we examine the Bible, we find that it itself testifies to all these evidences. The first one, the "heavenliness of its doctrine," is easily seen in the Psalms. The Psalmist calls God's Word "wonderful" (Ps 119:129) and says it is full of "wondrous things" (Ps 119:18)¹. In addition, another Psalm calls it "pefect," "sure," "right," "pure," "clean," "true," and "righteous altogether" (Ps. 19:7-9). That same Psalm refers to the fact that it is "enduring forever" (v. 9). Paul also compares the wisdom of God with the wisdom of Man; he has a low view of the "wisdom ... of the rulers of this age" because they "are doomed to pass away" (2 Cor. 2:6). They are temporal. In contrast, he testifies to "a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory" (v. 7). God's wisdom has existed since before time. God's wisdom is found in his words. Thus, the Bible has a very high opinion - indeed a "heavenly" opinion - of God's Word.

The next evidence, "the unity of its parts," is one that is often disputed. People claim that the Bible is full of contradictions. But if it really is God's Word, then it can't be; otherwise, God would be a liar who talks out of both sides of his mouth, and would not be worthy of our worship.

Peter said of Jesus that "all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name" (Acts 10:43). The keyword for our purpose at the moment is "all." Does Peter really mean that each and every one of the prophets testifies to Jesus? I think he does, but even if he didn't, "the prophets" was a term meant to be understood as referring to the Old Testament. He's claiming that they all agree that Jesus is the Messiah. Apollos proved this when "he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus" (Acts 18:28). Take note that all the New Testament church had as Scripture was the Old Testament.

I wish that Keach had included this next verse in his proofs, but I think it's another great testimony to the Bible's claim to unity: "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27). Jesus went all the way back to Moss, which basically means "the first books of the Bible." The Bible agrees with itself about its teaching on Jesus. It also has unity in many other aspects of theology and doctrine, but I think the teaching on Jesus is the most important thing, don't you?

The last of the evidences (which is really in two parts, but I think they go hand-in-hand) is Scripture's "power to convert sinners and to edify saints." Even someone with very little knowledge of what the Bible says will know that it says this. The Bible "reviv[es] the soul," "mak[es] wise the simple," "rejoic[es] the heart," and "enlighten[s] the eyes" (Ps. 19:7-8). In other words, it is meant to transform our hearts, souls, minds, and even our bodies. Supporting that is Hebrews 4:12, which says, "The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Heb 4:12). Paul also says that "whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (Rom. 15:4). It is encouraging and meant to give us hope for salvation and glorification. And if we go back to Acts 10:43, it says that "all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." The Scriptures testify to salvation! They are meant to save people!

All of these things are true of the Bible. You will find no true Christian who argues against what the Bible says; they may disagree on how to interpret it, but the Bible is the source of Christian doctrine. It is unified despite having been written over a period of about 1,600 years by multiple men in different cultures and with different backgrounds. And it is powerful to convert sinners and edify the saints. Thus, we cam be confident that the Bible itself is the Word of God it refers to. Now, if all of this is true, why don't people believe it? We'll cover that in the next post.

To read the full catechism, click here.

Footnotes

¹ Psalm 119 is full of praises for God's Word, and is the ideal chapter to read for anyone wondering what we should think of the Bible.

We Also Need Someone to Snap Us Out of Our Illusion of Independence

Have you ever stopped to think about how very dependent we are? We here in America view independence very highly. But even those who we hold up as our greatest examples of independence still fall vastly short of true independence.

Think about our bodies for a minute. Every few hours or so, we need to eat food and drink water in order to keep our strength up. Not only that, but every few seconds, we need to breath in oxygen which our bloodstreams carry to our muscles to keep them functioning properly, and to keep us conscious in the first place. These three things - food, water, and oxygen - are things that exist apart from our bodies.

I'm not saying we aren't self-sustaining in a sense. We grow and manufacture the food we eat. We purify the water we drink. We plant plants which expel oxygen so we can breath. We can create systems to sustain ourselves, but the fact remains that we still need these external objects in order to keep going. We even make multi-vitamins with our essential daily vitamins and minerals because of that fact. Our bodies do not recreate them. Our bodies cannot sustain themselves.

In contrast, a car - which is a man-made machine - only needs to refuel about once a week or so, possibly less depending on things like the model of the car and how often one drives it. Our man-made machines can outlast us. They still need maintenance and refueling, but not nearly as often as we do. Not only that, but we build cars and then become dependent on them for our lives: we need them to get to work, to go grocery shopping, and so forth. We also become dependent on other man-made things: we rely on HVAC systems and clothing to keep us warm in winter and cool in summer. We rely on houses to shelter us from the elements.

I'm not even talking about other needs here. I haven't touched on our emotional or our spiritual needs. What about our need for companionship? Humans are not meant to live apart from other humans.

It seems to me that we are simply hard-wired to be dependent on something, like we weren't meant to be fully independent, like we weren't meant to think we can do anything and everything on our own.

Benjamin Keach's Catechism, Q4: The Word of God

Q. 4. What is the Word of God?

A. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, being given by divine inspiration, are the Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice. (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16,17; Isaiah 8:20)

Scripture Proofs

For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Pet. 1:21)

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16, 17)

To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. (Isa. 8:20)

If you know anything about me, you know I looked forward to the questions about the Bible. This answer is the kind of thing I want my children to grow up learning: "The Word of God [is] the only infallible rule of faith and practice." I think that is one of the most important truths one can know and live by.

This question does not give the reasons we can know the Bible is God's Word; that's the next question. Rather, this question and the Scripture proofs given establish what we can expect from God's Word.

First, God's Word is not man-made. Yes, God used men to write the Bible, and yes, the men's individual personalities do come through in the text. But the Bible is ultimately authored by God. "For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:21). God willed the writing of the Bible. In addition, "All Scripture is breathed out by God" (2 Tim. 3:16). God breathed out the very words of Scripture. Again, this doesn't contradict the fact that men wrote it with their own individual styles; rather, God ordained the very words they would write, and they wrote them. At least that's how I understand it.

But that's not all we can take away from the answer. God's Word is also "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). I think the important word here, at least for our purposes, is "complete." God's Word gives us everything we need to be "equipped for every good work." We don't need other revelation from God to do his work. In fact, if we really want "a word from the Lord" (which is a common idea nowadays), we ought to go to our Bibles. The Bible is the word from the Lord.

We can also know it is all we need not only because it says so, but because it is from God. God implores us to go "to the teaching and the testimony" and that those who "will not speak according to this word [the Word of God] . . . will have no dawn" (Isa. 8:20). That is, they who deny God's Word will find only "distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish" and, ultimately, "they will be thrust into thick darkness" (Isa. 8:22). In contrast, in the words of the Psalmist to God, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Ps. 119:105).

This is what we can expect of the Word of God. If the Bible is the Word of God, then by implication we can expect these things of it. The next question will address how we can know the Bible is God's Word.

To read the full catechism, click here.

Benjamin Keach's Catechism, Q3: How Do We Know?

Q. 3. How do we know there is a God?

A. The light of nature in man, and the works of God, plainly declare that there is a God; but His Word and Spirit only, do effectually reveal Him unto us for our salvation. (Rom. 1:18-20; Psalm 19:1,2; 2 Tim. 3:15; 1 Cor. 1:21-24; 1 Cor. 2:9,10)

Scripture Proofs

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Rom. 1:18-20)

The heavens declare the glory of God,
     and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
     and night to night reveals knowledge. (Ps. 19:1, 2)

...and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (2 Tim. 3:15)

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Cor. 1:21-24)

But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
      nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. (1 Cor. 2:9, 10)

I actually addressed this question not that long ago in a way. Granted, my argument was more philosophical than anything else, but it still was my attempt to give an answer to the question: How do we know there is a God? I think, since I already recently wrote about it, I'm not going to give the same argument a second time; if you're interested, go back and read the post I linked to. My purpose in this series isn't really to discuss purely philosophical ideas or arguments anyway, but rather to examine the questions of this catechism in light of the Scriptures and see how it stands up. This question, in my opinion, stands up just fine.

The first two verses address the first part of the answer: "The light of nature in man, and the works of God, plainly declare that there is a God." I think that addresses a few things: first off, as Keach himself gives Romans 1:18-20 as a proof of what he states, he clearly means that nature is proof of God's existence. And indeed, "the heavens declare the glory of God" (Ps. 19:1) and "his righteousness" (Ps 50:6). Not only that, but "day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge" (v. 2). The 1599 Geneva Bible gives this commentary on the second verse: "The continual success of the day and the night is sufficient to declare God’s power and goodness." Basically, that day and night come and go testify to God's goodness and power. We are surrounded by testimony of his existence all the time!

But the words "in man" remind me of another passage: "When Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them" (Rom. 2:14-15). God has literally written his law, the absolute standard of right and wrong, on the hearts of all people. When people declare that something is morally wrong, they are appealing to some standard of good and evil. That standard, and that we know that standard, is proof of God's existence. People skew and ignore that standard all the time, however; men "by their unrighteousness suppress the truth" (Rom. 1:18). Men suppress it. They still have it, but they pretend they don't. They also suppress the truth of God's existence proclaimed in nature; when they see it, even though it clearly testifies of him, they act as if it doesn't and even delude themselves into believing it doesn't.

So how can the truth penetrate the veil? Keach answers, "His Word and Spirit only, do effectually reveal Him unto us for our salvation." The key word here is "only;" God's Word and Spirit are the only things that reveal God in a saving way to people. Fallen human reason cannot get us to God by itself; our bias towards evil keeps us away from that. Also, the idea that our Savior is someone who was killed on a cross is "a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles" (1 Cor. 1:23). That's not to say reason has no place in discussing salvation, but rather that without God's Spirit moving, it won't save anyone. But salvation, which "no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him . . . God has revealed to us through the Spirit" (1 Cor 2:9, 10). And through the Spirit, we can understand "the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ" (2 Tim. 3:15).

Even though we are surrounded by evidence of God's existence day by day, we in our wickedness suppress the truth and pretend it does not exist. Only God, through the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures, can open our eyes and bring the truth to light.

To read the full catechism, click here.

Elect, Raise Up Your Voice to God

Before Creation, God ordained
To save His Son’s dear bride
Then Jesus came and died for her
To make her purified

[REFRAIN]
Elect, raise up your voice to God
Who Sov’reignly decreed
To heal your heart and make you new
From sin to set you free

Though we are undeserving fools
Unworthy and disgraced
He met God’s justice on the cross
And poured on us His grace

The sheep the Father gives to Him
Will come to Him one day
And all who rest inside His hand
Shall ne’er be cast away

No, not by works nor merit earned
Have Christians been restored
But we can rest assured in
The mercy of our Lord

I'm particularly happy about this song because it's essentially the Five Points of Calvinism set to song. That was the goal: to word the Five Points in a way that every person who calls himself a Christian would have to agree with them. We were undeservedly saved by a sovereign God who keeps us in his hand for all eternity and sanctifies us every day. What's wrong with that? If you ask me, it sounds like orthodox, historical, Biblical Christianity. And, in the humble opinion of this blogger, that's exactly what it is.

Benjamin Keach's Catechism, Q2: The Chief End of Man

Q. 2. What is the chief end of man?

A. Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. (1 Cor. 10:31; Psalm 73:25-26)

Scripture Proofs

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Cor. 10:31)

Whom have I in heaven but you?
     And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
     but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Ps. 73:25, 26)

This is the second question of this catechism, but it is based on the first question of the Westminster Catechism. Personally, I think that this catechism gets it right by putting man as the second question and God as the first. However, I think both of them get right the fact that man's very purpose and reason for existing is for the glory of God.

Like the first question and answer, the answer given is well-supported by Scripture. Paul says that "whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31, emphasis added). It doesn't say "do some things" or even "most things," but quite literally, that absolutely everything we do should be for God's glory. Paul says the same thing in Colossians 3:17: "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Paul wants "whoever speaks [to speak] as one who speaks oracles of God" and "whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ." Everything we do, we must do for God's glory. This reminds me of another passage of Scripture:

Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. (Eph. 6:5-8)

In other words, when we do work, we are working for God himself. That makes sense; anyone in a position of authority ultimately had that authority delegated to him by God (Rom. 13:1), which means that our bosses are put over us by God. So when we do our work well, we are glorifying God through it!

But what about enjoying God? I wonder if we often think of that? I know that people outside of the faith don't; they tend to see God as a cosmic killjoy who only wants to squash everyone's fun. But that's not Biblical at all; in fact, God wants us to take part in a greater joy than any earthly, temporal pursuit can give us: his joy, the joy of being his. Look at the language the Psalmist uses in the verse above: "There is nothing on earth that I desire besides you . . . God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." This is a deep longing that nothing on earth can satisfy, and a satisfaction that nothing on earth can bring. Other Psalms portray the desire for God as a deep thirst for water in a dry place (Ps 42:2; 63:1; 143:6).

How does this work itself out? It's one thing to talk about enjoying God, but how do we actually do it? Paul talks about it in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18:

Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

What Paul is saying is that all the sadness and grief we face on earth should not ultimately kill our joy. It's all temporal. In contrast, God has given us an "eternal comfort and good hope through grace" in salvation and sanctification (2 Thess. 2:16). Someday, we will behold the God who is beautiful beyond all comparison, and "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Rev 21:4).

This doesn't mean we should just traipse through life as if it means nothing; this should affect how we live now. The writer of Hebrews speaks of Moses, who chose "rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward" (Heb. 11:25, 26). Moses, looking forward to the reward of Heaven, made a conscious choice not to take part in sin and chose rather to be mistreated for his faith. We should do the same, but we need to remember that this is not because we are trying to earn our salvation; our enjoyment of God is a response to his already having saved us. Paul said, "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:2, 3). Our lives are already hidden in Christ, and because of this we must set our minds on things that are above.

What more could we possibly ask for? What on earth is worth our enjoyment more than a perfect, loving, holy God who has granted us a perfect and merciful salvation despite our sin? God wants us to rejoice in him and glorify him! This is the reason we exist!

To read the full catechism, click here.

Benjamin Keach's Catechism, Q1: The First and Best

Q. 1. Who is the first and best of beings?

A. God is the first and best of beings. (Isaiah 44:6; Psalm 8:1; 97:9)

Scripture Proofs

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
     and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
“I am the first and I am the last;
     besides me there is no god." (Isa. 44:6)

O Lord, our Lord,
     how majestic is your name in all the earth!You have set your glory above the heavens. (Ps. 8:1)

For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
     you are exalted far above all gods. (Ps. 97:9)

The first question of the Baptist Catechism, like the first question of most catechisms, is a simple one. God is the first and best of beings. I know of no genuine Christian, even one who has only read part of the Bible, who would dispute this. This is a fact well attested to in Scripture, as the Scripture proofs indicate.

So what does it mean for God to be first and best? The Bible says that God is, quite literally in terms of chronology, the first being; "My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together" (Isa. 48:13). God being first and best also indicates his status as king over all other beings: "Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven" (Ps. 148:13). His name alone is exalted. His majesty is above earth and heaven. Psalm 83:18 say that he "alone...[is] the Most High over all the earth." God is first in time and first in command.

I think that Keach (the framer of this particular catechism) meant "best" simply as a synonym for "first." It seems to have similar, if not the same, implications, doesn't it? But we must remember that God is literally the best of all beings. He is perfectly good, perfectly holy, perfectly just. He is perfectly perfect.

Our God, Yahweh, is indeed the first and best of all beings.

To read the full catechism, click here.

1813 Baptist Catechism, Q2: Ought Everyone to Believe?

Q. Ought every one to believe there is a God?

A. Everyone ought to believe there is a God (Heb. 11:6); and it is their great sin and folly who do not (Ps. 14:1).

Scripture Proofs

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Heb. 11:6)

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
     They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,
     there is none who does good. (Ps 14:1)

This is another easy question, although I would say that it is probably harder than the first one, particularly because of the second half of the answer. We're only on the second question and we're already face-to-face with the harsh reality of sin. But we'll get to that.

So, since the catechism doesn't seem to answer the question I'm about to pose, I will pose it: why ought we to believe there is a God? I'm not talking about evidentiary proof, though I think it is abundant (not to mention a different question in the catechism); I'm talking about a different kind of why: why does it matter if we believe there is a God or not? I think a lot of Christians would answer, "Because you'll go to hell if you don't." Now, that is true. But it's an answer that simply brings up another question: why will you go to hell? The implicit question here is, "What gives God the right to send people to hell, especially over something like whether you think he exists or not?"

To answer this question, we have to remember that the world and humanity were here, God came along, and he imposed his will on both of them. That makes sense, right? Of course not! If that really were true, I would question very much if God had the right to rule or to judge. He certainly could; he is all-powerful, after all. But that wouldn't give him the right.

So how does it really happen in the Bible? "God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). God, remember, is the first and chiefest being. He was before anything else was. He caused everything else to come into being. Now, if that really is the case, it seems to me like he would have the right to do anything he pleases with everything he created. It's similar to what Paul says, "Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?" (Rom. 9:21). In context, Paul is talking about God creating and predestining man, but it follows that since he created everything else as well, he can do what he wants with it. The potter has every right to mold clay into a beautiful vase or a simple garbage can. God has every right to be king over all he created.

This may sound difficult to accept, but this, I believe, should make it easier: God is perfectly good, holy, righteous, and just, and he knows all things. He does not arbitrarily decide anything. Everything he does is for the ultimate good.

Now, if God has every right to be king, then it follows that we should want to please him, especially since "the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought" (2 Chron. 28:9). How do we do this? We do this by faith, as Hebrews 11:6 says and further adds, "Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." I particularly like the wording of the 1599 Geneva Bible, which says that we "must believe that God is." Do you hear that? God is. It harkens back to Exodus 3:14, where God says his name: "I AM." It's powerful.

But is it really that bad to think that God doesn't exist? It doesn't sound so bad, but look at how the Bible words it; those who say there is no God "are corrupt [and] they do abominable deeds" (Ps. 14:1). The implication is that those who deny God's existence are evil, and their denial either leads to such evil or is the result of it. Also, by denying God's existence, they deny his right to rule and his standard of good. This is because they want to excuse their evil actions by saying there is no such standard. No standard of good, no such thing as evil. They mock God: "[T]he enemy scoffs, and a foolish people reviles your name" (Ps 74:18). The foolish both deny God's existence and scoff in the face of the God they refuse to believe in. What sense does that make? They are also prideful and wicked: "In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, 'There is no God'" (Ps 10:4). In other words, this is not a well-meaning skepticism; this is outright rebellion against the rightful ruler of the world. To deny him is to actively and willingly scoff in his face. To not expect retribution in that case is foolishness. We must remember that God will answer the call of Psalm 74: "Arise, O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!" (v. 22).

So everyone ought to believe in God, and those who do not are willingly engaging in foolish sin. They are actively rebelling against the rightful Creator-king of all, the first and chiefest being. Now we know the reason why he will send them to hell: it will not be an arbitrary, wistful thing; it will be well-deserved justice from a perfect and righteous judge. Maybe that sounds harsh, but it is the reality that we must all be warned of.

I don't say this out of a spirit of hate, but of love. I was once glad to scoff in the face of God. I am in the process of repenting of such actions, but I still do so with my thoughts, words, and deeds, though a bit less gladly. He is still in the process of sanctifying my rebellious heart. But God has provided the Lamb, Jesus Christ, to cover my sins, to cover the sins of all who would turn to him in humble repentance and ask for his forgiveness. To say that you don't need forgiveness is to be full of pride and to depend on your own imperfect actions to get you in the good graces of a perfectly good God whose standard of goodness is perfection. Only Jesus fulfilled that perfect standard, and God is more than willing to exchange your sin for Jesus' righteousness if you would turn to him. I ask you, in the words of Jesus: "Repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15).

1813 Baptist Catechism, Q1: The First and Chiefest Being

So I discovered that I have been writing posts about the wrong catechism for the past few days. Well, sort of. I found out that there is a catechism that is specifically tailored to the 2nd London Baptist Confession, whereas the catechism I had chosen was something a bit different, written over a century after the Confession. Since I discovered this shortly before this was scheduled to post (meaning I have no time to revise it), and seeing as I particularly enjoyed writing and studying for today's and Friday's posts, I have decided to let them post and keep them up. Starting next week, however, I'll switch to the right catechism, known as Benjamin Keach's catechism, or more informally, "The Baptist Catechism." Sorry for the confusion!

Q. Who is the first and chiefest being?

A. God is the first and chiefest being (Is. 44:6; 48:12; Ps. 97:9).

Scripture Proofs

Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god." (Isa. 44:6)

Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last. (Isa. 48:12)

For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. (Ps. 97:9)

This is definitely one of the easiest questions in the entire catechism - or the whole of Christian doctrine - to answer. No truly regenerated follower of Jesus would ever deny the answer given: God is the first and chiefest being. Quite literally, God being the chiefest being means that he is highest over all things. He is first, he is sovereign. David says that "all that is in the heavens and in the earth" belongs to him and exalts him as "head above all" (1 Chron. 29:11). According to Paul, God is also the source and granter of all authority: his exact words say, "There is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God" (Rom 13:1).

Another verse that states this idea of God being first and chiefest is Isaiah 43:10: "Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me." In other words, God is the only God; there is no other god, and all claims to deity other than the one made by God himself are false. All man-made gods are no gods at all, and to worship them is folly; Isaiah 2:8 condemns the Israelites for "bow[ing] down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made." Doesn't that sound ridiculous? In contrast, God made us with his own hands, and we, the creation, must worship him, the Creator.

So God is the first and chiefest being. That's a very simple statement with a whole lot of depth and truth to it. It should remind us who is truly in charge, and that he is totally sovereign. And it is cause for us to fall on our faces and worship he who is first and chiefest.

Train Up Your Children

So I realized after I wrote this post that I referenced the wrong catechism! That is to say, I picked one catechism and started working on it before I discovered a more preferable one, known as Benjamin Keach's Catechism (also more commonly known as the Baptist Catechism). So I will actually be using that one in this series, though the other catechism seems to be a good one as well.

I've been thinking a lot about my upcoming fatherhood lately. That makes sense; Sarrah's due date is getting closer and closer all the time. A lot of what I've been thinking about is how we'll go about teaching our children the Bible. This thought has come to mind more and more as I read every day.

My daily Bible reading has taken me into Exodus. If you read it and remember it, you'll notice several times where God, after ordaining a feast or ritual of some kind, speaks of the Israelites telling their children what these feasts and rituals are for. One such example is Exodus 13:14: "And when in time to come your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' you shall say to him, 'By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery'" (see also Ex. 12:26, 27; Deut. 6:20-25). Then there is that famous verse that I'm pretty sure I hear quoted all the time when it comes to teaching children:

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deut. 6:4-9)

All this leads me to the conclusion that God is very concerned with the proper training and teaching of children. I guess that isn't a very groundbreaking realization; I hear pastors talking about the dad's duty to lead his children in the fear of the Lord all the time. It's just interesting to me that I keep on coming across this theme in my reading.

One way I've considered going about this is by using a catechism. We commonly associate catechisms with the Catholic Church, but there is a long tradition of catechisms in the Protestant church as well. I commonly hear about the Westminster Catechism, which is overall a very good catechism for Reformed folks; the only problem with it is that it teaches Infant Baptism, something I do not agree with.

So I decided to find a catechism that fits with the 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith, the basic doctrinal statement of Reformed Baptists (basically Reformed people who practice only Believer's Baptism and reject Infant Baptism, like me and my wife). I think I found what I'm looking for in the Baptist Catechism.

So I hope to go through this catechism in-depth. When I was reading through it it seemed to be pretty doctrinally sound and deep, yet simple. I also thought that a study of it may make a good blog series, and I'd certainly like to memorize and learn from it myself, so I think I'm gonna do it.

I make no promises that the series will be organized or complete. This will not be a teaching series; rather, it will be a series of my thoughts and considerations of the various questions of the catechism. I may or may not finish it, but I hope to. I will also write posts about other things, so this will not be consecutive, though I do intend to go in the order of the questions themselves.

I also want to add, as a disclaimer, that I am fully aware that catechisms are not on the level of authority as Scripture. Anyone who knows me will already know that. I just think it is a good summation of Christian doctrine, and a way for me and my family to learn it and apply it to our lives. It teaches the Gospel, the Ten Commandments, and The Lord's Prayer, all of which are essential for the Christian life. Without the Holy Spirit moving, however, it will not convert them. It will help them hear it and may lead to them accepting it as true, but it cannot, by its own power, bring them to trusting in Jesus for salvation. So I pray that the Holy Spirit will move through our teaching the Bible and this catechism to our children.

So join me in my quest to learn this catechism and figure out if it is good for teaching. We'll see what we learn along the way.

One Month Down

At the end of last year I decided to start writing on the blog more often again. Part of my reason for doing this was that I felt like, when I wasn't at work and Sarrah was, I'd be home alone wasting my time doing nothing. I pretty much stopped playing guitar for a while even. I had finished school. I was sort of lost on what I was supposed to do with my time off. When Sarrah was home, great. I could be a husband to her. But when she was gone and I was alone? I'd basically sit on my computer for hours on end wasting time doing nothing productive. So I realized that blogging was a way to prevent that. It's sort of a vocation that I don't get paid for but enjoy very much. Maybe it's not overly productive outside of my own sanity (i.e. maybe others don't get as much out of it as I do), but that's okay. If anything, it helps me to form my beliefs in a cohesive way so I know why I believe what I believe, and that's very important.

So how has that gone? Now that it's been a month, I look back and see that things have gone pretty well. I've been trying to maintain a Monday-Wednesday-Friday updating schedule (I don't think I could do Monday through Friday again) and, surprisingly enough, I've managed to keep that up. There were a few times where I wasn't sure what I would write, and there have been plenty of times where I didn't know if I'd have the time to write a few blog posts to schedule (that's my secret: write the posts and schedule them to be published on the day I want them to be), but I was able to. There were times I'd be in town waiting for something for a few hours (like work meetings), so I could bring my iPad to Starbucks, open up Blogsy, and buckle down and write for a few hours until I needed to leave for my meeting. It's a good use of time and it gets me out of the house, both of which are great. Not only that, but my iPhone has the Blogger app, which enables me to write rough drafts of posts from pretty much anywhere. I can also, if I'm short on time, send quick drafts to Blogger with ideas for posts to write in the future. I'm all set.

So what's next? It's only been a month, but over the month I've published thirteen posts on various different things like apologetic issues, my Bible study observations, and the like. I think I'll just keep up what I've been doing: trying to stick to a MWF schedule and writing about what I'm thinking about. Tabletalk, books, and podcasts have all been great ways to obtain writing material, so I'll definitely stick with those. I've also really wanted to post recordings of a couple songs I've written, but I simply haven't had the time to record them. I may just post lyrics and commentary or something and perhaps post recordings in the future. We'll see.

Also, I'm not sure I've done the greatest job with keeping the jargon list up to date. When writing from my phone in particular, I don't tend to think about adding tooltips all that much. It's easiest to use my computer for such things. Hopefully, however, I'll get better at it. It's a new thing, so I've got to get used to it.

Here goes February!