HOW WE SHOULD LIVE

We ought to be living

as if Jesus died yesterday,

rose this morning,

and is coming back this

afternoon.

247 – Sept. 04 – This Day in Baptist History Past

 

He Died as He was Born

 

1688 – “Wednesday…was kept in prayer and humiliation for this Heavy Stroak upon us, ye Death of deare Brother Bunyan. Apoynted also that Wednesday next be kept in praire and humiliation on the same Account.” John Bunyan, their most loved pastor had died on Friday, Aug. 31 while on a preaching trip to London, England. The news had not reached his congregation in Bedford until they had gathered to worship the following Sunday. Bunyan often preached to as many as 3,000 in London after spending nearly 13 years in Bedford jail for refusing a license to preach the gospel. There he had written Pilgrim’s Progress and other great works. In 1672 the Act of Pardon had set him free. He was born to a tinker (a repairer of pots and pans). He married in 1647 and was saved and baptized into the membership of Bedford church in 1655. His wife died the same year and he remarried in 1659. He had a precious blind daughter who visited him while in jail. He died as he was born, in poverty. His death came when he was exposed to a heavy rain which brought on a high fever, and in ten days the great preacher was with the Lord. [John Brown, John Bunyan His Life Times and Work (Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Co., 1888), pp. 390-91.  This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: Greenville, S.C. 2000 A.D. pp. 483-485.]  Prepared by Dr. Greg Dixon

 

 

Predestination

Predestination – This is a subject that can be very confusing when one deals with a person that believes that God has died for some and not for others. They have a convoluted explanation that easily confuses me. Being simple minded, I use a simple explanation.

Let me begin with an undeniable truth. Christ died for all men. I Timothy 2:3-6 says “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

We find the desire of the Father and the Son that all men would be saved and toward the accomplishment of that purpose, the Son gave himself a ransom for all, not just some. We also must consider the verse found in Hebrews; Hebrews 2:9 which says “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Seeing that Christ gave himself a ransom for all and tasted death for every man then this predestination that is referenced is not a person that has been predestinated but must be the plan.

May we consider the passages written to the Church in Ephessus, Ephesians 1:4,5 which says “According as He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according the good pleasure of his will,…” Before the foundation of the world a plan was established to save man that would sin. It was predestinated that those that would be saved would be saved through Christ precious blood.

Paul reasoned with King Agrippa and told of his conversion and then Paul said to Agrippa, Acts 26:27,28 “King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Verse 29 And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am except these bonds. Paul is expecting people to be saved by choice upon hearing the Words of God.

Ephesians 3:11 “According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:” Christ was predestined to come to earth and present Himself as the perfect sacrifice for man. That was His purpose in wrapping Himself in flesh and hanging on the cross and shedding His blood. Now Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” God predestined that those that would be saved would not be by good works but through Jesus Christ and would be unto good works. II Thessalonians 2:13 further clarifies “…God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.” The predestinated plan of salvation is through the Spirit and belief in the resurrected Christ.

In Christ is the term we need to see.