Earl Blackburn Interview

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ, based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said, �But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

In short, if you like smooth, watered-down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn�t for you. By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we�re called by the Divine Trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King.

Here�s our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.

Gospel Ministry in Utah, Los Angeles, and Louisiana

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry. My name is Mike Abendroth and I�m your host. As you know, here at the show we have a little slogan. The slogan is �Always Biblical, Always Provocative, Always in that Order.

It�s our desire here at the show, No Compromise Radio, to point you to the one who never compromised. Well, we don�t want to compromise. Sadly, we do, but there is one who�s never compromised. Can you imagine?

Jesus Christ, his entire time on earth, not one compromise, not one ill word. Everything he did was righteous, everything he said was righteous, and so we want to point people to him. As I survey evangelicalism, I like to bring to your attention, to our listeners� attention, men and women who have been faithful by the Lord�s grace in gospel ministry, and interview them and get some insight from their wisdom and from their behind-the-scenes ministries.

And today is no different. We have Earl Blackburn here in the studio, almost through phone, Senior Pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in Louisiana. Earl, welcome to No Compromise Radio. Thank you, Mike.

It�s a joy to be with you. Now, Earl, first things first, your Twitter account is �EarlofBlackburn. How did that all happen?

Oh, it�s a humorous story. I was in England going to preach at the Cary Ministers Conference. I had taken a train up to Leeds, and the people up there told me just to wait outside at the queue, and someone would be there to pick me up.

After a long while, no one was there to pick me up. So I go to the information desk, and I said, �Could I get you to page someone for me And they said, �Sure. What is your name And I said, �Earl Blackburn.

And immediately when I said that, I saw this lady come out from behind the desk, and she said, �Oh, please come with me, sir in that perfect English or beautiful English accent. And as I�m following her, she�s taking me down to a guest lounge.

And all of a sudden, I hear over the loudspeaker, �Would the person or persons here to pick up the Earl of Blackburn please report to the information desk And I�m thinking, �What And then I hear it again, �Would the person or persons here to pick up the Earl of Blackburn please report to the information desk

I followed the lady into the guest lounge, and she said, �Sir, would you like a cup of tea And I said, �Yes. And I�m thinking, �Well, you know, I could really milk this and get a lot of mileage out of it, because they think I�m royalty.

You know, Churchill was Earl Blenheim. My conscience wouldn�t allow me, and I said, �Ma�am, listen, I think there�s been a misunderstanding here. I said, �Listen to my accent. I am not the Earl of Blackburn.

I�m just simply Earl Blackburn. I�m from the southern part of the United States. And she goes, �Oh, oh, oh, she is so embarrassed. Would you like a cup of tea, please I said, �Yes, ma�am, I will.

And then the person at the information desk said, �Would the Earl of Blackburn please report to the information desk And so it�s been a joke. I am the Earl of Blackburn, and I just kind of stuck that on my Twitter account.

Well, I love to look at some of your Twitter account feeds or tweets. I appreciate those. Earl, as I think about gospel ministry, you did some work in Utah and then in Los Angeles and now in Louisiana.

Tell me how those three different areas receive the gospel. It�s the same gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection. What was the reception like in Utah versus Los Angeles versus Louisiana?

Any differences?

Oh, major differences, Mike. Of course, Utah is the capital of Mormonism. And we labored in Provo, Utah, just a mile and a half from Brigham Young University for approximately seven years. And every day, it is the stronghold of Mormonism.

It�s 92 Mormon, whereas Salt Lake is only about 40 Mormon. It has a huge Greek Orthodox population there and then everything else. But every day, you were confronted with this cult, and every day, it was a challenge.

It was difficult. It was the hardest ministry I ever had. I would not take anything for it, but it was very, very difficult. We did see the Lord establish a church there, but it was a hard one. In Los Angeles, which is a totally different scene, you have the epitome of a vanity fair, to use John Bernion�s phrase in Pilgrim�s Progress, I mean a very secular, worldly city.

I think the population, the unofficial population, is approximately 18 million in the Metroplex, Los Angeles area. And out of that, only 2 million people would be churched or religious of any type. And so you had a people group there, I mean every nation under the sun was there.

But everyone was so ambivalent to religion of any type. They didn't want to talk about any religion. They didn't want to discuss things. They were very antagonistic. Utah, they were antagonistic against Christianity.

In Los Angeles, they were ambivalent. And in some senses, that was very good, because we did�I started out a church there with 11 people. I left. I don't know how�we had to enlarge the sanctuary of the building to accommodate 500 people.

You had many opportunities to reach people who had little or no religious background or Bible knowledge. On the other hand, here in Louisiana, it's in the deep south. I'm in the city of Shreveport. And it is part of the Bible Belt, and someone once described the Bible Belt as 1800 miles wide and a quarter inch deep.

I mean, the city of Shreveport is considered one of the most churched cities per capita in the United States. A biblical ignorance that is so pervasive. Christianity here, I would say, and I'm not meaning to be harsh or judgmental, but it's not a biblical Christianity.

It's a cultural Christianity. Everybody is expected to be a member of a church. Everyone is expected, sometime or another, to make some type of decision, come, be baptized, be brought into the church, and then you never see them again.

Christianity, cultural Christianity here, that thinks everybody's okay and everybody around here's going to heaven, and most of them don't even have a clue as to the nature of the gospel.

The Gospel Never Changes Across Cultures

Now, Earl, I would imagine that some folks could be tempted to change the gospel based on, you know, the location. So this is a cult-infected area, Salt Lake, Provo, here's Los Angeles, they're ambivalent and now it's cultural Christianity.

Temptation to change the gospel. What would you say to people who would be tempted to do that very thing, and they say, oh, their motives are, my motives are good, I'm trying to reach the culture, but what's the strategy if we don't change the gospel?

Well, and that's an excellent question. It is my firm conviction, Mike, that it doesn't matter what culture you're in, the message of the gospel does not change. And we must present God as thrice holy.

And as you probably gathered on my tweets, I am so convinced that if you're not Trinitarian, no matter how much you say you love Jesus, you are not a true Christian. And so you must present Christ as thrice holy.

Man is dead and depraved, fallen and broken, without hope, without help, without ability. And that the remedy that God Himself has given to us is in the person and work of His Son, His life of perfect obedience to the law of God, His death upon the cross as a substitute in which He accomplished redemption, reconciliation, and perpetuation.

And thus, as our substitute, secured salvation for those who will believe. Of course, His burial and His resurrection from the dead, and then His ascension, sitting at the right hand of the Father. And here's one of the things that many years ago, John MacArthur proved to be such a blessing as he dealt with this whole matter of lordship salvation, that you cannot receive Christ as Savior and then later on receive Him as Lord.

He's not schizophrenic. You can't divide Him. And that He must be received as not just Savior from sin, but Lord of your life. And the message does not change whether you're in cultic Utah or worldly ambivalent Los Angeles, or whether you're in cultural Christianity of the South.

And when I say these things to people here in the Deep South, many of them look at me as if I'm speaking a foreign language. The message does not change. The cultures will change, but the message never changes.

We're talking to Earl Blackburn today, pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in Louisiana. Earl, similarly, up here in New England, I'm in Massachusetts, and there's probably 80 of the folks who are professing Roman Catholics.

And the gospel is still the gospel. Paul told all of us in 1 Corinthians 4, stewards are to be found faithful, not innovative, not creative, not trying to do anything except deliver the message of the person and work of Christ.

The Covenant of Redemption and Trinitarian Salvation

You talked a little bit about the Trinity, our triune God, and you've written several books and several works. One book called Covenant Theology that you edited, a Baptist distinctive. Your chapter is on covenant theology and introducing us to that very topic, covenant theology simplified.

Talk to us a little bit about the Trinitarian promise that you discuss with the covenant of redemption, an intra-Trinitarian agreement, and why that's so essential for Christians to think through what God, the Father, Son, and the Spirit did in eternity past.

Well, again, when you come to the basics, when you come to the scriptures, and I know that this can be misunderstood, Mike, but so many times we think everything is about us, but in reality, the blessings that we have are only secondary, even tertiary, in one sense of the word.

Everything is about the glory of God as it's revealed in the face of Jesus Christ. God was under no obligation. He created this world. He created men and women, created the first man, which, by the way, as there's an attack upon the historical Adam and Eve, I believe, the first of our race was Adam, and he created from Adam Eve.

He was under no obligation to create them and place them in this garden temple, but he did so for his glory. And it didn't take him by surprise when Adam and Eve sinned and transgressed in the garden in aid of the forbidden fruit, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and he, in eternity past, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—and by the way, I've heard so many times, well, you know, God is lonely and he wants fellowship with you.

That's just not true, brother. God was happy and content within himself. He had an intra-trinitarian communion between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. But he created this world and created people for his glory, and when they fell, he was not shocked.

He was not surprised. It didn't take him back. He already had that worked out in his eternal purpose. The Father, planning everything and bringing out everything, took the fall into consideration. He turned to the Son—I deal with that in the book—and he asked the Son, will you go and would you assume human nature?

Will you live a life that they will not be able to live? And will you go and die on their behalf and in their stead, the death they should die? And if you will do that, if you will assume human nature, and you will come down and be a Redeemer, a Savior, I will support you.

The Spirit of God will support you. We will, every way, to accomplish the redemption of souls. And of course, the Spirit of God was in agreement. You can see this all worked out in the Old Testament. Jesus even brings it out when he says to his apostles, I covenant unto you a kingdom as my Father has covenanted unto me a kingdom.

And when did that covenant take place? Of course, it took place before the foundation of the world, and it's what theologians have called the covenant of redemption. It's Trinitarian. And we ask our people here.

We see we're in an inner-city situation, see people come to faith in Christ, and then we have a class on baptism. And we ask them, why are we baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit?

And many have not thought through it. And of course, the answer is twofold. One, because that's what Christ commanded, but secondly, why did Christ command it? Because each person of the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, had a part in our salvation.

And that is acknowledged in our baptism. Does that answer your question to a degree?

Why Christian Bookstores and Mystical "Heaven" Books Are a Problem

It does, and I think our listeners should try to pick up the book, Covenant Theology, a Baptist Distinctive, edited by our guest today, Earl Blackburn. Earl, tell me, in light of this desire for our triune God's name to be exalted, why would we be concerned if Lifeway, our Christian bookstores, sold something like one of these heaven books, or sold books that aren't good for people, too mystical?

Is there a relationship between the glory of the triune God and then so-called ministries who sell man-centered pablum?

Of course, brother, I'm so grieved over these things, because Christianity is much like the Judaism of Jesus' day. The Judaism of Jesus' day had become a money-making, and that's why at the beginning of his ministry and at the end of his ministry, just before his crucifixion, twice he cleanses the temple of the money-changers.

And Christianity today has become a very profitable matter, and the bottom line is not the truth of God, the bottom line is the almighty dollar, which is not so almighty today. And when you have what has been termed, I think, maybe by Phil Johnson, the heavenly tourism book, I mean, why do I need something like that when I've got the book of Revelation that tells me so vividly and so wonderfully what heaven is going to be like?

And these people, it's been proven now that some of these things are false. This young malarkey boy has come out and renounced that he actually died and went to heaven. They knew this and still continued to sell the book.

And it exalts man, it doesn't bring glory to God. And then you have authors like T .D. Jakes, who is not a Trinitarian, I mean, go to his church, so-called church's website, and they're what is known as modalists.

The early church condemned modalism, and yet they're propagating authors like this and making tons of money. And I think it, one, misleads people, two, it dishonors the triune God, and three, it's a poor testimony for Christianity, four, it's misleading people as to what is the truth.

And you hear people all the time talking about God, and I've learned over the years, well, I believe in God. I said, well, tell me about the God you believe in. And when they begin to describe him, he is so different than the God of the Bible.

Or, I believe in Jesus, well, tell me about the Jesus you believe in. You listen to their description of him, and you think, that's not the Jesus of the Bible. And yet, Lifeway and many other Christian bookstores are selling nonsense, not for the good of the people or the glory of God, but for profit.

And that, to me, is, it's not only shameful, it's despicable.

Marriage, One Flesh, and Loving Christ First

Talking to Earl Blackburn today, if you'd like to listen to some of his sermons as he exposits the Word of God, it's hbcshreveport .com. You can pull up his sermons there. Earl, changing gears a little bit, before the show we were talking about, you've been married almost 40 years.

How about a little bit of advice for the listeners out there? I would listen with keen ears as well. What kind of advice do you have now? You're 61 years old, been married almost 40 years. Something that you wish someone would have told you when you were 21 getting married.

What would those things be?

Well, first of all, I am so thankful for my wife. And I have said this so many times, so many places. She is the great—apart from my salvation, she's the greatest gift that God ever gave me. And I think of her as John Calvin thought of his wife, Idalette.

Upon her passing, he wrote, she was my life's best companion. I wish that someone had told me that I cannot love my wife the way I should love my wife until I love Christ as I should love Christ. And that's the one thing in premarital counseling I keep saying to these couples over and over.

Marriage, after the first six months, first year, the bubble has popped. Reality sets in. And then real life has begun. And you will have trials. You will have difficulties. You're going to have disagreements.

But you are one flesh. And I wish that had been told to me as well, that we're not two people. As Wayne Mack has said, one plus one equals one is not good math, but it is good theology concerning marriage.

You're one flesh. How do you have a marriage that is not just one that endures, but one that brings glory to God, and one in which there's real happiness and joy and contentment? And I think the secret is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.

And when you do so, you will love your spouse as you should.

John Chrysostom, Expository Preaching, and Biblical Churchmanship

Earl's written several books. The Covenant Theology one I just talked about. Another book, Jesus Loves the Church and So Should You. And John Chrysostom on Evangelical Press 2012. Earl, we've got just a couple minutes left.

Give us a little nutshell version of John Chrysostom. Who was he? What did the Lord do in his life, and why should we be concerned about such a relic of a man?

Well, he was an early church father. Chrysostom is actually the Anglicized form of Chrysostomus, which means golden mouth. He was probably one of the greatest preachers of the early church. We have more of history than any of the other church fathers.

He was not an archbishop or a patriarch, as the term is often used. He was only the 12th bishop of Constantinople. I guess to me, he was—I've been fascinated with him for years. He was the epitome, a gospel minister.

He loved Christ, he loved the Word of God, and he was—John Calvin rightly notes that it was John Chrysostom that really set the model for the historical grammatical interpretation of Scripture and for expository preaching.

His life is very fascinating. He was only a bishop for six years, and he died and the last words on his lips were, "'Glory be to God for all things.'". Even though he had been betrayed by the emperor, the empress, many of his friends turned against him, yet he was faithful to Christ to the very end.

And then the other book, Jesus Loves the Church, so much I could say. We have a great need of biblical churchmanship. We are living in days of great downgrade. He may not be recognized, in my opinion, by the apostles or the Lord Christ himself should he come among us today.

In most places, they would shake their heads and say, what in the world is this? In that book, I try to address what is a gospel church, what is a biblical church, what is membership in it, etc.

Earl, I'm going to have to interrupt you. I want to get the book, though. We've been talking to Earl Blackburn, Senior Pastor at Heritage Baptist Church. Earl, thank you for your ministry. We're going to have to have you on again.

I'd like to hear about your testimony, what the Lord did when he saved you, and lots of other topics. But thanks for being on No Compromise Radio today. Thank you, Mike, for having me. The Lord bless you.

No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible-teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life-transforming power of God's Word through verse-by-verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 1015 and in the evening at 6. We're right on Route 110 in West Boylston. You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.

The thoughts and opinions expressed on No Compromise Radio do not necessarily reflect those of WVNE, its staff or management.