1646 LBC Article 1 - God

The Confession’s Enduring Worth and Baptist Heritage

Thank you, brother. It's so interesting, isn't it? I mean you think about How God works within history and how really the the first one the confession was born out of Tribulation and it stood the test of time.

I would add that For many many years the first one the confession seemed to be overshadowed by the second one the confession and then it became again a Document that that people were going back to because Anything that stands for 400 years brothers and sisters.

It's got to have some worth to it and certainly that was true of that so Couple things and then I'm gonna get right into the lesson, but you know brother Keith had brought up General Baptist and particular Baptist if you notice on the back of your confession.

Where this is printed? Particular Baptist Press. So they have a whole if you if you want to look at their website great material out there There's a group of churches that are involved in this as well as this publishing.

So It's just something that if you want to take a look at that would be I think that would be helpful. The other thing I want to make a quick comment just before we start if you consider even as brother Keith and again I don't want to go back to what you said, but it was so good if you think about it.

Even today if In our day if you're familiar with the founders group, how many people have heard of the founders group? Okay, so the founders group is is a group of churches within the Southern Baptist Convention and the founders are churches that align themselves more with The doctrines of grace than the General Baptist or what many of those Just Southern Baptist churches do and in the last church that we served that we had joined the founders Association.

Which is again, it's a loose Association, but it does give you some some fellowship and in that in that Association you have to hold to either the 1644 or the 1689 so again to to the point that there is much worth in both of them and The real emphasis from the founders, of course is the doctrines of grace and then as you get further down Honestly to some people some of the other doctrines are not as essential I I believe they are but nevertheless I just wanted to mention that to you.

Article 1: God as the Foundation of the Confession

Okay, so let's get to the article. And what I thought to do for my time is simply this that we're going to look at the article in the confession. We will read the article and I'm going to follow the format of the article.

Each article has a statement and it has some scriptures to support that statement. And so that's what I'd like to do. I'd like to read the article and then I want to make a few Statements about the article and then we're gonna look at a couple of scriptures and and for my time.

That's the way we'll work through it as we go. So article 1 God. The Lord our God is but one God Whose subsistence is in himself? Whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but himself. Who only has immortality?

Dwelling in the light which no man can approach on to who is in himself most holy. Every way infinite in greatness wisdom power. Love merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth who giveth being moving and preservation to all Creatures.

And then you'll see there are a number of scriptures that are attached To support the statement and certainly that's the way it ought to be. It ought to be that what we believe Must be supported by the Word of God and not just merely thinking.

Before I make any other statements, there's one thing I wanted to ask you to do on the back cover of this. I want you to look at the first paragraph that's written and it's by BH Carroll. It's on the back cover.

The very back and think about this think about what he's saying here. There never was a man in the world without a creed. What is a creed. A creed is what you believe. Well, what is a confession? It is a declaration of what you believe.

Does that declaration may be oral or it may be committed to writing? But the creed is there either expressed or implied that was written by BH Carroll and that's the truth, right? So as we go through these articles, these were things that were most assuredly believed and then Because they were believed they were committed to writing.

So again, everyone everybody has a creed. We call I think we would probably say that's in our language your worldview. So everybody's got a worldview. These brothers committed their Worldview their creed to writing and again, it was born out of the fires of tribulation.

Okay, so Having read the article concerning God We'll think about this. It rightly starts with God, right? I mean if you if you think about it the brothers followed the very Format of the scriptures. What is the opening of the Bible in the beginning?

God. Right and so if you think about where else could you start but with the the truth of God as God in his beginning God in his person and God in his character so they rightly start off article one with the foundational statement with the The one statement that supersedes all else and that God is and I will also ask you to think about this Just as a thought Brothers and sisters there can only be one God.

If you think about it if you if you think about the definition of God as the all supreme being There cannot be but one God. Now when we get into the article concerning the Trinity, that's a different teaching and a different understanding but there can only be one God by definition and I will show you as as they prove out in this in this article later on that anyone or Anything else that is called the God is a so-called God because again by definition There can only be one supreme being who is overall and therefore forever blessed.

Now I want you to think about this and ask you to get to look at it and notice this that the statement The Lord our God is but one God whose subsistence is in himself whose essence cannot be Comprehended by any but himself who only had immortality and so on that in this very first article Notice that the statement makes no attempt to explain God But rather it declares God.

And that's an important thought. In other words, they make no attempt to to Explain even as the Bible opens up in the beginning God. There's not this big long opening of of How this all came in the beginning God and so therefore as they say it the Lord our God is but one God.

That's a declaration that that is that's just a statement to be to be spoken and I will show you Shortly as we look at some verses that in many ways No one can know God in his in his completeness in his fullness.

In other words, and as I show you later on in Romans to think about God's attributes and really if you look at what's written in this first article they set forth God's attributes they declare God's being but they set forth God's attributes because really No one can comprehend God in his totality because God is the great other right.

We can comprehend God's attributes to some point and that's why they mentioned what they mentioned, right? They mentioned Greatness and wisdom and power and love and merciful and gracious and long-suffering.

Those are things that you and I can relate to. But to relate to one whose subsistence is in himself who alone has immortality that no man can approach. That's where we wind up so I think that's essential for us to think as we go through These articles particularly about the Godhead that we understand that there is no way that we can Fully comprehend God in his being and yet God in his graciousness and God in his in his manifestations to us allows us to comprehend some of his attributes and That is about as far as we are going to be able to go because again I just love that term that God is the great other.

That that what that really means is that God is outside of Everything else and everything else is bound By the one who's outside of any boundary again We're not talking I mean all we could do is clearly just say these things because there isn't one of us here nor will the other be anyone.

Who can say yeah, I can fully take that in. And that's why it says what it says that can he cannot be comprehended by any. But him so that is a full thought friends that is not just something that they put in there to to fill up space.

That you and I ultimately cannot reach to that place of understanding and comprehension, but rather God has if you will bow down and Look down upon us and therefore again, we we can comprehend something of God and certainly his attributes Will help us in that direction so God's immortality is his alone and Everything else has a beginning and if you think about that If you think about the very thought and again, these are these are thoughts beyond understanding God has no beginning no end and if you think about that it God's immortality is his alone and you and I Cannot even begin to fathom what that means.

Right if I were to ask you to scribe to me what was here before what God created. Because there was a point when God created all things. Okay? What was before that? Yeah. That's the end of the story. I mean that's as far as we can go and so when you think about that and you think about God's almost immortality it's God's alone you and I have been made created by God and we have a beginning and God says that our souls are what?

Eternal but but it's eternal from the point of creation, right? Because true to truly be eternal would be no beginning no end. We all have and that's exactly again Genesis 1 in the beginning God. Same way the Gospel of John opens up in the beginning was the word, right?

Doesn't go about trying to make us understand how this all came down and it just it just is folks I'll be that's about the best way I could say it. I'm not sure that's good theology. In term wise but it makes sense to me that and so as these brothers laid this out and you think about how they are Laying this article out about God that these are full force.

The Lord our God is but one God whose subsistence is in himself whose essence cannot be Comprehended by any but himself remember what Jesus said? No man knows the father, but who? The son. And I don't want to jump into the next article, which is the Trinity because there's some thoughts for that but so so think about that and it also says that God is The Creator right.

God created all things now. It's something to think about no one but God my thinking my understanding. No one but God can create. No one but God can create anyone else in my understanding we can invent.

We can replicate we might even be able to duplicate but we cannot create. God created out of what? Nothing so Everything that has ever been you know Invented created or whatever way we want to term it with the technology of today.

We created this thing and that thing I want to say friends. You invented. But you've taken what God created. And you've moved some things around but truly to create is to create out of nothing and again.

See how this makes God the great other God is outside of it all he's over it all and we'll look at that Scripture that also Verifies that in a minute. So so think about that. He cannot man cannot create he can simply borrow.

We are all the God. God is the the ocean if you will from which everything flows. Except God. Because God is not dependent on Anything his subsistence is what in himself and again if you can't sleep tonight take that thought and Just work it through your mind and you'll get so tired and so overwhelmed by it.

You'll fall fast asleep. Because it just it just beyond us in in In the great. I don't want to start. I don't want to try to get off my stomach. Isn't it great that that is? Who God is? The great other the the uninhibited that the one who has knows no boundary the one who is is Eternal in and of himself who alone has immortality no man can approach and yet we Have people Naming gods today.

That is God's even the even the in Greek mythology that the God of the ocean. But he was fighting with the God of the land who fought with the God of the wind. Who fought with the fertility God and it goes on and on and on and all these guys, you know.

The movies I'm talking about they're all fighting with each other. And it's just a big war. No, no the true God He reigns He rules. There is none like him and that is if that does not make yours your soul the hair in your soul lift up.

Then you're not thinking about it the right way. So you got a lot to do when you go home tonight. All right. So so basically that's their statement, right? They read it again. It's so short and I want to look at a couple of scriptures I'm gonna I'm gonna embellish the scriptures just a tad because they make Scriptural references throughout the whole confession, but they're very pointed.

And I want to just read some of these verses comment on some of them. But I'm gonna make them a little wider because I think the context helps. So let me just read this article again. Lord our God is but one God Whose subsistence is in himself.

Whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but himself. Who will who only hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto. Who is in himself most holy every way infinite in greatness with his wisdom power love merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth who give it being moving and Preservation to all creatures.

Scripture Support for One God and His Incomprehensible Glory

Then you notice there's a set of scriptures that are attached I want to take a look at some of them and we'll just basically follow these and that will conclude our lesson. So let's do that. Let's go to the first one that they quote, which is the first Corinthians chapter 8 again, everyone has a creed a confession is a statement of what you believe and In order for us to have a creed and a confession we have to have The ability to not only proclaim it but to defend it.

So if you read First Corinthians chapter 8 and I'm not getting into the context of why Paul says what he says at this point simply don't have enough time but In verse 5 he says this, but even if there are look at it so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth as there are many gods and many Lords yet yet for us.

There is only one God the father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ through whom were all things and Through him we live. Certainly that is a supporting scripture to the declaration that they've made in this first article.

Okay Let's look at the second one. I'm not gonna look at them all and then I'm gonna add one or two go to Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 44 and if you remember when as you're turning to this one of the things I said as we were talking about the The usefulness of the confession was many of us will say exactly that we believe in one God, right?

But as we study through this confession One of the hopes that we have is that we will be able to do more than just say what we believe. We will be able to show from the scriptures why we believe what we believe.

Right because that's that's important. We need to we need to be able to not only proclaim it We need to be able to direct people to that same understanding. So Isaiah 44 and I'm gonna read from verse 6 Thus sayeth 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 and who could proclaim as I do then let him declare it and set it in order for me since I Appointed the ancient people and the things which are coming and shall come let them show these to them.

Do not fear. Be it nor be afraid have I not told you from that time and declared it you or my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? Indeed? There is no brother rock. I know not one. There's a glorious scriptures.

God is not concerned with with So-called gods because there is no other God.

Okay in so you're gonna do the Trinity next week. Yeah, just the thought. What does Christ define himself? I am the Alpha Omega. I am the first and the last. This is just a pointing to Christ divinity here.

Oh, absolutely.

Sure, so I mean and we can certainly incorporate the Spirit of God sure, right? I mean the Spirit of God had made me and yet the Father had Made me and yet the Son had made me and there we go. And if you get through with the comprehension of God next week You can go home and sleep on a Trinity and you'll fall right to sleep after that.

Start thinking about that for too long. Okay in Exodus chapter 3 It's again. I hope that some of these scriptures are familiar but I Don't know. To me sometimes and I know I'm very fleshly but reading the same scriptures to me is Kind of like I feel about steak.

I can eat steak seven days a week and it's as good on Tuesday as it was on Monday. And I look forward to eating it on Wednesday, too. So with this with the scriptures you can't get enough of something.

That's good. Unfortunately in our world we get a lot of things that are bad that we take too much of it in so Exodus chapter 3 and again just highlighting the one verse as Moses Questions God who who shall I say sent me when I go to Pharaoh verse 14.

And God said to Moses I am Who I am and he said thus you shall say to the children of Israel. I am has sent You to me me to you. Imagine that one Pharaoh says who's the Lord. I Am has sent me these things are so high and so exalted in Psalm 147.

You don't have to turn here. I'm not gonna ask you to turn there but in Psalm 147, it talks about it says this it says great is the Lord and Mighty in power and there is no understanding his understanding has no limit and As we get further on in the confession and we talk about these specific attributes of God his omniscience his omnipotence.

His omnipresence that he is all-knowing and all-powerful and all present. Hey. These things again, all we can do I believe is we could scratch the surface. Because we certainly are not going to plumb the depths.

Again, God is only comprehensible to God. Everyone else is looking up and will eternally look up to him. Okay, I will ask you to look if you would in Jeremiah chapter 10. Jeremiah chapter 10 and again, they quote Often specific verses to keep it Brief, but we will read just a few more in Jeremiah chapter 10.

Again just as a way to Substantiate what we are declaring and what the confession does and again as I say to you. That's why the confession is still the test of time because it's based on Scripture. In Jeremiah chapter 10, I'm gonna pick it up in verse 6 in.

In verse 6 says as much as there is none like you. Oh Lord you are great. Your name is great in might. Who would not fear you. Oh King of the nations for this is your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations and all the kingdoms.

There is none like you. But they are all together dull hearted and foolish. A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine. Silver is beaten into Into plates and it is brought from Tarshish and gold from the fires and the work of a craftsman in the hands of the metalsmith.

Blue and purple and their clothing. They're all the work of the skiffle men. But the Lord is the true God. He is the living God and the everlasting King right. Again. These brethren didn't come up with these thoughts In and of themselves because man has doesn't have the ability in and of himself to come up with that and again.

If the Bible is nothing more than a conspiracy theory written by a bunch of men to to persuade people to do. How did man ever be man couldn't even comprehend the incomprehensible? Never mind write about it.

Okay in In action, you don't have to turn there in act 17 which they use as a as a scriptural text in action. It's after 17. I'm sure it's very familiar. It says for in him We live move Have our being right and that's exactly what the article is is saying that God is the one who?

Who gives life and breath to all. And certainly as Paul if you remember that chapter as he spoke to those men who were worshiping the unknown God Paul declares the the true God and he says it's in him not in your gods.

But in the true gods that we live and move and have our being again God not only the Creator God the Sustainer and ultimately God the judge. Okay, and no one this one. I want you to turn to and I didn't really use it in this.

They did but I want you to turn to Romans got two more. Three more and then we're done first one in Romans 11. And I would say brothers and sisters. I'd ask you to consider this Romans 11 Toward the ends of the chapter the end of the chapter that this is perhaps One of the greatest statements that Either a man or an angel could have ever penned.

It's just my thought as you read if you know where I'm going in Romans chapter 11 Verse 33 from verse 33 the verse 36 is one of the greatest statements. I think that could ever come from a tongue. Oh The depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God how Unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out there.

He is the great other for who has known the mind of the Lord who has become his counselor. Or who has given to him and it shall be repaid to him. For of him and through him and to him are all things to whom Be glory forever in that.

That's what a what a glorious statement of the being of God of the of the the actual outworking of God's Being in his person now. I want to go back because I said to you before go back to Romans 1 just for a second I said to you before that in truth the confession opens up not With anything but declaring God is and I said to you that if you think about it, that's all we could do but God has Given to us through his manifestation Some understanding of his attributes and if you look in Romans 1, I thought it was interesting and it came to my mind Romans chapter 1 verse 18 and we read it so often for many many things, but look what it says.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them for God has shown it to them.

Now I Read the New King James, so you might have a different word. Look at verse 20 for since the creation of the world his invisible. This is the way they translate a New King James his invisible attributes Are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and God.

And so they are without excuse. Who's got a different one? It was the years they say brother. It does say attributes. Okay, and isn't that that's what I was saying to you that that As frail as we are as Small as we are.

I know we we all think we're the tip of the spear, but we're not but but as small as we are. The way in which God Gives us some understanding of the things that are beyond understanding is by his attributes.

But the things that are seen by the things that are are That we're surrounded by but by some of the attributes that God has impressed upon us. It just just think about it. The love of a father for the son or a mother for a child those those are Ways in which God helps us to understand who he is and he carries that along.

But again as far as comprehending God in in all his essential Being not possible. Okay, last one. And I'm pretty close to keeping it to where we should have been. I'm gonna go back to the book of Job.

And I've just last verse and this one came to my mind to Job chapter 26. Book of Job and Chapter 26 and we've looked at this before. I know we have a Sunday school. I think I even at one time had a message on this but nevertheless I want us to see this.

And it's a little bit. I'll just read it and we'll close Job chapter 26 and I'm gonna pick it up in verse 5. Job answered and said in verse 1 and in verse 5 it says the dead tremble. Those under the waters and those inhabiting them and she all is naked before him.

Destruction has no covering. He stretches out the north over empty space. He hangs the earth on nothing. He binds up the waters in his thick clouds. Yet the clouds are not broken under it. He covers the face of his throne and spreads his clouds over it.

He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters at the boundary of light and darkness. The pillars of heaven trembled and are astonished at his reproof. He stirs up the sea with his power and by his understanding.

He breaks up the storm by his spirit. He adorned the heavens his hand pierced the fleeting serpent. And the verse I love so much is verse 14. Indeed, these are but the mere edges or fringes of his ways and How small a whisper we hear of him.

But the thunder of his power. Who can understand? And that's just good stuff so as we continue to. Again, I'm so thankful that I have the opportunity to to help us to look at some of these things in the confession.

And and I I notice is going to be good for us. Whether you know it like the back of your hand or you've never Considered these things either way. It's going to be a blessing. So look forward to continuing.