Boulder Lifting

Just suppose you were trying to lift an enormous boulder blocking your pathway and it was just impossibly big for you to move, what would be your options? Going around, getting friends to help, going over, going another way or, perhaps, just sitting down in full pout bemoaning your unfortunate circumstances. Without pushing the analogy too far, given your choices, you would be pretty much stuck in unchangeable circumstances.

Yet, what if someone happened along who could actually help? Let's say, Superman, for example. (I know, weird, but stick with me.)


You'd say, "Hey, Superman! Will you help me?"

Now, Superman, being the nice guy that he is, would, of course, respond, "Sure, just step aside."

Well, if you're like a lot of people, you might say something stupid like, "Oh, no, let me help," and you'd be grunting and sweating, trying to help Superman lift the boulder.

So, what would be the big guy's impression about all our useless attempt at usefulness? He would probably look us in the eye, chuckle and say, "Step back. I can can handle this. You will probably just hurt yourself." Superman, of course, would be able to do what we couldn't even begin.

We want to sweat and strain and stubbornly refuse to admit that we can't even budge our boulder. Once we admit that we can't do it alone, we still want to believe we only need help. We want to be in there with Superman groaning and grunting so after the boulder is finally gone, we can arrogantly and incorrectly brag that we "helped." The truth of the matter is, if anything, we only get in the way of Superman doing what Superman does best.

Alright, this is another odd one, but I think it works.

We try and try to do God's job thinking we can clear the path to salvation ourselves. We discover that we can't do it, so we convince ourselves that it's just that we can't do it alone. We need help. It's not that there's nothing we can do, it's just that we can't do enough. There must be something for us to do. Surely something is required of us.

Every Christian denomination teaches that salvation is by grace alone. Yet, most talk out of both sides of their mouth and say that, even though salvation is full and free, you still have to keep the faith, or be faithful in church attendance, live a moral life, take the sacraments, belong to the right congregation or any other number of "add-ons" and works that we think will keep us from losing that which we can't gain through our works anyway. We convince ourselves that we can finish what we can't even start.

Maybe we should get out of the way and let Superman be Superman. Maybe we should get out of the way and let God be God. Maybe we should finally realize there's really nothing we can do to help. Well, I suppose there is one thing we can do, though...we can get in the way. We're good at that.

Hebrews 12:12

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

More Trouble for the SBC

I just received the following statements from a Landmark Southern Baptist email group to which I belong. I think it shows the dichotomy that has crept into the SBC over the past few decades. PC is not only taking over our country, it appears to be taking over our denomination. Be afraid; be very afraid!






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The Race for 1st Vice President of the Southern Baptist Convention on June 12. On June 12, the Southern Baptist Convention will convene in San Antonio, Texas and will elect a First Vice President. This year two men with very different doctrinal beliefs are running against each other. They are Jim Richards, the Executive Director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and David Rogers a Southern Baptist missionary in Madrid, Spain and the son of the late Adrian Rogers. While both men believe in the divine inspiration of the Scriptures and are actively involved in ministry, their views on the doctrine of the church are polar opposites. Below in their own words are their views of ecclesiology. Based on this I would encourages every Southern Baptist going to San Antonio to vote for Jim Richards. He believes in historic Baptist ecclesiology and will continue to hold the line for conservative Southern Baptists.








David Rogers' View of the Doctrine of the Church: "Regarding my own theological positions, it would be unwieldy to go into much depth here, though I believe the salient matters have been treated a bit more fully at one place or another on this blog throughout the course of the past months. In summary, I am in full agreement with the Baptist Faith & Message 2,000, with the exception of one statement in the section on baptism which would seem to advocate "closed communion." I am also convinced that the Scripture teaches a "continualist" approach to spiritual gifts, which includes the possibility of what many call a "private prayer language." While I certainly believe in the local church, I also see an emphasis on the Universal Church in the New Testament in places that I understand many Baptists see more of an emphasis on the local church. I also see no need to consider as invalid the immersion of a sincere believer due to concerns over the doctrinal position of the administrator of the baptism or the administrating church."








Jim Richard's View of the Doctrine of the Church:
"You see baptism is not a personal issue. It is not about “how I feel about my baptism.” It is not just the sincerity of the candidate. I t is about scriptural authority. The question is whether baptismal authority is individual or congregational. Jesus gave the commission to baptize to the local church. If the commission were given to every believer then any 9-year-old girl who was a Christian could baptize her convert in the backyard swimming pool. Jesus vested the authority to baptize in the church. The Baptist Faith and Message says baptism is a church ordinance. The local church is the custodian of the ordinances. Only a New Testament church can administer scriptural baptism. T here are a few identifying marks of a New Testament church. Are all Baptist churches, New Testament churches? Probably not! Are there New Testament churches that are not Baptist churches? Sure, because what makes a New Testament church is what it teaches, not the name over the door. By the way, one of the identifying marks is that a New Testament church will teach security of the believer."