WHAT IS
A SOVEREIGN GRACE CHURCH?
"And they
continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking
of bread, and in prayers." —Acts 2:42
Wherever I go, I am asked,
"What is a sovereign grace church?" Most people who hear me preach,
even once, realize immediately that I am not associated with either a free will
Arminian church or a legalistic reformed congregation. Usually, they also
understand very quickly that I am a Baptist, but not like any they have known
before. Because we all like to pigeon
hole everyone and every doctrine into one category or another, the first
question asked about my church association is, "What kind of church do you
pastor?" When I respond by saying, "A sovereign grace, Baptist
church," they ask, "What is a sovereign grace church?"
Therefore, I thought it might be beneficial to some for me to define the kind
of church ours is and define what I mean by the term "sovereign grace
church."
First, let me emphasize the
fact that I speak for no one other than myself. I realize that some would
differ with my definition of a local church and of a sovereign grace church. I
do not pretend to speak for anyone, except myself and the local church I am
privileged to serve as pastor.
While we affiliate freely
with many other local churches across the country and around the world, we are
not a part of any denomination or ecclesiastical association, and do not desire
to be. We have no quarrel with those who choose such associations. We simply
prefer, because of our understanding of the Word of God, to remain and always
function as a local, independent congregation. As such, we are actively engaged
in the support of gospel preaching missionaries and evangelistic efforts
worldwide. Now, let me define what I mean by the term "sovereign grace
church."
A sovereign grace church is a local church which adheres to the Word of
God alone as its only standard and rule of faith and practice. We are not at all bashful
about identifying our doctrine, confessing it before men, and preaching it from
the housetops. However, our assembly is not ruled, governed, or in any way
obligated to any creed, or confession of faith of less inspiration and authority
than "thus saith the Word of the
Lord." Having made that statement, I know that many object to it.
However, as I stated above, I claim to speak for no one other than myself and
our assembly. Every doctrine we preach, every ordinance we practice, and every
part of our public worship arises from, no, is demanded by the plain, obvious
statements of Holy Scripture. In the church and kingdom of God, we have no
right to invent or even develop doctrines and ordinances; neither from our own
opinions nor from the creeds, confessions, and catechisms written by other men,
no matter how highly we may regard them. A sovereign grace church is,
therefore, of necessity a Baptist church. Another way of stating that is to
say, a Bible church is of necessity a Baptist church.
Having said that the Word of
God alone is our only rule of faith and practice, I am constrained to define a
sovereign grace church in biblical terms. I cannot do better, in the space of
such a short article, than use the language of Acts 2:42, where God the Holy
Spirit describes the characteristics of the first assembly of believers after
our Lord’s ascension. There we are told, "And
they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in
breaking of bread, and in prayers." Here are four things which
characterize a gospel church, a sovereign grace church.
A sovereign grace church adheres
steadfastly to "the
apostles’ doctrine.
That is to say, we believe
and incessantly preach the doctrine of the apostles, exactly as they did.
Without question, the doctrine of the apostles included all those glorious, God
honoring, Christ exalting, flesh abasing doctrines commonly referred to as Calvinism, or The Doctrines of Grace. No one has a right to the name Christian, as it is used in the New
Testament, who does not believe those doctrines; and no man is a gospel
preacher who does not preach them. I will not attempt here to prove or defend
them; but it may be beneficial to some for me to simply state them and give some
Scripture references which will demonstrate to any honest reader that these
doctrines are the doctrines of the apostles.
1. God almighty is absolutely
sovereign in all things, specifically in predestination, creation, providence,
and salvation (Rom. 8:28-30; 11:33-36).
2. Everything that comes to
pass in time was predestinated by God in eternity and is brought to pass by God
in providence for the salvation of his elect (Rom. 8:28-30; Eph. 1:11).
3. God sovereignly chose some
of Adam’s fallen race to eternal life in Christ before the world began (Eph.
1:3-6; 2 Thess. 2:13-14).
4. The Lord Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, died for and redeemed those elect sinners chosen to salvation in
eternity and called to life and faith in him in time (Heb. 9:12; Rev. 5:9).
5. God the Holy Spirit
regenerates and calls every chosen, redeemed sinner to life and faith in Christ
by the irresistible power of his grace through the preaching of the gospel
(Rom. 1:16-17; 10:13-17; 1 Cor. 1:21-23; James 1:18; 1 Pet. 23-25).
6. Every sinner born again by
God’s free, sovereign, irresistible grace is kept in life and faith in Christ
by that same grace unto eternal glory, being sealed in Christ by the Holy
Spirit (Eph. 1:13-14).
7. All who are born of God,
being redeemed by Christ, are forever and entirely free from the law (Rom.
6:14-15; 7:4; 10:4).
Yet, there is much, much
more to a sovereign grace, gospel church than adherence to these points of
orthodox doctrine. We hold to, adore, and preach these doctrines as the works,
and grace, and blessings of God in Christ. We recognize that the gospel is not
a theory, but a person; and that person is our all glorious Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ. To preach the Word of God is to preach the gospel (! Pet. 1:25);
and to preach the gospel is to preach Christ (Acts 20:17; 1 Cor. 2:2).
This is what it is to
continue steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine. It is to continue steadfastly
in the preaching and worship of the Lord Jesus Christ as he is set forth in the
apostles’ doctrine. I challenge you to read the Book of Acts at one sitting.
Mark each of the thirty-seven times the words "preach,"
"preaching," and "preached" are used. You will find every
time that the subject preached is Christ. Therefore, that cannot be considered
gospel preaching, apostolic preaching, or biblical preaching which does not
have Christ for its subject.
A sovereign grace church is a fellowship of believers united to
Christ and united to one another in Christ.
It is more than a group of
people with their names on the same church roll. It is a fellowship of
believers committed to one another, committed to the furtherance of the gospel,
committed to the glory of God and the will of God, and committed to the
building of God’s church and kingdom, the salvation of God’s elect, because
they are committed to Christ. "Fellowship" is much more than getting
together and having a good time.
"Fellowship," as
the word is used in Acts 2:42, is commitment to one another. It is such a total
commitment that it caused those early believers to hold all their possessions
in common, none considering that the things they possessed were there own. No
wonder God used them so greatly!
A sovereign grace church is a church which lives in the remembrance
and expectation of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Every time the church came
together in the Book of Acts, they observed the Lord’s Supper. They ate the
unleavened bread and drank the wine in remembrance of Christ’s incarnation,
obedience, and death as their Substitute, and in expectation of his promised
return. However, the constant observance of this blessed ordinance was much
more than a religious ritual to them. Those saints observed the ordinance as a
representation of their hearts’ attitude regarding these things. A sovereign
grace, gospel church is a church whose very existence is the remembrance and
expectation of Christ.
A sovereign grace church is a worshipping church.
There are many who seem
always to live in the past. They fight battles of the past. They hold to creeds
of the past. They glory in revivals of the past. We live in, minister to, and
serve the present by prayer, that is to say, in the worship of God our Savior.
A sovereign grace, gospel church is a church of worshippers, a congregation of
men and women who continue "in
prayers," who continue in the worship of God.
I mean by that that they
worship God "after the due
order" prescribed in the Word of God, as it relates to all matters of
public worship. However, I also mean (and Acts 2 will back me up) that God’s
saints worship him continually. When a sovereign grace, gospel church assembles
on the Lord’s day, the people are doing publicly what they do every day of
their lives - WORSHIPPING CHRIST.
When you find such a church, if you are a believer, unite with it. Devote
yourself to it. Spend your life and the energies of your life building it for
the glory of Christ and your own soul’s eternal good. No value can be put upon
such a privilege. No cost can be compared to it.
I conclude this brief
article with the prayer that it may be beneficial to all who read it by the
blessing of God, and by reminding you that THE
GREATEST PRIVILEGE AND BLESSING IN THIS WORLD IS THE PRIVILEGE AND BLESSING OF
BEING A PART OF A SOVEREIGN GRACE, GOSPEL CHURCH OF WHICH IT CAN BE TRUTHFULLY
SAID - "AND THEY CONTINUE STEDFASTLY
IN THE APOSTLES' DOCTRINE AND FELLOWSHIP, AND IN BREAKING OF BREAD, AND IN
PRAYERS."
Don Fortner, Pastor
Grace Baptist Church of Danville
2734 Old
Stanford Road - Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438 - USA
Telephone 606-236-8235 - Email grace@mis.net