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