The Baptist Defence Hear ye my defence (Acts 22:1) First Baptist Church - Harrison, Ohio December, 2009 John 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. SEEING AND NOT SEEING Jesus, in verse 39, says that he came into the world for judgment, but this is not for final judgment but a judgment of seeing or not seeing. Jesus did not say “that they which are blind might see,” but “that they which see not might see.” There is a difference in these two things. The blind are those who have no capacity to see anything, but those who see not are those who have some sight but not their full sight. Jesus came to give a perspec- tive sight to his disciples, that they may see eternal things, which are by nature “not seen” (2 Cor. 4:18). Every human being has a re- sponsible nature before a holy God if he can literally see and mentally comprehend what God has done in his creation, but this is not enough knowledge to bring him into the perfect light of God’s revealed knowledge to his disciples. Some people see with their eyes and see by their understanding (mind) that God exists, but they do not see Jesus Christ as the One whom God sent to the earth to die for sins and the necessity of that transaction. The Pharisees in our text are concerned that Jesus is making claim that they are blind. Now, they are not speaking of physical blindness but of mental blindness. They were very educated people, and they would be offended to think that someone would accuse them of having less than perfect knowledge of God and his law, but Jesus con- fronts them with the piercing truth of their condition. His statement to them becomes important to us, also. Jesus said, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin. That is, if they were mentally blind and had no rea- soning about themselves and could not think mentally and know of God’s creation and his existence, then they should have no sin; for (Continued on page 2) Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced or cried aloud: Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody but unbowed. It matters not how straight the gate How charged with punishment the scroll, I am the master of my life; I am the captain of my soul. “Invictus” (unconquered) by William Ernest Henley Adapted from The Berean Baptist Banner Blind Faith Seeing Faith Make me a captive, Lord, And then shall I be free. Force me to render up my sword, And I shall a conqueror be. I sink in life’s alarms When by myself I stand: Imprison me within Thine arms, And strong shall be my hand. My will is not mine own Till Thou hast made it Thine; If it would reach a monarch’s throne, It must its crown resign. It only stands unbent Amid the clashing strife When on Thy bosom it has leant, And found in Thee its life by Geo. Matheson Mental Blindness By Pastor Dr. Ronnie Wolfe S X M H O L Y P N E V O I C E W R Q D T C E R C B M O W P T Y F Z D S P O R V R P I A D F S Z S T I R I P S B N I E O U P P W T R T S E A W O R G K L H S P W M E F L W S G L A S S R E X C L S N G A P M Y L O H N O J A S P E R E C B W G L E C V N B I P E T Y A N C B N E N O R H T I C P N L G E M E R A L D S K N R Q Z E O G N I G H Y W C D M S K F L A C D X V E B E A S T S D Y I O X P M D S L J F C V R Y R C W P Q K N O I L A D Y L O H S FIND-A-WORD Revelation 4:1-7 By Pastor Dr. Ronnie Wolfe VOICE TRUMPET SPIRIT THRONE JASPER SARDIN RAINBOW EMERALD SEATS CROWNS FIRE GLASS SEA BEASTS LION CALF MAN HOLY HOLY HOLY those who have no knowledge have no sin, because only those who know to do good and do it not are sinners (James 4:17). With knowl- edge comes responsibility. But the Pharisees cannot claim to have no sin, for they say We see. In other words, they are saying that they understand, perceive some- thing of God. They are admitting that they have enough knowledge to be guilty before God. Therefore, their sin remains, or continues to be present. These Pharisees were very guilty before God, because they professed to know much about the law and about God; and though they were very knowledgeable BLIND (Continued from page 1) about many things pertaining to the law and God, they were not given sight by Jesus himself. They re- mained in their sins. This was Je- sus’ judgment, and it is not for us to question why Jesus gives sight to some and not to others—that they which see might be made blind, vs. 39. Now we know that infants and imbeciles have no sight—they are blind mentally; therefore, they are not responsible before God. I know this is a controversy among Bap- tists, but this is my opinion (and a biblical one, I think). Paul said he was alive without the law once, which, I think refers to his youth, before he could understand the rights and wrongs of the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died (Rom. 7:9). When he began at an early age to understand God’s commandments, he became guilty before God. It was not until his experience on the road to Damascus, however, that he really was made to see. He saw Jesus, not only with his physical eye, but with his spiritual eye. He was no longer among those who “see not” but among those who see. Matt. 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Aren’t you thankful that God sent Jesus Christ to judge who would receive spiritual sight and who would not? He planned to give sight to “babes.” I am thankful to be one of those babes. The wise and prudent of this world are so knowledgeable about the things in which they are experi- enced, but many of them have never experienced the personal salvation that is found only in Jesus Christ. They remain among those who do not see despite all of their learn- ing, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (2 Tim. 3:7). Open mine eyes that I may see Glimpses of truth thou hast for me. Place in my hands the wonderful key That shall unclasp and set me free. Clara H. Fiske Scott If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him (James 1:5). This is a message to God’s children. After we are saved by grace through faith, we need to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Gazing eyes upon the leaves, The word of God with hope receives, Gives the wisdom needed most, And glorifies to the LORD of hosts. By Pastor Ronnie Wolfe THE BAPTIST DEFENCE December, 2009 Page 2 THE BAPTIST DEFENCE December, 2009 Page 3 SUNDAY EVENINGS New Hampshire Confession of Faith Studies in Doctrines Of Our Church Taught by Pastor Dr. Ronnie Wolfe 6:00 PM EVERYONE WELCOME All Members Should Attend 18 Weeks of Studies These studies are on our w e b s i t e a t www. fi rs tha rr is on.o rg. They are in printable PDF form, so they can be printed out in a presentable form. I have linked this study on the front page of the web site for the time being. Everyone Is Welcome At First Baptist Church I Am Persuaded Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr. It is written: “Nay, in all these things we are more than con- querors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that nei- ther death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:37-39) Life can sometimes be a strange thing in and of itself. There are ups and there are downs, and there are many twists, turns, and pit falls along the pathway that leads to the end. For many believers there are times that cause us to wonder if faith in God and Christ Jesus is worth all the heartaches and despairs multi- plied upon us since we believed and surrendered our lives into their noble hands. At a glance one would consider it absolute lunacy to endure so much when there is a seemingly easier path- way. Why suffer such onslaught and wrenching of the heart and mind? What motivation is there to endure? The answer is the love of God!!! How can one experience the love of God expressed upon the cross of Calvary in the midst of His saving grace and walk away unchanged? How can one be made alive by the love of God and not crave its constant nur- turing? How can one encounter God face-to-face and turn back to the dark shadows of the valley of death? How does one look into the eyes of our suffering Savior and think we are better than our Redeemer and Master? How could our eternal souls ever be torn from so great a love by accident or by purpose? Is this love of God so feeble that it cannot secure every object of His affec- tion? If “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose,” and “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us,” then we most certainly must be persuaded that “If God be for us, who can be against us”!!! Shall our eternal heav- enly Father allow anything of all His creation to tear us from His love that is fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ? I am persuaded that it is an utter impossibility, though the demons of hell will surely struggle at their best, to rip the saints from the hand of God. I am persuaded we are secure in His sovereign power eter- nally! Thanks be unto God for the surety of His love!!! THE BAPTIST DEFENCE December, 2009 Page 4 2 Cor. 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye sepa- rate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you . . . Recently I spoke to a lady whom I met incidentally in a family situation and began to talk with her, intending to witness to her about the Lord. She began to tease me about being a Baptist. She said, “When my people greet one another [in the country she is from], we just say, ‘Do you love Jesus?’ and that is all.” We don’t worry whether a person is a Baptist. Then I began to talk with her about separation. I explained that, when a person believes in God, he immediately separates himself from those who do not believe in God: secularists and humanists, etc. Then I explained that, when a person believes in Jesus Christ as personal Savior, he separates him- self further from world religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Is- lam, Confucianism, etc. Then I explained how that, when a person begins to believe that salvation is completely by grace through faith and not by works, he further separates himself from major Christian religions such as Catholicism, Arminianism, many Pentecostal and Methodists, etc. As a person learns more and more about the Bible, he continues to separate himself from the world and from religions of the world. If he begins to believe in the doctrines of grace, he separates himself from many Protestant religions. If he believes in eternal security, he sepa- rates himself from even more relig- ions. Now as a person studies the perpetuity of the Lord’s churches and understands the meaning and application of baptism, he separates himself from denominationalism and becomes a part of a very dis- tinct group of believers in Jesus Christ. He will be persuaded against any and all doctrine that teaches works for salvation, and he will accept nothing less than salvation to the uttermost: eternal salvation; and he will not be satisfied in any church that teaches anything but basic biblical doctrine. That is be- cause he has grown in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. When this believer understands that there is a group of people who have lost their lives by the millions over the doctrine of baptism and have been martyrs (witnesses) of the truth of this doctrine, and if he accepts the same truth of baptism for which these many have died, he will become a part of an even smaller and more distinct group: he will be called a Baptist. Now, I am a Baptist, and I speak somewhat from prejudice; but truth is truth, and truth is worth defending. The more truth that a person defends, the more he will be separated from the world. Keep reading, keep listening, keep meditating, beg God for un- derstanding, and you, too, will be- come a part of a very distinct peo- ple. I do not say these words out of pride, but I am simply stating a ba- sic Bible principle, that of separa- tion. God commands us to come out from among the world and be separate. There is no doubt that we should be a separate people, so don’t hesitate to admit what biblical learning has made you to be. A Necessary Separation By Pastor Dr. Ronnie Wolfe The Baptist Defence First Baptist Church P. O. Box 201 Harrison, OH 45030 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Non-Profit Organization U. S. Postage P A I D Harrison, Ohio 45030 Permit 101