Being "Good"

Our pastor at New City Church downtown, Keith Watson, frequently says that it does not hurt God when we are evil, and does not benefit God when we are "good"; that, since God is perfect and complete in himself, he gains or looses nothing due to our action or inaction. However, this is not a point of theology that must be deduced from God's perfection; it is a point that is explicitly stated.

Job 35:6 If you have sinned, what effect do you have against him?
If your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?
(7) If you are righteous, what do you give him?
Or what does he receive from your hand?

Thus, we are not to be "good" because our being "good" somehow benefits God; we are to be "good" because that is his command for us.

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ (38) This is the first and great commandment. (39) A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (40) The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Job's Soliloquy on Wisdom

I have been reading the book of Job; Job 28:28 is one of the most profound verses in the entire Bible.

Job 28:1 “Surely there is a mine for silver,
and a place for gold which they refine.
(2) Iron is taken out of the earth,
and copper is smelted out of the ore.
(3) Man sets an end to darkness,
and searches out, to the furthest bound,
the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
(4) He breaks open a shaft away from where people live.
They are forgotten by the foot.
They hang far from men, they swing back and forth.
(5) As for the earth, out of it comes bread;
Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
(6) Sapphires come from its rocks.
It has dust of gold.
(7) That path no bird of prey knows,
neither has the falcon’s eye seen it.
(8) The proud animals have not trodden it,
nor has the fierce lion passed by there.
(9) He puts forth his hand on the flinty rock,
and he overturns the mountains by the roots.
(10) He cuts out channels among the rocks.
His eye sees every precious thing.
(11) He binds the streams that they don’t trickle.
The thing that is hidden he brings forth to light.
(12) “But where shall wisdom be found?
Where is the place of understanding?
(13) Man doesn’t know its price;
Neither is it found in the land of the living.
(14) The deep says, ‘It isn’t in me.’
The sea says, ‘It isn’t with me.’
(15) It can’t be gotten for gold,
neither shall silver be weighed for its price.
(16) It can’t be valued with the gold of Ophir,
with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
(17) Gold and glass can’t equal it,
neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
(18) No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal.
Yes, the price of wisdom is above rubies.
(19) The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it,
Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
(20) Where then does wisdom come from?
Where is the place of understanding?
(21) Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living,
and kept close from the birds of the sky.
(22) Destruction and Death say,
‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
(23) “God understands its way,
and he knows its place.
(24) For he looks to the ends of the earth,
and sees under the whole sky.
(25) He establishes the force of the wind.
Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.
(26) When he made a decree for the rain,
and a way for the lightning of the thunder;
(27) then he saw it, and declared it.
He established it, yes, and searched it out.
(28) To man he said,
‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom.
To depart from evil is understanding.’”

NCCd -- What We Believe, Part 3: The Godhead

"What We Believe"

the Godhead

We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--co-eternal in being, co-eternal in nature, co-equal in power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections.

Supporting Scripture

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one:

2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.

Commentary

That there is one God is established by Deuteronomy 6:4, "Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one." That God is triune, existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is established by 2 Corinthians 13:14, which mentions all three persons in such a manner as to make it clear that they are three distinct persons, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen."

Note that "What We Believe" asserts that God is "eternally existing" and that the three persons of God are "co-eternal in being, co-eternal in nature, co-equal in power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections"; however, it offers no scripture to support these assertions and does not elaborate on what these "attributes and perfections" are. We will examine these issues in a future post.

NCCd -- What We Believe, Part 2: The Scriptures

"What We Believe"

the Scriptures

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible, and God-breathed.

Supporting Scripture

2 Timothy 3:16 Every writing inspired by God is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction which is in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Peter 1:20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation. (21) For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 5:18 For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.

John 16:12 "I have yet many things to tell you, but you can't bear them now. (13) However when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak from himself; but whatever he hears, he will speak. He will declare to you things that are coming."

Commentary

All Christian theology begins with the Scripture, with the belief that "the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments" are "the verbally inspired word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, [and] infallible". Note that I have omitted the final phrase, "and God-breathed", not because it is in error--it is most certainly true, but because it is redundant; it simply restates the first phrase, "the verbally inspired word of God".

Some may assert that Christian theology actually begins with Jesus Christ, or go back further to assert that it begins with God. However, we cannot study either God or Jesus Christ directly; we must study the Scripture in order to study God. If we begin our theology apart from the Scripture, with what we think about God or what we think Christianity should be, we are building our theology on a foundation of sand. If we believe that the Scripture is simply a guide, but not the final authority for faith and life, we reduce Christianity from a religion to just another philosophy. If we do not insist on the inerrancy and infallibility of the Scripture, we free ourselves to revise our theology as we please; the result may look more or less like Christianity, but it can only be a mockery of true Christianity.

It is only after we accept the Scripture as "the verbally inspired word of God, ... inerrant in the original writings, [and] infallible" that we can use Scripture to testify for itself. We find that the Scripture is "the verbally inspired word of God" in 2 Peter 1:21, "For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit.", taking "prophecy" to be synonymous with "Scripture" in this context. That the Scripture is "the final authority for faith and life" is found in 2 Timothy 3:16 and 17, "Every writing inspired by God is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction which is in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." That the Scripture is inerrant and infallible, we must accept on faith.

Psalm 1

My favorite Psalm is the first.

1 Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stand in the way of sinners,
nor sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in Yahweh’s law.
On his law he meditates day and night.
3 He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water,
that brings forth its fruit in its season,
whose leaf also does not wither.
Whatever he does shall prosper.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked shall perish.

"... his delight is Yahweh's law"--not the law, as in a book of rules, but the Bible as the Lord's Word. "On his law he meditates day and night." That's what a wise man does--what we should do--meditate on the Bible day and night. "Whatever he does shall prosper." Of course, in this world, what the wise man does doesn't always prosper, but the wise man doesn't live for this world.

"The wicked are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away." True, the wicked may "prosper" for a time, but in the scheme of things, that time is fleeting. "Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment" and "the way of the wicked shall perish." A most horrible fate.

I want to be the wise man, not the evil one.

NCCd -- What We Believe, Part 1

[The following is from the NCCd web site, under "About New City."]

the Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible, and God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12, 13).

the Godhead
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit co-eternal in being, co-eternal in nature, co-equal in power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

the Person and Work of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man (John 1:1, 2, 14; Luke 1:35). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24; 1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3, 5). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry as Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9, 10; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:24; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1, 2). We believe Jesus is coming again to judge the living and the dead (1 Peter 4:5; Romans 14:9; 2 Timothy 4:1).

the Person and Work of The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8, 11; 2 Corinthians 3:6; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 5:18).

the Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that through Adam's sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; man is totally depraved and of himself utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26, 27; Romans 3:22, 23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12).

Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18, 19).


Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37, 40; 10:27, 30; Romans 8:1, 38, 39; 1 Corinthians 1:4, 8; 1 Peter 1:5). We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God' s Word, which clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion for the flesh (Romans 13:13, 14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11, 15).

the Ministry and Spiritual Gifts
We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowing of spiritual gifts. It is, however, the believer' s responsibility to attempt to develop their sovereignly given spiritual gift(s). The baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs at conversion and is the placing of the believer into the Body of Christ. We also believe that particular spiritual gift(s) are neither essential, nor prove the presence of the Holy Spirit, nor are an indication of deep spiritual experience (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11, 13; Ephesians 4:7, 8). We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accordance with His own will, for the sick and afflicted (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14, 15). We believe that it is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to minister according to the gift(s) and grace of God that is given to him (Romans 12:1, 8; 1 Corinthians 13; 1 Peter 4:10, 11).

the Church
We believe that the church, which is the body and espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons (Ephesians 1:22, 23; 5:25, 27; 1 Corinthians 12:12, 14; 2 Corinthians 11:2). We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 18:22; 20:17; 1 Timothy 3:1, 3; Titus 1:5, 11). We believe in the autonomy of the local churches, free of any external authority and control (Acts 13:1, 4; 15:19, 31; 20:28; Romans 16:1,4; 1 Corinthians 3:9, 16; 1 Corinthians 5:4, 7, 13; 1 Peter 5:1, 4). We recognize believer's baptism and the Lord's Supper as scriptural means of testimony for the church (Matthew 28:19, 20; Acts 2:41, 42; Acts 18:8; 1 Corinthians 11:23, 26).

About Alcohol Consumption
First, we believe that all drunkenness is a sin (Deuteronomy 21:20; Ecclesiastes 10:17; Matthew 24:29; Luke 12:45; 21:34; Romans 13:13; 1 Corinthians 5:11, 6:10; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Peter 4:3).

Secondly, we believe that many horrendous sins are affiliated with drunkenness. Therefore, getting drunk is a sin that can lead to other sins, such as incest (Genesis 19:32? 35), violence (Proverbs 4:17), adultery (Revelation 17:2), mockery and brawling (Proverbs 20:1), poverty (Proverbs 21:17), late night and early morning drinking (Isaiah 5:11? 12), hallucinations (Isaiah 28:7), foolish behavior (Isaiah 5:22; Jeremiah 51:39), murder (2 Samuel 11:13), vomiting (Jeremiah 25:27; 48:26; Isaiah 19:14), staggering (Jeremiah 25:27; Psalm 107:27; Job 12:25), madness (Jeremiah 51:7), shameful nakedness (Habakkuk 2:15; Lamentations 4:21), sloth (Joel 1:5), escapism (Hosea 4:11), and depression (Luke 21:34). In summary, sin leads to death and the sin of drunkenness produces only death and misery.

Thirdly, we believe that Christian leaders are to live their lives in such a way as to set a positive example of holiness for others to emulate (Hebrews 13:7). This includes elders, the male senior leaders in the church, who are not to be drunkards (1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 1:7).

Fourthly, we do believe that all Christians must at varying times and in varying ways give up some of their Christian liberties in order to love people of weaker conscience. Christians must make every effort to not lead them into sin by exercising freedoms in their presence (Romans 14:21; 1 Corinthians 10:31? 32).

An Overview of "What We Believe"

Since I am an engineer, it is natural for me to analyze things (I am frequently criticized for over-analyzing things, but bear with me).

The first thing that I noticed when I began to write this article is that "What We Believe" has been changed from the original version, in that the section entitled "About Alcohol Consumption" has been added. Strictly speaking, while this section is appropriate as a part of "What We Believe," it isn't really a proper part of a statement of faith. This is typical, however; a common pattern for a statement of faith is to address the core theology of the church, including its beliefs concerning the Scripture, the Trinity, Creation, the Fall, Jesus Christ, Salvation, the Church, and Last Things, and then add the church's position on some social issue of concern.

"What We Believe" is silent on several issues that are typically found in a statement of faith. It makes no mention of Creation, for example; the section on the Godhead doesn't even state that God is the Creator. There is no discussion of God the Father, only a brief mention in the Godhead, although there are separate sections on the Person and Work of Christ and the Person and Work of The Holy Spirit. Finally, the discussion of Last Things (eschatology) is limited to the statement, "We believe Jesus is coming again to judge the living and the dead." There is no mention of heaven and hell. Thus, "What We Believe" represents an incomplete Christian theology.

"What We Believe" states, "We believe in the autonomy of the local churches, free of any external authority and control." This is the Congregational or Baptist model of the church, as contrasted with the hierarchal model used by the Roman Catholic, Episcopalian/Anglican, United Methodist, and Presbyterian churches.

Next, "What We Believe" explicitly asserts the total depravity of man and eternal security of believers ("perserverance of the saints"). These are the first and last points of the Five Points of Calvinism, as represented by the acronym TULIP,‭ ‬for‭ ‬Total depravity,‭ ‬Unconditional election,‭ ‬Limited atonement,‭ ‬Irresistible grace,‭ ‬and‭ ‬Perseverance of the saints.‭ This is an implicit rejection of the Wesleyan-Arminian theology that is at the core of Methodist, Wesleyan, Church of the Nazarene, and Salvation Army beliefs (yes, the Salvation Army has its own Statement of Faith). "What We Believe" is silent on the other three points, however, so it is compatible with both "High Calvinism", which embraces all five points, and "Low Calvinsim", which embraces the first and last points but explicitly rejects the middle three. Presbyterians, Primitive Baptists, and Reformed Baptists are all High Calvinists. "Free will" Baptists are Low Calvinists; most modern independent Baptists and Southern Baptists are Low Calvinists; however, the Southern Baptist "Faith and Message," their statement of faith, is also compatible with either High or Low Calvinism.

‭Finally, the section "About Alcohol Consumption" never states a position as to whether all alcohol consumption is sinful or whether alcohol consumption in moderation may be acceptable in some circumstances.

New City Church downtown

I am a very traditional person. My preference is a church where the men all wear coats and ties and the women wear skirts or dresses. The congregation sings three or four hymns, accompanied by the piano and organ; we "pass the plate;" listen to the "special music" and a sermon; sing a "hymn of invitation;" have a benediction; and go home--or out to eat at our favorite "Sunday dinner" restaurant.

I attend New City Church downtown (NCCd) (note that the lower case "d" in "downtown" is intentional). It is nothing like the traditional church that I prefer. It meets in the Capital Theater (Cox Capital Theater, to be politically correct), an historic (read, old) theater in downtown Macon. It has a band that plays "Contemporary Christian" music; there is no piano or organ in sight (although keyboards would make a nice addition to the band--hint, hint). Nobody wears a coat and tie; skirts and dresses are rare, although some women just have to be different. The pastor, Keith Watson, usually wears sandals and leaves his shirt un-tucked.

Why, then, do I attend NCCd? With as many churches as there are in Macon and the surrounding area, you would think that I could find one closer to my traditional tastes.

I attended the first service at NCCd because my hair stylist, Anny Stanley, was playing in the band. I had wanted to hear Anny play for a long time, but wasn't interested in going to what had been her usual venues--bars, bluegrass festivals, and the like.

What hooked me on NCCd was the message and the mission. This area is overrun with Pharisaical, legalistic churches--churches that look at the Bible as a source of rules. NCCd is not like that at all; Pastor Keith preaches that we should get away from "the list"--our list of rules--and focus on the Gospel. And that we should make a difference here, starting in downtown Macon (the physical home of our church), spreading to all of Middle Georgia, and throughout the world. I'll write more about the message and mission of NCCd in another post.

I checked the web site, at http://www.newcitydowntown.org/, especially "What We Believe"--a statement of faith, and "What We Do Not Believe" (both under "About New City"). I could have written both documents myself--they accurately express much of what I do, and do not, believe.

"a worshipping community of missional theologians."

Our mission statement ends by stating, "... we are 'a worshipping community of missional theologians.'" As Pastor Keith says, we are all theologians, just not all very good theologians. Of course, we should seek to become better theologians, so it would seem appropriate to start with a study of the theology of NCCd, a study of "What We Believe." "Theology" is simply "the study of God" and a "theologian" is, therefore, "one who studies theology; that is, one who studies God." Note that, in the general sense, theology isn't limited to the study of the Judeao-Christian God; but, unless otherwise stated, "theology" as used here should be interpreted as "Christian theology."