Covenant Theology: Baptists’ Discovery vs Presbyterians’ Administration (Ep. 215 Audio)

One of the biggest disagreements between Baptists and Presbyterians is related to baptism, it’s administration and what it means within the church. And these differences in practice are tied directly to differences in how God’s Covenant and the covenants that He has made with men are understood.

One primary difference that we want to concentrate on is that the Baptist view has more of an upward focus, looking at how each of God’s covenants with man reveals or discovers the Eternal Covenant of Grace whereas the Presbyterian view is more downward focused with their description being that the Covenant of Grace has different administrations in the time of the law and the time of the gospel.

Because of these different focuses, Baptists and Presbyterians see the effect of continuity and discontinuity very differently, with Baptists looking for those details to be expressed in physical vs spiritual typologies expressed as the earthly covenants with man reveal the heavenly Covenant of Grace (for example: circumcision of the flesh being fulfilled through circumcision of the heart, physical offspring pointing to spiritual offspring, physical households pointing to spiritual households, etc). Alternately, Presbyterians look for continuity and discontinuity within the earthly covenants. (physical households continuing, circumcision becoming baptism, etc).

Most of the differences in this episode are found in Chapter 7 of both the Westminter and the Second London Baptist confessions of faith. In the Westminster, this chapter is titled, “Of God’s Covenant with Man” and in the SLBC it is titled, “Of God’s Covenant”

Note: While we are focusing on real differences that we believe affect the church and doctrine in real ways, we are also grateful for the many areas of agreement that exist within the larger body of Christ. We also believe that it is through wrestling with God’s word and doctrine with the guidance of the Holy Spirit that greater unity will come.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Permanent Hosts – Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

What Stops Christians from Sharing the Gospel? (Ep. 213 Audio)

Sharing the gospel is central to the Great Commission. But doing so on a day-to-day basis is more complicated than we often want to admit. It’s definitely more complex than just memorizing the Romans Road or learning a three-step approach for door-to-door witnessing.
So in this episode, we want to ask two different questions about sharing the gospel: first, we want to ask why don’t we do it, and second, how should we change the way we think about sharing the gospel?

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Permanent Hosts – Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

Can God Be Just and Merciful? (Ep. 211 Audio)

Many Christians would describe justice and mercy as being at odds with one another, but most confessions of the faith, such as the SLBC and the Westminster Confession, say that God is most just and He is most merciful. But if they are in opposition to one another, how can God be both merciful and just?

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Permanent Hosts – Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

When Does Matthew 18 Apply? (Ep. 211 Audio)

Many churches teach that Matthew 18 is the generally applicable text about church discipline and it should be followed in all circumstances. But Matthew 18 is primarily about forgiveness between brothers and when you look at other cases of discipline, such as when a man has his father’s wife, there is no hint that Matthew 18 should be followed.
So when is Matthew 18 appropriate? And why is this passage so often misunderstood?
In this episode, we start out by laying out the differences between personal offenses and offenses against God. Matthew 18 is about dealing with personal offenses and because the person who believes he has been wronged has no greater authority than the brother he is confronting the process is structured to minimize slandering and false accusations. We also discuss how this is not just for brothers who go to the same church, how that works and what it looks like. After laying this groundwork, we then walk through the passage verse by verse discussing how each step is rooted in God’s desire for justice and forgiveness.
Matthew 18 is an incredibly important passage for us to understand. When we do not understand what it is intended to accomplish or how we should go about the process, we cause the church to be filled with a lack of forgiveness and injustice.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Permanent Hosts – Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

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