The proposition I shall insist on is, that meek persons are blessed persons. For the right understanding of this, we must know there is a two-fold meekness. Meekness towards God. Meekness towards man.

1. Meekness towards God which implies two things: submission to his will, flexibleness to his word.

(i) Submission to God’s will; when we carry ourselves calmly without swelling or murmuring under the dispensations of Providence, 1 Sam. 3:18. ‘It is the Lord, let him do what seems him good.’ The meek-spirited Christian saith thus, Let God do what he will with me, let him carve out what condition he pleases, I will submit: God sees what is best for me, whether a fertile soil or a barren. Let him chequer his work as he pleases, it suffices God hath done it; it was an unmeek spirit in the prophet to struggle with God, Jonah. 4:9. ‘I do well to be angry to the death.’

(ii) Flexibleness to God’s word: When we are willing to let the word bear sway in our souls, and become pliable to all its laws and maxims; he is spiritually meek who conforms himself to the mind of God, and doth not quarrel with the instructions of the word, but the corruptions of his heart. Cornelius’s speech to Peter did savor of a meek spirit, Acts 10:23. ‘Now therefore we are all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.’ How happy is it when the word, which comes with majesty, is received with meekness! James 1:21.

1. Meekness towards man; this Basil the great calls the indelible character of a gracious soul; ‘Blessed are the meek.’ To illustrate this I shall show what this meekness is. Meekness is a grace whereby we are enabled by the Spirit of God to moderate our passion. It is a grace. The philosopher calls it a virtue; but the apostle calls it a grace, therefore reckons it among the ‘fruits of the Spirit,’ Gal. 5:23 it is of a divine extract and original. By it we are enabled to moderate our passion. By nature the heart is like a troubled sea, casting forth the foam of anger and wrath: now meekness doth calm the passions; it sits as moderator in the soul, quieting and giving check to its distempered motions: as the moon doth serve to temper and calms the heat of the sun, so Christian meekness calms the heat of passion; meekness of spirit doth not only fit us for communion with God, but civil converse with men. Meekness hath a divine beauty and sweetness in it; it credits religion, it wins upon all; this meekness consists in three things: bearing of injuries, forgiving of injuries, recompensing good for evil.

Meekness in the bearing of injuries

First, meekness consists in bearing of injuries; I may say of this grace, it is not easily provoked; a meek spirit, like wet tinder, will not easily take fire, Ps. 38:12, 13. ‘They that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, but I as a deaf man heard not.’ Meekness is the bridle of anger; the passions are fiery and headstrong, meekness gives check to them. Meekness bridles the mouth, it ties the tongue to its good behavior; meekness observes that motto, “bear and forbear.” There are four things opposite to meekness.

(i) Meekness is opposed to hastiness of spirit, Eccl. 7:9. ‘Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.’ … Anger may be in a wise man, but it rests in a fool. The angry man is like flax, or gun-powder, no sooner do you touch him than he is all on fire. Saint Basil calls anger drunkenness; and Jerome says there are more drunk with passion than with wine. Seneca calls anger a short fit of madness; sometimes it suspends the use of reason… Eph. 4:26, 27. ‘Let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil.’ Oh, says one, he has wronged me, and I will never give place to him; but better to give place to him than the devil. An hasty spirit is not a meek spirit. Not but that we may in some cases be angry. There is an holy anger; that anger is without sin, which is against sin; meekness and zeal may stand together; in matters of religion a Christian must be clothed with the spirit of Elijah, and be ‘full of the fury of the Lord,’ Jer. 6:11. Christ was meek, Matt. 11:29 yet zealous, John 2:14, 15. The zeal of God’s house did eat him up.

(ii) Meekness is opposed to malice; malice is the devil’s picture, John 8:44. Malice is mental murder: 1 John 3:15, it unfits for duty. How can such a man pray? I have read of two men that lived in malice, who being asked how they could say the Lord’s prayer? one answered, he thanked God there were many good prayers besides: The other answered, when he said the Lord’s prayer, he did leave out these words, ‘as we forgive them that trespass against us:’ but saint Augustine brings in God replying, ‘Because thou dost not say my prayer, therefore I will not hear thine.’ Were it not a sad judgment, if all that a man did eat should turn to poison! to a malicious man all the holy ordinances of God turn to poison; the table of the Lord is a snare, ‘he eats and drinks his own damnation;’ a malicious spirit is not a meek spirit.

(iii) Meekness is opposed to revenge. Malice is the scum of anger, and revenge is malice boiling over. Malice is a vermin, lives on blood; revenge is Satan’s nectar and ambrosia; this is the savory meat which the malicious man dresses for the devil; the scripture forbids revenge, Rom. 12:19. ‘Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves:’ this is to take God’s office out of his hand, who is called the ‘God of recompences,’ Jer. 51:56 and the ‘God of vengeance,’ Ps. 94:1. This I urge against those who challenge one another to duels; indeed spiritual duels are lawful; it is good to fight with the devil, James 4:7. ‘resist the devil.’ It is good to duel with a man’s self, the regenerate part against the carnal. Blessed is he that seeks a revenge upon his lusts, 2 Cor. 7:11. ‘Yea what revenge?’ but other duels are unlawful; ‘Avenge not yourselves…’

Some may object. ‘But if I am thus meek and tame, in bearing of injuries and incivilities, I shall lose my credit, it will be a stain to my reputation?’

I answer. To pass by an injury without revenge, is no eclipse to a man’s credit. Solomon tells us it is the glory of a man to pass over a transgression, Prov. 19:11. It is more honor to bury an injury, than revenge it; and to slight it, than to write it down. The weakest creatures soonest turn head, and sting upon every touch. The lion, a more majestic creature, is not easily provoked. The bramble tears, the oak and cedar are more peaceable: passion imports weakness. A noble spirit overlooks an injury.

I answer again. Suppose a man’s credit should suffer an impair with those whose censure is not to be valued. Yet think, which is worse, shame or sin? Will you sin against God to save your credit? Surely it is little wisdom for a man to adventure his blood, that he may fetch back his reputation, and to run into hell to be counted valorous…

Not that a man cannot stand up in defense of himself when his life is endangered... he that will have us innocent as doves, not to offend others, will have us wise as serpents in preserving ourselves…

Though revenge be contrary to meekness, yet not but that a magistrate may revenge the quarrel of others; indeed it is not revenge in him; but justice: the magistrate is God’s lieutenant on earth; God hath put the sword in his hand, and he is not ‘to bear the sword in vain;’ he must be in terrorem, ‘for the punishment of evil doers’, 1 Pet. 2:14. Tho’ a private person must not render to any man evil for evil, Rom. 12:17 yet a magistrate may; the evil of punishment for the evil of offence: this rendering of evil is good. Private men must put their sword into the sheath, but the magistrate sins if he doth not draw it out: as his sword must not surfeit through cruelty, so neither must it rust thro’ partiality: too much lenity in a magistrate is not meekness, but injustice…

(iv) Meekness is opposed to evil-speaking, Eph. 4:31. ‘Let all evil-speaking be put away…’ The tongues of many are fired, and it is the devil lights the match. Therefore they are said in scripture to be ‘set on fire of hell,’ James 3:6. Men have learned of the old serpent, to spit their venom one at another in disgraceful revilings, Matt. 5:22. ‘whosoever shall say thou fool, shall be in danger of hell-fire.’ Under that word fool, all vilifying terms are by our Savior forbidden; let us take heed of this, it is hateful to God: God is not in this fire, but in the still small voice, 1 Kings 19:12…

Meekness in the forgiving of injuries

The second branch of meekness is in the forgiving of injuries, Mark 11:25. ‘And when ye stand praying, forgive;’ as if Christ had said, It is to little purpose to pray, unless you forgive. A meek spirit is a forgiving spirit. This is an Herculean work; nothing more crosses the stream of corrupt nature. Men forget kindnesses, but remember injuries.. Some can rather sacrifice their lives than their lusts; but forgive we must, and forgive as God forgives.

(i) Really, God does not make a show of forgiveness, and keep our sins by him, he blots out our debts, Isa. 43:25. God passes an act of oblivion, Jer. 31:34 he forgives, and forgets. So the meek spirit doth not only make a show of forgiving his neighbor, but he doth it from the heart, Mat. 18:35.

(ii) Fully. God forgives all our sins; he does not for fourscore write down fifty, but he gives a general release, Ps. 103:3. ‘Who forgives all thy iniquities.’ Thus a meek-spirited Christian forgives all injuries. False hearts pass by some offences, but retain others. This is but half-forgiving. Is this meekness? Would you have God deal so with you? Would you have him forgive your trespasses as you forgive others?’

(iii) God forgives often; we are often sinning, we run every day afresh upon the score, but God often forgives; therefore he is said to multiply to pardon, Isa. 55:6. So a meek spirit reiterates and sends one pardon after another. Peter asks the question, Mat. 18:21. ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him, till seven times?’ Christ answers him, ver. 22. ‘I say not unto thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven.’

Some may object that such an affront hath been offered, that flesh and blood cannot put up? I answer: “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God?” 1 Cor. 15:50. Christians must walk antipodes to themselves; and with the sword of the Spirit fight against the lusts of the flesh,’ Gal. 5:24.

Another may object, ‘but if I forgive one injury, I shall invite more’. I answer: it argues a devilish nature to be worse for kindness; but suppose we should meet with such monsters, yet it is our duty to be ready to forgive, Col. 3:13. Shall we cease from doing good, because others will not cease from being evil? If the more you forgive injuries, the more injuries you meetest with, this will make your grace shine the more. Another’s vice will be a greater demonstration of your virtue; often forgiving will add the more to the weight of his sin, and the weight of thy glory. If any shall say to me, I strive to excel in other graces; but as for this grace of meekness, bearing, and forgiving of injuries, I cannot arrive at it. I desire in this to be excused; what do you talk of other graces? Where there is one grace, there is all; if meekness be wanting, it is but a counterfeit chain of grace; thy faith is a fable, thy repentance is a lie, thy humility is hypocrisy.

And whereas you say you cannot forgive. think of your sin; your neighbor is not so bad in offending thee, as thou art in not forgiving him. You neighbor in offending you, does but trespass against a man; but you, refusing to forgive him, dost trespass against God… If you will not believe me, believe Christ, Mark 11:26. ‘If you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.’ He who lives without meekness, dies without mercy.

Meekness in recompensing good for evil

The third branch of meekness is in ‘recompensing good for evil;’ this is an higher degree than the other Matt. 5:44. ‘Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, pray for them that despitefully use you,’ Rom. 12:20. ‘If thine enemy hunger, feed him,’ 1 Pet. 3:9. ‘Not rendering evil for evil, but contrariwise blessing.’ This threefold cord of scripture should not easily be broken. To render evil for evil is brutish; to render evil for good is devilish; to render good for evil is Christian… When grace comes into the heart, it works a strange alteration… Grace calms the passion, and melts the heart into compassion; as the sun draws up many thick noxious vapors from the earth and sea, and returns them in sweet showers, so a gracious heart returns all the unkindnesses and discourtesies of his enemies with the sweet influences and distillations of love.

Meekness shows the character of a true saint

Meekness shows us the badge of a true saint; he is of a meek, candid spirit. He is not easily provoked. He takes everything in the best sense, and conquers malice with mildness. I would to God all who profess themselves saints were bespangled with this grace. We are known to belong to Christ, when we wear his livery. He is a saint, whose spirit is so meekened, that he can smother prejudices and bury unkindnesses. A passion of tears does better become a Christian than a passion of anger; every saint is Christ’s spouse, Cant. 4:8. It becomes Christ’s spouse to be meek. If any injury be offered to the spouse she leaves it to her husband to revenge; it is unseemly for Christ’s spouse to strike.

Ten reasons why Christians should be meek

Let me beseech all Christians to labor to be eminent in this superlative grace of meekness, Zeph. 2:3. ‘Seek meekness:’ Seeking implies we have lost it. Therefore, we must make an hue and cry after it to find it, Col. 3:12. ‘Put on therefore, as the elect of God, meekness,’ Put it on as a garment, never to be left off. Meekness is a necessary ingredient into everything. It is necessary in instruction, 2 Tim. 2:25. ‘In meekness instructing...’ Meekness conquers the opposers of truth; meekness melts the heart; soft words are softening. Meekness is necessary in hearing the word, James 1:21. ‘Receive with meekness the ingrafted word;’ he who comes to the word either with passion or prejudice, gets no good, but hurt; he turns wine into poison, and stabs himself with the sword of the Spirit. Meekness is needful in reproof, Gal. 6:1. ‘If a man be overtaken with a fault, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness.’ The Greek is, put him in joint again; if a bone be out of joint, the surgeon must not use a rough hand, that may chance to break another bone, but he must come gently to work, and afterwards bind it up softly. So if a brother be through inadvertency overtaken, we must not come to him in a fury of passion, but with a spirit of meekness labour to restore him. I shall lay down several motives or arguments to meeken the spirits of men.

1. Let me propound example of meekness. The example of Jesus Christ, Matt. 21:5. ‘Thy King cometh unto thee meek.’ Christ was the pattern of meekness. 1 Pet. 2:23. ‘When he was reviled, he reviled not again;’ his enemies’ words were more bitter than the gall they gave him; but Christ’s words were smoother than oil. He prayed and wept for his enemies; he calls to us to learn of him, Matt. 11:29. ‘Learn of me, for I am meek.’ Christ does not bid us, saith Augustine, learn of him to work miracles; to open the eyes of the blind, to raise the dead, but he would have us learn of him to be meek. If we do not imitate his life we cannot be saved by his death.

2. Meekness is a great ornament to a Christian. ‘The ornament of a meek spirit’, 1 Pet. 3:4 How amiable is a saint in God’s eye when adorned with this jewel! What the Psalmist says of praise, Ps. 33:1 the same may I say of meekness, it is ‘comely for the righteous. No garment more becoming a Christian than meekness; therefore we are bid to put on this garment, Col. 3:12. ‘Put on therefore as the elect of God meekness.’ A meek spirit credits religion, silences malice; it is the varnish that puts a lustre upon holiness, and sets off the gospel with a better gloss.

3. This is the way to be like God. God is meek towards them that provoke him: how many black mouths are opened daily against the Majesty of heaven? how do men tear his name? vex his Spirit? crucify his Son afresh? they walk up and down the earth as so many devils covered with flesh, yet the Lord is meek, ‘not willing that any should perish,’ 2 Pet. 3:9. How easily could God crush sinners, and kick them into hell! but he moderates his anger; though he be full of majesty, yet full of meekness. In him is mixed princely greatness, and fatherly mildness; as he has his scepter of royalty, so also his throne of grace. O how should this make us fall in love with meekness! here we bear a kind of likeness to God; it is not profession makes us like God, but imitation. Where meekness is wanting, we are not like men; where it is we are like God.

4. Meekness argues a noble and excellent spirit. A meek man is a valorous man, he gets a victory over himself. Passion arises from imbecility and weakness; therefore we may observe old men and children are more choleric than others; strength of passion argues weakness of judgment, but the meek man who is able to conquer his fury, is the most powerful and victorious. Prov. 16:32. ‘He that is slow to anger, is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit, than he that taketh a city.’ To yield to one’s passion is easy; it is swimming along with the tide of corrupt nature; but to turn head against nature, to resist passion, to ‘overcome evil with good,’ this is like a Christian; this is that spiritual chivalry and fortitude of mind as deserves the trophies of victory, and the garland of praise.

5. Meekness is the best way to conquer and melt the heart of an enemy. When Saul lay at David’s mercy, and he only cut off the skirt of his robe, how was Saul’s heart affected with David’s meekness! 1 Sam. 24:16, 17. ‘Is this thy voice, my son David? and Saul lift up his voice and wept; and he said to David, thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thy hand, thou killed me not; wherefore the Lord reward thee good...’ This heaping of coals melts and thaws the heart of others; it is the greatest victory to overcome an enemy without striking a blow. The fire will go where the wedge cannot. Mildness prevails more than fierceness. Passion makes an enemy of a friend: meekness makes a friend of an enemy…

6. Consider the great promise in the text. ‘The meek shall inherit the earth;’ this argument perhaps will prevail with those who desire to have earthly possessions. Some may object, If I forbear and forgive, I shall lose my right at last, and be turned out of all? No, God hath here entered into bond, ‘the meek shall inherit the earth:’ The unmeek man is in a sad condition, there is no place remains for him but hell; for he hath no promise made to him either of earth or heaven; it is the meek shall inherit the earth.

Question. How do the meek inherit the earth, when they are strangers in the earth? Heb. 11:13.

Answer. The meek are said to inherit the earth, not that the earth is their chief inheritance, or that they have always the greatest share here; but,

(i) They are the inheritors of the earth, because though they have not always the greatest part of the earth, yet they have the best right to it… The saints’ title is best, being members of Christ, who is Lord of all. Adam did not only lose his title to heaven when he fell, but to the earth too; and till we are incorporated into Christ, we do not fully recover our title. I do not deny that the wicked have a civil right to the earth, which the laws of the land give them, but not a sacred right. Only the meek Christian has a scripture-title to his land… The saints hold their right to the earth in their head, Christ, who is ‘the Prince of the kings of the earth,’ Rev. 1:5. In this sense, he who hath but a foot of land, inherits more than he who hath a thousand acres, because he hath a better and more juridical right to it.

(ii) The meek Christian is said to inherit the earth, because he inherits the blessing of the earth. The wicked man has the earth, but not as a fruit of God’s favor: he has it as a dog has poisoned bread, it doth him more hurt than good. A wicked man lives in the earth as one that lives in an infectious air, he is infected by his mercies. The fat of the earth will but make him fry and blaze the more in hell; so that a wicked man may be said not to have what he has, because he has not the blessing. But the meek saint enjoys the earth as a pledge of God’s love; the curse and poison is taken out of the earth. Ps. 37:11. ‘The meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace;’ on which words Augustin gives this gloss; wicked men, says he, may delight themselves in the abundance of cattle and riches, but the meek man delights himself in the abundance of peace; what he has, he does possess with inward serenity and quietness.

When it is said the meek shall inherit the earth, it is not meant that they shall inherit no more than the earth; they shall inherit heaven too… The meek have the earth only for their sojourning house; they have heaven for their mansion-house, Ps. 149:4. ‘He will beautify the meek with salvation.’ The meek beautify religion, and God will beautify them with salvation. Salvation is the port we all desire to sail to; it is the harvest and vintage of souls; the meek are they which shall reap this harvest; the meek shall wear the embroidered robe of salvation. The meek are ‘lords of the earth, and heirs of salvation,’ Heb. 1:14.

7. Consider the mischief of an unmeek spirit. There is nothing makes such room for the devil to come into the heart and take possession, as wrath and anger, Eph. 4:26, 27. ‘Let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil.’ When men let forth passion, they let in Satan; the wrathful man hath the devil for his bedfellow. Passion hinders peace. The meek Christian has sweet quiet and harmony in his soul; but passion puts the soul into a disorder. It not only clouds reason, but disturbs conscience; he does not possess himself whom passion possesses. It is no wonder if they have no peace of conscience, who make so little conscience of peace; wrathfulness grieves the Spirit of God, Eph. 4:30. 31 and if the Spirit be grieved, he will be gone; we care not to stay in smoky houses; the Spirit of God loves not to be in that heart which is full of the vapors and fumes of distempered passion.

8. Another argument to cool the intemperate heat of our cursed hearts, is to consider that all the injuries and unkind usages, we meet with from the world, do not fall out by chance, but are disposed of by the all-wise God for our good. Many are like the foolish cur that snarls at the stone, never looking to the hand that threw it; or like the horse, who being spurred by the rider, bites the snaffle. If we looked higher than instruments, our hearts would grow meek and calm. David looked beyond Shimei’s rage, 2 Sam. 16:11. ‘Let him curse, for the Lord hath bidden him;’ what wisdom were it for Christians to see the hand of God in all the barbarism and incivilities of men! Job eyed God in his affliction, and that meekened his spirit, ‘The Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord,’ Job 1:21. He does not say the Chaldeans have taken away, but the ‘Lord hath taken away; what made Christ so meek in his sufferings? He did not look at Judas or Pilate, but at his Father, John 18:11. ‘The cup which my Father hath given me;’ when wicked men do revile and injure us, they are but God’s executioners. Who is angry with the executioner?

And as God hath an hand in all the affronts and discourtesies we receive from men (for they do but hand them over to us) so God will do us good by all if we belong to him; 1 Sam. 16:12. It may be, says David, ‘that the Lord will look on me in mine affliction, and will requite me good for his cursing.’ Usually, when the Lord intends us some signal mercy, he fits us for it by some eminent trial, as Moses’ hand was first leprous before it wrought salvation, Exod. 4:6, so God may let his people be lepered with the cursings and revilings of men before he shower down some blessing upon them; ‘it may be the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day.’

9. Want of meekness evidences want of grace. True grace inflames love, and moderates anger. Grace is like the file which smooths the rough iron, it files off the ruggedness of a man’s spirit; grace saith to the heart as Christ did to the angry sea, Mark 4:39. ‘Peace, be still.’ So where there is grace in the heart, it stills the raging of passion, and makes a calm. He who is in a perpetual frenzy, letting loose the reins to wrath and malice, never yet felt the sweet efficacy of grace. It is one of the sins of the heathen to be ‘implacable’, Rom. 1:31. A revengeful, cankered heart, is not only heathenish, but devilish, James 3:14, 15. ‘If ye have bitter, envying and strife in your hearts, this wisdom descends not from above, but is devilish. The old serpent spits forth the poison of malice and revenge.

10. If all that hath been said will not serve to master this bedlam humour of wrath and anger, let me tell you, you are the persons whom God speaks of, who hate to be reformed. You are rebels against the word: read and tremble, Isa. 30:8. 9. ‘Now go write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come, for ever and ever, that this is a rebellious people, children that will not hear the law of the Lord.’ If nothing yet will charm down the wrathful devil, let me tell you, God has charged every man not to, meddle, nor have any league of friendship with you, Prov. 22:24. ‘Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man thou shalt not go:’ What a monster is he among men, that everyone is warned to beware of, and not come near, as one who is unfit for human society; make no league saith God with THAT MAN; if you take him into you society, you take a snake into thy bosom. ‘With a furious man thou shalt not go.’ Wilt thou walk with the devil? The furious man is possessed with a wrathful devil.

Oh that all this might help to meeken and sweeten Christian spirits!

How to attain this Grace of Meekness

What shall I do to be possessed of this excellent grace of meekness?

1. Often look upon the meekness of Christ. The scholar that would write well, has his eye often upon the copy!

2. Pray earnestly that God will meeken your spirit. God is called ‘the God of all grace,’ 1 Pet. 5:10. He has all the graces in his gift, sue to him for this grace of meekness. If one were patron of all the livings in the land, men would sue to him for a living: God is patron of all the graces, let us sue to him; mercy comes in at the door of prayer, Ezek. 36:37… Meekness is the commodity we want, let us send prayer as our factor over to heaven to procure it for us, and pray in faith; when faith sets prayer on work, prayer sets God on work; all divine blessings come streaming to us through this golden channel of prayer.

September 23, 2025

Grace Fellowship Family…

As many of you know, I am about to embark on a trip to Asia for the ministry that I lead, Man in the Mirror. A little bit of background: I started working for Man in the Mirror (MIM) in November of 2000. I did not feel a specific call to ministry when I took the job. I felt a call to support my family!

I was in a small group at Northland Church in Longwood with a group of men who had walked with me through the failure of a software company I had helped start. It was incredibly di icult, as you can imagine, but my brothers locked arms with me as we met weekly, prayed together, went on camping trips with our kids, and formed a community with our families.

We were reading the book, The Man in the Mirror, by Patrick Morley, and one of the guys in the group knew the author. Pat had started a men’s Bible Study in 1986, and then a ministry had sprung up from there. My friend Jim suggested that Pat might be looking for someone and asked if he could pass along my resume. The rest, as they say, is history.

I joined Man in the Mirror with a shaky marriage, shaky self-confidence, and more relief than excitement about finding a job to support my wife and our two young children. I found a home there, and loved the mission of helping men find meaning and purpose in the gospel. Shortly after arriving, I made the first of what will now be four trips to Asia, meeting with men who were eager to live out their Christian faith in cultures that are antagonistic towards Christ.

This Saturday (September 27), a coworker and I will head out to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is literally on the other side of the world—a 12 hour time di erence. We will spend three days in Malaysia, followed by three days each in Surabaya, Indonesia, and Guangzhou, China. In each city we will meet with Man in the Mirror leaders who are using their workplaces and homes to host Man in the Mirror men’s groups. There are 87 of these groups going on every other week across seven di erent countries, and the ministry is growing.

China will be very interesting and intense. I’ll have the chance to meet some new friends and to encourage them. I’m looking forward to learning about their culture and community.

While I continue on the trip to Seoul, my coworker will fly back to the U.S. South Korea is a new country for Man in the Mirror, and we will help new groups get started and encourage the leaders there.

Finally, I will head to Katmandu, Nepal. Nepal has just undergone (another) revolution, ousting their government on corruption charges and practically starting fresh. They are calling this the GenZ Revolution because the young adults in the country are the foundation of the change. They even elected their new prime ministry through a poll on Discord!

A highlight in Nepal will be going outside of the city to preach at a small church that MIM funded to renovate their building. With just $500 they were able to purchase 20 Bibles in Nepali, add a platform, install a pulpit, paint the sanctuary, and buy their first guitar. They have had no instruments until now. We’ll be giving them a little more money so that they can buy some chairs to replace their stackable plastic patio chairs, many of them broken.

I will leave Katmandu and head back to Orlando, returning on October 14. Whew!

So, how can you pray for us?

1. That we are able to encourage, uplift, and spur the brothers on as we meet with them.

2. For safe travels with no major issues. We’ll be flying six di erent airlines, dealing with customs and immigration in six countries (including the U.S.), and dealing with major time zone changes.

3. Health/sleep – lots of di erent kinds of food, sleeping in a new hotel every three days, and those time zone changes will make sleep crucial, but sometimes di icult.

4. For our wives, especially Kimberly, as we are gone for many days. Kimberly will be traveling a bit while I’m gone as well, so safety and travel mercies for her as well.

Finally, please know that as I go I am not only representing Man in the Mirror, but I am representing Grace Fellowship as well. I am looking forward to bringing your greetings to the brothers and sisters in Asia. Thank you for sending me, for praying for us, and for all of your encouragement.

Your brother in Christ,

Brett Clemmer

Note: You can hear more about the story of that men’s group and how those guys helped save our marriage at the beginning of this podcast episode from Man in the Mirror: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5cQNOF2WE24QGmJ0TvEGna?si=c732aca47ad84e07 or, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zl4-NUaN7k&t=6s

For more information on Man in the Mirror: www.maninthemirror.org

“It is not good that man should be alone.”

This is my favorite text on leadership in the entire Bible and I am continually challenged by it. But before we dive in we must understand the context of Jethro’s advice to Moses. Immediately before in ch. 17:1-7 the people grumble and blame Moses in the wilderness. As the Lord directs Moses to bring water from the rock at Horeb, He instructs Moses to take elders with him and perform the miracle in their sight. In 17:8-13, when Amalek attacked Israel, Moses was physically unable to keep his hands up to win the battle without the help the Aaron and Hur on either side. The lesson from context is:

There will always be difficulty from people within and without, and God is preparing Moses to be a better leader by not leading alone. Israel’s history is no different than life in our local churches, the people will always praise or blame the man God has called to lead. Yet, there is strength and solidarity in numbers. Also, we are weak, and even the most energetic of us get tired and worn out, by ourselves, our arms and heads will droop. But what a blessing it is to have men beside us, standing in agreement who will prop us up!

Israel is approaching Mount Sinai to receive the ten words of the Lord in chs. 19-20, and the Lord instructs Moses to have men in place before the tablets are given. The wisdom of Jethro to Moses in ch. 18 is strategically placed.

Jethro’s Wisdom

1-12. Moses’ father-in-law deserves some attention. He is a caring man with an interest in Moses’ personal and family welfare (6-7). When he hears of the work of the Lord in Israel, he rejoices, and blesses the Lord, proves that the God of Israel is greater than all other gods, offers sacrifices and has fellowship among the leaders of Israel (9-12). When he speaks to Moses, he lends wisdom and investment to the counsel he will give. Everyone needs at least one Jethro in their life.

Moses’ Predicament

13-14. Moses is in a common leadership dilemma: since there are always problems to fix and people needing help Moses is stretched to his limit! Moses is judging the people (deciding among them) ‘from morning till evening’. This is a tall task for one man, considering Israel was ‘six hundred thousand men… besides women and children’ (Ex. 12:37). The wise, older man surveys the situation with a perspective that can usually only be seen from the outside and rightfully points out Moses’ potential for burnout in verse 14.

He asks the key question, “why do you sit alone”? From the beginning, God’s design for man was not for him to be alone (Gen. 2:18). This is true in the home and the church, only God is self-subsistent and self-sufficient! But men struggle with this, we don’t like to ask for directions, we don’t like to ask for help, and we don’t like to admit we can’t do everything. Jethro rightly observes there is a problem with what Moses is doing ‘for the people’! Instead he is says, “Moses, think about what is actually best for the people!”

Jethro’s Assessment

15-18. Jethro now judges Moses, saying “what you are doing is not good”. What Moses was doing was in fact good, he is helping people understand and apply the law of God. Moses may have been effective, but he was highly inefficient. While it may be good for those he is able to help for a time, it is not sustainable. Many men keep up a sprinter’s pace in ministry and life, which we can all do for a time, but eventually our legs and our lungs will give out. Jethro as a seasoned older man sees what is coming down the road for Moses, making three profound statements:

1. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out.
2. For the thing is too heavy for you.
3. You are not able to do it alone.

Moses may have been an extraordinary man with an extraordinary calling, but he is still finite. “Moses you are not Superman! You can’t be expected to put all this on your shoulders.” As men, our flesh does not want to hear that something is too much for us, but when our spirit hears these words, we rejoice in the opportunity for relief. The problem is if we don’t have a Jethro in our lives, it may never come.

Jethro’s Counsel

19-20. Obey my voice… and God will be with you: Moses, this is not an optional suggestion but a piece of optimal advice in the form of command with divine approval.

You shall…: What Moses was doing was indeed good. Continue to: intercede and judge the people, bring their cases before the Lord, divide and apply the law of the Lord, help them walk in a way that is pleasing to Him! But, how he was doing it is not good, he needed to add this important thing:

21-22. Look for able men from all the people: This is never meant to be the task for one man alone, if Moses couldn’t, we certainly cannot either. This high calling is not meant for any empty suit, or the first man you come to, don’t look for superficiality or proximity, but for character and competency in three key areas:

1. Men who fear God: This is intentionally first, those who fear God, who love Him and revere Him will tremble at the thought of sinning against Him! He will be a faithful co-laborer, because He serves the same Master, he is not your “yes man”.

His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. Ps. 147:10-11

2. Who are trustworthy: We all know how important it is to have people you trust and rely on in life, but especially in ministry. When you have the perilous task of climbing a mountain, you want trustworthy men holding the rope, working toward the same end, pleasing the same Master. We need to know that the job will be done and done well. Which is why the next characteristic is also imperative. 

3. Who hate a bribe: They should despise the very thought that money could sway their affections from the Israel of God! Any judge who can be bought is not worthy of his position. We need men who are looking for treasures in heaven, not on earth. If you are enticed by the world’s goods and don’t know the value of an immortal soul, you have no place overseeing kingdom resources.

Place such men over the people, as ‘chiefs of thousands… hundreds… fifties… tens.’, No one is identical in gifting or capacity but they are all useful in kingdom work. Paul makes this clear in 1 Corinthians 12 that every part of the body is indispensable, especially those who are not always visible or presentable. Speaking plainly, every healthy church is comprised of an eldership with varied gifts, who are not meant or able to handle the same load or type of responsibility, along with deacons and mature members all caring for one another according to their ability to build up the whole body into their head, Christ (Eph. 4:15).

And let them judge the people at all times. We do not get to choose to serve the King only when it suits us, or it is convenient. As you well know, problems rarely arise when it is convenient for us, and the wisdom God has given us is not for our sake alone. Praise God when we have trustworthy men who can come to us, and we can go to them. We must not be afraid to ask for help, and we must not be afraid to let other trusted leaders decide for themselves. “So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.”

23. If you do this: here is the great promise, for Moses and I also contend, for us! “If you do this, God will direct you.” When we work according to God’s design, He will be pleased to direct us and bless our efforts. We may not know exactly how it will all work out, and what exactly will transpire, but we trust that whether we plant or water, God will bring the increase (1 Cor. 3:6-7). The fruit and the results are not up to us, it is in much better hands, because we “entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good”. (1 Pet. 4:19). Trust Christ with His church for His glory, and He will complete the work He began!

And this has practical benefits as well, “if you do this… you will be able to endure, and all the people will go to their place in peace.” Do this for your own good, and the good of the people, for the long haul!

24-26. Jethro served his purpose and departed, and I think we can safely infer from context that Moses did indeed endure, and the people were able to go to their place in peace.

Finally, but most importantly, we must ask ourselves, where is Christ in this text? Moses points us to Christ and He appoints us to our places as elders, deacons, members in every local gathering according to our giftings, as leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.

There is much more we can pull from an important text like this, but I hope you spend time in prayer, seeking the Lord as you meditate on all the wisdom found here and its’ New Testament counterpart Acts 6:1-7.

When I was called here to revitalize nine years ago, the church was vastly different than it is now. The address and the physical structure are still the same. And of course, there have been new coats of paint, improvements to facilities, and attempts to increase capacity. But the people, the energy, the worship, the fellowship, and the preaching and teaching have all grown beyond anything I could have imagined. From less than 20 elderly attenders to 150 covenanted members currently, it is so humbling to reflect on. I praise the Lord for His glorious grace in this every time it enters my mind.

Revitalization Brings Change

In the process of revitalization, there are many changes that take place. Change is part of being human—only God is immutable. Real change doesn’t happen overnight, and it is rarely easy or predictable. For some, change is exciting, but for most of us, change can bring uncertainty, disappointment, and even a feeling of loss, or nostalgia.

And in a transitory place like Central Florida, people move in and out often and there are multiple churches in every neighborhood. Add into that the number of RBC students who call Grace Fellowship home during their time in school, and we can count on a fair number of people coming and going, which happens because of changes in their lives or in the church. 

And yet, the church is such an incredible organism; people from various backgrounds and walks of life with many different preferences who are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:27-28). This is incredibly beautiful, even as it provides many unique challenges as things change over time.

Theological Foundations 

In the past nine years there been many changes, starting with the theological changes. When I arrived here, there was barely a statement of faith and biblical literacy was a rarity. We had to work on building a biblical foundation, so that we could become evangelical and, eventually, confessionally reformed. Most of the existing members had never heard expository preaching, seen a plurality of elders, or could tell you what the Doctrines of Grace were. This was a slow, intentional process to officially adopt the Second London Baptist Confession four years in. And by the time we got there, most of the original members had left or had passed away. As time went on, our theology, philosophy, and ecclesiology became more defined, and this has drawn people who are predominately looking for Reformed theology, Baptist distinctives, and at a minimum, expository preaching.

In our case, as the theology and gifts of the body deepen, so did the depth of liturgy and fellowship. As the world runs toward post-Christian, secular sensibilities driven by a consumeristic desire to be served and entertained, we hold more firmly to historic Christianity found in the ordinary means of grace and desire to serve others even more. We do this by remaining committed to expository and Christ-centered preaching, worshipping God through theologically rich and congregationally mindful songs, and moving to weekly communion, which all serve to stir our minds, hearts, and wills toward the beauty of the gospel. 

More People Coming and Going

In the last nine years it seems like there have been at least four or five different, distinct churches. What do I mean by that? By the numbers, a church of 20 feels very different than a church of 60, 100, 150, or 250. 

While there are many types of changes, the most exciting is the addition of people—and the most difficult is the loss of people. Both will happen when you love the body of Christ, when you grow, serve, and pray with, confide in and depend on fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. As we have discussed in our Acts study, the fellowship among believers is unparalleled, because it is driven and governed by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:12-13). We speak the same language and have the same love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control given to us (Gal. 5:22-26). You are doing it right when you are excited when they come and sad when they leave. 

Living in a fallen world means people depart for various reasons, some we understand, some we don’t, but we have hope of an eternal reunion and communion with them again. The life of the apostle Paul illustrates this, from leaving Barnabas in disagreement in Acts 15, to leaving the Ephesian elders in much weeping in Acts 20. I have made many life-long friends over the years at Grace Fellowship, and I have tried to leave nothing on the table in those relationships. While I have made many mistakes, I have never regretted the time, love, and investment I’ve made in people for the sake of the Kingdom of God, and you won’t either!

Growing Pains

The increase in people comes with many growing pains. We are a far cry from 10 people in a Bible study in the back of the sanctuary due to a day care in our fellowship hall. The men’s study has outgrown our Florida room, and baptisms fill the playground! If you would have told me 9 years ago that we would need a parking team, or we would be setting up chairs for 50 in an overflow room for service, I would have told you, “That’s crazy!” I never could have predicted two full-time pastors and an almost-full-time ministry assistant. These things continue to amaze me!

With all the joys of more people attending, learning, growing, and serving, the elders and deacons are asking many micro and macro questions: Where do we seat everyone? How can we make sure everyone can see and hear? What about families? What about singles? What do we do to benefit the most members? How do we prioritize members and welcome visitors? How many events and studies do we need? How many are too many?

And as members, we have all felt the crunch at times and have been overwhelmed on particularly busy Sundays. We have all asked: how do I meet new people and see the ones I know and love? How do I notice if someone is absent? How do I walk into a crowded room and not feel anxious? Those who love the small intimate gathering of 50 may be anxious and struggle when it reaches 150 and beyond. I have had these conversations. [Tim Keller produced a great study and treatment on this phenomenon, and if you are interested in this it is worth the read, Leadership and Church Size Dynamics.]

But when all is said and done, we surrender ourselves to the sovereignty of God, who gives and takes away in His good timing and for His good pleasure, blessed be the name of the Lord (Job. 1:21)! I have taken great comfort in this over the years. We are all here voluntarily. Everyone who is here at Grace Fellowship the Lord has drawn and could draw away at any time. While it is comforting to know that God is in control and Christ will build His church, we can all recognize that he may push us out of our comfort zone, disturbing our status quo and the little kingdoms we may create for ourselves without realizing it. 

So, if you are trying to make sense of the changes Grace Fellowship has experienced, know that you are not alone! Others feel it too and deal with it in their own ways. And we as elders are not immune to this either. We are trying to do our best to make the necessary adjustments, without making too many adjustments. 

If any of this resonates with you, please grab one of us and we would love to talk with you and share our experiences as well. Please continue to pray for us and the deacons as we try to address these growing pains in the slower summer months before the business of the fall. And if you have questions or suggestions, we would love to hear them… although be careful, we will probably put you to work! 

The Bible speaks of the church as a family; Grace Fellowship is our church family, filled with brothers and sisters in Christ, and our family has grown. And in God’s providence, He seems intent to continue to grow it. We can resist the growing pains or embrace them as good problems given to us by a gracious heavenly Father. I am looking forward to growing with you for many years to come, and I am excited to see what the Lord has planned for us!

In Christ,

Pastor Tim

• Biblical: We Teach the Bible
  • Our rule for faith and practice comes from and is placed under the authority of God’s Word
• Evangelical: We Proclaim the Gospel
  • The good news of Jesus Christ, His death for sinners and their need for Him is primary
• Reformed: We Glorify God
  • The Solas, doctrines of grace, confessionalism are biblically faithful and glorifying to God

While we are not officially a Baptist church, either historically or presently, we find the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 (SBLC) to be an excellent body of divinity that we can subscribe and adhere to. We find it necessary to distinguish ourselves as a congregation, and stand in the tradition and in agreement with the majority of the Westminster Standards and the Savoy Declaration, clarifying minor distinctions. In charity, we hold more in common than in disagreement with our reformed brothers.

While we stand with the 17^th century particular Baptists in doctrine, we must also recognize they are products of the circumstances, issues, and concerns of their day. The 1689 confession is not exhaustive but representative in giving faithful and biblical responses to theological and practical concerns of the 17^th century that remain helpful today because they are rooted in the truth of God’s Word. As elders, we excitedly adopt the SLBC with minor clarifications. In the spirit of unity, our members can hold to differing views within orthodoxy and remain in fellowship.

• The confession can be found here in its original language: the1689confession.com

We subscribe to the Confession in its spirit, its biblical foundation and its theological conclusions. As elders we can adopt the confession with minor clarifications in these three areas:

22. Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day.

We heartily agree with the confession that “God is to be worshipped everywhere in spirit and in truth” privately and publicly, with the further implication that these practices of worship also happen every day, which are “not carelessly nor willfully to be neglected or forsaken” (22.6).

We also agree that “he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a sabbath to be kept holy unto him” (22.7), since this is a creation ordinance and deemed good and beneficial to mankind. And that each believer should set aside a day of rest and refreshment in the Lord (Ex. 23:12), ideally this is the first day of the week, affectionately called “the Lord’s Day” (22.7).

22.8. We do believe that paragraph 8 requires some clarification, regarding the standards and expectations for the Lord’s Day.

• First, while we strongly encourage believers to abstain from working on Sunday, we live in a very different climate from ancient Israel or even 17^th century Europe. In an industrial society that operates seven days a week, the worker does not always have the opportunity to enjoy a Sunday rest. We will certainly counsel one day in seven as a day of rest if Sunday is not possible; and encourage vocation where a set apart Lord’s Day with the body of Christ can be achieved.
• Next, paragraph 8 says the sabbath is only kept “when”: “a due preparing of their hearts and ordering their common affairs aforehand”, which is agreeable; but also, that a holy rest is observed “all day, from their own works, words and thoughts, about their worldly employments and recreations”, yet in addition, must also be “taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship and in the duties of necessity and mercy.” (22.8)
• While these sentiments are admirable and worthy of aspiration, they seem to place undue burden on the congregation that their own proof-texts and Scripture as a whole does not place. Scripture prohibits “work” on the sabbath, but if we are prohibited from our own “words and thoughts” as well, the confession makes liars and sabbath-breakers out of us all. Does this not tend dangerously close to the zeal of the Pharisees? What is more, where does God’s holy command say His people must take up “the whole time” in “public and private exercises” and “duties”? Isaiah 58:13-14 states the people must turn back “from doing your pleasure on my holy day”, because the day is to be a “delight in the LORD”[1]. Should we be taken up with the things that are mentioned in paragraphs 1-5 on the Lord’s Day? Absolutely! But are these the only acceptable practices on that day?
• We must ask ourselves, is not God glorified in other means? (Col. 3:17) Is this not a day of rest and refreshment (Ex. 23:12, 31:17), and delight in the Lord? God most certainly deserves our worship in spirit and in truth, and we should desire to make the day honorable (Is. 58:13), but is not “sabbath made for man, not man for the sabbath” (Mk. 2:28)? Jesus did not treat the day with drudgery and duty, but freedom and joy.
• The changing of the sabbath from the last day to the first (22.7), signifies Christ’s resurrection and our joyous resurrection in Him. Doesn’t the resurrection of our Lord lead us to celebration and rejoicing with the saints? Is not Christ glorified by fellowship and the breaking of bread as well as the teaching and the prayers? (Acts 2:42) “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it”^[2], not just this day, but every day!
• While we appreciate the spirit of the paragraph by the writers of the confession, we must caution the strict observance to the letter and its implications for the church.

26. Of the Church.

26.4. This clarification involves paragraph 4 and is much simpler to address. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the church and any claim by Rome or any other authority for headship is a clear violation of this doctrine. We agree that the way the Roman Catholic church exalts the Pope is unbiblical, sinful and often blasphemous. To that end we must clarify that any gospel that exalts man is by nature anti-Christ, and we are promised many of them (1 Jn. 2:18, 4:3). However frustrating and egregious the Pope was in their day, it is clear that he was not “that anti-Christ, that man of sin and son of perdition” referring to “the lawless one” in 2 Th. 2:1-12 who leads the rebellion that ushers in the coming of the Lord. The Popes of Rome are many things, but have yet to proclaim, “himself to be God” (2 Th. 2:4)

26:9. Finally, our last point depends on a particular word used in paragraph 9, to clarify what the confessional writers meant in terms of practice. This word “suffrage” is used in reference to the appointment of elders who must “be chosen thereunto by the common suffrage of the church itself”. The word is applied to the election of deacons as well in the same paragraph, “chosen by like suffrage”.

• According to Oxford Languages the modern definition (late 18^th) of suffrage has come to mean: “the right to vote in political elections”, with their archaic “a vote given in assent to a proposal or in favor of the election of a particular person” as well as “a series of intercessory prayers or petitions.” However, what precisely the writers of the confession mean in practice we do not know, but going back a little further might be helpful, according to the Table Alphabeticall (Preacher’s Dictionary, 1617) suffrage meant: “consent” or “voice” or “help.”[3]
• To encourage common “consent”, “voice” or “help” seems in line and reasonable with what we see in Scripture. We certainly encourage intercessory prayer for the appointment of elders and encourage each member to have a voice and give consent to their selection. However, at Grace Fellowship we will not hold democratic votes and do not see a biblical precedent for it. This is admittedly difficult, since the Bible says decisively little about testing and appointing elders in a local church, while commanding it be done (Tit. 1:5-9).
• The proof texts chosen do not reference voting in the selection of elders. In Acts 6:1-7, the seven (pattern for selecting deacons) are chosen by the recognition of their conduct and confirmed by the apostles; in Acts 14:23, the elders were appointed in every church, with prayer and fasting; Mt. 18 and 1 Cor. 5:1-13 are not dealing with officer appointment specifically, but church discipline in agreement of judgment within the church.

This may seem like splitting of theological hairs, but it does make a stark difference in polity, between setting apart elders by petition or inclusion of the members instead of democratic voting; between an elder led/ruled form of church government and a strictly congregational form of government. The former we can affirm and the later we cannot. In short, if suffrage means common intercession and agreement by the entire body, then we absolutely affirm this, but if it means majority vote within the entire body then we cannot.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Is 58:13-14

^[2]Ibid., Ps 118:24.

[3]Cawdry, Robert. A Table Alphabeticall, contayning and teaching the true writing and vnderstanding of hard vsuall English words, borrowed from the Hebrew, Greeke, Latine, or French &c. Newly corrected and much inlarged. The 3. Edition. London: 1617. Table Alphabeticall

Below we have pictures from the baptisms of our brother and sisters in Christ this past April. Enjoy the pictures of the many families that fellowship with one another here at Grace while worshipping our Lord Jesus Christ!

A definitive stance on baptism in the Reformed stream of Christianity has for many become a central identity. Describing this as a doctrinal ‘discussion’ may be too light a term, it may favor ‘debate’ and sadly even ‘debate’ seems generous in favor of what often erodes into criticism and division. The debate is framed around the mode of baptism (immersion, sprinkling etc.) or means (who baptism is applied to). If you’re not aware of the debate you may be better off, but my purpose is to hopefully offer clarity to it. My intention is to be thorough but not exhaustive and present baptism within the context of and further study in Colossians. The reason I am addressing this above other topics we’ve covered in the book is that this issue is probably the most common question I am asked as a pastor, and the most common debate I have had within church, school, family etc... If you want a detailed explanation of what Grace Fellowship believes and why we practice what we do, please keep reading. If you don’t want to keep reading, we believe that the sacrament of baptism should be applied to professing believers and is most accurately shown in immersion, because of what the Bible teaches about it, but of course that may be too simplistic for many.

In discussing baptism, I believe understanding the approach of the apostle Paul is essential. He informs most of the faith and practice within our churches and speaks often of baptism. Interestingly he never speaks about mode or means, which should give an indication of their relative importance but also informs both because I believe they were obvious and understood to his audience (more on this later). It is worth mentioning that one of the troubling difficulties in the entire disagreement over baptism is that we do not have one description or depiction of a baptism in the churches Paul ministers to, and decisively little on the ongoing baptismal practice in the New Testament in this regard (the early examples in Acts not withstanding). I am not arguing that who is baptized and how baptism is to be administered are not important, but that they are not to be of upmost importance, at least in the eyes of the apostle Paul, or he would have directly instructed on them. I am also not arguing that the baptismal practice doesn’t matter. To the contrary, the act matters because we are command to by Christ (Mt. 28:19), and because of what it signifies, precisely that it points to greater gospel truths. Within Paul, baptism is not merely an act or religious rite, but a representation of the greater spiritual realities of being united in Christ, by the Spirit, through faith, which should be more unifying than divisive.

Baptism the Term

It is first important that we put the concept of baptism into its ancient context before we can discuss Paul’s use. The Greek verb βαπτίζω used exclusively by the canonical writers for baptism has a related range of meaning: “to immerse,” “to sink,” “to drown,” “to bathe,” “to wash,” you get the idea. (The noun βαπτισμός is used to refer to the same act, ‘dipping in water’, ‘immersion’^[1]). The origin of βαπτίζω has naval connotations with a sense of “to be drowned”, often referring to ships, in reference to “sink or disable them”.^[2] Combining water imagery and complete covering shows the purifying, immersive nature of the Christian’s union with Christ. The immersive connotation of the term used cannot be ignored and is essential for determining its application. Although many like Herman Ridderbos differ on the emphasis of immersion as the mode of baptism, he must affirm that immersion is what “‘baptize’ originally means.”^[3]

To get an idea of the sense of βαπτίζω, Mark uses the term when referring to the painstaking washing of Pharisees in 7:4, the English translations use “wash”, but in the Greek “they do not eat unless they baptize” (my translation) themselves and their “cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches” (ESV) after returning from the market. Here and elsewhere, baptism symbolizes immersion, a complete ritualistic purification prior to an action that requires particular holiness^[4]. Another example is used by Jesus again by Mark in 10:38-39. When the James and John ask for a seat next to Him in glory Jesus responds with, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”^[5] On the eve of the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, Jesus is referring to the cup of God’s wrath He must drink for sin or the complete drowning, immersion into death He must face on their behalf. But by Christ first taking the entire cup and entering into His baptism of death and resurrection into new life, they will soon follow with Him in union (10:39).

Most importantly, you cannot separate the term from its use in Paul’s context, he takes a word that is used to describe Jewish and pagan cleansing rituals and gives it a uniquely Christian meaning. Howard Marshall goes more in depth in what the use of this term implies, “βαπτίζω does not mean simply to dip in water (or even to sprinkle with water) but rather to carry out a specific rite involving such an action with water and with a religious significance.”^[6] The term must be understood in its religious use and the significance with which the users understand it. The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery brings in cultural clarification on Paul’s use of “baptism” to his audience. “Because water rituals were more common in antiquity then they are today, ancient people would have understood the symbolism of baptism more readily than most modern readers do.” They also confirm that ceremonial washings, initiation and purification rights were common in the New Testament era, even among many Greek temples and societies. None were more meticulous than Paul’s Jewish contemporaries. “Ceremonial washing became part of the Jewish piety in the Hellenistic period, and in the two centuries before the time of Jesus, Jewish people were immersing themselves at appropriate times,” as well as a ceremonial “baptism administered to Gentiles when they wished to convert to Judaism and wash away their former impurity.”^[7]

It is therefore evident that this term would strike a chord with Jews and Greeks, especially in reference to ceremonial cleansing, religious preparation and conversion. Paul always chooses his terminology intentionally and they cannot be separated from his application of them. The use of water itself is also symbolic, and Paul’s original audience would be drawn to the cleansing element of the Christian experience. Throughout Scripture water signifies life-giving renewal for life or purification in order to live pleasing to God. The life-giving and cleansing implications to the Christian’s application of the sacrament are paramount to understanding its significance and determining its method and recipients. Peter says that baptism corresponds to Noah as salvation through water (1 Pet. 3:21). Baptism is not referring to a partial cleansing, but a complete salvific purification. Sin mars the entire human condition, those who are dirty must wash, those who are united with Christ are completely washed, holy and spiritually renewed as in Eph. 5:25-27, and Tit. 3:4-6. However, we must also mention that the sacrament has no power in itself, the external practice is subordinate to the internal reality that it represents. The baptism of the Spirit (Jn. 3:5) is a spiritual indication of the work of God in His kingdom, not directed by human action. Therefore, the sacrament of baptism is symbolic only, it does not forgive sins, guarantee salvation nor is it a requirement for salvation, and is not validated or invalidated by the one administering it.

It is striking that Paul begins his challenges to the church in 1 Corinthians with baptism, the only time he applies it directly to the sacrament. 1 Cor. 1:10-17 is the only time Paul teaches on the practice of the sacrament in the church, every other usage is purely theological. For a congregation rife with pastoral concerns, he identifies baptism as a primary issue of division, which should be a call for unity.  In appealing to baptism as a source of unity in the Lord Jesus Christ, he promotes his gospel proclamation as primary and minimizes his baptismal administration (1:17). As Paul goes to show in the remainder of the chapter, he is chiefly concerned with proclaiming the power of the cross for salvation. How would Paul address our current quarrels over baptism?

Exegesis of Colossians 2:12

In order to limit the scope of this post in light of our study in Colossians I will primarily expand on Col. 2:12. The first thing we must do is put this verse in its proper context within the book. Paul’s concern in Colossae is that false teachers are trying to take away from the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ and the fullness the saints have in Him (2:1-4). The section on fullness and union with Christ (2:9-15) is in direct contrast to the warning against man-made philosophies and traditions before (2:8) and the warning against legalism and ascetism that follows (2:16-23). Understanding the placement of verse 12 helps recognize the spiritual reality and positive benefits of union with Christ against worldly additions and negative distractions from the false teachers.

We must also notice the verbs in the union with Christ section (2:10-15), the Colossian Christians have “been filled in him,” (2:10, perfect, passive participle in the Greek) which is a completed act done to you with ongoing affects. All the rest of the verbs (2:11-15) are past-tense, completed action by God (aorist), speaking of current realities that the saints enjoy now (1:26). Furthermore, the entire letter is written to saints (1:2), commended for the faith (1:4, 2:5), reconciled by Christ (1:22) in consistent past-tense, completed language. So why does the technical nature of the verbs matter? We must interpret verse 12 and apply it based on the purpose of the writer. Paul’s concern is not to place any emphasis on the external acts of circumcision and baptism like those who offer a gospel of human tradition, but to associate these external signs to spiritual realities accomplished by God. These signs describe new life in Christ, are synonymous with conversion and regeneration and are to encourage assurance to the saints which cannot be ignored in our application. Paul’s argument is that neither the act of circumcision nor baptism is the point, the point is the reality of the security of the gospel for the saints.

There is continuity and discontinuity between circumcision in v. 11 and baptism in v. 12, both external signs speak of spiritual realities “made without hands”, neither the act of circumcision nor baptism have any efficacy in themselves. Both show aspects of new life in Christ possessed by the believer, a setting apart in circumcision and a burying and raising in baptism. The discontinuity comes in understanding the two metaphors that are complimentary but not identical. Circumcision was a covenant sign for Israel, signifying a cutting off of flesh, and a holiness that distinguished them from the pagan nations that lived according to the flesh. It is clear that circumcision did not represent salvation but separation, many of the circumcised perished because there was still a circumcision of the heart needed, that God must perform (Dt. 30:6). Paul defines this circumcision of Christ in Phil. 3:3, as those united to Christ by the Spirit who put off the entire flesh, with no confidence in it, this is what it means to truly be holy.

Baptism on the other hand, as we’ve seen earlier is a metaphor associated with drowning and purifying and a more complete sign. Paul’s contribution is adding the analogy of death and resurrection to deepen its’ meaning (2:12).  This is exemplified by the Christian having been buried with Christ, who truly died to conquer sin and death, and resurrected with Him in new life through faith (also see Rom. 6:3-14). The gospel implications of already having been associated with Christ’s death, burial and resurrection in baptism speaks to the current state of regenerated saints. I believe what Paul is speaking about here is the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 1:33). The external act of baptism is meant to declare the internal act of the Holy Spirit who resurrects the dead person (Eph. 2:1) and regenerates their hearts through a renewing wash (Tit. 3:5-6). The person has died with Christ in order to live a renewed life in Christ.

Those who have been buried in baptism are also “raised with Him through faith”. Baptism in Paul cannot be disassociated from the faith of the one baptized and has no meaning apart from being raised to new life by your Lord and united to Him (Eph. 4:5). Faith, union with Christ and baptism are inextricably linked to Paul, Galatians 3:26-27 says, “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” That faith also cannot be separated from the “powerful working of God”, that same power that raised Jesus from dead raises the saints from our spiritual grave. Just like Christ’s death is meaningless without His resurrection, the baptism metaphor is meaningless without our true resurrection in Him. The rest of that section (2:13-15) speaks of the complete accomplished reality of union with Christ that is represented in the sign of baptism: being made alive together with Christ, trespasses forgiven, cancelling the record of debt and its legal demands, which are nailed to cross, and finally “disarming the rulers and authorities… by triumphing over them in him.”

Our Position on Baptism

At Grace Fellowship we approach baptism the way we do, not based on any historical precedent, denominational edict or human tradition but rather biblical intent as well as we can faithfully determine. According to Scripture, the metaphor of baptism is a visual representation of a current reality, of union with Christ by the Holy Spirit in faith through a spiritual death and resurrection, and Col. 2:12 bears that out in agreement with the clearest New Testament witness. In Paul’s theology, how you understand baptism is linked to how you understand salvation, faith, union with Christ, death and new life in the Spirit. We believe the term baptism is most accurately applied to the regenerate, who have been washed by the Spirit and united together in Christ through faith, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:13). True baptism is an act of God that unites us together by making us drinkers of the Spirit. Our application of the sacrament reflects what we gather from the canonical witness, and we seek to faithfully follow that pattern.

From the beginning of the church, baptism is associated with repentance and belief evidenced by the work of the Holy Spirit. The book of Acts exemplifies this pattern, which we follow, beginning in 2:38-41. (Although we do not believe all the practices in Acts are normative, the theological connections to these practices are still instructive to us.) Peter responds to the conviction of the people in verse 37 with a call to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins in v. 38, which is connected to reception of the Holy Spirit. Those who were baptized by the Spirit were baptized by water in v. 41. This promise of repentance and forgiveness through the Holy Spirit is given to everyone, not only this generation or nation “for you and for your children and for all who are far off” according to election and an effectual call, “everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself” (2:39). Also, this process is worked out in more detail in Chapter 10. Peter is sent to “those who are far off” and preaches the gospel to the Gentiles (10:34-43), closing with the same promise as Ch. 2: those who believe will receive forgiveness of sins (10:43). The Holy Spirit evidences their belief (10:44-46), and Peter’s question in v. 47 is especially telling for our purposes, “can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Spirit, just as we have?” Peter expects that baptism would be withheld without the faith of those to whom they apply the sacrament, this faith is evidenced by the work of the Spirit.

First, we believe it is most faithful to apply baptism only to professing believers who show evidence of regeneration and new life in Christ and confess as Paul does. The means of baptism (who it is applied to) must be as closely associated with its meaning as possible. How can we discern the one who confesses? As best as Paul can, baptism in Rom. 6 applies to those who have been justified by faith (5:1) and will have a desire to no longer sin (6:1-2) as well as walk in newness of life (6:4), living as those who have been brought from death to life (6:11-14). Therefore, we will look beyond a spontaneous testimony and require further evidence of faith, over time, through testing and discipleship, and the working out of the life in the Spirit described in Rom. 8. Because our discernment is imperfect, if they have confessed, been examined, lived among the body, are baptized and still fall away, their heart has condemned them as crucifying Christ again (Heb. 6:4-6) and our consciences are clear.

Secondly, we will practice the mode of immersion since the act of completely being covered with water symbolizes completely dying to sin, being covered by the washing of regeneration and resurrected to new life in Christ. Like the purification rites for specific tasks in Paul’s day, we are purified the Holy Spirit (Tit. 3:5) before following and serving Christ. While the water itself is the primary symbol, the immersive element shows our drowning and dying, which must happen prior to rising and living. Just like the Pharisees did not just sprinkle their dishes to cleanse them, and Christ did not just sprinkle Himself with the wrath of God on our behalf; praise the Lord we are not just sprinkled with Christ, we are fully and wholly baptized into Him! Every time we baptize someone, we are proclaiming the gospel, the death of Christ and His resurrection to new life through the Spirit, confidently applied to them in faith.

Thirdly, our application of baptism coincides with and supports our covenant theology. God made many covenants with Israel for specific times and purposes. The covenant with Abraham (Gen. 15:1-7) contained physical promises for offspring and land with a physical sign of circumcision to separate Israel from the nations (Gen. 17:1-14). But as we’ve already seen physical circumcision and outward signs were not good enough to save, an inward circumcision of the heart is needed (Rom. 2:28-29s). Yet the promises are still true to the spiritual children of Abraham through baptism into Christ (Gal. 3:27-29). The Jews broke this covenant and the covenant of Moses, which consisted of the laws, statutes and commandments of the Lord (Dt. 5:1-4). The book of Hebrews is about the fullness of Christ and new covenant completion in Him. Because these covenants were shadows of heavenly things, Moses mediated over a faulty covenant with a faulty mediator, a better covenant and Mediator were needed (Heb. 8:5-7). Christ is the Mediator of that new and better covenant (7:22, 8:6) prophesied in Jer. 31:31-34. This new covenant is not like the one with their fathers: that they broke (Jer. 31:33). God will definitively enforce this new covenant with His law on their hearts and minds, those in it will all know Him, and He will remember their sins no more (Heb. 8:8-12). Christ makes the old covenant obsolete (8:13) for a better one that cannot be broken (Jer. 33:20-21).

The better covenant: is in the blood of Christ (Lk. 22:20), which we believe perfectly atones for the elect; will be a blessing to all the families of the earth (Acts 3:25); “will banish ungodliness from Jacob; and… take away their sins” (Rom. 11:26-27); made Gentiles sufficient to be its ministers through Christ, “not of the letter but of the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:4-6); is a covenant of freedom for everyone in it (Gal. 4:21-31); bringing near those who are far off making one man, united in Him (Eph. 2:11-18); means the promised eternal inheritance to whoever is called to it, sealed and inaugurated by the mediatorial blood of Christ (Heb. 9:15-28); brings those in it to a citizenship in Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:24). That is a better covenant on better promises because they are accomplished by Christ and can never be broken! If baptism is indeed a new covenant sign it represents complete, immersive union with the Person and Work of Jesus Christ and all the spiritual blessings in Him, and we will apply it to those who confidently prove to be united to Him in this new and better covenant.

A brief note about why we do not practice infant baptism. Without rehashing the arguments in favor (of which I am very familiar and hope to represent fairly) I will briefly state several objections:

• We see no biblical command to baptize infants, but disciples (Mt. 28:19),
• Baptism without regeneration is lacking the symbolism of completed washing by the Spirit and death and resurrection with Christ by being immersed in Him,
• Infants cannot express faith or union with Christ and cannot evidence the work of the Spirit,
• We see no biblical precedent for the vicarious faith of a parent being applied to a child,
• Union with Christ in baptism is not a potentiality it is an actuality,
• Baptizing infants creates an unbiblical category of those “in the covenant” but not in Christ,
• For the reasons stated above we do not believe circumcision and baptism are equal in their significance, application and covenant symbolism,
• And the new covenant is enacted by the blood of Christ and sealed with the Holy Spirit for the elect who receive the sacraments upon evidence of regeneration.

It is also worth mentioning that while we disagree with our Reformed brothers who apply the sacrament to infants or practice sprinkling, we do not consider these views sinful and allow fellowship and freedom on this issue. However, we will not teach or practice against our consciences.

We believe it is clear in Paul that baptism is less about how or when it is administered, but what it stands for and the reality of gospel. Baptism is the reminder of the gospel inheritance that all believers share in faith, an essential element in the chain of connection to our God and Father in Eph. 4:4-6. Should we not also make this our primary concern? If Paul does not extend the effort to speak dogmatically then we can certainly show some grace as well. Shouldn’t our ultimate concern then be who is hidden in Christ through faith in his death, burial, resurrection (Rom. 6:3-11) and sealed with the Spirit (Eph. 1:13), above the continual mode and means debates? Our Savior calls for us to be unified four times in his high priestly prayer (John 17:11, 21, 22, 23), hopefully this historically divisive issue can be more uniting in the future, in favor of our greater eternal union with one another in Christ.

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God”. 1 Cor. 6:11

In Christ,

Pastor Tim Iamaio

^[1] Henry George Liddell et al., A Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996), 306.

^[2] Ibid., 305.

[3] Herman Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of His Theology. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1974, 484

^[4] Snyder, B. J. (2014). Baptism. D. Mangum, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, & R. Hurst (Eds.), Lexham Theological Wordbook. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

^[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mk 10:38. (All following quotations ESV as well)

[6] Howard Marshall, “The Meaning of the Verb “Baptize.” Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series 234: “Dimensions of Baptism: Biblical and Theological Studies.” (London: Sheffield Academic, 2002), 8-9.

[7] Ryken, Wilhoit, Longman, “Baptism,” Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. (Downer's Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1998), 73.

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
    a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

1 Peter 2:4-6

One of the most amazing things about new life in Christ is that He redeems all of us, our thoughts, our emotions, our actions, our personalities so that we are ourselves, but we are not our old selves. Yet, He does not redeem us all at once, and not completely in this life anyway. As we grow in Christ, through faith, we begin to think, act and respond differently, and the aspects of our personality that were our greatest liabilities often become our greatest strengths. The Holy Spirit slowly begins to mature us and lead us to greater knowledge of our Father in heaven, His love for us and who we are in His Son. Yet, we are still tainted by the lingering affects of sin that limit us from coming to complete understanding of eternal things. Not to mention that we are still finite creatures that now engage with the infinite and we struggle to find our place between two worlds. This is often where we find ourselves when we read Scripture, a transcendent God intimately communicates with us through us Word, where we learn about Him and ourselves. But there is always a temptation and tendency to confuse the two, often reading ourselves and our limited knowledge into concepts that are not meant to be comprehended by the human mind.

John 17 is one of those texts. The Spirit of God preserves a conversation between God the Son in flesh and God the Father in heaven for us to behold and consider. Even if we understand the text as much as is humanly possible, we are still gravely inadequate to comprehend its’ depths. So, when we read the details of Jesus’ intercession and care for the elect, we cannot fully grasp the complexities of the unchanging, divine plan that takes place in space and time. In our weakness we far too often compare ourselves to Christ and try to reconcile Jesus’ purview with our own. We must recognize and repent of any time that we subject Scripture to our own limitations. Jesus is God, we are not. We are sinful, He is not. When His words confuse or challenge us, it is we that need to submit to the higher authority, not His words. This is difficult for us, finding the balance between our desire to know God intimately and our desire to reduce Him to our terms. When we read difficult passages like verses 6-10: let us rejoice in the love of the Father to give us to the Son, reflect on the Son keeping us and being glorified in us, and let us rest in the revelation of the Holy Spirit that will continue to teach and refine us according to His Word and into the image of Christ. All we can do in faith and obedience is commit ourselves to meditating on and submitting to the Word of God. For He is our God, and we are His people to His glory alone, through His grace alone, through the work of our Savior and Mediator alone.

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29