One of the most important and far reaching effects of the Primitive Baptist Church, and its routine activities is that of customs and traditions.
If you want to get into trouble quick, just try to break an old custom or violate the traditions by which the group has been bound.
Traditions and customs are just as good, and as profitable, as there is scriptural authority for them. The customs that we find upheld by Holy Writ are good and fine and not to be tampered with, but we should be careful not to enslave ourselves with customs for which we have no Biblical authority.
The Primitive Baptist cause is rich with time-honored customs that we just simply would not part with. We honor and revere them just as much as we do the principles of doctrine. It always makes me sad to hear someone condemning our customs. Usually I become suspicious of such a person, fearing that person has some ill motive that prompts him to offer such criticism.
Let us examine some of our customs. If they are scriptural, let’s hold on to them dearly, but if we have no Bible authority for them, them let’s drop them as quickly as possible.
One of our customs is that of washing one another’s feet in connection with the communion. We know this is a good custom because it was begun by Jesus Christ Himself; and the examples He gave us, we can follow without question.
There are those who would ridicule us for following this custom that originated with Christ, but they have yet to offer any reasonable argument against it.
Some say feet washing was an old Jewish custom practiced because the people walked frequently on dirt roads, wearing open sandals, and their feet became very dirty; so it was considered a gesture of a good host to wash the feet of his visitors. This I know cannot be the reason for our Lord washing the feet of the disciples. First, we know it was not in fulfillment of an old custom, because one of the twelve disciples was a devout Jew and well acquainted with all of the customs, yet we hear Jesus say to him, as he prepared to wash his feet, "what I do thou knowest not NOW, but thou shall know hereafter-"
This was a new thing that originated with Christ washing the disciples' feet as recorded in the 13th chapter of John.
Also, we know that the purpose of this service was not to wash away the literal dirt of the road, Their feet were already clean before the service began. In case any of them had such an idea in mind, Jesus was telling them he was not doing this to clean the literal dirt, but it was a matter of ceremony.
Some would also argue that this was merely Jesus teaching the disciples a lesson of humility. It was a lesson of humility, but not one to be observed and forgotten.
Whatever was the background or the motive in the actions of Jesus in setting this example, we hear Him passing it on to those that follow -- "If ye know these things, happy are ye if you do them."
If you ask any person, regardless of his doctrine, his practice, or his denominational leanings what he hopes to get from his church, the sum and substance of his answer would be "happiness."
That is our one objective from any religious activity, regardless of what it is.
So then, Jesus being our witness, one way of attaining this happiness is by following the example Christ gave us -- by humbling ourselves, kneeling at the feet of the disciples and washing their feet.
"If ye know these things," he says. How does that affect us? Well, just simply this way: there is no excuse for anyone not knowing it unless he does not read the Bible, or is not acquainted with it; or is not taught these things where he attends church services. But we know that everyone who is a careful reader of the Bible and all those who have a full gospel preached to them know that Jesus did wash the disciples' feet and that he promised happiness to all who follow the example he set before us.
Knowing that Jesus did and said this, and promised happiness when performed, Primitive Baptists feel they have a good custom when they follow the example and wash feet in connection with the ‘Lord’s Supper."
Let me add this bit of sentimentality: this, to me, is the most sacred and solemn of all religious ceremonies. People who do not wash feet in connection with such a service sometimes have a lot of fun about it, and sometimes our friends, not realizing the sacredness of it, offer statements of jest about this sacred service. But no one who ever witnessed such a service ever forgot it, and if they appreciate solemnity in its right place, it is not a jesting matter with them anymore.
I find that a great many people in the denominations with whom we come in contact believe feet washing should be practiced in a church capacity. But they do not have the spiritual fortitude to actually contend for these things and get them accepted, because they know they would be subjected to ridicule even to mention it.
One of the customs long held to by Primitive Baptists is that of having hour-long sermons and of respecting visiting ministers. We have been greatly ridiculed by others on this score. People often ask me, "Do you still preach three or four preachers at a service?"
This bit of fun making reminds me of the proverb about people living in glass houses not throwing stones. It is very seldom in our church services, that the service, the singing, prayer, and preaching lasts more than an hour and a half overall. And very seldom does the preaching last more than an hour.
But in the places of worship of most of our denominational friends, their services nearly always last for two hours. ‘The people arrive there at 10 a.m., and they are not dismissed until noon, two hours later. They have classes for a while, then preaching for a while, but altogether their services continue for two hours. If we choose to have our services in one place, and have two speakers or one speaker talk a full hour, why should people who consume two hours in their services criticize us?
One custom Primitive Baptists do not have is that of worshiping a day. We do recognize the Sabbath as being a holy day, but we also recognize the other six days of the week as being good days, too. In one place we read where the disciples took the communion on Monday morning. Some people would not think of doing this except on the Lord's Day.
Another custom that Primitive Baptists hold to very zealously is that of strict discipline. They hold the position that the life of every member of the church should be as an open book, and his daily life should meet the moral standards required in the Bible of Christians. They don't appreciate any church member wanting to lock himself behind closed doors, where his brother is not permitted to go.
Primitive Baptist custom forbids its members from associating themselves with secret, oath-bound institutions. Some may ask, "Why do you object to lodges? They have a lot of good in them."
I don’t want to go into the merit or "good" in the various lodges, but let's consider it this way! Granting there is some good in some of them, just what good do you find that you cannot find in the church? The prime purpose of the gospel is to take the "good news" to those who would appreciate it. Why would anyone want to keep a good thing behind closed doors? Also, any man who has that strong feeling of brotherly love and Christian fellowship, which the Primitive Baptists feel is a strong characteristic of the church, why would he want to go into a place where his life is not open to the inspection of his brethren? And we also have the Biblical command to shun the appearance of evil, but if we lock ourselves in secret chambers and engage in secret activities, are we doing this?
Another Primitive Baptist custom is that of using the proper thing in the proper place in our church worship.
I am one that likes coffee. I drink several cups of it every day, and the day usually is not far gone before I have consumed quite a bit of coffee. Yet, despite my love of coffee, I would not want to use it in the communion service in the place of wine. It would not be appropriate.
I am also fond of doughnuts, but neither would it be proper to substitute doughnuts for the "bread" in the communion. It just doesn't fit the Biblical pattern.
I am also fond of musical instruments, although I can’t play one. I think the piano and the organ make beautiful music, as do the guitar and the violin. Yet, I would not suggest that these instruments be used in our church song service. I don’t think they have any more place there, than do coffee or doughnuts in the communion service.
When singing is at its very best, spiritually speaking, is when the people are "making melody in their hearts". A musical instrument just does not have a heart. The most hardened criminal on death row, waiting in solitary confinement to be executed, could make just as beautiful music on an instrument as the most devout Christian, because that instrument has a fixed tone and is not controlled by hearts, spirits or moods.
In one of our Primitive Baptist papers, I read where a noted minister --who had spent many, many years with people wearing the name Primitive Baptists who sung with the accompaniment of an instrument -- had this to say about it:
"It has always been my judgment, and now is, that our brethren made a serious mistake when they introduced the organ and brought about the division of our forces. I urge our brethren everywhere, who do not have one, to leave them alone. My observation has been that they are not necessary. Any help which they have been in places has been more than overbalanced by the evil effects which have followed their use. Our people have become so accustomed to the instrument that it is difficult to have singing when there is no one present to play for us. In many instances, congregational singing has been destroyed and only a select few sing. Certainly spirituality has not been increased by their use. The condition of our churches prove that their use does not insure union, peace and prosperity. My heart and soul is with all those who are satisfied, to old-time Primitive Baptists, true ever to our faith, who regard the fellowship and union of our people as worth vastly more than all that the world can give or promise."
These are only a few of the time-honored Primitive Baptist customs.
May the Lord bless us to follow those customs that had their inception from Bible authority, and may we let alone those that were invented by men.
If the people called Primitive Baptists have the true Church of Christ, then they may be identified by their practices as well as their doctrine.
The church is a thing of spiritual values, and the primary good derived from it by its members and others is of spiritual concern, yet literal values are to be reckoned with in considerable degree, if it functions as it should.
The church needs a place where the members may be sheltered from the elements of the weather (buildings), and there are many things of a monetary value that must be taken care of if the church prospers as it should. Today, in this age of specialists, we can almost sum up the church's material needs with the dollar mark. Perhaps back in Biblical days when they dealt more in merchandise, money was not of such importance.
Any organization, regardless of its nature or purpose, must have some sort of financing, or it will not function for very long.
In some of the denominations today, their scope of activities is so broad it takes terrific sums of money for them to operate. The Primitive Baptist church has no auxiliaries, and no foreign programs, so it does not take so much money to carry on its work.
Not long ago, a man said to me "I have been attending your church off and on for three years, and there has not been a collection taken, and I have not heard a word said about money! How do you raise your funds?"
We are reminded of the Scripture (Matt. 11:5) that says "the poor have the gospel preached to them, "No poor person need worry about being embarrassed by a collection plate under his nose when he attends our church, yet the church has adequate funds to carry on its work. How can this be? Simply because they use the Bible system of financing the church.
What in the Bible plan? It's not assessing or pledging the members; nor catching them in a crowd and asking them for money, and it's not tithing. Let’s let the Apostle Paul give us the answer:
1st Corinthians 16:2 "Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
2nd Corinthians 9:7 "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver."
And then we read in Acts where the church selected specially qualified men of their number to attend to the business. That gives us the complete pattern for handling the necessities of the church. How are we to give? Freely, cheerfully, as we purpose in our’ hearts. How much are we to give? According as the Lord prospers us?
Each person, if he fellows the pattern given him by the apostle, is to set aside on the first day of the week that of his material worth, in accordance with the amount the Lord has prospered him. If he is prospered with much, he should give much. If his material things are few, then of course he could not give much. If he does this cheerfully, then he will purpose in his heart to give all he can.
There are some not's in this connection too. Not grudgingly, or of necessity. And let there be no gathering when the need arises.
If you are pledged, or if the church asks you to tithe, or to give a certain amount, then you do it of necessity. If you love money more than spiritual things, then you will be an "old tightwad" and will give grudgingly if at all.
.If you do not "lay by on the first day of the week" and just wait until you are called on, then you do what Paul said not to do.
Primitive Baptists, when they are following the Bible plan, just depend on the Lord and His blessings. They try to get along with the church just about the same as they get along with their personal matters. When the Lord blesses them with material worth, they give freely of that worth to the church. If the Lord does not give them sufficient of the world’s goods to build a nice church house, they try to be content with what they have. This is Biblical too. The Apostle Paul preached for two years in a rented building.
When you go to a Primitive Baptist Church, there will not be any passing of the collection plate, and more than likely there will not be any mention made of money at all. But this does not mean that money is not being put into the church treasury. Many times a member will shake hands with one of the deacons and leave a roll of bills or a check in his hand. However it is done, there is no big display made of it.
Primitive Baptists do not have any "programs" as such, but you will find they are always ready to help those in distress. In fact, that was the first work of the deacons, to see to the widows and the orphans among them.
What about the minister being on a salary? If that were true, then he would be an "hireling" wouldn't he? We have been taught by Jesus that the minister who preaches for a salary will abandon the church when times are bad. John 10: 12-13.
If every Primitive Baptist would use the Bible plan of church financing, how well the church would get along in that regard.
It you are not using it, then how about starting right now and put it to work. Every Sunday morning, take inventory of your finances, and according as you have been prospered that week and as you purpose in you heart to give to the church, put that aside in a separate place with the notation "This is for the church."
Do this every Sunday without fail Don’t miss a week. Then at regular intervals, when it is convenient, give it to your deacons or to the person authorized by the church to handle the money. If every member does this, you will be blessed of the Lord to carry on in an acceptable manner. You will have the money for your building needs and your regular expenses. You will be able to care for your pastor in the right kind of a way, and when the need arises on some kind of an emergency, you will not have to take up any special collections, but the money will be there to take care of it.
The Primitive Baptists have the Bible system of church finances. We may not use it as well as we should, but if that be the case, the fault is not with the system.
I don’t like to see our people turn to unscriptural means of raising money when we run into an emergency. That only makes bad matters worse. Let us stay with the Bible way.
I want now to deal with another matter. It has been said by some that Primitive Baptist preachers "boast too much," and it was recently passed along to me that some think we "boast too much" in the paper. Whether or not we boast too much depends upon what we are boasting about. If we boast of ourselves and what we are accomplishing with our own good works, then any boasting at all is too much. But when we boast about our Lord and our Saviour, then let the critics say what they will.
In Deuteronomy 32:3, we are admonished to "publish the name of the Lord" and to "ascribe ye greatness unto our God." The Apostle Paul devoted most of his writings to "bragging" on the Lord. The book of Psalms is the same way. So, if you ask Primitive Baptists to quit boasting about the Lord and His goodness, and about the wonderful story of salvation by the free grace of God, you are asking them not to say anything.
We also have a Biblical pattern for "boasting" about the church’ In Rev. 2:2, we find Jesus recorded as doing this very thing. Even though the church, the local body to which we go, at all times may not meet our every expectation, the pattern is to boast of the good qualities before we criticize. Jesus said of a church "I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not, and hast found them liars; And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake, hast labored, and hast not fainted." Jesus did this much boasting of a church which He held "somewhat against in other matters."
Did you ever hear a Primitive Baptist bragging on himself? When one of them does, the others are usually ashamed of him. I am reminded of 1st Corinthians 1:31: "He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." Is there any limit to how much we may glory in the Lord? I think not.
One of the most important principles in any church is that of teaching. We can break it down into many phases; who shall teach, when shall they teach, whom shall they teach, where shall they teach, and just how shall they teach. If we have the answer to all these questions, then we surely could lay hold to the claim that we have been properly taught.
First, what shall we teach? We read in Hebrew 8:11: "And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying know the Lord, for all shalt know me, from the least to the greatest." So we, have established a point: no one is to teach another to know the Lord. This is God’s work. If you are worrying about people not knowing the Lord, you are wasting your time because the author of the Book of Hebrews, speaking by inspiration and as the Lord speaking, said all shall know Him, from the least to the greatest.
I am glad this so important a matter has not been left to man. In the hands of God it will not fail; but in man’s hands the work is limited. If you are a member of a religious sect that is accumulating money, means and personnel to teach people to know the Lord, your efforts are doomed before you start. You are taking upon yourself the work of God.
If I were to express my objection to the modern-day Sunday School, this would be it more than any other thing -- most if not all of them have dedicated their whole work to teaching people to know the Lord. They are not impressed with the thought expressed in the above scripture, that teaching people to know the Lord is God’s work, and He will perform it.
Now, to teach people ABOUT the Lord is something else. A person who has been taught OF the Lord (by the Lord) is then ready to be taught more ABOUT GOD, and that is where Primitive Baptists like to begin. That is the person they enjoy telling more and more about the wonderful works of God. They enjoy taking to such people the "knowledge of salvation.".
Fundamentally, the truth of the matter is this: God has ordained two wonderful places of teaching -- the home and the church. Are you, as a parent shirking your duty to teach your children the truths of the Bible? Do you send your children off somewhere, to have, them taught by someone with no one single concept of the real spiritual import of the Bible? If you are, you would do well to stop and think carefully.
I thank God from the depths of my heart for the privilege of being raised in a Christian home and having parents who taught me "about the Lord" in our home and did not pass this important matter along to someone else. I can remember, as a small boy, working in the field chopping or picking cotton, having many interesting conversations with my father "about the Lord".
We were always full of questions, and some of them I now know (since raising sons and a daughter of my own) were far fetched and maybe a bit silly. But he always had a good answer, and we children were always impressed with the thought that if there was anything about the Bible we did not understand, "Daddy knows." If at school, or at play, someone tried to tell us something that did not ring true, we went to Daddy, and we got a simple explanation of the whole matter. This is something that has always been very dear to me, and even yet, I catch myself wishing so very much -- sometimes, when I get tangled up in my mind on some part of the Bible -- that I could just pull up a chair and say "Daddy, tell me what this means." But this is not possible any more..
If you don’t have this relationship with your father and your mother, you are missing one of the most valuable things in the life of any boy or girl God has designed. It is his chosen way that parents teach their children that which is just, and good, and right. There just is not anything else that will do as well.
New, let’s move on. The position of a teacher in the church is a position that requires special ability and a special gift. A teacher in the church should be inspired of God and have a special revelation of the meaning of the scriptures -- a special understanding of their meaning that others do not possess. I will not take space to go into detail to prove this, but read Eph. 4:11 ("And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.") and 2nd Timothy 1:11 ("And I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles"). There are many more such scriptures.
Also, there is no instance in the Bible that I can find where the congregation was divided up into small groups. Too, teaching in the church is limited to the men. Women are forbidden to teach in the church. 1 Timothy 2:12: "But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
Primitive Baptists, in their way and manner of teaching, do not overlook the true meaning of the scriptures, but we like to take them just like we read them. That is the reason we do not divide the congregation into small groups; that is the reason we have only God-called and God-qualified men doing the teaching in the church, and that is the reason the real fundamentals of our Christian religion are taught at home by the parents. (Prov. 22:6: "Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.")
To those who believe strongly in church schools, as they are used in the commonly accepted form, I want to ask you this question, "To what avail are they?" Consider it carefully before you answer.
Let’s start at the top of the training ladder, and work on down and see how much they accomplish. I know men who have spent 12 years in the public schools, four years in a regular college, and then two or more years in a theological seminary, learning "how" to preach. They must outline their sermons minutely, study them carefully, and stick close to their prepared text. If their notes were to blow out the window in the middle of a service, the sermon very likely would be cut short.
Yet in the Primitive Baptist Church, we find men who have never had any formal training at all, preaching a full and complete sermon without any notes. Many times, they are so inspired with their subject matter, they could deal with it interestingly for many hours. They quit at the proper time, only for the sake of decorum and expediency. Their preparation in the ministry has not consisted of being taught by other men, but has been made up of many days, and sometimes years, in close study of the Bible, and in prayer and meditation So, we get back to the question, to what avail is the ministerial school? 1 am not particularly criticizing the right kind of study at any time, but the Primitive Baptists seem to get along pretty well ‘without it.
I know people who have gone to Sunday School almost every week of their lives, sometimes twice each Sunday, yet when you question them, they know hardly anything about the real spiritual values in the scriptures. Maybe they learn the literal lesson, but to many of them, that is all, and some do not learn that much.
I don’t say it boastingly, but as a matter of fact. You can take the rank-and-file membership of the Primitive Baptist Church -- the most of them having never attended any Sunday School during their lives -- and match them person for person with the Sunday school-trained membership of the denominations who boast of their church schools. I feel sure, with all confidence, that they can meet them successfully in a discussion of the Bible. I think Primitive Baptist people as a whole know as much or more about the Bible as any group of people in the world, and they have learned it from their parents in the homes, from the preaching in the church, and from their association with others and in their study.
The gospel minister whom God has called, and the man who is "apt to teach" -- which we learn is one of the requirements of the minister -- should certainly be able to preach to his congregation in such a way that all, both young and old, could benefit from his teaching.
I cannot find any authority in the Bible for appointing one person to teach the adults and another the children, but I do find where God told the same man to teach bath the young and old (John 21:15-17).
One reason I am happy to be a Primitive Baptist is because I like their teaching program. They have the right kind of teachers, they teach the right thing in the right place, and the teachers are the right kind of people.
Our every Christian endeavor; our acts of Christian worship, and devotion is based on one thing -- our hope in Christ Jesus and His promises. Take this away, and religion would be just a fantasy.
The eminent apostle Paul, who declared to all the world (Romans 1:1) "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ") also said (1st Corinthians 15:19): "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."
Paul said in Titus 1:2 "In hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie, PROMISED before the world began."
And then John said (John 17:3) "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
So we may look upon eternal life from a dual standpoint. To know God and Jesus Christ is life eternal. It has been said that we do not have eternal life here in the world, only the promise of it. But this Scripture teaches that we do: it is life eternal to know Him. But we do not have it in all its fullness and all its grandeur. As good a thing as it is to possess that eternal life here in time, the Apostle Paul felt it only a subterfuge if we had no hope of it beyond just this natural life.
When a person is cleansed from sin and his heart made pure by the spirit of the Lord, he receives a new life, and that is eternal life. It is, like God Himself, without beginning or ending. It has a beginning with man, but that life itself is eternal.
And then, once we receive this never-ending life, we are made to hope, with all that is in us, that we not only will always have that holy thing, but that we will yet receive it in a fuller degree. Man is happy with the possession of the spirit of the Lord within him: but he is still in sinful flesh, and is buffeted sore by the sinful nature that is also in him, and has a hope that some day he will be made pure and holy in body as well, and will live in heaven eternal with God and all the holy angels. This hope is based on the PROMISES of God.
What about these promises? Are they sure? Do they have foundation? The Lord has begun a good work in us, it is true, but will He continue it? Will He hold fast to us or will there be something to come along that will be able to separate us out of eternal glory? Will God remember all to whom He made the promise, or will He forget some? These are some of the questions we must have the answer to.
Some have one answer, others have many answers. Our best answer is to examine the holy scriptures and take that as our guide. In 2nd Timothy 2:19 we read "The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His."
In Philippians 1:6, we are told, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" And in Hebrews 10:23, we read: "Let its hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for he is faithful that promised."
So there we have the answer to all our questions. No, He will not forget us. No, He will not quit the work before it is completed. Yes, the foundation standeth sure, sealed with the infinite knowledge of God. Yes, His promises are sure.
One poet put it this way: "‘His promise is sure, my Jesus will come, some wonderful day I am going o’er home. Oh wonderful trip, my Jesus is near to pilot my ship. The tempest may roar, the billows may foam, with Christ at the helm, I'm going o’er home."
Another poet phrases his hope in this manner: "Standing on the promises of Christ my King, through eternal ages let His praises ring, glory to the highest I will shout and sing, standing on the promises of God."
What about the promise? We know now that it is sure and that "God is faithful that promised," but how many and who are embraced in the promise? The Apostle Peter told us in Acts 2:39 "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even AS MANY as the Lord our God shall call."
Here, Peter pulls the rug out from under those who make such a great display on the 38th verse ("Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.") and try to prove that the promise is based on what men shall do, He says the promise is to as many as "the Lord our God shall call."
So after careful examination, we find the truth quite a bit different from the prevalent idea among some, that the promise is unto all mankind, but that it is not sure; that a person is promised "eternal life" only if he repents and is baptized; and not even then unless he continues faithful all his life, Can you see anything like that taught in any of these Scriptures? I am sure you cannot.
Aren’t you glad that the promise of eternal life is not based upon the faithfulness of the preacher to take the gospel to the sinner? That it is not founded upon man’s response to that preaching, but that it is sure, sealed with the divine attribute of God?
Peter told that band of Jews gathered there on the day of Pentecost, "The promise is unto you and to your children." If he had stopped there, it would not mean much to us today. That would have left us without hope. But he added, "... and to all that are afar off." To whom did he refer here? Well you can include in this just whomever you will. It means ALL that are afar off. I am inclined to believe that he had reference to the Gentiles. Not only unto "we of the house of Israel but to those who are not now with us; those across the gulf. Ephesians 2:14: "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us." While the oracles of God were originally delivered to the Jews, are we to say that those afar off will not receive the promise? No.
We hear quite a bit said by the denominational alarmists about the poor heathens "afar off" being without the promise because no one has preached the gospel to them, or because they have rejected the gospel that was taken to them. Peter rejects this theory and brands it as false.
Yes, the promise is unto you and your children, and to all that are afar off. Then to sum it up in one expression he says "even as many as the Lord our God shall call!"
Try as we may, we can’t get away from predestination. Paul teaches us in Romans 8:29-30: "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also CALLED, and whom he called, them he also justified, and whom he justified he also glorified." In this we find the same very definite number ‘from foreknowledge to glorification, Then here comes the Apostle Peter and ties in the promise with this whole thing by saying the promise is to as many as the Lord our God shall CALL.
So may we now conclude that the promise is to "as many as the Lord our God has predestinated"? Yes, that is the logical conclusion when we harmonize the teaching of the two writers. This is the truth about God’s eternal promise.
Now, let’s look to the timely promises he has given us. Has he promised us wealth and fame? Has he promised us an abundance of the things of the world? David did not seem to think so. He spoke in this manner -- Psalms 73:2-3: "My feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." Once when asked about food and clothing and shelter by one of the disciples, Jesus said (Matthew 6:33): "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."
God has promised many spiritual riches to his children here in this life when they live as they should and trust his grace. These things are part of "the promise’’ that is sure.
One song writer who was deeply impressed with God's promises wrote a very touching account in song which goes like this: ‘‘God has not promised skies always blue, flower-strewn pathway all our lives through, God has not promised sun without rain, peace without sorrow, joy without pain." These things God has not promised us: we need not expect them, and when we do, our lives become miserable. We are told in one place, they who will live Godly will suffer persecutions. And this we know is true.
And, now listen as the poet so beautifully tells us what God has promised us. They are the things of value -- the things that really count in our lives. "But God HAS promised strength for our day, rest when we labor, light on our way, grace for our trials, help from above, unfading kindness, undying love." If God has promised us these things; and, if he has promised us the necessities of life "when we seek the kingdom and his righteousness above everything else," then what should be our attitude toward Him? Should we not be so thankful for these greet things that we would want to serve and adore His great Name?
With this thought., I close the subject of "Why I am a Primitive Baptist." I am relying on the promises of God to lead and to direct me in this life. I need His grace and sustenance in my meditation and in my daily activities. I need Him in my dealings with my associates, and especially I need Him in my efforts to worship and serve Him. Above all things, I need Him to lift me from this vale of sin into a life of joy and peace. My only home is in the love, grace and mercy of a higher power. I find it impossible to live perfectly even one day, much less a lifetime.
This is my conclusion of the whole matter: the Primitive Baptists are my people. The church is of divine origin. Its doctrine is apostolic, and its practices and customs are those set and given by Jesus Christ. Primitive Baptists have a feeling of love and fellowship one toward another that I find no place else.
The Primitive Baptist Church has no standing among the institutions of the world or in society. But our trust and our hope is that it does have a high and exalted position in heaven.
May I adopt the language of one of the old writers "I entreat you not to leave me. Where you go I want to go."
If what I have written has helped you get even a small glimpse of the real beauty of the true church of the Lord Jesus Christ, or if it has helped you view God as an all-powerful all-wise, ever-to-be-adored Redeemer, or has helped you to realize man’s deplorable condition without His grace and mercy, then I feel well paid for the time and effort I have devoted to the preparation of this study.
May God be ever praised for opening our hearts and revealing His truth to us.