June 2012

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June 5 : Old School/New School Division (PCUSA)

5 June, 2012 in June 2012 by davidtmyers | No comments

This Day in Presbyterian History:

The Mother of All Schisms in Presbyterianism

Old School Presbyterians . . . New School Presbyterians.  You were either one or the other in the early to mid-nineteenth century in the Presbyterian Church in the United States.  And the issue was not at all a light one.  The fundamentals of the faith were at stake.

First, the Old School Presbyterians held to strict subscription to the church standards, such as the Westminster Standards, with church discipline for any dissenters.  The New School Presbyterians were willing to tolerate lack of subscription if evangelism was being accomplished.

Second, the Old School Presbyterians were opposed to the 1801 Plan of Union with the Congregational church, while New School Presbyterians were committed to it.

Next, the Old School Presbyterians were opposed to the false gospel methodology of a Charles Finney, for example, while the New School Presbyterians did not wish to hinder revival, regardless of a less than theological basis for revivals.

Last, there was the matter of theology.  Influencing the New School Presbyterians were two “isms” like Hopkinism and Taylorism from New England, which denied original sin and gospel redemption.  Old School Presbyterianism held to the Westminster Standards on both of these essentials of the faith.

For several General Assemblies, there were more New School Presbyterian delegates than Old School Presbyterian delegates.  But on June 5, 1837, that majority was reversed, with the Old School Presbyterians in strength.   In the assembly that week, the Assembly was able to abrogate the 1801 Plan of Union with the Congregationalists.  They then proceeded to expel four largely New School synods from the church, composed of 28 Presbyteries, 509 ministers, and 60,000 members!  In one swift vote, they were no longer members of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.

But Presbyterian polity demanded that two General meetings approve of an action like this.  And here the operation took on more of a shady spirit to it than would otherwise be proper for any Christian group.  At the 1838 assembly in Philadelphia, Old School Presbyterian delegates arrived early and took every seat in the convention hall of Seventh Presbyterian Church.  When the New School Presbyterian elders arrived, the Moderator, who was an Old School elder, simply wouldn’t recognize them as legitimate delegates.  The “we don’t know you” phrase was used a lot.  When attempts were made to appeal his ruling, the appeal was put out-of-order by the moderator.

Soon the New School Assembly of Presbyterians were meeting at the back of the church, setting up their own assembly.  Eventually they went down to the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia for a separate assembly. An appeal by the New School Presbyterian Church was eventually made to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, which declared the abrogation by the Old School Presbyterians as “certainly constitutional and strictly just.”

Presbyterian churches all over the land were in schisms.  One Presbyterian church in Carlisle Pennsylvania  epitomized the false principle of “the ends justifies the means.”  The session of First Presbyterian Church (Old School)  voted out of love to give $10,000 to the departing New School Presbyterians of the new Second Presbyterian Church in the same town.  When the check had cleared the bank, the Session of Elders of First Presbyterian who had voted to give the money, promptly went over to the New School Presbyterian session!  Another church literally cut in two the building between the Old and New School sides.  All over the land, churches were being divided or left over these important issues.

Words to Live By: Scripture commands us to use biblical means to accomplish His will.  Certainly, in hindsight, there was a real apostasy in the Presbyterian church in the early nineteenth century.  But Bible believers should have dealt with it according to Scriptural principles, not man’s principles.

Through the Scriptures: Proverbs 15 – 18

Through the Standards:The nature and grounds of true assurance

WCF 18:2
“This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion grounded on a fallible hope; but an infallible assurance of faith founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God, which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption.”

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June 4 : Beginning of the Bible Presbyterian Church

4 June, 2012 in June 2012 by davidtmyers | 1 comment

This Day in Presbyterian History:   

A false start?

The beginnings of the Presbyterian Church of America in 1936 were small but richly blessed with men who had taken their stand for the faith of historic Christianity.  Yet, but a year later, in the midst of the Third General Assembly of that church, a group of ministers were meeting to set up a new Presbyterian church, made up of elders out of that original group of stalwarts of the faith.  What had happened?

They had all agreed on the reasons for the separation from the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America.  That church had allowed departures from the faith at home and on the mission field without doing anything about it.  Failure to discipline those who had broken their ordination vows was rampart.  Indeed, not one minister who had signed the Auburn Affirmation was ever charged by any Presbytery.  J. Gresham Machen himself had acknowledged this failure when he was alive.  But he had been taken from the small body of Presbyterians separatists by death on January 1, 1937.

Now in the new church, various secondary issues had sprung up to threaten the peace and unity of the church.  One was the eschatological issue.  Pre-millennialism had always been allowed in the church, but dispensational pre-millennialism had not been accepted.  This was proving to be a divisive issue.  Second, prohibition was raging in the nation at that time.  Many churches, especially in the midwest, were taking a position against the saloon trade.  In that light, an overture was made at the PCA general assembly to bring the church to a position of total abstinence from intoxicating drink.  That was voted down by the Assembly.

Believing that these two issues were fundamental, fourteen teaching elders and three ruling elders met on June 4, 1937 at St. James Hotel in Philadelphia to discuss their concerns.  Believing that a “false start” has been made by the delegates of the Presbyterian Church of America,  the articles of association were drafted for what later on became the Bible Presbyterian Church.  Their call for a new church which was Calvinistic, fundamental, premillennial, and evangelistic was made at that time.  The first General Synod did not take place until September in 1938.  At that meeting, there was a statement which stated that the church and its members pursue the course of total abstinence from alcoholic beverages, condemning the liquor traffic and the modern saloon.  Interestingly though, while they spoke of pre-millennialism as being a hallmark of the new church, they acknowledged liberty in the things of the last day.

In more recent days, the Bible Presbyterian church have recognized the schismatic nature of that separation from what is now the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.  After many examples of extreme separation down through its history, the current Bible Presbyterian Church has twenty-one churches  nationwide, as found in four presbyteries.

Words to Live By:  We can be thankful for churches which are true to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, Reformed in doctrine, looking forward to the Lord’s return in power and great glory, and evangelistic.  Let us seek to be part and parcel of such congregations.

Through the Scriptures:  Proverbs 12 – 14

Through the Standards: The privilege of true assurance

WCF 18:1
“Although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false  hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favor of God, and estate of salvation (which hope of theirs shall perish); yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus and love Him in sincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good conscience before Him, may, in this life, be certainly assured that they are in the state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed.”

WLC 80 —  “Can true believers be infallibly assured that they are in the estate of grace, and that they shall persevere therein unto salvation?
A. Such as truly believe in Christ, and endeavour to talk in all good conscience before him, may, without extraordinary revelation, by faith grounded upon the truth of God’s promises, and by the Spirit enabling them to discern in themselves those graces to which the promises of life are made, and bearing witness with their spirits that they are the children of God, be infallibly assured that they are in the estate of grace, and shall persevere therein unto salvation.”

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June 3 : WSC Q. 33 – Justification

3 June, 2012 in June 2012 by davidtmyers | No comments

This Day in Presbyterian History:  

The Test of a Standing or Falling church

Q. 33. — What is justification?
A. Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.

Without significant happenings found in the history of Presbyterianism for this day, we return to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, looking at the first benefit of effectual calling, namely, justification.  “Justification,” in question and answer 33, “is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.”

First,  we refer to “an act of God’s free grace.”  God, the one  God in three persons,  is the only source of justification.  We are objectively justified as the elect from eternity, and subjectively justified as individuals, when we appropriate Jesus Christ by faith alone.

It is also an “act of God’s free grace.”  Justification comes from the gracious actions of His Son in particular.  It is free to us, but certainly not to God’s Son.  He met all the demands of the law to purchase it for us, both actively and passively.

Further, its ground is not something inherent in us, or something done by us for it.  If we did were able to do it ourselves, then Christ’s whole life, death, burial, and resurrection would have no meaning.  His statement on the cross that “it is finished,” would be a falsehood.

The sole ground of justification is “the righteousness of Christ imputed to us.”  This included his perfect obedience during His life, and His full satisfaction of the penalty of sin during His death, burial, and resurrection.  All His redemptive life and work was laid to our account, or imputed to us, the elect of God.

The elements of justification are two in number. First, he pardons all of our sins. Our past sins, our present sins, and our future sins are under the blood of Christ, so that we cannot come into condemnation. There are fatherly displeasures and temporal judgments on this earth for our present and future sins, to be sure, but as we  humble ourselves,  repent of those sins and renew our faith, we are pardoned for them.

The second element of justification is that “we are accepted as righteous in his sight.”  We who have no righteousness, being conceived and born in sin, now have in Christ His righteousness as a garment.  God the Father looks at us and sees His Son in our stead.

Last, all this is “received by faith alone.”  As we receive and rest upon Christ alone, we are justified before God.

Words to Live By:  Paul said it best in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (ESV)  and 8: 38, 39,  “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (ESV)  This famous chapter begins with “No condemnation,” and ends with “No separation” for the believer.

Through the Scriptures: Proverbs 8 – 11

Through the Standards:  Proof texts of perseverance of the saints.

Philippians 1:6
“For I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (ESV)

John 10:27 – 29
“My sheep hear my   voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.  My father, who has given them to me, is great than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (ESV)

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June 2 : Archibald Alexander, First Professor at Princeton Seminary

2 June, 2012 in June 2012 by davidtmyers | 1 comment

 A Professor to Three Students

It has been in operation since 1746.  And the College of New Jersey had provided the church, and especially the Presbyterian Church in the United States many of its pastors and missionaries.  But with the advent of the eighteen hundreds, many of its graduates were preparing for different careers, like law, politics, and education.  Something had to be done to remedy this critical need of 400 empty pulpits in the denomination.

The proverbial ball began rolling when the Rev. Ashbel Green, pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, gave a challenging speech before the assembled elders gathered at the May 1805 General Assembly.  In 1808, the Presbyterian of Philadelphia overtured that General Assembly  begin  a theological school.  Four years later, the Assembly voted to establish such a school and to locate it in Princeton, New Jersey. Later in that same Assembly, the elders in a spirit of prayer voted the Rev. Dr. Archibald Alexander to be the first professor of Princeton Theological Seminary. The date was June 2, 1812.

Archibald Alexander had been prepared by the Holy Spirit for this important ministry. Blessed with an heritage of Scotch-Irish forefathers, and a father who was a Presbyterian elder, his family first settled in Pennsylvania before relocating to Virginia. Archibald was born in 1772 and by the age of seven, had learned the Shorter Catechism and was moving on to the Larger Catechism. He sat under the celebrated William Graham at Liberty Hall Academy, forerunner of Washington and Lee College. And yet with all of this training, Archibald was still unsaved. It wasn’t until he was sixteen that he was brought to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus. More theological training took place which culminated in his ordination by Hanover Presbytery in Virginia in 1794 as a Presbyterian minister.

From there his ministry activities went from the rural pastorate, to Hampden-Sydney College as president, to a revival preacher in New England, delegate to the General Assembly, minister of a congregation in the large city of Philadelphia, and finally to the first professor of Princeton Seminary, at the age of forty.  At the beginning of this new and challenging ministry, he had three students in 1812.  But the number wouldn’t stay there very long.  Princeton Seminary had begun.

Words to Live By: Everything which occurs in your life is for a purpose, a purpose overseen by a loving Father. When you are enabled to see that biblical truth, your life, and how you view it, takes on a sacred calling. There is a good reason why the Apostle Paul commands us “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (ESV – 1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Through the Scriptures: Proverbs 4 – 7

Through the Standards: The sad possibility of falling but not out of saving grace

W.C.F. 17:3
“Nevertheless, they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins; and, for a time, continue therein: whereby they incur God’s displeasure, and grieve His Holy Spirit, come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts, have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded; hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.”

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June 1 : Rev. Bruce Hunt

1 June, 2012 in June 2012 by davidtmyers | No comments

In Prison For Christ

Refusing to worship the shrine of the emperor of Japan, Orthodox Presbyterian missionary Bruce Hunt was arrested by the Japanese authorities  in 1941. They did not take his wife Kathy or any of the five children, so that was one obvious blessing.  He was encouraged also that in one of his prisons to which he was sent, some thirty other Christians had been arrested for their refusal to engage in emperor worship.

Forty-five days after his arrest, he was tried as being opposed to shrine worship and the Japanese government. In their words, he was disturbing the peace of the country.  Thus, he was going to be put on trial for his crimes.

The trial itself was a strange one indeed.  From ten o’clock in the morning to five o’clock in the evening, Bruce Hunt was peppered with religious questions.  He was asked everything from whether he believed Eve was tempted by the serpent in the Garden of Eden, to questions about the end of the world. The judge asked him what he believed about the return of Jesus, as well as the restoration of  Jews to Palestine. Rev. Hunt answered them all.

To be sure, there were questions about the issue of shrine worship, but even there the answer evolved around why Christians could not and should not worship a man instead of the God-man. When it all came down to it, Rev. Hunt was grilled about the truthfulness of biblical Christianity in his trial.

At the end of the day, with the trial being over, the verdict was handed down.  Bruce Hunt was declared not guilty by the Japanese authorities and given a suspended two-year sentence.  In essence, this meant that if he didn’t get into more trouble, the case would be dropped against him. There was only one problem with it all. The day of the trial was December 6, 1941, one day before Pearl Harbor.

With America’s entrance into the war in response to the surprise attack upon our Naval base in Hawaii, Bruce Hunt was re-arrested by the Japanese, spending the next six months in a number of concentration camps. Finally, on June 1, 1942, he was set free and reunited with his wife Kathy and their children. Deported, the family returned to the United States aboard the next available ship.

(The whole story of Bruce Hunt can be found in his book, “For a Testimony,” published by the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.)

Words to Live By: It has been an age-old question, but if it is asked with a sincere intention to answer it, it still has merit.  Here’s the question: if you were tried for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?  Think about it, pray about it, and then act to make sure that the evidence of personal Christianity is strong in  your life.

Through the Scriptures:  Proverbs 1 – 3

Through the Standards: Reasons for the saint’s perseverance

W.C.F. 17:2
“This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ, the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them, and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which arises also the certainty and infallibility thereof.”

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