Well, Alan, would you like to introduce Dr. Tom Nettles this morning? Yeah, I can try. First of all, I just want to say it's such an honor, very humbling, to have Dr. Nettles with us this morning. It's an honor and a great honor to have Dr. Nettles with us this morning. Dr. Nettles has been a Southern Baptist professor, he'll have to tell you, but for decades. He's written numerous books. He's written many books. His biographies on James Boyce and Charles Spurgeon were excellent. His biographies on James Boyce and Charles Spurgeon were excellent. Probably two of his better-known books are Bias Grace and Forest Glory. One of his best-known books is Portugracia para su Gloria. And Baptists in the Bible. And Baptists in the Bible. Dr. Nettles may try to correct me, but he is literally the greatest Baptist historian living today. Dr. Nettles may try to correct me, but he is literally the greatest Baptist historian living today. Dr. Nettles may try to correct me, but he is literally the greatest Baptist historian living today. Dr. Nettles may try to correct me, but he is literally the greatest Baptist historian living today. Dr. Nettles may try to correct me, but he is literally the greatest Baptist historian living today. Dr. Nettles may try to correct me, but he is literally the greatest Baptist historian living today. Dr. Nettles may try to correct me, but he is literally the greatest Baptist historian living today. Dr. Nettles may try to correct me, but he is literally the greatest Baptist historian living today. Dr. Nettles may try to correct me, but he is literally the greatest Baptist historian living today. Dr. Nettles may try to correct me, but he is literally the greatest Baptist historian living today. Dr. Nett Well, if I said anything about that particular remark, it would have to be a correction because there could not be any kind of agreement with that evaluation. But I do appreciate his optimistic view of what the Lord has allowed me to do. What I want to do today is to talk about the issue of Baptist identity. Now, it's important that we understand a lot about Baptist distinctives, but before we can understand Baptist distinctives, we need to see it within the larger context of Baptist identity. It's important that we talk about Baptist distinctives, but before we can talk about Baptist distinctives, we have to look at it from the perspective of identity. Yes, yes. So let's begin. My lecturing through a translator is a little bit stilted from time to time, so you will understand the debility that I'm working with. Vamos a empezar. Mi enseñanza a través de un traductor es limitado. A veces entonces vas a ver mi debilidad. So the first thing that I want us to look at is an element of Baptist identity is the issue of orthodoxy. La primera cosa que quiero que vemos en el asunto de identidad bautista es el asunto de ortodoxia. If a person is not orthodox, then it's impossible for them to be a Baptist. Si una persona no es ortodoxo, es imposible que sean bautista. Because Baptists are, indeed, Christians. And the very definition of what Christianity is is bound up in this concept of orthodoxy. All right, so what do we mean by orthodox? What is this foundational element of Baptist identity? ¿Qué queremos decir con ortodoxo? ¿Cuál es este asunto fundamental bautista de ortodoxia? So the first element of orthodoxy is that God is a revealing God. El primer asunto de ortodoxia es Dios es un Dios que revela a Dios. It would be impossible for sinners to know God unless He revealed Himself to us. And we have several sources of revelation that are mentioned to us in Scripture through which we know the attributes of God. For example, we know that God has created the world and he reveals himself through his creation. In fact, it would be impossible In a sense, for him not to reveal himself through his creation, since his creation is a reflection of his glory and his power. De hecho, es imposible que Creación no revela a Dios porque Creación es una reflexión de su gloria y su poder. We call to mind Psalm 19. The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows his handiwork. And the psalmist goes on to say that there is no place and there's no language where their voice is not heard. That is the way nature speaks of God. All over the world, their voice is heard. The psalmist says that there is no place where their voice is not heard. In the whole world, their voice is heard. And in Romans 1, Paul, I think reflecting on Psalm 19, says that every person should know the eternal power and Godhead because they are clearly revealed in the things that he has made. In Romans 1, I think that Paul, referring to Psalm 19, says that all people should know the eternal God and the head of God because they are eternally revealed. In fact, he goes on to say that all persons are without excuse, even given this general and natural revelation of God. De hecho, él sigue diciendo que son sin excusa porque todos conocen a Dios por esta revelación natural. And so, without extending that point any further, we simply affirm, and I think it's clear in Scripture, that God does reveal Himself through the created order. Without extending this point any further, we know that God reveals Himself through the order of creation. A second way in which God reveals himself is in the human conscience. We are made in the image of God, and so we have intrinsically an understanding of right and wrong. The corruption that has come from the fall has made us repress that sense of right and wrong, and so we create our own standards. The sin that has come from the fall causes us to oppress that consciousness. But even with that, Paul says, and Scripture affirms, that conscience will rise up and condemn us in the day of judgment. Yeah, I think it is in Romans 2 where Paul says conscience can't with either condemn or even at sometimes condone our actions. So when we preach, when we preach God's law and God's moral standards, we can do it with confidence that there is something inside every human being that witnesses to that standard of law that is revealed. So when we preach the law of God, the moral standard of God, we can do it with confidence that there is something revealed in our scriptures that confirms who God is. And so a part of orthodoxy in these two elements of revelation, creation and conscience, is built upon the idea that God has brought the entire world into existence. He has brought all humanity into existence. And so his power and his His glory is manifest in these created things. Now, given the reality that we are fallen, and that the test... Go ahead. And that Adam failed the test of perfect obedience in the garden. And that now we are under condemnation and our hearts are corrupt. We stand in need of a special revelation. Now this is something that God is not obligated to do for us because we are justly condemned. And so even the fact that God continues to reveal himself in a special way is a mark of his grace toward us. When we find special revelation, in the words of Scripture. And second, we find special revelation in the person and work of Jesus Christ. So let's look, first of all, at some of the ways in which God has revealed himself in the words of Scripture. We'll say more about this when we look at the idea that Baptists are evangelical. But now we will simply affirm that God spoke to Adam and Eve in special revelation. Pero hoy ahorita solo vamos a ver que Dios habló con Adán y Eva en revelación especial. God spoke to Noah. Dios habló a Noah. God spoke to Abraham. Dios habló a Abraham. God spoke to Moses. Dios habló a Moses. And the beginning of recorded revelation, actually in words written down, came with Moses. It seems that until that time, God's actions toward men were passed down by word of mouth. And then under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Moses had available all of that material and recorded it in a way that was consistent with what God wanted us to know. And according to the revelation of God to Moses through the Holy Spirit, Moses had all this and wrote it according to how God wanted us to have it. In fact, the writers then of the Old Testament and the New Testament consistently affirm that there was a special action of inspiration on the part of God to guarantee the truthfulness of that which was recorded. De hecho, el Antiguo Testamento, los Autores y Nuevo Testamento confirme un momento del Espíritu Especial y revelación especial de lo que Dios quería que tuvimos y de acuerdo con And one of the passages of Scripture that is very clear on this is in 2 Timothy 3.16. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. And so, special revelation has come to us in words. We have the Old Testament. We have the New Testament. We have a fullness of revelation that we can study for our entire lives in order to expand our understanding of and our experience with God. So, special revelation has come to us through words. And we have the Old Testament and the New Testament that we can organize our lives according to them. And I've called this a part of orthodoxy because it would be impossible for us to have what we know as Christianity apart from this written revelation. I call this a part of orthodoxy because it would be impossible to have what we call Christianity without the written revelation of God. And this written revelation is powerful because it gives us the opportunity to test and examine those things. The things written do not change, and we can put our minds to them and test and examine and see if they're true. And the written things give us the authority to try and examine, because without the written things we cannot examine what is true, because the written things do not change. And when we have discovered that the things that can be examined are indeed true, then we are led to understand that those aspects of revelation that cannot be necessarily examined also are true. And when we see that the things that we can examine are true, we know that the things that cannot be examined are false or true. The most obvious example of this, of course, is the resurrection of Christ. El ejemplo más obvio de esto es la resurrección de Cristo. If Christ indeed has been raised from the dead, then this means that what he said was true. Perdón. Sorry, Dr. Nettles. Si Cristo ha sido resucitado de muerte, what was the second phrase there? Then what he said is true. Entonces lo que dijo es verdad. This means He has died as a ransom for us. This means that God is Father, Son, and Spirit. This means that there is a heaven in which He is preparing a place for us. And so we could go on with all the other truths of Scripture that are verified by this mystical thing. All right, so a second point of orthodoxy. We've talked about God as a revealing God. And now we need to make this affirmation. God is a triune God. Baptists have affirmed this in their sermons, in their writings, and in their confessions of faith. This is one of the earliest of the Christian doctrines that was affirmed very strongly by the entire Christian community in the early centuries of the church. It was impossible to read scripture and not come to the conclusion that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ It was impossible to read the Scriptures and come to the conclusion that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ sent his only Son, his only begotten Son, into the world, sent his only Son, his only beloved Son, and when he had finished his work of redemption, he sent the Holy Spirit from the Father. to take the things of Christ and show them to us. So our understanding of God is bound up in this reality, incomprehensible in many ways. But God is one essence or one being. He is one. Dios es uno en esencia y ser, Él es uno. But He consists eternally of three persons, Father, Son, and Spirit. Pero Él consiste eternamente en tres personas, Padre, Hijo, Espíritu. One of the Baptist confessions of faith, the Second London Confession, Una de las confesiones bautistas de fe, la Segundo Confesión de Londres Bautista, says this doctrine of the Trinity is the essential basis of all of our fellowship with God, and of the comfort we derive from our dependence upon Him. We could go through the other confessions of faith, the New Hampshire Confession, the First London, and other confessions, and they would affirm the same thing. So if we are not orthodox in believing the doctrine of the Trinity, then it is impossible for us to be Baptist. Si no somos ortodoxos en nuestra doctrina de creer la Trinidad, no podemos ser bautistas. The fact that we have difficulty understanding how one God can be in three persons does not diminish the importance of God having revealed that to us. El problema que tenemos a entender, Dios siendo uno y tres personas, no quita el hecho que Dios nos ha revelado esto a nosotros. So we find great comfort in this reality that God within himself has an eternal relationship of love between three persons. And that this active love within The Godhead is extended to us in the redemptive work of Christ. All right, let's look at a third element of orthodoxy. And that is that Jesus is both God and man in one person. Again, I'm going to look at a confessional statement about this. And again, this is from the Second London Confession. In this way it came about that the two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, the divine and the human, were inseparably joined together in one person. Without the conversion of one nature into the other. Sin la conversión de una naturaleza al otro. And without the mixing, as it were, of one nature with the other. Y sin mezclar una naturaleza con el otro. Thus, the Son of God is now both true God and true man. Por lo cual, el Hijo es los dos, verdadero hombre y verdadero Dios. Yet one Christ. Sino un solo Cristo. The only mediator between God and man. El único mediador entre Dios y el hombre. Christ and Christ alone is fitted to be mediator between God and man. He is prophet, priest, and king of the church of God. So our Our identity as Baptists, the first element that we need to embrace is this element of orthodoxy. And we have said that this means that God is a revealing God. God is a triune God. And Jesus Christ is both God and man in one person. Only as such a being could he reconcile God and man. I wonder if now, if anyone would have any questions about this particular point. Nadia. We'll move to the next point, then. Seguimos en segundo punto, entonces. Art, the second element of Baptist identity is that Baptists are evangelical. Now, I mentioned a moment ago that we would speak more about the issue of special revelation when we got to evangelicalism. So with all other true evangelicals, we affirm the authority of Scripture alone. Now, there are other Christian denominations that affirm a shared authority with Scripture. Hay otras denominaciones evangélicos que confirmen una autoridad compartida con las Escrituras. Well, I don't, I didn't mean that they were evangelical denominations that did that, but what I'm talking about. Evangelicals. Otros denominaciones que comparten una autoridad compartido con las escrituras. Roman Catholicism affirms the authority of the Pope. Los católicos romanos confirmen la autoridad del Papa. They affirm the authority of certain councils. Confirmen la autoridad de concilios. and they affirm the authority of tradition. The pope is the one who embodies all of these sources of authority when he speaks ex cathedra. That means out of his official position as being the teacher of the church. But in doing so, he has confirmed certain doctrines that are not contained in Scripture at all. And when doctrines are set as authoritative that are not in Scripture, they inevitably lead away from the true gospel. For example, one doctrine, the position of Mary as co-mediatrix. For example, a doctrine, the doctrine of Mary as co-miracle. That she was held free of original sin and that she now is seated in a way where we can pray through her to the Son. As she was without original sin and that we can pray through her to the Son. The result of this is that Christ's own sufficiency and his soul's sufficiency is hidden from view. And so evangelicals hold firmly to a clear statement like, there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. And if we invent any other person that is a co-mediator or a co-mediatrix, we do damage to biblical doctrine. Si inventamos otro persona que es co-mediador o co-mediatrix, nosotros hacemos daño de evangelio. Si. And so we affirm the authority of scripture alone. Afirmamos la doctrina de sola scriptura. So let's go back and talk just a little bit about revelation and inspiration. Vamos a regresar un poco a hablar de revelación y inspiración. We know that the Bible comes to us by divine revelation. Sabemos que la Biblia llega a nosotros por revelación divina. Paul, in talking about this issue in 1 Corinthians 2, affirms very strongly the absolute necessity of the work of the Spirit in Revelation. Pablo, hablando de esto en 1 Corinthians 2 habla de la necesidad absoluta del Espíritu Santo interpretando Revelación. So I'm looking at 1 Corinthians chapter 2 beginning with verse 9. Yo estoy viendo 1 Corinthians 2 empezando en versículo 9. But as it is written, what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, What God has prepared for those that love him, These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. Pero Dios nos las reveló a nosotros por el Espíritu. Now what Paul says here is when he says what no eye has seen nor ear heard, he's saying our experiments trying to find truth by empirical means doesn't reveal God to us. And when he says, nor the heart of man imagined, he's talking about the philosophical propensities that we have, that we cannot understand God through human philosophy. Y cuando dice, ni han subido en corazón, está hablando filosóficamente que no podemos llegar a Dios por filosófico las cosas internas. But those things that we would like to know in those means and we can't know in those means, he reveals to us by the Spirit. In fact, he says, even the depths of God. Well, you can read that passage on your own to see how Paul goes on to discuss it. But what we see is Paul is affirming very clearly that we're utterly dependent upon divine revelation to know the things that God has freely given us. But what Paul is saying is that we are dependent on God to know the things in divine revelation that God has given us to know. We would not know that we can have forgiveness of sins except through divine revelation. We would not know that we can be justified except through divine revelation. We cannot know that we are reconciled to God by Christ's death except by divine revelation. No podemos saber que estamos reconciliados por la muerte de Cristo si no fue por revelación divina. We would not have what Paul calls the hope of eternal life except by divine revelation. No podemos saber que tenemos la esperanza de la vida eterna si no fuera por revelación divina. And so one of the reasons that we say Scripture alone is because in Scripture alone we have the revelation of God. Now, this revelation that was given to the prophets and to the apostles was secured for future generations by inspiration. The revelation came and it was immediately present to the apostles and prophets. But then it had to be put in words, both in speaking and writing. And so the truthfulness of those words was secured by the inspiration of the Spirit. are many places where this is confirmed, but I want us to look at one place in Ephesians 3. Ephesians chapter 3, beginning with verse 2. Paul says, assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, Si es que habéis oído de la administración de la gracia de Dios que me fue dado para con vosotros. How the mystery was made known to me by revelation. Que por revelación me fue declarado el misterio. Then he says, as I have written briefly. Como antes lo he escrito brevemente. Then he goes on to say, when you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ. So the revelation that came to Paul, he has now written So when they read it, they can understand his insight into the mystery of Christ. And he was insistent that his letters be read to the churches and sometimes passed along to other churches. Now, not to belabor this particular point, but let's turn back to 1 Corinthians 2 again. Where Paul is talking about the revelation of things that could not be known otherwise, the things that God has freely given to us. And he says in verse 13, we impart this in words, not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the spirit, interpreting spiritual truths. And I think it should be translated in spiritual words, comparing spiritual with spiritual. In verse 13, it says, which we also speak not with words taught by human wisdom, but with those that teach the spirit. And I think it must be accommodating the spiritual in the spiritual written, comparing the spiritual with the spiritual. Great, thanks. And so we have the Word, the Bible, is a body of revelation, and this body of revelation has been secured for us, those things that God wanted to perpetuate into future generations by writing. And that means that the third point that I want to make about Scripture, under Baptists or Evangelical, is that Scripture is sufficient and exclusive in its authority. It is sufficient in that it tells us all that we need to know and all that we can possibly understand this side of eternity. And it is exclusive in that no other form of teaching comes with the authority of God behind it. Y es exclusivo porque no hay otro cosa escrito que viene con la enseñanza de la misma autoridad de las escrituras. Good. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. La ley del Señor es perfecto, convirtiendo el alma. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. In 2 Timothy 3, Paul says that Scripture is sufficient that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Segundo Timoteo dice que las escrituras son suficientes para que está completo y preparado el hombre. Let's look at one other passage now, Titus chapter 1. Vamos a ver otro pasaje, Tito capítulo 1. Verses 1 through 3. Here Paul says, Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth. conforma a la fe de los elegidos, escogidos, y de Dios y el conocimiento de la verdad. So he's saying that his apostleship is to bring about faith in God's elect, that is, a trust in Christ, and knowledge of the truth. Él está diciendo que su apostolado es para traer a la fe de los elegidos una creencia real y conocimiento de la verdad. And this ministry of His, in speaking about faith and truth, is that which accords with godliness. And this godliness is given us in the hope of eternal life. And then, He affirms the inerrancy of all of this revelation, given him by inspiration also, when he says, which God who cannot lie or the unlying God. Y el confirma la autoridad y las escrituras sin error cuando el dice aquí, la cual Dios que no puede mentir o de Dios que no miente. And this is something that he promised before the ages began. That means that it was within him. It was his determination to do this before he ever created the world. And he says that he promised from before the beginning of the centuries. That means that he was with God before everything began. And at the proper time manifested, that is revealed, put it forth, manifested in his word. Y dice a su debido tiempo manifestado o revelado por su palabra. Through the preaching with which I have been entrusted. Por el medio de la predicación de que me fue encomendada. Now this is a very bold, and if it were not true, it would be an extravagant statement by Paul that this unlying God has revealed all of this through his preaching. This is a very strong statement by Paul, and if it were not true, it would be very dangerous to say something like this, that this God who does not lie has revealed all of this through his preaching. And he says that this is entrusted to him by the command of God our Savior. And we know that this preaching Paul reduced to writing And the writing, he said, was consistent with what was revealed to him. So we've got to say that Paul either was the most ostentatious deceiver that ever lived, or the Bible is the Word of God. And the fact that he was willing to suffer and die for this reality, the strong testimony The fact that he was willing to suffer and die for this word gives strong testimony that he sincerely believed it was true. And the power that it has exerted in the world gives multiple testimony to the reality that these words are true. They transform people. All right. So that is the first point of evangelicalism. Now, we've been We've been here for about an hour. Do you want me to take a break and ask for questions now or continue in this? Yeah, we can. We can ask some questions. We get no questions. I think they're just absorbing. Can we do one more point then, and if we can set it up, I'll be willing to come back on another day and complete this. Absolutely. We'll do one more point, and if you can next week, we can have you back next week. All right. Sure. All right. So the next element of evangelicalism that Baptists embrace is the Protestant and Reformed principles of the doctrine of salvation. Otro cosa que quiero que vemos en bautistas evangélicos es que los bautistas abracen la idea y principios reformados de la doctrina de salvación. For example, Baptists believe in sola gratia, grace alone. Los bautistas creen en sola gratia, sola la gracia. There is no other power, there is no other manifestation of a gift other than grace that can bestow on us salvation. Grace is manifest objectively, and the incarnation and the redemptive work of Christ. So we have objective grace given us in historical manifestation, and we have what we might call subjective grace in the way that God's power changes our hearts. objective, and what was the second one, brother? Sorry. Subjective. Internal operation of grace. There could be no internal or subjective work unless it was based upon the external historical objective work. So one of the means by which God saves sinners is that there had to be someone who was a sufficient savior. God does not save sinners by surrendering his justice. And so the person who would bring about salvation had to be one who could fully satisfy the honor and justice of God. And Jesus, the eternal Son of God, taking to himself our nature, is the only person ever who could save sinners. His person had to be of such a nature as God would be honored by the sacrifice, and thus he was God. Entonces, su persona tiene que ser uno que honra a Dios y su sacrificio será suficiente, entonces Dios será satisfecho. His infinite justice could only be satisfied by such a person. Entonces, él era Dios, entonces la infinito justicia de Dios solo puede ser satisfecho en la persona de Cristo. But it had to be in the nature of those who sinned that this redemption was made. And both of these things had to exist in one single person. And so we find Jesus Christ as the perfect person who offered the perfect sacrifice for redemption. Romans 3, 24 is perhaps one of the most of condensed passages of scripture that affirms this reality. Romanos 3, 24. It says, we are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. whom God put forth as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness because in the divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. para manifestar su justicia a causa de haber pasado por alto en su paciencia los pecados pasados. It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Con la mira de manifestar en este tiempo su justicia a fin de que él sea el justo y el que justifica al que es de la fe de Jesús. So the first element of grace that we find in salvation is the coming of Christ himself, the incarnation and the death. The first element of grace that we find in Christ is his coming, his incarnation and his death. Another element of this grace that has come to us is what we call faith coming by hearing. Another element of this grace is the faith that comes by hearing. Paul says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Paul says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. This is an operation of the Holy Spirit taking the work of Christ and impressing it upon the conscience of a person. This is the work of grace of the Holy Spirit taking the truth of the Gospel and applying it to the conscience of the person. This is what we normally call conviction of sin. Then, with that conviction of sin, he not only presses this reality on the conscience, but he changes the heart to see the justness of it. And when the person sees the justness of it and that it is a manifestation of the love of God, his heart goes out to embrace Christ by faith. And so this idea of having faith that comes by hearing And hearing, coming by the word of God, is a very powerful element that Baptists have practiced throughout their existence because of the supremacy of preaching in a Baptist understanding. So this idea that faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of God is an element of the Baptists that we believe in a lot, that has been part of our history through the preaching of the word. So these two aspects of grace, the objective aspect and then the internal aspect of bringing us to believe that, results in the next point, and that is justification by faith. This means that God freely justifies, that is, He declares them just who believe in Christ. Now, how can God do this? Because Christ, as our representative, has fully obeyed and has complete righteousness as a man that is given to us when we unite with him by faith. And he also removes our transgressions from us because In his death, Christ suffered for our transgressions. In other words, justification by faith consists of forgiveness of sins by Christ's death. and a declaration of righteousness because of Christ's perfect obedience. All right, so those are some of the elements of evangelicalism. And I think that I can just reserve the continuation of this for our next time. I don't think I have any conflict next Wednesday, if you would be willing for me to meet with you again. Absolutely. Este es uno de los elementos evangélicos. Entonces, yo voy a detenerme ahí y podemos seguir la siguiente semana. ¿Alguien tiene preguntas? or comentarios. And so next time we will look at the, as we continue our look at Baptist identity, we'll talk about confessions and we'll talk about the church. Entonces, hablando de nuestra identidad como bautistas, vamos a hablar de confesiones y vamos a ver la iglesia. Right. Any questions? ¿Alguien tiene pregunta? Hey, Pastor Jonathan, I have a quick question for Dr. Nils. Okay. Um, I don't know if you want to translate for the brothers, but I'll translate the question, the question about the authority of Scripture. The pregunta sobre autoridad de acerturas. So as defining, you know, a Baptist distinctive that we hold to the absolute authority of scripture. so this would be uh to make a claim that those that don't accept that authority of scripture in all areas would not be baptists so i guess i'm thinking for for some of the brothers that are dealing with issues like women that you know would be would want to be teachers in the church are, you know, just different matters like that, that the scripture would speak to. We would say they're Christian, but Dr. Nettles would suggest that they we can't say that they're truly Baptist. The question is, for example, you are fighting with things, some women want to teach things that go against the scriptures. So the question is, this we can say, well, maybe they can be Christians, but they can't be Baptists. Well, that is a very astute observation and is a difficult reality to answer, but I'm going to try. When we combine these four elements of Baptist identity, including at the end Baptist distinctives. we're going to find that there are inconsistencies within Baptist life and within Baptist confessions throughout history. And so I think that we need to say that There are going to be a variety of corruptions that appear in Baptist life at different times in history. And each time that there is a reformation, then it means that some of these errors are confronted and corrected. For example, let's take something more extreme even than that. Suppose Baptists began to reject the inspiration of Scripture. But they claim that they're Baptists because they believe in baptism by immersion of believers only. We would have to say that if they don't believe in the inspiration of Scripture, they don't have any reason to baptize believers, and soon they will forsake other doctrines. So we're trying to describe a a profile of Baptist life that would be some sort of a standard to which we should always aspire. But I would say that anytime these are corrupted in any way, To that degree, they do not maintain a purity of their Baptist identity. That's about the best I can do on that. I have a question, Dr. Nettles. Looking at the Baptist distinction on justification by faith alone, mirando... That's not a distinctive. That's not a distinctive. That's something that we share in common with other evangelicals. Right, that identity, or that we hold to the authority of Scripture. Que nosotros tomamos la autoridad de Scriptura and its power to show us the gospel, or its authority to show us the gospel. Es su autoridad de mostrarnos el Evangelio. If that's true, si eso es verdad, how should we approach preaching to our churches? ¿Cómo debemos acercarnos a predicar nuestras iglesias? Well, what care should be given then to what we preach? Well, since you've combined those two, the inspiration of Scripture and evangelicalism, which I think are perfectly consistent with each other, this means that basically we should preach exegetical sermons at least on large important texts. Sometimes it may be tedious to try to get the book of Genesis and go through all 50 chapters before we finish. I mean, that's a good thing to do. I think you can get this when I finish here. But we should also make sure that we are preaching on critical passages of scripture that carry doctrinal importance to them and do it exegetically. Debemos predicar, entonces, porque juntamos esas dos ideas de la autoridad de los escritores y lo que muestra los escritores en el Evangelio, que debemos predicar exegeticamente, libro por libro, sacando verdades importantes de la Biblia y poniendo enfrente de la gente. Well done, yep. And, The reason is that the people need to hear that you're not just making this up, that this is something that comes from the Word of God. Que la gente debe escuchar que tú no estás inventando esto, que esto viene de la palabra de Dios. Amen. ¿Alguien más tiene otra pregunta o duda? Juan Carlos, adelante. Mi pregunta tiene que ver con el cuerpo de doctrina que nosotros hemos abrazado tradicionalmente aquí en México. Nosotros pertenecemos a una convención bautista y tenemos 20 artículos de fe, le llaman ellos. Todo lo que el hermano Tom mencionó, nosotros creemos que es parte de nuestras doctrinas fundamentales. Pero cuando tú ves la práctica de la iglesia, It seems that this doctrinal body is very light, that leaves many things without being able to exert a complete weight of that to the Church. So my question is, can we be baptists and have a very light doctrinal body? So he's asking a very good question for the time and you with everything going on in the SBC, you'll be ready to answer this. But he says that as a he's from a group in Tabasco, Mexico, and they're part of the Association and the Convention of the Baptists in Mexico. And as their confession, they have 20 articles that they confess in this confession. And he says, everything that you mentioned this morning, we confess in those 20 articles. But churches don't hold to that. We see it everywhere that it's like they don't even matter. So can we be a part of something like that if there's no authority to what we confess? Well, there are two options. and many people will opt for one of these and they both do it in good conscience I think. One is you can say the group is corrupt And I cannot in good conscience maintain fellowship with those who profess something that they do not practice and do not preach. A second option is to say, I have a much broader stewardship than just my my personal sense of conscience in this. The confession of faith is above all of us. as what we believe is a true representation of Scripture truth. And if, as a fellowship of churches, we are to present a united front for the truth, then we need to work toward creating consensus on our confession of faith for the sake of a broader witness. Debemos trabajar juntos para mostrar una más fiel obediencia a nuestra confesión de fe. So I think in that way you have to make it a matter of conscience for the other person. Are they doing right? by saying they're in fellowship with a group that holds a confession of faith that they don't believe. So on this side, you have to be on the other side of the person. Are they doing good by saying that they are in communion with a group, that they disagree with the confession of faith? Yes, somebody should say that in the SBC. Someone should say that to the Baptists of the South. Amen. Why would anybody say that in the SBC? I'm down here, hon. Yeah, yeah. All right. Good question, Juan Carlos. Very applicable. Juan Carlos is obstinate. He said Juan Carlos is obstinate. Yes, I picked that up. A little history on Juan Carlos. Sometimes we need people to be obstinate. Yes, we do need people to be obstinate. Excuse me. What happens is that we, as a group, have statutes that govern the Convention. But sometimes it seems to see that these issues are above the Bible when it comes to choosing, for example, the leaders. For example, if we choose who represents our leadership, we should consider the requirements of Timothy 3 or 1 about the requirements of a shepherd. But many times we choose because of popularity or because of the authority that people have for a long time. And sometimes it is difficult to make the changes that are required in our beloved convention. So you guys all relate to this testimony, but he said in our convention, they should choose the leaders according to 1 Timothy and Titus. They don't do that, they choose them for popularity. And it seems like they make themselves above the scriptures. And it makes it almost impossible to make changes because they don't subject themselves to scripture. Amen Juan Carlos, estamos de acuerdo. Es muy corrupto. Well, the thing is, you have to have a sense of personal integrity in it, first of all. We need to make sure we do not fall into the trap of thinking that we are superior. We're people under authority. We're under the word of God. And we must humbly seek to bring others to see the inconsistency of assuming leadership when they do not Believe. the confession that should bind us together. And that takes patience, it takes sincerity, and it takes tenacity. Ese requiere paciencia, sinceridad y tenacidad. Amen. The option is just to leave the group, but then you forsake the possibility of expansive ministry and In Southern Baptist life, I think we have seen the advantage of taking on a cause and staying with it. until there is at least some substantial change that takes place. I began teaching Seminary in 1976. At that time, seminary classes were very mixed. We had people who did not believe a confession of faith, who did not believe in the inspiration of Scripture, and who would teach in the classroom that there were errors in Scripture. The conservative resurgence, which took a lot of energy and a lot of years, changed all that. Now, things are not perfect, but seminary classrooms now are far different than they were before the conservative resurgence. Los cosas no son perfectos, pero los asuntos en el seminario son mucho diferentes ahorita de lo que eran antes. Virtually all the seminaries have adopted what is called the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. Though we're not without some theological tensions and disagreements in our schools, there is a high degree of confidence that people do believe that the Bible is true and without error and is God's revelation. Aunque no estamos sin problemas en los seminarios, hay una gran confianza que la gente creen los suficientes lectores en las clases. So I think that it's worthwhile in a loving way, but in a determined way, to seek to create consistency within a denominational structure on doctrinal issues. Yo creo que vale la pena luchar por una estructura bíblica entre las organizaciones. A question that probably would be beneficial to these guys. When dealing with a small church, that has no influence, that doesn't have a voice, What should be their consideration? Que debe ser su consideracion? When they are confessional, cuando esta iglesia es confesional, and they hold to the doctrines of the confession, y ellos mantienen las doctrinas de la confesion. What should their posture be relative to maintaining fellowship in the denomination or what can they What can they do since they're a small congregation? How should they maintain a fellowship when they don't have fellowship? So let me give an example. So Juan Carlos in Tabasco has fellowship. He still ministers to the guys in the convention, but Felipe in Tuxtla has been kicked out. I mean, they've kind of rejected because he's reformed in doctrine. And so when there is no relation there, how much should they fight for that relation? Well, are they still officially within that fellowship or within that denomination? No. They were, but they are not anymore. Yeah, well, I think that in light of that, there's little they can do except maintain faithfulness in their own congregation, preach the gospel, and to the degree that God grants any favor with other pastors, he can have fellowship with them, talk with them, seek to influence in a way that is appropriate. But as far as any official work within a convention that he's out of, he doesn't have that prerogative. Yeah. Cuando llega a un punto donde no hay esta comunidad, no hay esta relación por cuestiones de doctrinas, Un hombre no puede seguir luchando por estas cosas, porque no hay razón. No, no, I know I asked to come on. Come on. You're into Iglesias. Cuando Los La Costa canals David is doctor now meant that done for a day. Can no put almost an extra lesson. So just to give you a little bit of background, Dr. Nettles, the convention in Mexico is the majority of the convention would be like Rick Warren ish. So he probably counts his 1.1 million of all the Baptist convention in Mexico. And so you have in the convention in Mexico, there's deep divisions in the Southern Baptist Convention, but in Mexico, they're even farther. Well, faithfulness in the local congregation, preaching the truth, building a a God-honoring, Christ-serving, gospel-preaching congregation to save those that God will give you, to have influence with those who might be drawn to the life that is shed in that way. That's all a person can do, just be a steward of the opportunities that you have, to which God's called you. Él dice que a fielmente servir en tu congregación, a predicar la palabra, a ayudarlos, que Dios te da, añade a tu congregación, a servirles fielmente. Eso es lo que estás llamado a hacer. Amen. Any other questions? ¿Otras preguntas? Hermano Rigo. Yes, I just don't know if it is to add a little more to what Brother Carlos already commented. The church where we left, where my family and I left, you know, Jonathan, which also belongs to this convention. foreign foreign You told me, Jonathan, where are you going to go? It's unbearable to be in a congregation where I don't hear the word of God, where I only hear messages about prosperity, about moralism, etc. But not to God. It was very difficult to stay there and read the articles and ask the same pastors, leaders, about those articles and to be totally unknown to them. That's another danger there. Exactly. Amen. Que es mejor creer lo que Dios ha escrito totalmente, confiar que la salvación viene de Jehová, eso es. Si mi iglesia me está diciendo, no, tú puedes decidir si aceptar o no a Cristo, So, I don't know if it's really worth it to continue in a group where Continuously, a small congregation, as the brother told us, a small church, but that is heading this scripturally, right? So Rigo got kicked out of a church for Calvinism. It was a church that we did a conference there 10 years in a row, and eventually we got kicked out. But he's making the point, so you have this convention that's over with these articles, but you also have the church, and so many people are in these churches that have seen good doctrine, and they see the falseness of what they're preaching in these churches, and so they can't even stay in their own congregation. And so when they leave because they see doctrinal distinctives, the question is, is it even worth trying to maintain a relationship there? You know, is it even worth trying to maintain this relationship there when we see there's a division doctrinally? You know, we had to leave these churches because we can't accept their doctrine of decisional regeneration, of pragmatism, of morality. And so we have to leave these because they won't house us anymore. And so now churches are being formed on good doctrine. So is there even a value in trying to maintain that relationship? Yeah, well... After my family and I decided to go out and talk to the pastors and thank them for the years we were there, five months later the congregation decided to open their own seminary where they would teach I don't. So he's saying not only that are they kicked out, but they're also viewed as heretics for preaching the doctrines of grace. I've seen that. The only answer I know to that is just to keep believing the truth, keep working for the truth, keep trying to love the brethren, and put yourselves in the hands of God. Paul at the end of his life said, everyone has forsaken me, only Luke is with me, I think he said. So there are times when a person has spent their entire ministry preaching truth, honoring God, and at the end of life, they find themselves lonely. But he says, but the Lord will receive me into his heavenly kingdom. He will guide me safely to his heavenly kingdom. By that, he meant he was going to be beheaded and go right to heaven. So all we can do is try to be faithful to what we know to be the truth. Seek to love people who are lost because they need to know the gospel. Seek to love those who we have good reason to believe are Christians, though they may not hold doctrine, they may not have had good teaching somehow, but to make sure that our own conscience is clear before God, both in what we believe and in how we seek to relate to other people. I don't think we can become churchless Amen. He's saying that we should dedicate ourselves to the scriptures and know that sometimes we're going to be alone. Pablo says in the end, only Luke is with me. Luke is with me. And sometimes... vamos a tener que estar sin nadie. Sin embargo, debemos dedicarnos a la palabra, predicando la palabra, sirviendo la iglesia. Y una cosa que no, es no podemos ser sin iglesia, no? I think a big point is that we can realize Christ will build his church. And he doesn't need the big organization to do that. We, uh, the Great Commission is given to the church, like Gran Comisión está dado a la iglesia, and we see the Great Commission carried out. Vemos la Gran Comisión cumplido through the local church, a través de la iglesia local. Not through the big organization, no por la gran organización. And we might not be able to affect the great, the big organization. Tal vez no podemos afectar a la gran organización, but we can lead our churches rightly. Podemos llevar nuestras iglesias correctamente. Brother, I think we have stumbled into the reason why we're on this call and why we rejoice the beauty of what the Lord is doing with this group of brothers. Hemos llegado a ver la hermosidad que estamos en esta llamada y lo que Dios está haciendo con este grupo de hermanos. Estamos en este grupo por la misma razón, no? We are in this group together this morning because of this reason. Amen. Amen. Anybody else have anything else? ¿Alguien más tiene otra cosa? I have lots of things. ¡Adelante! I gotta go, bro. Okay, brother. Have a good one. Brother Tom, thank you so much for taking the time. We are very appreciative. For some of these guys, it was like drinking from a fire hydrant. But it was a great blessing. And if you're willing, we will welcome you back next week. For a lot of these guys, they're just coming into knowing the Second London Confession. And so, man, next week about being confessional will be such a great, great thing. The siguiente semana ser confesional será un gran cosa. Muchas gracias. Your Spanish is getting better, you see? We will see you next week, Brother Tom. All right. Thank you. Same time, same station. Same time, same place. That's right. Amen.