Aug 20
23
Baptist Catechism 32
Question: How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?
Answer: We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us, by His Holy Spirit. (John 3:5,6; Titus 3:5,6)
Scripture Reading: Titus 3:1-11
“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.” (Titus 3:1–11, ESV)
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[Please excuse any and all typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.]
Introduction
As we come now to question 32 of our catechism I think it is importinat to note that it marks the beginning of a new section. Granted, the sections of our catechism are not clearly identified with headings, but they are recognizable if you pay attention to the themes that are being developed.
For some time now we have been considering the person and work of Christ. Questions 24-31 identified Jesus as the Christ. Those questions and answers considered his person, teaching us that he was and is the eternal Son of God come in the flesh. And they also considered his work, teaching us that he has fulfilled the offices of Prophet, Priest and King. It was there in that section that we learned somthing about what Jesus the Christ has accimplished for us in his humiliation and exultation — that is to say, in his life, death, burrial, ressurection and ascension. In brief, Jesus the Christ has accomplished our salvation. And as I have said, questions 24-31 have summarized for us what it is that he has accomplished.
But with question 32 the focus shifts away from the accomplishment of our salvation to the application of it to the individual. Listen again to the question: “How are we [we who are living so long after the life, death, burrial, ressurection and ascension of Christ] made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?” Stated in another way, Jesus the Christ accomplished many things when he was born into this world, as he lived for us and died in our place and rose again on the third day, assending to the Fathers right hand. He earned our salvation. He did the job that God the Father gave him to do. But now we ask, how do we come to benifit from this salvation which Christ has earned for us? How is it applied to us? How do we come to be saved, living so living so long now after Christ’s time here on earth?
The answer that is given is really quite simple. Again, “We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us, by His Holy Spirit.” Stated differentlty, it is the Holy Spirit who applies the redemption that Christ has earned to the beliver, and the Spirit is always effective. He gets the job done.
Now, this answer might have surpised you. Perhaps you expected the answer to the question, How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ? to be, “by faith — it is by faith that we come to be saved and to have all of those benifits of the redemption purshased by Christ as our own.”
Please hear me. This answer is certainly true. It is certainly true that we are saved through faith. When we beliecve upon Christ our sins are forgiven, we are declaired not guilty before God, we are washed and adopted as sons. All of these wonderful benifits are indeed recieved by faith, as Paul so famously says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” (Ephesians 2:8, ESV)
And I will have you notice that our catechims will soon teach this very thing. In fact, if we were to look ahead to the next question — questioin 33 — we would hear all about salvation being recieved by faith. Question 33 will ask, “How doth the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ?” The answer: “The Spirit applieth to us the redemption purchased by Christ, by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling.”
So, if when I ask you, “how do we come to be saved?”, or, “how do we come to have the benifits of the redemption purchased by Christ as our own?”, you were to say, “we recieve it by faith, by trusting in Jesus, you would be speaking truth! But you would not be telling the whole truth. The whole truth is that before we belive, the Spirit of God must move upon us to make us willing and able to belive. This is what we call, regeneration.
Regeneration — that is, the Spirit making those who are dead spiritually alive — preceeds faith. It must! For how can one who is dead to the things of God belive upon Christ? How can one who is blind spiritually see the glories of Christ? How can one who is spiruitualy deaf trully hear the good news and belive? And how can one who is a hostile enemy of God surender to God in Christ unless he is first subdued?
Regeneration preceeds faith. And that is why the first thing we say in response to the question, how are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ? is, by the effectual application of it to us, by His Holy Spirit.
Not only does this teaching make sense in the light reason — as I have said, those who are dead spiritually cannot belive upon Christ unless they are made to live, etc. — But the scriptures do also teach this possitivly and plainly.
Take John 1:11-13 for example. Speaking of Jesus the text says, “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:11–13, ESV). Did you catch that? His own people (the majority of the Jews) did not recieve him. Those who did believe in him “he gave the right to become children of God”. These — the ones who did belive — were “born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Regeneration preceeds faith.
John 3 also teaches this. Remeber how Jesus spoke to that man Nicodemous saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, ESV). And again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5–8, ESV)
Regeneration preceeds faith.
And do not forget John 6 where Jesus spoke to crowd, saying, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44, ESV). And again, “And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father” (John 6:65, ESV).
Regeneration preceeds faith.
Consider also what Paul wrote to the Corinthins: “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14, ESV). What will the natural person do? What will the person who is unregenerate do when presented with Christ? He will “not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
Regeneration must preceed faith.
And perhaps you noticed that I only quoted a portion of that famous passage in Ephesians 2 earlier when I used it to affirm that salvation is indeed recived by faith. “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” So it is true! If you wish to be saved from your sins then you must belive! But Paul says more. He continues, “And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV). Your faith is not your own doing, the Apostle says. It is a gift from God. If you believe it is because the Spirit has made you wuilling and abale to belive.
Regeneration preceeds faith.
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James 3
That Titus 3 passage that we read at the begiing of this sermon is very beutiful.
In verses 1-3 and 8-11 Paul says something concerning how the Christian should now live given the new life that is ours in Christ Jesus. There are some wonderful truths there that we will have to pass over for the sake of time.
But in verses 5-7 we learn something about the question at hand: How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?
In verse 5 we learn that “he”, that is, God in Christ, “saved us…” If when ask, “why are you saved?” You answer, “because I belived upon Christ”, you are telling the truth, but not the whole truth. So why are you saved, brother. Why are you saved, sister? Your response? Because God save me!
Verse 5 continues: “…not because of works done by us in righteousness…” Certainly faith in Christ is a rightous work. Faith is something that we do. It is something that we are to excercise. We must belive or trust in Christ if we are to be saved. In fact, when Jesus was asked by that crowed in John 6, “‘What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent’” (John 6:28–29, ESV). Belief in Christ is the work that God requires. But here Paul instsits that God “saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness…”
What is his point? Well, he is eager to say what he also said to the Ephesians, that it is all by the mercy and grace of God that we are saved. He continues in verse 5, saying, “but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior…” (Titus 3:5–6, ESV).
You can hear Jesus’ words to Nicodemnous in this passage, cant you? “Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit’” (John 3:5–8, ESV). Indeed, this is what God has done for all who have faith in Christ. By his mercy he has washed them through regeneration and renewed them by his Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. This he has done, not because we belive, but inorder that we would belive, for we were dead in our sins.
Regeneration preceeds faith.
The end result is found in verse 7: “…so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:7, ESV)
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Conclusion And Application
“How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?”
The very first thing we must confess is this: “We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us, by His Holy Spirit.”
Let me conclude now with three very brief points of application.
One, this truth that regenration preceeds faith puts pride to death. Where is there room for boasting, friends, if our spiritual life is owed only to the mercy and grace of God. The answer to the question, how are you saved? Cannot begin with the word “I” but “he”! God has been merciful to us and that is why we live. He has given to us even the abilty to belive upon Christ for the forgivnes of sins.
Two, this truth that regenration preceeds faith means that no one is out of God’s reach. I suppose that we might consider some particularly vile sinners as being beyond the limits if were indeed true that salvation depended first upon our ability to belive. But if it depends upon God, then no one is beyond the pale. God is able to make dead men live. This he has done for you and me if you are in Christ, and this he can do for the most vile of sinners. Preach the gospel to all who will hear.
Three, if it is true that regenration preceeds faith then we must proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ boldly, praying that God will do his work upon the hearts of those who hear, and leave that work to him.
So, “How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?”
The very first thing we must confess is this: “We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us, by His Holy Spirit.”
Let me conclude now with three very brief points of application.
One, this truth that regenration preceeds faith puts pride to death. Where is there room for boasting, friends, if our spiritual life is owed only to the mercy and grace of God. The answer to the question, how are you saved? Cannot begin with the word “I” but “he”! God has been merciful to us and that is why we live. He has given to us even the abilty to belive upon Christ for the forgivnes of sins.
Two, this truth that regenration preceeds faith means that no one is out of God’s reach. I suppose that we might consider some particularly vile sinners as being beyond the limits if were indeed true that salvation depended first upon our ability to belive. But if it depends upon God, then no one is beyond the pale. God is able to make dead men live. This he has done for you and me if you are in Christ, and this he can do for the most vile of sinners. Preach the gospel to all who will hear.
Three, if it is true that regenration preceeds faith then we must proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ boldly, praying that God will do his work upon the hearts of those who hear, and leave that work to him.
