Aug 21
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Baptist Catechism 95
Q. 95. How is the Word to be read and heard that it may become effectual to salvation?
A. That the Word may become effectual to salvation we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation and prayer, receive it in faith and love, lay it up in our hearts and practice it in our lives. (Prov. 8:34; 1 Peter 2:1,2; 1 Tim. 4:13; Heb. 2:1,3; Heb. 4:2; 2 Thess. 2:10; Ps. 119:11; James 1:21,25)
Scripture Reading: James 1:19–26
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” (James 1:19–26, ESV)
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Please excuse any 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.
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When we talk about the ordinary means of grace, two things must be remembered. On the one hand, we are saying that these are the things that God ordinarily uses to work within the lives of his people: the word of God read and preached, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer.
By the way, some might ask, what about fellowship? Doesn’t God work in our lives through other Christians, this is to say, through the fellowship of Christ found within the church. Yes, God works through fellowship, and I would say that that is implied in each one of these means of grace that are mentioned in our catechism. God distributes his grace through the word read and preached. Where does this happen? Primarily in the church. And God works through baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Where are these things to be administered except in the context of the church? Baptism is to be applied and the Lord’s Supper is to be observed when the church assembles. In fact, our union with Christ, and therefore our union with one another, is symbolized through these ordinances. And the same is true for prayer. Yes, we pray in private, just as we read the scriptures in private. But the church is to be devoted to prayer when she assembles. So Christian fellowship is everywhere implied in this discussion about the ordinary means of grace. To state the matter differently, do you wish to be nourished by the grace of God as a Christian? Then you had better be a part of the church, for God has determined to graciously strengthen, purify, nourish, and encourage his people in the church and through true Christain fellowship.
To return now to the two points that I was making about the ordinary means of grace, on the one hand, we are saying that these are the things that God ordinarily uses to work within the lives of his people: the word of God read and preached, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer. On the other hand, we must guard against the error of thinking that these things work in an automatic fashion irrespective of the condition of the mind and heart of the one who partakes. No, brothers and sisters, we do have the responsibility to partake of these means of grace in a worthy manner and with faith in our hearts.
Does that sound like a strange thing for a Reformed and Calvinistic minister to say? I’ll say it again, we do have the responsibility to partake of these means of grace in a worthy manner and with faith in our hearts. It is a common misunderstanding, but a very serious one, that the Reformed only believe in the sovereignty of God over salvation, and deny all human responsibility. Have you encountered that misconception before? Or perhaps you have actually held such a view. It simply is not true.
Is God sovereign over our salvation and our sanctification? Yes, he is. Do we come to be saved and to be sanctified by his grace alone? Yes, we do. But are we also responsible to repent and believe upon Christ, to turn away from evil and to cling to what is good, and to persevere in Christ, making use of the means of grace that God has provided? Yes, we are. And this is why the scriptures call us to do these things. They are things that we must do. But we can do them only by the free grace of God.
All of this does connect to what we are learning about the means of grace, doesn’t it? God works through these means, that is true. But we are called by God to partake of these means thoughtfully and prayerfully with faith in our hearts.
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Baptist Catechism 95
So then, the word of God is a means of grace. People are brought to salvation through the word, and they are sanctified in Christ by the word. The Spirit of God works through the Scriptures as they are read and preached.
Now we ask, “How is the Word to be read and heard that it may become effectual to salvation?’ In other words, how are we to approach the Scriptures?
Let us consider the answer: “That the Word may become effectual to salvation we must attend thereunto with diligence…” This means that we are to give attention to the word regularly. In Proverbs 8:34 we read, “Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors” (Proverbs 8:34, ESV). The one who is wise will run daily to God for wisdom and nourishment. We must diligently partake of the word of God as it is read and preached.
Next, we find the words, “preparation and prayer”. The prayer of the Psalmist in Psalm 119:18 should be our prayer: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” I’ll ask you this, do you pray on Saturday night, or as you come to church on Sunday morning that the Lord would speak to you through his word as it is read and preached. Do you pray for those who minister the word that they would speak with clarity and that God’s Spirit would move upon you and others. Do you come to hear the word eagerly expecting to hear from the Lord? We should, brothers and sisters. We should expect God to work through the ministry of the word each and every Lord’s Day, and we should come to the assembly with our hearts and minds prepared to receive.
You know, we live in an age where Christians may scour the internet and find audio recordings of the most gifted preachers delivering the very best sermons. Beware of this, friends. Those resources are a blessing, but do not forget that God has determined to work through the ordinary — ordinary preachers reading and preaching God’s word in an ordinary way. Come expecting to hear from the Lord, and come prepared.
Next, we are instructed to receive the word “in faith and love”. To receive God’s word in faith is to receive believing that it is in fact God’s word to us, that he inspired the composition of it, and has preserved it so that when we read the Scriptures we are in fact reading the words of God. To receive God’s word by faith is also to receive it believing that God will surely keep all of the promises that are found within. One should not expect to be blessed by the word, nourished and strengthened, if he comes doubting, “for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:6–7, ESV). To receive God’s word with love is to receive it being reassured of God’s love for us in Christ, and with love in our hearts for God.
We are to lay God’s word up in our hearts, brothers and sisters. This means that we are to hear God’s word, meditate upon it, cherish it, and even devote it to memory. This is what Psalm 119:11 so beautifully describes, saying, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11, ESV).
This leads nicely to the last phrase of our catechism, which is “practice it in our lives.” We are to approach God’s word with the intention of putting it into practice. We must be doers of the word, and not hearers only.
Listen to James: “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” (James 1:21–25, ESV)
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Conclusion
The one who diligently hears God’s word read and preached, with their heart prepared, in faith and with love towards God, with the resolve to obey what God commands, will be blessed. To approach God’s word in this way is a very good thing. It is a means of grace for the people of God. I am afraid it is a very dangerous thing, however, to approach God’s word in a careless manner. To come to it casually and unprepared, with unbelief and a lack of love for God, with no intention to obey what is said. Both the scriptures and experience testify that to approach God’s word in this careless way leads, not to blessing, but a curse. The one who approaches God’s word in this careless way will find their heart growing harder and harder with the passing of time, and not softer to God and the things of God. Let us approach God’s word with reverence, brothers and sisters.
Q. 95. How is the Word to be read and heard that it may become effectual to salvation?
A. That the Word may become effectual to salvation we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation and prayer, receive it in faith and love, lay it up in our hearts and practice it in our lives. (Prov. 8:34; 1 Peter 2:1,2; 1 Tim. 4:13; Heb. 2:1,3; Heb. 4:2; 2 Thess. 2:10; Ps. 119:11; James 1:21,25)
