Therefore will I give him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was counted with the transgressors, and he bare the sin of many, and prayed for the trespassers.
Last week in church, Rev. Miller preached on the subject. To my mind, it ranks among the more highly provocative subject matters in the entire sphere of conjecture involving the sovereign grace of God in the stewardship over the covenant appointed unto men. Our faith indeed is a wondrous and prolific historical repository. Calvinistic doctrine and the governmental construct engendered by it have far-reaching implications and have impacted the Western world in so many ways,, both directly and pervasively, time does not permit a complete elucidation on the subject. When our hale and hearty ancestors bid a tearful farewell to Europe so long ago, just how pressing was the matter in their minds of leaving such an indelible signature on the general way of life in this quarter of the earth? From the Mayflower compact to the sermon preached by the Rev. Thomas Hooker in 1638 that "grandfathered" the U.S. Constitution. From the Mecklenburg Resolution in North Carolina to the 13 of us that signed the Declaration of Independence a year later. From the seven of us that have been in the White House to the scores of mayors, judges , senators , journalists , doctors.....
I don't usually piggyback off of my pastor sermons . But, Rev. Miller talked about the position taken by many (and his view was that it is a convoluted one) that one's bloodlines make one natively susceptible to the faith and to the Gospel. Certain proprietary sentiments are evidenced even today, as one notes the subtle differences between English and Scottish Presbyterians. Dutch Presbyterians do it a tad differently than their German counterparts-. They in turn do a little bit differently than the Irish.....then there are the Scots Irish. Rev. Miller can attest more than I of the cultural/proprietary contributions made by our counterparts in the southern hemisphere.
Did God, in the peculiar integralities of his everlasting righteousness foreordain men of Anglo-Saxon and Scottish blood to be the highest stewards of Covenant theology?
Just last week the Rev. Dr. David Graves, a likely successor to our beloved pastor Steve Miller, led our worship at Nashua . When I was informed by member the Session he was coming, I jumped on my computer and did some serious research on him and was delighted to learn of the illustrious path God placed him on. In addition,I listened to several of his sermons on sermonaudio.com. Strongly recommended by our presbytery's Stated Clerk Emeritus, the Rev. Everett De Velde, he did not disappoint. Here is a young man with zeal and prolific exegetical gifts. Indeed, he is a strong witness for Christ just yet, in his late 30s. God forgive me, another reason I liked him is because of his English last name.
As enticing and subliminal as these historically romanticized trappings can be at times,we have to rail against them. Believe me when I tell you, it's easy for the best of us to take the notion on a subconscious level . Riding through the rolling foothills of Western Pennsylvania, one would have to be culturally blind- indeed abysmally ignorant - to not discern the " historical,cultural and political signature" of our faith tradition. Such notions are not in keeping with the Great Commission and , more importantly,contrary to the Gospel.
The Bible makes that clear- Not to mention the 16th chapter of the Scots Confession of 1560
Of course culture has an impact; pursuant to the ability to assimilate to the preeminent culture of a church- that's why God crafted it. To a measure, the degree to which you are acclimated to English culture, for instance, may have a bearing on the intensity with which you would visit the Westminster Standards. The same thing applies for those of Dutch descent who are , by the mercy of God , inclined to believe - pursuant to any inclinations for the Three Forms of Unity. But these predilections are not to be confused with the gift of faith itself! The call of Abram by God from the Ur people of the Chaldeans to be the father of many nations underscores that a given lineage alone is neither fodder for nor a barrier to the walk of faith in Christ. Nothing can amend the will of God.... Nothing can annul eternal decree of election.
- Not heritage
- Not education
- Not tradition
- Not culture
Only the Blood of the Risen Christ !!
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