The Church's One Foundation

Southern Baptists, Evangelicals, and the Future of Denominationalism

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 - Dr. Robert Smith

Dr. Smith provided a powerful message with more information than I have to cover. But I will touch on some of his main points. One theme running through the conference has been the necessity in making the denomination’s “doctrine” something we personally believe, focusing on the local church and even more specifically on the individual. Like speakers before him, Dr. Smith commented on the necessity of uniting around common beliefs, like those presented in the Baptist Faith and Message, but he also spoke on how we are to make it our own confession as well. In that, he presented several convicting points that we must consider.

Our theology, as Dr. Smith believes, must be one “of the feet and not a theology of the seat.” We cannot sit at home in front of our TVs or in our rooms with the knowledge we have about God. If we do, we are failing at what He has called us to do. Instead, we must be active in serving those around us and spreading the Good News to those who have not yet heard. What good are our beliefs if we keep them hidden from the despite world around us? We must each consider this statement personally. I should ask myself how I am carrying out the Great Commission, and you must ask yourself the same thing. Are we like Philip in Acts 8 who fulfilled the Great Commission when he spoke with the Ethiopian Eunuch.? Do we allow God to put us in those positions specifically for the purpose of sharing His Word with those around us or do we shy away from those opportunities, ultimately disobeying God’s command?

I fear that too many of us (and I have been guilty of this as well) have shied away from those opportunities too many times. One reason we fail to proclaim Christ is because we do not fully believe. Many times this week we have seen how knowledge is pointless without action. Well today we have a lot of knowledge of who Christ is (believing the things He did in the Bible or in our own lives), but we tend to believe that He cannot help us in the here and now. If we do not believe that Christ is all that He says He is, then how can we tell others this glorious news? If we, if I, do not believe that Christ truly is enough and that our lives revolve completely around Him, then how will I ever have a desire to spread His word to others? Simply, I will not.

When our knowledge about who Christ is becomes more than knowledge, then and only then can we boldly proclaim Christ to the nations. We argue today about the necessity of works, and although many believe that they are necessary but not required for salvation, too many have used this statement as a crutch to do nothing. Since works are not necessary unto salvation, many believe that we can just sit at home while the world dies around us. But that is simply not true. Going back to Dr. Smith’s quote at the beginning, our theology (our ministry) is not something we can sit on. Instead, it is something we must act upon. We must be like Philip, actively pursuing the lost, serving the lost, and telling the lost about Christ. If we find ourselves content with doing nothing, then we must do a major spiritual checkup on ourselves. In fact, it may be healthy to do a spiritual checkup now. Am I serving Christ, or am I sitting in my home doing nothing? Do I have a heart for the lost, or am I content with watching them die around us? Am I willing to get up and go, or will I continue to sit around doing nothing? Will I meet someone one-on-one and share Christ’s love with them, or will I cower away from those personal interactions afraid of what the outcome might be? If we find ourselves in any of the latter examples, then we must decide what changes we need to make. But no matter where we fall, we must make sure that we know this Jesus we are proclaiming. Whether we are actively serving Him today or are just now committing to serve Him again, we must never portray the wrong image of Christ. Study the Word, have a knowledge and a belief of who God/Jesus is, but do not let it end there. Do not let our life end with the head knowledge. Instead, carry it through to service and tell the world about Christ.

Matt