Trinity Fellowship

Study in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith

The highly charged controversy between Christ and the religious leaders on Tuesday of Holy Week is coming to a close at the end of Matthew 25. Jesus has used symbols, parables, and prophecy to outline the condemnation of the city for rejecting the Messiah, and now He is projecting His righteous judgment out to the end of history. Destruction still falls on those who reject the Saviour. The terms o...

The parable of the talents reminds us of the importance of hard work and fruitfulness while we wait for the return of Christ. God placed man in the garden as His viceregent to utilize, steward, and expand the elements of creation. He has likewise placed us in His kingdom for the same work, and it is fitting with His purposes that He would allocate His gifts according to how they are being managed...

Study in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith

The parable of the Ten Virgins reminds us that things are not always what they seem at the beginning. Testing and time have a way of revealing the substance of a person. Those who make no preparation to meet God and those who think that they can push it off for a later day are like the foolish virgins who wake up to find that it is too late. The door of God's mercy will be closed before they expec...

Study in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith

God's creation is both physical and spiritual; He is concerned about caring for both. The church as well has both physical and spiritual needs, and as the life of the church increases, it becomes necessary to appoint men to make sure that people are not falling through the cracks, and that needs are met. Because it is both a joy and a solemn duty to minister to God's people this way, Scripture giv...

Study in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith

Brothers and sisters, there is only one Gospel for the whole world, which bears the same fruit, and provides the same certain hope for all who have faith in Christ. This is a sweet and wonderful gospel which cannot be changed, and has no need to be improved upon. It is how you ought to evaluate your own pastor's faithfulness, and to evaluate the state of your own soul. Do not be dismayed when peop...

Study in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith

The kingdom of God has an "already" and a "not yet fully" component to it. Already it has broken into this age with the coming of Christ, and yet we wait for its full expression at His Second Coming. That is to say, His kingdom is inaugurated but not yet consummated. While we labour in this age, we are to live ready for the age to come. We do this by working consistently with the trajectory that C...

Study in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith

Jesus is beginning to lengthen the time horizon of His teaching. The fig tree is signaling that summer is near. A new day is dawning, which follows the patterns of the past. God is starting over with the righteous, after removing the unrighteous. Just like in past ages, Christ will return at the end of this age as well. The final "Day of the Lord" to come is like the "Days of the Lord" in the past...

Study in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith

The fall of Jerusalem proves that Jesus is a true prophet, since His prophecy about the fall of the city came true. It demonstrates that He has power to avenge Himself against the powers that oppose Him. In Daniel the phrase "Son of Man" also has a corporate meaning (cf. Dan. 7:13-14, 18, 22). The Son of Man is identical to, or linked with, the saints of the most high, who also receive authority a...

Study in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith

Jeremiah closes his ministry by warning Jerusalem of her idolatry and abominable worship. Forty years later, the Babylonians came in and destroyed the city and the temple. The Greater Jeremiah closes His ministry by warning Jerusalem of her idolatry, abominable worship, and the way she spills the blood of God's holy messengers. Forty years later, the Romans came in and destroyed the city and the t...

Study in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith

Familiarity with Scripture reveals many rhythms and patterns. We see it when Christ retraces the steps of Israel. We see it when the prayers of the prophets go up to heaven, and heaven answers by throwing calamity back down to the earth. We see it when one world is destroyed, and another takes its place. We see it when empires rise up and are torn back down. We see it when God uses His enemies as...

Study in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith

Prophecy, history, and the heart of man are all in the hands of God's meticulous providence. We can see, together with many early Christians, how the redemptive history of Scripture, the decisions of the world's most powerful men, and the historical record are seamlessly woven together. Our Lord is in the heavens, and does all that He pleases (Psalm 115:3). Even when God vindicates the blood of th...

Study in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith

Study in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith

There is a uniqueness to the time that Jesus Christ spent on earth. His life very literally the hinge of world history. As His earthly ministry draws to a close on Tuesday of Holy Week, the border between one age and another is becoming very thin. The generation that killed Jesus is going to continue carrying out their bloodlust on His messengers until their chalice is full. When their iniquity is...

One of the defining marks of the Christian is that they possess the Holy Spirit; that is, they participate in the fellowship that the Spirit creates. Because there is only one Spirit, true participation in Him will send us in the direction of sharing the same mind and the same love as other believers. Being of one mind does not mean unthinking conformity, nor does it allow for unthinking non-confo...