At the beginning of one’s blog, I believe a statement of
first principles are in order. In the Year of our Lord, 2018, these are my
beliefs. I believe in the Christian faith, as expressed in the Apostles’ Creed,
the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed, and the Creed of Chalcedon. I believe
in the Triune God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. The
Bible is the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. It is true from cover
to cover and correct in everything in speaks to (and it speaks to everything).
I was raised a Southern Baptist, was ordained to preaching
ministry as a Southern Baptist, served in pastoral ministry in a Primitive
Baptist Church, and now serve as the pastor of Valley Covenant Church, a Presbyterian
church in the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC).
I am Protestant, and I stand in
the Reformed tradition of Protestantism, in line with John Calvin, Martin
Bucer, Thomas Cranmer, and Henry Bullinger.
I am a Calvinist. When Adam sinned, he sinned on behalf of
all his progeny. His sin is passed unto all men born after him. In God’s
sovereign grace, He chose a people before the foundation of the world to save
unto Himself. Far from being a small number, the number of those chosen by God
is more than the any one can count (Rev. 7:9). Jesus came to die for all those
who believe in Him, from every tribe, tongue, and nation. In His death He took
the wrath of God that His people deserved upon Himself, and cleansed them from
their sin, once and for all. In His resurrection He gave life to His bride, the
Church. That same sacrifice yields blessings innumerable for every living
creature. In time He sends His Holy Spirit to work the hearts of His covenant
people, causing them to look to Him in faith. And all those who trust and obey
Him will inherit eternal life.
I am Presbyterian in my beliefs of church government. I
believe in covenant baptism of children, a baptism which calls all who receive
it to trust Christ and submit to Him forever. Outside the church there is no
normal hope of salvation, for the church is the body of Christ.
Politically I am conservative, theocratic, and patient. I am
thankful to be a citizen of the United States of America, and a grateful resident
of Lewiston, Idaho. I have no hope of turning anything around through political
means alone, yet participation in politics, especially local politics, is one
of God’s means for preserving and building society. Yet there are other
governments ordained by God for the building of society, that of the church
(already mentioned) and the family. My job as a pastor is to proclaim faith and
obedience to the Triune God in our church, our families, and our city.
You can probably understand who I am best by knowing the men
who’ve had the greatest influence on me. They are, in no particular order:
Moses, the Apostle Paul, C.S. Lewis, Robert Lewis Dabney, G. K. Chesterton, St.
Augustine, Doug Wilson, George Melvyn Ella, Charles Spurgeon, Alfred
the Great, Martin Bucer, and R.C. Sproul.
I believe that we all must one day die, and afterwards
receive God’s judgment. Those who die apart from Christ will suffer eternal
punishment in Hell. Those who die in Christ will forever be with the Lord; at
the last day they will be resurrected, have new bodies, and forever serve and
praise the Triune God in the New Heavens and the New Earth.
May God be gloried and anyone who reads these writings be
edified. “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray
God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Amen. – I Thessalonians
5:23
God Is: A Devotional Guide to the Attributes of God by Mark Jones