Conscience Part 2

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Confusion

We have noted already that people are fairly familiar with the idea of conscience. They say “my conscience is bothering me”; “my conscience pricked me” or claim to have acted “in good conscience”. They know what it is to have something “on their conscience”. They know about a bad or a guilty conscience and, hopefully, a good one too.

Pierce has pointed out, however, that “of the number that make use of the word 19 in 20 perhaps may be ignorant of its true meaning”. This is no exaggeration. Think how other Bible words are employed in everyday language. People still speak, for example, of a thing being “as ugly as sin” or of being “more sinned against than sinning” but how often is the word understood in its biblical sense? It is similar with the word conscience.

Confusion over what exactly conscience may be is not something new. A number of Puritans comment on this. Westminster Divines John Jackson and Robert Harris speak of it having “a thousand definitions and descriptions” it being “a word of infinite latitude and great dispute” and “much talked of, but little known”. Other Puritans similarly observe the difficulty of definition.

There is evidence to suggest that in many ages the word has been given such a wide range of meaning in everyday language that, though people are familiar with it, they rarely gave it an accurate biblical definition.

Writers on conscience disagree, for example, on whether to think of it primarily as a human faculty or power, an act or habit or a created quality. If it is found in the human soul, where is it found? The understanding, the will? Surely, it is something we can speak of as distinct from these. Not only do we tend to distinguish it from them but so does the New Testament. 1 Timothy 1:5 distinguishes conscience from heart and Titus 1:15 distinguishes it from the mind. In experience too, conscience demonstrates an independence not observed in those other faculties.

Clarification - Etymology

The New Testament Greek word is syneidesis, which appears to be made up of two parts.

1. syn/sun suggests with/together. Synchronised swimmers co-ordinate their movements with each other, a symphony is performed by a number of instruments playing together at the same time.

2. The second part, eidesis, is from one of the Greek words for to know.

Conscience enables a certain knowledge – not the usual sort found in the understanding but a reflective knowledge over and above mere head knowledge.

Richard Bernard defines it as “a certain, particular, applicatory knowledge in man’s soul, reflecting upon himself, concerning matters between God and him.”

The root meaning, then, seems to be to know together, joint knowledge or knowledge shared (with another). The Anglo-Saxon word for conscience inwit suggests inward knowledge but the Latin based word that superseded it, as in the romance languages, is from con-scientia and is made up in exactly the same way as the Greek. Other European languages, though not all, are similar. Eg Swedish samvete, Russian sovest. (The Swahili word dhamira appears to be from an Arabic word simply meaning hidden. Kikuyu thamiri also).

This does not bring us directly to a biblical definition as there has been much debate over who shares the joint knowledge. Obviously, on one side is the person himself, but who is on the other? Many assume it must be God.

The only biblical arguments advanced for this view are dubious references to Elijah's still small voice and appeals to 1 Pet 2:19, “it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God”. However, Peter clearly has in mind only Christians.

Some suggest that the word's etymology proves conscience must reveal a knowledge shared with God. Thus we have definitions such as that first given in 1933 by Ole Hallesby “that knowledge or consciousness by which man knows he is conforming to the moral law or will of God”. While not without merit, such definitions are premature and potentially misleading.

Clarification - Usage

It is unwise to define a word in light only of etymology. The way a word is used is far more important.

There is some disagreement about the usage of the word synedeisis and related words. It is clear, nevertheless, that when the Greeks used this and related terms, it was not always in the context of moral judgements.

Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the NT Christian Maurer points out a famous example where Socrates' young disciple Alcibiades speaks of being conscious that he could put up no resistance to the power of his teacher’s arguments. There is no moral element involved. Least of all, in Greek thought, is there any necessary connection between conscience and God.

Even in the NT we find a related word being used in a context where conscience is clearly not intended. Acts 5:2 tells us Ananias with his wife’s full knowledge kept back money from the Apostles, while claiming it had been handed over. The word is synoida, “to know with another”. Ananias knew what he was doing and his wife knew too.

Then Acts 12:12, 14:6 (ESV) Peter “realised” and Paul and Barnabas “learned” a thing. Words from the same family are again used. At their most basic, then, such words can simply mean “to become conscious of”, “to realise”.

Hebrews 10:2 is very interesting. The ASV speaks of worshippers who “would have had no more consciousness of sins”. The word used is the same as that found in 10:22, having our hearts sprinkled to save us from a guilty conscience (NIV. TCNT … purified by the sprinkled blood from all consciousness of wrong). It is really only the words “for their sins” that brings in the moral element.

Concise Definitions

Several Puritans, tending to lean to a greater or lesser extent on the Medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas, attempted to define conscience concisely. For example

A man’s judgement of himself, according to the judgement of God of him. William Ames

A part of the understanding in all reasonable creatures determining of their particular actions either with them or against them. Samuel Ward, following William Perkins

The judgement of man upon himself as he is subject to God’s judgement. William Fenner

Like Ames, Fenner refers to 1 Corinthians 11:31, which he uses more simply to say, harking back to Perkins, that conscience is “a man’s true judgement of himself”.

Jim Packer sums up, conscience is “a rational faculty, a power of moral self-knowledge and judgement, dealing with questions of right and wrong, duty and desert, and dealing with them authoritatively, as God’s voice.”

From what we have already said, however, it is clear that we must not think of the conscience as a department of man’s personality or a faculty of his soul. It can be useful to speak in such terms for the purpose of study but it is important to realise that, in reality, conscience is simply one aspect of man’s personality, one function of his soul.

We have also seen that the “joint knowledge” is not necessarily shared with God himself. In fact, put simply, the conscience is man’s power of self-reflection and, particularly, self-criticism. Rehwinkel noted that the English word consciousness is made up in the same way as the word conscience. Consciousness is “awareness of”; conscience is narrower in meaning and refers to “a moral or ethical awareness”. “Conscience” he suggests “is a moral consciousness accompanied by a feeling of obligation and duty.”

The conscience and its problems (Kenneth E Kirk 1933) has a similar reminder that though we may write of conscience as a distinct entity, we must not forget that in fact “conscience is myself so far as I am a moral man”.

Milton L Rudnick, similarly calls conscience “the self in the process of ethical deliberation and evaluation .... It is not someone or something else working in or upon man, but he moral self at work, involving all of a man’s rational and emotional faculties.”

Conscience in Romans 2:14, 15 again

Given the threefold division that we saw in Rom 2:14, 15, it is clear that when we use the word conscience, we should really restrict it to the second aspect of making moral decisions, the making of judgements on the basis of what is in the moral record.

Some would suppose that this conscience only acts in a negative, condemning way.

Emil Brunner Divine Imperative speaks of it as a “sinister thing” that “attacks man like an alien, dark, hostile power”. Russian poet Pushkin, in his play Miserly Knight, called conscience “a sharp clawed animal, which scrapes the heart … an uninvited guest, annoying discourser, a rude creditor; and a witch, which dims the moon and graves.”

This may have been the Greek view but Paul points out that there are times when even the Gentile conscience can provoke thoughts that excuse as well as accuse. The Pagan can have a bad or a good conscience. Strictly speaking, of course, it is not conscience that is good or bad. We do not say a barometer is bad if it correctly predicts stormy weather; we merely say it is accurate.

Certainly the Christian can have a good conscience, as is clear from eg 2 Cor 1:12, 1 Tim 1:19. Rom 2:14, 15 teaches the moral responsibility of all men.

Walter Chantry “Conscience alone has witnessed sufficiently to the moral law, so that everyone is without excuse. Since the fall man’s heart has become a moral battleground.

Complexity

It is important not to think of conscience simplistically.

Perkins talks of mind and memory assisting it, one being the storehouse and the keeper of rules and principles and the other the recaller of omissions and commissions.

John Bunyan (The Holy War) is quite elaborate.

Bernard calls it a Director or Judge in the understanding and a Register and Secret Witness in the memory. It also works in the will, heart and affections. All the other faculties work with this one “as it commands the whole man in the execution of its offices”.

Many Puritans pictured it as a court where the roles of registrar, witnesses, prosecutor, judge and executioner are all carried out by conscience.

Such pictures are fine, provided that we remember the mysteries involved. The workings of conscience include the whole process of perceiving the requirements of God’s Law, assessing them, then deciding how to proceed or what judgement to give. The over-riding impression is one of “ought” or “ought not” but includes a whole host of mental perceptions and emotional feelings - comprehension of right and wrong; use of memory, mind and will; complacency or disquiet; shame or pride; delight or pain; anticipation of reward or punishment.

The sheer breadth of mental and emotional interplay involved can be gauged from the array of legitimate illustrations employed by different writers trying to bring out the varied character of conscience. Eg spy, watchdog, bloodhound, window, mirror, sundial, compass, barometer, plumbline, sail, lash, sword, alarm bell, GPS system, flight recorder or black box, sense of taste.

Characteristics

Christopher Ash (Pure Joy) has helpfully singled out five features of conscience. The list will help us to draw things together.

1. Conscience speaks with a voice that is independent of us. We are able to stand outside of ourselves and look at ourselves objectively. Hallesby speaks of “a sort of doubling of our personality”. We are, in a sense, able to stand outside ourselves and pronounce judgement on ourselves. We are able to some extent to offer an objective and unbiased judgement of ourselves.

2. Conscience speaks with a voice that looks backward and forward. Indeed, the judgements of conscience can concern past, present or future. In this latter role conscience acts more like a guide than a judge. Hallesby observes how it is generally at its weakest during sin, in the present, but at its strongest after the event is past.

3. Other people can appeal to my conscience, as Paul does Romans 13:5 when he tells believers that they must submit to the powers that be, not only because they may be punished but also “for the sake of conscience”.

4. God can appeal to my conscience. Luke 12:57 and Isaiah 5:3, 4 are examples. God, referring to Israel as a vineyard, says “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?”

5. One does not need a Bible to hear the voice of conscience. Ash notes how Joseph rejected the invitations to her bed extended by Potiphar's wife in Egypt (Genesis 39). Even before the law was given, Joseph knew that adultery was wrong. Another example is the opening chapters of Amos where the surrounding nations are declared guilty not on the basis of the law but accepted morality.

Conclusion

Richard Sibbes says what is conscience, but the soul itself reflecting upon itself? He says it is “the property of the reasonable soul and the excellency of it, that it can return upon itself.” Samuel Rutherford has a catechism that similarly speaks of conscience as “the principal part of the soul”. When we speak of the workings of conscience, then, we are speaking, clearly, of the moral workings of the soul itself.

Despite what rationalists may have us believe, the conscience is not the result of evolution or a mere interiorisation of cultural norms or social mores. The conscience undoubtedly bears witness to the culture and morality around about us but this in no way explains its origin or function.

It is not “the voice of God” as such. Spurgeon once warned that there is no more atrocious mistake made by divines than to tell people conscience is God's representative in the soul.

Having said this, we must say that it is important to listen to its voice for it is what Raymond Opperwall correctly called “the internalised voice of those whose judgement of a person counts with him. It is the inner voice that testifies for the moral authorities that we recognise.”

Conscience is not the voice of God but what A M Rehwinkel calls “man himself speaking as a moral being to himself”. It is God given and cannot be removed. God himself has ordained and fixed it as a monitor within. We do not always like the witness conscience bears. Sometimes we disagree with it. It is important to see, however, that the voice of conscience must not be ignored. We must learn to listen to our soul within.

Conscience Part 1

This artiicle first appeared in Grace and Truth Magazine published in Nairob

Conscience - Gathering data and defining what it is

An obvious area of pastoral theology, often neglected, is that of conscience. In order to understand conscience we first need to gather the scriptural data and attempt to define just what conscience is.

Gathering data

The idea of conscience is familiar enough. Everybody, it seems, has one. Your conscience speaks to you, it gives you a hard time. Different writers in different fields with different viewpoints have written many different things about it. Our ideas must be from God's Word.

Old Testament

The Old Testament makes no reference to conscience, not if you use an old or original version. If you use a modern version the translators may have decided to introduce the word where the idea is present, even though the word is not. It appears that the ancient Hebrews had no use for the term, perhaps because, as God’s chosen people, they received direct revelation so were, in some ways, less immediately aware of conscience.

Old Testament believers spoke more readily of their hearts reflecting on revelation. So, for example, David says in Psalm 16:7 “I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me”. See also Psalm 40:8 (“your law is in my heart”), Ecclesiastes 7:22 (“you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others”) and Psalm 19:11, which speaks of God's servant being warned by the law.

Adam

The idea of conscience is certainly there almost from the beginning. When, after their sin, Adam and Eve hide in fear at the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8, 10) that is surely the earliest example of conscience at work.

William Bates days that Adam's “conscience began an early hell within him”. “Paradise with all its pleasures could not secure him from that sting in his breast, and that sharpened by the hand of God”. Adam's soul was racked “with the certain and fearful expectation of judgement.”

Conscience is still at work a little later when Adam then Eve both try to put the blame for their sin elsewhere (Genesis 3:11-13). Even today our first instinct when sin is discovered is often the same. First - try to cover it up; if that fails, try blaming others.

John 3:20 “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed”. Genesis 4:14, Cain says that he “will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me” which sounds suspiciously like the terror of a guilty conscience, as several commentators notice.

Joseph and his brothers

At the other end of Genesis you have the story of Joseph and his brothers. Several writers single it out as a story where conscience plays an important role.

Genesis 37: first Reuben, then Judah, appeal to the consciences of the brothers. Reuben argues against killing Joseph, saying “"Let us not take his life … Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”. Judah says they will gain nothing by killing their brother and hiding the fact. He suggests they sell him to the Ishmaelites instead, adding a direct appeal to conscience, “for he is our brother, our own flesh.”

Joseph's brothers act on a common fallacy. They figure it will be enough simply to take suitable precautions against their crime being discovered. What they forget is the conscience.

Despite great efforts to hide their sin, even wickedly brazening it out before their father, the truth eventually comes out. It is a striking story full of interesting twists and turns and it reminds us how dramatic God's providence can sometimes be. Their guilty consciences seem to sleep for many years but it is like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. When they are unexpectedly forced to return to the very land into which they had sold Joseph and stand before him, unrecognised at first, their consciences suddenly awake again and began to speak at a volume they cannot ignore and with an authority they cannot resist.

Genesis 42:21 tells us the very mention of youngest brother Benjamin stirred their consciences so that they said to each other “surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come upon us.” Matthew Henry observes how “guilty consciences are apt to take good providences in a bad sense; to put wrong meanings even upon things that make for them.”

Suddenly, the brothers vividly recollect the all but forgotten scene of yesteryear. Now it is as if it had happened the day before. A long time has passed but suddenly one event, one that took up just one day, looms exceedingly large on the horizon. They are forced to watch the replay in high definition and hear it in surround sound, the button set to replay. “The imperishable records of conscience” are unexpectedly and unwillingly brought into the light of day. A bolt of lightning illuminates the sky as conscience abruptly breaks through the dark clouds of suppression and denial.

Conscience is often active before any other informant, witness or judge speaks. It has the power to connect events in its own unique way, combining things otherwise distant, dissimilar and apparently detached from each other.

Later, a cup is found in Benjamin's sack and they say “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants' guilt.” (Gen 44:16). The reaction is prompted not by guilt for having stolen anything but guilt over what they'd done to Joseph.

When Joseph finally reveals himself, they are terrified, a terror again borne of a guilty conscience (Gen 45:3). Even after reconciliation, Jacob's departure again stirs conscience and they are fearful (Gen 50:15). As one writer puts it, a guilty conscience casts a long shadow.

Joseph suffered a great deal after being sold into Egypt but one burden he never had to carry was that of a guilty conscience. He knew that he did not deserve to be suffering as he was. Under God, this no doubt gave him a good deal of peace and consolation. In contrast, what a sense of condemnation his brothers laboured under. When Joseph himself was faced with temptation at one point, he stood firm because he kept conscience on the throne. He wisely traced the likely consequences of sin and responded to Potiphar's wife and her advances with a sincere and wise “how then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Gen 39:9b).

The pain of sin's sting consists very much in the recollections of an awakening conscience. Suddenly, the enchantment is broken, the illusion is over. Conscience wakes, like a giant from slumber, and the individual is forced to hear accusations he cannot answer, charges he cannot counter, reproofs he cannot repel.

Other examples

There are many other places in the Old Testament where the idea of conscience surfaces. In Job 27:6 Job says “I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.” In Genesis 20:5, 6 Abimelech tells God “I have done this with a clear conscience and with innocent hands” and God replies, “Yes, I know that you have done this with a clear conscience, ….”. (NET).

The hardening of Pharaoh's heart can also be related to the subject of conscience. Moses' own conscience is seen to be at work in Exodus 2 when, having killed an Egyptian, he is distraught to find that his act has been observed.

On at least two occasions we see David’s conscience at work. In 1 Samuel 24:5 we read how he was conscience-stricken “for having cut off a corner of” Saul's robe, and in 1 Samuel 24:10 after he counted the fighting men. Also see Abigail's words “my lord will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself” (1 Samuel 25:31). In Psalms 32, 38 and 51, conscience is seen to be active too.

It was on the basis that everyone has a conscience that the Law was given and the prophets preached. A striking example is seen in the way Nathan dealt with David following his adultery with Bathsheba (1 Sam 12).

The idea of conscience is in many places in the Old Testament. How it may have operated in man as originally created is debatable. What was the significance for conscience of the knowledge of good and evil? Puritan Richard Bernard asserts that conscience was in Adam before the fall but did not function as it later would. Instead, it witnessed to his goodness and bore sway so that he was obedient and able to know joy in God's presence. He suggests that conscience will function in a similar way in the glory of heaven.

New Testament

Gospels

Turning to the New Testament, we find that the Gospels again make no direct reference to conscience. Again, however, even though the term is not used, there is again reason to believe that Jesus has conscience in mind in some places. For example, Luke 12:57, when he asks, “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?”. That is an appeal to conscience. In Mark 3:5 Jesus rails against the stubborn hearts or hardened consciences of the Pharisees.

Paul and also Peter

Most New Testament references to conscience are made by Paul. In fact, of the 30 or so that exist, around 21 are in his letters (three in Romans, 12 in Corinthians, six in Timothy; two others are in sermons of his [Acts 23:1, 24:16] and five are in Hebrews [9:9, 14; 10:2, 22; 13:8], which if not by Paul reflects his style. The only other person to use the word is Peter (1 Peter 3:16, 21).

It is very much Paul’s word, then. Where did he get it? Some suggest it was a specialist word taken over from the Stoic philosophers but it has been demonstrated to have been an everyday word among the Greeks, going back, in one form or another, to at least the sixth century BC.

In a 1955 study, Conscience in the New Testament, C A Pierce suggests that it was a catchword in the Corinthian church, a popular word used to encapsulate an idea. Paul, it seems, took up their word and used it first in correspondence with them and, subsequently, as part of his usual Christian vocabulary. Certainly Paul and other NT writers took up other Greek words and fill them with Christian meaning. Eg Saviour.

The New Testament, like the Old, is perfectly able to speak about conscience without using the word. Galatians 6:4 “Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else”. Conscience is not named but how else does one test one's own actions without making comparisons? In 1 John 3:19-21 the word heart is used where the word conscience would fit equally well. “This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God.”

When we speak of conscience, we are really speaking of the heart or soul. The word is useful, however, for speaking of a specific function of the soul, namely its moral workings.

Romans 2:14, 15

The nearest the New Testament comes to a definition of conscience is Romans 2:14,15. “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.”

A number of things emerge from this statement.

1. That everyone has a conscience, even pagans. The conscience belongs to man as man.

2. These verses help us to distinguish the various elements involved in making a moral decision. Although we use the word conscience in a general way to refer to the whole business of making moral decisions, there are, in fact, at least three clearly identifiable strands in the process.

(1) The requirements of the Law of God, which are written on every man’s heart.

(2) The conscience itself, which makes its judgements on the basis of the preceding element.

(3) There are a person’s thoughts or opinions. These come as he makes a decision on the basis of the mediation of conscience proper.

The Puritans and others noticed the correspondence between this threefold distinction and the practical syllogism, a way of reasoning found in the writings of Aristotle. The practical syllogism is an argument in three propositions - 1. A major premise stating some universal truth 2. A minor premise stating some particular truth 3. A conclusion derived from the two premises.

So it may be that a man, 1. From his moral record, learns the fact lying is wrong (major premise); 2. His conscience, therefore, tells him that to make up a story about why he'd not completed the task he was required to complete would be a lie (minor premise); 3. In his thinking or opinion, therefore, he decides to tell a lie would be wrong (conclusion).

Similarly, 1. In his moral record he may know that bank robbers deserve punishment (major promise) 2. His conscience may acknowledge that he has robbed a bank (minor premise) 3. In his thinking or opinion, therefore, he has to see he deserves to be punished (conclusion).

We will need to say more about Romans 2;14, 15 but first we simply note the significance of the verses and the fact there is a good deal of material on conscience in the Bible, more perhaps than we might expect. This underlines the importance of the subject.

Definition

Philosophers, psychologists and theologians down the ages have wrestled with the problem of conscience and have arrived at divergent conclusions. In any study of the subject it is good to seek to give a clear definition of what conscience is. ...

John James Part 2

Pontrhydyrun

In the preceding February he had accepted the pressing invitation of the then newly formed church near Pontrhydyrun or Pont-rhyd-yr-ynn, in Monmouthshire. At the time the church had barely begun and had only eight members, all of them being members of the same family, the Conways, who had previously belonged to the Abergavenny church. In the latter end of March, 1817, James moved there with his family. George Conway (1756-1822) had established a tin plate works in the area in 1802 and had been able to begin a Sunday School and eventually to form a church, the building being on ground provided by George's eldest son William Conway (1776-1840). James received the warmest of Christian welcomes there from the Conway family.

Being in a border county, he was now required to conduct his ministry in English as well as in Welsh. His ministry in that place was greatly blessed and the means of a considerable reviving of the Baptist interest in that part of the world. His labours at Pontrhydyrun appear to have been even more fruitful than at Aberystwyth. Many additions were soon made to the Sunday School and to the church, and it was soon necessary to enlarge the chapel to accommodate those attending. The number of additions to the church, through baptism, in James' time was 63. Further, in other places in the neighbourhood, he baptised another 21. Thus God blessed his labours in that place.

The death of his only son, mentioned above, in September, 1826, however, greatly affected his health and that of the remaining family. “It shook his whole frame,” it is said “and brought severe attacks of illness upon both Mrs James and himself which lasted for a considerable time.” This and other circumstances beyond his control made him desire to leave his situation; and having received an invitation to the neighbouring county of Glamorganshire, he tendered his resignation to the brothers in Pontrhydyrun, having served in the pastorate there a little over ten years.

Bridgend

In May, 1827, he removed, together with his wife and two daughters, the thirty miles or so south west to Bridgend. The church he came to at that time had been formed in 1789 and had a new building two years before James came but was in a very low state, few in number and mostly elderly. They were also widely scattered, church members living in nine different parishes.

James determined to endeavour to bring about changes for the good in the church. About this time he writes,

We must first get a revival in the church, then we shall surely prosper with the ministry. I beseech the Lord to send now prosperity.

This prayer was to some extent answered, as during his first year among them he baptised 19, and the congregation greatly increased, so that it became necessary to enlarge this chapel also. That was done in 1828, at a cost of £500 (over £40,000 today).* James put a great deal of effort into paying off the debt contracted. In this connection he visited the major towns of Wales and many in England too. He was successful in his undertaking, for by 1832 he and the congregation were completely free from debt.

James also did a great deal of work in neighbouring districts. His pattern was to preach three times on a Sunday and nearly every week night. Interest in the countryside being very great, it was decided to build another chapel in nearby Pyle. That was paid for notably by the end of 1838.

His fund raising excursions gave him many opportunities to form friendships that in many cases lasted unbroken until his death. On these tours many churches, in England and in Wales, became greatly attached to him. This meant that while in Bridgend he received many pressing invitations to preach elsewhere. If he had accepted them, it would have been to his advantage financially but there was a close bond with the Bridgend people and he refused to move again.

Organisations and societies

Something should be said about James's connections with various organisations, most of them being groups among the Baptists. He proved to be a keen and loyal advocate of these institiutions. Besides being secretary to the County Association, he was for many years the official correspondent of the district for the British and Foreign Bible Society. Then when the Bible Translation Society was formed by the Baptists in 1843 he felt duty bound to transfer allegiances. The BTS, now subsumed under the Baptist Missionary Society advocated translating New Testament references to baptism with words meaning to immerse rather than leaving them untranslated and simply transliterating them as almost all English Bibles do.

James also held posts with the Bath Aged and Infirm Ministers' Society, founded in 1817, the Baptist Missionary Society, the Baptist Union, founded in 1832, the Widows Fund, etc.

The importance of educating men for the ministry was a matter close to his heart and he was especially interested in the work in Pontypool, which had begun there in 1836 when it had transferred from Abergavenny.

James himself had not had a proper formal theological education before entering the ministry, something which he very much regretted, as can be seen from this extract from his diary

I lament my want of English education, it has caused me much labour, etc, as if it were up-hill work all my days. Yet the Lord condescended to bless my humble endeavours.

In 1841 he travelled to London and to other parts of England, as an advocate of the Pontypool College. To the very end he continued to be a supporter in every way that he could. The 1841 journey involved his being away from home in some quite severe weather. It seems likely that it was daily exposure to the elements at this time that left him with a bad cold that clung to him the rest of his days. This, combined with the asthma that had plagued him from his youth, meant that he was unable to leave Bridgend from that time on.

The final year of his life was a particularly trying one. He faced it, however, with calm and good cheer and still managed, somehow, to preach quite regularly. In the last three years of his life he preached some 326 sermons, despite infirmity of body that meant it was an effort for him to walk even the short distance from his house to the pulpit.

Writings

James was the author of several works in Welsh. His first work was apparently a sermon on election, published in 1808 at the request of the quarterly meeting before which it was preached. Its original title was

Etholedigaeth wedi ei hystyried mewn pregeth, yr hon a bregethwyd mewn cyfarfod chwarterol yn Aberteifi, Chwefror 17, 1807. It was published in Carmarthen by J. Evans and was 24 pages long.

In 1811 he published a selection of Welsh hymns, including some thirty of his own. He also wrote three of the Glamorganshire association letters “on plain practical subjects, through each of which we trace a fine vein of piety”.

That same year he translated and published a 28 page article on Jewish believers in London and beyond

Hanes cymdeithas Llundain er taeniad Cristionogaeth ymhlith yr Iuddewon ynghyd a chyflwr y cyfryw yn gyffredinol drwy'r byd. Cyf gan John James-Aberystwyth.

James also wrote regularly to the Welsh periodicals of the day, from 1819 until the time when he was no longer able to lift a pen. Further, he wrote articles in English for the Baptist Magazine (founded 1809) the Reporter (founded 1832) and the Revivalist (founded 1836) and other newspapers. In 1835, for example, he wrote a memoir of the late Rev John Roberts of Cowbridge (1787-1835), which appeared in the Baptist Magazine.

Death and burial

On the Lord's day, January 30, 1848, he breathed his last, being in his seventy-first year. He had been a Baptist 52 years, a minister 49, an ordained one for 45. In this period he must have preached some 12,000 sermons and baptised 673 people. His daughter, Mrs Eliza Davies Marks (1808-1861), was with him in his final days and sought to preserve memories of him from that time.

On the Thursday previous to his death, his friend and neighbour, a Mr Lewis, called to see him, and found him fast ripening for heaven. He appeared to be aware that he would soon be with the Lord forever. When he had addressed Lewis with many words of counsel and consolation, he said, “Give my regards to your dear mother,” who was a member in the church, then aged 83. “And tell her,” he added, “that I shall never again see her this side of Jordan, but we shall soon meet in heaven, 'Then will we sing more sweet, more loud, And Christ shall be our song.'” And so it was. Mrs Lewis survived him only a very short time.

On the following Saturday morning, his daughter went to his room and found him awake, looking contented and happy. She asked if he had enjoyed a little sleep and ease since her last visit. He answered,

Yes, my child, and more, I have also enjoyed much rich communion with God, who was pleased to reveal himself again and again to his undutiful servant in his affliction. Glory! glory! glory! I will again say, glory be for ever unto him.

He also said that it was good for him to have been thrown into the furnace of affliction, for that in it and through it he had had a glimpse of the heavenly Canaan, and a foretaste of its happiness.

The following Sunday morning he repeated several verses of Scripture, together with several verses from different hymns. The Scriptures included this one from Revelation 7:14.

These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

After quoting this he lifted his voice in an ecstasy and said, in the words of William Cowper,

Ere since by faith I saw the stream,
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming lore has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.

The afternoon of that day saw an evident change and it was clear that his time was short. He was now scarcely able to say anything audible. However, in a final effort, he raised his hand, stretched it toward his daughter, exclaiming, "All is right! All is right!" Soon after that he was dead.

The following Friday, February 4, his remains were interred in the burial ground next to the chapel. A large number were present on that occasion, including ministers from various denominations.

Those who took part in the funeral included William Jones (1790-1855), Bethany, Cardiff; David Jones (1808-1854), Tabernacle, Cardiff; the blind preacher Dr Daniel Davies (1797-1876) then at Swansea; John Evans of Brecon and Jabez Lawrence (1796-1859) of Llantwit Major.

The following Sunday Mr D Jones spoke from Philippians 1:21-23. This same sermon was repeated at the next Glamorganshire Association. In the chapel where he had long laboured a marble tablet was erected, with the following inscription

IN MEMORY OF THE REV. JOHN JAMES,

BORN AT ABERYSTW1TH, AUGUST, 1777.

BAPTIZED, MARCH, 1790.

COMMENCED PREACHING, 1799.

ORDAINED AT ABERYSTWITH, JULY, 1803.

REMOVED TO PONTRHYDYRUN, MARCH, 1817.

TO BRIDGEND, MAY, 1827.

DIED, JANUARY 30th, 1848.

Publications about the author:

Evans, John : Cofiant .... John James (1777-1848) Penybont ar Ogwr-Caerdydd : W. Owen, 1849, 84 t.

Humphreys, B: John James-SG, 1941 t. 8-9 NLW

NLW MS 692 contains sermons and memoranda in his hand.

Sources:

John Evans Cofiant y diweddar Barch. John James, gweinidog y Bedyddwyr yn Mhenybont-ar-Ogwy, ac ysgrifenydd y gymanfa y perthynai iddi dros ugain mlynedd yn cynwys hanes ei fywyd, ei lafur, ei lwyddiant, ei nodweddiadau, ei farwolaeth, &c., ynghyd â rhai o'i bregethau, Cardiff, 1849

Hanes y Bedyddwyr yn Nghymru, 1893–1907, iii, 391, 399

J. Ifano Jones A history of printing and printers in Wales to 1810, and of successive and related printers to 1923, 1925, 202-4

John James Part 1

This article first appeared in In Writing

Part One

In the history of the Particular Baptist movement in Wales there are undoubtedly many forgotten heroes who served long and served well. One such is a certain John James who served for nearly half a century in three different pastorates in Wales.

James was born and first ministered in the mid-Wales seaside town of Aberystwyth, in Cardiganshire. Born on August 29, 1777, he was the eldest of eight children. His grandfather, James David John, had been a tenant farmer in Llanychaearn, a little south of Aberystwyth. His parents, John and Elizabeth (nee Jones), were poor people and their circumstances were not helped by the father's proclivity to drink.

Neither parent was godly and this James lamented in later life, once saying,

Had I been religiously instructed when young, I should not have committed many of the sins of my youth, especially that of scoffing at the people of God, which since has caused me many mournful seasons.

He was at first, it seems, very much given to mocking God's people. On more than one occasion, when a baptism by immersion was taking place in the open air, he would gather companions and arrange to interrupt the service.

It was the death of his mother that God used to bring him to serious reflection on the state of his soul and to soften him in his prejudice against God's people and their ways. “Having heard Mr Evans the baptist minister preach at my mother's funeral,” he said “from the words, Therefore be ye also ready, etc, I never afterwards ridiculed the people of God.”

He soon came under conviction of sin and outward changes began to be observed in him. He would often seek out a secret place where he could pour out his soul to God in prayer. In due time, having often sat under faithful public ministry, he resolved to seek membership in the Baptist church in Aberystwyth, then pastored by Thomas Evans (d 1801).

Baptism

James was baptised on the Lord's day, March 27, 1796. He was 18 years old. The baptism took place in the River Teifi at Pontceri, near Newcastle Emlyn. On this matter, he wrote,

My experience at the time was happy, and if ever my soul had communion with God it was enjoyed in the river, in the burial by baptism. My Saviour was in Jordan, the heavens were opened, and the command of Christ was most explicit before me.

It is perhaps worth noting that Thomas Evans, who baptised him, said to others at the time that he had “on that day baptised a prophet” or “a preacher”. It is not known why Evans spoke in the way that he did but that is just what happened. James went on to enjoy a long and successful life as a minister.

James was apparently apprenticed as a shoemaker but not long after his baptism his suitability for the ministry began to become clear. Because of his apparent abilities he was encouraged to exercise his gift but he was diffident and a full three years elapsed before he preached for the first time.

Early ministry

His first sermon in the church meeting was from the words, The Lord is my Shepherd. The date was September 27, 1799. He was 22. When he began to minister he did so under many disadvantages. However, always being of a resolute mind, he steadily pursued his course and entered into a covenant with God not to relinquish the Christian ministry. He wrote

My language, under those discouragements, was similar to that of Jacob, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on, then shall the Lord be my God.

He preached both in Aberystwyth itself and in the surrounding villages. The Aberystwyth church had branches in Penrhyncoch, Talybont, Llanrhystyd and Machynlleth. He preached on a regular basis for about four years in all these places and was then set apart for the work of the ministry full time.

In 1801, his pastor, Thomas Evans, a faithful and devoted servant of God and a great friend and support to James, died. This left the church without a minister for some time. During this period the Aberystwyth pulpit and the branches elsewhere were supplied by James and his friend Samuel Breeze (1772-1812), a school master at Penrhyncoch, originally from Dolau near Llandrindod Wells. When the sacraments were administered, a neighbouring ordained minister would be employed.

There is evidence that James spent some time studying under Evan Jones (1777-1819) in Cardigan. Jones had studied at the Bristol Academy under John Ryland (1753-1825) who spoke of him in the highest terms. Jones was an intelligent man and a good Calvinist but he battled with the lure of alcohol.

In 1802, James, still working as an evangelist, was eager to supplement his preparations for the ministry further. Taking the advice of friends, he approached the Bristol Academy, and his application was accepted. He was promised a place at the next opportunity. However, the Aberystwyth church insisted on ordaining him, together with Breeze, as co-pastor and to this he reluctantly agreed.

Minister in Aberystwyth

Their ordination took place in June or July, 1803. The preachers were Zecharias Thomas (1727-1816) from Llanycrwys near Llanwrda, Carmarthenshire and David Saunders (d 1812) of Aberduar near Llanybydder, also in Carmarthen.

James and Breeze went on to successfully labour in this sphere for a total of nine years. At the end of this time, in March 1812, Breeze moved on to Newcastle Emlyn. During the whole of the time they were together in Aberystwyth apparently the greatest harmony prevailed. In a note written by James on hearing of the sudden death of Breeze shortly after his removal, he exclaims,

But O! Samuel Breeze! O Samuel! Samuel is dead! is dead! yea, is dead! Great is my sorrow, trouble, and mourning, after him. I think whilst I live I shall never meet a person with whom I can better live than Samuel Breeze.

Marriage

On September 28, 1804, James married. His wife was Catherine Davies, a member of the church under his care. It was a happy match and a great source of comfort to him, especially when he was in his old age. In his diaries he apparently refers frequently and repeatedly to the blessing it was to have such a wife. She outlived him by some years.

They had three children, one son and two daughters, who were brought up in the Lord. Their son died in London in 1826, to the great grief of the whole family. His daughters married and lived in the Bridgend area where he himself came finally to minister.

James remained the preacher at the church in Aberystwyth for some eighteen years altogether, four years as an assistant, nine years as co-pastor with Breeze and five years as sole pastor, after Breeze's departure. During that final period his labours were extensively blessed by the Lord. The additions made to the church in those years clearly show that. From the time that he was publicly recognised as pastor until his departure from Aberystwyth, he baptised no fewer than 185 people.

Work as a publisher

While training for the ministry, James had also spent time learning bookbinding from fellow Baptist schoolmaster and lay preacher, William Turnor. No doubt in order to supplement his income, in 1808 James opened a bookshop in Aberystwyth. The following year he also established a publishing business, based at his house in Bridge Street. This was the town's first printing press. Printing was not James' area of expertise but he went into partnership with an elder from Tabernacle, the Calvinistic Methodist Church, Samuel Williams (1782-1820), who did know much more about the subject. However, through no fault of his own, the business was unsuccessful and in September 1812 he sold out to Williams and concentrated once again on books and bookbinding.

Commenting on the period that followed, he wrote

It was well for me that the Lord had provided friends for me in London, Birmingham, etc, in the years 1814-1816, to keep me from sinking.

His pastoral labours in Aberystwyth and district formed only a small part of his extensive ministry at this time. He took repeated tours through North Wales and was the means of strengthening the scattered churches in what was then a neglected part of the country. His work was long remembered. His visits to London and especially to Liverpool were also greatly blessed by the Lord. All these efforts were long remembered by those who benefited.

Despite his zeal and success, he found himself in a position where it was necessary, nevertheless, to leave his home town and this he did in 1817. It is clear, however, that he did so reluctantly and not without some difficulty. In January, 1817, he expresses his feelings thus,

I am greatly aided in preaching, and much powerful influence accompanies the ministry. My mind and that of the congregation are greatly perplexed and grieved in thinking of my leaving them.

Nevertheless, he preached a farewell sermon on Lord's day, March 17, 1817, to an overflowing audience, estimated to be about a thousand. Many tears were shed. His text at that time was, May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with you. Amen. Of that service he writes, “O heavy meeting, being obliged to preach a farewell sermon!”

Prayers Before Lectures

This article first appeared in In Writing

When we have Library lectures it is our usual pattern to pray before and after the lecture. It is a pattern that is common enough and has been the practice in theological colleges and seminaries down the years as far back as Mediaeval times.

Luther would always begin with prayer, it seems. Calvin's lectures appear to have begun with a set prayer.

May the Lord grant us so to study the heavenly mysteries of his wisdom that we may progress in true godliness, to his glory and our edification.

At the end of the lecture he would then pray extemporaneously. Many of these prayers are in print and are worth looking at. They usually follow a fixed shape. Each one begins Da, Omnipotens Deus (Give Almighty God) then makes a petition arising, sometimes tenuously, out of the lecture, before concluding with an eschatological reference: "so that at last we may be gathered into your heavenly kingdom" or "until at last you gather us into that glory which was won for us by the blood of your only begotten Son." As Donald McKim observes, the emphasis on grace and eschatology in these prayers is typical of Calvin.

Although it is the norm, when Andrew Bonar and Robert Murray M'Cheyne were in Berlin in 1839 as part of their fact finding tour concerning the Jews, they took opportunity to go and hear church historian Joachim Neander lecture. One of the things that struck them about it was the lack of prayer. Not how it was in the College in Edinburgh. They wrote of Neander

In the midst of his dissertation the bell rang, and immediately he closed his papers, scarcely finishing the sentence, bowed to the students, and was the first to leave the classroom. There is no prayer either at the commencement or close, for this would be considered Pietism.

Neander, a Jew by birth, was a good Lutheran but no Pietist. Hence no prayer. Neander is unusual. There have been lecturers who will ask a student to pray for example but most evangelicals will follow the traditional pattern. There is a story that in one lecture room where it was the lecturer's practice to ask a student to pray, a student had fallen asleep and when his neighbour nudged him and said “he's asked you to pray”, the poor student stood and prayed - in the middle of the lecture!

Most prayers before and after lectures are unremarkable. Professor John Murray of Westminster Seminary is perhaps the exception. Edmund Clowney wrote that

All who heard John Murray’s classroom lectures will remember his prayers that began the lecture hour.

Clowney had hoped that recordings of some may have survived but no example has been found. His guess is that Murray himself would have seen to it that no recording of a prayer would have been made. Clowney adds that

when he prayed those prayers, he stood before the throne not before a class. Even when delivering lectures he may have delivered many times before, he would prepare himself afresh. From his opening words of prayer, students knew that the work before them was more than the exercise of a classroom.

‘Fear of God dominated Professor Murray’s classroom,' recalled Walter Chantry. ‘Each period began with prayer from the professor’s lips which brought all into the presence of an awesome God.'

Neander's attitude and that of Murray contrasts with the practice of some 19th century lecturers who were quite happy to have their classroom prayers printed with their published lectures. Examples include the Anglicans Thomas Wade Smith (On the catechism, confirmation & communion services) and Luke Booker (The Lord's Prayer). Perhaps it was an Anglican thing.

Probably the most interesting anecdote with regard to classroom prayers concerns the eccentric Scot John Duncan, one time lecturer in Hebrew at New College, Edinburgh. Apparently, on at least one occasion his prayer at the opening of his class prolonged itself for the whole hour and it was only the ringing of the bell at the end of the hour that woke him to a realisation of what he had done. That may sound incredible but it was reported by eye witnesses including James Duff McCulloch, a student of Duncan's and later Principal of the Free Church College, Edinburgh. It was not uncommon for Duncan to be inordinately long in public prayer. Interestingly, his explanation, which was not pleaded as a mitigation or an excuse, was this "I fear I have been very long today; but when one thinks he has got in, it is very difficult to get out again!".

Carey Conference 2019 (News Item)

Dr Letham

This appeared in Evangelical Times

Some people may consider early January a bad time for a conference but for scores of years a group of men (and more recently women too) have gathered at the Hayes Conference, Swanwick, Derbyshire, for 48 hours or so of conference. Most of the hundred or so men present are Reformed Baptist ministers.

The main subject this year was the difficult but vital subject of the Trinity. It was good to have Dr Robert Letham with us again to faithfully guide us over the terrain. This was supplemented by papers from Jonathan Worsley (worship), David Campbell (holiness), Robert Strivens (Synod of Dort), Henry Dixon (prayer in the Spirit) and Jonathan Bayes (zeal for God's glory). The women's track was led by Ann Benton, mining rich veins in Proverbs. An excellent question and answer session covered all manner of subjects with contributions from the floor as well as speakers. It is hard to recall such a lively and worthwhile such session.

Highlights otherwise were the paper on holiness which stood out as it focussed on the holiness of Jesus and made you want to be holy rather than beating you up for not being holy. The first paper on the Trinity and the one on Dort also stood out. It would be worthwhile to seek out the recordings when available. A big thank you to the organisers and speakers and all who were present. It was good to chat informally and pick up news of the gospel's advance in various places.

It is planned to meet again, January 7-9, 2020 when it is hoped that the main speaker will be US pastor and seminary professor Jeffery Smith.

Five Things All Parents Should know

This Article First Appeared in Reformation Today

As the pastor of a Baptist church, I do not baptise babies but we do give thanks for children and dedicate them to the Lord. This is normally done in the course of regular worship but due to the pandemic and other factors there was recently a Saturday morning dedication at church for a couple who are church members with two young daughters.

In the course of that meeting opportunity was taken to explain a few things, with the hope that it would be useful to the girls' mother and father and any other parents wanting to know what the Bible says about parenthood.

It was pointed out that although there are no dedication services in the Bible, the idea of dedication from birth is there. Samson in the Old Testament and John the Baptist in the New were both devoted to God from birth. Both were born to women who had previously been barren. A third such woman is Hannah, who became Samuel's mother. In 1 Samuel 1:27, 28 she says I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord. Dedication perhaps has more of an Old Testament feel in some ways but all should be well as long as we remember Proverbs 20:25, It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one's vows.

The rest of the time was spent underlining five truths all parents should know, five things best highlighted by asking questions.

To whom do all children belong?

It is important to be clear on this. From time to time nation states will give the impression that all babies born within their borders belong to them and so they can make certain decisions about them, regardless of the legal parents. But no child belongs to the state nor to the church either for that matter. Strictly speaking, they do not belong to the parents either.

So whose children are they? Psalm 127:3 states Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. All children are God's children. Of course, that is not to say that who your parents are is unimportant. It is important, as will be noted.

However, as most Christians realise and acknowledge, all children belong to God. Parents simply have the wonderful privilege of bringing them up. If God has chosen you to be a parent that is something for which to be very thankful. One day sooner than you think your children will be grown up and living their own lives. No parents are perfect but, hopefully, when they do grow up your children will be very thankful for all that you have done for them.

What is Jesus' attitude towards children?

There is a wonderful passage in Matthew 19:13-15. It says

Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

It is important to remember that in those days life expectancy was low and many children died young. In those days children were nobodies. So when people wanted to bring their children to Jesus for him to touch them and pray for them, understandably the disciples were not keen, What a waste of time, they felt. But Jesus takes the opposite view “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them,” he says “for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Here he is thinking not of the innocence of children but of their weakness, If anyone is going to come to God, they must come fully aware of their weakness. And so although some may mock church services that are all about children and say, what a waste of time, Jesus is clear, he loves children and wants them to come to him. Children ought to know that Jesus loves them and wants them to come to him.

What are the four ways in which all children should grow?

Luke 2:52 says of Jesus that he grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. It is important to realise that Jesus did not come into this world fully grown. He was never a baby who could talk and do amazing things, despite what some legends suggest. No, when he was born he was just like any other baby – weak, helpless, unable to do anything for himself. However, he grew – physically and intellectually. He learned to speak and think and read and write. Also, Luke tells us, he grew in favour with God and man. He was increasingly popular with people. They liked to have him round. God the Father always loved him, of course, but as he grew and showed his willingness to submit to God and obey him, the Father loved him more and more.

Think of children you know. They are growing physically – you can see that. In most cases everything is done to help them in that way. Most parents do what they can to give their children an education too. It is important, however, that parents focus on children becoming wise. Simply stuffing their heads with facts can be counter-productive. I grew up a bit like that – Sir Walter Raleigh and potatoes, Sir Christopher Wren and St Paul's, Nelson and Trafalgar – my mother expected you to know such things. Yes, parents want their children to get good marks in school but what matters more is that they become wise. Knowledge puffs you up but if you are wise, so much the better. The Bible is full of wisdom.

And then you want children to get on with people and be useful in society, not to be oddballs. We need people like that. Further, parents must pray and do all that they can to lead their children in the right direction with regard to God. Pray that they will grow in favour with God. Nothing can do them better.

What must parents do and not do for their children?

The work of parents is summarised in Ephesians 6:4. Positively, it says Fathers, ... bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. It is fathers Paul addresses on this matter. Mothers and fathers are responsible but fathers must take the lead. Parents need to instruct their children. They need to tell them what the Bible says and teach them right from wrong and so on. And they need to train them. Parents soon learn that their children are not good automatically. It has to be worked at. Discipline is important.

And do not miss the negatives. Do not exasperate your children or provoke them. Do not make them angry. Or as he puts it in Colossians 3:21, written about the same time, Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. It is easy to make their lives hard. Do not do that. They are kids remember. They should enjoy growing up as far as that is possible. They will face plenty of heartache soon enough.

Are children with Christian parents special?

Yes, they are. No-one is normally born a Christian. We are all born sinners. Some people cannot accept the idea that children are sinners but sadly they are. Like us all, they are sinners twice over. They are sinners first in Adam. All children descend from Adam and so are born sinners, guilty in him. But then, as parents quickly discover, they are sinners in their own right too. They are quite capable of coming up with their own ways of sinning. Nevertheless, if they have parents who are Christians, then they have a tremendous privilege.

There are children growing up in this world whose parents have never heard the name of Jesus. They are at a severe disadvantage. Even in this country there are children growing up who are severely disadvantaged. Yes, their parents say that they are not biased and want to let their children make up their own minds about God and Jesus and so on. But it is not true. Atheist parents and others never talk to their children about God or urge them to keep an open mind on the subject. They try never to talk to their children about Jesus. They do not bring them to church, at least not one where they will learn the good news of sins forgiven.

How different if parents know the Lord. Paul says that children with Christian parents are holy. In 1 Corinthians 7:14, talking about a situation where one partner is a Christian and one is not, he says

For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

So even if only one parent is a Christian, the child is still special, still holy. What is Paul saying? The word holy means set apart, different. A child with a Christian parent has many advantages denied to the child without one. For example,

• Such a child has parents who pray for them – not every child has that. Many have no-one to pray for them.
• Such a child will be introduced to what the Bible says – not every child has that.
• Such a child will be brought into the orbit of the church family – not every child has that.

What blessings belong to such children. No doubt those who baptise babies would want to say more on this but baptised or unbaptised, all children with at least one Christian parent are holy.

No doubt more could be said on this but these five truths are a good place to start. Such truths ought to be more widely known among God's people than perhaps they are.