Henry and Understanding

Baptists of the 1500's were much closer to the Church of Christ than todays Baptist church. Today it is common among Unity in Diversity groups to teach you don't have to understand salvation you just have to obey to receive it. - a legalist and agnostic approach.

Men such as Ketcherside taught understanding of the kingdom or of baptism was not essential, we only needed to obey Christ in the commandment, thus wedding many groups no matter their understanding in many areas.

Matthew Henry believed you had to understand. Here is his discourse on John 3 and Nicodemus.

Nicodemus according to Henry saw Christ as a teacher first.

He shall send them a Saviour, and a great one; a Saviour and a rabbi, so the word is. There are hopes of those who have a respect for Christ, and think and speak honourably of him. He tells Christ how far he had attained: We know that thou art a teacher. Observe, (1.) His assertion concerning Christ: Thou art a teacher come from God; not educated nor ordained by men, as other teachers, but supported with divine inspiration and divine authority. He that was to be the sovereign Ruler came first to be a teacher; for he would rule with reason, not with rigour, by the power of truth, not of the sword. The world lay in ignorance and mistake; the Jewish teachers were corrupt, and caused them to err: It is time for the Lord to work. He came a teacher from God, from God as the Father of mercies, in pity to a dark deceived world; from God as the Father of lights and fountain of truth, all the light and truth upon which we may venture our souls. (2.) His assurance of it: We know, not only I, but others; so he took it for granted, the thing being so plain and self-evident. Perhaps he knew that there were divers of the Pharisees and rulers with whom he conversed that were under the same convictions, but had not the grace to own it. Or, we may suppose that he speaks in the plural number (We know) because he brought with him one or more of his friends and pupils, to receive instructions from Christ, knowing them to be of common concern. "Master," saith he, "we come with a desire to be taught, to be thy scholars, for we are fully satisfied thou art a divine teacher." (3.) The ground of this assurance: No man can do those miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Here, [1.] We

Matthew Henry knew the necessity to be taught from God through Christ.

Therefore we are to receive him as a teacher come from God. His miracles were his credentials. The course of nature could not be altered but by the power of the God of nature, who, we are sure, is the God of truth and goodness, and would never set his seal to a lie or a cheat.

Even though Nicodemus did not immediately comprehend the necessity of a new birth, for he was aJew,but Jesus knew salvation required membership in a different family, thus our adoption. Jesus knew a new birth was necessary to enter the new family.

Henry explains his belief Jesus did not set aside the necessity, but continued to explain to Nicodemus.

(a.) To repeat and confirm what he had said (Joh_3:5): "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, the very same that I said before." Note, The word of God is not yea and nay, but yea and amen; what he hath said he will abide by, whoever saith against it; nor will he retract any of his sayings for the ignorance and mistakes of men. Though Nicodemus understood not the mystery of regeneration, yet Christ asserts the necessity of it as positively as before. Note, It is folly to think of evading the obligation of evangelical precepts, by pleading that they are unintelligible, Rom_3:3, Rom_3:4.

Thus, Henry did not see lach of knowledge of the New Birth as grace covered, when man does not understand as the agnostic Christian. Henry would have been in opposition to Karl Ketcherside and Max Lucado, both of whom's works on grace are simply agnostic Christianity. (Grace toboth means we do not have to understand the new birth.)

How can a man be a new creature through faith without understanding what one believes in?

To be a new creature adopted into a new family, one must be born of water. It is the spiritual womb so to speak.

Paul agrees with Christ.

Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

We live by a revealed faith,not by a hidden mystery.

Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

This is the signification of a new family by adoption. Baptism was more than an outward sign as Henry supposed, it was the process of a real spiritual adoption.

Baptized upon the Name of Jesus Christ, his name being the basis of faith Acts 2:38. Also, into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Receiving a surname). Matt 28:18-20

Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus (Denoting position in Christ's family).

Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Baptism is the Birth, forgiveness is  New Testament circumcision, the Holy Spirit is God's seal.

See Colossians 2:

Col 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

This is accomplished through forgiveness, but also the removal of the fleshly ordinances. The cross was the blade of New Testament circumcision.

Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

The law had to be nailed to the cross before adoption.

Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

We had to be redeemed from the law before adoption could take place.

Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.