The Ohio Independent Baptist, January 1967

n erection A New Year Meditation By Dr. Robert T. Ketcham •· 1 l,c, < / <>i ,· J ·rr, ; 11 '-! r/ 1 <' 1 ,ri,,c·itJI<·, <>/ 1/1c ,/,,t·tri11<' <>/ /11 t\l . let 11.\' J..:<> ., ,, 11111 <, 'rf e, ·tic)ll .' 11 t l <i.vi ,1r; <l 1..;'<1i11 1/1<1 f,, 1r11tl~11 i,1 11 <Jf l'<'J>e11l<111<'<' /r<>111 <l< 1 <t<I I I f I I <>/ 1,,,p1,.,·,,1., (lll(I ,,f l(l}'IJJO l \'<>,ks. ,,,,,/ , j f,1itl1 t<>,vc1r,I <,,>< . <' 1,c < c>ctr111<' r, <J ll , I li<itifls. <i,,,J , 1 j rcs, ,rrcc·ti<J11 ,,f 1/1c' clc·,1,I. ,111<! <J/ ete111<1! 111<IR111c111 .' ' • rlltor· , ' oh: : l n 1:c>in,: throuch \OUll" of our m t\ ri ,t thr oth, r d• , • "c came n r<!'' the rono In,.-: me, •" "rittcn h) Dr. R . I. Ket· ('hnm lt ,, (felt, crcd J~1nnnrJ 21 . 1934 1n the- 1 "'cntn1I R.1ptl,1 ( ' hurrh. ,Dr). lodlnnn. I h , 1 ,cclnl ( ca,lon ,, n, their 25th . \nnl, er– ' r, ,,,e thoueht ht, de , elo1,ment of Hebre,, ~ 6· I: ; mo,( refrc,htn,: a nd nre,ent it here i~ ;h~ · .1.B. tru,tfnl! that It ,, ill ble,~ henrt~. a , ot1r1g preacher c\ ral , ·car • Cl' tht · tc t created ne f m ~;c~1tc t pr(.1blen1~ pparently it r - qt1ire(i n1e to f r ak the P:!nciple" t'f the do tr1n f hrt t and go on ll' ~1 ·· p rfe tton" ,, hich \\ a in ad– , an c f the.. e doctrine . ince I could not bring my elf to uch a onclu ... 100. in the light of other r1pture. I did v.'ith thi pa age ,.. hat e, er)' )' ung preacher ought to do. namel). let it lie undi turbed \\ here the Hol 1· pirit had put it. until uch time a He hould be plea ed to illuminate it for 1:1e: One da}r I di covered my dtffLculty \\ ith the text wa in ub tituting in m,r thinking the word ~'for ake' ' for .. ..... the \\Ord "'leave." I wa trying to make the text a,; I wa to for ake the principle of th~ doctrine of Chri t v. hen \\ hat it actually aid wa to leal'e the principle of the doctrine of Chri t. There· a va t difference be– t"'1een the two. The hou e in it building leave rhe foundation without forsaking it~ the book in it writing leaves the al– phabet \\-·ithout for aking it: the an– them in it compo ition leaves the cale without for aking it. The foun– dation remain an es ential part of the hou e. the alphabet remain an e ential part of the book the scale remain an e ential part of the an– them. but who want a hou e that i all foundation , or a book that is ju t a repetition of the alphabet, or an anthem that is the continuou running of the scale? \ e are thinking with , fou, dear friend . toda:; 1 • who were charter n1ember of this Church twenty-five )'ear ago. of the times when you VlOr hipped God in the basement of thi pre ent building. You had foun– dation enough here to carry a twenty- lOT)' -uper- tructure. \Vonderful foun– dation and ba ement period of thi JANUARY, 1967 PAGE 4 Dr. R. T. Ketcham church ! No doubt tho e day of wor- hip of God within the ba ement wall of thi Church, covered over with a temporary roofi ng, with the water streaming down the ide-wall and aero s the floor. and blowing in at every nook and corner while the aint of God were huddl ed around the old ' a lamander" breath– ing in the moke and gas fume from that pipeles piece of heating ap– paratus. were days of the creation of real piritual caliber and the de– velopment of a rugged Christian fa ith but we have left tho e day , although thank God, we have not for aken them. Twenty-five year have come and gone since then, and just as thi material building left those founda– tion by pu hing it side-wall up– ward from them o the piritual building known as the Central Bap– ti t Church ha gone on from per– fection to perfection, re ting alway upon the old foundations of faith, yet developing ever the natural and norm– al Chri tian character and ervice which grow out of uch foundation . ome of the e foundation which we are to leave without for aking are et forth in our text of the morn– ing. They are great fundamental fou ndation upon which to build, but mt1 t not be con idered a, the bt1ild- ing it e lf. We shall <li\c U<-i', this n1orn– ing ac; revealed in thi text a founda– tional experience, a foundati onal at– titude. a found ati ona l di ~po ition, a foundational fa ith, a foundational equipment . a foundational expect a– tion a nd a foundational neces ity. A FOUNDATIONAL EXPERI N E A foundational experience i found in the word " repentance from dead work .' And what are " dead works?" - Tho e works, through the doing of which, one expects to merit and ect1re alvation apart from Chri t. They may be indeed good work but if done for the express purpo e of ecuring or maintaining a place of alvation before God they immediate– ly become dead works and must be repented of. In other word this por– tion of our text i saying to us what other scripture says, namely, \' by Grace are ye saved through faith . . . and not of works.' Thi s is a truth to be laid in our foundation and then proceed to build upon it the super– structure of the gloriou proclama- - ti on of justification by faith. A FOUNDATIONAL A1TITUDE A foundational attitude is found in the word "faith toward God.' This i the opposite of faith toward works. But are we always to proclaim to the· , world our fundamental doctrine of faith toward God and never get out- ide of the foundation walls with a life which really demonstrates a faith toward God? What a tragic picture many Churche make in proclaiming I to a world of lo t inners "have faith in God' and then they themselves re ort to soup and uppers, fair and bazaar and every other conceivable kind of clap-trap to raise a few pennie to help pay the Church ex– pen e. The foundation of faith toward God hould be left while we go on to the perfection of the uper-struc– ture of a life of dependence upon God for the upplying of our daily • (Continued on page 14) THE OH IO INDEPENDENT BAPTIST