Introduction - 3 Principles, 3 Errors

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the course 'Pastoral Theology 7' and clarifies his use of 'pastoral' as shorthand for elders who labor in word and doctrine, noting that historically all elders…

Martin quotes John Brown's commentary on 1 Peter 5, noting that applying 'pastor' exclusively to teaching elders is a modern, not New Testament, usage, supporting Trinity's practice of calling all elders 'pastors'.

It confuses people who come out of a traditional setting because generally the term pastor is used of one teaching elder in particular or possibly two and some other term is used to describe or to designate those who are set apart for the work of shepherding and overseeing the flock of God. Well, very interestingly, in rereading the entire section in John Brown's commentary on 1 Peter 5, as I flew over to Australia and was going to be speaking on the work of the ministry and the work of shepherding God's people, I had missed this in my first two or three readings of John Brown in this section.

2:31 - 3:15 Read in full sermon

Driving home: When I think upon the all but infinite mischief which may result from a mistake as to our calling for the Christian pastorate I feel overwhelmed with fear and that may be the case.

Martin quotes Spurgeon's 'Lectures to My Students' on the fearful calamity of missing one's calling to the ministry, highlighting the widespread evidence of fruitless ministries and decaying churches.

In this matter he writes on page 25 of his lectures how may a young man see the very fact that he says young man indicates his own thinking was prejudice in the wrong direction and you will find when you read Dabney and hopefully read Thornwell that he questions that whole mentality so I would like to delete the word young man how may a man know whether he's called or not that's a weighty inquiry and I desire to treat it most solidly.

19:03 - 19:33 Read in full sermon

Driving home: When I think upon the all but infinite mischief which may result from a mistake as to our calling for the Christian pastorate I feel overwhelmed with fear and that may be the case.

Martin quotes a poem from Spurgeon's lectures that contrasts animals, which instinctively pursue their proper good, with man, who often blunders and acts in opposition to his nature, illustrating the gravity of mistaking one's calling.

Whales and elephants to flies a creature that mistakes his plan and hers so constantly as man each beast pursues its proper good and seeks enjoyment rest and food as nature points and never hers in what it chooses or prefers man only blunders though possessed of reason far above the rest descend to instances and try.

20:35 - 21:05 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Under what rubric does this question of the call to the ministry fit it doesn't fit under systematic theology it doesn't fit under historical theology doesn't fit even primarily under what we would say exegetical theolog…

Martin uses the example of Dabney and Spurgeon, who are 'twins' on justification but 'poles apart' on the call to ministry, to illustrate how 'experimental divinity' leads to diverse perspectives.

And secondly, this accounts for the tremendous diversity of perspective on this subject among good and godly men. The fact that we are in the realm of the theology of Christian experience accounts for the tremendous diversity of perspective on this subject among good and godly men. Now again, I can illustrate this very simply. Take Dabney's one volume of systematic theology and read his chapter on justification, and then note anything you see in any of the sermons of

27:11 - 27:50 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not revert to principles operative in a framework when direct and special revelation was being given for discerning a call.

Martin humorously states that if someone claims to have heard a heavenly voice like Saul of Tarsus, he would ask what they ate before bed, debunking mystical claims of calling.

And if you say you've heard such a voice I'll ask you what you were eating before you went to bed that night.

42:51 - 42:57 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Some people seem to imagine that some voice is to be heard some impression to be felt or some impulse to be given to the soul they hardly know what or whence which is to force the man into the ministry without rational o…

Martin recounts stories of men who speak of 'fighting the call' by God killing their kids or smashing their cars, illustrating the problematic, subjective, and fantastical notions of a divine constraint.

wrestling with whether or not their lives met the standard of scripture and whether their gifts warranted being cultivated to the point of one being set apart to labor in the world. No. It was all the time fighting this subjective conviction that they reckon to be a divine call. It's like the fellow who came to me when I was preaching at a Christian school some years ago a Christian college and he had that look in his eye I could tell the minute I opened my door and he stood there and I said uh oh I got a wacko on my hands and as I say he had the look in his eyes and so I invited him in and he...

45:21 - 46:04 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Some people seem to imagine that some voice is to be heard some impression to be felt or some impulse to be given to the soul they hardly know what or whence which is to force the man into the ministry without rational o…

Martin tells a story of a man who claimed to have a 'word from God' for him, and Martin's response about the tone of God's voice, to expose the folly of subjective, mystical claims of direct revelation.

wrestling with whether or not their lives met the standard of scripture and whether their gifts warranted being cultivated to the point of one being set apart to labor in the world. No. It was all the time fighting this subjective conviction that they reckon to be a divine call. It's like the fellow who came to me when I was preaching at a Christian school some years ago a Christian college and he had that look in his eye I could tell the minute I opened my door and he stood there and I said uh oh I got a wacko on my hands and as I say he had the look in his eyes and so I invited him in and he...

45:21 - 46:04 Read in full sermon

The point: Those involved in confirming a man's call must never go beyond the law and rule of Christ as set forth in Scripture.

Martin uses the analogy of an army colonel setting non-negotiable height and age standards for recruits, and a sergeant ignoring them, to illustrate that Christ's standards for elders are non-negotiable and cannot be altered by human judgment.

execute the laws of Christ the sole king and head of the church and if he has said faithful is the saying if a man aspires the office of a bishop he seeks a good work the bishop therefore must be than anyone involved in assessing a man's own self assessment must never go beyond the law and the rule of Christ as set forth in those passages let me illustrate suppose the army appoints a given officer a colonel to be in charge of all the enlisting that is going to go on within a given state and in each

56:27 - 57:11 Read in full sermon