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“There can be no proud theologians” said Karl Barth. That assertion, which Dr. Ware told my Fall 2005 Systematic Theology class often resounds in my mind, (in Dr. Ware’s distinctive voice, of course).

I also somehow missed another profound element of humility: God commands us to do it, that is, to humble ourselves. This means, among other things, that humility is action as much as it is a character trait.

A couple of weeks ago I told my accountability partner that I needed to think of some practical ways to humble myself.

Ok, so all those things combined tonight while I read from Carl F.H. Henry’s theological method in God, Revelation, and Authority. After hearing people talk of how difficult Henry is to read, and taking in such massive thoughts, I found myself growing horribly arrogant while reading.

When I realized it, I prayed for God to humble me. I heard Barth speaking in Dr. Ware’s voice. The command to humble myself came to mind. And I wondered how to do it.

I thought about the stuff I was reading — basically, God revealed himself, and thereby formed the basis of all knowledge and truth. How profoundly humbling, if read with a Spirit-softened heart.

So, I tried to humble myself — to think on the fact that God has shown himself, and we can know him, and know him truly, and not doubt what he has told us; praying that the Spirit would use the things I learn to humble me, and help me humble myself.

God providences things in amazing ways, and I continually thank him for his work in my life.

I have been a Southern Baptist for almost exactly two years, having come from a biblically solid believer-baptizing church and being brought up into Reformed theology. When I came to SBTS, I came because it was the best non-baby-baptizing seminary in the country. If SBTS did not exist, I would be at Westminster in San Diego.

I thank God I came here (and not just because I met the girl of my dreams in Founders’ Cafe).

One thing my home church did not have was a distinct and traceable theological heritage. So, I have grown to appreciate the rich theological heritage of the Southern Baptist tradition, and the tradition of Baptists in general. Before I was a “baptist”, but in a somewhat weak sense. Now I am a Baptist, and will remain a Baptist — by conviction.

That is why I want to blog through the Second London Confession. It is the most important Baptist confession ever written, and discovering and saturating myself in the ancestry of the faith I have been somewhat “adopted” into has become important to me.

There are lots of places to find out a lot about this confession and others, and confessions in general.

Anyone reading this can Google it, and find more than I could ever hope to write on the subject.

This project of blogging through the confession is a personal thing, and, mostly, blogging through it provides me an external structure so that I will actually do it.

So, next week, I will look at Chapter One.