Article 20

"Shiloh Baptist Church is a Sovereign Assembly"

"We believe and preach the doctrines of God's sovereign grace"

Who accepts who?

The man who walks through this world quietly before the Almighty is considered strange at least. Common religious attitude is noise-making foolishness. I do want to be very careful and quiet before His Majesty. Why? Because "the Lord accepteth them not". These were religious people, for it says in the first part of the verse, "they sacrifice". They offered sacrifices to God but "now will He remember their iniquity, and visit their sins". These people are described in verse 9 as "a wild ass alone by himself", God is not with them for "the Lord accepteth them not".

This thing of acceptance is very weighty to me. Even the uninstructed who are honest know it involves more than accepting Jesus as your personal Savior. It has to do with His acceptance of me. If he does not accept me, I will be consumed in His wrath. Jer. 14:12 - "I will not accept them but I will consume them". If you think this is a little twit of religious feeling and activity, you best think again. Slow down and earnestly look at this before you face eternity as you now are.

What will cause the Father to accept me? Well, He must move is the glory of His grace. Ehp. 1:6 - "To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted". We are accepted before God in one place "in the Beloved". In the blessed Lord Jesus Christ God Almighty says, "I accept you". "In whom we have redemption through his blood" (v.7).

Yes, I walk softly before this sovereign One and my prayer constantly is, "Lord, don't pass me by. In your grace look at me through the person of the Redeemer and deliver me from vain religion".