Christmas Party this Wednesday Night

Hello all FBC Youth!
Just a quick reminder that the Christmas Party is Wednesday Night!
December 19, 2007 from 6:30 - 8:30p.m.
Please Bring a White Elephant gift for the gift exchange.
If you did not sign up to bring snacks you may still bring something!
Cookies, Cake, Chips, Soda! All snack foods are appropriate!
See you there!

What do Baptists Believe about Baptism and the Lord's Supper?

It's pretty obvious that baptism is a pretty big deal for Baptists.

Baptism in the early church was done by immersion. In the New Testament, the word for "baptize" literally means "to immerse." Somewhere along the lines of church history, the Catholic church dominated Christendom, and the Catholics believed in infant baptism. In the 1500s when people began to resist the Catholic church in the Protestant Reformation, the first group to deny Catholics continued to practice infant baptism. These are what we know today as Lutherans and Presbyterians. In Switzerland, the Reformers led the government, specifically a reformer named Ulrich Zwingli. Some of his students, Conrad Grebel and Felix Manz, began to dispute Zwingli in a couple of issues, one being infant baptism. These would be the first anabaptists, and their beliefs led to severe persecution. After they began baptizing adults, they were punished by law, and Manz was drowned.

The idea between infant baptism and adult baptism is still a difficult issue among denominations today. There are still many groups and churches who practice infant baptism, others who aren't baptists who practice believer's baptism, and yet others who practice both. There are some who sprinkle for baptism and some who immerse.

From the Baptist Faith and Message:

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's Supper.

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We do this by immersion because we see baptism by immersion as the precedent set forth in Scripture. Also, the original Greek word for baptism, baptizo, literally means "to immerse." We baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit because that is what Jesus commanded in the Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20).

Baptism is an act of obedience.
Jesus was baptized by John to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:13-17). Jesus is our example. The early church throughout the book of Acts associated believing in Christ with baptism (Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33).

Baptism symbolizes the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:3-5 states, "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Hm in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection..."

Baptism is a testimony to a new believer's faith in the final resurrection of the dead.
Phil. 3:8-11, "More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."

One must be baptized before becoming a church member.
Because baptism is one of the first public confessions of faith, one's first testimony to what Christ has done in his life, a person must be baptized before he is admitted to the church. If a person is admitted to the church without having gone through this public confession and testimony, then it is possible the person does not know what Christ has done for him, and really is not saved. On the same coin, many people are baptized just to become members of the church, and they have not really repented and put all faith in Christ, yet they have been baptized. We must be careful to only let those who show fruits of salvation enter the waters of baptism, in which they identify directly with Christ. We must also be careful who we allow to become members of our church.

One must be baptized before taking the Lord's Supper.
Likewise, a person cannot remember the body and blood of Christ unless he does not know Christ personally.

From The Baptist Faith and Message:

The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

The Lord's Supper is symbolic.
There are several streams of Christianity that believe partaking in the Lord's Supper helps bring them sanctification, helps them gain holiness, or even salvation. This believe is never seen in Scripture, as Jesus always says to partake in the Lord's Supper "in remembrance" and never hints that one will gain holiness because he has fulfilled the step of taking the Lord's Supper.

The Lord's Supper is a time of fellowship for the church.
1 Cor. 10:16-17, "Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread."

Luke 22:19-20, "And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood."

Only those that live holy lives reflecting that of Jesus should memorialize the death of the Redeemer.
1 Cor. 11:27-29, "Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. "

When we take the Lord's Supper, we are in essence proclaiming the gospel. We are to do this as we anticipate the Lord's second coming, when he will usher in a new kingdom, holy for the Lord.
1 Cor. 11:26, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes."

Easy Version: the church?

I know the last post was a long one, but I was meditating on Ephesians 4, and decided to simplify it all.

"Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love." - Eph. 4:15-16

We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ...
In everything we do, God is transforming us into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). The beginning of the race God has set before us is salvation. The end isn't heaven, but it is us transformed into the image of Christ. So as a group of believers, we are also being transformed--growing--into becoming Christ. We do this not just on Sundays and Wednesdays, but every day. Every day you are a member of the local church to which God has called you.

From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love...
- When each part is working properly, the body grows.
--Are you doing your part to strengthen or cause atrophy to the body of Christ?

So what is the church to do when one part is not working properly?

2 Thess. 3--verses to point out
"Now we command you, brother, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us..." (v. 6)
"For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies..." (v. 11)
"If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother." (v. 14-15)

Paul clearly states that the Thessalonians were to have nothing to do with the person who was feeding off those around him. When a useless part of our body is taking nutrients from every other part, it is cut off so that the body can function. As hard and strange as it seems to us, we should hold each other accountable and do the same.

So--are you being idle or are you doing your part in the body of Christ?

What do Baptists Believe about the church?

OK, this is a really long one, but there's a lot of crucial stuff in here. AND I'm more mentally sane since the last post. (I already hear some of you, "Keyword: more.") SO...hopefully this will all make sense.

NOW...
We've all been taught that the church isn't a building, but the people who gather there. The thing is: is that all a church is?

When five new believers begin to have Bible study and worship together, does that make them a church since they are gathering together to praise the Lord? What is the difference between the two?

From the Baptist Faith and Message:

A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

A church is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers.
A church is made up of people who live near one another, who have been baptized upon repentance and faith in Jesus. This means that people who are not baptized are not considered a church, because baptism is always linked with salvation in the New Testament. Does this mean that people who are not baptized are not saved? No, but it does mean that baptism is one of the first outward signs of confessing Christ as Lord and dying to the old nature. In a sense, it is the first way of telling others about your faith in Christ--your first witness. We need baptism in order to identify ourselves totally with Christ's death and resurrection!

Autonomous means "having the right or power of self-government." This means that when believers gather, they are not ordered around by somebody five hours away in another church, but they have the right to make their own rules (what we call bylaws), etc.

A church is associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel.
The baptized believers who come together to make a church have total faith in the gospel, and fellowship with one another according to what Christ has done on the cross. When they come together, they proclaim the gospel to one another because they are thankful for what Christ has done for them.

A church observes the two ordinances of Christ.
By "ordinance" we mean "a prescribed usage." The two ordinances churches should observe together are baptism and the Lord's supper. In baptism, we identify with Christ's death and resurrection. In the Lord's supper, we remember and proclaim Christ's death as we anticipate his coming again. As a church, there is no biblical mandate for other things the church should do together, although some will say that foot washing is an ordinance.

A church is governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word.
A church seeks to follow Christ, and is the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23 states, "And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all."). The "Body of Christ" literally means that each person who composes a church is like a member of a physical body: they all need to operate together, and when they do they are like Christ on earth. Each person is different and is gifted differently, so that when the entire church comes together, they are complete, with Christ operating as the head of the body (Col. 1:18 states, "And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent."). For example, let's say someone is sick at church. Member A goes to the hospital and prays with the person. Member B cooks meals for the family. Member C takes care of bills while someone is in the hospital. Member D comes and encourages the person who is ill. Together, they have worked together to be Christ to that person--that ill person needed every one of those members to have Christ minister to them. Thankfully, Christ has given each member of the Body a special gift, also known as a spiritual gift. These are special gifts that God uses in your life to minister to others.

A church seeks to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Churches can do this on several levels, some better than others.

• 1) they can pray for the nations and give to the Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong offering
• 2) they have been overseas on a missions trip
• 3) they go overseas regularly on missions trips, but not targeted to one specific group
• 4) they pray for a specific people group and seek to minister to that people group

The fourth level is strategic, although all of them show how Baptists participate on at least some level in extending the gospel to the ends of the earth. As a matter of fact, every church gives some money each year to the Cooperative Program, and over 70% of that money goes straight to the IMB and North American Mission Board. Therefore, if our church gives 10% of its tithe to the Cooperative Program (which goes to fund Baptist activities around the country), and that 10% is $1000, then 500 of those dollars will go to the IMB and 200 of those dollars will go to the NAMB.

A church operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes.
According to Southern Baptists, church government is a system where every decision is guided by Christ, but there are issues within the church that are voted on by people in the church. This is what happens at business meetings, etc. In other types of churches, decisions might be made from higher-up bishops or representatives from the church, known as presbyters.

A church's scriptural officers are pastors and deacons.
These are the two types of leadership within a church. The pastor, or elder, serves as a shepherd for the congregation to help grow them into mature Christians (1 Pet. 5:1-5, "So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock."). Deacons are servant leaders who take on servant roles in the church. Another scriptural office is that of an elder, which is similar to a pastor. In some churches there are multiple pastors or elders to help shepherd the church. These elders can have equal responsibility or different roles, depending on the decision of the church. For more details read 1 Tim. 3:1-15.

A church has men serve as pastors, not women.
Many in America will think this is a sexist statement, but Scripture states that pastors are to be men. The good thing is that Scripture doesn't just declare that a pastor should be a man, but there are very specific requirements to even be a pastor. So what about churches that have women as pastors, or a woman who has been called to pastor? One must ask himself if a woman would be called by God to do something contrary to the word of God. In some cases, a woman might even be gifted in preaching, but that does not mean she should serve as a pastor. You can read more about this in 2 Tim. 2.

From The Baptist Faith and Message:

The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.

All believers around the world from the days of Paul to many years from now, form to make the universal Church. Another analogy we use to talk about the church is to be the Bride of Christ. You can read more of this in Eph. 5:23-32.

THEREFORE...

A church is a group of believers who has local leadership, practices the ordinances provided in Scripture, and recognizes that they are the Body of Christ. They realize that they are responsible for one another, and are members of each other--this means that, in a sense, they are actively involved in each other's lives. Each member is under the authority of his local church, but at the same time it's a good relationship because he chooses the church. This can be five people or two thousand people.

What do Baptists Believe about Grace?

OK guys, this is a weighty topic. Get ready to either ignore the following, or choke on it.

Mercy is when you don't get something that you do deserve, grace is when you get something that you don't deserve.

We've all heard it before, and we know that mercy is when God looks on us and forgives us of our sins. But what's grace? In the song, "Amazing Grace" we're told what it does, but we don't know how it comes around.

If you were going to give a definition of God's grace, what would it be?

From The Baptist Faith and Message:
Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility.

Eph. 1:3-6, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved."

This verse says that:
1) God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.
~ before there was a Garden, God planned that we as believers would be saved in the name of Christ Jesus
2) All of this was done according to the purpose of his will.
~ God loved mankind so much that he purposed that they would be adopted as sons and daughters through believing in faith in Jesus Christ

What's this about an election?
He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners by electing us. Of course we think of a political election when we hear the word "elect" but throughout the New Testament, the Bible refers to believers in Christ as "the elect". The Bible does this because all who believe in Christ Jesus have been elected unto salvation.

There are two disagreeing viewpoints, however, on how God elects people in Christ. These viewpoints have been around for hundreds of years, at least, and both views can be found in Southern Baptists

One view, known as Calvinism, claims that God chooses individuals to which he wills to come to Christ (this means that the individuals could only comply with the will of God when believing in Christ). A second view, known commonly as Arminianism but also known as believing in the free-will of man, says that God could never will a person to come to Christ, but instead allows man to choose to believe in Christ, and the whole idea of election is that Christ has been elected, and therefore everyone in Christ is a member of the elect. Calvinists would say that God's grace is so powerful that it is only by God that a person is saved. Those who believe in the free agency of man would say that God has given us grace through Christ, and then we choose to live in the grace God gives us in Christ. (I know this sounds crazy and unfamiliar, but if you have questions about exactly what I'm saying--just ask.)

Regardless, all Baptists believe that it is only because of God's love in sending his son that we could have a relationship with him, and God is much greater than anything we can imagine.

Questions to think about:
1) When we're saved, how much does God will in our salvation and how much is man's will?
2) What do you think election means according to Scripture? (check a concordance for references)

From The Baptist Faith and Message:
All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

One Baptist mantra is "once saved, always saved." Another form of God's grace is that once we have received God's grace, there is no way we can fall out of God's grace, which is losing salvation. Because of this, all people who have really been born again will stay believers until they die. In a sense, once you are adopted, you are not going to be un-adopted, even if you become disobedient. In real life, if you have an adopted child, you're not going to kick the child out just because he does disobedient things, and how much greater a Father is God?

This does not mean that just because you pray for salvation OR walk the aisle OR get baptized OR become a pastor that you are saved. Scripture says that those who are saved will persevere to the end, and that is one of the only ways we will know.

So how do we persevere, and what happens if we go for a while without giving God a second thought?
The key to walking in Christ isn't doing all the right things or checking off a list of godly things to do. Instead, the key to walking in Christ is, well, being in Christ. Practicing putting on Christ. Abiding in Christ. As Christians we are like a branch that shoots off of Christ, the tree. Because we are connected to Christ (every moment of every day, in meditation of His Word and in deep times of prayer), we will bear fruit then that is the same fruit of the tree we are connected to. However, if we are not connected to Christ, our tree, there will not be any fruit. So, we don't focus on being gentle, loving, or peaceful. Instead, we focus on abiding in Christ, and then those things will just happen. If you stop being connected to Christ, then you won't be healthy.

That's all for now. There are several Bible verses, and I know I haven't put down hardly any.

Hey Guys!

Greetings from Virginia!

I wanted to tell you guys that are just dying for more theology that I'll be updating the "What do Baptists Believe..." sometime, I just don't know when. There is a lot of coursework I am doing right now, so they'll probably be thrown in here and there.

Do know that I'm thinking about all of you and praying for you!

Here is a good verse that I have been meditating on today, and I hope it speaks to some of you:
Eph 5:15-16, "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil."

Corn Maze and Bonfire!

Hey all don't forget the Cornmaze and Bonfire at Montgomery Farms! We will be leaving the FBC Parking Lot at 4:30 p.m. and be arrive home at 10:00 p.m. If you are interested in coming please bring $10.00 for admission. This money will pay for the Corn Maze, Hayride, and Bonfire. Anything else that you would like to participate in such as the Corn cannons, etc. will be extra.
We will also have S'Mores! Yummy!
Please invite your friends and we are going to have a blast!
See you soon!
Devin

P.s. you can go to http://www.montgomery-farms.com/ for more info!

What do Baptists Believe about Salvation?

"I was saved when..."

"I was born again..."

"I made Jesus my Lord and Savior..."

"I accepted Jesus into my heart..."

How many of us have made statements like the above? I have made them several times, and to an extent, Lady Hamlet was correct when she observed, "Words, words, words!" A lot of times we talk about our salvation without actually knowing what it is. As a matter of fact, I contend today that our salvation is one of the greatest things we as believers don't understand even though we talk about it the most.

From The Baptist Faith and Message:

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

* * *
Redemption is "to get or win back." When we sing that we have been "purchased by his blood" or "redeemed by the blood of the Lamb," we are saying that the blood of Christ has purchased us back, he has won us. A question remains: why were we gone in the first place? The answer is, simply, we were enslaved to sin (see "What do Baptists Beleive about Man?").

Col 1:13-14, "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

God has always been in the business of redemption. While God was speaking of the Fall of man, he already pointed to how he would conquer the Fall through Eve's progeny, Christ (Gen. 3:15). By scholars, this verse is often called the protoevangelion--"the first good news." Since the fall, God has always been in the business of buying back his people from the circumstances they find themselves in. We can see this in Adam and Eve, the sons of Jacob, the Isrealites in Egypt, the nation of Israel in exile. The final stamp of redemption occurs when Gen. 3:15 is played out, and Christ's blood redeems man (Eph 1:7, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace").

The whole man has been redeemed. We might quickly look over this sentence and say, "Duh! Christ isn't going to just buy back part of our soul or body!" However, Catholicsbelieve that Christ only redeemed men and the sin they inherited from Adam--they believe that Christ does not save them from the sins they continue to commit. Anyone may accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Christ saves man, buying him back from sin's chains which lead to damnation.

Regeneration

From The Baptist Faith and Message:

Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour.

It hurts to build muscle. The reason it hurts so much after you work out after not for a long time is because when you work your muscles, they break down so when they build up they build up stronger than before. Muscles regenerate in order to get stronger. Similarly, when we are saved, our soul is regenerated; it is no longer dead, but built up and made alive by the Holy Spirit (John 1:12-13, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God").

When a person becomes saved, the first thing that happens is regeneration. We would say our hearts are changed and made alive--reborn (John 3:6, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit").

Every person who has been regenerated by the Holy Spirit recognizes his sin, repents, and places faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. When a new believer repents of sin, he makes a u-turn in the way he lives. Faith means that a person places all he is in the idea that Jesus is Lord of all creation, the leader of that person's life, and that only He can save a person. A person cannot have faith in Christ without repenting of sin. Similarly, a person cannot be saved if he repents of sin but does not have faith in Christ as Savior and Lord. There are lots of people who believe in order to become a Christian, one only needs faith in Christ. However, true salvation only occurs when there is such conviction of sin that a person repents from the way he was living and turns to live completely for Christ.

Justification

From The Baptist Faith and Message:

Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.

There are several things that come to mind when you think "justification." One may be "justice," another "justify." If you have ever seen the scales of justice, they symbolize that whatever action was rendered on one side, then something must happen for the other to be balanced. Justice is served whenever punishment fits the crime. To justify something means to prove that it is right.

John 3:16-18, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Justification occurs when God proves that we are in right standing with Him. When we are justified, we our trespasses have been forgiven. Only God justifies man. Man can never earn right standing with God except by placing faith in Christ, who was perfectly right with God (Heb 5:8-9, "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation"). When we place faith in Christ, God credits us with what Christ did. This does not mean that we are as good as Christ, or we ever will be on earth, but it does mean that God looks to us and declares that we are in good standing with Him. Justification is not something that happens internally like regeneration, but it happens externally.

Rom 3:21-26, "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

Sanctification

From The Baptist Faith and Message:

Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life.

When something is sanctified, that means that it is set apart for special use. Throughout new life, believers are sanctified to be like Christ. The process of becoming like Christ is sanctification. This begins when one becomes a Christian and does not end until we are united with Christ in the death or the new creation (whichever comes first).

A Christian is sanctified through the power of the Holy Spirit. While God instigates sanctification, man responds to God by growing in Him. Phil. 2:12-13, "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."

Glorification

From The Baptist Faith and Message:

Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.

Glorification occurs when we are in the new creation with Jesus, when we are in the image of God himself (Rom. 8:29-30, "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.").

Salvation is Inclusive

We believe that salvation is only for those who have placed faith in Christ (Acts 4:12, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved"). Therefore, we do not believe that any person can go to heaven unless they profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This means that all people who have never heard the name of Jesus will never have salvation, including the tribesman in the middle of South America who has never even heard the name of Jesus. This idea is one of the distinct beliefs of Baptists, and this is what drives us to tell others about Christ. No matter how good a person is, how authentic their belief in God (or a god), no person will have salvation if he or she has not responded to Christ in faith and repentance.

* * *

Discussion:

• What is the difference between regeneration, justification, and sanctification?
• What are some other ways you can explain how you are saved--without using churchy words like "saved" or "born again'?
• Why would God not save a person who has not even been exposed to Jesus before? Do you think this is right?

the board.

TMI [Too Much Information]

I know that many of you do Blog and are active on the internet please think about what information you are sharing!

Church History Timeline

Tonight I was on monergism.com when I discovered an interactive Church History Timeline. If you've ever wanted to know what things happened when in the Bible and early church, this provides a really clean timeline, where you get to choose what events you see (like if you wanted to view only "Old Testament" or whatever). There are some events, of course, that are somewhat guessed, and debated on by scholars, but overall it is a very good timeline that helps you see God's plan for his people throughout history.

Check it out.

What do Baptists Believe about Man?

From the Baptist Faith and Message:

Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God's creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

* * *
Man is a special creation, made in God's image. The Hebrew language used for "image" means that God created man to be like God and represent God. (Gen. 1:27, "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."). This does not mean that man was made exactly like God, but it does mean that he bears likeness to God, like in morality, spirituality, relational nature, and even intellect.

A huge distinction that Southern Baptists make (as well as other conservative Christians) is that gender is a gift of God. This means that God created men to act like men and women to act like women. We believe that even though men and women are created equal as people and importance, God has given each different roles in life. Throughout Scripture, it is clear that men have been given a role of leadership over women, and that women were created to assist men. With gender, each has different gifts which will help them fulfill their roles. Does this mean that a woman who feels gifted to lead should never lead? No, but she should apply her leadership skills to her role, not to overcoming all the men around her. How has God ordained men to lead women in Scripture?

• Adam was created first, and Eve was made as a helper for Adam (Gen. 2:11).
• Adam bore responsibility for Eve's actions, and through man all humans were born sinful.
• 1 Cor. 11:11-12, "
• 1 Pet. 3:1-7, "

Man was innocent, but then became guilty when he transgressed God's command. All of Adam's descendants inherit sin. In this inheritence, men are prone to sin, and creation is prone to go against the things of God (1 Cor. 15:21-22, "For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive."). Sin is frequently described as a slavery, such as in Rom. 7:14, "For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin."

As soon as a person is capable of moral decision making and transgresses God's command, he is a guilty sinner. The question then becomes, "When is a person capable of making a moral decision?" Is a two year old a guilty sinner who will go to hell if he dies?

Only God can reconcile himself and man because man is so wrapped up in sin. Check out the harsh words against man in Rom. 3:10-18, 10:

As it is written, 'There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, there is not even one; Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving, the poison of asps is under their lips; Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; Their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known; There is no fear of God before their eyes.'

You may say, "But I wasn't that hostile toward God! I liked God--even before I became a Christian!" We must remember, however, that as slaves to sin, we could not achieve our own freedom, but God had to free us from a sin that blinded us and had our hearts bent toward hell (even when we didn't notice it).

Because every man is a special creation of God, every man must be treated with respect and dignity. Even though the fall of man has corrupted the image of God with which we were created, we still bear a fragment--we find this in our consciences, creativity, morality, intellect. Because of even the slightest image of God that is in every human being, we should treat all humans as special creations of God, even when they rebel against Him. We love them because God demands the respect and reverence, not because we feel like being nice. As believers, we are constantly being renewed into the image of Christ, and need to be grateful for the wonderful work of God in us. Gen. 9:6, "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man."

Psalm 8:3-6
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet...

* * *
Discussion Questions:

1. 1. What is the image of God?
2. 2. How has our culture, and how have we, neglected or misunderstood God creating men and women differently?
3. 3. When does a person become a guilty sinner? Is there an 'age of accountability'?

the board

What do Baptists Believe about God the Spirit?

We know from our 30 Core Truths study that the Holy Spirit is a person of God. He is not some supernatural force that comes upon us.

From The Baptist Faith and Message:

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

* * *
Everything we know about God was taught to us through the Holy Spirit. We would know nothing if He did not enable us to understand more about God. John 14:26, "But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me." 1 Cor. 2:10-14, "...these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."

The Holy Spirit calls men to repentance, to salvation, and regenerates hearts. "Regenerate" means that the Holy Spirit literally tears out the old self and generates a new self that is inclined toward God. This occurs when a person becomes saved, and at the moment of salvation, the Spirit brings a person into the Body of Christ. Eph. 1:13-14, "In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." 1 Cor. 6:11 says, "Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."

The Spirit guides Christians in how to live and helps them serve God better through conviction and teaching. John 14:26, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." One can see how to walk according to the Spirit by reading Gal. 5:16-23.

The Spirit leads us where God desires, even temptation. Matthew 4:1, "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."

Once the Spirit enters a person's life, he never leaves that person, and will always work to mold the Christian more into the image of Christ. John 14:16-17, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you." 1 Cor. 3:16, "Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?"

The Holy Spirit gives each believer gifts. He gives us these gifts so we can better magnify God to others. 1 Cor. 12:11, "But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills."

As God, he empowers believers. We can see this throughout the Bible: Joshua – Num. 27:18; Saul – 1 Sam. 11:6; the Exodus – Isa. 63:11-12; Jesus – Matt. 3:16; Jesus' disciples – Acts 1:8; Christians – 1 Cor. 12:11.

Titus 3:4-7, "But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

Discussion Questions:
1) What is the difference in the ways the Father, Son, and Spirit act in your relationship with God?
2) Have there been times when you have been aware of the Spirit working in you?
3) How is the Holy Spirit different from a conscience?


Visit the messageboard.

recap: Middle School Sunday School, 9/9

This Sunday we began a month-long study on disciplines. Often when we think of 'discipline' we think of punishment, but there is another way to think of discipline--as training. For example, a basketball player disciplines himself to play basketball well. Even though the basketball player may not want to practice every day, he does so there will be an end result: he will be a good athlete. As Christians, we are to cultivate spiritual disciplines. These disciplines include things like Bible study, prayer, worship, evangelism, fasting, etc. We need to push ourselves to practice these things, even when they are hard, so that we can achieve the end result: to be conformed, molded, to the likeness of Christ. If Christianity is a race, and becoming a Christian is the starting point, then the finish line is to be just as Jesus is, with Jesus, in the new creation.

Here are some of the verses we went over in class.
Phil 3:12-14
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Eph. 6:10-13
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

1 Cor 9:27-29
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Heb. 12:1-2
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Rom. 8:29-30
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

Here are the Bible verses we are going to read through each day.
Day 1: Phil. 1:1-5
Day 2: Phil. 1:6-11
Day 3: Phil. 1:12-17
Day 4: Phil. 1:18-20
Day 5: Phil. 1:21-24
Day 6: Phil. 1:25-30
Day 6: whole chapter

What do Baptists Believe about God the Son?

Over the years, Jesus Christ has been called a lot of things. Today, some say he is imaginary, others say he was a man. Many will say he was a good teacher and we should look to him for morals. Even more will say he is a prophet of God, but could never be the Son of God. When we talk about the "Son of God," what do we believe about Jesus?

From The Baptist Faith and Message:

Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.

* * *
Christ existed before he came to earth, before creation. He will always exist (Heb. 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."). Is is because of Christ that everything exists, because nothing existed without going through Christ first. John 1:1-3, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made."

Jesus is the Son of God. Muslims think this is heresy because they do not believe God could ever bear a Son, but this comes from an inaccurate view of the Trinity. Jesus calls himself God's Son (Mt. 11:27, "All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."), God refers to him as His Son (Mt. 3:17, "...and behold, a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'"), men say he is the Son of God (Mt. 14:33, "And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God.'"), and demons label Jesus as the son of God (Mt. 8:29, "And behold, they cried out, 'What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?'").

Biologically, Jesus did not have a human father, but was wholly man (from Mary) and wholly God (from the Holy Spirit). Matthew explains in Mt. 1:18, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit."

Jesus was perfectly the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation."), even though as man, he had to face the same conditions and temptations as man.

Jesus was the only person to completely follow the Old Testament law perfectly. He fulfilled the Law by not only following rules, but by fleshing out what those rules meant. For example, Jesus explained in Mt. 5:27-30, Jesus explained that to follow a command like "Do not commit adultery" you would need to not even lust after a person who is not your wife. Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7) not to give man more rules to live by, but to show how the Law is impossible to completely obey--unless you are God's Son.

Because Jesus was perfectly obedient, his obedience was the perfect substitute for us. Rom. 3:22b-26, "For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

dictionary (Grenz):

• justified - God makes humans, who are sinful and therefore worthy of condemnation, acceptable before a God who is holy and righteous.
• redemption - how sinful people are "bought back" from the power of sin into a relationship with God.
• propitiation - an offering that turns away the wrath of God.
• forbearance - patience in dealing with man's unrighteousness

Jesus died so that all men would be able to be forgiven of sin (John 1:29, "The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'").

After his resurrection, he appeared to many in the form of a real body--the body he had when he lived on earth (Acts 2:24, "But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.").

He then ascended into heaven, where he sits at God's right hand (1 Pet. 3:21b-22, "Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him."). He intercedes between man and God (Heb. 7:25, "Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them."). No one can come to God except through Jesus Christ, our perfection. Only through Jesus can we be reconciled to God (1 Tim. 2:5-6, "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.").

There will be a day when Jesus will judge all according to what they have and have not done (Mt. 16:27, "For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done."). On this day, he will complete his job, which is to bring creation back to its creator.

He is in every believer. Does he do this because you have "asked him into your heart"? No. As a matter of fact, you can go your whole life without using the words "ask Jesus into my heart" and God will still live in you, if you have placed faith in Christ alone (1 Jn. 4:15, "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.").

Rom. 1:3-4, "...concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord."

Discussion Questions (message board):

1. Why couldn't Jesus be conceived by two human parents?
2. Why is it important that Jesus is God?
3. What are some of the things Jesus did and continues to do?
4. Did Jesus really have to be resurrected to be the Son of God?
5. How does Jesus link man and God?

Works Cited:
Grenz, Stanley J., David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling. Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms. Downers Grove, Ill: Intervarsity, 1999.

What do Baptists Believe about God?

My God is so big,
So strong and so mighty,
There's nothing my God cannot do.
[clap, clap]

My God is so big,
So strong and so mighty,
There's nothing my God cannot do.
[clap, clap]

The mountains are His,
The valleys are His,
The stars are His handiwork too.

My God is so big,
So strong and so mighty,
There's nothing my God cannot do.
[clap, clap]

Did you know that there are around 4.7 billion people in the world who would say the above statement? Out of the 6.7 billion people in the world, more than half could make those claims! Unfortunately, only 1.9 billion of those people call themselves Christians. Even worse, there are many people who will call themselves Christians who only think of God in terms of "big" and "mighty." Thankfully, there is much more to God than that.

From The Baptist Faith and Message:

There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

* * * * *
"OK, OK!" You say. "What is so special about that statement that I didn't already know?" First, let me quote author Brennan Manning, "The moment you think you understand is the moment you do not understand. I am God not man....When you try to convince others that you understand what you are talking about, I will tell you to shut up and fall flat on your face" (Manning 160).

• God is Creator (Isa. 43:15, "I am the LORD, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King."), Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler. Everything that is created is through Christ. Salvation (redemption) is only through Christ. Every moment the only reason we exist is because God wills it (He preserves us, and if he ever failed to do so, we would not exist). He rules over the universe--even when babies die, moms get cancer, and there's a war in Iraq.

• God is all-powerful and all-knowing. He can do anything because he is so mighty. He can both stop and start natural disasters. He can cause and end temptation. He can turn hearts toward or against Himself. He knows what you will do tomorrow, He even knows what you'll think in your heart while you're reading your Bible, praying, or talking with friends. He knew your heart when he created the world, and he knows all of our motives for doing something.
  

• God exists in the Trinity, with three different personalities who have different attributes, but share the same nature, essence, and being. There are not three parts of God--he is One. There are not three separate forms of God--he is One. In the words of Wayne Grudem, "The fact that God is three persons means that the Father is not the Son; they are distinct persons. It also means that the Father is not the Holy Spirit, but that they are distinct persons. And it means that the Son is not the Holy Spirit" (Grudem 239). Each person (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) has different characteristics and roles, but each share the same qualities: holiness, all-knowing, all-powerful, always present.
  
• There are many people who believe that the idea of "trinity" is ridiculous because 1) the term does not appear in the Bible and 2) it does not make sense. These people include Muslims, Mormons, Unitarians, and Jehovah's Witnesses, and they consequently do not believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, the Lord and Savior.
  
• Although the word "Trinity" does not appear in the Bible, there are times when the Bible mentions the three personalities of God, which help us conclude that there are three distinct persons from the one Holy God (Mt. 28:19, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," Jn. 14:26, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you," and Gen. 1:26, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...").
  

* * *
What do Baptists Believe about God the Father?

From The Baptist Faith and Message:

God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.

* * *

Ex. 14:11-14, "Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them. You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.”

prov·i·dence - divine guidance; not ruled by chance or by fate but by God, who directs history and creation toward an ultimate goal (Grenz).

Baptists believe that God really is in control of the universe, and is overseeing everything for an ultimate goal (Acts 1:7, "He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.’"). Today there are people who call themselves Christians who do not believe this, but believe that God has removed himself from creation--either temporarily or permanently. This means that they think God has nothing to do with what happens in the world, but think everything is the consequence of something else.

We also believe that God is all-powerful (omnipotent), all-knowing (omniscient), all-loving, and all-wise. When a person becomes a Christian, he is adopted as a son of God, and God relates to him as a father to a son. We can see this illustrated in the story of the prodigal son, and in how God relates to the Israelites in the Old Testament.

1 Tim. 1:17, "To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen."

Works Cited:
Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.
Grenz, Stanley J., David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling. Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms. Downers Grove, Ill: Intervarsity, 1999.
Manning, Brennan. The Ragamuffin Gospel. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 2000.

recap: what about the guilt?

Wednesday we looked at how we all have guilt in our lives. We talked about how it makes us feel: angry, sad, evasive, insane. When we as Christians experience guilt, there are many things that go through our heads: (1) why did I do that? (2) what do I do now? (3) how can I earn God's favor? (4) how do I get rid of the guilt? The answers aren't easy to listen to, but the Bible helps us understand how we as Christians can be free from guilt that can enslave our emotions, mind, and witness to unbelievers.

As Christians, everything we do is through Christ. I challenge you to read through the book of Ephesians and count how many times Paul uses the phrase "in Christ" or "through Christ"--it's all over the place! Because of this, we should always realize that everything we do centers on what Christ has already done for us. So, any time we encounter a problem, we should always look to Christ. To resolve our guilt issues, we look to the very core of who we are as believers--how we are saved.

Before we acknowledge Jesus as Lord, confess Him as Savior, and repent of our sins, we are blinded by sin. Eph. 2:1-3, "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind." As sinners, we are completely in the negative--like a person who tries to play Jeopardy and misses every question, with no hope of ever getting a question right, scoring -$65000. We are wearing sin when God requires us to wear his colors of holiness.
When Christ died, he removed our guilt of sin before God. Did he remove the sin? No. He removed the guilt of it. The Message paraphrase of the Bible puts Rom. 3:21-28 like this, "Since we've compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ. God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. Having faith in him sets us in the clear. God decided on this course of action in full view of the public—to set the world in the clear with himself through the sacrifice of Jesus, finally taking care of the sins he had so patiently endured. This is not only clear, but it's now—this is current history! God sets things right. He also makes it possible for us to live in his rightness. So where does that leave our proud Jewish insider claims and counter-claims? Canceled? Yes, canceled. What we've learned is this: God does not respond to what we do; we respond to what God does. We've finally figured it out. Our lives get in step with God and all others by letting him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade." It's like in Jeopardy, if Christ has all the points and he has Trebek level out our score to an even $0. Does that make us somewhat smart? No, it just means we look it. In our clothes analogy, that leaves us wearing gray.
The problem with gray is that it is not enough. In order to be holy, in order to be acceptable by God, God needs to look at us and declare, "You are perfect! You are righteous! You are holy!" But as people blinded by sin, can we ever do anything that is perfect, righteous, or holy? No. That is why Christ lived a perfect life and died on the Cross. Just as Christ took on our guilt--he took credit for all of our sin, rendering us guilt-less before God--he also gives us his perfection, his righteousness, his holiness. Rom. 5:1, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." In Jeopardy, he gives us points to make us have $65000. He gives us a purple garment to wear, royal clothes that we don't deserve.
We still have sin, yeah. We are still sinners. However, when we come to Christ we know that Jesus has removed the guilt of sin before God. Not only has he removed guilt, but he has given us the credit for his perfection. He has given us credit for something we did not do, but something he did--to live a perfect, holy life.
When we sin, we do not need to rack ourselves with guilt about how horrible we are. Yes, we are horrible! It's a fact, and God knew that fact at the beginning of creation, the day Jesus died on the Cross, and he knows that today! That is why he sent Christ to be our perfection. The only reason we are ever acceptable before God is because Christ has given us credit for the way he lived. Nothing you do is ever pleasing to God, but everything that Christ did is.

When you feel guilt, thank God that Christ has saved you. Rom. 8:33-34, "Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us." Repent of whatever you did to incur guilt. Be honest with others about your guilt, which is hard, but will give you a chance to testify about what Christ has done for you. It is an instant witnessing opportunity. Yes, it is hard. Giving Christ the glory he deserves is hard when our world is totally against it. However, it will set you free. John 8:36, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

Here are the four questions again. Can you think of any others that run through your head? Are there any questions you still can't answer?
(1) why did I do that?
(2) what do I do now?
(3) how can I earn God's favor?
(4) how do I get rid of the guilt?

What do Baptists Believe about the Scriptures?

What do we believe as Baptists? Often, we can go to church, read our Bibles, and not really think about why we believe what we believe--if we even know what we believe. So, for those who want to know what Baptists believe, and why, there is a booklet called The Baptist Faith and Message.

Today we'll start by looking at the first article of this booklet, which is about the Scriptures.

What do we believe about the Scriptures?

From The Baptist Faith and Message:

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.

* * * * *

Baptists believe that the Bible is the word of God written down. A key to understanding why we believe what we believe about the Bible, we need to focus on the fact that the Bible is the word of God.

As the word of God, the Bible was written by men who were inspired by God through the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:19-21, “And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”) This does not mean that God dictated the words to men, but it does mean that God brought ideas to the biblical writers, and then guided the process of recording those accounts. Therefore, God was involved with every word included in the Bible. Sometimes he spoke these words directly to men (Ex. 24:4 “And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD…”). Writers like the apostles were empowered by the Holy Spirit to recall the life and teachings of Jesus (John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”).

The entire Bible is an account of the invisible God showing his character to mankind. The Old Testament explains God’s character by tracing God’s work in creation and in saving the nation of Israel. Just as the Old Testament reveals God’s character through the written word, the New Testament reveals God’s character through Jesus, who is God incarnate, the living Word.

Unlike any other “religious book,” the Bible is God showing himself to man instead of man writing about who God is. It is a gift to us from God, a gift of his grace. Psalms 19:7-10, “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.”

Ultimately, the result of the word of God is the salvation of man. The Old Testament was sufficient to save the Jews before Christ came. Similarly, Christ is the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation for His People, and is sufficient to save all people (2 Tim. 3:14-15, “But as for you continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”). The Bible is necessary for knowing the gospel (Rom. 10:14, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”), and for maintaining a relationship with the Lord (Matt. 4:4, “…Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”).

The most distinct belief from other Christians that Baptists have about the Bible is that Baptists believe that the Bible is inerrant. “Inerrant” means that the Bible is completely without error. We hold this belief because the words of God are true, without even the slightest error. Others may hold a variety of ideas about the Bible, including:

• the Bible contains God’s words, but is not God’s word.
• the miraculous accounts aren’t true, including stories like the flood and resurrection
• the Bible isn’t true word-for-word, but its morals are true
• the Bible is inaccurate about issues of math and science, but true about everything else
• the Bible’s morals were true to Biblical culture, but not for everybody

Because the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself, and is totally true, it is a standard by which we will be judged at the end of time. On that day, we will be judged according to our faith in Christ (Acts 2:21, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”). Until that time, we should judge everything we encounter by the Bible, to see if it is Truthful. This includes books, movies, and even textbooks. Isaiah 40:8, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

All Scripture culminates and revolves around God Incarnate, Jesus Christ (Matt. 5: 17-18, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”).

Finally, Baptists believe that the Bible is all Christians need to know to be saved and to maintain a relationship with the Lord. Others think they need to read spiritual books or “missing books of the Bible” to know about God. Some others believe that God speaks today through other religious books, or through modern prophets. Baptists, however, hold that nothing can have the authority of the Bible, and that the bible is sufficient for all knowledge of God and Jesus Christ (Deut. 4:1-2, "And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.”).

* * * * *
As we learn why Baptists believe what, we have set up a discussion forum. This forum is a safe place where you can sign up with your parents' permission. The website is secure, so only those who are registered will be able to participate, including in reading the forums. In the future, we'll add things to discuss, but for now we will limit it to our beliefs. You can access the forum and register here.

Discussion Questions:

1) Is the Bible totally 100% without error? What about evolution?

2) Wouldn’t the Apocrypha—the books in the Catholic Bible—help us understand more about God?

3) How can the Bible be called the “word of God” if God did not dictate it to man?

4) How is the Bible useful?

5) What about other religions? Don’t they contain truth?

Parents: Safe Internet for Your Kids

Hey Parents!

I'm sure many of you already have taken measures to child/teenage/Christian-proof your internet, but I wanted to let you know what my family has begun using. Why should you use this, you ask?
1) It is free.
2) It works.
3) It will not slow down your computer.

First, you will have to download Mozilla Firefox. This is a popular web browser that works within Windows and Linux, similar to Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. If you have Internet Explorer, you'll even be able to directly import your bookmarks to Firefox upon download. I have used Firefox for three years now, and the uber-nerd in me always sighs in discontent when I'm on a computer that uses Internet Explorer--Firefox is faster, more accurate, and easier to navigate. Plus, it provides abundant resources like the security ones I'm about to explain.
~ visit the site
~ download Firefox here, for free.

Second, you will have to place add-ons to your Firefox. Add-ons are additions to your browser that help you surf the internet. Here are the three you need today:
1. FoxFilter - a content filter that also blocks access to websites deemed inappropriate
~ see internet site
~ place total trust in me, and just download it
(note: FoxFilter is so strong that it will often block webpages like Yahoo or something that could have unsuitable content. If you still need to get to a website that it deems inappropriate, you just have to disable the function momentarily by going through tools ==> FoxFilter Preferences)

2. ProCon Latte - a content filter that will give you the option to only allow websites you place on a white list to be seen. This is perfect for kids, because it limits where they can visit on the internet.
~ see internet site
~ download here
(note: ProCon Latte carries the same "difficulties" as FoxFilter. To change settings, just go through tools ==> ProCon)

and now, the best is saved for last:
3. Ad-Block Plus - this tool literally blocks every ad you could ever encounter on the web. I love it. No more half-dressed ladies on the sidebar while I'm trying to read a news article. No more "game" that will result in my winning $1000. Not only does it block out annoyances, but as many of you know, removing the ads more than likely assist our men and young men keep their minds captivated by Christ.
~ see internet site
~ download here

Thanks! Hope this helps!

The Rebelution

September 15, 2007 Indianapolis, IN Conference for parents and teenagers!

Would you like to go?

goto www.therebelution.com for more information.

I would love to take a group!

Let me know...

Long time No Post!

I can't believe it has nearly been a solid month since I have last posted something. I apologize for my blatant lack of posting. However, I have been a little on the busy side with the birth of my new daugther and the possiblity of moving soon, so I will hide in the facade of being undisruptably busy! HA

So there is much to talk about and I will be posting a lot about what is going on and we will be on track as to where we are going, but first I must update the calendar so you know what to expect!
So...off I go!

journey-ministries #8

Gabcast! journey-ministries #8