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.

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"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...").
  

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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.”).

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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...