Posted on 02/28/2008 6:25:40 AM PST by Manfred the Wonder Dawg
I’m a born again Christian. I was Episcopalian until a teenager, a Methodist for many years, a Baptist (where I finally heard about salvation) and now I belong to a church that believes in the Trinity, the baptism of the Holy Spirit and all the gifts of the Spirit. Great place to worship. Been there 25 years.
RCC religion is what I was talking about.
Thank you, Quix!
Thank you for your good reasoned answer. I did think you were Catholic. Of course we will always commit sin, even when we’re born again, but Jesus does forgive us our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. I will never believe that babies go to hell.
“...and now I belong to a church that believes...”
And what Church (denomination) is that?
The baby doesn't look back. The believer looks back and sees that God has been guiding his steps from the day of his birth. Don't you believe that, William?
Why not join the RCC then. How is what you're saying any different than what they say?
We've said several times now the grace that is present at baptism and the Lord's Supper is not saving grace, but his presence is felt more dearly during the observation of His commandments as He instructed -- "remember me, and be baptized in my name."
This is why it's hard for me to understand a reformed Baptist. I can understand free will Baptists saying our public declaration of faith is required for our salvation. But for a predestinarian Baptist (thank God they exist and thrive by His grace) to say that "something must be done in order for our salvation to be accomplished" really truly smacks of Rome and Arminianism.
Can God save without baptism? Of course He can. And most likely does. But for those of us who have been given the Bible and new eyes, we know it is His will for us that we are baptized into his family which is simply a recognition of our birthright as His seed. Infant baptism affirms the new covenant.
We aren't saved by our assent to faith. We are saved by grace through faith...which is given to His children from their first breath according to His decree from before the foundation of the world. Graces saves, and grace alone. Our faith is the fruit of that grace which grows at a time of God's choosing.
Exactly. Much like the muslim rules in the “land of war”, anything goes.
I feel sometimes I’m shouting into the wind here... thanks.
It’s a non denominational church. We used to be Baptists but that changed. We’re under the umbrella of Elim Bible Fellowship, a charismatic, spirit-filled, bible believing school and institution.
“We used to be Baptists but that changed. “
Which of the many denominations that you have followed has “plenty of heresy in it” and how do you know the one you currently adhere to does not?
Gee, I didn't know BJ Clinton went into the evangelism bidnis!
PRIESTS WHO LEAVE TO MARRY
Factor in deaths, retirement, for reasons of faith, "kicked out", etc., and it is rather simple to say "thousands" leave each year.
I await your documented rebuttal.
PUHHHHLLLLLLEASSSSSE
DR E!
Using ROME and Armenianism
in the same sentence . . .
more than gauche! . . . I might have to get my PeptoBismol!
He did it all. God elects; Christ redeems; the Holy Spirit sanctifies.
We live out God's thoughts after Him. For those who have been given faith in Christ, that is wonderful, merciful news.
For those who haven't been given faith in Christ...well, they don't want it anyway because Christ assures us that when someone asks... "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7 and Luke 11:9)
Here's a quick comparison. When you have a few moments, read it and see where you disagree. I once tried, but failed.
Pinging Wmfights because I know he loves that question. 8~)
Seventeen hundred is not “many thousands,” if that number is even accurate.
Death is not “leaving the priesthood,” it is death. Retired priests are still priests.
Your funny numbers did not stand up to scrutiny. You failed.
AMEN!
My husband attended a Jesuit prep school. At the time there were 50 priests. Now there are two with twice the student enrollment.
Monasticism is not the way God intended men and women to live. It does not glorify God; it denies God's instruction to "be fruitful and multiply."
ALL religions have heresy of one kind of another. As long as our pastors stick to scripture, I have no problem with it. The Holy Spirit is perfectly capable of showing us error.
I believe what is latent in "believers baptism" is the pernicious error of Neonomianism (new law). This is the belief that the new covenant instituted a new law to be obeyed, namely faith. This was the error addressed at the synod of Dordt. It displaces grace (Gospel) with law. In it's practical application, believers baptism then glorifies the believers faith instead of God's grace.
The other major problems of the baptistic mindset is the position of their children in relation to God and the evidence of faith. God has always dealt with families beginning with Adam through Seth and Noah to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is truly evidenced by the importance of geneology in Scripture. Children were always considered part of the family of God unless they proved to be ungrateful through their disobedience.
Because of the baptistic tendency toward revivalism and the evidence of faith being an emotional encounter with God one wonders of the children who being raised by godly parents and perhaps always having an implicit faith in God how they must doubt themselves for lacking an emotional experience, if that be the case? I think this is a terrible burden to put on them.
In the Sacraments God accomodates our finite and sinful nature. Because the spiritual realities are beyond our comprehension God conjoins the spiritual reality with the physical manifestation to help our understanding which is a true blessing.
Our difference with the Romanists are that the spiritual reality must always be distinguished from the sign so that we always look toward Christ instead of the sign. But the spiritual reality does accompany the sign when accepted by faith so that by our senses we can understand that reality. The Romanists, otoh, make the sign the reality.
Moreover, when we speak of sacraments, two things are to be considered, the sign and the thing itself. In baptism the sign is water, but the thing is the washing of the soul by the blood of Christ and the mortifying of the flesh. The institution of Christ includes these two things. Now that the sign appears often inefficacious and fruitless, this happens through the abuse of men, which does not take away the nature of the sacrament. Let us then learn not to tear away the thing signified from the sign. We must at the same time beware of another evil, such as prevails among the Papists; for as they distinguish not as they ought between the thing and the sign, they stop at the outward element, and on that fix their hope of salvation. Therefore the sight of the water takes away their thoughts from the blood of Christ and the power of the Spirit. They do not regard Christ as the only author of all the blessings therein offered to us; they transfer the glory of his death to the water, they tie the secret power of the Spirit to the visible sign.Calvin's Commentaries, 1st Peter
Traditions of men. How odd.
“Papal god?”
You seem to have been blessed with a very vivid imagination.
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