Baptism is always a worthy topic of consideration since its meaning and utility are so diluted today as to render it meaningless in the eyes of many contemporary theologians. As with any doctrine, it must be approached with one achievable goal in mind: to understand what the Will of the Lord is and, with the understanding, to execute it to our utmost. There are few doctrines, with the exception of Hell and Judgment, that are as or more conspicuous in the Bible.
The Gospel Saves Posts
Luke 6:13 records, “[Jesus] called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles….” Where are these apostles today? Depends on who you ask. These original twelve apostles called by Jesus have been gone for centuries, but the religious world is certainly not without people calling themselves “apostles” today.
In Romans 6:1 Paul asks the following as a follow up to his previous point, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” Chapter five explained that through Adam sin entered the world, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” Sin is the breaking of law. “For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.” There was offense before the covenant given through Moses. Sin was in the world, and death by that sin.
A few brief thoughts… When I was in college in the mid-nineties, I recall individuals from a local denomination walking the campus in the evening, initiating conversations with students about their salvation. Their approach was direct, and memorable. When afforded the opportunity, they inquired of a prospective convert, “Are you saved?” It was a good question, and not a bad conversation starter. I’ve since borrowed it myself. Of course, if the student they asked responded with a “no,” they would then attempt to share the plan of salvation with him/her as they understood it. And they understood it differently than I do. For if memory (and youthful perception) serves me correctly, I recall walking by one of them one evening as he was bowing in prayer with another. I can’t be certain what they were praying about, but based on what I know of this denomination, it’s quite possible they were praying what is often referred to as “the sinner’s prayer.”
Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life,and may enter through the gates into the city. (Rev. 22:14)
All of God’s creation must respond to the Creator. The creation is set within the bounds God designed. There is no circumventing.
A couple of months ago there was a good deal of discussion concerning what God requires of us, if anything, in order to obtain salvation. I was following the discussion, and one of the participants appeared to be confusing unmerited favor and unconditional salvation. I would like to spend a little time discussing these two concepts. The salvation that is from the Lord cannot be earned, therefore it is unmerited.
Last week, one of our contributors wrote an excellent article entitled, “Faith vs. Reason”. Undoubtedly scientists create a false polarity by opposing faith with reason, particularly when so many scientific theories require a large measure of faith. As Thomas well pointed out, the religiously-minded who extract reason from faith often substitute feelings/emotion. These supposedly indicate or manifest human spirituality. If human spirituality is either defined as or confined to those terms, what makes us different than any other creature which manifests those feelings/emotions?
Religion vs Atheism. Creation vs Evolution. Science vs Religion. Many of the great debates today are phrased in the context of Faith vs Reason. It is assumed that faith and reason are incompatible opposites. Caricatures of both sides are often accepted as fact. Atheists are seen as having of no faith in anything besides themselves, living sad and worthless lives. The religious are seen as having no capacity for reason, blindly believing the words in an ancient book, living sad and worthless lives. Neither view seems to be particularly useful as a starting point in a genuine discussion. As such this article will seek to reframe the discussion. Are faith and reason truly opposite viewpoints, opposing frameworks from which to view the world? Are they mutually exclusive concepts?
In Ecclesiastes 3:1, Solomon writes: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven”.
In the seven verses that follow, Solomon goes on to provide a handful of examples that cover the broad spectrum of the human experience; from birth, gain, love, peace and laughter to death, loss, hate, war and mourning. A sampling of both things we spend great amounts of time, energy and resources trying to fill our short lives with, coupled with those we go to equally great lengths trying to avoid altogether. Nonetheless, the wise and inspired writer tells us that each has its rightful place in our lives and that God has made them all beautiful in their time (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
In Psalm 19 David writes about the creation and the word of God. David gives no indication why both of these subjects are contained within one Psalm. The Psalm reads as if these are two non-related, distinct thoughts. However, God’s creation and God’s word do have one very important characteristic in common. These are two pieces of evidence we have of God’s existence. As David writes in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.”