Which Baptist Church Teaches.....

Dear Sister,

It took a little more than 2nd grade education to send the Rover to Mars and enable it to function there. And it takes a little more than 2nd year Greek to fully appreciate the concept and working of God’s grace in the lives of men. And believe it or not, there are some individuals arguing in this thread who haven’t even completed two years of Greek at the seminary level!

It is good and proper for all of us to SHARE what we have learned, but for those who have learned little to ARGUE with those who have learned much seems to me to be on the side of the ridiculous. What would you think of me if you posted on a subject that you have studied for many years and I argued with you even though I have not studied your subject?

I can still remember the first time I walked through a large university library. As I walked past the miles and miles of stacks, I pondered how very much learning the millions of volumes represented and how very ignorant I was, and I determined to make at least a dent in that ignorance of mine and to make at least a dent in the ignorance of others.

But, oddly enough, the more that I studied the more I become aware of how much more there is to learn. Both God and His grace are infinite, and anyone who tries to put either God or His grace into a box is going to break that box and make a mess of things. And the study of God’s grace is fundamental to the understanding of the doctrines of salvation and their peripheral doctrines. Although you seem to argue against almost everything that I post, please understand that I am posting in order to be a blessing to you by sharing with you a little of what God has shared with me through the ministry of academic scholarship, and I pray from my inner most being that at least something that I post will be a blessing to you.

 

I suppose that if I got my understanding about Jesus and his saving grace by looking up words in a dictionary rather than by studying the Bible I would be confused too!

However, for those who wish to get their understanding about Jesus and his saving grace by looking words up in a dictionary, I suggest that they use a SUBSTANTIALLY more appropriate dictionary than the one that RightFromWrong used. The very most appropriate one for this purpose is the 10 volume Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. This is by far the best dictionary to use if you care enough about the correct meaning of the words used in the Greek New Testament to REALLY study them.

P.S. You will find the definition of the Greek word translated “grace” in volume 9, on pages 373-402. Yes, that’s right—God’s grace is not such an extremely simple concept as some people who have never studied believe it to be.

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You have not read the thousands of volumes that I have studied that support my position and you have, therefore, no basis of fact to evaluate my position. I, on the other hand, have studied hundreds of volumes that teach your position and I have learned first hand that the authors were comparatively lacking in their education and their knowledge of the Bible, giving me in a very solid basis of fact to evaluate your position and I have done so—it is a false teaching based upon misinformation.

I realize very well, however, that unless an individual has a very extensive and highly academic education he does not have the basis to know what such a thing is, and from their point of view their authors have an extensive and highly academic, so this discussion will take us nowhere that is profitable for anyone.

Back to your original question. Most Baptist denominations teach eternal security; most other denominations do not. Within the Baptist denominations that do teach eternal security there are typically some individuals who have carefully and prayerfully studied the Bible on their own or through some other means come to the conclusion that the doctrine of eternal security is a false doctrine, but some of these individuals choose to remain in their church and denomination. Personally, I have never believed in the doctrine of eternal security but my other beliefs are more Baptist than they are Lutheran or any other denomination. And you might be surprised by how many Baptist pastors and laymen believe in conditional security but share that belief only with close friends that are not blabbermouths.

 

Perhaps Craig I did not read as carefully all of your posts as I should have, and for that I apologize. Now, perhaps you could give an answer to the one post that I did make where I demonstrated through Scripture that Hebrew was often used by the Jews of NT times.
DHK

 

This ought to be the conclustion of the whole matter. Those distinctives include sola scriptura or the Bible as our final authority in all points of faith and doctrine. Thus it really doesn't matter to me how many church fathers one can find that didn't believe in OSAS or how many scholars deny eternal security, it is the Word of God that counts. Thus saith the Lord! What does he say? Not man.

The Priesthood of the believer, that every believer is a priest before God.
Soul liberty, that we all have the right and obligation to determine for ourselves what we believe the Bible is teaching. I cannot be condemned by others for what I believe. I will fight for your right to believe what you believe though I may disagree with it. This has been one of the hallmarks of Baptists throughout the ages.

The autonomoy of the local church. You are so right. There is no "Baptist Church," only Baptist churches, and many of them, all independent one from another. We have no denomination. Each church is autonomous.

Each church is composed of baptized and regenerated members.
Baptism by immersion and the Lord's Table are the only two ordinances. No such thing as sacraments.
Separation from church and state.
Separation ecclesiastically and ethically.

These are most of the distinctives that Baptists would hold to, and that would differentiate Baptists from other groups of believers and non-believers alike.

There have been both Calvinistic and Arminian Baptists.
DHK