Southern Baptist Convention responding to this Lutheran/Baptist blog

(The Southern Baptist Convention has agreed to respond to selected Lutheran doctrines and positions discussed on this blog.  Below is the opening statement of Pastor Stephen Cavness of the Southern Baptist Convention who has kindly agreed to respond for the SBC.  After his opening statement, I will provide a list of the posts/topics to which he will be responding so that you, the reader, can easily access these responses.)

Greetings!

My name is Stephen Cavness, and I am the pastor of Cave City Baptist Church, in Cave City, Ky. Gary contacted me, through one of the Southern Baptist Convention’s [hereafter, SBC] Executive Committee members, and asked me to provide a response to some of his posts here from a Southern Baptist perspective. I appreciate the invitation and am glad to participate!

Before I begin responding to specifics, I would like to provide some clarity and context for my replies. I am first and foremost a follower of Christ, saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.  That is to say, I am first a Christian, by the grace of God, and secondly a Baptist, by choice/conviction.

My great-grandfather, grandfather, and father were/are all Southern Baptist pastors. Early in life I decided that I would never be a pastor and I spent the first part of my adult life running in the opposite direction of ministry. But eventually, the Lord had His way with me and since I have relented to His call on my life (not because of any type of family requirement or obligation, but because of His sovereign will and plan for my life) I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Having said that, to be “Baptist”, particularly “Southern Baptist” is somewhat of a mixed bag. One of the pillars of Baptist doctrine is the autonomy of the local church, and as such, there is no official ruling or governing body for all Baptists, nor is there an official or binding confessional document for all Baptists. Even in the SBC, individual churches do not have to have the SBC’s confessional statement [The Baptist Faith & Message (2000)] as their confession of faith. The SBC is, in simplest terms, a network of churches that pool designated money together for missionary endeavors locally and internationally. Those who hold office in the SBC have no ”ruling” authority over any church or individual in the SBC, for there is no authority to command or dictate any action or inaction by any church or individual.

All of that to say, though I have been invited to give the “official” SBC response/ stance regarding some of the issues raised on this blogsite, at most I can appeal to what Southern Baptists have “historically” and “broadly” believed. Among Southern Baptists, there is great diversity in methodology and theology. What I will seek to do is respond according to what, as best as I can tell, is a “consensus” of what SBC churches/ members would believe. Where my own individual views differ, or go further than that, I will seek to make that known and differentiate between the two.

So, sitting at my desk, which is situated under a portrait of Martin Luther and is across the room from book shelves which contain multiple volumes of Luther’s sermons, writings, catechisms, & biographies, I look forward to this endeavor!

Pastor Stephen Cavness
Cave City Baptist Church
Southern Baptist Convention

(Note from blog author on how to access Pastor Caveness Baptist responses):
To read the Southern Baptist responses by Pastor Cavness, follow the instructions below.  He will be posting comments to at least two posts/topics on the following list, in order, per week, over the next several weeks.  You will need to check back periodically to read all his responses:

1.  On the right of your computer screen, scroll down until you come to a heading entitled: Blog Archive

2. Below this heading, click on the year: 2011

3. Below this year, click on the month: October

5. Below this month, click on the following posts and go to the comments section at the end of each post to read Pastor Cavness' responses.  Follow the same procedure for posts in subsequent months.

Luther was Not Born Again.
Baptist/evangelical doctrine of Salvation
Dead men don’t make Decisions
How do you know that you are saved?
So how ARE you saved?
Yes! God saves Babies!
The Lord’s Supper

November 2011

The literal interpretation of the Bible
Does God speak to you personally?
Law and Gospel: Luther’s view of the Bible

February 2012

Do Lutherans need to "accept" Christ?
 
March 2012

By what authority do you interpret the Bible?
An Open Letter to Baptist Pastors
When the Rapture comes, can I have your car?
This Do in Remembrance of Me
Free Will
Great Analogy on the Lord’s Supper

April 2012

Baptism is OUR profession of faith
Southern Baptist statement on "How to become a Christian"
Lutheran and Baptist Common Ground
Six Baptism stories (Pastor Cavness will respond to at least one story)
Does God have to make sense to believe him?
The Baptist interpretation of the Bible makes a lot of sense

Why don't Lutherans practice "Believer's Baptism" like they did in the New Testament?

This is a common Baptist and evangelical criticism of Lutherans.

"The baptism accounts in the New Testament all involve adults who believe and then are baptized," they say.  You Lutherans should not be baptizing babies.  It is not scriptural.  Babies don't have the intelligence and emotional maturity to make a decision to believe."

Seventy million Lutherans worldwide would wholeheartedly agree with that last sentence! 

"Our Baptist and evangelical brothers and sisters:  You are 100% correct!  Babies cannot make a decision to believe.  But my Baptist and evangelical friends...neither can adults!"

The baby and the adult sinner are both dead spiritually, according to God's Word in the second chapters of both Ephesians and Colossians.  Neither the baby nor the adult can make a decision to believe.  It is impossible.  They are spiritually dead!

Believing is a gift from God.  Your belief is not dependent on any human quality that you possess.  If your ability to believe is based on your adult maturity and intelligence, then your salvation is no longer a free gift, completely dependent upon the grace of God.  Your salvation is then partly dependent on YOU and what you can provide in a salvation transaction with God.

Salvation doesn't work that way!  Salvation is all God.  Our belief is a gift from God.  It is our response to his saving action.  Our belief is not something we conjure up from our own human abilities.

Babies and adults believe because God provides the belief.  Yes, dear Baptist and evangelical friends, Lutherans do believe in believer's baptism.  God is providing belief, repentance, faith, and forgiveness of sins while the waters of baptism are flowing over the infant's head!

Now that is believer's baptism!

The Baptist interpretation of the Bible makes alot of sense

The Baptist interpretation of the Bible makes alot of sense... but that is exactly why it is wrong!

Baptists believe that since God states, in some verses of the Bible, that the sinner is saved when he believes, they then conclude that this means that the only way to be saved is for an adult sinner to make a decision to believe.  They ignore or re-interpret verses that discuss other times or ways in which God saves.  They do this so that all the verses on the subject of salvation make sense as a whole.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, Almighty God does not have to make sense in order for his children to be required to believe and obey Him!

Did Abraham demand that God make sense when God asked him to sacrifice his only son whom God had promised to his barren, ninety-something year old wife?

Did Moses demand that God make sense when God told him to place his staff into the Red Sea to part the sea as a means of escape for the children of Israel?

Did Samuel demand that God make sense when God passed over all the big, strong older sons of Jesse and instead chose little David to be King of Israel?

Did Naaman demand that God make sense before he obeyed the prophet's command to dip seven times into the muddy Jordan River to be healed?

Did the Apostles demand that God make sense when he sent the Jewish messiah as a humble carpenter from Nazareth instead of as a powerful earthly conqueror and king?

God seems to enjoy NOT making sense.  Maybe that's why Christ said that in order to enter the kingdom of heaven one must have the faith of a little child.   Little children don't demand that everything make sense.  They believe whatever their parents say.

So if God says in one verse of scripture:  "Believe and you will be saved."
And in another:  "Call on the name of the Lord and you will be saved."
And in another:  "Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins."
And in another:  "Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins."
And in another:  "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved."
and in another:  "Baptism doth now save you."
...Just  believe him, and do what he says!

If you believe, you will be saved.
If you call, you will be saved.
If you repent and are baptized, your sins will be forgiven.
If you are baptized, your sins will be washed away.
If you believe and are baptized, you will be saved.
Your baptism saves you.

It doesn't have to make sense!  Just do them! 

Believe, call, repent, be baptized!  None of these actions are "works".  They are God's commands for those He has predestined and quickened to be His children!  He is the one who saves, not us.  We are not saved by our "decision".  We are not saved by our good works.  Salvation is all God!  He can save us when and where he chooses at any stage of our lives.  He can save us as an adult who hears the Gospel preached.  He can save us as an infant by the power of the spoken Word at baptism.

The sinner does not initiate his salvation!  God initiates and completes salvation.  The sinner's response is to believe. 

And yes, my Baptist and evangelical friends, an infant can believe.  Remember:  faith, believing, calling, repenting are all gifts from God.  They are not something the sinner conjures up on his own by his free will.  Read the first chapter of Luke for an example of God giving faith and the Holy Ghost to an infant.  It can happen.  It does happen!

Shame on German Lutherans

Last night I watched a television program about the German invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II.  I was appalled by the accounts of entire villages of men, women and children being rounded up and murdered.

How could a Christian nation commit such depraved atrocities?

How could a Lutheran nation commit such depraved atrocities?

I just don't understand it.  How could Lutheran German soldiers have committed these horrific crimes?  It is incomprehensible to me that any Christian, and even more so, a Lutheran, could kill innocent women and children.  How can you kill someone for no other crime other than for being a Jew or a Slav?  How was Hitler able to erase from their consciences what these young Germans had learned as children in Lutheran catechism?  How was he able to erase from their consciences what they had memorized in the Ten Commandments:  "Thou shalt not kill"?

I have always been proud of my German heritage.  Watching that television program made me sick and ashamed.

God forgive the German people.   God forgive German Lutherans.

Does God have to make sense to believe Him?

I believe that I have figured out the cornerstone issue that divides Baptists/evangelicals and Lutherans.

Baptists and evangelicals believe that the plan of salvation, the Bible, and therefore God, must make sense in order to believe literally what God says.  Lutherans, on the other hand, do not believe that God needs to make sense or conform to human reason and logic before what He says can be believed literally.

Here is an example:  If the Bible says "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" and in another verse it says, "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved", the Baptist will say that a contradiction exists in the literal interpretation of both of these verses.  Therefore, one verse must be believed literally, and one must be read figuratively or re-interpreted by the verse chosen to be read literally.

"You cannot be saved when you believe and be saved when you believe and are baptized," says the Baptist/evangelical.

"But if God says both, why not just believe both!" says the Lutheran.  "The one verse does not need to be re-interpreted or clarified just so that the two verses will be compatible to the human mind."

If Baptists and evangelicals could realize that God is not confined to man's logic and reason, I believe that they could then see that the Lutheran positions on salvation/justification, baptism, and the Lord's Supper are the literal Word of God!

Baptism Story 6: The Philippian Jailer

In Acts chapter 16 Paul and Silas are thrown into jail in Philippi.  While they are praying and singing a great earthquake occurs.  All the doors in the jail are opened and all the shackles of the prisoners are broken.

The jailer wakes up and sees the jail doors open and prepares to kill himself.  Paul and Silas call out to him not to harm himself. 

The jailer replies, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"  They respond, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."  Then the jailer and his household are baptized that night.

This is a very popular scripture passage with Baptists and evangelicals because believing is the only requirement stated for salvation.

Lutherans like this verse too.  We believe this verse literally because it is what God says.  This verse makes it clear that baptism, good works, nor anything else is required for salvation other than believing.

One part of this verse that Baptists and evangelicals tend to omit in the discussion of this verse, however, is the last part of verse 31:  "and thy house."

Paul and Silas promise salvation to the household of the Philippian jailer if and when HE believes.  Why would they promise salvation to persons who had not yet heard the Gospel and had not yet made a personal decision to accept Christ?

Lutherans believe that the Jewish custom of household conversion continued into the New Covenant of the New Testament:  when the head of the household believed, the entire family (including infants) automatically converted with him.  This is why Paul and Silas could include the man's family in the promise of salvation if he would believe.

Once again, Baptists and evangelicals will attempt to reinterpret this phrase because "and thy house" does not fit into their doctrinal thinking on how a sinner is saved.

Baptism Story 5: Lydia and her household

In Acts chapter 16 we find the story of Lydia, a woman of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods.

Lydia hears Paul preach in Philippi, and the Bible says the Lord opened her heart, and she attended to the things spoken by him.  Then she and her household were baptized.

So, God opened her heart so that she paid attention to what Paul was preaching.  Then she and her household were baptized.  There is no mention in that verse of Lydia coming to Christ by making a free will decision.  God came to her.

Baptism Story 4: Peter and Cornelius

In Acts chapter 10 we read the story of the Roman centurion, Cornelius, and his encounter with the apostle Peter.  Conelius and his entire household convert to Christianity.

While Peter was speaking to them, the Holy Spirit "fell on them".

Peter then asks why Cornelius and his family should not be baptized.

So in this account, the Holy Spirit is given before baptism.  Is this a problem for Lutheran theology and doctrine?  No.  God can give the Holy Spirit whenever He chooses.  Baptism is not the end all of salvation.

Baptism Story 3: Paul and Ananias

Paul (at that time his name was Saul) went to Damascus, empowered by the chief priests of the Jews, to persecute and imprison all Christians that he found there.  However, while traveling on the road Jesus Christ himself appeared to Paul and asked Paul why he was persecuting him.  Paul replied, "What shall I do, Lord?"

Paul was temporarily blinded and had to be led by hand to a house in Damascus.  While there a disciple of Christ, Ananias, came to him, and gave him a message from Christ that Paul would be God's witness to the Gentiles and the Jews.  At the end of giving his message to Paul, Ananias says, "And now why tarriest thou?  Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord."  Acts 22:16.

So, in a nutshell, what happened is this:  Christ appears to and reveals himself to Paul.  Paul believes in Christ, and asks Christ how he can serve him.  Paul is temporarily blinded and taken to a house in Damascus.  Ananias comes to the house and brings Paul a message from God.  At the end of the message, Ananias tells Paul to be baptized to wash away his sins, calling on the name of the Lord.  In 2012 American-English, the conversation would have gone like this:

Paul, why are you delaying?  Get up, be baptized to wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord."

Now, I've discussed this verse with Baptist and evangelical family and friends and they do not read this verse in the same literal way.  This is how they read it:

"Paul, why are you delaying?  Get up, be baptized.  Call to the Lord in his name and your sins will be washed away.

But, that isn't the word order that God used!  Why do Baptists and evangelicals feel they need to correct God's wording?  Are they going to blame the word order in this verse on the translators again?

Lutherans believe that we should believe God's words exactly as He said them!  We don't believe it is right to change God's words so that the verse will be compatible with our doctrinal positions.

Baptism Story 2: The Ethiopian Eunuch

In Acts chapter 8 we find the story of Philip and the Ethopian eunuch.

The eunuch is sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah.  The Holy Spirit tells Philip to go to the eunach to preach the Gospel.  Philip begins to explain to the eunuch about whom the passage in Isaiah is speaking...Jesus Christ.  Philip proceeds to "preach to him Jesus".

At the end of Philip's preaching, the eunuch turns to Philip and asks:

"So how do I accept Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior so that I may become a Christian?"

What?  Your Bible doesn't say that??

Oh, I'm sorry.  Let's read it from the King James Bible:  "And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water:  and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?'

Now isn't that an odd thing to ask, if Philip had just finished explaining that "the way" of Jesus was to pray the "Sinner's Prayer", to repent of your sins, and to make a decision to ask Christ to come into your heart to be your personal Lord and Savior??

Why would the first thing out of the eunuch's mouth be "what hinders me from being baptized"?

What was Philip's response?  "If you believe with all your heart, you may."

It is just like Jesus said in Mark 16:16:  "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved."

Baptism is not just a public profession of faith.

Baptism Story 1: Pentecost

In Acts chapter 2, we find the first post-resurrection baptisms mentioned in the Bible.  Here is the story:  It is Pentecost.  Peter is giving a sermon on Jesus, the resurrection, and that Jesus is the promised Christ, the Jewish messiah. 

Upon hearing the sermon, the crowd is “pricked in their heart” and they ask Peter and the other apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

What does Peter say?

Does he say, “Accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and you will be saved”?  Does he say, “Make a decision to accept Christ, pray the “Sinner’s Prayer”, and you will be saved”?

No, he doesn’t.  So what does he say?

Peter says, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized:  and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”

Baptists and evangelicals take great pride in stating that they believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible, but verse 38 of Acts chapter 2, as just copied verbatim from the King James Bible, really bothers a lot of them.  In fact, this is the only verse in the Bible, that I know of, of which many Baptists and evangelicals will accuse the translators of God’s Holy Word of making a mistake!

Baptists will say that the original Greek for the word translated as “for” should have been translated “because of”.  So the “correct” translation of this verse would read:

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ because of the remission of sins…”

That small word change makes a huge change in the meaning of that verse, doesn’t it!  Baptism is now completely stripped of any potential involvement in the remission or forgiveness of sins.  Now, baptism is performed because we have already received the remission or forgiveness of sins.

My, my, my!  I’m sure God is very appreciative of them correcting his sovereign Word!

But wait, let’s look a little closer.  Peter tells the crowd to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for/because of the remission sins and then what…?

“and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

So, if Baptists are right, that the sole purpose of baptism is our public profession of faith, because our sins have already been forgiven, then why is Peter promising the gift of the Holy Spirit after baptism??

If the Baptist view of Baptism is correct, wouldn’t Peter have said the following:

“Repent (and accept Christ as your Savior) and you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Then, you should be baptized.”

Acts chapter 2 gives no support to the Baptist doctrine that baptism is OUR act of a public profession of faith.  In fact, the literal interpretation of God’s Holy Word sounds exactly the opposite.  It certainly sounds much more likely that God is the one doing something in baptism!

Another point to notice in this passage:  It is very interesting that Peter includes the promise of salvation to the Jews, to their children, and to those who are “far off” (the Gentiles), dependent upon who God “shall call”.

God makes the decision regarding who he will call, who he will be save, not man by his free will.

Lutheran and Baptist Common Ground

What do conservative Lutherans and Southern Baptists have in common?

1.       Both denominations believe that Christ died for all mankind.  Both reject the Calvinist doctrine of Limited Atonement.

2.      Lutherans and Southern Baptists believe that good works merit nothing when it comes to our salvation.  We are saved by faith alone.

3.      Both denominations believe that Scripture is the final authority on doctrine and that the Bible must be read and believed literally.

So if we agree on these three fundamental principles, what is it that separates us?

The doctrine of Free Will!

If Baptists could only see that Scripture does not support their doctrine of Free Will, then the issue of when God saves us could be resolved.   If our salvation is totally dependent on God and not on our free will “decision”, then hopefully Baptists would see that God can save when and where he chooses:  in baptism as a child or at the moment that an adult hears the Gospel and believes.

This is the issue that separates Lutherans and most Baptists from sharing a common doctrine.  After this issue is agreed upon, issues like the Real Presence in the Lord’s Supper should be much easier to resolve.  After all, both conservative Lutherans and conservative Baptists believe in reading the Bible literally.  What can be more literal an interpretation of “This is my body.  This is my blood.” than the belief in the Real Presence of Christ in Holy Communion?

Speaking of Jonah...

In my last post I discussed Jonah and his mission to Nineveh.  While reading the book of Jonah to write the post, another principle from the story of Jonah stood out at me.

If you can believe that Jonah was literally in the belly of a great fish for three days and three nights, why  do you have a problem believing that Christ is really in the bread and wine of Holy Communion/the Lord’s Supper?

In order to believe the story of Jonah, do you demand to know exactly how God kept Jonah alive inside a whale’s belly, inside the ocean?  Do you require scientific proof that such a feat is possible?

No.  Why?

You don’t demand to know “how” because you accept God’s word for it.  You believe what God says by faith.

So too, should you believe God’s word when he says, “This is my body.  This is my blood.”

Christ is just as literally present in the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper as Jonah was literally present in the whale’s belly.  Just believe God’s word without having to understand “how”!

Still waiting for Nineveh to Repent

Jonah went to Nineveh preaching the word of the Lord.  "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown."  The people of Ninevah repented of their ways immediately.

If only it was always that easy to convince people to change their ways!

While reading the writings of Martin Luther and the Lutheran book entitled "The Lutheran Difference" it struck me like a bolt of lightning that my salvation occurred soley because of God's divine will, not by any decision that I may have made.

My salvation was NOT due to my free will!

This is such an amazing discovery to me that I want to share it with other Baptists and evangelicals who grew up, like me, being taught this non-scriptural concept:  the concept that we go to God by our free will and make a decision to accept Him. 

It's not true!  Salvation is ALL God!

Baptists and evangelicals pride themselves in believing that only they teach and believe a salvation that does not involve works, but their "decision" is a work!

The idea that sinful man has a free will that allows him to make a decision for God is nowhere to be found in the Bible!  "Accept Christ", "Make a decision for Christ", is not in the Bible!

Since the literal interpretation of the Bible is the bedrock foundation of the belief system of Baptists and evangelicals, they will, of course, rush to eagerily agree with me when I present them with this astounding truth, right?

I wish!

I am currently in contact with the Southern Baptist Convention in the hope that the SBC will officially respond to my Lutheran blog/website.  I pray every day that these good people will see the truth as I have seen it and will return to the true doctrines of the Christian faith as rediscovered by Martin Luther.

I am still waiting for Nineveh to repent!

The Psychological Scars of "Free Will" Theology

Imagine growing up as a child believing that you are personally responsible for whether or not every human being with whom you come into contact will spend eternity in the joys of heaven or in the horrific torments of a burning hell.

So is the childhood of the fundamentalist Christian child.

As a child, I was taught that it was my duty to "witness" (share the Gospel) with every sinner with whom I came into contact, every day of my life.  If that sinner should happen to die after my encounter with him or her, and I had failed to share the Gospel story with them, I would very likely face the "Judgement Seat of Christ" with that hell-bound sinner's blood literally dripping from my hands.  I could have saved that sinner from hell!  I am responsible for his eternal torment in the flames of hell.

Quite alot of responsibility to put on a nine year old, don't you think?

Where does this thinking come from?

It comes from the doctrine of "Free Will".  This is the belief that each human being has a free will to either choose God and spend eternity in heaven, or reject God and spend eternity in hell.  Christ died on the cross and paid the ransom for our sins, but our salvation ultimately depends upon our decision to accept or reject him.

Predestination?  According to the Free Will doctrine, God predestines those whom he sees that in the future will make a free will decision for him.  Man's predestination is entirely dependent upon him.

Salvation, then, ultimately depends on man and his free will.

The Christian's duty is to go out and convince as many sinners as he can, that if they die tonight without accepting Christ, they are going to burn in hell for all eternity, so..."Repent, sinner, and accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior before it's too late!"

Imagine the guilt and enormous pressure that a Christian who believes this doctrine would feel with all the "lost" sinners living around him or her; all the lost sinners who have never prayed the "Sinner's Prayer" to accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.  You must do everything that you can to get them saved.  It is your responsibitlity.  You may be their last hope of salvation.  If you don't do your very best, they may burn in hell forever!

Your Methodist neighbors are doomed to hell.  Your Catholic and Presbyterian school mates are going to burn for sure; and if that nice Lutheran lady at the grocery store suddenly dies, God will push a button, and she will automatically be sent straight to hell.

"I have to convince them all to accept Christ!  I must warn them of their impending doom!  I don't want them to go to hell.  I don't want their blood on my hands!"

How very, very sad that any child has to grow up believing this tragic misunderstanding of Scripture!

Praise God our salvation is not dependent upon our free will!  Praise God our salvation is not ultimately dependent upon us!

Praise God our salvation is 100% dependent upon Jesus Christ!
 

Praise God the fundamentalist/evangelical doctrine of Free Will is false!

Happy Easter!

Did Jerry Falwell become a Lutheran?

"Good morning, Jerry.  Sorry to startle you, but I've come to take you home to heaven."

(inaudible)

"Yes, my friend, it's your time.  You've been a good and faithful servant!  I thank you for that.  You preached my Gospel well.  You stood your ground on moral principles, and as you matured you learned to do it with kindness and compassion, unlike some of my other children."

"What were you doing there before I interrupted?"

(inaudible)

"Preparing a sermon?  Well, let me take a look at it for a minute."

"Hmm... 'The Great Doctrines of the Faith'...nice title.  Let me see here...good...good...'For God so loved the world'...I like that verse too.  ...'Christ died for all men'...good, good.  I don't know where John Calvin got all that 'Limited Atonement' nonsense.

"Uh...this next part...I've wanted to talk to you about this, Jer:  'Make a decision for Christ'...you've got that backwards, Jerry.  The sinner doesn't make the decision.  I do.  That 'free will' business was an unfortunate invention of Erasmus.  Too bad you Baptists bought into it.  Not true, Jerry.  Not true. I straightened Erasmus out on that subject once he got to heaven."

"Hmm....'Baptism--Christ's command.'  That's good.  ...Let's see...Oh, no...Jer, I never said that...I never said that baptism is an adult public profession of faith.  That is your assumption.  Just because the few examples of named individuals in the New Testament who were baptized were all adults doesn't mean that when households were baptized that I didn't include their children.  I said to baptize all nations, Jer.  That includes the children.  Remember what I said about little children, Jer?"

"Ok...what else...'The Lord's Supper'...let's see if you got it right on this one...'A memorial service only'...when did I ever say that??  Read my lips Jer, 'is' means 'is'!  How much clearer do I need to be?  'This is my body.  This is my blood.'"

"Just because I said 'This do in remembrance of me' doesn't make my Supper a symbolic memorial service.  It is a memorial, but it is a memorial in which I return in person to commune with my disciples...you!  I return in person so that you can eat my flesh and drink my blood.  You don't have to understand exactly how that happens.  I know that sounds really freaky to you, but the Jews during my life on earth thought it was freaky too.  I lost some good disciples over it when I preached about it in the synagogue in Capernaum.  But it is true, Jer.  It really is true.  I am really present in my Supper.  Too bad you didn't realize that.  My Supper would have been much more meaningful to you."

"What else is here?....Hmm....'Believe, by faith, in Christ!'...There you go, Jer!  At least you got the beginning and the ending right!

(inaudible)

"Yes, Jerry.  Martin Luther's teachings on Scripture were correct.  You should have read them.  I don't know why the rest of you got my doctrines so messed up.  My truths are right there in my Word, clearly laid out, if you read it literally.  If you read my Word without trying to use too much adult reason and logic to explain away seeming contradictions.   Just believe me whether it makes sense or not.  Read my Word like a child would, accepting without question every word, every sentence that I say.  If you had done this, Jerry, you would have truly understood my doctrines."

"Speaking of Luther, he and his wife Kate are throwing a party this afternoon on the west side of heaven.  I should take you by to meet them.  Kate makes the best brats and kraut!"

"Let's go, Jer.  Take my hand."

Do you really have to make a Decision for Christ?

"Make a decision for Christ, and thou shalt be saved."

You've read that Bible verse before, right?

And how about this one:  "For whosoever shall accept Christ as his personal Lord and Savior, shall be saved."

And this one:  "He that believeth and prays the Sinner's Prayer shall be saved."

What??  You haven't heard of these verses before?  These are the principal Bible verses used by fundamental and many evangelical Christians when you ask them "How does one become a Christian?".

But you've never heard of them, huh? 

Well, you have never heard of them because they don't exist.  They are not in the Bible!

The true, literal Scripture verses read as follows:

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved."

Read the Bible literally, my fundamentalist and evangelical Christian brothers and sisters.  Don't make up new "salvation language".  God's salvation language has been good enough for 2,000 years.  Why did you change it?

For a more detailed discussion of "salvation language", see my previous posting entitled, "So How are You Saved?".

Reformed Logic: if Christ paid the ransom for all the sins of all mankind, then He can't send anyone to Hell.

This is the strongest argument of my Reformed relatives who think I should be a Calvinist, instead of a Lutheran.  It is the foundation of one of the five points of Calvinism:  Limited Atonement.

"If Christ's death on the cross paid the ransom for all the sins of all mankind, then the sin of unbelief has been forgiven, and therefore all are justified, and therefore God cannot send anyone to hell."

Excellent logic, my Reformed friends.  A very reasoned position.

However, it has no basis in scripture.

Just because the literal interpretation of God's Word seems to defy human logic and reason, does not mean that we are allowed to invent new doctrines to conform to our human logic and reason.  God is not confined to our limited human ways of thinking.

Once again, Luther was right:  Christ died for the sins of all mankind.  God desires all to be saved.
God predestines the elect.  Man damns himself. 

Man sends himself to Hell!

The Sinner's Prayer

Copied below is the "Sinner's Prayer" from the website of the Southern Baptist Convention, "How to Become a Christian".

I was taught growing up as a Baptist that if a sinner wanted to become a Christian he absolutely had to pray this prayer, or a version of it, in order to be "saved".  Saying that you had always believed in Jesus since being a child was insufficient.  Unless you prayed this prayer (at some point after having reached the "Age of Accountability", seven or eight years old,) you were "lost" and bound for hell.

Is there any verse in the Bible that requires the sinner to pray a prayer in order to be saved?

Here is the Sinner's Prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I do not deserve eternal life. But, I believe You died and rose from the grave to make me a new creation and to prepare me to dwell in your presence forever. Jesus, come into my life, take control of my life, forgive my sins and save me. I am now placing my trust in You alone for my salvation and I accept your free gift of eternal life."

Southern Baptist statement on "How to Become a Christian"

The statement below has been copied intact from the official website of the Southeran Baptist Convention. This is the Baptist Doctrine of Salvation/Justification.  The underlying theme is "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved".  Lutherans would agree with this position, after all, it is a direct quote from God's Word.  However it is the "how" of believing where Baptists go off track.  As you read this statement, look for words or phrases such as "come to Christ", "accept Christ", or "make a decision for Christ".  Is any of this language found in the Bible?  This is the Arminian doctrine of Free Will.  It is not found in the Bible.  So why do our Baptist brothers and sisters still teach it?  Here is their statement on how we are saved/justified:

How to Become A Christian

You're not here by accident. God loves you. He wants you to have a personal relationship with Him through Jesus, His Son. There is just one thing that separates you from God. That one thing is sin.
The Bible describes sin in many ways. Most simply, sin is our failure to measure up to God’s holiness and His righteous standards. We sin by things we do, choices we make, attitudes we show, and thoughts we entertain. We also sin when we fail to do right things. The Bible affirms our own experience – “there is none righteous, not even one.” No matter how good we try to be, none of us does right things all the time.

People tend to divide themselves into groups - good people and bad people. But God says that every person who has ever lived is a sinner, and that any sin separates us from God. No matter how we might classify ourselves, this includes you and me. We are all sinners.
 
"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
 

Many people are confused about the way to God. Some think they will be punished or rewarded according to how good they are. Some think they should make things right in their lives before they try to come to God. Others find it hard to understand how Jesus could love them when other people don't seem to. But I have great news for you! God DOES love you! More than you can ever imagine! And there's nothing you can do to make Him stop! Yes, our sins demand punishment - the punishment of death and separation from God. But, because of His great love, God sent His only Son Jesus to die for our sins.
 

"God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
 

For you to come to God you have to get rid of your sin problem. But, in our own strength, not one of us can do this! You can't make yourself right with God by being a better person. Only God can rescue us from our sins. He is willing to do this not because of anything you can offer Him, but JUST BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU!
 

"He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy." Titus 3:5
 

It's God's grace that allows you to come to Him - not your efforts to "clean up your life" or work your way to Heaven. You can't earn it. It's a free gift.
 

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
 

For you to come to God, the penalty for your sin must be paid. God's gift to you is His son, Jesus, who paid the debt for you when He died on the Cross.
 

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23
 

Jesus paid the price for your sin and mine by giving His life on a cross at a place called Calvary, just outside of the city walls of Jerusalem in ancient Israel. God brought Jesus back from the dead. He provided the way for you to have a personal relationship with Him through Jesus. When we realize how deeply our sin grieves the heart of God and how desperately we need a Savior, we are ready to receive God's offer of salvation. To admit we are sinners means turning away from our sin and selfishness and turning to follow Jesus. The Bible word for this is "repentance" - to change our thinking about how grievous sin is, so our thinking is in line with God's.

All that's left for you to do is to accept the gift that Jesus is holding out for you right now.
 
"If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-10
 

God says that if you believe in His son, Jesus, you can live forever with Him in glory.
 

"For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16
 
Are you ready to accept the gift of eternal life that Jesus is offering you right now? Let's review what this commitment involves:

I acknowledge I am a sinner in need of a Savior - this is to repent or turn away from sin

I believe in my heart that God raised Jesus from the dead - this is to trust that Jesus paid the full penalty for my sins

I confess Jesus as my Lord and my God - this is to surrender control of my life to Jesus

I receive Jesus as my Savior forever - this is to accept that God has done for me and in me what He promised

If it is your sincere desire to receive Jesus into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior, then talk to God from your heart:
 
Here's a Suggested Prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I do not deserve eternal life. But, I believe You died and rose from the grave to make me a new creation and to prepare me to dwell in your presence forever. Jesus, come into my life, take control of my life, forgive my sins and save me. I am now placing my trust in You alone for my salvation and I accept your free gift of eternal life."
 

If you have trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please let us know. We want to rejoice in what God has done in your life and help you to grow spiritually.
 
If you have questions or concerns you would like help with, please call or write and let us know. We're here to help you understand the love that Jesus is offering you for free, no matter who or where you are. E-mail us at erc@namb.net, call 1-888-JESUS20 (1-888-537-8720), or write to us at:

Southern Baptist Convention
901 Commerce Street
Nashville, TN 37203

Is the Southern Baptist Convention becoming more Calvinist?

My Reformed Baptist relatives have informed me that there is a growing movement in the Southern Baptist Convention towards Five Point Calvinism.  The SBC has traditionally been Arminian.  The current SBC website position statement on "How to Become a Christian", certainly sounds Arminian.

Is that about to change?

I have seen this movement towards Five Point Calvinism in my own Baptist family and among my childhood Baptist friends.  More and more of them are abandoning the idea of a Free Will for a 100% Calvinist position.

Will Southern Baptists and other Baptists soon be "Presbyterians" with the only difference being that these Presbyterian Baptists will continue to practice adult-only baptism?  Very interesting!

If you have any news on this issue, please leave a comment in the comment box below and I will post it on line.

Are you a Three Point or a Five Point Calvinist?

In the Baptist church I grew up in, we considered ourselves Three Point Calvinists. I would venture to say that the majority of Baptists then and now consider themselves to be "Three Pointers". The doctrinal positions of the Three Point Calvinists have also been named Arminianism.

What are the Five Points of Calvinism? They are listed below:

1. Totoal Depravity
2. Unconditional Election
3. Limited Atonement
4. Irresistible Grace
5. Perseverance of the Saints

Three Point Calvinists, and therefore most Baptists, believe in Points 1, 2, and 5.

Three Point Calvinists strongly disagree with Points 3 and 4. They believe that Christ did not just die for the elect, but that he died for all. They also believe that man has a free will and can therefore resist God's grace.

Martin Luther and the Lutheran Church are in full agreement with the Three Point Calvinists in denouncing the Calvinist doctrine of Limited Atonement. Scripture clearly states that Christ died for all men. John 3:16, I Timothy 2:4-6

However, Lutherans strongly disagree with "Three Pointers" on the idea of a free will. The Arminian doctrine of Free Will has no basis in Scripture. It is a logical conclusion of human beings.

Here is how an Arminian (Free-will Baptist) Christian thinks:  "If God says that we are saved when we believe, then logically that means that we had to make a free will decision to believe, right?"

Very logical, but very wrong!

The Bible says that the sinner is spiritually dead (Ephesians chapter 2 and Colossians chapter 2). Dead men don't make decisions. Dead men CANNOT make a free will decision for Christ.

The concept that the sinner has a free will is not found in the Bible!

The sinner believes because God quickens him (makes him spiritually alive). God quickens a sinner, because before the world existed, God had predestined that sinner to be his child.

For a further discussion on "Predestination" and "Free Will" go to my previous postings on these topics.

Baptism is OUR public profession of faith. Baptism is our act of obedience to God.

Really??  Do you have any scripture verses to back that up?

Let's look at some Bible verses:

"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water:  and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him."  Matthew 3:16 

Who is performing the spiritual action in this verse?  The one being baptized, or God (the Father)?

"When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied."  Acts 18:6

The Holy Ghost came upon them when they were baptized???  That sure doesn't sound like just a public profession of faith.

"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:  that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

Does that sound as if all there is to baptism is a public profession of faith?  It certainly sounds a little deeper than that to me.

There is not one single line in the Bible that says that Baptism is a public profession of our faith.

In baptism, God does something miraculous, something supernatural, to us just as he did in the verses quoted above.

Baptism is not our act. It is God's act!

The belief that baptism is simply a symbolic public profession of our faith and our obedience to Christ is an invention of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.  It is not scriptural.  You will not find it in the Bible!