Talk to me about adult baptism.

[PrincetonGuy]

I am and I don't.

Some years ago I addressed a body of ministers from all over the world who were gathered together in a convention hall. I was allotted 60 minutes for my presentation and a question and answer period. I spoke for 40 minutes and then allowed 20 minutes for questions. To my surprise, no one stood up to ask a question and there I was standing behind the podium with a convention hall full of ministers waiting for me to say something. I was at a loss for a few seconds and then the Holy Spirit prompted me to ask one of the ministers to come up to the podium and lead us in a time of praise to our Savior. The Holy Spirit pointed out to me the minister to call forward and to my surprise he was pastor from Africa whom I had never met and knew absolutely nothing about. He graciously came up to the podium and began leading us in a praise chorus that I had never heard before. As he led us in praise, his entire body yielded to the praise flowing from his lips, and in a matter of seconds the entire body of ministers were yielding their entire bodies to the praise flowing from their lips. We were strangers to one another, and most of the ministers were in the United States for the first time and had been here for only three days. Most of the ministers from the African nations had never been more than 100 miles from home. Yet there we were gathered together in one place having come from many different Christian beliefs, cultures, nations and continents praising our Savior as one body. The fact that we were one body was unmistakably obvious to all of us as the same Holy Spirit expressed Himself through us all and the truth of the Apostle Paul’s words regarding the body of Christ were made real to me like never before.

1 Corinthians 10:17. Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.

1 Corinthians 12:13. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
14. For the body is not one member, but many.

Eph. 4:1. Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
2. with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,
3. being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
5. one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6. one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

Col. 3:15. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. (NASB, 1995)

 

[ctay]

Ok so if someone from a different denomination decides to join the Baptist church, they have to get baptised again?

 

[holyrokker]

Ok so if someone from a different denomination decides to join the Baptist church, they have to get baptised again?

Most, if not all, Baptist churches require "believer's baptism" for membership.

I don't know of any that say a person must be baptized in a Baptist church - just that it is done as a believer.

 

[MatthewDiscipleofGod]

Most, if not all, Baptist churches require "believer's baptism" for membership.

I don't know of any that say a person must be baptized in a Baptist church - just that it is done as a believer.

My experience as a Baptist would concur with what holyrokker says here.

 

[MatthewDiscipleofGod]

I am and I don't.

That is good to hear. There is a lot of pressure on Baptist pastors from various sources to not offend. Even at the sake of a weaker message coming from the pulpit.

 

[ImmersionX]

Rita,

I was in the EXACT situation you are in, only it was in 1996. I haven't regretted it since....

Let the Holy Spirit guide your heart, and the Word of God guide your mind.
I pray that your family doesn't make a big deal of this situation, but if so God has your back.

Please ignore the RCC(good vs bad doctrine) debate here...it's between you and the Lord.
(this would be great for a separate thread though!)

Peace.

 

[Saint_Rita]

Thank you everyone for the well thought out replies. After a lot of prayer I was baptised on Sept. 14th.

 

[DeaconDean]

Thank you everyone for the well thought out replies. After a lot of prayer I was baptised on Sept. 14th.

Praise the Lord!

"And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." -Acts 2:47 (KJV)

God Bless

Till all are one.

 

[PastorJim]

That is good to hear. There is a lot of pressure on Baptist pastors from various sources to not offend. Even at the sake of a weaker message coming from the pulpit.

I would never be offensive just for the sake of being offensive, but the Gospel is an offense, in itself. There's just no way to preach the Gospel without making somebody mad.

Telling the truth about Catholicism is not a popular stance to take, but it's one that we take very seriously because there are millions of people pledging their allegience to that organization and going to Hell.

When I was sixteen, I became a cadet on the local fire department. One day, there was a bad motor vehicle accident and it was up to me to crawl through the glass and the twisted metal, position myself behind the patient, and stabilize their neck and back while other firefighters cut the car apart.

I remember pulling a blanket over the two of us to protect us from the flying glass and thinking to myself, "this is such a beautiful car and could probably be fixed up. It seems such a shame to cut it up like this".

When we got back to the firehouse, I told this to one of the older men on crew. He looked at me funny and said, "Jim, when you're bleeding to death and your car is becoming your coffin, you sacrifice the car".

That's how I feel about the Catholic church. I have respect for the Catholic church to a point, but when so many Catholics are dying in the Catholic church, then my desire to see them saved has got to be stronger than my desire not to speak out against the Catholic church.

The bottom line is that Catholicism is not Christianity and we dare not stand by while Catholics go to Hell because their church isn't giving them the Gospel.

 

[SteveR2021]

That's how I feel about the Catholic church. I have respect for the Catholic church to a point, but when so many Catholics are dying in the Catholic church, then my desire to see them saved has got to be stronger than my desire not to speak out against the Catholic church.

The bottom line is that Catholicism is not Christianity and we dare not stand by while Catholics go to Hell because their church isn't giving them the Gospel.

Very well put and excellent illustration.

I, too, long for unity but not unity for the sake of unity. Passages like the one in Ephesians (chapter 4) that address this subject when understood in context make the point that true unity is grounded not in unity but in sound doctrine.

Chapter 4 of Ephesians begins, "I therefore". Paul is pointing back to what he has already written in the first three chapters. In other words, the unity of chapter 4 necessarily follows the doctrine of chapters 1, 2 and 3.

Thank you everyone for the well thought out replies. After a lot of prayer I was baptised on Sept. 14th.

Wonderful news! May God bless you as you continue to grow in Him.

 

[PrincetonGuy]

Very well put and excellent illustration.

I, too, long for unity but not unity for the sake of unity. Passages like the one in Ephesians (chapter 4) that address this subject when understood in context make the point that true unity is grounded not in unity but in sound doctrine.

Chapter 4 of Ephesians begins, "I therefore". Paul is pointing back to what he has already written in the first three chapters. In other words, the unity of chapter 4 necessarily follows the doctrine of chapters 1, 2 and 3.

The Roman Catholic Church believes that sound doctrine is just as important as you do. The difference is that their sound doctrine is found expressly taught in the New Testament and throughout the history of the Church down to this present day. Your “sound doctrine,” however is a 16th century concoction put together by some very confused men. Yes, the Roman Catholic Church has allowed some strange, peripheral doctrines to creep into it, but nothing as strange or dangerous as the vast multitude of theological aberrations expounded today in many Baptists pulpits. I am thinking here of King James Onlyism, Landmarkism, Pretribulationism, Midtribulationism, the teachings of Joey Faust, the teachings of Zane Hodges, and other modern inventions that make Baptists appear to many to be intellectually challenged baboons suffering from the late stages of dementia. It is bad enough for Baptists to be embarrassed by theological nonsense in its camp, but when they are also embarrassed because the word “Baptist” is, in many circles, a synonym for “bigot”, that is a little too much to swallow.

When you read the Bible for the first time, did you learn the doctrines of Calvinism from it? No, you learned something VERY different; you learned the doctrines of Calvinism after you were exposed to the teachings of Calvinism from extra-biblical sources and allowed them to change your theological beliefs.

As for using this thread for bashing Roman Catholicism, that is reprehensible!

 

[PastorJim]

48808374]The Roman Catholic Church believes that sound doctrine is just as important as you do. The difference is that their sound doctrine is found expressly taught in the New Testament and throughout the history of the Church down to this present day.

[/COLOR]

Not only is much of Catholic doctrine not Biblical, it contradicts scripture.

Nowhere in scripture will you find the heresy of Purgatory, but you will find many passages stating that we are perfected and cleansed from sin, with no need of further after-death atonement.

Your “sound doctrine,” however is a 16th century concoction put together by some very confused men.

Could you please show us any of the Baptist distinctives that are not found in scripture?

As for using this thread for bashing Roman Catholicism, that is reprehensible!

Not as reprehensible as a Catholic using a Baptist icon to mislead people in a Baptist forum.

 

[ImmersionX]

I am not going to defend the Roman Catholic Church...but as a former Roman Catholic Christian of over 26 years(born and raised, then left for my own reasons) unless you've been in my shoes or some very similar shoes you are not qualified to preach for OR against the Roman Catholic Church, and honestly you're being a stereotypical "protestant" in this case. People that say they "know all about the RCC" are full of it most of the time, and are full of preconceived ideas about it that are all wrong. It's like me saying that I know all about Judaism without having spent years studying with a rabbi.

Just call it as I see it.

 

[PrincetonGuy]

[/color]
Not only is much of Catholic doctrine not Biblical, it contradicts scripture.

Much of Roman Catholic doctrine contradicts the Scriptures as interpreted by you but not as interpreted by the Ante-Nicene Church Fathers and many Protestant Christians today.

Nowhere in scripture will you find the heresy of Purgatory, but you will find many passages stating that we are perfected and cleansed from sin, with no need of further after-death atonement.

There are many Baptists, who, beginning at least as early as the 1840’s, have taught that the unrighteous Christians will suffer punishment for their sins between their death and their entrance into heaven. The most popular Baptists preachers today of this doctrine, which is found in several different forms, are Zane Hodges and Joey Faust.

Could you please show us any of the Baptist distinctives that are not found in scripture?

I believe in all of the Baptist Distinctives.

Not as reprehensible as a Catholic using a Baptist icon to mislead people in a Baptist forum.

My use of the Baptist icon represents my beliefs as a Baptist.

 

[PastorJim]

48808752]Much of Roman Catholic doctrine contradicts the Scriptures as interpreted by you

[/COLOR]

No, when the Bible says that Christ's atonement cleanses from all sin, but the Catholic says that we must still go and suffer in Purgatory because we haven't been cleansed from our sins, that's contradicting the Bible, not me.

There are many Baptists, who, beginning at least as early as the 1840’s, have taught that the unrighteous Christians will suffer punishment for their sins between their death and their entrance into heaven. The most popular Baptists preachers today of this doctrine, which is found in several different forms, are Zane Hodges and Joey Faust.

Then they are just as heretical as Catholics.

I believe in all of the Baptist Distinctives.

I see. You say that it's not Biblical, but a man-made invention, but you believe it?

My use of the Baptist icon represents my beliefs as a Baptist.

I'm sure. Clay Aiken claims to be a Baptist, too.

 

[SteveR2021]

As for using this thread for bashing Roman Catholicism, that is reprehensible!

We probably should move this conversation to another thread.

PrincetonGuy, I won't respond to all of your comments. I do believe, however, that you have misunderstood me when you say that I have been bashing Roman Catholicism. It is because I love those within the Roman Catholic Church that I speak out against Roman Catholicism. I have no wish to "bash" the Roman Catholic Church - merely to defend and preserve the purity of the Church.

When you read the Bible for the first time, did you learn the doctrines of Calvinism from it? No, you learned something VERY different; you learned the doctrines of Calvinism after you were exposed to the teachings of Calvinism from extra-biblical sources and allowed them to change your theological beliefs.

My grandfather was a minister and my father a missionary - both were Arminian in their theology. I was for many years a staunch Arminian. In seminary I spoke out against Calvinism at every opportunity... and I was not alone. None of my professors were Calvinist and very few classmates were either.

I learned the doctrines of Calvinism from the Bible - so I hesitate to call it Calvinism. I believe it is very plain Biblical theology. I didn't want to become a Calvinist and I didn't want to embrace Calvinism. But I became convinced from Scripture that Calvinism/Reformed theology is soundly Biblical. After I became convinced in my mind I had to become convinced in my heart and so I spent a great deal in time for that very reason... and I will never forget the night when God so marvelously opened my mind and my heart to the truth. I now love Reformed theology. I love to talk and sing about the sovereignty of God in all things. But none of this is because of how I was raised - and it is certainly not the system of doctrine I would have chosen if I had a choice. But of course none of us really do have any choice when it comes to Truth.

I thank God for bringing me to this place in my journey with Him... and I am grateful that in my case it was not because of Owen or Calvin or Spurgeon or some other person - it was God speaking clearly and plainly through His word.

 

[ImmersionX]

The Rapture is a heresy in my book....but I don't believe that everyone who holds tride and true to it are going to hell!!!

Pastor Jim is totally out of line and this should be moved OUT of this thread!

I am sure the OP never intended for this to transpire.

Nuff said.

 

[PastorJim]

Pastor Jim is totally out of line and this should be moved OUT of this thread!

Yeah! Let's get rid of everybody who disagrees with you!

 

[ImmersionX]

Who's talking about getting rid of anybody! lol
Reread please.

 

[DeaconDean]

Mod hat On!​

What we have here, is, failure ta communicate.​

Ok folks, I'm only going to say this once, stay on topic.​

The OP was concerned about her baptism and the conflict it was going to cause because she was breaking away with not only Catholic tradition, but her families Catholic tradition.​

This thread is not for bashing "Catholicism." As much as I disagree with most of what Catholicism teaches, this is not the time nor place for that.​

We are not here to debate the validity of this or that. Nor is it a place to debate Calvinism or Arminianism. The OP was seeking advice.​

Please keep this thread on topic or it may be closed.​

Mod Hat Off!​

Having said that, we can now go back to being Christian brothers and sisters.​

I now return you to your regularly scheduled discussion.​

God Bless​

Till all are one.​