How do i know what type of baptist there are

[OzSpen]

Researching your link, I still don't know the specific denom, but appears to be a church plant inspired by the Act29 Network. Maybe neocalvinist with more of a heavy emphasis on leadership network church model for pastor to cast vision for direction for church, but not the same as a charismatic vision. More like church as a business in how it operates.

Please learn to back quote so I know to which post you are referring.

 

[Grateful-Nikki]

Hes talking about my church link of church 21

 

[Grateful-Nikki]

i asked another elder. ... i told him that the site has nothing there. he sais that they were in the midst of rewritting it and it should be up soon. he promised me that he would send them to me.. so ill finally know. but as i said before, i was not doubting my church. what i like about it is that its open to different views. if i dont beleive in what they beleive about certain topics then im encouraged to read up the bible ans ask others. they do not have the view of we are all mighty in our knowledge wich is a turn off for me. totally. no MAN can say they have the understanding as wisdom is a grace given to us. And I love romans Chapter 14 that says to not be a stumbling block. if you eat pork for Christ then you are glorifying HIM but if your neighbor beleives that its a sin then dont eat it for him.... to not be a stumbling block.

 

[Goodbook]

I think God told abraham his descendents would be as the sand or the stars in the sky, so innumerable you couldnt count, and I suppose different each and every one.

So, while theres different types of baptists as there are different denoms..i think if we are saved we are all made one by the blood of christ, so, I guess those minor differences dont matter. We all contribute to one whole, the body of Christ.

Its interesting, but, I dont think we can say one is better than the other, its just different, and we are to respect these differences. Because we arent clones and faith in Jesus and being a follower of Christ it isnt A cookie cutter religion, we are all at different stages of our journey.

 

[Grateful-Nikki]

i love your response!!!!

 

[Dwight55]

Thanks for the links. i read a bit.... will pray to see what is the understanding.

Nikki, Calvin theology can be summed up in that God has predetermined all. Everything. Who will be saved ! Who will not ! Who will receive blessings, and who will not. The operative word is "predetermined", . . . God made up His mind, He did the choosing, . . . man, woman, boy, or girl had nothing to do with any of the decisions.

Arminianism allows that God "saw" what man, woman, boy, and girl decided on their own free will to do. God did not decide, but rather, God reacted to their decisions. His reaction often times (but not always) determines the blessings, the healings, the things we pray about.

Personally, as a Free Will Baptist, I am of the arminian persuasion, . . . but a very large part of Baptist theology is centered around the Calvinist, . . . and you may want to determine which path you want to choose, . . . then check with your pastor and see if indeed they match.

May God bless,
Dwight

 

[Bluelion]

Hi Grateful maybe i can help a bit.

In the 21 century churches have been moving to change there name to draw people in. This comes from people got sick of the traditional named churches and they were so bad at there job people stop coming. So the movement has started to come up with a name which does not express denomination because people are sick of say southern baptist, or Lutheran or what ever. Political churches like the Catholics can not just change there name there is a order to it they must follow, other churches are independent.

We started going to an Assembly of God church which renamed it self community church. I am a baptist and I am getting my degree in ministry from a baptist college, but I find them close enough.

I am a Baptist mainly for this reason, the baptism. I believe children can not be baptized they must be of age to understand what it means and also be saved, we do not recognize baptism in children. Also I believe a person must go under the water being bury in the grave with Jesus and come out being resurrect to life with Jesus. I believe this is the best way however, in case where there is little water or a person unable to move to water it is ok to pour water over them.

The rest is pretty much finding a church that believes what you believe. If you are serious about God I would recommend taking some college course at a christian college. You simply can not learn all you need to know from church, it takes intense study. If you can not take classes I recommend find academic text book from amazon buying and reading them, and always study your Bible with a study Bible also and also academic commentary on the Bible. My wsb is a site for Bible study which has a alot of free stuff to get you started. Basically you have to study study study, you will never get it all from church. Ask The Holy Spirit to guide you every time before you study and pray often. You can study post on this site but you got a lot of people which use google search and act like they have an education. I have an education and Oz does as well, there are some older member which have a life education and can be very insightful into the Bible. Take what everyone says with grain of salt, do the study on your own through academician sources.

If you are Honest about your intentions and God's word may God be with you and guide you in all you do.

 

[Goodbook]

For the most part, baptists are free will.
If they subscribe to calvinist theology they call themselves reformed baptists.

There is a separate forum for them because they think they are elect. I dont know why they just dont join the presbyterians...but I suppose, they dont want to. This indicates they have some free will, but they dont like to admit it.

 

[Grateful-Nikki]

Ok definately arminianisme for me.

I study with a study bible and ask questions to elders. I dont have a cimmentary but do go to bible hub. I love what im reading. I love Baptiste because they believe in freedom of politics from church, all have freedom of choicr, freedom of church, baptism at adulthood, ( dont care if its immersion), and no episcopal!!! I love that they believe in brothers and sister as lovers and folloers of god and not this church is saved but not that one. Thanks so much

 

[twin1954]

For the most part, baptists are free will.
If they subscribe to calvinist theology they call themselves reformed baptists.

There is a separate forum for them because they think they are elect. I dont know why they just dont join the presbyterians...but I suppose, they dont want to. This indicates they have some free will, but they dont like to admit it.

I am not a Reformed Baptist yet I am a Calvinist Baptist. I am so because I hold to the absolute sovereignty of God and what are known as the Doctrines of Grace or the five points of Calvinism.

We don't join the Presbyterians because we have a different Covenant theology than they. We differ with them in more than a couple of things that are important.

Our separate forum is not because we think we are the elect. Why do you say such things knowing that they are untrue?

Our separate forum is a safe haven for us who hold to the Doctrines of Grace and the sovereignty of God. Just as this forum is supposed to be a safe haven for Baptists. Of course Baptists are such a contentious bunch that they can't get along with themselves.

 

[Grateful-Nikki]

Ok. So calvinistes and arminianism dont agree. Oh. Boy. Here we go again!!! Haha.

 

[Goodbook]

No they have been arguing for centuries. Best keep out of it lol.

 

[OzSpen]

Nikki, Calvin theology can be summed up in that God has predetermined all. Everything. Who will be saved ! Who will not ! Who will receive blessings, and who will not. The operative word is "predetermined", . . . God made up His mind, He did the choosing, . . . man, woman, boy, or girl had nothing to do with any of the decisions.

Arminianism allows that God "saw" what man, woman, boy, and girl decided on their own free will to do. God did not decide, but rather, God reacted to their decisions. His reaction often times (but not always) determines the blessings, the healings, the things we pray about.

Personally, as a Free Will Baptist, I am of the arminian persuasion, . . . but a very large part of Baptist theology is centered around the Calvinist, . . . and you may want to determine which path you want to choose, . . . then check with your pastor and see if indeed they match.

May God bless,
Dwight

Dwight,

I write as a fellow Arminian but I don't think you have correctly summarised the teachings of Arminius in regard to free will and salvation.

This is what Arminius believed about human beings and their ability or inability to receive salvation:

In his lapsed and sinful state, man is not capable, of and by himself, either to think, to will, or to do that which is really good; but it is necessary for him to be regenerated and renewed in his intellect, affections or will, and in all his powers, by God in Christ through the Holy Spirit, that he may be qualified rightly to understand, esteem, consider, will, and perform whatever is truly good. When he is made a partaker of this regeneration or renovation, I consider that, since he is delivered from sin, he is capable of thinking, willing and doing that which is good, but yet not without the continued aids of Divine Grace (Works of James Arminius, vol 1, III The free will of man).

Then, of the grace of God, Arminius wrote:

I ascribe to grace the commencement, the continuance and the consummation of all good, and to such an extent do I carry its influence, that a man, though already regenerate, can neither conceive, will, nor do any good at all, nor resist any evil temptation, without this preventing and exciting, this following and co-operating grace. From this statement it will clearly appear, that I by no means do injustice to grace, by attributing, as it is reported of me, too much to man’s free-will. For the whole controversy reduces itself to the solution of this question, "is the grace of God a certain irresistible force?" That is, the controversy does not relate to those actions or operations which may be ascribed to grace, (for I acknowledge and inculcate as many of these actions or operations as any man ever did,) but it relates solely to the mode of operation, whether it be irresistible or not. With respect to which, I believe, according to the scriptures, that many persons resist the Holy Spirit and reject the grace that is offered (Works of James Arminius, vol 1, IV The grace of God, emphasis added).

Here's a link to a serious of OT and NT verses that speak of resisting the Holy Spirit.

Therefore Arminius considered that

free will is unable to begin or to perfect any true and spiritual good, without grace. That I may not be said, like Pelagius, to practice delusion with regard to the word "grace," I mean by it that which is the grace of Christ and which belongs to regeneration. I affirm, therefore, that this grace is simply and absolutely necessary for the illumination of the mind, the due ordering of the affections, and the inclination of the will to that which is good. It is this grace which operates on the mind, the affections, and the will.... I confess that the mind of a natural and carnal man is obscure and dark, that his affections are corrupt and inordinate, that his will is stubborn and disobedient, and that the man himself is dead in sins. And I add to this -- that teacher obtains my highest approbation who ascribes as much as possible to divine grace, provided he so pleads the cause of grace, as not to inflict an injury on the justice of God, and not to take away the free will to that which is evil (Works of James Arminius, vol 2, Grace and free will).

All of this means that human beings of their own free will, because of their total depravity (total inability), according to Scripture and Arminius, are unable to initiate salvation without the grace of God.

Arminius supported the necessity of being drawn by God, e.g. John 6:37, 44, 65.

Oz