What is the largest Church in America?

It refers to works. It doesn't refer to faith as defined by the Bible. It doesn't refer to the faith that is defined for us in Romans 5:1.
"Therefore being justified (past tense--a one time act) by faith (and nothing else) we have peace with God.
It doesn't matter what you put in there (enduring to the end--faith, baptism, confirmation, penance, confession, keeping the Ten Commandments, keeping the Sacraments, etc.) It doesn't matter. You are still "enduring." Salvation is a one time act. I can point to you the exact date, and even the approximate time when I put my faith in Christ and was saved. There is no such process of enduring. That is what makes it a false message of works. It becomes a process. It is not a process. It is a one time act of "believe and thou shalt be saved;" Call upon the name of the Lord and thou shalt be saved;" Believe in thine heart...and thou shalt be saved." Over and over again the Bible has the same message: Believe and be saved. It is a one time act. There is no process of enduring. That is what makes it a gospel of works--a false gospel.

 

Thought I'd post some more documentation that proves you don't know what your talking about. Check out the Anglican position on baptism from the 39 articles:

XXVII. Of Baptism.
Baptism is not only a sign of profession, and mark of difference, whereby Christian men are discerned from others that be not christened, but it is also a sign of Regeneration or New-Birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church; the promises of the forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed, Faith is confirmed, and Grace increased by virtue of prayer unto God.
The Baptism of young Children is in any wise to be retained in the Church, as most agreeable with the institution of Christ.

Could you please point out the difference in the Anglican doctrine from the 'papist' doctrine. BTW, your 'papist' remarks are offensive and un-called for.

 

Anglican and the RCC are basically the same. The one doesn't recognize the Pope, because Henry VIII wanted a divorce. That happened just before the Reformation started. They are "kissing-cousins."

 

I think you misapply what is being said. However, a curiosity are you saying Paul didn't endure until the end? He clearly points it out in 2 Timothy. The very nature of Perserverance of the saints in TULIP indicates a enduring a perservering. A running the race until its completion. Are all these people lying as well?

 

eeeeewwww.

I find it odd no one answered post 228.

 

Martyn Lloyd-Jones a Calvinist, wrote a whole book on it " Joy Unspeakable" Apparently this phenomenon "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" caused many revivals in the 17th thru 20th century in Europe & America. He sites many notables like George Whitefield, John Wesley, Blaine Pascal, Howell Harrison, William Wilberforce, & himself as people who all were receivers of the Spirit.

I am praying for this for my own Church that we may start a revival in the area.

 

Sure, there are too many liberal Methodist churches these days. However, just as the Episcopal Church and Presbyterian Church (USA) as denominations have departed from sound biblical teaching, there are still bible-believing Episcopal Churches and Presbyterian churches hanging in there.

 

What kind of methodist church were they, IE Calvinist Methodist, Wesleyan Methodist, Episcopal Methodist, United Methodist, Southern Methodist?

Guess from your statement G.W Bush wasn't a Christian.

 

First, I am not a Calvinist and don't walk among the TULIP's.
More importantly, are you able to see the difference between an apple and an orange, or do they look the same to you?
Can you point to me a passage where Paul says the equivalent of:
"Oh, no! I need to be saved again! I lost my salvation!"
"Lord, I need to be born again; I wasn't really born the first time."
"Save me Lord; I lost my salvation when I sinned last night."
"Lord? Where did my eternal life go? I think I lost it along the way."
"Lord? Did you forgive all my sins? There are some that I forgot about. I can't remember them Lord, so I can't repent of them. What can I do if I can't remember them to repent of them?? Oh me, I am on my way to hell!

Does Paul, anywhere in Scripture despair of his salvation? Anywhere? Can you point to me just one passage? Do you know the difference between an apple and an orange? Between salvation and service?

Paul taught that a person is justified by faith--one time act.
Service for the Lord is what we do all of our lives. That is what progressive sanctification is. That is the orange, not the apple. Yes, Paul endured to the end. He endured because the Holy Spirit dwelt in him; because he was faithful; because he knew there awaited a reward at the end. Had he failed, he still would have gone to heaven. There are Christians that do not endure to the end. The verse is taken out of context. Quote the context, and you will find that the salvation is not spiritual but physical in a time of persecution.

 

Pentecostalism and Weslianism go hand in hand. Question is holiness a precurson to the second baptism in the Spirit?

 

I'm not sure what you are talking about. David Martyn Lloyd-Jones was was a Calvinist & in charge of the Westminster Chapel in London. He was definitely not a Wesleyan....not a Welshman, heaven forbid. Thats the Damned English.

 

How about the Lutheran teaching on baptism? You said it is different than the Catholic teaching. In what ways??

 

Lutherans do not believe that baptism regenerates totally apart from faith. They are convinced that proxy faith serves an instrumental role in baptismal regeneration.

 

Catholics do not believe that baptism regenerates apart from faith either. In fact, we believe there a lots of baptised souls in hell.

 

I guess it changes from area to area --- from church to church. A good friend of mine is the worship leader in a Methodist church in Atlanta -- definitely a Christian church. The Methodist church down the street from us also fits into that category.

 

No infant has faith. Therefore the Catholic Church believes that baptism and baptism alone saves. The infant baptism is to ensure that the infant will go to heaven. Faith at this point is totally irrelevant.