Featured SBC Faith and Message supports Calvinistic thinking

I am not SBC but I have many friends who are. On a different message board, I remember a detailed discussion on the latest iteration of the BF&M. I cannot find the quote but I believe the intention of the committee that put the latest BF&M together was to find language that would be palatable to both sides of the debate. It probably is not specific enough for some. I know some pastors who are part of the Founders Movement and they defer to the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith in their local church. I guess the silver lining in the BF&M is it does not preclude Monergistic teaching in those churches that hold to that conviction.

 

Papering over totally incompatible views using ambiguous language that both sides can claim to support their view is dishonest, wrong, and unchristian. Our yes should mean yes, not "it depends."
Snip, Christ died for all mankind, becoming the propitiation or means of salvation for the whole world, but only those transferred into Christ undergo the washing of regeneration, thus being justified by His blood.

 

The biggest mistake of the BFM2000, committee, if there is one, was not reverting much of the wording of the 1963 confession back to that of the 1925, specifically, much of the following (BFM1925):

VI. The Freeness of Salvation

The blessings of salvation are made free to all by the gospel. It is the duty of all to accept them by penitent and obedient faith. Nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner except his own voluntary refusal to accept Jesus Christ as teacher, Saviour, and Lord.

Eph. 1:5; 2:4-10; 1 Cor. 1:30-31; Rom. 5:1-9; Rev. 22:17; John 3:16; Mark 16:16.

VII. Regeneration

Regeneration or the new birth is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit, whereby we become partakers of the divine nature and a holy disposition is given, leading to the love and practice of righteousness. It is a work of God's free grace conditioned upon faith in Christ and made manifest by the fruit which we bring forth to the glory of God.

John 3:1-8, 1:16-18; Rom. 8:2; Eph. 2:1,5-6,8,10; Eph. 4:30,32; Col. 3:1-11; Titus 3:5.

VIII. Repentance and Faith

We believe that repentance and faith are sacred duties, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God; whereby being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger, and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and relying on him alone as the only and all-sufficient Saviour.

Luke 22:31-34; Mark 1:15; 1 Tim. 1:13; Rom. 3:25,27,31; Rom. 4:3,9,12,16-17; John 16:8-11.

 

If I wanted to be a full-fledged Calvinist, I would leave the SBC.

 

Question: SBC member churches are still independent, right? Are they under obligation to adhere to the BFM locally?

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This is what I thought but it is always good to seek clarification.

 

They are. They can be disfellowshipped if they are practicing things not according to it. In fact some churches in recent years have been disfellowshipped for bringing homosexuals into leadership.

 

NT

 

O.K.............
So, do other non-"reformed" or "Calvinistic" Baptists who do not adhere to the "Doctrines of Grace" have your official permission to disassociate?

I Pray to God Almighty, daily, that if you are indeed correct...that this is an exclusively Calvinist document, then, we filthy godless Arminians can now, in good conscience, remove ourselves from any association with you, and continue to obey the Great Commission and obey the gospel as we see fit.

Are you giving us permission to disassociate from Al Mohler?
Please say yes.
I'd give ANYTHING for all non-Calvinists to peaceably part ways with all adherents of that Philosophy, and you can have the Seminaries, their grounds, their history, and Al Mohler, T.C. "that Brian", "Iconoclast" and everyone else with it....

It's all yours.

Now, since it's a "Calvinist" document...May we PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, Dear Lord, disassociate ourselves from you and start our own convention afresh???
I'd agree to a legal requirement that you take all the Seminaries, all the grounds, and we'll pay any interruption in retirement for all tenured professors............

Will you then, please, become members of the Association of Reformed Baptists....and leave the rest of us alone?

Take whatever you want, it's yours.
Please, then, take all those millions of dollars and centuries of investment...and pay Al Mohler's salary from your own pockets and leave the rest of us to continue the Great Commission as we see fit? Will you for the love of the gospel of Jesus Christ do that for us please???

Will you take that deal?
Please say yes.

 

Hopefully, they will take it over entirely....
That's my prayer.
And then we who are alive and remain may associate ourselves for the furtherance of the gospel as we deem fit.

I say let them have it ALL.

If they leave us alone afterwards???
It's worth every dime, every penny.

Then, we associate anew, and then in 75 years when they have no money and no converts and no one in their pews, we can officially tell them to pound sand....because what they want is for us to do the dirty work of reaching the lost, while they comfortably smoke cigars and study "Soteriology".

They can get their own converts...
You aren't going to get a SINGLE Calvie wanting to disassociate from the S.B.C....They'll fight for "unity" on that issue until we pull out.
Because they aren't reaching anyone, and they need us to fight in the trenches..

Of course they want "unity" with us:
They'd die without it.

Gnosticism and Docetism was heresy when the Apostle John dealt with it, and it's heresy when Al Mohler preaches it........Please let the Calvinists take everything we own, and then we can get about the Great Commission alone, without their help.

We'll be better off...........
They only want "unity" in the sense that they lead no one to Christ, and they need us to be the grunts who generate the dues-paying church-sheeple to fund their life-style..............

You're right "aged-man".....the B.F.M. is totally a "reformed" document...
May the rest of us pull out now????

Please?

 

Last answer is correct. The SBC constitution was amended several years ago and now reads:

"Article III. Composition....Baptist churches in cooperation with the Convention....The Convention will only deem a church to be in friendly cooperation with the Convention which...Has a faith and practice which closely identifies with the Convention’s adopted statement of faith."