Bible Scanned

Hello to all. I'm a new member. I've categorized myself as a Baptist in my sign up, but don't even know if I am actually categorized as a Baptist. I attended a non-Baptist church for many years, but they practice infant Baptism, which I've always quietly disagreed with (keeping it to myself because I believe it's unwise, unfair and unjust to be a Trojan horse tying to destroy the theological fortress of any church from within its walls). Actually I think it's just stupidity to try that, because them fortresses are too strong for one 'minion', anyway.

Hopefully the Baptists here will be able to help me with this, if I give you my beliefs as briefly as possible?

I believe in One God, the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son, our Lord.
I believe in the Holy Spirit and in the Trinity of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
I believe the Son of God is the Word of God by whom and through whom all things were created, and in whom all things consist.

I believe the Word became flesh and was tabernacled among us, suffered and died for the sins of the world, rose again from the dead on the third day, and ascended into heaven, where He sat down on the right hand of the Father.
I believe all authority in heaven and on earth and under the earth has been placed in His hands, and I believe He is coming again in His glorified bodily form, will gather His elect, and will tread the wine-press of the wrath of God which is coming upon the people of this Age, at the time appointed by the Father.

Baptism

I believe Baptism should be baptism of believers in Jesus who are old enough to understand the gospel of God, and wherever possible, should be a full immersion in water, after the significance of Baptism is properly explained to the believer (which is that the immersion signifies our having died with Christ, and our being raised out of the water signifies our having being raised with Him, which is all through our faith in Him, produced in us or given us by His Holy Spirit). I believe Baptism is important because it shows that we are stepping into the Ark of our salvation, who is Jesus, and that Baptism should not be taken lightly or treated lightly by anyone, or by any church.

I believe in the resurrection of the dead, and in the life everlasting.
I believe that Christ's church consists of all those who have the seal of the Holy Spirit, wherever in the world they may be.

Predestination

I believe that Jesus is foreknown before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20), therefore those who are in Christ through faith in Him have been predestined from the foundation of the world unto salvation (Revelation 13:8; Revelation 17:8; Ephesians 1:5; Revelation 20:15; John 3:18; John 3:6-7)

I believe that predestination is said in Revelation 13:8 and Revelation 17:8 to be from the foundation of the world because Adam (mankind) did not, like Christ, exist before the foundation of the world.

Edited after the above to add:

1 Corinthians 15
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

I believe that before the foundation of the world, God chose Adam (mankind) to be saved in Christ, because Jesus existed before the foundation of the world:

Ephesians 1
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

1 Peter 1
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you

I believe that though God knows, and God knew beforehand who would respond to His calling, I believe that God chooses not to assume that any individual will not respond to His calling, because

John 3
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

2 Peter 3
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

So Jesus did not pray for those who refused Him then, and would refuse Him:

John 17
24 Father, I desire that those whom You have given Me, that they may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me, for You have loved Me before the foundation of the world.

 

Thank you Wingman68

 

Thank you JohnC

 

Thank you!