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Let's discuss purgatory

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DHK

<b>Moderator</b>
Is the church/pastors aware of your beliefs in baptismal regeneration and sympathy toward purgatory? Did you sign a doctrinal statement? If so, are you not violating it if you believe in baptismal regeneration?

If my pastors knew you had those views, you would not be able to teach Sunday School at my church.
With those beliefs he wouldn't be able to join most Baptist churches. He wouldn't get past the statement of faith. He seems to be a Baptist in name only.
 

Zenas

Active Member
Is the church/pastors aware of your beliefs in baptismal regeneration
Yes, it’s pretty well known. It is clearly a minority view but a few others also believe in baptismal regeneration.
and sympathy toward purgatory?
No, I really never thought much about that until Amy posted this thread a few days ago.
Did you sign a doctrinal statement? If so, are you not violating it if you believe in baptismal regeneration?
In the time I have been a member of my church no one has ever been asked to sign a doctrinal statement, not even the pastor. My church just isn’t into doctrine very much. We’re very big on missions, feeding the hungry, etc. We’re also very much into individual and community prayer. We’re also really good at socializing. This Christmas season I will be going to four social events connected with the church.

I’m pretty sure no church in my association has its members sign doctrinal statements. Any church that tried to do that had better be prepared to lose a lot of members.
 

Melanie

Active Member
Site Supporter
I have never signed a document as such confirming my belief as such, but I affirm the dogmas of Faith in the recitation of the Nicene Creed daily, and the renewal of Baptismal Vows yearly.
 

Zenas

Active Member
With those beliefs he wouldn't be able to join most Baptist churches. He wouldn't get past the statement of faith. He seems to be a Baptist in name only.
This is something I see here on the BB from time to time, especially from the Reformed types (not saying you are one, DHK). I've been around a lot of Baptists. Probably visited in 40 or 50 different Baptist churches, all in the South. I have never heard talk of asking someone to accept a statement of faith. For new professions of faith, the pastor will simply ask if the candidate if he/she believes in Jesus Christ as his/her personal saviour and wants to follow Him. For people moving their letter they don't even ask that. For those coming on statement, they simply ask about their former church and their baptism. Then they are accepted into the membership by acclamation. No questions about doctrinal beliefs at all. Also, there is almost never any inquiry by the prospective member about what we do or don't believe. If you want to join a Southern Baptist church in my neck of the woods, just respond to the invitation, tell the pastor you are a baptized believer and you're in.
 

FR7 Baptist

Active Member
This is something I see here on the BB from time to time, especially from the Reformed types (not saying you are one, DHK). I've been around a lot of Baptists. Probably visited in 40 or 50 different Baptist churches, all in the South. I have never heard talk of asking someone to accept a statement of faith.

My church, as well as me personally, affirms the 2000 BF&M in the bylaws. When I joined my church in 2004, I was not asked any questions about doctrine. I just made a request for baptism after affirming faith in Jesus Christ. Prior to that, I lived in South Carolina and attended a United Methodist church, although I was never baptized or a formal member of any church until my present one.
 

DHK

<b>Moderator</b>
This is something I see here on the BB from time to time, especially from the Reformed types (not saying you are one, DHK). I've been around a lot of Baptists. Probably visited in 40 or 50 different Baptist churches, all in the South. I have never heard talk of asking someone to accept a statement of faith.
I don't belong to any denominational Baptist church: an association or convention, etc. Every church I have ever been to, one has been required to read and agree to at least the statement of faith, and most the entire constitution which would include the statement of faith. Why would a church allow someone to join it if they are not in agreement doctrinally? The Bible says: "Can two walk together lest they be agreed?"
There can be no unity in the local church, unless there is unity in doctrine.
 

Matt Black

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
We are seen as righteous (the imputation of righteousness upon faith) when we have faith. Sanctification is being made more into the image of Christ.So it depends on what you mean by being perfected. We are not actually perfect when we believe but we are perfect (complete and in the image of Christ) in heaven.

I explained all this on 2 other threads here.
On all of which I agree with you. You're still leaving out the 'how', though. Now, I've heard the term 'glorification' mentioned several times on these various threads; I've asked what that means and haven't yet had an answer.
 

Matt Black

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
One Judgment: The Bema Seat of Christ--just after the rapture, during the tribulation, and before the Second Coming. (for believers only)
Second Judgment: The Great White Throne Judgement--After the Millennial Kingdom is over--for unbelievers only; their final sentence into the lake of fire.
Third Judgment--The Judgment of the Sheep and Goats: just before the Millennial Kingdom--It is a judgment of the nations; as to which nations were friendly to the Jews and which were not friendly to the Jewish nation.
Wow! That's one heck of a bit of eisegesis.
 

Matt Black

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
With those beliefs he wouldn't be able to join most Baptist churches. He wouldn't get past the statement of faith. He seems to be a Baptist in name only.
I thought you chaps had soul liberty? Surely Zenas therefore has the right - if that is what he has discerned from Scripture - to (a) hold those views and (b) publish them in his church.
 

FR7 Baptist

Active Member
One of the signs that one is saved, which, once again, is required for OSAS, is growth in holiness, in the grace and knowledge of Christ, and in Christlike-ness.
This is what we Christians commonly refer to as "sanctification", as opposed to justification, which is the act of salvation, itself.

In other words, we are saved by justification and, once we are saved, the process of sanctification begins. It is a naturally occuring progression, which is the result of justification, not the cause of it.

Sanctification is part of salvation and it will always follow justification as a result thereof. Justification is not the only part of salvation. I do not believe in purgatory; those who do say that sanctification continues after death. That seems to be the heart of the matter: Is sanctification complete upon death or not?
 

JohnDeereFan

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Wow! That's one heck of a bit of eisegesis.

Did you ever play the prank, when you were a child, of putting dog feces in a bag and lighting in on fire and tossing it on someone's doorstep, while you and your friends ran away and hid in the bushes?

That's essentially what you're doing now.

It's easy to call his explaination "eisegesis", but it's cowardly to do so and then run away without giving any explanation about why it's eisegesis or what the correct exegesis is.

Please explain how he is guilty of eisegesis and explain what the correct understanding of those three judgements is.
 

JohnDeereFan

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
This is something I see here on the BB from time to time, especially from the Reformed types (not saying you are one, DHK). I've been around a lot of Baptists. Probably visited in 40 or 50 different Baptist churches, all in the South. I have never heard talk of asking someone to accept a statement of faith.

I've never heard of a church that didn't ask members to affirm a statement of faith.

For new professions of faith, the pastor will simply ask if the candidate if he/she believes in Jesus Christ as his/her personal saviour and wants to follow Him. For people moving their letter they don't even ask that. For those coming on statement, they simply ask about their former church and their baptism. Then they are accepted into the membership by acclamation. No questions about doctrinal beliefs at all. Also, there is almost never any inquiry by the prospective member about what we do or don't believe. If you want to join a Southern Baptist church in my neck of the woods, just respond to the invitation, tell the pastor you are a baptized believer and you're in.

Then you need to find a new church.
 

JohnDeereFan

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
I never said it was.

Yes, you did. Here are your very own words from your last post:

"Sanctification is part of salvation "


So then, you agree that justification and sanctification are two completely seperate and distinct things, and that justification must occur first in its entirity before sanctification begins?

Sanctification and glorification.

No, neither is a part of justification. We are justified through the blood of Christ. We are sanctified and glorified as a result of our justification.


So if I were to ask you how you believe you were saved, what would your answer be?
 
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