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The Root...of Doctrinal Apostasy...what is that?

Iconoclast

Well-Known Member
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Modernism is just one more step for the denominations to deviate from God’s Word. Gradually the destructive theories of doubt and skepticism overwhelmed most of the religious bodies.


This is what the traditionalists are doing....they water things down to where they no longer have God's word, but rather philosophical double talk...explaining away one verse after another.
 

Iconoclast

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Doctrinal Apostasy takes place incrementally and then when it all goes bad people look back and lament. There are two main root causes for doctrinal apostasy to occur.

1] Having a defective view of what the scriptures are.

2] Having a defective view of the fall of man into sin and death is the more common and devastating error however. In our lifetime we have witnessed much decay and declension because the the false doctrinal roots sown in the 1800's
 

agedman

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
“There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

It matters little if is/was Jewish law keeping, demand for baptism to wash away sin, worshipping on the Sabath, or accepting deviants into fellowship/membership.

All apostasy sounds right, is rationally supportable, and can be based upon a Scripture.

However, imo, ultimately all apostasy is built upon “ God said don’t eat...” followed by, “Surely you won’t die...”

Typical bait and switch scheme to discredit the sovereignty of God.
 

robycop3

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
I consider modern religion to be apostate. Why because it does not view God as sovereign over man...rather it is man is the one that makes the choice to get saved. :Rolleyes

...which is TRUE. Jesus said He knocks at the door; he does not kick it in. That means one must get up & open the door to let Him in.
 

Reformed

Well-Known Member
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Doctrinal apostasy is a result of spiritual apostasy. The latter comes first while the former is the symptom.
 

Earth Wind and Fire

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Doctrinal Apostasy takes place incrementally and then when it all goes bad people look back and lament. There are two main root causes for doctrinal apostasy to occur.

1] Having a defective view of what the scriptures are.

2] Having a defective view of the fall of man into sin and death is the more common and devastating error however. In our lifetime we have witnessed much decay and declension because the the false doctrinal roots sown in the 1800's
Sorry, such as what? Personally I believe the RCC has done much to corrupt.... then there is science and Philosophy. These are the atheist fallback sources
 

Earth Wind and Fire

Well-Known Member
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...which is TRUE. Jesus said He knocks at the door; he does not kick it in. That means one must get up & open the door to let Him in.
I think He does kick it in. When you are faced with your own sinful life, with your own evil perpetuated unto the Lord, with the fact that you are an enemy of God and the life you live will eventually send you straight to hell and He chose to save a wretch like me, you have no choice but to say, sorry Lord please forgive me and save me... then you know, He has chosen you for salvation. Your heart is changed, you grow a conscience, all your defenses are down and you see things from a different position. You see, when God comes after you, he is coming to get you. I praise Him for that!
 
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1689Dave

Well-Known Member
The question is not how I label myself. The question is how do you label yourself.

Are you a Baptist? Yes or No.

Do you attend a Baptist church? Yes or No.

Do you accept the Baptist Distinctives? Yes or No.

I was baptized by immersion as a believer in Jesus Christ. My home church is an IFB church and I've fellowshipped within those circles some 40 years now. But I've learned from many other churches as well. Baptist distinctives? Yes if you refer to the 8. I come closest to the 1689 LBC but embrace other creeds in areas I believe are lacking therein.
 

Covenanter

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
In moving to a new area, I looked for an FIEC church, NOT a Baptist church. There is a Baptist Union church in the area, about the same distance as the church we go to.

Welcome to Ewyas Harold Baptist Church
Minister: Rev. Joy James

.....
Band: A group of musicians regularly lead the worship during the service.

The Baptist Union is recognised by evangelicals as a "mixed" denomination, held together by a principle -
Declaration of Principle
The Basis of the Baptist Union is:

1. That our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, is the sole and absolute authority in all matters pertaining to faith and practice, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, and that each Church has liberty, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to interpret and administer His laws.

2. That Christian Baptism is the immersion in water into the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, of those who have professed repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ who 'died for our sins according to the Scriptures; was buried, and rose again the third day'.

3. That it is the duty of every disciple to bear personal witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to take part in the evangelisation of the world.
 

Earth Wind and Fire

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
I think He does kick it in
I was baptized by immersion as a believer in Jesus Christ. My home church is an IFB church and I've fellowshipped within those circles some 40 years now. But I've learned from many other churches as well. Baptist distinctives? Yes if you refer to the 8. I come closest to the 1689 LBC but embrace other creeds in areas I believe are lacking therein.
please then, let me know what your idea of Baptist Distinctives are so I can better understand your approach to Christianity.
 

TCassidy

Late-Administator Emeritus
Administrator
I am not Dave but I see the Baptist Distinctives this way (with the caveat that I do not think "Baptist" is a denominational name but rather a doctrinal identity - many churches that are Baptist in Doctrine don't have "Baptist" on the sign, and many that have "Baptist" on the sign are not Baptist doctrinally).

Bible - the soul authority for faith and practice

Autonomy or independence of the local church

Priesthood of all believers

Two offices - Pastor and Deacon

Individual soul liberty and responsibility

Separation of Church & State

Two ordinances Believer's Baptism by immersion & Lord's Supper

Saved, baptized and serving membership.
 

TCassidy

Late-Administator Emeritus
Administrator
...which is TRUE. Jesus said He knocks at the door; he does not kick it in. That means one must get up & open the door to let Him in.
You do realize Revelation 3:20 has nothing to do with soteriology, don't you?

Look up to the preceding context then compare with
Matthew 24:33 "Even so you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."

Revelation 3:20 is not about salvation, it is about the Second Coming and the consummation of the age.

Matthew 24:44 Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come.

Luke 12:40 Therefore be ready also, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour that you don’t expect him.
 

atpollard

Well-Known Member
I am not Dave but I see the Baptist Distinctives this way (with the caveat that I do not think "Baptist" is a denominational name but rather a doctrinal identity - many churches that are Baptist in Doctrine don't have "Baptist" on the sign, and many that have "Baptist" on the sign are not Baptist doctrinally).

Bible - the soul authority for faith and practice

Autonomy or independence of the local church

Priesthood of all believers

Two offices - Pastor and Deacon

Individual soul liberty and responsibility

Separation of Church & State

Two ordinances Believer's Baptism by immersion & Lord's Supper

Saved, baptized and serving membership.
By your definition of ‘Baptist’, most Baptists probably aren’t Baptist.

What happened to the Biblical Elders?
When did Seperation of Church and State become a spiritual distinctive rather than a political distinctive?
Particular Baptists aren’t Baptists?
 

Earth Wind and Fire

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
I am not Dave but I see the Baptist Distinctives this way (with the caveat that I do not think "Baptist" is a denominational name but rather a doctrinal identity - many churches that are Baptist in Doctrine don't have "Baptist" on the sign, and many that have "Baptist" on the sign are not Baptist doctrinally).

Bible - the soul authority for faith and practice

Autonomy or independence of the local church

Priesthood of all believers

Two offices - Pastor and Deacon

Individual soul liberty and responsibility

Separation of Church & State

Two ordinances Believer's Baptism by immersion & Lord's Supper

Saved, baptized and serving membership.
Define Pastor, define Deacon... then what about elder lead? Then what Doctrines are considered correct? cause if there is no doctrine ( let’s once again use the Trinity Doctrine) what’s our grounding?
 

1689Dave

Well-Known Member
please then, let me know what your idea of Baptist Distinctives are so I can better understand your approach to Christianity.
Mr. Cassidy stated the distinctives clearly as;

Bible - the soul authority for faith and practice

Autonomy or independence of the local church

Priesthood of all believers

Two offices - Pastor and Deacon

Individual soul liberty and responsibility

Separation of Church & State

Two ordinances Believer's Baptism by immersion & Lord's Supper

Saved, baptized and serving membership.


If you would like to know more about what I believe, I subscribe to virtually all the Reformed Creeds except where the 1689 LBC makes corrections. And I subscribe to the Anabaptist Schleitheim Confession as far as Christian ethics. Omitted by the other creeds.
 

Iconoclast

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Doctrinal apostasy is a result of spiritual apostasy. The latter comes first while the former is the symptom.
So Reformed...are you suggesting that despite an outward profession,maybe even going to bible school...does not prevent some sincere persons from drifting past the safe harbour of the doctrinal deposit once given to the saint's. .
As described in the warning of Hebrews2:1-4..?
Is this something you have sadly observed....or is it something that is only theoretical written about by saints from times past?
They are among us...but it becomes manifest that they were.no other indeed of us.
 

Reformed

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
are you suggesting that despite an outward profession,maybe even going to bible school...does not prevent some sincere persons from drifting past the safe harbour of the doctrinal deposit once given to the saint's. .
As described in the warning of Hebrews2:1-4..?

I am suggesting exactly that. Have you ever read Spurgeon's "Lectures to my Students"? In the first volume, Spurgeon mentions how horrible it would be for a preacher to proclaim the gospel to the lost when he, himself, is not born again.

Is this something you have sadly observed

I have written about this recently. The best man in my wedding attended the same Bible college as me and went on to graduate from a prestigious seminary. He was a professor at an equally prestigious Bible college. He held to all the right doctrines. He was able to articulate doctrine and theology at an elite level. However, his total apostasy from the Christian faith proves that he possessed head knowledge only. He was excited by the scholarship that theological study offered but not the spiritual aspect of it. Sadly, evangelicalism has more than a few people like this still within its ranks. Not every apostate has abandoned the faith completely. Some hang on and work their evil within Christendom.
 

Earth Wind and Fire

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
I am not Dave but I see the Baptist Distinctives this way (with the caveat that I do not think "Baptist" is a denominational name but rather a doctrinal identity - many churches that are Baptist in Doctrine don't have "Baptist" on the sign, and many that have "Baptist" on the sign are not Baptist doctrinally).

Bible - the soul authority for faith and practice

Autonomy or independence of the local church

Priesthood of all believers

Two offices - Pastor and Deacon

Individual soul liberty and responsibility

Separation of Church & State

Two ordinances Believer's Baptism by immersion & Lord's Supper

Saved, baptized and serving membership.
What does it mean to have separation of church and State?
 

Reformed

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
What does it mean to have separation of church and State?
Actually, there is no such thing. Separation of church and state is a misinterpretation of the Establishment Clause in the United States Constitution which is found in the First Amendment. It states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." In short, it means that Congress cannot establish a state religion as had been the case in England. Also, Congress could not prohibit the practice of religion. The Constitution does not separate church and state. The church has the right to involve itself in all facets of society. The enumerated powers given to the federal government preclude it from meddling in religion.
 
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