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Universal Church

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TCassidy

Late-Administator Emeritus
Administrator
I understand...i was just wanting to get your thoughts on What it means that Christ Baptized us with the Holy Spirit.
Christ baptized the church into the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost while they were assembled in the upper room.
 

percho

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Matthew 16:18 οἰκοδομήσω V-FIA-1S Future? When? When would the building begin? If it were built of stones, when would the first stone be laid?

τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ? the calling out unto ? (assembly)


When does the assembly take place? Every Sunday morning?
 

Earth Wind and Fire

Well-Known Member
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When the scriptures describe the true Church of jesus, the One that he is head over, it is the Universal Body of all who have been saved, and they were also scattered into local church assemblies. When the Church gathers each Sunday to worship God and hear His word, its all of the redeemed who assembly together in all local groups that make up His Church!
I dispute that statement most strenuously... it is NOT all the redeemed sitting there in the pews in assembly. Many, many, many of the redeemed sit outside waiting for Gods love to be the primary agenda. Some will find it, I know some who have filled with such desire that they start their own assembly. But they are the exceptions.
 

Yeshua1

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Actually churches all over the world baptize people every day.
Yes, into the water, as a part of identification now with that local assembly and Jesus, but the Holy Spirit at conversion places the saint into the Body of Christ, now united with Christ!
 

Yeshua1

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I dispute that statement most strenuously... it is NOT all the redeemed sitting there in the pews in assembly. Many, many, many of the redeemed sit outside waiting for Gods love to be the primary agenda. Some will find it, I know some who have filled with such desire that they start their own assembly. But they are the exceptions.
I would say that the Universal church is all who are saved right now in the world, regardless if going to a local assembly.
 

percho

Well-Known Member
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Why not ask the HS that question? Doesn’t he provide that desire?


Three lots west of me, I assemble every Sunday morning, Sunday night and on Wednesdays also. However I was asking for the context of the word, ἐκκλησίαν, in Matt 16:18 which in the future of Matt 16 would be built.

Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Acts 4:10,11
Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: 2 Tim 2:8
Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;

Was that the first, assembled, the beginning of the church?

And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. Col 1:18 KJV
And himself is the head of the body -- the assembly -- who is a beginning, a first-born out of the dead, that he might become in all things -- himself -- first, Col 1:18 YLT

I have stated many times, I know, no Greek. Is the understanding of the word ἐκκλησίαν inclusive of, "to," and or. "unto"?

Is it a completed, "thing"? Local or otherwise.
 

Rhetorician

Administrator
Administrator
One of several reasons I prefer the 1644/46 2nd London Confession.

Jesus Christ hath here on earth a [manifestation of His] spiritual kingdom, which is His Church, whom He hath purchased and redeemed to Himself as a peculiar inheritance; which Church is a company of visible saints, called and separated from the world by the word and Spirit of God, to the visible profession of faith of the gospel, being baptized into that faith, and joined to the Lord, and each other, by mutual agreement in the practical enjoyment of the ordinances commanded by Christ their head and king.
Matt. 11:11; 2 Thess. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; Eph. 1:1; Rom. 1:7; Acts 19:8,9, 26:18; 2 Cor. 6:17; Rev. 18:4; Acts 2:37, 10:37; Rom. 10:10; Matt. 18:19,20; Acts 2:42, 9:26; 1 Pet. 2:5.
Yes. An excellent example of the generic use of the word "church." No church in particular, all churches in general.

I believe the horse is the most beautiful animal in God's creation.

I use the singular but that does not mean I believe in a universal, invisible, mystical horse. I am just using it in the generic sense.

Brother Cassidy,

I must say that I am somewhat disappointed in your church theology, for I am one who was trained at Mid America Baptist Theological Seminary, that you give no credence to the "Trail of Blood" or the Landmark Baptist's positions! I am not sure you are a "real Baptist" if you do not believe we go back to Jesus Himself? LOL! FTR,(for the record) I do not hold to those two previous positions.

That should bring out the brethren who have a strong apologetic for the afore espoused doctrinal positions.

Can we talk?!

sdg!

rd
 

TCassidy

Late-Administator Emeritus
Administrator
you give no credence to the "Trail of Blood" or the Landmark Baptist's positions!
That's probably because I don't hold to either of them. :)

I am not sure you are a "real Baptist" if you do not believe we go back to Jesus Himself?
Well, our faith does go back to Christ, Who is the Author and Finisher of our faith, but there is no succession that can be proven, but as Kiffin puts it, our faith, through the like faith of our spiritual kindred, certainly goes back to Christ. :)

Can we talk?!
Certainly! (Now admit it! When you read "certainly" you said it, in your head, as "soitenly" just like Curly Howard used to say." :D
 

Yeshua1

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Brother Cassidy,

I must say that I am somewhat disappointed in your church theology, for I am one who was trained at Mid America Baptist Theological Seminary, that you give no credence to the "Trail of Blood" or the Landmark Baptist's positions! I am not sure you are a "real Baptist" if you do not believe we go back to Jesus Himself? LOL! FTR,(for the record) I do not hold to those two previous positions.

That should bring out the brethren who have a strong apologetic for the afore espoused doctrinal positions.

Can we talk?!

sdg!

rd
I do not hold to either viewpoint either, but do think that we Baptists do have the same theology as the early Church held to pretty much!
 

SovereignGrace

Well-Known Member
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LOL It is how I respond when I am lying in bed and on my smartphone. Unfortunately, my ankle is killing me from working out today, so I am back up and on my computer eating a banana for some potassium.

The "generic" church can be just that; the church without distinction of a local assembly. If we are going to insist that the only true church is a local assembly then there is no such thing as a generic church. We cannot speak of the state of the church in [fill in the continent/country/state] because there really is no such thing. The Particular Baptists understood the universal church as being invisible, a true number of believers that only God knows. This is the church of the firstborn in Hebrews 12:23. I was just going to quote J.L. Dagg and see that @rsr was sharp as a tack and did that in post #11.

The Universal Church cannot exist without local assemblies, which is a fear that at least one Baptist denomination I know has. The American Baptist Association rejects the idea of a Universal Church, which is one reason why they practice closed communion. I encountered this first hand when a former pastor of an A.B.A. church in town visited our church in Maryland a few years back. We practiced weekly communion and he and his wife did not participate. Afterward, he came up to me and another elder and said that his association practiced closed communion and it he declined to participate because he was not a member of our church. When I said to him that he was a member of the Church, he smiled and said he did not believe in a universal church. It was not worth arguing, so I thanked him for his visit.
My church is A. B. A. and we have open communion, FYI.
 

David Kent

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
There are 3 persons in 1 God... does it really matter?

Yes, I think it does.
  • Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask
We approach the Holy Spirit through the father.
 
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