Baptist Salvation

[Anointed]

Baptist Salvation

By Ron Boatwright

Baptists teach that all one must do in order to be saved and have your sins forgiven, is to "accept Jesus as your personal Saviour" and say "the sinner’s prayer". Then a couple of weeks or a month later the individual is baptized into the Baptist Church, but not for the forgiveness of sins or to be saved because they say that baptism is not essential to salvation and not essential for the forgiveness of sins. The purpose of Baptist baptism is for joining the Baptist Church. Since Baptist baptism is not done for the purpose of forgiveness of one’s sins and to be saved, then with Baptist baptism one’s sins are not forgiven and one is not saved. Such a one still has every sin he has ever committed and is still lost. They claim that they are saved and their sins are forgiven before and without baptism. But where in the Bible is any of this found? It is not there because men, with the help of Satan, have come up with these false ideas.

But what does the Bible say? Jesus says in Mark 16:16, "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved". One needs help to misunderstand this. Jesus did not say, "He that believes and is not baptized shall be saved". The Baptists laugh at God’s word when God says baptism is for the remission of one’s sins so one can be saved and go to Heaven. This is sad and will cause many good honest people to be eternally lost in Hell because they believed a lie of Satan.

In Acts 2:38 we read, "Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins". And in Acts 22:16 one was told, "And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord". Satan says that baptism is not necessary for forgiveness of sins and to be saved. Satan says all you have to do to be saved is just "accept Jesus as your personal Saviour" and say the "sinner’s prayer". Satan says it is all right to be baptized later to join a denomination, after you "think" you are saved because even Satan knows God saves one at the point of baptism, not before. Satan knows that being baptized to join a denomination does one no good and that if one is not baptized for the forgiveness of sins to be saved, he still has every sin he ever committed and is still lost.



http://www.searchingfortruth.org/

[Sam Morris]

Sam Morris on Rum and Eternal Ruin
By WAYNE JACKSON

November 19, 2001

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The Biblical Evangelist is a bi-monthly journal published by the Independent Baptist Evangelistic Association out of Raleigh, North Carolina. The editor is Robert L. Summer. The paper contains valuable material from time-to-time, e.g., book reviews, religious news matters, etc.

The September/October issue contains a very stout article titled,“The Ravages of Rum.” Appealing both to scripture, and to examples from history, the author discusses “God’s verdict against strong drink.”“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise”(Prov. 20:1, KJV).

Notable characters whose drunken episodes are laid bare by impartial biblical writers are: Noah, Lot, Nabal, Ahasuerus, Belshazzar, and Ben-hadad.

More modern characters are reviewed similarly. Alexander the Great drank heavily, murdered his best friend, and died a “sot” at the age of 33. The poet Lord Byron drank himself to death at the age of 36. Edgar Allan Poe died at 40, deeply addicted to alcohol. Stephen Foster, famous for his songs of the old south (e.g.,“My Old Kentucky Home”) died a poor and lonely drunk at the age of 38.

The article cites Upton Sinclair’s famous book, The Cup of Fury (New York: Channel Press, 1956), that chronicles how beverage alcohol destroyed the lives of such notables as Jack London, Dylan Thomas, Sinclair Lewis, O. Henry, Isadora Duncan, and many others.

Now for the “punch” line. The author of this excellent little article was the late Sam Morris of Stamford, Texas, known among the Baptists as a “booze buster par excellent.” But Morris was perhaps most famous (or infamous) for his controversial tract,“Do A Christian’s Sins Damn His Soul?” Here’s a sample of that little composition.

“We take the position that a Christian’s sins do not damn his soul. The way a Christian lives, what he says, his character, his conduct, or his attitude toward other people have nothing whatever to do with the salvation of his soul.”

Morris waxed bolder still:

“all the sins [the Christian] may commit from idolatry to murder will not make his soul in any more danger.”

Somewhere between “idolatry” and “murder” would be “drunkenness,” one must suppose.

Morris, then, would contend that “rum” might “ravage” a man’s life, but never his soul. He even argued that sins (like drunkenness) would “damn [the Christian’s] fellowship with God,” but the drunkard simply could not be lost!

Why, then, did God warn Christians that those who engaged in drunkenness would not “inherit the kingdom of God”(1 Cor. 6:9-10)?

“Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”

more to come

[Sam Morris]

I am reminded of the debate that occurred years ago between a Calvinist and a gospel preacher on the theme of whether or not it is possible for a child of God to be lost. The Calvinist argued that the Christian can never so sin as to be lost in hell.

The Christian preacher asked his opponent:

“Since God says that the drunkard shall not enter heaven, what will be the fate of the Christian man who yields to temptation, gets drunk, and dies in that condition? If the Christian man who dies drunk cannot enter heaven, and yet will not go to hell, what must be his destiny?”

At a loss as to how to respond, the Calvinist impulsively replied:“God will not let the brother die in a drunken state.”

The gospel minister promptly responded — with devastating logic:“Well, then, would it not be the case that if a Christian gets drunk, and stays drunk, he can live forever?”

The notion that a Christian can never sin, so as to be lost finally, is a dogma so foreign to the truth that it is bewildering that anyone could endorse it. Yet, many sincere religious people do.


http://www.searchingfortruth.org/

[Sheep Straying]

Can a Sheep Stray from the Fold?

By WAYNE JACKSON / Christian Courier

March 11, 2003


“A friend of mine insists that a Christian can never fall away from the grace of God so as to be lost. One of the Bible verses that she uses in support of this idea is in John’s Gospel, chapter 10, verses 27-28.‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand’[KJV]. Would you comment on this passage?”

The Gospel of John is a very selective piece of literature relative to the events of Jesus’ earthly ministry. John fills in some of the “blanks” that the other Gospel writers purposely leave — due to the particular design of their records. For example, John’s account of the Lord’s visit to Jerusalem, at the time of “the feast of the dedication”(10:22ff), is unique to his narrative.

During the events of that occasion, the Savior uttered these words:“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”(10:27). There are some extremely important thoughts here that are worthy of notation. They qualify the promise that is made subsequently.

First, it is clear from the overall context that the term “sheep” is here employed of those who are the Lord’s disciples. They are plainly set in contrast to the hostile Jews who, though they had been exposed to ample information concerning Jesus’ identity, nonetheless did not believe on him, hence, refused to follow him (see v. 25).

more to come

[Sheep Straying]

Second, one must take note of precisely how the sheep are described. This is crucial, because the character of the sheep emphasizes why they are secure.

The sheep “hear” the Shepherd’s voice.“Hear” is from akouo, which signifies to listen. The word is found 58 times in John’s Gospel, and, in this context, as with many others, it denotes an obedient listening to Jesus (see J.H. Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Edinburgh: T.&T. Clark, 1958, p. 23).

Too, the verb is in the Greek present tense, which suggests -not a spasmodic interest - but a sustained determination to do the Lord’s will.
Those who “hear” the Shepherd’s voice “follow” him. This verb translates a compound term, akoloutheo, which contains the two ideas of “likeness” and “way,” hence it pictures one who is going in the same way. In the four Gospel accounts the word occurs 77 times — and 76 of these have to do with following Christ! Again, it is a present tense form. The meaning thus is, if we may paraphrase:“The one who keeps on listening (i.e., obeying) Jesus Christ, will find himself continuing in the same way as his Shepherd.”

The text does not claim that the sheep have no volition, no power of choice; clearly, they do. They voluntarily hear and follow. Accordingly, if they continue in this course of sustained fidelity, no one will be able to “pluck” or “snatch”(ASV) then from the Lord’s hand. There term “snatch” is from the Greek harpazo, which carries the idea of “to grab or seize suddenly so as to remove or gain control”(F.W. Danker, et al., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Chicago: University of Chicago, 2000, p. 134). It is used here in the sense of taking someone captive by force (cf. Jn. 6:15; Acts 23:10).

Can anyone force the child of God to abandon his Savior? The answer is,“No.” But can the Christian voluntarily surrender his own faith and forfeit his hope of eternal life? He certainly can and there is ample Bible evidence establishing this sad reality.

We have discussed this matter in considerable detail in our book, Eternal Security – Fact or Fiction?, which constitutes a review of Charles Stanley’s work on this theme.



http://www.searchingfortruth.org/

[The Word of God]

16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.(1Tim.4:16)

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.(1Cor.15:58)

...be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.(Rev.2:10)




http://www.searchingfortruth.org/