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| "A church that cares about the lives of people" |
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"But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Timothy 3:15) When you come to church, one should expect, yea demand, that the truth be taught and preached. The church is the pillar, the ground, and the one foundation that holds up God's truth in this world. It is the church that is to preserve, preach, portray, practice, and protect the truth in order that God's work will continue to prosper and be blessed mightily of the Lord. The plain teaching of all Scripture establishes the fact that believers in the Lord are commanded of Christ to accept all of His truth. We are not to add, dilute, edit, or change it in any way. The whole New Testament echoes the teaching of Christ that there is one truth and God's people should be united in accepting it. But as any honest person will readily admit this is not the case. We are living in a day and age where there is much debate, confusion, disagreement, and controversy over the truth. We have literally hundreds of churches of different denominations, groups, and organizations all proclaiming to believe in different creeds and beliefs and emphasizing conflicting doctrines while at the same time declaring it doesn't make any difference what a person believes. Religion has made itself look ridiculous by making the preposterous claim that all the hundreds of competing churches with their biased beliefs, contradicting claims, and diverse doctrines are really one religion. Many argue that all religions and churches are equally good and that even though we may be taking different roads, we are all bound for the same place. But simple logic should tell you that these churches holding to beliefs and doctrines that contradict each other cannot all be true. Such differences and diversity has caused much chaos and confusion concerning the truth of the Word of God. Therefore we are brought face to Ace with the question, which church is the one that is declaring the truth? Which church is right? Which are wrong? How can I know the true church? The quickest way to receive an answer to these questions we must look to one place. Amidst all of the chaos and confusion that exists among the hundreds of conflicting religions, there exists only one source of information that is without error -- the inspired Word of God. This is all we can turn to. Man can be wrong, even churches can be wrong; only God's Word stands without error and this is where we must look. An Independent Baptist Church is the right church because of what she believes the Bible teaches on the following four truths: Most churches used to say that the Bible was their final authority for faith and practice but that's not so any more. As churches and as Christians, we have an absolute standard for our beliefs, our duties, and our whole conduct. It is the Bible. The Bible is the written record of God's revelation to man. It is not man's concept of God but rather a record that God Himself authored through inspiration. Therefore it is pure, perfect, inerrant, and infallible. It is a record that will stand for time and eternity. Our faith then is not built upon philosophy, fables, or the traditions of men. Our faith is built upon the rock of the true utterances of the living God. Two words need to be mentioned and defined when dealing with bibliology: inspiration and preservation. Inspiration (11 Tim. 3:16) Paul used the word "inspiration" (God-breathed) in order to teach us that we can take the Bible to be the authority for all we believe and do. Because the Bible is inspired of God, it is true from beginning to end. The Bible teaches verbal inspiration, meaning God inspired the words, not just the ideas or thoughts. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. " (Matthew 24:35). The Holy Spirit of God so guided and controlled the men whom He used to write the Scriptures that not only the ideas but also the very words that they wrote were given to us from God. God so directed the choice of the words that they are His words and for that reason are pure and perfect. The Bible tells us, " For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man. but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Peter 1:21). Holy men of God wrote in obedience to the divine command and were kept from all error. God accomplished the miracle of inspiration by providentially preparing the writers for their work and by so revealing His truth to them, He enabled, guided, superintended them in the recording of it as to give to us through them an exact and complete Bible. II Tim. 3:16 teaches that the entire Bible is fully and equally inspired of God; we have a complete revelation from God to man. No additional revelations are necessary either in writings or visions. The Bible does not contain the Word of God, it is the Word of God. We must guard this precious doctrine of verbal inspiration for it is the very foundation of our doctrinal soundness and of our spiritual power. Preservation (Ps. 12:6-7) Do we have the Bible today? The original manuscripts have long been lost, so does this mean we no longer have the sure Word of God? Does the Word of God exist today? Yes! How do I know? The Bible tells me so! The Bible tells me that God has promised me that He will preserve His Word. If we deny the Bible's promises concerning its own preservation, then we deny the validity of every other promise it contains. If God has failed in His promise to preserve His Word, then we have no guarantee that He will perform or keep any other promise. The Bible rests itself on the sure foundation of inspiration and preservation. One without the other is useless, like two wings on a bird. There was no need for God to inspire the Bible unless it was to be preserved and there was no need to preserve it unless it was inspired. If God, who cannot lie, has preserved His Word, then we need to know where that Word is, we need to diligently study and know just what that Word says and teaches. We believe the King James Bible is the very inspired, preserved Word of God. If we believe God is either unable or unwilling to keep His promise to preserve His Word, then we must conclude that we don't have His Word today. On the other hand, if we approach this issue by faith, i.e. believing God, then our conclusion will be that we do have His Word today. The question is, do you believe God? If you do, then you will believe His promise to preserve His Word. The Bible is forever settled in heaven and Satan with all his cohorts cannot destroy it. I believe the God who wrote the Bible has kept it, and will preserve it until its ministry is finished here on earth. An Independent Baptist Church is the right church because of what she believes the Bible teaches on: Just as there are a multiplicity of churches and religions in the world today, so is there manifold teachings on the subject of salvation. But the Bible is plain and clear that there is only one way of salvation, one way to heaven: " Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6). Christ Himself is the actual means for bringing men to God as He spans the distance between God and the sinner. There is no other way: " There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12). Jesus did not simply teach the way or point out the way; He is the way. ~ For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; ~ (1 Timothy 2:5). This wipes away any other proposed way to heaven whether it be good works, religious ceremonies, clean living, etc. There is only one way and that way is Jesus Christ. " Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. " (Acts 4:12). The greatest, most important words about God's salvation are to be found in eight words in Eph. 2:8, "For by grace are ye saved through faith... " This is the sinner's only hope. God's grace is His favor and kindness bestowed upon the guilty and unworthy, those who do not deserve it and cannot earn it. Grace came by Jesus Christ when He fully made known God's gracious salvation when He shed His blood on Calvary's cross for our sins and opened the fountain of mercy and pardon to every believing sinner. "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;" (Ephesians 1:7). Grace is a provision for sinners who are so fallen and corrupt that they cannot change their own natures, so opposed to God that they cannot turn to Him, so blind that they cannot see Him, so deaf that they cannot hear Him, and so dead that Jesus Christ Himself must open heir graves and lift them into resurrection and life. Since sinners cannot save themselves, it was God's grace that brought salvation to lost mankind. This salvation was not invented or discovered by sinners but it was made manifest throughout the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is only by the sovereign grace of God that we have salvation. Grace excludes all works and boasting; it stands in direct opposition to works and worthiness. God's work of salvation for us and in us is by grace, i.e. it began in grace, continued by grace, and completed through grace. Because God is gracious, sinners are forgiven, converted, and saved. It is not because of anything in them or that can ever be in them, that they are saved. But it is because of the boundless love, goodness, compassion, mercy, and grace of God. Grace is the first and last moving cause of salvation. It is because His mercy endureth forever that men are not destroyed; it is because His compassion fail not that sinners are brought to Christ and forgiven. Herein lies the fountain head, the divine source of our salvation and all blessings -- the grace of God. "The way to heaven does not lie over a toll-bridge but over a free bridge, the unmerited free grace of God in Christ Jesus." The Bible declares and teaches there must be a work of repentance and faith in the sinner's heart before one can be saved. Repentance and faith are inseparable; cannot have one without the other. Acts 20:21 says there must be repentance toward God and faith toward Christ. Jesus Himself preached in Mark 1:15 one must repent and believe the gospel. There must be a turning away from, the confession of, the forsaking of sin and a turning unto God. And it is not mere faith that saves, but faith in Christ and His shed blood for your sins. In repentance one sees himself as a lost sinner before God; in faith one sees Christ as Saviour from his sin. In repentance the sinner is helpless; in faith Christ is mighty to save. An Independent Baptist Church is the right church because of what she believes the Bible teaches on: Because of the many human institutions which claim the name of churches. it is difficult for many people to recognize false churches for what they are. There are so many false churches today that people assume that every professing Christian organization is truly a church and that there are really no false churches but just a few churches that have differences of opinion on some things. But the Bible declares and warns us of false churches with their false prophets preaching a false gospel. Not only are we responsible to believe and to proclaim the doctrines of the Word of God but we also are responsible to discern between the true and the false and to reject and repudiate the false. Satan has blinded the eyes of men to the truth and Importance of the doctrine of the church. There seems to be hopeless contusion and disagreement not only among professing Christians but also even among so-called Baptists as to the origin of the church and other related truths in connection with it. Because of the neglect of church truth loose thinking and erroneous views have developed as to what constitutes a New Testament church. The Bible teaches that the church was founded, built by Christ. As He said in Mt. 16:18, "...upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The word "church" in Christ's day had only one meaning: a company of people called out for a specific purpose. The Scriptures abundantly declare the New Testament church to be a local, visible assembly, a local institution. The terms used to describe the churches in the New Testament (such as: body-I Cor. 12; bride-II Cor. 11, Eph. 5, Rev. 19; building-Eph. 2) show that the universal, invisible church theory to be unscriptural and unfounded. A New Testament church is a local, visible, independent organized assembly of baptized believers united together in their faith to carry out the Great Commission. Jesus said He would build His church. If His words mean anything at all, they must mean that the institution that He built, started, was one separate and distinct from any institution that had previously existed or existed at that time. The Lord Jesus Christ did not delegate His power or authority to any man to be the one responsible for building His church; only Jesus Himself had the right, power, authority, ability, wisdom to build His church then, and He still does today! Any church that has a man for its builder is a false church. The church was not founded by any man for there is but one Founder and Builder of the church and that is Jesus Christ. The very fact that some churches can trace their origin to a man should be enough to make them realize that they cannot rightly be the Lord's church. The church began in Palestine during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ with the calling and ordaining of the 12 apostles (Mk. 3; Lk. 6; I Cor. 12:28). When these saved, baptized apostles, who were the material prepared by John the Baptist, were called, chosen, ordained, and sent by Christ, they became a distinct entity, called out body of believers with Christ as their shepherd, pastor. This all took place long before the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. To say the church was established then makes the Holy Spirit the founder, not Christ. Jesus built the church and the Holy Spirit filled it, empowered it to carry out the Great Commission. Nowhere is there any mention that the disciples were to be formed into a church by the filling of the Holy Spirit. The origin of the New Testament church is to be found in Palestine; the time of it was in the days of the Lord's earthly ministry; and the founder of the church was the Lord Jesus Christ. People need to realize that a church that isn't patterned after the New Testament church isn't the Lord's church but is nothing more than a mere human invention no matter what it may seem in the sight of man. A true church will possess those characteristics that will identify it with the New Testament model, the church that Jesus built. I submit to you that an Independent Baptist Church possesses those characteristics, that it has the same message, same mission, and the same methods of the churches described in the New Testament. An Independent Baptist Church believes that the only organization given in the New Testament is the local church. They believe that God has given the church as the means of accomplishing His purpose in this age. An Independent Baptist Church does not affiliate or identify itself with any organized convention, association, or fellowship. The regular support of missionaries is essential to an Independent Baptist Church. An Independent Baptist Church cooperates with other independent Baptist churches in missions on a voluntary basis, without any unscriptural organization binding the churches together. An Independent Baptist Church has to rely on God and give Him all the glory. An Independent Baptist Church will love the church that Jesus loved and will not have this love and loyalty switched to some man-made organization. An Independent Baptist Church denounces sin and apostasy wherever it is found; its voice will not be silenced by loyalty to some outside organization. An Independent Baptist Church is not dictated to nor influenced by any head or headquarters except the Lord Jesus Christ. Every Bible-believing Baptist ought to join an Independent Baptist Church. When a sincere believer opens his Bible and studies it, he can only come to the conclusion that an Independent Baptist Church is the only true church of the Lord Jesus Christ. An Independent Baptist Church is the right church because of what she believes the Bible teaches on: True Baptists have always been a Bible people. True Baptists believe the Bible to be the Word of God and they refuse additions to it by the interpreters and subtractions from it by the unbelievers. They believe the Bible should be interpreted literally unless the language or the context indicates otherwise. Baptist teachings are based upon the plain statements of the Scriptures and do not depend for support upon the spiritualization of the Scriptures which corrupts the meaning of the Scriptures. True Baptists insist that the Bible is the only authority and make every effort to interpret it correctly and apply it properly. In the area of eschatology, the second coming of Christ, there is a variety of differing opinions on this subject today but true Baptists have always believed in the pre-tribulational, premillennial coming of Jesus Christ as it is taught in the Bible. The second coming of Christ is two-fold, consists of two phases: 1) Rapture 2) Return. In the Rapture Jesus comes in the air (I Thess. 4) for His people (In. 14) as a Bridegroom (Mt. 25). In the Return Jesus comes to the earth (Zech. 14; Mt. 25) with His people (Zech. 14; Jude 14; Rev. 19) as a Judge and King (Rev. 19). There will be a seven-year tribulation period, as described in Rev. 6-18, between the Rapture of the saints and Christ's millennial reign with His saints. That for which the believer awaits is the personal, literal, bodily return of Jesus Christ. This is our hope: "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;" (Titus 2:13). There is only one order of future events and therefore only one system of prophecy is correct. We believe that the pre-tribulational, premillennial view and interpretation of eschatology to be the correct and biblical viewpoint. We may not have every answer to every question nor understand and know everything what lies in the future but I believe God does not want us to be ignorant about prophecy, end-time events or any other part of His Word. Just as we would expect the Holy Spirit to teach us about various doctrines in the Word, we should expect no less when we come to the area of eschatology. In the midst of a world where things are not getting better and better but worse and worse, we as independent Baptists do not need to have a pessimistic outlook on life in general because we know assuredly from the Scriptures that Christ is coming again! |
How We Got Our Bible The Church's Task Three R's & ABC's William Tyndale