My Child ~
You may not know me, but I know everything about you ~ Psalm 139:1 I know when you sit down and when you rise up ~ Psalm 139:2 I am familiar with all your ways ~ Psalm 139:3 Even the very hairs on your head are numbered ~ Matthew 10:29-31 For you were made in my image ~ Genesis 1:27 In me you live and move and have your being ~ Acts 17:28 For you are my offspring ~ Acts 17:28 I knew you even before you were conceived ~ Jeremiah 1:4-5 I chose you when I planned creation ~ Ephesians 1:11-12 You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book ~ Psalm 139:15-16 I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live ~ Acts 17:26 You are fearfully and wonderfully made ~ Psalm 139:14 I knit you together in your mother's womb ~ Psalm 139:13 And brought you forth on the day you were born ~ Psalm 71:6 I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me ~ John 8:41-44 I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love ~ 1 John 4:16 And it is my desire to lavish my love on you ~ 1 John 3:1 Simply because you are my child and I am your father ~ 1 John 3:1 I offer you more than your earthly father ever could ~ Matthew 7:11 For I am the perfect father ~ Matthew 5:48 Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand ~ James 1:17 For I am your provider and I meet all your needs ~ Matthew 6:31-33 My plan for your future has always been filled with hope ~ Jeremiah 29:11 Because I love you with an everlasting love ~ Jeremiah 31:3 thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore ~ Psalm 139:17-18 And I rejoice over you with singing ~ Zephaniah 3:17 I will never stop doing good to you ~ Jeremiah 32:40 For you are my treasured possession ~ Exodus 19:5 I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul ~ Jeremiah 32:41 And I want to show you great and marvelous things ~ Jeremiah 33:3 If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me ~ Deuteronomy 4:29 Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart ~ Psalm 37:4 For it is I who gave you those desires ~ Philippians 2:13 I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine ~ Ephesians 3:20 For I am your greatest encourager ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you ~ Psalm 34:18 As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart ~ Isaiah 40:11 One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes ~ Revelation 21:3-4 And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth ~ Revelation 21:3-4 I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus ~ John 17:23 For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed ~ John 17:26 He is the exact representation of my being ~ Hebrews 1:3 He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you ~ Romans 8:31 And to tell you that I am not counting your sins ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you ~ 1 John 4:10 I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love ~ Romans 8:31-32 If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me ~ 1 John 2:23 And nothing will ever separate you from my love again ~ Romans 8:38-39 Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen ~ Luke 15:7 I have always been Father, and will always be Father ~ Ephesians 3:14-15 My question is ~ Will you be my child? ~ John 1:12-13 I am waiting for you ~ Luke 15:11-32
Love, Your Dad, Almighty God
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Part III. Can Babies Make the Commitment that Baptism Requires?
When a person is baptized, he is making a commitment to live all the rest of his life according to the Bible. He automatically and immediately becomes subject to certain responsibilities that the Bible requires of all baptized people. A person should not be baptized unless he understands this commitment and makes it freely of his own choice.
Here are a few of the responsibilities that God requires baptized people to learn to fulfill. Can babies understand this commitment and make it freely of their own choice?
A. Baptized People Should Learn to Exhort and Encourage Other Christians.
1 Corinthians 12:13,25,26 - Note first that baptism makes people members of Jesus' body, which is the church (Eph. 1:22,23; 5:23). Some people baptize babies, but still do not consider them to be members of the church. God's word says that, when one has been Scripturally baptized, he is automatically in the church. Then all members in the church should care for, suffer with, and rejoice with other members. Can a baby learn to do this? [cf. Heb. 10:22-25]
Ephesians 4:16 - In the body (the church) every joint and each part is to work to edify and build up the body. Can babies understand this responsibility and commit themselves to learn to fulfill it? If not, then they should not be baptized into the body.
B. Baptized People Should Learn to Worship God.
Acts 2:38-42,47 - Note again that, when people were baptized, the Lord added them to His church (v41,47). To baptize people and yet consider them not fully members of the church would be unscriptural. These baptized people then continued in the acts of worship named: breaking bread, prayer, the apostles' doctrine, etc. Can babies do this?
1 Corinthians 14:15-20 - Members of the church (this includes all baptized people - 1 Cor. 12:13) are to assemble with other Christians to sing, pray, and teach. All this should be done with understanding. But the Scripture expressly says that babies cannot do these things with the understanding that God requires (v20).
Notice the passage carefully: Members of the church should understand what is done in worship. Babies cannot understand. Therefore, babies should not be baptized into the church!
1 Corinthians 10:16,17; 11:23-29 - All members of the body (i.e., all people who are baptized - 12:13) should eat the bread and drink the cup in communion (10:16,17). Do churches that baptize babies have them partake of communion?
When members partake, they must remember Jesus' death and discern the meaning of it. If they eat without understanding, they eat and drink damnation to themselves (11:23-29). Can babies remember and discern this? If not, they should not partake. But all members of the body should partake, therefore babies should not be baptized into the body!
Clearly, God requires all members of the church to make a commitment that babies cannot make. Therefore, the command to be baptized is not addressed to babies and does not include them.
C. Baptized People Should Put God First in Their Lives.
Romans 6:3,4,11-18 - When people are baptized, they come into Christ and should walk in newness of life. They are made alive to God (newness of life), so they must not let sin reign in their bodies, but must use their members as instruments of righteousness. Obeying the gospel makes us free from sin and slaves to righteousness. But babies cannot make such choices and commitments. They should not be baptized until they are able to accept this responsibility from their own hearts.
Romans 12:1,2 - This passage is addressed to "brethren" - i.e., children of God, members of God's family, the church. But people become children of God, born again as brethren in the family, when by faith they are baptized (Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Tim. 3:15). Such people should present their bodies as living sacrifices to God, not being conformed to the world. This commitment must be accepted by one who is baptized. Can babies make such a commitment?
1 Corinthians 15:58 - Brethren (i.e., people who became children of God at the point of baptism) should be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord's work. If one is not able to understand this commitment and make it freely, he should not be baptized. Can babies understand and make this commitment?
Matthew 28:19,20 - Baptized people should be taught to obey all Jesus' commands. This shows that it is not necessary, at the very point of baptism, for people to know all the specific commands they must obey after baptism. But they must be capable of learning those commands. And they must have a heart willing to accept by their own free will everything Jesus says.
This is the commitment that a person makes when he repents and is baptized. No one should be baptized unless he has made such a commitment. A baby cannot do this, so he should not be baptized until he is old enough to choose for himself to do so.
Note carefully that we have learned what God says people must do before they can be baptized, during baptism (the proper purpose), and after baptism. And babies do not qualify in any of these areas. To baptize babies, then, would be to act by human authority without God's authority, thereby violating the will of God.
And, by studying what Scriptural baptism involves, we have not only shown why babies should not be baptized, but we have also show how people should be baptized properly.
Here are a few of the responsibilities that God requires baptized people to learn to fulfill. Can babies understand this commitment and make it freely of their own choice?
A. Baptized People Should Learn to Exhort and Encourage Other Christians.
1 Corinthians 12:13,25,26 - Note first that baptism makes people members of Jesus' body, which is the church (Eph. 1:22,23; 5:23). Some people baptize babies, but still do not consider them to be members of the church. God's word says that, when one has been Scripturally baptized, he is automatically in the church. Then all members in the church should care for, suffer with, and rejoice with other members. Can a baby learn to do this? [cf. Heb. 10:22-25]
Ephesians 4:16 - In the body (the church) every joint and each part is to work to edify and build up the body. Can babies understand this responsibility and commit themselves to learn to fulfill it? If not, then they should not be baptized into the body.
B. Baptized People Should Learn to Worship God.
Acts 2:38-42,47 - Note again that, when people were baptized, the Lord added them to His church (v41,47). To baptize people and yet consider them not fully members of the church would be unscriptural. These baptized people then continued in the acts of worship named: breaking bread, prayer, the apostles' doctrine, etc. Can babies do this?
1 Corinthians 14:15-20 - Members of the church (this includes all baptized people - 1 Cor. 12:13) are to assemble with other Christians to sing, pray, and teach. All this should be done with understanding. But the Scripture expressly says that babies cannot do these things with the understanding that God requires (v20).
Notice the passage carefully: Members of the church should understand what is done in worship. Babies cannot understand. Therefore, babies should not be baptized into the church!
1 Corinthians 10:16,17; 11:23-29 - All members of the body (i.e., all people who are baptized - 12:13) should eat the bread and drink the cup in communion (10:16,17). Do churches that baptize babies have them partake of communion?
When members partake, they must remember Jesus' death and discern the meaning of it. If they eat without understanding, they eat and drink damnation to themselves (11:23-29). Can babies remember and discern this? If not, they should not partake. But all members of the body should partake, therefore babies should not be baptized into the body!
Clearly, God requires all members of the church to make a commitment that babies cannot make. Therefore, the command to be baptized is not addressed to babies and does not include them.
C. Baptized People Should Put God First in Their Lives.
Romans 6:3,4,11-18 - When people are baptized, they come into Christ and should walk in newness of life. They are made alive to God (newness of life), so they must not let sin reign in their bodies, but must use their members as instruments of righteousness. Obeying the gospel makes us free from sin and slaves to righteousness. But babies cannot make such choices and commitments. They should not be baptized until they are able to accept this responsibility from their own hearts.
Romans 12:1,2 - This passage is addressed to "brethren" - i.e., children of God, members of God's family, the church. But people become children of God, born again as brethren in the family, when by faith they are baptized (Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Tim. 3:15). Such people should present their bodies as living sacrifices to God, not being conformed to the world. This commitment must be accepted by one who is baptized. Can babies make such a commitment?
1 Corinthians 15:58 - Brethren (i.e., people who became children of God at the point of baptism) should be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord's work. If one is not able to understand this commitment and make it freely, he should not be baptized. Can babies understand and make this commitment?
Matthew 28:19,20 - Baptized people should be taught to obey all Jesus' commands. This shows that it is not necessary, at the very point of baptism, for people to know all the specific commands they must obey after baptism. But they must be capable of learning those commands. And they must have a heart willing to accept by their own free will everything Jesus says.
This is the commitment that a person makes when he repents and is baptized. No one should be baptized unless he has made such a commitment. A baby cannot do this, so he should not be baptized until he is old enough to choose for himself to do so.
Note carefully that we have learned what God says people must do before they can be baptized, during baptism (the proper purpose), and after baptism. And babies do not qualify in any of these areas. To baptize babies, then, would be to act by human authority without God's authority, thereby violating the will of God.
And, by studying what Scriptural baptism involves, we have not only shown why babies should not be baptized, but we have also show how people should be baptized properly.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Part II. Can Babies Be Baptized for the Right Reason?
A. Each Individual Is Responsible to Serve God from Proper Motives.
Romans 6:17,18 - To be freed from sin, one must obey from the heart the teaching delivered. This includes obedience in baptism (v3,4). God is pleased only when we serve Him from the willing choice of our own hearts. Our acts of service are valueless if someone else forces them upon us against our will or without our consent.
Acts 2:40,41 - People were commanded to be saved, and they responded by being baptized. Each individual personally made his own decision. No one else can obey God for us, and no one else can make that choice for us.
Other people may teach and encourage us to obey God, but they cannot decide for us whether or not we will obey. This includes obedience in baptism. Since a baby cannot possibly make this decision and cannot communicate any such decision to us, to baptize it anyway would violate God's law of personal responsibility.
[See also the notes below on Ezek. 18:20 and 2 Cor. 5:10. Cf. Rom. 2:28,29; 1 Pet. 1:22; 3:21; 2 Cor. 8:5; Rev. 22:17; Phil. 2:12; 1 Cor. 13:1-3.]
B. Each Person Should Be Baptized for the Purpose of Receiving Forgiveness of Sins.
Again, since God is no respecter of persons, the purpose of baptism must be the same for all who are baptized. He did not give two different purposes, one for adults and another for babies. What are the proper purposes for which all must be baptized?
Mark 16:16 - He who believes and is baptized will be saved.
Acts 2:38 - Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins.
Acts 22:16 - Be baptized and wash away your sins.
1 Peter 3:21 - Baptism also now saves us.
As shown above, our service to God pleases Him only if it is offered from the right motive and purpose. So the person who is baptized must do it for the purpose of being forgiven or saved from his sins.
Consider the Lord's Supper as an illustration. Even if a person does the right actions, but if his reasons are wrong, he displeases God (1 Cor. 11:23-29). Likewise, if a person is baptized, but if he does not do it to receive forgiveness of sins, then the baptism is not Scriptural. But a baby cannot understand the meaning of baptism, so how can he be baptized from a proper motive?
(See the links at the end of this study for further information about the purpose of baptism.)
C. A Baby Cannot Be Baptized to Receive Forgiveness, because It Has No Sins to Be Forgiven.
Since baptism must be done for the purpose of receiving forgiveness of sins, a baby could Scripturally be baptized only if it was guilty of sins and needed forgiveness. But is a baby guilty of sin?
How could a baby become guilty of sin?
We become sinners when we transgress God's law (1 John 3:4; James 1:13-15; Isa. 59:1,2). But a baby cannot understand God's law, so how could it be held accountable for violating it?
Some people believe that babies need baptism because they have inherited guilt from Adam. But consider:
Ezekiel 18:20 - The child does not bear the iniquity of the father, but the wickedness of the wicked is upon himself. The only person held accountable for Adam's sin is Adam, not his descendants.
2 Corinthians 5:10 - Each one will be judged according to what he has done in the body, good or bad. This means no one will be condemned for Adam's sin, except Adam!
Note that this also confirms that no one will be justified because someone else decided to do good. Specifically babies are not held accountable for a parent's decision to have a child baptized.
Each person will be judged for what he chooses to do, not for what others choose to do.
Further, the Bible says that Jesus was without sin (Heb. 2:14,17; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 John 3:5). How could He have been without sin if babies inherit the guilt of Adam's sin?
If a baby is guilty of sin, what happens if it dies before it is baptized, or if its parents refuse to baptize it?
If babies are guilty of sin, if one dies without baptism, then wouldn't it follow that he is eternally lost? Almost no one will accept this conclusion, yet to deny the conclusion is to admit that babies really are not guilty of sin.
Further, since baptism is essential to salvation, if a baby is a sinner, then its salvation from sin must depend entirely on the actions of others. It must rely entirely on its parents to choose to baptize it. It has no choice in the matter, and cannot possibly influence its own destiny. This contradicts all the scriptures we have quoted showing that salvation is a matter of individual choice (2 Cor. 5:10; etc.).
Since salvation is a matter of individual choice, and since a baby cannot choose or express a choice to be baptized, we conclude that the baby is not lost to begin with. Therefore it does not need baptism.
What condition is a baby in?
Since we now know that babies have committed no sin and have inherited no sin, it follows that they must be innocent. Notice other Scriptures that confirm this conclusion:
Psalms 106:37,38; Jeremiah 19:4,5 - Babies sacrificed to idols were "innocent."
Hebrews 12:9 - God is the Father of our spirits, in contrast to human fathers (fathers of our flesh). Adam was a father of our flesh, but not of our spirit. God is the Father of our spirits.
Would God give us sinful spirits? [Zech. 12:1; Ecc. 12:7]
Matthew 19:14; 18:3 - The kingdom is for those who are like little children. To enter the kingdom, we must be converted and become like little children. If children are sinners, would this not mean that we must be converted and become like little sinners?
Yet other passages show that to enter the kingdom we must become innocent or cleansed of sin (Col. 1:13,14). Therefore, becoming like little children must mean, among other things, that children are innocent.
But since Jesus said to let little children come to Him, some people say this means we should baptize babies so they can come to Him. But Jesus did not baptize the babies who came to Him. They came into His physical presence so He could touch them and pray for them (Matt. 19:13; Mark 10:13-16), not so He could baptize them. They were already acceptable to Him just as they were, without baptism.
A baby does not need forgiveness because he is not guilty. He is in a safe condition, not accountable for sin until he is old enough to be able to understand and accept the responsibility to obey God. Since baptism is for the remission of sins, and since a baby has no sins, it follows that babies do not need baptism.
Some people admit that babies have no sin, but they baptize them anyway as a "dedication" to encourage parents to train the child properly. But where does the Bible say this is the purpose of baptism? The purpose of baptism is to receive remission of sins. And furthermore, we have learned that no one can decide that another person will be dedicated to God. Each person must decide that for himself.
So no matter how you look at it, infant baptism perverts the purpose of baptism.
Romans 6:17,18 - To be freed from sin, one must obey from the heart the teaching delivered. This includes obedience in baptism (v3,4). God is pleased only when we serve Him from the willing choice of our own hearts. Our acts of service are valueless if someone else forces them upon us against our will or without our consent.
Acts 2:40,41 - People were commanded to be saved, and they responded by being baptized. Each individual personally made his own decision. No one else can obey God for us, and no one else can make that choice for us.
Other people may teach and encourage us to obey God, but they cannot decide for us whether or not we will obey. This includes obedience in baptism. Since a baby cannot possibly make this decision and cannot communicate any such decision to us, to baptize it anyway would violate God's law of personal responsibility.
[See also the notes below on Ezek. 18:20 and 2 Cor. 5:10. Cf. Rom. 2:28,29; 1 Pet. 1:22; 3:21; 2 Cor. 8:5; Rev. 22:17; Phil. 2:12; 1 Cor. 13:1-3.]
B. Each Person Should Be Baptized for the Purpose of Receiving Forgiveness of Sins.
Again, since God is no respecter of persons, the purpose of baptism must be the same for all who are baptized. He did not give two different purposes, one for adults and another for babies. What are the proper purposes for which all must be baptized?
Mark 16:16 - He who believes and is baptized will be saved.
Acts 2:38 - Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins.
Acts 22:16 - Be baptized and wash away your sins.
1 Peter 3:21 - Baptism also now saves us.
As shown above, our service to God pleases Him only if it is offered from the right motive and purpose. So the person who is baptized must do it for the purpose of being forgiven or saved from his sins.
Consider the Lord's Supper as an illustration. Even if a person does the right actions, but if his reasons are wrong, he displeases God (1 Cor. 11:23-29). Likewise, if a person is baptized, but if he does not do it to receive forgiveness of sins, then the baptism is not Scriptural. But a baby cannot understand the meaning of baptism, so how can he be baptized from a proper motive?
(See the links at the end of this study for further information about the purpose of baptism.)
C. A Baby Cannot Be Baptized to Receive Forgiveness, because It Has No Sins to Be Forgiven.
Since baptism must be done for the purpose of receiving forgiveness of sins, a baby could Scripturally be baptized only if it was guilty of sins and needed forgiveness. But is a baby guilty of sin?
How could a baby become guilty of sin?
We become sinners when we transgress God's law (1 John 3:4; James 1:13-15; Isa. 59:1,2). But a baby cannot understand God's law, so how could it be held accountable for violating it?
Some people believe that babies need baptism because they have inherited guilt from Adam. But consider:
Ezekiel 18:20 - The child does not bear the iniquity of the father, but the wickedness of the wicked is upon himself. The only person held accountable for Adam's sin is Adam, not his descendants.
2 Corinthians 5:10 - Each one will be judged according to what he has done in the body, good or bad. This means no one will be condemned for Adam's sin, except Adam!
Note that this also confirms that no one will be justified because someone else decided to do good. Specifically babies are not held accountable for a parent's decision to have a child baptized.
Each person will be judged for what he chooses to do, not for what others choose to do.
Further, the Bible says that Jesus was without sin (Heb. 2:14,17; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 John 3:5). How could He have been without sin if babies inherit the guilt of Adam's sin?
If a baby is guilty of sin, what happens if it dies before it is baptized, or if its parents refuse to baptize it?
If babies are guilty of sin, if one dies without baptism, then wouldn't it follow that he is eternally lost? Almost no one will accept this conclusion, yet to deny the conclusion is to admit that babies really are not guilty of sin.
Further, since baptism is essential to salvation, if a baby is a sinner, then its salvation from sin must depend entirely on the actions of others. It must rely entirely on its parents to choose to baptize it. It has no choice in the matter, and cannot possibly influence its own destiny. This contradicts all the scriptures we have quoted showing that salvation is a matter of individual choice (2 Cor. 5:10; etc.).
Since salvation is a matter of individual choice, and since a baby cannot choose or express a choice to be baptized, we conclude that the baby is not lost to begin with. Therefore it does not need baptism.
What condition is a baby in?
Since we now know that babies have committed no sin and have inherited no sin, it follows that they must be innocent. Notice other Scriptures that confirm this conclusion:
Psalms 106:37,38; Jeremiah 19:4,5 - Babies sacrificed to idols were "innocent."
Hebrews 12:9 - God is the Father of our spirits, in contrast to human fathers (fathers of our flesh). Adam was a father of our flesh, but not of our spirit. God is the Father of our spirits.
Would God give us sinful spirits? [Zech. 12:1; Ecc. 12:7]
Matthew 19:14; 18:3 - The kingdom is for those who are like little children. To enter the kingdom, we must be converted and become like little children. If children are sinners, would this not mean that we must be converted and become like little sinners?
Yet other passages show that to enter the kingdom we must become innocent or cleansed of sin (Col. 1:13,14). Therefore, becoming like little children must mean, among other things, that children are innocent.
But since Jesus said to let little children come to Him, some people say this means we should baptize babies so they can come to Him. But Jesus did not baptize the babies who came to Him. They came into His physical presence so He could touch them and pray for them (Matt. 19:13; Mark 10:13-16), not so He could baptize them. They were already acceptable to Him just as they were, without baptism.
A baby does not need forgiveness because he is not guilty. He is in a safe condition, not accountable for sin until he is old enough to be able to understand and accept the responsibility to obey God. Since baptism is for the remission of sins, and since a baby has no sins, it follows that babies do not need baptism.
Some people admit that babies have no sin, but they baptize them anyway as a "dedication" to encourage parents to train the child properly. But where does the Bible say this is the purpose of baptism? The purpose of baptism is to receive remission of sins. And furthermore, we have learned that no one can decide that another person will be dedicated to God. Each person must decide that for himself.
So no matter how you look at it, infant baptism perverts the purpose of baptism.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Part I: Can Babies Meet the Conditions that Must Precede Baptism?
The Bible reveals that a person must do certain things before he can be baptized. If these things are not done, then the baptism would not be Scriptural. So we ask whether or not a baby can fulfill the Scriptural prerequisites of baptism.
Note that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34,35; Rom. 2:11), so there are not two sets of prerequisites for baptism - one for babies and one for adults. Whatever the Bible requires of some people to be baptized, it requires the same of all people.
A. Before Baptism One Must Hear and Understand the Gospel.
Mark 16:15,16 - All who are baptized, must first have the gospel preached to them. But what good would be done by preaching to a baby?
John 6:44,45 - No one can come to Jesus without being taught from the Father. This does not just mean simply hearing sounds. One must "learn"; he must understand the meaning of what is being taught. Can babies do this (cf. 1 Cor. 14:20)?
Acts 2:36,41 - This example shows what it means for people to learn the gospel before they are baptized. The people were given evidence that Jesus is God's Son (v14-36). They were told that, on the basis of this evidence, they must "know assuredly" that Jesus is Lord and Christ (v36).
Those who were baptized were those who gladly received this message (v41). Can babies hear and learn in this way?
B. Before Baptism One Must Believe the Gospel.
Mark 16:15,16 - Every creature who is baptized must first believe the gospel which they have been taught. Baptism is only for those who are capable of hearing and believing the gospel. No one is included in the command if they cannot first hear, understand, and believe the gospel. Can a baby do these things?
Galatians 3:26,27 - However many people are baptized, all of them must do so by faith.
Everyone who is baptized must first understand the gospel well enough to believe it.
Acts 8:12 - When the people of Samaria gave heed to the gospel that was preached (v5,6), both men and women were baptized. When were they baptized? When they believed, not before. Can babies believe? If not, they should not be baptized until they do believe.
In all Bible examples of baptism, people were baptized only when they personally had full faith, based on their own understanding of the gospel. Never were they baptized on the basis of someone else's faith, such as their parents. No one else can believe for us, just like no one can be baptized for us.
[See also Acts 8:36-39; 18:8; Rom. 1:16; 10:13-17.]
C. Before Baptism One Must Repent of Sins.
Acts 2:38 - Every person who is baptized ("every one of you") must first repent. Repentance is a change of mind - a decision to turn from sin and begin to live for God (cf. Matt. 21:28,29). This decision involves a commitment to put God first, and to live all our lives faithfully serving Him.
Note that the person who is baptized is the same person who must first repent. This is a personal choice. No one else can make this decision for us. Can a baby make this choice? (Note that we will see later that babies do not even have any sins to repent of.)
Some people claim that "children" in v39 means babies are included in those to whom this "promise" was made. But "children" simply means offspring, regardless of age (note Matt. 3:9; 10:21; 21:28; John 8:39). The "promise" here is for those who repent and are baptized (v38); but babies cannot repent, nor can they do other things required in the context (v36,40,41,42). The "promise" to the "children" was fulfilled when they were old enough to do what God requires, not while they were babies.
[See also 2 Cor. 7:10; Mk. 1:4,5.]
D. Before Baptism One Must Confess Christ.
Romans 10:9,10 - To be saved, one must believe in his heart and confess Christ with his mouth. How can a baby confess Christ when it cannot even speak?
Acts 8:35-39 - Here is an example of confession before baptism. The candidate for baptism must make an understandable statement, so that the one who does the baptizing knows they are baptizing someone who has faith. Babies cannot communicate regarding their faith in any understandable way, therefore it is not Scriptural to baptize them.
Churches that baptize babies often have a practice called "confirmation." People are baptized as babies, but later when they get old enough to understand and make their own choice about serving God, they are taught and are asked to publicly "confirm" their faith and their desire to live for God. The very existence of such a practice is an admission that the child did not understand, believe, and repent before he was baptized.
We have now learned four things which the Bible says every person must personally do before he can be baptized. God is no respecter of persons, so the plan is the same for everyone. Before anyone can be baptized, he must hear and understand the gospel, believe it, repent of sins, and confess Christ. Little babies cannot do any of these things. Therefore, the command to be baptized is not addressed to them. To baptize them anyway would be to act without God's authority. It would be doing something different from what God says must be done.
Note that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34,35; Rom. 2:11), so there are not two sets of prerequisites for baptism - one for babies and one for adults. Whatever the Bible requires of some people to be baptized, it requires the same of all people.
A. Before Baptism One Must Hear and Understand the Gospel.
Mark 16:15,16 - All who are baptized, must first have the gospel preached to them. But what good would be done by preaching to a baby?
John 6:44,45 - No one can come to Jesus without being taught from the Father. This does not just mean simply hearing sounds. One must "learn"; he must understand the meaning of what is being taught. Can babies do this (cf. 1 Cor. 14:20)?
Acts 2:36,41 - This example shows what it means for people to learn the gospel before they are baptized. The people were given evidence that Jesus is God's Son (v14-36). They were told that, on the basis of this evidence, they must "know assuredly" that Jesus is Lord and Christ (v36).
Those who were baptized were those who gladly received this message (v41). Can babies hear and learn in this way?
B. Before Baptism One Must Believe the Gospel.
Mark 16:15,16 - Every creature who is baptized must first believe the gospel which they have been taught. Baptism is only for those who are capable of hearing and believing the gospel. No one is included in the command if they cannot first hear, understand, and believe the gospel. Can a baby do these things?
Galatians 3:26,27 - However many people are baptized, all of them must do so by faith.
Everyone who is baptized must first understand the gospel well enough to believe it.
Acts 8:12 - When the people of Samaria gave heed to the gospel that was preached (v5,6), both men and women were baptized. When were they baptized? When they believed, not before. Can babies believe? If not, they should not be baptized until they do believe.
In all Bible examples of baptism, people were baptized only when they personally had full faith, based on their own understanding of the gospel. Never were they baptized on the basis of someone else's faith, such as their parents. No one else can believe for us, just like no one can be baptized for us.
[See also Acts 8:36-39; 18:8; Rom. 1:16; 10:13-17.]
C. Before Baptism One Must Repent of Sins.
Acts 2:38 - Every person who is baptized ("every one of you") must first repent. Repentance is a change of mind - a decision to turn from sin and begin to live for God (cf. Matt. 21:28,29). This decision involves a commitment to put God first, and to live all our lives faithfully serving Him.
Note that the person who is baptized is the same person who must first repent. This is a personal choice. No one else can make this decision for us. Can a baby make this choice? (Note that we will see later that babies do not even have any sins to repent of.)
Some people claim that "children" in v39 means babies are included in those to whom this "promise" was made. But "children" simply means offspring, regardless of age (note Matt. 3:9; 10:21; 21:28; John 8:39). The "promise" here is for those who repent and are baptized (v38); but babies cannot repent, nor can they do other things required in the context (v36,40,41,42). The "promise" to the "children" was fulfilled when they were old enough to do what God requires, not while they were babies.
[See also 2 Cor. 7:10; Mk. 1:4,5.]
D. Before Baptism One Must Confess Christ.
Romans 10:9,10 - To be saved, one must believe in his heart and confess Christ with his mouth. How can a baby confess Christ when it cannot even speak?
Acts 8:35-39 - Here is an example of confession before baptism. The candidate for baptism must make an understandable statement, so that the one who does the baptizing knows they are baptizing someone who has faith. Babies cannot communicate regarding their faith in any understandable way, therefore it is not Scriptural to baptize them.
Churches that baptize babies often have a practice called "confirmation." People are baptized as babies, but later when they get old enough to understand and make their own choice about serving God, they are taught and are asked to publicly "confirm" their faith and their desire to live for God. The very existence of such a practice is an admission that the child did not understand, believe, and repent before he was baptized.
We have now learned four things which the Bible says every person must personally do before he can be baptized. God is no respecter of persons, so the plan is the same for everyone. Before anyone can be baptized, he must hear and understand the gospel, believe it, repent of sins, and confess Christ. Little babies cannot do any of these things. Therefore, the command to be baptized is not addressed to them. To baptize them anyway would be to act without God's authority. It would be doing something different from what God says must be done.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Infant Baptism and the Bible:Should Babies Be Baptized?
Some denominations baptize babies, but other groups teach that baptism is only for those who are old enough to make a personal choice based on their own faith and repentance. Does the Bible authorize infant baptism or does it teach personal responsibility and individual accountability? Are infants born guilty of original sin and inherited depravity? What does the gospel of Jesus Christ teach?
Introduction:
Jesus clearly commanded people to be baptized (Matt. 28:18-20), yet there is much disagreement about who should be baptized.
Some religious groups baptize babies. But other people say that, before one is baptized, a person should be old enough to accept the responsibility to make his own decision whether or not to be baptized and to live the Christian life. That is, they teach individual responsibility and personal accountability. The purpose of this study is to learn what the Bible says about infant baptism.
We begin with an important basic principle: In order to participate in a religious practice with God's approval, we must find New Testament teaching authorizing that practice.
Everything we do in religion must be done by Jesus' authority (Col. 3:17). The Scriptures provide us to all good works (2 Tim. 3:16,17), so if a practice is not included in God's word, it must not be a good work. If a practice is not authorized in the New Testament, then it must be human in origin and therefore not pleasing to God (2 John 9; Gal. 1:6-9; Matt. 15:9; Prov. 14:12; etc.)
According to these Scriptures babies should be baptized only if we can find statements in the New Testament that show that God wants us to practice this. To prove infant baptism is unacceptable, we do not have to find a passage that expressly forbids the practice. Rather, if the Bible tells us specifically who to baptize, and if infants are not included in those instructions - i.e., if the gospel teaches individual responsibility and personal accountability - then the practice of baptizing babies should be abandoned.
Please consider the following Bible teaching: Continue tomorrow
Introduction:
Jesus clearly commanded people to be baptized (Matt. 28:18-20), yet there is much disagreement about who should be baptized.
Some religious groups baptize babies. But other people say that, before one is baptized, a person should be old enough to accept the responsibility to make his own decision whether or not to be baptized and to live the Christian life. That is, they teach individual responsibility and personal accountability. The purpose of this study is to learn what the Bible says about infant baptism.
We begin with an important basic principle: In order to participate in a religious practice with God's approval, we must find New Testament teaching authorizing that practice.
Everything we do in religion must be done by Jesus' authority (Col. 3:17). The Scriptures provide us to all good works (2 Tim. 3:16,17), so if a practice is not included in God's word, it must not be a good work. If a practice is not authorized in the New Testament, then it must be human in origin and therefore not pleasing to God (2 John 9; Gal. 1:6-9; Matt. 15:9; Prov. 14:12; etc.)
According to these Scriptures babies should be baptized only if we can find statements in the New Testament that show that God wants us to practice this. To prove infant baptism is unacceptable, we do not have to find a passage that expressly forbids the practice. Rather, if the Bible tells us specifically who to baptize, and if infants are not included in those instructions - i.e., if the gospel teaches individual responsibility and personal accountability - then the practice of baptizing babies should be abandoned.
Please consider the following Bible teaching: Continue tomorrow
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
III. Effects
What is the fruit or the result that occurs if we follow these guides?
A. The Bible Produces True Christians, Members of the One True Church.
The gospel reproduces like seed.
Luke 8:11,15 - The seed is the word of God. When good hearts receive this seed, it grows and produces fruit. Note the connection between the seed and the fruit.
All doctrines are like plants. The plant bears fruit, which produces a seed. The seed produces more plants, which bear fruit, etc.
In religion, when teachings are planted in a man's heart, if his heart is receptive (good soil), the seed will produce fruit in that person's life. He will become the kind of person the teaching says he should be.
1 Peter 1:22-25 - We are born again into God's family by obeying the incorruptible seed, which is God's word, the gospel.
Notice this procedure in conversion.
Romans 1:16 - The gospel (seed) is God's power to salvation.
Romans 10:17 - Hearing the gospel produces faith.
Mark 16:15,16 - Faith leads to obedience - i.e., baptism. The person is thereby forgiven of sins. He is born again as a child of God.
Acts 2:47 - The Lord then adds him to His church, which is God's family.
Galatians 5:22-24 - He must then bring forth fruit as God teaches - a faithful life. If he remains faithful, he will receive the inheritance, which has been promised to family members.
God's word is the seed that produces Christians, members of God's family. This is how the seed worked in the first century; and the same seed will always produce the same results when planted in receptive hearts, even today. If we just follow God's guide, we become simply Christians, members of Jesus' church. We are not members of any denomination, just like people in first century were not.
[Acts 2:38; John 3:3,5; Galatians 3:26,27; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Cor. 12:13; 1 Tim 3:15; 1 Peter 1:3,4; Romans 8:14-17]
B. Other Standards Produce Denominations and Division,
False doctrine also produces fruit.
Galatians 6:7 - Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. Seed reproduces after its own kind. The fruit of an apple tree is apples. The fruit of a corn plant is corn. Since man-made standards are a different seed from the Bible, we must expect it to produce different fruit.
Matthew 7:15-20 - Regarding false teachers Jesus warned, "By their fruits ye shall know them." Consider the "fruit" of man-made religious guides.
What fruit do denominational creeds produce?
Some years ago a poll was taken of six denominational leaders regarding their creeds (Gospel Digest, 6/61 - slightly reworded.)
Two questions were asked:
(1) If I refuse to follow the creed of your denomination and follow only the Bible, can I be a member of your denomination? All six denominational preachers answered, "No"!
(2) If I refuse to follow the creed of your denomination and follow only the Bible, can I still be a Christian and go to heaven? All said, "Yes."
Conclusions:
* No human denomination is essential to salvation. All admitted you can be saved outside their denomination.
* No human creed is essential to salvation. All admitted you can be saved without following their creed.
* Human standards result in denominational division. Each denomination has its own creed, and the peculiar doctrines stated in those creeds, are what separate them from one another. And since they admit we need not follow their creeds to be saved, they are admitting they are divided from one another over things that make no difference regarding ones salvation.
* Simply following the Bible will not make you a member of a denomination. In fact, in you insist on following only the Bible, you can't be a member of a denomination. They will not accept you if you refuse to follow their creeds!
What does God think about these facts?
1 Corinthians 1:10,13 - Paul taught there should be no division among Christians. We must firmly oppose error, but denominational division is not the result of people standing firm for what God requires. They admit people in other denominations are still pleasing to God! They are divided over man-made doctrines. Surely God is displeased.
Ephesians 4:4-6 - There is one body and one faith, just as surely as there is one God. God will not accept many different faiths, any more than He will accept many different gods.
John 17:20,21 - Jesus prayed for unity among believers. But the result of man-made guides is division.
If all people would really obey the Bible, the result would be unity: all people would be Christians, members of the one true church. The fruit of following man-made standards is division: people are divided into many different denominations, contrary to God's will.
Conclusion
We have learned why we should not follow man-made religious creeds: They are human in origin, they are imperfect, and they lead to denominational division.
But we have also learned how we can please God in spite of all the man-made denominations, creeds, and division. We can be simply Christians, members of Jesus one true church, without being members of any denomination. How? Just like people in the first century were: by rejecting all man-made teachings and following only the pure teachings of the New Testament!
In the survey described earlier, a preacher in the church of Christ was also asked the questions. The substance of his answers was: The church of Christ is not a denomination and we do not have any creed besides the Bible. If someone followed only the Bible, that person not only could be a member of the church of Christ, he would be a member, because that is exactly what one must do to become a member!
What about you? Are you following the undenominational creed?
A. The Bible Produces True Christians, Members of the One True Church.
The gospel reproduces like seed.
Luke 8:11,15 - The seed is the word of God. When good hearts receive this seed, it grows and produces fruit. Note the connection between the seed and the fruit.
All doctrines are like plants. The plant bears fruit, which produces a seed. The seed produces more plants, which bear fruit, etc.
In religion, when teachings are planted in a man's heart, if his heart is receptive (good soil), the seed will produce fruit in that person's life. He will become the kind of person the teaching says he should be.
1 Peter 1:22-25 - We are born again into God's family by obeying the incorruptible seed, which is God's word, the gospel.
Notice this procedure in conversion.
Romans 1:16 - The gospel (seed) is God's power to salvation.
Romans 10:17 - Hearing the gospel produces faith.
Mark 16:15,16 - Faith leads to obedience - i.e., baptism. The person is thereby forgiven of sins. He is born again as a child of God.
Acts 2:47 - The Lord then adds him to His church, which is God's family.
Galatians 5:22-24 - He must then bring forth fruit as God teaches - a faithful life. If he remains faithful, he will receive the inheritance, which has been promised to family members.
God's word is the seed that produces Christians, members of God's family. This is how the seed worked in the first century; and the same seed will always produce the same results when planted in receptive hearts, even today. If we just follow God's guide, we become simply Christians, members of Jesus' church. We are not members of any denomination, just like people in first century were not.
[Acts 2:38; John 3:3,5; Galatians 3:26,27; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Cor. 12:13; 1 Tim 3:15; 1 Peter 1:3,4; Romans 8:14-17]
B. Other Standards Produce Denominations and Division,
False doctrine also produces fruit.
Galatians 6:7 - Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. Seed reproduces after its own kind. The fruit of an apple tree is apples. The fruit of a corn plant is corn. Since man-made standards are a different seed from the Bible, we must expect it to produce different fruit.
Matthew 7:15-20 - Regarding false teachers Jesus warned, "By their fruits ye shall know them." Consider the "fruit" of man-made religious guides.
What fruit do denominational creeds produce?
Some years ago a poll was taken of six denominational leaders regarding their creeds (Gospel Digest, 6/61 - slightly reworded.)
Two questions were asked:
(1) If I refuse to follow the creed of your denomination and follow only the Bible, can I be a member of your denomination? All six denominational preachers answered, "No"!
(2) If I refuse to follow the creed of your denomination and follow only the Bible, can I still be a Christian and go to heaven? All said, "Yes."
Conclusions:
* No human denomination is essential to salvation. All admitted you can be saved outside their denomination.
* No human creed is essential to salvation. All admitted you can be saved without following their creed.
* Human standards result in denominational division. Each denomination has its own creed, and the peculiar doctrines stated in those creeds, are what separate them from one another. And since they admit we need not follow their creeds to be saved, they are admitting they are divided from one another over things that make no difference regarding ones salvation.
* Simply following the Bible will not make you a member of a denomination. In fact, in you insist on following only the Bible, you can't be a member of a denomination. They will not accept you if you refuse to follow their creeds!
What does God think about these facts?
1 Corinthians 1:10,13 - Paul taught there should be no division among Christians. We must firmly oppose error, but denominational division is not the result of people standing firm for what God requires. They admit people in other denominations are still pleasing to God! They are divided over man-made doctrines. Surely God is displeased.
Ephesians 4:4-6 - There is one body and one faith, just as surely as there is one God. God will not accept many different faiths, any more than He will accept many different gods.
John 17:20,21 - Jesus prayed for unity among believers. But the result of man-made guides is division.
If all people would really obey the Bible, the result would be unity: all people would be Christians, members of the one true church. The fruit of following man-made standards is division: people are divided into many different denominations, contrary to God's will.
Conclusion
We have learned why we should not follow man-made religious creeds: They are human in origin, they are imperfect, and they lead to denominational division.
But we have also learned how we can please God in spite of all the man-made denominations, creeds, and division. We can be simply Christians, members of Jesus one true church, without being members of any denomination. How? Just like people in the first century were: by rejecting all man-made teachings and following only the pure teachings of the New Testament!
In the survey described earlier, a preacher in the church of Christ was also asked the questions. The substance of his answers was: The church of Christ is not a denomination and we do not have any creed besides the Bible. If someone followed only the Bible, that person not only could be a member of the church of Christ, he would be a member, because that is exactly what one must do to become a member!
What about you? Are you following the undenominational creed?
Monday, March 16, 2009
II. Adequacy
How adequate are these standards in meeting our needs? How sufficient and reliable are they as religious guides?
A. The Bible Is a Perfect Standard of Authority.
It completely satisfies everything we need is a standard of religious guidance.
It is complete.
If the Bible did not answer some question that was essential for us to answer to be saved, then we might need some other guide. But the Bible contains all the information we need to please God and be saved.
John 16:13; [14:26] - The Holy Spirit guided apostles to all truth. They wrote in the Scriptures what they received from the Spirit.
2 Timothy 3:16,17 - The Scriptures furnish us perfectly or completely to all good works. They answer every essential religious question.
2 Peter 1:3 - God has granted all things that pertain to life and godliness.
Any information which is not provided in the Bible is information which is not essential to our salvation (Deut. 29:29).
[Acts 20:20,27; Jude 3]
It is understandable.
If the Bible was written in such a way that men could not understand it, then we might need some other standard. But the Bible can be understood by every honest person of normal intelligence, sufficient to receive salvation.
Mark 7:14 - Jesus instructed the multitudes of common people. He said every one of them should understand what He spoke.
2 Timothy 3:15,16 - The Scriptures are able to make men wise to salvation, and are profitable for doctrine, reproof, and instruction in righteousness. But they can so profit us only if we can understand.
1 Corinthians 14:33 - God is not the author of confusion. But if, as some claim, the Bible cannot be understood, then God would be the author of confusion. Since He is not the author of confusion, the Bible must be understandable.
[Eph. 3:3-5; Isaiah 55:11; John 8:31,32; Proverbs 2:1-9]
It is eternal (indestructible).
If the Bible has been so corrupted since it was written that it no longer contains the truth, then we would need a new standard. But the Word of God is eternal.
2 Peter 1:12-15 - The Scriptures were written so people would have the message of inspired men even after those men were dead. It was intended for future generations.
1 Peter 1:22-25 - The word lives and abides forever. It is not like plants that spring up and then die.
2 John 2 - The truth will be with us forever.
John 12:48 - Jesus' words will be present even at the Judgment as the standard by which our destinies will be determined.
Psalm 119:152,160; Isaiah 40:8; 30:8 - These same promises were made regarding the Old Testament. The promises were fulfilled so completely that the message was preserved hundreds of years till Jesus' lifetime. It was so perfect then that He and His apostles repeatedly cited Scripture as Divine authority without ever once implying anything was missing or inaccurate.
These same promises have now been made regarding the entire written word, so we can be sure that God, by His power has likewise kept this promise. The record written by the inspired men will always exist and be available to guide honest people.
[Jude 3; Matthew 24:35; Psalm 12:6,7]
It is infallible (inerrant).
If there was any possibility of mistakes being in the Bible, we might need another guide. But there is no mistake because it is the word of God.
John 17:17 - God's word is truth.
Psalm 33:4 - God's word is right. You and I may be wrong, but God's word is never wrong.
God cannot lie or make mistakes. Since the Bible is the word of God, it must be right in everything it teaches.
James 1:25 - The Gospel is "the perfect law of liberty." We need no guide but the Bible.
[Psalm 119:160,142,128; 19:8; 147:4,5; Romans 3:4; Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18; Job 33:16; Num. 23:19]
B. Other Standards Are Imperfect.
The very fact these standards are human in origin proves they are imperfect. What does man ever do perfectly? Further, by comparing them to the Bible, we see they are different.
Whenever men take something that is perfect and then change it, they make it imperfect.
There are three possible ways for a man-made standard to be different from the Bible.
1) It may contain more than the Bible. It may teach us to practice something which is not authorized in the Bible. This would be "adding to" God's word.
2) It may contain less than the Bible. It may release men from practicing something which God's word teaches us to practice. This is "taking from" God's word.
3) It may substitute for what the Bible says. This is both taking away what God says and then replacing it by adding something else God did not say.
What does God think about guides that are different from His word?
Galatians 1:8,9 - If anyone, even an angel, preaches a gospel different from what inspired men taught, He is accursed of God.
2 John 9 - Whoever fails to abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. But following human standards - whether by failing to practice what Jesus teaches, or by practicing things He never authorized - is a failure to abide in the teachings of Jesus.
Revelation 22:18,19 - Whoever adds to Jesus' words, God will add to him the plagues in the book. Whoever takes from God's words, his part will be removed from the holy city.
Again, the basic error of human standards is that they show a lack of respect for the teachings of Jesus. All human standards are written on the presumption that weak, imperfect human beings can write a better standard than what was written by the all-wise, infallible God. This is why God refuses to allow His people to follow any other standard but the Bible. When we truly respect the teachings of Jesus, then we will not seek any other religious standards of authority.
[Col. 3:17; Acts 3:22,23; Matthew 28:20; 4:4-7; 15:1-14; 7:2l-27; 1 Corinthians 4:6; Lev. 10:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:16,17.]
A. The Bible Is a Perfect Standard of Authority.
It completely satisfies everything we need is a standard of religious guidance.
It is complete.
If the Bible did not answer some question that was essential for us to answer to be saved, then we might need some other guide. But the Bible contains all the information we need to please God and be saved.
John 16:13; [14:26] - The Holy Spirit guided apostles to all truth. They wrote in the Scriptures what they received from the Spirit.
2 Timothy 3:16,17 - The Scriptures furnish us perfectly or completely to all good works. They answer every essential religious question.
2 Peter 1:3 - God has granted all things that pertain to life and godliness.
Any information which is not provided in the Bible is information which is not essential to our salvation (Deut. 29:29).
[Acts 20:20,27; Jude 3]
It is understandable.
If the Bible was written in such a way that men could not understand it, then we might need some other standard. But the Bible can be understood by every honest person of normal intelligence, sufficient to receive salvation.
Mark 7:14 - Jesus instructed the multitudes of common people. He said every one of them should understand what He spoke.
2 Timothy 3:15,16 - The Scriptures are able to make men wise to salvation, and are profitable for doctrine, reproof, and instruction in righteousness. But they can so profit us only if we can understand.
1 Corinthians 14:33 - God is not the author of confusion. But if, as some claim, the Bible cannot be understood, then God would be the author of confusion. Since He is not the author of confusion, the Bible must be understandable.
[Eph. 3:3-5; Isaiah 55:11; John 8:31,32; Proverbs 2:1-9]
It is eternal (indestructible).
If the Bible has been so corrupted since it was written that it no longer contains the truth, then we would need a new standard. But the Word of God is eternal.
2 Peter 1:12-15 - The Scriptures were written so people would have the message of inspired men even after those men were dead. It was intended for future generations.
1 Peter 1:22-25 - The word lives and abides forever. It is not like plants that spring up and then die.
2 John 2 - The truth will be with us forever.
John 12:48 - Jesus' words will be present even at the Judgment as the standard by which our destinies will be determined.
Psalm 119:152,160; Isaiah 40:8; 30:8 - These same promises were made regarding the Old Testament. The promises were fulfilled so completely that the message was preserved hundreds of years till Jesus' lifetime. It was so perfect then that He and His apostles repeatedly cited Scripture as Divine authority without ever once implying anything was missing or inaccurate.
These same promises have now been made regarding the entire written word, so we can be sure that God, by His power has likewise kept this promise. The record written by the inspired men will always exist and be available to guide honest people.
[Jude 3; Matthew 24:35; Psalm 12:6,7]
It is infallible (inerrant).
If there was any possibility of mistakes being in the Bible, we might need another guide. But there is no mistake because it is the word of God.
John 17:17 - God's word is truth.
Psalm 33:4 - God's word is right. You and I may be wrong, but God's word is never wrong.
God cannot lie or make mistakes. Since the Bible is the word of God, it must be right in everything it teaches.
James 1:25 - The Gospel is "the perfect law of liberty." We need no guide but the Bible.
[Psalm 119:160,142,128; 19:8; 147:4,5; Romans 3:4; Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18; Job 33:16; Num. 23:19]
B. Other Standards Are Imperfect.
The very fact these standards are human in origin proves they are imperfect. What does man ever do perfectly? Further, by comparing them to the Bible, we see they are different.
Whenever men take something that is perfect and then change it, they make it imperfect.
There are three possible ways for a man-made standard to be different from the Bible.
1) It may contain more than the Bible. It may teach us to practice something which is not authorized in the Bible. This would be "adding to" God's word.
2) It may contain less than the Bible. It may release men from practicing something which God's word teaches us to practice. This is "taking from" God's word.
3) It may substitute for what the Bible says. This is both taking away what God says and then replacing it by adding something else God did not say.
What does God think about guides that are different from His word?
Galatians 1:8,9 - If anyone, even an angel, preaches a gospel different from what inspired men taught, He is accursed of God.
2 John 9 - Whoever fails to abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. But following human standards - whether by failing to practice what Jesus teaches, or by practicing things He never authorized - is a failure to abide in the teachings of Jesus.
Revelation 22:18,19 - Whoever adds to Jesus' words, God will add to him the plagues in the book. Whoever takes from God's words, his part will be removed from the holy city.
Again, the basic error of human standards is that they show a lack of respect for the teachings of Jesus. All human standards are written on the presumption that weak, imperfect human beings can write a better standard than what was written by the all-wise, infallible God. This is why God refuses to allow His people to follow any other standard but the Bible. When we truly respect the teachings of Jesus, then we will not seek any other religious standards of authority.
[Col. 3:17; Acts 3:22,23; Matthew 28:20; 4:4-7; 15:1-14; 7:2l-27; 1 Corinthians 4:6; Lev. 10:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:16,17.]
Saturday, March 14, 2009
I. Origin
Every standard must be originated by someone. We here ask who is the originator of these various standards? What is their source?
A. The Bible Came from God.
Its origin is Divine. It is a message from God to man.
John 16:13; [14:26] - Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide the apostles into all truth. As these men spoke and wrote, the teachings they revealed were not human in origin, but were the very will of God.
1 Corinthians 14:37 - The things Paul wrote were the commandment of the Lord.
2 Timothy 3:15-17 - All scripture is given by inspiration of God.
When we follow the Bible, we are following God's will for man, not human ideas.
[1 Corinthians 2:10-13; Ephesians 3:3-5; John 16:13; Matthew 10:19,20; Galatians 1:8-12; 2 Peter 1:20,21; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Luke 10:16]
B. Other Standards Came from Men.
They are human in origin. The writers were not inspired or guided by the Holy Spirit. Generally they do not even claim such. Nevertheless, denominations recognize these writings as authority - rule or law - which the group uses in determining what it should or should not teach and practice.
Examples
Methodist Discipline, p. v:
Traditionally United Methodists have not only been happy to be guided by the Discipline as a book of church law, but they have also usually regarded it with a certain degree of reverence... -- 1973 edition
Nazarene Manual, p. 27:
...we, the ministers and lay members of the Church of the Nazarene ... do hereby ordain, adopt, and set forth as the fundamental law or constitution of the Church of the Nazarene the Articles of Faith, the General Rules, and the Articles of Organization and Government here following... - 1972 Edition.
Page 44 tells how this Constitution may be repealed or amended by 2/3 vote.
Presbyterian Book Of Confessions, section 9.04:
The United Presbyterian Church ... is guided by the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds from the time of the early church; the Scots Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Second Helvetic Confession from the era of the Reformation; the Westminster Confession and Shorter Catechism from the seventeenth century; and the Theological Declaration of Barmen from the twentieth century" - 1967 edition
Note that they claim these creeds are founded on the Old and New Testaments; but they are not the Old and New Testaments - they are man-made creeds in addition to the Bible.
Roman Catholic Catechism
Page 9: Do we get from the Bible alone all our knowledge and certainty about what God has told us? No, there is also Sacred Tradition ... What is tradition? The Word of God handed on to us by the Apostles in their preaching and by their successors in the Church to the present day...
Page 51: Did God intend that the Bible alone should be the guide to salvation? No, because certain things in the Bible can be misunderstood, and because the Bible does not have everything God taught.
Page 56 - Does Jesus require us to follow the Pope in matters of religion? Yes, because obedience and loyalty to the Pope are among the chief requirements of Our Lord's plan for unity in His church - A Catechism for Adults, 1975 edition.
Many other examples could be cited. Sometimes members of these groups will affirm that they do not recognize these writings as authority. Nevertheless, the denomination they are a member of does recognize and follow them. These are human standards in addition to the Bible. Men wrote them and men can change them.
What is God's attitude toward such human authority in religion?
Human authority has never been acceptable to God in spiritual matters.
Isaiah 55:8,9 - Our ways are not God's ways. His ways are higher than ours as Heaven is higher than earth. Men by our own wisdom are not able to know what pleases God. We cannot invent doctrine and expect Him to be pleased.
Jeremiah 10:23 - It is not in man that walks to direct His path.
Matthew 15:9,13 - For this reason, Jesus forbids our following man-made teachings. It makes our service to God vain. Such doctrines will be rooted up, and those who follow teachers of these doctrines will fall into the ditch (v13,14).
[Galatians 1:8,9; 2 John 9-11; Colossians 3:17; Proverbs 14:12; 3:5,6; Revelation 22:18,19; 1 Timothy 1:3; 2 Timothy 1:13; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; 1 Peter 4:11]
Jesus is the only law-giver for His church.
Matthew 28:18-20 - He had all authority in heaven and on earth, so men should observe all things He commands.
Ephesians 1:22,23 - He is head over all things to His church. What is left for men to rule or make laws over? [James 4:12]
The fundamental error of all man-made religious authority is that it puts man in the place of God. It says that men are wise enough to make rules about how to serve God, whereas God says men do not have this wisdom. Only God has the right to make religious laws, and those laws have all been made and revealed in the Bible.
People who respect the authority of Jesus will not make or follow laws other than those He has revealed. To follow man-made laws is to show lack of respect for Jesus!
A. The Bible Came from God.
Its origin is Divine. It is a message from God to man.
John 16:13; [14:26] - Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide the apostles into all truth. As these men spoke and wrote, the teachings they revealed were not human in origin, but were the very will of God.
1 Corinthians 14:37 - The things Paul wrote were the commandment of the Lord.
2 Timothy 3:15-17 - All scripture is given by inspiration of God.
When we follow the Bible, we are following God's will for man, not human ideas.
[1 Corinthians 2:10-13; Ephesians 3:3-5; John 16:13; Matthew 10:19,20; Galatians 1:8-12; 2 Peter 1:20,21; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Luke 10:16]
B. Other Standards Came from Men.
They are human in origin. The writers were not inspired or guided by the Holy Spirit. Generally they do not even claim such. Nevertheless, denominations recognize these writings as authority - rule or law - which the group uses in determining what it should or should not teach and practice.
Examples
Methodist Discipline, p. v:
Traditionally United Methodists have not only been happy to be guided by the Discipline as a book of church law, but they have also usually regarded it with a certain degree of reverence... -- 1973 edition
Nazarene Manual, p. 27:
...we, the ministers and lay members of the Church of the Nazarene ... do hereby ordain, adopt, and set forth as the fundamental law or constitution of the Church of the Nazarene the Articles of Faith, the General Rules, and the Articles of Organization and Government here following... - 1972 Edition.
Page 44 tells how this Constitution may be repealed or amended by 2/3 vote.
Presbyterian Book Of Confessions, section 9.04:
The United Presbyterian Church ... is guided by the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds from the time of the early church; the Scots Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Second Helvetic Confession from the era of the Reformation; the Westminster Confession and Shorter Catechism from the seventeenth century; and the Theological Declaration of Barmen from the twentieth century" - 1967 edition
Note that they claim these creeds are founded on the Old and New Testaments; but they are not the Old and New Testaments - they are man-made creeds in addition to the Bible.
Roman Catholic Catechism
Page 9: Do we get from the Bible alone all our knowledge and certainty about what God has told us? No, there is also Sacred Tradition ... What is tradition? The Word of God handed on to us by the Apostles in their preaching and by their successors in the Church to the present day...
Page 51: Did God intend that the Bible alone should be the guide to salvation? No, because certain things in the Bible can be misunderstood, and because the Bible does not have everything God taught.
Page 56 - Does Jesus require us to follow the Pope in matters of religion? Yes, because obedience and loyalty to the Pope are among the chief requirements of Our Lord's plan for unity in His church - A Catechism for Adults, 1975 edition.
Many other examples could be cited. Sometimes members of these groups will affirm that they do not recognize these writings as authority. Nevertheless, the denomination they are a member of does recognize and follow them. These are human standards in addition to the Bible. Men wrote them and men can change them.
What is God's attitude toward such human authority in religion?
Human authority has never been acceptable to God in spiritual matters.
Isaiah 55:8,9 - Our ways are not God's ways. His ways are higher than ours as Heaven is higher than earth. Men by our own wisdom are not able to know what pleases God. We cannot invent doctrine and expect Him to be pleased.
Jeremiah 10:23 - It is not in man that walks to direct His path.
Matthew 15:9,13 - For this reason, Jesus forbids our following man-made teachings. It makes our service to God vain. Such doctrines will be rooted up, and those who follow teachers of these doctrines will fall into the ditch (v13,14).
[Galatians 1:8,9; 2 John 9-11; Colossians 3:17; Proverbs 14:12; 3:5,6; Revelation 22:18,19; 1 Timothy 1:3; 2 Timothy 1:13; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; 1 Peter 4:11]
Jesus is the only law-giver for His church.
Matthew 28:18-20 - He had all authority in heaven and on earth, so men should observe all things He commands.
Ephesians 1:22,23 - He is head over all things to His church. What is left for men to rule or make laws over? [James 4:12]
The fundamental error of all man-made religious authority is that it puts man in the place of God. It says that men are wise enough to make rules about how to serve God, whereas God says men do not have this wisdom. Only God has the right to make religious laws, and those laws have all been made and revealed in the Bible.
People who respect the authority of Jesus will not make or follow laws other than those He has revealed. To follow man-made laws is to show lack of respect for Jesus!
Friday, March 13, 2009
The Bible vs. Denominational Creeds: Man-made religious authority vs. Divine Wisdom
What guide or standard of authority should we follow in religion: the Bible or man-made denominational creeds and creed books? Different denominations have different creeds and church laws, thereby contributing to religious division and confusion. Should we follow human religious laws or the inspired Scriptures?
Introduction:
Every responsible person realizes that religious people are divided into various different groups. Those who claim to believe in Jesus have formed contradictory, disagreeing denominations.
People often wonder about the cause of this division.
One reason people are divided is that they follow different religious guides or standards of authority: creeds, creed books, church laws, etc. They use different ways to decide what they will believe and practice. When different religious guides disagree with one another, then the people who follow those creeds will necessarily disagree with one another. But, if all people would follow one and only one guide, this would be a major step toward unity.
The purpose of this lesson is to examine the human creeds of various denominations and compare them to the one truly undenominational guide, the Bible.
By a "creed" I refer to a source of authority which a group recognizes as a standard of guidance by which it determines church doctrine. Should we accept as authority in religion the various creeds, creed books, and church laws written by men according to their human wisdom, or should we follow the Divine wisdom revealed in Scripture?
In this study, we will document our statements by quoting from the creeds of various groups. Jesus and His apostles often examined the beliefs of various groups of their day. We will simply follow their example, but we do not seek to hurt anyone. Rather, we are concerned about souls. We seek to help people know truth and receive eternal life.
Notice how the Bible compares to other standards of authority in the following ways:
Introduction:
Every responsible person realizes that religious people are divided into various different groups. Those who claim to believe in Jesus have formed contradictory, disagreeing denominations.
People often wonder about the cause of this division.
One reason people are divided is that they follow different religious guides or standards of authority: creeds, creed books, church laws, etc. They use different ways to decide what they will believe and practice. When different religious guides disagree with one another, then the people who follow those creeds will necessarily disagree with one another. But, if all people would follow one and only one guide, this would be a major step toward unity.
The purpose of this lesson is to examine the human creeds of various denominations and compare them to the one truly undenominational guide, the Bible.
By a "creed" I refer to a source of authority which a group recognizes as a standard of guidance by which it determines church doctrine. Should we accept as authority in religion the various creeds, creed books, and church laws written by men according to their human wisdom, or should we follow the Divine wisdom revealed in Scripture?
In this study, we will document our statements by quoting from the creeds of various groups. Jesus and His apostles often examined the beliefs of various groups of their day. We will simply follow their example, but we do not seek to hurt anyone. Rather, we are concerned about souls. We seek to help people know truth and receive eternal life.
Notice how the Bible compares to other standards of authority in the following ways:
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