This is the eighth in a series of excerpts from the new MBC resource, What Every Christian Should Know About Salvation, available at mobaptist.org/apologetics. Followers of Jesus take comfort in knowing that the Holy Spirit indwells us. That is, the third person of the Godhead has taken up permanent residence in our human spirits, from which He engages in the lifelong ministry of conforming us to the image of Christ. While regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit that brings sinners … [Read more...]
MBC releases new book on Trinity
JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Baptist Convention has just released a new resource for personal or group study titled What Every Christian Should Know About the Trinity. Written by the MBC’s Rob Phillips, the 250-page book explores the biblical foundation of belief in one true and living God, who exists as three distinct, but inseparable, co-equal, co-eternal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Written for pastors and laypersons alike, the book features 12 lessons that conclude with … [Read more...]
Justification: Linchpin of salvation
In justification, God declares us righteous. In sanctification and glorification, which we explore in future columns, He makes us so. These interlocking works of God ensure that followers of Jesus are fully conformed to the image of Christ. The Greek noun dikaiosis, or justification, describes the act of God declaring sinners righteous on the basis of the finished work of Christ. Believing sinners are acquitted – freed of all guilt – as their sins are transferred to the account of Christ … [Read more...]
The gift of regeneration
This is the sixth in a series of excerpts from the new MBC resource, “What Every Christian Should Know About Salvation,” available at mobaptist.org/apologetics. Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit that brings a sinner from spiritual death into spiritual life. While Christians may disagree about such issues as the relationship between regeneration and baptism, or whether regeneration precedes faith, it is biblically faithful for a follower of Jesus to say, “I am regenerated.” While … [Read more...]
God’s call to salvation
This is the fifth in a series of excerpts from the new MBC resource, “What Every Christian Should Know About Salvation,” available at mobaptist.org/apologetics. While there is a general call to everyone to trust in Christ through the proclamation of the gospel, God also extends an effectual call to those He foreknew, elected, and predestined. For every child of God, there is a time when the Holy Spirit draws him or her personally to faith in Christ, resulting in belief and repentance that … [Read more...]
You are predestined
This is the fourth in a series of excerpts from the new MBC resource, “What Every Christian Should Know About Salvation,” available at mobaptist.org/apologetics. The Bible refers to some people as “predestined.” What does that mean? How does predestination fit into God’s work of redemption? And if the Bible presents a fatalistic view of predestination, is there any room for human freedom? As we search the Scriptures for answers, it’s good to remember that, for followers of Jesus, it is … [Read more...]
What is the doctrine of election?
This is the third in a series of excerpts from the new MBC resources, available at mobaptist.org/apologetics. Every Christian should readily acknowledge that the Bible teaches divine election. Disagreements arise with respect to how this doctrine is biblically defined, and how it’s applied. In any case, if you are a follower of Jesus, it is biblically faithful to say, “I am elected.” The word “election” in Scripture is derived from the Greek eklegomai, which means “to choose something for … [Read more...]
You are foreknown
This is the second in a series of excerpts from the new MBC resource, “What Every Christian Should Know About Salvation,” available at mobaptist.org/apologetics. God knows everything, which means nothing surprises Him. Satan’s brash rebellion didn’t catch the Creator off guard. Neither did Adam’s fall send the Lord into divine panic, forcing Him to sacrifice His Son in a desperate “Plan B.” Every event in time and eternity plays out exactly as God knows it will. His foreknowledge is more … [Read more...]
What does it mean to be saved?
This is the first in a series of excerpts from the MBC resource, “What Every Christian Should Know About Salvation,” available at mobaptist.org/apologetics. People use the words salvation and saved in a variety of settings, from sporting events to political campaigns to natural disasters. Even within Christian circles, there is disagreement as to what it means to be saved and how salvation is acquired. So, it’s critical for us to begin with a definition. Stated simply, salvation is God’s … [Read more...]
Who is the I AM?
This is the last in a series of columns addressing Jehovah’s Witnesses and their understanding of Jesus. Previously, we looked at passages in the Watch Tower’s official New World Translation 2013 (NWT) that seem to affirm Christ’s deity, even though the Watch Tower blots out Jesus’ divine identity in other verses. Specifically, we looked at both Jehovah and Jesus as Lord, as the Creator of all things, and as the first and the last. Now, let’s consider Jehovah and Jesus as the “I AM.” In … [Read more...]
MBTS professor, Mo. Baptist apologists offer resources for building up Bible knowledge
KANSAS CITY – Missouri Baptists have resources for gaining a greater biblical understanding at their fingertips and on their computer screens. For one thing, Todd Chipman, who serves as assistant professor of biblical studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has created an online commentary to help Christians study Scripture on a daily basis. The commentary, which can be accessed at www.ScriptureStoryline.com, is also expected to come out in print later this year. “What I’ve … [Read more...]
Finding the real Jesus in the NWT
Previously, we saw how the Watch Tower has effectively scrubbed the deity of Christ from its official version of Scripture, the New World Translation (NWT). If Jehovah’s Witnesses are leery of using any other translation, what hope exists for them to find the real Jesus in the NWT? Have any passages survived the Watch Tower’s theological sanitizing, so we may point our Witness friends to an eternal and divine Jesus who took on flesh to save us from our sins? Fortunately, the answer is … [Read more...]
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