Baptists

Because of what the Bible has to say about alcohol and drunkenness.

• The Nazirite vow included abstinence from alcohol.

  "The Lord instructed Moses: '…When a man or woman makes a special vow, a Nazirite vow, to consecrate himself to the Lord, he is to abstain from wine and beer… He is not to eat anything produced by the grapevine, from seeds to skin, during his vow'" (Numbers 6:1-4).

• Daniel made a personal choice to abstain from drinking alcohol.

  "Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king's food or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief official not to defile himself" (Daniel 1:8).

• John the Baptist abstained from drinking alcohol.

  "But the angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.

  There will be joy and delight for you, and many will rejoice at his birth.

  For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or beer. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother's womb" (Luke 1:13-15).

"Listen, my son, and be wise; keep your mind on the right course. Don't associate with those who drink too much wine" (Proverbs 23:19-20).

"Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has conflicts? Who has complaints? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has red eyes? Those who linger over wine, those who go looking for mixed wine. Don't gaze at wine when it is red, when it gleams in the cup and goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a snake and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and you will say absurd things" (Proverbs 23:29-33).

"These also stagger because of wine and stumble under the influence of beer: priest and prophet stagger because of beer, they are confused by wine. They stumble because of beer, they are muddled in [their] visions, they stumble in [their] judgments" (Isaiah 28:7).

"Let us walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness…" (Romans 13:13).

"Do not be deceived: no sexually immoral people, idolaters… [nor] drunkards… will inherit God's kingdom" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

"Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar, about which I tell you in advance-as I told you before-that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-21).

"An overseer, therefore, must… not [be] addicted to wine" (1 Timothy 3:2-3; see also Titus 1:7).

"Deacons, likewise, should… not [be] drinking a lot of wine" (1 Timothy 3:8).

"And don't get drunk with wine, which [leads to] reckless actions, but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).

• Care of the body is important for Christians because the Holy Spirit indwells them.

  "Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.

  Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:1-2).

  "Do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit…" (1 Corinthians 6:19).

  "For we are the sanctuary of the living God… Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord; do not touch any unclean thing, and I will welcome you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty. Therefore dear friends, since we have such promises, we should wash ourselves clean from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, making our sanctification complete in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1).

• A Christian's life should not be an impediment to others.

  "Therefore, let us decide… not to… put a stumbling block or pitfall in your brother's way… It is a noble thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother stumble" (Romans 14:13, 21).

  "But be careful that this right of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak" (1 Corinthians 8:9).

• Christians should always be in control of their minds and actions.

  "So then, we must not sleep, like the rest, but we must stay awake and be sober" (1 Thessalonians 5:6).

  "Therefore, get your minds ready for action, being self-disciplined…" (1 Peter 1:13).

  "…be clear-headed…" (1 Peter 4:7).

  "Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

1. Isaiah 5:11

   Woe to those who rise early in the morning, That they may follow intoxicating drink; Who continue until night, till wine inflames them!

2. Isaiah 5:22

   Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,

3. Habakkuk 2:15

   "Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, Pressing him to your bottle, Even to make him drunk, That you may look on his nakedness!

It is pretty clear from the scriptures that God has a problem with it and as we all know drinking alcohol while pregnant is harmful to the baby, and being drunk can also be deadly to other people you happen to harm while drunk. Since Baptist adhere to Bible principles they try to follow God's Words in this regard.

The reason that Assembly of God, Church of God and yes, some Baptist churches believe that salvation can be lost is because salvation is not a license/ticket to sin. Yes, we do have an advocate with the Father, but becoming a Christian means surrendering your life to Christ and following Him as closely as possible. We do make mistakes, but we are to resist temptation. One of the previous posts states that one cannot lose salvation because the scripture in Romans states that nothing can separate us from the love of God. That is true. Nothing can separate us from that love because God indeed loves everyone, sinner and Christian alike. But, God created us to serve Him. If we couldn't lose our salvation, then why do we continue to repent of our sins even after salvation? You must strive to live a Godly lifestyle to make it to heaven.

Galatians 4:9-11 - But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years.I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.

Galatians 5:4 - You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

Colossians 2:8 - Beware lest anyone cheat youthrough philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. (See also Col. 2:18)

Hebrews 3:12, 13 - Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Hebrews 10:26, 27 - For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.

2 John 1:8-11 - Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

God holds the saved in His open palm, not a clenched fist. The Bible clearly teaches that no OUTSIDE force has the power to separate us from His love, but we can separate ourselves from salvation by disobedience or negligence.

[Quotes from NKJV]

In the United States, the big six SBC seminaries are:

• Golden Gate Theological Seminary
• Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
• New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
• Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
• Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
• Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

"Narnia" is not a word that is found in the Bible. That word came from a series of novels by a writer named C. S. Lewis. The novels "The Chronicles of Narnia" are a work of fiction.

"Heaven" is found in the Bible. There are three heavens mentioned in the Bible.

1. the atmosphere (sky, clouds) is referred to as heaven

2. outer space (where the sun, moon, and stars reside) is referred to as heaven.

3. the abode of God, where the soul of a believer goes when he dies.

The Bible is not a work of fiction.

Jesus never spoke of it and it was a created doctrine of the Catholic church to raise money. When people believed that money needed to be paid to get a person out of purgatory this generated much money for the church. There are many problems with it. Purgatory

by Matt Slick

"I constantly hold that there is a Purgatory, and that the souls therein detained are helped by the suffrages of the faithful."1

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1030, "All who die in Gods grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation, but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven."

The Second Vatican Council, p. 63, says, "The truth has been divinely revealed that sins are followed by punishments. Gods holiness and justice inflict them. Sins must be expiated. This may be done on this earth through the sorrows, miseries and trials of this life and, above all, through death. Otherwise the expiation must be made in the next life through fire and torments or purifying punishments."

This process of purification occurs in a place designated by the Catholic church as purgatory. According to Catholic doctrine, purgatory is not supposed to be a place of punishment but of purification. The nature of this purification, according to different Catholic theologians, ranges from an extreme awareness of loss to an intense, excruciatingly painful "purifying fire."

According to Roman Catholic Doctrine, though a person may be in a state of grace, he may not enter heaven until he is purified from sins that were not dealt with on earth. Baptism remits sins committed up to that point; but prayers, indulgences, penance, absolution, and the Mass are means by which the sinner is able to expiate sins committed after baptism. If sins are not remitted, after death he must suffer the flames of purification until he is sufficiently cleansed and pure so as to enter into the presence of God. Additionally, intercession can be made by Catholics on behalf of those who are presently in purgatory. This is also done through saying the Mass, certain acts of penance, saying the Rosary, or by indulgences where the benefit is applied to the dead in purgatory.

But purgatory is not for everyone. Baptized infants who have died before the age of accountability and Catholic saints who lived such holy lives are excused from the "purifying fires."

The length of time that someone must suffer in this state is never known, but it is considered to be proportional to the nature and severity of the sins committed. Therefore, it could be anywhere from a few hours to millions of years.

As a Christian who bases spiritual truth on the Bible alone, I see problems with the doctrine of purgatory. For example:

1. It is not explicitly found in the Bible.
2. It implies that the righteousness of Christ does not cleanse from all sin.
3. It implies that justification is not by faith alone.
4. It implies that there is something we must do in order to be cleansed of sin.

The Catholics will disagree with my perceived problems of the doctrine of purgatory. That is to be expected. They will cite church Fathers, the apocrypha, and various biblical references to fire and purification. Whichever side of the argument you fall into, my goal here is to present a biblical argument that examines the doctrine in an attempt to determine if it is biblical or not.

Of course, the Catholic will say that as a Protestant, I come to the argument with the preconceived belief that (1) Purgatory is unbiblical, (2) that I am biased against it, and (3) that I have an agenda to accomplish. To each of these accusations I admit guilt. None of us are perfectly unbiased, and most everyone has personal beliefs that are reflected in their actions and words. In this case, having read and studied the Bible thoroughly, I find no place in it for the Roman Catholic doctrine of Purgatory.

No scripture attests to John baptizing in anyone's name. His baptism unto repentance "prepared the way" for Jesus' baptism [which isn't a baptism of water -- but of the Holy Spirit, for the remission of sins].

John didn't "remit anyone's sins"... he "prepared and pointed the way" to the One who would.

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire." (Matt.3:11)

Jesus has "two" baptisms that are quite "opposite" from each other: 1] with the "Holy Spirit"; 2] with "fire."

The gift of the Holy Spirit is for those whose sins are remitted. The baptism of "fire" is for those who shall be cast into the Lake of Fire in the Judgment [Rev.20:15].

When John baptized and preached repentance... Jesus had not yet begun His ministry. He had not yet been tested by Satan, that He might defeat him, depose him and qualify to become the "King" of God's prophesied "Kingdom" on the earth.

Until Jesus did that... He could not preach the Kingdom of God. And until Jesus rose from the dead, there was no "baptism of the Holy Spirit in Jesus' name" until Jesus rose from the dead and made the Holy Spirit available beginning on Pentecost.

Until Jesus died and rose again... for the short period of time of His "cut-off" ministry, He remitted sins as He walked among the people in the flesh. But the Holy Spirit was not yet given.

"Let all the House of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, WHOM YE HAVE CRUCIFIED, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter... WHAT SHALL WE DO?

"Then Peter said unto them, REPENT [John's baptism, the baptism with water that others took over after John's imprisonment], and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

"For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts 2:36-39)

John's "baptism unto repentance" COMES FIRST. No one can be forgiven if they aren't conscious of the reality that they are a sinner... that they have "broken God's laws" [the Bible's definition of sin] -- I John 3:4. A person has to, first, want forgiveness for his sins in order to seek it. Repentance is the awakening of the spirit to the need of obedience to God.

That was John's job. That's why he was born [see Luke 1]. That was his commission: to herald the coming of the Messiah. To baptize unto and preach: "repentance." To "...turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers..." (Malachi 4:6).

"...Behold, I send My messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight." (Mark 1:2-3)

John's baptism and preaching of repentancewas a "harbinger" to the people that the prophecies of their scriptures regarding their long-awaited Messiah was about to be fulfilled. It was a most exciting time in Judaea.

Everyone was looking for Him to appear, because of John's "voice" and his baptism with water unto repentance. John's baptism didn't need a name to turn peoples' hearts to a consciousness of their scriptures and their sins.

Since Jesus' ascension into heaven, repentance and "baptism for the remission of sins" is a combined and complete process that requires the name of Jesus Christ for the divine authorization of the Remitter.

"...John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not: but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Spirit. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God." (John 1:32-34)