Quote:
Originally Posted by Biblestudent
I asked if you think John the Baptist has charity. Your right in saying a "lot of these baptist types" lacks love, but many of the "lovely types" I know were the Roman Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah's Witness, etc. etc. I wonder why you're singling out the baptists. (By the way, John the Baptist is the only Baptist in the Bible, and he's not a Baptist like me -- saved by grace.)
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I hate to break it to you biblestudent. John the Baptist is in heaven right now because of his faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is always by grace, and obedience is our response, whether it was obedience to Torah in the days of the old covenant, or obedience to the commandments given us in the new. There is only one doorway into heaven, that is the person of Jesus Christ.
I think that John had charity, since he loved people enough to tell them the truth. But you want me to think (i'm assuming here) that a lot of the folks I've encountered with this rebuke/admonish mentality are all doing so out of love, which is not true. It takes a wise man to know when to rebuke/admonish and when to use compassion to speak the truth.
You want to know why I singled out baptists, well I think perhaps I misrepresented what I meant. I attend an independant fundamentalist baptist church, and I love these people. It wasn't my intention to grossly generalize, and perhaps I did. If that is the case, then please accept my apology. I truly love the fundamentalist baptists, but the fact of the matter remains, I have been openly attacked (90% of the time by by dispensationalists) by these folks more often than not.. I think this is inapropriate behavior on their part. I've tried really hard to just let their comments pass me by (to turn the other cheek so to speak), but there are those that make this really difficult. I think I would be more open to their teachings if their (this isn't to say all) words and lifestyles were more in line with the teachings of the Lord they profess to serve.
So to finish this off, let me just say that I also agree with you in your observation of Papists, Mormons, and JW's (although not so much with these folks). However, if we fundamentalist independant baptists could somehow find the balance necessary to stand unwaveringly for sound doctrine, while also being a light of love, compassion, peace, and good stewardship, then I believe that more liberals, and non believers would be more inclined to hear what we have to say. I'm not professing that we should be like them in conversation, but that we should reach out to them in <b>love</b>. Knowing how desperate their condition is, and how unlikely they are to hear us if we are constantly pointing the finger. Again, this is also where wisdom is important, in that there are those that simply need a verbal thumping to the head, and then there are those that just need someone to let them know that they are significant in God's eyes, and that they truly are loved.
Anywho, thanks for your time biblestudent.
Much Love in Christ Jesus,
Stephen