#reformed baptists

[battleforgodstruth]

The Minister's Self-Watch - Charles Spurgeon Audio Sermons

1 Timothy 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. ▶️Dear Brethren, I am now on X. If you are as well, please consider following me there: https://twitter.com/RichMoo50267219 ▶️Charles Spurgeon Sermon Playlist 2: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCDB844A9113F938C The Minister’s…

[gxlden-angels]

As you all know, I was raised in one of those wack ass "non-denominational" pentecostal churches. I was always taught anyone not pentecostal/baptist/methodist or within that realm weren't actually christians. Essentially, if your group had a Name™️ like Mormons, JWs, Catholics, etc. then u were that group, not "[That Group] Christians"

[tmarshconnors]

"It will be a sad day for the church and the world when there is no distinction between the children of God and those of this world."

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was an English Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, to some of whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers."

Born: 19 June 1834, Kelvedon Died: 31 January 1892 (age 57 years), Menton, France

Prolific Preacher: Charles Spurgeon was one of the most prolific preachers of the 19th century, delivering thousands of sermons. His powerful and eloquent preaching earned him the title "Prince of Preachers."

Metropolitan Tabernacle: Spurgeon became the pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London in 1861, where he preached to large congregations. The Tabernacle became one of the most famous churches in England under his leadership.

Published Works: He authored numerous books, including "The Treasury of David," a commentary on the Psalms, and "Morning and Evening," a popular daily devotional. His sermons were widely published and remain influential to this day.

Philanthropy: Spurgeon was also known for his philanthropic efforts. He founded several charitable organizations, including an orphanage and the Pastor's College (now Spurgeon’s College) to train future ministers.

Calvinist Theology: Spurgeon was a staunch Calvinist and held firmly to Reformed theology. His preaching and writings emphasized doctrines such as the sovereignty of God, salvation by grace, and the perseverance of the saints.

[a-failure-to-skate]

Written February 2024

What we've got here is a failure to skate

It's been three years since I stepped foot on the ice. Nope, I stepped on ice today going to the car.

It's been three years since I've skated. It was my second date with my husband. We went to lunch at a French inspired cafe and then enjoyed a fairly quiet Tuesday afternoon public skating session. My poor husband had never skated before and I wasn't confident or strong enough to pick up someone who weighed as much as I did from off the ice so a random old man had to help him until I taught him how to get up on his own. My dream was teaching people to skate, and here I was teaching the boy I met online a few months ago and had just met in person how to do what I love most. He says that he fell in love with me watching me skate on that date.

We became boyfriend and girlfriend that day, got married about a year and a half later, and I moved to his home state of Montana. I got caught up in the busy life of creating a home and settling into a new job that I didn't have time to skate during that summer. Winter rolled around, and I wanted to go skating for my birthday, then for Christmas time, then as a winter activity, but I found out I was pregnant and my midwife said no skating.

I now have a 6 month old son. We moved to a tiny rural town after buying an 100 year old house for the price of the land it sits on. And my priorities changed. Life is making sure my baby thrives, and enjoying my happy marriage with my dearest friend, and making sure we have clean clothes to wear and wonderful beautiful meals to eat, and trying to read more, and running a small hobby business, and loving the Lord and growing everyday in His knowledge.

Yes, I still love skating, and I hope to continue to skate and teach my son when he's big enough. But until then, my life will continue to be a failure to skate and (hopefully) succeeding in a life I never thought could be possible.

[walkingthroughthisworld]

“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (ESV)

John Gill on Hebrews 9:27-28:

And as it is appointed unto men once to die

Not a moral, or what is commonly called a spiritual death, nor an eternal one, but a corporeal one; which does not arise from the constitution of nature, but from the sin of man, and God's decree on account of it; by which it is fixed that men shall die, and how long they shall live, and when they shall die; so that they cannot die sooner nor later; all things antecedent to death, which lead on to it, and issue in it, are appointed by God, and so is death itself, with all its circumstances; men's days can neither be lengthened nor shortened, either by Christ himself, or others: and this statute and appointment of God concerns men, not angels, and reaches to all men, wicked and righteous; and though there have been some exceptions, as Enoch and Elijah; and all will not sleep, or die, some will be found alive at Christ's appearing; yet such will undergo a change which is equivalent to death, as Enoch and Elijah have done: and generally speaking men die but once; it is not usual for men to die, and live again, and then die again; there have been some extraordinary instances of this kind, but they are rare; it is the statute law of heaven in common for men to die and that but once; so Cicero the Heathen says, "omnibus definitam esse mortem" (death is certain for all): Christ died once, he will die no more; and it is the comfort of the saints, that though they die the first death, they shall not be hurt of the second death; and the consideration of this decree should excite to diligence and industry: death is certain to God, but uncertain to us, as to the time, nor should we curiously inquire into it, but patiently wait for it, and quietly submit unto it:

but after this the judgment;

the last and general judgment, which will reach to all men, quick and dead, righteous and wicked, and in which Christ will be Judge. There is a particular judgment which is immediately after death; by virtue of which, the souls of men are condemned to their proper state of happiness or woe; and there is an universal judgment, which will be after the resurrection of the dead, and is called eternal judgment, and to come; this is appointed by God, though the time when is unknown to men; yet nothing is more certain, and it will be a righteous one.

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many

As man dies but once, Christ was offered but once, or he suffered and died but once; and that was not on his own account, or for his own sins, "but to bear the sins of many": not of angels but of men, and these not a few, but "many"; which is said to magnify the grace of God, to exalt the satisfaction and righteousness of Christ, and to encourage souls to hope in him: hence many are brought to believe in him, and many are justified by him, have their sins forgiven them, and are glorified; though Christ bore not the sins of all men; for as all men have not faith, all are not justified, pardoned, and saved: what he bore were "sins"; all kind of sin, every act of sin, and all that belongs to it; its filth, guilt, and punishment, even the iniquity of all his people; which must be a prodigious weight, and than which nothing could be more nauseous: his bearing them supposes they were upon him, though not in him, imputed, though not inherent; that he did not sink under them; that he made an entire satisfaction for them, and bore them wholly away, both from the persons of his people, and from the sight of justice. The way in which he came to bear them was this; he became a surety for all the elect; his Father imputed to him all their sins, and he voluntarily took them upon himself; where justice found them, and demanded satisfaction of him for them, and he gave it; which is an instance both of his great love, and of his great strength: and unto them that look for him: with affection, faith and patience:

shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation;

this is to be understood of Christ's visible and personal appearance on earth, which will be a glorious one; he will appear in his own glory, and in his Father's glory, and in the glory of the holy angels, and in the glory of his power, to the joy of saints, and to the terror of the wicked; for every eye shall see him: and this is said to be "the second time"; that is, that he appears on earth, and personally; for though he often appears to his people, it is in a spiritual way; and though he appeared to Stephen and to Paul, yet not on earth, but in heaven; and this is called the second time, with reference to his first appearance in human nature at his incarnation, and after that he ascended to heaven; and as this will be the second, it will be the last: the manner in which he will appear, will be, "without sin"; without sin itself; without any thing like it: without any infirmities, which though not sinful are the effects of sin; without sin imputed to him, with which he appeared before; without being a sacrifice for sin; and without sin upon his people that come with him, or he shall meet whom he shall raise, or change, and take to himself: and the end of his appearance with respect to them, will be "unto salvation"; the end of his first appearance was to obtain salvation for his people, and he has obtained it, and there is a comfortable application of it made unto them by the Spirit of God; but the full possession of it will be hereafter, and into this will Christ put them, when he shall appear

[lightthewaybackhome]

What's your favourite thing about Reformed theology and why?

Asking as someone who doesn't like Reformed theology much who wants to know what its followers like about it.

Thank you for this question. I'm going to do my best to answer it while saying up front that I'm not discussing doctrine. I'm not a good debater. I'm taking your kind question as a subjective question, not one that wishes a doctrinal answer or a compare and contrast with other denominations answer.

For me personally, two things that I love about Reformed theology are this:

A High View of God. Reformed Baptists hold and teach a high view of God, His goodness, transcendence, simplicity, and attributes. The higher my view of God, the greater and more wonderful my salvation is. I also deeply appreciate the focus being on God and not on me and my feelings. This equips me to view myself correctly and not be overwhelmed by my feelings which are many and a bit all over the place.

I love the truth of Christian liberty expounded in our Confession: (I also love our confessionalism because it provides clarity and safety.) The liberty which Christ has purchased for believers under the gospel, consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin, the condemning wrath of God, the severity and curse of the law, and in their being delivered from this present evil world, bondage to Satan, and dominion of sin, from the evil of afflictions, the fear and sting of death, the victory of the grave, and everlasting damnation: as also in their free access to God, and their yielding obedience unto Him, not out of slavish fear, but a child-like love and willing mind. All which were common also to believers under the law for the substance of them; but under the New Testament the liberty of Christians is further enlarged, in their freedom from the yoke of a ceremonial law, to which the Jewish church was subjected, and in greater boldness of access to the throne of grace, and in fuller communications of the free Spirit of God, than believers under the law did ordinarily partake of. (2LBCF 21.1)

I think that might be one of the most beautiful lists ever penned by man.

I'm going to tag @walkingthroughthisworld who can check me if I put anything wrong or unclearly.

These are two of my favorite things about Reformed Theology. I love its boldness and clarity, but mostly I love its high view of the Lord and I love the liberty in Christ that it brings.

[dimsilver]

oh the experience of explaining my Holy Week plans to my OPC pastor’s wife whose girls I’m staying with for a few days…

[thisbibliomaniac]

I understand paedobaptists arguing that paedobaptism is indeed biblical when baptists claim that it's not, even if I don't agree. What I don't understand is them coming at us with "oh yeah?! Well I went to a Baptist church once that did something I consider unbiblical!" (even though in most cases it's extrabiblical at best) as if

1) I have to answer for any church other than my own (I don't)

2) one church's incorrect doctrine makes another's okay (it doesn't)

I usually respond with "You're right, you shouldn't do either of those things"

[forwheniamweak]

This is a nice, short explanation on the different doctrines within Reformed Baptist churches.

The key is whether or not one holds to an historic confession, like the London Baptist Confession of 1689. Rejecting the historic confessions allows for beliefs outside of orthodoxy, like John MacArthur's dispensationalism.

[vitocorleonewiremother]

downside of getting into dickwinterisms is that now i like to read books on mennonites. about to start on community by casey plett >:)

[battleforgodstruth]

The Need of Decision for the Truth! - Charles Spurgeon Audio Sermons

▶️Dear Brethren, I am now on X. If you are as well, please consider following me there: https://twitter.com/RichMoo50267219 ▶️Charles Spurgeon Sermon Playlist 2: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCDB844A9113F938C The Need of Decision for the Truth! – Charles Spurgeon Audio Sermons ▶️SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/stack45ny▶️After subscribing, click on NOTIFICATION BELL to be…

[ainsi-soit-il]

I’m actually really interested in learning what your denomination thinks about sanctification if you feel up to a long post about it? (Ulterior motive: I wanna go through and find the parts where Catholics disagree/define sanctification differently.)

Sorry for taking so long to reply! Thank you for your patience, and thanks for asking!

To some degree, Wesleyan theology does treat salvation as something that's immediate, with John Wesley writing at one point, "It [salvation] is not something at a distance, It is a present thing, a blessing which through the free mercy of God you are now in possession of."

But Wesleyan theology (and I'd argue Scripture itself too) also holds that even then, justification is just the beginning, and we are continually being perfected by God's grace.

This is how John Wesley put it in The Scripture Way of Salvation:

From the time of our being "born again," the gradual work of sanctification takes place. We are enabled by the Spirit to "mortify the deeds of the body" (Romans 8:11, 13) and of our evil nature, and as we are more and more dead to sin, we are more and more alive to God.

In other words, God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit slowly transform our deeds and desires, so that we become more and more like Christ.

In the Wesleyan understanding of sanctification, sanctification takes place as believers grow to love God more. St. John's language of "being perfected in love" in 1 John 4.

This is how love is made perfect in us, enabling us to have confidence on the Day of Judgment, because even in this world we have become like him. In love there is no fear; indeed, perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not yet achieved perfection in love. Therefore, we love because he first loved us. (NCB, v. 17-19)

Effectively, as we grow to know and love God more, we find our desires transformed. Sin becomes less and less attractive. We no longer want the same things that we wanted before, and instead our desires are increasingly aligned with the will of God.

And that is effectively what Christian perfection (or "being perfected in love", or "entire sanctification"... Wesley didn't tend to stick with one term for things) means. It's the point where there's no more room in one's heart for sinful desires, because one is that full of the love of God. Irish theologian William J. Abraham described it as, "the point in [someone's] relationship with God where disobedience [i]s no longer a live option for them."

It's worth pointing out that this perfection is not absolute. We're finite creatures, after all. We get into misunderstandings, lack knowledge, etc. and so as a result, we'll still end up sinning. But Wesleyan theology places a distinction between these sorts of sins and the intentionally-done sort of sins we are freed from when we are perfected in love. (From what I understand, Catholic theology has a similar distinction between venial sins and mortal sins.)

This is distinct from Presbyterians and most Baptists (both within the same umbrella of Protestant theology), where entire sanctification is something we never quite attain in life. Even so, a Baptist or Presbyterian might argue, we still are called to keep "running the race", to use St. Paul's analogy.

Hope this helps!

[calvinfelineism]

Christians can experience a cushion of peace in their souls regardless of their troubled surroundings. That's because they belong to God, who is the source of peace; serve Christ, who is the Prince of Peace; and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who is the agent of peace. Galatians 5:22 says, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, [and] peace." When you become a Christian, God grants you the gift of peace.

God is not only the source of perfect peace, but also its purest example. Everything He does is marked by peace. First Corinthians 14:33 says He is not a God of confusion but of peace. In Judges 6:24 He is called Jehovah-shalom, which means, "the Lord is peace." The Trinity is characterized by a total absence of conflict: perfect oneness, perfect righteousness, and absolute harmony. It is impossible for God to be at odds with Himself!

God wants everyone to know that kind of peace. He created the world with peace and sent His Son to offer peace. Someday Christ will return to establish His kingdom and reign in peace for eternity.

In the meantime turmoil exists for all who don't know Christ. They have no cushion for their souls. You, however, have peace with God through the death of Christ Jesus, and as you obey Him, His peace will continually reign in your heart. Don't ever let sin rob you of that blessed cushion. Only as you experience peace within yourself can you share it with others.

[nerdysk8s]

I was raised Christian.

I came to faith at age 14.

I'm nearly 28 now.

I just learned YESTERDAY that "Christ" means anointed.

[darknesscannotsaveyou]

it do be Reformation Month, y'all!