FAMILY NEWS AND NOTES
As the men serving on the communion table make their way toward the front to be seated, please begin to prepare your minds for our worship services.
Please remember …Each Member and Visitor needs to complete an ATTENDANCE CARD and pass them to the inside aisle where they will be picked up at the appropriate time.
Many thanks to everyone who participated in the Teacher Workshop. It was a great success.
Bible Bowl study at 5:00 PM this evening before worship service. Everyone is invited to attend and participate.
Gospel Journal subscriptions renewal time has arrived. If you wish to continue your subscription, or become a first-time subscriber, please see David McCain ASAP and give him your correct mailing address.
Those wishing to attend … don’t forget the Bridal Shower scheduled for 2:00 PM this afternoon for Laci Farmer. This will be in the Multi-Purpose Room here at the building.
Aw, come on all you widows and singles … sign up for the Widows and Singles noon luncheon scheduled for Sunday February 17, hosted by the youth of this congregation. All widows and any other singles are invited, so please sign the sign-up sheet on the table in the foyer.
At the writing of this bulletin LaShedria Traylor was still in the local hospital. Keep her in your prayers.
Patsy Duncan was dismissed from the local hospital Friday afternoon following her recent surgery and is now back at her home.
Julia Terrell recently lost her brother-in-law, Jack Anderson. Services were conducted last week.
Edith Shiflet passed away on Tuesday, January 29, 2008. Her funeral was conducted at
Bates-Cooper-Sloan Funeral Home Chapel at 2:00 PM Saturday, February 02, 2008, with burial at Cooper’s Chapel Cemetery. Edith had fought a battle with a new strain of pneumonia in addition to the breathing problems she had before the pneumonia. Please remember this family in your prayers.
THANK YOU … “Thank you so much for the love shown me by your calls, cards, and especially your prayers during the death of my brother and cousin. I am so blessed to have such a strong Christian family.
In Christian Love,
Mary Glover and Family”
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PRAYER LIST
Justin Barker, Rachel Barker, Doris Bell, Louis & Nona Bell, Winell Blackard, Annah Brown, Billye Campbell, Perry Cooper, Josephine Cooper, Patsy Duncan, Joyce Lee, Georgia Lide, Ben McCain, Charles Neal, Edith Shiflet, Cody Sparks, Rebecca Tippitt, LaShedria Traylor
ALSO: Wesley DuBose, Betty Newman
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Is Your Salvation Sure?
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:” (II Peter 1:10).
Several times during the almost 30 years I have served as a preacher, I have had people come to me with questions and doubts about their salvation. Some who “grew up in the church” were baptized at a young age and later came to question whether they understood enough about what they were doing for their baptism to be valid and effective in washing away their sins (Acts 22:16). Others have had doubts about their “conversion experiences,” which they participated in at denominational churches that clearly do not teach the Gospel plan of salvation. In both cases, these individuals show an earnest desire to make sure they are right with God, and to comply with all of His terms of pardon. Their concern is commendable, for all of us are commanded to “make our calling and election sure,” and to “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling,” as noted above. Would to God everyone was so serious about this most important of matters.
The question always emerges, “Can a person be taught or believe wrong and yet be baptized right?” Certainly forgiveness of sins takes place in the mind of God. Only God and the individual know what that individual was thinking when they were “baptized,” concerning why they were being baptized and what was achieved in that act. I am certainly not going to presume to take God’s place in judging what is in a person’s heart at the time they are baptized, but I do know God will judge that action based upon what the Scriptures teach (John 12:48-50). I also must conclude from Acts 19:1-7, that there is such a thing as an “invalid baptism,” if a person has been improperly instructed, or has a faulty understanding of baptism in accordance with the teaching and authority of Christ.
That being the case, the Bible makes it clear that any individual who was “sprinkled” or “poured” has not been Scripturally baptized, because baptism, by definition, is an “immersion” or “burial” in water (Rms. 6:4, & Col. 2:12). Also, no one who was baptized as an infant has been Scripturally baptized, because the Bible teaches only hearing, believing, penitent, individuals, who willingly confess Jesus Christ as Lord (Romans 10:17, John 8:24, Luke 13:3, Matthew 10:32), are proper candidates for baptism. Since no infant can hear, believe, repent, or confess Christ, it follows that “infant baptism” is not Scriptural.
It also follows that any adult who was immersed in water, even if it was “for the remission of sins,” has not been Scripturally baptized if they did not properly believe, repent, or confess before they were baptized. For example, someone might be baptized to get their spouse, who is a member of Christ’s body, to quit “nagging” them about obeying the Gospel. If they do it for that reason alone, and not because they really believe in Christ as the Son of God, then they just “get wet,” not “saved,” when they are “baptized.”
Similarly, a person who knowingly and willfully does not repent of the sins of which he is cognizant at the time of his baptism, has not been Scripturally baptized. That being said, however, let me hasten to add that after more teaching and study, many converts come later on to learn of ongoing sin in their lives, of which they were not aware at the time of their conversion. From my study of the Scriptures, it doesn’t appear to me that this invalidates their baptism, rather it seems the Scriptures teach that at that point of conviction of sin, the Christian must be willing to repent of that sin (meaning a change of mind that leads to a change of action, i.e. - to stop participating in that which is sinful), and to seek God’s forgiveness through confession and prayer (see the account of Simon the Sorcerer, Acts 8:9-24, also I John 1:5 - 2:2).
Finally, let us consider what one must understand in order for their “baptism into Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27) to be valid and effective in providing remission of sins (Acts 2:38). How much do you have to know for your baptism as a penitent, confessing, believer to be efficacious (effective, legal, adequate, productive) in claiming your salvation in Jesus Christ? If you were baptized in a denominational church, is that baptism valid in gaining your initial salvation in Christ? Let’s think about the matter as logically and unemotionally as we can. The truth is, the vast majority of denominational churches neither believe nor teach that baptism is a necessary part of the plan of salvation. I don’t say that unkindly, it is just the truth of the matter. Read their literature and their creeds, or talk with their informed leaders about the matter and you will quickly learn that I have not misrepresented them.
Though most denominations practice some sort of “baptism” as a ceremonial part of being affiliated with that denomination, they do not believe that baptism is necessary for salvation. If they do not believe baptism is a required for the forgiveness of sins, then it logically follows they do not teach their converts to be baptized “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38), to “wash away sins” (Acts 22:16), to “get into Christ” (Rms. 6:1-4, Gal. 3:27), or to “be saved” (I Pet. 3:21). If you were baptized as an “outward sign of an inward grace,” as the largest Protestant denomination teaches, and often verbally states at their baptismal ceremonies, the implication being that the grace of Christ has already been extended prior to baptism, did you really understand that the saving blood of Christ was not applied until you were baptized into His death (Rms. 6:3-4)? If you made the confession prior to baptism that the largest Protestant denomination teaches its candidates to make, you said, I believe God for Christ’s sake has forgiven me of my sins.” Did you really mean that statement, and if so, were you not then baptized for some other reason than the remission of sins?
Remember the Bible teaches that baptism is “for the remission of sins,” to “wash away sins,” to “save us,” to “get into Christ,” and to “get into His death,” all of which convey the idea that our salvation occurs only after we are baptized. That being the case, it would necessarily be evident that a person understand in his or her mind that he or she is being baptized for the purpose of availing for themselves salvation, in order for that person’s baptism to avail for them that very thing.
Again, it is not my place to judge what was in your mind when you were baptized, and I will not do so. Only you and God know that! If you tell me you were Scripturally baptized, I am going to take that statement at face value and accept you as a brother or sister in Christ. I have neither the time nor the inclination to be a detective and investigate everyone’s baptism to insure its validity. No preacher is charged to do that, nor would any of us be capable of that since we cannot read another’s mind. However, if there is any doubt in your mind about the validity of your salvation, why not clear away that doubt and make sure of your salvation, by being baptized into Christ for the remission of your sins, as a penitent, confessing, believer, following the Bible’s plain and simple teaching.
With eternity in view, and heaven or hell hanging in the balance, why would anyone not want to make their calling and election sure when the knowledge and opportunity presents itself? Surely such a critical matter as our obedience to the Gospel plan of salvation deserves our very best efforts at doing exactly what the Scriptures say we must do, in the way the Scriptures say we must do it, and for the right Scriptural reasons. If Christ was willing to give His life for our salvation, and He was (Hebrews 9:12), dare we treat this matter casually, without making an informed, logical, and earnest response to all that He says we must do to comply with His terms of pardon? Indeed, we should work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for the Lord is patiently waiting to save all who will obey Him (Hebrews 5:9)! If I can assist you in obeying the Lord, or if additional Bible study is desired, please don’t hesitate to call upon me. David McCain
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