newtestamentchristianity

                                                                                                                                          Introduction: In the previous post, I explained that justification and predestination were historically seen as two distinct theological terms. I hope to elaborate more on this concept here. Likewise, I hope to continue showing verses used for eternal security by its advocates and my responses to them.  In general, any theological topic can be debated in multiple essays, if not volumes of books, or perhaps, even forever. I hope all that I write about here is simply an illumination of what I believe constitutes the historic orthodox of Christianity as pertains to the doctrine of eternal security.                                     Further Biblical Arguments Used For Eternal Security  To many of those who hold to Calvinism, they see the following passages as supporting their theological position:  Ephesians 1:13-14 1 Peter 1: 5 Ephesians 4:30 Other p

                                                                                                                                    Introduction: In twenty-first-century America, especially in the south, it is common to see many American Evangelicals feel absolutely assured of their place in heaven because of a past event from which they claim that they have accepted Christ as their Savior. The danger though, is that this assurance is not rooted in scripture. It is a false gospel that many have chosen to believe in. Tragically, many of them will hold to this false assurance...and it will lead them down to the gates of hell for eternity.  Of course, many Christians of goodwill have differed over the topic of whether or not Christians can lose their salvation. The Calvinists and the Arminians were not the first to deal with the debates of predestination, a debate that went back to at least the fourth century. However, the sixteenth century did see many of the ideas that Evangelicals hav

                                                                                                Churches Included the Presence of Infants We live in a culture where many Evangelical Churches see nothing morally wrong with young people of opposite sexes having personal relationships with one another through youth groups, college groups, and ''mission trips.'' While professing to follow Christ, many, though certainly not all, of these programs have taught little of the Bible to young people. Tragically, they have installed worldly desires in many youths who share almost all of the same interests as their counterparts outside of the Christian communities.  How would the writers of the New Testament have seen the state of the modern church? What would the apostles have thought of fathers who can name more celebrities than books in the Bible? What of the mothers who lack interest in the church being central to our lives? What of the youth who have come to see church more as

 For those who wish to hear my thoughts on this subject, I recommend that they read all of the prior posts on this blog concerning infant baptism, baptism of fire, and the first post concerning the gift of prophecy in the New Testament. Unless readers take the time to read the earlier posts, they will likely not follow my train of thought on these topics.  In general, prophecy had somewhat of a broad meaning in the New Testament. Certainly, not all Christian prophets, for example, were gifted with the power of writing infallible scripture. however, they universally testified to the unique power of the Holy Spirit within them.                                                                        Introduction:  So far, I have demonstrated that evangelism was intended for Christians outside of the original twelve apostles. Likewise, I have argued that this Biblical calling was meant for those beyond the first century. Additionally, however, I have shown that the meaning of an apostle was

                                                                     Introduction:  In my post on the Baptism of Fire, I explained that the Holy Spirit made a distinct baptism at Pentecost (Acts 2), from the one known to John the Baptist (Acts 3). Now, I wish to begin a series of posts on the relevance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Considering that the distinctive gifts given by the Spirit of God in the New Testament are several, it will take more than one post to discuss all of them. For now, I wish to simply demonstrate that the gift of prophecy did not cease with the apostles.                                            A Brief Overview of Prophecy in the Old Testament Throughout the Hebrew scriptures, God spoke through many witnesses to his divine truths including both Moses Numbers 12:2 and the Prophet Jerimiah (Jerimiah 47:1). The New Testament later confirmed in Hebrews 1:1 that God spoke through the Prophets who fell under the old covenant. While the Spirit of God is eternal,

                                                                       Introduction:  Somewhat related to my previous discussions on water baptism, many Pentecostal Christians affirm that after we convert to Christianity, we must still receive the Holy Spirit. The modern Pentecostal movement which originated in modern times (as did Evangelicalism for the record), seeks to understand the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian's lives. Nevertheless, is this view Biblical?  While the modern Pentecostal movement largely originated only as late as the early twentieth century, elements of their beliefs have been shared by both the ancient Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. Thus, the issue is not so much that the Pentecostal movement is a modern one, but rather if its teachings originated later in history. Indeed, evangelicalism was largely a movement that followed the Great Awakening. While some evangelicals may wish to think otherwise, every historian knows well that evangeli

                                                                   Introduction  I have spent a great deal of time arguing from the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the ancient fathers that infant baptism was not a later novelty in Christian history. I wish now, however, to discuss the mode of baptism as it existed in the first century.  Throughout history, Christians have disagreed about what mode of baptism that was practiced in the New Testament. Indeed, denominations generally practice baptism under one of ore more of the following forms: immersion, partial immersion, pouring, or sprinkling. I will be briefly discussing this topic in one post.                                                      Baptism in the Old Testament  Water was often a substance for purification to the Hebrews under the old covenant. Indeed, Moses had Aaron and the priests bathed in Leviticus 8:6. Oftentimes, sick people resorted to water to cleanse them (Leviticus 14:8). None of this benefits the advoc

                                                                                                                                      Introduction:  So far, I have attempted to prove both historically and theology that the earliest of Christians infant baptized. I believe that I have made a much stronger case for the Paedobaptist position than many of its advocates have on the web. In this final post, I will be discussing the historical roots of what we now call ''believers' baptism. Likewise, I will be appealing to history as evidence that infant baptism was widespread in the first several centuries.                                                       The Case of Tertullian of Carthage Many Credobaptists point to the Tertullian of Carthage as holding their view. To them, he proves the early orthodoxy of their beliefs because of his belief in baptism following repentance. There are several problems with their claims, however.  Tertullian's treatise, On Baptism , is th

                                                                          Introduction:  Over the past five posts, I have attempted to defend infant baptism from scripture. As always, it's important to read a series of posts in chronological order. Now, in the first of two posts, I will attempt to defend infant baptism from other documents in early Christianity besides that of the New Testament. This post will focus on Christianity in the first two centuries (A.D.-200s). The second post will focus on infant baptism in the third century, completing my seven posts advocating for infant baptism which has been a common practice in ancient Christianity.  It is often forgotten among evangelicals and fundamentalists that there are other historical documents concerning the early Christians besides the New Testament. Typically, they are found in Jewish, Greco-Roman, and Christian sources. These sources enlighten us not only about the historical context that the world of the New Testament wa