Contact Us
Respond to The Christian Examiner
The following questions were asked to a liberal brother. It is hoped that the answers to these questions provide the reader with some knowledge of the liberal mindset that is held by some in the Lord's church today. The names of both the brother and the congregation with whom he worships have been omitted. The answers are shown in indents.
If one follows such 'steps' as this suggests, I think he or she would be a Christian. But there might well be, and in Scripture there are, variations of this. On Pentecost, for example, there was no such 'step' as confessing, and in Acts 10 at [the] household of Cornelius they appear to become believers and receive the Spirit before they were baptized. The 'order' may vary, but as a rule, esp. in [the] book of Acts, they became Christians by believing, repenting, and being baptized. But that order is not absolute.
I treat those who trust in Jesus as sisters and brothers, but I presume this means they are also obedient and have been baptized. But I do not question them about this. Should I learn that they have not been baptized, I would see this as an anomaly-- an unbaptized Christian would be an oxymoron--and would say they should be baptized. Yes, one might believe TULIP and still go to heaven. Being saved is more a matter of the heart than being right on a set of doctrines, especially controversial and debatable issues. Christians should and usually do agree on the core gospel. I do not make it a practice to question people about how they were saved. But I would talk about it with them if there is reason to do so, pointing out what I believe the Scriptures teach.
No. People are saved only in or by Christ. But I believe there are saved people in denominations, including my own, of course.
No. But I have fellowship with sisters and brothers in denominations.
No. If this were so, God would be restricted to saving only the immersed. But should you ask if it were essential for me to be immersed, the answer is yes, for I understood this to be my duty. I accept what the Scriptures say about baptism; it does not say it is essential to salvation. That is a deduction, unwarranted, I believe.
That is not the way people were saved in the New Covenant scriptures, and I would not teach it that way. But if God, who is eager to forgive, accepts one on this basis, I will rejoice.
There is an ambiguity here, and I don't think the question as to be put that way. But we can say that baptism is in reference to salvation, that there is some relationship. Alex Campbell may have been right to say that one is really saved when he believes, formally saved when baptized.
If you are asking if these passages include instruments, I think the answer is no; but neither do they exclude them. Such singing may or may not be with instruments.
Ira Mikell
ira@thechristianexaminer.com
One of the major plagues of our society today is its rampant divorce rate. Over a period of two generations, the national divorce rate has skyrocketed: 60% of all marriages end in divorce. This worldly problem has also affected the church, leaving many to wonder exactly what God has said about marriage and divorce.
Jesus spoke quite clearly about marriage in Matthew 19:3-11:
And some Pharisees came to Him, testing Him, and saying, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause at all?"These verses show many truths. Let us examine them:
And He answered and said, "Have you not read, that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh'? Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."
They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?"
He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery."
The disciples said to Him, "If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry."
But He said to them, "Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given."
This is Jesus' true teaching on the subject of marriage. In our world of rampant divorce today, however, many wish to pervert the true teachings out of compassion for those who have had "failed" relationships and divorced previously for unscriptural reasons. We as Christians, however, have no right trying to justify sin out of compassion; we must always hold fast to that which God has said. If one is divorced unscripturally, it is best for that person to remain unmarried, or to be reconciled with their spouse (1 Corinthians 7:11). If our goal is Heaven, to remain unmarried is unfortunate and difficult, but the only choice.
Ethan R. Longhenry
ethan@thechristianexaminer.com
www.deusvitae.com
Thank you for examining materials from The Christian Examiner. If you have any questions or comments regarding anything you have read here, or you desire more information, please feel free to e-mail us at tce@thechristianexaminer.com. Thanks!
Please click here to return to the main page for Volume I, or please click here to return to the main page for The Christian Examiner.