Coming from a Baptist background I have always been
taught…
Let me make a comment on this, the body of Christ is not
supposed to be divided.
"Denomination" simply means "division."
1 Corinthians 1:10
Now
I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all
speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that
ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
1 Corinthians 3:3
For
ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions,
are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1 Corinthians 11:18
For
first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions
among you; and I partly believe it.
Romans 16:17
Now
I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences
contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Denominations are not good.
Denominations <-> denominator.
Remember in school when you did fractions, with the numerator being the number
above the line and denominator being the number below the line? When you do a fraction you divide the bottom
number into the top. Fractions are not
good when it comes to the church, the body of Christ. Denominations are divisions.
Regarding the Baptist denomination, look what Paul says
about baptism…
1 Corinthians 1:17
For
Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom
of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
Denominational teaching divides the body of Christ and that
takes away from (makes of none effect)
the cross of Christ. Denominations put
the focus on you and your sin and your performance and not on the Lord Jesus
Christ and what He accomplished at Calvary.
I am glad that you realize as you read the Apostle Paul that physical
baptism in scripture represented a spiritual truth that would come for and is applicable to Israel. In the Bible, baptism means to be totally
identified with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, which is what
they (Israel) will be in the Kingdom. We in the Body of Christ have that now.
1 Corinthians 12:13
For
by one Spirit are we all baptized into
one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have
been all made to drink into one Spirit.
So you see, in this present
dispensation of the grace of God we experience that spiritual truth now. Baptism which is for and applicable to the body of Christ is a dry, spiritual identification performed by the Holy Spirit;
not the wet, physical baptism ordinance for
and applicable to Israel in time past
and reinstated in the ages to come after the catching away
of the body of Christ.
Hopefully this helps...Maranatha!
†††
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No comments:
Post a Comment