Out of Neutral | Grace Baptist Church

How Baptist Churches Are Different From Other Denominations

[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b23a868a65e24fb5da70bb/d8c7b272-01df-41f1-b1e1-febcb1b663a5/OON+M3w4+Thumbnail.png?format=1000w] Walk into almost any church, and you’ll see much that is familiar. The differences aren’t as obvious, but over time, their impact is unmistakable. While there are a number of priorities that Baptist churches hold in common [https://www.gracebc.ca/blog/2017/5/3/what-is-a-baptist-anyway], two in particular distinguish them from other historic denominations. Understanding what they are and why Baptists hold to them provides a helpful framework for evaluating the church. 1. MEMBERSHIP BY NEW BIRTH, NOT NATURAL BIRTH In some denominations, the majority of the congregation has been born into the church. In Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, and Presbyterian churches, it’s common for the infants of adherents to be baptized and be considered part of the church family long before they have ever heard or understood the gospel. While some process of confirmation often follows to build the child’s faith and understanding, faith is not a prerequisite for being a part of the church. Baptists believe that the church is made up only of those who have repented and trusted in Jesus and express that through baptism. On the Day of Pentecost, for instance, we’re told that “those who received [Peter’s] word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41). A faith response to the gospel in baptism clearly appears to be the defining characteristic of those who formed the community of believers. This passage is significant since Peter explicitly issued the promise “for you and for your children” (Acts 2:39), so one might expect to read “those who received his word, along with their children, were baptized…,” but that isn’t the case. Luke isn’t concerned with whether they are adults or children. All that matters is whether they have “received his word” (Acts 2:41) to “repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38). Paul’s description of the church in Corinth is also hard to imagine as including those who don’t yet believe. He writes, “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:2). He believes that the church is made up of those who call on the name of the Lord. They are the ones who are sanctified and called to be saints. How can that include the children of believers who can’t yet speak, let alone call on the name of Jesus? Surely, John had it right when he gave the qualifications of the children of God in John 1:12-13: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” 2. SERVED BY PASTORS AND DEACONS, NOT HIERARCHY This difference in who belongs to the church naturally leads to another question: How is the church organized? Unlike the Catholic Church with its priests, bishops, archbishops, and cardinals, ultimately under the Pope, the Baptist church has a flat structure. Each congregation is self-governing and served by elders and deacons with Christ as its head. A deacon is a serving role, perhaps exemplified by the seven chosen to take over the distribution of food to the Hellenist widows so that the apostles could focus on prayer and the ministry of the Word in Acts 6:1-7. The various biblical words used by more hierarchical denominations to describe their leaders all seem to be used interchangeably in the New Testament. In Acts 20, for example, Paul “called the elders” (Acts 20:17) and told them to “shepherd the church of God,” of which “the Holy Spirit made you overseers” (Acts 20:28). The word “overseer” here is the Greek word “episkopos” which appears in older translations like the KJV as “bishop.” Similarly, our word “pastor” comes from the Latin word for “shepherd.” Elder, shepherd, pastor, overseer, and bishop are just different terms for the same office. That’s also why Peter can write to “the elders among you, as a fellow elder” in 1 Peter 5:1 and urge them to “shepherd the flock” (or pastor the flock), exercising oversight” (1 Peter 5:2) because these are all responsibilities of the one office. The New Testament knows nothing of elders ruled by bishops, overseen by cardinals, who report to a Pope. Even Peter related to elders as a fellow elder. The church is a flat network of interdependent congregations whose leaders relate to one another as brothers and co-labourers. These distinctives are captured in the Fellowship Affirmation of Faith section on the church: > We believe that the universal church, the Body of Christ, comprised of all true believers in heaven and on earth, is expressed on earth in local churches. We believe a properly ordered local church consists of believers, baptized by immersion, who have been called out from the world, separated to the Lord Jesus; and voluntarily associated for the ministry of the word, the mutual edification of its members, the propagation of the faith, the observance of the ordinances, and the doing of good works. We believe it is a self-governing body responsible for exercising its own divinely awarded gifts, precepts, and privileges under the lordship of Christ, the Head and Chief Shepherd of the church. We believe that its officers are biblically qualified elders, who shepherd and oversee God’s flock, and deacons, who serve and support. In awe of Him, Paul

Signs That Your Gospel Is Too Small

[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b23a868a65e24fb5da70bb/e6b879e2-947c-4497-8e6a-426165b32d52/OON+m3w3+Thumbnail.png?format=1000w] When I first trusted in Jesus, I was excited to know that I had found peace with God. The promise that I was going to heaven was a great encouragement. But if I’m honest, that was about all I understood. The more I read the Bible, the more I realized that salvation is far bigger and deeper than I had ever imagined. Consider four signs that your understanding of the gospel may be too small. 1. YOU THINK THE GOSPEL STOPS AT THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS I used to just think that God forgave my sins because Jesus took my punishment on the cross. That’s true, but the Bible says there’s more to it. Two theological words help expand our understanding: expiation and propitiation. Expiation describes the fact that Jesus took away our guilt. Like the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement, Jesus’ death takes away our sin. Propitiation describes the fact that Jesus’ death satisfies God’s justice. It’s like the way the Old Testament sacrifices are described as a pleasing aroma to God (Leviticus 1:9). If you break a neighbour’s window, expiation is paying for the window and dealing with the damage, while propitiation is apologizing and making peace with the neighbour, so that the relationship is fully restored. Jesus’ death doesn’t just spring us from the penalty box; it puts us back in the starting line-up and restores us to good terms with the coach. That’s the sense behind verses like 1 John 4:10 where it says, “he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 2. YOU THINK GOD’S GRACE TOWARD YOU BEGAN THE DAY YOU BELIEVED Because I had never given much thought to God until I put my trust in Him, I assumed He hadn’t given me much thought either. I figured that He had provided for my salvation but had little to do with me until I turned and laid hold of it. The Bible paints a very different picture. Ephesians 1:4-5 says that God “chose us in him before the foundation of the world” and “predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ.” God’s plans for us stretch back into eternity. And Romans 8:30 presents an unbroken path from eternity past to eternity future. It says, “And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” The point seems to be that all those whom God determined to rescue were called in such a way that they would inevitably believe and thus be justified, or counted righteous, and finally be glorified. 3. YOU THINK THAT HOLDING ONTO JESUS DEPENDS MAINLY ON YOU When I trusted in Jesus, I thought about all of the challenges that might come and worried that I might turn back. I believed in God’s faithfulness but doubted my own. What I didn’t realize was that Jesus promised to hold onto me. In John 6:39, Jesus said, for instance, “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.” And again, in John 10:28, He said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” The gospel declares that our salvation is secure, not because we count on ourselves, but because we can count on Jesus to hold onto us. 4. YOU THINK THE CHRISTIAN HOPE IS ESCAPING TO HEAVEN Some people have a bucket list of places in the world they want to visit before they die. Even Christians assume that if they want to see a particular place, they’ve only got one life to do it because afterward they’ll spend eternity in heaven. While it’s true that Christians go into God’s presence when they die, the time is coming when God will renew the heavens and the earth and descend to the earth to live with us forever. Hear the promise in Revelation 21:1-3. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.’” Because of this, Randy Alcorn advocates that instead of a bucket list, Christians should have a post-bucket list of all the things they hope to do after they die. As he puts it: “For the Christian, death is not the end of adventure, but our exit from a world where dreams and adventures shrink, and entrance into a world where dreams and adventures forever expand.” The gospel is bigger than many of us first realize. It reaches back into eternity past, secures our future, and promises the renewal of the entire creation. The Fellowship Affirmation of Faith [https://www.fellowship.ca/WhatWeBelieve] gives a helpful summary of the Bible’s teaching on salvation. Read through it and consider whether your gospel is too small. > We believe salvation encompasses the renewal of all things, the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise of the kingdom of God, and his ruling over all things in the new heavens and the new earth. We believe that the salvation of believers is by the sovereign, electing grace of God; that by the appointment of the Father, Christ voluntarily suffered a vicarious, substitutionary, expiatory, and propitiatory death; that justification is by faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ, in his all-sufficient sacrifice and resurrection; that those whom God has effectually called shall repent, believe, and follow Jesus, and will be divinely preserved and finally perfected by the Spirit into the image of the Lord. In awe of Him, Paul

Total Depravity: The Doctrine Everyone Hates but Needs

[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b23a868a65e24fb5da70bb/76a2240c-d58c-4ecf-a715-27c337711d8c/OON+m3w1+Thumbnail.png?format=1000w] I’d like to think that I’m a fairly good person. I’d hope that my sins are the exception, not the rule. And surely my flaws are not fatal. Unfortunately, the Bible tells a different story. It describes a breakdown in the human condition that occurred as a result of Adam’s sin. Theologians use the term “total depravity” to describe the sense in which people are born without the inclination or even the ability to love God or glorify Him as we ought. In this case, getting the diagnosis right can greatly aid in the cure. Consider what the Bible says about our condition and compare it with how you understand humanity and the impact of Adam’s sin. 1. ADAM’S SIN LEFT US ALL SPIRITUALLY DEAD We know that God warned Adam that he would “surely die” if he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17). What some people don’t realize is that Adam’s sin impacted all of us. Romans 5:12 says, for example, “sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” It’s like Adam contracted a fatal disease that spread to all of us. Romans 5:18 adds, “one trespass led to condemnation for all men.” We can read of Adam’s sin as one individual’s story, but he was more like a quarterback throwing an interception that lost the game for the whole team. That’s why Paul can say to the church in Ephesus, “You were dead in the trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). The result of this is that humanity has been spiritually dead since the Garden. We’re born separated from God and spiritually compromised because of Adam’s sin. 2. SIN IS NOW HUMANITY’S DEFAULT SETTING To say that we’re dead still feels abstract. But the separation from God seemed to unleash a sinful disposition in us. Paul can describe the church in Colossae, for instance, as having once been “alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds” (Colossians 1:21). He wasn’t just pointing to a couple of bad apples in the bunch. He was saying that this is the human condition apart from God’s intervention. He’s even more explicit in Ephesians 2:3, when he says, “We all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” Notice how he says, “by nature” and “like the rest of mankind.” Sin isn’t just something that we occasionally slip into. Now, apart from Christ, this is our nature—it’s our default setting. That doesn’t mean that we’re as bad as we could possibly be. Nor does it imply that we’re not capable of anything good. What it does mean is that everything that we do is stained by sin. Isaiah 64:6 puts it like this: “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.”  We can do good things with wrong motives, or our attitude can make a good thing less than it could have been. The result of all this is that all people are guilty of sin. We prefer to talk about people who are better and others who are worse, but that can avoid the problem that we share in common—we’re all sinners. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says, “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” Romans 3:23 is perhaps the most famous statement of this: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 3. PEOPLE ARE BORN MORALLY AND SPIRITUALLY DISABLED Many Christians will readily admit that all people sin. What we’re slower to accept is what the Scriptures say about our disability. Hear Paul describe it in Romans 7:18: “I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” It isn’t just that he doesn’t do what’s right, but he’s unable to do so. Again, he’s not saying that he can’t do anything right, but he can’t do anything without sin detracting from it in some way. No matter how straight he aims, his pencil keeps drawing crooked lines. We’re born with a moral disability. We’re born with a spiritual disability as well. Not only do people not seek God purely and sincerely, according to Jesus, they’re unable to. In John 6:44, for instance, He says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” And in John 6:65, He adds, “No one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” The word “granted” there means “given,” not “allowed.” In other words, the ability to seek God is a gift that is given to people. The last phrase of both of those verses is the good news for the bad-news human condition that the Bible describes. While we don’t seek God on our own, He draws us to Himself. While we’re born with a moral and spiritual disability because of Adam, God heals us so that we can seek Him. He makes dead people alive. As it says in 1 Corinthians 15:22, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” The Fellowship Affirmation of Faith [https://www.fellowship.ca/WhatWeBelieve] helpfully summarizes the Bible’s teaching on humanity. > We believe that human beings were created by God for his own glory, male and female, in his image, thus possessing immeasurable worth; that they sinned, becoming guilty before God, resulting in a state of total depravity and incurring physical and spiritual death. If total depravity is true, then our response should be humility and hope. It frees us from pretending we’re better than we are and points us to the God who can make us alive and bring change from the inside out. It also gives us patience with others who need the same grace that we’ve received. As Tim Keller put it: “We’re far worse than we ever imagined, and far more loved than we could ever dream.” In awe of Him, Paul

The Voice That Tells You You’re a Failure

[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b23a868a65e24fb5da70bb/5986dece-2e30-4453-9810-6aa333eada57/OON+20260225.png?format=1000w] Most of us would never speak to another person the way we speak to ourselves. The voice in our head feeds us false information, replays failures, and whispers that it’s hopeless. It’s loudest when we let our guard down, when confidence takes over, or when the path ahead feels hard. We usually assume that the inner voice is just “us,” but Scripture suggests that something far more is going on. 1. WHY YOU MAKE DECISIONS YOU REGRET Most people consider themselves smart, reasonable, and well-intentioned. But we say and do things we regret all the time. Afterwards, we tell ourselves, “I should have known better.” While we probably need to come to terms with the fact that we aren’t always as smart, reasonable, and well-intentioned as we assume, the Bible describes other forces at work. The same serpent that caused Adam and Eve to doubt God’s Word, deny sin’s consequences, and make wrong seem right (Genesis 3:1-5) is still at work in our world to lead us in paths of regret. Jesus taught that the devil “is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Too often, we underestimate the ways that his lies resonate in our thoughts. We absorb values without reflecting on them. We chase goals without questioning them. We give ourselves permission and assume there will be no consequences. At each step, Satan is planting lies that lead us astray. And the devil saves his best work for the church. Christians assume that the church is a refuge from the deception of the world—and it should be—but the Bible teaches us to be on guard. We’re told that “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Even still, too many people choose a church based on the style of worship music and the quality of the children’s facilities, and they open themselves up to error and regret. We need to ground ourselves in the Word of God. As it says in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” 2. WHY YOU FIXATE ON THOUGHTS THAT CRUSH YOU Christians should be some of the most joyful people on the planet. The Bible declares us forgiven, accepted, and cleansed. It promises us grace now and life for eternity. So why do we so often sit with condemning thoughts? Why do we question God’s love and beat ourselves up over our failings? Lack of faith is part of the problem. We refuse to believe what God has said about His followers. We exclude ourselves from God’s promises. But the other problem is Satan’s influence in our lives. He is called “the accuser of our brothers,” and we’re told that he “accuses them day and night before God” (Revelation 12:10). If we understand that Satan is feeding us condemning thoughts, it means that resisting them requires a supernatural response. We should expect this to be a struggle. We need prayer and faith to stand on God’s Word. 3. WHY DOING WHAT’S RIGHT IS SO HARD Have you ever found yourself thinking, “I’m trying to do the right thing, why can’t God give me a break?” We often assume that God must be behind anything that isn’t physical. But the Bible describes Satan as actively opposing the work of God. Every time you set out to do what’s right, you can expect the devil to create difficulties for you. That’s why Paul warned, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). The work of God doesn’t move forward without spiritual opposition, and so we’re called to engage God’s help in prayer. If we recognize that spiritual opposition is a part of the equation, it prepares us for the challenges when they come. 1 Peter 5:8-9 says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Those difficulties you’re experiencing aren’t God trying to add to your stress. The devil is trying to take you down, and you need to seek God’s resources to push forward. As a child, I had a little badge on a pair of shoes that read, “The devil made me do it.” It taught me to dismiss the devil and treat Satan as an excuse to do what I want. That mindset didn’t help me. The Fellowship Affirmation of Faith [https://www.fellowship.ca/WhatWeBelieve] says the following about Satan: > We believe that Satan is a fallen angelic being; the originator of sin; the deceiver of the world and the accuser of believers; who uses his real but limited power and presence to oppose the work of God; and who, along with all fallen spiritual powers, will be cast into the lake of fire for all eternity. A right understanding of what Satan can and can’t do creates caution, not fear. It nurtures faith and dependence instead of defeat and discouragement. May God protect you against his devices. In awe of Him, Paul

Three Reasons To Seek God’s Spirit

[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b23a868a65e24fb5da70bb/af3d51cf-64c4-486c-8e94-88f2ede3d926/OON+20260218.png?format=1000w] Some people look to God because they’re racked with guilt or facing a painful trial. For me, it was more a sense of weakness. It was like I was living life with cheap batteries that kept running out. The biggest change I experienced in trusting Jesus was discovering the power He gives. What I came to understand as the work of the Holy Spirit within me was life-changing. The Bible describes three key ways that God’s Spirit transforms a person. Seeking Him in these areas invites more of the change that He’s pleased to give. 1. HE GIVES THE POWER TO CONFRONT WHAT YOU’D PREFER TO IGNORE We all develop strategies for avoiding what makes us uncomfortable. We put off hard conversations and procrastinate with difficult tasks. The Holy Spirit grabs our attention when we’re tempted to look away. Jesus said that one of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). Most people justify their sin, explain away righteousness, and avoid any thought of final judgment, but the Holy Spirit works to convince us otherwise. He uses people, circumstances, and the Word of God to help us to confront life as it is, not just as we’d like it to be. Anyone who has come to faith has done so because the Holy Spirit patiently persuaded them. What Jesus said of the Holy Spirit’s role was in relation to the world—to all people—but when a person trusts in Jesus, the Holy Spirit moves into the believer’s life (1 Corinthians 3:16), and His convincing work is only heightened. When we justify ourselves and avoid the uncomfortable things we need to deal with, we remain selfish and immature. Seek the Holy Spirit’s conviction in your life. 2. HE GIVES THE POWER TO BECOME WHO YOU WERE CREATED TO BE When people come to faith, there’s an inward transformation. Paul’s letter to Titus calls it the “regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). Dead people are made alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:5) as they are “born again” by the Holy Spirit (John 3:3). A believer experiences new desires, new motivation, new power, and new hope that flow from a new relationship with God. The Bible describes the ongoing change in a Christian this way: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). As we draw near to God and focus on Him, the Holy Spirit makes us more like Him. Your relationships, your career, and your family are all impacted by your character, your habits, and your maturity. Seek the Holy Spirit’s work in making you more like Jesus. 3. HE GIVES THE POWER TO DO WHAT YOU WERE UNABLE TO DO Before you learn about the Holy Spirit, it’s easy to settle for what you’ve always done and assume the limitations you’ve experienced are what you’ll always live with. “I’m not very good at that,” we tell ourselves, or “My personality makes things like that impossible.” While the Holy Spirit never erases someone’s personality, He does redefine their potential. The history of the church is one of God using ordinary people to do extraordinary things. The spiritual gifts He gives are part of that (1 Corinthians 12:4-6). Each believer is given divine enablement to carry out a unique role in God’s mission through the church. But the Holy Spirit’s empowering goes beyond spiritual gifts. In Acts 1:8, Jesus says, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses.” God’s Spirit gave people who were afraid and withdrawn the courage to speak boldly about Jesus (Acts 4:31). The same is true of all the areas of God’s will we find difficult. Romans 8:26 puts it like this: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness.” When it comes to God’s will, a Christian must completely rethink what they once believed was impossible. We can seek the Holy Spirit to help us do all that God calls us to. What we’ve seen in these three areas—conviction, transformation, and empowerment—is not a personal theory or a private experience. It reflects the consistent teaching of Scripture. The Fellowship Affirmation of Faith summarizes the Bible’s teaching about the Holy Spirit this way: > We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is fully God, the Lord and giver of life, eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son; who convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; with whom believers are baptized into Christ’s body and by whom they are regenerated, sealed, and indwelt; who sanctifies, illuminates, equips, empowers, assists in prayer, and comforts those who believe in Jesus Christ. This is the Spirit God generously gives to every believer. The Christian life isn’t like a computer with a different operating system. It’s more like a computer whose motherboard and CPU have been upgraded. It’s not just new instructions, it’s new power. Seek the Holy Spirit for all He desires to do in your life. In awe of Him, Paul