How I Became A Baptist

[Odë:hgöd]

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Hello;

I was christened an infant into the Roman Catholic Church in 1944, and eventually
attended catechism to complete First Holy Communion and Confirmation.

My siblings are Catholic, my mother was Catholic, my eldest brother entered the
priesthood and made it to the rank of Friar before passing away in May 2018 of
cancer. (Though he was a Friar, my brother was no saint. He had a problem with
alcohol till AA helped straighten him out). My wife is a former Catholic, her dad was
Catholic, his wife was Catholic, my aunt and uncle were Catholics, and my wife's
cousins are Catholic; one of them is qualified to teach Catechism.

I was loyal to Rome up until I was 24, then one day I was approached by a
Conservative Baptist minister who asked me if I was prepared for Christ's return.

Well; I must've been either asleep or absent the day that the nuns talked about
Jesus coming back because that man's question was the very first time in my whole
life that I can remember somebody telling me.

My initial reaction was alarm because I instinctively knew that were I called on the
carpet for a face-to-face with Jesus, it would not go well for me because I had a lot
to answer for. Well; I don't like being made to feel afraid so I became indignant and
demanded to know why Jesus would come back. That's when I found out for the
very first time that it was in the plan for Christ to take over the world. (I had
somehow missed that in catechism too.)

Then the minister asked me if I was going to heaven. Well; of course I had no clue
because Catholics honestly don't know what to expect when they pass away. I was
crossing my fingers while in the back of my mind dreading the worst.

Then the man said; "Don't you know that Jesus died for your sins?"

Well; I had been taught in catechism that Jesus died for the sins of the world; that
much I knew; but honestly believed all along that he had been a victim of
unfortunate circumstances. It was a shock to discover that Jesus' trip to the cross
was deliberate, and that his Father was thinking of me when His son passed away,
viz: my sins were among the sins of the world that Jesus took to the cross with
him.

At that very instant-- scarcely a nanosecond --something took over in my mind as I
fully realized, to my great relief, that heaven was no longer out of reach, rather,
well within my grasp!

That was an amazing experience. In just the two or three minutes of conversation
with that Baptist minister, I obtained an understanding of Jesus' crucifixion that
many tedious years of catechism classes had somehow failed to get across.
Consequently, my confidence in the Roman Catholic Church was shattered like a
bar of peanut brittle candy dropped on the sidewalk from the tippy top of the
Chrysler building.

Long story short; I eventually went with that man to his church and, side by side
with him and a couple of elders, knelt at the rail down front and prayed a really
simple, naive prayer that went something like this;

"God, I know I'm a sinner. I would like to take advantage of your son's death"

My prayer wasn't much to brag about; but it was the smartest sixteen words I'd
ever spoken up to that time.

● Matt 10:32 . .Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him
before my Father in heaven.
_

 

[Lamb]

I think you were asleep for a lot of your catechism as you first suggest

 

[Josiah]

Folks have their spiritual journey....

It's been a LONG TIME since we've had a thread for that here....



Some thoughts on this one....


1. Interesting about the "salvation" thing. I converted from Catholicism to Lutheranism (younger that the OP) but for ME, salvation was not one of the issues. I think in large part, Catholicism simply looks at this issue simply from another angle and in a broader sense (combining Justification and Santification into one issue); I think there's a LOT of "talking past each other" here. But I too was rather stunned (and enlivened) hearing the Gospel from Lutherans, learning what it means that Jesus is the Savior (thus, I'm not - it's NOT my choosing or deciding or requesting or _______; Jesus is the Savior, Jesus does the Saving). But as I've had this discussion with many Catholics, I often find (if you get past the lingo they've heard) they are often MORE Protestant on this than a lot of Protestants are.


2. I've heard a lot of people (they tend to mostly be radical synergists or Baptists or both) speak of some MOMENT in their life. They seem to put a lot of emphasis on some event or epiphany when they "got it" or "did it" - some very emotional thing which seems to be the centerpiece of their faith and the keystone for their assurance, "BECAUSE I went down at an Altar Call at Bible Camp when I was 12"..... "BECAUSE I went to that Billy Graham Crusade...." "BECAUSE I read this book....." Always seems to be mostly emotional. Well, I think it's COMMON to have some dawning, some epiphany when things just come together and seem to hit our soul. I would strongly hesitate to equate this with being saved, it's just when we suddenly strongly FELT saved. Apples and oranges. I think a lot of people LIKE this emotional "mountain high" thing.... maybe some personalities benefit from this...I don't have anything against ti.... I just think it has very little to do with justification and a whole lot to do with psychology and personality.


3. I LOVE Lamm's comment! Lot long ago, in the Pastor's Bible Class, he mentioned that we have a 2 year Confirmation Class at our church for 7th and 8th graders. Our pastor takes this VERY seriously and really works hard to get a lot of info into the heads of these kids. BUT, he admitted, a lot of it bounces right off (like seeds that land on the hard path)... they just aren't very interested. AND, he added, if there's a good looking girl (or boy) in the class - you've lost half the students already. Catholicism does a much better job of teaching the doctrine of the church to the flock than most Protestants but they have that same problem- doesn't mean info taught is info learned. I can ASSURE you, as one who has studied all 2,865 points of the Catechism for nearly 20 years, a LOT of Catholics say a LOT of things, well, wrong ... NOT what their church actually teaches and NOT what they were taught. I don't rebuke them because that's true for Protestants, too.


Folks have different journeys....

God works variously with various people....

As long as it's Christ-centered and Christ - glorifying.... as long as the reason why are justified is 100% because of Jesus.... then it's probably good.


Soli Deo Gloria



- Josiah




.

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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When someone is on their deathbed, and begins to perceive that Hell is more than
just a silly myth, and that they're likely to end up there: they don't need religion,
no, they need a knight in shining armor, so to speak, and it just so happens there's
a God-given knight available.

● Luke 2:8-12 . .And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping
watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the
glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

. . . But the angel said to them; "Don't be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people. Today, in the town of David, a savior has been born
to you; he is Messiah, the Lord."

The angel announced the birth of a savior; defined by Webster's as one who
rescues. We've all seen examples-- lifeguards, firemen, cops, emergency medical
teams, Coast Guard units, snow patrols, and mountain rescue teams. Rescue
workers typically assist people in distress who are facing imminent death and/or
grave danger and utterly helpless to do anything about it.

In other words: Jesus Christ is a lifeline, so to speak, that God is all set to throw to
anyone and everyone for whom the sum of all fears is a foregone conclusion.

● John 3:14-17 . . As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of Man be lifted up; that whoever believes may in him have eternal life. For
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes
in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

The incident to which Christ referred is located at Num 21:5-9. Long story short:
Moses' people became weary of eating manna all the time at every meal. But
instead of courteously, and diplomatically, petitioning their divine benefactor for a
different diet, they became hostile and confrontational; angrily demanding tastier
food.

In response to their insolence, and their ingratitude for His providence; God sent a
swarm of deadly poisonous vipers among them; which began striking people; and
every strike was 100% fatal, no exceptions.

After a number of people died, the rest came to their senses and begged Moses to
intercede. In reply; The Lord instructed Moses to cobble a replica of the vipers and
hoist it up on a pole in plain view so that everyone dying from snakebite could look
to it for relief.

The key issue here is that the replica was the only God-given remedy for the
people's bites-- not sacrifices and offerings, not tithing, not church attendance, not
scapulars, not confession, not holy days of obligation, not the Sabbath, not the
golden rule, not charity, not Bible study and/or Sunday school, not self denial, not
vows of poverty, not the Ten Commandments, not one's religion of choice, no; not
even prayers. The replica was it; nothing else would suffice to save their lives.

As an allegory, Moses' replica indicates that Christ's crucifixion for the sins of the
world is the only God-given rescue from the wrath of God; and when people accept
it, then according to John 3:14-17 and John 5:24, they qualify for safety. Those
who reject his crucifixion as the only God-given rescue from a fate worse than
death, are already on the docket to face it.

● John 3:18 . .Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not
believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of
God's one and only Son.

» His son's "name" in this case is relative to Moses and the deadly snakes.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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Below is one of Jesus' statements; it is deliberately misquoted. Watch for the
revision.

"So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the
sheep. . . If anyone enters by me, he can be saved." (John 10:7-9)

The phrase "he can be saved" is wrong. Jesus actually said "he will be saved".

When people claim that Jesus' sheep can still be lost even though they are under
his care in the sheepfold, they are casting a vote of no-confidence in his reliability
as a shepherd. In point of fact they are insinuating that his claim to be the good
shepherd is little more than political rhetoric.

The sheep are a father's gift to his son.

● John 6:37 . . Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,

The Father expects His son to lose none of the sheep that God entrusted to his
care.

● John 6:38-39 . . I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of
the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not
lose anything of what He gave me, but that I should raise it [on] the last day.

Jesus claimed to be 100% compliant with the Father's expectations.

● John 8:29 . .The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I
always do what is pleasing to him.

Now, if Jesus were to lose even one head of the sheep entrusted to his care, then
he would have to revise his statement to say that he pleases the one who sent him
much of the time, but certainly not always.

It's often alleged that the sheep can leave Jesus' sheepfold by means of their own
consent. However; once the sheep enter by the door, from then on God's free will
trumps theirs. In other words: it is God's free will that His son lose none of the
sheep entrusted to his care.

● John 10:28-29 . . No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has
given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s
hand.

So then, in order for a sheep to leave the sheepfold-- and thus annul Jesus'
statement that "he will be saved" --the sheep would first of all have to overpower
the good shepherd, and afterwards overpower God.

I mentioned a knight in shining armor in post No.4: well, as it turns out, the sheep
have two knights on their side, and both are invincible.
_

 

[NewCreation435]

I was ordained as a deacon and minister in the Baptist faith a long time ago, but would self identify as a Christian and not a Baptist.
It is so easy to slap labels on people and with it comes all sorts of assumptions that people make that aren't always true.