Why do Baptists believe in eternal security and the Methodist don’t?

Sincerely,
Pondering The Protestants

Dear Pondering The Protestants,

The idea of ‘eternal security’ is a doctrine accepted by many of today’s Protestant churches.  Eternal security is the teaching that once you are saved, you can never be lost.  It is based off of the teachings of John Calvin (read “Calvin And Sobs” for a more in-depth look at the doctrine of Calvinism).  Methodists don’t subscribe to that teaching, but the Baptists do.  Although, neither the Baptists nor the Methodists are God’s church, in this case, the Methodists are right.

God very clearly teaches that someone can lose their salvation.  Heb. 3:12 tells us to be watchfull, or we will fall away from the living God.  Heb 6:4-6 talks about those who crucify Christ again.  Even after someone has been enlightened and tasted the blessings of salvation, they can fall away.  You have the freedom to choose or reject God (Mk 7:9).  1^st Corinthians chapter five is an entire chapter dedicated to someone who had turned his back on God and had once again immersed himself in a life of sin.  Even the apostle Paul said that he himself had to live faithfully or face rejection (1 Cor 9:26-27).  We will only be eternally secure when we get to heaven; until then, continue to fight the good fight.  Live so that on your deathbed, you can say what Paul did – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness” (2 Tim 4:7-8)

I have a friend who always wants to talk about religion but doesn't understand my beliefs. I am a christian, and when I try to explain to her that the Bible is literally interpreted, she doesn't understand and replies with, "Well, that’s your and your church's interpretation of the Bible" and "The same literal verse can mean different things to different people."  What verses or explanation can I use as examples of how the Bible should be interpreted and why?  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Literally Puzzled

Dear Literally Puzzled,

What you are trying to do is prove to your friend that the Bible is God’s literal word and that God intends for it to be understood in a definite fashion.  Here are a couple of different ways to try and get this concept across to your friend:

1. Peter said that the Bible is not a matter of our own private interpretation (2 Pet 1:20-21).  When God spoke, He didn’t mean for His Words to be interpreted how we wished.  In fact, the apostle Paul condemns our own interpretation as “perverting” God’s Word (Gal 1:6-7).  There is a right and a wrong way to read the Scriptures.
2. If there is more than one correct way to interpret the Scriptures, it would be impossible to have unity.  Unity can only happen if we agree on the same standards.  If people each have their own personal interpretation of the Scriptures, there is no common standard to build unity upon.  God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor 14:33).  God commands us to have unity, and that there is only one faith (Eph 4:3-6).  Show your friend Ephesians chapter four and explain that unity cannot happen without a single standard.
3. God purposely made sure that every word of the Bible was exactly as He intended it to be (Matt 5:18).  Everything that the prophets wrote was directly from the mind of God (1 Cor 2:12-13).  If God put that much effort into preserving the accuracy and detail of the Bible, we cannot disregard that.  We must be as accurate in our reading of the Bible as God was in writing it.
4. Jesus believed there was a right and a wrong way to read the Bible.  He accused the Pharisees of disregarding God’s teachings (Matt 21:42).  He also told the Sadducees that they didn’t understand the Scriptures (Matt 22:29).  If Jesus says there is a right and a wrong way to view the Scriptures, then we must make sure we are rightly discerning God’s Word.

There is no guarantee any of these things will work with your friend, but we wish you the very best as you try and share the Gospel.  Hopefully, she will be willing to listen with an open and honest heart.

I have a question about going to church.  My family and I want to start having church, however we were thinking of just having it ourselves.  We wanted to watch church on T.V. on Sundays and then talk about stuff in the Bible ourselves.  Is this okay to do?  Do you have to go to church, or is it okay to have it at home?  Thanks for your time!  God bless!

Sincerely,
Homeward Bound

Dear Homeward Bound,

If you are starting a congregation out of your home, there are Biblical examples of that, but if you are just staying home instead of assembling with other christians… that would be wrong.  Philemon had a congregation that met in his house (Philemon 1:2).  The church in Troas met in a large home (Acts 20:7-8).  The location of a church doesn’t matter because ‘church’ refers to people, not a building, so if you were starting a church in your home, that would be fine.  However, that would come with the responsibilities that belong to the church.  You would need to be willing to have others assemble with you in your home.  The Lord’s church should seek to increase numerically and spiritually (Eph 4:16) whenever possible, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to start a church in your home and restrict its membership to your family.  That would be akin to Diotrephes who kicked people out of the church (3 Jn 1:10).

If you aren’t talking about starting a full-fledged congregation, then you need to be a part of one.  It isn’t enough to watch sermons on television and talk about the Bible.  The Lord commanded us to assemble with one another (Heb 10:25).  We are supposed to get together each Sunday and partake of the Lord’s Supper together (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 11:20).  God intended for christians to be a part of a local congregation with elders and deacons to help shepherd them (1 Pet 5:2).  God knows what is best for us, and it is in our best interest to assemble with other christians in a local church.  We are all different, and our differences help to strengthen us, protect us, and better serve Christ (Eph 4:14-16).

Is it possible to sell your soul to God; if so, can you sell or bet it to the devil?  I know it’s not in the Bible, but I feel that maybe He left it out of the Bible because it wouldn’t help anyone by knowing, or maybe it would make peoples’ lives worse who worried they had sold it and cause them to commit suicide or turn against God (not that I would ever do any of those things).  Could you please help and be honest?  Also, provide Biblical evidence.

Sincerely,
Money Talks

Dear Money Talks,

You provided the Bible evidence all on your own.  You said, “I know it’s not in the Bible…”  The Bible contains all the information we need for salvation (Rom 1:16).  It also contains everything that pertains to “life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3).  The ability to sell your soul would definitely be classified under a “life issue”!  Therefore, if the Bible doesn’t say you can, then it must not be possible.  The Bible is the handbook to life, and it provides all the answers for how to conduct yourself in this life and prepare yourself for the next.

In fact, it would be impossible to sell something that you had already killed.  We have all sinned (Rom 3:23), and the price of sin is spiritual death (Rom 6:23).  You can’t sell a dead soul; you can only beg for God’s mercy that He would bless you with life.  The moment you’ve sinned, the devil already has your soul; he roams around devouring them all the time (1 Pet 5:8).  It is only through the grace and gift of God that we gain salvation (Rom 5:15).  You cannot sell your soul to God, but He can, and is ready to, give your soul life again through Jesus.  Read “What Must I Do To Be Saved” to understand how to take advantage of the gift Christ offered all mankind (Jhn 3:16).

I’ve heard that Mormons wear magic underwear… is that really true?!

Sincerely,
BVDon’t

Dear BVDon’t,

Indeed, Mormons do have “magic underwear”, although we are pretty sure that they aren’t very fond of that terminology.  Mormons prefer to call them ‘garments’.  These ‘garments’ are special underwear worn by Mormons that have passed through their endowment ceremony (a ritual where a Mormon pledges to lead a righteous life), and even though it sounds entirely ridiculous, many devout Mormons take their sacred underwear very seriously.

Mormon underwear/garments is a perfect example of what happens when you stop following the authority of the Bible.  Mormon ceremonies, traditions, and rituals are not found in the Bible.  The Mormons says that they got all of their teachings from the angel Moroni.  It is ironic that the apostle Paul says that if even an angel teaches you something other than the Bible message, they are accursed (Gal 1:8).