Introduction
What exactly did Jesus’ resurrection accomplish and why does it matter? This Training Seminar (via YouTube Playlist) seeks to provide a survey of the Bible’s teaching on the significance of Jesus’ resurrection.
Theology
Why Do Christians Disagree over Baptism? 4 Considerations
Logos Bible Software (Faithlife) recently asked me to come on as a regular writer for their Word by Word blog. Linked below you will find my first article, exploring the question, “Why do Christians disagree on baptism?”
What is a Pastor? (Kids’ Edition)
The following video was produced for grades K-4 and K-5 at our local Milwaukee Spanish Immersion School as part of their project to expose and teach students about different careers.
What is Biblical Theology? (Definition)
Biblical Theology – A discipline of Biblical studies concerned with doing theology according to and stemming from the contours and categories presented within the Bible itself (i.e., attending to scriptures diachronically rather than synchronically, tracing its themes, and considering the unique contributions, perspectives, and voices of particular Biblical authors and corpora).
There then seem to be three major forms of Biblical theology that stem from these general concerns (as defined above):
- Systems of redemptive-history — how the Bible fits together (“whole-bible” Biblical theology).
- Tracing themes across scripture, e.g., a Biblical theology of temple or land.
- Studying the particular theology of a given author, book, or set of books, e.g., a Pauline theology, a theology of Romans, an Old Testament Theology, etc.
Closed Membership & Close Communion in Baptist Confessions & Catechisms
The First London Confession of Father (1644)
“Jesus Christ hath here on earth a spiritual kingdom, which is His Church, whom He hath purchased and redeemed to Himself as a peculiar inheritance; which Church is a company of visible saints, called and separated from the world by the word and Spirit of God, to the visible profession of faith of the gospel, being baptized into that faith, and joined to the Lord, and each other, by mutual agreement in the practical enjoyment of the ordinances commanded by Christ their head and king.”
“Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament, given by Christ, to be dispensed upon persons professing faith, or that are made disciples; who upon profession of faith, ought to be baptized, and after to partake of the Lord’s Supper.“
“That the way and manner of dispensing this ordinance, is dipping or plunging the body under water; it being a sign, must answer the things signified, which is, that interest the saints have in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.”
[Implicates closed membership. Makes explicit close communion.]
The Second London Baptist Confession (1689)
[See also the exact same wording in the Philadelphia Confession (1742) and the Charleston Confession (1767)]
“The members of these churches are saints by calling, visibly manifesting and evidencing (in and by their profession and walking) their obedience unto that call of Christ; and do willingly consent to walk together, according to the appointment of Christ; giving up themselves to the Lord, and one to another, by the will of God, in professed subjection to the ordinances of the Gospel.“
“Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances of positive and sovereign institution, appointed by the Lord Jesus, the only lawgiver, to be continued in his church to the end of the world.”
“Immersion, or dipping of the person in water, is necessary to the due administration of this ordinance.”
“Those who do actually profess repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience to, our Lord Jesus Christ, are the only proper subjects of this ordinance.“
[Implicates closed membership. Does not comment either way on open or close communion.]
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Kirk E. Miller 