Given the fact that the , will be believers, if the rapture were to take place at the end of the tribulation, all the , would be raptured, and they would enter into the kingdom with glorified bodies, unable to have children.
Allowing additional time for repentance Moo tries to solve the problem by allowing Jews a time for repentance after the joint posttribulational rapture and second coming event.
God will purge Israel of her sinful ways —4 , a remnant will survive the trials of the tribulation ,9 , Jerusalem will fall to the armies of the nations , and then Christ will set foot on the mount of Olives The prophet Hosea foretold the same sequence. The Lord will smite Israel in the days of the tribulation, and then Israel will repent After repentance, the Lord will return, raise the Old Testament saints, and rain His blessings upon Israel during the kingdom ,3.
Conclusion The posttribulational scheme does not allow for the required presence of believers with natural bodies at the beginning of the millennium. Moreover, posttribulational attempts to solve this problem do not conform to Scripture. Therefore, the biblical evidence concerning the nature of the inhabitants of the millennium confounds the posttribulational understanding of the rapture and supports the pretribulational understanding of the rapture. Faith can also be created in a person's heart by the power of the Holy Spirit working through God's written or spoken Word.
Baptism should then soon follow conversion cf. Acts for the purpose of confirming and strengthening faith in accordance with God's command and promise. Depending on the situation, therefore, Lutherans baptize people of all ages from infancy to adulthood. All true believers in the Old Testament era were saved without baptism. Mark implies that it is not the absence of Baptism that condemns a person but the absence of faith, and there are clearly other ways of coming to faith by the power of the Holy Spirit reading or hearing the Word of God.
Still, Baptism dare not be despised or willfully neglected, since it is explicitly commanded by God and has His precious promises attached to it.
As I understand you can be regenerated through Baptism and also regenerated by believing in Jesus, without Baptism, and then later baptized. The Lutheran position forces one to come to this conclusion of two ways to be saved, although both are by faith alone, just two different means. In Acts ff they believed and as a result were saved, filled with the Holy Spirit and therefore baptized. If Baptism also saves, it must not save adults since an adult would not say I do not believe but I want to be baptized to get the faith to believe.
If indeed the prooftexts of baptismal regeneration do actually refer to salvation, it must only be for babies since adults would of necessity believe before being baptized.
And if they do only speak of babies who do not have the capacity to believe, why don't these verses say so. My question then is, what do you see wrong with my reasoning? You do not have to give me the prooftexts since I have known them and have studied them and have ready many articles and the catechism both from Lutherans and others. Perhaps you are very familiar with the Large Catechism's treatment of Baptism, but we mention it here because Luther's treatise on infant baptism in this section is extremely useful.
Luther goes to the heart of the foundational theological questions at issue over against errant understandings of Baptism present among those involved in the Anabaptist movement of his time. Perhaps we can make a couple of points that seem pertinent to the issue s you have raised. First, as you have implied in your letter, it seems important to note that while Baptism is God's gracious means of conveying to human beings His saving grace revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Savior, it is not the only means.
On the basis of the Scriptures we teach that the spoken Word of the Gospel Rom. It is no less a miracle of God's grace at work that an adult should believe by hearing the words of the Gospel, than that an infant should receive through Baptism the Spirit who creates the very faith by which one receives incorporation into Christ Rom. Adults who hear the spoken Word and believe eagerly seek to be baptized, not because it is a human rite symbolic of one's commitment or something to that effect, but because of what God promises in and through Baptism.
The Scriptures distinguish Baptism and the spoken Word — but do not separate them; they are both means of grace. As you also no doubt are fully aware, we teach that it is not the lack of Baptism that necessarily condemns, but it is the despising of this precious gift that endangers faith, for God Himself has instituted it and attached His promises to it. The Scriptures teach, of course, that there is only one Baptism Eph. There is no indication that God has limited this blessed means of grace to individuals on the basis of age or levels of maturity.
Can non-LCMS individuals serve as sponsors? What responsibilities would the godparent be agreeing to? They also pray for them and in the case of children, help with their Christian upbringing, especially if they should lose their parents. The LCMS entrusts to individual pastors and congregations the responsibility of making decisions about finding ways to involve such people in the baptismal service e.
Since decisions in this regard often depend on the specific circumstances involved, it is best to speak to the pastor himself about such matters. He would also be able to share more specific information about the form of the baptismal service used in his congregation and the precise wording of the vows that sponsors or godparents are asked to take.
Is faith later taken care of when the child is confirmed? Baptism, we believe, is one of the miraculous means of grace together with God's written and spoken Word through which God creates the gift of faith in a person's heart. Although we do not claim to understand how this happens or how it is possible, we believe because of what the Bible says about Baptism that when an infant is baptized God creates faith in the heart of that infant.
This faith cannot yet, of course, be expressed or articulated, yet it is real and present all the same see, e. Parents and sponsors of a baptized child bear the responsibility of teaching this child God's Word so that the child's faith may remain alive and grow Matt.
Confirmation is a time-honored church tradition not required by God's Word, but we believe useful nonetheless in which the child baptized as an infant is given the opportunity to confess for himself or herself the faith that he or she was unable to confess as an infant. Since this practice was unknown in the New Testament or even the early Catholic church, it is speculative.
The Bible says that repentance is a pre-requisite for faith. I repented at 5, so it can be early, but not in someone's arms. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call. Whole households, everyone in the family, were baptized in the beginning of New Testament times, which in all probability included infants Acts and In Romans 6, the Holy Spirit tells us in the Word that in Baptism we have been united with Jesus' death and resurrection—regenerated, dying to sin and rising to new life.
That happens to infants when baptized Gal. Infants can have faith. Infants can belong to the kingdom of God. From the beginning of New Testament Christianity at Pentecost to our time, unbroken and uninterrupted, the Church has baptized babies. Polycarp AD , a disciple of the Apostle John, was baptized as an infant.
No, the child should be baptized as soon as it is born. In AD, 10 rules of discipline were framed for the Church in Spain. This pattern of baptizing infants remained in Christianity through the Dark and Middle Ages until modern times. In the 1, years from the time of Christ to the Protestant Reformation, the only notable church father who expressed opposition to infant Baptism was Tertullian AD. Then in the s the Christian Church experienced opposition specifically to infant Baptism under the influence of Thomas Muenzer and other fanatics who opposed both civil and religious authority, original sin and human concupiscence.
Thomas' opposition was then embraced by a considerable number of Swiss, German and Dutch Anabaptists. This brought about strong warning and renunciation by the Roman Catholics, Lutherans and Reformed alike.
It was considered a shameless affront to what had been practiced in each generation since Christ's command in the Great Commission Matt. Dennis Kastens in Issues Etc. Journal , Spring , Vol. The position of our Lutheran Church on the first point in this question can best be expressed in the words of Dr.
Francis Pieper:. There is some basis for the hope that God has a method, not revealed to us, by which He works faith in the children of Christians dying without Baptism Mark For children of unbelievers we do not venture to hold out such hope. What is the basis of such hope?
It is this, that God is not Himself bound by the means to the use of which He has bound us. That is to say that while Christ has commanded us to baptize all nations, God can save sinners without Baptism. He did so throughout the entire Old Testament. During the first 2, years we know of no special means of grace for little children. At the time of Abraham He instituted circumcision, but He did not thereby provide for little girls. It is for God to determine under what conditions He will receive children into His kingdom.
A most encouraging instance for the Holy Spirit's power to influence even unborn infants in a spiritual way is found in Luke , 41, 44, where it is stated that the unborn John the Baptist leaped for joy within his mother's womb when the unborn Jesus was brought into his presence by His mother Mary.
As to the second point we might say: Whether individual Lutheran pastors have ever baptized stillborn children immediately upon their arrival, we do not know, and to our knowledge such practice has never been sanctioned by our church. Nor should it be sanctioned. The means of grace, including Baptism, are for the living only Heb. The people of the Bible, including Jesus, were baptized using the immersion method. Why doesn't our church follow the way Jesus was baptized by John?
In fact, taken as a whole, the evidence suggests otherwise. Three thousand were baptized on Pentecost in Jerusalem, where no river exists and no mention is made of other large quantities of water that would or may have been used.
In fact, the shortage of water supplies in general in many parts of the ancient world would have precluded Baptism by immersion. It should be noted that very early in Christian history methods other than immersion were used and allowed. No mention is made of immersion. Early Christian art depicts Baptisms of persons standing in shallow pools with water poured on the head see David Scaer, Baptism, Lutherans have therefore held that the manner of Baptism that is, immersion, pouring, sprinkling, etc.
However, I have been too shy to ask the pastor if we would need to be re-baptized in order to be full communicants. Please discuss this with your pastor, who would be happy to discuss this issue with you and to answer any other questions you have about membership. There is no need to be shy — pastors encounter these kinds of questions all the time.
What about an infant or a child whose parents have fallen away from the faith? Good pastoral practice prior to Baptism includes a reminder to the parents about the necessity of such ongoing nurture in the faith. If parents request Baptism and do not openly refuse or reject this expectation, Lutherans have typically baptized their child or children.
Congregational and pastoral follow-up with parents and encouragement in their responsibility are also vital elements of good practice. Because of such conscientious care in such instances, the Baptism of a child often provides a wonderful occasion for restoring an inactive Christian family to the life of faith or even to bring the Good News of Jesus and His salvation to a family.
Parental authority must be respected and a child should not be baptized against the clear objection of parents or guardians. But pastors may face difficult and complex circumstances in which parents are willing to permit Baptism but refuse to commit to ongoing Christian nurture. Of necessity, therefore, pastoral judgment will have to be made in the individual case, since circumstances vary. For this reason, too, lay members of our congregations are urged to speak with their pastor about individual cases where they have a particular request or concern.
God's command to baptize Matt. There is not a single passage in Scripture which instructs us not to baptize for reasons of age, race, or gender. On the contrary, the divine commands to baptize in Scripture are all universal in nature. On the basis of these commands, the Christian church has baptized infants from the earliest days of its history. Since those baptized are also to be instructed in the Christian faith, Matt. According to the Bible, all people—including infants—are sinful and fall short of the glory of God Rom.
Like adults, infants die—sure proof that they too are under the curse of sin and death. According to the Bible, Baptism somewhat like Old Testament circumcision, administered to 8-day-old-babies — see Col. It is a wonderful gift of a loving and gracious God. Those churches which deny Baptism to infants usually do so because they have a wrong understanding of Baptism. They see Baptism as something we do e. All of this, according to the Bible, happens in Baptism, and all of it is God's doing, not ours.
The promises and power of Baptism are extended to all in Scripture — including infants — and are available to all.
Parents and sponsors then have the privilege and responsibility of nurturing the baptized child in God's love and in His Word so that he or she may know and continue to enjoy the wonderful blessings of Baptism throughout his or her life.
While they may use a Trinitarian formula in their rite, they in fact deny the Trinity. Since such is the case with the former Worldwide Church of God, it would be necessary for one to be re-baptized.
Does God cause bad things or does he just let them happen? Does he punish or discipline? And what could be the purpose —such as when you lose your Mom at the age of 11 and she suffered so with cancer? It's a sinful world. Because of that and since the devil is the prince of this world, as the Bible says, bad things happen to good people.
But consider this. A lot more good has happened to people who love God in Jesus than bad. Read Psalm 90 and And consider how God can turn the bad things into good for those who love God Romans God does no evil. Yes, He can cause and allow bad things to come to us, but always for our good.
Scripture also gives witness to God punishing the wicked Proverbs and punishing individuals and even whole nations for evil Egyptians, Israel for their wickedness and idolatry, etc. But when it comes to sin, we Christians know that God has punished Jesus in our place for our sins, and that we are not punished.
God disciplines those whom He loves. Read Hebrews We know that He works all things for our good. And that must be the purpose in your and your mother's case, although it may be a bitter pill to swallow.
We must always turn to God in His Word and prayer for answers, never away from Him. Sometimes the answers He has are not evident right now, but later.
It may even be in heaven that we see and understand His purposes. In view of Scripture's wider teaching concerning forgiveness, it seems proper to understand Jesus' point in Matt. What Jesus is doing here, therefore, is issuing a strong warning to us to "search our hearts" to see if we really understand and accept the Gospel and its practical implications for our lives.
If we say, "I want God to forgive me, but I refuse to forgive those who sin against me," we really don't know what "forgiveness" and "faith in Jesus" are all about. We cannot expect God to "forgive" us if the attitude of our heart reveals that we have no real understanding of or faith in his undeserved grace in Christ Jesus.
Anyone who truly understands the true nature God's grace and forgiveness in Christ and puts his or her trust in that forgiveness will desire and seek to extend that forgiveness to others. God's forgiveness is not a "reward" for our forgiving others, but once we receive it in true faith and gratitude it is impossible not to want to share it with others. Is it being sorry for your sins and confessing them to God, or does it mean to stop committing a certain sin?
Like if you are stealing, does repentance mean to stop stealing because that would mean we can stop sinning, and we know we can never stop sinning. I have sins that I commit over and over again, not like I did before I was saved, but I still commit them. So if I don't stop committing those sins repentance , does that mean that I am going to hell? And also, when the Bible talks about how worldly sorrow brings death but godly sorrow brings repentance and life, how do I know which one I have?
This "godly sorrow" comes from the Holy Spirit convicting us with God's law. But the Bible also uses the work of repentance in a broader sense to include faith in Jesus our Savior. This faith is produced by the Holy Spirit, who convinces us through the Gospel that our sins are forgiven for the sake of Jesus, who lived, died and rose again for us. Put those two concepts together and you have repentance in its fullest sense. Jesus told His disciples in Luke that repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations.
According to the Bible, those who are truly sorry for their sins and trust in Jesus as their Savior also want to turn away from their sins, intending with the help of the Holy Spirit not to keep on living a life of sin. If we want to keep on sinning, we need to ask ourselves if we have really repented. However, we are weak human beings and although we do not want to commit the same sins again and again, we may sometimes fall into sin out of weakness.
Whenever we sin, we know as John says that "if we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just and will forgive our sins" for the sake of Jesus our Savior 1 John If repentance becomes a "game" with God, if we don't really want or intend to stop committing a certain sin say stealing , and if we go on stealing and living always in that sin of stealing, then we place ourselves in grave spiritual danger.
We need to ask that God the Holy Spirit give us the power to stop committing that sin and trust Him to help us fight against it. Sad to say, the desire to sin may come back at times, for which we will have to repent again.
That's not the same as living in sin. We all commit all kinds of sins daily, for which we have to daily repent. As long as we are sorry for our sins and believe that God forgives our sins for Christ's sake, we will be forgiven and have eternal life. Worldly sorrow is the kind of sorrow Judas Iscariot had, which caused him to commit suicide. It was a self-centered remorse and despair that wrongly concluded that all was lost in this life, that there was no hope, that there was nothing God could do.
Second Corinthians says that this kind of sorrow brings death. But godly sorrow is true sorrow over sin accompanied by trust in Jesus for forgiveness. This is the kind of sorrow Peter had after he denied Jesus, and it is the sorrow King David had after he committed adultery and murder Psalm Godly sorrow leads to life and salvation because it includes faith in Jesus Christ.
Could a person commit this sin and not know about it? Is concern about this sin evidence that one has not committed it? It should be noted that Jesus does not say that the Pharisees had actually themselves committed this sin, but that they were in danger of doing so.
The sin against the Holy Spirit is the conscious, persistent, stubborn, unyielding refusal of someone who was at one time a believer to acknowledge his or her sin, be sorry for it, and desire God's forgiveness in Christ.
It is impossible, therefore, for a confessing Christian to fall into this state unknowingly or unwillingly, and any confessing Christian who is sincerely concerned about the possibility of having committed this "sin" clearly has not committed it, because one of the necessary signs of being in this state of non-repentance and unbelief is having no real concern or remorse about being in this condition.
What happens to such people? Concordia Publishing House , , LCMS theologian Otto Sohn raises the question, "What stand does our church take regarding the heathen who have never had the opportunity to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and what is the individual's responsibility toward these people? Christ, the Savior of the world, answered the first question in this way: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" Mark The apostle Peter put it another way: "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved" Acts The same truth is expressed in John and ; Rom.
The bodies of dead believers will be resurrected, and all believers, living and dead, will be glorified. It is taught explicitly in 1 Thessalonians —17 and more or less implicitly in 1 Corinthians —55 and John Other passages, such as Matthew ; 2 Thessalonians ; and Revelation —16 are debated. What purpose does the rapture serve in the overall purposes of God for creation? How does it fit into the big picture of God's redemptive plan?
The resurrection of believers is part of that restoration, as Paul teaches in Romans — So, insofar as the rapture and the resurrection are associated, the rapture plays a role in that restoration. However, the Scriptures also teach that before the establishment of the Messianic kingdom at the return of Christ, God will pour his wrath out upon the world opposed to his rule. The church is promised reprieve from this wrath, and the rapture is the means by which it is protected.
Well, when I say that the doctrine of the rapture touches on the doctrine of the church, I mean that the distinction made among believers by the rapture raises the question of the relation of various groups of believers in the larger family of God. Why is there this distinction among believers? What does it have to teach us about the family of God?
When I say it touches on issues of normative Christian experience, I mean that it raises the question of God allowing the church to suffer.
There is debate over the timing of the rapture in relation to the final tribulation, the final period of unparalleled persecution by the Antichrist. Some argue that God will not allow the church to suffer under Antichrist. But God does allow the church to suffer in this present age John ; Acts , so what makes the difference, if there is one? There are three main views of the timing of the rapture: pretribulation, posttribulation, and prewrath. Could you briefly explain the main claims of each position?
The pretribulation view teaches that God will rapture the church before the final seven years of this age often called the 70th week of Daniel, from Daniel , or the tribulation.
It depends in part on making a distinction between the coming of Christ to rapture the church and the coming of Christ to return to earth to reign. Posttribulationism teaches that the church will be raptured at the very end of the age, when Christ returns to reign. The church will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and immediately return to earth with him.
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