Do You Attend A Self-Centered Church?

[TheSword]

They aren't as popular as they were at the founding of our country.  In fact, the first Baptist church in America was 7th day (as was the one my ancestor founded early on).  They were 7th day because of the commandment to honor the sabbath. They didn't tie it in with salvation, they just believed that observing the sabbath was the right thing to do.  Nowadays, there are some who are more liberal than others, just as in IFB.  But they do still teach repentance, salvation, etc.

 

Interesting indeed. I had never heard of such. Thanks for the info.

[swathdiver]

They aren't as popular as they were at the founding of our country.  In fact, the first Baptist church in America was 7th day (as was the one my ancestor founded early on).  They were 7th day because of the commandment to honor the sabbath. They didn't tie it in with salvation, they just believed that observing the sabbath was the right thing to do.  Nowadays, there are some who are more liberal than others, just as in IFB.  But they do still teach repentance, salvation, etc.

 

I wonder how on earth they thought that when the sabbath was never mentioned with the other 9 Commandments in the New Testament?  John and Paul also worshipped on the Lord's Day, it's even called that in the last book!  Guess like other man-made churches, they failed to rightly divide and built a doctrine upon error.

[HappyChristian]

I wonder how on earth they thought that when the sabbath was never mentioned with the other 9 Commandments in the New Testament?  John and Paul also worshipped on the Lord's Day, it's even called that in the last book!  Guess like other man-made churches, they failed to rightly divide and built a doctrine upon error.

Well, they were a lot more spiritual than most Christians today, so I guess we'll have to wait til Heaven to ask them...And their churches weren't man-made.  They came through fire just to worship God and follow scripture without being jailed and condemned to death for not following what the Puritans (well, here in America, anyway) believed and forced people to follow. THAT (American Puritanism) was truly man-made!

 

Although they do have an answer.  And it begins with Creation.  God rested on the 7th day.  That is the first mention of rest in scripture (obviously, being in the Creation story!  LOL). And even IFB go with the law of first mention for a number of beliefs.  I honestly don't think God considered them sinners for meeting for church on Saturdays.  Especially since there is no command (although there is mention, it isn't command) to worship on Sundays.  

 

ALL worship rituals are man-made, actually.  Sunday School is an American invention (and a good one, but it isn't mandated in scripture).  Sunday morning, Sunday night, and midweek services is also an American invention.  There is a case to be made that Christians are supposed to meet every day based on the beginning of the book of Acts.  But we don't do that - most Christians around the world don't do that.

 

I'm not saying I agree with them.  But I am saying that it would be best to find out their reasonings before claiming that they built a doctrine on error. 

[The Glory Land]

Would that be some unholy mix of Baptist and Seventh Day Adventist theology...? Sounds dangerous to me.

 

 

No, just the number 7 sounds cool.

[swathdiver]

You mentioned that they were sabbath keepers and that is a wrong doctrine.  There's nothing wrong with resting on Saturday.  The NT gives us the principle for worshipping Christ on Sunday, the Lord's Day, so I wouldn't say that's man made.

[HappyChristian]

You mentioned that they were sabbath keepers and that is a wrong doctrine.  There's nothing wrong with resting on Saturday.  The NT gives us the principle for worshipping Christ on Sunday, the Lord's Day, so I wouldn't say that's man made.

It's wrong doctrine to us because of what we've been taught from scripture.  The NT does not command only worshiping on Sunday, though.  And, just to be clear, I didn't say that worshiping Christ on Sunday was man-made. I said that way we do it is.  In other words, the Bible doesn't say we must meet on Sunday am and Sunday pm and midweek.  That's what I meant by man-made.

 

As to them believing what they do - again, they begin at Creation, which was before the law was given.  Here's a letter (a book, actually!) written in the 1800s that goes into a bit of what they believed about it.  I think if you read it, you'll learn quite a bit of surprising stuff about them and their love for the Lord.  Even though it's long, it's pretty easy reading.   http://www.sdbhistory.org/letter-to-the-baptists-1843/

 

It's interesting, I think, to realize that the Sabbath commandment is the only one of the ten our churches don't practice (we don't say we are observing the others, but we do).