Colossians chapter 2, verses 8 to 15: “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells inContinue Reading
Presbyterians sometimes say, partially tongue-in-cheek, that Acts 15 records the church’s first “general assembly”. In some ways, however, this council was unlike later church councils and later denominations’ annual (or regular) synods and assemblies. First, this council did not have representative elders from the churches that had been established byContinue Reading
All the Protestant Reformers, including Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli and John Calvin, held to infant baptism. Though these three great Protestants disagreed on many things, they all agreed on the Protestant doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. They also agreed that infant baptism isContinue Reading
[Sermon audio here.] Theme: The baptism of John is a symbol of judgment on Israel lest she – like us – repent of our sins and put our faith in Jesus, who endured God’s judgment on the cross. Water, like bread, is something we take for granted in our lives. Continue Reading
What does your baptism mean to you? In the early church, baptism was taken very seriously. It was not uncommon for new converts to Christianity – known as “Catechumens” – to spend up to three years learning the fundamentals of the faith before being baptised into God’s covenant community. Unfortunately,Continue Reading