Jun 7, 2008

Excluded?

Will having a "private prayer language" exclude a believer from being Reformed? The Southern Baptist Convention questions chaplain candidates and potentially others: missionaries and convention workers, etc.

Second question, does the Bible condemn alcohol in any form? For me alcohol is a sin. It is my personal conviction. However, my question is can a Christian ingest alcohol without sinning?

These are two issues that have crossed my path in the recent days. Any thoughts?

2 comments:

Rev. said...

First question - no, though Reformed Theology has generally distanced itself from a PPL, etc.

Second question - the Bible does not condemn alcohol ingestion, but the lack of self-control in relation to alcohol (drunkenness). Yes, a Christian may ingest alcohol without sinning...Just as a Christian may have sex without sinning and eat food without sinning. On the other hand, people may have sex in a sinful manner (outside of marriage) or be guilty of gluttony. The problem is not he substance, but the heart (from which, the Lord said, comes all forms of evil).

Having said that, if alcohol ingestion is a matter of sin for you, you should not ingest it. "What is not of faith is sin" (Rom 14).

pregador27 said...

Thank you Rev. I find myself in agreement with you. Unfortunately, the SBC is going beyond the Bible and the Baptist Faith and Message on these two issues.

I added "Reformed" because of where I am in my faith. I never found major push as to why "PPL" would be exclusionary for the Reformed in faith, but I also know that a good 99% would probably oppose such an idea.