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God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

Doubt is natural within faith. It comes because of our human weakness and frailty… Unbelief is the decision to live your life as if there is no God. It is a deliberate decision to reject Jesus Christ and all that he stands for. But doubt is something quite different. Doubt arises within the context the faith. It is a wistful longing to be sure of the things in which we trust. But it is not and need not be a problem.
Alister McGrath

Some Reasons Baptists Do Not Baptize Infants: 1. In every New Testament command and instance of baptism the requirement of faith precedes baptism. So infants incapable of faith are not to be baptized. 2. There are no explicit instances of infant baptism in all the Bible. In the three “household baptisms” mentioned (household of Lydia, Acts 16:15; household of the Philippian jailer, Acts 16:30–33; household of Stephanus, 1 Corinthians 1:16) no mention is made of infants, and in the case of the Philippian jailer, Luke says explicitly, “They spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house” (Acts 16:32), implying that the household who were baptized could understand the Word. 3. Paul (in Colossians 2:12) explicitly defined baptism as an act done through faith: “…having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God.” In baptism you were raised up with Christ through faith – your own faith, not your parents’ faith. If it is not “through faith” – if it is not an outward expression of inward faith – it is not baptism. 4. The apostle Peter, in his first letter, defined baptism this way, “…not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21). Baptism is “an appeal to God for a good conscience.” It is an outward act and expression of inner confession and prayer to God for cleansing, that the one being baptized does, not his parents. 5. When the New Testament church debated in Acts 15 whether circumcision should still be required of believers as part of becoming a Christian, it is astonishing that not once in that entire debate did anyone say anything about baptism standing in the place of circumcision. If baptism is the simple replacement of circumcision as a sign of the new covenant, and thus valid for children as well as for adults, as circumcision was, surely this would have been the time to develop the argument and so show that circumcision was no longer necessary. But it is not even mentioned.
John Piper

    • Bible Reading: JUL27: Isaiah 5-8

    Posted on

    JULY 27

    No Old Testament book gives such a full picture of Jesus
    Christ as the Book of Isaiah does. We see His birth (chapter 7:14),
    which can be paralleled with Matthew 1:23; we see the ministry of
    John the Baptist (chapter 40); Christ anointed by the Holy Spirit
    (chapter 62); Christ the Servant (chapter 42); Israel’s rejection of
    Christ (chapter 66); and many other things paralleled with New
    Testament Scriptures.

    John 12:38-41 tells us that Isaiah saw Jesus Christ in His
    glory. After seeing Christ, Isaiah looked at himself, and saw his
    own sinful condition and failures. A true vision of God and His
    holiness always makes us realize our shortcomings. Job saw God and
    repented. Peter cried out, “I am a sinful man!” when he saw Christ’s
    glory and power. Self-righteous Saul saw that his own righteousness
    was but “garbage” compared to the glory of Christ. When a believer
    has a true experience with the Lord, it does not make him proud; it
    humbles and breaks him.

    When Isaiah confessed his sins, he mentioned especially his
    unclean lips. Unclean lips are the products of unclean hearts. The
    prophet knew that he could not faithfully preach for the Lord unless
    he was prepared and cleansed. How different from some Christians who
    rush out to win souls to Christ before taking time to meet the Lord
    and be cleansed. God did meet Isaiah’s need. He sent a seraphim to
    cleanse him with a coal off the altar. Note that it was more
    important for the seraphim to equip Isaiah to be a soul-winner than
    to praise God! True worship ought to lead to witnessing and soul-
    winning. Too many Christians want to hold on to a “spiritual
    experience” with the Lord, rather than be prepared to go out to
    share the Lord with others. The times of prayer and rejoicing with
    the Lord are precious, but Proverbs 11:30 says, “He that winneth
    souls is wise.” The Lord commissioned each of His redeemed to be
    soul-winners.

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