Comments for Hindsight http://kylerye.wordpress.com Wed, 21 Mar 2007 03:22:01 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on The Age of Accountability by Gordy! http://kylerye.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/the-age-of-accountability/#comment-14 Gordy! Wed, 21 Mar 2007 03:22:01 +0000 http://kylerye.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/the-age-of-accountability/#comment-14 I like it. I like it.

]]> Comment on The Age of Accountability by kylerye http://kylerye.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/the-age-of-accountability/#comment-13 kylerye Tue, 20 Mar 2007 15:34:31 +0000 http://kylerye.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/the-age-of-accountability/#comment-13 I've discussed my thoughts on commitment and baptism among teens in an adult class that I taught at our church last summer, and I will also present some of these thoughts in a class for adults and youth ministers that I'll be teaching at our youth rally. I have not actually discussed it with an eldership though. I've already encountered a couple of times when I thought a teen wasn't ready to be baptized, but I do not stop them from being baptized because it is not my duty to decide whether or not they can receive God's salvation nor is it my duty to determine if the Holy Spirit is truly working on them or not. I may worry about a teen's sincerity or level of commitment when they decide to be baptized, but I leave the decision to them because they are responsible for their own soul, not me. My responsibility is to teach them and train them before, during, and after. I’ve discussed my thoughts on commitment and baptism among teens in an adult class that I taught at our church last summer, and I will also present some of these thoughts in a class for adults and youth ministers that I’ll be teaching at our youth rally. I have not actually discussed it with an eldership though.

I’ve already encountered a couple of times when I thought a teen wasn’t ready to be baptized, but I do not stop them from being baptized because it is not my duty to decide whether or not they can receive God’s salvation nor is it my duty to determine if the Holy Spirit is truly working on them or not. I may worry about a teen’s sincerity or level of commitment when they decide to be baptized, but I leave the decision to them because they are responsible for their own soul, not me. My responsibility is to teach them and train them before, during, and after.

]]> Comment on The Age of Accountability by Gordy! http://kylerye.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/the-age-of-accountability/#comment-12 Gordy! Tue, 20 Mar 2007 04:01:43 +0000 http://kylerye.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/the-age-of-accountability/#comment-12 Hey Kyle! Have you ever brought these thoughts up to any group of elders? I'm very interested in what some would say. Also, what would you do if you thought that a kid (of whatever age) that wanted to be baptized wasn't ready for it? Hey Kyle! Have you ever brought these thoughts up to any group of elders? I’m very interested in what some would say. Also, what would you do if you thought that a kid (of whatever age) that wanted to be baptized wasn’t ready for it?

]]> Comment on The Age of Accountability by Scott http://kylerye.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/the-age-of-accountability/#comment-11 Scott Sun, 18 Mar 2007 23:55:11 +0000 http://kylerye.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/the-age-of-accountability/#comment-11 As a youth minister, I totally agree about the commitment. I strive to help our youth to establish their own faith. Thanks for putting up with me testing you. Grace & peace to you in Jesus Christ. As a youth minister, I totally agree about the commitment. I strive to help our youth to establish their own faith. Thanks for putting up with me testing you.

Grace & peace to you in Jesus Christ.

]]> Comment on Where is Grace? by Scott http://kylerye.wordpress.com/2007/02/25/hello-world/#comment-10 Scott Sun, 18 Mar 2007 23:51:29 +0000 #comment-10 Forgive me. I am very defensive of the Church. I see now your two links are AP & Courier. I am concerned of our brethren who have been teaching grace without works ecluding immersion. It is close to my heart. Keep up the good work. Grace & peace to you in Christ. Forgive me. I am very defensive of the Church. I see now your two links are AP & Courier. I am concerned of our brethren who have been teaching grace without works ecluding immersion. It is close to my heart. Keep up the good work.

Grace & peace to you in Christ.

]]> Comment on Where is Grace? by kylerye http://kylerye.wordpress.com/2007/02/25/hello-world/#comment-9 kylerye Sat, 17 Mar 2007 06:56:13 +0000 #comment-9 I apologize because this post was more of a rant than a true discussion of grace and legalism. I believe as well as you that we have laws to follow and I thank you for pointing out those scriptures. I was not intending to sound as if I believe we should live by grace alone apart from God's law, although I understand that is how this post may read. The issues I have faced involve man's traditions added to God's laws and it has lead me to a point where I have recognized Pharisaical attitudes within the church. I have also become concerned that too many Christians are trying to earn their way into heaven through their deeds and their ability to follow rules. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly teaches that we will not be saved by our actions but by His grace. If we want to receive God's grace then, yes, we will follow His rules. When I wrote, "If we sincerely desire to follow God then why should we need laws to guide us when God's grace is designed to do that," I was trying to express the point that sincerely desiring to follow God would result in a proper Christian lifestyle regardless of any laws. In other words, we shouldn't need laws to live like Christians, but unfortunately we do because as humans we are ultimately idiots. Thank you for the comments and I hope to have cleared up any confusion about my stance on God's law and God's grace. If not, don't hesitate to comment again. I apologize because this post was more of a rant than a true discussion of grace and legalism. I believe as well as you that we have laws to follow and I thank you for pointing out those scriptures. I was not intending to sound as if I believe we should live by grace alone apart from God’s law, although I understand that is how this post may read. The issues I have faced involve man’s traditions added to God’s laws and it has lead me to a point where I have recognized Pharisaical attitudes within the church. I have also become concerned that too many Christians are trying to earn their way into heaven through their deeds and their ability to follow rules. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly teaches that we will not be saved by our actions but by His grace. If we want to receive God’s grace then, yes, we will follow His rules. When I wrote, “If we sincerely desire to follow God then why should we need laws to guide us when God’s grace is designed to do that,” I was trying to express the point that sincerely desiring to follow God would result in a proper Christian lifestyle regardless of any laws. In other words, we shouldn’t need laws to live like Christians, but unfortunately we do because as humans we are ultimately idiots. Thank you for the comments and I hope to have cleared up any confusion about my stance on God’s law and God’s grace. If not, don’t hesitate to comment again.

]]> Comment on The Age of Accountability by kylerye http://kylerye.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/the-age-of-accountability/#comment-8 kylerye Sat, 17 Mar 2007 06:27:15 +0000 http://kylerye.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/the-age-of-accountability/#comment-8 I completely agree with you that age and time are not factors that should be used to determine if someone is ready to be baptized. I myself was baptized at the age of 9 and have never questioned my reasons for being baptized. My concern is that we have become to focused on getting them in the water and not concerned enough about helping them understand their decision. I have not nor will I ever prevent one of my students from being baptized at whatever age they choose. But what I will do is strive to help them understand the serious nature of the commitment they are about to make. If you look at the dropout rate of teens from the church today (which is estimated at over 50% in "The Gospel According to Generation X" by Lewis, Dodd, and Tippens) it is apparent that the concept of commitment to God (or anything else for that matter) is not as strong as should be. Thanks for the comments. I completely agree with you that age and time are not factors that should be used to determine if someone is ready to be baptized. I myself was baptized at the age of 9 and have never questioned my reasons for being baptized. My concern is that we have become to focused on getting them in the water and not concerned enough about helping them understand their decision. I have not nor will I ever prevent one of my students from being baptized at whatever age they choose. But what I will do is strive to help them understand the serious nature of the commitment they are about to make. If you look at the dropout rate of teens from the church today (which is estimated at over 50% in “The Gospel According to Generation X” by Lewis, Dodd, and Tippens) it is apparent that the concept of commitment to God (or anything else for that matter) is not as strong as should be. Thanks for the comments.

]]> Comment on Where is Grace? by Rachael http://kylerye.wordpress.com/2007/02/25/hello-world/#comment-7 Rachael Fri, 16 Mar 2007 23:48:25 +0000 #comment-7 Sorry I accidently sent this under my husband's account at wordpress.com. “If we sincerely desire to follow God then why should we need laws to guide us when God’s grace is designed to do that.” this is a quote from you in this blog. If you are correct in this, in asking why we actually need a law to guide us, why do you believe that God has provided us with the law of Christ in the New Testament? Meaning, why preserve the book 2000 years, a book full of principles, precepts, and patterns? I understand that He wanted us to know about His love, His grace, and how to be saved. Are you saying that the laws given by the apostles to the Christians of the first century no longer apply to us in order for us to be saved? Sorry I accidently sent this under my husband’s account at wordpress.com.

“If we sincerely desire to follow God then why should we need laws to guide us when God’s grace is designed to do that.” this is a quote from you in this blog. If you are correct in this, in asking why we actually need a law to guide us, why do you believe that God has provided us with the law of Christ in the New Testament? Meaning, why preserve the book 2000 years, a book full of principles, precepts, and patterns? I understand that He wanted us to know about His love, His grace, and how to be saved. Are you saying that the laws given by the apostles to the Christians of the first century no longer apply to us in order for us to be saved?

]]> Comment on Where is Grace? by Scott http://kylerye.wordpress.com/2007/02/25/hello-world/#comment-5 Scott Fri, 16 Mar 2007 23:24:31 +0000 #comment-5 What traditions are you referring to? What legalism in the Church are you talking about? I honestly do not know what missing grace that you speak of. What "hedge laws" do you refer to? Are you referring to the legalists who teach forms of asceticism like rules of eating (Col. 2:16-23)? Remember the following passages. To love God is to follow His commandments (1 John 5:3). To walk in the light is to access the cleansing blood of His grace (1 John 1:7). Those who do the will of the Father go to Heaven (Matt. 7:21). Christ is the author of salvation to those who obey (Heb. 5:9). Should we neither read all the Scripture nor obey some of Jesus' commands because we can never perfectly do so? Certainly not. It is also very important to be concerned with illegalists rather than those who obey the legal system, the law of Christ. There is a law of Christ as presented in Isa. 2:3; Jer. 31:33; Rom. 3:27, 7:25, 8:2,4,7, 9:4; 1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2; Heb. 10:16; Jam. 1:25 and 2:12. Also know that now to obey is to sacrifice (Heb. 13:16). What traditions are you referring to? What legalism in the Church are you talking about? I honestly do not know what missing grace that you speak of. What “hedge laws” do you refer to? Are you referring to the legalists who teach forms of asceticism like rules of eating (Col. 2:16-23)?

Remember the following passages. To love God is to follow His commandments (1 John 5:3). To walk in the light is to access the cleansing blood of His grace (1 John 1:7). Those who do the will of the Father go to Heaven (Matt. 7:21). Christ is the author of salvation to those who obey (Heb. 5:9). Should we neither read all the Scripture nor obey some of Jesus’ commands because we can never perfectly do so? Certainly not. It is also very important to be concerned with illegalists rather than those who obey the legal system, the law of Christ. There is a law of Christ as presented in Isa. 2:3; Jer. 31:33; Rom. 3:27, 7:25, 8:2,4,7, 9:4; 1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2; Heb. 10:16; Jam. 1:25 and 2:12.

Also know that now to obey is to sacrifice (Heb. 13:16).

]]> Comment on The Age of Accountability by Scott http://kylerye.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/the-age-of-accountability/#comment-4 Scott Fri, 16 Mar 2007 22:28:57 +0000 http://kylerye.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/the-age-of-accountability/#comment-4 This is a very interesting post. I agree that there is no definitive age of accountability. I must respect someone for not following a tradition of man that may change God's traditions. I hope that you agree that there can be a 10 year old who has godly sorrow for his sins, and that he must be immersed to be cleansed. Be careful about laying an error across the fellowship. I was not forcefed or pushed to be immersed at age 11. Neither were any of my friends, family, nor anyone across many congregations that I have been in fellowship with. How long did the souls of Acts need to wait to be immersed unto a lifelong commitment? Just hours. I hope you agree that time is not a factor as neither is age, but the point of godly sorrow. This is a very interesting post. I agree that there is no definitive age of accountability. I must respect someone for not following a tradition of man that may change God’s traditions. I hope that you agree that there can be a 10 year old who has godly sorrow for his sins, and that he must be immersed to be cleansed. Be careful about laying an error across the fellowship. I was not forcefed or pushed to be immersed at age 11. Neither were any of my friends, family, nor anyone across many congregations that I have been in fellowship with.

How long did the souls of Acts need to wait to be immersed unto a lifelong commitment? Just hours. I hope you agree that time is not a factor as neither is age, but the point of godly sorrow.

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