Church Archives - Kuyperian Commentary

On March 20, 2025 By Bill Smith In Church, Theology Like

Baptism: Spirit v. Water?

Baptism debates are constantly rumbling through the Christian church. Who are the proper recipients of baptism? Should baptism be performed by total submersion, or is pouring water over the head a proper baptism? Does God genuinely do something in baptism, or is it a wet testimony of the faith that I have professed in Christ that accomplishes anything regarding forgiveness of sins, union with Christ, or the reception of the Spirit? Is baptism the work of God or the work of man?

Another debate that sometimes arises when discussing baptism is whether genuine baptism is visible or invisible. Some will say that real baptism is the invisible baptism of the Spirit. Visible water baptism is only an inert witness to this invisible baptism. Scriptures such as Romans 6 are approached with presuppositions that deny the possibility that in water baptism, we truly are buried with Christ into his death and are raised by the glory of the Father (Rom 6:4). “Water can’t do that. Paul is referring to a “spiritual baptism,” by which they mean an invisible baptism, a baptism performed by the Spirit in conversion apart from water.

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On January 2, 2025 By Bill Smith In Church, Culture, Postmillenialism, Theology 4

Maturity & Mission

One of the major themes of Scripture concerns maturity. In the beginning, the world was created infantile, something to be developed and brought to a mature condition. This story of Scripture is written into every human being conceived in the womb of a woman.

Like the creation of which we are a part and represent, we mature. We mature physiologically as our bones, muscles, and organs grow. We mature psychologically and intellectually by learning new things and growing in wisdom. Scripture’s story is written into our existence as humans.

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On December 26, 2024 By Bill Smith In Church, History, Theology 1

The Covenant Story: The New Covenant

“For all the promises of God in him are ‘Yes,’ and in him ‘Amen,’….” ~2 Corinthians 1:20

“To be continued.” This is one of the most frustrating phrases ever to be used on screen. The author immerses you in the story, takes you to the point of anxiously desiring resolution, and then leaves you hanging, waiting for all the questions to be answered in the next installment … maybe. From a marketing perspective, it is brilliant because an audience is assured for the next episode (if the story is good enough). From a viewer’s perspective, the tension is unpleasant. (And this is why we now have streaming services and “binge-watching.”)

At the end of the Hebrew Scriptures (2 Chronicles in the Hebrew order), God put a big “to be continued.” The Jews are sent back to the land to rebuild the Temple and the walls of Jerusalem. God’s people are in prominent places in the empire (such as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Esther, and Mordecai). These were golden years in some sense.

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On October 31, 2024 By Bill Smith In Church, Counseling/Piety, Theology Like

My Rights

“I have my rights.” In America, yes, you do. We are a nation founded on the principle that God has granted certain inalienable rights that cannot be taken away but, rather, must be protected by the government. We have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We enshrined specified rights within the first ten Amendments to the Constitution, known as “The Bill of Rights.” We should be thankful for our rights as American citizens and continue to do everything in our lawful power to keep the government from infringing on those rights.

Rights given by God are given for his purposes. That is, he gives us personal privileges and authority to carry out the mission he gave us in the beginning. We are given rights for the purpose of taking dominion, building the kingdom. When our rights are divorced from their purpose, instead of edifying free speech, we have destructive speech, such as pornography, that cloaks itself as free speech. Instead of the true religion of the Christian faith, we have a mélange of multiculturalism that views all religions as equal. Instead of the right to pursue happiness through personal responsibility, we have the right to steal from others by voting thieves into office who will transfer wealth from those who earned it to leeches. Rights divorced from the gospel of the kingdom are used for deleterious self-consumption that eventually destroys society by implosion.

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On October 24, 2024 By Bill Smith In Church, Discipleship, Theology Like

Called Out

What if your pastor DMed you about an interpersonal relationship problem that you were having and then said, “Oh yeah, when you are finished reading this, read this or have this read to the entire church”? First, you might be a little peeved that he was digging into your business. He needs to mind his own business. My relationships at home, work, and with my friends are none of his business. Second, if you are a typical American Christian, you’d probably find another church to rid yourself of this “spiritually abusive pastor.” Then, you would get on social media and talk about how you have suffered from the abuse of spiritual power, gain a following, and start an intersectional community of all those who have been DMed by their pastor about their relationships.

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On October 16, 2024 By Bill Smith In Church, Discipleship, Prayer, Theology, Worship Like

Praying in the Spirit: Our Words in the Word

In the beginning, the Speaker spoke the Word. The Word went out from the Speaker, carried along by the Breath, and the world was created, formed, and filled. Speaker, Word, and Breath working in loving, powerful union with one another to create from nothing everything that is.

The height of this creative activity was the creation of man himself, the image of God. He is a creaturely word, a revelation of God within the creation. This form fashioned from the dust of the ground was himself filled with the Spirit-Breath of God. This Spirit empowered him to take the creation given to him and, by word and deed, follow in the image of God to create, arrange, form, and fill this creation so that it will one day reflect God’s own heavenly throne room. This is his dominion task.

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On September 26, 2024 By Bill Smith In Church, Men, Theology, Worship 2

Ordination

Ordination changes a man, not in a way that changes his liver into a lung, nor in a way that gives him magical powers to do sacramental tricks, but he is changed nevertheless. The change is more like when a degree is conferred upon a graduate or when a man marries a woman. In neither case is the man physically transformed, nor does he receive special powers. However, he is a changed man. No longer is the man a student. He is a graduate, possibly with a title attached to his name and all the clout that comes with his new status. No longer is the man a bachelor, but he is a husband who now has the privileges and duties of marriage. The molecular structure in his body may be the same pre- and post-ceremony; however, in many ways, he is not the same person. He stands in new relationships, and those new relationships, with all of their attendant responsibilities, make him a new man.

So it is with a man who is ordained to the gospel ministry. He is put into a new relationship before God and to the church. This new relationship with all of its attendant responsibilities makes him a new man.

The changes are an addition rather than a physical or even mystical metamorphosis. Ordination gives a new “weight” to the person. In biblical terms, this weight is “glory.” (The word “glory” in Hebrew literally means “heavy.”) Ordination glorifies a man in a unique way.

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On September 13, 2024 By Paul Liberati In Church, Culture, Theology 1

What Does Baptism Accomplish? Part Four: An Ordination Ceremony

In the previous installments, we’ve been examining the question: What Does Baptism Accomplish? Those who have been following will know the answer to that question is multifaceted and can be described from several angles.

At the most basic level, we saw that Baptism initiates a covenant relationship with the Triune God and with each of the three Persons in particular. In relation to the Father, baptism is adoptive: we become members of the Family of God. In relation to the Son, it is marital: we become members of the Bride of Christ. In relation to the Holy Spirit, it is ministerial: we become members of the Universal Priesthood of the Church. Therefore, baptism simultaneously functions as an adoption, marriage, and ordination ceremony.

Having established the first two propositions, we turn now to the third. The argument to follow is structured around three points: first, the baptism of Jesus was His ordination ceremony; second, our baptism was our ordination ceremony; third, in keeping with the pattern, we will consider the objective and subjective dimensions involved.

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On September 12, 2024 By Bill Smith In Church, Discipleship, Theology Like

The Church’s People

Tychicus. Onesimus. Aristarchus. Mark. Justus. Epaphras. Luke. Demas. Nymphas. Archippus. If you know your Scriptures really well, several of these names are familiar to you. Mark and Luke wrote two of the Gospels. Onesimus is a focus of Paul’s brief letter to Philemon. The others are not so well known. Tychicus is mentioned several times in the New Testament as Paul’s companion. Epaphras is highlighted in the opening of the letter to the Colossians. If you know Demas at all, it is probably because he is infamous for abandoning Paul “having loved this present world” (2 Tim 4:10). What they all hold in common is that they are all mentioned at the end of Colossians either sending greetings, being exhorted, or receiving praise.

It’s often tempting to skim over Paul’s greetings at the end of his letters. The main body of the letter is complete, so we tend to tune out as we continue reading or listening just to check off our daily Bible reading. However, if God has included these greetings in the letter, there must be a significant reason why the church needs them. These greetings are not mere formalities, but they carry a deeper message that we should not overlook.

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On August 20, 2024 By Paul Liberati In Church, Culture, Family and Children, Theology Like

What Does Baptism Accomplish? Part Three: A Marriage Ceremony

In this series, I am seeking to answer the question: What Does Baptism Accomplish? To begin with, I said: Baptism initiates a real covenant relationship with the Triune God and with each of the Persons in particular. This means that there are three different aspects to this relationship and each one corresponds to one of the Three Persons of the Trinity. As it pertains to the Father, the relationship is adoptive. As it pertains to the Son, the relationship is marital. And as it pertains to the Holy Spirit, the relationship is ministerial.

I covered the adoptive aspect and now I’ll be covering the marital aspect. First, I want to show that, in the Bible, the relationship we have with God in Christ is of a marital nature. Second, I’ll show the connection between marriage and baptism. Finally, I’ll provide some guidelines on how to think of this relationship in terms of objective and subjective realities.

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