Volume 9 / Issue 12 | December 2022

The Apologetics Newsletter
of the Missouri Baptist Convention

In this issue:

What Is Sanctification? ... The LORD of Armies on His Throne ... What Is Glorification? ... What's Wrong with the Christmas Story? ...

and more!

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Article IV-C of The Baptist Faith & Message: Sanctification

Sanctification is the work of God making Christians more like Jesus. It may be understood in two ways. First, there is positional sanctification, the state of being set apart from the common and dedicated to a higher purpose. Second, there is practical sanctification, the lifelong process by which the Spirit makes us more like Jesus.


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The LORD of Armies on His Throne - Part 1

Of all the theophanies in the Book of Isaiah, none compares with the spectacular vision the prophet receives of Yahweh on his throne in Isaiah 6:1-13. This is a court theophany, with God seated in sovereign authority over heaven and earth. Isaiah describes him as "the Lord" (Adonai), "the LORD of Armies (Yahweh Sabbaoth), and "the King."


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Article IV-D of The Baptist Faith & Message: Glorification

Glorification is the final stage in God's work of salvation. It is the crowning achievement of sanctification, in which Christians are fully conformed to the image of Christ. It is the perfection of the body, rejoined with soul and spirit in resurrection, as well as the restoration of the universe to its original state.



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The LORD of Armies on His Throne - Part 2

Is it possible the LORD of Armies seated on his throne in Isaiah 6:1-13 is none other than the preincarnate Christ? The apostle John seems to tie this divine figure with Jesus of Nazareth. Writing of Jesus, John says, "Isaiah said these things because he saw his [Christ's] glory and spoke about him" (John 12:41).


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Slaughter of the Assyrians

The angel of the Lord rescues the besieged residents of Jerusalem by killing 185,000 Assyrians. But if this is the preincarnate Christ, the meek and lowly Suffering Servant, how could he be engaged in such a slaughter?


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Study The Baptist Faith & Message

High Street Press, the publishing imprint of the Missouri Baptist Convention, has released a new resource for personal and group study: Understanding The Baptist Faith & Message. The 300+ page resource unpacks the Southern Baptist Convention's confessional statement, exploring its history and 18 articles of faith.


Watch the video trailer ...

What's Wrong with the Christmas Story?

Christians love to hear and tell the Christmas story. The birth of Jesus includes Mary and Joseph seeking shelter on a winter night, no room at the inn, a baby born in a stable, and angels visiting lowly shepherds nearby. But does our modern telling of Luke 20:1-20 feature critical flaws?


Read on ...


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