Notion in a Nutshell

BAPTISM

Baptism is for interpersonal identification with Christ. In consequence of identity with him, God gives whatever the situation calls for: forgiveness of sins, gift of the Spirit, membership in the body of Christ.

BAPTISM: MEANING

Virgil Warren, PhD

            Baptism is for personal identification with Jesus Christ. In consequence of identity with Christ, God forgives sin, gives the Holy Spirit, and make us member in the body of Christ.

CHRISTIAN WORLD VIEW

The basic reality in Christianity is interpersonalism. God is personal, and everything else and everyone else derive from him by his creation. Interpersonalism is the most complex reality there is. It stands in contrast to nature, law, and ideas (metaphysics). Interpersonalism operates by love, nature by natural law, law by authority, and metaphysics by form.

CONDITION vs. CAUSE

A condition is an action required of one person by another. The other person act does not produce the result; it meets the condition for the first person to give the result. Jesus’ reference to the brazen serpent in the Old Testament illustrates idea (John 3:14-15). The Israelites were to look on the brazen serpent to be cured from snakebite. Looking at the brazen serpent did not cause the cure. God gave the cure if a person did the looking.

DIVINE GUIDANCE

God’s normal operation with people is through the Word, through other people (the church), and by the sheer relationship itself. 

EVOLUTION

You can’t put in sequence the origin of reciprocating parts that are necessary for the viability of the whole organism and of the parts themselves. Additionally, the biosphere involves two sexes that both must be present from the beginning in a combinable fashion because entropy means the organisms will die; so they have to be replaced by reproduction. Living organisms involve systems of systems that must all be present from the beginning or the organism is not viable, so there cannot be step-by-step change from one set of systems to another set of systems, all the while with ongoing viability.

FREEDOM AND DETERMINISM

The situation is like a broad arrow. Neither freedom nor determinism is absolute. Freedom is within a framework determined by several factors. Nature is the outermost limit, revelation is inside of that, and then there are other factors like circumstance and providence. Our individual freedom will never allow us to move outside the limit that nature imposes, but to a certain extent we may move outside the margin that revelation or circumstance presents.

         INERRANCY

The inerrancy of scripture has to do with the intended content of scripture as such.

LOVE

Love is self-giving for the joy of others. It’s an outward-directed pattern of behavior with other people’s welfare in mind.

MORALITY/ETHICS

Good and bad are figured relative to purpose.

Out of the nature of God comes the purpose of God.  Out of the purpose of God comes the creation by God, of which we are a part, including people in relationship. There is a fairly close fit between our nature and human morality, but the decisive issue is God’s originating purpose.

NATURAL DEPRAVITY

There is no clear biblical evidence that Adam’s ability in spiritual matters was any different after the fall than it was before the fall in a biologically inheritable sense.

NEW TESTAMENT CANON

The canonical books of the New Testament consist of those that were written by close acquaintances of Christ who witnessed his resurrection (apostolicity), those that were accepted across the whole church (catholicity), and those that represent a consistent viewpoint on teaching and practice (doctrinal harmony). They contrast with books written later, books of unknown origin, books accepted in small areas of the Roman empire, and those with doctrines of faith and practice that diverge widely from the canonical books.

SCIENCE

Science deals with recurrent natural processes in the present.  Consequently, science (hard science) does not, strictly speaking, deal with history, the supernatural, or the metaphysical.

SUPPORT OF THE MINISTRY

Ministry personnel are not paid for their work; they are supported so they can do the work.

Virgil Warren     christir.org

THE LORD’S SUPPER/

EUCHARIST/COMMUNION

Observing the Lord’s Supper is an act of worship that means identifying with Jesus Christ crucified and committing ourselves to his values and purposes. 

THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

Whatever the explanation for the existence of evil, especially innocent suffering, it must be important enough that God himself in the person of the Son was willing to endure it in the extreme.

THE TRUTHFULNESS OF CHRISTIANITY

The resurrection of Christ and the existence of the church stand or fall together. If he did not resurrect, the church would never have come into existence, because “Messiah abides forever.” The church exists, so Christ must have arisen. Something so obviously supernatural as his resurrection verifies the claims of Christ. The church is a person-centered system, centered on the person of Christ. If he is taken out of the way, the system collapses.

THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT

The ordinary work of the Spirit has three aspects: guidance, empowerment, and intercession. He operates indirectly through the message,  circumstance and other Christians, and by his sheer interpersonal presence with us. That leaves special and supernatural operations as potential but not uniform with all Christians.

TRINITY

The threeness in oneness of God is comparable to the twoness in oneness of ideal marriage—minus the physical distinctives. The Father, Son, and Spirit are sufficiently distinct that the Son can pray to the Father and the Father can send another comforter (John 14:16).

TRUTH

Truth is reality in contrast to perception of reality, conception about reality, words about reality, and the interpretation of words about reality. It is the objective (the way it is) in contrast to the subjective (the way it seems to a beholder).

WHENCE DENOMINATIONS?

Dear ____,

Several days ago you asked why there are so many denominations, sects, and cults in “Christendom.” Since then, I have had the issue on my mind a lot; here are some points that describe the situation as I see it.

WHY EVERYONE SINS

People sin because of evil influence that appeals to pervertible drives (all of which can be appropriately fulfilled) and each person’s viewpoint of consciousness (pervertible into self-centeredness).

Virgil Warren     christir.org