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Statement of the Problem (Endnotes)

1. The �Church Epistles� are Paul�s letters to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. They contain the majority of the �all truth� of which Jesus spoke prophetically in John 16:13, that is, all the truth that we as Christians today need to know in order to live as God wants us to live. Properly understanding what are referred to in the Bible as �administrations,� that is, distinguishing between the different ways that God dealt with people through the ages, is the key to understanding baptism. Scripture tells us that throughout the history of mankind, there have been only three groups of people (�Jews, Gentiles, or the Church of God� [i.e., Christians] � 1 Cor. 10:32 � KJV). If we do not understand which parts of Scripture are written specifically for which of these groups, the Bible will contradict itself. For an overview of this critical subject, we refer you to our booklet, Defending Dispensationalism and our audiotape, The Purpose of the Ages (May/Jun 97). Close

2. Biblically, a �Christian� is one who has confessed Jesus Christ as his Lord and believed that God raised him from the dead, as per Romans 10:9. The person is then saved by being �born again of incorruptible seed� (1 Pet. 1:23�KJV) and is part of the Church of the Body of Christ that began on the Day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2. See our booklet, Becoming a Christian. Close