Welcome to Bible Baptist Church
We welcome you to the Bible Baptist Church.
Our mission is to magnify Jesus Christ our Lord in our worship, work, witness and walk, beginning in Columbia County and extending to the world. To accomplish this mission, we desire to do what Christ would do if He were here physically. That is, to show compassion on the social and physical needs of the people but primarily to be used as vessels in seeking the lost with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
From The Pastor's Study
June 2019
The Apostle John wrote his first epistle to the church at Ephesus. The main purpose he wrote this epistle was to give them assurances of their salvation in Jesus Christ.
1 John 5:13KJV
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
The word “know” in 1 John 5:13 means knowledge gained by observance or perception. John did not want them to have an emotional knowledge of their salvation. Our emotions are fluid and constantly adjustable to a variety of external events. There are circumstances when my emotions tell me that I am not saved. These times are usually associated with having a bad day or being depressed. John wanted their confidence in salvation to be more concrete than their emotions by giving them an overall view of someone who has been converted. Assurances of salvation are not decided by one moment in time (praise the Lord) but an overall change that occurs over a period of time.
There were two ways John could assure his audience of salvation: he could go back in time to the day they confessed their love and loyalty to Jesus Christ; or, he could demonstrate the validity of their confession by showing proof of their love and loyalty since their confession. Many Christians choose the first avenue to assure someone of their salvation but John chose the second avenue. A changed life is the best evidence of someone being authentically saved.