The final promise of the seven promises of the Promise Keeper movement says, "A Promise Keeper is committed to influencing his world, being obedient to the Great Commandment (see (Mark 12:30-31) and the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:19-20)."
Promise seven sounds so biblical, so true, so sound doctrinish! Jesus and Inspiration taught that every Christian, not just the male edition, was to be "light unto the world" (Matthew 5:13-16); Philippians 2:15; I Peter 2:9; etc.). First part of promise seven sounds just like the Bible, doesn't it? This is part of their subterfuge in order to make believable and acceptable false teaching found in the rest of this seventh "promise."
In Mrk 12:30,31 and Matthew 22:37-40 we find the Lord's words as He defines the "first and great commandment." The second portion of promise seven says a Promise Keeper is "obedient to the Great Commandment". That's what the Bible teaches. (NOTE: Conspicuously absent is any reference to what the Bible says is second "like unto it" - Matthew 22:39 and Mark 12:31).
Thirs of the commitments of promise seven is that "a Promise Keeper is ... obedient to ... the Great Commission (See Matthew 28:19-20)." But, hopefully you noticed, it is only the Matthew version of the Great Commission, NOT the Mark rendering of it! Could it be that while the Matthew account of the "Great Commission" does mention baptism, the Mark statement (Mark 16:15-16) associates baptism with one's salvation? Page 10 of the book, "SEVEN PROMISES OF A PROMISE KEEPER", (one of the books mentioned in an earlier article) details the "formula" for becoming a Christian. Their "formula" makes no referrence to baptism.
Their formula is a five step procedure. Step 1 - Admission (own up to the fact that you are a sinner). Step 2 - Repentance (a turning away from one's sins and beginning to live for God, with His help). Step 3 - Believe (in the sacrificial death of Christ and Hsis resurrection from the dead). Step 4 - Receive Jesus into one'w heart (achieved through prayer). At this point in the five step procedure, the elements of the "sinner's prayer" are enunciated and one is told if he prays the "sinner's praeyr" Jesus will come "into your heart and life". Step 5 - Tell - The first four being completed, one must tell a friend who believes and a pastor about the commitment.
QUESTION: Where is this formula to be found in the New Testament? ANSWER: Iat is not. It cannot be found in the New Testament for it is not there. QUESTION: How possible is it for one to sense the need for repentance to take place in his life before he believes? ANSWER: It is not possible? QUESTION: Romans 10:9,10 sayd, "confession is made unto salvation" - why does not the Promise Keepers' formula teach that? ANSWER: Because they obviously do not believe what the New Testament says about it. QUESTION: Can Jesus be received into one's heart and life by praying the sinner's prayer? ANSWER: No. That is foreign to the New Testament teaching on the subject of salvation and the "sinner's prayer" is a concoction of human imagination. QUESTION: In light of Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-6; Galatians 3:27; ;I Peter 3:1;8-22; etc.; why do the Promise Keepers not teach the essentiality of baptism for salvation? ANSWER: Either they do not believe the entire New Testament teaching on the subject, or they assume the right to pick and choose what they want to believe, discarding all the rest as fantasy, or unbelievable or not essential. You will note in step 5 they bring into play once again their erroneous idea abuot the preacher being a "pastor".
Hopefully, these six rather brief articles have given you some insight into this movement and their doctrines and have helped yo see why New Testament Christians cannot be a part of their movement.
--Charlie T. Garner |