Theology of the Church, Mentor's Guide, MG03

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T H E O L O G Y O F T H E C H U R C H

3. What is the difference between Christian traditions that describe baptism and the Lord’s Supper as sacraments and those that think of them as ordinances ? 4. What are the main biblical arguments for and against seeing baptism as a “means of grace”? 6. Why is baptismal regeneration (the belief that being baptized causes salvation) an unscriptural doctrine? How is this different from a sacramental view of baptism? 7. Why did the Protestant reformers disagree with the Catholic doctrine of ex opere operato ? 5. What are the four major views about the Lord’s Supper?

8. What role does faith play in our experience of the sacraments/ordinances?

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The Church at Worship

Segment 2: The Vocation of the Church

Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

The vocation of the Church proper is to worship Almighty God. We glorify God in our worship because of his perfect character–his solitary holiness, his infinite beauty, his incomparable glory and his matchless works. The Church worships the true God, the Triune God through Jesus Christ. We worship Yahweh God alone, through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. In addition, the Church worships God through its praise and thanksgiving, through liturgy, which emphasizes the Word and the sacraments, and through our obedience and lifestyle as a covenant community. Our objective for this segment, The Vocation of the Church, is to enable you to see that:

Summary of Segment 2

• We worship to glorify God because of his solitary holiness, his infinite beauty, his incomparable glory and his matchless works.