Volume 9 / Issue 6 | June 2022
The Apologetics Newsletter
of the Missouri Baptist Convention
In this issue:
What is The Baptist Faith & Message? ... Jacob meets the angel of the Lord ... Walking in the garden ... and more!
What Is The Baptist Faith & Message?
Simply put, The Baptist Faith & Message is a statement of beliefs that Southern Baptists hold in common. These beliefs are expressed in 18 articles of faith, ranging from The Scriptures (Article I) to The Family (Article XVIII). The BF&M features valuable summaries of biblical doctrines. With this post, we begin an exploration of this historic confession.


Jacob meets the angel of the Lord
The patriarch Jacob experiences three encounters with the angel of the Lord. The first comes in a dream in which Jacob sees a ladder extending from earth to heaven. The second also is experienced as a dream in which the angel identifies himself as "the God of Bethel." The third is the curious wrestling match between Jacob and the angel by the Jabbok stream.
Article I of The Baptist Faith & Message:
The Scriptures
We know the Bible as the word of God. That means God is the source of Scripture, revealing truths we are incapable of knowing without divine help. The Bible is special revelation in that it is a record of God's work before time, in time, and beyond time, with a particular emphasis on sin, redemption, and restoration.

Walking in the garden
There is an interesting encounter between God and his just-fallen human creatures beginning in Genesis 3:8. Adam and Eve hear the sound of the Lord walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze. This is the earliest theophany in Scripture after the Fall, and it indicates a physical manifestation of God.
Article II of The Baptist Faith & Message: God
The Bible consistently declares there is one living and true God, the self-revealed creator who alone must be loved and worshiped. All other gods are false. The physical depictions of these gods, as carved images or naturally occurring phenomena such as stars and trees, in fact represent demons.
Watch the trailer:
What Every Christian Should Know About Satan
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