The History of Calvary Baptist Church
The Calvary Baptist Church of Pilot Point, Texas was organized on October 15th, 1907 with approximately 55 members. Rev. J.L. Truett (the brother of the famous pastor George W. Truett) was the first pastor and founder of the church. Services were held in the Masonic Hall until a meeting house could be built. The original chapel was located on the present site and was completed in 1910. A large number of people were converted and baptized into the church. There was much singing, praising and shouts of "amen" during the first worship services.
During Rev. J.L. Truett's tenure as pastor, famous pastors preached at Calvary : Dr. Rev. George W. Truett, Dr. Rev. B. H. Carroll and Dr. Rev. R.C. Buckner (to read the biographies of these famous, great ministers of the Lord, go to the website : http://www.calvarypilotpoint.com/AboutUs/SBCBiographies.dsp.). Rev. J.L. Truett served as pastor of Calvary until 1915 when he resigned due to ill health. The historical, beautifully sculptured wooden pulpit these famous pastors preached from is still used by the present pastor of Calvary, Dr. Rev. Philip M. Riegel, during the 8:15 am traditional worship service at Calvary every Sunday morning.
Each year the church continued to grow as members faithfully won people in Pilot Point to Jesus Christ. In 1935, the church grew to 217 members, with 58 additions that year alone. Part of this growth resulted from Lights Chapel Baptist Church consolidating with Calvary Baptist Church. In 1937 the Lights Chapel Sunday School building was moved to the Calvary Baptist Church property for additional Bible study space. In 1948 a new educational building was completed. On a Sunday afternoon in October 1959 the chapel caught fire and burned. Services were held in the educational building until the new chapel was completed in 1961. The stained glass windows of the original chapel were saved, repaired and installed in the new chapel.
In October of 1982, the church observed its 75th anniversary with a grand celebration. Under the leadership of Calvary's pastor Rev. Luther Slay, the church experienced much growth and a need for additional classroom space. In July of 1983 a building committee was elected to begin plans for a new educational building. The new building was completed in March of 1985. On March 25th, 1990 a note burning service was held to burn the note on the new building. In 1996 the church auditorium was completely renovated by church members. On October 21, 2007 Calvary celebrated its 100 year anniversary with 211 present.
The Lord has richly blessed Calvary as we have continued to be faithful to share the gospel and the love of Jesus in the community of Pilot Point. Calvary continues to be known and respected as a conservative, Southern Baptist Convention church that loves the Lord Jesus Christ, His Word the Bible and the community of Pilot Point and beyond.
The History of the Baptist Church as a Denomination
Baptists believe that "the true church" of God, consisting of born again children of God, has existed since Adam and Eve repented and trusted in God to forgive their sins. In every generation on earth there has been a "true church," a "remnant" of born again children of God who loved the Lord and served Him, loved, believed and taught God's scriptures and trusted in God's Messiah to pay the penalty for their sins and forgive them forever.
The "true church" of the Old Testament was called various names: the People of God, the Jews, the Chosen Ones and the Children of Abraham. The "true church" of the Old Testament believed in the grace of God, that God would one day come in the flesh of man as the Messiah and pay the penalty for man's sins by becoming a living sacrifice for their sins. Their animal sacrifices to God were symbolic of their faith in the future Messiah coming as their ultimate sacrifice (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 53:5). Therefore, the Old Testament People of God were born again Messianic Jews who looked forward to the coming Messiah who would pay the penalty for their sins in full (Luke 2:21-38; John 5:46; John 8:56; Galatians 3:6-22; 1 Peter 1:10-12).
After Jesus ascended into heaven, many new, splinter churches formed that did not teach the true gospel of grace but taught salvation by works and called themselves "Christian" churches. The "true church" (consisting of truely born again Christians who believed in the true gospel of grace) met in small groups in homes and influenced as many persons as possible to trust in the death of Jesus on the cross alone for their forgiveness, to surrender to Jesus as Lord God and be baptized by immersion as a witness that they had been born again.
The splinter churches grew larger as local governments supported their cause and citizens were often legally forced to join and attend the large splinter church. Many who protested the false teachings of the splinter churches were killed by the leadership of the splinter church (Christian Martyr John Huss was burned to death at the stake by the Roman Catholic Church leaders in Constance, Italy on July 6, 1415 for refusal to deny his Biblical beliefs which opposed the wrong beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church). Other faithful true Christians were killed by the local government officials for sharing the true, correct translation of the Bible (Christian Martyr William Tyndale was strangled then burned to death at the stake in 1536 in Filford, England by the King of England, who supported the Church of England, for writing and distributing his translation of the Bible in the English language for all people to read). The "true church" remained small in number from about 300 AD until about 1700 AD (for fear of persecution) while splinter churches grew larger each generation.
By the seventeenth century, the Bible became more available in the English language and many persons within the splinter churches began reading the Bible and realized that the splinter church had many false, unbiblical teachings. Many of these persons left their splinter church to form new churches that supported and followed all of the truths of the Bible. These believers were given the name "protestants" because they protested against the false teachings of the splinter churches.
Believers who left the Church of England (a splinter church) were called "separatists" and "dissenters" because they chose to separate from the Church of England. It was from these protestant, separatist groups that the very first Baptists emerged.
In 1638, the first Baptist churches were formed in London, England by separatist pastors William Kiffin, John Spilsbury and Henry Jessey. The church leaders originally named their churches "The Churches of Christ in London, Baptized." These pastors were convinced that the Bible teaches that baptism should be for professed believers only and by emersion, symbolizing the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Other teachings they promoted (protesting against the false, unbiblical teachings of the Church of England and other splinter churches) included salvation by grace through faith (opposing salvation by works), eternal forgiveness (opposing temporal forgiveness), personal conversion (opposing infant salvation through sprinkling by the church), religious liberty for all (opposing forced religious conformity by the church) and regenerate church membership (stating that only born again believers who believed the Bible fully and had been baptized by immersion since conversion could join the church, opposing infant baptism and infant church membership).
These believers were severely persecuted by the Church of England, the government of England and others. The government of England created a law that "forbade any religious meetings of dissenters." Dissenters, anyone meeting for Bible study as a group outside the Church of England, were fined and sent to prison. One pastor, John Bunyan, who wrote Pilgrim's Progress, spent twelve years in prison for refusing to stop preaching salvation by grace through faith. Many separatist dissenters were dragged to rivers, forced underwater and drowned by angry persecuters who yelled, "I will baptize you underwater, you Baptist! Here, now you are buried by baptism unto death! Let your God now raise you to life if you are correct!" Many who persecuted the church named them "Baptists" as a term of slander and ridicule because the new, separatist church insisted on following Jesus in Biblical believer's baptism, although this was only one of the many Biblical teachings they promoted. Since many came to know the new protestant church as "Baptists," the church later accepted this title that was given to them. The Baptist church became known as the church who believed and practiced the Bible rather than the unbiblical teachings of the splinter churches.
Persecution became more severe in England, thus many members of the Baptist church escaped to America, hoping to find freedom to teach the Bible without persecution. The very first Baptist church in America was formed in 1639 in Providence, Rhode Island by Pasor Roger Williams (a former priest of the Church of England). Williams remained the Baptist church pastor and also became a community leader who was instrumental in establishing the very first provisional government in America that included democracy, religious freedom and separation of church and state. As more persons from England settled in America, more Baptist churches were formed in each populated area.
Baptists have always been known for their strict adherence to the Bible, their conservative beliefs and their evangelistic obedience to lovingly reach unbelievers with the good news of Jesus. Baptists have always acknowledged that other Christian denomination churches have born again members who are our brothers and sisters in Christ and who will be our family forever in heaven. For information on the main beliefs of Baptists in history and Baptists of the present, see the heading below "Theology and Practice of the SBC" and "The Mission and Beliefs of Calvary Baptist Church."
The History of the Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention was formed by many Baptist churches in the southern United States due to their discontent regarding slavery which eventually led to their withdrawal from the national Baptist organizations. Meeting at the First Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia in May 1845, they formed a new convention and named it the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).
The consequences of the decision to separate from other Baptists in defense of the institution of slavery have been long lived. A survey by SBC's Home Mission Board in 1968 showed that only eleven percent of Southern Baptist churches would admit Americans of African descent. During the SBC meeting of 1995, the churches voted for the SBC to adopt a resolution renouncing its racist roots and apologized for its past defense of slavery.
The SBC Today
Today there are many diverse and even self-consciously ethnic churches within the convention. For many years, most SBC churches have welcomed all persons of any race, socio-economic background, faith tradition and/or sinful tradition to be guests of the church; most SBC churches have welcomed all persons of any race and socio-economic background to become members who have become born again Christians.
Most SBC churches follow the Biblical teachings concerning church membership and insist that only born again persons may join the church. Most SBC churches state that a person who is a born again Christian believes that salvation is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer; there is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord (surrender to Jesus Christ as God, Master and Savior).
Most SBC churches state that a person must have experienced regeneration, repentance, justification, sanctification and Christian baptism in order to become a church member :
Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.
Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour.
Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.
Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life.
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son Christ Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his or her faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's Supper.
Most SBC churches accept a person as a church member (by their own statement) who comes from a Christian church, who has experienced salvation, regeneration, repentance, justification and Christian baptism and who believes the above Baptist Biblical truths.
Additional beliefs and ministries of the SBC can be seen at www.sbc.net.
SBC Influence
President George W. Bush meets with the leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention in the Oval Office at the White House. Pictured with the President are Dr. Morris Chapman, left, Dr. Frank Page and his wife Dayle Page.
Today, the SBC has grown from its regional, sectionalist roots to a major force in American and international Christianity. There are Southern Baptist congregations in every nation and in every state and territory in the United States, though the greatest numbers remain in the southern United States, its traditional stronghold.
Statistics
In the year 2005, the Southern Baptist Convention had more than 16.3 million members in 44,000 churches throughout the US. It has 1,200 local associations, 41 state conventions and fellowships covering all 50 states and territories of the United States. Through their "Cooperative Program," Southern Baptists support thousands of missionaries in the United States and worldwide.
There are more Southern Baptist congregations in America than of any other religious group. The convention has grown throughout its history:
| Year | Membership |
|---|
| 1845 | 350,000 |
| 1860 | 650,000 |
| 1875 | 1,260,000 |
| 1890 | 1,240,000 |
| 1905 | 1,900,000 |
| 1920 | 3,150,000 |
| 1935 | 4,480,000 |
| 1950 | 7,080,000 |
| 1965 | 10,780,000 |
| 1980 | 13,700,000 |
| 1995 | 15,400,000 |
| 2000 | 15,900,000 |
| 2005 | 16,600,000 |
Source: Historical Statistics of the U.S. (1976) series H805 (with 2005 estimate from Convention figures).
The Theology and Practice of the SBC
The general theological perspective of the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention is represented in the Baptist Faith and Message (BF&M). The BF&M was first drafted in 1925, and then revised significantly in 1963 and again in 2000. Faculty in SBC-owned seminaries and missionaries who apply to serve through the various SBC missionary agencies must "affirm" that their practices, doctrine, and preaching are consistent with the BF&M. Most Southern Baptist churches use the BF&M as their statement of faith. To see the complete BF&M go to www.sbc.net and click on Baptist Faith and Message.
Position Statements
The official Web site of the Southern Baptist Convention lists ten "Position Statements" on various contemporary issues.
- Priesthood of all believers—Laypersons have the same right as ordained ministers to communicate with God, interpret Scripture, and minister in Christ's name
- Soul competency—the accountability of each person before God
- Creeds and confessions—Statements of belief are revisable in light of Scripture. The Bible is the final word.
- Women in ministry—Women are an integral part of Southern Baptist boards, faculties, mission teams, writer pools, and professional staffs. Pastoral leadership is assigned to men.
- Church and state—a free church in a free state. Neither one should control the affairs of the other.
- Missions—We honor the indigenous principle in missions. We cannot, however, compromise doctrine or give up who we are to win the favor of those we try to reach or those with whom we desire to work.
- Autonomy of local church—We affirm the autonomy of the local church.
- Cooperation—The Cooperative Program of missions is integral to the Southern Baptist genius.
- Sexuality—We affirm God's plan for marriage and sexual intimacy—one man, and one woman, for life. Homosexuality is not a "valid alternative lifestyle."
- Sanctity of life—At the moment of conception, a new being enters the universe, a human being, a being created in God's image.
The Mission & Beliefs of Calvary Baptist Church
Our mission statement at Calvary Baptist Church is: to love and glorify our Lord Jesus Christ through Biblical worship, evangelism and ministry to our community and surrounding area.
Our church supports mission causes around our nation and world through our gifts to the Southern Baptist Convention. Our church members individually, and in groups, use their spiritual gifts to participate in specific, hands on mission projects around our nation each year.
Our Beliefs
Calvary Baptist Church is a cooperating Southern Baptist Convention church. We believe the truths expressed in the Baptist Faith and Message. We specifically emphasize the following cherished beliefs:
The Bible is fully the Word of God, without error and is the sole authority for life. Our church seeks to be led by the Bible and our Lord Jesus Christ in all we say and do. God will never contradict His Holy Word the Bible.
There is one God: God has revealed Himself to man as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; who subsist in unity, and also as three distinct personalities or manifestations. The same God of the Old Testament who revealed Himself as Yahweh, Jehovah, the Great I Am is the same God of the New Testament who revealed Himself as Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
God the Son. Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, one with God the Father and God the Spirit. He is equal with God the Father and God the Spirit in authority and glory. He was born of a virgin as both God and man, lived a sinless life, died to atone for the sins of human beings, was buried, arose from the grave, ascended into heaven and will literally return to earth. One must know Jesus in a personal relationship as Savior, God and friend to be saved and enter heaven. Jesus Christ is the only Savior and is the only way to heaven.
God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the eternal presence of God, fully divine. He is one with God the Father and God the Son. He is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son in authority and glory. He inspired men to write the Scriptures. He is the divine helper, assistant, counselor and instructor and His work is to reveal Christ, convict of sin, lead to repentance, guide believers, comfort, strengthen, and sanctify the soul. He calls persons to come to Jesus for salvation. His presence comes into the heart of every believer at the second of salvation and remains with every believer as the presence of God forever. He provides sanctification by helping the believer grow in Christ-likeness. He lives through the believer to empower the believer to use spiritual gifts for ministry to persons. He inspires, leads and directs the believer to think and act in the ways and will of God. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism and service. He is the Spirit and Person of God the Son Jesus Christ and God the Father.
God the Father. The Father is the eternal God, one with God the Son and God the Spirit. The Father is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son. The Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become the children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.
Human beings are the special creations of God, made in His image. They fell through the sin of the first man, Adam, and all human beings are sinners in need of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Salvation is a free gift through repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ. Every person who truly is saved is eternally secure in the Lord Jesus Christ and will spend eternity in heaven, while those who reject Jesus Christ will die in their sins and will spend eternity in hell, separated from God and all things that are good. There is no work, deed nor action a person can do to help save themselves. The one work, deed and action of Jesus Christ dying on the cross accomplishes salvation and forgiveness of sins.
Calvary Baptist Church believes the following about what a person must believe in order to receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life :
Jesus loves you so much that He came to earth to pay the penalty for your sins at the cross so you could live in heaven with Him forever. In order to receive God’s free gift of eternal life, you must…
1. Believe that Jesus paid the penalty for all of your past, present and future sins by His
death on the cross. John 3:16; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 4:10; Ephesians 2:8-9.
2. Believe that Jesus is alive as God in heaven. Romans 10:9; John 8:24,58; John 5:18.
3. Believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven. John 14:6; Acts 4:12.
4. Believe that Jesus will become your God when you surrender to Him. Mark 1:15.
5. Believe that Jesus will forgive you forever when you ask Him to. Romans 10:13.
Baptism is by immersion after salvation and is done in obedience to Jesus Christ's command. The Lord commanded that a person should be baptized soon after the person chooses to receive Him as Savior and Lord God (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:37-41; 8:38-39;10:44-48). According to New Testament teachings, baptism has never been a prerequisite for salvation but shows evidence that a person has chosen to receive and surrender to Jesus as Savior and God (Acts 10:44-48). The New Testament Greek work "baptizeis" (translated "baptize" in English) literally means "to immerse." Therefore, we believe that the only true, Biblical baptism is by immersion, a person completely immersed under water by an ordained minister of a Bible believing Christian church that teaches salvation by grace, unconditional, eternal forgiveness, Jesus as God and the only way of salvation. The New Testament explains that baptism is a symbolic witness of the three Christian beliefs of the new Christian: (1) all sins have been washed away and the person is eternally clean, forgiven forever by God; (2) the old person, who selfishly lived in unrepentant sin and continually obeyed the devil, is now dead, buried and the new person, who has received the Spirit of Jesus, has been resurrected and lives as a servant of God, only to please the Lord Jesus by His power (Romans 6:4); (3) the new person in Christ believes in the death, burial, resurrection and deity of Jesus Christ. Baptism is an outward act symbolizing an inward experience of the person who surrenders to be baptized. Only baptism by immersion can symbolize all that the Lord intended this witness to symbolize.
Christian works and obedience to the commands of God is possible only through regeneration and the power of the Holy Spirit living through a believer. Works have never been a prerequisite for salvation but shows evidence that a person has been saved.
Prayer. Every believer has direct access to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Every believer is commanded to pray daily and pray often about all things (1 Thessalonians 5:17; James 4:2). Jesus stated that the most important commandment is the Shema: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:34-40). Every believer should remain so close to Jesus through relational prayer (speaking to Jesus as Friend) that Jesus remains as closest companion and best friend all day and every day (Exodus 33:11;John 14:14-15).
The church is a local body of baptized believers with the Lord Jesus Christ as the Head.
Our Church Covenant
Having been led, as we believe by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and, on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.
We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations.
We also engage to maintain family and secret devotions; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the sale of, and use of, intoxicating drinks as a beverage; to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Savior.
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and Christian courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offence, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Savior to secure it without delay.
We moreover engage that when we remove from this place we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Word.
How an SBC church is different from an Independent Baptist church
SBC churches and Independent Baptist Churches usually believe the Bible in the same ways and teach the same doctrines. The differences between the two organizations are in the way they support their missionaries.
An SBC church gives a portion of its tithes and offerings to the SBC for missions (home missions in our nation and international missions activities around the world). The SBC has an administrative staff that interviews potential missionaries, appoints and supports missionaries and their families. Our gifts to the SBC help fund these SBC administrators, SBC missionaries, missionary families and their ministries.
In contrast, an Independent Baptist church usually gives none of their tithes and offerings to the SBC missions organizations but usually gives a portion of their tithes and offerings to their own selected missionaries (often church members from their individual church who are appointed by the church as part time missionaries or full time missionaries).
An SBC church believes the same conservative teachings as other SBC churches (as written in the Baptist Faith and Message document of beliefs). An independent Baptist church has their own set of beliefs that they independently adhere to which may or may not be similar to other Independent Baptist Churches..
SBC churches usually have the same Biblical administrative leadership model (leaders include Pastor, Deacons and Church Council), the leadership recommends items at a Church Ministry Conference (Business Meeting) to the church members and the church members democratically vote to approve or disapprove recommendations. An independent Baptist church may or may not use this Biblical administrative leadership model.
The Truth About Eternal Forgiveness
It is the teaching of our church and the teaching of our Southern Baptist Convention churches all over the world that the forgiveness that Jesus gives is eternal forgiveness.
1. The Lord, through His Word the Bible, offers all persons His gift of faith in eternal forgiveness. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty in full for our forgiveness. If a person will ask Jesus to forgive them for all of their past, present and future sins and surrender to Jesus as Lord, the person then receives God's gift of eternal forgiveness and eternal life. Our church believes that a person cannot receive forgiveness from God at all unless that person will believe that God will forgive them forever only because of the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross alone. The Lord promises that once we are born again, we have received God's gift of eternal forgiveness and nothing can take away our forgiveness. It is eternal forgiveness and we are given eternal life: it begins and never ends. Our forgiveness does not depend on how we are able to hold on to God but how He is able to hold on to us with His almighty, powerful, Loving and faithful hand!!!
The great evidence: John 3:16; John 6:37; John 10:28; Romans 8:33-39;
Ephesians 1:13-14; Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; 2 Timothy 1:12;
Hebrews 5:9; Hebrews 9:12; Hebrews 13:5.
2. The many false churches that teach that one can sin too much and lose forgiveness do not understand and/or believe the above scripture passages. These false churches mistranslate the Bible and are used by the evil one to lead many to believe a works salvation (opposing the true Biblical grace salvation as clearly seen in Ephesians 2:8-9), thus causing many to miss knowing Jesus and miss going to heaven. If there was a chance God would take away our forgiveness, He would be fair and warn us about what sin or sins would forfeit forgiveness or how many sins would be grounds for taking away forgiveness. God does not take away forgiveness, therefore He gives no such warnings.
3. The scripture passages that persons use to try to prove that a person can lose forgiveness actually refer to persons who have never received forgiveness, thus they were never truly born again. Many unbelievers tasted the goodness of God and His His blessings but finally fell away forever, never became born again, chose to reject Jesus and eternal forgiveness forever (Hebrews 6:4-6). Our Lord Jesus used the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) to show us that a true son is always a son, but that even a true son of God can be a prodigal for a time period. The prodigal son, while involved in sin, looked like a lost person but was still a son of the Father. This is why only God can judge. The thief on the cross is excellent evidence that a person can be forgiven forever without ever doing one good work (Luke 23:42-43). If the thief had lived, he would have shown fruit, good works of God that he was born again. We do good works to let Jesus live through us, to show Jesus we love Him, to love others, to receive reward in heaven, but not so we can go to heaven.
4. Some persons have asked, "If we are forgiven forever, why do we need to ask God to forgive us every time we sin?" Mark 6:12. We ask Jesus to forgive our sin each day: (a) not so we can go to heaven; (b) but to renew our close relationship with Him; (c) to confess to Jesus that we acknowledge we have sinned against Him; (d) to repent, turn away from that sin; (e) to ask the Lord to help us overcome the sin; (f) to be filled with the Spirit again since sin grieves the Spirit and quenches the Spirit of God.
Please remember the parable of the prodigal son. He did not ask the Father to forgive him so he could be his son again (the son never lost his position as his Father's son), but he asked the Father to forgive him to restore his close relationship with the Father (relational forgiveness not positional forgiveness) and let the Father know that he confessed his actions had been wrong and he repented of his sin. Our Lord Jesus gave this parable about a physical family to illustrate a spiritual truth: Once a person becomes a child of God, the person will remain a child of God by God's power. One who lives a life of continual, habitual sin with no conviction about sin and no repentance proves they have never chosen to become a child of God and has never been born again (1 John 3:8-9). Then again, only God can know the difference between a child of God and a child of the devil when the child of God is being a prodigal child. We cannot judge (Matthew 7:1).
The Lord's forgiveness is like His Love: unconditional. THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST: GOD'S LOVE AND HIS FORGIVENESS NEVER ENDS AND NEVER CHANGES!!! Pass on this good news so others can receive the joy and peace that comes from receiving the gift of eternal forgiveness and knowing Jesus as Savior, God and Friend!!!
WARNING: A person who is open to truth and open to the Holy Spirit will accept the above truths. On the other hand, a person who is not open to truth and not open to the Holy Spirit will not accept the above truths because their eyes are blind, their ears are deaf and they cannot comprehend nor understand the above truths (John 8:43; Matthew 13:14-15). It is good to present these truths to persons, but when persons reject the truths of God, we must respect their right to choose what they want to believe, never pressure them nor enter into lengthy arguments but pray for them.
For more information about our beliefs or practices, please visit the Southern Baptist Convention website, where you may click on and view the "Baptist Faith and Message." 
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