No Crisis Experience #2

1 Corinthians 1-6 Manifesto of Trinity Baptist Church

In "No Crisis Experience #2," Pastor Albert N. Martin continues his exposition of Trinity Baptist Church's ninth affirmation, arguing against the notion of a post-conversion crisis experience as essential for Christian living. Drawing primarily from 1 Corinthians, 1 John, and Revelation 2-3, Martin demonstrates that the New Testament never commands or promises such an experience as a solution to spiritual problems. Instead, he shows how the apostles and Christ himself addressed issues like divisiveness, sexual impurity, and waning love by calling believers back to truths already embraced and to active obedience, rather than to a 'quick fix' experience.

3 illustrations in this sermon

Introduction: The Spiritual Immune System and the Ninth Affirmation

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Physical Immune System

The point: Be grateful for immunization by truth against viruses of error, as you will likely encounter them.

The analogy of a healthy physical immune system fighting off viruses is used to introduce the concept of a spiritual immune system, where truth immunizes the soul against error.

Those who understand something of how God has fearfully and wonderfully made these physical bodies of ours are aware that no little part of a pattern of good physical health is both the possession and the activity of a normal, healthy immune system. God has made our bodies in such a way that when foreign and negative influences would seek to set up shop in the body, to invade it in the form of a virus or some other invader that would not be to our physical well-being,

2:14 - 2:57 Read in full sermon

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Immunization Shots

The point: Be grateful for immunization by truth against viruses of error, as you will likely encounter them.

The sermon series is likened to 'frequent trips to the doctor's office for immunization shots,' preparing listeners for future encounters with error.

frequent trips to the doctor's office for immunization shots. I've had not a few of you say to me as we have dealt with some of the matters we are dealing with, well I never encountered that kind of teaching that you exposed today and I have responded by saying thank God some of us were almost destroyed by it, but sooner or later it is most likely that you will. And hopefully, it will be at that time that you will come to some measure of an appreciation of having been immunized by the truth from that particular virus of error

4:45 - 5:28 Read in full sermon

Paul's Solution to Fornication in Corinth (1 Corinthians 6)

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Elixir Salesman

The point: Do not buy into the promises of slick salesmen of crisis experiences; instead, assess your true worth in Christ and your union with Him.

The proponents of crisis experiences are compared to 'slick salesmen' in the old west selling a 'quick fix' elixir that claims to cure all ailments, highlighting the deceptive nature of such promises.

In the full array of the thorny problems faced by the apostolic writers, not a hand basis experience is the answer to any, let alone to all of those fundamentals. No quick fix, no one medicine to cure all spiritual diseases, like the elixir sold and the traveling salesman in the old west, do everything from cure of gout and infertility to whatever. And people were fooled.

45:42 - 46:18 Read in full sermon

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