Introduction

After reading Maxey's second affirmative I must ask, where is Maxey's affirmative? He signed on to this debate to affirm his teaching. Maxey is running out of time to make his case. In his second so-called affirmative, Maxey used 12 pages to continue to offer a rebuttal to my arguments. One would expect Maxey to explode with his evidence that there are a few things we must do to be saved and to enjoy fellowship. It is obvious to many that Maxey does not have a Biblical foundation upon which to support his teaching. Maxey says that are a few things men must do to be saved and be in fellowship with Christ, and then he says that salvation is a free gift and men do not have to do anything to receive it. It is amazing that Maxey is actually allowed to preach this kind of mixed up mess from the pulpit where he preaches. Additionally, Maxey has yet to do what he mockingly challenges patternists to do. Where is Maxey's short list? Before this debate is finished I pray that Maxey will complete a numbered list of essentials which are required for salvation and fellowship with God and the redeemed. Because Maxey affirms that there are just a few things that man must do to be saved, it should be an easy task for Maxey to compile a numbered list of essentials. Maxey give us your short list, please!

I want to thank Maxey for making it known to the readers of this debate that in my first negative I referenced John 5:28-29 when I actually meant John 5:39-40.

Maxey's Questions Answered

1. "The new Covenant writings contain specific requirements and expectations of our God that are essential for both fellowship and salvation. True or False?" True

2. "The salvation essentials of our God are few in number (for the purposes of this statement, "few" = 25 or less). True or False?" See my first affirmative, "What Does The Pattern Detail?"

3. "The salvation and fellowship essentials of our God can be known and provided unto others in their entirety. True or False?" See my first affirmative, "What Does The Pattern Detail?"

4. "The fellowship essentials of our God are few in number (for the purposes of this statement, "few" = 25 or less). True or False?" See my first affirmative, "What Does The Pattern Detail?"

5. "I, Darrell Broking, am willing to provide a list of each and every one of these essentials to any person who requests them. True or False?" See my first affirmative, "What Does The Pattern Detail?"

6. "Jason Carlson has Celiac Sprue Disease, thus his body is unable to process the gluten protein in wheat, barley and other such grains. Therefore, he can't eat the same bread in the Lord's Supper as his fellow disciples. Instead, he brings from home his own rice wafers for consumption during the Communion. Jason is sinning by eating a different type of bread than Jesus and the early disciples used. True or False?" If Jason is eating bread other than the bread authorized by Christ, then the answer is true. If Jason cannot eat a small bite of unleavened bread, then he is not required to eat the bread anymore than a man without vocal cords is required to sing in worship.

Questions for Maxey

1. Jesus + _______ is demonic doctrine. True or False?

2. Maxey's short list of essentials must be obeyed in order for men to be saved and have fellowship in Christ. True or False?

3. Jesus + obeying Maxey's short list of essentials that Maxey will compile in this debate is essential to salvation and fellowship. True or False?

4. Jesus + obeying Maxey's short list of essentials is demonic doctrine. True or False?

5. Jesus saves without man having to obey anything compiled in Maxey's short list of essentials. True or False?

6. Al Maxey can and will provide the readers of this debate with a numbered short list of New Testament essentials required for fellowship and salvation. True or False?

Maxey's 2nd Affirmative Examined

What is there to examine? Maxey offered a rebuttal to the answers I provided to his questions and then he offered a rebuttal to my rebuttal. At the end of my first negative I extended the following challenge to Maxey:

• Al, if the short list of three essentials noted above is not representative of the specific requirements of Scripture essential for salvation and fellowship, then you are hereby called on to provide a detailed, exhaustive list of exactly what brethren must agree upon in order to have true Christian unity? Must Christians agree about love, faith, and repentance to be saved and have fellowship with Christ? Al, is it the case that faith/belief in God and Jesus, and demonstrated love, are essential to our very salvation? If the answer to this question is yes, then is faith/belief in God and Jesus and demonstrated love human effort that is necessary to the salvific process?

Maxey failed to step up to the plate and do what he signed on to do in this debate. Maybe he will try a little harder in his third affirmative; we do pray that he will.

Maxey did go on and try to expand on his list, but not with the kind of clarity that he needs to provide to make his case. In addition to his short list of three items, Maxey talked about keeping the Lord's commands. That is a profound! Maxey, please give the readers of this debate a specific, numbered list of those commands. What are they exactly? You chide patternists for not giving you a specific list of regulations. You claim to know of a specific list, however small it may be, so give us that list! Additionally, Maxey referred to baptism. The problem with putting baptism on Maxey's short list is that in this debate, and in his debate with Michael Hughes, Maxey denied that baptism is essential to salvation. This kind of double talk will not help the division that exists between patternists and non-patternists. Maxey, since, according to your teaching, there is no specified time at which the Lord's Supper is to be observed, is the Lord's Supper really on your short list? You also talked about confessing Christ. Please explain exactly what you mean by this.

Conclusion

The aim of my second negative is to allow Maxey an opportunity to make his affirmative case. There is no need to go into a lengthy rebuttal of his rebuttal of my first negative. I will address his answers to the questions I asked him in my first negative in a later post. By keeping this segment short and to the point it is hoped that Maxey will take this opportunity to give the readers of this debate his numbered short list of essentials for salvation and fellowship. He needs to give his list or repent for pressing patternists for their list of essentials. Additionally, Maxey needs to explain to the readers of this debate why there is a list of essentials if man does not contribute to his salvation.