Micro, know very well the theological position of the Southern Baptist Church, ie. Dallas Theological. Your position has always been clear. Fortunately, for both of us, our exact views really don't determine our salvation. The saving Faith of Christ is what God, in His grace, accepts as the perfect sacrifice.
My next door neighbour, now deceased as a young man, had many a heated discussion on these and other matters. Especially divergent on the issue of repentance.
Have you ever seen sheep being herded ? There are many youtube videos of border collies herding sheep. They are always amazing.
The parable about the shepherd herding the sheep (in Mathew I believe), follows the parable about the widow and the lost coin. My neighbor, Dustin & I specifically discussed that parable. His position was that it was ridiculous to assert that a shepherd would actually 'carry a sheep back'. (Again, he was Southern Baptist, Dallas Theological)
What follows that parable, we are told that the angels in heaven rejoice over one sinner that repents.
Seems to support the position that DTS takes, right. WE repent, then are forgiven, and the angels rejoice over what we have done. Few pastors ever get it correct - what the SINNER has done is NOT what the Angels are rejoicing over. The Greek is a little tricky on that one. What the angels are rejoicing over is over what God has done. The sheep never return of their own volition. They are carried back (repented) by the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
In other words, repentance is NOT something that we can 'do' - it is completely and totally a work of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.
The psalms have a much deeper meaning when they proclaim repeatedly 'ALL GLORY, LAUD, and HONOR' be to thee oh Lord our King.
There is absolutely NOTHING that I can do that is EVER 'good' in the eyes of God. To claim otherwise, is to take a little bit of the credit for myself. I can't. I quite literally take the ALL part to mean exactly what it says.
There is only one Pastor I have ever heard that got that particular scripture (the angels rejoicing) correct - Pastor Baker of the Missouri Synod who can be found at http://www.kfuo.org .
The same 'all credit' stance goes for the FAITH that God has given to me - to say otherwise is to improperly take credit that I do not deserve.
Also note, to be declared Righteous in the Site of God IS to be declared perfect, to be without any sin.
As Luther stated, we have the fortune of 'felicitous inconsistency' when it comes to our understanding being determinant.
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