The instances of sin in the Old Testament are written for us to understand what not to do I Corinthians In the New Testament, we find times when whole congregations fell away Revelation , geographical areas where Christians fell away Galatians , Galatians , and Galatians , and times when individual Christians fell away Acts One Baptist said to me that I could not show him one Scripture that said you could fall from grace. Does that mean you can lose your salvation? Yes, it sure does Hebrews We began our study in September showing there is one church.
We know that one church is the church of Christ Romans The evidence against denominationalism continues to prove our stand to be true. Sadly, it also shows how many are lost Matthew ; More will be exposed next week.
Volume 10 — Issue 13 - December 20 th , This Site Contains Then you must repent of your sins Acts Once faith and change have taken place, you must confess Christ Acts and Romans Then you must be baptized immersed for the remission of your sins into the church of Christ Acts ; 47, I Corinthians , and Romans ; Study with us to find out more!
The difference is, the church of Christ can clean up her errors and the people can get to heaven through the Christian system seen inthe Lord's church.
But though the Baptist Church can likewise correct moral and religious shortcomings in daily living, its system of religion is one that does not constitute the "way" spoken of in the Bible and thus its people cannot get to heaven through it, and that is what is wrong with it.
While both the Baptist Church and the Lord's church have moral and religious problems to be corrected, one is a man made religious institution and the other is God's institution, the body of Christ.
That is what makes the difference. So when we talk about what is wrong with the Baptist Church we are not trying to cast a mote out of its eyes when there are beams in our own — we are pointing out that the Baptist system of religion is one that does not exist by the authority of God, and that is what is wrong with it. While we exalt the Lord's church as the Lord's way of salvation, we are quite aware of the fact that we must continually warn against laxity in the membership, immorality in backsliding, growing indifference and doctrinal departures.
We can clean up the wrongs in the church of Christ and get to heaven through the church, because it is God's institution of saved people. But no amount of house cleaning in the Baptist Church will change it into God's institution — it would have to disband and its people must be added to Christ's church, by God, in their obedience. People are in the Baptist Church by vote of man and by unscriptural baptism, people are in the Lord's church because God has put them there.
So our first point is, the Baptist Church and the New Testament Church constitute different systems of religion. They are different in name, organization, doctrine, worship, foundation and founder.
Members of the church of Christ can sing "Onward Christian Soldiers" in confidence, without any human additions. Baptists, to be correct and consistent must sing "Onward Baptist Soldiers. If they sing "Onward Christian Soldiers" and leave out "Baptist" then they show that the idea in the word Christian does not include Baptist "Christians.
Paul said there was one, Christ prayed that his disciples be one, and in considering the fact that Baptist theology and makeup is a great contrast to what is seen in the church of Christ, we must conclude that they both cannot be the "one faith.
The second thing wrong with the Baptist Church is, it has made a mockery of baptism in its contention on the one hand that it is not essential, yet on the other hand, they contend that it is necessary in order to get into the Baptist Church, the church they say is the Lord's church. Baptists fight for the truth regarding the nature of baptism — it is immersion. They stand opposed to infant baptism, and emphasize what they call believer's baptism. Yet after the smoke of controversy settles, when calmness follows their clashes with pedo-baptists, they complacently assert that baptism is not essential to the salvation of the soul.
The irony of it! I have a book before me — the great Graves-Ditzler debate of the last century. Graves was the Baptist scholar and Ditzler, the Methodist. When I was once a Presbyterian, Calvinist seminarian, I tried, without result, to persuade my then-Reformed Baptist girlfriend that paedobaptism—the practice of baptizing infants and children—had biblical warrant.
Albert Mohler Jr. The answer in the Baptist theological paradigm is the individual, Bible-reading Christian, guided by the Holy Spirit. This presents its own immediate problem, since determining who even counts as a legitimate Christian is a question only an individual person who claims to be a Christian could answer, and is thus a form of limitless, circular question-begging.
Who are true Christians? Baptist theology is thus essentially individualistic. Irenaeus of Lyon, St. Hippolytus of Rome, St. Cyprian, St. Gregory of Nazianzus, etc. This is because Baptist theology depends on a subjective, unauthoritative interpretation of a set of verses with little interpretive pedigree prior to the Reformation.
Yet this also means most other Christians, including Protestants who share significant theological overlap with Baptists e. Anglicans, Presbyterians , lack perhaps the most essential external markers of the Christian faith, per the Church fathers and historical ecclesial traditions.
Individuals are born in original sin and are thus inherently directed towards sin so far, so good , but that spiritual renovation occurs not through baptism, but through a decision made by individuals possessing sufficient moral agency. What if said faith is destructive to the human person, contrary to the most fundamental of natural laws, or inimical to the preservation or flourishing of the polis? Baptist theology thus elevates the conscience of the individual above the very survival of the community.
It only takes a little skepticism and creativity for individual persons who see the irrationality of Protestantism to dispense with the Bible altogether and try to create a new system of ontology, epistemology, and ethics totally severed from the remnants of their own philosophical inheritance, as did Descartes, Kant, Hume, Rousseau, Nietzsche, and Sartre.
These include not only infant baptism but also Eucharistic rites, Lenten fasts, rules for the election and consecration of bishops, the sign of the cross, and prayers for the dead. Baptists are thus ecclesial deists, believing God began the church and then left it to its own devices. Again, Baptists possess an ersatz , ad hoc authority, rejecting the apostolic episcopacy in favor of individual persons who form communities with like-minded interpretations of the Bible.
I often employ these arguments with Baptist interlocutors. The most common response is to cite Bible verses at me, as if the passages are themselves capable of making the argument, even if I interpret those verses differently than the Baptist. At its heart, Baptist theology is defined by a hyper-individualistic, anti-traditionalist, and ecclesial deist paradigm that has far more in common with Enlightenment, modernist thinking than it does with historical, orthodox Christianity and its familial, traditionalist, and episcopal qualities.
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Thank you for your generosity! Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter. I really enjoy listening to the local Christian radio station.
Very occasionally a speaker veers off into the whore of Babylon conspiracy nonsense but I generally hear good things about Catholics. And the black hosts do a great job presenting their views.
Catholics need to sharpen their preaching skills. Mrscracker thought I would provide this comment related to Catholic Radio. While Catholic radio was slow to get into the game, it have improved substantialy in recent years.
In Chicago we have excellent Catholic content programming provided by Relevant Radio. The radio hosts are excellent. My only complaint is that they used to include Catholic Answers hosts that were always excellent, but for now are not part of their program lineup.
Would add that Catholics need to support the stations or organizations including CWR providing Catholic content and programming. I have found it vital in learning and understanding so many aspects of my faith and ultimately growing in my faith. Also I think it is a great way to bring fallen away Catholic back to the faith and convert non Catholics. Grand Rapids Mike , Absolutely. Funding could be a part of the issue I imagine. Just to mention, when I do tune in Catholic radio I sometimes hear more arguing than encouraging.
Interesting and clearly written article. Appreciate your defining some terms like paedobaptism and others that were totally new to me. I would like to try that out on my Lutheran Brother in Law as his church proceeds on a path of redefining itself. So glad I was born into the Catholic Faith and thank God and ask Him every day in my morning prayers to guide and help me avoid the traps, pride, etc that could easily draw me away from Home. I believe in Heaven, there is a mansion where everyone who likes to argue over religion are housed.
Our Lord in His Mercy and also in His sense of humor, puts people in this mansion who love to argue religion. In fact, I have witnessed them to be more active on an individual basis than Catholics. We have a lot of work to do.
Believe me, in the times that we are in, we need to all hang together, or we will definitely hang separately on gallows outside our own churches.
Me, too. My Mennonite friends especially. Usually about all the enemies of the church of Christ can say against us is "they are narrow minded. We just noticed how the Baptists make Christians? Who is it that is narrow?!
Have you ever wondered just why we are called "narrow minded"? It is NOT because we point out and condemn error, because all preacher do that. The Baptists condemn the Methodists for sprinkling and infant membership, and the Methodists do not get mad and call them narrow-minded. Then too, the Methodists condemn the Baptist doctrine of the impossibility of apostasy, or once saved always saved, and the Baptists do not get mad and accuse the Methodists of being narrow-minded and bigoted.
Yet, when I condemn the Methodists for sprinkling, and the Baptists for "once saved always saved," no more than they do themselves, they both get together and charge me of being narrow-minded.
I think I know why. When the Baptist preacher finishes condemning sprinkling, he tells them that it doesn't make any difference what you believe anyhow, and the Methodist preacher does likewise. But, when I get through pointing out that the Bible does not teach sprinkling for baptism, infant membership in the church, "once saved always saved", etc.
This is why I am branded "narrow-minded", and it amounts to this: A denominational preacher will preach for an hour and "wind up" by saying that it doesn't matter whether you believe what he has been preaching or not. But after I have preached for an hour, I "wind up" by pleading with you to accept it because it is the truth.
Isn't that the reason others are considered broad-minded and we are considered narrow-minded? I wonder what Jesus thinks, do you?
Let's see, Mark says, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. This is a never failing test for gospel preaching. When a preacher says that you do not have to believe what he preaches to be saved, he is not preaching the gospel, for Jesus said, "Go preach the gospel he that believeth not shall be damned. We have already said that the expression "Baptist Church', is not found in the Bible.
John the Baptist, it is reasoned, baptized Christ and others, and since he was sent from God, that made Christ and all others Baptists. Well, that made Baptists before they ever had a Baptist Church. Did you ever hear of a Baptist that was not a member of the Baptist Church? Yet, they admit themselves that the Baptist Church was not established until the ordaining of the twelve.
John was not called Baptist in the same sense that people are called Baptist today. The expression "Baptist" is found only 15 times in the Bible. Every time it is "John the Baptist. This distinguished him from all other Johns. Do you know that in the book of John you cannot find the word "Baptist"? The followers of John were never called Baptists. Is it not peculiar that if John's baptizing folks made Baptists out of them that not one was ever referred to as a Baptist then, or thereafter?
Not one time is anyone ever called Baptist in the Bible except John. Human names are condemned. Were ye baptized in the name of Paul? Listen again, "There is none other name. Yet, if I were to present a check for my soul's salvation in the name of Paul at the judgment bar of God, he would have to say, "Not in the name of Paul, not in the name of Apollos, not in the name of Cephas, nor in the name of John the Baptist, for salvation is in none other name than Jesus Christ.
This is the name that we in the church of Christ are pleading for. Other names, or additional names are sinful. Wear the name of Christ and none other. They call Sunday the Sabbath day. In Acts we learn that the disciples came together to break bread upon the first day of the week. Baptists teach that people ought to keep THE Ten commandments. Yet, they will meet on Sunday, the Lord's day Rev. This confuses the people.
It confused me while I was a Baptist. The old Law, the Sabbath included, has been "fulfilled" Matt. Baptists use mechanical instruments of music in their worship.
I think a good bit has been said about that in other lessons, so just suffice it to say that the New Testament Church did not use mechanical instruments of music. David used them, but neither Jesus nor his disciples ever did. That is as good an argument as is needed. They had it to use, but did not use it.
That is reason enough for not using it. Baptists set aside the Lord's Supper and say that it makes it too common to take it every Lord's Day. The same passage that says for us to come together, says also for us to partake of the Lord's Supper. Acts They come together every first day of the week, they take a collection every first day of the week, and they have preaching Why is it not too common to give every first day of the wee. Why is it not too common to come together every first day of the week?
Why is it not too common to have preaching every first day of the week? They read in I Cor. The Bible plainly states, "upon the first day of the week. Every week has a first day. When God told the children of Israel "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy," they understood that they were to keep every Sabbath holy.
Just so with us in regard to the Lord's Supper. They have unscriptural means of raising money. In the first place they teach tithing. The Jews gave a tithe but we are taught to "lay by in store as we have been prospered 1 Cor. Baptists will build an elaborate building, then go around begging the business men in town to pay for it. They want the bank to discount the notes.
Various schemes and practices similar to these have given churches in general a "black eye. They just do not want to fool with it. Begging and hijacking business men and professional men to pay church debts is certainly not following the scriptures. Then too, they will use carnivals, suppers and other means of amusement to raise the money to support their churches.
Let "every one of you lay by him in store" to support the cause of Christ and the work of the church. They teach that a person is saved by prayer. I could tell several incidents in which people were saved by prayer according to the Baptists. One Sunday night three boys, who were alien sinners, a preacher, and myself, all engaged in prayer until the boys arose and confessed that they were saved.
An alien sinner is not saved by prayer. John says, "Now we know that God heareth not sinners, but if any man be a worshipper of God and doeth his will, him he heareth. The gospel commands us to be baptized into Christ "for the remission of sins. We have not done God's will until we have been baptized into Christ. Hear Isaiah, "Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.
We are to pray for the lost, that's true Rom. Paul says in II Cor. God is willing to save all who will obey. Baptists think that the "new birth" is a mysterious, mystical, operation performed by the Holy Spirit which produces some undescribable sensation to the flesh.
They do not know how it happened, but they do know that a change has been made and their heart tells them that the change is of such a nature as to have come from God. Their pet passage is John , "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but can'st not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
A spiritual birth is of the spirit, not of the flesh. In the second place, the passage doesn't teach any such idea.
It says, "so is everyone" not "so is the new birth," but "so is everyone that is born of the Spirit. I John says, "whosoever believeth is born of God. John is plain enough, "except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.
Nobody would question the fact that the people of Acts 2 were born again. After hearing Peter's sermon, they were pricked in their hearts hence, believed, v. Upon asking what to do, they were told to "repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Then in verse For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. But, they were baptized into Christ, and thus "put on Christ. Baptists teach that sinners are saved by faith only. They say, "All you have to do is believe, and He will save you. Their doctrine of faith only breaks down on the chief rulers of John If you say "yes," then you disagree with the Apostle John for he says, "every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God.
If you say they did not believe, then you disagree with the Apostle John again, for he says they "believed on Him. The Greek is "eis," the strongest expression in this respect in the Greek language. Many times they refer to Paul's statement to the Philippian jailor in Acts , "Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved," and argue that in as much as Paul did not mention baptism that it is not a part of the plan of salvation.
According to this logic, we could eliminate repentance, love and confession, because they are not mentioned either. And did you notice that Paul said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus. So, we see that we are not saved by faith only James , but by grace, hope, the gospel, the word, and baptism also. But these are all made possible by Jesus Matt. Paul told the Philippian Jailor "Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved"--but do not stop here, let us read on--verse 32 reads' "And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house, and he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his straight-way.
Therefore, we are not saved by faith only, but by "faith which worketh by love" Gal. Baptists make the wrong confession. They say "confess your sins," but Christ says in Matt.
Consider, Rom. This confession contradicts eve? John's baptism is out of date. In Acts we find where Paul re-baptized twelve men who had received John's baptism. Aquila and Priscilla took a preacher who knew "only the baptism of John" and "expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.
Baptists baptize people whom they claim already have received the remission of sins. Baptists do not baptize a person into Christ, but rather, into the Baptist Church.
They say any such person is in Christ before baptism. Baptist baptism must be on a confession that one is already saved. Bible baptism puts a person into Christ where salvation is. Inasmuch as Christian baptism is "for the remission of sins," or to "wash away sins," and to get "into Christ," or "put on Christ," and Baptists do not administer Christian baptism, as has just been pointed out, then it follows that those who obeyed the Baptist plan of Salvation have missed the Lord's plan of Salvation, and they are therefore not members of the New Testament Church, the Body of Christ, have not had their sins remitted, and are not saved.
Many will say, "Oh but I know I'm saved. I feel like I am. Saved because they feel good, and feel good because they are saved. Such people prefer their feelings to anything the Bible says. I am not opposed to a person's feeling good about being a Christian, but I am opposed to a person claiming to be a Christian just because he feels good.
Feelings are based on faith. I felt just as saved as you do, when I was in the Baptist Church. I had just as much feelings as any of them, and can tell just as good an "experience," but I finally learned that feelings were the result of what I believed.
If you believe that something is going to go wrong, you will feel nervous as long as you believe that. When the children are out late, if you believe that they are all right, you will feel good; but if you believe that something is wrong, you will worry, fret, and maybe cry. I feel saved because I believe that I am saved. You ask, "Why do you believe that you are saved? I have done that, therefore I know that I have the promise of God.
Baptists would have this verse read, "hereby we do know that we know him, if we feel like it. You will feel that you should turn from the human organization, the Baptist Church and obey the gospel of Christ because the Bible teaches you to do that. Don't follow your feelings. The Baptist Church has a minister whom they call "Pastor," and deacons, but no elders. The truth of the matter is this. The deacons are servants of the church. The preacher is a minister or evangelist, not "the pastor" of a congregation.
Baptist preachers call themselves and have themselves called, "Reverend. This word is used one time in the entire Bible and then in connection with the name of God. Psalm When you see the man you believe on a par with God, call him "reverend. They are wrong first in having a man-made doctrine at an. Newton Brown, D. Christ says in Matt. The Baptist doctrine contradicts the Bible in reason. Ask a Baptist preacher, "What is the Baptist Doctrine?
I have pointed out that it is the distinctive features of the Baptist Church that make it Baptist instead of some other kind of Church Now ask, "Must I believe the Bible to be saved?
Jesus told the apostles to go preach the gospel and said, "He that believeth not shall be damned. If a person can be saved without belonging to the Baptist Church and without believing Baptist Doctrine that which is peculiar to Baptists , then why does the Baptist Church exist, and by whose authority? Baptists say they exist to save people, but how can this be, when a person can be saved and never hear of the Baptist Church?
Friends, think about that seriously. Baptist Doctrine contradicts the Bible in fact. Then this article of faith is false. In Article V on page 48, the Declaration of Faith declares that "justification, the pardon of sin, and the promise of eternal life.
We have pointed out that we are saved by grace, faith, hope, the gospel, the word, repentance, confession, baptism, etc. The Bible certainly does not teach this. James again, "not by faith only," therefore, this article contradicts Article IV and also the Word of God. Their doctrine of apostasy is false.
This is the doctrine of "once saved, always saved" and if a person "falls from grace," then they claim that he was not saved to start with. Consider II Peter , "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment. Is it possible that Paul could be a cast-away? Paul thinks so, hear him, "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
Was Paul a "real believer? Again, "Whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace. We are saved by grace. Therefore, people can fall from that which saved them. Many Baptists do not believe this doctrine, but as long as they are Baptists they stand for it just the same. The essentials of a kingdom are: a king, law, and subjects over which he rules.
The king makes the laws, enforces the laws, and passes judgment on violators of the law. Officers are filled by appointment of the Thing. Since Christ has all authority in heaven and in earth and has been crowned "King of kings," He makes the laws; He will judge all violators of His laws in the day of judgment.
A democracy is that form of government that the subjects by vote make the laws and elect their officers. I challenge you to compare the Baptist Church with these two forms of government. The churches must say. This very plainly shows that the Baptist Church is democratic in its nature, but Christ established a kingdom. In John we learn that we must worship God "in spirit and in truth.
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