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Posted August 01/09
On Church Authority, Scriptural Baptism, And Lone Ranger Church Plants
Over the years I have been asked about why I am such a stickler on Baptism. I do not consider myself a "Stickler", whatever that is. I am simply trying to be Biblical. I believe the Biblical position on Baptism to be Baptist immersion. I have had people argue with me and tell me that there are other institutions out there that are Scriptural and have authority to administer ordinances that are not A.V. 1611 Baptist churches. In over fifteen years of ministry I still have not stumbled upon a Scriptural church that did not identify itself as KJB, independent Baptist! Before you e-mail me the name of some "Bible Church", save your energy. Having studied my history, I am of the strong conviction that the Bible Church movement started with William McCarrol in 1929. If I remember correctly, Jesus Christ started His institution during his earthly ministry, which would pre-date McCarrol just a few years! The Bible Churches in Pennsylvania, where I am originally from, have as their alleged authority, the "Fundamental Presbyterian Movement". The Presbyterians are the Illigitimate babies of the Catholic Whore! Since they started without Scriptural authority, I take no note of their Baptism. I also take no note of Charismatic baptism, Jehovah's Witness baptism, Mormon baptism, etc.
Do you really believe that a Scriptural Church can be birthed from an unscriptural one? I do not. The Bible pattern is one where a true(Scriptural) Church extends an arm of authority to a man and the mother Church actually gives birth to the new work. Before this happens it is the responsability of the Home Church to check out the qualifications of the Missionary-Pastor. He is to be docrinally sound and full of the Holy Ghost and faith. The Planting Church lays hands on the Planter and sends him forth if they approve Him. If they do not approve his life, qualifications, doctrine, or anything else, the Man's home church can deny him to the ministry. We are warned to lay hands on no man suddenly! This is how Christ intended to maintain purity of doctrine in the Churches.
When we endorse men starting churches out of "splits", or we support men going out to "plant" a church with their only alleged authority being a para-church mission board, instead of birthing a Church under the authority of a Scriptural Church, we are denying the scriptural model. Remember that Paul was separated to the work by the local Church. He was not a lone ranger!
For a Baptist Church to give birth to a "Bible Church" would be the day that Baptist Church became merely a "Bible Church", itself.
Where then, do these non Baptist Churches come from? They are started unscripturally, out of thin air! They are started from splits and splinters. They are started by unproven, un-examined Bible college graduates who don't know the first thing about Scriptural authority. A lot of them are started by rebels who think they can do it any way they want to. These men go around local Church authority and then shoot at everyone who wants to birth churches according to the Scriptures. Many who read this will think me too harsh, or too Baptist, or think that I am into Pastoral dictatorship. I am simply saying that if you practice church planting like Oral Roberts University, don't wonder why I call you unscriptural. If a church is illigitimate than it has no authority to administer ordinances. Hence, my position on Baptist Baptism.
The Church being Baptist is just a small piece of the whole pie when discussing Biblical Baptism, and what makes baptism ligitimate. The following is a brief summary of what Biblical baptism is. What you just read reinforces point two, but is the truth that most brethren who disagree with me stumble at.
So, what makes baptism legitimate? What makes baptism illegitimate? These are questions that demand Biblical answers. The following points are truths that our Baptist forefathers were willing to die for. They found these truths in God's Word!
1. First, it is important to mention that legitimate baptism must have a saved individual as its subject. The Bible knows of no one being baptized until after they have believed with all their heart (Acts 8).
2. The next issue is authority. Christ committed the ordinances to one institution, the local church. This is the only institution that can administer baptism with the approval of Jesus Christ. The man administering the baptism must have the authority of Christ, through His Church.
3. The hands that baptize must be the hands of a child of God. No lost man has any part in the holy ordinances of Christ and of God.
4. The mode of baptism is also of utmost importance. Our Lord went down into the water and came up out of the water when he was baptized by John the Baptist. John baptized in the river Jordan. The eunich in Acts 8 went to where there was much water. Complete immersion into water is the only baptism that is biblical baptism. That is to say that the idea of different modes of baptism is an invention of wicked men. There really is no such thing as “modes of baptism.” One might say, “He is a good brother who simply allows for different modes of baptism”. This was the case in a popular Baptist college. A Presbyterian, baby sprinkler was a guest speaker in this particular school. This was defended by some who pointed to his stand on the King James Bible as a way to justify his unscriptural practices concerning baptism. How ironic that some would defend a man’s unscriptural practice by pointing out his defense of the Bible. Are not those that defend the Bible the most responsible to live the Bible? It is vitally important that Baptist, Bible believers understand that pouring is not baptism at all. Sprinkling is not baptism. For that matter, getting sprayed with a garden hose in the back yard is not baptism. The baptism committed to us by our Lord is immersion. This baptism is the only one that testifies of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. This is the only one found in the Bible. The issue of mode is so very important because if it is not right, the whole purpose for baptism is destroyed. Again, that purpose is to picture publicly Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. The truth is that those men who pour and sprinkle are not baptizing their converts at all. How sad it is to be a new, child of God and to be kept from your very first step of obedience by a so-called minister! We must contend for this truth. If our mode becomes corrupt, our ordinance becomes corrupt. Whenever the ordinances have been corrupted or minimized in history, the Gospel, itself, was corrupted not long after.
5. The final part of Scriptural baptism, as understood and defended by Baptists throughout the ages, is that it must be done in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost (Matt 28). Anything that does not meet these five criteria is not baptism. It may be impressive, it may be done by a “good” man, it may be accepted by “the brethren,” but Scriptural, Baptist baptism is just that-Scriptural!
It was over these points of doctrine that your Baptist fore-fathers were burned at the stake not so long ago!
PS. For those of you who are breathing fire over the fact that I have the conviction of Baptist baptism, let me ask you some questions. Where do you draw the line? If you say "as long as it's by immersion" then you need to go back and re-read the whole article. The Mormons, Church of Christ, and a host of other cults immerse. So now you will have to pick and choose what is a scriptural Church and what is not. Isn't it interesting that wherever you draw your lines is the Biblical position, and mine is not. Just remember that if you put the bar low, and accept anyone's baptism, and don't make prospective members Baptists at the door, you will have to deal with their other non-Baptist, non-Bible baggage later on. I have found this; if a prospective member will fight you to maintain their unscriptural non-denominational or Pentacostal baptism, they'll likely also fight you to maintain their false Bibles and other demonic doctrines!
THINK!!!
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