A Call Back
to the Word of God
Over the past
2,000 years the teachings within what is commonly thought of as the church has
changed drastically. To take one point for example, even modern critics of
baptism will acknowledge that the very first Christians taught that baptism was
for the purpose of having one’s sins forgiven and washed away. Baptism back
then, was for the purpose of being reborn and entering into Christ after a
person heard the gospel message, believed, and repented of his or her sins.
With this acknowledgement, critics will then deny that baptism for the
forgiveness of sins is something for us today, even though the Apostle Peter in
his very first recorded sermon explained that,
“The promise is for you and your children
and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:39)
Is God calling
you right now? Yes! He is!
And therefore this promise is for you
as well! (Acts 2:38)
Up until the Reformation,
baptism was always taught as being essential for salvation. This is undeniable.
Even in the early stages of the Reformation, most of its leaders still
acknowledged baptism was required for salvation. The teaching that baptism is not
required for salvation has only been around for perhaps 5 or 600
years.
A careful
study of church history will reveal, among other things, that the early
Christians:
1.) taught
baptism was essential for salvation and one was not saved until they were
baptized
2.) only
administered baptism to those who were old enough to understand the gospel
message, believe it, and repent of their sins, deciding to commit their life to
Christ
3.) did not
baptize infants because they taught infants were born pure into the world and
without sin
4.) only had
one baptism and it was in water
5.) were
organized in local, self-governing, autonomous congregations, governed by
elders and deacons
6.) did not
use instrumental music in worship
7.) met on the
first day of the week (Sunday) to partake of the Lord’s Supper and to worship
What
the early Christians believed and said about baptism.
They did not
pray to saints, only to God. They did not worship Mary. There was not yet a
“pope” (which means ‘father’). Peter would allow no one to even revere him (Acts 10:25-26). They did not call anyone else on earth
“father” and took very seriously the Lord’s instructions in Matthew 23:9. In fact, they would sooner die than
blaspheme God. And large numbers laid down their lives rather than compromise.
They were chained, mocked, ridiculed, scorned, spit on, laughed at, beaten,
stoned, stabbed, speared, eaten by wild animals, hacked to pieces with swords,
burned alive, sawed and torn in two, boiled, buried, beheaded, crushed,
tortured, dragged, hanged, tarred, and drown. They died in any manner that man
in his evil could dream up. They lived in caves and holes in the ground. They
often lived as wanderers, homeless, naked, and hungry. This world did not
deserve them. But they did these things and underwent these agonizing tortures
because they knew Him who took the nails for them, who died in their place, who
gave up His place in heaven, and loved them so much as to die on a cross so
that they might be saved. They had such an allegiance to Jesus Christ that
nothing could remove it from them.
Today,
“Christians” are split into thousands of different denominations. There have
been many traditions and teachings added that are not in the Bible. Today, it
is possible to be a Christian and a Christian only. But in order to be obedient
to the will of Christ we must put aside our traditions, and come out of
Denominationalism, come out of Catholicism, come out of Judaism, come out of
Islam, come out of all false religions, come out of the world, and restore the
pure teachings of the New Testament. To do this, we must:
●Take the Bible as the Word of God and
our sole source of God’s truth
●Reject doctrines, teachings, and
practices introduced after the close of the New Testament
●Seek to be Christians only
This is the one and only way to unite
all who are seeking to follow Jesus Christ.
