Heaven Past Present Future Ministries
ENCOURAGEMENT TO ETERNAL FOCUS IN UNITY AND FELLOWSHIP OF THE GOSPEL
The Right Hand Of Fellowship
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How Does this Relate to the Gospel and the Salvation of the Lost?
One may well ask, “What does this have to do with salvation of the lost and the gospel?” Remember the rite of baptism is designed to give public testimony of the “gospel.” If the symbol is changed then wrong gospel is proclaimed which as Paul said to the Galatians is no gospel at all. Believer’s baptism therefore is more than just immersion of a believer. The symbol of baptism must be correct for the Holy Spirit to recognize the religious rite as valid[i]. As warned by Baptist authors[ii] of the past, allowing changes of the symbolism into the fellowship of Baptist churches will cause loss of the distinctiveness of the gospel by infusion of the errors they bring.
It was such a little matter for David[iii] while worshiping to move the Ark of the Covenant, yet to God it was rebellion that angered and brought judgment in the death of Uzzah. How much can we change in the New Testament pattern of disciple – baptize – teach and not be in rebellion out of the direction of the Holy Spirit whereby the Holy Spirit does not recognize the religious rites of an individual and assembly that apply them? We ought to remember the first words of Lucifer in temptation are, “Did God really say…” NIV recorded in Genesis 3.
In J. R. Graves’s day the Landmark system mentioned kept proper symbolism of administrator and candidate under the authority of the Holy Spirit. Those Baptist of old, like churches before them developed a system to determine true churches of Christ. He wrote,
“By this simple test human societies, and all counterfeit churches, can be easily distinguished from the churches of Christ, viz., in the former, water is put before blood, and the church before Christ; in the latter Christ is put before the church, and blood before water. Reader, how do they stand in your faith, and which came first in your baptism, blood or water?
Remember at that time J. R. Graves said the above Baptists were the only group properly presenting the pure gospel. Today the field has greatly changed. While many may present an accurate and similar gospel of the work of Jesus Christ with needed repentance and faith – many by errors on the way of salvation add works of righteousness and change the symbolism of the rite of immersion for those who might possibly be true disciples.
[i] Criswell, W. A. Dr., The Doctrine of the Church, 1980, Convention Press, Nashville, TN., Pg. 91. Dr. Criswell was a conservative Southern Baptist leader and long time pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas.
“Baptist churches are faced with the problem of what to do about alien immersion-receiving those who have been immersed in other faiths.”
“...But why do most Southern Baptist churches reject the baptism of those who practice immersion for salvation? Even though a group may use the proper mode, if the meaning is sacramental rather than symbolic, it is not New Testament baptism. Biblical baptism requires the proper meaning as well as the correct mode.”
[ii] Pendleton, James M., An Old Landmark Re-set, 1854, concerning the usage of the term “evangelical”. He said:
“In this day of spurious liberality and false charity much is said about evangelical denominations and evangelical churches. What is an evangelical denomination? A denomination whose faith and practice correspond with the gospel. What is an evangelical church? A church formed according to the New Testament model. Pedobaptist denominations, therefore, are not evangelical. Pedobaptists churches, as they are called, are not evangelical. There is supposed to be a wonderful virtue in the epithet evangelical. It is used as a balm for many a wound, as a plaster for many a sore. Its application to a denomination is thought to bring the denomination at once within the pale of respectability and fellowship. it is used with an injurious latitude of meaning. It gives currency to many doctrines and practices which deserve emphatic condemnation. "Evangelical Alliances," so called, may, for aught I know, have done some good; but there is danger lest they infuse greater vitality and energy into the errors of those who enter into the co-partnership. The religious nomenclature of the age requires serious revision. It is high time to call things by names expressive of their properties. The language of Ashdod should not be heard within the precincts of Zion. Nor should the language of Zion be employed in describing what belongs to Ashdod. More, perhaps, is meant by "the form of sound words," than most persons imagine.”
[iii] 2 Samuel 6:1-10
6:1 Now David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him to Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of the LORD of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim. 3 And they placed the ark of God on a new cart that they might bring it from the house of Abinadab which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart. 4 So they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark. 5 Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of instruments made of fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals. 6 But when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset it. 7 And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God. 8 And David became angry because of the Lord's outburst against Uzzah, and that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. 9 So David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, "How can the ark of the LORD come to me?" 10 And David was unwilling to move the ark of the LORD into the city of David with him; but David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. NASB
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