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The Gospel Observer
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you,
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age"
(Matt. 28:19,20).
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May 24, 2015
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Contents:
1) Voltaire and the Quaker (on the subject of baptism) (Tom Edwards)
2) News & Notes
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-1-
Voltaire and the Quaker
(on the subject of baptism)
by Tom Edwards
In wanting to learn more about the Quakers, Voltaire once went to a
prominent member of that group who lived not far from London,
England, to inquire as to his particular beliefs and
practices. After having a meal together, which had begun and
ended with prayer, Voltaire first asked, "My dear sir, were you ever
baptized?" To which the Quaker replied, "I never was nor any
of my brethren." That seemed to have astonished Voltaire who then
bluntly responded by saying, "...you are not Christians,
then." The Quaker, in a friendly and soft tone, then strove to
justify his position by pointing out that "...Christ indeed was
baptized by John, but He Himself never baptized anyone. We are the
disciples of Christ, not of John" (Harvard Classics, volume 34, page
66).
Another argument the Quaker presented was that though he and his
group did not condemn anyone for being baptized, yet "...those who
profess a religion of so holy, so spiritual a nature as that of
Christ, ought to abstain to the utmost of their power from the
Jewish ceremonies" (ibid.).
Is that, however, what baptism is for today -- a Jewish
ceremony? Is it just something pertaining to the Old Law and
not the gospel of Christ?
While eliminating water baptism, the Quaker spoke of being baptized
by the Spirit for the "ablution of the soul," and quoted John the
Baptist, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but He
that cometh after Me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy
to bear: He shall baptized you with the Holy Ghost and with fire"
[Matt. 3:11].
In addition, the Quaker also pointed out that the apostle Paul
states that "Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the
Gospel" [1 Cor. 1:17], and to which the Quaker also added, "...that
Paul never baptized but two persons with water, and that very much
against his inclinations" (H.C. Vol. 34, p. 67).
Though Voltaire's time was from 1694 to 1778, yet similar comments
have been made in our day with regard to that of some of the
Quaker's, although not to justify the non-observance as the Quaker,
but to assert baptism's irrelevance toward salvation.
Let us, therefore, further consider the Quaker's arguments, not as
merely to refute his particular belief, but to better bring to the
attention of all people, or any religious group, what God's word
really is saying on this subject.
First of all, what about the Quaker's argument that though Jesus was
baptized by John, yet the Lord baptized no one; and that "we are the
disciples of Christ, not of John"?
Though Jesus did not directly do the baptizing, can we not infer
from the fact that "His disciples were" (John 4:1,2) that the Lord
was fully approving of their doing so -- and just as much as if He
were the One actually doing it? God has often carried out
needful tasks through His people. Would not this baptism be
the same as John's? For there was a need for those Jews,
at that time, to realize and repent of their sins and to look toward
the soon coming Messiah and believe in Him (Acts 19:4). Those
who rejected John's baptism were also guilty of having "rejected
God's purpose for themselves" (Luke 7:29). Would that be
something that Jesus would want to see people do? So
regardless of whether Jesus personally baptized anyone or not, it
does not eliminate the need for it.
Let us also point out, however, that the baptism being performed
prior to the Lord's death was not regarded as the same which He
commanded to be administered after His death. But what is the
difference? They both are for the forgiveness of sins (Mk.
1:4: Acts 2:38); they both use water as the element (Jn. 3:23; Acts
8:36-38); and they both do it by immersion -- which is implied in
the "much water" (Jn. 3:23), and it being shown as a burial (Rom.
6:4). Of course, the Greek word itself, "baptisma," in either
case, means "immersion, submersion" (Thayer's Greek Definitions) --
and not sprinkling nor pouring. But would it not be that what
makes the difference is in realizing the full purpose for it?
For Paul shows that it is by baptism that we "...have been baptized
into His [Jesus'] death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead
through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of
life" (Rom. 6:3,4) -- and we are "raised up with Him [from the
baptism] through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from
the dead" (Col. 2:12). How, therefore, could this baptism have
been done prior to Christ's death?
Going along with this, consider those twelve whom Paul met in
Ephesus that did not know about this baptism that Jesus commanded,
but only that of John's. In finding that out, Paul taught them
more thoroughly; and "they were baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus" (Acts 19:4).
It, therefore, does make a difference in being baptized for the
right reason. Children playing in a pond could dunk each other
under water, for instance; but that in itself would not make it a
Bible baptism.
So we also see in this that the baptism Jesus commanded to be
carried out after His death was not part of a "Jewish ceremony" that
is no longer to be observed. For it pertains to the gospel and
is for all people of every nation, and as long as time shall
last. Peter actually indicated this while inspired, though he
probably didn't fully realize the meaning, when he said,
"...'Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and
for all who are far off...'" (Acts 2:38,39). The "all who are
far off" includes the Gentiles whom were later to be preached to.
Another argument the Quaker made pertains to the Lord's promise to
"baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire," and which is seen in
contrast with John being inferior and baptizing with water (Matt.
3:11). When looking at the context, the "Holy Ghost" and "fire" do
not pertain to the same baptism. For the "fire" indicates the
punishment of hell. As the previous verse states, "The axe is
already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that
does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (v.
10). And verse 12 brings out that "His winnowing fork is in
His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He
will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff
with unquenchable fire." So the "fire" is symbolizing
hell. W.E. Vine defines the Greek word for "fire" in Matthew
3:11 as pertaining to "...the fire of Divine judgment upon the
rejectors of Christ, Mat 3:11 (where a distinction is to be made
between the baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the 'fire'
of Divine retribution...."
In all the New Testament there are only two cases of individuals
being baptized in the Holy Spirit, which pertain to the apostles on
the day the church was established (Acts 1:26-2:16) and that unique
case at the house of Cornelius, which was God's way of showing that
He had "granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to
life" (Acts 11:18). For it was now about 10 years after the
church had been established, and Cornelius and his household were
going to become the first Gentile converts. God even had to
prepare Peter for this by giving him the vision of the sheet being
lowered with various animals -- clean and unclean under the Old Law
-- but now the Lord was pointing out that what was once unclean was
no longer to be considered that way (Acts 10:9-16), which also
symbolized how the Jews' attitude was now to be toward the Gentiles,
of whom they could not even lawfully associate with or visit under
the Law of Moses (Acts 10:28); and which, apparently, was still part
of their Jewish customs. So what happened at Cornelius' house
with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was a sign to Peter and to
the six Jews he took with him, and to the others who later heard of
it, that the way of salvation was just as available to the Gentile
as to the Jew.
The Bible speaks of different baptisms. As we have seen, (1)
John's baptism (Jn. 3:23), (2) the baptism Jesus instructed for the
Gospel Age (Mark 16:16; Matt. 28:19), and (3) a baptism of the Holy
Spirit (as we considered above). But now hear Ephesians 4:5 in
which Paul says that there is just "one baptism." Which
baptism would that be? The Ephesian letter was written
about A.D. 62 or 63. A couple years later, in 64 or 65, Peter
declares, "...baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from
the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 3:21). So here it is:
the one baptism that is to continue is water baptism -- and it
saves! For though the water does not literally wash away sins,
yet through it (and when one has complied with the other
requirements of believing in Christ, repenting of sin, and
confessing faith in Christ), one then makes his "appeal to God for a
good conscience," as Paul also did through that same act of baptism
(Acts 22:16).
Consider also that people were never commanded to be baptized in the
Holy Spirit to be saved, but the penitent believer is commanded to
be baptized in water in order to be forgiven and become a Christian
(Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38). Of course, we are to "be filled with
the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18) by letting "...the word of Christ richly
dwell within..." (Col. 3:16), but that is not the same as being
baptized in the Holy Spirit by Christ.
Lastly, the Quaker pointed out that the apostle Paul was not sent by
Christ to baptize, but to preach; and that Paul only baptized two
people and did so reluctantly. Well, if Paul was not to
baptize, did he not then sin by doing so? Or is there some
particular reason why Paul stresses the importance of preaching over
baptism to these Corinthians? For what good would baptism be,
if people do not first obtain the proper understanding and response
through the preaching? And that is exactly what the
Corinthians needed, who were already divided among themselves and
with different groups of them saying, "I am of Paul," and "I of
Apollos," and "I of Cephas," and "I of Christ" (1 Cor. 1:12).
Paul, therefore, had to rebuke them of that. He then also went on to
say, "Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was
he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I
baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one
would say you were baptized in my name. Now I did baptize also
the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I
baptized any other" (vv. 13-16, emphasis mine). So Paul
clearly shows why he did not baptize any other. These individuals
had such a wrong inclination toward separating into cliques that
Paul did not want to make matters worse by personally baptizing and
having those wrongly claiming to have been baptized in his name --
instead of the Lord's (v. 15). But let it also be pointed out
that all who had become Christians at Corinth had first been
baptized (Acts 18:8). And Paul teaches the need for it in various
passages: Romans 6:3,4; Galatians 3:26,27; Colossians 2:12; and
Titus 3:5 (compare with John 3:3-5).
Though not every conversion example in the book of Acts specifically
states all of what was necessary to become a Christian, such as
hearing God's word, believing in Christ, repenting, and
acknowledging faith in Christ, yet they all include the
baptism! Why, therefore, do so many people today leave it
out? It also must be included. For it is very much a
part of God's plan of salvation for our time.
Though we might not know of all of what to make of the purpose of
Voltaire's inquiry, for he often made attacks against the Bible and
spoke with tongue in cheek, yet we should all accept the
truthfulness and sincerity of the Gospel that shows us the way of
salvation. For regardless of what men would ever say about
God, our chief concern should always be in that which God is saying
to us! If we truly listen to His voice, through His written
word, we will not be led astray, but led, rather, toward that
glorious place of heaven above and find the path to there a much
better journey to take.
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-2-
News & News
I was sorry to hear that Thomas R. Merola (of Clearwater,
FL) passed away suddenly on May 13, 2015 and extend my condolences
to all his family and friends. He was in the class of '72 at
Dunedin High School and had become the owner and head barber at the
Country Squire Barbershop, where he began 30 years previously with
his father. Years later, Tom's own son T.J. then also began
working with him in 2011. Tom is survived by his sister Deborah
Burge, a brother Jim, four children (Janell Eichelberger, Philip,
Lauren, and T.J.), five grandchildren (and one on the way).
I'd like to solicit the prayers of the saints for all his family and
friends.
Let us also continue in prayer for the following:
Marie Pennock is still having back pain and continuing to see
a chiropractor. She also recently had an MRI to determine more
of the problem, which we are now waiting to hear the results
on. Though they did discover a compression fracture in a
vertebra, the pain is thought to be primarily due to the spine being
out of alignment. Near the beginning of June she will also be
seeing a neurologist and a cardiologist, due to the arrhythmia for
which she had spent a couple days in the hospital.
Judy Daugherty continues to improve from her recent fall, but
her sister Jean Beach has experienced a decline in her
health.
Jewell Wilson has several illnesses: staff infection in her
blood, pneumonia, intestinal blockage, tachycardia, UTI, a rash
infection, and most of which can be a higher risk due to her age.
Let us also continue to include the following in our prayers: Myrna
Jordan, Mary Vandevander and Melotine Davis, Danielle Howard,
Deborah and Penny Medlock, Jim Lively, Shirley Davis, Ronnie
Crews, Sunny Nichols, Dexter Roberts, Betty Miles, Steve Vista,
Buddy Gornto, Dolly Moody, Rex and Frankie Hadley, Jesse Bailey,
Sue Wooten, and Colleen Henson.
The Ladies' Bible Class meets every Tuesday at 7 PM in the
church building. All ladies are invited.
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation
1) Hear the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom.
10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John
3:18).
3) Repent of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts
8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water for the remission of sins
(Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet.
3:21)
6) Continue in the faith; for, if not, salvation can
be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
Sunday services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 5 PM (worship)
Wednesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 614-8593
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/go
(Gospel Observer website)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html
(audio sermons)