I grew up in the Southern Baptist Church and was constantly led to believe that John the Baptist started the Baptist Church. Effectively, it made sense: John was a “Baptist” we were “Baptists.” So John need to have started out the Baptist Church, appropriate? Indeed, optimistic pondering at its best. Perception is, as they say, reality. Sometimes our perception and Truth are in opposition. And, occasionally, we find out the challenging way.
Studying the Bible in its entirety, relatively than pulling out a handy verse right here and there, produces the Creator’s intended impact – illumination of Truth.
At the age of 21 I began to go through the Bible. Not the frequent relaxed perusal via a handful of Psalms or Proverbs, but a deliberate, systematic research of the 66 textbooks that make up the Bible. Reading through churches in Raleigh induced me to evaluate the items we Baptists thought and practiced.
Following a watchful study, I understood that there had been a host of procedures that we Baptists advocated that did not align with the Bible. But one particular Baptist doctrine stood out above all other folks – that John the Baptist founded the Baptist Church.
Did John the Baptist commence the Baptist Church? Do you want to find it for your self, or would you like to me share what I found? If you might be reading this sentence, I can suppose that you want me to share what I discovered. Alright, right here is knowledge from the Term of God. I hope you will verify it for by yourself.
We discover King Herod, in the 14th chapter of the gospel of Matthew, spending his birthday at his winter palace. He’d been capable to seize and imprison John at his palace. Why did Herod want John in shackles? Since John experienced mentioned that Herod shouldn’t be sleeping with his sister-in-legislation, Herodias for that reason, John was incarcerated for his incendiary statement. In fact, Herod wished to execute John, but feared the reaction of the crowds due to the fact the populous believed John to be a prophet of God.
Then, throughout the celebration of Herod’s birthday, Herodias’ daughter enticed Herod by dancing erotically prior to him. Evidently Herod was mesmerized by her seductive talents and promised to give her anything she desired. She’d already been coached by her mom on what to ask for. “Give me John the Baptist’s head on a platter!” demanded Herodias’ daughter. Herod was now in between a rock and the proverbial difficult-place. He didn’t want to incite the crowds, but he also experienced to demonstrate that he was a man of his phrase. In the long run he selected to remember to Herodias’ daughter. Herod experienced John decapitated.
Why is this historic account of John’s dying crucial? Due to the fact it uncovers the solution to the question, “Did John the Baptist start the Baptist Church?” How does it uncover the reply? John’s demise at the hand of Herod was before the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ manufactured the first prophecy that any church would be constructed. Jesus said that He would construct a church – not John. Jesus mentioned that it would be His church – not John’s. John the Baptist established no church. His title “John the Baptist” was simply a descriptive time period of his mission and steps. John was a baptizer of gentlemen unto the baptism of repentance.
In the sixteenth chapter of the gospel of Matthew we uncover Jesus questioning His disciples. “Who are the crowds saying that I am?” His disciples responded, “Some are expressing that you are John the Baptist. Some are stating that you are a prophet, this kind of as Elias or Jeremiah.” But Jesus wished to know what His personal disciples believed. “But who do you consider I am?” Jesus questioned. Peter responded and said, “You are the Christ (the Messiah Savior), the Son of the residing God!” Jesus exclaimed that Peter was blessed simply because his information was offered by God and not by flesh. Then Jesus helps make an extraordinary prophecy to Peter and to the rest of His disciples, “You are Peter, and upon this rock (the rock of belief that Jesus was the Son of God, or what we would call the confession of faith in Christ) I will develop my church.”
It was Jesus, not John, who stated that He would construct a church. We uncover that the Lord’s prophecy arrived true in the very last element of Acts chapter two. That area of Scripture reveals that all who ended up saved ended up included to the Lord’s church by God. God provides the saved to the Lord’s church. There was no earthly council, no associations, and no conventions that voted on likely church member candidates.
Furthermore, Christ’s church was a “blood-acquired” establishment, as said in the 28th chapter of the book of Acts. It was to be an vital, divine, blood-acquired establishment that the saved of God would be added to by God.
Consider this real truth: John did not prophecy that he would create any church. John failed to give his blood for a church. John was merely the fore-runner for the Christ.
Historical past data that the Baptist Church was established by a male named John Smyth, an Anglican priest ordained by the Church of England in 1594. Smyth grew to become a “Separatist,” and shaped the initial “Baptist” church in Holland someplace amongst 1607 and 1609 – some 1570 years after Christ set up His church. Smyth “re-baptized” himself by pouring h2o above his head. Then he baptized (poured) his followers. 1609 is the unofficial starting of the Baptist Church.
Prior to his death, Smyth deserted his Baptist views and started striving to proselytize his followers into the teachings Menno Simons, and the Mennonite Church.
Present-day Baptist Church users are a team of very good, sincere, moral, and zealous men and women. Even so, they belong to a gentleman-created firm. They belong to a church that was not purchased with Christ’s blood, hood-winked in believing that John the Baptist established their group. How is this achievable? Baptist men and women have not taken the time to examine their possess heritage. They haven’t taken the time to diligently study the Scriptures of God. They “believe” that what they’ve been advised is the fact.
Why would so several great folks align on their own with an group that was clearly launched by a gentleman, instead of just obeying the guidelines of Peter identified in the second chapter of Functions and becoming added to the church of Jesus Christ by God Himself? The answer is as plain as the nose on your encounter. They just will not know. They are ignorant of these biblical and historical facts.
Every single Baptist need to have to know that Jesus Christ established His church and gave His blood for it. Paul advised the church at Ephesus that Christ beloved the church and gave Himself for it. Paul also stated that Christ is the Head of His church, and the Savior of His body, the church.
So we boil it down to this: do you want to be a member of the church that Jesus Christ set up, or do you want to be a member of a church founded by John Smyth? My selection is Jesus. Give me the chance to obey the directions for salvation found in Functions 2, and God will include me to the church of Christ, Functions two.
If you have the non secular desire to be a “Christian ONLY,” and a willingness to find the 1, correct, New Testomony church of the Bible, Michael difficulties you to study the ebook Muscle mass and a Shovel. It is not only a story that will seize you right away and not allow go, but it will challenge your current beliefs past your creativeness.