HISTORIC BAPTIST PRINCIPLES

PART TWO

Satan has a lot of people duped these days. They tell me it does not matter what church you belong to, or what you believe, just as long as you are sincere, believe in Jesus and love everybody.

Let me tell you right here, it does matter what you believe, and what church you belong to, and I will prove it from the Word of God. Of course many do not believe the Bible and seek rather to do their own thing, to act as their own judge, and go according to emotional feeling rather than the facts of Scripture.

You cannot be a true follower of Jesus Christ, and ignore or reject what He believed and taught. Let us look at some of those things.

1. JESUS TAUGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF RIGHT BELIEVING:-

A. The Source of Faith:-

John 8:24- "I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins."

cf John 14:6; Acts 4:12; John 3:3.

B. The Channel of Faith:-

Matthew 22:29- "ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God."

cf Romans 1:16-17; 1 Cor. 2:2-5; 1:24.

C. All Religions are not of God:-

·         Jesus told the religious Pharisees-

·         John 8:39-47

·         "He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."

·         Jesus, Peter, Paul, warned of false teachers, false prophets, false doctrines.

·         Cf 1 Timothy 4:1-6; 2 Timothy 3:1-13; 2 Peter 2:1-10

2. JESUS TAUGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CHURCH BY INSTITUTING ONLY ONE OF A KIND WHICH WAS BUILT UPON FAITH IN HIMSELF AS SAVIOUR AND LORD WITH THE MATERIAL PREPARED AND GIVEN HIM BY JOHN THE BAPTIST:-

What then is a New Testament Church?

·  A. One that has only one Head- Jesus Christ:-

·  Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 1:22.

·  B. One that had its beginning with its only founder- Jesus Christ:-

·  1. It was founded by Christ Himself, and not some man.

·  2. It was pre-Pentecostal.

·  3. Christ left a church on earth when He ascended up into heaven. Mark 13:34.

·  4. The actual beginning of the Church-

·  a) The seed of John's baptism- Acts 1:21-22.

·  b) Apostles were first appointed in the Church- cf 1 Corinthians 12:28 and Luke 6:13.

C. The Members of the New Testament Church were all baptized upon profession of their faith in Jesus Christ.

·         1. Christ Himself is our first example, baptized by John the Baptist.

·         2. The apostles were all baptized by John before Christ founded His Church. He therefore called and used Baptist material in founding His Church upon Himself the solid Rock of ages.

·         3. Christ commanded that baptism be perpetuated by His Churches- Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16: 15-16.

·         4. Baptism was required before addition to church membership- Acts 2:41.

·         5. Paul taught- One Lord, one faith, one baptism- Ephesians 4:5.

·  D. A New Testament Church is one whose membership is made up of believers only:-

·  Profession of faith is necessary to salvation and repentance and faith are required.

·  E. One whose highest authority under God is the Congregation:-

·  Luke 12:32; Acts 20:28-29; 1 Peter 5:2-3.

·  Christ addresses churches individually; Paul addressed churches.

·  New Testament churches were sovereign bodies-

·  The entire congregation voted. New Testament Churches were not run by Oligarchy, nor by dictatorship. Popery, whether Roman, Protestant or Baptist is contrary to the Bible.

·  F. One Who Baptizes by Immersion, by proper church authority:-

1. New Testament baptism was by immersion.

2. The Great Commission is given to churches.

3. JESUS TAUGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF EQUALITY IN MEMBERSHIP:-

·  In New Testament Churches, every member is equal, whether pastor or building custodian; rich or poor, black or white.

·  James 2:1-10.

·  Here James sets forth the New Testament principle of equality of all men. The churches of Christ ought to be the first and best examples of this Biblical principle.

·  Churches ought to work together in mission work on the basis of equality, not how much money they give, or how many members they have.

·  And you, are YOU a member of such a New Testament Church?

Please write or e-mail us for more information. We have several books available on this and other subjects related to the Doctrines of Grace and the New Testament Church.