I grew up in the Southern Baptist Church and was constantly led to believe that John the Baptist founded the Baptist Church. Effectively, it produced perception: John was a “Baptist” we have been “Baptists.” So John should have started out the Baptist Church, proper? Sure, optimistic considering at its ideal. Perception is, as they say, reality. Sometimes our perception and Real truth are in opposition. And, sometimes, we locate out the hard way.
Reading the Bible in its entirety, rather than pulling out a hassle-free verse here and there, generates the Creator’s supposed influence – illumination of Truth.
At the age of 21 I commenced to read through the Bible. Not the widespread everyday perusal by way of a number of Psalms or Proverbs, but a deliberate, systematic study of the 66 books that make up the Bible. Reading the Bible triggered me to evaluate the things we Baptists thought and practiced.
After a watchful study, I recognized that there have been a host of practices that we Baptists advocated that did not align with the Bible. But one Baptist doctrine stood out previously mentioned all other people – that John the Baptist started the Baptist Church.
Did John the Baptist commence the Baptist Church? Do you want to locate it for oneself, or would you like to me share what I located? If you might be reading this sentence, I can presume that you want me to share what I discovered. Alright, right here is information from the Term of God. I hope you will confirm it for by yourself.
We uncover King Herod, in the 14th chapter of the gospel of Matthew, investing his birthday at his wintertime palace. He’d been in a position to seize and imprison John at his palace. Why did Herod want John in shackles? Since John experienced mentioned that Herod should not be sleeping with his sister-in-law, Herodias consequently, John was incarcerated for his incendiary statement. Actually, Herod wanted to execute John, but feared the reaction of the crowds simply because the populous believed John to be a prophet of God.
Then, for the duration of the celebration of Herod’s birthday, Herodias’ daughter enticed Herod by dancing erotically ahead of him. Evidently Herod was mesmerized by her seductive talents and promised to give her something she wished. She’d already been coached by her mom on what to request. “Give me John the Baptist’s head on a platter!” demanded Herodias’ daughter. Herod was now between a rock and the proverbial tough-location. He didn’t want to incite the crowds, but he also had to show that he was a gentleman of his term. In the long run he chose to you should Herodias’ daughter. Herod had John decapitated.
Why is this historical account of John’s dying critical? Simply because it uncovers the reply to the concern, “Did John the Baptist start off the Baptist Church?” How does it uncover the response? John’s demise at the hand of Herod was ahead of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ made the initial prophecy that any church would be built. Jesus mentioned that He would develop a church – not John. Jesus said that it would be His church – not John’s. John the Baptist started no church. His title “John the Baptist” was just a descriptive time period of his mission and steps. John was a baptizer of guys unto the baptism of repentance.
In the sixteenth chapter of the gospel of Matthew we find 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 expressing that you are a prophet, such as Elias or Jeremiah.” But Jesus desired to know what His possess disciples imagined. “But who do you believe I am?” Jesus questioned. Peter responded and said, “You are the Christ (the Messiah Savior), the Son of the living God!” Jesus exclaimed that Peter was blessed since his information was offered by God and not by flesh. Then Jesus can make an extraordinary prophecy to Peter and to the rest of His disciples, “You are Peter, and on this rock (the rock of belief that Jesus was the Son of God, or what we would phone the confession of religion in Christ) I will develop my church.”
It was Jesus, not John, who stated that He would develop a church. We find that the Lord’s prophecy arrived real in the previous portion of Acts chapter two. That area of Scripture reveals that all who were saved ended up included to the Lord’s church by God. God adds the saved to the Lord’s church. There was no earthly council, no associations, and no conventions that voted on potential church member candidates.
Moreover, churches in Raleigh was a “blood-purchased” establishment, as mentioned in the 28th chapter of the e-book of Functions. It was to be an crucial, divine, blood-bought institution that the saved of God would be extra to by God.
Take into account this real truth: John did not prophecy that he would build any church. John did not give his blood for a church. John was merely the fore-runner for the Christ.
History information that the Baptist Church was launched by a gentleman named John Smyth, an Anglican priest ordained by the Church of England in 1594. Smyth became a “Separatist,” and fashioned the 1st “Baptist” church in Holland someplace between 1607 and 1609 – some 1570 years following Christ established His church. Smyth “re-baptized” himself by pouring drinking water above his head. Then he baptized (poured) his followers. 1609 is the unofficial starting of the Baptist Church.
Prior to his loss of life, Smyth abandoned his Baptist sights and began trying to proselytize his followers into the teachings Menno Simons, and the Mennonite Church.
Modern Baptist Church users are a group of good, sincere, moral, and zealous individuals. Nevertheless, they belong to a guy-created organization. They belong to a church that was not bought with Christ’s blood, hood-winked in believing that John the Baptist started their group. How is this achievable? Baptist people have not taken the time to investigate their very own heritage. They have not taken the time to diligently examine the Scriptures of God. They “assume” that what they have been instructed is the fact.
Why would so a lot of good folks align on their own with an business that was evidently started by a guy, alternatively of merely obeying the guidelines of Peter discovered in the 2nd chapter of Functions and getting included to the church of Jesus Christ by God Himself? The solution is as simple as the nose on your confront. They just don’t know. They are ignorant of these biblical and historic facts.
Every single Baptist require to know that Jesus Christ founded His church and gave His blood for it. Paul told the church at Ephesus that Christ liked the church and gave Himself for it. Paul also said that Christ is the Head of His church, and the Savior of His entire 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 launched by John Smyth? My option is Jesus. Give me the chance to obey the recommendations for salvation identified in Functions 2, and God will include me to the church of Christ, Acts two.
If you have the religious need to be a “Christian ONLY,” and a willingness to uncover the 1, correct, New Testomony church of the Bible, Michael difficulties you to read through the e-book Muscle mass and a Shovel. It really is not only a tale that will seize you instantly and not allow go, but it will problem your existing beliefs outside of your imagination.