Watchman Magazine

Matthew 3:13-17

Immediately following Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River, recorded in Matthew 3, Mark 1 and Luke 3, Luke states, “Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age…” (vs. 23).

The baptism of Jesus signified the end of His time in anonymity. He left Nazareth (the city of His youth) behind (cf. Mark 1:9), and traveled by foot 60-70 miles to be “baptized by John in the Jordan.” With this act of obedience, Jesus began His public ministry and His inevitable trek toward the cross at Calvary.

Of the three baptism accounts recorded in the gospels, only Matthew records the conversation between John and Jesus. When Jesus presented Himself to John to be baptized by him, the text says that “John tried to prevent Him, saying ‘I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?’” (vs. 14). Before noting Jesus’ response, it is important to note a few things about John’s reaction to Jesus’ presence at the Jordan.

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"I was wondering since Campbell was baptized by a Baptist how it is possible we have evolved to an understanding it is for remission of sins?  Understanding Campbell did not come to such conclusion till eight years after the fact and was never re-baptized for remission of sin. Was he too unsaved?" 

Reply: First, by reading pages 396-398 of Robert Richardson’s biography, Memoirs of A. Campbell, Vol. I, our querist might see Mr. Campbell’s view of the purpose of baptism when he was baptized by Matthias Luce.

Second, how one assesses the design of water baptism is not to be determined by a process of evolution.  Are not the Scriptures clear enough?

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(A good friend and brother in the Lord, Don Craven, wrote concerning a Baptist preacher, James O. Newell, who was baptized recently during a Baptist service.  Several Baptists were confused about the matter and thought their preacher was being saved.  One Baptist approached Don and asked what he thought about it.  Don wrote the Baptist preacher and asked for an explanation.  Below is the explanation from the Baptist preacher and my comments on it.)

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I’m a member of the lord’s church.  I’ve been ordering your sermons (www.biblework.com), and it is an honor to receive and view those sermons on the word of God.  I just received the Wilkin / Hafley debate on water baptism.  You most certainly CRUSHED his idea on faith only!

Larry, my wife and I often have discussed the topic of denominational baptism.   We were both baptized in a Baptist church.  At a later time, I came to the understanding that they (the Baptists) were in error, but my wife, on the other hand, feels that she was baptized for all the right reasons.  Although they teach faith only, she says she was baptized for the remission of her sins.  I told her that you could not be taught wrong and be baptized right.

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(Tim Cryer is a local Baptist with whom we had correspondence in the fall of 1999. ["A Baptist On Jeremiah 6:16," and "Baptist Preacher Responds To Our Review." E-mail me if you would like to have a copy of those exchanges]. Mr. Cryer never replied after the second review. However, he has written again. Below are the details about a young lady’s confrontation with "a Church of Christ Cultist on Osage St.")

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Introduction

"I have surely seen the oppression of my people," said God to Moses while the bush burned. Thus begins the greatest rescue operation ever conducted on Earth as thousands upon thousands of slaves are removed from one nation to begin a journey to the land of promise.

The Bible contains a number of type and antitype situations. Isaac is a type of the antitype Jesus, as his father was willing to let his only son die. The salvation of Noah and his family through water is a type of the water baptism involved in the salvation of modern men (1 Peter 3:20-21).

In the exodus of fleshly Israel, the Lord provides us a type of the sinner’s departure from his own slavery to iniquity and the most wicked Pharaoh of all, Satan. God’s desire on either side of the Red Sea is answered in Exodus 6:6-7: "I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as my people, and I will be your God."

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A reader asks for clarification:

"The Bible speaks of two baptisms – baptism with water and baptism of the Holy Spirit. Both are referred to on several different occasions, so both are essential (a few examples include Matt. 3:11, John 1:3, John 3:4, Acts 10:34-38).

"Ephesians 4:5, however, speaks of there being one baptism. Since the Bible actually mentions two of them, then this must mean that one of the baptisms takes precedence over the other. …which baptism is referred to here? Explain what it means to have [either] one superior to the other."

Baptisms Of The Bible

Actually, the Bible speaks of more than "two baptisms." It speaks of a baptism of suffering (Mk. 10:38, 39; Lk. 12:50), "the baptism of John" (Matt. 21:25), a baptism of fire (Matt. 3:11), and a baptism "unto Moses" (1 Cor. 10:2), as well as the aforementioned baptisms of water and the Holy Spirit.

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COMMON SENSE QUESTIONS A "CHURCH OF CHRIST" PREACHER CANNOT CLEARLY ANSWER

By Pastor David Martin
Solid Rock Baptist Church

David Martin is pastor of the Solid Rock Baptist Church, 5893 Old Brownsville Rd. E, Bartlett, TN 38135 USA; phone: 901-634-1622. He is a 1984 graduate of Pensacola Bible Institute of Florida, and was ordained to the gospel ministry in 1986. He has been in his current pastorate for eight years. His article on the Church of Christ cult is the result of in-depth personal conversation with a Church of Christ elder that led to a 3-day public debate with a Church of Christ evangelist in 1997. The debate was attended by 250 people nightly from within a 300-mile radius of Memphis, Tennessee.This is one of the most controversial articles on the church of Christ you will find anywhere. No church of Christ preacher can satisfactorily answer any of the questions posed by Pastor Martin.

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"For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words." (1 Corinthians 2:10-13, NASB)

From this passage we learn that God has revealed Himself through the work of the Holy Spirit to the chosen apostles of Christ. The apostles are said to teach in words, “…not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit.” It is only reasonable to assume that the revelation of the mind of God in words are words that man can understand, and understand these words in the same way that God understands them. The issue of understandable language gets to the very heart of the issue of faith. Do we believe the Bible? Is it God’s word? Is the Bible God’s complete and final revelation of God to man? Does Hebrews 1:1-2 mean what it says about God’s speaking to man in these last times? "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world" (NASB). When you break down this statement without all the modifiers it says that God has spoken, that God has spoken to man, and that God has spoken to man through His Son. What do we believe?

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Dear Larry,

Due to the fact that you believe that you are saved in part or wholly by baptism, I must mark you as one still in darkness and as one who has not seen that we are complete in Jesus Christ and his finished work. Ephesians 2:8-9 says that we are saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves. What is it about that that you don’t understand? Paul said if it be works it is something that God owes us but grace is the gift of God which is faith. Larry, due to the fact that the Bible says that we are saved by grace through faith, and you say that it is by some work that we do like baptism, or any other thing, I would bid you to repent and trust in the finished work of Christ and nothing else but Christ and God will save you. I hope you will take this as a letter of love and may God have mercy on you.

By his grace, Frank L. McClanahan

 

Dear Frank,

Thank you for your letter and for your clarity of expression. I appreciate your willingness to state boldly what you believe. I trust that you will grant me the same right to respond with equal directness to your arguments.

(1) Baptism And The Finished Work Of Christ: Frank, suppose I were to say, "Due to the fact that you believe that you are saved in part or wholly by faith, I must mark you as one still in darkness and as one who has not seen that we are complete in Jesus Christ and his finished work," how would you answer me? Primitive (Hardshell) Baptists make the same argument against you as you have made against me. They do not believe that faith is essential to salvation. Thus, when you say that one must believe in Jesus, they will accuse you of not trusting "in the finished work of Jesus Christ." Tell me, Frank, how you would answer their charge?

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In a recent exchange between a Christian evangelist and a Baptist "pastor," the latter stated that anything one needs to do in order to be saved is a work, and thus nullifies grace.

His Calvinistic "faith only" doctrine is coming back to bite him. Surely, he will admit that one needs to believe in order to be saved. Is belief a work that nullifies grace? Some of Christ’s followers asked him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?". Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent’" (John 6:28-29).

But the Calvinist will also agree that a little confession is good for the soul. He submits to Paul’s teaching in Romans 10:9 which demands that oral confession precede salvation: "[I]f you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus … you will be saved." The minimal effort required to articulate such a confession as the Ethiopian eunuch made in Acts 8:37 is a facet of faith, the Calvinist argues and thus is not really a work. Oh?

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September 24-25, 2001
Cincinnati, Ohio

In May of 2001, a David Steinmann challenged Tom Roberts concerning what Steinmann called “baptismal regeneration”. Tom, of course, had only stood for the truth of God’s word that Jesus commanded and His apostles taught water baptism for the remission of sins. Both Stan Cox, editor of Watchman Magazine and myself, as Associate Editor supported Tom and answered Mr. Steinmann through several e-mails. In an e-mail of May 26, under the subject line “Pony Up Stan” Mr. Steinmann offered a challenge to a public debate. His challenge was very weak, but did produce a serious response from Stan Cox:

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If we want to understand the gospel which Jesus preached, we go back to its beginning. That beginning is not the personal teaching of Christ while on earth, but the preparatory work done by John the Baptist. Mark notes this fact as he begins his Gospel account with these words:

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight." John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins (Mark 1:1-4).

Hence, the following facts must be understood from the work of John the Baptist:

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People often comment on how much things change with the passing of time. We also see this with things found in the New Testament. Many things we find therein are very different from what we see in modern day religion. A good example of this is seen when we compare cases of conversion from the book of Acts with some modern day concepts. Let us read of the case recorded in Acts 8:26-39:

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In the 8th chapter of Acts, we find the record of the work of Philip the Evangelist in Samaria, and as he was called by an angel of God for a special mission to preach to one man (Acts 8:5; Acts 8:26). He preached to multitudes in Samaria with great success. Philip was not an apostle, but was obviously a gifted teacher and preacher of God’s word who had the gift to do miracles but not the apostolic privilege of passing on his gifts to others (Acts 8:7, 13, 18).

In the case of both circumstances where Philip preached, people were baptized into Christ (Acts 8:12, 13, 38). The record tells of his preaching “the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 8:12) and simply preaching “Jesus” (Acts 8:35) both of which resulted in the baptism of those who heard him preach and believed what they heard. All of this was in keeping with the command of Jesus given first to His apostles to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and in baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16).

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This subject is perhaps the most argued, the most denied, and the most misunderstood among people who say they believe in God, in Christ, and say they are saved. I myself have debated this subject twice between November of 1998 and March of 1999. I affirmed that baptism was necessary for the remission of sins and my opponent denied this. Why is this such a controversial topic? Why such division on this subject when the New Testament is filled with references concerning the necessity of baptism?

Defining “Baptism”Baptism, as the word is used in the Bible, is “consisting of the processes of immersion, submersion and emergence …. to dip” (Vine’s Amplified Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, p. 62). Mr. Thayer defines baptism as, “to immerge, submerge …. to overwhelm, to be overwhelmed with calamities, of those who must bear them” (Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon, p. 94). Therefore, baptism itself is an immersion in something. The context tells us the element. This will be made clear in our next point.

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To recap our study regarding the Scheme of Redemption, we note the following:

• God loved man, and sent his Son Jesus to die on the cross. This extension of God’s grace is the part that God plays in man’s redemption. Jesus died for the sins of all men. However, not all are saved.
• Since not all are saved, and yet Christ died for all, it is understood that man has some bearing on his own salvation. He has a part to play as well. If he does as God requires, then he will be saved. If he does not, then he will be lost.
• The part man plays in his own redemption is a logical sequence of response to the extended grace of God. The gospel is preached to him. It is the power of God to salvation (cf. Romans 1:16); He hears the gospel (cf. Romans 10:17), and it engenders faith. Faith in Christ is necessary for redemption (cf. Hebrews 11:6). This faith in Christ leads the sinner to respond to the commands of Christ to confess Him (cf. Romans 10:9-10), and to “repent and be baptized” (cf. Acts 2:38). At the point of baptism, a sinner’s sins are washed away (cf. Acts 22:16), and he rises to walk in newness of life as a child of God (cf. Romans 6:4). It is necessary for the new child of God to maintain his faithfulness throughout his life, and if he does, he will spend eternity in heaven (cf. Revelation 2:7).
• This study has discussed in detail that saving faith is faith that is accompanied by obedience. “…faith, by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).
• Also discussed in detail is the necessity of repentance. God demands “all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). The forgiveness of sins is predicated by a promise to turn away from that sin, and practice righteousness. Without that determination, redemption is not possible.

This leaves us with a discussion of baptism. Due to the origin of Prostestant denominationalism many have a problem understanding that baptism is necessary for redemption. Such a concept does violence to the protestant tradition of salvation by faith only. We have already shown such a concept to be invalid, and will now, through the scriptures, clearly show that one must be baptized in order to obtain salvation.

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Under the title, A Baptist On Jeremiah 6:16, we reviewed an article published in THE BAYTOWN SUN, August 1, 1999. Tim Cryer, author of the article, and the preacher at the Victory Baptist Church, Baytown, TX, has now replied. His response appears below.

Dear Mr. Hafley, Thank you for responding to my article. I will get right to the point. I know all about what you teach and believe. I was raised in the Church of Christ; I was baptized at Cedar Bayou when I was 11 by a man named Roy Calma. I have attended your church as well as Missouri Street. All of my family is Church of Christ. My parents are members of Lakewood. I said all that to say this: It is a wicked and false doctrine in which you are involved. My Bible tells me in 2nd John, v. 9, 10, how to deal with people who teach false doctrine.

I believe water baptism is very important in a Christian’s life, but it plays no part in salvation. I know the moment I was born again, and water baptism had nothing to do with it. It is an act of obedience, an external picture of what happened to you on the inside when you get saved.

The difference between us is what Christ did at Calvary. For me, the blood he shed is sufficient to take me to heaven. My salvation is done. For you, he had to die that awful death, and then you have to get baptized, and then you have to work to keep your salvation. You teach that man has a part in God’s plan of salvation. Man never has and never will have a part in God’s plan of salvation.

My objective is not to argue and debate, because nobody will get saved. I am not going to change your mind, and you are not going to change my mind. My objective is to see lost sinners come to Jesus. Will you join me in telling as many as we can that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, (and) that the only way to heaven is through the blood of Jesus?

Mr. Hafley, you are not my enemy. I love you and so does Jesus. Please ask him to show the truth before it is too late.

God Bless You,

Bro. Tim

Reply To Mr. Cryer’s Letter Dear Tim,Thank you for your courteous reply. I do not consider you to be a personal enemy of mine, either. Surely, we shall both be able to speak plainly and forthrightly without bitterness (2 Tim. 2:24). Since Paul was able to speak the gospel “with much contention,” yet remain “gentle,” and holy in behavior, so shall we (1 Thess. 2:2, 7, 10).

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In THE BAYTOWN SUN, 9/1/99, under the headline, “Christians must get back to the old paths,” Tim Cryer, “a lay minister at Victory Baptist Church,” commented as follows:

Jeremiah 6:16–”Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein.”

This great country is a mess today because Christians have traded in the old paths of old time religion for new paths that are not getting the job done. God said in the above verse to ask for the old way, for it is a good way, and walk in this way. The old ways are what made this the greatest nation in the world and is what made our churches Holy and different from the world. But sometime back in the 1960s, parents stopped passing down the old ways to their kids, and started giving them the new ways.

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