July 2001

Know Your Bible July 2001

Why Sprinkling Is Not Scriptural Baptism

SPRINKLING has no emblem of Christ's burial. Rom. 6:4.
SPRINKLING has no suggestion of your buried past. Rom. 6:5.
SPRINKLING has no New Testament command to obey. Acts 10:48.
SPRINKLING has no divine example to follow. Mk. 1:9,10.
SPRINKLING has no promise of remission of sins. Acts 2:38.
SPRINKLING has no assurance of hope for the future. Rom. 6:3,4.
SPRINKLING has no divine origin for existence. Col. 2:12.

SPRINKLING HAS ONLY THE CREED AND TRADITION OF MAN FOR ITS AUTHORITY.

AN INFANT IS SPRINKLED: WITHOUT desire. WITHOUT faith. WITHOUT repentance. WITHOUT confession. WITHOUT love. WITHOUT expectation. WITHOUT consent. WITHOUT inspired example. WITHOUT divine authority.

TO SPRINKLE WATER ON AN INFANT IS: PRESUMPTION by the preacher. FORCE by the parents. DISLIKE by the infant. DISOBEDIENCE on the part of all who had a part in the forced dedication.

---via, Report Of Truth

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Loving Christ Is Conditional

The Bible teaches that loving Christ is conditional. Let us study some of them briefly.

Loving Christ demands that we keep all of His commandments. Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments," (John14:15). These commandments are found in the New Testament, from Matthew to Revelation. They are also known as "the doctrine of Christ," (2 John 9). We are not follow the commandments of men such as Budda, Mohammed, Joseph Smith, or John Calvin.

Loving Christ demands that, in order to remain in fellowship with Him, we must repent of our sins. In I John 1:6-9, we read, "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Loving Christ demands that the sinner must give up his sinful life and obey God's plan of salvation. Jesus says, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works," (Matthew 16:24-27).

Loving Christ demands that we live righteously so that we may be able to enter Heaven. Jesus, in Revelation 2:10 says, "be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." This means that we must be both hearers and doers of the word. In other words, "faith without works is dead," (James 2:20). Furthermore, we ought to study God's word and apply it to our lives (2 Timothy 2:15) and teach others also (2 Timothy 4:2). In so doing, we will be prepared to stand before Christ at the judgment, ready to give answer to those things that we have done both in deed and in word, whether good or evil. In 2 Corinthians 5:10, we read, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."

Condensed from an article by ---Ira Mikell

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The Creed That Needs No Revision

If you were to ask a Christian for a copy of the "creed" or "book of rules" of the church of Christ, he could only offer you a copy of the New Testament. The only written creed the church that Christ built has ever had is the New Testament. It was given by the inspiration of God, and is sufficient to furnish the man of God unto all good works, 2 Tim. 3:16,17. It meets the needs of the whole world, Mk.16:15.

This is the only message we are authorized to use in the conversion of sinners, Mk. 16:15,16; Matt. 28:19,20. Jesus taught that the word of God is enduring and that by it we shall be judged, Lk. 21:33; Jn.12:48. The authority of Christ, as expressed in the New Testament, is the only safe guide for the church. It is sinful for the church to submit to any other authority. The gospel is God's power to save, Rom.1:16. James says it is able to save, Jas. 1:;21. Paul writes that it did save the Corinthians, 1Cor.15:1,2. The curse of God rests upon the man who preaches another gospel or dares to add to or take from it, Gal.1:8; Rev. 22:18,19.

In spite of plain Bible teaching, we find good, religious people subscribing to human creeds. Even those who subscribe to man-made creeds will not claim for them any saving power. They are but the products of human opinion and stand as barriers to the unity of religious people. Man-made creeds are based upon two wicked assumptions: 1. The New Testament is not sufficient to meet the needs and govern the people of God. 2. This supposed insufficiency can be remedied by weak, fallible, erring man. Without such assumptions there is no excuse for the making of any human creed.

Human creeds are objectionable for a number of reasons: 1. They are not inspired of God. 2. They do not meet the needs of the whole world. 3. They are not perfect. 4. They must be revised every few years. 5. We shall not be judged by them. 6. They set aside and make void the word of God. 7. They teach many things contrary to the New Testament. 8. They keep people divided on the question of religion.

They should, therefore, be laid aside forever, or better still burned and forgotten. As long as a single one of them is in force anywhere, division will exist. They are subversive of divine authority and of the peace, unity, and fellowship that should characterize those who desire to please God and go to heaven when they die.

As simple Christians we take the authority of Christ, as expressed in the New Testament as our only rule of faith and practice. It is the one creed that needs no revision. We invite all of you to meet with us on the New Testament in order that we may be united in work and worship.

---Rufus R. Clifford

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