|
|
OUR ORIGIN
As Baptists, we like to trace our origin back to John the Baptist. Although it would seem to be a logical conclusion, the fact that John’s baptism was not unto salvation but repentance makes such a leap unlikely. Added to this is the fact that all Protestant denominations can only be traced, at the very least, only as far back as the Protestant Reformation. This was perhaps the greatest fallout from the Reformation as Martin Luther was used of God to go against the only organized religious institution of that time—the Church of Rome. The radical changes brought upon the Church by him were many, one of which was his concept that the Church was made up of God’s elect only (The Baptists, Anne Devereaux Jordan and J. M. Stifle, Hippocrene Books). Not only was that a radical and bold statement in the Seventeenth Century, it is even more so in the Twenty First. However, Luther and those who would follow him was standing on solid ground, because they were echoing the teachings of St. Augustine, the Apostles Peter and Paul and ultimately Jesus Himself. As the early Baptists emerged as a more organized group within the Protestant movement, this particular belief began to be a distinguishing mark that set them apart from others (A History of Baptists, Revised Edition, Robert G. Torbet, The Judson Press) When asked by Christ “whom do men say that I Am?” Peter’s response of “thou art the Christ” (Matt. 16:16) was the confession of faith and ultimately the pre-requisite for entry into His Kingdom, which was indicated in that verse by the term ‘church.’ The very term itself means to be called out and always has reference to a specific group of people, whether religious or secular. Perhaps the best illustration of why this is the only true definition of the Church is seen in the nation Israel (ISBE). They were called out from among all the other nations and became the People of God, or God’s chosen race. In order for a person from any other nationality to become part of them, they had to not only forsake their own people, but be baptized through immersion. In his historical account of the early Church, Luke makes it a point to say that all those “who believed were together” (Acts 2:44). While he does not use the term church, it is certainly implied by his emphasis on the common thread that unites all believers—those regenerated through the power of the Spirit and Word. Further evidence of this is seen in Paul’s teaching to the Church at Corinth when the main problem facing them was “dis-unity” (I Cor, 12:13; cf. Rom. 12:5). Men such as John Smyth and John Bunyan were the early pioneers who set this high standard for all Baptists. However, as stated before, it did not originate with them, but with the Head of the Church—Jesus Christ (cf. I Cor. 3:10,11).
In Christ, Minister John Cobb
|