Did John the Baptist Start off the Baptist Church?
I grew up in the Southern Baptist Church and was constantly led to imagine that John the Baptist launched the Baptist Church. Nicely, it made perception: John was a “Baptist” we were “Baptists.” So John have to have started out the Baptist Church, proper? Of course, optimistic considering at its best. Perception is, as they say, reality. Sometimes our perception and Reality are in opposition. And, often, we locate out the difficult way.
Looking through the Bible in its entirety, rather than pulling out a convenient verse below and there, produces the Creator’s meant influence – illumination of Real truth.
At the age of 21 I began to study the Bible. Not the typical casual perusal by way of a handful of Psalms or Proverbs, but a deliberate, systematic examine of the 66 guides that make up the Bible. Looking through the Bible induced me to assess the items we Baptists believed and practiced.
Soon after a watchful review, I recognized that there were a host of techniques that we Baptists advocated that did not align with the Bible. But a single Baptist doctrine stood out previously mentioned all other people – that John the Baptist started the Baptist Church.
Did John the Baptist start off the Baptist Church? Do you want to discover it for yourself, or would you like to me share what I discovered? If you happen to be looking through this sentence, I can assume that you want me to share what I located. Alright, listed here is understanding from the Word of God. I hope you will validate it for oneself.
We find King Herod, in the 14th chapter of the gospel of Matthew, shelling out his birthday at his winter palace. He’d been in a position to seize and imprison John at his palace. Why did Herod want John in shackles? Due to the fact John experienced stated that Herod should not be sleeping with his sister-in-law, Herodias as a result, John was incarcerated for his incendiary assertion. In fact, Herod wanted to execute John, but feared the reaction of the crowds simply because the populous thought John to be a prophet of God.
Then, throughout the celebration of Herod’s birthday, Herodias’ daughter enticed Herod by dancing erotically prior to him. Evidently Herod was mesmerized by her seductive skills and promised to give her anything at all she desired. She’d already been coached by her mother on what to ask for. “Give me John the Baptist’s head on a platter!” demanded Herodias’ daughter. Herod was now in between a rock and the proverbial hard-location. He did not want to incite the crowds, but he also experienced to exhibit that he was a man of his phrase. Eventually he selected to make sure you Herodias’ daughter. Herod experienced John decapitated.
Why is this historical account of John’s demise essential? Due to the fact it uncovers the response to the concern, “Did John the Baptist start off the Baptist Church?” How does it uncover the response? John’s loss of life at the hand of Herod was just before the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ manufactured the very first prophecy that any church would be constructed. Jesus stated that He would create a church – not John. Jesus mentioned that it would be His church – not John’s. John the Baptist established no church. His identify “John the Baptist” was merely a descriptive expression of his mission and actions. John was a baptizer of guys unto the baptism of repentance.
In the 16th 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 stating that you are John the Baptist. Some are declaring that you are a prophet, such as Elias or Jeremiah.” But Jesus needed to know what His possess disciples believed. “But who do you think I am?” Jesus questioned. Peter responded and explained, “You are the Christ (the Messiah Savior), the Son of the living God!” Jesus exclaimed that Peter was blessed due to the fact his expertise was given by God and not by flesh. Then Jesus tends to make an amazing prophecy to Peter and to the relaxation of His disciples, “You are Peter, and on this rock (the rock of perception that Jesus was the Son of God, or what we would phone the confession of religion in Christ) I will build my church.”
It was Jesus, not John, who stated that He would construct a church. We discover that the Lord’s prophecy came accurate in the previous portion of Functions chapter 2. That area of Scripture reveals that all who ended up 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 prospective church member candidates.
In addition, Christ’s church was a “blood-acquired” institution, as mentioned in the 28th chapter of the book of Functions. It was to be an important, divine, blood-bought establishment that the saved of God would be extra to by God.
Consider this reality: John didn’t prophecy that he would build any church. John failed to give his blood for a church. John was merely the fore-runner for the Christ.
Historical past records that the Baptist Church was started by a guy named John Smyth, an Anglican priest ordained by the Church of England in 1594. Smyth grew to become a “Separatist,” and fashioned the 1st “Baptist” church in Holland somewhere between 1607 and 1609 – some 1570 years right after Christ set up His church. Smyth “re-baptized” himself by pouring water over his head. Then he baptized (poured) his followers. 1609 is the unofficial commencing of the Baptist Church.
Prior to his loss of life, Smyth abandoned his Baptist sights and started striving to proselytize his followers into the teachings Menno Simons, and the Mennonite Church.
Present day Baptist Church associates are a group of great, honest, ethical, and zealous folks. Even so, they belong to a male-made firm. 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 feasible? Baptist people have not taken the time to investigate their own heritage. They have not taken the time to diligently review the Scriptures of God. They “believe” that what they’ve been instructed is the reality.
Why would so numerous good people align on their own with an business that was clearly founded by a gentleman, instead of simply obeying the directions of Peter discovered in the 2nd chapter of Acts and becoming added to the church of Jesus Christ by God Himself? baptist church in Raleigh is as basic as the nose on your confront. They just never know. They are ignorant of these biblical and historical facts.
Each and every Baptist require to know that Jesus Christ started His church and gave His blood for it. Paul instructed the church at Ephesus that Christ liked the church and gave Himself for it. Paul also explained that Christ is the Head of His church, and the Savior of His human 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 founded by John Smyth? My choice is Jesus. Give me the possibility to obey the instructions for salvation located in Acts 2, and God will add me to the church of Christ, Functions 2.
If you have the non secular want to be a “Christian ONLY,” and a willingness to locate the one particular, correct, New Testomony church of the Bible, Michael challenges you to read the ebook Muscle mass and a Shovel. It truly is not only a story that will grab you instantly and not allow go, but it will problem your existing beliefs over and above your creativity.