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Why I Don't Attend The Baptist Church
George
L. Faull
There are many things in which the Baptists do well. Like Satan and the Demons:
1.
They
believe there is one God, James 2:19.
2.
They
believe Jesus is the Son of God, Mark 5:7.
3.
They
believe Jesus could do miracles, Matthew 9:3.
4. They believe the Bible is the inspired Word of
God, Matthew
4:6.
5.
They
quote Scripture, Matthew 4:6.
6.
They
believe in Prophecy, Matthew 4:6.
7. They believe demons will be tormented on the coming day
of the judgment, Matthew 8:29.
8. They believe that Jesus is the Holy one of God who was
sent into the world, Mark 1:24.
Obviously,
these are not good enough reasons to attend the Baptist Church because even
demons believe this also.
9.
Like
the Pharisees, they are very evangelistic and compass land and sea to make one
proselyte, Matthew 25:15.
10.
They
call Jesus, Lord, Lord, Matthew 7:21.
11.
They
do many wonderful works in His name, Matthew 7:22.
12. Like the Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and Adventists, many
have died on foreign soil for their faith and paid the ultimate price while
trying to evangelize.
So obviously these are not good enough reasons to go
to a Baptist Church, either.
HERE ARE THE
REASONS WHY I DON’T ATTEND THE BAPTIST CHURCH:
1.
Their name does not give
preeminence to Jesus Christ. Colossians
1:18
2.
They do not wear the
prophesied name of God’s people that was to be given by the mouth of the
Lord. Isaiah 62:1-2, Acts 11:26
3.
The Church, which is
supposed to be Christ’s Bride, is called after the friend of the Bridegroom
instead of the Bridegroom. John 3:29
How
would you like your bride to wear your best man’s name and your children to be
called by his name instead of yours?
4.
They have the wrong concept
of man. Ezekiel 18:2-3
They believe man inherited
the guilt and nature of Adam and is born a sinner. The Bible teaches that like sheep we all went astray, not that we
were born astray. We were not born
prodigals but became prodigals and left our Father ourselves. We must become as children, for of such is
the Kingdom of Heaven. Does God want us
to become little depraved sinners?
Matthew 18:3 Little innocent babies are
not born sinners. Men die because Adam
and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and since none of us can eat of the Tree of
Life and live forever, we die. That’s
the consequence of Adam’s sin, but I do not have his guilt. I was lost because I personally sinned
against a Holy God.
5. They are Calvinistic and
believe God’s Spirit has to miraculously convert men because man is so dead in
sin he cannot ever come to faith unless God miraculously gives him faith as a
gift. They twist Ephesians 2:1-9.
Faith is not a gift. Salvation is the gift. Faith comes by hearing the Word. Romans 10:17
Jesus told people they would
not repent so they might believe. Matthew 21:32
6.
They are Calvinistic and
believe in the doctrine of election.
Their view is that God
elects the believers to salvation and “whosoever” does not mean anyone but the
elect. The Bible says He died for the
sins of the whole world. I John 2:2
“He is not willing that any
should perish but that all should come to repentance.” II
Peter 3:9
7. They believe that once you
are saved or give evidence that you are part of the elect, you cannot be lost.
Our prisons per capita are
filled with Baptists and Catholics because of their doctrinal views. Doctrine effects behavior. If I cannot be lost, there is very little
reason to take heed, or beware or give diligence to make my election sure. II
Peter 1:10
8. Though they immerse their
baptism is for the wrong reason.
To them it is a mere outward
form of an inward act. To them it is
the first thing a Christian does instead of the last thing a sinner does. It is not for the remission of sins, the way
Peter said, but rather because your sins were already forgiven the moment you
believed. They ignore that if you are
baptized because your sins are already remitted your repent for the same
reason. Acts 2:38 The word “and”
is a conjunction uniting two things together.
Their baptism is to get you
into the Baptist Church, not into Christ.
They say baptism is a “work” and that “works”cannot get you into
Heaven. It follows then that if baptism
is a “work,” you have to “work” your way into the Baptist Church. If not, why not?
9. They have a false plan of salvation.
Just say the “sinner’s
prayer” or “ask Jesus into your heart.”
These statements do not appear in Scripture in either words or
concept. Jesus knocking at the door is
a picture of Jesus trying to get into His Church, not an aliens heart. Revelation
3:14-22
10.
They abuse the Lord’s Great
Commission.
Jesus said, “He that
believeth and is baptized shall be
saved” Mark 16:16. It is not “he that believeth and is saved should be baptized.” They say you do not have to be baptized to
go to Heaven, but you do to get into the Baptist Church, proving it is easier
to get into Heaven than it is to get into the Baptist Church.
11. They commune as desired,
usually quarterly, rather than following the apostolic example.
“They came together on the
first day of the week to break bread.”
The only verse that tells us when they came together, tells why they
came together – “to break bread.” Acts 20:7
To gather to remember Him
and not unveil His memorial is ludicrous.
12.
They abuse the purpose of
the Lord’s Supper.
It is a time of personal
examination. It is to show forth
(proclaim) the Lord’s death till He comes.
It is to look to the needs of the Brethren. It is a memorial of what Christ has done for us. In light of this, when they say “it would
not be meaningful but would became common place to take it each week” shows
total ignorance of the institution . I Corinthians 11. We are sharing in the benefits of His shed
blood and body - I Corinthians 10:16. How could sharing in the benefits of His
blood be common place? This borders on
sacrilege and blasphemy.
13.
Their Church government is
foreign to the New Testament polity.
Instead of their Church
having an evangelist, they have a Pastor.
Instead of a plurality of Elders, they have one Pastor who often does
not meet the qualifications of an Elder.
The one man Pastor system is as foreign to the Scriptures as the Pope of
Rome. In Scriptures, Elders, Pastors,
Bishops, overseers, shepherds, and Presbyters are all synonymous terms. A boy running around with peach fuzz on his
face cannot be a Pastor for he is not an Elder. There is no such thing in the Bible as “The Pastor of my Church.”
14.
They are carnal for they
divide and denominate themselves into factions, which Paul forbids.
Was John the Baptist
crucified for you? Were you baptized
into his name? Are they Baptists in
contrast to Paul or Cephas or Apollos, or Christ? Such naming of themselves is carnal and sectarian and is
condemned by the Apostle Paul. I Corinthians Chapters 1 and 3.
15. They usually have a creed or
rules of discipline and follow a denominational hierarchy who decides who can
be ordained to preach or be given a license to baptize.
When baptism is not done by
such authorized men, Baptists consider it an invalid baptism. One must have a license to baptize making
their baptisms by the authority of the Baptist Church rather than by the
authority of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
If I were to attend a Baptist Church, and lacked the authority of the
Baptist Church, how could I obey the Great Commission? Surely that would hinder my evangelism and
obedience to Christ!
16.
They believe the Church was
established long before the days of Pentecost in the days of John the Baptist.
They say, “John the Baptist
was the first Baptist preacher.” But
after John died, Jesus spoke of the future and said, “I will build my Church.”
17.
Contrary to James, they
teach one is saved by “faith only.”
Those two words appear
together only once in Scripture and that verse claims one is “justified by
works and not, by faith only.” James 2:4
They cannot harmonize Paul
who said we are “justified by faith and not by works” and James who says we are
justified “by works and not by faith only.”
They ignore that the works Paul spoke of referred to the “works of the
law” and James spoke of the “works of faith.”
It is ironic that baptism is the
only thing mentioned in all nine conversions but it’s the one thing Baptists
say you do not need to do to be saved.
18.
They deny that Jesus is now
King, sitting on David’s throne, but that his kingdom is yet future.
They teach that the Church
is a substitute for a Jewish based kingdom over which Jesus personally will
rule from Jerusalem. They ignore Jesus
is a Priest and King on His throne Zechariah
6:13. Jesus cannot serve as a
priest on earth because He is from Judah.
Hebrews 7:14
Heaven is His throne and the
earth but his footstool. Acts 7:49
He reigns till the last
enemy is destroyed. The last enemy is
death and it will be destroyed at His coming.
He then turns the Kingdom over to the Father and subjects Himself to His
Father forever (I Corinthians 15).
He is not coming to rule
from His footstool. He rules from His
throne in Heaven now and will turn the kingdom over to His Father when He
comes.
19.
Their refusal to practice
Church discipline as outlined in I Corinthians 5 disturbs me.
I would feel insecure if my
family and I never had the advantage of Church discipline in disciplining us if
we fall into sin. I’ve never known a
Baptist Church to discipline its members.
Was Bill Clinton disciplined
for his immorality? Or Al Gore for
advocating abortion? Billy Graham and
his heresy and recommendations of the worse of modernists and
Christ-denying-liberals are not rebuked.
Have these ever been rebuked by the Baptist denomination? Their “live and let live” philosophy is
unwholesome as well as unholy. A little
leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
20.
They have over a thousand
women ordained in the ministry and even had Anne Graham Lotz speak at their
large conventions with denominational approval.
But this is a prohibition of
God. I Timothy 2:12, I Corinthians 14:34
21. I would have to explain why
they are called “Baptist Churches” but have “Christian Schools” while insisting
there is nothing in a name.
I don’t think I could ever
explain that to my own satisfaction, let alone to someone else. How could I maintain my own integrity and
try to defend such a concept?
Now I realize that there are as many kinds of
Baptists as Heinz has products. They
differ on one or two of these points, but the great majority holds to all these
beliefs.
In light of all of this, I could not support with my
influence or money the Baptist Church.
Since they all believe that all one must do to be saved is ask Jesus
into your heart to be saved and once you are saved you cannot be lost, I am
totally at loss as to why they divide into 57 varieties. If it’s not a matter of salvation and you
can never be lost why allow friction and division on anything?
You say there
is nothing in a name? Try putting your
name on my check or my car title or the deed to my house. As one old lady said, “I’ve been a Baptist
for 57 years and you’re not going to make a Christian out of me now.”
If you’re a Christian, don’t let them make a Baptist
out of you! Don’t be a hybrid
“Christian.” Just simply be a
Christian.
No Creed but Christ
No Book but
the Bible
No Name but
the Divine.
Speak where
the Bible Speaks
Be silent
where the Bible is silent
Call scripture
things by Scriptural names.
Restoration
brings unity rather than division.