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The church of Christ is that institution which has the divine creed. The creed
of the church is Jesus Christ. Our faith is centered in the living, reigning
Christ, God's Son. We do not say that we know what creed we have
believed, but, like Paul, that we know in whom we have believed, and are
persuaded that He is able to guard that which we have committed unto Him
against that day (2 Tim. 1:12).
Peter's statement in Matthew 16:16, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God" is our creed. When a believing penitent comes to us and says that he believes Jesus is God's Son, we neither vote upon him nor require him to recite a human creed, but baptize him in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. This is all that Christ required of a believing penitent, so why should anyone else require more of him? I once saw a little girl march down an aisle and give a Baptist preacher her hand. Do you know that her confession of her faith in Christ was not enough to satisfy that Baptist preacher? He turned and asked that Baptist's Church to vote upon that little girl in order to find out if it wanted her. My friends, if every Baptist preacher in the world had voted against that little girl, it would not have stood in God's sight! Jesus Christ has already voted in favor of everyone who wants to come to him, so I appeal to my Baptist friends to give up this and other human doctrines. Your own preachers admit that they are calling upon you to do something for which they can find neither precept nor precedent in the Bible. Notice the following: "It is most likely that in the apostolic age, when there was but 'one Lord, one faith, one baptism', and no differing denominations existed, the baptism of a convert by that very act constituted him a member of the church, and at once endowed him with all the rights and privileges of full membership. In that sense, 'baptism was the door into the church.' Now it is different; and while churches are desirous of receiving members, they are wary and cautious that they do not receive unworthy persons. The churches, therefore, have candidates come before them, make their statement, give their experience, and their reception is decided by a vote of the members. And while they cannot become members without baptism, yet it is the vote of the body which admits them to its fellowship on receiving baptism." (Edward T. Hiscox, The Standard Manual For Baptist Churches, p. 22).This certainly doesn't sound like the case of the eunuch in Acts 8. The eunuch recited no experience and no one voted on him. The eunuch wanted to be baptized and Philip said, "If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest." The eunuch answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." (Acts 8:37). And that is all the creed that the eunuch had to subscribe to in order to be baptized. Well, it seems that if a man were a terrible sinner, the Baptist preachers might vote against him. Jesus said, "...for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Mt. 9:13). Baptist preachers have made it harder for people to become Baptists than Christ made it for them to become Christians. Baptist preachers should defend their doctrine or quit imposing it on their members. They admit that it is not in the Bible, so they ought to give it up. So, let us say to sinners, "Come to Christ!" Yes, let them come, but do not carry babies to preachers when they are too young to know what is being done to them. The Bible makes provision for people who have not reached the stage of accountability — they are safe. But every sinner has to believe and confess Christ for himself. Paul said, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Rom. 10:10). My friends, you who baptize infants, how would you feel is someone far larger than you held you while someone else poured water in your face -- especially when you had not asked for it? So, my friends, quit imposing on babies and get back to Christ. Christ said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. " (Mk. 16:16). Jesus Christ speaks to the individual. Each person must believe and obey for himself. Our creed, Jesus Christ, will never need changing. The Hebrew writer says, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Heb. 13:8). Now, here is a creed that needs no revising. Many years ago, the Southern Presbyterian Church revised its creed by taking the doctrine of predestination out of it. It had been in their creed for 300 years. The Presbyterians got it from John Calvin. John Calvin got it from Augustine, bishop of Hippo, and Augustine got it from fatalists. Jesus Christ does not teach it. Jesus Christ died for all who will come to Him (Jn. 3:16; Mt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15-16; Acts 10:34-35; Rom. 1:16-17). The Methodists once had the statement in their creed that babies were born sinners. Well, they saw their mistake and took that false doctrine out, around 1912. Now, I'm glad to see people getting nearer the truth, but if they'd had the right creed all the time, they would not have needed to revise it. You do not need to revise Christ — He is perfect. My friends, call upon your preacher to prove, by God's word, the doctrine he preaches. Your salvation and the salvation of your children is involved. Let each one of us cling to the divine creed and say with Paul, "For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." (1 Cor. 2:2). |