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New Life in ChristFaith is the bird that feels the lightPROPER Bible Understanding
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and sings when the dawn is still dark.
Rabindranath Tagore {1861-1941}
Birds should be free. They should soar ... not sit on a perch in a tiny enclosure until they die. On the back of the cover for a book titled Simple Faith, there appears this statement: “How did so many people wind up trapped by complicated systems of performance-based faith? Why do we tend to push ourselves past our limits in pursuit of more works than any reasonable Pharisee would have demanded? Must we run at a pace somewhere between maddening and insane to prove we’re among the faithful? *** Welcome to Your Wings ***
A Reflective Review of the book
Simple Faith by Charles Swindoll
BY AL MAXEY
‘No!’ is the emphatic answer from best-selling author Chuck Swindoll. In this liberating book, SIMPLE FAITH, he shows us how to get free from such arbitrary confinement. He reminds Christians that we serve a God who promised freedom, peace, and rest. Here at last is an exhilarating invitation to simple faith. Move beyond rat-race Christianity and break the bars calculated to wilt our free spirits. A cage is no place for a Christian. “Welcome to your wings.”
I have long been a huge admirer of the work of Charles R. “Chuck” Swindoll, who has devoted his life to a ministry focused on bringing the Lord’s people to a greater appreciation of the transforming influence of the Holy Spirit within them and of the joys of simple faith and amazing grace. He perceived long ago that too many of his beloved brethren were being increasingly confined in cages, religiously speaking. They were being trapped behind the bars of a system of religious tradition that was so complex and confusing that most disciples were incapable of even grasping the concept of freedom in Christ, much less being able to perceive the way of escape from their enslavement.Chuck realized something had to be done; someone had to take the initiative in calling the Lord’s people out of their bondage to law and into a state of liberating grace. Many years ago I answered that same calling, and have since been seeking to join my voice with his (and the voices of many others) in this effort to give wings to these precious caged birds, many of whom do not even realize there is a world of joyous living awaiting them just outside the bars of their prisons.
Charles R. Swindoll was born on October 18, 1934 in El Campo, Texas. He was the third of three children born to Earl and Lovell Swindoll. After graduating from high school in Houston, he served some time in the Marine Corps, being stationed, among other places, in Southeast Asia. He and his wife Cynthia were married in 1955, and they have four children. In 1959 he entered Dallas Theological Seminary, graduating magna cum laude four years later. In fact, he received the Faculty Award for being the most outstanding graduate of that institution that year.
Over the years, Swindoll has served as a “senior pas- tor” in a number of congregations, but in 1998 he founded a new work in Frisco, Texas called The Stonebriar Community Church, where he continues to serve as the “senior pastor” of a congregation that now numbers in the thousands. He has received several honorary doctorate degrees in recognition of his contributions to ministry, including the honorary Doctor of Laws degree fromPepperdine University (in 1990).
Through his Insight for Living broadcasts, which are aired in all 50 states and on more than 2100 outlets worldwide (in many different languages), his message has truly become global. In 1996 Baylor University named him one of the top 12 preachers in the nation, and in 2006 Christianity Today declared him one of the top 25 most influential preachers of the last 50 years. He has written numerous books, one of which will be our focus in this present edition of my weekly Reflections.
“For many years I had wished someone would write boldly and biblically about our freedom in Christ Jesus ... about the stranglehold legalism has on many (most?) Christians ... about the delights and discoveries to be enjoyed if folks would only get beyond the petty, man-made demands and restrictions of the grace killers and enter into a life that is free of guilt and shame, intimidation and manipulation. To my surprise, I wound up writing that book myself. The response I’ve received from readers has only reinforced my assumption: A multitude of people in religious bondage long to be free, and they have nothing but gratitude for anyone who will help them break the chains so they can run for daylight. I know; I have a file folder full of grateful letters” [p. xv-xvi].
So wrote Bro. Charles Swindoll in the introduction to his book Simple Faith. He was speaking, of course, of his previous work: The Grace Awakening, which became an instant best-seller. If you have never read either of these books, please do so. If I had the money, I would purchase copies of these books for every disciple of Christ I know (and, indeed, Shelly and I have done so for a number of friends and family).When I was living and preaching in Honolulu, Hawaii, I had someone ask me: “If you could recommend just one or two other books for someone to read, besides the Bible, what would they be?” Without any hesitation whatsoever, I said: The Grace Awakening and Simple Faith by Charles Swindoll. Further, if you know of someone who is still caged by legalism, but who has a heart to be free, run to the nearest book store and purchase these books for that seeking soul. It will be one of the best investments you ever made.
I have in my own library a copy of the original hardback version (280 pages), while my wife has a copy of the paperback version (291 pages), which was released about a dozen years after the former. All quotes in this article will be from the hardback version (actually, the quotes are the same in both editions, but the page numbers will vary somewhat). The book contains an introduction, a conclusion, and fourteen chapters in-between. Let me just briefly comment on each of the sections and chapters, providing a few quotes from each, to whet your appetites for a more careful reading and study of this fabulous work.
Introduction
I’ve already provided one quote from the introduction: a statement in which Bro. Swindoll spoke of what motivated him to write his marvelous study of God’s grace, and how disciples of Christ need to be awakened from their spiritual slumber, loosed from their bonds to legalism, and brought into the joys of freedom in Jesus.
Many of those who were led out of captivity then wondered, “Where do we go from here?” They were free ... but, now what?! Many of them found themselves continuing to take part in organized religion, but enjoying it less and less. True, they were indeed free from a legalistic mindset, but now they seemed to be equally frustrated by the numerous complexities of the institutional system. “The people I have in mind for this book are those who have become victims of tyranny, not legalism. That tyranny is the pressure and frustration and disappointment brought on by the never-ending demands of organized religion. This kind of tyranny is intensifying because nothing in our world today is being simplified. In fact, everything in life has gotten complicated, including a life of faith” [p. xvi].
I completely agree with the author on this. I am convinced that Jesus never intended walking with Him to be something so complex that it would boggle the mind. In reality, it is something so simple that a child can comprehend it. “We have turned a walk with God into a ruthless obstacle course, an exhausting marathon. We have added enormously heavy weights to the runners, and, as a result, many are opting not to enter the race at all” [p. xviii]. There are enough heavy burdens in this life; we’re already loaded down. Jesus, however, said that His burden was light.Frankly, that’s hard for many to imagine when they are forced to view His calling through the spectacles of organized, institutionalized religion. “The Christian life is not based on high-level performance but on quiet faithfulness, not on impressive works but on deep relationships” [p. xx]. . . . Jesus came NOT to establish a new religion (there was plenty of that already); He came to re-establish relationship (both horizontally and vertically). The keys? A life of simple faith; a heart of fervent love!
Chapter One
Chuck Swindoll’s first chapter is titled “Let’s Keep It Simple.” That pretty much says it all. “Long years of legalism, mixed with the pharisaic power plays designed to intimidate and control, held the general public in bondage. Man-made systems of complicated requirements and backbreaking demands” [p. 4] had shackled those men, women and young people who simply wanted to know the Lord Jesus more intimately and to walk with Him.
A religious institution must feed itself in order to survive, however, and this requires the energy, labor and resources of its adherents. It will drain them dry, equating faithfulness and righteousness with the number of boxes checked off on the never-ending list of works to be performed and regulations to be followed. Swindoll rightly observes, “When we attempt to become more spiritual by doing more things, we do nothing but complicate the Christian life” [p. 7].In this first chapter, the author takes a much closer look at the Sermon on the Mount, and he sees therein a call to a simple life of faith and devotion, not a return to the numerous heavy burdens of religious LAW. The primacy of relationship over religion means that we must learn to love one another, and accept one another, and bear long with one another ... differences and all. NO person should seek to dominate another with regard to personal preferences. Love does not behave that way. “Be tolerant of those whose fine points of theology differ from yours. Be tolerant of those whose worship style is different” [p. 12].
Yes, we can be as different as night and day ... and still be brethren! What a concept! Once we grasp that fact, the next step toward simple faith is to behave accordingly, and to cease trying to be little lords over the household of God. “My way or the highway” is NOT the motto of those who seek simple faith.Chapter Two
In chapter two, Bro. Charles returns to the Sermon on the Mount to illustrate “The Qualities of Simple Faith.” Indeed, the entire book draws its primary inspiration (though not exclusively) from the teachings of Christ found in Matthew 5 – 7. He points out the contrast between the institutional sermons of many ministers today, and the inspirational sermon shared by our Lord. He spoke His words outside, rather than in a building. He sat among the people, He didn’t stand behind a pulpit. He dialogued; He blessed; He encouraged.“Having endured a lifetime of verbal assaults by the scribes and Pharisees, the multitude on the mount must have thought they had died and gone to heaven. A pinch of positive blessing does more for our souls than a pound of negative bruising. When will we preachers ever learn?” [p. 23].
In this uplifting chapter, Charles Swindoll focuses on each of the beatitudes, showing how the Lord is seeking to help us perceive in each some special aspect of our relationship with the Father and His other children. “Though simple sounding and easy to read, each beatitude offers a radical rearrangement of our ordinary value system, daring us to be different. What we find here, in short, are guidelines for true Christian character” [p. 25].Chapter Three
The reality spotlighted within the third chapter is that we live in trying times, and “the world is a war zone full of foes that must be faced” [p. 42]. We have a vicious enemy (Satan), and this evil spirit-being has a host of vicious, evil forces in his employ. Sadly, some of his best workers are found among those who profess to be disciples of Christ, but who in fact don’t have a clue who Jesus is or what He is about. Thus, what they promote is more a religion of this world: complex, legalistic, institutionalized and “faith-killing.”Jesus calls us to be salt and light, and neither one can be effective when left in a container or covered over. Salt must mix in to be effective; light must shine. So, get out of those pretty shakers and start mixing in with the people of the world who are in desperate need of what you have to offer. A pretty shaker is pointless if the salt merely remains inside. A lamp may be attractive, but if it blocks the light how can it push back the darkness?
Swindoll suggests it is time to cease shining the light upon each other (preaching the gospel to the saved in our crystal cathedrals), and begin shining it upon the lost. Charles quotes C. T. Studd, who observed, “Some wish to live within the sound of Church or Chapel bell; I want to run a Rescue Shop within a yard of hell.” Poetic and to the point! Evangelism really isn’t complicated – just let your light shine where it will do the most good. And, all of you who claim to be the salt of the earth – shake yourselves out of those pews! Get out of those pretty shakers. I guess this is why he titled this chapter: “A Simple Counterstrategy: Shake and Shine.”
RAY DOWNEN REMARKS: The ONE apostolic directive about our assemblies is that in them everything should be done “for edification” (1 Corinthians 14:26). Assemblies should be to exhort and encourage one another. We should worship every day and everywhere, that’s true. The shakers should release salt, the lamps should furnish light both in and outside our assemblies!Chapter Four
Swindoll turns the reader’s focus inward in the fourth chapter. Jesus did that with the Pharisees when He told them they looked great on the outside, but inside they were filled with corruption and decay. I believe He might have the same thing to say to many disciples (and even congregations) today. Christianity is simplicity itself. However, men have taken this beautiful vertical/horizontal relationship and turned it into a complex system of ritual and regulation.Jesus came challenging Tradition and promoting Truth. He came to remove Religion and restore Relationship. And the legalistic lords hated Him for it. “In the final analysis, it was when Jesus had the audacity to question those longstanding traditions that plans for His demise were put in motion” [p. 63,64].
Things haven’t really changed a whole lot over the past 2000 years. Just dare to question tradition today – then sit back and watch what happens! Disciples continue to miss what they missed back then: “It is the inner heart that God searches and rewards” [p. 67]. The heart was the very least concern of the hardened legalists of the Lord’s day, however, and “Jesus wasn’t always tactful with the grace-killing Pharisees of His day. ... He exposed them without mercy” [p. 67].Jesus’ disciples sometimes told Him that His words were offensive to the Pharisees. Jesus Christ refused to back down, though. “They needed to be offended. One might hope the well-deserved rebuke would awaken them!” [p. 68]. The legalists back then never truly grasped what Jesus sought to teach them ... and legalists still don’t!
The great truth He sought to convey was: “The principles of Scripture go deeper than externals. The Pharisees never learned this. If all you get from your church or from your Bible study is surface religion and the importance of superficial appearance, you are missing what true Christianity is all about” [p. 74].Chapter Five
A life of faith is really not complicated. Systematic religion IS, however. “Jesus never promoted a performance-oriented, surface-only religious lifestyle, but rather an authentic, true-to-the-core life of faith” [p. 83]. In chapter five, Swindoll looks to the way in which our Lord addressed some of the serious issues of His day (and of ours, for that matter). Most specifically, He looks at the problem of adultery. The Jews of Jesus’ day were squabbling over countless rules and regulations pertaining to marital infidelity. Jesus swept all this aside and simply stated that if one’s heart was right, then such horrible things would not occur. Making up more laws doesn’t solve the problem, instilling deeper faith and love does. Again, religion is not the answer to what ails us. Being indwelt, transformed and led by the Spirit is.Chapter Six
Let’s face it: some people in this world (and even in the church) are self-serving and strong-willed. It is their way or the highway. Period. They will love you and hug you and socialize with you as long as you are in agreement with their cherished convictions. Step outside those boundaries, however, and you will very quickly witness a vastly different side of these people. They will “stomp a mud-hole in you,” as a beloved professor used to say. What is the problem here? Lack of Love.“When love is at work in us, it is remarkable how giving and forgiving, understanding and tolerant we can be” [p. 106]. If the rigid religionists loved their brethren as much as they loved their personal and party preferences, the church would be enjoying far greater harmony and fellowship today than it does. Nevertheless, those on the receiving end of such self-centered rigidity should seek to display a higher standard.
“I think of the late Corrie ten Boom and her response to the Nazi guards who had brutalized her sister. She was able to forgive them. She refused to live the rest of her life brimming with resentment and bitterness. True love sees beyond the treatment that it endures” [p. 107]. Brethren, I’ll admit that this is a difficult principle to put into practice. We must continue to love even those who have ceased loving us.
Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean we surrender our convictions and submit to unscriptural religious demands. Sometimes the most loving thing to do is keep moving forward (inviting them to come with us), rather than returning to the rut in which they have chosen to remain. They may hate you for it, but being their doormat is not an act of love (either for Truth or for them).Chapter Seven
In chapter seven, which brother Charles Swindoll titles “Beware! Religious Performance Now Showing,” he discusses the difference between genuine worship and putting on a religious show. “Something within me recoils when I sense that the program is choreographed right down to the last ten seconds and I am an observer of a performance instead of a participant in worship. ... When something as meaningful and beautiful as worship gets slick or bears the marks of a complicated stage show or starts to look contrived, I start checking out the closest exits” [p. 118].Chuck points out that “a humble, uncomplicated walk with God has been replaced by a prime-time performance of religion” [p. 121]. Such people have apparently completely forgotten, if they ever knew, that “Faith is not a long series of religious performances” [p. 121]. “Walking humbly with one’s God was never meant to be a theatrical performance” [p. 122]. Simply stated – “Simple faith and showtime don’t mix” [p. 123].
Chapter Eight
Swindoll observed that the religious extremists “will stop at nothing until we get out of the realm of balance” [p. 135]. Legalists, quite clearly, have no use for balance, because promoting balance means that the preferences of others will bear equal weight with their own. NO legalist will ever, ever tolerate such a thing. It is their way, or it is no way!All others must submit to them, and NEVER will they agree to submit to others. And why should they? After all, they are right, and everyone else on earth is wrong! Simple faith flies in the face of such rigid religious arrogance. “Only on the rarest of occasions did Jesus ever spell out some precise pattern to follow in any of the disciplines of piety. It is as though He left the nuts and bolts to each of His own, not expecting us to jump through a prescribed set of hoops” [p. 139].
Simple faith is flexible; it is not rigid. Too many people have just enough “religion” to be thoroughly miserable with life. They’re so busy trying to jump through hoops and keep rules (while imposing the same upon everyone else – after all, misery loves company) that they fail to see the JOY our Lord has in store for us when we embrace freedom in Him.There’s an ancient rabbinical saying: “A man will have to give an account on the judgment day for every good thing which he might have enjoyed, and did not.” Have you ever seen someone who looked like they’d just sucked a large lemon? Christians shouldn’t look like that! Those who truly grasp the nature of faith enjoy life.
“Have you allowed yourself to fall under the thumb of somebody’s will? No wonder you don’t enjoy life! You are taking your cues from those who frown back at you. What do they know about what the Lord is doing in your life? I’ll be candid with you. The older I get the less I worry about what people think and the more I concern myself with what God thinks. When I get His green light, I confess, I move in that direction and He and I have the time of our lives” [p. 147].We have allowed the grace-killers and the faith-stiflers to hold us back long enough. It’s time to move forward. After all, GOD has given us the green light, which is far more significant than any red light of tradition-bound MEN.
Chapter Nine
This chapter has been titled “When Simple Faith Erodes.” Although the principles contained therein easily apply to all disciples of Christ, the group primarily in view is ministers of the gospel. Those who have devoted their lives to fulltime service to the Father face some rather unique and special challenges that, if they’re not very careful, can erode their faith, transforming it into something it was never intended to be. Dr. Richard H. Seume characterized it: “the lure of a lesser loyalty.”In order to maintain “the good favor of all the good brethren,” ministers will far too frequently begin to soften the message and compromise their convictions. “Tone it down, brother; preach unto us smooth things,” is often the plea from those who don’t want to “rock the boat.”
"A maintenance mentality can emerge” [p. 153] as spiritual leaders seek to maintain the status quo rather than challenging their flock to move on to more fertile pasture land. Swindoll characterizes it: “the tragedy of settling for less.” Erosion is a slow process; a little here and a little there. In time, however, one’s faith has been worn down by those who seek to redirect it according to their own personal or party preferences.One may try to rationalize that a few small compromises here and a little “caving in” there don’t really amount to much, but in the final analysis they each constitute vital parts of the process of erosion of one’s faith. Like boiling a frog: before one knows what has happened one is “in the pocket” of these grace-killers. It is a tragedy witnessed far too frequently in far too many congregations and in the lives of far too many leaders.
Chapter Ten
Worry. Charles Swindoll, in the title of this chapter, calls it “The Subtle Enemy of Simple Faith.” I was impressed with the following insight by this author, and feel he has truly put his finger on one of the root causes of this phenomenon: “Worry occurs when we assume responsibility for things that are outside our control” [p. 174].Chuck gives us the example of Jesus in the home of Mary and Martha. One was stressed out, the other was simply satisfied to sit at the feet of the Savior. One had taken on far more than she could handle, the other was content to listen to the Master, knowing some things take priority over the little things of life.
“Harassed and haunted either by what we think might happen or by something that has already occurred – neither of which we can control or change – we become fearful and unsure. ... If we were to keep a record of all our fears over fifty years of our lives, chances are good that 90% (or more) of those things we dreaded never came to pass” [p. 178].God takes care of His people; He will see that your needs (though not always your wants) are met. “As you care more and more about giving Him first priority, you will care less and less about the things that once ‘strangled’ you emotionally and spiritually, thereby stealing your peace” [p. 184]. Remember, “no squirrel ever had a coronary because he failed to store enough nuts for two winters instead of one,” and “no dog ever lost a good night’s sleep over the fact that he had not laid aside enough bones for his declining years” [p. 182]. In other words, trust God, and keep life simple.
Chapter Eleven
This chapter is a fabulous one, for it strikes very close to home for many of us. Swindoll talks about a game we each have played at times (and some continue to play) – “Let’s Label.” We don’t particularly like someone, or we don’t agree with their position, so we set out to destroy them in any way we can. We undermine their work, we talk about them behind their back, and we shun them. In our effort to cut down and cast out all those who dare to differ with us, “the life of simple faith gets lost” [p. 198]. Swindoll says that playing this game “can be addictive” [p. 200]. In fact, it seems some actually enjoy it. But, it’s a killer.At the end of the chapter he tells of a young preacher’s wife. “She had been reared in an extremely legalistic home and fell into the clutches of that negativistic, grace-killing lifestyle. The man that she married became a preacher in the same religious system: long lists of taboos, exceedingly rigid expectations, unending requirements, judgmental suspicions – the works” [p. 201].
Over the years this lifestyle began to destroy her faith (as well as the faith of her husband and children). “The legalism was killing the tiny bit of joy that still existed” in their lives. Finally, her husband was forced to acknowledge their problem. “Even though he knew that his career was on the line, he determined not to continue living a lie and promoting such a graceless and condemning message” [p. 201].He resigned. Their joy returned; their marriage and family life strengthened; their faith grew ever more dynamic. “Their relationship with others is now free of binding legalism” [p. 202]. The sad part of the story is that all their former church friends have dumped them. “They have labeled us as liberals,” she sighed, “even though we are not that at all. Actually, we are walking closer to Christ than ever before. In many ways we expected it, though. After all, for most of my life that is the same way I handled anyone who did not agree with me. We were right, and whoever was not in our group was wrong. Those are the rules of legalism” [p. 202]. When will we ever learn! Legalism destroys simple faith ... and it destroys relationships.
Chapter Twelve
With regard to the legalists of His day, Jesus “never once retreated from His all-out assault against the scribes and Pharisees. He reserved His sharpest goads for them” [p. 207]. “Every time I hear someone in a speech refer to Jesus as if He were some kind of meek ‘n’ mild, spineless wimp, I want to raise my hand and ask, ‘Ever read Matthew 23?!’” [p. 208]. Jesus didn’t fall for the nonsense proclaimed by these legalistic patternists; He saw through the foolishness and He exposed it in no uncertain terms. Jesus Christ called us to be a people of simple faith ... not simpletons!Yes, we need to confront those who have given themselves over to law rather than grace. Seek to rescue the perishing, and those affected by their teaching. But a point comes, declares our Lord, when we must realize that we’re wasting our time on them and we need to move on. NEVER allow the legalists to hold you back from going where the Lord has called you to go. “Jesus teaches that there will be occasions when perpetually closed minds need to be left on their own” [p. 209].
“There does come a time when it is best to ‘let stubborn dogs lie’” [p. 210]. Don’t make the mistake of lying down with them ... “gather up your precious pearls and move on!” [p. 211].Chapter Thirteen
“Every day in America the United States government issues 50 more pages of regulations” [p. 221]. Sounds kind of like some churches (and brethren) we know, doesn’t it? Those enamored with law will continue to produce it. “Then Jesus said to the crowds, and to His disciples, ‘You would think these Jewish leaders and these Pharisees were Moses, the way they keep making up so many laws!’” [Matt. 23:1-2, Living Bible].“The scribes and Pharisees sat around splitting hairs over theological and theoretical minutia,” and Jesus Christ, “in effect, said, ‘Enough of external religion!’” [p. 225]. It’s all about simple faith displayed in daily living. It is knowing Jesus, not knowledge of law, that is truly redemptive.
In Matt. 7:23, Jesus told the religious practitioners, “I never KNEW you.” “If you are the religious type who loves creedal affirmations more than biblical application, those words Jesus spoke probably make you nervous. Plenty nervous. They were spoken to get the religious professionals off the fence of theory (where things sound so right, so pious) and into the world of reality (where true Christianity is put into action)” [p. 233]. “There is a major difference between mouthing the right words or carrying out impressive deeds and being men and women whose hearts have been invaded by the Lord Jesus Christ. The former is religion, the latter: relationship” [p. 234].Chapter Fourteen
In this final chapter, Bro. Chuck Swindoll speaks of the inevitable storms of life. We must face reality: “life is difficult ... storms are inevitable ... pain and discomfort happen. There is no escaping life’s calamities” [p. 244]. The question is: Will our faith withstand the storms? “If you are only hearing and reading the truth, you are not prepared for life’s storms” [p. 245].Charles Spurgeon once noted, “There are tens of thousands to whom the preaching of the gospel is as music in the ears of a corpse.” It simply has no impact. Thus, they are not transformed, and they are not equipped to face the challenges of life. When the storm comes, they will collapse just like the house built on a foundation of sand. “To listen with no plan to act – to read with no interest in responding – is to miss the whole point of Christ’s great message on the mountain. Divine truth is given not to satisfy idle curiosity, but to change lives ... not to lull us to sleep in church, but to equip us for today and ready us for eternity” [p. 246].
Conclusion
It is time for God’s children to “push aside all the clutter of religious activity and return to the basics of simple faith” [p. 248]. We have spent so much time focused on the externals of a rigid religion that we have lost sight of the internal realities of spiritual relationship. We’ll fuss, feud and fume over whether or not our personal preferences are followed in a “worship service,” thinking that is where true righteousness is displayed, but never give a second thought to the message we send to the lost of this world by our faithless focus on form.
“In a busy, angry, complicated world like ours, I know of no greater need than an authentic display of simple faith. Surrounded by a jumble of activities being carried out by exhausted, joyless people – many of them claiming to be Christians – the presence of a life that demonstrates love and extends grace, a life that represents compassion, humility, and mercy, is long overdue” [p. 252]. May God help us to become a people of simple faith. We have been squabbling factionists far too long! It’s time for change.
*** “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful” (Colossians 3:14,15).
***
TOP ONE Baptism Baptism Into Christ Water Baptism BOXED-IN BELIEVERS
Shhh ... Do Not Disturb! Saints are Slumbering
by AL MAXEY I can’t help but think that Proverbs 6:10 is a rather apt depiction of far too many disciples of Christ today: “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep.” In verse 9 the question is posed to these spiritual sluggards: “When will you rise from your sleep?!” The apostle Paul, adapting a quote he took from the prophet Isaiah, pleaded, “Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead” [Ephesians 5:14]. He also informed the Roman brethren, “it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep” [Romans 13:11]. We have become a people “at ease in Zion” [Amos 6:1], tucked away in our cozy little comfort zones.Too many have become little more than believers within a box, shielded from those about them, shut off from all who might dare to challenge their cherished convictions, personal preferences, and party perceptions and practices. It is a blissful ignorance; a calm repose. Their box is a coffin, however, and the hush that descends about them is the silence of a tomb. There is the smell of death, not the sweet savor of a life of sacrificial service offered up unto the Lord among those about us who are perishing in the darkness.
Voltaire [1694-1778] nailed it when he spoke of Brutus sleeping while Rome was in chains. Too many who profess to be disciples of Jesus today are similarly indisposed. There are precious souls all about them in chains – in bondage to the harsh masters of legalism and sin. Yet these “walled-in weekend warriors” slumber peacefully within their comfortable religious boxes while others perish in shackles. They are seemingly oblivious to the oppression that exists about them.
A soldier asleep on watch, or snoozing in a foxhole, is of little use to our Commander-in-Chief; indeed, such are a liability. So is an entombed disciple – one encased within his own peaceful mausoleum while the world suffers and dies on his doorstep. President John F. Kennedy (1917- 1963) rightly observed, “If men and women are in chains anywhere in the world, then freedom is endangered everywhere.” Brethren, we must abandon our religious boxes. We were not called by Christ to slumber in cozy chambers; we were called to put on armor, take up a sword, and engage the forces of darkness on the front lines of the battle for men’s souls.I fear that the church has grown comfortable. We have found that “zone of comfort” which, in reality, equates to a zone of complacency. We no longer feel a sense of urgency to accomplish our mission. Why are we here? What is our purpose? What have we been called to? And, what can you and I do, individually as well as collectively, to help achieve these godly goals?
These are questions that have not only gone unanswered, but largely unconsidered. Why? Because we have been much too busy tip-toeing around sleeping saints to sound the trumpet summoning God’s people to action. “Let’s not disturb them!!” Au Contraire!! Let’s blast them out of their padded pews and into the streets. Let’s shake their box until they spill forth from it, so that they might start being the church, instead of going through life just going to and doing church, neither of which are biblical concepts.It is time for us to take the Light into the darkness, rather than merely cursing the dark from behind our sectarian walls of exclusion. Salt cannot flavor and preserve while in a crystal shaker, and yeast does not do its work unless mixed in with the dough. Sealed in a protective wrapper, it is useless. So too with the genuine disciple of Jesus Christ.
I heard an old preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ once declare within a sermon that if he were given a single wish that would be immediately fulfilled by the Lord God, then he would wish for every church building on earth to burn to the ground overnight, thus forcing the people of God to spill forth into their communities. It was his feeling, and I believe he has a point, that we have become a people who tend to “practice Christianity” within a building; behind closed doors. Our Light has been placed under that proverbial basket, thus hiding it from those who need it most.I’ll be honest with you, brethren, I’m personally convicted that we would be far more effective within our communities if we were all meeting in homes and inviting in our neighbors, instead of meeting in a single church building, waiting for the lost to come to us.
If the legalistic patternists want to “restore the pattern,” why don’t they start here, instead of worrying about the preciseness of some “act of worship” within some “worship service” inside some “church building” – none of which are even mentioned in Scripture, must less regulated. Focusing on these, rather than our true mission in this misguided world, has transformed us into feuding factionists and squabbling sectarians, rather than everyday evangelists of the grace of God to a perishing world. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves!A gifted brother in Christ, Max Lucado, once did an article on what happens when fishermen do not fish. A group had gone to a lake for a week of fishing, but the rains were really heavy, so they ended up packed together inside a cabin. It wasn’t long before they were at one another’s throats. When fishermen do not fish, they fight.
It was an amusing story; an attention grabber ... but it shares a valid insight into human nature. If we, as disciples of Christ, as fishers of men, are failing to fulfill our calling, then our sights will turn from the lost and turn upon one that varies greatly with each and every party, sect, faction and schism in Christendom.If a Biblically-conservative congregation is not growing, both spiritually and numerically, if there is tension among the members, I can almost guarantee you that there are “legalistic patternism” issues at work within that group of religionists. I can also guarantee you that unchecked, in time it will destroy that congregation. Such little groups are closing their doors for the last time in ever increasing numbers, and many predict that by the end of this century such hardened legalistic congregations of patternists will be all but nonexistent. If they won’t wake up, abandon their boxes, and embrace the freedom in Christ Jesus to effect the necessary changes to their teachings and practices, they will perish ... and deservedly so! I receive emails, letters, phone calls and even a few personal visits from people every day who are fed up with being “boxed in” by the tedious tenets of a tyrannical Traditionalism.
They’ve had it ... and they are leaving the Churches of Christ in droves! Frankly, I understand their concerns completely. Indeed, I’m in sympathy with them. Saints should never be shackled by their sectarian siblings. Believers should not be berated for voicing convictions contrary to the accepted “group think” of the party. We are free in Christ, and if a religious group seeks to limit that freedom ... then flee it, is my advice. The only exception to this is if you feel you are in a position to perhaps challenge that legalistic mindset from within and bring about some degree of change that may yet transform a few within this faith-heritage into what the Lord intended them to be. Such is my own personal determination. My weapon? The “boxcutter (sword) of the Spirit,” with which one may do battle with those walls that box us in and keep us from fulfilling our mission.A dear brother in Christ, who is a leader with a well known international mission effort among Churches of Christ, recently shared with me a letter he had written to an individual who was struggling with some of the changes being made by an awakened leadership at her congregation. They are attempting to come “out of the box” in their thinking and practice, and to become more relevant to the lost about them. Such requires responsible change, and this is truly uncomfortable for those who have, in some cases, been slumbering for decades!
One of the changes taking place at that congregation of Churches of Christ is that they have introduced an instrumental service, while also maintaining an a cappella service. This brother has stated to me: “Maybe some of your readers can critique my position – either to affirm or refute it. I would welcome your comments as well, but I think I know at least the gist of what you would say!” Needless to say, I will not reveal this brother’s identity, or his location, or even the organization for which he works, as we all know what would happen. The “keepers of the box” would go after him without mercy, seeking to destroy him.This brother is doing a tremendous work for the Lord throughout the world, and I won’t jeopardize that in any way. However, I will share some of his letter to this woman in the hope that it will touch your hearts and minds, and challenge you to “think outside the box.” If you have any comments for this brother, I will forward them on to him if they are sent to me.
Dear –––––, I’m distressed that you are having such a difficult time with the changes at ––––-. I wish I knew how I could help you in this.I think many people do not realize the number of assumptions that have to be made to arrive at our traditional position on Instrumental Music:
- You must assume that our hermeneutic is correct in its approach to the silence of the Scriptures.
- You must assume that absence of a specific command or example prohibits an action.
- You must assume that the word “sing” always means without instruments.
But, our hermeneutic has not been given to us by God. Are our inferences the same as God’s Word, the same as what He has said? I really don’t think that my reasoning (or that of any other man) can measure up to being called “the Word of God,” no matter how good I think my “reasoning” might be.
Does the absence of a specific command or example prohibit an action taken to help/aid in obeying a command of God? If so, why do we find Jesus in the Synagogue on the Sabbath? Or in the Temple at the Winter Festival? Both of these things, the Jewish Synagogue and Hanukkah, had their beginnings during the intertestamental period, not as part of the revelation of the Old Testament writings.Does the word “sing” carry with it the idea that the singing is to be UNaccompanied? I’ve heard it preached so all my life – but does it? In our normal speech in English, it doesn’t. If I should say that I like to hear Perry Como sing, I am not saying that I expect him to be singing without any accompaniment, and that if he does sing with accompaniment, then I won’t like it. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him sing UNaccompanied, and yet I do enjoy hearing him sing.
This, I believe, is equally true in the Greek. In Revelation 5:8,9 and 15:1-3 we have some in heaven holding harps and singing. The word used for “singing” in these texts is ado. I’m not making an argument here about there being harps in heaven [I did, however, in my article Holding Harps of God – Reflections #297 – Al Maxey]. What I’m doing is talking about the meaning of the Greek word ado.It means to sing – but the way it is used in Revelation shows that it does not exclude the use of an accompanying musical instrument. And this is the word for “sing” that is used by Paul in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16. Most all of our discussions of the Greek within those verses has centered on the word psallo – “Speaking to yourselves in psalms (a noun form of psallo), and hymns and spiritual songs (a noun form of ado), singing (the verb ado) and making melody (psallo) in your hearts to the Lord.”
This is entirely a lexical argument, not a hermeneutical argument. It only seeks to answer the question: Does the word “sing” inhe ently exclude the act of accompanying the singing with a musical instrument? I am simply not convinced that it does. Yet, an assumption of prohibition must be made for our traditional interpretation to be sustained. In fact, if any one of the above three assumptions that I have listed at the beginning of this letter fails, then our position fails as well.And I’m not sure that any of those assumptions is solid enough to allow us to tell someone that he is sinning by using the instrument. And yet, if these fail, that still does not require that we USE an instrument. However, all of these assumptions must be absolutely valid for us to demand dogmatically that the instrument be forbidden. And yet, I suspect that there are also other assumptions besides these three that are involved in our argumentation, if the whole truth be known.
I personally prefer not to use the instrument. I will not introduce it. If someone tried to introduce it at my home congregation, I would object because it would split the congregation. Things can be lawful, and still not be profitable. I do think some will probably be lost because of attitudes about the use of the instrument, whether for or against. I can not say categorically and dogmatically, however, that people will be lost because they use it or do not use it. If I’m wrong in this analysis, I’d like to know it. I hope that this has given you something to think about, and that it just may give you some peace of mind.Clearly, our brother has sought to challenge this sister (and all who may read his letter) to “think outside of the box,” with the “box” being our traditional perceptions and practices which tend to bind us back from any significant forward progress in our efforts to reach the lost and edify the saved with the relevance of eternal Truth (which should never be frozen in time and place and cultural expression). Although Tradition may be limited and limiting, Truth is truly limitless. It transcends all barriers and boundaries, and may be both embraced and expressed in a wide variety of culturally acceptable ways by any person any place and at any time. You can’t box Truth! It will always burst through such barriers ... as it should ... as it must. Truth is on the move, and it is bringing change in its wake.
So, wake up, brethren ... shake off your shackles ... climb on board ... and let’s journey boldly together into the glorious future our Lord has prepared for us. It might not look like our recent past, but isn’t our aim to restore ourselves to the ideal church as led and taught by Christ’s apostles?I’ve put together on a CD seven sermons by Rick Atchley which I feel point the way to restored unity in the Stone-Campbell unity movement which split three ways in its second century. I’ll mail to anyone who requests it and furnishes their mailing address a free CD which can be played on any computer with a CD reader and the software which enables music or speech to be heard on the computer’s speakers. RAY DOWNEN COMMENTS:
Three sermons on the CD preceded an address by Rick Atchley in late June of 2006 at the North American Christian Convention. Three sermons follow that address, and particularly point the way to unity by calling for human laws to be accepted as matters of opinion rather than matters of faith. Each of the seven sermons are by Rick Atchley and were available on the web site of Richland Hills Church of Christ, copied by me. On the CD, I added an eighth address, a sermon by a schoolmate of mine whose ministry has found wide favor, and whose sermon to students at Ozark Christian College in the fall of 2006 is well worth considering by all.
TOP Boxed-In Believers Baptism Into Christ Water Baptism The apostle Paul is an advocate of unity in Christ. In particular, when he wrote to Ephesian Christians, he spoke of seven ones which unite us: one God, one Lord, one spirit, one assembly (the body of Christ, His church), one hope, one faith (the body of teaching given through Christ’s apostles), and one baptism. I ask, was Paul inspired in calling for these unities? Or shall we say he was mistaken in one or more of them? For Us, There is
by RAY DOWNEN
ONE BaptismAren’t there more baptisms mentioned in the inspired writings than just one? Yes, indeed there are. Yet Paul calls for us to be united in only ONE baptism. Is that John’s baptism? Is it baptism in the Spirit? Is it some other baptism? Since Jesus speaks of a baptism which is to accompany spreading the gospel, we might well think the “one baptism” Paul refers to is the one Jesus speaks of. I certainly think so.
The birth of the “one body” which is Christ’s church is reported in chapter two of Acts. The spokesman for the risen Lord, the one whose words are recorded for our information by the reporter, was the apostle Peter. Peter responded to a plea for word as to what sinners could do to make themselves right with God. His advice, “Repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Jesus had connected baptism with telling others about Him. Peter connects baptism with repentance and turning to Christ.
Earlier in the chapter where this connection is made we read of a baptism in the Spirit, which was heard and seen in strange ways. Jesus had promised His apostles that they would be baptized in the Holy Spirit only a few days after the promise was given. The apostles were baptized in the Holy Spirit and thereby empowered for the tremendous tasks to which they had been called. But the baptism Jesus spoke of for His disciples to perform was not the baptism in the Spirit which was performed by Jesus Himself. No, the baptism men were to perform is in water, as is made clear in many passages in the New Testament scriptures. I’ll mention only one in this brief study.Jesus spoke prophetically about a new birth of water and spirit which He said was essential for admission into His Kingdom. His Kingdom is His assembly (church). Peter was inspired to call for a change in the human spirit as necessary for admission into the church of the Lord, and linked with it was a baptism IN WATER. I see both water and spirit there. In the history of the early church as told us by Luke, we read of several instances of conversion which brought people into Christ’s church. In the latter part of chapter eight we note in particular that the baptism in reference was immersion in water.
Baptism in God’s Spirit could only be performed by God. Baptism in water can be performed by men. And Jesus calls for MEN to preach the gospel and to baptize. Shall we try to baptize in the Spirit? How could we? Apparently the apostles who were first given the commission we call the great commission thought the baptism spoken of by Jesus was in water. Now some brothers are trying to pick out selected uses of “baptism” and “baptize” in inspired writings and say that those references refer to a baptism by the Holy Spirit. Some say this unseen immersion takes place at the instant of belief in Christ. Others place it as coincidental with an immersion in water in the name of Jesus. Baptism BY the Spirit. In which Bible verse is such a baptism promised or foretold? None. In which Bible verse is such a baptism seen to have been performed? None. Why then would any Bible teacher try to create a second baptism where the Bible clearly teaches there is only one?Why? It’s because one verse is handled wrongly by most translators. That’s 1 Corinthians 12:13. The apostle Paul there is speaking about the unity which should pervade the church of God. What many translators cause him to have said is that entry into the church is through a baptism performed by the Holy Spirit. The New International Version has it read: “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free– and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”
Those who speak and study the Greek language know that the phrase they translate as “by one Spirit” could easily and correctly have been translated as “in one spirit.” That would have agreed with apostolic truth and with the apostle’s plea for unity based on all having been baptized in exactly the same way. But the translators choose in this one passage to create a baptism by the Spirit, an immersion (the Greek word we translate as baptism simply means immersion) which is never spoken of by inspiration.Would Paul have contradicted his clear teaching that there is ONE baptism? Of course not. Paul was inspired. He taught truth. He certainly would not then have created a second baptism to conflict with the ONE baptism which exists for the body of Christ. Baptism IN the Spirit was performed, Luke tells us, twice in the history of the church. Baptism BY the Spirit is never spoken of except in this one mistranslation. Why then would anyone jump in to say Paul was mistaken in teaching there is ONE baptism for Christians? Well, they seldom speak of this different baptism as a second baptism, for they want to believe in two baptisms and don’t want to worry about this not being what the apostle really taught.
Why do some want to believe in a second baptism for Christians? It may be because Paul makes clear more than once that baptism is the point at which we are admitted into the church of Christ and brought into Christ Himself. That is, into fellowship with Jesus as sons and daughters of the Father. And some don’t want to believe that baptism is essential for salvation. No way, they say.
Writing to Galatian Christians, Paul affirms, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Paul appeals for unity in Christ. All who obey the gospel do so by repenting and being baptized. Babies can’t do this. That’s obvious. It’s ones who have sinned who need to turn away from sin and be baptized. It’s ones who now believe in Jesus who need to obey Him. Babies can’t.Accepting baptism is an act of the will. Christian baptism is not done, it could not possibly be done, to a person except to one who chooses freely to submit to having it done. A sinner clothes himself with Christ by turning away from sin in order to make Jesus his Lord and by being immersed in water in obedience to the expressed desire of Jesus.
How does the Spirit become involved in baptism into Christ? The Spirit is given by Jesus to those who repent and are immersed in obedience to the gospel call. Note that the apostle didn’t say the Spirit chooses to come to the new Christian, but that He is a gift. Gifts don’t normally give themselves. They are given by a gift-giver. Just as Jesus said He would send baptism in the Spirit to His apostles, Peter says Jesus will send the Spirit to join Himself with the spirits of us who have obeyed the gospel of Christ.
There is no baptism BY the Spirit, regardless of what any translators might think. Salvation is in Jesus Christ. Jesus saves. It’s not the Spirit of God who died for us and who will reign eternally at the right hand of the Father. Jesus saves. Jesus sends His Spirit to glorify the Lord Jesus in the lives of all who submit to the one baptism which brings us into Christ and into His church. Please think about this and let me know what you think. Thanks. • RAY DOWNENTo join Viewpoint Discussion group which is hosted by Ray, please send an e-mail with the subject “Subscribe Viewpoint Discussions” with your name, to Ray Downen at OUTREACH@SOFNET.COM. To receive only weekly Viewpoint News/Views notes, your subject should read "Subscribe Viewpoints" with your full name. Ray would like to hear from you.
TOP Boxed-In Believers ONE Baptism Water Baptism United States Senator Sam Houston was baptized November 19, 1854 in Little Rocky Creek near Independence, Texas. It is said that the two people who had the most influence on leading Houston from a life of sin to enter Christ’s Way were his wife Margaret and Baines Johnson (great-grandfather of President Lyndon Baines Johnson). It is said that when Houston arose from the waters of baptism he exclaimed, “God have mercy on the fish!” And here’s another word
by VICTOR KNOWLES
about baptism,Baptism is mentioned more than 120 times in the Bible. The noun “baptism” and the verb “baptize” are anglicized Greek words that mean “to dip, plunge, or immerse.” “The simple act of a new believer being immersed into Christ is a divine drama that illustrates beautifully the washing away of sins by the blood of Jesus and the rising to walk in a new life by faith in the resurrected Christ” (Bob Russell, THE LOOKOUT, January 20, 2002).
Baptism was the first public act of Jesus’ ministry. He walked about 70 miles to be immersed in the Jordan River by his cousin John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-17). After his baptism, the heavens were opened, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and God’s voice was heard: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17, New King James Version). . . . Baptism and Jesus
Baptism was part of the last command given by Jesus on earth. Jesus said, “All authority In heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:18,19). Baptism is the only command in the Bible given in the name of the Godhead.
Each of the nine accounts of conversion in the book of Acts culminates in Christian baptism. Believers repented of their sins, confessed Christ, and were baptized. They did not balk at baptism. They did not belittle baptism. They did not bide their time. From the Day of Pentecost onward, baptism was always an immediate faith response to the gospel of grace heard and believed. Baptism in the New Testament
In his book Baptism Today and Tomorrow (St. 33 Martin’s Press, 1966), G. R. Beasley-Murray finds five attendant blessings to baptism in the New Testament:
- Forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16),
- Union with Christ (Galatians 3:26; Colossians 2:12; Romans 6:1-11),
- Possession of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; Titus 3:5),
- Membership in the church (1 Corinthians 12:13),
- Inheritance of the kingdom of God (John 3:5).
Beasley-Murray concludes, “In the light of these statements I am compelled to conclude that the understanding of baptism as ‘a beautiful and expressive symbol,’ and nothing more, is irreconcilable with the New Testament.” The apostle Paul wrote often about baptism in his epistles. Baptism is the threshold of entrance into Christ, his atoning death, and his glorious church. Paul states that we are “baptized into Christ” Galatians 3:27), “baptized into his death” (Romans 6:3), and “baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13). The footnotes of several Bible translations indicate that the Great Commission may also read “baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).
Baptism, then, brings a convert into a new relationship “where God becomes his heavenly Father, God’s Son becomes his personal Savior, and God’s Spirit becomes his indwelling strength” (The Beauty of Baptism, by Alger Fitch, 2003).
Recently Timothy George, executive editor of Christianity Today, answered a question from a reader in his column “Good Question.” The question was, “What is the role of baptism in faith and salvation?” George responded, in part, “Baptism must take place in the context of faith, and it must connect to the central events of the gospel—Jesus’ cross and resurrection” (CT, July 2003). Baptism and the Cross
This is precisely the point the apostle Paul makes in Romans 6:1-4, where he writes, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
Baptism certainly connects to the central events of the gospel! We are “baptized into Christ Jesus.” We are “baptized into his death.” We are “buried with him through baptism into death.” We are raised “just as Christ was raised from the dead.” It’s all there in baptism—death, burial, and resurrection.
The passage in Romans is more clearly understood when placed alongside what Paul wrote to the Corinthians when he defined the gospel. He said, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4). The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ—as it is portrayed in Scripture. The response to the gospel is our death, burial, and resurrection—as it is portrayed in Christian baptism.
Baptism is more than a commemoration of what has already happened. It is a dynamic action, an actual participation, a life-changing event. We are buried with Christ. We are baptized into his death. There we die with Christ. We are raised with Christ, just as he was raised. The saving power in this act is linked to the resurrection of Christ (1 Peter 3:21). All this is indeed an act of faith that God is graciously doing something special at this time. “Having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12).
Martin Luther said, “Your baptism is nothing less than grace clutching you by the throat: a grace-full throttling, by which your sin is submerged in order that ye may remain under grace. Come thus to thy baptism. Give thyself up to be drowned in baptism and killed by the mercy of thy dear God, saying: ‘Drown me and throttle me, dear Lord, for henceforth I will gladly die to sin with thy Son” (as quoted in Down in the River to Pray, John Mark Hicks and Greg Taylor, Leafwood Publishers, 2003). The death to sin, the burial of a dead sinner, and the resurrection of a new person all occur in baptism.
Baptism has been likened to a tomb. Alger Fitch says baptism is a tomb in that “the person buried in the tomb of water is to have died to self. Eyes, ears, lips are under the wave. Sex organs, hands, feet, and mind are now ready to rise into a life over which Jesus is to have control. The total surrender of a total person to the total will of God is what baptism confesses.” Baptism can also be likened to a womb where one is born again of the water and of the spirit (John 3:5; 1 Corinthians 12:13).New life, free from the dominion of sin, is the result of our baptism into the death of Christ. Norma McCorvey (of “Roe vs. Wade” notoriety) was baptized on August 8, 1995. The same day was her last day of employment at a Dallas abortion clinic. She testified, “I’ll serve the Lord and help women save their babies for the rest of my life.” Former NFL great and TV broadcaster Pat Summerall, who nearly ruined his life with alcohol, was recently baptized. He said, “I went down into the water, and when I came up it was like a 40-pound weight had been lifted from me. I have a happier life, a healthy life, and a more positive feeling about life than ever before.” Baptism and the New Life
Here’s the bottom line on baptism: “So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land! That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means” (Romans 6:1-3 The Message).
Victor Knowles is founder and director of POEM The apostle Paul wrote to Corinthian Christians to set them straight on at least two problems within the group. They were allowing sexual sin by one of the group to be ignored. And they were splitting themselves into groups loyal to one beloved leader or another beloved leader. The study below has to do with the disunity problem. It incorrectly translates a verse in such a way as to create conflicting teaching between the apostle here and in several other passages. It sets the stage for teaching salvation by faith only, that is, for salvation prior to obeying the gospel. A brother writes:
(Peace on Earth Ministries), Joplin, MO.
TOP Boxed-In Believers ONE Baptism Baptism Into Christ Are Christians Baptized BY the Holy Spirit? OF COURSE NOT.
BY RAY DOWNEN“We must get our eyes off some elusive humanly perceived pattern, derived largely from mere assumptions, and direct them toward the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
RAY: This introductory statement is absolutely correct, yet is not what the later remarks in fact do. Obeying JESUS saves sinners. Obeying JESUS is the Way to eternal life. JESUS is Lord. Jesus is head of the church. The gospel is telling about JESUS. Our unity is in JESUS, in loving and serving HIM. Our spirits are one in HIM.
“It is a ‘unity of the Spirit’ that will ultimately prove to be transforming, not this futile quest to force the Family of God into some form of our own devising. Our unity, therefore, is not based upon what we do, but rather upon who we are. And the force that brings this oneness to His universal Body is none other than the Holy Spirit.RAY: And all along I thought it was JESUS and our love for HIM which should make us one. If we obey JESUS, if we ALL obey Jesus, we will surely be one in our spirits. But now we’re told it’s the Holy Spirit rather than the one Lord who creates and sustains unity. I don’t agree. Isn’t ONE Lord enough?
“I believe we too often discount the operation of the Spirit among the called-out people of God. He has been given for a purpose, and far too many disciples, especially within our own faith-heritage (the Stone-Campbell Movement), have sought to utterly remove the Holy Spirit as the vital life-giving, unifying force within the Lord’s One Body.”RAY: I’m quite sure that JESUS is the vital life-giving, unifying force which unites us within HIS body. Should we all unite around the Spirit instead of God’s SON? If we love and serve Jesus we are Christians. What name would be right for those who love and serve the Spirit?
“This is a grave error, and the result has been apparent to the world about us. Rather than believing, they merely mock. Who wants to be part of a dismembered, dysfunctional Body? Brethren, it is time once more to be indwelt, empowered and led by the Holy Spirit.”RAY: I think it is time still to be led and empowered by the living and powerful SON of God to whom our loyalty belongs. Is the Spirit the head of our churches? Did He die for us? Jesus has ALL power in Heaven and on earth, He claims. Shall we agree or shall we think the Spirit is our source of power and truth?
“The apostle Paul wrote to a group of believers who were struggling greatly with themselves, saying, ‘Just as there is one body that has many members, and all of the many members of the body are one body, so also is Christ; for we were all immersed into the one body by the one Spirit, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free men; and we all have been given to drink of one Spirit’ [1 Corinthians 12:12,13, Hugo McCord’s New Testament Translation of the Everlasting Gospel].”RAY: So we’ve now arrived at the mistranslation. Jesus commissioned MEN to baptize. Paul would not, he could not claim that unity required everyone to have been baptized by the Spirit. Or was the great commission given to the Spirit? You know better. Every baptism recorded in the book of Acts, the history book of the early church, was performed either by Jesus Himself or by one of His disciples. Not a single baptism was performed by the Holy Spirit. Every convert was baptized in water in the name of Jesus. The immersing was done by human hands.
What Paul appeals to is the shared experience that EVERY Christian had submitted to because they learned of Jesus and sought salvation through Him. All were baptized IN one spirit rather than BY one Spirit.The Holy Spirit did no baptizing. But every convert to CHRIST received baptism because each was submitting to the authority of JESUS. “In one spirit" is the proper translation of the phrase which speaks of being baptized into the body which we call the church. No Bible baptism was ever performed by the Holy Spirit. Yet Paul is appealing to a baptism which ALL disciples had experienced and which they KNEW they had experienced.
“Not a few biblical interpreters have taken the view that this passage is sacramental in nature. In other words, the baptism mentioned is water baptism and the drink has reference to the cup of the Lord’s Supper. Frankly, I do not believe either ‘sacrament’ is in view in this passage. Contextually, neither practice fits. Rather, Paul is speaking of the concept of unity within the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the role of the Holy Spirit in bringing about this reality.”RAY: Our unity is in JESUS, not in the Holy Spirit. JESUS is the head of the church to which we belong. His word is supreme. His wish is our command. Unity comes from JESUS and our shared love for HIM.
“I really appreciate the manner in which Ken Taylor phrased this passage in his Living Bible -- ‘Each of us is a part of the one body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves and some are free. But the Holy Spirit has fitted us all together into one body. We have been baptized into Christ’s body by the one Spirit, and have all been given that same Holy Spirit.’ Paul is not talking about water baptism, nor is he speaking of the Lord’s Supper. He is talking about the power of the Spirit to unite us as beloved brethren in the universal One Family.”RAY: In 1 Corinthians 12:13 Paul certainly IS talking about water baptism. That’s the ONE baptism to which every Christian has submitted. It signifies our acceptance of JESUS as Lord. It shows forth his death and resurrection as dying sinners are buried and raised up into new life. Why does anyone want to try to replace Jesus as our Lord and Master? Are we not all loyal to HIM? Do we not all seek to please HIM? Are there two Lords? Two heads? Two Masters? Two sacraments? A sacrament is an act which creates merit, as I understand it. What do Christians have to do with sacraments? Is that an apostolic word?
“Some have taken these thoughts as references to the Christian sacraments -- water baptism and the Holy Communion. ... It is doubtful that this is Paul’s primary intent. Rather, he is emphasizing spiritual baptism, and the communion of spiritual food and drink’ [The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 10, p. 264].“The aorist forms argue against the view that this verse refers to the ongoing practice of water baptism and Communion, as though the physical acts would somehow make the Christians one body. If the physical rites were in view, present tense verbs would be expected’ [ibid, p. 265].
“John Gill, in his classic Exposition of the Entire Bible, in commenting on this passage, concurs: ‘This is to be understood not of water baptism.’
“Dr. Albert Barnes, in his monumental work Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, also agrees: ‘Many suppose that there is reference here to the ordinance of baptism by water.’ However, Dr. Barnes notes, this seems clearly out of touch with the context of the passage. I completely concur.”RAY: And now we reach the ultimate false teaching:
“I’m thoroughly convinced that the baptism mentioned in this passage is not some ritual or rite or sacrament, but is rather simply a use of the Greek word to convey the idea of complete immersion into something. That ‘something’ into which the people of God are completely plunged is JESUS, and, by extension, His universal One Body. And the One who places us WITHIN HIM is none other than the Holy Spirit.”RAY: Compare this with the inspired truth that the Spirit is GIVEN to those who obey the gospel of CHRIST. It’s an absurd claim that it takes the Holy Spirit to save us by “placing us within JESUS.”
“Thus, by the agency of the Holy Spirit we are all completely plunged into (immersed into) the Lord Jesus, with all who are thus incorporated into Him constituting the One Body universal of our Lord on earth. This passage, therefore, has nothing whatsoever to do with water baptism, but has everything to do with the power of the Holy Spirit to unite us with the Son of God, and in so doing to unite us with all others the world over who also have been added to Him. It is ‘the unity of the Spirit.’RAY: This imagined “baptism by the Spirit” can’t be seen with human eyes. There’s no evidence that any such 2nd baptism occurs. It’s a figment of someone’s imagination, not any result of inspired teaching. What the text says, and what agrees with all other Bible teaching, is that our baptism into Christ (we die to sin and are raised from the water to walk in NEW life) brings us into the ONE BODY which is HIS church. It’s not the church of the Holy Spirit. The baptism is not by the one Spirit. It’s IN one spirit, which is a spirit of humble obedience.
“As the passage states, ‘we were all immersed into the one body BY the one Spirit.’ This is an ‘immersion’ effected BY the Holy Spirit, the purpose of which is to unite the many diverse parts into a unified, harmonious, functional whole body.RAY: The purpose for the one baptism which brings us into Christ and His church is “the remission of sins,” as is made clear in Acts 2:38. The purpose of this second baptism the writer and translators imagine is, the writer says, “to unite.” Yet obeying the one LORD is entering into unity with Him. We are reborn of water and spirit and ALL are made one by our obedience to the ONE LORD.
“Therefore, Paul immediately goes on to say that as a result of this spiritual ‘immersion,’ there is no longer the distinction of Jew or Greek, slave or free, or any other such human perception of separateness. We are all now ONE by the action of the Spirit, who has incorporated (immersed) us all into Christ Jesus.”RAY: And some imagined that JESUS saves and that the baptism Jesus said WE were to perform had something to do with obeying the gospel and clothing us with HIM in His body. But this writer thinks the work is done invisibly by the Holy Spirit rather than by those told to preach throughout the world, baptizing those who believed the gospel of JESUS. Absurd is a kind description of such imaginations.
“Dr. C. K. Barrett, who at the time he produced his commentary was a professor of theology at the University of Durham, points out that the intent of Paul in this passage was very practical in nature: he sought to illustrate the reality of their oneness, and that this was the work of the Holy Spirit. ‘The various national and social groups, and the dissident religious cliques at Corinth, have all entered into the unity of the Body of Christ, which they ought to express, and not deny, by means of their various gifts’ [A Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians, p. 289]. “Again quoting from the work of Dr. Albert Barnes -- ‘it means, that by the agency of the Holy Spirit, they had all been suited, each to his appropriate place, to constitute the Body of Christ -- the church. The Spirit had so endowed them as to fit them to constitute One Body, or to be united in one, and to perform the various duties which resulted from their union.’“Dr. G. R. Beasley-Murray, in his great study Baptism in the New Testament, observed, ‘Baptism into the one Body by the one Spirit overcomes the deepest religious and social divisions of mankind: in the Body there is no room for maintaining the distinctions between Jew and Gentile, and slaves and free; in Christ they are “one man” (Gal. 3:28), and the one Spirit divides his gifts to all. The unity of the Body thus does not consist in uniformity of character and function, on the contrary Paul is about to explain how the very idea of a body presumes the necessity of members with different functions; but these differentiated functions are possible because the Body is a unity, informed by one life and inspired by one Spirit’ [p. 171].”
RAY: Are there no “authorities" who could be quoted to provide light on what the apostle really said and meant? Our writer friend knew of none. Yet it’s JESUS who is exalted and to be obeyed. JESUS is Lord. Or are we to obey whatever we think we hear the Spirit telling us to do? How would that unite us when the messages claimed to be from the Spirit are often conflicting and contradictory?
“There are a couple of companion passages that I strongly believe provide us some additional insight into the thinking of the apostle Paul on this matter. ‘For as many of you as were immersed into Christ clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is not male and female, for you are all united in Christ Jesus’ [Gal. 3:27,28, Hugo McCord’s translation].“Many translations render the final phrase: ‘For you are all one in Christ Jesus.’ This is essentially the same message as that found in 1 Corinthians 12:13. Paul is stressing our oneness, and a unity of diverse brethren which comes from the immersion by the Holy Spirit of these diverse elements into spiritual union with Jesus Himself, thereby making of us One Body. When the Spirit plunges us into Him, we are thereafter fully “clothed" with Christ Jesus.
“The Greek word translated ‘clothed’ is enduo, which signifies ‘to be arrayed, invested; to be clothed with.’ The Analytical Greek Lexicon states, ‘to be invested with spiritual gifts, graces, or character’ [p. 138]. When the Holy Spirit plunges us completely and intimately into Jesus, we are so utterly immersed in Him that we are daily thereafter increasingly transformed into His character, overwhelmed with His grace, and endowed with His gifts. It is this immersion of which Paul speaks, NOT the rite of water baptism. It is an immersion performed BY the Spirit of God that incorporates us into the Son and thus not only unites us with Him, but also with all others who have been thusly incorporated by the Spirit into the Son. THEREIN is the basis of our unity and oneness!! Paul tells us that when this is our reality, we, in effect, have cast off our ‘old man’ and have ‘put on the new self’ who is being transformed into the very image of the One into whom we have been immersed -- ‘a renewal in which there’s no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all’ [Colossians 3:10,11].
“It is an immersion we dare not deny, and dare not diminish, both of which I believe we do when we seek to restrict the meaning of ‘baptism’ in these passages to the rite of water baptism.”
RAY: This writer has joined the ranks of faith-only teachers who will do whatever they must to avoid believing that we are baptized into Christ and thereby saved, with sin washed away by our obeying the gospel of JESUS. The ONE BAPTISM which unites us is the one commissioned by JESUS. It is to be performed by the same ones who carry the gospel throughout the world. It’s an immersion in water. There are not two baptisms in the Christian Way, one commanded by Jesus and the other performed by the Holy Spirit.
“Does this perception in any way whatsoever diminish the place of water baptism as a visible demonstration of faith; as an evidence essential to our faith response? Of course not. I am in no way suggesting such a thing.”RAY: Is he "in no way suggesting" that water baptism is NOT the one baptism involved in obeying the great commission and in securing the remission of sin? That’s precisely what the writer IS suggesting and far more than only suggesting.
“I am merely suggesting that perhaps we have misapplied the above passages in our zeal to prove a particular doctrine and practice that, frankly, if one is not careful, can be easily given improper emphasis and thereby abused. Water baptism most definitely has its place in the process that leads us to and evidences our union with Christ Jesus. I fear, however, that too many for too long have elevated it to such a place of distinction that the work of the Spirit has been all but forgotten, if not replaced altogether. This is dangerous, and such a practice really needs to be challenged.RAY: Yes, many do indeed challenge Jesus as Lord, seeking to replace the baptism HE commands in any way they can find to displace His authority. They all place salvation prior to obeying the gospel by repenting and being baptized. But of course they’re not teaching salvation by faith alone, they say. Just ask them, and they’ll explain why their heresy is NOT attempting to make their substitute take the place of what He commands.
“There are many uses of the term “baptism" within the pages of the New Covenant writings. Thus, it is totally fallacious to assume they all have reference to water baptism.”RAY: Quite true. We don’t make any such claim. But each time baptism is associated with salvation in Jesus, it’s in reference to the ONE BAPTISM which unites us, or else Paul’s unifying appeal in Ephesians 4:4-6 means nothing. The “one baptism” is not Baptist baptism, which is mentioned in the gospel records and also in Acts. It’s not the experience of the Israelites as they moved through the Red Sea while fleeing from Egypt. No one tries to say it is. Here’s another effort to confuse the question with a nonsensical application. No one is saying or thinking that every use of the word “baptism” refers to Christian baptism.
“Jesus, by way of a singular example, spoke of a baptism He would soon experience, and which many of His disciples would experience as well (Mark 10:38,39; Luke 12:50). This was an immersion into suffering and death, however, which had nothing to do with the rite of water baptism. Let us always remember those three essential rules of biblical interpretation: context, context, context! It can prove to be a life saver ... literally!”RAY: The context of 1 Corinthians 12:13 is important. The context surely proves that Paul is not trying to confuse his readers by speaking of a unifying baptism that they’ve never heard of before and yet they all share. I believe there’s ONE BAPTISM associated with being added to Christ’s church. It’s in water. It’s performed by human hands. It’s identical for every convert. It brings us into Christ’s ONE BODY as it brings us into Jesus Christ Himself. The gift of the Spirit follows, both in 1 Corinthians 12:13 and in Acts 2:38. Parallel passages inform no less than does the context of any problem passage. Apostolic doctrine includes no baptism BY the Holy Spirit.
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