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MORE BAPTIST BRIDE BOLOGNA FROM THE DEEP FREEZE

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AUDACITY OF THE BAPTIST BRIDE

By Ken Blue

Several years ago I wrote a book called, Baptist Brider Bologna. I had no idea just how thick the bologna was until a fellow pastor called my attention to a Baptist Bride webpage. It contained the article below. We could title it “The Switch and Bait Game.”

 Briders believe they have the only correct doctrine, and therefore, only those who embrace it are Christians. You may be saved and in the family of God, but if you are not of their cut, you are not in the bride. You will notice that they make the word Christian synonymous with a Baptist Brider. Then they say if you don’t accept their Baptist teaching, you are not a Christian.

What all that means is, if you aren’t baptized by someone, who was baptized by someone, who was baptized by John the Baptist, you are not a Christian. If you are not a member of a Baptist Bride Church, you are not a Christian. If you do not have closed communion, you are not a Christian. If you fellowship with anyone who is not a Brider, you are not a Christian. If you use any Bible except the King James Bible, you are not a Christian. If you don’t believe in eternal security, you are not a Christian. If you are baptized by anyone except a Brider Pastor, you are not a Christian. If you are not faithful to all the Baptist Church services, you are not a Christian. If you don’t tithe, you are not a Christian. If you don’t go soul winning, you are not a Christian. If you disagree with the pastor, you are not a Christian. And, if the sign on your church doesn’t say Baptist, you probably aren’t a Christian. We say “nuts” to all this!

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Baptist Briders believe they have the only correct doctrine[/pullquote]

What these birds have done is set up a series of personal standards and doctrines, they think early believers believed and practiced. Then they teach that these original believers constituted the Baptist Bride Church, whose members lived by those standards. Adherence to their Baptist teachings identified them as Christians. Therefore, if you do not accept their Baptist Bride doctrines and behavior, you are not a Christian. It’s that simple, boys and girls.

Non-Baptist Christians?

Posted by JTR on 7/01/2010

“While some Baptists understand the absurdity of making a distinction between church history and Baptist history many would still refer to non-Baptist believers as Christians. I don’t believe that you can be a Christian without being a Baptist. I did not say you can’t be saved without being a Baptist and that would be absurd because you cannot become a Baptist until being baptized after salvation. The question must be asked, “What is a Christian?” A Christian is not just one that trusts Christ as their Savior. A Christian is one who is a follower of Christ – including AFTER salvation. May I say that one who gets saved and then backslides or never grows in the Lord is not a Christian. They may have trusted in Christ but they are not following Christ in their life. To be a Christian is to follow the ways and teachings of Christ. How could a believer be a Christian without being a member of the institution of the local church which He started? How could a saved Methodist be a Christian with their infant baptism? How could a Pentecostal believer be a Christian with their speaking in tongues? How could a Church of Christ member be called a Christian when they are trusting in baptism for salvation? How could a Presbyterian believer be a Christian when they don’t believe in eternal security and practice sprinkling? Being a Christian is more than believing in Christ and going to a church that historically believes in Christ instead of other gods. As Spurgeon said, ‘We believe that the Baptists are the original Christians.’ As Baptists we don’t treat the polity of new testament churches as optional suggestions and we don’t add to our practices the contradictory writings and creeds of men. If Jesus were physically on earth today he would be a member of a Baptist church because a (true) Baptist church is a practical copy and an actual descendant of the church that Christ started during His earthly ministry. Don’t be ashamed my brethren, only Baptists are Christians.”

(Emphasis is mine. I am not ashamed to be a Baptist; I am ashamed of some Baptist!) 

WHAT APOLLOS DIDN’T KNOW

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QUESTONWHAT APOLLOS DIDN’T KNOW
By Ken Blue

“This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. 26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.” Acts 18:25-26.

The dedication of Apollos could not be brought into question. He was eloquent in speech, fervent in spirit and fully committed to the information he had. But, there was a great chasm between what he knew and what he needed to know. The text says Aquila and Priscilla expounded something to him that was more perfect.

Apollos’s ministry consisted exclusively of the ministry of John the Baptist. That is, he was preaching the kingdom of heaven gospel and practicing water baptism for the same reason John had taught and preached it. (“John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” Mark 1:4).

Now, what was it Apollos did not know? Keep in mind that Aquila and Priscilla had served with the Apostle Paul and had learned of the dispensation of the gospel of grace from him. They also had a church in their house.

First of all, he didn’t know that the ministry of John and the Twelve was over, and that God was rejecting Israel and cutting them off because of their unbelief. Next, he didn’t know that Paul was God’s new Apostle, and that the dispensation of grace was committed to him. Again, he didn’t know that Jews and Gentiles were being baptized by the Spirit into one body, called the church. This truth was not made known from the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 3:9). Neither did he know the gospel message that had been given exclusively to Paul. (See Galatians 1:11-12). Apollos didn’t know that he could now eat catfish without guilt. Last of all, he didn’t know that the writings of Paul would become the body of doctrine for the new church God was building. Like many today, he needed to learn how to rightly divide the Word of God.

We may thank God for His servants who are gifted and zealous for the Lord. But, zeal without knowledge can be a dangerous thing, and it has done great harm to the church through the centuries. Many today are still laboring under the kingdom of heaven ministry of John the Baptist, and they don’t have a clue as to the more perfect or accurate ministry given to Paul.

BAPTIST BRIDERS AND REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY

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Difficulties with Briders Doctrine

By Ken Blue

Recently an article by a Baptist Brider came to my attention. The following quote was the first paragraph. “When did the church start? Baptists, being dispensationalists and not replacement theologians, believe that the church is a New Testament institution so we know that we can find its origins within the borders of the New Testament Scriptures.”

The first mistake our brother makes is his reference to “the church.” You see, in Baptist Bride doctrine, there is no such thing as “the Baptist church.” There are only individual local churches. Now, I am aware that he may have been thinking of only one local church at the time, but I doubt it.

Baptist Briders believe their baptism is the door to the local church. Next, their local church is the bride of Christ. Therefore, you must be baptized into a Baptist Bride church to be in the bride. In fact, years ago, whenever you moved from one Baptist Bride church to another, you had to be rebaptized, because water baptism was the only key to each local church.

This practice became monotonous and burdensome, so a convenient transfer method was devised. It was called a Transfer of Membership letter. However, anyone can see the hypocrisy of this act. If the only church that exists is a local Baptist Bride church, and it alone is the bride of Christ, and the only way into it is Baptist Bride baptism, how does a letter, replace baptism? It cannot, unless you believe a universal Baptist Bride church exist, and one baptism will work for all of them.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]If Baptist Briders are not replacement theologians, why is John’s baptism, the parables of Jesus, His teaching and miracles attributed to the Baptist Church?[/pullquote]

Also, there was a Jewish church. (“This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:” Acts 7:38 .) It would be interesting for someone to show us where and when that church ceased to exist. If Baptist are not “replacement theologians” why do they insert themselves in the upper room, replacing the “the little flock” to whom Jesus was going to give the Kingdom of Heaven? (“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32.)

If Baptist Briders are not replacement theologians, why is John’s baptism, the parables of Jesus, His teaching and miracles attributed to the Baptist Church? And, at what point was the nation of Israel rejected? What did God take from Israel and give the Baptist according to Luke 12:32? “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” Matthew 21:43. Is the Baptist Brider that kingdom and nation? If so, was it taken away from Israel in Matthew 3? If it was taken from Israel and given to John the Baptist and his followers, wouldn’t that be a replacement??

A follow-up question is, can you pinpoint where the New Testament began? (“16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.”) Hebrews 9:16-17. Even a casual reading of the Gospels, reveals that everyone was operating under the intent of the Law during our Lord’s Jewish ministry. See Matt. 5:17, 18; 7:12; 8:4; 11:13; 22:40; Mark 1:44; Luke 2:22-24, 27, 39; 5:14, 16:16.

There are Bible believers who believe the church began in Matthew, 3, 16, 27; Acts 2, 9, 28, can you prove where it started? The reason many have no idea when the church started is their replacement theology.

Since a covenant and a testament are not the same, and the Old and New covenants were made with Israel, to whom and to what did the new testament testify? Can you describe the difference between a covenant and a testament? The confusion of Baptist Briders on these, and many other subjects, forces them to embrace replacement theology.