The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1911-12-01

~ ZN to this and arree
tGA1 QE KUSStLL} also that we
have b eliev ed
many things which We ought not to
believed and have left unbelieved
many things which we ought 10 have
believed" said Pastor Russell.
Saner Views Now Held
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES still theoretically
say that everybody not immersed in
water is still in sin and bound for
eternal torture. although this is not
the logic of their teachings. Our Ba
fist friends no longer believe that onl
those who have been Immersed in "
alter constitute the one Church Of tn
living God whose names are written /
heaven" and that these alone will be
saved. Nevertheless. this is still the
Baptist theory, and for this reason
our Baptist friends still invite only the
immersed to the Lords Supper. Evi-
IDENTIFY the Apostolic teaching OF Bap-
tism got"lost. Human speculation and
theories buried it in rubbish. In Ter.
tullian's day the Disciple view pre-
vailed. that water baptism cleansed
from sin. st that time ii was Gus
tomary TO postpone baptism until death
was supposed to be near-that all sins
up TO date might be washed away.
Thus il was in ~Constantine's day.
Later came st. Augustine with a diff
ferent proposition. which swept every
thing before 1t. His claim WIS more
nearly that Of the Baptists. that only
the Church would he saved from eter-
nal torture and that baptism is the
door into the Church. Thereafter in
FAINT immersion became popular.
Later our Roman Catholic friends
declared immersion unneccssiry-that
a few drops Of water would be equally
eficacious MS protection AGAINST the
| fires Of eternal torture. Sentiment ran
so strong that it became the custom
to perform Il sprinkling OF nm unborn
child-in uterO-if there were amy fear
that It would not be born alive.
"John's Baptism" Not For Us
Repudiating all the theories Of The
Dark Ages. Gods people should return
to the instructions given by the Lord
and the Apostles. A careful eXamina-
ton shows not Il single reference to in
FAINT baptism in the New Testament.
On the contrary, only believers were
instructed to be baptized.
Two baptisms are noted. Johns
Baptism" and Christ's. The first was
for the remission of sins ana was mp
plicable to all Jews. By it such Jews
as had been living in open sin re-
nounced the sin. and returned 10 har-
mony with God. under the Law Cove
nant. Such MS thus sincerely returned
TO Moses were ready TO accept Christ
rs the antitype and by faith were
transferred from Moses to Christ
from the house of servants 10 tn
house Of sons. (TIeb. iii. 3. 81 Thes'
nj Pentccost became really. officially
recognized as the Church OF Christ.
Subsequently Gentiles were invited
! to be baptized into membership in fh'
: Body of Christ. the Church. John
BAPTISM" was not preached to then
because IUtN tIb HUI V''t " -"
. holy milton which originally WAS hap
tjzed into Moses in the sea and cloud.
The Gentiles. on the contrary, wer
aliens, strangers. to the commonwealth
J of Israel. They We're not TO come int
= Christ. through Moses. but to be bar
q tized directly into Christ.
Gentiles Baptized Into Christ
The true theory Of Baptism does no
exclude sanity Methodists. Presby
%terians. Congregationalists. Lutheran
Catholics, from the one. r Churc
which Is the Body of Christ; neithe
81 does it admit TO membership in tn
true Church all who have been In
mersed into water. Water immetslo
is merely the symbol or picture or IL
J real immersion. In order to be men
= hers Of Christ. members Of the Churc
4 which is the Body OF Christ. we mu'
I be immersed into Him. but not by WI
\ fer immersion. Hearken to the apo
2 ties statement: so many of yon
4 were baptized into Jesus Christ Qn'
4 membership in His Body. the Chure
were immersed into His dedfh.' Ok
81 mans VI, 81
u Our immersion into Christ's dea'
N becins with the conservation OF o.
q wills. our hearts. our all. Then Ill
n there God through Christ accepts u
n conservation and we are rcckoh'
dead according to the flesh arc pes'
ten of the Holy Spirit to ne" ness
"a life as New Creatures in CHRIST. VIM
u the last member Of this consecta'
u .little flock" shall have passed III
death the baptism of the Churcn III
n Christ's death will be completed IL
~ all the faithful ones will then sna
"a in His resurrection" to glory non
" and immortality-"the first Tor ch''
q resurrection"
IA His death" was different from I
n death of others in that He did not !
IA ~ n skinner. but as a Sacrifice. y
= being baptized into His death signin
-. +ho Church also die, not as 5