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Articles
Baptist Church of Christ
I was reading an interesting item from a book on the 200 year history of a Baptist Church published in 1999. In the "constitution" that describes the beginning of the congregation in 1799, it uses the above phrase twice in this short paragraph. Now in pondering about this, some interesting problems arise of what has happened. To begin with, the name church of Christ is scriptural, "Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you." Rm.16:16. So why did they drop the scriptural part, but then decide to keep the man-made part of this name? We do not read anywhere in the Bible about a Baptist church or Baptist churches. So what prompted these folks to drop the scriptural part and keep the man-made part??? People who promote man-made names for a congregation are not doing as Peter says to do, "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." 1Peter 4:11. If people are to speak as the oracles of God, they would have kept the scriptural part and dropped the part that exalts human wisdom. If one wants to go by a "it is written" or "what saith the scriptures" they would have kept the part that is found in Rom.16:16, and would have omitted the part that promotes human wisdom. If these folks wanted to help in promoting the Unity Jesus prayed for in Jn.17:20-23, they could have retained the part found in the scriptures and cast aside the part based on human wisdom. If they would have wanted to exalt the Lordship of Jesus, Luke 6:46, they should have kept the part revealed by Christ in his word, Rom.16:16, and gotten shed of the doctrines of men, that uses the name, Baptist Church. If these souls wanted to do the will of God instead of working iniquity, Matt.7:21-23, you guessed it, they would have kept the part based on the will of God and dispensed with the part that is a work of iniquity. Doctrines and practices based on the commandments of men, only makes worship vain, Matt.15:8-9. Let’s stick with what is scriptural!
