Thomas Campbell - BAPTISM
-Millennial Harbinger
See
how Campbell is distorted by Leroy Garrett Jesus
said that without being born AGAIN of Water and Spirit or Water and
the Word you CANNOT, SHALL NOT enter into His kingdom or rule which
is the Ekklesia or Christian synagogue or school of the
Bible. The seven "spirits" of Isaiah 11:1-4
which would rest on the BRANCH
are all related to forms of spiritual knowledge. Jesus said "My Words
are Spirit and Life." Therefore, you might join a venue for Rock and Roll peddled as "worship" but Jesus Christ
WILL NOT be your free-of-charge Teacher until He washes your spirit
or mind. Only then do you have access to the seven spirits
represented by the Menorah or Candlestick which gave LIGHT to the
Holy Place along with the table of bread and the incense altar. Each
Christian "priest" must look into the Most Holy Place with their own
prayers. Then, you can enter into the Most Holy Place to meet God.
Jesus said that the ONLY new PLACE is the human spirit as it gives
heed to the Spirit of Truth through the Word. Don't believe the lie
that "musical teams" lead you into the presence of God: that makes
them claim to be God standing in the Holy Place. Not in the vilest
pagan temple could singers and musicians enter into the holy
precincts on the penalty of death. Don't follow people making
"Christianity" viler than paganism. If you are part of the 5 out of
13,000 congregations then you have become a laughing stock
just like the musical
idolatrs at Mount Sinai which forfeited and continues to forfeit the
Covenant of
Grace. People who
refute this have a "spirit" which intends to hurt you real
bad. But have you obeyed the truth since
you discovered it? If we obey not the truth, better for us that we had never known it;
especially a truth so eminently connected with the enjoyment of
salvation; that it goes to assure the real believer of the gospel,
that he shall be saved: Mark xvi. 16. Indeed, baptism and the Lord's
supper are the only ordinances of the gospel, that go to assure the
believing subject of the enjoyment of eternal life: compare: Luke xxii. 19, 20;
John x. 14, 15, 16, 27, 28,29. "And he took bread, and gave thanks,
and brake it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body broken for
you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after
supper, saying, This is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed
for you. I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of
mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father; and I lay
down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of
this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and
there shall be one fold, and one Shepherd. But ye believe not,
because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my
voice; and I know them, and they follow me. And I give
unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall
any pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me, is
greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's
hand. Indeed, the typical meaning of baptism, as
explained by the Apostle,
Rom. vi. 3-11.
"Know ye not that so
many of you as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into
death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory
of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life. For if we have
been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also
in the likeness of his resurrection; 6, 7, 8: knowing that Christ
being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion
over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once; but in that he
liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be
dead indeed unto sin; but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our
Lord." goes to assure the genuine believer, that
he was included with Christ in his
death, burial, and resurrection;
consequently MUST be saved; seeing that he is one of those for whom
Christ died: see again the above quotations from Luke and
John. Some, however, neglect and despise
baptism, because they can see no merit nor
virtue in an immersion in water. Why, is there not as much merit in a dip
in water, as in abstaining from eating
of the fruit of a certain tree? Surely
it is the divine command that, in either case, gives importance to the action. And it is very remarkable, that in each, life and
death are connected with the institution: compare Gen. ii. 16,17 "And
the Lord commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou
mayest freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day thou eatest thereof thou
shalt surely die." with Mark xvi. 15, 16. "And he said unto them, Go
ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature, he
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. The former says, "In the day that thou eatest
thereof, thou shalt surely die." The latter, "He that believeth not
shall be damned." That is; shall endure the second death:
Rev. xx. 14, 15.
"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire: this is the
second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of
life, was cast into the lake of fire." These are also both primary institutions: the
first given to man immediately after his creation; the second,
immediately before his new birth into the family and kingdom of God:
John iii. 5, 6.
"Jesus answered Nicodemus, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a
man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that
which is born of the Spirit, is spirit." "But you may possibly infer from these remarks,
that I make immersion essential to
salvation. By no means; for mistakes in
such cases are pardonable: Num. xv. 27-31.
"And if any soul sin through ignorance, then be shall bring a she-goat of the first year
for a sin-offering. And the priest shall make an atonement for the
soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the
Lord, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. But
the soul that doeth aught presumptuously, the same reproacheth the
Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Because
he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his
commandment, that soul shall be utterly cut off: his iniquity shall
be upon him." [Baptism or sprinkling is
not necessary to the salvation of infants because infants are
ignorant of the command. Therefore, the effect of the command depends
upon one's relationship to it. The reader has already moved away from
believing in sprinkling babies and is not therefore ignorant.
Campbell wants him to know that obedience is mandatory for the
believer] If Adam had not known that it was the forbidden fruit that Eve gave him, he,
therefore, had not died for eating it; for he had not done it
presumptuously. But when we know that we
have erred and done wrong, we should
certainly repent, and do right if possible; as appears from the above
quotation; for genuine
repentance always includes and
produces
reformation as far as possible: and such must necessarily be the
serious intention of the real believer. Again, in relation to this all-important
subject, recorded Mark xvi. 16: "He that believes and is baptized
shall be saved," is the
very last sentence of the gospel,
according to the commission given to the Apostles in the preceding
verse. So that when they had proclaimed the provisions of the divine
love for the salvation of perishing humanity, through the sufferings and death of
Christ, they concluded their discourse
by assuring their hearers, that whosoever believed in Jesus,
according to their testimony just delivered, and was baptized according
to his direction; that is, "into the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit, should be saved:" that is, he should be
pardoned,
and should receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit: Acts ii. 38. "Then
Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you, in
the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." [Campbell also makes the
point that while no one can do anything to earn salvation which was
earned only by Christ, the enjoyment of the free gift depends upon
the individual believer] Thus, in the first instance, always closed the
gospel testimony to the present hearers; giving them the blissful
opportunity of enjoying the divine
assurance of the enjoyment of the proposed
salvation from the guilt, the love, the practice and the punishment
of sin, into the eternal enjoyment of an inheritance incorruptible,
undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for all such:
1 Peter i. 3-5.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who,
according to his abundant mercy, hath regenerated us to a lively
hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading,
reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through
faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
Now as closed the first gospel sermon,
Acts ii. 38, 39,
and x. 43, 44. "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the
name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, and
to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the
Lord our God shall call. To him give all the Prophets witness, that
through his name whosoever believeth in him, shall receive remission
of sins. While Peter yet spake these, words, the Holy Spirit fell on
all that heard the word." with the blissful assurance of sin-pardoning
mercy and sanctifying grace, to all that believed and were baptized;
so, of course, must every other, where the gospel was so fully proposed as to give the
intelligent hearers a fair opportunity of understanding
it: that so they might be enabled to
take home with them the blissful assurance of the eternal enjoyment of the
proposed salvation: for as many of them as believed and were
baptized, had Christ's word
for it; which, if they realized his
character, could admit of no doubtful uncertainty; and this must all
true believers most certainly have done. Thus was the gospel in its
original purity and native simplicity divinely calculated to admit of
no doubts
nor discouragements, in the minds of those who realized it; and, of course,
must be so still, where it is exhibited in its original purity and
simplicity. [While no one could earn
salvation, Campbell notes that one cannot take Christs
word for it without obeing Christ
will for it] "Therefore, if we would enjoy it, we must take
our seat at the Apostles' feet, whom Christ commissioned to
evangelize the world. What think you? Had we been present on the day
of Pentecost, and heard Peter's sermon, and believed, as thousands did;
had we not also been gladly
baptized! being assured that in so
doing we should be saved from the guilt and pollution of sin, by
remission and sanctification through the blood and spirit of Christ?
which promise is still
inseparably connected with the belief and obedience of the gospel to
the end of time: see Acts ii. 38, 39, and x. 43, 44. In the latter of these, Peter proceeds in
Cesarea, seven years
afterwards in addressing the
Gentiles,
as he did the Jews in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, and the
effect was the same: namely, remission
of sins, and the gift of the Holy
Spirit.
So that wherever the pure apostolic gospel is believed and
obeyed, as in Jerusalem and Cesarea,
justification, adoption, and sanctification, are essentially and
inseparably connected with it: for every one who through the belief and
obedience of the gospel is born of water and of the
Spirit,
and none. else, enters into the kingdom of God on earth: see John
iii. 5, 6, quoted above. "Indeed, no one can truly confess Christ but by
the Holy Spirit: 1 Cor. xii. 3.
"Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the
Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed; and that no man can say, that
Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit. And baptism is
the divinely appointed
means for the primary confession of this
divine faith, on the part of the believing subject; in which
Christ confesses him as one of those for whom Christ died. 1 Cor. xii. 13;
Gal. iii. 26, 27. "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one
body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and
have been made to drink into one Spirit." "For ye are all the
children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have
been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ." But, after all, you may possibly think,
that I lay too much stress upon
baptism. By no means. I just give it
the place which it occupies in the Christian system: Eph. iv. 4-6.
"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope
of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father
of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."
Which is, indeed, a highly important one, as
evidently appears from the place it occupies in the above quotation.
For being immediately preceded by faith
in the one Lord, and immediately
succeeded by the one God and Father of all, it evidently connects the
happy subject with both: for by it the becomes one of Christ's
brethren; and, of course, one of God's sons, being thus
born into the divine family on
earth: see 1 Cor. xii. 13, with John
iii. 5, 6, above quoted. Thus the believer becomes an heir of God, and a
joint heir with Christ. Rom. viii. 16, 17.
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the
children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint
heirs with Christ: if so be, that we suffer with him, that we may be
also glorified together." So that according to the dispensation of the
New Covenant, of which Christ is the surety and mediator:
Heb. vii. 20, 22,
and viii. 6-12. "And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made
Priest, by so much was Jesus made a surety of a better covenant. But
now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he
is the Mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon
better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there
should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault
with them, he saith, Behold the days come, (saith the Lord,) when I
will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of
Judah. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers,
in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land
of Egypt, because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded
them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord: I will put
my laws into their minds, and write them in [325] their hearts; and I
will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they
shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother,
saying, Know the Lord; for all shall know me from the least to the
greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their
sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." believing and being baptized introduce the
happy subject into the
actual enjoyment of justification, adoption, and sanctification
through the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy
Spirit: see Acts ii. 38, 39, above quoted;
by which it appears, that these
divine privileges are as constitutionally connected with a believer's
baptism, as the family name and inheritance are with natural birth:
and all this, as in nature,
without any
merit on the part of
the subject; for the divine Father, by his own will, begets the
believer by the word of truth: James i. 17, 18. "Every good
gift, and every perfect gift, is from above, and cometh down from the
Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of
turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we
should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. Therefore, no thanks to the begotten, but to
the Begetter; "for salvation is of the Lord:" Jonah ii. 9.
So that "eternal life (the consummation of it) is the gift of God, through Jesus
Christ our Lord." Rom. vi. 23. It is true, however, that there are means divinely appointed for the actual enjoyment of it; for our Lord commanded
his Apostles to teach the baptized to observe all things he had
ordered them to teach: Matth. xxviii. 19,
20. "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them into the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I
am with you alway, even unto the, end of the world." [Someone may put a million
dollars in my bank account free of charge or obligation. However, the
means of taking the money out and enjoying it is signing checks. If I
refuse to sign the checks I not only die in poverty, I actually
reject and repudiated the giver of the gift. The Giver does not
condemn me to poverty because I disobeyed: I lived in poverty by
rejecting the gift.] Which they accordingly did. as we see in all
their epistles. In the mean time, however, the New Covenant, which,
under Christ, the Administrator of it, is the divine charter of the
believer's privileges, makes ample provisions for
disposing and enabling the happy subjects to make the proper use of
the divinely appointed means of enjoyment; and
thus happily prevent the fatal neglect, which would ultimately
terminate in their destruction: see Heb. viii. 10-12, with Jer.
xxxii. 38-40, with Ezek. xxxvi. 25-27: which we here transcribe in
full: "This is the covenant that I
will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord:
I will put my laws into
their mind, and will
write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they
shall be to me a people. And they shall not teach every man his
neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for all
shall know me from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful
to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I
remember no more." "And they shall be my people, and I will be their
God. And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear
me for ever, for the good of them, and their children after them. And
I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn
away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their
hearts, that they shall not depart from me." "Then will I sprinkle
clean water upon you, and you shall be clean: from all your
filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart
also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I
will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I will give
you a heart of flesh; and I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall
keep my judgments, and do them." These things being so, it evidently follows;
"that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new. And, that all these things
are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ:
2 Cor. v. 17, 18.
"If any man be in Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed
away, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath
reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ." Consequently, that the contents of the new
covenant are the provisions of the divine love for the actual
salvation of perishing humanity from the guilt and pollution of sin here, in
order to an eternal deliverance from its tremendous consequences
hereafter; with the eternal enjoyment of an inheritance
incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for the
happy subjects: see 1 Pet. i. 3-5, above quoted. And all this the effect of pure sovereign
grace, without any merit on their
part: Eph. ii. 1-10. "And
you hath he raised, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in
time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according
to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience; among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh; fulfilling the
desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children
of wrath, even as others; but God, who is rich in mercy, for his
great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved,) and
hath raised us together, and made us sit together in heavenly places
in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come, he might show the
exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness towards us through
Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not
of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man
should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to
good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in
them." Thus we see that the purposes and effects of
the divine love terminate in the effectual salvation of all the
highly favored subjects; without, in the meantime throwing the least
discouragement in the way of any; for
all that are willing, are welcome: see
Ps. cx. 3, and Phil. ii, 13, with Isa. lv. 1-4, and Rev. xxii. 17.
Ps. cx. 3; Isai.
lv. 1-4; Rev. xxii. 17. "Thy people shall be willing in the day of
thy power, in the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning:
thou hast the dew of thy youth." "For it is God that worketh in you
both to will and to do of his good pleasure." "Ho! every one that
thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come ye,
buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without
price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and
your labor for that which satisfieth not? Harken diligently unto me,
and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in
fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear and your soul shall
live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure
mercies of David." "And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let
him that heareth say, Come! And let him that is athirst, come. And
whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." And surely the
unwilling cannot justly complain of
discouragement; for they do not desire to be saved from the love and
practice of sin, which is the foundation of all divine enjoyment; and
so qualifies the happy subjects for heaven: therefore, they will not
accept it: see John v. 10. "Ye will not come unto me that ye might
have life." Upon the whole, you see, my dear friend, that the blessed
gospel presents a glorious salvation to all that hear it; with the
blissful assurance, that every one that will make the prescribed use
of the divinely appointed
means, shall surely enjoy it: and, that
all such shall be abundantly furnished with divine assistance to
enable them so to do: Matth. vii. 7, 8.
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and
it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh, receiveth;
and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be
opened." Amen. Blessed be God, there is, therefore no just
room for discouragement. Yours very affectionately, THOMAS CAMPBELL.
[The Millennial
Harbinger (June 1847): 322-328.]
