The Ohio Independent Baptist, July 1960

11 1 l 11~ 11ti11\1 d fro111 })ng 2) \111til 11 ::. ad111its tl1at 0111 '.'\ ti111t's cl1ild1· 11 l) Ii ' \ 'l' \ er. 1 \"Ot111g, a11d tli:~t i1 is ll\ t a, l,t1t faitl1 tl1at qt1alifics fo1 bn1>t1s111. Tl1 ' tl 11 t'l 11,t'~ tl tl1(• nn1azi11g co11clt1sio11 tl1at si11c cl1il– d1 t11 \'Hll rl' '"tt\l tl1t' l"111g'tto111 t\1(', 111t1~t b0 ca1)a\)lt' of faith. 1\ s ,, 11 111igl1t yott sa) tl1at a l· 111g<.{011, is rec t\r d l)\' t~l<111g a 11 l): t}1 a11d b i11'Z C'l'O\\' llt d. ,111d tl1c:1t tl1crcfor > a11 111frtnt pri11 , is ablt' to tc1k1? tl1e:' orttl1 a11tl sl1ot1ld i111n1 cliatcly be 'l"O\Vll 'd ! It i~ ~i~1,1f tl'c111t tl1at 11011c of tl1e earl~, Greek expositors t.!1\ '-' D1 ~c\c11111,·aa1 a·..., 111ter1>rctatio11 o( tl1c pl1rase, ' 'Of :-.\.1cl1 1~ tl1 k111gdo111 of l1 ea,yt'11." Tl1c later ones practiced i11ta11t bapt1.. 111. bttt tl10, ,, ere too l1oncst to quote any of tl1c .... , 11opt1c Gosp l ~ to pro\' it correct. From Orige11 to C,·ril. tl1e,· ~111 sa, tl1at tl1c Greek n1eans ··child-like adults.' ' . ~ So111t: of tl1e earl\T translation lal)ored to 1nake that mean- 111g pla111 Tl1e :\Iempl1it1c said, ..for persons of this sort, tl1e1r 1 tl1e ki11gdo1n of l1ea,·en." The Peshito reads "for tl10... e ,,·110 are like tl1em, tl1e1rs is the kingdom of heaven ." Tl1e book l1as a paragraph on Children of Christian Pare11t and sugge ts that I Cor. 7: 14 is in harmony with the practice of infant baptis1n; but it is needless to waste pace on it ,,·hen l1e admits \vith Dr. A. T. Robertson that ··the \·erse thro,vs no light on the question of infant bap– t1 m." He quotes it as if the great Baptist grammarian n1eant that it cannot be used to prove that infants were not baptized. ,vhen any one knows that he meant it the otl1er \\ 1 a~ 1 around. But either way if the verse throws n o light or1 the subject, ,vhy \t\ 1 aste time on it? ~THY THE CHILDREN WERE NOT BAP TIZED After pages of discussion on Matt. 19: 13-15 and the re– lated passages, he returns to his confession that the children brought to Jesus v.:ere not baptized and gives these amaz,- . 1ng reasons: 1. "'First, the people Jesus called to be H is d isciples v. 1 ere to be the v;itnesses of his teachings . . . . L ittle chil - ctr ~1, ,v 'l'P r1ol fit. for st1cl1 a l.asl<.' W a11swe1· that th y ar 11ot fit now ,itl1 "1\ so ,,,}1y 11ot. wnit toclay? 2~ '.'S. c•ond~, ,vl1 ~n. ll1c chil<l r n w r . l)1'ot1gl1t to J estis tl,C' Cl1r1st1a11 Chltrcl1 1n th, full s nsc cl1cl not exist. B _ lte\, i11g cl1ilclr 1 need Cl1ristian l1om ~s ancl a Christian Cl1t11 cl1. Wl1y tl1c~11 l)aJ)tize a11y one, if t11e chu1 ch had to c"<ist in ft1ll P ntecos t,i1l t)owcr first? Do not aclult believers nec<l C'l1ris tian nurture alc;o'' Did not those children have loving J ~w1sl1 1nothcrs, who cou lei bring them U}) as well as Eu111cc brougl1t up Timothy? 3. ' 'Third. since Jesus was on his lasl journey to J ert1- salem, His suffering and death were only a few days away . . . . Even those who had l)een baptized could hard– ly cope with what happened in J erusalem.,, How utterly foolish. when we consider that elsewhere he stresses that according to Luke these children were infants. I t was not the infants or even small children who were tempted to give up when J esus was crucified, but adult disciples. The infants knew nothing about it and could safely have been baptized if baptized they ought to be. How sorely pressed pedo-baptists must be, if they have to resort to such argu – ments to get arou nd the evident teachings of the B ible. We don't need to cont end or prove our cont ention s against such ar~ments. All we need to do is let them fall of their own weight! Next r1io1ith we shall review his arguments in favor of baptiS1nal regenern!ion.. We believe our pastors should want t1ieir 1ne11ibers to read it and pass it on to their non-Baptist f1-iends. The August and September issues will be so im– portant they should go into every Baptist home. T o help pastors orde1· them for all their honies that do not subscribe, we will send the11i in bundles for half p1'"ice, or for Sc each fo'r Aiig., 15c fo1· Aug. and S ept.; or for 20c for Aug., Sept., and Oct. So far as 1.oe have extra July copies we will send them for Sc. To 1na1ce sure we have enough for the Aug. -Oct. issues, send in your orders to the editor in ad - va1ice. CLEVELAND HEBREW MISSION Inc. < )J> 1~:x H >lT~ 1 1~ .L\ T F IRE~.. 1"< :N 1~ l\ I .L\.X~IO~ B IG ~ l T 1 ES~~ \-\· hat T1·i11itJ.. Ba1)ti ·t h111·cl1 of I.1orc1i11, ,,·itl1 a larg·e b11ilcli11g clelJt l1a: (lo11e f o 1·tl1e ho111e. He a,~.· Our 56th Year A staff of fourteen dedicated workers devoted to the task of taking the Gospel to the tens of thousands of Jews in Cleveland, Youngstown, and other cities in Northeastern Ohio; Charleston, W. Va., and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Visitation, Bible classes, radio and wide spread distribution of literaturP are the methods used to win Jews to Christ. Write for free informative maga– zine, "The Trumpeter for Israel." Rev Gerald V. Smelser, Supt. P. 0. Box 3556 Cleveland 18, Ohio R ()...\ :\ I I ~ ( : I f ) .B rr I-IE E l) IT R t 011ti1111ed f1~om page 15 ) ...\11r. 24. II1111t"'b11rg J{,l}Jti"'t 1() ::~() ~lll(l 2 ::~(), l~il)lP l~,11Jtist. X. Jlalli',(JJl ( 7 ::3(). ::\Ia~,. 1, Ro,1cl }~<)1'1( ]3a11ti ·t, Ilc:11·- 1· i c t t ~ '. i ] l . 10 :;3(). ]~ lJcl11 r1er I1a pti "t. l~ ethe ·cla, 7 :-3(). )fa~.. ~2. FJ111111a11l1rl I~apti~t. l>ic111a 10 ::~(). :3. 7 :30. , )[a~.. 29. 1-'e,, i") ,\ ,·ent1r 13aJ)ti. t. '1 1 0 l J cl O. 1 n : :-3 () a 11 cl 7 :3(). .J t111 19. E i1' t B,lJ)ti t. I30,,~1i11g U1· 11. 1() .;30 a11cl 7 :30. ( Conti11ued £1·om page 5 ) ~e11(l clll to111L1·ibL1tio11: to Re,·. 1~~lto11 ( 1 • H tll{ill, 2()29 I~a. t :3(ltl1 ~ t .' r..J () l' a i 11, () 1 i O. \'Tr 111igl1t acl<l tl1at J)a:tor De,111 11 p111·)~ \\' a!-) ,·e1·~ 1 plecl ·ell o,·e1· the 1·e. }Jo11~r. l)otl1 i11 1111111be1\ ,111(1 i11 tl1eir e11tl1l1~ic1. 111 fo1· the Ho1ne. 1I e1 a 1 so , ,r a 11 t ~ t cJ t l 1a11 k 1 > a ·to1-- 11. } 1 • ( 1 ate of 'fc1ll111aclge 1: 1111cla- 111e111 al l~a1>ti:-,t l 1 l1t1rcl1 ,111cl 1 lar- r11('P J)1t11la1) for all tl1 1 ,,-01·1( t l 1 r ~ · f 1 i c 1 i 11 t 1 e ,111 i 11 g l l l) t l 1 e g1·0111tlli,., fo1· tl1P <>t(·,1~io11. 'rl1e11 rrrer1. lll'Pl' lD]to11 ( 1 • I It1kill 11,1" cll>Il 1 fc>1· tht.) ]1c>111P. I le a,· .. 1<> lJe "<1icl. a11ll l1 e ta11 ~a,· it afte1· • .. b11ilcli11g· clebt.. bo11lcl 11ot 1)1·e, .. e11t c111~- c: 11111·(' 11 i1'<)ID ta king a 11 offer– i11~: f 01· tl1e l1ome, f 01-- lie clid 11ot 11 a , .. r tc> ]1ig·l1 })re.. l11·e l1i: }Jeople a11cl ~·rt tl1e~· ga,·e $325. 1\.11cl that i~ t1·t1e, fo1· all tl1e tl1l11~ehe. that l1a,.. e gi,·e11 to l1a,·e . llch debt. 01· are jl1:t l)eg·inni11~: to b11ilcl. ....\ 11 ,,·e 11eec.l i · for e,.. e1·,.. c:h111·cl1 • t(> <lo its be~t. · ,\Ti11 a l)rgg·a1· to h1·i t anel ,poll ,,·111 a f rie11cl f ore,·e1~ . Gi,·e 11 i111 n1011c,1" a11cl he will hate 3~ol1 • £01· 11ot o·i,.. i11g n101~e. ' LOS ANGELES BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY John R. Dtt 1ikin, Tli.D ., President THREE YEAR BACHELOR OF DIVINITY DEGREE IN THEOLOGY THREE YEAR BACHELOR OF DIVINITY DEGREE IN MISSIONS THREE YEAR BACHELOR OF DIVINITY DEGREE IN JEW ISH MISSIONS FOUR YEAR BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE IN BI BLE OR HUMANI TIES A growing graduate:: school of Baptist persuasion in sitnny California Address all correspondence to 560 South St. Louis Street, Los Angeles 33, California •