The Ohio Independent Baptist, February 1970

' ' • ' ' Tl1is is a con<lensation of Rev. Dona/cl Grolli111 11 11d's ( JVh eelersbttrg. Oh io) 111 es ·age 1,vhic/1 he deli vered at oi,r 0 14RBC State Con ference last October in Find/a v, Ohio. • The name Bapti t i ignificant. It 1 neither a label for a group that I imiliar to other , nor a divisive term eparating Chri tian . It i a name which represent great truth which for centurie have been held b) Bapti t . Our name repre ent truth ba ed on Scripture. Apart from Scripture, Baptists find no ource of piritual authority. It repre ent truth for which martyrs have died. Between 300 A.D . and 1500 A.D. fifty million were killed because they proclaimed truth believed by Bapti ts today. Four hundred year ago the proclamation of the e truths wa a crime puni h– able b 1 death. Three hundred years ago 1n the American colonie the preaching of these truth wa p11n i h– able by impri onment or bani hment . You can proudly ay, "I am a Bapti t. I bear a name backed by the Bible and bathed in the blood of •• mart) r . Con i<ler with me even great Bibli- cal truth that are repre ented by the name BAPTl T . B- The Bible _ Our Sole Authority he doctrine of Baptist i not dictated by pronouncement of church cou ncils or statement of ecclesiastical creeds. We accept no trad1t1on or man- 111ade books a equal authority with the Bible . o great Baptist cholar tell u '"''hat we n1ust believe. hey on- 1) l1el1) us u11derstand our Biblical be– liefs. rl he Bil1le only is our rule of faith and practice. "'All t ripture is gi e11 ll) in 1)i1 ation of (,od and is 1>rofi1able for doctrine or reproof for correction, for instrt1ct ion i11 rigl1tcou ne : tll at t11e 111an of od 111a) l,e 1:,er ect, tl1roughl}' fur11i shcd u11to all god v- rk ." { ll i111 . 3: 1 - 17 l11e a11d ti l 1l 131 li mn1 l l) ibl I J d ' i11 pired \\'Ord acct1rale a11d r lial)le. 1 d nl r \Clati n o to 11an. tl1cr er J am1 I 111 de eq11al ,,., 1tl1 it. IHE OHIO IND P NDENT BAPTIST The Bible i God' complete in- truction for Hi people. Here we find all we need for per onal relig– ~ou belief in truction in Godly liv– ing and principle of church order. A-Autonomous Local Churches Revelation l : 12 record a vi ion of H even golden candle tick ' repre– enting even churche . It i not a even-branched candelabrum with a ingle ba e and ten, upporting the even lamp . Thi would picture churche u tained by a ingle de– nominational organization. It i a group of eparate lamp tand , each independent of the other , and let– ing it light hine in it own area. Thi repre ent independent local churche . In electi ng officer, ( Act I : 15- 26, 6 : 1-6) . i n ending out n1i ion– ar i e (Act 13 : 1-3 ), and in re– ceiving and di ciplining n1en1ber the ew Te tament churche acted in- dependently . hri t i the Head of the hurch. "For the hu band i the head of the wife, even a Chri t i the head of the church. . ... ( ph. 5: 23) The church is not ruled b 1 pa tor. board. or congregation. It i ruled b 1 hri t. The church i not a democrac) ~ it I a theocracy \.\ ith ( ' hr1 t n 1t throne . In piritt1al n1atter there i no higher at1thorit 1 than the local church ruled h) C' hr1 t P- The Pr iestho od Of The Be liever "Ye al",O, a\ livel\ ~tone\. arc htttlt up a p1r1tt1al hot1\c. and hol\' r>r1e t– hood, to offer tip \ptrttttal acr1f1cc'). ,tcc.eptahlc to (J{)d h, Jc\tt, C l1r1"t ( I J>eter 2: - ) l3el1c, c 1 s arc c1 1101, f)rit=st l1ood, c,tc.. h one he1 ng a 11 1 n– tl i\1idt1a l J)ric~l t111to ,oLi. ' l he priestl1oc)d C)f tl1c b lil-\tl J) I ovide 10 C\' f)' C)tlc tl1c t)p()Ol'lt111- it ' tor a J)e1SCl11al faitl1 i11 l1rist, ' 1 1 cr l 11al ,1111)1 la t1 to 1t)ll tl1fl)t1gl1 pra ,~r , tl1 re Jl\ n il ilit ' <.>I JJ rs >11nl 111\)l tt1d lctttgl1t t,, tl1 ll l>l S1lirit a11d JJer 11, l C\ ni e it,r1 l in 1 Rev . Donald Grollimund God. It involve our per anal account– ability a tev., ard of God. ·' o then every one of u hall give account of him elf to God." ( Roman 14: 12) T- Tw o O rdinance s The e are Bapti m and the Lord' upper. They are not acran1ent . which . ome ay· conve) a ing grace. but ordinance commanded b 1" hri t to ymbolize piritual rea1it 1·. The e ordinance are for believer onl)· for they alone can partake meaningful!}' . Bapti. m indicate the belt ever' par– ticipation in the death , bL1rial. and re urrection of hri t, b\ \\ h1ch re- # de111ption i con1plete. The Lord' tipper how our part 1n the broken l1od)' and hed blood of hr1 t. ot1r ~ub titute. The e ordinance n1t1 t be b er\ed in their proper order. Bapt1 n1 fir l. then th l_ord · Lipper . 1atthe\i\ 2 : l 9 con1n1and that di ciple f 1r t be baptized. and then b taught to ob\er\ e all thing \\ h1cl1 hr1-:,l con1- r11 anded. 1nclt1d1ng the I ord' tipper. I- Immersio n - The O nly Christian Baptism .. Bt1r1ed \\ ith H1111 h\ b,1pl1\t11 ·· ( R n1an\ 6:-+). In retcrr1r1g to liap– ll\Ol the H l\ .. p1r1t ne\CI cho,t: the '" or d "i 111ea11 i n g .. to "p r 1 n"- 1 e.. r "to pour.. . He ,ti,, a\, cl10,e ,l ,, L>rtl 1n- lltcating 1111111e1\tt)n. l l1at Jt:"ll" ..111d tl1e J1"C1f)le, ,, cl c i111111cr"ell ·111Li pr ,1ct1CtLI 1111111er,1un e, c11 tl1e R c,111,111 ( 01/1,Jltc l· 11c ·' c /,,f>t clta .lti1111t" l 11til 2()() .l) . i111111er"h.111 ,, .,, t1111\ cr"~\ll\ r,1,1~t1Celi ..l"'l1t .. 11 'l)l inkl111g anti J't)t11- i11g ca111e i11to ltt\llt~ti tt~(' t r ',11- ~ .~111..:11ce. a11tl gratlttl\ll\ 1,l\ .. ·.,111e ,11- tlll,,t t1111,e1-;al 1)ra ti t~ . 11, lJ 11 1\ . l . th~ (""' )llll~·1l 1 l{ ~t\ l.'(llld pt )11 )llll\..tli ~I 1111kling l"' be J)l )t't'I' l a1 tisn1 . l~c- au"t' 111a11\ still insislt.'tl 11 it , i n1- 111t I stlll1 \\ tt t,rn11 t'-="' a l1er ~, 111<.l lJt: a111c d · ri111 llltr11s l1 '1l)l l \ lcact1 . l l1c t >r111 " t 1 a1,t 1s 111 1 11111, >1 t 111t J111111cr~H n 1s es~t .. 11t1al tl tl1 ) s 111 (Co t1t inued on page 12) FEBRUAR , 1970 7