Christian Chronicle (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 33, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 16, 1952 Page: 2 of 8
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THE CHRISTIAN CHRONICLE
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Volume LX. January 16, 1952 Number 33
Published Wednesday of each week except the last week in June
and the last week in December at Abilene, Texas
$2.00 per Annum in Advance $2.50 Outside the United States
Send all communications and articles to Box 1158, Abilene, Texas
OLAN L. HICKS _ _ Editor
Entered as second-class matter October 18, 1944, at the Post Office
at Abilene, Texas, under the Act of March 3, 1879 —
JANUARY 16,1952
UMIVfWAlTZJ k «
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2
set I
____
VI e feel that the fellow who stays home Sunday morning to
read the paper and takes communion Sunday night is a brother to
the fellow who communes Sunday morning, but who stays home
Sunday nighl to listen to the radio.
The thief s philosophy: “What is yours is mine, and I will take
———■1 r-— ---. ' ----- .....' ..... . .
■" ..............—r—— ------------------7—~~ '
The priests philosophy: “What is mine is mine, and 1 will
The Samaritan’s philosophy: “What is mine is- yours, and I
[5,/.. , will ehare it,"_____ . L.----------—
,---------- 4 -Selected
.......... ....
Tell Us Why ..
If
warn
If
and fails to report them, he has failed his job!
If a doctor learns of a dangerous condition in our
. does not properly,diagnose it, we think he is a quack!
If a hank examiner knows of discrepancies in the accounts of
the bank, and does not report them, he loses his position!
BUT if the preacher secs a flaw in our title to a home in heav-
cn, and warns about it; if he discovers conditions dangerous to
our spiritual welfare, and reports it; if he finds a diseased condi-
tion in our spiritual body, and tells of his diagnosis; if he finds a
discrepancy in our spiritual account, and reports on it, many
think he is just meddling and trying to find fault.
—Foster L. Ramsey
Coined „„P.
^-1; Ul
.
. By EARL WEST
Mathematics is an exacting science. We have
learned as children that two plus two equals
four, and not five, six, seven or even three. The
sincerity of the person, his good moral charac-
ter, his intelligence — none of these weigh at
an where any answer except the correct one is
given. The numerals of mathematics are exact,
seven cannot be four. Six cows cannot be ten
cows; four boys cannot be nine boys.
Likewise, one God cannot be three Gods;
one Ltnd cannot be five Lords, and one baptism
cannot be two baptisms, or three, or half-dozen.
When, therefore, Paul says in Eph. 4:4,5, “There
isone body, and one Spirit, even as also ye
were called in one hope of your calling; one.
Lord, one faith, one boptism”—-it is evident
that in each case one means one, and not two.
The Bible being true, there was at the time
Paul wrote the Ephesian letter, about A.D. 61,
but one baptism then in force. It is an import-
ant question for us to determine what this one
baptism is.
We say this is important, and indeed it is.
It is important because it will help us regulate
our beliefs, and consequently, our actions, ac-
cording to the will of God. If error is believed
to be the truth, erroneous actions will follow
and erroneous doctrines will in all likelihood
be taught. There is but one baptism in effect
today, that is operative under the Christian
dispensation. He who would declare TWO bap-
tisms to be in effect is contradicting Paul. But
. sji.ee only one is in operation, what is this one?
The term baptism is used in the New
Testament at least in five different in-
stances. For example, we read of the bap-
tism of John, the baptism of suffering,
the baptism of fire, the baptism of the Holy
Spirit, and finally, the baptism of water —
that baptism authorized by the commission
™
tnCse nve baptisms, only one is in operation
. today. We should analyse the scriptures on
ttys point to discover their teaching.
The baptism of John was ineffectual after
the baptism which Jesus authorized by tne
commimon and went into effect 6n the day
of Pentecost. Paul came to the city of Ephesus,
—Jersey Christian.
A snooper i< a person u |)(> knows a great deal about very little,
and who goes along knowing more and more about less and less,
until finally he knows practically everything about nothing.
In the parable of the Samaritan, we find expressed three dif- his death at Golgotha.
ferent views of material possessions and their use. * - A., . „ ' x
, But on the third day, the gates of Hades
were opened and the resurrected Christ step-
ped forth. In one of his numerous appearances
with his disciples, he announced to them his ”
going back to the right hand of the Father,
but that the gospel, the “good news" of Salva-
tion through him must be heralded across the
broad expanse of the earth’s surface. They Were
to command men to believe upon the CHRIST
who HAD come; repent of their sins, and be
—baptized tor the remission Of these sins.’ From
henceforth, John’s baptism was outmoded, out-
/ - l ..... '•* tX'.......■’ *>';* 'IX*..... • — •
dated and ineffectual. It had come, served its
purpose, and now must be supplanted with
something better.
The baptism x>f'suffering is mentioned only
briefly in the New Testament. Jesus said, “I
have a baptism to be baptized with; and how
am I straitened till it be accomplished" (Lk.z
12:50) Christ was here speaking prophetically
of his anguish on Calvary that was only a mat-
ter of a few days ahead. He would be denounc-
ed by men, spat upon, forced to carry a rugged
cross, and finally cruelly nailed to the cross.
The short — but seemingly endless — hours
that this dark and tragic scene should be en-
acted would find our Lord “overwhelmed,”
“immersed” and “submerged” in suffering. Ob-
viously, the word baptism here is figuratively
used. With this understanding, certainly no
one would pray for the baptism of suffering.
However, some enthusiastic and mis-
guided people do pray for what is termed,
“fire baptism?’ A elear conception of what
this baptism is would show anyone the fol-
ly of this action. We turn to Matt. 3:7-12,
and read, “But when he saw many of the
Pharisees and Saducees coming to his bap-
K tism, he said unto them, Ye offspring of
vipers, who warned you to flee from the
wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruit
worthy of repentance; and think not to say
within yourselves, we have Abraham to
our father: for I say unto you, that God
is able of these stones to raise up children
unto Abraham. And even now the ax lieth
at the root of the trees; every tree there-
fore that bringeth not forth good fruit Is
'hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed 1
baptize you In the Holy Spirit and In fire; 1
.......>«» to In to. tend. M<l be will Cher- J
hTwHl gather to. wt.'e.t lnlo'tl.e tamer, ' 1
but the chaff he will burn up with un- h
quenchable fire." -'xJ
At the time John the Baptist came preach- ■
ing, the Jews sought comfort in the thought 1
they were Abraham’s children, and therefore, 1
justified. Such a thought made them deaf to
«. , the overtures of God to repent. But a giant
and found certain disciples who knew only the reformation was now in progress. The old tree
baptism of John. They had listened to Apollos, of Judaism was not to have a mere pruning,
but the axe was laid at the root. Two classes I
of people are now pictured; the evil and the
good; the obedient to God and the disobedient. I
John Said, he was baptizing these people in
water — not all of them, of course, but those I
who were submitting to the word of God. How-
ever, when Jesus should come, he would bap- I
tize them in the Hily Spirit and with fire. The
figure of the cleansing df the threshing floor
is now used. The wheat is separated from the
chaff. The wheat is gathered into the gamer,
but the chaff is burned with “unquenchable >
fire.” 'X;
The outpouring, the overwhelming, the sub-
merging in fire is to be given to the chaff, to
the rejected portion. This is comparable, of I
therefore rejected by God. Fire is a symbol of
God’s vengeance. Jesus, we read, will come
“in flaming fire taking vengeance upon those
who know not God, and who obey not the gos-
pel." (2 Th ess. 1:7, 8) Actually, the so-called
“tire baptism” refers to the overwhelming in
fire which will come at the last day upon those
who are lost eternally. —""
But the baptism of the Holy Spirit is also
mentioned in the New Testament. That
such a baptism actually existed, and for a
definite purpose, nobody denies. But that
it exists NOW is in operation at this time
is a fact which we strongly and emphatical-
ly deny. Furthermore, for one to say that
--tho-bapUsm ef thr Hnty Spirit AND the
water are both the “normal Christian exs-—
perfince’’ is hard Io imagiBiidBMl said
Vttre is ONE baptism The man whd says
Holy Spirit baptism JUNQ -Water baptism \
are BOTH today In operation flatly and X
bluntly contradicts Paul, One plus one
two, not one. A simple knowUHMe of
mathematics ought to help a person just
here, not to mention a .-?* >»><* W ,
ble. Both cannot be in operatit * “ *
(Continued pn Page 8)
PACE TWO
..........1 '.....**■—1
From Behind Iron Curtain....
The following letter w<u received by the brethren in Frank-
furt from a lady tn the Russian Zone of Germany:
“To Church of Christ:
Thanks very much for the regular sending of the paper “Neu-
testamentliches Christentum” (monthly gospel paper published
in Frankfurt), which 1 always wait tor with longing and read
with great joy. In every issue 1 find words of comfort, which en-
courage us in our present position in the East Zone. After having
read the paper 1 always hand it around in my acquaintanceship.
For complete study of Christ a Bible is necessary. Since I, iu
spite of great efforts ami even writing to the Church-Administra-
tion (oftice) I could not get hold of a Bible, I would like to ad-
dress my plea to the church of Christ, whether or not an old, used
Bible could be dispensed with.
Since 1, living in the East Zone cannot pay for it by spending
money, 1 could recommend the church of Christ to our Lord Je-
sus Christ for its good and blessed work. Confidentially, 1 was told
by acquaintances that Bibles are no longer printed in our zone,
and that the faith is combatted. The last is for sure. How faithless
is the human race and how neglected (spoiled) can be observed
only by a person who has faith.
How important it is to be sisters and brethren in Christ. I re-
gret it very much not to be able to attend worship services and to
listen to sprmons, which would give us a spiritual life and strength
in the Word of God.’ ; <
“Thank you in advance and remember me in your prayer.
a lawyer finds a flaw iu a title to property, ami does not
about it, he has not done his duty! , an Alexandrian Jew,’ a mighty and eloquent
•'<>8toe« Clover, eondiuon, d.ngerou. to he.Uh UError
---------- ----------------------errarpreached and obeyed, if obeyed at all. At
any rate, Paul, upon hearing that the disciples
had submitted to John’s baptism, taught them
the word of the Lord, and baptized them by the
authority of Jesus, not John the Baptist. (Acts
19:1-6) '
It should be clear then, that while John
baptized with the authority of God, and that
for the purpose it was inaugurated to serve,
when it had served it, this baptism was no long-
er operative. The mission ot John was to pre-
pare the way for Christ. We read, “There came
a man, sent from God, whose name was John. , » — «—
The same came for witness, that he might bear course, to the sinner who rejects God, and Is
witness of the light, that all might believe " * - - -
through him. He was not the light, but came
that he might bear witness of thelight." (Jn.
1:23) X
John’s mission, then, was to prepare
the way for Jesus. Tills involved convert-
ing people to God the Messiah who should ’
soon follow. John taught the people to be-
lieve, repent and be baptized, but the ef-
fectiveness of all of this looked toward,
and was grounded in, the Christ that should
soon come. Later, the Christ did come. His
three yean of ministry were climaxed by
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Hicks, Olan L. Christian Chronicle (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 33, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 16, 1952, newspaper, January 16, 1952; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1306186/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.