“Common-Sense Questions a Church-of -Christ Preacher Cannot

Answer?” So says David Martin of the

so-called “Rock Solid Baptist Church”

Yet he is not solid enough to allow me to answer his questions before his people

David Martin

Simple Answers Lesson 2

Martin’s Unanswerable Questions

2. If a "Church-of-Christ" elder refuses to baptize me, will I be lost until I can find one who will? Do I need Jesus AND a Campbellite preacher in order to be saved? If I do, then Jesus Christ is not the only Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5) and the Holy Spirit is not the only Administrator (1 Corinthians 12:13) of salvation - the "Church of Christ" preacher is necessary to salvation, for he is performing a saving act on me when he baptizes me! Is this not blasphemy against Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost?

Answer:

• One does not need a church-of-Christ elder to baptize him.– Who--except Baptist preachers--has ever

taught that you must be baptized by a Church-of-Christ elder?

– Jesus did not say, “He who believes and is baptized by an elder shall be saved.”

– A person is lost until he does what Jesus commanded regarding baptism. (Mark 16:16)

Answer:

• If you charge one with being a “Campbellite,” you MUST prove that what he teaches, believes, and practices began with a man named Campbell.

• Teaching baptism for salvation began with Christ (Mark 16:16).

• Partaking of the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week began with Christ (Acts 20:7).

• Giving of our means on the first day of the week began with Christ (1 Corinthians 16:1,2).

• Being a member of a church of Christ began with Christ (Romans 16:16).

Martin needs to cite one item of faith we practice that began with Campbell!

Otherwise:

1. His charge is empty!

2. He is a false accuser/witness.

Answer

Martin’s Unanswerable Questions

• If a "Church of Christ" elder refuses to baptize me, will I be lost until I can find one who will? Do I need Jesus AND a Campbellite "preacher" in order to be saved? If I do, then Jesus Christ is not the only Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5) and the Holy Spirit is not the only Administrator (1 Cor. 12:13) of salvation - the "Church of Christ" preacher is necessary to salvation for he is performing a saving act on me when he baptizes me! Is this not blasphemy against Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost?

Answer:

• Does Martin believe that “preaching” is essential to faith?– “For whoever calls on the name of the LORD

shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:13,14)

– He who calls shall be saved; belief comes before calling; hearing is before believing; and preaching is before hearing.

The Knife Cuts Both Ways!

• If teaching that baptism saves denies the mediatory office of Christ and replaces it with a man, then:– teaching that preaching saves denies the

mediatory office of Christ and replaces it with a man!

– teaching that man must do the believing denies the mediatory office of Christ and replaces it with a man! (John 8:24)

“if-then” reasoning

The Knife Cuts Both Ways!

• IF A PERSON CAN PREACH TO SAVE OTHERS WITHOUT USURPING THE MEDIATORY OFFICE OF CHRIST, THEN HE CAN ALSO BAPTIZE!

“if-then” reasoning

Martin’s Unanswerable Questions

• If a "Church of Christ" elder refuses to baptize me, will I be lost until I can find one who will? Do I need Jesus AND a Campbellite "preacher" in order to be saved? If I do, then Jesus Christ is not the only Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5) and the Holy Spirit is not the only Administrator (1 Corinthians12:13) of salvation - the "Church of Christ" preacher is necessary to salvation for he is performing a saving act on me when he baptizes me! Is this not blasphemy against Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost?

Answer:

• The Holy Spirit is not, never has been, and never will be the administrator of water baptism!

–He authorizesauthorizes but does not administeradminister water baptism.

Matthew 28:18, 19

• “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. . .”– who is to go?– who is to make disciples?– who is to teach?– who is to administer baptism?– who authorizes such?

God Or Man

Acts 8:38

• “So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.”– Who baptized the eunuch?– Did Philip negate the mediatory office of

Christ?– Who sent Philip?

1 Corinthians 12:13

• “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body––whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free––and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.”– This baptism is “into one body” (the church;

see Ephesians 1:22,23)– Baptists already believe water baptism puts

them into the church– Why can they not see that this is, therefore,

water baptism?

“TWO” Many Baptisms

• Baptists admit that there is a baptism in water that puts them into the Baptist church.

• Baptists assert there is also a baptism administered by the Holy Spirit that saves them.

• TWO baptisms is ONE baptism too many.– “one Lord, one faith, one baptism”

(Ephesians 4:5)

3. “If the water pipes broke and the baptistery was bone dry, would my salvation have to wait until the plumber showed up? If I were to die before then, would I go to hell? If obedience to water baptism is the means of forgiveness of sins, then I would.”

Martin’s Unanswerable Questions

Answer

• “Since becoming a Baptist requires water baptism, should the pipes break and the baptistery be bone dry, would I have to wait to become a Baptist until the plumber showed up?”– Should the baptistery be bone dry, one can go

elsewhere to obey the command, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.”

• Bathtub (provided it is big enough), pool, river, pond, lake, ocean

Answer

• HOW ABOUT “If the preacher lost his voice and could not teach an illiterate man, would he have to wait until the preacher’s voice was restored? If he were to die before then, would he go to hell? If hearing is the means to faith, then he would.”– Shall we argue that preaching, hearing, and

faith are, therefore, not essential to salvation?

Answer

• If the illiterate infidel dies before he hears the gospel and believes in Christ, he will be lost.– “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins;

for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24)

• If the believer dies before he repents and is baptized, he will be lost.– “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one

of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 2:38; cf. Luke13:3)

Martin’s Unanswerable Questions

4. “If my past sins are forgiven when I am baptized in water, and it is possible for me to ‘lose my salvation’ and go to hell after being baptized, then wouldn't my best chance of going to heaven be to drown in the baptistery—before I had a chance to sin so as to be lost again? If I wanted to be absolutely sure of heaven, isn't that my best opportunity?”

Note David Martin’s Argument Style

• Scenario-based

• Absence of Scripture

• What if…

Drown in the Baptistery to Ensure Salvation?

• This is not an accusation against baptism for salvation.– Same argument could be framed against

belief (the gospel and the gun).

• This is leveled at another biblical doctrine–the ability to fall away– Martin denies that a Christian can fall away.

• God has not called us to kill ourselves, but to live for Him (1 Thessalonians 5:9,10)

Can One Lose His His Salvation?Salvation?

• “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away” (Hebrews 2:1)– Martin says we

cannot drift.

Can One Lose His Salvation?

• “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12)– Martin says do not beware, you cannot depart!

• “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.” (Hebrews 4:1)– Martin says do not worry about it, you cannot come

short of it!

Can One Lose His Salvation?

• “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:11)– Martin says there’s no need to worry; you

cannot fall!

Question

• Who is a man who says he knows Jesus but denies His word?

• Who is a man who says he loves the Holy Spirit but contradicts His word?– “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do

not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46)– “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

(John 14:15)

Know We Are Saved?

• “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.” (1 John 2:3-5)

“But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 6:49)

1 John 4:4

• “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”– a liar is a person who

contradicts God’s command-ments while affirming that he knows God.

– the truth is not in him!