Category: Baptist Church

A good friend and brother in the Lord, Don Craven, wrote concerning a Baptist preacher, James O. Newell, who was baptized recently during a Baptist service. Several Baptists were confused about the matter and thought their preacher was being saved. One Baptist approached Don and asked what he thought about it. Don wrote the Baptist preacher and asked for an explanation. Below is the explanation from the Baptist preacher and my comments on it.

Baptist baptism makes one a member of a Baptist Church. The “one baptism” of the New Testament never made anyone a member of a Baptist Church. One is baptized “into one body,” the body of Christ, the body of the saved, the kingdom of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13; John 3:3, 5; Ephesians 2:16; 4:4; 5:25, 26).

Both of us cannot be right before God. If I am teaching a “works” oriented salvation, as defined in Ephesians 2:8, 9, and Titus 3:5, I cannot be saved, nor can those who hear me be saved (1 Tim. 4:16). On the other hand, if you are not submitting to God’s plan of making men righteous, then you are in danger of the judgment as are those whom you are misleading (Rom. 10:1-3; 2 Jn. 9). “If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matt. 15:14).

Larry Ray Hafley answers from the scriptures questions asked by a Baptist Preacher.

Since “The Austin Baptist Association” voted to “oust” “University Baptist” because they ordained a “gay deacon,” we know that Baptists cannot plead that they are “non-judgmental.” So, we want to know if a thing is bad enough to get a church kicked out of “The Austin Baptist Association,” is it bad enough to keep one from heaven (1 Peter 2:11)? Some Baptist needs to tell us.

It matters not at all how the Baptists or any other sect votes on any issue or doctrine. All the edicts of all the ecclesiastical bodies of the all the earth count for nothing and mean even less. What is changed by their vote? Are the resolutions of men bound upon the word of God? Can they alter what God has said? No, not one syllable!

As noted, we both cannot be right before God. One of us is wrong, eternally wrong. We will be judged by the word of God. Accordingly, I am willing for that word to be the standard, the pattern, by which we are to live (2 Thess. 2:15; 2 Tim. 1:13; Heb. 8:5). If you have the truth, you should have no trouble showing us the error of our ways. You are obligated to do so (Ezek. 3:17-21; Acts 20:26, 27).

As noted earlier, Mr. Cryer said, “Some are telling folks that if they get baptized they are saved. The ‘water baptism path’ is a lie straight from the pits of Hell.” Mr. Cryer, if a Baptist preacher were to preach the very words of Jesus, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,” would it be “a lie straight from the pits of Hell”? If not, what would it be? If a Baptist preacher told sinners to “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,” would that be “a lie straight from the pits of Hell”? If not, what would it be?

Let none think that because we declare what the Lord said–“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved”–that we are denying that salvation is by grace through faith [Ephesians 2:8, 9]. We are not.

What we have in this article is the response by Larry Ray Hafley to a Mr. Charles Ellis of the Baptist Church. If this were a formal debate, we would publish both sides of the discussion. However, this is not intended to be in such a format, even though Mr. Ellis is directed and quoted in the article. Our purpose in publishing this is to show the inadequacy of Baptist Doctrine in light of the Word of God. If there is a need for any of this article to be challenged, then we will deal with that as it occurs.