14. What Is Campbellism? #2

SERMON 14 WHAT IS CAMPBELLISM?

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God (1 Peter 4:11).

We speak where the Bible speaks, and are silent where the Bible insilent— Thomas Campbell. This is Campbellism.

While there is not to be found on earth, in reality nor in authentic history such a thing as the Campbellite church, yet it is an imaginary specter which has caused more fear and terror to all sectarian churches than all the writings of infidelity. The so-called Campbellites have long since run the denominations off from John 3:5; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:37-38; Acts 22:16; Galatians 3:27; 1 Peter 3:19-21.

While these scriptures have not yet been rejected by them as uninspired yet they put so many false interpretations upon them to kill out Campbellism (as they call the teaching of the Bible) that they no longer hold their position in the religious world that God in His word ordained they should hold.

It may be necessary at the present to examine carefully so-called Campbellism that scares so many good men off the meeting at Nice, A. D. 326. These people did not believe the Bible was a sufficient guide so they added the Nicene Creed to the Bible. This finally resulted In the formation of the Catholic church.

In 1630 Luther became tired oft the corruption in the Catholic church, withdrew from them and added another creed to the Bible, which resulted in the Lutheran church. In 1662 others became tired of the Catholic church, made a different creed and established the Episcopal church. In 1643 others became tired of the then existing churches, formulated another creed and with It started the Presbyterian church. In 1742 others became dissatisfied and started the Baptist church. In 1784 the Methodist church with its creed was founded.

With all these different creeds and churches, each claiming that their creed represented the only true church, share could be nothing but confusion among all the churches. To help all out of their trouble, In 1809, a meeting of all the churches was held to find, it possible, a common ground of union. At said meeting Thomas Campbell was there and made a noted speech on Christian union, of which 9,000 copies were made and circulated. In said speech Brother Campbell said “If we ever unite the religious world we must learn that where the Bible speaks we speak, and where the Bible is silent we are silent.”

The nest year Alexander Campbell, a son of Thomas Campbell, came to America from Scotland. In reading his father's speech he observed, “In' we adopt this motto we must give up infant baptism, as the Bible no where mentions such.” This troubled father and son, as neither had been baptized— only sprinkled when children. In their studies in 1811, they learned the truth. Alexander Campbell went to Mathias Luce, a Primitive Baptist preacher (for there was no missionary Baptist church on earth at that time) and desired baptism upon a confession of Christ, as the eunuch made to Philip, as recorded in the eighth chapter of Acts. Luce said that to follow a Bible example was not Baptist doctrine, but finally agreed that he would violate their doctrine to follow the scriptures. Consequently on June 12, 1811, Thomas Campbell and his son, Alexander Campbell, in company with five others, were baptized by Mathias Luce upon a confession of Christ as taught in Acts 8:37. They were baptized for the remission of their sins.

After this the world called them Baptists, and they were associated with the old Red Stone Baptist Association until 1816. At their annual meeting A. Campbell preached his great sermon on the Law, showing the difference between the law of Moses and the gospel of Christ. This being new doctrine to the Baptist church they cited him to trial at the next annual association. Before the year passed Campbell had moved out of their district, and was preaching in the Mahoning Association, and did not go to trial.

He continued to preach and study the Bible. In 1823 he concluded that God knew nothing of the Baptist church nor Baptist articles of faith, whereupon he and the entire Mahoning Association decided that they would abolish their human creed, and take the Bible only as their guide. In 1827 the Baptist church, knowing that no one was in fellowship with them who was governed by the Bible only, withdrew their fellowship from the entire Mahoning Association which included six churches.

In debate, Baptist preachers sometimes state that A. Campbell was turned out of the Baptist church. The statement is false; as the entire Mahoning association containing six congregations went with Campbell, and the Baptists withdrew their fellowship from the entire association of six churches—not one man, nor one church. They were withdrawn from under the serious charge that they took the Bible as their only guide. While the charge is serious, yet of the sixteen Baptist churches in existence today any one of them would withdraw from a man, or from a church who takes the Bible only as a guide. Should any Baptist preacher ever doubt this, let him preach, “He that believeth and is, baptized shall be saved,” as taught by Christ in Mark 16:16; or tell people to “repent and be baptized for the remission of sins,” as taught by Peter in Acts 2:38, and see how long before they will have him up for heresy.

Campbell then began to review the past. He had made a [allure in attempting to reform the Presbyterian and Baptist churches, as they would not accept the Bible as their only guide. He then declared “no longer will we preach reformation,” but we must teach restoration. He argued, that if we have the same God that the early disciples had, and if we can do the same things they did, God will save us like he saved them. If not. why not? He began to investigate what they did in the beginning and found:

• It was the “church of Christ” (Matthew 16:18Romans 16:16), and individual members were called “Christians ' (Acts 11:26)

It was nowhere called the Baptist church, neither were its members called Baptists.

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• He learned that they must commence preaching the gospel to all the world, beginning at Jerusalem (Luke 24:47-49).

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• He learned they were to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Ghost came upon them, giving them divine authority to preach the gospel to all the world (Acts 1:5-8; Acts 2:1-4).

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• He learned that after the Holy Ghost came upon them Peter had power to preach the gospel by which all people can be saved if they accept it (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Romans 1:16).

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• He learned that when this gospel was preached people had to hear it that they might understand the same (Acts 26:16; Romans 10:17).

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• He learned that people had to believe with all their hearts that Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 16:31).

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• He learned that no man could come to God in his sins—that God commanded all men to repent (Acts 17:30).

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• He learned that when a man believed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God he must confess that with his mouth (Romans 10:8-10; Acts 8:37).

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• He then learned that all believers must obey the commission which says, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). And finding the commission carried out on Pentecost he learned that they were baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), and that even Paul, the greatest apostle, was commanded to be baptized and wash away his sins (Acts 22:16).

• He found that after they did these things they did not have to tell some dream or experience and join some church; for the Lord added them to His church by their obedience to His teaching (Acts 2:41-47).

• He learned that all apostolic churches continued in the Bible doctrine—meeting on the first day of the week to worship God (Acts 2:42; Acts 26:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2)

• Finally, he learned that those who are faithful in this life, have a promise of a home in the city of our God, after the battles of this life shall have been fought (Romans 6:21; 1 Peter 1:9; 2 Peter 1) .

These are the things taught and practiced by my brethren. Not one thing do we teach or practice as acts of worship that we cannot read of in the word of God, with God's approval stamped upon it. But the religious world who teach and keep the doctrines and commandments of men, condemn all who take the Bible as their only guide, and declare it is nothing but “Campbellism.”