Question 02: Could the church of God have existed at any time and in any manner even with but few...

Question 02: Could the church of God have existed at any time and in any manner even with but few members, without the original and outward ordinance of baptism, as the Israelite church (according to Joshua 5:5-7) existed for considerable time in the wilderness without practicing circumcision?

Answer: The church of Christ is ordained in no other way by the true Master-Builder, Jesus Christ, than that it should observe His baptism and ordinances. Christ indeed ordained everything perfectly in His congregation or church through His apostles and teachers, and sufficiently confirmed it by signs and miracles. For this reason, the fact is incontestable that a congregation or church of Christ could never have existed without the baptism and ordinances as commanded by the true Founder. We do not deny that there could have been souls who were attracted in secret to the church of Christ. Whether, however, they followed and publicly professed Christ, or whether they preferred the honor of the world to the honor of God, we will not determine. As far as the Israelite church is concerned, it can be clearly seen that while in the wilderness the children had to bear the reproach of Egypt and suffer for the transgressions of their fathers! However, as soon as they were about to enter the promised land, and before they took the first city, Jericho, they first all had to be circumcised. God said to Joshua (5[:9]): "This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." Only after this did they dare to celebrate the Passover and not before. This is then a sign for us that as long as we walk in the wilderness and in great disorder and uncertainty - even though we have gone out of Egypt and have been rescued from gross sins by the mighty hand of God - we can still neither enter the house of God nor break the bread in the communion of Jesus and His members. God demands also of us that we should be baptized; He will indeed demand it of everyone, although perhaps in secret, if men will only listen to the inner voice and obey it with denial of self.