Journal: Central Bible Quarterly
Volume: CENQ 04:2 (Summer 1961)
Article: Forward
Author: Anonymous

CenQ 4:2 (Summer 1961) p. 1

Forward

A true New Testament witness will always deny “Apostolic succession” of individuals and will always affirm “Apostolic succession” of the institution of the local church. Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).

Ecumenicity in ecclesiology and liberalism in theology are today walking hand in hand producing One Big Universal Church and preaching “another gospel” by which its members for salvation are learning lessons from the life of Jesus, instead of receiving salvation by faith from the death of Jesus!

If the present-day New Testament Christians are descendants from the “ana-baptists” of the middle ages as history indicates, let us remember that it was the doctrine of “believers’ baptism” that distinguished the “ana-baptist” from the “pedo-baptist”; and it was the doctrine of “scriptural immersion” that distinguished the New Testament witness from other species of “ana-baptists”; and it was the doctrine of absolute “religious liberty” for the individual preached and taught by the independent and “sovereign

CenQ 4:2 (Summer 1961) p. 2

local church” that infuriated the Roman Catholic Church into such bitter and cruel persecution of these New Testament Christians.

Because of their age-long belief in Apostolic Succession the Roman Catholic Church feels that they have authority in themselves to make any changes they wish in Church Government or Church Doctrine!

The Roman Catholic Visitor in 1946 was explaining how the “Protestant Reformation” happened: This Official organ of Rome declared that the Reformation was not religious in its nature; it happened at a time when the Roman Catholic Church was weak politically! All of the leading Reformers, who so heroically freed the church from the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope, fastened a State Church upon the people wherever they went, and the true New Testament sovereign local church that stood for absolute religious liberty was persecuted by these State Churches of the reformers: This was true of—

Luther, who fastened a State Church upon Germany. Zwingli, who fastened a State Church upon Switzerland. John Knox, who fastened a State Church upon Scotland. Henry VIII, who fastened a State Church upon England.

These all became persecutors like Rome before them! John Calvin’s Consistory, a bold-faced inquisition, in Vienna condemned Michael Servetus as a heretic to be burned at the stake June 17, 1553; Servetus fled, was apprehended in Geneva, and was burned at the stake October 27,1553.

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