Baptist, Lutheran, Christian, Or What
J. David Tant
"I pray you leave my name alone, and call not yourselves Lutheran; but Christians. My doctrine is not mine. I have not been crucified for anyone. St. Paul would not let any call themselves after Paul, nor of Peter, but of Christ. How, then, does it befit me, a miserable bag of dust and ashes, to give my name to the children of God? Cease, my dear friends, to cling to these party names and distinctions; away with them all; and let us call ourselves only Christians after him from whom our doctrine comes." (Martin Luther, founder of the Lutheran church.)
"Would to God that all party names and unscriptural phrases and forms which have divided the Christians' world were forgot, that we might all agree to sit down together as humble, loving disciples at the feet of the common Master.." (John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church.)
"I look forward with pleasure to the day when there will not be a Baptist living. I hope they will soon be gone. I hope the Baptist name will soon perish; but let Christ's name endure forever." (Charles Spurgeon, noted Baptist preacher.)
"Now I beseech you brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.... each one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I am of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ, Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized into the name of Paul?" (1 Cor. 1:10-13)
All quotations given serve to illustrate the title of this article — just what shall we be called? The Bible clearly guides us in this matter, thus there should be no confusion if all simply followed the word of God. Let us briefly consider the following points:
1. All things must be done by the authority of Christ. (Col. 3:17, Matt. 28:19) Thus whatever name we wear must be found in the book of authority, the Bible.
2. As to the religious name we wear as individuals, Acts 11:26 gives us the authority to wear the name "Christian." This describes our relationship to Christ — "belonging to," "abiding in," or "a follower of" Jesus Christ.
3. As to the religious name we wear collectively, that is, the church's name, we have Biblical examples such as "churches of Christ" (Rom. 16:16), or "church of God" (1 Cor. 1:2) This describes the church, the body of Christ, as belonging to the Lord.
4. "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." (Col. 1:18)
Now it should not be difficult to determine who is, and who is not, following these simple precepts. For example, I ask a man what he is religiously. He replies, "I am a Lutheran." What has he done? He has taken unto himself a name not authorized by Christ. He has "gone beyond" the prescribed limits. (2 John 9) By the name he wears, he is giving preeminence to Martin Luther, and not to Christ. Even Luther begged that it not be done, and the word of God forbids it.
I ask another man if he belongs to the church Christ died for, the one that, as his bride, naturally honors him by wearing his name. The man replies, "I belong to the Methodist church." Did Christ authorize this name? Did Christ die for this church? Does this church give Christ the preeminence in all things? Evidently, we must answer "no" to all these questions, for the church was established by John Wesley, and it gives honor to the system of "Methods" he formulated.
In the same line of questioning, I ask a third person, "What creed do you subscribe to?" He replies, "Oh, I follow the Standard Manual for Baptist Churches." What has he done? He has rejected the scriptures as being sufficient to furnish us unto "every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16, 17) and in effect has denied that the inspired word of God contains "all things that pertain unto life and godliness." (2 Pet. 1:3) He is putting a product of man on the same plane with the work of God.
Why cannot men he content to call themselves Christians? What is wrong with the word of God that men cannot follow it, and it only? What fault can be found with allowing the Lord to choose the name by which his church should be known, since he bought it with his own blood? Friends, you cannot miss the point. These principles can be applied to every other man-made creed, system or name. Is this narrow-mindedness — to do just as the Lord says, nothing more, nothing less? How can we afford to do otherwise when our very souls depend on it? Cannot you agree with such a practice? If heaven is your goal, surely you must agree that the only sure way to get there is to follow the directions Christ left for us. Ile has travelled the way before us, and HE KNOWS.
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