"Why," various readers have inquired, "do Churches of Christ emphasize baptism 'for the remission of sins,' as if that were its only biblical meaning?" * * * The New Testament does speak of baptism "for the remission (forgiveness) of sins," of course (Acts 2:38), and Christians of most denominations acknowledge the same each time they recite the Nicene Creed. But the Apostles, evangelists and earliest followers of Jesus spoke of baptism in many other ways as well. How this particular phrase, found in a single biblical passage, became a universal and almost-exclusive formula among Churches of … [Read more...]
CHURCH HISTORY JIGSAW PUZZLE
Part 1 One of many blessings that come from reading church history is a perspective sufficiently distant to see the larger picture with all its harmony and its diversity. Blessed with such perspective, we see God continually at work among his people: now turning, then correcting, sometimes simply allowing, the course of his church through the centuries. No believer and no Christian group can afford to believe or think or live in isolation. We all -- individuals and groups -- can and need to learn from each other. The undivided church of the first several centuries gave us the "rule of faith" … [Read more...]
