Jarrel - Baptist Church Perpetuity - Landmark Baptist

(3.) Inasmuch as He can never permit His priesthood to be destroyed, He can
never permit apostasy to destroy His church.
X. Church Perpetuity grows out of the nature of the truth as the instrument of
the Spirit. The spirit through the truth preserved the apostolic church. Unless
the Spirit and the truth lose their power, they must thence preserve the church
from apostasy until Christ comes. The same cause, under like conditions, will
always produce the same effect. The truth is conditioned for all time only by
sinful nature and the unchangeable Spirit; therefore Church Perpetuity.
XI. Church Perpetuity grows out of the mission of the Church. Her mission is
to preach the gospel to the world, preserve the truth and the ordinances. The
Scriptures make the churches the custodians of the ordinances and of all affairs
of the kingdom of Christ, on earth. The Commisson says, disciple, baptize and
teach them to observe all the institutions of Christ — Matthew 28:19, 20.
(a) Those who make disciples are, naturally, the judges of the progress and
the rights of the disciple.
(b) Peter, on Pentecost, in that he commanded certain persons to be baptized,
judged of their fitness for baptism. — Acts 2:38.
(c) In asking “can any man forbid water,” Peter implied that water can be
scripturally forbidden for persons who are unfit for baptism. — Acts
10:47, 48.
(d) In Philip saying to the eunuch, “if thou believest with all thy heart thou
mayest,” he implied his right to refuse to baptize him, if he regarded him as
not born again. Compare Acts 8:37, with 1 John 5:1.
Through the Apostles the churches were given the ordinances.
(1.) Compare Acts 16:4: — 1 Corinthians 11:2.
(2.) The Church is “the pillar and the ground of the truth.” — 1 Timothy
3:15.
(3.) In caring for the things of the kingdom, the churches baptize into their
membership — through their officers — those whom they think are believers.
“Him that is weak in the faith receive.” — Romans 14:1.
(a) How receive if no authority to receive or reject?
(b) Again, if the Church is not the judge, how can it know whether the
candidate is “weak” or strong in the faith — or whether he has any faith at
all?
(c) Proslambanesthe — proslambanesqi — means,. “to admit to one’s
society and fellowship.” — Thayer’s, Robinson’s and the other Lexicons.