Baptist
Distinctives #5
Individual Soul Liberty
Introduction:
1. We don't think of religious
freedom as a Baptist distinctive because it is
the law of our country
2. Since we have always known
freedom of religion we think that is the way
that it has always been
3. We forget the Catholic
inquisition
a. Pope Innocent III
declared that heretics (anyone who would not submit
to the Catholic Church) should forfeit their lives
b. He also forbade the
people to read the Bible in their own language.
c. The Waldensians loved
the Bible and translated it into French, German
and Flemish for the common people to enjoy
d. Pope Innocent went
after these Bible loving people - Many froze to death after they were chased from their homes into the woods.
e. Others were thrown
from high cliffs and dashed to pieces
f. Many were hanged,
others were disemboweled, drowned or burned
g. In one instance 400
mothers, many with babes in their arms, had taken
refuge in the cave of Castelluzzo
h. Catholic officials
built a fire in front of the cave and the smoke suffocated the women and children
i. Pope Innocent promised
Catholics that they would spend no time in purgatory
if they would give 40 days of service the persecution of heretics
j. A formidable army of
cross-bearers began persecutions the cruelty of
which has no parallel. In a few months 200,000 lives were sacrificed and unheard of barbarities were
practiced
k. Two large cities were
reduced to ashes and many driven from their burning
homes were forced into the woods and mountains
4. We forget the
Protestants who broke away from the Catholic Church so they could worship as they pleased. When they gained
their freedom, they began persecuting
Baptists along with the Catholics --Baptists were told to
stop preaching or else be drowned.
5. We forget that the
early US colonists did not have religious freedomß
6. We don't hear many messages
on the subject of individual soul liberty
Baptists believe that
every individual, whether believer or unbeliever, has the liberty to choose
what his conscience or soul decides best.
He is responsible to God
alone for his decision
Never has a Baptist army
conquered and then forced people to believe or become Baptists
Baptists have never
burned people at the stake for disagreeing with them
Baptists have never put
people on the rack forcing them to recant their religion and forcing them to
become Baptists against their wills.
5 One man
esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every
man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth
it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not
regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he
that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
Some believers regarded
certain days
Some had different
dietary habits
Paul did not force anyone
to take one position or another
Paul did not recommend
those who observe certain days to hold a spear to the throats of those who
don't observe those days until they change their minds
12 So then
every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
We shall all give account
of ourselves to God
2Co 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may
receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it
be good or bad.
Lu 13:34 O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are
sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen
doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! 35 Behold, your house
is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me,
until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of
the Lord.
Being God, He could have
forced them to believe in Him
He could have called an
army of angels to force the entire city to believe
John 4:1-29 - The Woman
at the Well
Jesus offered her
salvation in vs 13-15
He didn't force her to
believe
Joh 1:12
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name:
God gave Adam and Eve a
choice
He didn't build a fence
around the tree
He didn't station an
angel near the tree to guard it
Israel wanted a king -
God warned them but let them have their own way
Paul took extensive missionary
journeys offering the gospel to many people
Many accepted and
believed, some persecuted Paul and chased him from city to city
At no time did Paul form
an army of converts and try to convert people against their wills
Paul did not win the
mayor of a city and then declare all the inhabitants of the city to be
believers
Rev 3:20 Shows Individual
Soul Liberty
The Laodiceans excluded
Jesus from their assembly and He is shown knocking and seeking to enter
He isn't pictured with a
battering ram ready to knock the door down
He is knocking, waiting
for them to open
We cannot install loud
speakers on our building and broadcast our service all over Winston-Salem
trying to disrupt the services of other churches nearby
We care enough that we
don't want to make other believers stumble
Jesus wept over Jerusalem
because He cared
A believer who refuses
baptism cannot justify that choice using ISL
We are not at liberty to
pick and choose which doctrines and commands we follow
They choose whether to be
saved or not
Whether or not to believe
in God
Whether or not to believe
the Bible
Whether to attend church
or not
What church to attend
What view of the
tribulation to hold
Whether or not to tithe
Whether or not to read
the Bible and pray
We pray for them
We model the right way of
living and thinking
We become friendly with
them and show them that we care
We share scriptural
truths with them
We give them literature
to read
We exhort them and
encourage them to trust Christ as Savior
Conclusion:
This Means….
Read the Bible for
yourself
Interpret the Bible for
yourself
Approach God for yourself
Serve God yourself.
The
Massachusetts Bay colony passed a law saying that those who oppose the
baptizing of infants or secretly go about to seduce others to refuse to have
their infants baptized shall appear before the court. If they continue then
they shall be banished from the colony. Soon after the passing of that law,
William Witter was arraigned before the Essex Court. He was charged in February
1646 for saying, "they who stay while a child is baptized do worship the devil." In July 1651 he was
formally excommunicated for "absenting himself from the public ordinances
and for being rebaptized." He had grown old and become blind and could not
attend the Baptist Church in Rhode Island and he lived some 75 miles from the church.
The pastor and two men decided to visit
him in his home. The three men arrived on Saturday night after the long
journey. The next morning, being Sunday, they decided to worship God in their
own way in Witter's house. They forgot that it was a crime to worship God in
your own way under your own roof in Massachusetts. John Clarke, the pastor,
began to preach from Rev 3:10 to Witter's family, the two men who accompanied
the pastor and four or five strangers who came in unexpectedly after the
preaching began. Two constables invaded the farmhouse with a warrant from the
authorities. They were ordered to attend the State Church and they said that
they would not. They were taken by force to the State Church and made to sit in
that worship service against their will. Clarke read his Bible through the
entire service and did not pay attention. On Monday they were taken to Boston
and thrown into prison and charged with "suspicion of rebaptizing
people" and for "disturbing the congregation" that previous
Sunday. They were fined and refused to pay the fines. Judge Endicott said,
"You have denied infant baptism and deserve death." They were
whipped. As Pastor Clarke stood at the whipping post naked from the waste up a
passerby felt sorry for him and paid his fine for him knowing that he had done
nothing wrong. The pastor refused to accept the paying of his fine and was
given 30 stripes. Blood ran down his back and filled up his boots and ran over.
Like the Lord on the cross and Stephen, Clarke prayed that the Lord would not
lay this sin to their charge. For weeks he slept on his hands and knees or his
elbows and knees since the pain was so great.
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