REPLY TO THE FOREGOING
W. Carl Ketcherside
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We are grateful that Brother Lemmons will publish our replies to his attacks upon our position. We earnestly pray that the exchange will be to the glory of our blessed Lord. We shall not trouble our readers further with what our good brother calls "personal remarks" but will come directly to the issue at hand.
Brother Lemmons admits that one need not subscribe to the interpretation on controversial issues as set forth in the Firm Foundation in order to be in the one body. It is evident, then, that the one body may have in it those who differ with the interpretations of our brother. This is an admission of the very thing
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Our brother is going to insist that I answer the doctrinal issues but I am pleased to do it without his insistence. It is not necessary that you concur in my answers to be loved and respected as my brother in the Lord. Let us look at his questions in turn.
1. What about the "sincere sprinkled"? Every person who believes with all of his heart that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, is begotten of the Father, but such a person is not born of the water until he is immersed in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is in the womb of "the free woman" (Gal. 4:31) and while there I love him because I love the one who begot him (1 John 5:1).
2. Are they in the kingdom? Not as I view it. They have indicated their desire to become citizens but have not completed the naturalization process.
3. Since baptism is no part of the gospel, will the gospel put them in the kingdom, or does it take something more? Baptism is the proper response of a believing penitent to the good news. This introduces such an one into the kingdom. The gospel is the good news proclaimed by a herald, baptism is the response of a hearer who believes the message.
4. Will they be lost? I presume our brother refers to those whom he calls the "sincere sprinkled." I am unable to say what God will do with those precious souls who believe in the Sonship of Jesus but do not understand the implications of the word "baptism." I must leave them in God's hands to deal with individually on the basis of His love and mercy. I personally feel that there is a difference between those who are honestly mistaken while striving earnestly to obey, and those who deliberately rebel against that of which they have full knowledge. Since I am unable to answer, will Brother Lemmons answer his own question and tell us if they will all be damned.
5. Do people become sons of God at the point of faith or only after having been baptized into Christ? Life begins at the point of vital faith, when one is begotten of God and conceived in the new covenant "which is the mother of us all." Birth is not for the purpose of procuring life but for its enjoyment. Baptism does not produce life but transfers us into that state in which we can enjoy our spiritual blessings and develop our faculties. Only those who are born are granted the privilege of becoming children of God. "But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12, 13). Prior to this they were in an embryonic or foetal stage. Our brother continually misrepresents my position so to make it clear for him I shall spell it out. I hold that those who believe and have not yet been immersed are God's children in prospect and my brothers in prospect.
6. Is a sincere sprinkled Methodist part of that visible church? I do not think so, for one enters the church by a proper response to the gospel and this includes immersion upon the basis of faith. Let me ask Brother Lemmons if a sincere immersed person in the Methodist party is a member of the one body and if he recognizes such persons as his brothers in the Lord's church.
I do not say that "any barrier to fellowship is an artificial barrier." I said, "The one body will manifest itself visibly wherever any congregation of saints refuses to allow artificial barriers erected by men to keep them separated and segregated from each other." God has erected certain barriers to fellowship. These are real. They must be respected. But I do not intend to be confined in any partisan pen by rails which men have thrown up to divide the flock. For instance, I shall not be the champion of a "one cup party" or a "multiple cups party," an "orphan home party" or an "anti-orphan home party," an "instrumental music party" or an "anti-instrument party." Jesus did not die for any such party and I have brethren in all of them. I have convic-
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Our good brother thinks that Jesus commanded John to split the congregation at Pergamos. Read carefully what he says and you will see that this is exactly what he is arguing. It is just not true. Instead, our Lord commended the congregation because, "thou holdest fast my name, and has not denied my faith." He declared that he had a few things against them because they had those who were corrupt in both doctrine and practice. Yet he declares that those who overcome in that congregation will be blessed beyond description.
It is possible to hold fast the name of Christ and not deny the faith even in a congregation where some hold doctrines which Jesus hates and practice things which he deplores. Not one intimation is given that "the faithful" in Pergamos should come out and start a "loyal congregation." Division of God's family is not a divine solution to the family problems. Purity of doctrine cannot be achieved by division of brethren because such division is a sin! When Brother Lemmons justifies schism among brethren he runs counter to the Holy Spirit which everywhere condemns it. Not one of the seven churches of Asia was commanded to divide. In not one of these were the brethren told to come out and start "a faithful group." We are not saved or damned as congregations, but as individuals.
We feel that our brother should address himself to certain questions so we can see just where he stands as to sectarianism and the party spirit.
1. Is the Lord's church in our land identical in membership with the organization listed as "Churches of Christ" in the United States census?
2. Are there any of God's children in other organizations listed in that census, such as the Church of God, The Baptist Church, Church of the Brethren, etc.?
3. Is absolute freedom from error on all doctrinal matters essential to being in Christ? If not, how much error can one entertain and still remain in Christ?
4. Must a man reach the personal conviction that instrumental music in the corporate worship is a sin before he can be recognized as a brother?
5. If a brother in one of our congregations arrives at the opinion that instrumental music in the corporate worship may be permissible and states it in class as an opinion, should the congregation drive him out?
6. Are honest differences of opinion and interpretation among God's children grounds for dividing the family into rival parties?
7. Does the Father of our spirits ever disinherit his children because they are honestly mistaken in their reverent attempts to obey His will?
I love the Lord who died for me. I love the church which he purchased with his own precious blood. I am going to live just as close to Jesus as I know how to live. I am going to recognize all of God's children as my beloved brothers and I am going to move among them all and share with them as they will allow. The walls they have built around their little factions mean nothing to me. I can see my brothers on both sides of them. They are not my brothers because they belong to their faction but because they belong to my Father.
Brother Lemmons is my brother, not because we are in agreement, but because we are in Christ. On that basis I have tens of thousands of brothers whom I once refused to recognize. They were my brothers all of the time but my vision was impaired and I was spiritually shortsighted. No one is going to build a fence around me and leave Brother Lemmons on the outside because he disagrees with me; neither is Brother Lemmons going to build a fence around me and make me "set at nought' my other brothers in order to love him. I am through with all factionalism. I am in the fellowship with all of my brothers in our blessed Lord. Don't fence me in except with the love of God!