Why Do So Many Practice It? Part 1

The point: If you are shocked by the conclusion that there is no recorded instance of infant baptism, turn to the Scriptures yourself and read every passage where baptism is mentioned to see for yourself.

To illustrate the proper way to approach biblical study, Martin uses the analogy of searching a concordance for 'election' by looking up 'choose' or 'elect,' not 'foot' or 'ear,' to argue that baptism should be studied by examining passages where baptism is explicitly mentioned.

And Pastor Nichols led you in your study this far, so what I'm doing in the couple of weeks that I have while he's in South Africa, I'm sort of putting on a couple of secondary issues, trying to address myself to some questions which will not be addressed directly in these five lines of thought. All right, does that give you some idea of where we've been and where we're going, God willing? So what I did last week is I took up the question, is it proper to approach the subject in this way? Is it right to question, to approach the question, is infant baptism a biblical practice by turning to the...

6:00 - 7:26 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You see what I'm saying now when I say the reason why many in Christendom practice a ritual for which even they see no warrant in the Bible is a humble but misguided deference to godly and learned men of the past and of …

A friend's humorous remark about knowing Greek and Hebrew only through a sub shop owner and a tailor illustrates the common person's lack of specialized linguistic knowledge, highlighting why they might defer to scholars on complex theological issues like infant baptism.

They say, well, when I go to my Bible with my simple limited mind and with my limited understanding, I don't know Greek and Hebrew. As a friend of mine said, the only Greek I know runs a sub shop and the only Hebrew I know. Runs a tailor shop and, uh, that's all the Greek and Hebrew I know. And frankly, when I read my Bible, I really can't see infant baptism taught, but, but how could such good and godly men of the past and present be wrong on so basic an issue?

15:05 - 15:38 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You see what I'm saying now when I say the reason why many in Christendom practice a ritual for which even they see no warrant in the Bible is a humble but misguided deference to godly and learned men of the past and of …

Herbert W. Armstrong is used as an example of pride and arrogance, characterized by the attitude that 'nobody knew from nothing until I came along,' contrasting it with true humility.

Humility is a noble grace. And one of the marks of humility is you do not act as though the sun of truth has been setting in the west until it arose on your fair head. You see, the mark of every heretic is, he says, a plague on everybody and everything. Nobody knew from nothing until I came along.

17:17 - 17:36 Read in full sermon

The point: Believe nothing because I say it, or with enthusiasm and zeal, but believe nothing unless you see it with your own eyes in the Bible.

Martin recounts a conversation with a godly man who confessed seeing only disciple baptism in his Bible but deferred to 'godly, wiser men' on infant baptism, illustrating the danger of subjecting one's conscience to human authority outside of God's Word.

Believe nothing unless you see it with your own eyes in the Bible. Now, is there anyone who would be upset with that, that we love your soul enough to say don't bind your conscience to any human authority, have it bound only by the word of God? Now, this is not theorizing. I can remember talking with one of the most good and gracious and godly men I have ever met.

25:44 - 26:08 Read in full sermon

The point: You and I must go against any good and godly man if he does not speak according to the scriptures.

Mr. Clark shares a corroborating story of a woman troubled by a doctrine (Landmarkism) who struggled to go against 'good, godly men' who taught it, further illustrating the power of deference to human authority over personal conviction from Scripture.

Not a question, but a corroboration. I was in a home one time where a matter of a certain doctrine called landmarkism came up. We were discussing it. And then the wife looked very troubled.

28:07 - 28:21 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second reason is a sincere and often grateful, but uncritical, acceptance of religious tradition, especially when infant baptism is associated with a godly heritage…

Martin shares a recent conversation with a family who confirmed that his description of 'sincere but uncritical acceptance of a religious tradition' perfectly described their own past situation regarding infant baptism, validating the prevalence of this reason.

And rather than even think twice about such a terrible alternative, they never really critically examine the practice of infant baptism. Now that's not a theory spun out of the head of Pastor Martin. As I was sitting in the home of one of our families who had just this kind of a context, just this week, and I was sharing with them some of the things that I was going to be teaching, they said, Pastor Martin, that was us. And they went on to say that this perfectly described their situation.

34:10 - 34:42 Read in full sermon

Driving home: In vain do they worship me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men. Now, you remember one of the points Pastor Nichols made, and I believe he did. He said, I'm going to I believe he made it fairly and biblically…

Jesus' example of the Pharisees using the 'Corban' tradition to avoid honoring their parents (Matthew 15:5-6) is used to illustrate how human traditions can cleverly violate God's clear commandments, specifically the fifth commandment.

The Law. The ones who sit in a seat of authority to enforce the law and will of God, and they are transgressing the Tradition of the elders, for they do not wash their hands when they eat bread. And he answered and said unto them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? And then he shows them, Alright, my disciples may be transgressing the Tradition of the elders, But you are transgressing the Tradition of the elders, transgressing not the tradition of elders, but the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. And then he gives an example of it, an...

37:11 - 38:11 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are clinging to an unbiblical ritual because of respect and love for godly parents and heritage, remember the Word of God teaches us to be true-hearted and to reject any tradition not embedded in the Word of God.

The humorous anecdote of Charles Spurgeon's mother praying for his salvation but not for him to become a Baptist, and his witty reply, illustrates the tension between familial tradition and following biblical conviction.

Baptism is made void by this tradition. Now, dear people, I don't mean to be unkind, but am I bearing false witness, or is that true? It's true. It's true. It is true. And so we do not honor the tradition of godly parents if we do not go to the consistent logic of true godliness, which is to reject anything my parents taught me. And so we do not honor the religion of Godliness, which is to reject anything my parents taught me. And so we do not honor the religion of Godliness, which is to reject anything my parents taught me. And so we do not honor Now, some of you remember the humorous inciden...

40:35 - 41:56 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are clinging to an unbiblical ritual because of respect and love for godly parents and heritage, remember the Word of God teaches us to be true-hearted and to reject any tradition not embedded in the Word of God.

Martin shares a personal story of his Swedish grandmother's counsel to 'be true hearted, whole hearted' when he was 13 or 14, which he later applied to following anything seen in the Bible, even if it meant departing from tradition.

He that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. So you see, it is not a proper honoring of a Christian mother and father out of thankfulness to them uncritically to accept an unbiblical ritual. I thank God for parents who reared me with this perspective. Son, when God saves you, follow him only. And I had that in my heritage with my old Swedish grandmother. I remember. I was about 13 or 14. I was not a Christian at the time. I'd made some false starts and gone through the motions. And she had been down to visit my mother in Connecticut, visit us in our home. And as she was lea...

42:33 - 43:38 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are clinging to an unbiblical ritual because of respect and love for godly parents and heritage, remember the Word of God teaches us to be true-hearted and to reject any tradition not embedded in the Word of God.

Martin recounts a pastoral experience with an older man in his congregation who, after a sermon on baptism, admitted, 'You've got the Bible on your side. We just got tradition,' leading to his eventual obedience to believer's baptism. This illustrates the power of clear biblical teaching over tradition.

The Word of God teaches us to be true hearted. The Word of God teaches us to be true hearted. And the Word of God teaches that the true end of godliness is to bring you to reject any tradition from whatever source it comes that is not embedded in the Word of God. the whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for God's glory, man's salvation, faith and life is either freshly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture, unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit or traditions of men, even good and godly traditions. Again, let me...

44:44 - 45:47 Read in full sermon