Baptist Apostasy and the Ordinances
by Evangelist Gordon Silcox
I Corinthians 11: 2 ~ "Now I praise you, brethren, that ye
remember me in all things, and keep the
ordinances, as I delivered them to you."
Many Baptist churches have abandoned the scriptural practice of
the ordinances. There is a falling away from scriptural baptism
and closed Lord's Supper. The practice of the Lord's supper is
open in many Baptist churches and close in others. No longer do
they preach and teach that only the redeemed and scripturally
baptized saint who is right with his church can participate in
the supper. In many of our Baptist churches members are now
allowed to participate in a close Supper practice. The Lord's
supper is to be a time of remembering our Savior, a time of heart
searching, and a time of revival among the members of the church.
It is not to be a time of ecumenical associations. It is done in
remembrance of our Lord. How can the unsaved remember Christ? How
can a backsliding saint safely attend the supper? (I Cor.
11:23-34).
In the matter of Baptism; there is a falling away from the
Biblical practice of believers baptism. Baptism in many Baptist
churches has become a community affair. Many Baptist churches are
accepting Baptism from other churches as long as it is by
immersion. Even non-Baptist Baptism is accepted. Some of these
churches would not accept the doctrine of Pentacostal, Protestant
or cultic churches, yet they are accepting their baptism, which
is just as alien as their doctrine. Many of these false churches
preach another gospel. Baptist baptism is to fit our gospel ~ the
death, the burial, and the resurrection. Baptist baptism is the
proper candidate (one who is saved) immersed into a scriptural
church, declaring the design of that baptism (the resurrection to
a new life) and done under the authority of a scriptural church.
Christ only gave baptism to his true churches, and the Protestant
churches, the Catholic churches and the cults do not have
authority to baptize (Matthew 28:16-20). There is a deepening
apostasy in many Baptist churches concerning the practice of the
ordinances. It is time to return to the faith of our fathers.