THE CHRISTADELPHIANS

Hugo McCord

“An Exciting Six Week Seminar” begins January 24 in Beaverton, Oregon, with “Christadelphians” teaching people how “To Read The Bible Effectively” (advertisement in THE OREGONIAN, 1-11-98).

“Originally” the Christadelphians “were called ‘Thomasites’ as being disciples of an “English-born physician John Thomas” (ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA). From London Dr. Thomas (1805-1871) “migrated to Brooklyn, N. Y. He at first joined the followers of Thomas and Alexander Campbell, ... but eventually he began preaching independently” (ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA).

Thomas opposed the existing churches, regarding them as apostate. He wished to restore primitive Christianity and the beliefs of the earliest disciples, using the Bible as the only rule of faith and practice (AMERICANA). Both in the United States and Great Britain he gathered a number of adherents” (BRITANNICA). “Christadelphians are found in countries all over the world” (THE OREGONIAN advertisement).

“The name ‘Christadelphian’ (Greek for “Christian brethren”) was adopted in 1864” (AMERICANA). It is sad that a group of Bible advocates, emphasizing “the Bible as the only rule of faith and practice” (AMERICANA), adopted a name not found in the Bible. The only Bible name for a follower of Jesus is “Christian,” and each disciple is commanded to “glorify God in this name” (1 Peter 4:16).

The Christadelphians, in attempting “to restore primitive Christianity” (AMERICANA), “deny infant baptism” (Webster), a practice that began in the second century. Quintus Tertullian (160-240 A.D.), the bishop of Carthage, condemned infant baptism.

The practice had begun as a result of the erroneous teaching that all people inherit “original sin” from Adam. Since baptism is to wash away sins (Acts 22:16), and since some babies die as babies, they ought to be baptized so as not to die with Adam’s sin.

But the Bible teaches that sin is not transferable:

The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself (Ezekiel 18:20).

Moreover, since a sinner’s personal faith and repentance (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 8:37) must precede baptism, any so-called “baptism” without prior faith and repentance, of which babies are incapable, is vain. Therefore, the Christadelphians are to be commended for opposing infant baptism.

The Christadelphians are also to be commended for saying

We do not believe that any of our members have received special revelations directly from God and our faith rests squarely and solely on the Bible as the inspired word of God (THE OREGONIAN advertisement).

Indeed, when John had finished the book of Revelation in 96 A.D., “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3) had been written. That being so, any man (as Joseph Smith) or woman (as Mary Baker Eddy) who claims “special revelations directly from God” is denying that the Bible equips us “completely” for “every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16).

However, it is sad that the Christadelphians, saying that the “Bible is the only authoritative creed” (BRITANNICA), reject an important part of that “authoritative creed” by “believing that the Holy Spirit is not a person but an effluence of divine power” (AMERICANA).

To say that a being who (1) hears and (2) speaks and (3) has a mind and (4) prays and (5) can be grieved (John 16:13; Romans 8:26, 27; Ephesians 4:30) “is not a person,” but only an “effluence of divine power,” leaves one wondering what makes up “a person.”

The Holy Spirit, beyond being “a person” biblically, is omniscient, the only being who “knows the things of God,” whose “understanding is infinite” (1 Corinthians 2:11; Psalm 147:5). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit, beyond being a person, and beyond being omniscient, is “eternal” (Hebrews 9:14), an attribute only belonging to deity. To lie to the Holy Spirit is to lie to God (Acts 5:3-4).

Not only do the Christadelphians deny the personality of the Holy Spirit, they affirm that Jesus will become an earthly king and “rule the world” (AMERICANA). Their “theology is strongly mellennialist,” expecting “Christ to return and rule the world from Jerusalem for 1000 years” (BRITANNICA).

However, if Jesus does return and rule the world he will have to apologize to Governor Pilate, for Jesus made it clear to him that “my kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Furthermore, “at his coming, then comes the end,” not the beginning, “when he delivers the kingdom to God” (1 Corinthians 15:23-24). Moreover, at “his coming”

the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up (2 Peter 3:4, 10).

And, according “to his promise, we await new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).

I hope the Beaverton Christadelphians will read this article to those who attend their seminar. People can learn “the way of God more accurately,” and make a change, as did Apollos (Acts 18:26).