Baptism In the Name of the Lord Jesus - William Crowther (1867)

A friend of mine is in the hospital tonight.  He's suffered some severe injuries in an horrific automobile accident. I have been praying for him and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ to heal and restore this husband, father of two boys, chaplain, and Bible scholar.

While thinking and praying for James, I was reminded of a sermon we shared with one another that one of us discovered. To be honest, I don't remember now who found this sermon, so, I'm giving him the credit and posting it here.

Historically, it is an interesting sermon for apostolics to read.
Doctrinally, it is a unique message for oneness pentecostals to consider (although it is problematic).

Please, pray for James Anderson when you read this post. He lives in Mt. Vernon, TX, and he is in need of a miracle.

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Sermon: Baptism In the Name of the Lord Jesus
Preacher: William Crowther
Text: Acts 19:5

Delivered: Artillery Street Chapel, London, England

Date: August 27, 1867

 

 

 

Bishop E. S. Harper - All the Counsel of God

Bishop Edwin S. Harper preaching on the essentiality and necessity of water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus: "All the Counsel of God."

Celebrating 100 years of restoration!

Pamphlets from Oneness Pentecostal Writers (Part 3)

I was back at my grandmother's house recently and took more pictures of pamphlets written by these writers.  Some are written by authors that still live, but many of the authors have passed on to their eternal reward.

I read recently that if you want to change your generation you need to preach, but if you want to change future generations then write.  I'm thankful these authors wrote these pamphlets.

Joel Urshan - Jesus

Joel Urshan, pastor of First Apostolic Church (Cincinnati, OH), preaching "Jesus" (Acts 8:26-38) on November 18, 2012.

 

 

Bishop E. S. Harper - The Road Back to the Garden

Due to his sin, Man was cast out of the Garden of Eden and since that day has searched for "The Road Back to the Garden." Jesus Christ is the culmination of that journey.

Text: Hebrews 11:10; Genesis 3:22-24; John 14:1-5; Acts 3:20-21; Jeremiah 50:5; Job 23:3, 8-10.

N. A. Urshan (1991) - When the Savior Reached Down for Me

I was thinking of N. A. Urshan today and the times I heard him preach (and sing with his wife) at my home church - Zion Tabernacle (Kokomo, IN) - so many years ago now that it seems life a lifetime ago.  Then I went on YouTube and found this clip from the 1991 Because of the Times conference in Alexandria, LA. 

Here's a great song and a great moment of insight in the middle of the clip by a stalwart champion of the faith.

I'm so glad, so glad, I was raised in the home of godly parents who are Christians.  I'm also glad I was raised in and Oneness Pentecostal movement (we are a movement, not a denomination), and that I know what it means to be Apostolic, but I'm at the place now where I'm simply wanting to conform, not to the image and practices of the Apostles, but to the image of Jesus Christ.

I want to be like Jesus and part of that process involves the Savior reaching way down for me, forgiving me, paying for my debt of sin through the power of His name in baptism, filling me with His Holy Spirit, and making me a son of God.

Oh, and thank you, musicmaker85, for uploading the video clip on YouTube.

Andrew bar David Urshan & Radio

Many of the early Pentecostal pioneers in North America were either immigrants, or the children of immigrants.

Andrew bar David Urshan (1884-1967) was an immigrant from the land of Persia who received the Holy Ghost (with the sign of speaking in tongues) in 1908 and was baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in Russia around 1915.  He claimed to have been baptizing people in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ as early as 1910, but did not make that claim official until 1919 when he left the Assemblies  of God (trinitarian) to join the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (oneness).


Early Oneness Pentecostals in North America, understood the value of mass communication and used the power of newsletters, newspapers, and radio to spread the message of the Gospel, Acts 2:38, and the Oneness of God.


A. D. Urshan was involved in writing and in broadcasting the message of the Mighty God in Christ.  Below are links to four broadcasts made by A. D. Urshan.  Unfortunately, there is no date available, but it's assumed that the recordings were made sometime in the 1960s.


Please enjoy these recordings of A. D. Urshan teaching on the topic of "The Proper Names of God," or, "God's Glorious Proper Dispensational Names."


5th Message 
5th Message (hotlink)

6th Message
6th Message (hotlink)

7th Message
7th Message (hotlink)

8th Message
8th Message (hotlink)

Pre-1900 Examples of Apostolic Doctrine in North America

The following is derived from a symposium paper co-authored by Stewart A. Bertram and Stephen E. Kuntzman in the Spring of 2005 and presented to Parkersburg Bible College (Parkersburg, WV).

History undeniably records various elements of distinctly Orthodox Apostolic doctrine in North America as early as 1677, which was only 70 years after the first permanent settlement was established in Jamestown.[1]  What we will attempt to show is a chronological outline of these various apostolic doctrines and practices as they appear in the index of North American history.  While many will view this as a restoration of Apostolic Pentecostal experience we maintain that it actually proves the continued existence and growth of the orthodox teaching of the book of Acts.  We further assert that there have always been pockets of true believers in every century following and obeying the true message of the New Birth.  Some examples record partial alignment with the Apostles’ doctrine, the following is a list of some of those instances:

• Society of Friends (Quakers) – “…our tongues loosed and our mouths opened, and we spake with new tongues as the Lord gave utterance, and as His Spirit led us.”[2]
• John Wesley (1703-1791) – “What so impressed and encouraged John Wesley and his followers, what so shocked, startled, and bewildered his contemporaries, is no mystery to the modern psychologist, to whom it is known as glossolalia…”[3]
• Charles G. Finney (1783-1875) – “I received a mighty baptism in the Holy Ghost…No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in my heart.  I wept aloud with joy and love; and I do not know but I should say, I literally bellowed out the unutterable gushings of my heart.”[4]
• John Miller – a Presbyterian minister wrote Is God a Trinity in 1876 and “believed that the doctrine of the trinity was not biblical and that it greatly hindered the Church….He emphatically declared the full deity of Jesus Christ.”[5]
• D. L. Moody (1837-1899) – According to R. A. Torrey, Moody’s friend and associate, he once witnessed Moody walk to the pulpit to preach but instead of addressing the crowd in English he began to speak in another language.  This occurred one more time before he was able to gain control and preach to the audience, but “only after much prayer and praise.”[6]
• Lowell, Ohio (1835) – a group of Camisards and/or French Huguenots establish an Orthodox Apostolic Acts 2:38 believing Church, but article IX of the church constitution changes the baptismal formula from Jesus’ name to the trinitarian formula in 1847.  In 1980 Dr. Nelson preaches the Apostolic message to the congregation and they convert back to the orthodox message of Acts 2:38.[7]
• Dan Huntington (1850) – baptized people in Boston, Massachusetts in Jesus’ name.[8]
• Canada (1854) – “There was an organization of Acts 2:38 clergymen in Canada.”[9]
• America (1865) – More than 160,000 Americans spoke in tongues.[10] [11]
• Alvin E. Velie (1884-1904) – all pre-1900:[12]

1)      Wrote the book Safety First Acts 2:38.

2)      Baptized over 1,500 people in Jesus’ name in Wisconsin.

3)       Preached in various locations along the Mississippi River.

4)      Preached a considerable amount of the time in the Salvation Army.

• Charles Fox Parham – “the first leader in the twentieth century Pentecostal movement, began to administer water baptism in Jesus' name, although he apparently did not link this practice with an explicit denial of trinitarianism.”[13]  Parham also “formulated the basic Pentecostal doctrine of ‘initial evidence’ after a student in his Bethel Bible School, Agnes Ozman, experienced glossolalia in January, 1901.”[14] 

---

[1] Weisser, Thomas. After the Way Called Heresy. 1981.

[2] Bresson, Bernard L. Studies in Ecstasy. New York: Vintage Press. 1966. p. 48-52.

[3] Bowen, Marjorie. Wrestling Jacob: a study of the life of John Wesley. London: Watts & Co. 1948.

[4] Finney, Charles G. Memoirs of Charles G. Finney, being an Autobiography. New York.
1876.

[5] Bernard, David K. The Oneness of God. Hazelwood: Pentecostal Publishing House. 1993. 31 May 2005.

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Ch10.htm.

[6] Darbee, Lennard. Tongues: the Dyanmite of God.

[7] Nelson, Joseph. Church History. Parkersburg Bible College. Lecture given and Church Constitution shown to class on 18 November 2002.

[8] Synan, V. Aspects of Pentecostal-Charismatic Origins, NJ: Logos. 1975.

[9] Arnold, Marvin M.  Apostolic History Outline. Arno Publications, Inc. 1985.

[10]Ibid.

[11] Blunt, John H. Dictionary Of Sects, Heresies, Ecclesiastical Parties, And Schools Of Religious Thought. Ann Arbor: Gryphon Books. 1971. 

[12] Nelson, Joseph. Church History. Parkersburg Bible College. Lecture on 18 November 2002.

[13] Bernard, David K. The Oneness of God. Hazelwood: Pentecostal Publishing House. 1993. 31 May 2005. http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Ch10.htm.

[14] Synan, V. Pentecostalism. 16 April 2005. http://mb-soft.com/believe/txc/pentecos.htm.

Water Baptized

I hope you have a blessed Christmas! Along with that blessing, I can’t think of any greater gift to give you on Christmas Day than the great blblical truth of the only way to be born again.

It's the way the Apostles were taught by our Lord Jesus Christ, the only way they taught others, and the only way we can be converted today.

Understanding the Word of God

Your Soul


The Holy Ghost

James Anderson - Water Baptism in the Name of Jesus:

"Water Baptism in the Name of Jesus"
Guest Author: James Anderson

This topic is often discussed, but I have been conversing with someone with an opposing view and here are some of my notes.

I would not say that there was a codified baptismal formula in the primitive church. Myself and most Oneness teachers should indicate it was developed, in some sense. However, I do believe that scripture and history indicate to us that the name of Jesus was invoked or implied, in literary devices, by or over the baptized. I think most scholars realize this but disallow it by marginalizing it to, now, include the Matthean titles (28:19; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and thus giving a sense of credibility to the Trinitarian method. If we study history accurately we should understand that no biblical or primitive NT believer was baptized using the titles. Biblical and historical evidence explicitly indicates that the name "Jesus" was actually used in baptism and not a recitation of the actual instruction of Christ in the Matthean passage, instead actual obedience to His instruction, e.g. "baptizing them...in the name..." (c.f. Matthew 28:19, NKJV).

In connection with this it is interesting to note the Lukan Great Commission as well. Luke records: "and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." (Luke 24:47, KJV) Both the Lukan and Matthean passages indicate that a single, known name was used in Christian baptism. As the below sources will show, this is the only form used by the Disciples and early believers.

The Anchor Bible Dictionary is a landmark work of scholarly thought. It clearly states:

"It is relatively certain that in the early Church one commonly referred to baptism as being done "into the name of the Lord Jesus" or "something similar." (1)

The Bible knows of no Christian in the New Testament who had not been baptized, either by John or in the name of Jesus. Consequently, as modern New Testament believers we should feel compelled to follow that same Biblical method. Christian baptism was from the first administered “in the name of Jesus”. The trinitarian formula of merely repeating, not obeying or properly interpreting, Matthew 28:19 is not found in the scriptures. Anyone baptizing in titles or any other method that does not include the name of Jesus is without scriptural support, there is simply no text that demonstrates or gives license for such aberrations. Baptism identifies us with Jesus Christ and brings us into the Body of Christ, therefore it is logical to conclude that we should have the name of Jesus invoked over us in baptism.

The reason that we are baptized in Jesus’ name is that we are being baptized into Jesus. We are taking on his name, similar to the way a woman takes on her husband's name at marriage. We are saying that we belong to Jesus and we are identifying with Him in His death and burial. Paul said, “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:13) Paul’s thinking here is to exalt the name of Jesus Christ. If we follow his logic it becomes obvious that he is telling the Corinthians that Christ was the one crucified for them and so they, too, were baptized in the name of Christ. The believers at Corinth as well as those in Rome were baptized in Jesus’ name.

We may contest that there was no EXACT formula for baptism in the New Testament, but such a statement is only partially true. As mentioned prior, in all occasions of baptism the name Jesus is used, in the name of the Lord or in the name of the Lord Jesus, etc. Whether “Christ” or “Lord” is used all the references refer directly to the only saving name—Jesus (Acts 4:12). How can we expect baptism to be efficacious for one if the name of Jesus is not invoked then? It seems then that anything else would be...unbiblical.

In Acts 22:16 we read, "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 22:16, KJV) There is other debates concerning this passage, but none as relevant as the one we are discussing now. The Greek word for "calling" here is epikaleomai. This word is defined "idiomatically, denoting that one person belongs to another whose name is attached to him…literally have someone’s name called on someone, i.e. belong to,"(2) Therefore, the name of Christ is important in every sense of salvation and not just in professing Him as Lord. This name should be "called on" as we are baptized into Christ; we arise with His name attached to us and are His people.

Epikaleomai is used to mean a literal invoking in several New Testament passages. In Acts 9 we see the story of Paul after being blinded on the road to Damascus, "And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name. (15) But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. (16) For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake." Acts 9:14-16 NKJV

The early Christians were preaching and baptizing in the name of Jesus. They literally uttered the words, there was no non-verbal reflection upon the name—it was a literal calling on the name of Jesus. Paul (formerly Saul) was commissioned by the Priests to persecute those who were calling on the name of Jesus. After being blinded Paul is taken to Ananias. Ananias is told by the Lord that Paul is a "chosen vessel" to "bear" the name of Jesus to the Gentiles. Paul also was to suffer for this name. The name of Jesus is so intrinsically involved in the process of salvation and our subsequent lives, how can we, then, abandon this name at our baptism?

Some assume that the trinitarian formula for baptism, which invokes the titles—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--are indeed the biblical method. This may cause one to ask, "Was the trinitarian formula used in New Testament times?" The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia answers this for us:

"No record of such use can be discovered in the Acts or the epistles of the apostles. The baptisms recorded in the New Testament after the Day of Pentecost are administered "in the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 2:38), "into the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 8:16), "into Christ" (Rom 6:3; Gal 3:27)." (3)

James Hastings indicates:

"The original form of words was ‘into the name of Jesus Christ’ or ‘the Lord Jesus.’ Baptism into the name of the Trinity was a later development."(4)

Self-admittedly then trinitarians confess that the form of words used in an oral invocation in the rite of baptism was done by, the very least, using the name of Jesus, in some sense. Signifying that the Apostles as well as those following their death used the saving Name—Jesus.

Often the words, "in" or "into" are used with being baptized in or into the name of Jesus. Both terms are prepositions which are used to connect nouns or pronouns in an adjectival or adverbial sense. Example: the babe lying in a manger, the sun sets in the west. They denote being in or into something, such as baptized into or in the name of Jesus. When used in an adjectival or descriptive sense it is describing the method or the how of what is being said. How were the early Christians baptized? Answer: in the name of Jesus. Therefore, we enter into or in the power or person of Jesus by using His name.

In the New Testament, specifically in the historical book of Acts we see baptisms that involve an actual verbal invocation using wholly, partly, or by implications (Lord) the name of Jesus. Otto Heick a church historian wrote in his book, "A History of Christian Thought" (1,53), that "At first baptism was administered in the name of Jesus, but gradually in the name of the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." Today, as modern New Testament believers, it is imperative that we hold the teachings of scripture paramount, rather than relying too heavily upon extra-biblical sources or church councils, creeds, dogmas and catechisms. When we stand before God in the Day of Judgment, we will be accountable to His Word.

In Acts 4:12 Peter uses the word "must" which is the Greek preposition dei. In this passage it literally means "it is necessary."(5) "Must" here is an emphatic word indicating compelling necessity and it is joined with "name" which is part of the "must." Not only is there only one way to get salvation, e.g. through Jesus Christ, but there is only one saving name in baptism—Jesus Christ.

Many New Testament passages speak of healing done in Jesus’ name (Acts 3:6, 16; 4:9–10), signs and wonders through His name (4:30). Some preached in His name (8:12) or spoke boldly in His name (9:27–28). This being so, it seems that historical and theological bias exist in order to assert that baptism is not to be done by invoking the name of Jesus. Baptism in the name of Jesus was and still is the correct name to administer over one who is to be baptized or by the baptized. Historically and biblically, all competent accounts point us directly to Jesus name.

Here is a syllogism to conclude:

1. Biblical and historical sources indicate that baptism was done by orally invoking, in some sense, the name "Jesus". Further, the historical evidence confirms that extra-biblical change was made to include titles.
2. The Bible also places soteriological emphasis on the name of Jesus that it "must" be a part of a believers experience.
3. Therefore, it is logical to conclude, from evidence, that baptism in the name of "Jesus" is both valid and necessary.

NOTES:

1. Freedman, David Noel. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1996, c1992.

2. Friberg, T., Friberg, B., & Miller, N. F. (2000). Vol. 4: Analytical lexicon of the Greek New Testament. Baker's Greek New Testament library (Page 164). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.
3. "Baptism" International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Electronic Database Copyright (c)1996 by Biblesoft
4. "Baptism" IV (a.) A Dictionary of the Bible, Edited by James Hastings, M.A., D.D., Vol. 1, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.
5. Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament © 1990 by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. All rights reserved

- James Anderson is a full-time student at Liberty University and owner of a design firm in the East Texas. He is also a licensed minister in the UPCI and ministers at New Life UPC, where his father pastors, in Mt. Vernon, TX.