The Right to a Name
HOLDING FAST TO
ORIGINAL SOUND FOUNDATIONS
by bro George Gibson
"The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch'—Acts 11:26
IN the first century, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared in the land of Israel, and it is testified of him in Mt.4:23—
"Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom ."
The record in Lk.4:43 is more specific—
"He said unto them, I must preach the Kingdom of God to other cities also, for therefore am I sent. And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee."
As a result of this work, he attracted to himself a number of men, described as 'disciples,' and some of them remained with him during his entire ministry. When he was about to leave them, he said to them—
"Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mk.l6:15).
A good example of their preaching is found in Acts 8:12—
"When they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women."
That was about AD 33. And to show that their preaching remained consistent, we read of Paul 30 years later, in Acts 28:30-31—
"Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came unto him; preaching the Kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him."
We now go back to about AD 40, and in Acts 11:19 we find—
"They which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phenice and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the Word to none but unto the Jews only."
Continuing the record to the end of v. 26 we read—
"The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."
It is not stated why they were called by that name, but it is possible that the unbelieving Jews applied it to the disciples because they were followers of Jesus Christ. However, the disciples at that time were faithful to the teaching of Jesus, and had a right to the name Christian.
What was the outlook for this new religious system? Were they as a body to continue sound in the Faith? And is what we know as 'Christianity' today the same as what the apostles taught in the 1st century? Before attempting to answer these questions, let us look at two prophecies by the inspired apostle Paul. About 60 AD he addressed the elders of the Ephesian ecclesia in these words (Acts 20:29-30)—
"I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse (distorted, misinterpreted) things, to draw away disciples after them."
About 8 to 10 years later, to Timothy, he spoke even more strongly—
"Preach the Word. Be instant in season, out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. "For the time will come when they shall not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the Truth, and shall be turned to fables."
These two prophecies have both been fulfilled. The Roman Catholic church, and all the Protestant churches, are founded upon the greatest fable of all time: the 'immortality of the soul.' It is a well-known fact that the Egyptians (the scriptural type of darkness) were first to assert that the soul was immortal. Upon this heathen theory the Roman Church invented the doctrines of Purgatory, Limbo, Heaven-going, Hell-torments, etc. And in 325 AD the first 'Ecumenical Council' formulated the doctrine of the Trinity, borrowed from Greek Platonism. All of these are 'fables,' and have no place in Scripture; and were, therefore, not part of the teachings of the apostles. But they still continue to use the title 'Christian,' though they have no right to it.
Was this condition to continue without change? No, it was not. A great awakening took place in 1848, when a book was published by Dr. John Thomas, entitled Elpis Israel (The Hope of Israel), in which he expounded the Kingdom of God and the things concerning the Name of Jesus Christ.
The rest of his life was an indefatigable labor in all things relating to the work so dear to his heart, and when death came upon him at the early age of 66, the stone erected over his grave declares—
What was the outlook for this religious organization? Was it to continue steadfast in the great treasure Dr. Thomas left for us? Sad to say, no, it did not, for in a few years certain members of the body arose speaking perverse things' in order to draw away some of its members. Therefore, today there are various groups all bearing the name 'Christadelphian.'
After the death of bro. Thomas, bro. Roberts took up the work, and devoted his life unceasingly in such a manner that the books of which he was the author prove he did a great work in 'making ready a people prepared for the coming of the Lord.' His testimony to the labors and writings of bro. Thomas are worthy of note—
"I have said with sincerity, and will say, perhaps, many times over again, because they are words of sober truth—that God revived the Truth in our age by Dr. Thomas; and that the best work a man can put his hand to in this age is to defend that work against all assaults, whether the open antagonism of those who call the Truth 'blasphemy,' or the insidious attacks involved in theories that make the Word of God of none effect."
The first major defense of the Truth arose when bro. Edward Turney 'renounced' what he had taught concerning Christ, and announced that Christ was not a son of Adam. He maintained that God gave life to Jesus direct from Himself as He did to Adam; that Christ possessed a 'free,' unforfeited life; that he was not redeemed by his own sacrifice. The controversy produced the usual crop of pamphlets, bitternesses and separations. Bro. Roberts replied with his lecture The Slain Lamb, which has remained a standard work of his to this day.
The next major defense of the Truth was caused by bro. J. J. Andrew, who came to the conclusion that none but the baptized could possibly be raised from the dead for punishment. Bro. Roberts made the Truth clear in The Resurrection to Condemnation. This also has remained a standard work of the Truth to this day.
Much of his time and labors were spent contending against errors, and we believe it contributed to his early death at 59.
We now come to the 20th century. In the early part of it, bro. A. D. Strickler of Buffalo, N.Y., issued his first challenge to the Brotherhood on The Atonement. This was in typewritten form, and the circulation was limited. He had come to the conclusion that bre.Thomas and Roberts did not understand the true doctrine of the Atonement, and that their interpretation of some important passages in the apostolic writings was not in harmony with the intent of the Divine writer.
In 1913, bro. Wm. Smallwood of Toronto rose in defense of the Truth, and published a 92-pg. pamphlet Bible Teaching Concerning Sin and Sacrifice. In acknowledging receipt of a copy in The Christadelphian for June, 1913, p. 259, bro. C. C. Walker said-
"We have received from bro. Wm. Smallwood of Toronto, a pamphlet of 92 pages on 'Bible Teaching Concerning Sin and Sacrifice,' and we find ourselves in entire agreement with the matter set forth."
Six years later, bro. Strickler enlarged his writings and startled the Brotherhood by announcing he had discovered they were all in darkness, and therefore entitled his book Out of Darkness Into Light. But it proved to be Out of Light Into Darkness.' Here are three samples—
"Christ never made any offering for himself. God's method of salvation by the shedding of blood to make atonement did not apply to Christ." "We have no right to say that Christ's individual flesh was sinful flesh. It is a marvelous thing that such a theory should ever have been invented as the bearing of physical so-called sin."
In the teaching of substitution, he said—
"Christ suffered the punishment due us on account of our sins. The death of Christ was inflicted to satisfy the ends of justice. When Christ died he bore the consequences and punishments due us for our transgressions."
The above doctrines are false. They caused bro. Herbert Fidler to write his pamphlet Ought We to Tolerate False Doctrine? In this he published correspondence with the Birmingham Temperance Hall meeting in which they flatly refused to give any support to those who opposed the teachings of bro. Strickler.
In the United States and Canada, the teachings of bro. Strickler were being circulated, and accepted by many. The great majority of ecclesias in these two countries were determined that the Truth should be protected from serious error, and therefore formed the Berean Fellowship, which was maintained intact until 1953, when the majority were persuaded to abandon the Berean position and join another group. Most of the leaders of this action soon realized their mistake.
The minority remained steadfast by upholding the Truth as revealed in the teachings of bre.Thomas and Roberts. The producers of the Berean Magazine have upheld this position to this day. We believe as bro. Roberts wrote—
"We are certain we have attained to the Truth. We are positive. We have no doubt. The Truth is not with us an object of search^ or a subject of investigation. It is a possession and a finality. And this confidence is not a matter of assumption or idiosyncrasy: it is founded on a lifetime's incessant daily reading of the Scriptures."
The editor of this magazine came to a knowledge of the Truth from reading the works of bre. Thomas and Roberts, along with the Bible, 60 years ago [1918], and has not changed his belief to this day [1978], and does not intend to do so.
A few years ago, the editor of The Christadelphian magazine, on the editorial page, wrote the following—
"Unless it (the Christadelphian body) remains firm on those essentials of truth which 100 years ago were presented as a whole body of belief and the Way of Life, the real work of the Christadelphian community will have ended, and it will only be a matter of time before its light is put out."
Why did he so write? The main reason is that the works of bre.Thomas and Roberts are being discredited in various groups throughout the world who are operating under the name Christadelphian. A good example is the following, from a prominent member of that group, in a letter to the writer in June, 1963—
"Elpis Israel and Eureka are out of date, and are unsuitable for the present generation. They were all right for the days of the horse-drawn carriage and the bustle."
This is not a rare case in the largest group operating under the name Christadelphian. Several prominent members do not agree with the exposition of the Apocalypse as given to us by bro. John Thomas in Eureka. They have issued books and pamphlets and articles in their standard magazines expressing their views in different directions.
But this is not all. A writer in The Christadelphian magazine, Dec, 1960, speaking of the first chapter of Genesis, said—
"Among the ERRORS of which the friends of the record may be guilty, we should reckon any insistence on days of 24 hours in which the deeds recorded were done. And of the many possible solutions of this problem, I myself prefer that which believes that God spoke to Moses on 6 successive literal days, showing him in these daily visions the substance of His major creative works, and in no wise informing him as to how long the works themselves had taken."
Then regarding Evolution, he wrote—
"We are not obliged to deny that God may, as part of His creative purpose, have chosen to let certain forms of life arise by modification of others. If a primitive, dog-like creature, called (by us) Eohippus, lost some of its toes and became Equus, or the modern horse, I cannot see that we need be troubled."
It is quite obvious from this the pitfalls that this over-educated foolishness would soon lead us. Another writer in this same magazine of August 1965, p. 368, deploring this trend, wrote—
"Perhaps the greatest fault of the present day generation of Christadelphians is that we have allowed the influence of 'scientific' theories and philosophies of mere fallible men, however wise they may profess to be, to sway our interpretation of Scripture. As a consequence, there are very few of us who believe in 6 literal days of creation . ."
He should in fairness have restricted this indictment to his own particular group calling themselves Christadelphians. Why cannot all who call themselves Christadelphians realize that, without any effort on our part, bro. John Thomas gave us the Truth concerning the Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus Anointed?
If they do not agree with the exposition of the glorious Gospel of Salvation he has given us in Elpis Israel and Eureka, faithfully followed by bro. Roberts in his lifelong labors, then they should be honest and cease using the name Christadelphian: for they have no right to it, any more than the various religious denominations have the right to call themselves Christians, not believing and teaching what Jesus and the apostles taught in the first century.
"Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom ."
The record in Lk.4:43 is more specific—
"He said unto them, I must preach the Kingdom of God to other cities also, for therefore am I sent. And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee."
As a result of this work, he attracted to himself a number of men, described as 'disciples,' and some of them remained with him during his entire ministry. When he was about to leave them, he said to them—
"Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mk.l6:15).
A good example of their preaching is found in Acts 8:12—
"When they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women."
That was about AD 33. And to show that their preaching remained consistent, we read of Paul 30 years later, in Acts 28:30-31—
"Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came unto him; preaching the Kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him."
We now go back to about AD 40, and in Acts 11:19 we find—
"They which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phenice and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the Word to none but unto the Jews only."
Continuing the record to the end of v. 26 we read—
"The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."
It is not stated why they were called by that name, but it is possible that the unbelieving Jews applied it to the disciples because they were followers of Jesus Christ. However, the disciples at that time were faithful to the teaching of Jesus, and had a right to the name Christian.
What was the outlook for this new religious system? Were they as a body to continue sound in the Faith? And is what we know as 'Christianity' today the same as what the apostles taught in the 1st century? Before attempting to answer these questions, let us look at two prophecies by the inspired apostle Paul. About 60 AD he addressed the elders of the Ephesian ecclesia in these words (Acts 20:29-30)—
"I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse (distorted, misinterpreted) things, to draw away disciples after them."
About 8 to 10 years later, to Timothy, he spoke even more strongly—
"Preach the Word. Be instant in season, out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. "For the time will come when they shall not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the Truth, and shall be turned to fables."
These two prophecies have both been fulfilled. The Roman Catholic church, and all the Protestant churches, are founded upon the greatest fable of all time: the 'immortality of the soul.' It is a well-known fact that the Egyptians (the scriptural type of darkness) were first to assert that the soul was immortal. Upon this heathen theory the Roman Church invented the doctrines of Purgatory, Limbo, Heaven-going, Hell-torments, etc. And in 325 AD the first 'Ecumenical Council' formulated the doctrine of the Trinity, borrowed from Greek Platonism. All of these are 'fables,' and have no place in Scripture; and were, therefore, not part of the teachings of the apostles. But they still continue to use the title 'Christian,' though they have no right to it.
Was this condition to continue without change? No, it was not. A great awakening took place in 1848, when a book was published by Dr. John Thomas, entitled Elpis Israel (The Hope of Israel), in which he expounded the Kingdom of God and the things concerning the Name of Jesus Christ.
The rest of his life was an indefatigable labor in all things relating to the work so dear to his heart, and when death came upon him at the early age of 66, the stone erected over his grave declares—
Here lies, in brief repose, waiting the return of the Lord from heaven,
JOHN THOMAS, M.D.
Author of Elpis Israel, Eureka, Anatolia, Phanerosis, and other works,
in which he demonstrated the unscriptural character of popular Christianity,
and made manifest the long-lost Faith of the apostles. During a
busy lifetime, by mouth and pen, he contended earnestly for the Faith
once delivered to the saints, and at his death left behind him as the result
of his labors, a body of people in different parts of the world, known as
THE CHRISTADELPHIANS,
to continue the work begun.
JOHN THOMAS, M.D.
Author of Elpis Israel, Eureka, Anatolia, Phanerosis, and other works,
in which he demonstrated the unscriptural character of popular Christianity,
and made manifest the long-lost Faith of the apostles. During a
busy lifetime, by mouth and pen, he contended earnestly for the Faith
once delivered to the saints, and at his death left behind him as the result
of his labors, a body of people in different parts of the world, known as
THE CHRISTADELPHIANS,
to continue the work begun.
What was the outlook for this religious organization? Was it to continue steadfast in the great treasure Dr. Thomas left for us? Sad to say, no, it did not, for in a few years certain members of the body arose speaking perverse things' in order to draw away some of its members. Therefore, today there are various groups all bearing the name 'Christadelphian.'
After the death of bro. Thomas, bro. Roberts took up the work, and devoted his life unceasingly in such a manner that the books of which he was the author prove he did a great work in 'making ready a people prepared for the coming of the Lord.' His testimony to the labors and writings of bro. Thomas are worthy of note—
"I have said with sincerity, and will say, perhaps, many times over again, because they are words of sober truth—that God revived the Truth in our age by Dr. Thomas; and that the best work a man can put his hand to in this age is to defend that work against all assaults, whether the open antagonism of those who call the Truth 'blasphemy,' or the insidious attacks involved in theories that make the Word of God of none effect."
The first major defense of the Truth arose when bro. Edward Turney 'renounced' what he had taught concerning Christ, and announced that Christ was not a son of Adam. He maintained that God gave life to Jesus direct from Himself as He did to Adam; that Christ possessed a 'free,' unforfeited life; that he was not redeemed by his own sacrifice. The controversy produced the usual crop of pamphlets, bitternesses and separations. Bro. Roberts replied with his lecture The Slain Lamb, which has remained a standard work of his to this day.
The next major defense of the Truth was caused by bro. J. J. Andrew, who came to the conclusion that none but the baptized could possibly be raised from the dead for punishment. Bro. Roberts made the Truth clear in The Resurrection to Condemnation. This also has remained a standard work of the Truth to this day.
Much of his time and labors were spent contending against errors, and we believe it contributed to his early death at 59.
We now come to the 20th century. In the early part of it, bro. A. D. Strickler of Buffalo, N.Y., issued his first challenge to the Brotherhood on The Atonement. This was in typewritten form, and the circulation was limited. He had come to the conclusion that bre.Thomas and Roberts did not understand the true doctrine of the Atonement, and that their interpretation of some important passages in the apostolic writings was not in harmony with the intent of the Divine writer.
In 1913, bro. Wm. Smallwood of Toronto rose in defense of the Truth, and published a 92-pg. pamphlet Bible Teaching Concerning Sin and Sacrifice. In acknowledging receipt of a copy in The Christadelphian for June, 1913, p. 259, bro. C. C. Walker said-
"We have received from bro. Wm. Smallwood of Toronto, a pamphlet of 92 pages on 'Bible Teaching Concerning Sin and Sacrifice,' and we find ourselves in entire agreement with the matter set forth."
Six years later, bro. Strickler enlarged his writings and startled the Brotherhood by announcing he had discovered they were all in darkness, and therefore entitled his book Out of Darkness Into Light. But it proved to be Out of Light Into Darkness.' Here are three samples—
"Christ never made any offering for himself. God's method of salvation by the shedding of blood to make atonement did not apply to Christ." "We have no right to say that Christ's individual flesh was sinful flesh. It is a marvelous thing that such a theory should ever have been invented as the bearing of physical so-called sin."
In the teaching of substitution, he said—
"Christ suffered the punishment due us on account of our sins. The death of Christ was inflicted to satisfy the ends of justice. When Christ died he bore the consequences and punishments due us for our transgressions."
The above doctrines are false. They caused bro. Herbert Fidler to write his pamphlet Ought We to Tolerate False Doctrine? In this he published correspondence with the Birmingham Temperance Hall meeting in which they flatly refused to give any support to those who opposed the teachings of bro. Strickler.
In the United States and Canada, the teachings of bro. Strickler were being circulated, and accepted by many. The great majority of ecclesias in these two countries were determined that the Truth should be protected from serious error, and therefore formed the Berean Fellowship, which was maintained intact until 1953, when the majority were persuaded to abandon the Berean position and join another group. Most of the leaders of this action soon realized their mistake.
The minority remained steadfast by upholding the Truth as revealed in the teachings of bre.Thomas and Roberts. The producers of the Berean Magazine have upheld this position to this day. We believe as bro. Roberts wrote—
"We are certain we have attained to the Truth. We are positive. We have no doubt. The Truth is not with us an object of search^ or a subject of investigation. It is a possession and a finality. And this confidence is not a matter of assumption or idiosyncrasy: it is founded on a lifetime's incessant daily reading of the Scriptures."
The editor of this magazine came to a knowledge of the Truth from reading the works of bre. Thomas and Roberts, along with the Bible, 60 years ago [1918], and has not changed his belief to this day [1978], and does not intend to do so.
A few years ago, the editor of The Christadelphian magazine, on the editorial page, wrote the following—
"Unless it (the Christadelphian body) remains firm on those essentials of truth which 100 years ago were presented as a whole body of belief and the Way of Life, the real work of the Christadelphian community will have ended, and it will only be a matter of time before its light is put out."
Why did he so write? The main reason is that the works of bre.Thomas and Roberts are being discredited in various groups throughout the world who are operating under the name Christadelphian. A good example is the following, from a prominent member of that group, in a letter to the writer in June, 1963—
"Elpis Israel and Eureka are out of date, and are unsuitable for the present generation. They were all right for the days of the horse-drawn carriage and the bustle."
This is not a rare case in the largest group operating under the name Christadelphian. Several prominent members do not agree with the exposition of the Apocalypse as given to us by bro. John Thomas in Eureka. They have issued books and pamphlets and articles in their standard magazines expressing their views in different directions.
But this is not all. A writer in The Christadelphian magazine, Dec, 1960, speaking of the first chapter of Genesis, said—
"Among the ERRORS of which the friends of the record may be guilty, we should reckon any insistence on days of 24 hours in which the deeds recorded were done. And of the many possible solutions of this problem, I myself prefer that which believes that God spoke to Moses on 6 successive literal days, showing him in these daily visions the substance of His major creative works, and in no wise informing him as to how long the works themselves had taken."
Then regarding Evolution, he wrote—
"We are not obliged to deny that God may, as part of His creative purpose, have chosen to let certain forms of life arise by modification of others. If a primitive, dog-like creature, called (by us) Eohippus, lost some of its toes and became Equus, or the modern horse, I cannot see that we need be troubled."
It is quite obvious from this the pitfalls that this over-educated foolishness would soon lead us. Another writer in this same magazine of August 1965, p. 368, deploring this trend, wrote—
"Perhaps the greatest fault of the present day generation of Christadelphians is that we have allowed the influence of 'scientific' theories and philosophies of mere fallible men, however wise they may profess to be, to sway our interpretation of Scripture. As a consequence, there are very few of us who believe in 6 literal days of creation . ."
He should in fairness have restricted this indictment to his own particular group calling themselves Christadelphians. Why cannot all who call themselves Christadelphians realize that, without any effort on our part, bro. John Thomas gave us the Truth concerning the Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus Anointed?
If they do not agree with the exposition of the glorious Gospel of Salvation he has given us in Elpis Israel and Eureka, faithfully followed by bro. Roberts in his lifelong labors, then they should be honest and cease using the name Christadelphian: for they have no right to it, any more than the various religious denominations have the right to call themselves Christians, not believing and teaching what Jesus and the apostles taught in the first century.