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Committees and Compromises THE Suffocation & Denial of The Truth The history of the Truth has always been one of a struggle to preserve the integrity of the inspired word of God against all the corrupting influences which occur everywhere about us. In the recording of past events, we provide the facts. Our aim is to highlight the principles involved, which recur time and time again. If we do not learn the lessons of the past, it is in- evitable that the same disasters will ultimately be repeated.. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap"- Galatians 6v7. Two influences in particular have had a devastating effect up- on the maintenance of the Truth - these are briefly noted here. Inter-Ecclesial Committees Representatives from assemblies of believers should never be given authority to legislate independently in any way atall. This is totally unscriptural, and has proven to be the downfall of any who have been involved.And it has encompassed a great number of individuals who have renounced their own respon- sibility before God. It occurs in situations where disciples have already lost that love of the Truth which alone will guarantee its preservation from corruption. Looked at in this light, it is seen to be a natural corollary of declension which already exists. True believers will have none of this, and will never abrogate their personal God-given independence of judgment, and their personal responsibility before God. Paul wrote to Timothy: "keep that which is committed to thy trust" 1st Timothy 6v20 Paul also wrote that if we do our humble part, the Lord will "keep that which (we) have committed unto him against that day" 2nd Timothy 1v12 Each assembly and individual should exercise this "independ- ence of judgment and responsibility before God". In so doing, we SAFEGUARD THE TRUTH AMONGST US. This is the freest & fullest expression of liberty in Christ to which we are divinely entitled, i.e. the liberty (as a trust from God-see above) in Christ, to judge for ourselves where the truth of any matter lies. In fact, if we did not enjoy this liberty, we would be subject (as in the apostate "churches") to the greatest dictatorship which is conceivable, i.e. the dictatorship of bondage to error. This site has been created for the promotion of 2 objectives- SOUND DOCTRINE AND SOUND FELLOWSHIP Deuteronomy 13 (from which Peter and Paul quote & expound) see 2nd Peter 2v1,2; 1st Corinthians 5v13; 1st Timothy 5v20 - is our scriptural blueprint. Concerning the application today Robert Roberts published 'So-Called "Heresy-Hunting" A Duty'- 'The Christadelphian', 1886, page 317. Link here-'heresy'. Link also to '2nd Timothy 2' for some very practical advice. Relative to any type of extra-ecclesial gatherings, some very wise words were written by Robert Roberts in the Ecclesial 'Guide': 44. Fraternal Gatherings from Various Places: These are beneficial when restricted to purely spiritual objects (i.e., let the brethren assemble anywhere from anywhere, and exhort, or worship, or have social intercourse together); but they become sources of evil if allowed to acquire a legislative character in the least degree. Ecclesial independence should be guarded with great jealousy, with the qualifications indicated in the foregoing sections. To form "unions" or "societies" of ecclesias, in which delegates should frame laws for the individual ecclesias, would be to lay the foundation for a collective despotism which would interfere with the free growth and the true objects of ecclesial life. Such collect- ive machineries create fictitious importances, which tend to suffo- cate the truth. All ecclesiastical history illustrates this. THE ABOVE NATURALLY LEADS US TO THE SECOND PART OF OUR SUBJECT. THIS IS THE COMPROMISES WHICH SPRING INEVITABLY FROM INTER-ECCLESIAL COMMITTEES OR DELEGATED AUTHORITY OF ANY TYPE. IT WAS NOT LONG AFTER THE ASCENSION OF JESUS CHRIST TO HEAVEN THAT THIS OCCURRED. Compromises of the Truth What began as "an addendum" to 'The Apostles' Creed' soon became a substitute for it, and a denial of the Truth. This occurred through what were termed "Councils" by the heretical Roman Catholic "church", but which caused the adop- tion, by extra-assembly hierarchies, of the union of apos- tacy from within, and pagan philosophy from without. This was a fulfilment of the prophecy of Paul contained in Acts 20v26-32. Scriptural teaching re God, Jesus Christ, & the holy spirit was gradually corrupted as follows: AD120 'The Apostles' Creed' (sound on the above) AD325 'The Nicene Creed' (co-equality of Father & Son) AD381 'The Athanasian Creed' (& co-equality of holy spirit) Today the last of the above is commonly termed "the trinity" AD451 controversies re Christ "settled" by another "council" This defined the current form of "the trinity", a real "mys- tery" (as prophesied) although arguments still continued. Concerning the process of apostacy link here to 'departure'. In 1952-58 another formula for compromise was codified in what became known as the 'Carter-Cooper Addendum'*.. which ostensibly was set forth as an "addendum" meant to explain "clauses 5 and 12 of the Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith"- link here to complete 'statement'. *also called the 'Cooper-Carter Addendum' However, we note the following comment, which reminds us of what happened in the early centuries after Christ (see above). "Clauses 5 and 12 are understood in harmony with the explan- ations provided..". Thus, as happened with the Nicene and Ath- anasian creeds, the "addendum" replaced sound doctrine- which actually encompassed B.A.S.F. clauses Nos. 3 to 12. It also taught that which is denied in Doctrine to be Rejected No. 27 - "that there is no sin in the flesh". For the information of viewers, we comment on wording in this "addendum" which is destructive of the Truth, and must be re- jected by those who desire to maintain the Truth in its purity: Firstly, we must note that this "addendum" was used in both America and Australia. Concerning this, in the words of Harry Deakin - "This first long paragraph - almost the entire Adden- dum - is word for word the same as the Statement drawn up by Bro. John Carter for the Seaverns Ave. Boston ecclesia.The significance lies in what JC did not say: a very evident effort to get away from the scriptural teaching of John Thomas and Robert Roberts re a defilement which was a physical law of his being..the Seaverns Ave.Boston ecclesia..had been the nucleus.. of support for that Strickler reservation against the 5th Clause of the B.A.S.F."It will be useful if the viewer has open a copy of the Statement of Faith (B.A.S.F.) and our page on 'The Sacrifice of Christ' - link to these here - 'statement' & 'sacrifice'. The 'Carter-Cooper Addendum' "the consequences of sin - shame, a defiled conscience, and mor- tality"..COMMENT - the word "defiled", used of man's nature after the Fall (B.A.S.F. cl.5) is transferred to conscience. The reason is obvious, and this allows errorists to believe that man's nature was not defiled and condemned at the Fall. ''mortality..we partake of that mortality that came by sin, and inherit a nature prone to sin''..COMMENT - errorists have been known to read this as teaching that mortality is inherited simply because man was cut off from "the tree of life", and not teaching that the Adamic race is physically death-stricken as a result of sin, and this was a real defiling physical change. And "a nature prone to sin" is not spelled out as a defilement resulting from sin in the beginning. So that in a very subtle way, the sin-cursed nature which we bear is made to appear much better than God intended us to understand and accept. This teaching would mean that sin was not condemned in the Sacrifice of Christ.And the only thing achieved by it was a life-long obedience, the sacrifice supposedly being exclusively for us. This is heresy- 'sacrifice'-'love'-'resolution'. "In his death he voluntarily declared God's righteousness".. COMMENT - omitted here is that it was also "by the determin- ate counsel and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2v23), and in so ordaining, "God..condemned sin in the flesh" (Romans 8v3). One teacher of error regarded the death of Jesus Christ as a demonstration that He went "the extra mile" only for us. "the flesh was shown to be by divine appointment rightly related to death"..COMMENT -the loop-holes here get wider and wider- again, this does not spell out that this death was by a defiling physical change at the Fall because of sin - see above comments. "in submitting to..baptism..we identify ourselves with the prin- ciples established in the death of Jesus"..COMMENT - this is the very kernel of the problem, for the reader can make any- thing they desire of these words. It is a tragedy that those who do not comprehend what these principles are, cannot be scrip- turally baptized into Christ. Should they ever come to a reali- sation of the truth concerning the Sacrifice of Christ, it is ab- solutely necessary that they be re-immersed, or in fact baptized for the first time - link to 'baptism'. Of course, if such were orig- inally in possession of the truth of Christ's Sacrifice & the other essential elements of the Faith when immersed, they simply need to regain their original convictions to rejoin fellowship. "the wages of sin is death, and..as members of the race, we are rightly related to a dispensation of death"..COMMENT - see all the above. What is missing altogether from the "addendum" is God's estimation of human nature, and the fact that it must be purified from sin by sacrifice. And although Jesus Christ committed no sin, He needed this purging of nature equally with those whom He came to save. The baptism of Jesus was not for sins committed, but it demonstrated the repudiation of His inherited "sinful flesh", later sealed in His sacrifice - Luke 12v50. For true baptism, we must first endorse this principle. And we must also follow in the footsteps of the Lord by giving our own "testimony" - John 15v17-27 cp Mark 10v38, 39 - link to 'apocalypse'. Robert Roberts wrote in 'More Seasons of Comfort': "But between those two points - the point at which man is invited, and the point at which his compliance is accepted -- lies this awful ceremony of holiness -- the condemnation of sin in the public cru- cifixion of one who bore the sin nature,but who was obedient him- self in all things. A condemnation with which we are required to identify ourselves in the ceremony appointed for the purpose -- baptism into his death". He also wrote in 'The Christadelphian', January 1870, page 23 - "The true believer -- in the very act of putting on the name of Christ--is made to endorse and morally participate in the "con- demnation of sin in the flesh", which Jesus underwent in the "body prepared" for the purpose.— (Heb. x. 5)". These vital principles are considered in 'The Yahweh-Nissi Altar'. The viewer might at this stage be thinking, is the "addendum" really as bad as Pioneer Christadelphians state? The proof is that it has been the direct cause of a massive de- clension from the truth of the Sacrifice of Christ. In fact, in 1956 those associated with the error in Australia since 1904 called it "a graceful concession to the strong objection which has been taken to particular forms of expression". A well-known errorist said that the "addendum" was "a reservation upon clauses 5-12 which were always in dis- pute, and not accepted by Shield ecclesias, who were branded as the 'Clean Flesh' heretics". Compromise for Convenience The above is the most extreme example of a fatal compromise which decimated nominal 'Christadelphia' from 1947 on, and resulted in an infamous "reunion" in 1952-58. This was led by "committees", though later ratified by most of the members of participating ecclesias. Scriptural unity was lacking, and many errorists were allowed to remain. A link is given at the end of this page for those wishing to further explore this shocking history. Another more recent example of the absolute disasters of "committees" can be seen in what is called the NASU, or the 'North American Statement of Understanding' (2003) The undersigned Christadelphian Ecclesias declare our acceptance and endorsement of the “2003 North American Statement of Understanding” (NASU) document and in particular the following clause: “It is understood and agreed that the doctrines to be believed and taught by us are the first principles of the One Faith as revealed in the Scriptures. The two principal statements of faith, The Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith (BASF) and The Birmingham Unamended Statement of Faith (BUSF) as set out herein (including the Doctrines to be Rejected and the Commandments of Christ) understood as expressed in this document (NASU) represent a true and common definition of the One Faith”. The above constitutes total madness, because it is impossible to reconcile the two statements.In 1894-1898 a division was justly enforced because some had adopted a reservation against cl.24 of The Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith (B.A.S.F.) (as it was later called when extra wording was adopted to shut out the error which was being introduced in Britain & America). This states that "the responsible (namely, those who know the revealed will of God,and have been called upon to submit to it), dead and living - obedient and disobedient - will be summoned before his (i.e. Christ's) judgement seat" and will be judged - (see link above for full text). This is a vital doctrine, which, if compromised or doubted, has the effect of denying the sovereign authority of God in Christ. We comment on this in 'The Messages to the 7 Ecclesias' - p.3 and 'seven ecclesias' - in both see 'Thyatira' (the 4th ecclesia) also 'The Lord's Day' - 4th Vision. The number '4' represents Divine authority and the sure judgment of those who reject it. This 4th division in the last days involved the above principle. Ever since the division, the 'Unamended' (Advocate) ecclesias have been trying to force their reservation upon the rest of what has been in reality a compromised community for nearly 100 years. The result is total confusion, with (now) 3 parties, some in full or part fellowship with others. If this cannot alert those who suffer this disunity to the disaster, then nothing will. Note carefully the intention to have the definition of the NASU accepted, and, as in 1952-58 the 'Carter-Cooper Addendum' replaced relevant clauses of the B.A.S.F., a similar disaster is now happening again. Names & events change, but principles remain.Repeating the mistakes of the past cannot produce the unity which God has promised if we obey Him-link to'appeal'. Along with the above errors have come many others, and this has been facilitated by the adoption at the same time of false ideas of fellowship, whereby teachers of error have been given free course amongst assemblies. They have taken full advantage of the following: "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump"- 1st Corinth. 5v6. Galatians 5v9. "their word will eat as doth a canker"- 2nd Timothy 2v17. Link to 'leprous' and '2nd Timothy 2' for further illustration. For Biblical prophecies concerning 'Christadelphia' today link to 'messages' - page 3. We welcome constructive correspondence - write to us here: |