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.

 

  "Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?" -

  Luke 11v57.."Judge not according to the appearance,but judge

  righteous judgment" - John 7v24.

 

  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:

                             webmaster@pioneerchristadelphians.org

            return to fellowship   return to home page-index