p. 79 | The Whole Story

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 22, 1871

The Whole Story.

THE Western Christian Advocate says:— We notice a discussion going on in our exchanges of the Campbellite-Christian persuasion, in regard to the meaning of Acts 2:38. This is singular. For many years this sect has claimed a sort of monopoly of the only true meaning of this text, and it has been to the majority of their preachers at least half their stock in trade. Now they dispute about it. We hope they will not split. There are already sects enough. But there is evidently danger of a rupture. Some lean strongly toward the Baptists, while others pull the other way. In regard to this text, we have long since given them our opinion, but they undervalue our authority, and will not accept the light we so freely offer them. But we see some signs of improvement. They have been in the habit for years of cutting this text in the middle, and throwing away one-half of it. For this we have admonished them freely, but apparently without effect. Yet now we hope for good results. The Christian Standard, of this city, the organ of the less heretical wing of the denomination, exhorts on this same subject, though not on precisely the same point. It says: “An error touching the design of baptism does not necessarily vitiate the baptism. Where there is faith in Christ and repentance toward God, the baptism is acceptable, even though there be dimness of mind touching its design. Nor should such an error as to the design of the ordinance be a bar to Christian fellowship.” There! Who shall dispute this? Mr. Campbell himself was not baptized “for the remission of sins,” but after professing forgiveness, first, in the Presbyterian church, before joining the Baptists, and then in the Baptist church, where he was immersed upon a profession of justifying faith. But we quote farther: “We do not see a great mountain of difficulty as many seem to see in this matter of the design of baptism. The Baptists and ourselves agree respecting the faith and obedience which the gospel requires. All we wish to insist on is, that they shall tell sinners the whole story when instructing them in the way of salvation.” This is a good point. Tell the whole story. It runs thus: “Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” This part of the story which we have italicized is usually omitted by the Standard’s brethren. Almost invariably they stop at the word “sins.” They do not tell “the whole story.” In excuse they tell us that this part of the text only related to apostolic times, or to the days of miraculous “gifts.” But this is not satisfactory nor true. We write not to argue the question, but to insist that all who preach the gospel “shall tell the whole story.”