BAPTISM • Great Russian Encyclopedia

BAPTISM (from the Greek βαπτίζω - immerse in water, baptize with water), one of the largest followers of movements in Protestantism (more than 80 million people, 2004; most of them live in the USA).

The basis of the Baptist doctrine is the “Seven Fundamental Principles of Faith,” which were adopted at the 1st World Congress of Baptists in 1905. The main ones are: Holy Scripture is the only authority in matters of faith and practical life; The church should consist only of people baptized “by faith” (baptism is performed according to the will of the person himself and only when he feels that he is ready to accept it); all members of the community have equal rights, a universal priesthood; Church is separated from state. Typically in Baptist churches, communion is celebrated once a month (on the 1st Sunday) and is called the breaking of bread. Baptism and communion in B. are not sacraments, but rites. Baptist worship is not usually liturgical. character, basic The focus of prayer meetings is on preaching and reading the Holy Scriptures. Traditional The decoration of Baptist meeting houses is very simple. In their “auditoriums” (halls) there are, as a rule, only pulpits for preaching and reading the Gospel. However, in recent decades, this tradition has undergone certain changes: now in some Baptist houses of worship you can see altars, wall paintings, and stained glass windows.

In Baptist churches there is no clear line between clergy and laity. Deacons are appointed from among the community members to assist pastors. Each community independently decides on the possibility of allowing women to perform the duties of clergy. Baptist churches are characterized by a congregational structure, in which each church community is independent. Communities also join various associations (conventions, associations, communities, etc.) within a state, region, region, country or group of countries.

History of Baptistism

The history of Baptistism originates in England in the early years of the 17th century. The founder of B. is considered to be J. Smith, who in 1606 joined first the Puritans, then the Lincolnshire Brownist separatists, who sought to separate from the Church of England. In 1606 or 1607, Smith, along with his supporters, including T. Helwys (c. 1550 - c. 1616), was forced to flee to Amsterdam to escape the religions. persecution. In Amsterdam, under the influence of the Dutch. Mennonites, Smith became a supporter of Arminianism (the doctrine of the redemption of all people by Christ's death on the cross) and an opponent of infant baptism. He maintained that all the institutions of Christ had been lost by men, and they must restore them; having united, 2 or 3 people can create a community (church) and baptize themselves, but this must be preceded by repentance and faith, which is not the case either in the Church of England or among the Puritans. In 1609, Smith baptized himself and 36 of his supporters, for which he received the nickname “self-baptizer.” Together with his followers, he created the first Baptist community in Amsterdam. Despite the fact that soon after Smith's death (1612) the community disintegrated, B. did not cease to exist. In 1611 Helwys returned to London with his followers and founded a Baptist community there.

Baptistism. Dispute about Tradition and the Church

About human tradition and the Apostolic Tradition, about what texts of the Holy Scripture speak about the need to follow Tradition, why the doctrine of the “invisible Church” contradicts what Christ commanded and what the Church of Christ is, and also about how to conduct a debate with sectarians sectologist Andrei Ivanovich Solodkov talks about these topics in his next lecture-conversation.

Historian of religion Andrey Ivanovich Solodkov

Those who have departed from the Orthodox faith and are blinded by destructive heresies, enlighten with the light of Your knowledge and bring Your Holy Apostles to the Catholic Church.

From morning prayers

In the last two conversations and lectures in the series “The Mission of the Church in a Non-Orthodox Environment” we talked about the attitude towards non-Orthodox people and about the experience of organizing a rehabilitation center for those who fell under sectarian influence. The first lecture examined the emergence of Protestantism in Europe and the necessary conditions for preaching the intact Gospel to people who found themselves in sects. In the second, I shared my experience of organizing and operating a rehabilitation center and the methodology for returning those who have fallen away to the fold of the Church. Today, as part of our conversation, we will briefly look at the history of Baptistism, and also touch on some practical aspects of the methodology of the debate about Holy Tradition and the Church.

Baptistism

Baptist “baptism”, Minusinsk, 1907

Baptistism arose in England in 1609 and was put forward as a religious movement by the party of Puritans[1] and Congregationalists[2]. The founder of Baptistism was John Smith, who organized a small congregation in Holland. First, he baptized himself through pouring, and then, having met the Mennonites, he received baptism from them. In 1612, Smith and his follower Thomas Helwys organized small communities in England and baptized all members of the community. These were general, or general, Baptists. Later, particular, or private, Baptists appeared.

On the issue of predestination to salvation, General Baptists adhered to the teachings of one of the leaders of the Reformation, James Arminius, who believed that God determined all people to salvation, but whether to accept it or not depends on the free will of man. Particular Baptists relied on the teaching of Calvin, according to which God from eternity predestined some people to salvation, and others to condemnation and destruction.

By about 1641, a doctrine characteristic of modern Baptistism had already developed. Baptism among both private and general Baptists began to be performed through immersion.

At first, Baptists were persecuted in England by the Episcopal Church, and were also persecuted by civil authorities, subjected to severe punishment as participants in the liberation movement, because they were associated with Anabaptists, who committed violence and pogroms (this was discussed in the first lecture of our series). The famous Baptist John Bunyan spent twelve years in prison, where he wrote his books “The Pilgrim’s Progress to the Heavenly Country” and “Spiritual Warfare,” which are popular among modern Baptists.

In 1869, the “Act of Toleration” was adopted in England, thanks to which Baptists began to enjoy government protection along with other heterodox ones. In 1905, the Baptist World Union was created in London, with its center in Washington. His goal was to spread Baptistism throughout the globe. There are currently more than 30 million Baptists worldwide, 25 million of whom live in the United States.

After the Russian-Turkish wars of the 18th century, Baptistism appeared in Russia. Then the southern regions, including Crimea, were annexed to the Russian Empire, forming the Kherson, Tauride, and Yekaterinoslav provinces. To develop new lands, the government of Catherine II decided to populate the outskirts of the country with foreign settlers - Protestant colonists. By the middle of the 19th century, Baptist communities were already widespread in Ukraine, the Caucasus, and St. Petersburg.

The entire creed of modern Baptists is based only on the Holy Scriptures, which they interpret and understand in the spirit of heresy, relying on their own reason, without accepting the vast spiritual experience of the Holy Orthodox Church. They reject the Holy Tradition, calling it “false teaching and the creation of human hands”[3].

What is Church Tradition

Does Scripture Explain Itself?

Martin Luther

We have already said that all heterodox people, including Baptists, believe that the Bible explains itself and does not need Tradition. The reformist principle put forward by M. Luther is well known: “Sola Scriptura” - “The Bible and only the Bible.” But if we carefully read the texts of the Bible and do not resort to Luther’s “methodology” (let me remind you that Luther excluded the Epistle of the Apostle James from the canon of the Bible, since it contradicted his idea of justification by faith), then we will see that the principle “The Bible is sufficient for understanding biblical texts” is refuted by the Bible itself. In the 2nd letter of the Apostle Peter we find the following words:

“And consider the longsuffering of our Lord to be salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote to you, as he speaks about this in all his epistles, in which there is something difficult to understand, which the ignorant and unstable, to their own destruction, turn as also the other Scriptures” (2 Pet. 3:15–16).

From these words we see that in the epistles of the Apostle Paul there is something incomprehensible - incomprehensible - that the ignorant and unstable turn to their own destruction. People who have not heard the word of the Gospel at all are called ignorant, and those who heard the word about Christ are called unconfirmed, but received it not from the mouth of the Church, but in a damaged state and, thus, fell away from unity with the Church and were not established in the purity of the truth. . It is said: The Church is the house of the living God, “the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). We will return to the question of the Church later.

So, we see from this text that it is possible to read the Bible and distort the understanding of its text, as the Apostle Peter states, “to our own destruction.”

A correct understanding of the Holy Scriptures is the work of our salvation

A correct understanding of the Holy Scriptures is one of the important conditions for the work of our salvation. “Search the Scriptures, for by them you think you have eternal life; and they testify of Me” (John 5:39). The Apostle Peter, beginning his exhortation on this matter, draws special attention to this. Let us return once again to the beginning of the text read above: “Count the longsuffering of our Lord as salvation” (2 Pet. 3:15). The criterion for understanding the texts of the Bible is not an abstract or philosophical question, but the most serious one concerning our salvation!

Stick to the Tradition!

Apostle Paul

The criterion for correct understanding of Holy Scripture is Holy Tradition. All sectarians, without exception, reject Tradition and confirm their rejection with some texts of the Bible - and there really are such texts.

The Gospel of Mark, chapter 7, speaks of a tradition that Christ rejects.

“The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered to Him, and when they saw some of His disciples eating bread with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands (the Jews had a whole ritual of washing their hands - A.S.), they reproached Him. For the Pharisees and all the Jews, holding to the tradition of the elders, do not eat without washing their hands thoroughly... There are many other things that they accepted to adhere to...” (Mark 7: 1-4).

And Christ condemns them for this, saying:

“In vain do they worship Me, teaching doctrines the commandments of men. For you, having abandoned the commandment of God, hold to the tradition of men...” (Mark 7: 7-8)

And further:

“And he said to them, “Is it good that you set aside the commandment of God in order to keep your own tradition?” For Moses said: Honor your father and your mother (this is the fifth commandment - A.S.); and: He who curses his father or mother shall die by death. But you say: whoever says to his father or mother: Corvan, that is, a gift to God that you would use from me, you already allow him to do nothing for his father or his mother, eliminating the word of God by your tradition, which you have established; and you do many similar things” (Mark 7:9-13).

There is a parallel passage in the Gospel of Matthew, in chapter 15.

In a debate about Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition, the opponent will cite precisely these texts of the Bible and, relying on them, will assert the uselessness of Tradition.

But let us remember the statement of St. Irenaeus of Lyons: “It is impossible to treat sick people without knowing the cause of their illness, so some were much more skillful than me, but they could not overcome the heresy of Valentinus, because they did not know their teaching exactly.” What is the reason for the unhealthiness of Baptists in this matter? They take only part of the biblical revelation and present it as the full truth. But there are texts in the Bible that speak of the need for Sacred Tradition.

In the Apostle Paul we find the following words:

“I praise you, brothers, because you remember everything that is mine and keep the traditions just as I handed them down to you” (1 Cor. 11:2).

The Apostle praises Christians who adhere to Tradition. And in 2 Thessalonians he writes:

“Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold to the traditions which you were taught either by our word or by our message ” (2 Thess. 2:15).

From this text the necessity of Tradition is obvious. It is said: first, “keep the Traditions that you have been taught”; secondly, “in words”; thirdly, the “message”.

It must be said that Tradition is always primary. How did Moses know how God created the world? God revealed it to him and he wrote it down. How did Noah know which animals were clean and which were not, since this was not mentioned until much later, after the flood? Both Moses and Noah knew about this not from what was written in the Bible, but from oral Tradition.

Often the opponent says that Tradition is the canon of the Bible: 39 books of the Old and 27 books of the New Testament. No. We must repeat again: the Apostle Paul details and clarifies: taught by tradition (παραδόσεις), by the word (λόγου - the Bible, the word of God), by epistle (ἐπιστολη̃ς - which we read). That is, there are three components in teaching the truth, and the Apostle Paul insists that it is necessary to adhere to them: these are “tradition, word, epistle.”

And here it is appropriate to ask the question: how do you, Protestants, say that you live according to the Bible, observe Tradition? After all, the Apostle Paul warns:

“We command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly, and not according to the tradition (παραδόσεις) which they received from us ” (2 Thess. 3:6).

Thus, Tradition is not what the Church invented, but what it accepted from apostolic times and preserved.

In the Holy Scriptures there is the concept of apostolic Tradition and human tradition. Human tradition is rejected by Christ

Let us emphasize: the Orthodox also do not accept human tradition. And heterodox human traditions have many. These include the fabrications and writings of their “teachers”, on which all sectarian dogma is built; Based on their authority, the interpretation of the Bible is given. Adventists, for example, have books by Ellen White; Jehovah's Witnesses have the Watchtower and Awake! magazines. Baptists have their own writers: John Bunyan and other authors and interpreters.

The tradition that the Orthodox Church adheres to - and this must be repeated again and again - is not limited to just a set of books and creations. Non-Orthodox people have a false idea of the Orthodox Tradition. They think that we want to attach some other books and apocrypha to the Bible.

And here it will be opportune to recall the canon of Holy Scripture. And you can ask the following questions: “How do we know that Mark wrote the Gospel of Mark? How do we know that John wrote the Gospel of John? Why are the four Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - considered canonical, while the Gospel of Thomas, for example, is a non-canonical book? Or the Gospel of Andrew? After all, you do not read these Gospels and do not recognize them. Why? Because they are not canonical. Who said which books are canonical and which are not?” The Church spoke on the basis of Holy Tradition and the Council Reason! The Church approved this canon, defining what is false and what is true. On what basis did the Church approve this canon? Based on Tradition.

Hear, accept and know the Truth

Christ in Emmaus

The heterodox, having fallen away from unity with the Church, have lost the ability to perceive biblical teaching in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, who, since the time of Pentecost, has continually instructed the Church created by Christ on earth. Those who have fallen away have lost the ability to perceive the fullness of revelation and Christ Himself in His inherent light.

Vladimir Lossky, a Russian theologian, writes the following about the inseparability of Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition: “If Scripture and everything that can be said in written or other symbols are different ways of expressing the Truth, then Holy Tradition is the only way to perceive the Truth: no one can to call (know) Jesus Lord, as soon as by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12: 3) ... So, we can give a precise definition of Tradition, saying that it is the life of the Holy Spirit in the Church, life that gives every believer the ability to hear, receive, to cognize the Truth in its inherent Light, and not in the natural light of the human mind.”

Any person or society, having severed the connection with the Church, loses the ability to hear, accept and know the Truth. These abilities are returned to a person only upon reunification with Christ in the Sacraments.

We will consider the topic of the Sacraments of the Church later, in the following conversations, now I will only recall the Gospel story about Luke and Cleopas going to Emmaus:

“That same day two of them went to a village sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, called Emmaus; and talked among themselves about all these events. And while they were talking and reasoning with each other, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept, so that they did not recognize Him.

He said to them: What are you talking about as you walk, and why are you sad? One of them, named Cleopas, answered Him: Are You really one of those who came to Jerusalem and do not know about what has happened in it these days? And he said to them: about what? They said to Him: What happened to Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people; how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death and crucified Him. But we hoped that He was the One who was to deliver Israel; but with all that, it is now the third day since this happened.

But some of our women astonished us: they were early at the tomb and did not find His body, and when they came, they said that they had also seen the appearance of Angels, who said that He was alive. And some of our men went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Him.

Then He said to them: O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Is this not how Christ had to suffer and enter into His glory? And beginning with Moses, he explained to them from all the prophets what was said about Him in all the Scriptures.

And they approached the village to which they were going; and He showed them that He wanted to go further. But they restrained Him, saying: stay with us, because the day has already fallen towards evening. And He went in and stayed with them.

And as He reclined with them, He took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him” (Luke 24: 13–31).

We see that the Lord Jesus Christ explained to them the prophecies from the Scriptures of the Old Testament about Himself, but they remained “foolish and slow in heart,” and only after Christ Himself gave them Communion and They were reunited with Him, “their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him."

About some Bible translations

I will say a few more words about confessional translations of the Bible. Here, for example, is a translation of the Bible made in the village of Zaoksky by Adventists. (We will talk about the Seventh-day Adventists and the history of their delusion in one of the subsequent lectures-conversations; now we will only touch on the issue of Tradition.) The translators of the Bible Institute at the Adventist Seminary went by editing the texts of the Bible in accordance with their teaching-delusion. If in their translation we look at the texts about Tradition, we will see the following. The word “Tradition” in Greek, as we saw above, is παραδόσεις (paradosis). Adventists, as is known, reject Tradition in their doctrine just as much as Baptists do. In making their translation, they apparently decided to remove the concept of apostolic Tradition once and for all, since it would not interfere with their dogmatic error.

In general, there has already been a similar precedent. We saw it in the history of the Reformation: Luther threw out the entire Epistle of the Apostle James from the canon of the Bible, declaring it apocryphal, because it did not coincide with his idea of “justification by faith alone,” and in the epistle there are verses that say: “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26).

Adventists in their edition are not so decisive, but, nevertheless, in the texts that speak positively about the need for Sacred Tradition - 1 Cor. 11:2; 2 Thess. 2:15; 3:6 – they replaced the word παραδόσεις, translating it with the words “teaching”, “truth”; and where tradition is spoken of negatively as human tradition, there the word παραδόσεις was left. If we open the Greek text, we will see that in all the above texts about Tradition there is the word παραδόσεις - without any alternative to any other reading or absence of this word, which would give the right to replace it in meaning according to certain translation rules.

An attempt to perceive Divine Revelation with rational thinking and without incorporating the truth about human tradition and the Apostolic Tradition leads, to put it mildly, to such uncleanliness when translating the Bible. And so on many issues in which sectarian communities get lost.

So, one more time. In the Bible there are such concepts as: human tradition and apostolic tradition; the church is the Whore of Babylon and the Bride of Christ; idols of other gods and holy images; the cup of demons and the Holy Eucharist.

The principle of “consent of fathers”

There is another Protestant objection to the question of contra traditia. They say: “How do you, Orthodox, determine what is true and what is false among your Church Fathers? Indeed, in their works one can find contradictions on certain issues.” It is not entirely correct to blame the Orthodox Ecumenical Church for this. Roman Catholics, yes, quite appropriate. There are frauds in Catholic traditions as a result of the deviation of the Bishop of Rome from the Ecumenical Confession of Faith, and therefore, in general, such a phenomenon as the reform movement arose in Europe. In previous lectures it was already said that Protestants and their followers protest against Catholic dogma, automatically transferring this protest to Orthodoxy. Here is one piece of advice for Protestants - first get acquainted with Orthodoxy, and then put forward a protest.

As for some disagreements in the teachings of the fathers, the last word on the question of what is truth and what is heresy does not belong to the pope - the Bishop of Rome, against which Protestants protested and continue to protest. This issue is resolved in the Church conciliarly and through the principle of “consent of the fathers” (consensus patrum). Conciliarity is not an invention of subsequent centuries of Christianity. The basis for conciliar resolution of issues was laid back in the apostolic period. When disagreements arose in the Church, in particular about how to receive pagans and what they should observe after baptism, the Council decided: “For it pleases the Holy Spirit and us not to place on you any more burden than this necessary: to abstain from things sacrificed to idols and blood, and strangulation, and fornication, and not to do to others what you do not want to do to yourself. By observing this, you will do well. Be healthy” (Acts 15:28). As we see, the Council and its definition are the voice of the Holy Spirit: “for it pleases the Holy Spirit and us.”

Also, by the decision of the V-VI Ecumenical Council, it was established that if there are any discrepancies in the judgment of the fathers on a particular issue that is not set forth in the council’s definitions (oros and canons), then it is necessary to be guided by the opinion of the 12 fathers. Subsequently, the Council decided to be guided by three fathers and to consider their teaching on this or that issue exemplary. These are Saints Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian. All other opinions that contradict the conciliar definitions and the teaching of the three saints are not the teaching of the Church, but only private judgments.

The principle of “consensus of the fathers” (consensus patrum) was formulated in the 5th century by the Venerable Vincent of Lirinsky: “We must endure the judgments of only those fathers who, living, teaching and remaining in the faith and in Catholic communion, holy, wisely, constantly, were deemed worthy or died with faith about Christ, or die blessedly for Christ. And one must believe them according to the following rule: that only either all of them, or the majority of them unanimously accepted, supported, transmitted openly, often unshakably, as if by some prior agreement among the teachers, then be considered undoubted, faithful and indisputable; and what anyone, whether he is a saint or a scientist, a confessor and a martyr, thought about, not in agreement with everyone or even in spite of everyone, is attributed to personal, secret, private opinions, different (secretum) from the authority of the general, open and popular belief; so that, leaving the ancient truth of the universal dogma, according to the wicked custom of heretics and schismatics, with the greatest danger regarding eternal salvation, we do not follow the new error of one person.”

From all that has been said, it is clear that Tradition is the Holy Spirit living in the Church. Rejection of Church Tradition is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which, according to the Savior, “will not be forgiven either in this age or in the future” (Matthew 12:32). There is something to think about.

What is the Church

Rescue ship. Mysterious image of the Holy Orthodox Church

Usually, non-Orthodox, including Baptists, to confirm their understanding of the Church, refer to the text from the Gospel of Matthew, 18:20: “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them.” Like, these are the grounds for organizing the Church. Let us take a closer look at the context and find out what we are talking about here, and to do this we will turn to the previous verses of this chapter, because verse 20 is the conclusion of Christ’s instructions to His disciples.

So, we read from verse 15:

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone; If he listens to you, then you have gained your brother; But if he does not listen, take with you one or two more, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established; if he does not listen to them, tell the church; and if he does not listen to the church, then let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. Truly I also tell you that if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven, for where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18: 15–20).

This entire fragment is about how to act in the Church. First, the Savior says how to deal with a brother who sins in the Church: verses 15-17. Then - how to pray in the Church: verses 18-20; in Matt. 18:20 – about congregational prayer. Christ did not teach us to pray: “My Father,” but: “Our Father.” Nothing is said here about the creation of the Church. We are talking about the power of congregational prayer.

Baptists teach about the invisible Church. They say that in every denomination there are sincerely believing people whom the Lord will gather during the Last Judgment. That is, sincerity is the criterion of truth. But you can be sincerely mistaken. If we sincerely believe a lie, our sincerity will not make it true.

If the invisible Church is made up of sincere believers in all Christian denominations, then how can I fulfill the commandment of Christ: “If he does not listen, tell the church”? What, should I run around all denominations and look for sincere believers in order to fulfill the words of Christ: “tell the church”? How can you tell if it's invisible? And where is the indicator and principle of verifying sincerity? I would not be surprised if a lie indicator is proposed for this procedure.

Further: where two or three are gathered in the name of Christ, there is still no Church at all. A gathering of Scripture students, for example, can hardly be called a Church; at best, it can be called a Bible circle.

An Orthodox person does not think of salvation outside the Church, and therefore outside of Christ. With Baptists everything is different, and when conducting a dispute with them you need to know this. To be saved, according to Baptist teaching, it is not necessary to belong to any Church. They teach this based on the verse from Ephesians 2:5, like this: “A person who is dead in trespasses and sins receives salvation through Jesus Christ” - and they add on their own: “being outside the church”[4]. Elsewhere: “We must not forget the greatest and most precious truth, that it is not the Church (whatever it may be) that saves us, but Christ, who died for our sins on Calvary.”[5].

In Baptist consciousness, the Church is separated from Christ. The church simply does not exist if we do not gather in another Bible study circle on the “two-three” principle. They went home - and there is no Church; gathered - and eat again. Some kind of folklore. Play the accordion, it works. What unites us is the congregation of faith in the name of Christ - this is the principle and foundation of the Church in the heterodox understanding.

Knowing their error in this matter, let us consider, based on the Holy Scriptures, whether such an interpretation of the biblical texts corresponds to the teaching of the Church.

So, in the debate about the Church, we cite the following text: Gospel of Matthew, 16: 18. When the Apostle Peter, on behalf of all the apostles, confessed Christ: “You are the Son of the Living God,” then Christ said to him:

“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

Very important words that need to be explained: firstly, the words “I will create the Church,” and secondly, “the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” What does “I will create a Church” mean? Christ says: “I will build My ,” and not: “I will build My .” My Church .” We also find the following words in the Apostle Paul:

“There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all” (Eph. 4:4-6).

Sometimes an opponent may agree with us that Christ really created the Church in apostolic times, but it was damaged by retreating from the purity of the Gospel for the sake of paganism. It is not true. Such a false statement about the possible damage to the Church is born as a result of a false understanding of the nature of the Church. The Church, according to Christ, is invincible, and therefore indestructible.

Let us ask the question: “Do you believe Christ and the words of Christ?” They will answer: “Of course.” So, Christ says: “I will build My Church [one], and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” The Church, according to Christ’s definition, is one and invincible. The Church is not only ἐκκλησίαν, that is, a meeting of people, as sectarians teach. The Church was brought together by Christ Himself. And it is not enough to believe in Christ, as Baptists argue, and gather together to become Christ’s Church. The Gospel of John says: “And when He was in Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover, many, seeing the miracles that He performed, believed in His name. But Jesus Himself did not entrust Himself to them” (John 2:23–24). To whom did Christ entrust Himself, and whom was He chosen to serve? - Apostles. “Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in which you also are being built into a habitation of God by the Spirit” (Eph. 2:20-22) , writes the Apostle Paul. Like this: “being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.” In the following lectures we will consider the issues of election of the legal priesthood, ordination and grace, now I will only say that the foundation of the Church is not faith, not the Bible, but Christ Himself: “For no one can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” ( 1 Cor. 3:11).

To found a new Church, it is necessary that Christ be born again, choose disciples for Himself, suffer on the cross, die and rise again, and on the fiftieth day the Holy Spirit descends on the Church. The structure of the Church by self-will is impossible. There is no repetition of these events, there is no other Church. The Church is not interrupted in the history of mankind, and through apostolic ordination it exists to this day. “I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen” (Matthew 28:20), says Christ. And again: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you” (John 15:16). Christ chooses and appoints Himself to serve. And the grace of chosenness is transmitted through ordination. The Apostle Paul writes to his successor Timothy: “Stir up the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Tim. 1:6).

The Russian Orthodox Church can show the gift of succession from Apostle Andrew to Patriarch Kirill. His Holiness Patriarch 179th in succession. “I know whom I have chosen” (John 13:18), says the Savior.

There is an objection to this: they say, just as the Apostle Paul was chosen by Christ on the road to Damascus (see: Acts 9), so Christ chose us. But if we carefully read this chapter of the Acts of the Apostles - not selectively, but completely - we will see that a disciple of Christ from the 70 - Ananias - is sent to the Apostle Paul, who became blind after meeting Christ, to join him to the Church through baptism and consecration hands of the apostleship:

“Ananias went and entered the house and, laying his hands on him, said: Brother Saul! The Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the path you walked, sent me so that you could receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And immediately, as if scales fell away from his eyes, and suddenly he received his sight; and he stood up and was baptized” (Acts 9:17–18).

Despite the fact that Christ appeared to him personally, the Apostle Paul needs to be united with the Church through the successor chosen by Christ, through baptism and the laying on of hands of the apostle by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

The Church is not only an ecclesia, that is, a collection of people, as sectarians teach. The Church is also the body of Christ

Christ and the Foundation, He and the Founder of the Church. The Church is not just a meeting of like-minded people, the Church is the body of Christ, as the Apostle Paul said in the Epistle to the Colossians: “And He is the head of the body of the Church” (Col. 1: 18).

The Church is the body of Christ, Christ is the Head of the Church. The separation of the Head from the body is, to put it mildly, blasphemous theology. Can Christ be overcome? No!

The Church is a Divine-human organism. Christ the Head is present in the Church in her Sacraments[6], through which we, like living cells, are united with Him by grace into His God-manhood. “Abide in Me and I in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it is in the vine, so neither can you unless you are in Me. I am the Vine and you are the branches; He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in Me will be cast out like a branch and wither; and such branches are gathered and thrown into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15: 4-6).

It often sounds like an argument against the Church to accuse the Orthodox of sinning. Yes, no one is immune from falling into sins, it is said: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands beware lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). But if there is sin in the Church, then it is not a sin of the Church, but a sin against the Church. Did Christ say: “I will create My Church, but if you behave badly, then create another”? No! Nothing like that was said. The falling into sins of individual members cannot harm the Church; such a person comes to confession for correction. I have heard more than once from sectarians that, having believed in Christ, they no longer fall into sin. The Apostle John writes that anyone who claims this is a deceiver: “Whoever says he is without sin is a liar, and there is no truth in him” (1 John 1:8). If we are talking about the heretical error of an Orthodox Christian, then he himself breaks off communion with the Church if he does not repent of his error and persists.

The Church is not defeated or damaged, since neither Christ nor the Holy Spirit, who governs the Church and dwells in the Church, can be damaged. Anyone who claims the opposite is likely to be damaged himself.

In the following lecture-conversations, speaking about the dispute with sectarians on issues of salvation, infant baptism, icon veneration, we will return to the issue of the Church.

I would like to conclude today’s conversation with the words of the Hieromartyr Cyprian of Carthage: “To whom the Church is not a Mother, God is not a Father.”

And we will call all those who are baptized but have fallen away from the Mother Church, often through misunderstanding, and who have fallen into error, to repentance and return home - to “the Church of the Living God, (which is) the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15), especially at this favorable time - during the days of Lent.

Sources and literature:

Bible: books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. M.: Ross. bib. society, 2002.
Bible in Greek: Magister.msk.ru.
Alexandrova L. History of Baptists in Russia. M., 2010.
Horse R.M. Introduction to sect studies. N. Novgorod, 2008.
Lossky V.N. Dogmatic theology. Publication of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 2001.
Irenaeus of Lyon, martyr. Five books of denunciation and refutation of false knowledge. M., 1996.
Cyprian of Carthage, Saint. Creations: At 6 hours. Part 2. M., 1999.
Rules of the V-VI Ecumenical Council // https://www.krotov.info/acts/canons/0787cano.html.
Baptists respond / Comp. M. Ivanov. St. Petersburg, 2008.
Creed of the ECB // https://rus-baptist.narod.ru/verouc.html.
Vince Ya. Our Baptist principles // https://rus-baptist.narod.ru/vins.html.

Baptists in Europe

The followers of Smith and Helwys in the Netherlands and England subsequently became known as General Baptists. They held an Arminian view of Christ's atoning sacrifice. In their first confession, published in 1660, General Baptists recognized the obligation of baptism by immersion only. In the 17th–18th centuries. in England, the teachings of anti-Trinitarians and Unitarians also became widespread among General Baptists; to mid. 18th century many of the General Baptists became Unitarians.

Most of the modern Baptists call themselves private, or particular; trace their origins to the dissenters (independents) - followers of the teachings of J. Calvin, who put forward the idea of a Church gathered by the Spirit of God, and not separate. person or state. Thus, one who recognizes himself as a true Christian must form, together with his brothers in faith, a special Church, not limited geographically. or adm. boundaries (parishes, etc.). Private Baptists believe that the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ concerns only people who have been predestined from eternity for salvation. The first communities of private Baptists appeared in England at the end. 1630s In 1644 the English. private Baptists admitted in the First London Confession of Faith (signed by 7 congregations) that only baptism by immersion, and not by pouring or sprinkling with water, can be true. The number of private Baptists in England grew rather slowly, because they did not engage in missionary work, believing in the salvation of only the elect. All R. 18th century the situation is changing: under the influence of Methodism in English communities. Private Baptists are becoming increasingly interested in missionary work. In 1792 the English was founded. Baptist missionary society, which laid the foundation for modern times. missionary movement in English-speaking countries. In 1813, private Baptists created the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland; in 1891 part of the English joined it. General Baptists. Private Baptists, who after the unification remained faithful to strict Calvinism, received the name “strict Baptists” and formed 3 regional associations. Subsequently, together with some other communities, they formed the Grace Assembly (1976).

Baptists in the USA

In 1636 English. independent Roger Williams bought land from the Indians and founded the colony of Providence on it (now the administrative center of the state of Rhode Island); in 1639 he baptized himself and again approx. 10 people and founded the first Baptist community in America. earth. In 1707, five churches in the colonies of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware created the Philadelphia Baptist Association, which began to carry out missionary work that contributed to the spread of B. in all colonies. In 1751, with the participation of the Philadelphia Association, an association was created in Charleston (South Carolina). These associations marked the beginning of the spread of particularistic Baptists in the United States. The democracy of Baptist communities, strict discipline, as well as active missionary work ensured a rapid increase in the number of their members. In the 18th–19th centuries. New movements also arose within B.: Free Will Baptists, Evangelical Christians, etc. Amer. the Baptists played Ch. role in the organization of the World Union of Baptists (1905), which united approx. 7 million h.u. V.

Baptists in Russia

All R. 19th century representatives of the Philadelphia Baptist Association preached in Germany and neighboring countries, and since the 1860s, as two independent. movements, Baptists and Evangelical Christians appeared in Russia. The first Baptist communities arose in the south of Russia. empires (Tauride, Kherson, Kiev, Ekaterinoslav, Bessarabia provinces, as well as Kuban, Don and Transcaucasia), communities of Evangelical Christians - in the north. In 1874, under the influence of the missionary activity of the Englishman Lord G. V. Redstock, groups of evangelical Christians arose among St. Petersburg. nobility (the first Russian followers of evangelism were Count A.P. Bobrinsky, Prince V.F. Gagarin, etc.). After Redstock’s forced departure from Russia, V. A. Pashkov, who became the leader of the Evangelical Christian community in St. Petersburg, continued the preaching. Evangelical Christians launched active missionary activities in the capital, as well as in other cities: Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Tula. To spread the ideas of evangelism among workers in 1875–86, a journal was published. "Russian worker". In 1884 the first congress of Russians took place. Baptists in the village Novovasilyevka Tauride lips. The congress proclaimed the creation of the Union of Russians. Southern Baptists Russia and the Caucasus. In the 1880–90s. B. spread to all provinces of Russia. During this period, the doctrines of the northern and southern movements began to take shape more clearly, and as a result, evangelical Christians and Baptists became increasingly aware of themselves as different. directions, although very close to each other in spirit. Despite active opposition to the Russian Orthodox Church and police repression, by 1912 there were approx. 120 thousand private (particular) Baptists and 30 thousand evangelical Christians who accepted the creed of general (general) Baptists.

Mn. Baptist leaders welcomed the collapse of the Ros. monarchy, in the first 12 years of the Soviet Union. authorities, the number of Baptist and Evangelical communities grew (during the New Economic Policy - over 500 thousand people). In con. 1920s As a result of repressions, Baptist and evangelical communities were dissolved, many of their members were arrested and deported to Siberia and Sr. Asia.

In 1944, taking into account the patriotic positions grew Baptists in the years of Vel. Otech. war, the government of the USSR decided to unite all Protestant denominations existing in the country into a legal organization loyal to the authorities. The All-Union Union of Evangelical Christians and Baptists (ALL-Union Union of Evangelical Christians and Baptists) was created (ALL-Union Union of Evangelical Christians and Baptists; since 1946 - ALL-Union). The unification made it possible to resolve doctrinal differences between Baptists and Evangelical Christians. In the 1950s–60s. Other Baptist and evangelical movements were forced to join the Union: Christians of the evangelical faith - Pentecostals, Darbist Christians, fraternal Mennonites, etc. The artificiality of such a union soon became apparent internally. frictions and contradictions. In 1965, some communities left the All-Union Christian Baptist Church and created the independent Council of Churches of Evangelical Christian Baptists (SCECB), which came out of hiding only in late 1965. 1980s

After the collapse of the USSR, in 1992, instead of the AECB, the Euro-Asian Federation of Unions of Evangelical Christian Baptists (ECB) was created, which coordinates the activities of all ECB Unions in the CIS republics. Ross. communities (churches) of Evangelical Christian Baptists in various. regions of the country are united in the Union of Churches of the ECB of Russia (about 100 thousand members in more than 1,400 communities). At the same time, on an autonomous basis, there is the Council of Churches of Evangelical Christian Baptists (SCECB), which refused to join. 1980s from reunification with VSEKhB. On the territory of the Russian Federation, there are 230 communities of the AECHB, which unite approx. 10 thousand members. There are another 170 communities in other CIS republics. In recent years the number has been growing. Baptists are gradually increasing.

Baptistism

Baptistism (from the Greek “baptizo” - “immerse in water”, “baptize”) is a religious movement related to Christian Protestantism . The founder of Baptistism was John Smith (1554–1612). The main feature of the movement is the refusal to baptize infants , the belief that a person must choose faith consciously in adulthood , only in this way can the principle of voluntariness .

Baptist doctrine is based on the following tenets:

The only authority in matters of faith and daily life is the Bible ;
regenerated people (those who consciously accepted baptism) can be in the Church
Greater freedom for local church communities to independently resolve practical issues;
Freedom of conscience;
Separation of church and state (until recently, most orthodox Baptists rejected the oath, military service and courts).

The origins of Baptistism occurred in 1609 in Amsterdam, when several English Puritans, under the leadership of John Smith, founded their own religious community. Three years later, Baptistism penetrated into England - it was there that the dogmas of the faith were finally formulated .

Baptistism is divided into two movements:

General Baptists;
Private Baptists.

General Baptists believe that Christ's sacrifice atoned for the sins of all people without exception. To achieve salvation you need the participation of God's and human will . From the point of view of private Baptists , which is close to Calvinism and other Protestant movements, Christ atoned for the sins of only a select part of humanity . Man's salvation is carried out only by God's will , it is initially predetermined , and cannot be influenced by good or bad deeds. John Smith and his followers considered themselves General Baptists. The first community of private Baptists was formed in 1638 in England.

Baptists believe in the Second Coming of Christ , when the resurrection of the dead and the Last Judgment will occur, which will reward everyone according to their deserts - the righteous will go to heaven, and the wicked will be doomed to eternal torment.

In the Baptist church there are elders, deacons and preachers . At the same time, the structure of the church is very democratic - the most important issues are resolved jointly at church councils or meetings of believers.

With regard to rituals , Baptists do not strictly adhere to the canon , unlike, for example, the Catholic or Orthodox churches. Sacred ceremonies in Baptistism involve holding prayer meetings with the reading of sermons, fragments of Holy Scripture, and the singing of psalms and hymns by all members of the community. Sometimes musical accompaniment . The main service is held on Sunday , although additional meetings may be held on weekdays.

Baptists pay great attention to missionary activities to attract new adherents to their church. The founder of missionary work is William Currie , who went to preach Baptists in India in 1793 . With virtually no education, Carrie, thanks to his brilliant mind , achieved great success in missionary work and translated the Bible into 25 languages .

Among the famous people who professed Baptistism are: the writer John Bunyan , whose book inspired Pushkin’s poem “The Wanderer”, the great English poet John Milton , the writer Daniel Defoe - author of the novel about the adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Nobel Prize laureate, fighter for the rights of blacks in USA Martin Luther King .

In Russia, Baptist communities arose in the second half of the 19th century, and by the beginning of the 20th century there were 20 thousand people professing Baptists in the country.

In the 70s of the 20th century, three independent Baptist organizations :

Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists;
Union of Evangelical Christian Baptist Churches;
Autonomous churches of Evangelical Christian Baptists.

Currently, there are 75 million Baptists - this is one of the largest Protestant movements . Moreover, about two-thirds of Baptist adherents live in the United States .