THE
TRUTH IN PRINT
May 2004, Vol. 10: Issue 3
A Publication of the Valley
Dear reader
the following is an article from Katy Jones. She explains in her own words how
she came to a knowledge of the simple New Testament patterns that allows one to
be a christian only. We publicize
her article with the hopes that it might benefit others who may be coming to
the realization that denominationalism is not found in the New Testament which
is God’s word for all until the Lord Jesus comes again.
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Why
I Left the
By
Katy Jones
In the
Lutheran church I was taught that only seminary-educated ministers could
understand the Bible and that they, the clergy, would explain to us, the laity,
what we needed to know from the Scriptures.
The only verses I was encouraged to memorize were Psalm 23 and the
"Christmas" story from Luke 2.
The worship services were based on the Catholic mass with everything
printed in a book called "The Order of Worship." Bible readings for every Sunday of the
"church year" were given. Even
the prayers were read from that book, as well as the litany (of the pastor) and
response (of the congregation). There
was no such thing as a prayer worded from the heart.
I received the "sacrament of
baptism" as an infant. It was
explained to me that I was "baptized" into my parents' faith. At age eleven I took a year of catechism
class, at the end of which I was "confirmed" into my own faith and allowed
to partake of the "sacrament of holy communion." I also became an "acolyte," a fancy
name for candle lighter. I wore a white
robe and lit the candles on the altar at the beginning of the service, then
snuffed them out at the end of the service.
At thirteen I joined the choir; at sixteen I was studying to be an
organist.
I did not know that I was NOT following the
commands of God. After all, I wasn't
encouraged to read the Word for myself.
The stained glass windows, the organ music, the soft candlelight, the
comfortable ritual every Sunday made me FEEL close to God. I certainly believed that I was going to
heaven.
But I met a boy in school who was a member
of the Lord's church. He said things to
me like, "You're going to hell because you play the flute in church;
you're going to hell because you wear your dresses too short." That isn't usually the best way to teach
someone the gospel, but it made me mad enough to prove this boy wrong. It was the first time I searched the
Scriptures, and I found no mention of instrumental music in the worship in the
New Testament. That surprised me more
than what this boy had said to me. He
introduced me to Joan Rieber, and we began to study
what the Bible said about authority, the plan of salvation, and the
church. In three weeks my life turned
upside down; I could plainly read what God wanted me to do.
I wrote down all the verses about baptism
and made an appointment to talk to the Lutheran pastor. As soon as I read Mark 16:16, he stopped me.
"You can't take what the Bible says literally on this subject," he
said, reaching for a book on his shelf.
"In this case we need to read what so-and-so says...." I
didn't listen any longer. I KNEW that I
could trust God's word on the subject.
Why had I been
told I couldn't understand the Bible?
Mark
Ney Rieber
baptized me, and I was added to the Lord's church. Later I looked through my catechism book,
written by Martin Luther himself. What I
found shocked me, and I finally realized why they told us we couldn't
understand the Bible. If we'd been
encouraged to read it, we would find out that many of the practices and beliefs
of the Lutheran church were not authorized by God!
The FIRST page of Luther's Small Catechism
begins a discussion of the ten commandments. There is NO scripture reference, however,
because these ten commandments are not the same ones
listed in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.
The second one, about not making graven images, is omitted; the tenth,
regarding coveting, is broken into two:
"9th commandment: Thou shalt not
covet thy neighbor's house.
10th commandment: Thou shalt not
covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his
cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbor's."
Interesting that just one chapter before
giving the ten commandments, God has this to say: "Ye shall not add unto the word which I
command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it. . ." (Deut. 4:2).
Page 87 discusses original,
or inherited sin, defined by Luther as "the total corruption of our whole
human nature. . . .Man by nature is without true fear, love, and trust in
God. He is without righteousness, is
inclined only to evil, and is spiritually blind, dead, and an enemy of
God." That is why babies are
"baptized," because supposedly they are born this way! That's not what I read in Ezekiel 18.
Page 170 says, "Baptize means to apply
water by washing, pouring, sprinkling, or immersing." (See Romans 6:3-6; Acts 8:38-39; Matt. 3:16)
Following this are numerous contradictions, first saying that a person desiring
baptism "must be instructed in the principal doctrines of the Christian
religion" and after having been baptized "should daily repent of all
sins, shun everything that is evil, and walk in newness of life." But then it says, "Little children
should be baptized when they are brought to Baptism by those who have authority
over them. . . Infants, too, are to be baptized because they are included in
the words 'all nations'; because Holy Baptism is the only means whereby
infants, who, too, must be born again, can ordinarily be regenerated and
brought to faith. . . ."
These are only a few of the many examples in
Luther's Catechism where the Scriptures are either misused or ignored. Apparently Luther did not attempt to search
out the New Testament pattern for the church; he merely tried to reform some of
the practices of the Catholic Church.
The Catholic mass is still followed, as well as Catholic doctrines of
original sin, infant baptism, receiving Christ's body and blood in a
"supernatural manner" during the "sacrament of the altar"
(communion), creeds (including the Nicene Creed), observance of the
"church calendar" (including Lent, Easter, Advent, Christmas). None of these practices or teachings can be
found in the New Testament. Those in the
Lutheran church have been deceived by the "clergy" as they
"interpret" the plain Word of God and "wrest the scriptures unto
their own destruction." (2 Peter
3:16)
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NOTE:
Dear reader if you find yourself today in
a similar circumstance as Katy Jones found herself in — knowing that
denominationalism is wrong, and realizing that you have not been taught the
truth, then you too “can” find the truth if you seek for it. Jesus said, “And
you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) Don’t
delay your search! His word revealed fully (2 Tim.
NOTE: Concerned reader, to learn more
about scriptural baptism why not read a study of the cases of conversion
recorded in Acts. Click this link for Fundamental
Lessons On The Church, Lesson Three. This article
may also be accessed from our Article Index. Simply scroll down until you find
Fundamental Lessons on the Church, Lesson Three.