THE Church of God, wherever it is established in any part of the world, is never divided but one in faith, fellowship, love and in preaching God’s word – the truth. Jesus Christ was fully aware that Christianity, which he founded by the power of God, would in process of time be counterfeited by some people at the instance of Satan, the arch-enemy of God and man. And so, he did not leave his disciples without setting out the marks by which his true Church could be identified.

THE teaching that baptism is intended to wash away sins has given rise to the question as to why Jesus Christ who did no sin was baptized. Anyone who accepts to follow Christ is required as of faith to be baptized. But any baptism that does not conform to the standard of the example set by him and his early apostles or that is not based on the knowledge of the truth as contained in the Holy Bible, is invalid and, therefore, not recognised by God.

Baptism is one of the issues on which the churches are divided. There are those who administer baptism by immersion but some others apply pouring or sprinkling of water. While some baptise infants, others do not. In fact, there are several formalities or ceremonies now associated with baptism in certain religious circles which are questionable.

In view of the diversity of beliefs and practices among the church groups, when some people who have received baptism in one denomination are converted to another church group they are re-baptised. The reason is that the latter group considers the baptism by the former to be invalid.

A question was asked as to why Catholics re-baptised a person who had been baptised in his own church but had left it to become a Catholic. The answer was given by the Roman Catholic Church as follows: “Three things are necessary for valid baptism, namely, (1) correct intention, i.e. to do what Christ commanded, (2) correct words, i.e. those given in the Scriptures, (3) correct action, i.e. pouring of water on the head of the person while pronouncing the correct formula. The baptism given in many non-Catholic Churches is of extremely doubtful validity because of lack of one or more of these things. For this reason the Catholic Church gives conditional baptism to all persons coming from them.” (Vide The Catholic Voice, issue of November, 1956).

The answer to question 256 in The Explanatory Catechism of Christian Doctrine, is this: “Baptism is a Sacrament which cleanses us from original sin, makes us Christians, children of God, and members of the Church.” And in answer to question 257 it is stated that “baptism also forgives actual sins, with all punishment due to them…”

Remission

We must say quite frankly that the teaching that baptism cleanses one from sin has not the backing of the Scriptures. We hold that if baptism were meant to wash away sin, Jesus Christ would not have been baptised because he was not a sinner. Concerning him, St. Peter wrote: “Who (Jesus) did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.” – 1 Peter 2: 21, 22.

The Bible shows clearly that it is the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses one from sin. Christ himself gave his disciples to understand, when he instituted the “Memorial Supper”, that his blood was to be shed for the purpose of remitting the sins of many people. When he took the cup containing the wine made from the fruit of the vine, he gave thanks and gave it to the apostles, saying, “Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” – Matthew 26: 27, 28.

Indeed, St. Paul stated: “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” – Hebrews 9: 22.

We must point out as well that the blood of Jesus Christ has no effect on anyone who does not believe in him or accept the truth of the gospel. In other words, it is when we have faith in Christ and are guided by the light of his word, according to the Scriptures, that we can receive forgiveness of our sins through his blood. As it is written: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” – 1 John 1: 7; see also Revelation 1: 5.

Let us consider some of the practices of certain churches in the ministration of baptism and compare them with the Bible so as to satisfy ourselves as to where the truth is.

As regards how baptism is given The Explanatory Catechism, under question 259, answers thus: “Baptism is given by pouring water on the head of the child…” This method is not peculiar to the Roman Catholic Church; there are other denominations that also baptise their adherents by pouring or sprinkling water.

The baptism of infants is one of the issues often discussed by theologians. In the Roman Catholic, the Anglican and some other Protestant Churches, any infant to be baptised must be represented by “godparents” as his sureties. According to the Book of Common Prayer “there shall be for every male child to be baptised two Godfathers and one Godmother; and for every female, one Godfather and two Godmothers”.

At a stage during the ceremony the Priest proceeds to ask a series of questions which the godfathers and godmothers answer in the name of the child. For example, the Priest first of all asks: “Dost thou renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world….and the carnal desires of the flesh … ?” Answer. “I renounce them all.”

Then the Priest further asks: “Dost thou believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth? And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son our Lord? ” Answer. “All this I steadfastly believe.”

Again, the Priest asks: “Wilt thou then obediently keep God’s holy will and commandments and walk in the same all the days of thy life?” Answer. “I will.”

But we have seen from experience that when such a baptised infant became an adult, his character reflected the very converse of the answers given by the godparents. This is so because the child was not converted. He should have attained the age of reasoning and accepted Christ himself before he was baptised. It is very wrong to appoint godfathers and godmothers: there is no precedent in the Scriptures!

Ceremonies

In the Roman Catholic Church the ceremonies of baptism are more elaborate. The details were published in the Catholic Voice issue of February 1959. Therein it was stated that “without baptism one cannot enter heaven”. This belief accounts for the zeal with which innocent children are rushed by parents into an ordeal of ceremonies of which they know nothing.

The Catholic Voice states: “THE CEREMONIES OF BAPTISM BEGIN AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE CHURCH. Why? The newly-born child is not yet a child of God. Unclean by original sin, its soul is displeasing to God. So its father and mother, little brothers and sisters and auntie-sponsor holding the baby, stand at the door of the church to beg for Baptism. The priest meets them at the door and says to the child…. what dost thou ask of the Church of God? And the godmother answers for her: Faith. The priest asks: what doth faith bring thee to? And the sponsor answers: Life everlasting. The priest says: If then thou desireth to enter into life, keep the commandments…”

The Voice states that “several times during the ceremonies of baptism the priest orders the devil, by God’s power, to go out”. The priest gently breathes thrice upon the face of the child and says once: “Go out of him (her) thou unclean spirit, and give place unto the Holy Spirit the Paraclete (Comforter).” The priest blesses salt so that it may be “a perfect medicine” and then puts a little into the mouth of the child, saying: ” Receive the salt of wisdom…”

The sign of the cross made on the forehead and breast of the child by the priest is said to be “the mark of God’s children”. After the ceremony of exorcising the devil the second time and saying some prayers, “the priest puts the end of his stole (a strip of silk worn round the neck with the ends hanging down in front) on the child, leading her into the Church, saying…Come into the temple of God, that thou mayest have part with Christ unto life everlasting.”

This is followed by the opening of the ears of the child to God’s word. “The priest, wetting his thumb with spittle, touches therewith, in the form of a cross, the right and left ear of the child, saying: Ephpheta, that is to say, be opened. Then he touches the nostrils, saying: For a savour of sweetness. But thou, satan, be gone, behold the judgment of God.” All these, dear reader, are not ordered by God and cannot be found in the Bible!

Furthermore, A Catholic Dictionary has this to say: “If there is not a probable hope that a child can be baptised after birth, Baptism may be administered in the womb… An aborted foetus must also be baptised, unconditionally or conditionally according to circumstances.” This is sheer nonsense! Modesty prevents us from commenting further on this practice.

There is no one who has read the Holy Bible with a good understanding that cannot be weighed down with disgust at certain unscriptural and filthy ceremonies and practices that are done in the name of Christ. It is the introduction into the Church of invented dogmas and ceremonies which have neither the backing of the Scriptures nor the taste of reason, that has caused many people to go astray and even become agnostics.

Immersion

The truth of the Bible about baptism cannot be covered. The word baptism is derived from the Greek word baptizo or baptizmo, and it means immersion or dipping in water.

From this definition, we can get a clear view of the fact outright that the system of pouring or sprinkling water is altogether wrong. There is not a single instance in the Bible where any follower of Jesus Christ was baptised by such a method. Jesus Christ himself was baptised in Jordan River at about the age of 30 – not at all as an infant! Water was not sprinkled on him. Saint Matthew’s record of the occasion reads: “And Jesus, when he was baptized went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” – Matthew 3: 16-17; see also Luke 3: 21-23.

This example of Christ’s baptism is the standard all his true followers are bound to follow. It was devoid of unnecessary ceremonies. No one stood as a “godfather” or “godmother” and he licked no salt. His baptism did not take place in a Synagogue but at a river where he could be and was dipped in water. And we must follow the example of our Saviour, and if the meaning of baptism is not to be defeated, all who are to be baptised MUST BE IMMERSED.

John the Baptist administered baptism to people where there was enough water. As it is written: “And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there and they came, and were baptized.” – John 3: 23.

Another instance in the Bible is that of the eunuch of Ethiopia who was baptised by Philip, the apostle of Christ. The eunuch was a treasurer under the queen of the Ethiopians. There was an occasion when he went to Jerusalem to worship, and while he was returning he read from the book of Isaiah the prophet. Through the direction of the Spirit of God, Philip wont close to him and asked him: “Understandest thou what thou readest? And he answered quite honestly: “How can I, except some man should guide me?” He then invited Philip to sit with him in his chariot, and Philip preached to him about Jesus Christ.

Here is the account of what followed: “And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still; and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.” – Acts 8: 26-40.

Symbol

According to the Bible, it is required that a person to be baptised must be immersed and covered by the water as a symbol of burial of one’s sinful desires and also into death. This signifies that he has agreed to do the will of God all the days of his life until, if it pleases God, death. And being raised out of the water is a symbol of resurrection, which is the hope of Christians, and it denotes regeneration or the new life which the person baptised has agreed to lead to the glory of God.

Said St. Paul: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized unto his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin.”-Romans 6: 3-6.

Again St. Paul stated: “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, Who hath raised him from the dead.” – Colossians 2: 12.

The fact, which no one can dispute, is that pouring or sprinkling of water does not bear relevance to the significance of burial with Christ into death neither does it give any idea of resurrection, spiritual or otherwise.

Baptism of Infants

With regard to the baptism of infants the only authority the priests of certain churches cite is the saying of Jesus Christ: “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” But what they often lose sight of is the fact that this statement of our Lord has no connection at all with baptism. The children were brought to him and he did no more than that he blessed them. The full account of this is in Matthew 19: 13-15 and Mark 10: 13-16. There is nothing wrong if the pastors or bishops who preach the truth bless children but they have no authority whatsoever to baptise them.

Jesus Christ did not baptise any child – not even a single adult. It was his disciples he instructed to baptise the believers. – John 4: 1-3.

A person must attain the age of reasoning so that he can repent of his sins and be able to express his belief in Jesus Christ before he is baptised. When the eunuch of Ethiopia asked for baptism, Philip told him: “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” And the eunuch answered: “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” (Acts 8: 37) It was on the basis of this belief, which the eunuch confessed, that he was baptised. But infants know nothing and so they cannot believe or accept the spiritual responsibility baptism imposes on the person who is baptised. The so-called surety of “godfathers” and “godmothers” is spiritually meaningless.

We agree that baptism is necessary for salvation but the innocent children should be left alone until they grow up when they can decide to serve God through Jesus Christ. Anyone who receives baptism but does not believe in Christ cannot be saved. Jesus said: “He that BELIEVETH and is baptised shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” –  Mark 16: 16.

Baptism, we repeat, does not wash away sin but it is an outward demonstration of one’s conversion and agreement to serve God Almighty faithfully through Jesus Christ all the days of one’s life, in order to obtain salvation. St. Peter stated: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 3: 21.

It was because of the vital importance of baptism, Jesus Christ commanded his apostles in this wise: “….Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” – Mark 16: 15, 16.

We have stated the truth of the matter in this Sermon with the best of intention so that we all may be guided by the light of Jesus Christ and be saved.

In the first place, we wish to correct the wrong view of some Christians who refer to a building as a church. One of the definitions given by The Catholic Encyclopedic Dictionary is that a church is “a place of Christian worship”. Very often we come across publications stating that a certain amount of money has been earmarked or contributed for the building of a church. Or that the foundation stone of a new church to be built at a cost of £10,000 or so, has been or is to be laid by such and such reverend gentleman. Also, we find some people pointing at a building and saying, “This is our church.”

The Bible does not refer to a house as church. Neither Jesus Christ nor any of his early apostles used the word to mean a building or place of worship. It is because of the continuous wrong usage of the word by priests and theologians that makers of dictionaries have also been biased to misconstrue it in that regard.

Christian

According to the Scripture, the word church, which was translated from the Greek word ekklesia or ecclesia, means a congregation or body or an assembly of Christians. The word was first used by Jesus Christ as recorded in the eighteenth verse of the sixteenth chapter of the gospel according to St. Matthew. The occasion was when Jesus Christ asked his disciples certain questions, and Peter gave a correct answer. To Peter, he said: “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” – Matthew 16: 13-18.

That the rock upon which the church is built is not Peter but Jesus Christ who himself is the head of the Church (1 Corinthians 10: 4; Colossians 1: 18) has been proved beyond argument in The Weekly Sermon (Vol. 1, No.9) issue of November 3, 1968. The point we are now making is that Jesus Christ did not use the word church to mean a literal house or place of worship.

In the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 14, a lucid account is given about how Paul and Barnabas worked unitedly for the furtherance of the gospel of Christ. When they were come to Antioch as stated in verse 27, “and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how He had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles”. The church that was gathered means the Christians, collectively, (not houses) that were assembled! When St. Paul said that “it is a shame for women to speak in the church” (1 Corinthians 14: 34, 35) he was not making reference to a building set aside for worship but to a congregation of Christians

Furthermore, St Paul wrote in his epistle to the Romans thus: “Likewise greet the church that is in their house… The churches of Christ salute you.” (Romans 16: 5, 16) Can anybody show that the apostle was asking his fellow Christians to greet a house? how can a sane person do that? it is unthinkable! Or can a house, an inanimate object, salute persons? it cannot, except a demon in it. This is just to show how ridiculous and meaningless it will sound if the word church is reduced to mean a place of worship.

By the clause, “the church that is in their house”, St. Paul meant the disciples of Christ that met in their house. And when he stated “the churches of Christ salute you” he was referring to the congregations of Christian believers. See also 1 Corinthians 16: 19.

It should be understood, therefore, that our reference to the “true Church” in the caption of this sermon, has to do with a group or body or a society of genuine Christians. The epithet true would have been superfluous if there had not existed groups of professed Christians which are counterfeit.

Denominations

With regard to the number of church denominations in the world, it is difficult to speak with exactitude. They are very many, and new ones spring up almost everyday. In Nigeria, there were two in particular that did not last long: they were the “Do Me I Do You Church” and “Adam and Eve Church”. The former was founded on the principle of retaliation as enunciated in the laws of Moses. Its members claimed that if they did not return evil for evil, God would be angry in that it was a sin. In the case of “Adam and Eve Church”, nakedness was their doctrine and practice. There is a similar church in England known as “The Guild Church of the Naturian Kindred”. (Vide Sunday Pictorial, May 19, 1957, page 15).

Considering the degree of variance among the churches in doctrines and methods of worship, it will be a very silly conclusion to say that all of them belong to Jesus Christ and are serving the one true God.

The Roman Catholic Church claims to be the only true Church, and mother of all others. In a pamphlet entitled, Can I Change My Religion? published by the “Catholic Truth Society” in London, it is stated: “Catholics do not want to change their religion, because they are quite sure that their religion is the true one…. You must accept everything that has been defined by her in the past, and be ready to accept without question anything that she may define in the future.” (Pages 3-4).

Other church groups do disagree and pooh-pooh the claim of the Roman Catholics which cannot be supported with or proved from the Bible.

There are some groups in Nigeria and elsewhere whose members’ activities, rather than turning men’s minds to God, are causing some people to reproach Christianity. In some of the groups almost every other member is either an apostle or a prophet or prophetess. Some take pride in high-sounding appellations such as “Senior Apostle”, “Most Senior Apostle” and so on. They prophesy and see visions almost everyday. The visions do not concern the purpose of God and are not such that tend to lead to righteousness but visions about riches or of the women the “spirit” wants them to marry, or of who is a witch and what not.

It is common knowledge that fornication and adultery are perpetrated in some of these mushroom groups where certain prophets can spend a whole day with women in private rooms under the cover of prayer! Some of these prophets take certain deluded women to rivers where they pretend to wash away their sins and to invoke angels through prayer to drive away devils or demons from them. It is frequently alleged that the prophets strip them stark naked and make immoral advances to them in “holy” water!

It was during one of their spirit-vision expeditions that some of these prophets killed a certain poor woman in the Western State as published.

The other day one of their prophets claimed to have seen a vision that the Western State of Nigeria would sink if the people paid more than 7/6 per head as tax; he actually went out to spread this satan-inspired message. But on investigation, it was discovered that the anti-tax preacher had himself paid tax and kept his receipt quite intact. He was of course, justly convicted for 18 months. (Daily Times, February 1, 1969) Since Jesus Christ and his disciples paid tax in his days, do we still need any more proof before we can know that the anti-tax gospeler is a fake?

Variance

All the churches cannot be true while they are at variance on several points of doctrine, and divided in their methods of worship, we repeat. St. Paul stated: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1 Corinthians 1: 10) The fact that some have deviated from the truth of God in the Bible and do not speak the same thing and are divided leaves no room for doubt that such ones only call the name of Christ in pretence.

False Prophets

Jesus Christ knew very well that false prophets with their characteristic propensity for fantastic claims would proliferate in this age of the last day, and he warned against them. Said he: “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before.” (Matthew 24: 11, 24-25.) Bible students are not surprised to see them and hear of them all over the world. It is a proof that the last day is here!

Within the past few years the rate at which false Christs sprang up is fantastic. Like a shooting star, they appear suddenly in the mood of sanctimoniousness and, after a short while, fade away into oblivion. Where now is the “Jesus of Oyingbo” (Lagos)? Where is that of France who predicted that the world would end on August 15, 1954? (Vide the Illustrated of May, 1954) and where is that “Jesus of Ogbunike” near Onitsha? One of them claimed to be God and the very Jesus the Son of God, and at the same time he said he was Abraham. Yet some of those who had been stupefied with the strokes of his cane by which he “baptised” his adherents, believed everything he said. God said: “A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” – Jeremiah 5: 30, 31.

There is no doubt that Nigeria, and the world at large, is in danger of false prophets. They are dangerous because they lead people to destruction. – Isaiah. 9: 16; Matthew 15: 12-14.

When we examine the root of the encomium or praise and the credit given to certain churches for their achievements we find that they do not relate to the purity of doctrine or the reformation of character in converted souls. Rather, such a praise or credit is based on the number of schools, colleges or hospitals they have established or on the scholarships they have given to people. These institutions are not bad. But they are no standards or qualities by which genuine Christianity can be distinguished. The most important thing is the preaching of the truth of God’s word – the gospel – to the sheep of God so that they may be free from Satan’s works and be saved in God’s Kingdom. – Mark 16: 15-16, 19-20; John 8: 31, 32, 36.

The pride of certain churches is that they have existed for a very long time. Because of this they regard others which are not as old to be false. On this, we also hold the view that it is not how long but how well. Jesus did say: “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” – Matthew 19: 30.

In order to know which church is true and which is not, we must examine the doctrines and practices of the various groups – using the Holy Bible as our yardstick. Jesus gave this warning: “Beware of false teachers, who come disguised as harmless sheep but are wolves and will tear you apart. You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You need never confuse grapevines with thorn bushes! Or figs with thistles! Different kinds of fruit trees can quickly be identified by examining their fruit. For a variety producing delicious fruit doesn’t produce a kind that is inedible! And a tree producing an inedible variety can’t produce what is good! So the trees having the inedible fruit are chopped down and thrown on the fire. Yes, the way to identify a tree, or a person, is by the kind of fruit produced.” – Matthew 7: 15-20, Living Gospels.

The Authorised Version puts verse 20 thus: “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Jesus Christ further said: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” -Matthew 7: 21.

It is wrong, therefore, to accept every church denomination as true and as belonging to Jesus Christ. We must follow strictly the guidelines given in the Scriptures in order not to be deceived especially in these days when many are claiming to be prophets, apostles and prophetesses who see spirits. John the apostle admonished: “Beloved. believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone on into the world.” (1 John 4: 1) And St. Paul also warned: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” – l Thessalonians 5: 21.

To close our eyes to or ignore the reality of the presence of false churches among us is nothing but self-deceit. Said St. Paul; “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth…. ” (1 Timothy 4; 1-5.) Just look around, it will not take you any pains to find the church groups that come under the category of the apostle’s predictive description.

True Church

The fruit by which we can know the true Church is not the doing of wonders, seeing of visions, dreaming of dreams or the saying of many prayers but the preaching of the TRUTH in particular, and the showing of Christian love. (John 13: 34,35) False prophets can do wonders, see visions and do some other things, but they CAN NEVER preach the TRUTH without adulterating it. (Matthew 7: 20-23) Once the doctrine of any religious body is tainted with a lie that group is not a true church. St. John stated “that no lie is of the truth”. (1 John 2: 21) It was on this ground St. Paul wrote to Timothy: “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.” – 1 Timothy 6: 3-5.

The trouble with many people is that they take things for granted. They do not care to ascertain whether what they are taught to believe in the churches are in harmony with the holy scripture. For example, the teaching that St. Peter is the head of the church is not true; JESUS CHRIST IS THE HEAD. (Ephesians 5: 22,23) The teaching that the soul is immortal is wrong; the baptism of infants is unchristian, and the teaching that baptism washes away sins is unscriptural; the teaching that women are ordained by God to preach the gospel is unbiblical. There are a lot of other false doctrines and beliefs which space will not permit us to mention here.

Any church denomination, or even an angel from heaven, that teaches any doctrine unsupported in the Scripture, has no right to claim to be the true church. Said St. Paul: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed…” – Galatians 1: 8, 9.

The true Church, therefore, is the Christian Organisation in any part of the world that preaches the truth, nothing but the whole truth, as contained in the Holy Bible. Jesus said to the Jews who believed on him: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8: 31, 32) It is the truth that will bring us the salvation of God, but the absence of it means the loss of everything good.

As we must be honest and true to ourselves and other persons of goodwill toward God, we cannot hide the fact that the God’s Kingdom Society (GKS) is preaching the truth which has enlightened many people and brought them God’s blessings; she is therefore -like any other church organisation preaching the truth-the true Church of Christ. Some may frown upon this claim but the onus of proof rests upon them to show from the Scriptures (not their opinions) that we are not. And where they cannot let them say, as commanded by God, “It is truth.”-Isaiah. 43: 9; see also John 8: 45, 46.