Landmarkism--Truth or Heresy?

There is a link between any theology taken to extremes and arrogance. Landmark is not the only one. Throw any label you want in there and it can fit.

You can think everything you believe is true without being arrogant about it.

 

I believe absolutely in the local church, but I also believe that all the local churches make up the body of Christ. Contrary to what some say this does not diminish the local church and it does not refer to some mystical nothing.

Universal church is not a term I would use, but I think there are other terms which give acknowledgment to this fact.

But this is another subject... and one on which I know no one ever moves.

 

I like the second post in this thread--a quote from Spurgeon. But I don't believe it defines a Landmark church. I too believe that churches existed in every age since the time of Christ that held distinctives such as Baptists hold today thought they may not have been called Baptists.

However, as a missionary travelling on deputation, I once was told I could not preach in a certain church. In conversation the pastor had found out that the pastor of my church, though a staunch IFB pasor himself, had come out of an Alliance background. He had not been baptized by a Baptist, who was baptized by a Baptist, who was baptized by a Baptist, etc. etc.
That is what I considered to be Landmarkist. (and ridiculous).

 

Is it arrogant to believe that you hold the only real truth and all others are heretics?

I personally believe that the only way to the Father is through repentence, the blood, the cross, and the ressurrection of Christ. Any other view is absolutely heretical. And I will get a little more than bothered when I hear lies to the contrary being espoused.

However, to say that a non-Baptist cannot hold to essential Biblical doctrine is complete arrogance. I may disagree with alot of other denominations on a great many issues but to say that scripture is only speaking to the local Baptist church cannot be supported by scripture. Many that espouse this very wrong ideology use alot of human reasoning and no real biblical context.There are in fact many churches of other denominations that hold correctly to essential Biblical doctrines. What they will tell you though is that "I dont have to defend what I believe to anyone. I dont have to explain it I just have to believe it." When you question them about it they remain vague in there answers if not completely refuse to explain them. It is because they cannot and they wont be cornered. But they will tell you that you are wrong. This is arrogance in its simplest form.

When we diminish the cross, the blood, repentence, and the priesthood of the believer then we have issues worth standing toe to toe over. Some are pretrib, some midtrib, someposttrib(although this view has serious problems). These issues are not worth saying that one is not a part of the true church for holding to any of them. And so the same is with many secondary issues.

Having escaped the Independent Baptist realm I can speak from eperience of the arrogance. I sat at a camp in Tennessee where the IB evangelist said he was a "Killer (homosexual) for Christ". A young man who was troubled who had attended the camp was shunned as if he had leprosy even by all the adults.

The notion I am right and cannot be wrong is aroggant. The idea that I must not give room for error in my Biblical beliefs or else I cannot stand boldly for Gods word breeds arrogance.

And arrogance cannot see itself in the mirror. It cannot comprehend its own existence.Its character is simuilar to humility. The moment you claim humility you have lost it. The moment you say you are never arrogant you are in fact arrogant.

I think someone mentioned about complicating the gospel with all sorts of nuances, maybe it was Jim. I believe he is right. We want to understand the smallest of details and so we fill our minds with hours of useless study coming to all sorts of useles ideas.

Paul said :
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

We distort the gospel with unnecessary requirements based on mans reasoning and no real context. The gospel is simple. To much talk and study takes us outside of the truth and breeds arrogance and division unnecessarily. ( I am not for ecumenicalism)