Simple Answers
Lesson 2
“Common-Sense Questions a
Church-of -Christ Preacher
Cannot Answer?”
 So says David Martin of the
so-called “Rock Solid
Baptist Church”
 Yet he is not solid enough to
allow me to answer his
questions before his people
David Martin
Martin’s Unanswerable Questions
2. If a "Church-of-Christ" elder refuses to
baptize me, will I be lost until I can find one
who will? Do I need Jesus AND a
Campbellite preacher in order to be saved? If
I do, then Jesus Christ is not the only
Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5) and the Holy Spirit
is not the only Administrator (1 Corinthians
12:13) of salvation - the "Church of Christ"
preacher is necessary to salvation, for he is
performing a saving act on me when he
baptizes me! Is this not blasphemy against
Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost?
Answer:
• One does not need a church-of-Christ
elder to baptize him.
– Who--except Baptist preachers--has ever
taught that you must be baptized by a
Church-of-Christ elder?
– Jesus did not say, “He who believes and is
baptized by an elder shall be saved.”
– A person is lost until he does what Jesus
commanded regarding baptism. (Mark 16:16)
Answer:
• If you charge one with being a “Campbellite,” you
MUST prove that what he teaches, believes, and
practices began with a man named Campbell.
• Teaching baptism for salvation began with Christ
(Mark 16:16).
• Partaking of the Lord’s Supper on the first day of
the week began with Christ (Acts 20:7).
• Giving of our means on the first day of the week
began with Christ (1 Corinthians 16:1,2).
• Being a member of a church of Christ began with
Christ (Romans 16:16).
Answer
Martin needs to cite one item of faith
we practice that began with Campbell!
Otherwise:
1. His charge is empty!
2. He is a false accuser/witness.
Martin’s Unanswerable Questions
• If a "Church of Christ" elder refuses to baptize
me, will I be lost until I can find one who will?
Do I need Jesus AND a Campbellite
"preacher" in order to be saved? If I do, then
Jesus Christ is not the only Mediator
(1 Timothy 2:5) and the Holy Spirit is not the
only Administrator (1 Cor. 12:13) of salvation the "Church of Christ" preacher is necessary
to salvation for he is performing a saving act
on me when he baptizes me! Is this not
blasphemy against Jesus Christ and the Holy
Ghost?
Answer:
• Does Martin believe that “preaching” is
essential to faith?
– “For whoever calls on the name of the LORD
shall be saved. How then shall they call on
Him in whom they have not believed? And
how shall they believe in Him of whom they
have not heard? And how shall they hear
without a preacher?” (Romans 10:13,14)
– He who calls shall be saved; belief comes
before calling; hearing is before believing; and
preaching is before hearing.
“if-then” reasoning
The Knife Cuts Both Ways!
• If teaching that baptism saves denies the
mediatory office of Christ and replaces it
with a man, then:
– teaching that preaching saves denies the
mediatory office of Christ and replaces it with
a man!
– teaching that man must do the believing
denies the mediatory office of Christ and
replaces it with a man! (John 8:24)
“if-then” reasoning
The Knife Cuts Both Ways!
• IF A PERSON CAN PREACH TO
SAVE OTHERS WITHOUT
USURPING THE MEDIATORY
OFFICE OF CHRIST, THEN HE
CAN ALSO BAPTIZE!
Martin’s Unanswerable Questions
• If a "Church of Christ" elder refuses to baptize
me, will I be lost until I can find one who will?
Do I need Jesus AND a Campbellite
"preacher" in order to be saved? If I do, then
Jesus Christ is not the only Mediator
(1 Timothy 2:5) and the Holy Spirit is not the
only Administrator (1 Corinthians12:13) of
salvation - the "Church of Christ" preacher is
necessary to salvation for he is performing a
saving act on me when he baptizes me! Is this
not blasphemy against Jesus Christ and the
Holy Ghost?
Answer:
• The Holy Spirit is not, never has
been, and never will be the
administrator of water baptism!
–He authorizes but does not
administer water baptism.
Matthew 28:18, 19
• “Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have
commanded you. . .”
God Or Man
–
–
–
–
–
who is to go?
who is to make disciples?
who is to teach?
who is to administer baptism?
who authorizes such?
Acts 8:38
• “So he commanded the chariot to stand
still. And both Philip and the eunuch went
down into the water, and he baptized
him.”
– Who baptized the eunuch?
– Did Philip negate the mediatory office of
Christ?
– Who sent Philip?
1 Corinthians 12:13
• “For by one Spirit we were all baptized
into one body––whether Jews or Greeks,
whether slaves or free––and have all been
made to drink into one Spirit.”
– This baptism is “into one body” (the church;
see Ephesians 1:22,23)
– Baptists already believe water baptism puts
them into the church
– Why can they not see that this is, therefore,
water baptism?
“TWO” Many Baptisms
• Baptists admit that there is a baptism in
water that puts them into the Baptist
church.
• Baptists assert there is also a baptism
administered by the Holy Spirit that saves
them.
• TWO baptisms is ONE baptism too many.
– “one Lord, one faith, one baptism”
(Ephesians 4:5)
Martin’s Unanswerable Questions
3. “If the water pipes broke and
the baptistery was bone dry,
would my salvation have to wait
until the plumber showed up? If
I were to die before then,
would I go to hell? If
obedience to water baptism is
the means of forgiveness of
sins, then I would.”
Answer
• “Since becoming a Baptist requires water
baptism, should the pipes break and the
baptistery be bone dry, would I have to
wait to become a Baptist until the plumber
showed up?”
– Should the baptistery be bone dry, one can go
elsewhere to obey the command, “He who
believes and is baptized shall be saved.”
• Bathtub (provided it is big enough), pool, river,
pond, lake, ocean
Answer
• HOW ABOUT “If the preacher lost his
voice and could not teach an illiterate man,
would he have to wait until the preacher’s
voice was restored? If he were to die
before then, would he go to hell? If
hearing is the means to faith, then he
would.”
– Shall we argue that preaching, hearing, and
faith are, therefore, not essential to salvation?
Answer
• If the illiterate infidel dies before he hears the
gospel and believes in Christ, he will be lost.
– “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins;
for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in
your sins.” (John 8:24)
• If the believer dies before he repents and is
baptized, he will be lost.
– “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one
of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 2:38; cf. Luke13:3)
Martin’s Unanswerable Questions
4. “If my past sins are forgiven when I am baptized in
water, and it is possible for me to ‘lose my salvation’
and go to hell after being baptized, then wouldn't my
best chance of going to heaven be to drown in the
baptistery—before I had a chance to sin so as to be
lost again? If I wanted to be absolutely sure of
heaven, isn't that my best opportunity?”
Note David Martin’s Argument Style
• Scenario-based
• Absence of Scripture
• What if…
Drown in the Baptistery to Ensure
Salvation?
• This is not an accusation against baptism
for salvation.
– Same argument could be framed against
belief (the gospel and the gun).
• This is leveled at another biblical doctrine–
the ability to fall away
– Martin denies that a Christian can fall away.
• God has not called us to kill ourselves, but
to live for Him (1 Thessalonians 5:9,10)
Can One Lose His Salvation?
• “Therefore we
must give the
more earnest
heed to the
things we have
heard, lest we
drift away”
(Hebrews 2:1)
– Martin says we
cannot drift.
Can One Lose His Salvation?
• “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an
evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living
God.” (Hebrews 3:12)
– Martin says do not beware, you cannot depart!
• “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering
His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have
come short of it.” (Hebrews 4:1)
– Martin says do not worry about it, you cannot come
short of it!
Can One Lose His Salvation?
• “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that
rest, lest anyone fall according to the
same example of disobedience.”
(Hebrews 4:11)
– Martin says there’s no need to worry; you
cannot fall!
Question
• Who is a man who says he knows Jesus
but denies His word?
• Who is a man who says he loves the Holy
Spirit but contradicts His word?
– “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do
not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46)
– “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
(John 14:15)
Know We Are Saved?
• “Now by this we know that we know Him,
if we keep His commandments. He who
says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His
commandments, is a liar, and the truth is
not in him. But whoever keeps His word,
truly the love of God is perfected in him.
By this we know that we are in Him.”
(1 John 2:3-5)
“But he who heard and did nothing is like a man
who built a house on the earth without a
foundation, against which the stream beat
vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin
of that house was great.” (Luke 6:49)
1 John 4:4
• “He who says, ‘I know Him,’
and does not keep His
commandments, is a liar, and
the truth is not in him.”
– a liar is a person who
contradicts God’s commandments while affirming that he
knows God.
– the truth is not in him!