On the Baptists. The Historical Origin of the Baptists #
T.S. Tulupov
Until the year 1054 A.D., the Greek Eastern and the Roman Catholic Churches were united in faith and formed a single Church. But in that year, all the Eastern Churches excommunicated the Roman Catholic Church for many innovations in faith that were contrary to the Word of God, and chiefly for the Catholics’ erroneous teaching concerning the procession of the Holy Ghost — not only from the Father, as the Word of God teaches (John 15:26), but also from the Son.
Almost five hundred years later, in 1520, the monk Martin Luther broke away from Catholicism and became the founder of the Lutheran faith. He began to reject Holy Tradition, the veneration of icons, the invocation of saints in prayer, the sacred hierarchy, the holy sacraments, and so on.
Finally, in 1525, Luther’s disciple Thomas Müntzer separated from him. He taught that the baptism of infants was invalid, and thus began to rebaptize adults a second time. For this reason, Müntzer’s followers came to be called “Anabaptists,” that is, “rebaptizers,” although the sectarians themselves began calling themselves “Baptists,” that is, “the baptized.”
In 1618, Baptism (i.e., the Baptist sect) is first mentioned in England. From there, in 1639, it was brought to America. Later, the Baptist movement appeared on the European continent. From Germany, it spread to Russia.
The first native Russian who converted to Baptism was a merchant of the city of Tiflis, Nikita Isaev Voronin, who was rebaptized in 1867 by a German colonist of Tiflis named Martin Kalweit. From there, the sect spread to other cities of the Russian Empire.
An Overview of the Baptist Sect’s Doctrine
Baptists reject the veneration of the Mother of God, of angels, and of God’s saints; the veneration of icons, the Cross, and holy relics; prayer for the departed; fasting; monasticism; and so forth. They reject the entire liturgical and ceremonial order of the Church. The chief dogmatic basis of the Baptist sect is faith — faith that Christ once and for all redeemed all people, and that for personal salvation it is only necessary to acknowledge this and to live one’s life in accordance with the commandments of the Gospel. The Baptists base their religious worldview solely on the Holy Scripture — that is, on the teachings of the Holy Gospel and the Apostolic epistles — and they reject Holy Tradition.
Baptist prayer gatherings are pale and dull. They consist of reading the Word of God, sermons, prayers, and the singing of hymns composed by them, such as:
“To Thee I bring all my sins,
Too many to count or name;
Wash them Thyself in Thy own Blood,
Which for us all was shed in pain.”
The melodies of such hymns are often similar to street songs.
Baptists do not acknowledge any obligatory prayers; instead, their prayers are delivered as spontaneous improvisations. Of external prayerful gestures, they permit only kneeling.
Baptists have certain rites, such as: baptism, the laying on of hands, and the offering of bread (a form of communion).
Baptists perform baptism in a river or lake by immersing the person once, backward. Baptism is administered only to adults; infant baptism is rejected. No specific age is fixed for baptism — this is determined at the discretion of the “presbyter.”
Though Baptists deny church hierarchy, every congregation nonetheless has one or two “presbyters” or “elders,” elected by the congregation, who perform religious services.
According to Baptist teaching, the means of receiving the salvation acquired by Christ are: the Word of God, baptism, and the Holy Supper. Through the Word of God, say the Baptists, a person awakens from the sleep of sin, recognizes his sins and guilt, and repents with his whole heart.
The Holy Supper among the Baptists consists in the breaking of bread, which is performed as follows: the presbyter, before carrying out the rite, addresses those present and exhorts them to come to sincere repentance for their sins. He prepares them for this with readings from Holy Scripture and a sermon. Only then does he proceed to the rite itself. The presbyter takes bread that has been crumbled into small pieces and, with the words, “Take, eat, this is My Body,” distributes it to those present. Then, from a nickel-plated pitcher, wine is poured into individual cups.
The presbyter then recites the corresponding Gospel text concerning the institution of the Eucharist, and the “Communion with the Blood” proceeds in the same manner. Only those who have received Baptist baptism are allowed to partake.
The burial of the dead among the Baptists is carried out with extreme simplicity: it consists of singing and reading psalms from the Psalter and hymns from Baptist hymnals, along with selected passages from the Gospels and the Apostolic Epistles, chosen at the discretion of the presbyters. The commemoration of the dead is rejected.
Baptists believe in the afterlife, the second coming of Christ, and the universal Last Judgment.
For their prayer gatherings, Baptists have special meeting houses. Inside, benches are arranged on both sides for those attending. There is a pulpit for preachers, and verses from Holy Scripture are written on the walls. The structure of the service is as follows: hymn singing, a sermon, and kneeling prayer. A sermon typically begins with the words: “Dear brothers and sisters, the Lord has placed it on my heart today to read to you from the Word of God, the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 4, verse 4,” and so on.
The preacher then interprets the passage in accordance with the teachings of his sect. After the sermon follows the kneeling “following of Christ.” All kneel, and an unimaginable wailing arises. “Grant us worthiness!” cry some. “Bless the gathering!” repeat others. “Forget us not!” chant a third group. “We can do nothing on our own!” … “Herein lies blessing, truth, the goodness of each of our hearts… Receive our thanks, O dear Savior!” — and so on and so forth.
Everyone says their prayer in their own words, as they can come up with. A typical Baptist prayer consists of words like these:
“O dear Lord! Bless all Thy children. Thou knowest my heart thirsts for salvation. O loving, O dear Savior! Thou didst suffer; by Thy sufferings, Thou didst wash away Thy sins… Thou knewest what a sinner I was… Thou didst call me. O Merciful One! I beseech Thee, call many more… And to Thee be glory and thanksgiving forever, Amen.”
The gathering concludes with the following prayer:
“Dear Lord! We thank Thee for Thy love, which Thou grantest to be felt in every heart. Thou art our joy, O Lord! Thou callest us all to Thy marvelous light. Thou didst help us today to receive Thee. Thou didst call us to Thy service today, for Thou hast hidden Thy Word from the wise and prudent and revealed it unto babes. We thank Thee. Bless us now as we close our gathering! May the grace of the Lord and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all,” says the presbyter.
The congregation responds: “Amen.”
Such is a brief description of the teachings of the Baptist sect, or so-called “Evangelical Christians.”
A Critique of the Baptist Doctrine. Introduction. #
The True Orthodox Christian Church was founded by Jesus Christ Himself through His Passion and Resurrection, and He redeemed it with His precious Blood upon the Cross. The Holy Orthodox Church, as the right confession of faith, according to the promise of Christ, shall not be overcome by the gates of hell (Matt. pericope 67). Blessed Jerome writes: “Noah, having come out of the Ark, planted a vineyard, and drinking from it, became drunk: even so Christ, born in the flesh, planted the Church and suffered” (Part 4, p. 87). He also writes: “Under Mount Sion and the mother of the firstborn and of the saints we are to understand the Church, which was established by the sufferings and Resurrection of the Savior” (Part 15, p. 21).
Blessed Theodoret writes: “It is rightly, like a dove, that the Church joined to Christ is named — she who avoids fellowship with others, and even after His death did not abandon Him, but was made worthy of His Resurrection” (Theodoret’s Commentary on the Song of Songs, p. 57, 1855 edition).
The immediate disciples of Christ the Savior, the holy Apostles, having received the precious gift of the Christian faith, in turn transmitted this divine inheritance to their successors. And thus, like a river of grace, the teaching of the Christian faith has been passed down to us in an unbroken line to our own time. And by the promise of the very Author of the Faith, Christ the Savior, it will continue without interruption until the end of the world (Matt. 28:20). The Christian Church is a rock beaten by the waves but unshaken. The Orthodox Church has undergone many temptations over the course of its great span of history — and continues to face them — but is not overcome.
Saint Hippolytus says the Church is like a ship: tossed in the deep, yet not sunk. For she has as her skilled Helmsman — Christ. She also carries within her a kind of trophy set against death — namely, the Cross of the Lord. She has a prow — the East — and a stern — the West; her keel is the South. She is guided by two rudders — the two Testaments; the ropes that encircle her are the love of Christ that binds the Church together. She also carries in her hold the bath of regeneration — that bath which renews the faithful.
She possesses a fine transparent fabric — the Spirit from heaven, by whom believers are sealed unto God. She is also equipped with iron anchors — the Holy Commandments of Christ Himself, which are as strong as iron. She has sailors on both the starboard and port sides — the holy serving angels, by whom the Church is constantly upheld and guarded” (Vol. 2, p. 40, § 52; from the extracts of Alexandrov, p. 14).
Let us now turn to the sect of the Baptists, which exists today, and ask: does this sect bear any connection whatsoever to the True Orthodox Church, founded by our Lord Jesus Christ? The answer must be in the negative. No, it does not — for the Baptist sect, in its doctrine, is entirely alien to the Holy Orthodox faith. The Christian Church has existed since the time of Christ, whereas the Baptist sect appeared in the world only in the year 1525. Where, then, was the true Church among the Baptists for the 1525 years prior? The Christian faith has its root in Christ the Savior, but the Baptist sect traces back to a German, Thomas Müntzer. The difference is clear to all.
Christ the Savior says in His Holy Gospel:
“I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” (John, pericope 36)
The Baptist sect was not founded by the door of Orthodox teaching, not according to the Law of Christ the Savior, but came into being by the invention of ordinary mortal men and by their own reasoning.
Take heed of false prophets, says the Holy Gospel — who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” (Matt. pericope 22)
The corrupt tree is the heretics, and the good tree — the Orthodox. From Orthodoxy come Orthodox believers, just as from gold comes golden things, from brass — things of brass, and from clay — things of clay. Thus, the good tree is the true Christian faith, and the corrupt tree is heresy. And from the corrupt tree have come the Baptists.
“One must firmly hold to the Church,” says Blessed Jerome of Stridon, “which, having been founded by the Apostles, continues to exist to this very day. If we ever hear of some who, considering themselves to be of Christ, have taken a name not from the Lord Jesus, but from some other man, know that this is not the Church of Christ, but the synagogue of Antichrist” (Part 4, p. 92).
From this it is clear that all who have their origin not from the Lord Jesus Christ, but from someone else — as in the case of the Baptist sect — are, by the judgment of that blessed Father, not the Church of Christ but a demonic assembly of ungodly men. They have neither a spiritual nor historical connection with Christianity, which has come down to us in unbroken succession from Christ. The teaching of the Baptist sect does not proceed from the doctrine of Christ and the holy Apostles, but from the heretic Thomas Müntzer (1525). Therefore, the Baptist sect cannot be called the Orthodox Church of Christ nor the saving faith, for the doctrine of the heretical Baptists is not the teaching of Christ, but the delusion of the sick mind of a German heretic, Thomas Müntzer, who gave birth in 1525 to this lawless, heretical faction.
Anyone who desires eternal salvation must be a member of the Holy Ancient Orthodox Church, whose Supreme Head is Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:22), who unites all believers into one, indivisible Body (Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 10:17), made alive by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13) and held together by one confession of faith (Eph. 6:23–24; Heb. 4:14). Christ the Savior always spoke of one Church only, for example: “I will build My Church” (Matt. 16:18). When portraying the Church in parables, He spoke of one flock under the care of one shepherd (John 10:16), of one Kingdom of God on earth (Matt. 13:24–47 and others), of one cornerstone of the Church (Matt. 16:18), He commanded one doctrine to be preached (Matt. 28:19–20), established one baptism (Eph. 4:5), and so on. The immediate disciples of Christ the Savior, the holy Apostles, likewise taught of one Church only: “Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it” (Eph. 5:25); “You are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28); “We, being many, are one body in Christ” (Rom. 12:5); “One body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling: one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Eph. 4:4–6).
What then is the reason that, instead of the one faith founded by Jesus Christ, so many other beliefs have arisen? — We must say that each of these various faiths claims to have its source in Christ the Savior and likewise hopes for salvation. But the appearance of heresies and false teachings was foreseen by our Lord Jesus Christ and by His disciples, the holy Apostles. “Then shall many be offended,” says Christ, “and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many” (Matt., pericope 98). The holy Apostle Peter, warning the faithful, says: “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not” (2 Peter 2:1–3).
The holy Apostle John the Theologian writes: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
Each of these separate beliefs may claim that its doctrine stems from Jesus Christ and the holy Apostles, but the Master Christ, regardless of their claims to believe in Him or to pray to Him, will say to them: “Why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). God is present everywhere (Ps. 138:7–12), but He is not present everywhere in His grace: to some gatherings He looks with love, and to others with wrath and fury (Pss. 11 and 5). Thus there may be assemblies that are truly satanic (Rev. 2:9; 3:9). The same is true of Baptist assemblies. Even though the Name of God is called upon at those meetings, still: “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination” (Prov. 28:9).
What, then, is the Baptist sect? Baptism in their view is a heretical interpretation of the Gospel.
Baptism, by its very nature, is a distortion of the preaching of Christ and the Apostles and a corruption of Divine Revelation. Christianity is not merely a book — it is life itself. The Lord lives on earth in the body of the Church: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you,” said the Apostle Paul, “and fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for the sake of His Body, which is the Church” (Col. 1:24ff). Irenaeus of Lyons teaches: “They do not have the Spirit of God, all those who do not come to the Church, but instead turn themselves away from life through evil thoughts and supposed good works. For where the Church is, there is also the Spirit of God, and where the Spirit of God is, there is the Church and every grace. And the Spirit is the Truth. Therefore, those who do not partake of Him neither draw nourishment from the breasts of the Mother unto life nor drink from the purest fountain that flows from the Body of Christ, but instead dig for themselves ‘broken cisterns’ in the earth (Jer. 2:13) and drink stagnant water from a swamp, avoiding the faith of the Church.”
The Holy Ancient Orthodox Conciliar Church is that which walks the royal middle path, deviating neither to the right nor to the left, and wholly teaches that “without faith it is impossible to please God,” and that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). Along with faith and works, right doctrine is necessary (Acts 10:1–48), which we find in the Holy Scriptures and in the writings of the holy Fathers and teachers of the Church. Thus, in the Great Catechism we read in answer to the question: “What is the Church of God?” — “The Church of God is the assembly of God’s faithful, who unwaveringly hold to the one Orthodox faith and dwell in love, who embrace the unshakable evangelical doctrine, and who are worthy to receive the Holy and Divine perfect Mysteries. They are those who are under the one Head, our Lord Jesus Christ, and under the governance of holy and perfect ones appointed by Him” (Great Catechism, chapter 15, On the Church of God, folio 120 verso).
And below, folio 121: “Question: What is the coniliar Church? Answer: The conciliar Church is such because the dogmas handed down by all seven holy Ecumenical Councils are preserved in her. She is glorified by sacred hymns and chants and adorned with holy divine icons.” And further: “Therefore, those who do not remain in this conciliar Church, Christ will not save, and such as these do not have the Holy Spirit… Know the Church of God rightly and endure in her to the end all tribulations. But beware of the assemblies of demons, for the gatherings of the impious are also often falsely called the Church of God. But you, understand this, and flee from the demonic Babylon, that is, from the throng of evil and impious people, and the Lord God will receive you” (Great Catechism, folio 121 verso).
“Blessed is the man (or woman),” says the purple-robed Prophet, “who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful” (Ps. 1:1); “He who separates himself from the Church,” says St. Irenaeus of Lyons, “and follows every fable, such are truly self-condemned, of whom the Apostle Paul commands that, after the first and second admonition, we should avoid them” (Book 1, ch. 16).
It is enough for any reasonable person to enter even once into a Baptist gathering and look at the interior arrangement of their prayer house, observe the order of their prayers, and listen to their “chants” to be convinced what sort of church this is, what sort of assembly, and what kind of singing.
The inside of their prayer houses is nothing more than a school hall: a podium and desks — by no means a church. Their prayer is disorganized. Their hymns are sung to the tunes of popular street songs.
And yet, despite this spiritual poverty, these proud freethinkers strive with all their might to catch others in their nets of heresy — nets of manifest destruction. And, unfortunately, it must be said that they often succeed in their harmful activities and intentions. It is with great sorrow that one must admit that this heretical infection has begun to penetrate even into the environment of the Old Believers — that steadfast and deeply believing people.
The tempting side of sectarian teaching appears to be this: the easy attainment of salvation through faith alone. “Believe in Christ and be saved,” the sectarians say. Salvation without any labor or struggle. Is this not alluring — especially for the youth of our day?
Being deceived by the enticing and curious words of Baptist preachers, unfortunately, some even among the Old Believers — through simplicity and unbelief — have been carried away by the wind of sectarian teaching, abandoning their saving faith and joining themselves to this manifestly soul-destroying heretical assembly.
The appearance of various heresies is the fruit of a false understanding of the Word of God by those who distort the Scriptures. The Scriptures say: “If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:9). Thus, the Holy Scripture, when misused, may be likened — to a certain degree — to a flower, from which the bee draws honey, but the spider poison. It is, in the words of the Apostle Paul, a “two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12; Eph. 6:17), which must be handled skillfully and rightly, lest one harm oneself. For some, when guided by the Church, both Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition point the way to salvation; others, interpreting it arbitrarily, fall into soul-destroying heresies and resemble those “unlearned and unstable” of whom the Apostle Peter says: “There were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who shall privily bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not” (2 Peter 2:1–3).
Saint Symeon the New Theologian, reproving the corrupters and false interpreters, says: “O my brethren! Why do you concern yourselves not with those things by which you might be saved, but with those by which you are subject to punishment? Why do you take from Holy Scripture only what is obscure, interpret it wrongly and perversely, and understand it unto the destruction of your soul?” (Vol. 1, Homily 26, p. 232). And another teacher of the Church says: “If anyone reproaches or condemns the Divine Scriptures or praises his own intellect (as the sectarians — the Baptists — do), there is none more foolish on earth than such a man” (The Enlightener, by Joseph of Volokolamsk, 3rd ed., Homily 5, p. 186). And further: “If anyone says that the writings of the holy fathers are false, such a one has the mouth of their father, the devil” (Homily 8, p. 338). For, “many have believed, but not as the Scripture saith, but as they have followed their own will — such are all heretics” (Exposition on the Gospel of John, pericope 28, fol. 125). “All who believe not according to the Scripture are heretics” (same fol., in the margin). “It is great folly to abandon the established words and to speak one’s own” (Alpha and Omega, ch. 9, fol. 22). Therefore, “let him be cursed who reads the Scriptures and contradicts them; who reads the Prophets and rejects their words; who reads the Apostles and opposes their teaching” (Works of Ephraim the Syrian, part 1, ch. 28).
In general, such people and their reasoning must be avoided, as the Apostle says: “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them” (Rom. 16:17; cf. 2 Thess. 3:6), even if they are our closest and dearest relatives. The Gospel also confirms this: “Not every form of peace and harmony is good, but there are even disputes and divisions that are reckoned as being of God. Therefore, let no one have friendship with the wicked; and if a father or mother be found to be opposed to the Word of Christ, be at enmity with them as with enemies of the truth” (Gospel according to Luke, ch. 12, pericope 69, fol. 136 verso). “Therefore, one must not follow the errors of fathers or ancestors, but must follow the authority of the Scriptures and the command of God who instructs” (Blessed Jerome, vol. 7, 1880 ed., Commentary on the Prophet Jeremiah, ch. 9, p. 276).
“It is not enough,” says St. John Chrysostom, “to say of something that it is written in the Scriptures, nor ought one to snatch words out of context and take them separately, distorting them arbitrarily and without understanding. In this way, many false opinions have entered into our lives, through the activity of the devil, who teaches heedless men to misinterpret what is contained in the Scriptures and, by adding and subtracting, to obscure the truth. Therefore, it is not sufficient to say that something is written in the Scriptures; rather, one must read the speech in its full context, for if we break apart the unity and interconnection of the sayings, many other erroneous opinions will arise” (Works of St. John Chrysostom, vol. 6, p. 445).
Therefore, in order to discern where the truth lies and where falsehood begins, one must turn to the Holy Scripture. “Search the Scriptures,” says the Holy Gospel, “for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me” (John, pericope 15). “And rightly,” says St. John Chrysostom, “did Christ call the Scripture a door: for it leads us to God and opens the way to knowledge of God; it produces sheep, protects them, and does not allow wolves to enter. Like a reliable door, it blocks the path of heretics, makes us safe from all harm, and prevents us from falling into delusion. And if we ourselves do not open this door, then we shall remain inaccessible to our enemies. By it we recognize all — both true pastors and false. What does it mean, ‘in the fold’? It means — among the sheep and in care for them. He who does not use the Scriptures but climbs up some other way, that is, who does not go by the established path but makes his own way, he is a thief” (St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of John, Homily 59, vol. 8, book 1, p. 2).
“For from this ignorance of the Scriptures has grown up numberless evils. From misunderstanding the Scriptures, many heresies have blossomed forth unto ruin. From this also comes a careless life. From this, a lack of diligence in good works. For just as those who are deprived of light cannot walk straight, so too, those who pay no heed to the rays of the Divine Scriptures are greatly troubled and often fall into sin, as if walking in the darkest night” (Apostolic Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans, pp. 2–3).
“If then a man be wise,” says the Book on the Faith, “he knows the cause of a thing by the thing itself, just as by its fruit a tree is known to be either good or evil. But not everyone is granted to discern the evil cause in a matter — this belongs only to the truly wise, so that no one might err in drawing from the thing the cause from which it arose. This I must now briefly explain” (Book on the Faith, ch. 23, fol. 203 verso).
And further: “Even though it may be known that evil birds, plainly speaking, come from evil eggs, not everyone can recognize this by the shell, but only by what lies beneath it” (same, fol. 204). Outside of the Divine Scripture, it is impossible to discern truth from falsehood. This is why one must turn to the Holy Scripture for answers to any question. A mortal man always errs, but if he will attentively turn to the Divine Scripture, he will never go astray. From this it becomes clear that the reason for the appearance of various doctrines lies in nothing other than the distortion by men of what was set forth by Christ the Savior, the holy Apostles, and the holy Fathers and teachers of the Church in the true and right teaching of the Christian religion. “Many have believed,” it is said in the Gospel, “but not as the Scripture hath said, but as they followed after their own will — such are all heretics” (Gospel of John, pericope 27, fol. 125). The instructive Gospel reading for the fourth Sunday of Lent says: “So also every man, brethren, who neither speaks nor listens to the Divine Words is possessed by an evil demon” (Instructional Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, fol. 73, Edinoverie printing).
But in order to recognize heretics, we are given a clear directive in the Great Catechism, where it says: “Question: How are heretics to be recognized? Answer: By these signs — if they do not have a true haven, that is, the holy Apostolic Church; if they enter into the rank of teachers without being called and teach otherwise; if they propose some new teaching which our Fathers did not hand down to us. For the Theologian John speaks of this in his Conciliar Epistle, in the 75th pericope: ‘If any man come unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed.’ If they appear opposed to the Orthodox faith and reject our faith and bring confusion upon us, commanding us to follow their own traditions — concerning this the divine Apostle Paul writes in his Epistle to Titus: ‘A man that is a heretic after the first and second admonition reject; knowing that such a one is perverted, and sinneth, being self-condemned.’” (Great Catechism, ch. 21)
“The word ‘heresy,’” says Blessed Jerome of Stridon, “comes from the Greek word for ‘choice,’ because each one chooses for himself the teaching that seems best to him. Thus each interprets Scripture differently from how it is meant to be understood through the Holy Spirit, by whose inspiration it was written. And even if someone has not outwardly departed from the Church, nevertheless he may still be called an apostate and a heretic, since he has chosen what is worse, though it seemed better” (Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, ch. 17, p. 178).
The sectarians — the Baptists — in their doctrine have distorted the meaning of Holy Scripture and have lost the true understanding of the Church. They interpret it according to their own preferences. In taking upon themselves the role of teachers, both for themselves and for others, they are “unlearned and unstable, who twist the Scriptures” (2 Peter 3:16), “who would pervert the gospel of Christ” (Gal. 1:7), and who “corrupt the word of God” (2 Cor. 2:17). In general, the sectarians — the Baptists — “speak perverse things,” and are full of “vain jangling” (Acts 20:30; 1 Tim. 1:6).
Published in:
Tulupov, T.S. The Path of Life: Collected Works.
Samara: OOO “Ofort,” 2008.