Baptist History – The Way of Christ Ministries

Anne Askew and Transubstantiation

On this day, June 18^th, 1546, Anne Askew was convicted of heresy after being tortured for her outspoken beliefs on the false doctrine of transubstantiation. She is one of only two women who have been tortured in the Tower of London and then burned at the stake. On, July 16, 1546 Anne Askew was martyred for her Baptist faith in Smithfield, London. She had refused to recant her witness under extreme torture of the rack. This torture has so disfigured her body that she had to be transported to the stake via a wheel chair.

Transubstantiation is the belief that during the communion of the Lord’s Supper, the bread and wine actually become the spiritual blood and body of Christ. This teaching has no doctrinal proof found in scripture. In scripture at what we call “the Last Supper”, which took place on the Jewish Passover, Jesus instituted the “Lord’s Supper” as a memorial service that is to remind us that sin causes death, and he sacrificed himself to pay the debt of sin for us. His death is what brings us life. His body was broken and his blood spilled out on our behalf. Jesus calls this process exchanging his death for ours, the New Covenant. (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; John 13:1-7) It is his blood that the New Testament is written in. His blood was shed for the remission of sins. The wine is to remind us of this blood that he poured out for us. In Luke 22:19, Jesus himself says, “Do this in remembrance of me”. Clearly this is meant as a symbolic ceremony to ensure that we do not forget that the Son of God himself gave his life for ours. Much like we put flowers of a grave to remember a loved one who has passed. The flowers do not become the loved one, nor do they become the center of affection.

I know that this is hard for some believers to accept. So let’s take a look at what Paul writes when he spoke to the Corinthians. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

You see the Corinthians had a misunderstanding of what the “Lords Supper” was also. This came from their pagan beliefs. They were mixing pagan rituals into the ordinances of the church. Paul addresses these by clarifying the purpose of the ceremony. First, the apostle says that he is passing on to then exactly what he was received directly from the Lord. In these few sentences Paul says that this ceremony is for a “remembrance”, just like Jesus did. The purpose “remembrance of me (Jesus)”… “to show the Lord’s death until he returns”.

We do not conjure up the Lord, as if any man could conjure the living God, and then force him to be re-sacrificed on our behalf. The epistle to the Romans say, “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.” (Romans 6:9-10) Something very important is revealed in this passage. Sin is payed for. Since Jesus died for sin, and then rose from the dead, sin has no hold on him, or those who believe on him. He lives to God. We who believe in him, so likewise, live unto him (Jesus Christ) and so then to God. We are alive already, in Christ. Sin no longer has the ability to hold us under the bondage of death. This is why we do not need to fear death. This is why Anne Askew did not need to fear death. Taking of the communion does not wipe away our sins each time we partake of it. Instead it is a reminder that our sins have already been wiped away, once and for all times. “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (Romans 6:18).

Our problem is that we are still in this corruptible flesh. Because we are in this flesh, we do not see the spiritual realm around us. We cannot see the glorified Christ yet. We need to be reminded of our hope. When we forget God and his grace, we tend to walk away from him. This has been demonstrated in the history of Israel. It has likely been demonstrated in your own life history also. God knows this and in his love, he instituted this memorial service, not just to remind us that he died, but that he arose and is returning! “Ye do show the Lord’s death till he come”; what an excellent reminder to us to not give up the hope that we have inside. We then can endure the horrible tortures of the rack like Mrs. Askew, if we, like her, keep the knowledge that Jesus lives, and he is returning for us.

The Execution of Rev. Hans Bret on January 4, 1577

In 1660, Author, Thieleman van Braght published a book cataloging some of the events of the martyrdom of the Anabaptists. This work was titled, “The Bloody Theater or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians – “Who Baptized Only Upon Confession of Faith, and Who Suffered and Died for the Testimony of Jesus, Their Saviour, From the Time of Christ to the Year A.D. 1660.”

The Anabaptist believed that infant baptism was not scriptural and did not save the soul of the infant. They maintained that in order to receive salvation, one had to first believe on Jesus Christ, and repent of their sin. Baptist was an act of obedience required by Christ for all who believed on his name. Since an infant was unaware of personal or generational sin, they could not repent. To add to this, an infant does not yet have a manner to understand who Christ is nor what atonement should mean, so therefore could not believe on Jesus Christ as their savior. The Anabaptist required that any adult coming into their folds have a confession of faith in Jesus Christ and be baptized in believer’s baptism. This meant that they were to be re-baptized. The Anabaptist did not initially call themselves Anabaptists, this was a mocking name placed on them by the Catholic and Protestant religions of the period. Eventually they accepted their title as a badge of distinction.

This distinction would cost them dearly for their lives would be the price to stand on the scriptures and adhere to their faith in Christ. The persecution of the Anabaptist by the Catholic and Protestant religions is reported to be so severe that more Anabaptist were martyred in the sixteenth century then the amount of Christians martyred by Rome and pagan religions in the first three centuries of the origins of the church.

Hans Bret, a baker by trade, and Anabaptist by faith is one such life laid down for Christ. He was in his twenties and an earnest bible scholar who supported his widowed mother and drew many converts who sought his teaching and preaching of the Word. On May 6, 1576 in the evening hours his home and bakery were surrounded by the bailiff and his posse. They arrested young Hans and several others who were meeting in his establishment. Thrown into prison and charged with heresy for being re-baptized Hans Bret was sentenced to execution by burning at the stake. He was tortured and beaten multiple times while awaiting his execution. This young man never retracted his statement of faith. In his dark prison cell, he wrote several letters to friends and family and encouraged them in their faith and the faithfulness of God. Tradition tell us that before they carried him out for his sentence, his tongue was burned up by torch, so that he could not preach from the steak.

I often wonder when I read these accounts of the horrific way a fellow believer has been martyred; if I could endure such an event. Could you endure such an event for your faith? We are living in a time where Christians have no backbone. We cower down when confronted about our faith. We are afraid to lose friends, family or our jobs, of social standings. It makes me wonder if we really believe at all? I know that Hans Bret believed. I know that Rev. Bret only wanted to share the truth and to care for those that he loved. He loved enough to die for them, so that they could keep the faith. Keep your eyes upon Jesus.

Reference: https://www.nobts.edu/geauxtherefore/articles/2018/Martyr.html

Benjamin Keach (1640-1704) A Faithful Witness

Benjamin Keach (1640-1704) A Faithful Witness

In 1664 there were allot of things going on in the world. New Jersey had become an English colony in North America. The Triennial Act 1641 was passed, which was intended to limit the powers of the King. England also annexed the New Netherland colony and renamed it the Province of New York, in North America. 1664 also marked the beginning of yet another war between the Dutch and English. There was also fundamental changes occurring in the church. The Reformation was in full swing and doctrinal developments were being developed that would lead to setting the tone for Protestant and Baptist theologies for centuries to come.

The earliest Baptist church in England was found in the 1630s, although Baptist churches are found in earlier time periods in other countries. These English Baptist pioneers included John Bunyan (1628-88), Benjamin Keach (1640-1704), John Gill (1697-1771), and Charles Spurgeon (1834-92). All of these men and a few not mentioned, had a great impact on the development of the modern Baptist church, and all made hard sacrifices for the Kingdom.

Benjamin Keach, was baptized when he was 15 and began preaching at 18. He is known for introducing hymn singing into the Baptists churches. He wrote an estimated 43 works which includes his most famous writing, “The Child’s Instructor”, in 1664. Oddly enough he had wrote this, and at the behest of friends, who wanted to use it in their homes, published the book without his authorship identified in the book. In this book he addresses the topics of the lack of Biblical support for infant baptism (supported by both the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches), the laymen’s ability to preach, if so led by the Spirit, (which meant that ordination was of God not man), and that Christ would reign personally upon the earth in the later day.

Needless to say, these were deemed as heresy by the established churches. Baptist were often seen as dissenters (non-conformists), and were often treated with visible rage. Once such incident occurred when troopers had overheard Mr. Keach preaching, and were so enraged they tied him down, layed him in the street and were intent to trample him to death with their horses. Bless the Lord a superior arrived just in time, and ordered them to take him to jail. Later he was released. When the authorities found out that Pastor Benjamin had been the author of “The Child’s Instructor”, also know as “A New and Easier Primer”. They seized all of his books and put him to trial for heresy. In a mock trial Benjamin Keach was denied a copy of the incitement, was not allowed to speak to defend his position, and was subsequently found guilty and sent to prison, fined, book burned, and had to endure public shame in the square, and required to make yet another court appearance to further divulge his heresy. When they finally let him declare his reasoning for what he had written, he preached his doctrine before the gathered mob. The mob who normally pelted the accused with rotten fruits and rocks, stood silent and absorbed all he had to say. Benjamin and his wife continued there ministry, boldly proclaiming truth despite threats of imprisonment and death made to both he and his wife. If we could have the sack to stand so bold today. If we were to have such confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ and the sense of urgency that we should all have concerning those all around us that are dying every day in their sin. What a difference this one witness made. What a difference we could make.