From the beginning of mans existence God has always been the authority. God is sovereign, no one tells God what He is going to do. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has not changed and He still controls all and is the authority. Beginning in the book of Genesis and following the story of man all the way through to the book of Revelation we see God as authority delegating that authority to a people who would represent His name.

   The question of church authority is no new issue. Our forefathers in the Baptist faith gave their lives over this issue. Church historians say some fifty to sixty million of God's people gave their lives during the dark ages. The very name Baptist reveals how the issue of authority was the cause of their deaths. The Catholic church called the Lord's church "Ana-Baptist" (re-baptizers).

   The reason they called them this is because God's church would not recognize the authority of the Catholic Church to give scriptural baptism. In the early ages of the Catholic church they were baptizing believers in Christ by immersion, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. At this time they did not baptize infants but only those who had faith in Christ. They did not sprinkle for baptism at this time, but baptized in the same way we do today. The Lords' church did not like this name "Ana-Baptist", because they said we are not re-baptizing, we are baptizing for the first time. They realized that immersion in water of a believer was not baptism if the proper authority was missing. We cannot forsake what our forefathers in the faith gave their lives for simply to make becoming a member of God's church easier . God has made the opportunity of eternal life easy. It's a free gift, no strings attached. To become a member of His church He expects some commitment. Those who have a problem with becoming a Baptist are usually those who do not want God's authority in their lives. They don't want anyone controlling their lives or telling them what they must do. We should certainly love all our brothers and sisters in Christ, and not treat any of them as our enemies, but we cannot let down God's standards to bring them into His church.

   Let's take some time to look at the Word of God to see if there is a doctrine of "authority in the church" taught. I know we would like to find a scripture that just said "the authority for baptism and church succession is in the local visible church". The problem with this is, God intended for us to study to learn the deep things about His ways. Notice the conversation of Jesus and His disciples Mat 13:10-17 "And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." Jesus told His church that He would send the Holy Spirit to her that He might be a teacher of things that those outside the church could not see or understand. John 16:13-15 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to