Question 08: Can any one of you stand up who is willing to state, upon his conscience and respons...

Question 08: Can any one of you stand up who is willing to state, upon his conscience and responsibility in the hour of his death and on the Day of Judgment, that he had received such a direct calling from God to re-establish the ordinance of baptism which was so long neglected, and with it to form an entirely new church of Christ here on earth such as has not existed since the time of the apostles and the early Christians?

Answer: When the Pharisees sent from Jerusalem and asked John whether he was the Christ or a prophet because he was baptizing, he answered: "I baptize you with water (for repentance), but among you stands one whom you do not know; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" [John 1:26; Matthew 3:11]. We likewise say in simplicity that we baptize in water only upon faith in Christ, who lets His voice be heard in the hearts of men in these days. Oh, if we would only follow Him and would know Him rightly, He would be the only one, and remain so forever, who shall establish, sanctify, and cleanse a church in this time with the "washing of water with the word" (Ephesians 5:26). No man would dare to appropriate this for himself, or declare before men that he was sent by God to establish a church, but he would gladly leave the honor to God. Even though God may use some as special instruments for this, they only need to be tested whether they are sent by God, as John says (3:34): "For he whom God has sent utters the words of God."