Jared Smith
Jared Smith served twenty years as pastor of a Strict and Particular Baptist church in Kensington (London, England). He now serves as an Evangelist in the Philippines, preaching the gospel, organizing churches and training gospel preachers.
Jared Smith's Online Worship Services
Jared Smith's Sermons
Jared Smith on the Gospel Message
Jared Smith on the Biblical Covenants
Jared Smith on the Gospel Law
Jared Smith on Bible Doctrine
Jared Smith on Bible Reading
Jared Smith's Hymn Studies
Jared Smith on Eldership
Jared Smith's Studies In Genesis
Jared Smith's Studies in Romans
Jared Smith on Various Issues
Jared Smith, Covenant Baptist Church, Philippines
Jared Smith's Maternal Ancestry (Complete)
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7. Baptist Churches Have Historically Been Led By A Bishop With Deacons
It is sometimes argued by eldership advocates that they are reforming contemporary churches to reflect the type of governance found in the primitive churches of the New Testament era and the Baptist churches of the Reformation era. However, I have demonstrated that the primitive churches recognized elders as unofficial leaders (household heads), rather than the official leaders (bishops). As for the Baptist churches of the Reformation era, there is no evidence these congregations appointed a set of elders analogous to the type of eldership advocated by today’s proponents. While it is certainly true that the first and second Baptist Confessions of Faith refer to elders, it is misleading, if not dishonest, to interpret the meaning of these references to be one and the same with…
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Conclusion
Eldership advocates are not only misguided in what they believe about elders, but they are also mistaken in their crusade to pressure Baptist churches into adopting elderships. Their error is enlarged by their misleading interpretations of scripture and historic Confessional statements. Such is the nature of their self-confidence and arrogance, that many churches are giving in to this pressure through sheer intimidation. Churches should not fear eldership advocates or their high claims to have received a monopoly on the truth. However, it may be asked, “If appointing elders is not the proper mode for the governance of a church, then what is the alternative?” The alternative is the scripturally approved, practically efficient, and historically validated method. Namely that: The Lord Jesus Christ, as Chief Shepherd…
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Those Elders—What Are They?
As I am in the middle of finishing an exhaustive book on the subject of elders, it is frustrating that I am not yet ready to fire back at those who are exerting great effort in promoting this newfangled theory of a plural eldership in Baptist churches. Their forceful claims to have received an inner revelation from God’s Word to which our Baptist forefathers were ignorant, is quite frankly a very arrogant position to nurture. When they boast their theory of leadership in churches is the ‘biblical way’, they censure and condemn all churches who have or are doing it different from themselves—and this includes all historic Baptist churches. Having dealt with many plural eldership advocates, invariably belonging to the Reformed Baptist movement,[1] I’ve come…
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High-Calvinism and the Strict Baptists
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High-Calvinism and Preaching the Gospel
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Duty-Faith and the Free-Offer
Duty-Faith and the Free-Offer are two of the most pernicious heresies infiltrating churches today. Preachers that demand sinners exercise faith, as the initiating cause of the new birth, are appealing to the flesh, wherein dwelleth no good thing. Subsequently, false converts are mass produced through manipulative devices in getting people to 'make a decision for Christ'. The scriptural concept of faith is this—the sinner believes because he has been born again; he is not born again because he believes. Hence, faith is a gift to the saint, not a duty of the sinner. In addition, preachers that 'offer' the gospel (as if it lies in the sinner to accept or reject it) contradict the central message of sovereign grace. The sinful heart must be made…
