Free Bible Students

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Spread of the Free Bible Students in 45 countries

The Free Bible Students are a Christian community of faith which, according to its own teaching, refers exclusively to the Bible as the basis of faith and to the example of the community of early Christianity . The community grew out of the so-called Bible Students Movement . There are churches today in more than forty-five countries.

Individual local churches refer to themselves as the Free Bible Researcher Congregation with the addition of the place name and do not claim to be the respective church (or assembly) of God on site. The church of Jesus is not an earthly institution, but the body of Jesus, composed of all Christians worldwide, apart from human denominations.

history

Magazine: The New Creation

The origin of this community is a religious revival movement that started in the USA at the beginning of the 19th century . The Baptist preacher William Miller , who, based on biblical information, expected the return of Jesus Christ in 1844, played a central role . After the Second Coming failed to materialize, the movement disintegrated, but some of the Christian communities that later emerged from it were able to spread widely. From a global perspective, these are especially the Seventh-day Adventists , the Worldwide Church of God and Jehovah's Witnesses . From the latter, the Free Bible Students arose through schisms .

In 1907, CT Russell , founder of the International Association of Bible Students (which became Jehovah's Witnesses in 1931) changed some basic views of the New Covenant and understanding of Jesus' redemptive work and ransom ; the teaching was eventually published in the Watchtower. Many saw these changes in basic doctrine as a departure from biblical teaching. A great storm of protest, which would eventually become the second largest schism in the Bible Students' movement, swept through the ranks of the Bible Students.

EC Hennings, a branch manager of the Australian Watchtower Society, wrote an open letter to Russell to change his doctrine. Numerous letters of protest from others followed. Russell, however, used his position to crush opponents of his new doctrine. Many prominent members of the Watchtower , including JH Giesey, vice president of the society, ML McPhail, a traveling overseer from Chicago, and Mae Russell Land, Russell's own sister, left the society.

In 1909 the departed faced the need to band together and were called "Free Bible Students" as opposed to the "Serious Bible Students" who clung to Russell's teachings. In Australia the "New Covenant Fellowship" and in America the "New Covenant Believers" were founded. A few more mission societies were formed. In 1928 a congregation of the Serious Bible Students came together again and founded the Christian Millennial Fellowship (now Christian Discipling Ministries International ), which eventually publishes the journal The New Creation to the Present.

In 1928 the former WT branch overseer Conrad C. Binkele and other Bible Students founded the "Free Bible Students Association" community. In Germany , an independent congregation was established in Kirchlengern near Herford in the 1930s, also by splitting off from the Jehovah's Witnesses . Differences in leadership and especially in teaching led to the separation, as they did not adopt the constantly changing teachings of the Watchtower Society.

In the public media of the last few years, the Free Bible Students have been almost completely omitted, although the "Free Bible Students Association" like the Jehovah's Witnesses was banned and persecuted in November 1933 and January 1934. The reason for this was the lack of organization and the assumption that the community refused to participate in the state. Members of this group were also listed in the concentration camps under the " purple corner " of the Bible Students.

Teaching

The Free Bible Students have no overarching church organization or leadership. Each community is responsible for itself, also financially. However, this does not exclude that it works with other communities locally or supra-regionally. There is no formal membership in their communities. In their view, all who believe in Jesus Christ and have chosen to be Christian are members of the body of Christ.

The biblical research congregations are autonomous and are understood as the image of the New Testament congregation. They believe that the real leadership is held by Jesus Christ as head of the Christian congregation ( Eph 1:19  ELB ) and that this leadership is exercised by the Holy Spirit to this day. The ministries of the local church are in the care of elders , deacons and deacons and preachers . The community is largely run by lay volunteers.

The baptism is not to be equated with the inclusion in the community, but she had to make a request of Jesus, his choice of faith in public. Baptism visibly expresses the process of conversion ( Mt 28 : 18-20  ESV ). The Free Bible Students see themselves as a “Bible-faithful” Christian congregation, whereby the congregational life as well as the doctrinal understanding is in many parts similar to that of other free church groups. The aspect of the common priesthood ( 1 Petr 2.5  ELB ) is very much emphasized. The Free Bible Students set great store by the fact that their followers have experienced a real conversion and that they adhere to the ethical commandments of Christianity in their lives and lead a sacred , i.e. sin-free life, if possible . Every congregation member should also be able to deal with the Bible personally.

The main differences are shown below:

Trinity

The Free Bible Students believe that there is one God , Heavenly Father ( 1 Cor 8 : 6  ELB ). Jesus Christ , the Son of God, is the only born, the only one who came directly from God ( 1 Jn 4,9  ELB ) and was born ages ago ( Mi 5,1  ELB ; Col 1,15  ELB ). The Son participates in the nature of the Father, so that the Godhead of the Father is the same also of the Son. The fact that they are two different people does not cancel out the fact that they are identical in nature (essence): one "substance" (nature), two people. They do not understand the Holy Spirit as a separate deity or substance. He is God himself as the personal expression of the invisible active force of God, but manifests as a person ( Luke 24:49  NIV ; Acts 1.8  ELB ) and the promised Comforter is, sends the God of all believers. According to their teaching, the Holy Spirit goes out from the Father through the Son. It is for this reason that the word trinity is not used by the Free Bible Students.

Death and resurrection

Free Bible Students advocate the total death theory : Man is a unity of body, soul and spirit ( 1 Mos 2,7  ESV ). No part of man is exempt from the death sentence. Thus at death man falls into a state of unconsciousness, silence and inactivity, but has the hope of resurrection from the dead.

Second Coming of Jesus Christ

The focus of the teaching of the Free Bible Students expecting imminent is coming of Christ ( Jn 14.2-3  EFA ) and the restoration of mankind to perfection ( Acts 3:21  NIV ). Thus the Free Bible Students represent an eschatological community of faith.

Israel

For the Free Bible Students, Israel continues to be God's chosen people. They believe that they recognize God's work in the return of the Jews to the Promised Land since 1948. They also take the view that after the Messiah is recognized by the people of Israel in the future, he will also be part of the Kingdom of God.

Kingdom of God

Free Bible Students believe that the kingdom of God (kingdom of heaven) will be realized in three phases:

The spiritual kingdom
This denotes the kingship of Jesus, which rules in the life and in the hearts of believing Christians. The kingdom was already announced by the prophets of the Old Testament and revealed by Jesus Christ during the earthly ministry ( Lk 17:21  ESV ). This spiritual paradise is attained by repenting from sin and serving God by believing in the redemptive act of Jesus Christ.
The millennial kingdom of Christ
They believe that Jesus will return in power and glory. His kingdom rule will then last for a thousand years, during which all human governments, religions and enemies will be overcome and the devil will also be disempowered. In his millennial kingdom under the rule of his Son Jesus Christ, Yahweh God has the goal that all people under paradisiacal conditions should have the opportunity to receive eternal life ( Isa 35 : 8-10  ESV ). Incurable bad people go to the second death.
The eternal kingdom of God
God's eternal kingdom will begin when Jesus Christ has put all enemies under his feet and the kingdom of the Father passes ( 1 Cor 15:24  NIV ). God will dwell with the redeemed in a new heaven and a new earth, where there will be no more suffering, pain or death and where justice and peace will reign forever ( Rev 21 : 1-4  ESV ).

Meetings

There is no binding order of worship services , they can vary somewhat from congregation to congregation. There are no dress codes. In the FBG carry but the women when they publicly say in the municipality, according to pray, a head covering in order to 1 Cor 11,5-13  ELB .

The services usually last one and a half to two hours. In the first part the Manna text for the day is discussed. A Bible text is used, which is interpreted in a 15-minute talk. A lecture of about 35 minutes then forms the main part of the service. The sermons can keep all members of the community who feel capable of doing, as the guest preacher. The sermon texts are always freely chosen.

In the second part, based on Acts 20.7  ELB, the bread is broken and thus forms the center of community life. Afterwards, in the testimony hour, the opportunity is given to report on experiences from the past week, to exchange ideas or to pray.

Once a week they meet in house groups for a Bible study , in which certain biblical topics are discussed.

Another important point of the FBG is the weekly prayer meeting , where the members come together for common prayer .

Memorial feast

In addition to breaking bread in worship, which emphasizes the fellowship of believers with one another and with Jesus Christ, the Lord's Supper , also known as the Memorial, is celebrated separately once a year on Nisan 14 , on the day of the Jewish Passover , after sunset. In doing so, they follow the tradition of the quartodecimans .

baptism

The Free Bible Students practice the baptism of believers . Baptism takes place through complete immersion in water and is understood with reference to ( Rom 6 : 3–4  ELB ) as a burial of the human will in the death of Christ. Because baptism is understood exclusively as a sacrifice of one's own will, infant baptism is unbiblical for the Free Bible Congregations.

Evangelism

The proclamation of the redemption of Jesus Christ - brought about by his death and resurrection - for all people and the establishment of the imminent kingdom of God on earth is not only a biblical mandate for the FBG, but also a moral obligation. This is how they strive to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in their daily life .

They represent dispensationalism and do not belong to any supra-church organization. They maintain loose contacts with one another.

The new creation

The monthly magazine The New Creation has been published by the Christian Discipling Ministries International since 1940 . It appears in English , Italian , Spanish and German and is the connecting element of the Free Bible Congregations. The New Creation in German is published by the Free Bible Church Mission in Austria . From 1948 to 2008, the Christliche Warte appeared in parallel . It was a quarterly magazine and was published by the Free Bible Congregation in Kirchlengern.

The topics of the magazines include articles for Bible study, Christian life, and Bible interpretation. The New Creation and the Christian View represent a relatively closed worldview that is politically neutral, conservative, optimistic and, above all, Christian-oriented.

Self-image and ecumenism

Although the community of the Free Bible Students makes no claim to absoluteness and does not see itself as the only true and valid church and admits to other Christian communities that there are also Christians in these who have a living relationship with Christ, it does not strive for membership in the ecumenical one Council of Churches .

literature

  • Oswald Eggenberger : The churches, special groups and religious associations. A manual. 6th, revised and expanded edition. Theological Publishing House, Zurich 1994, ISBN 3-290-11639-5 .

Web links

References

  1. ^ The CMF Annual Report for 2009 , No. 3, 2010.
  2. ↑ Our Advocate, the Mediator of the World , In: The Watchtower , July 1907, p. 115.
  3. ^ The evil servant , In: The New Covenant Advocate and Kingdom Herald , January 1912, p. 4.
  4. ^ The evil servant , In: The New Covenant Advocate and Kingdom Herald , January 1912, p. 7.
  5. ↑ Free Bible Students International "A Brief History"
  6. ↑ cdmi.org Who are the Free Bible Students and what is their history?
  7. ↑ Christliche Warte , Vol. 7, August 1955, p. 87.
  8. ↑ Detlef Garbe: Resistance and Martyrdom - The Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich ; Oldenburg 1998, p. 116
  9. ↑ The churches special groups and religious associations ; Theological Publishing House, Zurich 1994; ISBN 3-290-11639-5 ; P. 142
  10. ↑ The New Creation , Sep / Oct 2007, p. 2.
  11. ↑ http://ried.bibelgemeinde.at/de/gemeindebrief.pdf editorial staff