HERESIES  OF  WESTCOTT  AND  HORT

by  D. A. Waite PhD

Heresies in Ecclesiology

In this general division of ecclesiology, there is usually taken up the teachings on the church universal and the local church, with its ordinances, and so on [cf. Chafer, Systematic Theology, Vol. IV]. I noted, in this area, the following items, in various degrees of heresy and/or error.

Westcott Confuses the "Body" of Christ as the Body of Believers with Christ's Literal "Body" While on Earth

(Hebrews 9:11) Under one aspect these are represented by the union of the redeemed and perfected hosts made one in Christ as His body. Through this glorified church answering to the complete humanity which Christ assume, God is made known and in and through this each believer comes nigh to God. In this body, as a spiritual Temple, Christ ministers.

—-Westcott-—Hebrews, op. cit., p. 258

There is not a clear enough distinction between the "body of Christ" as the true church, or group of saved, born-again believers in Christ, and between the "literal body of Christ" which He had on earth, and now has in His glorified state in heaven. It tends to de-emphasize the truth that we have in the glory, the "Man, Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5), Who has a.body which was bodily resurrected from the dead. It is a very confusing and erroneous .doctrine of religious apostates today to stress the "body of Christ" meaning their heretical religious groups of adherents, and by so much, deny that Jesus Christ was bodily raised from the dead, and that He is bodily now appearing in the presence of God the Father for the believers in Him.

(FROM  ONE  PARAGRAPH  OF  WESTCOTT,  WAITE  COMES  TO  A  CONCLUSION  OF  HERESY  ON  WESCOTT'S  PART.  WHAT  I  GET  FROM  WESTCOTT  IS  GOD  IS  WORKING  THROUGH  THE  BODY  OF  CHRIST - HIS  CHURCH.  TO  SAY  WESTCOTT    DOES  NOT  HAVE  A  CLEAR  ENOUGH  DISTINCTION  BETWEEN  THE  "BODY  OF  CHRIST"  AS  THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  "LITERAL  BODY  OF  CHRIST"  IS  MAKING  A  MOUNTAIN  OUT  OF  ONE  SMALL  PARAGRAPH  FROM  WESTCOTT.....VERY  DECEPTIVE  AND  A  WEAK  ARGUMENT  FROM  WAITE - KeithHunt)

Westcott Believed the Heresy that the Church Ordinance of Water Baptism Was "the Condition of Regeneration"

(1 John 5:6) . . . and by His Baptism Christ fulfiled for the humanity which He took to Himself, though not for Himself, the condition of regeneration.

—Westcott—-1-3 John, op. cit., p. 181

This is more heresy. Since when is "water baptism" the "condition of regeneration"? It is by the grace of God, through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the only condition of regeneration known in Scripture (Ephesians 2:8-10).

(FROM  WHAT  I  GET  FROM  WAITE  ON  THIS  SUBJECT  OF  WATER  BAPTISM,  HE  DID  NOT  THINK  IT  IMPORTANT  AT  ALL.  JESUS  WAS  BAPTIZED  AND  SAID  IT  FULFILLED  ALL  RIGHTEOUSNESS  [SEE  PSALM  119:172  FOR  DEFINITION  OF  RIGHTEOUSNESS].  PAUL  WAS  INSPIRED  TO  WRITE  MANY  VERSES  ON  BAPTISM [SEE  ROMANS  6].  PETER  WAS  INSPIRED  TO  SAY  ACT 2:38.  JESUS  LEFT  US  WITH  MARK  16  AND  WORDS  ON  BAPTISM.  THERE  ARE  MANY  MENTIONS  OF  BAPTISM  IN  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT.  IF  IT  WAS  NOT  IMPORTANT  A  CONDITION  WITHIN  SALVATION,  WHY  BOTHER  BAPTIZING  ANYONE.  IF  YOU  THINK  YOU  CAN  ACCEPT  JESUS  AS  SAVIOR  AND  IGNORE  WATER  BAPTISM  FOR  YOUR  ENTIRE  LIFE,  IGNORING  JESUS'  VERY  OWN  WORDS  CONCERNING  IT,  YOU  ARE  NOT  READING  YOUR  NEW  TESTAMENT.  THE  SUBJECT  OF  WATER  BAPTISM  IS  A  LARGE  TOPIC  WHICH  I  HAVE  COVERED  IN  DETAIL  IN  STUDIES  ON  MY  WEBSITE.

WAITE  WOULD  HAVE  BEEN  MORE  CORRECT  TO  HAVE  GONE  TO  THE  ANGLICAN [CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND]  STAND  ON  THE  WAY  TO  BAPTIZE - INFANT  BAPTISM  AND  SPRINKLING - THAT  IS  WHERE  THE  HERESY  OF  WESTCOTT  AND  HORT  COMES  IN,  AND  NOT  THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  BAPTISM,  WHICH  OBVIOUSLY  WAITE  THINKS  IS  NOT  IMPORTANT  FOR  SALVATION  AT  ALL.  HE  IS  WOEFULLY  WRONG  AND  UNEDUCATED  EVEN  WITH  HIS  PhD - Keith Hunt)