Vintage

The people known as the Christadelphians owe their existence to the work of a man by the name of John Thomas. He did not start out with the intention of starting a church, nor that of becoming a religious leader or teacher. He had no interest of becoming a speaker or writer on Bible teaching. This is a surprising story of how these things came about in the life of John Thomas. This was despite the fact that, until the age of 28 years, he had taken no interest in religion, although his father was a clergyman.

The story of John Thomas is a remarkable one. It is an account of an extraordinary mind, reluctantly driven by circumstances to research the Bible — something he did not plan, and something for which he was ill equipped. He had no formal training in theology or the Bible. However, he found himself impelled forward by a series of unwelcome incidents and experiences, which forced him to turn to the Bible and to study it carefully for himself — without help from the clergy or theology professors. The conclusions of his independent studies were as unexpected as they were startling.

He was born in London in the year 1805, the first of six children born to the Rev. John and Jane Thomas. His father, being of a restless and impulsive character, frequently changed churches when he found no real challenge in them. It was whilst his father was ministering to a non-conformist congregation in Lancashire in 1820 that the young Thomas began his medical studies under a private surgeon.

As recommended by one of the deacons, Thomas became a member of his father’s church. It is interesting to note a deacon’s comment regarding him, that he had a “profound ignorance of the whole subject of theology”.

In 1832 the Rev. Thomas was seized with the American emigration fever. His son, now a practising doctor, and disliking the priest-ridden state of society in England, decided to spy out the land for his father, knowing his rash and impetuous nature.

A Providential Trip to America

On the 1^st May, 1832, the ‘Marquis of Wellesley’ set sail from St. Katherine’s Dock, London, bound for New York, with Dr John Thomas on board, acting as ship’s surgeon.

No sooner had the ship cleared the Thames River than bad weather set in. For two weeks they were tossed about by stormy winds and seas, during which the main mast snapped off and the ship suffered considerable damage and loss. The cloudy conditions prevented observations being taken and the ship’s position and progress were uncertain. When the vessel ran aground in shallow water, it was lifted by powerful waves and crashed on the bottom more than a dozen times. This caused it to leak profusely, and the terrified passengers feared for their lives.

John Thomas was certainly not an irreligious or irreverent man. Despite his father’s calling, he had never made religion a particular interest. However, with death looking him in the face, and the chances of survival looking grim, for the first time in his life he was faced with the uncertainty of not knowing what would happen to him if he died. This became of great concern to him. He had no idea if there was a life after death.

He did decided that if he ever got ashore again he would not rest until he found out the truth about God, and the possibility of life after death.

In the mercy of God the storm abated, and aided by a change of wind, the ship lifted off. With a favourable wind and pumps in action, the severely damaged ship successfully completed its voyage, arriving safely in New York harbour, the passage having taken eight weeks. In actual fact his father had decided not to wait for his report, and arrived in New York several weeks before him.

At the age of 27 years, John Thomas arrived in New York to begin his new life. When he left the ship he did not forget the resolution he had made in the depths of the storm, to seek out the truth about God.

Nineteenth Century Religion in America

Dr. Thomas came to America during a time of religious fervour characterised by debate, periodicals and many predictions concerning the return of Christ. American freedom of speech and religion also provided the ideal environment for men and women with an opinion to express themselves. Truth-seekers were encouraged to investigate the evidence with an open mind, and to examine critically the arguments they heard. Many independent congregations welcomed any speaker they believed had any views or expositions worth hearing. The religious climate was perfect for a renewed interest in the true apostolic faith. John Thomas was destined to begin a movement whose advocates would one day be called Christadelphians.

The Beginning of his Quest

What he new of his father’s religion did not attract him. He visited a traditional New York church, but decided it was no use hearing them again. He realised that the only means of knowing the truth in religious matters was reliance on the Bible, the Word of God, something he had always trusted.

Thomas had landed in New York, but his destination was Cincinnati. Here he came into contact with Daniel Gano and Walter Scott, men associated with the ‘Reformation’ and its leading spokesman, Alexander Campbell. He told them he was searching after truth and that he intended to hear all the preachers in Cincinnati before making any decisions as to what was right for him to believe. One afternoon’s Bible discussion however, abruptly changed his situation.

Mr. Gano, who lived over the road from where he was staying, invited Thomas to dinner. His friend, Mr. Scott was also invited. Mr Scott quickly introduced religious topics into the conversation, addressing himself particularly to the Doctor. After a considerable amount of talk, Scott remarked:

“We seem to agree very well in the generals; now let’s talk about particulars. What hinders that you should be a Christian?”

“Nothing that I can think of,” said John Thomas. “I am as good a Christian as anybody.”

“Well, have you been baptised?” interjected Gano.

‘Yes, I was christened as a baby.”

“Of course, you realize that infant baptism avails nothing,” said Scott. “It is only a conventional and valueless ceremony that has no foundation in Scripture. You need to make your decision for Christ for yourself, once you can understand what you are doing. Do you believe in Christ?”

“I don’t remember any time when I did not believe in him. I was born and brought up a Christian.”

“Then what hinders you from being baptised?” questioned Scott.

“Oh,” said Thomas, “that’s a different thing. It’s all very well for preachers to be baptised so that they can baptise others, but I don’t see that need for myself. I don’t intend becoming a preacher. Besides, I don’t know of any case in which a man was baptised as soon as he believed.”

“Do you accept the authority of Scripture?” asked Scott.

“On religious matters? Of course,” replied Thomas.

Scott quickly turned to Acts 8:27-39 and explained the passage of the eunuch’s baptism by Philip.

“Now,” said Scott, “I would suggest that you do the same.”

John Thomas, a little taken aback at the suddenness and strength of the argument, said that he must admit that Mr. Scott had established his point. But, as to being baptised, he had not come prepared that evening to be baptised, and did not have a change of clothes, and so on.

“Oh,” said Scott, “that will be no problem. Our friend Mr. Gano will furnish us with everything we need.”

There was no escape. At ten o’clock that evening, by the light of the moon, in the presence of a number of witnesses, John Thomas was baptised in the Miami Canal, for the “remission of sins.”

Introduction to Campbellism

In being baptised Thomas thought he was merely obeying a divine instruction without committing himself to any church organization. He thought he had been baptised into fellowship will all believers of Christ.

He was quite surprised therefore, when, on going to the Sunday meeting with Mr. Gano, he was greeted by everyone on all sides. It was then that he realised that he had unwittingly become a member of this reforming church known as the ‘Campbellites’. He had carefully sought to avoid such a thing, having resolved to stay clear of all parties. However, it marked the beginning of a career, which by slow and certain steps, he was to find the God he was searching for, and at the same time re-discover a religion that makes sense.

John Thomas resided in Cincinnati seven months, and then decided to leave it for one of the Atlantic cities, which was less crowded with physicians. Walter Scott, who had been urging him to begin speaking in the cause of truth (even though Thomas knew next to nothing about the subject), saw that he was given a letter of introduction to Alexander Campbell of Bethany, Virginia.

His First Bible Talks

It was spring, 1833, when John Thomas returned east and met Alexander Campbell. The two quickly became friends. A few weeks after the his arrival at Bethany, he went with Campbell to Wellsburg, where the latter had a preaching appointment. Campbell spoke at the morning meeting, and on the way to the afternoon meeting, turned to Thomas, and said:

“John, I’m going to call upon you to speak this afternoon.”

“What?” was the startled response, “You can’t do that to me. I have never spoken in public on religious matters in my life. Even if I did get up, I would have nothing to say. Please, do not ask me to do anything of the sort!”

“Don’t worry.” came the reply. “It doesn’t matter what you know. I like to try a man’s mettle. I will certainly call upon you.”

There was no arguing with him. Thomas remembered reading an article on Daniel chapter 2 concerning the image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. He decided that if he read that chapter from the Bible — a fairly lengthy one — there would be less time for him to speak. After he had given the talk he was surprised to find that it had been favourably received by all present — evidence of the kind of mind and speaking ability he possessed.

The next Sunday he was asked to speak again, but this time he was given only fifteen minutes to prepare his talk. Thomas had been reading the Bible’s prophecies about apostacy amongst believers, This became his subject. Again his talk was favourably received.

The meeting over, John Thomas decided that this sort of business must stop. He felt that he was being entangled in a work for which he was utterly unqualified and which he found distasteful. It had been his intention to listen to other speakers, not to become a speaker himself.

He decided to leave Campbell and to do so as fast as possible. Having decided to go to Pennsylvania, he told Alexander Campbell of his plan, who promptly provided him with a letter of introduction. No sooner had he arrived there than he found himself once again being pressed to speak each Sunday, and as much as he detested it, he found himself unable to refuse.

This became the pattern for much of his future life. In addition to trying to establish and run a medical practice to support himself — and later a family, he was in great demand as a speaker wherever he went. His Bible study and preaching were destined to pave the way for great results.

Beginnings of a Writing Career

Quite unexpectedly, and apparently providentially, John Thomas found himself in the position of editing a monthly periodical to spread the beliefs of the Reformation. The ‘Apostolic Advocate’ was so named since it was to be “devoted to the original gospel and beliefs that were proclaimed by the apostles.”

Although he had been brought up in a Christian home, Thomas had no preconceived ideas about religion. He was reliant upon what he read in his trusted textbook, the Bible. Indeed he found himself searching its pages from one end to the other in order to prepare his talks and write articles. Soon he became very familiar with the contents of the Scriptures. He was obviously a very clear thinker with a very retentive memory. Possibly his greatest strength was his ability to remember verses related to many different subjects anywhere in the Bible. He was building an impressive understanding of what the Bible says on a wide variety of themes.

Doctrines Questioned in the Light of Bible Teaching

It was the question of adult baptism that had first forced him to read the Bible. Now he noticed the requirement of Jesus that belief is involved in baptism:

The same requirement was made in the teaching of the apostles. The Apostle Peter said:

“To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.” (Acts 10:43)

What was it that a person was required to believe before he or she was to be baptised? Philip provided the answer:

When they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptised. (Acts 8:12)

What did believing “the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” mean? His research led him to more questions than answers. He published in the ‘Advocate’ a list of 32 questions, sharing his problems with his readers. But this only caused a furore amongst the Campbellites.

His Bible study now led him to examine many traditional beliefs in the light of what the Bible teaches. His findings were surprising. He found Bible teaching could not support a number of significant doctrines taught by the churches. Also there were a number of important subjects taught by the Bible that were ignored by the Churches. Over the centuries changes had been made to doctrines taught by the apostles. These changes then become part of church tradition, which has taken precedent over the teaching Bible. Thus the true teaching of the Apostles to the First Century Christians on these matters had become largely lost.

A New Baptism

Once his understanding became clear, John Thomas realised that he had found what he had been seeking. His search for God was now complete. He had found a religion that made sense.

He realised that he had not believed these things at the time of his baptism, and that his own baptism was therefore invalid. So he now asked a friend to accompany him to some water, and to baptise him there, after saying the following words:

“Upon confession of your faith in the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, I baptise you into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”

He rejoiced as he penned the following words:

“Thus after a journey of fourteen years, I had found the Truth, which on the ocean I had declared I would not rest till I had found, should I be permitted to tread on terra firma again. But in this entire journey, I had been directed in a course very different from what I would have selected had I been left to map it out for myself. I had been entangled into preaching and editing, and taking part in distasteful theological controversies, which however, in their combined influence, brought me to a knowledge of the one faith, and the obedience which it demands.”

Having made such exciting discoveries in the Bible, John Thomas sought to publicise them to others, both by speaking appointments, and through his new magazine, ‘The Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come.’ As can be imagined, his radically new thinking did not go down well amongst the Campbellites. In response, Thomas pointed out that he was only following a basic principle of the Reformation itself: the Bible alone was the ultimate authority and men were required to be humbled by their understanding of God’s Word and to change their lives and thinking accordingly.

1848 – First Visit to Britain

In 1848 he decided to visit his homeland — a visit that was to last for two and a half years. Initially he tried to preach to those he knew, the Campbellites, but he met with a lot of opposition from them. He generally spoke to Campbellite and Baptist groups, and lectured in hired halls, speaking to as many as 5,000 people at a time. By the time he left the country many small groups of believers had been established in various places around the country. It was while he was there that he took time out to write a noteworthy book, ‘Elpis Israel,’ meaning, ‘The Hope of Israel’.

On his return to the United States, John Thomas continued with zeal his new ambition in life: to preach the original gospel as proclaimed by the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. He undertook regular lengthy speaking tours throughout the United States and Canada. He also included 2 tours of the U.K. — one lasting 6 months and the other 2 years.

The Need for a Name

The American Civil War (1861-65) caused many difficulties for John Thomas. By this time there were believers in all parts of the United States. If they were conscripted into the army there could be believers from the South killing believers from the North and visa versa. The New Testament teaches that believers should not bear arms, taking literally the sixth commandment:

The Lord Jesus Christ made this binding upon all believers by repeating it in three of the gospels: Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19 and Luke 18:20. This subject is complex, and will be fully covered in a later study, God willing.

The authorities granted exemption from military service to members of recognised churches who were conscientious objectors. The trouble was that those who believed as a result of the teaching of John Thomas did not belong to a recognised church.

At that time there was no name by which they could be identified. Some called them ‘Thomasites’, but John Thomas found this distasteful. He decided that “Brethren in Christ” best described the believers’ true status. It was expressed in the single word, “Christadelphian” — a word derived from the Greek, “Christo adelphoi”, meaning “Christ’s Brethren”.

For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. (Matthew 12:48)

John Thomas Died in 1871 at the age of 66 years. As a result of his dedication to independent Bible study, and then because of his persistence in preaching the gospel far and wide, he brought about a revival of the Christianity that had been preached and practised by the apostles to the 1^st century Christians. It should be noted that never at any time did he, nor any of his followers suggest that he was inspired.

His work has helped thousand of men and women around the world find a religion that makes sense. It has helped a countless number find meaning and purpose in life — who were often living in a world that lacks meaning and purpose. It has given hope to many surviving in hopeless situations.