The High Cost Of Taking A Stand

The High Cost Of Taking A Stand

Who was the first to baptize believers in modern times?

HIS REAL name was Jorg Cajakog, but we know him as Georg Blaurock. Blaurock means “blue coat” after the coat he always wore. Born about 1491, Blaurock was a Catholic priest from Chur, Switzerland, who came to saving faith in Jesus Christ through the preaching of Ulrich Zwingli in Zurich sometime before 1523. Devoting himself to personal Bible study, Blaurock became convinced that baptism was for believers in Christ, not infants, thus disagreeing with Zwingli’s position. In Zurich he met a group who, led by Conrad Grebel and Felix Manz, shared his views. They were given the nickname “Anabaptists,” meaning “rebaptizers.”

In early January 1525 the Zurich City Council, following the lead of Zwingli, the pastor of the Great Minster, the largest church in the city, warned all parents in Zurich that they must have their children baptized within eight days of their birth or face banishment from Zurich.

On January 21, 1525, the leaders of the Anabaptist movement in Zurich met at the home of Felix Manz to determine what to do. They began the meeting with earnest prayer, which was followed by a significant event in church history. Georg Blaurock asked Conrad Grebel to baptize him upon his confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Grebel baptized him immediately, the first time in centuries an adult believer had been baptized solely on his confession of faith. Blaurock then baptized everyone else who was present. The Anabaptist movement had begun.

Just two weeks later Blaurock was arrested along with Manz and twenty-four others who refused to have their infants baptized. However, after a week, Blaurock was released.

In the midst of all this persecution Blaurock founded an Anabaptist church in nearby Zollikon, where he won over 150 converts through his powerful preaching.

That November Blaurock, Grebel, and Manz were arrested again and sentenced to an indefinite prison term on bread and water. As part of their sentence they were allowed no visitors. Finally, on January 5, 1527, Manz was drowned for his Anabaptist views, and Blaurock was stripped to the waist and paraded through the cold winter streets of Zurich with his hands bound as he was beaten until blood flowed from his wounds. He was taken to the city gate, and there the city officers offered to release him if he would take a vow never to return to Zurich. He refused, answering that oath taking was forbidden by God. As a result, he was taken back to prison. Finally he agreed to take the oath and was exiled from Zurich.

In the next two years Blaurock had an extremely fruitful ministry as an itinerant evangelist, winning thousands of people to Christ throughout central Europe. In particular, he established many congregations in the Tyrol region of what is today Austria and Italy.

He then became pastor of a small Tyrolean church whose pastor had been burned at the stake just three months earlier. This time the persecution was not from the followers of Zwingli but from the Roman Catholic Church. The persecution continued, and on September 6, 1529, Georg Blaurock himself was arrested for heresy and burned at the stake.

Thus ended the short but fruitful life of the first Baptist of modern times.

Reflection

We all hope that we will not be called upon to suffer like Georg Blaurock, but if we are, we should not be surprised. The Bible characterizes the Christian life as a life of suffering. Many Christians, Americans in particular, have had a suffering free Christian experience quite unlike that of believers in other countries and other times. So don’t be surprised when suffering comes.

This suffering is all part of what God has called you to. Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps.

1 Peter 2:21