James O’Kelly (1738-1826) was one of the early voices of restoration in this country. Though he may not have been baptized into Christ, he was able to influence a great number of people as he sought to distance himself from the Methodist church in an effort to simply be a Christian.
“In 1793, James O’Kelly was a prominent Methodist preacher in Virginia. He may have been the first one in America to give serious thought to the problem of denominationalism.
“In 1775, at the age of twelve, he was converted to the Methodist church. He was intrigued by the phrase of John Wesley, ‘We will be downright Christians.’ O’Kelly became a preacher during the middle of the Revolutionary War and soon ran into trouble with Francis Asbury, the superintendent of the Methodist church in America. Asbury desired a strong centralized control over the preachers of this country, but O’Kelly believed in a congregational form of church government. O’Kelly also opposed creeds, objected to denominational divisions, chose the name Christian, and favored the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper, but he never was convinced that immersion was the form of baptism taught in the New Testament.
“In 1801 O’Kelly was instrumental in having the group’s name changed to ‘Christian’ from ‘Republican Methodist’” (Restoration Principles and Personalities, p. 16-17).
We need to be Christians only because that is what the early disciples were (Acts 11:26). Of course, as we seek to be simply Christians, we must be sure that we are using the term the way it is used in the Scriptures, not how it is used in the denominational world. If we are to be Christians in the Biblical sense, we must of necessity leave the churches of men. Why? In the first century, there were no Methodists, Presbyterians, or Mormons. The disciples simply were downright Christians.
However, we also need to be sure we know how to become a Christian. O’Kelly’s desire alone to be a Christian rather than a Methodist did not make him a Christian. When Paul preached to Agrippa, the king said, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:28). Paul replied, “I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains” (Acts 26:29). Paul wanted Agrippa and the others to become what he was. What was Paul? Not a Lutheran, an Episcopalian, or a Baptist. He was a downright Christian.
What did Paul have to do in order to become a Christian? The record of his conversion shows that he believed in Christ, repented of his sins, and was baptized (Acts 9:5, 9, 18). Later Paul explained that it was in baptism that his sins were forgiven (Acts 22:16; cf. Acts 2:38). Peter stated very clearly: “Baptism now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21). When a penitent believer is baptized, he becomes a Christian.
It is not enough to simply reject the concept of denominationalism (as O’Kelly did). It is also not enough to merely fall in love with the idea of being downright Christians. We must become Christians. This does not mean we do what the religious world believes one must do in order to become a Methodist-Christian, a Baptist-Christian, and so on. We must do what the Bible says in order to become a Christian – believe in Christ (John 8:24), repent of our sins (Luke 13:3, 5), confess our faith (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized into Christ (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21). When we do this, God adds us to the church (Acts 2:47) – not the Methodist church or any other human denomination, but to the church of Christ which He built (Matthew 16:18) and purchased with the blood He shed on the cross (Acts 20:28).
Let us desire to be nothing more than downright Christians.
