Thursday, June 26, 2014

Why We are Baptists




WHY WE ARE BAPTISTS
People often choose a church based on the appearance of the building, the friendliness of the people etc.  As important as these things might be, Bible truth surpasses them all . . . First and foremost, the church you choose should hold to the fundamentals of the Christian faith: the inspiration and authority of Scripture and Jesus' virgin birth, eternal deity, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, and literal pre-millennial return. Bible-teaching churches of all varieties hold these primary beliefs as essential truths.
But beyond these fundamentals, there are specific teachings that set one church apart from the others. Baptists are distinguished from other Christian groups by specific Biblical distinctives. The name "Baptist" identifies people who hold those distinctives. These Baptist distinctives relate to questions of vital interest today. For example, Does absolute truth exist, or are all belief systems relative? Who controls the program, property, finances, staffing, and doctrinal position of a local church? How does being a representative of God on earth affect the believer's marriage, work, or relationship to government and society? Does God dispense His grace through religious rituals? Should a free society "legislate righteousness"? Is it right to "judge" anything about another person? Is there a Biblical model for church leadership? What is the proper relationship between church and state?

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO KNOW THE DISTINCTIVES?
They are Biblical! They are part of God's truth as revealed in His precious Word. The knowledge of and obedience to them provides multiple blessings relevant to today.

1. Such knowledge also enables one to select a church that is not only says it is faithful to these Biblical truths, but the members of the church embrace and practice them.

2. It demonstrates the meaning, worth, and significance of the name "Baptist." General titles that lack identification, such as "Christian", "Christ" or “God” and churches labeled "community" or "nondenominational," leave much room for ambiguities and misunderstandings. The name "Baptist" is understood through its distinctives. Baptists should be confident that when their name is heard, no ambiguities are left in defining what they stand for. Certain Biblical distinctives have distinguished their doctrinal position.

3. It helps members maintain the Baptist position of their church, preventing digression into unscriptural positions. Each member of a Baptist church needs to know what a Biblical Baptist believer and a Biblical Baptist church believes and then practice these things faithfully as part of their every day life.


HOW DID BAPTIST DISTINCTIVES ORIGINATE AND ARE THEY BIBLICAL?
Baptists arrived at these distinctives through careful study of the Bible. That is why these teachings are more precisely called the Biblical distinctives of Baptists rather than Baptist distinctives. These teachings emerged as Baptist distinctives because individual Baptist churches have consistently and independently held to them, not because some group of Baptist leaders composed the list and then imposed the distinctives on local churches. Church groups other than Baptists have held some of the Baptist distinctives, and one may even find churches that hold all of the distinctives but do not call themselves Baptist. Such groups are "baptistic," but for some reason they choose not to be identified as Baptists. On the other hand, some churches naming themselves "Baptist" are not truly Baptist because they no longer hold the historic Baptist beliefs or even the fundamentals of the Christian faith. Baptists are people of the Book above all else. And Baptists enjoy a priceless heritage of generations who have exalted God's Son our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ and have proclaimed God's inspired Word.

The Eight Baptist Distinctives
These teachings may be remembered by associating them with the first letters of each distinctive because they form the word "BAPTISTS."  
1. Biblical Authority: The Bible is the final authority in all matters of belief and practice because the Bible is inspired by God and bears the absolute authority of God Himself. Whatever the Bible affirms, Baptists accept as true. No human opinion or decree of any church group can override the Bible. Even creeds and confessions of faith, which attempt to articulate the theology of Scripture, do not carry Scriptures's inherent authority.  2Timothy 3:15-17; 1Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:20, 21   
2. Autonomy of the Local Church: The local church is an independent body accountable to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of the church. All human authority for governing the local church resides within the local church itself. Thus the church is autonomous, or self-governing. No religious hierarchy outside the local church may dictate a church's beliefs or practices. Autonomy does not mean isolation. A Baptist church may fellowship with other churches around mutual interests and in associational tie, but a Baptist church cannot be a "member" or part of any other body. Colossians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 19, 23   
3. Priesthood of the Believer: A "priest" is defined as "one authorized to perform the sacred practices of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and God." Every believer today is a priest of God and may enter into His presence in prayer directly through our Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. No other mediator is needed between God and people. As priests, we can study God's Word, pray for others, and offer spiritual worship to God. We all have equal access to God -- whether we are a preacher or not.  Exodus 19:5, 6; 1Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 1:5, 5:9,10, 20:6   
4. Two Ordinances: The local church must practice two ordinances: (1) Baptism of believers by immersion in water, identifying the individual with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. (2) The Lord's Supper, commemorating His death for our sins. Matthew 28:19, 20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32   
5. Individual Soul Liberty: Every individual whether a believer or an unbeliever, has the liberty to choose what he believes is right in the religious realm. No one should be forced to assent to any belief against his will. Baptists have always opposed religious persecution. However, this liberty does not exempt one from responsibility to the Word of God or from accountability to God Himself. Romans14:5, 12; 2 Corinthians 4:2; Titus1:9  
6. Saved, Baptized Membership: Local Church membership is restricted to individuals who give a believable testimony of personal faith in Christ and have publicly identified themselves with Him in believer's baptism by immersion (Acts 8:36-39). When the members of a local church are believers, a oneness in Christ exists, and the members can endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Acts 2:41-47; 1 Corinthians 12:12; 2 Corinthians 6:14; Ephesians 4:3

7. Two Offices in the Church: The Bible mandates only two offices in the church - pastor and deacon. The three terms - "pastor," "elder," and "bishop" or "overseer" - all refer to the same office. The two offices of pastor/elder and deacon exist within the local church, not as hierarchy outside or over the local church. A plurality of elders is also possible Tit 1:5

8. Security of the Believer: Many think that a believer can lose their salvation. We believe that the real issue is they do not believe in eternal life. However, the Word of God is unmistakable about this truth. John 3:16, the focal verse of the New Testament, makes it clear that whosoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ shall not perish, but has everlasting life. Other supporting verses are: John 10:28, 29; John 5:24; Romans 6:23; Hebrews 7:25; I Peter 1:5 to name a few.
     The issue is not the fact of eternal life, but the time when one receives eternal life. Notice the words “ETERNAL” and “LIFE”. Eternal means never ending, and life, in the spiritual sense, means union with God, the source of spiritual life. Therefore, those who have spiritual life, have eternal life. Spiritual life is the life of God imparted to the believer through faith in Christ and the regeneration of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-8; Titus 3:5). So, once eternal life is obtained according to the Bible, it can never end. If it were possible for eternal life to end, it would not be eternal.
     The question is not the possibility or availability of eternal life, but rather the exact time when eternal life goes into effect. The real question is: WHEN DOES THE BELIEVER OBTAIN ETERNAL LIFE? The answer is: the believer receives eternal life when they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and are eternally saved from their sin by His precious Blood.
     God is the Great Giver of eternal life. It is not dependent upon man but totally dependent upon God. After all, the God Who spoke the universe and all that is therein into existence is able to do what He promised and He promised eternal life to those who turn from their sin and believe on His Son the Lord Jesus!
     Those who do not believe in eternal security, do not believe that a person can have eternal life this side of the grave. Those who do believe in eternal security, believe that a person can not only have eternal life, but can also know and have assurance that they have eternal life because the eternal God has declared this marvelous truth in His holy Word.  

**What you believe must dictate how you live!
What sets one church apart from all the others? We have seen that it is the church's distinctive beliefs that set it apart from all others and that Baptists in general hold to beliefs that make them different from all other groups. We belong to an Independent (Autonomous) Baptist Church which holds to these historic Baptist distinctives. They are definitely relevant to the issues facing contemporary society and the church. So when looking for a church, look for the name "Baptist" and then take a closer look to make sure that the church is upholding every one of the historic Biblical Baptist distinctives.

In addition to these historic distinctives we believe the Bible teaches that God is still performing miracles as He answers the prayers of the faithful. However, we do not believe in so-called “miracle working men” or supernatural gifts not described in Scripture. We are living in the last days with the Lord’s Coming on the doorstep of God’s prophetic plan. The Scripture teaches that there will be false Christs and false prophets who will “show great signs and wonders insomuch that if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24) Therefore God’s people must watch and pray as we draw ever nearer to His Second Coming!  


Chaplain LEWolfe  www.btmi.org  I-85 Exit 35 SC   McPilot    Stop in, and please pray for our ministry!

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