This came from a FB page of "Baptist Articles of Faith"
What a Baptist Is Not
Many people misunderstand what “Baptist” really means. To clear the confusion, here are some important truths about what a Baptist is not:
1. A Baptist is not a Religion
Being a Baptist is not about belonging to a man-made religion. It is about holding to the New Testament faith, doctrine, and practice established by the Lord Jesus Christ. Baptists simply follow the pattern of the churches Christ founded.
2. A Baptist is not a Denomination
Baptists were not formed by a denominational council or organization. True Baptist churches are independent, autonomous, and patterned after the first church Jesus established in His earthly ministry.
3. Baptists were not Founded by John Smyth
Some mistakenly teach that John Smyth started the Baptists in the 1600s. But history and the trail of biblical doctrine shows that groups holding Baptist beliefs existed long before Smyth, even throughout the Dark Ages.
Churches with Baptist doctrine have always existed outside the Roman system, even if they were called by different names (Waldenses, Anabaptists, etc.).
4. Baptists are not Protestants
Baptists did not come out of the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation. They did not protest Catholicism because they were never part of it in the first place.
Baptist churches trace their lineage not to Rome, but to Christ Himself, who formed His first church during His earthly ministry.
What a Baptist Is Not
Many people misunderstand what “Baptist” really means. To clear the confusion, here are some important truths about what a Baptist is not:
1. A Baptist is not a Religion
Being a Baptist is not about belonging to a man-made religion. It is about holding to the New Testament faith, doctrine, and practice established by the Lord Jesus Christ. Baptists simply follow the pattern of the churches Christ founded.
2. A Baptist is not a Denomination
Baptists were not formed by a denominational council or organization. True Baptist churches are independent, autonomous, and patterned after the first church Jesus established in His earthly ministry.
3. Baptists were not Founded by John Smyth
Some mistakenly teach that John Smyth started the Baptists in the 1600s. But history and the trail of biblical doctrine shows that groups holding Baptist beliefs existed long before Smyth, even throughout the Dark Ages.
Churches with Baptist doctrine have always existed outside the Roman system, even if they were called by different names (Waldenses, Anabaptists, etc.).
4. Baptists are not Protestants
Baptists did not come out of the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation. They did not protest Catholicism because they were never part of it in the first place.
Baptist churches trace their lineage not to Rome, but to Christ Himself, who formed His first church during His earthly ministry.