What is a Baptist?

[Alan Dale Gross]

What is a Baptist?​

The Eight Baptist Distinctives, below, will mark or categorize an organized congregation as being Baptist, as well as identify those without all Eight of these Distinctives and give them the opportunity to check themselves, with regard to contending for the Faith in a way that is not so divisive, where everyone sticks with the Bible.

"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 Baptist Distinctives?​

1. "They are Biblical! They are part of God’s truth as revealed in His Word. The knowledge of these facts provides practical benefits relevant to today. Such knowledge enables one to select a church that is faithful to these Biblical truths.

2. "It demonstrates the meaning, worth, and significance of the name “Baptist”. General titles that lack identification, such as “Christian” or “Christ” 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 individual and a Biblical Baptist church does and then do these things faithfully.

How Did These Distinctives Originate?​

1. "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.

2. "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.

3. "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 and have proclaimed God’s inspired Word."

What Are the Eight Baptist Distinctives?​

These teachings may be remembered​

by associating them with the letters that 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 Scripture’s inherent authority. (
2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 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 an associational tie, but a Baptist church cannot be a “member” of any other body. (
Colossians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 19, 23)

"3. Priesthood of the Believer
“Priest” is defined as “one authorized to perform the sacred rites 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, 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. (
1 Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 5:9-10)

"4. Two Ordinances
"The local church should practice two ordinances: (1) baptism of believers by immersion in water, identifying the individual with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, and (2) the Lord’s Supper, or communion, 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.
 (Romans 14:5, 12; 2 Corinthians 4:2; Titus 1:9)

"6. Saved, Baptized Church 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. 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"
"The Bible mandates only two offices in the church: elder and deacon. The three terms—”pastor”, “elder”, and “bishop/overseer”—all refer to the same office. The two offices of elder and deacon exist within the local church, not as a hierarchy outside or over the local church. (
1 Timothy 3:1-13; Acts 20:17-38; Philippians 1:1)

"8. Separation of Church and State"
"God established both the church and the civil government, and He gave each its own distinct sphere of operation. The government’s purposes are outlined in Romans 13:1-7 and the church’s purposes in Matthew 28:19-20. Neither should control the other, nor should there be an alliance between the two. Christians in a free society can properly influence government toward righteousness, which is not the same as a denomination or group of churches controlling the government.
 (Matthew 22:15-22; Acts 15:17-29)."

 

[Mike B]

I am indeed a Baptist. Thank you Brother Gross.

 

[Salty]

A Baptist is someone who is a member of a Baptist church!

Who invented the BAPTIST distinctives? Careful now—we hope the reader did not answer “John the Baptist.”
When Dr. Brown mentioned "Regular Baptist" he is talking about the GARBC - General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (which broke off from the ABC around 1930)

 

[Alan Dale Gross]

Who invented the BAPTIST distinctives?

In a word, "Jesus".

In two sentences, as we see below with further clarification;

"That which distinguishes Jesus' Kind of Divine assembly
from all the rest of the various 'assemblies' on Earth are the Doctrines He Gave to her.

Those Doctrinal Peculiarities make any one particular assembly His Kind of church.

From: Baptist History Homepage.

Baptist History Notebook
Chapter 2
JESUS ESTABLISHES HIS CHURCH

[p. 7] "We have observed the Persecution of Truth, first of Israel and secondly of the churches of the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan persecuted the churches of Jesus Christ first by the Jews. This persecution is recorded in the book of Acts. It is also mentioned in some of the Epistles of the New Testament.

"Next, Satan used the Roman Empire to persecute the churches of the Lord Jesus Christ. There were at least Ten Severe Persecutions beginning with Nero and ending with Diocletian. We will devote space to these in the next chapter. These persecutions resulted in the death of a very large number of Christians.

"Satan used the Roman Empire to persecute the Lord's churches while he was establishing 'a church of his own' with which to oppose and persecute the True churches of Jesus Christ. Much of this Baptist History Notebook will deal with the development of Satan's church (the synagogue of Satan) and its persecution of the churches of our Lord.

Christ's Church Built.

"Doing this, we must begin with the church which Jesus Built and observe how Satan sought to corrupt it from within which resulted in a separation by the Pure churches from the corrupt churches.

"And I Say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon This Rock I Will Build My church: and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). The word "church" means 'assembly'. The Lord said He would Build "His" (My) church. This was to distinguish it from all other kinds of 'assemblies'. Jesus Built His "Kind" of 'assembly'.

"That which distinguishes His Kind of Divine assembly from all the rest
are the Doctrines He Gave to her.

"Those Doctrinal Peculiarities identify it and characterizes her to make it His Kind of church.

"What are those 'Identifying Marks' or 'Doctrinal Peculiarities' which characterize a New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ?

"Dr. J. R. Graves in his book "Old Landmarkism" lists seven.

"Dr. Clarence Walker, in his introduction to the "Trail of Blood" (page 5) lists seven.

"Dr. D. B. Ray, in his "Baptist Succession"[p. 8] lists seven.

"To these could be added or subtracted, depending on the historian and what his purpose might be. Where one would list two Doctrines under one head the next may list them separately. I will list eight but treat primarily three in this Notebook.

(1) "The church's Head and Founder is Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18; Colossians 1:18).

(2) "Its only Rule of Faith and Practice is the Bible (II Timothy 3:15-17).

(3) "Its members are to be only saved people (Acts 2:41).

(4) "Its Government is Congregational (Acts 1:23-26 - equality).

(5) "Its teaching on salvation is that it is by Grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).

(6) "It has but two Ordinances; Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and these are symbolic
(Matthew 28:19-20; I Corinthians 11:24).

(7) "Its Commission is inclusive (Matthew 28:16-20).

(8) "It is independent (Matthew 16:19; Matthew 22:21).

"Wherever, in history, in whatever age, you find churches teaching these Doctrines, you have a Baptist church, no matter what name it may go by.

"It matters not if we cannot, from church to church, trace it back to the First Baptist Church of Jerusalem. The succession is there but records may hinder or stop our search.

Con't.

 

[Alan Dale Gross]

Alan's note: the offer is open to anyone that would like to disprove Christ Built His Kind of assembly and Promised to be with her until He Comes to Earth a Second Time, and they have existed since the time He Built His Kind of assembly, in and through which God is to be Worshipped and Served "in Spirit and Truth", "according to the Pattern" Given in the New Testament, as long as they begin by understanding they are up against disproving the plain teachings of Scripture.

See: TEN BIBLE PROOFS OF BAPTIST PERPETUITY by Rosco Brong, Late Dean
Lexington Baptist College, Lexington, KY
"The church of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth", I Timothy 3:15.

"TILL HE COME", "As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup,
ye do show the Lord's death till He Come", I Corinthians 11:26.

"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners,
but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the Household of God,
and are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets,
Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Corner Stone;

"in whom all the building fitly framed together
groweth unto a Holy Temple in the Lord:
in Whom ye also are builded together for a Habitation of God through the Spirit",
Ephesians 2:19-22.

A DEAD BRIDE? "Ye also are become dead to the Law by the body of Christ;
that ye should be married to another, even to Him Who is Raised from the dead" [Romans 7:4].
"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also Loved the church, and Gave Himself for it" [Ephesians 5:25 -- read on through verse 32].

"I AM WITH YOU ALWAY." Jesus Came and Spake unto them, saying, "All Power is Given unto Me in Heaven and in Earth. Go ye therefore, and Teach all Nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to Observe all things whatsoever I have Commanded you: and lo, I Am with you Always, even unto the End of the World", Matthew 28:18-20.

"Practically all Christians recognize that Jesus was Speaking here to His church.

"The only real question TO GOD AND MAN is, what kind of church is it?

"Of course, 'an imaginary' "invisible" 'non-assembly = non-church' cannot go anywhere;
it cannot Disciple any Nations;
it cannot baptize anybody in any way;
it cannot teach anybody anything;
and being nonexistent, it would not know the difference whether the Lord were with or not.

"But an Divinely Originated and Organized assembly of baptized believers, such as Jesus had Constituted His Disciples, can do what He Commanded and in doing so can claim the Promise of His Continuing Presence -- and it is the only Organization of Earth that can do so.

"Jesus Promised this Kind of church assembly that He would Always be with it, even to the End of the Age. Be He could not be with His Kind of church assemblies He Said He Built unless the Kind of church assemblies He Founded and Organized existed to be with.

"Therefore if Jesus Spoke the Truth He has had His Kind of churches which have continually assembled throughout the World ever since and He has been with them all the time -- and so it will be to the End of the Age.

GLORY IN THE CHURCH, "Unto Him be Glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, World without End", Ephesians 3:21. We have here a Spirit-inspired declaration or prayer. If it was a prayer, as the KJ version indicates, it nevertheless declares an assured fulfillment, for the Holy Spirit does not inspire vain prayers. "He Maketh Intercession for the saints according to the Will of God", Romans 8:27.

"Therefore we understand that God gets Glory in the church in Christ Jesus. This was true in Paul's day and it was to Continue "unto all the generations of the eons of the eons," an expression of eternity beyond our comprehension.

"But He could not get Glory in the church unless the church continued to exist.

"And of course He is far from getting 'Glory' in 'an imaginary' "invisible" 'church' whose advocates reject and deny the plain, simple, straightforward teachings and promises of His Word.

PILLAR AND GROUND, "These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself
in the House of God, which is the church of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth",
1 Timothy 3:15. Speaking of the church as an Organized assembly, as the context clearly shows, Paul here calls it "the Pillar and Ground of the Truth." That is, the church not only, as a pillar or column, upholds the truth, but it is the foundational support of the truth.

"Here we have the explanation for the wholesale loss of Bible Truth
by false churches and unattached Christians.

"It has Pleased God that His church should be the Pillar and Ground of the Truth, and so it has been through the centuries.

• Exodus 25:9: God tells Moses to make the Tabernacle and all its design elements according to what is shown on the mountain.
• Exodus 25:40: A closing warning to see that everything is made strictly after the Designated Pattern.

• Hebrews 8:5: The New Testament explains that the Earthly Tabernacle and its rituals serve as a copy and shadow of Heavenly Realities. [1, 2, 3]

"What any specific assembly of God's people teaches is the important thing.

"Jesus said the Gates of Hell would not prevail against His church
so He Guaranteed her Perpetuity.

Illustration.

"Maybe this illustration will help us. Suppose we have a covered bridge one mile long. As we look at this bridge we see a wagon drawn by a mule enter one end of the bridge. The mule is black, broken down, long-eared, and thin with ribs showing. The wagon is of wood and is red. It also has white stripes on it. The wheels are blue with spokes.

"After the wagon and mule enter the covered bridge we wait about thirty minutes. We see the wagon and mule come out at the other end of the bridge that fits exactly the description of the ones we saw enter the bridge.

"One who has a sound mind [p. 9] realizes that this is the same mule and wagon we observed earlier.

"This is like the church that Jesus Built. In the Bible we have an accurate description of what the church looked like. As that church entered the covered bridge of time we wait and watch. If we look and see a church fitting the description of the one we saw earlier in the Bible we are forced to conclude that it must be the same church.

"As we watched the covered bridge earlier we may have seen several wagons drawn by mules come out of it. We looked and saw they did not fit the description of the one we saw earlier. They may have looked alike in many ways but if they are not exactly alike, we know they are different wagons and mules.

"So today, when we look at so called churches and see that they look a lot like the first one, let us look closely. If they do not meet the Bible Description, conclude that they are not of the first church.

"Thus we believe that Baptist churches are identified in History by their Doctrines.

"It is where these "Truths" or Doctrines are stood for and taught that we will be able to observe the "Trail of Blood."

"The History of these "Kind" of churches OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST is written in blood.

"Here you will find Outward Manifestations of the Battle between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan."

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