What makes you a Baptist?

[easternstar]

Hopefully this is an interesting and enlightening thread.

So, what makes you a Baptist?

As for me, I hold to all of the "Baptist Distinctives". I have tried to fit in elsewhere, for various reasons, but I have found it very difficult to give up any of the Baptist distinctives.

 

[Ben1445]

Hopefully this is an interesting and enlightening thread.

So, what makes you a Baptist?

As for me, I hold to all of the "Baptist Distinctives". I have tried to fit in elsewhere, for various reasons, but I have found it very difficult to give up any of the Baptist distinctives.

Shortly put, I don’t see any other church that follows Scripture as closely as Baptists do. I don’t mean all Baptists either. But if I am on the road looking for a church, I start looking in Baptist churches because that is where I expect to hear the Word of God. This is an oversimplified explanation and I don’t mean that if you are not Baptist then you are not following the Bible. But it is frequently observable that way to me. So I am not looking for pearls in the pig pen even if they are there. I’m looking where they have a reputation of being.

 

[Reformed]

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1. Believers-only baptism
2. Regenerate church membership*
3. Local church autonomy

These three are distinctive Baptist beliefs. There are other beliefs that most Baptists share with some other denominations, such as the Trinity, deity of Christ, Christ's return, sufficiency and authority of scripture, the final judgment, justification by faith, penal substitution et al.

*Based on a credible profession of faith. Only God knows a person's heart.

 

[37818]

So, what makes you a Baptist?

In the summer of 1962. Some from a Baptist church came to the door of the house that I lived and invited us to church. A ride was offered. My Mom allowed my sister and I to visit that church the following Sunday.

Before the Sunday preaching service two adults approched me. I was asked if I would like to know for sure about going to heaven if I died, would like too? Of course I did. In short, I was lead to believe in Jesus Christ to be my Savior.

In July of 1966, I joined the U.S. Air Force. It came to where I was asked to give them what religion? Well I was a Christian. That would not work to well.. What kind? My persuasion was Baptist.