Why I am a Southern Baptist
The youth have been asking about the difference between different denominations as long as I have known them. They know that I’m very Baptist, but they don’t know what that means. Here is my lesson for tonight:
I am a Southern Baptist because of our doctrine. I am not 100% Calvinistic and definitely not Arminian. I am not dispensational, but Covenental and eschatologically Historical Pre-millennial. I am a Southern Baptist because I value the freedom to read and interpret the Bible on my own and to seek out God’s will. I am Southern Baptist because we cooperate with others, even though we may disagree on non-essentials.
In fact, one of the things I love about Baptists is point#3. Because of #3, we can all disagree agreeably, even on some of these points (like #7).
Southern Baptists:
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Believe that the Bible is inerrant (without error) and infallible (incapable of error, unable to mislead). We believe that it is truth without any mixture of error for its matter (new hampshire baptist confession, 1833… which the BFM was partly derived from).
<p style="text-decoration: none;"> Voddie Baucham says: “The Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eye witnesses during the lifetimes of other eye witnesses. They report supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies and claim that they are divine, rather than human in origin.” </p> </li>
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Are Protestant – Scripture, rather than tradition or the church sanctioned interpretation of scripture is the only source of revealed truth and that salvation is a result of God’s grace alone – began with Martin Luther and the 95 theses.
<ol> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Sola Christus – Christ Alone</span> </p> <ol> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Protestant: Jesus + nothing = salvation</span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Other religions: Jesus + works = salvation</span> </p> </li> </ol> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Sola Scriptura – Scripture Alone<br /> </span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Sola Fide – Faith Alone</span> </p> <ol> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Faith produces works, but works do not save</span> </p> </li> </ol> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Sola Gratia – Grace Alone</span> </p> <ol> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">salvation is a gift of God, it cannot be worked for</span> </p> </li> </ol> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Soli Deo gloria – Glory to God alone</span> </p> <ol> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Glory to God, not church officials</span> </p> </li> </ol> </li> </ol> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Are </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Congregational</strong></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> – each church is </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>autonomous and independent</strong></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> and therefore runs its own affairs – this is much like the church in Acts, that had no hierarchy. I refer to this as the “autonomy of the local church” quite a bit. Most Baptist churches are extremely democratic. Each church has its own bylaws that speak as to how it is governed. Most use Russell’s rules of order when in business meetngs.</span> </p> <ol> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Some Baptist churches have pastor/deacon offices.</span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Some Baptist churches have pastor/elder offices and deacons are different than we know them.</span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">In my opinion, if we translate the Biblical Model for churches into Baptist life, then Pastor/Bishop (Bible) = Pastor (Baptist Church) and Elder (Bible) = Deacon (most baptist churches and FBC Hebron specifically). I think that Deacon (Bible) = Lay Ministers (like SS teachers and food servers and A/V crew in most baptist churches and FBC Hebron in particular)</span> </p> </li> </ol> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Believe in the </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Priesthood of every believer</strong></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> – all Christians have the same access to God as ordained ministers. We all can:</span> </p> <ol> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">communicate with God</span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">interpret scripture</span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">minister to others</span> </p> </li> </ol> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Believe in </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Soul Competency </strong></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">– we are all responsible for our own souls/actions/lives and just because your parent is a SS teacher or Deacon, you aren’t necessarily going to Heaven. You have to have faith in God (Jesus).</span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Have no Creeds</strong></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> – we have position statements that describe what MOST Baptists believe, but since we believe in the priesthood of every believer (#3 above), we can all interpret scripture ourselves. Interpretation is a high responsibility, though, and we follow generally accepted hermeneutic (interpretation) principles. The Southern Baptist Convention has had three such confessions, one in 1925, 1963, and 2000. FBC Hebron affirms the 1963 BFM. Matt affirms the 2000 BFM (but really likes the older ones too). Ben affirms the 1689 London Baptist confession.</span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Women in Ministry</strong></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> – We don’t allow women as pastors, but women do have an integral part of Southern Baptist Life. We believe that Men and Women have different roles as prescribed by scripture. Some churches allow female youth ministers, but I disagree with this. Some of my female friends from colleges serve at Baptist churches and while we are friends, they are still wrong… but they are still Baptist (don’t ask me how, because they disagree with mainline Baptist doctrine).</span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Believe that </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Church and State should be separate</strong></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> – The Baptists are part of the reason why the United States of America exists. Baptists championed the Bill of Rights and wouldn’t help ratify the constitution without it. We came from England, which had a State Religion and Baptists came here to have freedom to worship God as they saw fit. We do realize, however, that you cannot separate one’s beliefs from their role in politics, so we take one’s beliefs into account when we vote.</span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Are </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Evangelistic and Missional</strong></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> – We believe that it is the work of the church and indeed all Christians (acc<br /> ording to scripture) to share the gospel and make disciples of all nations.</span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Cooperation</strong></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> – Southern Baptists cooperate with one another to form churches and Southern Baptist Churches cooperate with one another to form local associations, state conventions and the national conventions. We are part of the Denton Baptist Association. We are part of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and also the Nation-wide Southern Baptist Convention. We have organizations like the IMB, NAMB, and CP that we willfully support. These organizations are some of the ways we can work together for God’s kingdom.</span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Marriage is God’s design for one man and one woman for life</strong></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> – Southern Baptist believe that Homosexuality is a sin and that when married, a couple should stay together for life. Different Churches and even individuals interpret scripture differently, so there are differing views on divorce. We will not discuss divorce here in this setting. I am stricter on divorce than most.<br /> </span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Sanctity of Human Life</strong></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> – We believe that all Human life is a special gift of God and we should not murder one another. This applies from conception until natural death.</span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Ordinances</strong></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> – symbols of our Faith in Christ. They have nothing to do with salvation, but are only a picture of what has transpired in our lives.</span> </p> <ol> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Believer’s Baptism</strong></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> – is an act of faith that has no effect on a person’s salvation, but is a picture of what Christ has done in our lives. It is by complete immersion, according to scripture. We are commanded to be baptized. Baptism is not for infants. It is only for those who have put their faith in Christ. If someone was baptized as an infant in another church, comes to a Baptist church, and puts their faith in Christ and is saved, he must be baptized by immersion. You must be baptized to be a member of a Baptist church. Most Baptist churches will allow you to move your membership from another church by a letter from that church or by statement that you are a born-again, baptized believer in Christ.</span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">The </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Lord’s Supper</strong></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> – This is an ordinance in which we remember what Christ did on the cross. He prescribed it saying, “as oft as you do this, do it in remembrance of me.” When Jesus had the first “Lord’s Supper,” it was actually part of the passover that they were celebrating on the eve of his death on the cross. He was saying that he would be the full and final passover lamb. At FBC Hebron, we do this quarterly, but we do not follow the full passover tradition. </span> </p> </li> </ol> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Perseverance of the Saints</strong></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> – When God saves someone, that person cannot be un-saved. That is, someone can’t become a Christian and then choose not to be a Christian. People can stray from the faith, but God always calls them back, if indeed they truly had faith to begin with. Logically:</span> </p> <ol> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Since we believe in “Sola Gratia,” or that salvation is only from a gift of God and not by any work of any human,</span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">God does the saving and we cannot do it,</span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Since God does the saving and we do not, we cannot un-do His salvation,</span> </p> </li> <li> <p style="text-decoration: none;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Since we cannot un-do salvation, once it is given, it cannot be revoked.</span> </p> </li> </ol> </li>