I need some guidance,differentiating between independant Baptist to non-denominational

[01tj]

I'll start with a back story then what I'm looking for after. I may post this in both the baptist and the non-denominational forums.

I grew up catholic, met a baptist girl in college, got saved then converted to baptist. We went to my wife's independent baptist church for a few years then her family had some disputes and started going to a different baptist church and we followed short while after. Her family had another issue at our currant church and left but we stayed. Now we do not feel the church is giving our family what it needs so we are thinking about changing churches. My wife wants to go to her families new church but I'm not so sure.

Our currant church is an old baptist church that is fairly small with a mostly elderly crowd. Our biggest issue is that the children's programs are not very strong and the messages really don't seem to be helping us in any way.


We believe that the only way to Heaven is by knowing we are sinners and can only get there by trusting that Jesus died for our sins. Baptist believe this but there is also a non-denominational church in our area that believes this as well. My wife is against going to this church because they only have traditional services a few times a week and meet in small home groups on other days. She feels that there is a chance the person leading the home group may not be qualified to lead the group. They also have a praise band and even though we listen to CCM she has always been taught that that is not the way to worship in church.

I'm looking for scriptural guidance to help us decide between the two. Can anyone give me some info that supports or does not support either Baptist or Non-denominational?

 

[SaintJoeNow]

I'll start with a back story then what I'm looking for after. I may post this in both the baptist and the non-denominational forums.

I grew up catholic, met a baptist girl in college, got saved then converted to baptist. We went to my wife's independent baptist church for a few years then her family had some disputes and started going to a different baptist church and we followed short while after. Her family had another issue at our currant church and left but we stayed. Now we do not feel the church is giving our family what it needs so we are thinking about changing churches. My wife wants to go to her families new church but I'm not so sure.

Our currant church is an old baptist church that is fairly small with a mostly elderly crowd. Our biggest issue is that the children's programs are not very strong and the messages really don't seem to be helping us in any way.


We believe that the only way to Heaven is by knowing we are sinners and can only get there by trusting that Jesus died for our sins. Baptist believe this but there is also a non-denominational church in our area that believes this as well. My wife is against going to this church because they only have traditional services a few times a week and meet in small home groups on other days. She feels that there is a chance the person leading the home group may not be qualified to lead the group. They also have a praise band and even though we listen to CCM she has always been taught that that is not the way to worship in church.

I'm looking for scriptural guidance to help us decide between the two. Can anyone give me some info that supports or does not support either Baptist or Non-denominational?

non-denominational churches are generally liberal to some degree. The Baptist church I attended for a few years in a different state sadly felt they had to soften their image to appear liberal and dropped "Baptist" from their name and became "non-denominational".....[

 

[PrincetonGuy]

We believe that the only way to Heaven is by knowing we are sinners and can only get there by trusting that Jesus died for our sins. Baptist believe this but there is also a non-denominational church in our area that believes this as well.

Baptists do NOT believe such a thing, and it is highly unlikely that the non-denominational church does either. Baptists believe that the only way to heaven is though salvation from our sins by grace through faith.

Matthew 1:21. “She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Ephesians 2:8. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—

Jesus did not just die “for our sins,” Jesus died to free us from bondage to sin.

Romans 6:1. What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?
2. By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?
3. Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4. Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
6. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.
7. For whoever has died is freed from sin.
8. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

If your church does not teach these things very clearly, you should very seriously consider finding a church that does.

(All quotations from the Scriptures are taken from the New Revised Standard Version)

 

[PrincetonGuy]

non-denominational churches are generally liberal to some degree. The Baptist church I attended for a few years in a different state sadly felt they had to soften their image to appear liberal and dropped "Baptist" from their name and became "non-denominational".....[

Most non-denominational churches are conservative, evangelical, and Baptist in doctrine. They avoid calling themselves “Baptist” churches because the name ‘Baptist’ has, for very many people, a distinctly negative connotation. “Independent Baptist Churches” are typically pastored by men who lack the education required of pastors by denominational Baptist churches; and one of the consequences of this is that they commonly teach the horribly false doctrine that the KJV, and the KJV alone, is the perfectly preserved word of God, and that all other translations of the Bible are NOT the word of God.

 

[MechPebbles]

What is wrong with saying Jesus died for our sins? It sounds to me like a simple and concise summary of penal substitutionary atonement. Sure it can be added to, but to say that Baptists believe no such thing?

 

[MechPebbles]

My dear brother 01tj,

Small groups that meet in the homes of believers are a great way to get to know others in the faith and to become involved in one another's lives. It can be very edifying for our faith. How doctrinally strong such a group is depends not just on the leader but on all the participants in the group. If you and your wife have never been involved in a cell group, I strongly urge you to try it out. Of course, having children can be rather cumbersome but some groups appoint people (by rotation) to care for the young ones.

 

[01tj]

Baptists do NOT believe such a thing, and it is highly unlikely that the non-denominational church does either. Baptists believe that the only way to heaven is though salvation from our sins by grace through faith.


Matthew 1:21. “She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”


Ephesians 2:8. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—


Jesus did not just die “for our sins,” Jesus died to free us from bondage to sin.


Romans 6:1. What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?

2. By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?

3. Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

4. Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

5. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

6. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.

7. For whoever has died is freed from sin.

8. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.


If your church does not teach these things very clearly, you should very seriously consider finding a church that does.


(All quotations from the Scriptures are taken from the New Revised Standard Version)

We believe that we are saved by grace, I probably just worded my original post wrong. We do believe that you have to accept that Jesus died for us are you saying that is wrong? Like if we are given a gift and we either accept or deny it. I realize wording is important, it always bugs me when I her adults tell kids “all you have to do is ask Jesus into your heart”.

Most non-denominational churches are conservative, evangelical, and Baptist in doctrine. They avoid calling themselves “Baptist” churches because the name ‘Baptist’ has, for very many people, a distinctly negative connotation. “Independent Baptist Churches” are typically pastored by men who lack the education required of pastors by denominational Baptist churches; and one of the consequences of this is that they commonly teach the horribly false doctrine that the KJV, and the KJV alone, is the perfectly preserved word of God, and that all other translations of the Bible are NOT the word of God.

The first Baptist church taught this and I’m pretty sure my in-laws church teaches this but while the preaching in our church is out of the KJV and the Bibles in the pews are KJV we don’t necessarily speak against other versions. My wife still believes this and her mom has gotten a little wild and started using the NKJV the still think the other versions are incorrect. My mother in-law always said if your hearts right you’ll understand the KJV our old youth pastor used to say then why not read the Hebrew version.

My dear brother 01tj,


Small groups that meet in the homes of believers are a great way to get to know others in the faith and to become involved in one another's lives. It can be very edifying for our faith. How doctrinally strong such a group is depends not just on the leader but on all the participants in the group. If you and your wife have never been involved in a cell group, I strongly urge you to try it out. Of course, having children can be rather cumbersome but some groups appoint people (by rotation) to care for the young ones.

We used to have a really good young adults group but everyone has moved away and I really miss it. I think I grow more through small group discussions.

 

[PrincetonGuy]

We do believe that you have to accept that Jesus died for us are you saying that is wrong?

Believing that Jesus died for us is not enough to get us into heaven. Even Satan believes that. In order to get into heaven, one must be born again,

John 3:3. Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4. Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?”
5. Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7. “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”

Paul describes in Romans 6:1-8 what being born again is. One must believe in Christ to the extent that he dies to sin, being baptized into His death, “so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” In Galatians 2:20, Paul writes of his own experience of being born again,

Gal.2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

 

[01tj]

Believing that Jesus died for us is not enough to get us into heaven. Even Satan believes that. In order to get into heaven, one must be born again,

John 3:3. Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4. Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?”
5. Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7. “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”

Paul describes in Romans 6:1-8 what being born again is. One must believe in Christ to the extent that he dies to sin, being baptized into His death, “so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” In Galatians 2:20, Paul writes of his own experience of being born again,

Gal.2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Okay, I do understand what you are saying and we do believe that.

 

[PrincetonGuy]

Okay, I do understand what you are saying and we do believe that.

Good!

 

[mikedsjr]

We used to have a really good young adults group but everyone has moved away and I really miss it. I think I grow more through small group discussions.

I'm not sure people grow more from these groups in their knowledge of Scripture. They grow in bonding with fellow believers. Those are two different things.

 

[01tj]

I'm not sure people grow more from these groups in their knowledge of Scripture. They grow in bonding with fellow believers. Those are two different things.

Our group was a Bible study group lead by our old youth pastor