A difference.

[Tripperfish]

What exactly sets baptists apart from other denominations? At least 1 difference between 5 please? Choose any, I just would like to know :3

 

[MatthewDiscipleofGod]

What exactly sets baptists apart from other denominations? At least 1 difference between 5 please? Choose any, I just would like to know :3

For starters Baptist are not a denomination. We are independent from each other even though we often work together. Also, we believe in believers only baptism unlike Lutherans, Methodists and etc.

 

[OzSpen]

For starters Baptist are not a denomination. We are independent from each other even though we often work together. Also, we believe in believers only baptism unlike Lutherans, Methodists and etc.

If that is the case, what is your definition of denomination?

Wikipedia gives this brief definition: "A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity". Under this definition, wouldn't Baptists be a denomination?

Oz

 

[strelok0017]

Baptists are a denomination. Funny thing, sort of related to the topic, some people in my Church consider Calvinism to be a denomination and others to be a systematic theology. Many people, it would seem, aren't sure what the definition of denomination is.

Most people here probably agree that Calvinism is a systematic theology but not far from my Church is a Church of a different denomination: Calvinist. So Calvinism is a systematic theology and a denomination?

Anyway, Baptists are a denomination and despite the fact that there are many different Baptists most of them just use a common name: Baptist.

 

[Osage Bluestem]

Baptist Distinctives

 

[DeaconDean]

Priesthood of the Believers.

God Bless

Till all are one.

 

[a pilgrim]

They have NEVER identified with Roman Catholicism, (except in being the recipients of brutal persecution.)

 

[Osage Bluestem]

They have NEVER identified with Roman Catholicism, (except in being the recipients of brutal persecution.)

Thats a Landmarkist idea. Not all Baptists believe that. Many Baptists admit we are a branch of the reformation.

 

[a pilgrim]

Thats a Landmarkist idea. Not all Baptists believe that. Many Baptists admit we are a branch of the reformation.

Your "we" groups Baptists into one group. There are those who would define Baptists with certain distinctives, one being they never identified with Rome.

I know about those who came out of the Puritans in the 1600's and adopted the name "Baptist." In that respect there would be a connection back to Rome through the Church of England.

However, there are groups that do not come from that "line" of Baptists and do not have that connection.

 

[Osage Bluestem]

However, there are groups that do not come from that "line" of Baptists and do not have that connection.

According to Landmarkism. That idea isn't proven. Many even go so far as to say the idea is disproven.

 

[strelok0017]

To be honest, I have no idea. I did not feel at home at the Roman Catholic Church which is why I left it in late August last year. In fact ever since I got saved I did not feel as a Catholic at all but I though. I only say this because my history knowledge about reformation is laughable. All I ever gained comes from my new Church. Some say that origins of Baptists go before reformation (which is the position I hold also) but we know that Baptists do have different lines (for a lack of better term). I know about Southern Baptist, Reformed Baptist, 7th Day Baptist... According to gotquestions.org differences between Baptist lines aren't that big. Those are my 2 cents...

 

[SoulBap6]

Our Beliefs
The Holy Scriptures

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally and plenary inspired Word of God. The scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed and, therefore, are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. The scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical and historical meaning. The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only translation used by the church. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21)​

Dispensationalism

We believe that the scriptures are to be interpreted in their natural, literal sense and that they reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life which define man's responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. Three of these dispensations-the law, the church, and the kingdom-are the subjects of detailed revelation in scripture. (Gen. 1:28; 1 Cor. 9:17; 2 Cor. 3:9-18; Gal. 3:13-25; Eph. 1:10; 3:2-10; Col. 1:24-25, 27; Rev. 20:2-6)​

The Godhead

We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; John 14:10, 26)​

The Person and Work of Christ

1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8)
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; 1 Pet. 2:24; Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
3. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of representative, intercessor, and advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2)

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, indwelling and sealing believers until the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14)
2. We believe that He is the divine teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27)
3. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry. (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12)
4. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit, and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing. (1 Cor. 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22)

The Total Depravity of Man

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God; but that in Adam's sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19)​

Salvation

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe that all sins, except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, are forgivable. (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Matt. 12:31-32; 1 John 1:9)​

The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers

1. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1; 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Pet. 1:4-5)
2. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God's Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)

The Church

1. We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons. (1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27)
2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)
3. We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control. (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom. 16:1, 4; 1 Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; 1 Pet. 5:1-4)
4. We recognize water baptism and the Lord's Supper as the scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age. (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; 1 Cor. 11:23-26)

Separation

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord. God commands His people to separate from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations, and to refrain from all immodest and immoderate appearances, piercings, and bodily markings. (Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; Lev. 19:28; 1 Cor. 6:19-20)​

The Second Advent of Christ

We believe in that blessed hope, the personal, imminent return of Christ who will rapture His church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Great Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel. (Ps. 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; I Thess. 1:10; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)​

The Eternal State

1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)
2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; I Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6)
3. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment. (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15)

The Personality of Satan

We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the fall of man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10)​

Creation

We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11)​

Civil Government

We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 2:13-14)​

 

[Osage Bluestem]

Dispensationalism isn't a required theology in Baptist Churches. My Grandfather was a Southern Baptist preacher for over 40 years and he was Amillenial.

 

[OzSpen]

Baptists are a denomination. Funny thing, sort of related to the topic, some people in my Church consider Calvinism to be a denomination and others to be a systematic theology. Many people, it would seem, aren't sure what the definition of denomination is.

Most people here probably agree that Calvinism is a systematic theology but not far from my Church is a Church of a different denomination: Calvinist. So Calvinism is a systematic theology and a denomination?

Anyway, Baptists are a denomination and despite the fact that there are many different Baptists most of them just use a common name: Baptist.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines 'denomination' as

A large group of religious congregations united under a common faith and name and organized under a single administrative and legal hierarchy.

I find this to be a reasonable, brief definition. Perhaps 'large group' could be changed to 'group' as religious denominations once started out in a much smaller way.

What do you think of that definition?

Oz

 

[strelok0017]

I agree with that one because what makes one denomination distinctive from another is their view of certain parts of the Scripture. However I think that they were careful with the word "large" because small body of people, given a chance, could decide to separate themselves and call themselves a denomination which could not work. I don't think this is a step made to stop others from having a deep study of the word but rather of protecting the unity of Church. Denomination is in a sense a safeguard. That is why all Baptist Churches, at least in my opinion, ought to have the same statement of faith (or any other denomination). There are some minor differences in between Baptist lines too but I can't comment on how to deal with that. I really have no clue. For example; one Baptist Pastor is a 7th day Baptist and another Reformed Baptist. Would they have different statements of faith, even if just only one number was different (corporate worship on the 7th day vs corporate worship on the 6th day of the week)?

Then again, I agree with above posted definition. Word "large" to me looks like a safeguard to stop people from making microdenominations (I just made up a word ).

PS: Large group probably does not mean millions but much smaller number of believers with the same convictions.

 

[OzSpen]

I agree with that one because what makes one denomination distinctive from another is their view of certain parts of the Scripture. However I think that they were careful with the word "large" because small body of people, given a chance, could decide to separate themselves and call themselves a denomination which could not work. I don't think this is a step made to stop others from having a deep study of the word but rather of protecting the unity of Church. Denomination is in a sense a safeguard. That is why all Baptist Churches, at least in my opinion, ought to have the same statement of faith (or any other denomination). There are some minor differences in between Baptist lines too but I can't comment on how to deal with that. I really have no clue. For example; one Baptist Pastor is a 7th day Baptist and another Reformed Baptist. Would they have different statements of faith, even if just only one number was different (corporate worship on the 7th day vs corporate worship on the 6th day of the week)?

Then again, I agree with above posted definition. Word "large" to me looks like a safeguard to stop people from making microdenominations (I just made up a word ).

PS: Large group probably does not mean millions but much smaller number of believers with the same convictions.

I don't think it is possible for all Baptist denominations to have the exact same statement of faith as they differ in the areas you suggested, particularly in relation to the acceptance of the TULIP doctrines. However, my experience in Baptist circles is that most of them have a common core on which they agree.

Would you be able to agree with The New Hampshire Baptist Confession of 1833?

Would you be able to accept the Southern Baptist Statement of Faith?

What about the General Baptists' Statement of Faith?

Oz

 

[a pilgrim]

I think we run into a problem seeing the "Baptist" faith as a monolith. I use, more frequently, the phrase "baptistic." There are certain characteristics they have shared over the years, but there is no central Baptist creed except, perhaps, this; they saw the necessity of the new life and the need to be immersed following a profession of faith with "believer's baptism." It probably, and rightly so, ends there. Baptists can be:

Arminian
Calvinist
Sabbath keepers
More conservative
More liberal
Somewhere in between
Political
Non-Political
More White
More Black
Mixed
Charismatic

. . . and the list goes on, but all launching from the basis, repent and be baptized.