Question Am I A Baptist?

[nevb1973]

I saw the post on page 4 of this section "What kind of Baptist are You?". I was raised in A Roman Catholic environment but was never comfortable with it. Last year I began to read the bible and try to figure out my beliefs and were I am in relation to God. I feel like I may be a Baptist if that makes any sense. I do believe in Jesus and that I must ask of my own free will for forgiveness and that my relationship with God is between us. So I really want to know what are the varieties of Baptists and what do they believe. I am just a person who needs to know what I am agreeing to when I join a church I can't be a hypocrite and pick and choose what parts I believe and what I don't.

 

[Texan40]

I was raised in a Lutheran church and my father's whole family were Catholic. I still to this day have nothing against my background. It planted a wonderful foundation of faith and knowledge in me. As an adult I felt I had to find a place where I could not only express my reverence for God but also my joy. I have ended up at a Baptist church and am very happy there. I believe this is where God has led me to mature my faith and bring me closer to Him. I do not consider myself a Baptist but simply a Christian if that makes any sense... but I do strongly identify with the scriptural teaching and doctrine at this Baptist church. My advice is to visit a few congregations and see how you feel... see if anything about the church or service speaks to you. God will put you where you need to be.

 

[edie19]

I saw the post on page 4 of this section "What kind of Baptist are You?". I was raised in A Roman Catholic environment but was never comfortable with it. Last year I began to read the bible and try to figure out my beliefs and were I am in relation to God. I feel like I may be a Baptist if that makes any sense. I do believe in Jesus and that I must ask of my own free will for forgiveness and that my relationship with God is between us. So I really want to know what are the varieties of Baptists and what do they believe. I am just a person who needs to know what I am agreeing to when I join a church I can't be a hypocrite and pick and choose what parts I believe and what I don't.

I strongly encourage you to read the London Baptist Confession of Faith (link below) - it includes Scriptural support for all of the stated beliefs. A couple of things come to mind right off the bat that are major differences between the tenets of the RCC and Baptists (of which there are several groups).
1. Baptism
2. The Lord's Table

There are other differences to be sure - but those are a couple of biggies.

The Baptist Confession of Faith (1689)

 

[DD2008]

Here is a link to the Baptist Faith and Message:

The Baptist Faith & Message

I like it.

 

[sealacamp]

I would hope that you would be a human being first, a Christian second and if you so choose a baptist.

Sealacamp

 

[nevb1973]

Thank you for the links. I read through them and they were helpful. The only thing that gave me pause is in section 26 of the " Confession of Faith"
"All people throughout the world who profess the faith of the Gospel and obedience to Christ on its terms, and who do not destroy their profession by any errors which contradict or overthrow Gospel fundamentals, or by unholy behaviour, are visible saints and may be regarded as such. All individual congregations ought to be constituted of such people."
So one refers to ones self as a saint if they are a believer? What exactly does that mean? Or is it just the way to refer to being part of the church group. I have a different view of what a saint would be someone beyond just regular folks.

 

[edie19]

Thank you for the links. I read through them and they were helpful. The only thing that gave me pause is in section 26 of the " Confession of Faith"
"All people throughout the world who profess the faith of the Gospel and obedience to Christ on its terms, and who do not destroy their profession by any errors which contradict or overthrow Gospel fundamentals, or by unholy behaviour, are visible saints and may be regarded as such. All individual congregations ought to be constituted of such people."
So one refers to ones self as a saint if they are a believer? What exactly does that mean? Or is it just the way to refer to being part of the church group. I have a different view of what a saint would be someone beyond just regular folks.

in reading Paul's letters saints are believers.

Romans 1:7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

similarly, the Holy Spirit is the intercessor for the saints (believers), not the saints intercessors for believers
Romans 8:27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

 

[nevb1973]

Thanks. That cleared that up .Coming from a Roman Catholic background it is really hard to reference myself as a saint in any way .

 

[Marcus Constantine]

That's correct - the Bible speaks of any believer in Christ as a 'saint.' Veneration of saints by the Roman Catholic Church came later and was originally meant to honor their martyrdom. It got a bit out of control!

Anyway, there are many "types" of Baptist, but most are very similar doctrinally. What tends to be different is their worship style and their affiliations. The Bible doesn't speak in specifics when talking about Christian worship services which is why you see the variation. Affiliation can range from Southern Baptist churches to Independent Baptist churches to General Association of Regular Baptist churches. Like I said though - not too much difference. Here are the "Baptist distinctives" that historically have been the hallmark of Baptist churches.

• Biblical authority (Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Timothy 3:16-17) - in other words, tradition or some individual's view is not the church's authority.
• Autonomy of the local church (Matthew 18:15–17; 1 Corinthians 6:1-3) - in other words, a church hierarchy is not biblical.
• Priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:5-9; 1 Timothy 5) - in other words, every single believer can come to God without the need for a priest here on Earth. We have a Great High Priest in Christ, but we are individual priests here in a sense, as we have been entrusted with the Gospel. Another thing to consider is the verse in Hebrews - "There is one mediator between God and man" - Jesus Christ.
• Two ordinances (believer's baptism and the Lord's Supper) (Acts 2:41–47; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32) - we believe the Bible only commands two ordinances of the church. They are not called sacraments because they are not for salvation or additional grace. Baptism in the Bible is for believers, not children, and is a picture of the death and resurrection of Christ. It has no saving power. Likewise the Lord's Supper is for us to remember Christ's work on the cross: "do this in remembrance of me."
• Individual soul liberty (Romans 14:5–12) - we have free will.
• Saved church membership (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 5:23–32; Colossians 1:18) - only believers should be members of the church. You can't conquer a place and declare that they are all now Christians.
• Two offices of the church (pastor and deacon) (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1–2) - the terms elder, bishop, pastor are spoken of as one office. The deacons assist the pastor with temporal matters.
• Separation of Church and State (Matthew 22:15–22) - There has never been an "official church" of a nation that is Baptist. We believe that the state should have no say in the way of worship or practices of God's people.

Let me say other groups believe many parts of these distinctives, but few would hold to all of it. The ones that would hold to all of it would be considered "baptistic." I hope that helps.

 

[nevb1973]

Thank you for that that was very nice. There are two churches in my area that are Baptist a First Baptist and an Independent bible church. My next step will have to be to check them out.