What are Free Will Baptist Churches?

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[DaveXR650]

I listened to that. What is interesting is that I guess they openly say they are Arminian. Most Baptist churches I know of deny they are Arminian because they insist on the idea of once saved always saved and they absolutely won't budge on that. So they are in a sense Calvinist, almost hyper-Calvinist, when it comes to keeping your salvation but at the same time most Baptist churches are completely Arminian in getting saved. But they tend to be offended if that is suggested, even though they are offended even more if it is suggested that they are Calvinist. In a sense, the Free Will Baptists seem to be consistent at least.

 

[Teemo]

- What must we do to be saved? "Believe" John 3:15 Eternal Life - John 3:16 Everlasting Life

- Only the "Finished Work of Christ" will get anyone into Heaven, period. John 19:30 "It Is Finished."

- What must we do if we loose our salvation? "Re-Crucify Christ" each time you loose it. Hebrew 6:6
UTTERLY IMPOSSIBLE

- If You Leave, You Never Believed Hebrew 10:38-39 - 1 John 1:19

- Unger's Dictionary
Believe (GK) - Saving Faith gives believers an unchangeable, unforfeitable position.

God Bless


Unity

 

[JonC]

I listened to that. What is interesting is that I guess they openly say they are Arminian. Most Baptist churches I know of deny they are Arminian because they insist on the idea of once saved always saved and they absolutely won't budge on that. So they are in a sense Calvinist, almost hyper-Calvinist, when it comes to keeping your salvation but at the same time most Baptist churches are completely Arminian in getting saved. But they tend to be offended if that is suggested, even though they are offended even more if it is suggested that they are Calvinist. In a sense, the Free Will Baptists seem to be consistent at least.

Most Baptist churches I know are neither Arminian or Calvinist churches. But these are within the SBC (I have a limited experience). These are the churches that I prefer as I reject both Arminianism and Calvinism. But typically these have had people in both camps as well. I think it's those of us who rejected both that hold the church from becoming either.

 

[DaveXR650]

Most Baptist churches I know are neither Arminian or Calvinist churches. But these are within the SBC (I have a limited experience). These are the churches that I prefer as I reject both Arminianism and Calvinism. But typically these have had people in both camps as well. I think it's those of us who rejected both that hold the church from becoming either.

You're right. They don't do theology. They usually just say in their "What we believe" section that you come to Christ by faith and repentance. They just assume that a natural understanding of free will is sufficient without speculating on ability or lack of it. Faith is faith and no effort is made to determine whether it is a gift or what that means or if it somehow becomes a work if it is not directly a gift. There may be some wisdom in that approach, to be honest.

 

[JonC]

You're right. They don't do theology. They usually just say in their "What we believe" section that you come to Christ by faith and repentance. They just assume that a natural understanding of free will is sufficient without speculating on ability or lack of it. Faith is faith and no effort is made to determine whether it is a gift or what that means or if it somehow becomes a work if it is not directly a gift. There may be some wisdom in that approach, to be honest.

You m8sunderstood what I meant. The churches (SBC) that I have attended do "do theology". Theology is the readon the churches are not Calvinist or Arminian. And it is the reason some within those congregations were one or the other.

The difference is these churches did not elevated an understanding to the status of Scripture. They acknowledge both calvinistic and non-calvinistic passages and left the choice of joining one camp or the other to the member *soul liberty).

A Calvinist member would be welcomed to share a passage (the congregation would agree with the passage) and his interpretation (some may agree with him while others wouldn't, but nobody would argue against the guys liberty to hold his belief). Same with a free-will baptist member.

I remember one night in study where a member told the pastor he believed one could lose their salvation because of such and such passage. The pastor told him that he disagreed but such disagreement is fine among believers (he did tell him that per his interpretation one who lost their salvation could never be saved).


You are right, though, that these churches did not hold speculation as doctrine. And this does leave a bit more room than many would like. But this has not been a problem in these churches. If somebody wanted to attend a church dogmatic about an area of speculation they could leave and not be thought of negatively.

The benefit of this type of church is "iron sharpens iron". This does not happen when Christians segregate into speculation camps.

A con of this type of church is that problems can arise depending on how indoctrinated members become in one or the other camp (there are a lot of para-church organizations dedicated to Calvinism and Arminianism). This can be especially problematic with less mature Christians entering the ministry (they tend to be easily influenced by pastors they look up to as they were learning).

 

[Jesus Saves!]

Just some thoughts as I was reading. Maybe it’ll help someone.

John 10:27-28 KJVS
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: [28] And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

He said they shall never perish. The Lord saves the inward man, not the outward freshly man we see. It will return to the dust because of sin.

Romans 10:14,17 KJVS
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? [17] So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

I believed in Jesus from a child as I did Santa Claus and of course didn’t truly know the Lord. But when I heard the Gospel preached to me as a ten year old boy at my grandfather’s funeral, He truly became Real to me. Though I didn’t repent and believe with my heart at that time, conviction set up in my heart and showed me I was a sinner. I also saw the Lord lifted up high and holy and realized He was a near God and not somewhere way out in space. I had the opportunity to believe and trust at that time but didn’t exercise the faith He had given me to believe. Later in life, I felt the tug of the Holy Spirit several more times and didn’t obey. After the loss of my mother suddenly I knew I needed the Lord. So I started going to church and had made a profession earlier in life, but there wasn’t any change in my heart. I was helping the choir sing at the beginning of service. I was tore all to pieces and knew what I needed to do but the enemy was saying not now they haven’t even preached yet or had an altar call. As I pondered for what seemed a while but was just seconds I guess, I felt the tug lessen. I felt like the Lord was walking away and I’d never get a chance to come to Him again. So, I laid down my pride and in my heart was saying if you’ll wait I’m coming. I took a few steps and fell on the altar in the hands of the Lord. I felt a great burden lift from my heart that I didn’t even realize I was carrying. I’ve been saved ever since and never felt that conviction in use to feel as a lost sinner.

 

[Mike Stidham]

The Free Will Baptists, as well as a largely midwestern and upper southern denomination called General Baptists, hold to a position called "Reformed Arminianism". What it boils down to is that they believe that Hebrews 6 teaches that one can apostasize; however, once that happens there's no coming back from that.