Featured What type of a Baptist are you?

Still Standing

An assembly of believers needs to agree on what it is they believe.

God does not save us as isolated individuals...like bb's in a bucket.

This kind of general non descript language does not get it done.
A Mormon can write the same sentence. In offering a description; separatist from what practice? what fundamentals? Answering theses questions is going to define you, or bap4life.....you can avoid it if you want to..but it is there.

again..it is not stating it, but defining it that matters.

Of course you do!

you are not totally wrong here as Baptists that you allude to have many unscriptural beliefs.....just because they agreed on immersion does not bind us together.

good illustration:thumbs:

Who can say such a thing? what if we are still the "early church"? What if our understanding forces more of a blend of different branches of Christianity?

Are you going to say a biblical Presbyterian is not saved?

These realities come to us as history...real history.We do not live in a vacuum.

No we do not. This term can be discussed and has been. The fact is most use the tern in ignorance.

This is a narrowed skewed view of church history. there are many Baptists who find truth wherever it comes from in history...you mentioned Luther before...do you believe in justification by faith alone?

The reformers and puritans contributed much to biblical truth while many of the confused and schismatic Baptists were all over the place.

You are somebody to God, and you have a voice in the public arena. You are welcome to express your view, and more than welcome to offer what scripture you think makes your case.....we are also welcome to search the scripture and see if these things are so.

That is true for all of us. No one posts what they believe to be error.:thumbs:

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It does not have to be a fight at all....go to scripture and make your case.

 

I may not have put it exactly as you have but I think you did a fine job in this and your previous post.

I don't like to be called a Calvinist because I do not believe some of the "stuff" Calvin taught. I don't believe TULIP is the sum total of the Biblical Doctrines of Grace. I am not Arminian because I totally disagree with most if not all of their doctrine. I am reformed only in the sense that I am a new Creation in Jesus Christ. I am not a Protestant, never have been, never will be, though I routinely and vigorously protest some of the doctrines espoused on this Baptist Board, whether espoused by "Baptists" or others.

I believe in the plenary verbal inspiration of Scripture.

I believe that the The Lord our God is one Lord, revealed in Scripture as three divine persons: God the Father, God the Son or God the Word, and God the Holy Spirit; all three eternal and self existent yet One God.

I believe that Jesus Christ is the incarnate God in whom dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, fully God and fully man, yet one person.

I believe in the Virgin birth of Jesus Christ and the necessity of the Virgin Birth.

I believe salvation is solely by the Grace of God and was secured for the believer by the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ through His death on the Cross.

I believe that the Church for which Jesus Christ died includes the redeemed of all time.

I believe that true believers are to associate themselves with those of like mind in a local body which also constitutes a Church.

I believe that Scriptural Baptism is to be administered only to those who associate with a local body of believers

I believe that Scriptural Baptism is the total immersion of a professing believer as a visible testimony of his experience of Grace.

I believe that the Lord's supper is a memorial of the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross and is to be observed only by Baptized believers of a local body until He returns.

I believe that the eternal security of the Saints, the true believer, is preserved by the Grace of God.

I believe those saved by the blood of jesus Christ are His workmanship and ought to walk as He walked.

I believe in the Visible return of Jesus Christ at the time of God's choosing, the resurrection of all the dead, those who died in Jesus Christ and those who died in Adam, followed by the Great White Throne Judgment.

I believe that Satan and those who died in Adam will be cast into the lake of fire.

I believe those who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ will receive a glorified body like unto His glorious body and shall dwell eternally in the presence of God in the New Heavens and New Earth.

I call myself a Baptist because I believe that the doctrines of most Baptist Churches reflect more clearly the teaching of Scripture. There are some on this Forum who might call me an "Old School Baptist" and I thank them whole heartedly!

If I think of anything else I will add it!

 

Old Regular said in post #122

This is an excellent summary of historic Baptist beliefs.

I have described myself as a Calvinist because it comes closest to what I believe about the doctrines of grace. Because of the baggage that goes with the term, I now simply describe myself as a DoG (Doctrines of Grace). If that raises further questions, I'll fill in the blanks.

I, too, don't refer to myself as a Protestant.

 

You're not getting it, and it's my fault because I have not been able to explain it clearly.

You say "go to scripture and make your case." That's my whole point. There is not scripture to use to answer your question, for your question is not found in scripture. The original question, "what kind of Baptist are you" is not a question based on scripture. It is not a doctrinal question. It is a question of self identity, history and definition. If the question is "what do you believe regarding the 5 points of Calvinism, give your position based on scripture reference", that's how I would have answered it. But I did not understand that to be the question. I understood it to be 'what kind of baptist are you". And I commented on my view of what kind of Baptists there are, and are not. Nothing is more twisted, however unintentional, in the hands of men quite like history is to meet their own needs, and nowhere is that shown more than in theological discussions the world over. And history is viewed through the prism of one's own culture, information and personal perception, that is true for both you and I. And if you go back and look at it, your question depends on heavily on any given person's view of history as to how they came to receive what they hold to be their identity.

So, do you want an honest answer regarding one's personal, historical identity as a Baptist, or do want a theological discussion regarding doctrine?

As for individual answers...

1. An assembly of believers is a local, autonomous congregation, not dictated by a pope in Rome, or an adulterous king in England.

2. God absolutely does save the individual, one at a time. Not sure what you were referring to there.

3. a. Separate from the world, separate from the government, separate from government organized, licensed and officially recognized "churches".
b. The fundamentals of the faith as taught from Scripture and believed by the early church.
c. I don't care a fig about being defined by you, anyone that takes such a unnecessary swipe at another brother on here not even in this conversation (bap4life) has is rude and disrespectful spirit. That wasn't necessary.

4. I don't need to define it. If you are even remotely evangelical, you know the definitions.

5. "Are you going to say a biblical Presbyterian is not saved?" What's the matter with you? How did this turn from one's definition of Baptist to doubting someone's salvation? That was foolish.

6. We do live in a doctrinal vacuum. I had a Mormon tell me that he believed a particular doctrine that was not in the Bible because "we don't live in a vacuum and we get truth and revelation as it is delivered to us by God down through the years".

Ga*1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

Or this one...
Re*22:18
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

Re*22:19
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

The scripture and all doctrine was complete upon...completion

7. Yes, I have a very narrow view of everything. I walk on the "narrow way" I serve a narrow God and black is a long way from white.

This probably didn't answer everything, and probably none of it to your satisfaction, but I can do no more.

PS - you owe bap4life an apology

 

i just reread my answering post to Iconclast above, and it was not very neat or clear in layout. I apologize for that, I know how to quote, but I can't figure out how to quote a quote.

Also, as I re-read it, the tone sounded pretty sharp to me. That was unintentional, and I apologize for that tone as well. I work in a machine shop to pay the bills, it's unheated and 100 degrees here this week. I'm tired, I type slow and I should be in bed.

Although I said what I meant, it didn't come out quite the way I intended. I am sorry.

 

No problem SS,

I do not have thin skin. You can speak plainly to me...

 

And your point is? Please, note I did define how I was using Regular.
HSBC's founding declaration states

It then went on to make specific statements as to how HSBC (then Zion Baptist) was to operate.

 

Still Standing

You were clear enough.

Sure it is a doctrinal question. As soon as you go to scripture to define your theology...it is clearly a doctrinal question. When you define the teaching of scripture your answers define you.

In this thread you stated this in post 112-

 

I'm a Baptist... That was baptized by immersion... In the name of the Father, The Son, and the Holy Ghost! Is there another kind I don't know about? Did ALL you Baptist come in the same way?... Don't get mad just checkin... Btw I'm the Bible believing kind and leave it at that... AMEN!:smilewinkgrin:

 

I think the fact that I bring levity is the main reason I've been tolerated all these years.

Srsly, I think a thread like this can be good because we need to know what we believe, why we believe it, and be able to convey as much to others.

 

You have just "heard" of them? You haven't read any of their books or know much about their lives and doctrine?

So they don't measure-up to your standard of what an authentic Baptist is? That's a strange way of wording things :"Calvinists who call themselves Baptist." In your mind they can't actually be real honest-to-goodness Baptists.

Yes you are. You're in denial (and I don't mean the river in Egypt).

What you need to do is to research things a good deal. Find out what some Baptist scholars say. Have you heard of :Gerald L. Priest, Chris Traffanstedt, Nathan Finn, Michael A.G. Haykin and James Renihan? These are living Baptist scholars. You can find messages of Finn, Haykin and Renihan on sermonaudio.com.

Well you better. You called him unregenerate. That's rather nasty of you --completely uncalled for.

Who and what are you talking about in the above?

He was not a renown orator. He was a pastor and theologian of the early Church. Instead of running around calling godly men of the past unregenerate --you need to actuallly read some of Augustine's works. Get your hat ready for munching later.

Here are just a few of his quotes and tell me if they sound like the words of an unsaved person.

God has made us for Himself, our hearts are restless until they rest in Him.

If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don't like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.

A Christian should be an Alleluia from head to foot.

The Holy Scriptures are our letters from home.

You are my God. my life, my holy DELIGHT, but is this enough to say of you? Can any man say enough when he speaks of you? Yet woe betide those who are silent about you!
__________________________________________________________

The following are just a few Baptist of recent years who appreciate Augustine: Steve Lawson, John Piper, John MacArthur, Dr. Al Mohler, Mark Dever, Alistair Begg and a fellow you may be familiar with --Charles H. Spurgeon. I'll throw in A.W. Tozer for honorable mention though he wasn't a Baptist.

Are you KJVP or KJVO?

 

How have we gotten to the point where to be a Baptist means one MUST be either a calvinist/Arminian/IBF/Non etc?

Isn't the truth that NONE of that really has defined what being a baptist is, but the main distinctives such as a seperation of church/state in religion, each church can govern as sees fit, each believer able to interprete the Bible for themselves, bible as inpired word of the lord etc?