This week I have been participating in a ‘Baptist Denominational Distinctives’ unit at Morling College. At first, studying denomination things can seem a bit of an eye sore, especially in my generation where we don’t really see the importance any more of associating with a particular denomination. But this phrase stood out to me, “Denominational identity provides the basis for a coherent form of theological reflection and faithful living.” So, to be brief, these are some of the key denominational distinctive that make Baptists Baptist:
1. Jesus Christ is Lord – Baptist believe the father has sent his son, and all judgement, and authority belong to him. This has a dual focus, that Jesus Christ is lord immediately over each church and each believer. At the time of the 1600’s, this belief could have been seen as treason and heresy as the King was the Lord overall, church, state and every subject.
2. Because Jesus is Lord we seek to Hear and Obey Him –
1. By Scripture – scripture is the inspired word of God and authoritative for our faith and practice… Preaching has always been central to Baptist worship and Baptist theology has tended to avoid basing its work purely on tradition, philosophical reasoning or experience.
2. By his Spirit – Baptist have also expected the Holy Spirit to be at work personally for each believer, and in each gathered church community.
3. Jesus Christ is Lord of Each Believer – each individual believer comes to salvation through faith by grace, bringing each person into an immediate and personal relationship with God. Uniquely, Baptist conclude this such faith cannot be coerced or assumed but must be voluntarily as an authentic human response to God’s grace.
4. Jesus Christ is Lord of Each Church – Baptists do not speak of ‘The Baptist Church’ rather, only of local baptist churches. Each particular church stands in immediate relationship with Jesus as Lord and is gifted for, responsible of the ministry of Christ in there context.
5. Believer Baptism – Following from point 3, the personal and voluntary nature of faith is expressed in believer baptism which brings together the immediate Lordship of Christ over the individual and the church. New birth, confession, cleansing & forgiveness of sin, death, and resurrection in Christ. Baptism is the point at which the believer makes a public proclamation of faith and commits themself to the ethical demands of discipleship by choosing ‘to follow Jesus’.
6. Baptised into the Church – this point was interesting to me. Baptism also marks the initiation of the believer into the local church. Baptism is a church act, embracing the newly baptised into a sacred fellowship, the practice of the priesthood of believers where every believer has a part to play. Also, into congregational government, and sustained together by the Lord’s Supper (Communion) into a life of discipleship.
7. Freedom of Religion – with Jesus’ Lordship over the individual, Baptist hold to a liberty of conscience where no individuals should be compelled by the state, or by any other secular or religious authority when it comes to matters of the faith. Hence, this is expressed in the principle of the separation of Church and state.
8. Discipleship – both the local church and the individual believer are expected to seek to be increasingly conformed to the image of Christ, acknowledging his Lordship in their lives through the process of discipleship in community of the Church.
9. Mission – What do you get when you cross a belief that Jesus Christ is Lord and we owe him our obedience, with a certainty that each person must come to this faith freely for themselves? Mission, ‘go and make disciples’!
These are the key pillars of our Baptist heritage, they have come about over 500 years since the Protestant reformation as our forefathers fought and tried to understand what was the most faithful expression of faith found in the New Testament scriptures.
Ashleigh
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