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What is a Baptist

What is a Baptist? 

      There are as many kinds of Baptists as there are varieties of apples! Fundamental, liberal, progressive, stodgy, legalistic, worldly, Biblical.  We are part of a “regular” Baptist fellowship, meaning we try to be faithful to the Bible’s concept of what God thinks a church should be.  In general, then, regular Baptists practice:

 Born-again church membership.

Once someone decides to join,  we like to hear how they received Christ as their Savior. If they have not yet, then we’re glad to show them what the Bible teaches.  Jesus made conversion a requirement of membership in His Church.

John 3:3   “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 

Acts 3:19 “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out…”

 

Autonomy of the local assembly.

Our church is both independent and affiliated with the GARB,   the General Association of Regular Baptists. We choose our own missionaries, colleges, camps, pastors, etc.  We make our own decisions on all things.

Acts 13: 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said,

                “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

                 They selected and sent their own leaders. 

 Acts 15:22 Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church,

                 to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas…

                 They voted as a body for their course of action.

 

priesthood of all believers.

Every believer is a priest; only Jesus intercedes between him and God. He can pray for himself and others. He can offer the sacrifice of praise. He can lead others to God.

1 Peter 2:9  But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people…     We pray, praise, and love the Father in our own right, all of us. 

 Romans  12:1   I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

We offer ourselves to God since we are all priests, all of us saints, and all of us holy. 


 Two ordinances, baptism and communion.

 They are not sacraments; they do not make you more sacred.  They are pictures of your salvation. Baptism tells you that you are clean in God’s eyes now, forever.  Communion reminds you of Jesus’ love.  Neither gets you into heaven, but both are commanded.

Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  Baptize in the Greek means “immerse.” 

 1 Corinthians 11:2 “Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you.”  Traditions, not sacraments.

 1 Corinthians 11:28  But let a man examine himself, & so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Every person remembering Jesus’ love each time the meal is kept.

 

 

Individual soul liberty.

We affirm every person’s right to determine their own belief-system, though we reject the notion that we must approve others’ wrong doctrines.

2 Timothy  2:24-25  And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,  in humility correcting those who are in opposition.  Never dictating, but teaching.

Romans 16:17-18  Note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.  Never allowing error to be taught in our fellowship.

 

 

 

separation of church and state.

We reject the right of the government to interfere with worship, practice or doctrine. We affirm the right of all members of government to declare their religious beliefs.

Romans  13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

We submit to governmental authorities. 

 Acts 4:18-20  But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.  For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”   But we do not submit to anyone in matters of faith and practice commanded by the Bible.   Matthew 22:21  “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, & to God the things that are God’s.”

 

 

Two offices, pastor and deacon.

I Timothy 3.  They work together to lead and care for the flock. The pastor is equally a pastor (shepherd, from “poimane”), an elder (example for all, from “presbuteros”), and a bishop (overseer, from “episkopos”).  (I Peter 5:1-2)  Deacons are to lead in service (from the word “diakonos,” or table-waiter) as they help the pastor care for the flock.  (Acts 6:1-6)

1 Peter 5:1-2  The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder… shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers… Elder, pastor, and bishop in one person.  

 1 Timothy 3:1  If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.

 1 Timothy 3:8 Likewise deacons must be…   Only two offices are mentioned in biblical polity.

 

 

Sovereignty of God through His word.

His word is our sole authority. We might use other books to understand the Bible, but God owns the church. His word is our authority. We use the ancient original texts (Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the New Testament) to assist in our understanding of the modern translations we read out of.  We at First Baptist Church of Petoskey use the New King James Version in our services, but affirm the right of Christians to choose their own translations.  We do recommend, though, that Christians test their version’s viability by its faithfulness to the original texts.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,

for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. 

Matt 28:20   “…teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” 

 


    We at First Baptist also practice “congregational authority.”  Every major decision is brought before the church body for discussion and a vote by the membership.

    And, we try to do exegesis when we study the Bible.  “Exegesis” is a Greek word (the New Testament was written in Greek) that means to draw out the Bible’s meaning.  We try not to bring our own beliefs to the Bible, but ask what God directed the original author to say and mean.  It’s dishonest to foist rules, principles, or commands on others as if they were from God, but we made them up.  We try to only declare what God has said in His word.  Every sermon and lesson is an attempt to answer the question, “What has God said about this topic?”

        The “GARB”, mentioned above, is a national movement started in the 1930’s as a reaction to their association’s tolerance of members who denied the inspiration of the Bible. Today there is a broad range of churches in the GARB, but generally they are biblical, fundamental, progressive, missions-minded, teaching churches.  Fellowship takes place at local, state, and national levels. Each state has a “representative” that acts as advisor to the churches as he is requested.

       Above all, we at FBCP are committed to the study, application, preaching, understanding, and practice of the Bible. The Bible is our only rule and guide for polity and practice.  We try to follow the New Testament church in all ways that are today applicable. We are committed to the power of God’s word as the Holy Spirit’s instrument in our lives.

     So, while our heritage colors and informs our approach to the Bible, we do not focus on “Baptist” doctrines in our services, but on explaining the Bible so that all can understand it.  We like to do this in discussion groups in which everyone’s questions may be brought out and discussed by all.  We enjoy teaching people how to study their Bibles themselves through commentaries, concordances, and outlining.

     If you are looking for a church where you can grow in your knowledge of the Bible, become part of a group of friends who love God, and be part of steering your church into the future, this is a church you would like.

Articles

How Much Does It Cost to Get Love?

Colleen was cooking Hamburger Helper when Cal opened the back door and dropped his gym bag on his sons’ soccer cleats.  “You ready to eat?” she said.

“No.  I got a juice with Sue.”  He threw his coat on a chair by the table.

Colleen felt like an Arctic front had swept through the kitchen.

“Don’t give me that look.” Cal picked up his brief case. “I’ve told you before.  She’s helping me lose weight.”

“But….”

“I’m going to the den to finish my work.”

Colleen followed him from the kitchen.  “You said you’d help Matt with his Science Fair project.”

“That was before I knew the Quarterly Reports are due.  You help him with his dumb assignment.”

The door slammed.

Colleen ate Cal’s and her share of Hamburger Helper while she watched Matt make a weather chart.  After tucking Mark and Matthew in bed she listened at the door of the den.

“That’s sweet of you to say,”  Cal murmured.

Colleen knew.  Before picking up the kids she had driven past Cal’s office.  His car wasn’t there, and, it wasn’t at the Y.  It crossed her mind to see if there actually were sweaty clothes in the gym bag.  Instead, she sought for the treasure in her coat pocket: her grandmother’s Codeine cough syrup.  It wasn’t as good as what she’d found in her friends’ medicine cabinets, but it would help her through tonight.

*    *   *   *   *    *

     Imagine feeling broken and betrayed like Colleen.  What would you need if you were her?  Someone with understanding to say, “You’re not alone.  I’ll listen because I love you and I care.”  God personally offers comfort to you.  He spoke His words through Isaiah to people who had lost everything.

In chapter 40:1of Isaiah, God said, “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”  The Hebrew words Isaiah used mean to convey ‘compassionate whispers to the heart.’   God yearned to be an understanding friend to the Jews of Isaiah’s day and to you right where you are.  The Lord offers loving consolation for weary people who are searching.

God said, “Her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”  How’s that comfort?  I think many of us feel we’ve already received more than our share of troubles!  The shame we feel validates our gut reaction: God is punishing us for all the stupid things we’ve done.  Not only that, we sense guilt, like Colleen, for circumstances beyond our control.  In any event, we usually resort to poor choices for handling desperate situations.  We believe God isn’t going to let us off the hook.

True, God can’t wink at grievances.  He’s holy.  Sin offends Him greatly.

Friend, we miss what Isaiah was saying about iniquity being pardoned and receiving double from the Lord’s hand because we read from a 21st century cultural background.  Dr. Ironside, a respected Bible commentator, helps us understand the analogy Isaiah was making.  If someone was in debt in ancient Israel, they could borrow money against their home (That’s nothing new.).  A note was nailed to their doorpost stating the amount owed to the creditor (That’s embarrassing.).  On the day the homeowner paid off the debt, the creditor secured his copy of the IOU to the doorpost (That’s freedom and relief!).

David Guzik, a Hebrew scholar, enlightens us more on Isaiah’s remark about “receiving double from the Lord’s hand.”  Receiving double comes from a word meaning ‘to fold over, fold in half.’  For example, if you were to make a birthday card you would fold the paper so the corners meet precisely.  One half corresponds exactly to the other half.

   Does God expect us to pay for our sin in order to get His attention and love?  You could never, never do it.  You already know it.  We are caught in a downward spiral of loneliness and low self-esteem, just like Colleen.  Yet the Holy God wants to comfort us.  How can we look up to Him when He sees our guilt and shame?

Let’s apply what we’ve learned from Isaiah:  Imagine living in a run-down house.  You broke the windows in it when you were frustrated.  You stained the carpet because you didn’t care.  You neglected all of the needed repairs then made excuses that you didn’t know where to start fixing the mess.  Vermin have taken over the attic; they scare you at night.  Though your house matches all the others on your block you hate it.  The CONDEMNED sign on the porch gives you the willies.  The FORECLOSURE sign worries you.  This is a picture of a life in shambles and despair.  Your life, your house, is like the debt-ridden one Isaiah was talking about.

However, when everything looked hopeless God conveyed ‘compassionate whispers.’ In the book of Isaiah He called to the Israelites while they were rebellious saying their iniquity was pardoned, and they had received “from my hand double for all your sins.” The rest of the book of Isaiah describes how by foretelling the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Today we look back to the cross of Jesus Christ.  He took the total punishment for our sins.  Jesus paid every one’s horrible sin-debt to God.  The freedom of debt-free living is ours if we accept it.

Sister, God loves you so much He sent Jesus to come to your house.  Jesus paid your mortgage with His life’s blood.  He wants to prepare a home for you with Him in heaven.  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him might be saved.”

Start a new life by telling God you are sorry you offended Him with your sin.  Thank Him for the gift of Jesus Christ and forgiveness.  Walk with God every day by reading His Word and praying.  You will not feel worthless or alone if you remember what God the Father and Jesus Christ have done for you.  Accept gracious love today.