Expert: Dr. Ronald E. Shultz - 6/11/2008

Question
Why are you Baptist?
The early church had no denomination; Jesus did not speak of any denomination. Why can’t you just be a Christian that believes in the Bible?


Answer
True, in the beginning there would only be one church or denomination because there is only one true teaching and the apostles were teaching it but it did not take very long for that to change.  John spoke of false prophets and people leaving the group because they "were not of us."  Paul warned of men that were in ministry to wound him and to have preeminence or for their bellies.  Some also wrote epistles trying to sound like Paul to push their version of the Gospel.  Then you had the Jews who said they believed in Christ but just couldn't give up the law and added it to the Gospel.  

Paul in 1 Corinthians 11 said that there had to be divisions among the people that the approved would stand out.  Divisions, denominations, call them what you will but they have been around from the beginning.  

What causes divisions?  Truth or doctrine.  There is only one true interpretation of any passage though it may have applications to many areas of life.  

Most "mainline" denominations teach infant baptism, which they brought over with them from Catholicism during the Reformation or in the case of the Methodists from the Anglican Church which is still an offshoot of the Roman Catholic cult.  

The Bible teaches baptism by immersion for believers only.  Thus, I must separate from all the groups who teach otherwise.  Thus even if there had been no Reformation there would be at least two denominations, the RCs and Baptists because of this one doctrine albeit there are many more difference between the RCs, the mainlines and Baptists.  

The Church of Christ are actually recent offshoots of the Baptists though they often deny it.  Indeed, the split caused some confusion because the church where I currently serve as was first called Macedonia Baptist Church of Christ back in the 1800s.  Not sure why that was so, but at some point they relaized they were truly Baptist and dropped the COC.

In what points do they differ?  Baptism according to the Bible is symbolic, not sacramental, like the RCs and mainlines believe and by making baptism necessary for salvation COC folks also make it a sacrament or a means of attaining grace.  Baptists follow the Bible and consider it a symbol and the first act of obedience for the saved Christian but salvation is not attained or enhanced by it nor diminished by failure to participate in it be it willingly or because the person dies before they can be baptized.  Thus we have the two denominations of Baptist and Church of Christ.

Authentic Baptists are not Charismatic.  So we have Pentecostal (many varieties) and Baptists (also several varieties).

Christian was given to us by our enemies.  At one time, the name meant something.  Now you can believe all sorts of heresy and nonsense and call yourself Christian, Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses as examples.  There are Christian nudists and strippers and one group once used prostitution as an "evangelistic" tool. It can be chic to be Christian though the really chic term is spiritual.

I use the term Fundamental, though the media has made that a dirty word, because Conservative means very little as it has been watered done and Evangelical means nearly nothing. Reading is Fundamental and reading the Bible with the proper hermeneutic is also fundamental.

Generic, vanilla churches only open the door to even more division and heresy.  Some are really Baptist,Presbyterian or something else in polity and doctrine but to please the culture they called themselves by a so-called nondenominational or intra-denominational name. Anyone can just open up a storefront and preach whatever as long as they can get a crowd to follow them to Guyana or Waco.

Nearly all the major doctrinal differences have already been addressed.  If you are elder run, TULIP and covenant in your practice you are Presbyterian even if you call yourself Grace Community Fellowship.  Some Baptists have become fainthearted, compromising and sometimes deceitful because they are constituted as a Baptist Church, often SBC, but call themselves Meadowview Family Church or Mugwump Community Church. If your doctrine is Baptist then have the backbone to call yourself that or close the doors.

God is not the author of confusion. There should only be the Church at Dallas, TX or Columbia, SC but because some are not listening to the Spirit who has come to lead us into all truth you will have denominations.  Because men are flesh and often carnal you can have more than one building of the same denomination in a small town. At the most there should be five buildings in a large city but they are all ONE independent fundamental Baptist Church.  The same for any other group.  Seeker churches are a failure so we may as well get bak to when we had maybe 20 denominational churches rather than thousands of nondenominational denominations.  One church unless it claims to be the only true church is still a denomination of Christianity.  Let two or more organize, fellowship or affiliate in any manner and they are still technically a denomination like the Methodists of Presbyterians.  Thus nothing is accomplished by the confusion caused because don't want a name.  

Yet, we all want to be Cowboys, 49ers, #3 or #8 fans and wear the uniform and colors proudly.  Yet, they shun to use the uniform or colors of Baptist on the field for God.  

Unity?  We will never be one until Christ returns for we have not been one since the 1st century. (http://www.bibleteacher.org/mav3.htm)

Why am I a Baptist because though they are not perfect they are closer doctinally to the primitive or 1st Century Church than any other group.  Also, many have died for the faith under that name.  Indeed, many of the freedoms we enjoy in this country are due to the influence of Baptists.  I am not ashamed of the name.  It is an honorable name though some using that name have been dishonorable.

I was born a Methodist and never heard Wesley's message of you must be born again.  My wife was a Lutheran but never heard "sola fida, sola scriptura".  All we knew were rituals and creeds.  Though I was saved in a Baptist church I have studied the other groups and now will die a Baptist by conviction not just conversion or convenience.

http://www.mavmin.org/page8.html

Some historical quotes about Baptists. While I do not necessarily hold to all the tenets from where these quotes came I find the quotes pertinent to your question.

Cardinal Hosius (Catholic, 1524), President of the Council of Trent:

"Were it not that the baptists have been grievously tormented and cut off with the knife during the past twelve hundred years, they would swarm in greater number than all the Reformers." (Hosius, Letters, Apud Opera, pp. 112, 113.)

The "twelve hundred years" were the years preceding the Reformation in which Rome persecuted Baptists with the most cruel persecution thinkable.

Sir Isaac Newton:

"The Baptists are the only body of known Christians that have never symbolized with Rome."

Mosheim (Lutheran):

"Before the rise of Luther and Calvin, there lay secreted in almost all the countries of Europe persons who adhered tenaciously to the principles of modern Dutch Baptists."

Edinburg Cyclopedia (Presbyterian):

"It must have already occurred to our readers that the Baptists are the same sect of Christians that were formerly described as Ana-Baptists. Indeed this seems to have been their leading principle from the time of Tertullian to the present time."

Tertullian was born just fifty years after the death of the Apostle John.

Baptists do not believe in Apostolic Succession. The Apostolic office ceased with the death of the Apostles. It is to His churches that He promised a continual existence from the time He organized the first one during His earthly ministry until He comes again. He promised:-

May God grant you great wisdom as you seek His will through His Word.