Page 51 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

BAPTISM-SPIRIT - BAPTIST

BAPTISM, SPIRIT. [See Holy Spirit.] or medicine. And when in the ministry, they began to
BAPTIST. A name for various groups of Christians claim for themselves authority. The best positions were
who profess that the Bible is the only standard of faith sought, and a minister was to have authority according
and practice, who hold to Baptist distinctives, and who to the size and wealth of the church he served, and
thus gradually there grew up grades in the ministry;
trace their heritage, not to the Protestant Reformation, then the pastor became the priest, and a hierarchy was
but to Jesus Christ and the apostolic churches. fostered. Then legislative authority was claimed. Christ
A Baptist Church has been defined as follows: was legislated out and the civil power in; the Church
“A Baptist Church is an organization composed of and State were joined in unholy wedlock; and we have
baptized believers. That organization is complete in all the corruptions of the middle ages.
itself. It recognizes Christ as its head. ‘He is the head of “While sanctified intellect and learning are
the body, the church.’ He only has legislative authority commodities of which we shall never have too much,
over it. The laws of Christ, as recorded in the New still we think it is a part of our mission to teach that
Testament and administered by a majority of its the Baptist Church has no use for men for her ministry,
members, constitute the only ecclesiastic authority however massive their brain, however sparkling their
known to the church. In the administration of those, genius, however profound their learning, however
the weakest, poorest member has a right to be heard, burning their eloquence, whose wills have not bowed
and the richest member has no right to ask for more. to the will of Christ, whose spiritual gravitation is not
Hence the church in its relation to Christ is a perfect towards His cross; who have not felt in their heart of
monarchy. His will is law. In the relation of the hearts, ‘Woe is me if I preach not the gospel;’ and who,
members to each other, it is a perfect democracy—’One rather than be denied the privilege, would be willing to
is your master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren.’ It fare as their Master did when on earth.
is, then, an organization, and separate, distinct from all “Another part of the mission of the Baptist church is to
others. Its right to be in the world and prosecute its preserve the ORDINANCES IN THEIR ORIGINAL
mission is original and divine. It asks no aid of the civil PURITY. Not that we have confidence in water or bread
arm or purse. All it asks of the State and all other or wine, whether much or little, only as they are
organizations, as such, is to be let alone, and let it live, divinely chosen and God-appointed symbols for the
if it can, and die if it must. proclamation of gospel truth. But believing that they
“BUT ITS MISSION. This, in common with all other are thus appointed and are a part of God’s plan for
evangelical Christians, is to evangelize the world. [See perpetuating and proclaiming the essential facts of the
Missions.] We also believe the Baptist church has a gospel, to withhold them would be to give up one of
special mission, which is to preserve the purity of the God’s methods of preaching the gospel. To change
church, which task involves: them would be so far to preach another gospel. To do
“A REGENERATE MEMBERSHIP. Would our limits either would be false to our mission. [See Baptism,
permit, it might be interesting to take a voyage up the Lord’s Supper.]
stream of ecclesiastical history, to its source, and see of “We have only time to speak of one point more:
what the primitive church was composed, and examine LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE IN MATTERS OF
the simplicity of its organization, and then trace the RELIGION. Baptists have always been champions of
gradual departure from that simplicity, to mark the religious liberty. No page of their history has been
process which brought unregenerate members into the stained by the blood of an opponent. With them,
church, and then trace the consequences. But we Church and State are forever divorced. The Bible is to
hardly have time to say that as it has been in the past, be put into the hands of every individual, and he is
so it must be in the future, part of the mission of the responsible to God only, how he interprets it. And no
Baptist Church is to keep her doors closed against all man or body of men has a right to interfere by any
such as do not give evidence of piety. ... while we are coercive measure. It is the privilege of every man to
to receive those of weakest faith, if it be genuine, yet come to Christ for himself, without priest or candles,
we are to stand by the old doctrines, that no hereditary and be God’s free man. And although the Baptist
religion, no amount of wealth, no social position, no church never came out of the Roman Catholic church
standard of morality can form a passport into the because she was never in it, yet she is to be catholic in
Baptist church without evidence that the applicant spirit and treatment towards all where mere matters of
knows something practically of what repentance opinion are involved; but Protestant, forever
towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ means. Protestant, in religion to all invasions upon the New
“But we think it is a part of our mission to preserve A Testament as the only standard of faith and
PURE MINISTRY, as well. In a Baptist church the pastor practice” (Pastor Isaac Butterfield, “The Baptist Church
holds the highest office in the church. And he must be and Its Mission,” preached in the late 1860s, Fountain
called of God. But when unregenerate men had found Street Baptist Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan).
their way into the church they sought to enter the BAPTIST DISTINCTIVES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
ministry as men enter other professions, supposing that (1) believer’s baptism (that baptism is for believers only
they could learn to preach as men learn to practice law by immersion only); (2) salvation by grace alone

Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity 51