The Baptist Name

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches... Proverbs 22:1

A good name is better than precious ointment… Ecclesiastes 7:1

Q. Should churches continue to use the name Baptist? Is it still meaningful and useful in our day and time?

A. The name Baptist is a good name, though ultimately it is just name. It has a godly heritage and still identifies a core set of beliefs held by churches using that name. However, it is necessary to understand that it strictly should be an identifier rather than a “name” – that is, the churches of the Bible are one faith, and do not have a denominational name as such. A scriptural church is just a congregation or assembly that belongs to Christ. Because so many so-called churches exist, we use denominational names to distinguish the different kinds.

In a sense, in contemporary U.S. religion, the name “Baptist” has been soiled. There are so many kinds of Baptists that cannot agree, and a special problem is those Baptist churches which have denied the faith and become worse than infidels.  Nevertheless, “Baptist” is an honorable name, and one worth keeping. True Baptist churches should faithfully hold to the faith once delivered to the saints, and Baptist church members should live in obedience to the word of God. In that way, may we redeem the name.

On the other hand, it is unethical to appropriate the Baptist name and not hold what is understood to be Baptist in faith and practice. If a church calls itself “Baptist,” it ought be Baptist!

Some Baptist churches, for whatever reason, have decided to drop the name “Baptist” as an identifier. A church might be “Baptist” in official documents, affiliated with a Baptist association, convention, or fellowship, but yet not mention the name “Baptist” on the church sign, in public advertising, etc. They may do this because they think others have soiled the name, or they might do this to remove a barrier in outreach. If the latter reason, especially, they might be guilty of “false advertising” (e.g., people who think they are visiting a non-denominational church may feel deceived when they discover it is a Baptist Church).[i]

If your church is a real Baptist Church – truly holds the core beliefs of Baptists – then gladly honor your good name. If your church is faking it, please remove the name so you don’t ruin it for the rest of us.

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[i] Some churches may feel embarrassed by the actions of their association, convention, or fellowship. If that body is so embarrassing that a church wants to hide the connection, perhaps the church should sever the connection! It seems incongruous to support a particular Baptist denominational body and at the same time hide that fact from the public and potential church members.

Baptist distinctives

• The Bible as the sole authority of faith and practice
• Independent and autonomous locally governed congregations
• Church membership only of the regenerated and immersed
• Priesthood of believers
• Soul liberty, with one mediator between God and man
• Pictorial memorial ordinances
• Separation from government allegiance and ecclesiastical alliances

The B.A.P.T.I.S.T.S. Acrostic

“It has to be that way,” he said, arguing for a specific phrase as necessary and scriptural because it is that way “in every listing of the eight (8) Baptist Distinctives.”[i] Not only did this insistence violate the first of the distinctives, which teaches that the Bible is the authority in all matters of faith and practice – it also did not consider that “every listing” has it because they are copied one from the other, and also that this particular way of listing the distinctives likely cannot be found before 60 years ago. Because of this insistence, I searched for the origin of the “8 Baptist Distinctives” as most commonly presented. The common list is below; there are some with slight variations.

B          Biblical Authority

A         Autonomy of the Local Church

P          Priesthood of the Believer

T          Two Ordinances

I           Individual Soul Liberty

S          Saved Church Membership

T          Two Officers

S          Separation of Church and State

L. Duane Brown constructed the “B.A.P.T.I.S.T.S. Acrostic” in the early 1960s,[ii] while he was the pastor of Pine Valley Baptist Church in Pine Valley (Millport), New York.[iii] He describes its origin this way:

“While pastoring at Pine Valley Baptist Church, I prepared a systematic lesson plan about the Baptist distinctives designed for thirteen lessons (a Sunday School quarterly). One of the dear ladies in the church, Esther Munson, suggested I set up these Baptist distinctives in an acrostic of the word BAPTISTS. It was mimeographed for Sunday School. I eventually set the acrostic on the plural BAPTISTS as I settled on eight distinctives (doctrine) that historically all Baptists held. A teacher at Baptist Bible Seminary requested copies for his class. Soon requests came from all over.”[iv]

The editor of Baptist Bulletin suggests Brown’s acrostic “has roots in Paul Jackson’s summary of the Baptist distinctives, published in Doctrine of the Church (1956) and his later full length book, The Doctrine and Administration of the Church (1968). Jackson’s outline is quite similar to what became Brown’s acrostic, but interestingly, Jackson never used the BAPTISTS acrostic in print.” It is certainly not unusual that Brown’s idea finds antecedents in his mentors, and quite obviously the distinctives of Baptists are of as long standing as Baptists themselves! After providing numerous mimeographs of the study, Brown put it in book format in 1969 – Biblical Basis for Baptists: A Bible Study Course on Baptist Distinctives. Later, Regular Baptist Press published the book, and recently Brown and his son revised and enlarged it in 2009.

The “B.A.P.T.I.S.T.S. Acrostic” is a nice mnemonic device. When thinking of the distinctives one can remember that they “spell” Baptists. However, we also have to consider whether it is helping us memorize information accurately and its most logical form. The acrostic will generally not be too objectionable to most Baptists. Most Baptists now living have probably seen it at one time or another. They likely consider it representative of Baptist beliefs. Nevertheless, some things in the “B.A.P.T.I.S.T.S. acrostic” are not true of Baptists across the board. Were it conceived by a Free Will Baptist, Old Regular Baptist, or Primitive Baptist, the first “T” might be “three ordinances” rather than two.[v] The popular Philadelphia Baptist Confession of 1742 called “singing of Psalms” and “laying on of hands” ordinances.[vi] The old Separate Baptists often referred to nine rites as ordinances – baptism, Lord’s Supper, love feast, laying on of hands, feet washing, anointing the sick, right hand of fellowship, kiss of charity, and child dedication.[vii]

Were the “B.A.P.T.I.S.T.S. acrostic” compiled in more recent times, the last “S” might be revised into something other than “Separation of Church and State.” I grew up with this terminology, and most Baptists know what they mean by it. On the other hand, its use has fallen in to some disfavor because of its recent use as a club to beat Christian thought out of the public square. We have separation of church and state, they say, you cannot erect a cross in a public place. Strike “In God We Trust” from our money. Purge “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance. Public schools must expel Christmas programs. All this in the name of “Separation of Church and State.”

Others have seen the “B.A.P.T.I.S.T.S. acrostic” as weak. Some have tweaked it, as follows:

B          Bible is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice
A         Autonomy of the local church
P          Priority of Regenerative Church Membership
T          Two Ordinances: Lord’s Supper & Baptism
I           Individual Separation
S          Soul Liberty
T          Two Offices: Pastor and Deacon
S          Separation of Church and State

Richard Weeks of Maranatha Baptist Bible College (now Maranatha Baptist University) dispensed with the acrostic altogether for the acronym BRAPSIS₂, recognizing the need for a logical order – since some distinctives logically flow from other distinctives.[viii]

B          Bible, the sole authority of faith and practice
R          Regenerated and immersed church membership
A         Autonomy of the local church
P          Priesthood of the believer
S          Soul liberty
I           Immersion and the Lord’s Supper, the only two ordinances
S          Separation 1, Separation of Church and State; 2 Separation: ethically and ecclesiastically

In “Where’s the “C” in the Baptist Distinctives?” Colin Smith stresses the need of a “C” for congregational church government – a very distinct Baptist doctrine and practice that is absent from the “B.A.P.T.I.S.T.S. acrostic.” Smith writes, “There is no way of looking at these alliterated points as formal theology. Instead, the usual outline is simply a group of things that are kind of true about the church…” and even calls the acrostic “dangerous because people who use it don’t have to think logically.” He outlines six main points: Biblical authority; Regenerate church membership; Priesthood of the believer; Congregational church government; Two ordinances; Individual soul liberty.

I am not as critical of the “B.A.P.T.I.S.T.S. acrostic” as Colin Smith and some others. I recognize it as an attempt to put together some things that Baptists believe in a form that may be easily remembered. Obviously, the acrostic is not exhaustive in detailing Baptist faith and practice. At best, it is a beginning, not an end. My experience with a dogmatic assertion that a Baptist doctrine (distinctive) must be stated as found in “the eight (8) Baptist Distinctives”[ix] revealed another weakness – the tendency of the wording of a human document – a recent one at that – to become entrenched in the mind in contradiction of the primacy of biblical authority!

May we wisely use tools such as the “B.A.P.T.I.S.T.S. acrostic” as well as the corrections that have been suggested for it – always bringing every thought into subjection to the word of God.

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[i] Specifically, the assertion was that Baptists believe “the priesthood of the believer” rather than “the priesthood of believers” or “the priesthood of all believers.”

[ii] acrostic, noun. “a series of lines or verses in which the first, last, or other particular letters when taken in order spell out a word, phrase, etc.”

[iii] L. Duane Brown graduated from the Baptist Bible Seminary in Johnson City, New York “where he studied theology with Paul R. Jackson.” Other churches pastored by Brown include Southwest Calvary Baptist Church in Houston, Texas and Parsippany Baptist Church in Parsippany, New Jersey. He also served as president of Denver Baptist Bible College (which merged with Faith Baptist Bible College in 1986). I determined he was still living in Ankeny, Iowa in September 2016, and have found no death notice since that time.

[iv] “Who Invented the B.A.P.T.I.S.T. Distinctives?,” Baptist Bulletin, October 28, 2010

[v] Footwashing is or has been considered an ordinance by many Baptists.

[vi] See chapter 23 and chapter 31 of The Philadelphia Baptist Confession of Faith.

[vii] In Customs of Primitive Churches (1768) Morgan Edwards, long-time clerk of the Philadelphia Baptist Association, advocated several more ordinances than listed in his association’s confession of faith – so that his list greatly resembled the Separate Baptists view.

[viii] “Richard Weeks and the BRAPSIS Distinctives.” See also “The Logic Of BRAPSIS.”

[ix] By which he meant the “B.A.P.T.I.S.T.S. acrostic.”

Tracing Baptist history views, 2

In addition to views of Baptist perpetuity in the Northern U.S., such views are/were found “across the pond” in the United Kingdom. One unlikely source in among the Old Baptist Union founded in 1880 by Henry Augustus Squire and others.[i] His son Thomas H. Squire wrote, The International Old Baptist Union - A Revival of the Old Baptists and in it advocated a perpetuity of Baptist churches from the Apostolic churches to the churches in the Old Baptist Union.[ii]

“...we contend that we are the true successors of the Apostolic churches, the first and oldest Baptists, in that we believe in and practise all the ordinances and doctrines of the New Testament, some of which other sections of the Baptist body have neglected or laid aside.” (A Revival of the Old Baptists, p. 3)

“A fuller statement of our teaching is contained in the booklets, ‘Who are the Successors of the Apostolic Churches?’ and ‘The Old Baptist Union Confession of Faith, reprinted from the edition of 1660,’ and our other works.” (A Revival of the Old Baptists, p. 4)

“Those old Baptists—the Waldenses—who for centuries endured persecution and reproach unmoved, also practised the laying on of hands in ordination. The historian Muston says of their Ministers, that after a necessary training they were ‘Consecrated to the Ministry by the laying on of hands.’ They were then sent out two and two to preach over a large portion of Southern Europe.” (A Revival of the Old Baptists, p. 6)

“That the first Baptists—those in the Apostolic churches—believed in this principle, is proved by—Acts viii. 14, 19; Heb. vi. 1, 2; Acts xix. 6; II Tim. i, 6;* and that many of our Baptist forefathers in the 17th Century "continued stedfastly in the Apostles' doctrine" in this particular, will be seen from the following:—” (A Revival of the Old Baptists, p. 7)

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[i] It is very unlikely that the Old Baptist Union movement was influenced by Landmark Baptists in the Southern U.S.

[ii] He does, nevertheless, distinguish his position from “apostolic succession” or a demonstrable church succession in the work referenced above – Who are the Successors of the Apostolic Churches? A Question which directly concerns all Christians, answered by the Word of God. (Sixth Edition, London: International Old Baptist Union Book & Tract Society, 1890)

Tracing Baptist history views, 1

Many unfamiliar with Baptist history and Baptist theology assume that the idea of Baptist church succession arose in the Southern United States in the mid-1800s. But read here a Baptist in the Northern United States in 1838 who presents the same view:

In tracing [Baptist] history through preceding ages, we are obliged to learn their existence and condition mostly from the concessions of Roman Catholics, and other opposers; for, during the Pagan and Papal persecutions, which continued from A.D. 66, to A.D. 1700, it was the constant aim of the Catholics and their allies to destroy the writings, as well as the persons of the true church...We have thus hastily traced the church down to the apostolic age, and find that although we are now surrounded by many denominations, yet they are of so recent origin, that previous to the rise of Lutheranism, A.D. 1517, it was vastly different; and as we approach the apostolic age, their number appears still less, until we arrive at A.D. 325, when the first general division took place at Alexandria, respecting the doctrine of Arius. From that time, down to the organization of the first church at Jerusalem, A.D. 33, there was but one denomination, which has since been called by various names: First, Disciples, then Christians, and in after ages several nicknames, as we have seen; and at present it is known by the name of the Baptized Church, to distinguish it from those churches which merely sprinkle. Thus evident it is, that the Bible and impartial history sustain our claim to apostolic church origin; and that not only John Huss, Jerome of Prague and John Wickliff, were martyrs of our church, but equally demonstrates that Ignatius, Irenaeus, Polycarp, and the multitudes who have sealed their fuith with their blood since them, were Baptists.

The Convert's Guide to First Principles; or Evangelical Truth, Israel Robords, New Haven, CT: William Storer, Jr., 1838 (At the time this was written, Robords was Pastor of the First Baptist Church, New Haven, Connecticut)

Why Should Baptist Churches Keep the “Baptist” Label in Their Names?

By Ben Stratton

Back in April I posted a comment by Ben about using the Baptist name label. He has recently expressed it in more detail. Ben is Southern Baptist (pastor of the Farmington Baptist Church, Farmington, Kentucky), so he approaches it directly  from that perspective. Nevertheless, it applies to the broader Baptist family as well.

Why Should Baptist Churches Keep the “Baptist” Label in Their Names?

1. It is ethically honest. Most of the Southern Baptist churches dropping the Baptist label have the attitude “We’re Baptist, just don’t tell anybody.” How is this being truthful?

2. It encourages interest in doctrine and history. I don’t know of any churches that have dropped the “Baptist” name that are strong on Baptist / Bible doctrine or Baptist distinctives. Most are weaker than dishwater on the topic!

3. The Baptist name is NOT a deterrent to evangelism or church growth. This is a strawman argument. In every region of the United States you can find churches with “Baptist” in their name that are growing and doing well in reaching people for Christ. The reason our Southern Baptist churches are not growing is not their name, but the lack of prayer, evangelism, biblical preaching, etc. in our churches.

4. It is less confusing. What are the popular names that Southern Baptist churches are using today? Cross Point, Hope Church, Cross Roads, Eagles Church, etc. Now you have Assemblies of God, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutherans, etc. using those same names. How are you supposed to know what that church believes?

Baptism: candidate, mode, administrator

We Baptists usually stress three or four ingredients[i] in combination that make up what we call scriptural baptism: (1) the proper candidate, (2) the proper mode, and (3) a proper administrator.[ii]

• The proper candidate must be a believer, who gives evidence of the new birth[iii]
• The proper mode must be by immersion in water, plunging into and raising from the water
• The proper administrator must be one authorized by the Lord[iv]

The Acts 8:26-40 pericope of Philip and the eunuch helps put this in perspective.

The proper candidate must be a believer:

See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

The proper mode must be by immersion in water:

“And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip…”

The proper administrator must be one authorized by the Lord:

“And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went…”

The candidate must be a believer before being baptized. If not, the baptism is not valid regardless of the mode. The mode must be immersion. If not, the baptism is not valid regardless whether the candidate is a believer.

“...See that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee...”

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[i] Sometimes this idea is expressed in different numbers of ingredients because some ingredients may be expressed together or individually. For example, one might divide the following category into two rather than one:  the proper element is water and the proper mode is immersion. The candidate and meaning may also be expressed together or separately.

[ii] The concern is not what definitions of the word “baptism” are common in the English language, but what scripture defines as baptism.

[iii] Thereby encompassing the proper purpose, putting “blood before water,” and “the altar before the laver.”

[iv] This ultimately puts baptism in the context of church authority (Matthew 28:18-20). A proper administrator should have been himself a partaker of the ordinance, attached to the church of God, and sent to preach & administer the ordinances. “The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?” “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.” “ And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.” Today’s authority is not direct, as Aaron’s or John’s, but derivative, through the power or authority of Christ given to the church (“All power is given unto me...Go ye therefore…,” Matthew 28:18-19).

Orthodox Baptist Confession of Faith

According to M. L. Moser, Jr., writing in A Baptist Confession of Faith for the 21st Century, the Orthodox Baptist Confession of Faith was drawn up circa 1935 by William Lee Rector, Richard Nelson Colyar, and Lewis Samuel Ballard. If copied correctly, this represents the third edition of the Confession (1958).

Orthodox Baptist Confession of Faith

1. GOD

We believe that there is one, and only one, true and living God; that He is absolute in nature, perfect in attributes, holy in character, the maker and supreme ruler of heaven and earth; that He is infinite in wisdom, marvelous in power, and amazing in love; that He is holy, righteous, and true, worthy of all confidence and love; that He unites in Himself the infinite, the eternal, and the Almighty Three—God, the Father, and God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit; that the three persons of the God-head subsist in the same divine nature, essence and being; and that they are co-existent and co-equal in every divine attribute, each one executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.

Gen. 1:1; Deut. 4:39; Mark 12:29; Gen. 17:1; Matt. 5:48; Isa. 6:3; I Chron. 29:11-12; Psa. 103:19; Rom. 11:33-34; Matt. 19:26; Psa. 19:9; Matt. 28:19; I Pet. 1:2-3; I Jno. 5:7; Exod. 3:14; Gen. 1:26 and Tit. 3:3-7.

2. THE DIVINE TRINITY

1. God, the Father. We believe that God, the Father, is the first person set forth in the Divine Trinity; that He is almighty, merciful, and just; that He is holy, righteous, and true; that He is eternally existent, glorious in nature, possessing the attributes of omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence; and that He, in harmony with His divine office, loves, provides, and protects, thus exercising providential watchcare over the sons of men, and especially a fatherly care over the children of God.

Matt. 28:19; Gen. 17:1; Matt. 19:26; Psa. 19:9; Isa. 6:3; Psa. 100:5; Prov. 15:3; Psa. 139:1-6; Psa.139:13-14; Psa. 103:13; Matt. 6:25-30; Matt. 10:29-31; and Matt. 7:11.

2. God, the Son—Virgin Born. We believe that God, the Son, is the second person set forth in the Divine Trinity; that He is Very God of Very God; that He is almighty, merciful, and just; that He is holy, righteous, and true; that He is eternally existent, glorious in nature, possessing the attributes of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence; that God, the Father, through the Holy Spirit, is actually and eternally His divine Father, and Mary the Virgin, is actually and innocently His human mother; and that He, in harmony with His divine office, mediates, seeks, and saves, thus exercising the mediatorial office of redemption.

Matt. 28:19; Jno. 1:1-3, 14 and Isa. 9:6; Matt. 28:18; Tit. 3:5-6; Jno. 8:15-16; II Cor. 5:21; Heb. 13:8; Phil. 2:6; Jno. 2:24; Matt. 28:20; Luke 1:35 and Luke 2:7-14; I Tim. 2:5-6; Luke 19:10 and Jno. 3:16.

3. God, the Holy Spirit. We believe that God, the Holy Spirit, is the third person set forth in the Divine Trinity; that He is almighty, merciful, and just; that He is holy, righteous, and true; that He is eternally existent, glorious in nature, possessing the attributes of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence; that He restrains the world, the flesh and the devil; that He witnesses to the Truth, convicts the lost, extolls the Christ, and testifies to the righteous judgments of God; that He, in harmony with His divine office, comforts, teaches, testifies, preaches, guides, regenerates, empowers, sanctifies, and annoints, thus exercising the quickening role in the works of saving the lost and the supervising role in the life of the saved.

Jno. 14:16-17 and 26; Jno.15:26; Jno.16:7-13; Heb. 9:14; I Pet. 4:14; Isa. 40:12-15; I Cor. 2:10-12; Psa. 139:7-12; II Thes. 2:6-7; Jno. 3:6, 8; Eph. 1:13-14; Acts 1:8; I Pet. 1:2; Isa. 61:1.

3. THE DEVIL

We believe that Satan is an actual person, and not an imaginary influence; that he once enjoyed high heavenly honors and glorious heavenly privileges; that he, through pride, ambition, and self-will attempted to betray the Almighty and brought down upon his head the judgement of God; that he operates today as the god of this world and the prince of the power of the air; that he is a diabolical inventor, an arch-deceiver, and the father of all lies; that he is the greatest enemy, the mightiest tempter, and the most relentless accuser of the saints; that he shall one day be incarnated in the person of the Antichrist and in that role will finally meet the Christ in the Battle of Armageddon; that there “the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent’s head;” and that he shall eventually be cast into the lake of fire, the eternal place of punishment, prepared for the devil and his angels.

Job 1:6-12 and Job 2:1-7; Ezek. 28:12-19; Isa. 14:12-27 and Gen. 3:14; II Cor. 4:4 and Eph. 2:2; Matt. 24:11 and II Thes. 2:7-11 and Jno. 8:44; I Pet. 5:8 and Gen. 3:1-6; Rev. 12:10; Dan. 7:8 and Rev. 13:1-10 and Rev. 19:20; Gen. 3:15; II Cor. 11:13-15; Jno. 14:30; and Eph. 2:2.

4. THE HOLY BIBLE

We believe that the Holy Bible is a supernatural Book; that it is the very Word of God; that it is the full, the final, and the complete revelation of God’s will to man; that it has God, the Holy Spirit, for its author, salvation for its end, and truth in the original without any admixture of error for its matter; that it was written by holy men of old under the immediate and direct dictation of the Holy Spirit; that it is verbally inspired and a perfect treasure of holy instruction; and that it reveals the principles by which God will judge us, and is, therefore, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions shall be tried.

Psa. 119:89; II Tim. 3:16-17; Rev. 22:18-19; Jno. 17:17; Jno. 3:32-34; II Pet. 1:20-21; I Pet. 1:10-12; Zeph. 1:1; Psa. 19:7-11; Exo. 20:3-17; Psa. 1:2; and Jno. 12:48.

5. CREATION

We believe that the Genesis record of creation is literal and not allegorical or figurative; that God personally created the heaven and the earth; that He miraculously brought forth all original matter out of nothing; that He actually fashioned all organic forms as specific creations subject to limited changes within the specie; that He definitely ordained each specie to bring forth after its kind; that He finally formed man out of the dust of the ground, not by any process of evolution but by instant action, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became immediately a living soul; that He created man in the image and likeness of God; that His every creative act was complete and perfect in itself; and that not one of His creations was conditioned upon antecedent changes naturally wrought during interminable periods of time.

Gen. 1:1 and Jno. 1:1-3, 14 and Heb. 11:3; Gen. 1:21, 24-27 and Gen. 2:7; and Col. 1:15.

6. THE FALL OF MAN

We believe that man, originally created in holiness and actually associated with God in innocence under His law, did, by voluntary transgression of the Lord’s command, fall from the high and happy state in which he was created, and, as a consequence, became a sinner alienated from God and brought upon himself and all mankind just condemnation; and that he is now, by virtue of his fallen nature, utterly void of holiness, positively inclined to evil, and actually condemned to eternal ruin, without defense or excuse.

Gen. 1:26-27 and Eccl. 7:29; Gen. 3:6; Gen. 3:23-24; Ezek. 18:4; Rom. 5:12; Rom. 1:21-23; Rom. 3:10-18; and Rev. 21:8.

7. THE BLOOD ATONEMENT

We believe that the lost sinner is guilty and already under the condemnation; that he is by nature alien to God and because of sin condemned to die; that atonement for sin was effected through the mediatorial office of the Son Who by divine appointment, freely took upon Himself our nature, yet without sin; that He, through obedience during His earthly walk, personally honored the divine Law by keeping it, and, through His death on the cross, actually satisfied the penalty of the offended Law by suffering in the sinner’s stead; that He, through His obedience and sacrificial death, made full and vicarious atonement for all sin; that He died, the just for the unjust, bearing our sins in His body on the tree; and that He, through the shedding of His blood on the cross of Calvary, evidenced eternal provision for cleansing, for pardon, for peace and for rest.

Isa. 53:6; Rom. 6:7 and Rom. 8:23; I Tim. 2:5-6 and Heb. 2:17 and II Cor. 5:21; Matt. 5:17-18 and I Pet. 2:24; Heb. 10:10-12; I Pet. 3:18; Rev. 1:5; Isa. 55:7; Jno. 14:27; Matt. 11:28; I Jno. 1:7; Eph. 1:7; and Heb. 9:22.

8. REPENTANCE AND FAITH

We believe that repentance and faith are solemn and inseparable prerequisites of salvation; that they are inseparable graces wrought in the heart by the quickening Holy Spirit; that the alien sinner, being deeply convicted of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come by the personal ministry of the Holy Spirit, and by Him having his understanding enlightened so that he can see the way of salvation through Christ, does actually repent, turning to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication, and does actually believe, surrendering himself wholeheartedly to the Lord Jesus, immediately receiving Him as personal and all-sufficient Savior and openly confessing Him before all men.

Acts 20:21-22 and Mk. 1:15; Acts 11:18 and Eph. 2:8 and Jno. 6:44; Jno. 16:8-11; Matt. 3:1-2, 8; Acts 3:19; Luke 13:3 and Luke 18:9-14; Acts 9:6 and Rom. 10:10.

9. SALVATION BY GRACE

We believe that grace is elective and saving, that it embraces the personal triune and redemptive ministry of God, the Father, and God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit; that it comprehends all of the labors put forth by the Almighty in the interest of perfect righteousness and the salvation of the lost soul; that it encompasses foreknowledge, foreordination and predestination; that it, and it alone, saves even unto the uttermost all who repent toward God and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ; and that salvation thus wrought is wholly by grace, “the free gift of God,” requiring neither culture nor works in any form to secure it or to keep it.

II Tim. 1:8-9 and Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:3-7 and I Pet. 1:2-5; Matt. 23:37; Rom. 8:28-30; Heb. 7:25 and Acts 20:20-21; Rom. 6:23; Rom. 11:6; Rom. 5:20; Isa. 1:18; and Isa. 55:1.

10. REGENERATION

We believe that in order to be saved lost sinners must be regenerated or born again; that regeneration is a recreative act, far beyond comprehension, wrought in the believer’s heart by the direct personal ministry of the Holy Spirit; that it is instantaneous, miraculous, and non-evolutionary or cultural; that it embraces the divine acts of cleansing the heart from all inward sins and of pardoning the soul of all outward guilt, in connection with the work of begetting a new creature in Christ Jesus; that the dead sinner is made to live through the new birth, becoming thereby a regenerated spirit, possessing eternal life, the gift of God; that the new birth comes after the Holy Spirit secures voluntary repentance and belief in the gospel; that it is the actual impartation of the divine life, not a mere transformation of the human life; and that the proper evidence of regeneration appears in the holy fruits of the obedient and willing faith of the followers of the Lord Jesus.

Jno. 3:3-5 and 7; II Cor. 5:17; Jno. 3:8 and Jno. 3:16; Jno. 1:12-13; Isa. 1:18 and Tit. 3:5-7; Eph. 2:1, 5 and Rom. 6:23; Jno. 16:8-11; Matt. 7:16-18 and James 2:17-20.

11. JUSTIFICATION

We believe that justification is one of the great gospel blessings secured through Christ for all who trust Him; that it is a legal and divine decree, declaring the believing sinner just; that it is thus a state of being free from condemnation, including forgiveness for inward sins and pardon for outward sins; that it secures through faith freedom from legal bondage, exemption from the wrath of God, and possession of peace which passes all understanding; that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely upon the evidence of faith in God and the Redeemer’s blood; and that it brings us into a state of unchanging peace and favor with God and secures every other blessing needful for time and for eternity.

Rom. 3:24-25; Rom. 3:28; Rom. 8:33; Rom. 8:1 and Jn. 5:24 and Rom. 4:3-8; Rom. 6:6; Rom. 5:9; Rom. 5:1 and Phil. 4:7; Rom. 8:31-33; Gen. 15:6; and Heb. 2:4.

12. THE SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER

We believe that salvation wrought by grace is everlasting; that the saved soul journeying through the valley of the shadow of death need fear no evil; that the Holy Spirit-begotten and born are kept by the power of God; that the believer in Christ Jesus shall not be brought into judgment; that no one can lay anything to the charge of God’s elect; that they are securely held in both the hand of the Father and the Son; and that the age-old Baptist doctrine, “Once in grace, always in grace,” is heavenly and gloriously true.

Jno. 3:16; Jno. 3:36; Jno. 5:24; Jno. 6; Psa. 23:4; Isa. 37:23-24; Phil. 1:6 and I Pet. 3:5; Jno. 5:24 and Rom. 8:1; Jno. 10:27-29 and Rom. 8:31-33 and Rom. 8:35-39 and II Tim. 1:12.

13. SANCTIFICATION

We believe that sanctification is a divine work of grace; that it is not a state of sinless perfection attained through a “second blessing” or through a special “baptism of the Holy Ghost;” that it is an act of grace by which the believer is separated unto God and dedicated unto His righteous purpose; that by it we enter into divinely appointed privileges and thus become larger partakers of His holiness; that it is a progressive work, begun in regeneration, and carried on in the life of every believer by the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God; and that it is nurtured only by heaven’s appointed means, especially by the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and the saved through his self-examination, obedience, self-denial, watchfulness and prayer.

I Thes. 4:3 and I Thes. 5:23; Rom. 15:16 and Jer. 1:5; Prov. 4:18 and Jno. 17:17 and II Cor. 3:18; I Jno. 2:29 and Rom. 8:5; I Tim. 4:5; Luke 9:23; Matt. 24:42 and 7:7-11.

14. THE LORD’S RETURN

We believe that Christ Jesus is coming back to earth again; that His return shall be personal, audible, visible and bodily; that it shall mark the advent of the “day of the Lord” and usher in the millennium; and that He shall in that day turn the tables on Satan, take up the throne of His father David, put down all of His enemies, rule with a rod of iron, triumph over sin, and give the world an example of righteous government during His thousand years of personal reign on earth.

Job 18:25-26 and Isa. 9:6-7 and Zech. 14:4 and Mal. 4:2 and Luke 1:31-33 and Matt. 25:31-34; Rev. 19:11-21 and Acts 1:11 and I Thes. 4:16-17 and Rev. 1:7; II Pet. 3:10; Rev. 20:4-6; Rev. 19:20 and Rev. 20:1-3 and Rev. 20:10; Isa. 9:7; I Cor. 15:25-27; Psa. 2:9 and Rev. 12:5 and Rev. 19:15; I Jn. 3:8; and Psa. 72:1-20.

15. THE RESURRECTION

We believe that Christ Jesus arose bodily from the grave on the first day of the week, which day we now observe as the Lord’s Day, a day of worship; that His miraculous emergence from the tomb forecasted a like bodily resurrection for every member of the Adamic race; that the dead in Christ shall rise first and in glorified bodies like His; that they shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air; that the dead in trespasses and sins, or the dead out of Christ, shall rise at the close of the millennium; and that they shall be brought before the Great White Throne Judgment and there face the Judge of the quick and the dead.

Matt. 28:6 and Luke 24:1-12; I Cor. 15:12-22; I Thes. 4:13-18; Rev. 20:5-6; Rev. 11:15; Dan. 12:3; I Sam. 2:6; Isa. 26:19; Hosea 13:14; and Isa. 25:6-8.

16. INDIVIDUAL REWARDS

We believe that reward and salvation are not one and the same thing. We believe that the Lord shall reward His own; that He Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout; that the dead in Christ shall rise first; that a solemn separation shall take place; that the blood-washed and Holy Spirit-begotten shall be caught up to meet Him in the air, and there be rewarded according to the deeds done in the body; and that the place called the New Heaven and the New Earth is ordained the everlasting dwelling place of the children of God. We believe that the wicked are children of the devil; that they are rebels against God; that they reject the free offer of salvation through Christ; that they ignore the wooings of the Holy Spirit; and that they, as a consequence, are hell-bound, being under a death sentence; that they shall spend eternity in the Lake of Fire which burneth with fire and brimstone where the Dragon, the Beast and the False Prophet are and shall ever be.

I Cor. 3:11-15; I Thes. 4:16-18 and Matt. 24:40-41 and Matt. 13:47-50; I Cor. 3:8 and Rev. 21:1-8; Jno. 8:44; Rom. 8:7; Jno. 3:18; Rev. 20:10-15; and Rom. 6:23.

17. THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED

We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked. We believe the righteous are they who believe in Christ Jesus, the justified by faith, and the sanctified by the Holy Spirit and the Word; that the righteous are heirs of God and joint-heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ; and that eternal life, the gift of God, is the matchless possession of the just. We believe that the wicked are they who do not believe in Christ Jesus, the condemned because of unbelief and the corrupted by the god of this world; that the unjust spurn the privileges of God’s grace, choosing the life of sin and rebellion; and that eternal damnation is the inescapable portion of the unjust.

Mal. 3:16-18 and Jno. 3:6; Rom. 3:22, 24 and 4:3 and 1:17; 8:1-17 and Acts 20:32 and Jno. 15:3; Rom. 8:17; 6:23; 2 Cor. 4:4; Rev. 21:8 and Matt. 23:37 and Prov. 29:1 and Mt. 25:41.

18. THE LOCAL CHURCH

We believe that a New Testament Church, according to divine purpose and plan, is a visible, local, organized body; that it is composed of baptized believers associated together by a covenant of faith and fellowship in the gospel; that New Testament validity flows from strict obedience to essential principles of New Testament Law; that it is a sovereign, independent, democratic and militant body; that its ministry is gloriously blessed with the presence and leadership of the Holy Spirit and the light and revelation of the Written Word; that its work should ever be from within to without and never from without to within; that it is a self-governing body and is the sole judge, under the limitations of the Scriptures, of the measure and method of co-operation; that it is the only ecclesiastical tribunal the Lord has on earth; that its judgment concerning membership, missions, benevolence, co-operative alignments, and support is final; that it was personally founded by Christ Jesus during His ministry on earth; that it is subject to His laws and is the custodian of His ordinances; that the perpetuity of our faith, our doctrines and practices, ordinances and ordinations, has been effected through the Holy Spirit personally planting and preserving local Baptist churches of like faith and order down through the centuries even until now.

Matt. 28:19-20; I Cor. 1:1-3; Acts 2:41-42; II Cor. 8:5; Matt. 16:19 and Matt. 18:15-17 and Jno. 14:16-17, 26; Acts 1:8 and Acts 13:1-4; Matt. 18:17-18; Matt. 16:18-19; Matt. 26:26-29 and Matt. 28:19-20; I Tim. 3:15; Mark 3:13-14 and Luke 6:12-13.

19. ORDINANCES

We believe that Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances personally set in the church of the living God by the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that Baptism is the burial of a believer in water by the authority and instruction of a local Baptist Church; that it symbolizes the death and the burial and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ; that it also typifies the believer’s death to sin, the burial of his old nature, and his resurrection unto a new life; and that it is administered in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We believe the Lord’s Supper is a memorial spread and administered by the authority and instruction of a local Baptist church; that it symbolizes the broken body and the shed blood of the Son of God; that its observance points backward to the crucified Lord on Calvary and forward to the returning Lord in glory. We believe that these ordinances are not sacraments, but are sacred symbols, pointing to the world’s only Savior, and bidding the sons of men look unto an everlasting fellowship with the King of kings and Lord of lords when He shall return to take over the reins of all government.

Matt. 26:26-29 and Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:3-5 and Matt. 16:19 and Acts 10:47; I Cor. 11:23-24; I Cor. 11:24-25; and I Cor. 11:26.

20. CHURCH ADMINISTRATION

We believe that the Churches of God and the state should be kept completely separate; that civil officers should be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed; that diligence should be had in seeking the will of God in all Church matters; that missionary endeavor should ever be executed from within the local Church to without; that pastors and deacons, the only divinely appointed church officers, should be duly ordained and brought to understand the sacred duties devolving upon them; that the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week, should be honored both by saint and sinner; that Bible teachings should be constantly and consistently fostered by local Church bodies; that members should be deliberately and prayerfully voted into the fellowship of the local body; that unruly Church members should be prayerfully and Scripturally disciplined by the local Church; and that Church letters should be granted to sister local Churches of the same faith and practice.

Acts 1:8 and Acts 13:1-35; Rom. 13:1-7; Acts 14:23 and Acts 6:1-6; Acts 2:42; Rev. 1:10; Matt. 16:19 and Acts 10:47; Matt. 18:15-17; Acts 15:19-27 and Acts 18:27 and Rom. 16: 1-2 and Matt. 28:19-20.

21. CHURCH CO-OPERATION

We believe that it is the privilege and the right of local churches to co-operate with each other in carrying out the commission of the Lord; that such co-operation is righteously effected only when the principles of Christ are preserved in the work fostered; and that all associated endeavor of local churches should be carried on in such a way as to preserve the sovereign integrity of each local body in all matters of faith and practice.

II Cor. 8:1-6, 16-24; II Jno. 1-4; Matt. 16:18-19 and Acts 15:19-27.

Source:

Orthodox Baptist Confession of Faith

Matured by the late Dr. W. Lee Rector

Former Pastor of the First Orthodox Baptist Church

With suggestions and sanctions from a large number of outstanding orthodox Baptist ministers of the land.

(Third Edition)

Published by First Orthodox Baptist Church

Dr. J. Cullis Smith, Pastor and Editor

Ardmore, Oklahoma

June, 1958

Chattahoochee Abstract of Principles

Abstract of Principles of the Chattahoochee United Baptist Association

Last week I posted the Sharon Confession of Faith as printed in the 1848 Minutes of the Chattahoochee United Baptist Association (p. 4) of west central Georgia. I do not have a copy of the 1849 minutes, but in 1850 the Abstract of Principles is printed in a slightly revised form (pp. 6-7).[i] Scriptures proof-texts were added to all the articles.[ii] A note defining original sin is included under article 3, and a new article is inserted as article 6 (between the 1848 articles 5 and 6) on justification by faith -- increasing the document to 13 articles versus the prior 12 articles in the Sharon Confession.

Abstract of Principles.

1. We believe in one only true and living God, the Creator and Preserver of all things, and only Law-Giver, and that there are three persons in the God Head, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and these three are one. Isa. 44:6,8; 41:4; John 4:24; 2 Cor. 3:17; Luke 3:22; 1 John 5:7; rev. 1:8 to 17; Phil. 2:6; John 1:1,2,3; 10:30; 14:20; Math. 28:19.

2. We believe the scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the Word of God, and only rule of Faith and Practice. Acts 1:16; 2 Tim. 3:13 to 17; 2 Peter 1:24; 2 Sam. 23:2.

3. We believe in the doctrine of original sin. John 8:44; 1 John 3:4 to 8; 5:19.

   Note.—Original sin is that whereby our whole nature is corrupted and rendered contrary to the Law of God. Adam, the first man, was made in the image and likeness of God; but when he sinned, he lost that divine image. And when he begat children, it is said in the Sacred Scriptures, that he begat them in his own image.—Gen. 5:3; Prov. 14:3; Rom. 3:12.

4. We believe in man’s inability to recover himself from the fallen state which he is in by nature, by his own strength. John 6:44 to 65; Gal. 1:4; Math. 24:28; Isaiah 53:5 to 11; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 5:19; 8:3; Gal. 2:13; 1 Peter 2:21.

5. We believe in a Covenant between the Father and Son, in which all Grace is treasured up; and in the doctrine of election, according to the foreknowledge of God, through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth according to 1st Peter, 1st chapter, 2d verse; and 2d Thessalonians 2d chapter, 13th verse: “God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.” But that election should not be so construed as to make God the author of sin, either directly or indirectly. Nor, on the other hand do we believe the creature can do any thing meritorious in his salvation. 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Thes. 2:13; Isaiah 65:2; 50:8,9; Rom. 8:32,33; 2d Tim. 2:10,11; Titus 1:12, Numbers 23:12.

6. We believe that believers are justified by the righteousness of Christ, only imparted to them and received by the faith. Rom.4:3,5; 3: 22,24, 26; 1 Cor. 6:11: 2; 5: 54.

7. We believe that good works are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification; that they are the evidences of faith, and absolutely necessary to justification before men. Rom. 3:2 to 28; Lev. 26:3; Eccl. 12:12; John 14:15; 1 Tim. 6:14; Luke 1:6; Heb. 10:22,23; 11:5,12; 2 Jam. 2:1,14,17, 20,26; 2 Peter 1:6,7,8.

8. We believe in a general Judgment, when all shall be judged according to their works; that the happiness of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked will be eternal. John 5:28,29; Rev. 2:14; Math. 25:45,46; Dan. 12:2; Rev. 14:11; Isaiah 24:10; Rev. 19:3; Hos. 13:44; Mark 12:23 to 27; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 15:12,13,21,23.

9. We believe that Saints will persevere in Grace to the end of their lives. John 10:28,29,30; 6:37,13; 1 Phil. 1:6; 1 Peter 1:5; Deut. 33:3; Heb. 6:17,18; John 17:2,3; Rom. 8:38,39; Eph. 1:21 to 23; 6:11 to 19; Co. 3:4; 1 Peter 3:22.

10. We believe that Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are standing ordinances of the Church of Christ, and that immersion only is Baptism, and believers the only subjects. Math. 3:5 to 12; Mark 1:5 to 11; Luke 5:7 to 9; John 3:23; Acts 2:38 to 41; Rom. 6:3,4; Col. 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21.

11. We believe that no Minister has the right to administer the ordinances of the Lord’s house, except such as are called of God, approved by the churches, and regularly ordained. Acts 13:23; 1 Tim. 4:5; Heb. 5:4; Lev. 9:6,7,8,10,15; 8:36.

12. We believe that men by nature are so morally depraved that they will not come to God for life and salvation, and but for the influences of the Holy Spirit none would ever come to him. Gen. 6:3; 1 Peter 3:18; Ps. 24; 73; 28; 10; 7; 18; Heb. 7:19.

13. We hold that it is the command of God to his people, to publish His Word, and promulgate the Gospel of Christian to all nations, making known to the human family the plan of redemption through the atonement of Christ; and we believe it is the duty of every rational descendant of Adam, to whom the Gospel message of reconciliation is addressed, to exercise repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Mark 13:10; Rev. 6:7; Math. 28:19; Luke 23:47,48; John 15:16; Rom. 10:14,15; 6:18; Isaiah 1:2,3; 2:10; Col. 1:23.

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[i] James Rees was moderator of the 1850 session of the Chattahoochee United Baptist Association.

[ii] I tried to list these are faithfully as possible, but in some cases did not understand the punctuation and/or intention.