What Makes Baptists Distinctive? If someone were to ask you, “What is the one thing that makes the Baptist denomination different from other Christian denominations?” what would you say? Is it baptism by immersion of persons who have believed in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? Is it a strong commitment to the concept of the priesthood of the believer? Is it an enduring belief in religious freedom? Each of these is certainly held by Baptist Christians. But Christians of certain other denominations also hold them, although in some cases with a bit of a different interpretation. The fact is that there is no single belief or practice that makes Baptists distinctive from other Christians. So what makes a Baptist a Baptist? A combination of beliefs and practices sets Baptists apart from other Christian groups. There is a distinctive group of doctrines and polities for Baptists, a sort of Baptist recipe. Like most recipes, each of the ingredients is not unique to Baptists, but the total mix is distinctively Baptist. Baptists come in a variety of “flavors.” They hold different interpretations and views on certain issues, such as the Second Coming of Christ, worship styles, and denominational organization. However, certain ingredients must be included, or the recipe does not produce a Baptist. Leave the cornmeal out of cornbread and substitute white flour, and you do not get cornbread. Similarly, leave out a key ingredient of the Baptist recipe, and you do not get a Baptist. What are these key ingredients in the Baptist recipe? Some of them Baptists have in common with Christians of most all denominations, such as belief in God and in Jesus Christ as Savior. However, Baptist beliefs about some major matters differ from those held by certain other groups. For example, although practically all Christian groups declare that baptism is significant for Christians, Baptists hold a different view of baptism than most. The Baptist denomination has no human founder as some others do, but rather has developed out of a commitment to biblical teachings as Baptists interpret them. The Baptist recipe includes several key beliefs or doctrines: n the Lordship of Jesus Christ n the Bible as the sole written authority for faith and practice n soul competency n salvation from sin and eternal death to forgiveness and eternal life only by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior who is the grace gift of God n the priesthood of each believer and of all believers in Christ n believer's baptism by immersion n baptism and the Lord's Supper as wonderfully symbolic but not essential for salvation n church membership only for persons who have been born again n religious freedom and its corollary, the separation of church and state The Bapti However, certain ingredients must be included, or the recipe does not produce a Baptist. Leave the cornmeal out of cornbread and substitute white flour, and you do not get cornbread. Similarly, leave out a key ingredient of the Baptist recipe, and you do not get a Baptist.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODc4ODgx