What Do You Believe?

Last week we looked at the beginning of a series on “Who are We?” with the message on “Where are your roots?” looking at the origin of mankind and the coming of Jesus Christ to the world to start the Christian faith.

Today, we are looking at “What do you believe?”. Who are we – we are Baptists! As a Baptist, where did we start and what is our belief.

Where did the Baptist’s first come from – it all started more than 900 years ago when individuals started to question the English Church as to what and how to believe. From the 1100’s to 1500’s, we had many challenge the church about believer’s baptism instead of infant baptism, autonomy of the believer and individual churches and the emphasis on Christ died for all, not merely for the elect.

I have listed all my sources in the Bibliography at the end of this written message. I give particular notice to three authors for the majority of the historical information: Stanley J. Grenz, Joseph Early Jr. and Paul S. Fiddes.

In the 1100’s there was Peter Waldo (The Waldensians) in Lyon who stressed that Christians should live poor and serve Christ, not the church.

In the 1300’s we find:

• John Wycliffe challenged the church to rid itself of the “evils of Catholicism”.

In 1400’s we find:

• Jan Hus in Prague – was burned as a heretic in 1415.
• United Brethren taught individual salvation and believers baptism.

In 1500’s we find:

• Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the church door in 1517.
• Protestant reformation born – John Calvin in Geneva and Ulrich Zwingli in Zurich.
• Michael Servetus (Rationalists)
• Thomas Muntzer (Millenarians)
• Melchoir Hoffmann (Melchorites) took over city government 1534, 1535
• John Knox – Presbyterian Reformation in Scotland 1560
• Annabaptists
• Henry V111 decided on reformation 1534.
• Protestant Queen Elizabeth 1 was crowned in 1558.
• Communitarians: Felix Manz (Swiss Brethern) executed 1527. Also, the Hutterites and Amish.

In 1600’s we find:

• Menno Simons (Dutch Annabaptists/Mennonites)
• Richard Blunt started believer’s baptizing in London, England in 1641 (Particular Baptists)
• John Bunyan and John Robinson (Congregationalists) were Mayflower pilgrims 1620
• Thomas Helwys and John Smith (Separtists-Dutch Mennonites)
• The first Baptist Congregation was in Amsterdam under John Smythe (1609).
• The first Baptist Church in North America was in Providence, Rhode Island under Roger Williams in 1639.

In 1700’s we find:

• Isaac Backus (1724-1806) was instrumental in the ultimate securing of the separation of church and state for the United States and was also a defender of religious freedom. [1]
• William Carey (1761-1834) was the first missionary to go to India.
• Founding of first Baptist church in Canada at Horton, Nova Scotia (1763).

In 1800’s we find:

• Samuel Sharpe (1801-1832) Jamaican Slave leader in Christmas Rebellion
• Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) considered world’s greatest preacher
• Formation of the General Association of General Baptists (1870).
• Thomas Todhunter Shields (1873-1955)
• John Diefenbaker (1895-1979)
• Organization of the National Baptist Convention (1895).

In 1900’s we find:

• Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
• Tommy Douglas (1904-198 )****
• Establishment of the Baptist Union of Western Canada (1909) which is now called the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada.
• Formation of the Baptist Federation of Canada (1944).
• Formation of the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada (1953).

“Over the past 410 years Baptists have grown to a community of global extent. They remain, however, a loosely organized group without international hierarchy, organizational unity, mandatory creed, or common liturgy. Likewise, they are diverse theologically, politically, ethnically, economically, and socially. Yet they remain loyal to certain general principles that have been emphasized by Baptists everywhere and at all times.” [2]

BAPTIST acronym gives those basic principles!

B eliever’s baptism
A utonomy of the local congregation within the associational framework
P rimacy of Scripture
T rue believers only in church
I ndividual competency and believer priesthood
S eparation of church and state
T wo ordinances [3]

These principles have been discussed and argued for many centuries but remain as the base of Baptist belief. They follow what our Lord Jesus taught His disciples, which is the main emphasis of Baptists – being led by Christ through the Holy Spirit and the Bible-God’s Word. So let’s continue to look at these principles over the next few weeks.

Last week we looked at one of the two ordinances – Communion or the Lord’s Supper. Today we look at Believer’s Baptism – the second ordinance!

Believers Baptism is just that – First, you become a believer.

Romans 10: 9, 10 NIV

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Then once you have believed, you then are baptized to show you want to be obedient to Christ in following Him.

Romans 6:1-7 NIV

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?

2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.

6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—

7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

This action of baptism is the next step in growing in our walk with Christ. It is an outward sign of an inward change – a public display of our decision to believe and follow Jesus Christ – our Lord.

This follows the Baptist’s understanding of individual competency, the nature of the church, and the significance of the ordinances. God’s call, they maintain, is directed to the individual, who in turn is to respond with repentance and faith. The believer’s response is expressed publicly in baptism. [4]

Finally, we have the apostle Paul’s words in

Ephesians 4:4-6 NIV

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

We need to realize that our forefathers of Baptist belief were trying to get the church back to where it started with the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Baptists believe that every person has a direct line to God once they accept His gift of salvation. No church or leader stands between except for Jesus who came to be that bridge to cross back to life with God.

If you have not found new life with Jesus yet, or have not taken the public announcement of your faith through baptism, then come talk to me about your next step in this exciting walk with God!