BAPTIST DISTINCTIVES
The term "Baptist distinctives" means those identifying and distinguishing principles and doctrines that have historically been accepted and held by Baptists." In most cases, these principles go back to the emerging church during the days of Roman persecution of the Christians who isolated and separated themselves from the officially established Church of Rome. Through much persecution and hardship, these Christians took an unyielding stand on Biblical truth, thus carving out a heritage that Baptists hold dear today.
This is not to say that only Baptists hold to what we call Baptist Distinctives; Nor does it mean that all Baptists accept, define, or practice these distinctives; nor does it mean that they are a plenary doctrinal standard that defines what we believe.
They do, however, define what Baptists have historically believed, and in doing so distinguishes them from Romanism and Protestantism today.
There are eight Baptist Distinctives, best understood by the following acrostic:
- [B]iblical Authority
- [A]utonomy Of The Local Church
- [P]riesthood Of All Believers
- [T]wo Ordinances-Baptism & Lord's Supper
- [I]ndividual Soul Liberty
- [S]aved Church Membership
- [T]wo Officers-Pastor and Deacon
- [S]eparation Of Church and State
I. Biblical Authority
Historically, there have been many sources of authority to govern churches: Tradition, Councils, Creeds, Logic, Reason, Men, and Church Decree. Yet Baptists believe that there is only one authority, that being the Bible: 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter l:20, 21; Mt. 5:18; Jn. 10:35; Rev. 22:18-19. Biblical authority means that the Scriptures are divinely revealed through the work of the Holy Spirit and are thus without error, infallible and fully representative of the mind and will of God.
II. Autonomy Of The Local Church
Historically, churches have employed many forms of church government:
A. Papal: Rule by he Pope
B. Episcopalian: Rule by a board of Bishops
C. Presbyterial: Representative rule by Elders
D. Congregational: Under Jesus Christ, the final authority rests with the congregation. 1 Tim. 3:15; Acts 15:4; Acts 6:1-7; Acts 13:1-4; l Cor. 5:1-5. The first error to influence the early church was the establishment of a hierarchy to control the interests of the local church. This ultimately led to the formation of the state church of Rome which decided all matters that pertained to the church. The result, of course was persecution and even martyrdom for the dissenters. Autonomy simply means independence from any external hierarchy or denominational control, with decisions made by the congregation only. It should be observed that historically, the autonomous churches have best been able to protect doctrinal purity and truth.
III. Priesthood of All Believers
The Priesthood of believers pertains to prayer and divine access. It means that every "born again" believer may pray to God directly through the Lord Jesus Christ; without a human intercessor, mediator or priest. 2 Timothy 2:l-5; l Pet. 2:1-12; Rev. 1:6.
In a never ending effort to bring the masses under the control of the church, churchmen have devised many ways to command subjection. The result is the erroneous view that man can pray to God only through the instrumentality of the church or its priest. The Priesthood of Believers thus means that man not only has personal access to God, but that he is also personally accountable to God. Through divine revelation, Jesus Christ Himself becomes the Lord of the conscience and mind.
IV. Two Ordinances
Baptists have always established a distinction between a sacrament and an ordinance. A sacrament, originally instituted by Rome is a work intended to secure divine favor; the root word meaning "sacrifice." An ordinance, on the other hand, is derived from the word "order," and is a way of demonstrating obedience to the Lord. There are two ordinances of which the church is custodian:
A. Baptism: Is an ordinance that identifies the believer with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ: Mt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-47; Rom. 6:3,4. This is affected by the immersion of the believer under water as a means of obedience.
B. Lord's Supper: Is a memorial, instituted by Jesus Christ before He died, that symbolizes His body and blood. The threefold purpose of the Lord's Supper involves Worship - l Cor. 11:23-27; Fellowship - l Cor. 10:16, 17; 11:33, 34; and Self examination - l Cor. 11:28-32.
Neither ordinance provides or contributes towards ones salvation and should only be experienced by those having professed salvation.
V. Individual Soul Liberty
Under the rule of Constantine, Roman law demanded that all people in the Roman Empire become Christians. The result of this law was forcing Christianity upon the masses by infant baptism for a baby, and a meaningless profession by adults.
Yet, when God made man, He made him an individual with self-consciousness and self-determination. Man was given a volition, feelings and intellect so that he might respond to God's love in a meaningful way. Individual Soul Liberty means that man:
A. Man was created as an individual-Gen. 3:6,7.
B. Man is taught as an individual-l Jn. 2:27,
C. Man Chooses as an Individual-Acts 17:11,
D. Man is treated as an individual-Acts 10:34,
E. Man is judged as an individual-Rom. 14:10,
And is thus personally responsible and accountable to God.
VI. Saved Church Membership
The word church means "A called-out assembly," and must consist of only those who have openly confessed Jesus Christ as Savior, been immersed and demonstrated a willingness to obey God's word.
When Roman law required all people to join the church, it resulted in an admixture that led to the moral and doctrinal breakdown of the church. From that moment, Baptists have understood the importance of having a church membership consisting of believers only. Acts 2:41-47; Eph. 1:22, 23; Jn. 17:14-17. While it is not possible for anyone to look into the heart and judge ones profession, the Bible does call all Christians to a public confession that involves baptism and certain Christian evidences that are determined by each church- Rom. 10:9-10; Rom. 6:1-6.
VII. Two officers
There are only two officers of the church that are Biblically recognized. Both are chosen by the church congregation. While there may be other subordinate offices in the church that are designed to implement ministry, none should be equated to or confused with the two defined in Scripture.
A . Pastor: The pastor is the undershepherd who assumes a leadership roll to the church. His ministry is described by the use of three terms:
1. Pastor: Shepherd of the flock-Acts 20:28.
2. Elder: The wise one who leads and counsels the people in Godliness-Titus l:5.
3. Bishop: The "overseer" of the ministry l Tim. 3:1.
(It is believed that all three terms pertain to the same office.)
B. Deacon: The deacon is a church appointed officer who assumes a supportive role for the congregation as well as the pastor-Acts 6:l-6. The qualifications for both pastors and deacons are found in l Timothy 3.
VIII. Separation of Church and State
It is not possible to understand what is meant by the separation of church and state without first learning something about church history. From as far back as A.D. 325 Emperor Constantine established the first church/state mix. From that time until the present there have been many such mixes, either in a Theocracy (the control of the state by the church); or a Monarchy (the control of the church by the state).
Jesus described the right relationship between the two in Mt. 22:21, in which they coexist as two sovereign powers; with the church praying and supporting the state, and the state protecting the freedom of the church. This does not imply isolation or segregation between the two, for the founding fathers of our country implanted Biblical principles and values in the very structure of our nation. But separation of church and state as a Baptist distinctive relates exclusively with the question of control and authority. To this end the church must obey the laws and ordinances of the state (1 Pet. 2:13), so long as the state does not impose laws that transgress God's laws-Acts 5:29.
As has been observed, the Baptist Distinctives were born out of struggles and often battles that were fought by our spiritual ancestors. For them, however, the price of the conflict was often death or persecution. Doctrinal purity has always had a price; and it is in this spirit that these distinctives are zealously held and protected today.