What Does the Bible Say About the Baptist Church?

In This episode we begin looking at the Baptist Church denomination which is one of the largest and most influential protestant denominations. Today there are more than twenty Baptist denominations. We talk about when and where John Smyth or Smith first organized a Baptist Church. We note that there were two types of Baptists in the early days of the church's existence. We discuss  those different groups. We next look at the establishment of the Baptist Church in America in 1639 and where that occurred. A number of Baptist writers wrote about where the name Baptist came from as used by Baptists. We look at those writings. We next note how the Baptist Church today view confessions of faith and human creeds. We move on to talk about some doctrines, teachings and views of the Baptist Church such as divine election, predestination and eternal security. We run out of time and will have to complete this episode next week. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.

Transcript

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Fred Gosnell: 0:00

This is a presentation of the Woodland church of Christ meeting at 3370 Broad Street in Sumter, South Carolina. We meet for worship on Sunday at ten thiorty a.m. and five thirty p.m. We meet for Bible study at ni ne thirty a.m. on Sunday and seven pm on Wednesday. If you have questions or comments on this lesson, you may email them to Arnie Granke at agranke440718@yahoo.com, or to Fred Gosnell at fgosnell@ftc-i.net.

Arnie: 0:38

Ah, good afternoon. This is What Does the Bible say, and it's brought to you by the church of Christ at Woodland here in Sumter, South Carolina. We certainly hope that if you happen to be in the Sumter area, that you will drop in for a visit. We we worship, have Bible class on Sunday mornings at nine thirty , and then we worship at ten thirty, and and again in in the evening at five thirty. So we we hope that you, if you happen to be in the Sumter area, drop in and worship with us. And if you have questions or things that you want to discuss? We'd be delighted to have the opportunity to to do that with you. We had been discussing a number of denominational churches here over the last several weeks, and we now are ready to talk about our neighbors in the in the Baptist Church, and so Fred, why don't I pass that to you? Let you get it started.

Fred Gosnell: 1:53

Okay. Okay. Well, the Baptist Church is one of the largest and most influential Protestant denominations in the world, and today there are more than 20. There's about 10 major divisions, but there's more than 20 Baptist denominations. Baptist Church had its beginning in the early part of the 17th century as part of the Protestant Reformation movement. A lot of these quotes. This quote is going to come from David Benedict, History of Baptists, and he says the first regularly organized Baptist church of which we possess any account is dated from 1607, and was formed in London by a Mr. Smith or Mr. Smythe S M Y T H is how you spell that, who had been a clergyman of the Church of England. It was formed under the principles of General Baptist, which is his identification. In the year 1633, the first Particular Baptist church was formed in London under mr. Spilsbury, and again that's David Benedict, History of the Baptist Church, page 304. So Smith was not satisfied with his infant baptism. Some contend that Smith rebaptized himself by pouring water on himself, while others contend he was baptized by John Morton in 1606 in the Don River at midnight, and that's a Schaff Herzog Encyclopedia, Volume Three, page 2202. If you want to look that up. So General Baptists versus Particular Baptists. The difference was small. Smith is regarded as the founder of the General Baptists of England, which are Armenian in doctrine and close or restricted in communion. They they didn't allow anyone who is not a member of the local church to take the Lord's Supper, while the Particular Baptists are, for the most part, they're Calvinistic in their doctrine, and they're open in communion. In other words, they don't restrict it from anyone.

Arnie: 3:56

Well, there are these General Baptists, and there's there's also a group called the Particular Baptists. Seems like there might be a little bit of a a minor conflict there, at least a minor disagreement between them. The difference was small, and Smythe that Fred mentioned a minute ago is regarded as the founder of the General Baptists of England, which are Armenian in doctrine, and they're what they they're a denomination that are called close, and that means that that only members are permitted to to take the Lord's Supper and so forth. Another term for them is restricted. They use that term themselves there in communion, and while the Particular Baptists are for the most part Calvinistic in in their doctrine and and open in their communion there. So not all Baptists have the same have the same rules there with regard to participation in the Lord's Supper and and things of of that. The the particular Baptists originated in 1633. So the Baptist Church goes all the way back into the into the 17th century in the six early 1600's. And they began to practice, the Particular Baptists, as they were called, began to practice immersion in 1641, and they suffered a lot of persecutions, many of them, and and so there were people that scoffed at them and and made fun of of them and and all of that. So they nicknamed the Baptists Anabaptists and Canta Baptists. It's not a good idea to mock other religious religious people. I think if we have if we have some reasons to want to discuss some of their beliefs or activities or things of that sort, we we ought to do that in a dignified way. Our purpose shouldn't be to make fun of people based on their religion. It should be for all of us to try to find the truth and enable each other to practice the truth, and so we don't participate in in any of the scoffing or joking about other denominations there, and certainly we're not going to do that today here with regard to the to to the to the Baptist Church. In In 1689, there was an act that was passed by Parliament in in England, and and it was called the Act of Toleration, and the British Parliament gave the Baptist Church religious liberty. They hadn't had it up up to that point, and they were everyone was practicing the the state church. Technically, you could call it call it that at that point.

Fred Gosnell: 7:47

Well, you know, Arnie talked about the what what the the Particular Baptists were called and and Anabaptists, Ana, that that's A N A B A P T I S T S, and that was one of the names given to them, and of course they were part of the reform movement, and it was known for believers' baptism, and they were pacifists, and they were they believed in the separation of church and state. And so again, they originated in Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands, and they rejected infant baptism and faced severe persecution from both Catholic and Protestant authorities. Now, notice now some of the things that they believed in were good in this sense. Of course, they rejected infant baptism, which that's certainly not supported by the by the New Testament. And so so Ana, A N A that's that identifies them as a member of a fringe or radical movement, and again this was a name that was given them by those that disagreed with what they were doing. And and they they were of course the spiritual ancestors of the modern Baptists and Mennonites and and Quakers. So the movement's most distinctive tenet was adult baptism. In its first generation, the converts submitted to a second baptism, which was a crime punishable by death under the legal codes of the time, so you'll see why so many were called them names and were against them. So the members rejected the label Anabaptist or Rebaptizer, for they repudiated their own baptism as infants as a blasphemous formality, and they're right about that. But of course, we'll we'll remember. Just just let's look at scripture here real quick. Let's look at Acts chapter 19, and and of course there are those who are against rebaptism, but in Acts chapter 19. We have the time that it says, beginning in verse one, It came to pass that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper coast, came to Ephesus, and finding certain disciples, he said unto them, Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? And they said unto him, We have not as much as heard whether there be any Holy Spirit, and he said unto what then were you baptized? And they said unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied, and all the men were about 12. So, so what what we see there is that, of course, we are told in Ephesians chapter four that there is only one baptism. So, so these Ephesians that had obeyed John's baptism, they were rebaptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and so, in that sense, the the the Anabaptists, as they were called, were right about being rebaptized because their infant baptism was not was not valid. So, and and we'll see we'll see this a lot of times that there are denominations that some of the things they believe are correct, but we have to be those who follow all that the Lord says. So they also considered the public confession of sin and faith sealed by adult baptism to be the only proper baptism. Well, you know they're they're they're not far from the truth on that. Of course, know that the the eunuch when they came to a certain water, the eunuch asked Philip, "See, here is water. What doth enter me to be baptized? And Philip told him, "If thou believest, thou mayest. And then, of course the eunuch said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He made a confession. So again, they were right about that. So then they held that infants and young children are not accountable for sin until they become aware of good and evil and can exercise their own free will, repent, and accept baptism. And again, they're they're right about that, so they also believe that the church, the community of those who have made a public commitment of faith, should be separated from the state, which they believe existed only for the punishment of sinners. Of course, there is a, the church is a separate institution that the Lord built, it belongs to Him. It's not part of the government. And again, they're right about that. Most Anabaptists were pacifists. They opposed war and the use of coercive measures to maintain the social order. They also refused to swear oaths, including those to civil authorities, for their teachings regarding baptism for apparent danger they posed to the political order they were persecuted almost everywhere. So again, the Anabaptists, like most Protestant reformers, were determined to restore the institutions and spirit of the primitive church. And as we've noted, some a lot of the things that they believed were were correct, and they often identified their suffering with that of the martyrs of the first three centuries of those that were killed for their belief. So, one of the things that that they did believe is that they thought that they were living in the end of time, so they expected the imminent return of Jesus Christ. Of course, we know that that wasn't true. We're still waiting for that.

Arnie: 13:45

There, there were basically two groups of of Baptists. There was a a little bit of difference there, but the the difference was pretty small about it. There was a group that called themselves General Baptists, or were recognized as being General Baptists, and and then a group that was recognized as Particular Baptists.. The difference was small. There was a gentleman by the name of of Smythe, or Smith, not sure which way he pronounced it, but it doesn't matter because this is going all the way back into the 1600s. But he was regarded as the founder of the General Baptists in England, which were Armenian in their doctrine, and they were close or restricted in in their communion. So not not everyone that just decided that they wanted to take communion was eligible to to do that. They had to meet certain conditions in order to be acknowledged as as worthy of of doing that. And the Particular Baptists are for the most part Calvinistic in their doctrine and pretty open, as a matter of fact, in in their communion. The Particular Baptists originated in 1633. So it's these are events that occurred pretty early after the foundation of of that church, and began to they began to practice immersion as their form of baptism in 1641. And so you know a number of number of churches mocked them, and a lot of people mocked them about that. By 1689, the act of Toleration was was passed by by the British Parliament, and that gave the Baptists religious liberty. They weren't they they never had been the religion of the state, and and so there was a little bit of risk in in being one one of the Baptists, and and now now that risk had been taken away.

Fred Gosnell: 16:33

Yeah. So so the the first Baptist church that was organized in America was organized by Roger Williams and Ezekiel Holliman in Providence, Rhode Island, in March of 1639. So Holloman baptized Williams, and then Williams then baptized Holloman and several others. Holloman had apparently been a member of William's Church at Salem before he baptized Williams. So the name Baptist, and this is an explanation from W. H. Whellsitt, A Question of Baptist History, page 92 and 93. So he says that the name Baptist first came unto use shortly after 1641, is another evidence of the fact in question. Henceforth, they were called baptized Christians par excellence and in due time Baptists, the earliest instance in which this name occurs as a denominational designation, so far as information goes, befell in the year 1644. The name Baptist was in 1644 first claimed by our people; they have claimed it ever since. And again, that's W. H. Whellsitt. So the word Baptists is this descriptive name of a body of Christians was first used in English literature, so far as is now known, in the year 1644, and the name Baptist seems to have been first published in the Moderate Baptist. The first official use of the name is in the Baptist Catechism, issued by the authority of the assembly. There had been no such churches before, and hence there was no need of a name. The history of the Baptist churches cannot be carried by the scientific method further back than the year 1611, when the first Anabaptist church, consisting wholly of Englishmen, was founded in Amsterdam by John Smith, the Se Baptist. There's another name for them. This is not strictly speaking a Baptist church, but it was the direct progenitor of churches in England that a few years later became Baptist, and therefore the history begins. And that was according to V. C. Vetter, Short History of the Baptist, page three and four.

Arnie: 18:51

The name Baptist was not at first adopted by them. Others others had been referring to them as as that, and and that included those that were were the beginners of the of that faith there. They preferred to be known as brethren. They also preferred to be known as disciples of of Christ Christians was a name that that they accepted, and and they accepted being just called believers. They felt that that that that expressed what they did, what they thought, and what they what they held to be true. The name Baptist itself was first claimed in 1644, and these people have worn it ever since then, and and you can find that in some of the some of the books about the history of. of the church. Generally speaking, Baptists today have no confession of faith, and are and are congregational in their their form of of government. In their earlier history, they they did follow human creeds, and they required each congregation to subscribe to them. Church manuals, such as those that were written by J. M. Pendleton or John T. Hiscox, while not as rigidly enforced as some works in some denominations are, still were to be submitted to by those that that became members, and and the members are expected to yield substantial agreement. They're not not to be people that disbelieve some things and and and have a different view of other things and so forth. They all try to be uniform in the things that they believe.

Fred Gosnell: 21:08

Yeah. And Frank Mead wrote a handbook of denominations in the United States, and on page 34 he says

this quote: 21:18

"These overall doctrines have never been written by Baptists into any official Baptist creed for all their churches, but they have been incorporated in two very important confessions of faith for the denomination. The Baptist churches of London wrote a Philadelphia confession in the year 1689, and this confession was enlarged by the Philadelphia Association in 1742. That's in in the United States. The New Hampshire State Baptist Convention drew up another famous confession in 1832. The older Philadelphia Confession is strongly Calvinistic in statement. The New Hampshire Confession only moderately so, and that's according to Frank Mead. So the first confession was actually written in London in 1677, but was not adopted until the Particular Baptists did in 1689. The mildly Calvinistic New Hampshire Confession, which was written by J. Newton Brown, is the most popular confession among Baptists.

Arnie: 22:21

Let's take a few minutes to look at some of the doctrines, some of the teachings, and and the views of of the Baptist Church. Members who are received into fellowship are not required to subscribe or pledge conformity to any creed form, but they are expected to yield substantial agreement to that which the church with which they unite has adopted. So that there is a little bit of distinction from one Baptist church to another with regard to a a handful. Generally speaking, there's very little disagreement, but there are a few items that one church holds to, and and then another church has has a different view on that. The the scriptures alone tell one what to believe, how to believe in the house of God, according to First Timothy chapter chapter three, and and they recognize that in the Baptist church. Verses 14, 15, and 16 of First Timothy three say this. Although I hope to come to you soon, I'm writing you these instructions so that if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth. Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great. He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, and was believed on in the world, and and then was taken up in in glory. That's from First Timothy three, beginning at verse 14.

Fred Gosnell: 24:32

Yeah, and of course these are this is what the what the Bible says in that case, about following what what men say in their confessions of faith and whatnot. So, so then, why should the church adopt or subscribe to a man-made creed, and its members be expected to agree with it? Of course, here's what Jesus says in Matthew 15, 17, seven through. He says, "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you. These people honor me with their lips, but their heart hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain. Their teachings are merely human rules. So, even though the Baptists follow these human rules to some degree, the Lord says, 'No, that's that's not the thing to do. You're hypocrites. Then Revelation 22 18, 19. Of course, we're familiar with this passage. John writes, and the Holy Spirit says, "I warn everyone who hears the words of

the prophecy of this scroll: 25:34

If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in the scroll, and if anyone takes words away from the scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this scroll. We cannot add to what the Bible says, and we cannot take away from it. We've got to follow exactly what it says.

Arnie: 25:58

Baptists are decidedly Calvinistic, a person who's dead in sin and cannot do one thing to rescue himself is a is a view that they that they hold, and so it seems that someone else must rescue them in in order for them to to become saved, and if one is saved, it's because God elected him and gave him from before the foundation of the world, and and that's something that Hiscox has written in his book that we've that we've mentioned before. Let me give you a passage of scripture here with regard to refuting this teaching. Several passages, as a matter of fact, explain that. Second Peter chapter three and and verse nine, Peter writes and says, The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. And another passage that along that along that line is in First Timothy chapter two, beginning in verse verse three. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Fred Gosnell: 27:51

And then, of course, there's a there's another passage that goes along with that, Hebrews five verses verses eight and nine. Son, though he was speaking of Jesus, He learned obedience from what He suffered, and once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. So an individual has to obey what the Lord says. And then in Colossians chapter three, verse 25, Paul writes to the Colossians and says, If anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism or no respect of persons. So we are all required to obey the Lord. He He holds us accountable for the things we do. Of course, then they they talk about eternal security, and the Pendleton's manual says, We believe that such only are real believers as endure to the end, and then Hiscox says, Such as are truly regenerate will not utterly fall away. Of course, that's the impossibility of falling. Of course, the scriptures don't agree with that. Simon the sorcerer believed and was baptized, and he continued for a time in Acts chapter eight, verse 13, and that's what Luke writes. He says Simon himself believes and was baptized, and he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles that he saw, then one can fall from grace. In Galatians five, verse four, and I'm going to read this real quick. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ, you have fallen away from grace. So you can fall away. Those did. So that's contrary to what the Baptists say.

Arnie: 29:51

The the Baptists do believe that Christ saves all who who believe, and so. So let's quickly and and and obey. Let's quickly read a passage here in Hebrews chapter six, verses one through six. Therefore, let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death and to faith, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites and the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, the eternal judgment, and God permitting, we will do so. It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted of the heavenly gift, who have shared the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the powers of the coming age, who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance, to their loss, they are crucifying the Son of God all over again, and subjecting Him to a public disgrace. Let's talk about this a little bit more next Lord's Day, Lord permitting. We hope that it's been helpful to you to understand a little bit about the Baptist Church, and we hope that you'll tune us in next next Lord's Day. Have a good week.