Many of us may have been asked, “What is it that makes you a Baptist?” Maybe many of you are asking that question yourself. So what beliefs and attributes do we have that define us as Baptist? What is our identity? Most would assume that we baptize through immersion so that makes us Baptist. While this is one aspect of what we believe, it is not the only or possibly even the defining attribute.
To make this really easy for us all to understand and know for the future, we are going to use the acrostic BAPTIST. Each letter will define our topic that will lead us to fully understanding what it means to be a Baptist.
“B” stands for Believers Baptism. Baptism is an act that most Christian’s do at some point in a person’s life. The difference for us is that Baptism is the response of a decision and therefore one must be old enough to understand the decision in order to make it. Before a person can be baptized, he or she must first profess their repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. For this reason, we do not practice infant baptism because an infant is unable to personally profess a faith in Christ.
Additionally, Baptism is not a saving act but a visible expression of a person’s profession of faith. After hearing the Gospel in Acts 2:41, the …show more content…
Baptist believe that Christ commands two things or ordinances for us to follow: Baptism and Communion. The first we find commanded in Matthew 28:18-20 where Jesus tells us to go into all nations baptizing everyone. The second is in Luke 22:19 when Jesus tells his disciples and in turn us to take part in communion as remembered of Christ. We believe that they are ordained by Christ as visible expressions of the Gospel. Some may argue that foot washing is a command given by God as well, but as I am sure you are all happy to hear, this is not an ordinance that we practice. Ordinances are understood differently from Sacraments in that sacraments are ways in which God’s grace is conveyed to
To make this really easy for us all to understand and know for the future, we are going to use the acrostic BAPTIST. Each letter will define our topic that will lead us to fully understanding what it means to be a Baptist.
“B” stands for Believers Baptism. Baptism is an act that most Christian’s do at some point in a person’s life. The difference for us is that Baptism is the response of a decision and therefore one must be old enough to understand the decision in order to make it. Before a person can be baptized, he or she must first profess their repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. For this reason, we do not practice infant baptism because an infant is unable to personally profess a faith in Christ.
Additionally, Baptism is not a saving act but a visible expression of a person’s profession of faith. After hearing the Gospel in Acts 2:41, the …show more content…
Baptist believe that Christ commands two things or ordinances for us to follow: Baptism and Communion. The first we find commanded in Matthew 28:18-20 where Jesus tells us to go into all nations baptizing everyone. The second is in Luke 22:19 when Jesus tells his disciples and in turn us to take part in communion as remembered of Christ. We believe that they are ordained by Christ as visible expressions of the Gospel. Some may argue that foot washing is a command given by God as well, but as I am sure you are all happy to hear, this is not an ordinance that we practice. Ordinances are understood differently from Sacraments in that sacraments are ways in which God’s grace is conveyed to