I saw this on a "Bible Baptist Church" website today (no, not the one in Pensacola)
"We believe that our Baptist faith and doctrine is closer to the Word of God than any other religious group, cult or sect calling themselves Christian, and that the groups of Christians who down through the history of Christianity have held to the Word of God closer than others have been Baptist by doctrine and/or name."
If the Baptist denomination is "close" to the Word of God, doesn't that mean that it is NOT Biblical? (but close to Biblical?)
As I have said before, close doesn't count except in horseshoes. Why would you want to be "close" to Biblical? Why not actually be Biblical?
Also, when you say "our Baptist faith....is closer to the word of God than any other...cult", aren't you admitting that you are a cult?
The Baptist denomination began in 1609 with John Smyth, a whacko who baptized himself. There was no such thing as a Baptist church before him.
Finally, why is this church comparing themselves to other religious groups, cults, and sects. That conclusively proves that they are not wise....
"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." (2 Corinthians 10:12)
Also see this post
http://av1611studyblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/close-doesnt-count-except-in-horshoes.html
Lately I have heard several people say that they believe "the Baptists are the closest thing to the truth" or "the Baptists are the closest thing to the New Testament church". Of course, we all know that
"close" doesn't count, except in horseshoes.
You would not enjoy being "close" to winning the lottery "close" to getting a good job "close" to getting saved "close" to winning a presidential election "close" to not having a heart attack etc.
When you admit that Baptists are "close" to the truth, you are admitting they are WRONG.
Being "close" to Biblical is still UNBIBLICAL.
The statement "I believe the Baptists are the closest thing to the New Testament church" is a very vague, unlearned, ignorant, and silly statement. Because anyone with any discernment knows that "Baptist" is not a doctrine, faith, or set of beliefs....it is just a name. A name which has no meaning other than one who baptizes by immersion. That is all that the word means.
Question to the arrogant Baptist cult: WHICH Baptists are "closest" to the so called original New Testament church?
In America there are the
Seventh Day Baptists: began in the 1650's, keep the Jew's Sabbath on Saturday
Freewill Baptists: began in the early 1600's, believe you can lose your salvation
Reformed Baptists: began in the 1630's and hold to the 5 points of TULIP Calvinism with the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith
Primitive Baptists: began in the 1800's, don't support missionaries, 5 point Calvinists
Landmark Baptists: began in the 1800's, does not believe in the universal spiritual church, accepts Landmarkism.
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship: Denies the inspiration of scripture,
Full Gospel Baptist Fellowship: Believes in speaking in tongues, prophesying, raising dead, etc (charismatic)
And there are literally hundreds of other Baptist denominations.
So to say that the Baptists are "closest" to the original New Testament church is a laugh. Baptist is a NAME not a DOCTRINE. The name means "one who baptizes by immersion", look it up in a dictionary! The title has no doctrinal implications other than water baptism by immersion.
Most Baptists do not believe in salvation by grace through faith without works, they believe in giving your life to Christ, turning from sin, bowing your head and repeating a sinner's prayer, confessing Christ before men, coming to an altar, "praying through", and other works.
Besides, who in their right mind would want to be anything like the "original New Testament church"? The original New Testament church was "carnal" (1 Cor. 3:3), it had people that did not believe in the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:12), they lived in fornication (1 Cor. 5:1-5), they mishandled the Lord's supper (1 Cor. 11:30-31), they were full of division (1 Cor. 1:10, 11:18), they had heresies among them (1 Cor. 11:19), they sued each other (1 Cor. 6:1-2), they lived in the bondage of the Mosaic law (Gal. 3:1-3, 4:9-11), and they had many problems. Yet people think if they could "return to the principles of the early churches founded by the apostles" then everything would be great--but it wouldn't! Churches have always had problems. Christ's following had a devil among them (John 6:70), we should not be surprised to find them in our churches as well.
Baptists are the ones that think they are right and everyone else is wrong, yet they are not united themselves. (except on water buptism, which is not even part of the dispensation of grace according to 1 Cor. 1:17, 12:12-18, Col. 2:8-23, Eph. 4:5).
--Eli Caldwell
You are yet again so arrogant!
ReplyDeleteDid you forget to mention the Ana-Baptists as well? Convenient or do you really not know the history?
I guess you are trying to infer that you are biblical and that you understand the Word, Right? Being biblical means believing every Word of God, were as I highly doubt that you do. For instance; consider this verse,
Romans 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
But hey, I guess you are different and God has contradicted himself and given you understanding. Remember what you said "close only counts in horseshoes"?
You want to know what it takes to be saved?
(Acts 16:30-32) "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? {31} And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. {32} And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house."
Thank you for the comment.
ReplyDeleteThere are scores of different Baptist denominations, I couldn't mention all of them in one post. I seem to recall Wikipedia having an exhaustive list.
But yes, I did not mention the Anabaptists because I felt that the modern day Baptists (which are not really true historical Baptists)do not associate themselves with that movement. The two main examples of Anabaptists are the Mennonites and Amish. I did not mention them because modern day Baptists do not usually claim association with them. However, it is interesting that John Smyth, the founder of the Baptist denomination, joined a Mennonite church at the end of his life. (note: the name anabaptist itself is something that opponents of the movement called them, they did not invent the name themselves. the name means to "rebaptize" because they would rebaptize people who had been sprinkled as a child.)
I grew up in Baptist churches and have read some of their "Why I am a Baptist" type books. Overall, I have found them to be a disgusting sect of people. Most of them see that Baptist denomination as the only good group of Christians. Many of them arrogantly say "the Bible makes us Baptists". I recently heard a Baptist at the church I attend say that "The Baptist church is the only group that has salvation figured out. The rest of the denominations do not preach salvation by grace." That is just not true. Many other groups of Christians preach salvation by grace through faith alone. In fact, most Baptists do not even believe that.
Most Baptists preach salvation is by confessing Christ before men (a misuse of Matt. 10:32-33), by doing this they have introduced works to the gospel and made it where Christi is not the only mediator between God and men (1 Tim. 2:5). They also say that you must repeat a man-made "sinner's prayer" in order to be saved, which is a work that man offers God (Col. 4:12, Heb. 5:7). Many of them also teach that you must "turn from sin" to be saved, which is a work (Jonah 3:10).
Many of them also say that you must "give your life to Christ" in order to be saved, which is a work. It also takes away from the fact that CHRIST GAVE HIS LIFE FOR YOU. That is what salvation is, believing that Christ gave His life for you, not you giving your life to Christ.
Some Baptists also believe that you can lose your salvation, others say that you must have a "changed life" of doing good works or else you never really got saved.
My biggest objection to the Baptists is that 95% of them seem to be preaching a false gospel and are therefore accursed according to Galatians 1:5-12.
The church I attend recently left the Baptist movement...
Why We Changed Our Church Name by Pastor David O'Steen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABrPm0KHqkg
Published on May 24, 2016
5/22/16, from Landmark Baptist Church to Hope Bible Church
Have a good week. --Eli "Hoss" Caldwell
Any time that you are discussing the baptists as a whole or distinguishing them in their splinter groups, you must do them the honor and justice of including the Ana-Baptists. Especially since it was them that contributed to keeping the texts of the KJV during the time that the Catholic church was trying to kill anyone for having the Word of God, the reformation. We must never forget those who died to preserve what we hold in our hands today as the Word of God!
ReplyDeleteI will not debate on who is right. Because I would hope that you would agree that Jesus is the final truth!
The point that I am getting at and that you seem to be glossing over is that you can only have "hope" in Christ.
Psalms 130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
We trust in His mercy, we hope in Him. Which means that we will never be perfect, so as by default all you have is being "close" to the truth.
You speak as though you are perfect and that everyone else should be as well. What is the point of Grace or mercy if you are already perfect?
Romans 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
If you believe God and know that no one understands then all you have is being close to the truth.
Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Again, all you have is being close to being righteous.