What Is A Historic Baptist?

WHAT IS A HISTORIC BAPTIST?

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The Historic Baptist position is the distinct doctrinal position held by millions of Baptists down through the centuries. A Historic Baptist position is simply the position of holding "the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." In condensing a definition to a "one liner" it might be said thus, "The way of salvation and the way of applying salvation as the Bible teaches," or another way might be, "The doctrines of salvation and the church held the way the Bible teaches." In dealing with this the Protestant "fundamentalists" of the faith quickly come to mind. Many years ago a set of books setting forth "the fundamentals" were published, and numerous articles over the years have been printed outlining the "fundamentals" as five or seven things. These condense the Biblical position concerning the inspiration and authority of the Bible (of the original manuscripts), Deity, atonement and literal resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every truly born again person believes these "fundamentals" for they are fundamental to faith. However, Generic "Christianity" is not Historic Baptist. The Historic Baptist position is that "tradition" the Apostle Paul held and taught in the churches of the New Testament.

A Historic Baptist holds:

1)That there is a spiritual union of all God's family who are born again into God's spiritual kingdom by grace through repentance and faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ.
2)That Jesus Christ established the church as an institution during His own personal ministry upon earth and prior to His crucifixion, and that churches holding to such have existed since then.
3)That the church is local visible churches rather than a single universal spiritual mystical organism. Neither the spiritual mystical theory of the Catholic "one visible church" nor the Protestant "one invisible church" are Historic Baptist.
4)That the great commission was given to Christ's local churches to be carried out through their ministries and under their sole authority.
5)That Baptist churches have not always been called "Baptist" but were of the loins and lineage of Christ's first church by practice, form, and function, and by holding these historic issues.
6)That there are only two church ordinances, Baptism (the full submersion into water) as a photograph and total death, burial and resurrection, and the Lord's Supper (not breakfast, or lunch) of the local membership with its head - Jesus Christ through His sacrificial death for each one.
7)That entrance into a local church is by spiritual regeneration and baptism of like faith and practice.
8)That the government of the church is a theocracy as Christ is the head of His church, and republican in that each member is to support the will of God as shown out of God's "Law Book" the Bible. (A "pure democracy" is not taught as the proper government for God's churches. "Public" or people policy is not what God shows from His Word.)
9)That the separation of church and state primarily means that the state is to have no rule over God's true churches. But the church's members should exercise their "New life in Christ" in civil government and social affairs and unto all persons.