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I was baptized in a Baptist church.
I probably wouldn't hold my breath.I was baptized, educated, and ordained by baptists. It's possible that I was groomed a bit for baptist leadership. I preach in baptist churches occasionally.
I only say that I am baptist when I want to annoy an Eastern Orthodox friend.
I suppose that I can say that I am a baptist scholar, because technically I am still a member of a baptist church. I have some problems with the theological reasoning and biblical interpretation that leads to some definatively baptist practices like believer's baptism, "once saved always saved," the Lord's Supper as a memorial only, the infalliability and inerrancy of scripture, homophobia, and the exclusion of women from ministry. I don't know if I can call myself a baptist, and I may serve a baptist church if they will accept me.
1. Believers Baptism - when someone professes Christ
This is what we believe -- yet this discussion is not about us, it is about Baptists, please stick the format of the OP and keep on the subject. If you wish to discuss the LDS, create a thread. Thanks.
Baptist is a loose term in Christian circles. By your own statement, you are Baptist too!
By my own statement, I am a Christian.
Also, some denominations and non-denominations teach that salvation comes from both believing and being baptised, based on about 3 verses in the Bible that tie them together. In light of all the verses that simply say that He that believes has eternal life, and the fact that in Acts, people believed and were saved, then were baptised afterward, and other things, I do not add baptism to belief for salvation, but call it a symbol of our belief and a public profession of our faith in Christ. While it is the first step in obedience as a new-born Christian believer, it is just that, and does not save anybody, for our sins were washed away by the blood of Christ. All Baptist teachings I know of teach baptism as separate from having believed on Christ for salvation. I was saved at the age of 8 and baptised at the age of 14 when I joined a Baptist Church, they also made sure before I was baptised that I understood the plan of salvation; that all have sinned, the penalty of which is death, Jesus paid the penalty by dying in our place, and if we believe in, place our trust in that, in Jesus' death and resurrection, we are saved. Before I was baptised, they also had me to pray again to be sure, asking Jesus to forgive me of my sins believing He paid for them on the cross and rose again. Since then I have been "growing in grace", oft' times failing, at times having had doubts, which lead me to dig deeper, and to a stronger faith and assurance in Christ, and the molding and shaping process goes on to this day!
Peace and Love,
Mike
Thanks brother, I enjoy your posts as well! Are you saying you are Baptist? Because that does not sound at all like Baptist Doctrine. I was saved at age 8 but did not know about baptism and sporadically went to different churches for some time as my parents were coming out of catholicism. I accepted Christ in the summer at a youth ministry by a Baptist group that came to spread the Gospel, they were not from my town, so I was on my own in some ways. For several years we attended a wonderful country church with loving spirit-filled people, but the issue of baptism somehow never came up. When I finaly learned of the command to be Baptised to make a public profession of my faith as a believer, I obeyed. I have no problem with parents baptising their babies as a dedication that they will be raised to come to know the Lord, its more for the parents to me, I don't believe it saves anyone or takes away 'original sin'. I sometimes attend a laid-back contemporary service at the Methodist Church, and they like to sprinkle their infants, too, which is fine with me. But I also believe that once a person has trusted Christ as Saviour and is saved, they should get baptised, preferrably by immersion, as symbolic and as an outward profession of their faith. They won't not be saved if they don't but they will be walking in obedience and in God's blessings if they do. That's sorta my take without getting to much into what all baptism symbolizes and such.Okay dear brother in Christ... I am always blessed by your postings. Here is an illustration of what we do as baptist. You state the you were saved as an 8 year old. You were baptized at the age of 14. We have a 6 year period between professed faith and obedience to the command of baptism (outward sign or the inward reality at the age of 8). Do you see the problem with children of households of faith. Within Christianity and the infant baptism position, children are called Covenant Children. They are baptized as infants as a sign of the covenant. It is similar to the outward sign of the inward reality. The inward reality is at God's timing and not by man's decision through a sinners prayer. The baptism points really to the future to your Christian children, the promise is to you and your household. God will grant the new birth to your children in the future.
Thanks brother, I enjoy your posts as well! Are you saying you are Baptist? Because that does not sound at all like Baptist Doctrine. I was saved at age 8 but did not know about baptism and sporadically went to different churches for some time as my parents were coming out of catholicism. I accepted Christ in the summer at a youth ministry by a Baptist group that came to spread the Gospel, they were not from my town, so I was on my own in some ways. For several years we attended a wonderful country church with loving spirit-filled people, but the issue of baptism somehow never came up. When I finaly learned of the command to be Baptised to make a public profession of my faith as a believer, I obeyed. I have no problem with parents baptising their babies as a dedication that they will be raised to come to know the Lord, its more for the parents to me, I don't believe it saves anyone or takes away 'original sin'. I sometimes attend a laid-back contemporary service at the Methodist Church, and they like to sprinkle their infants, too, which is fine with me. But I also believe that once a person has trusted Christ as Saviour and is saved, they should get baptised, preferrably by immersion, as symbolic and as an outward profession of their faith. They won't not be saved if they don't but they will be walking in obedience and in God's blessings if they do. That's sorta my take without getting to much into what all baptism symbolizes and such.
Peace, Grace, and Love,
Mike