My friend and fellow classmate here at SWBTS John Mann as been writing a series of articles on Baptist Identity over at SBC Today.  I would encourage all of you to click over and read the series.  Below is an excerpt from the third and final post in the series.  It gives the reader an excellent synopsis of what those who believe in upholding a distinct Baptist identity must keep in mind amongst the growing calls (whines?) for a warmer and fuzzier version of our biblical convictions.

Also, after this week I will be out of class for the summer.  I hope to return my quasi-regular blogging schedule, so both of you who read my blog (hi mom) check back next week for some new content. 

 

Baptist Identity Moving Forward

To communicate the Reader’s Digest version of the Great Commission is for us to decide which of the “all things” that Christ commanded will be worth our time. To forsake this clear teaching of Christ is to forget that Christ said, “All authority has been given to Me.” Baptists must communicate all of the truths of God’s word because to do so is to live out our confession that Jesus is Lord and He alone holds all authority. Our participation in the Great Commission will only be as effective as our obedience to our great Savior. Only in that common obedience will we find a true unity.

Recently, those with whom I identify have been coined as being part of a Baptist Identity Movement. In this section I want begin to define what I see as being part of the so-called Baptist Identity Movement. Though I cannot speak for all who have been placed in this camp, I will seek to articulate some, though not all, of what I think a Baptist Identity needs to pursue.

First, Baptists need to continue to reclaim a view of the sufficiency of Scripture. A proper view of the sufficiency of Scripture will remind us that no further revelation from God is needed, and therefore, what remains is obedience to what has been revealed. The recent rash of litigations is embarrassing to our witness and revelatory of one’s own view of Scripture. Yet, the very ones who cry for more unity are the same ones who have advocated, encouraged, and perpetrated recent trials through the use of secular avenues in an attempt to divide the entities within the Convention. Their facade of seeking unity has been betrayed by their tactics of intentional division.

The so-called practice of speaking in tongues assumes that God desires to say something that is not revealed in Scripture. One of our most prominent preachers used to say, “True spirituality is not speaking in a new tongue, it is learning to control the tongue you already have.” Why do we need for God to reveal something new when we fail to practice what He has already revealed? Scripture is sufficient for knowing God’s will in all matters of a humble believer’s life.

Secondly, a Baptist Identity needs to reclaim our pulpits as being prophetic places of proclaiming the gospel instead of being a desk from where we are expected to perform mass therapy. When our pastors sound more like Dr. Phil than Dr. Luke we have sacrificed redemptive preaching for a pseudo-relevant psychology. We need to be reminded that before we can pray for our baptisteries to full of water we need to pray for our pulpits to be full of fire. We need to encourage our pastors to return to being the theologians to the church.
Third, we need to reclaim true historical Baptist principles, not because they are Baptist, but because they are biblical. Though baptism is not a act that brings salvation, it is a profession of salvation. Therefore, baptism matters. It is not acceptable to “do the deed” apart from defining that which it signifies; namely, the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior coupled with our identification with His church. Perhaps Dr. Emir Caner said it better than I:

“We are Baptists by conviction not by tradition alone, believing the fundamental principles which constitute a Baptist church are the very ones which made up a New Testament church. Such essential tenets of a believer’s church, founded upon the sole authority and sufficiency of Scripture, include regenerate church membership, believer’s baptism by immersion, believer’s Lord Supper as a memorial, church discipline, local church autonomy, congregational polity, confessional fidelity, priesthood of the believers, separation of church and state, religious liberty, and an unwavering passion to carry out the Great Commission. We should never be prideful in being Baptist, but we should always be thankful in being Baptist.”

Fourth, our mission to the world must not be defined by the world, i.e., that which they find acceptable, but must be defined by our Savior. The study of the relational Christ must precede our study of the culture as we define and engage in the Commission. Our first question cannot be, “is the world receiving what we are saying,” rather it must be, “does Christ receive what we are saying?” We must seek the pleasure of our Lord before we seek the acceptance of our culture. When we are privileged to gain a hearing with someone in the world, we must ensure that the message we speak will be different than that which they hear everyday. In other words, the churches message SHOULD sound different than the world’s message.

Finally (and I would argue most importantly) a Baptist Identity must proclaim the Lordship of Christ in all matters. This Lord that we profess is the same Lord who instructed the disciples to die to themselves, to take up their cross, and to follow Him and Him alone. The Lordship of Christ denies the disciple the right to seek self-satisfaction, self-protection, self-advancement, and any other form of self-seeking. It is only in the confession and practice of Christ’s lordship that we can have true unity according to 1st Corinthians 1:10. For that to be fully realized is for one to be baptized with the baptism He commanded, to honor His word in all matters, to proclaim His message as He has given it, and to operate His churches as He has instructed.

At the Commission of our Lord we are told to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things the I have commanded you.” Faithfulness to the Commission demands articulation of all things revealed. Therefore, it is irresponsible at best and unfaithful at the worst for the believer to decide which of the “all things” we will teach.

Thank you John.  I hope you enjoyed this article and please read the other two over at SBC Today.

Go with God,

Bishop Joe