Baptist Distinctive's

Intro

There are eight Biblical Distinctives of Baptists that we will cover in this series. You can use the acrostic B.A.P.T.I.S.T.S

B - Biblical Authority

A - Autonomy of the Church

P - Priesthood of the Believer

T - Two Offices (Pastor and Deacon)

I - Individual Soul Liberty

S - Saved and Baptized Church Membership

T - Two Church Ordinances (Baptism and Communion)

S - Seperation

So the first Distinctive that we will look at is Biblical Authority.

B - Biblical Authority

2 Timothy 3:16 KJV 1900

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

General Revelation

God has revealed himself through creation and conscience resulting in what is to be considered general revelation.

Creation: Ps 8:1-3

Psalm 8:1–3 KJV 1900

O Lord our Lord, How excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength Because of thine enemies, That thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

Conscience: Rom 1:18-20

Romans 1:18–20 KJV 1900

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Romans 2:14–15 KJV 1900

For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

This revelation was not and is not sufficient for salvation. Therefore, God gave:

Special Revelation

God’s written communication to man.

He used men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write God’s words so that one’s condemnation, salvation and sanctification could be known.

This special revelation has come to man in the form of the Holy Scriptures. [2]John 17:17; Rom 3:10-12, Rom 10:17 Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20-21 And our text verse ; 2Tim 3:15-17

2 Timothy 3:15–17 KJV 1900

And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Some theologians include a third revelation

Divine Revelation

The problem with this is many denominations have taken this to the extreme.

The catholic church has added tradition as part of this type of revelation

the Mormons say this is how they got the book of mormon

same with JW’s they say they have a divine revelation that others do not

Divine revelation is really special revelation God spoke to men who then penned it down as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

So ...

We must consider four truths when dealing with the subject of Biblical Authority

We Need to Consider...

I. The Authorship of The Word of God

Note

A. The Volumes of Inspiration

All Scripture

This means everything, every word, every sentence, every chapter and every book is inspired.

The Scriptures were revealed progressively from God to man, never correcting or contradicting that which was revealed.

The sixty-six books of the Bible are the completed revelation from God to man

B. The Validation of Inspiration

is given by inspiration

This means God breathed

Every word, every sentence, every chapter and every book is God breathed.

You say men wrote it. That’s right, who do you think wrote it a donkey?

Peter says, 2 Pet. 1:21

2 Peter 1:21 KJV 1900

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The only book that has ever been God-breathed

There is no other book under heaven that has ever been inspired by God.

C. The Value of Inspiration

King James Version (Chapter 3:16

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

a. Doctrine

Teaches You what to Believe

b. Reproof

Teaches You When You Are Wrong

c. Correction

Teaches You How to Get it Right

d. Instruction (in Righteousness )

Teaches you How to live what you have been taught

II. The Authority of The Word of God

A. It is Flawless

John 17:17 KJV 1900

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Ephesians 1:13 KJV 1900

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Psalm 12:6–7 KJV 1900

The words of the Lord are pure words: As silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, Thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

B. It is Faultless

1 Kings 8:56 KJV 1900

Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.

C. It is Final

Psalm 138:2 KJV 1900

I will worship toward thy holy temple, And praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

Isaiah 40:8 KJV 1900

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: But the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Isaiah 55:11 KJV 1900

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: It shall not return unto me void, But it shall accomplish that which I please, And it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

III. The Acceptance of The Word of God

God used the early church as the instrument that compiled the complete canon of scripture.

God providentially preserved His Word through the Hebrew Masoretic and Traditional Text which the Greek Textus Receptus is based. I believe that the King James is the most accurate and reliable translation from the original text. I believe that the Bible is the very inspired and preserved Words of God. It is inerrant and infallible and is in complete agreement with itself.[1]

A. The Recognition of Scripture

Through the Holy Spirit, the church was able to distinguish which letters were inspired by God.

In His infinite wisdom, He permitted the autographs of the texts to be lost or destroyed but preserved the very words of Scripture through the copies that were made in the centuries that followed. God's Word can never be destroyed.

a. The Old Testament

1. The writings of Moses and the Book of Joshua were immediately accepted

2. It had to be Authored by a prophet or leader in Isreal

3. Internal evidence of its inspiration

4. Writings containing doctrinal and factual errors were eliminated

5. Christ’s very own words containing OT scripture further validated it.

b. The New Testament

The Test of Apostleship

a. Written by and Apostle

b. Written by a close follower of an Apostle confirmed by other letters

2. The Councils

a. Council of Laodicea (363AD)

A Dictionary of the English Bible and Its Origins Council of Laodicea, c. 363

Determined what psalms could be used in the churches and listed the books of the OT canon, which was the same as that of Athanasius* except that it combined Ruth and Judges and followed it immediately with Esther.

b. The Council of Hippo (393 AD)

A Dictionary of the English Bible and Its Origins (Council of Hippo, 393)

Set out a biblical canon for the OT similar to that of Augustine*. Accepted the 27 books of the NT, but separated Hebrews from the letters of Paul.

c. The Council of Carthage (397 AD)

A Dictionary of the English Bible and Its Origins (Council of Carthage, 397)

Confirmed the biblical canon approved at the Council of Hippo*, 393, and possibly the first official endorsement of the 27 books which now make up the NT.

B. The Rejection of the Apocrypha (12 books)

They appeared in no Hebrew Cannon

None were quoted in the NT. (There are no direct quotations from the Apocrypha in the New Testament nor does the New Testament refer to any apocryphal books as part of Scripture.)

They were not included in any of the council lists

Their content is too mythological

Now it is not to say that one could not learn life applications from them but like it was said by leaders of the Church of England, “they are for example of life and instruction of manners’ but not ‘to establish any doctrine’.

A Dictionary of the English Bible and Its Origins (Apocrypha)

A collection of texts, covering roughly the period between the end of the OT and the beginning of the NT, not included in the Hebrew canon but accepted by the hellenistic Jews and taken over by the church as part of the Septuagint LXX*, plus 2 (4) Esdras, extant only in Latin and oriental versions. The texts fall into three categories:narrative: historical (e.g. Maccabees) and legendary (e.g. Tobit and Judith).prophetic (e.g. Baruch).didactic (e.g. Ecclesiasticus).

we believe the King James is the most accurate and reliable translation from the original text.

Let me tell you a little about how the KJV came to be

A Dictionary of the English Bible and Its Origins (Authorized Version, 1611)

The work of 54 scholars working in 6 panels (3 for the OT, 2 for the NT and 1 for the Apocrypha), 2 meeting in Westminster, 2 in Cambridge and 2 in Oxford, with authority to call on other specialists as they wished. How they were appointed is not known, possibly in consultation with the universities. Westminster was responsible for Genesis to Kings and Romans to Jude, Cambridge for Chronicles to Ecclesiastes and the Apocrypha*, and Oxford for Isaiah to Malachi, the gospels, Acts and Revelation.The plan was for every translator to translate the same chapters, the whole panel then deciding which should stand, after which each book would go to the other two panels for comment, any differences being settled by a general meeting of the senior scholars in each panel. What appears to have happened was that 12 scholars (2 from each panel) received the whole, after which Miles Smith* (who wrote the Preface) and Bishop Thomas Bilson* put the finishing touches to it and saw it through the press. The work began in 1607, was completed in two years and nine months, and was printed in London by Robert Barker, the king’s printer. Despite its name it was never formally ‘authorized’ by anybody. The Bishops’ Bible* was to serve as the basis but Tyndale*, Matthew*, Coverdale*, the Great Bible* or the Geneva Bible* were to be followed when they were nearer the original.

IV. The Abuse of The Word of God

A. The Purposeful Abuse

The modern version’s

Some believe that there could be upwards of 104 different versions of the Bible in english.

The most popular modern day versions that purposefully abuse the word of God are

NIV

NASB

ESV

RSV

Good News for modern man

NKJV

NLT

NET

CSB

B. The Prideful Abuse

Not wanting to obey or to prideful to accept when wrong

C. The PassiveAbuse

Not aware of your error

Application

Know. Grow. Show

Know Gods Word

Grow in Obedience and Knowledge and love

Show in your life, and show it to others, more importantly show it to God.