Why are you a Southern Baptist?

Why are you a Southern Baptist? Do you know? Are you a Southern Baptist because your mom and dad are or were? Do you know what the Southern Baptists’ doctrinal beliefs are? Did you know there was a document that explains Southern Baptist doctrine?

The document is called the Baptist Faith and Message, and this is what the preamble of this document says.

“Baptist churches, associations, and general bodies have adopted confessions of faith as a witness to the world, and as instruments of doctrinal accountability. We are not embarrassed to state before the world that these are doctrines we hold precious and as essential to the Baptist tradition of faith and practice.”

All doctrinal statements of the SBC are found in the Baptist Faith and Message, and I thought we would take a look at what it means to be a Southern Baptist, but let me say this first. Being a Southern Baptist does not make me a Christian. I am a Christian because I have placed my faith in Jesus Christ and His righteousness. It is Jesus Christ alone who saves. I am a Southern Baptist because I believe the doctrines of the SBC are the most closely aligned to the Bible, but as the deacons, yokefellows, and I discovered recently that sometimes we mistake grandma’s doctrine for Baptist doctrine as I will explain as we go through the Baptist Faith and Message.

Let me ask you this. How can you know you are a Southern Baptist if you do not know the doctrinal statements of the SBC? Over the next few weeks on Wednesday nights, we are going to go through the doctrinal statements of the SBC, and you can decide for yourself if you truly a Southern Baptist. In all, there are 18 doctrinal statements Bapists have made in the Baptist Faith and Message.

(1) The Scriptures

2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

The Baptist Faith and Message says this about the Bible.

“The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.”

There are some that say that the intent of the Bible was inspired and not the actual words, but Baptist hold to plenary inspiration which means that every thought, word, and intent was inspired by God.

Southern Baptists believe that the Holy Bible is completely inspired by God through the Holy Spirit.

The Bible is a collection of 66 books written by 40 different authors over a period of 1,500 years. Most of the authors did not know each other but what they wrote is connected because what they wrote came from God.

As written by Paul to Timothy, God’s Word has four specific purposes.

Paul says that’s all of God’s Word is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and righteousness.

It is the Bible that sets the standards for what God expects. It is God Word’s that sets the standards of behavior within the church and throughout society.

Now, let me say this. God’s Word does not condone denominations, but since there are denominations, I am a Southern Baptist because I believe the SBC most accurately out of the other denominations follows the doctrinal integrity of the Bible. If I thought the Methodists were more accurate doctrinally, I would be a Methodist.

I know we live in a day where non-denominationalism is gaining popularity, but I caution you against falling into that trap. God’s Word is not left for interpretation. God’s Word is absolute. It establishes standards, and since the Church Age is divided, rightly or wrongly into denominations, you should belong to a denomination that most closely follows God’s Word.

In the early church, not every belief was accepted, and today, every belief regarding biblical interpretation should be accepted.

If a denomination makes a doctrinal statement that is not found in the Holy Scriptures, that denomination is wrong, and my goal is not point fingers at other denominations, but one of the big doctrinal differences between denominations is the idea of eternal security of the believer, but the Bible clearly says this.

Romans 8:38–39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Ephesians 4:30 “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Since salvation comes from God, how could God ever change His mind regarding my salvation? He has clearly said in His Word that if I believe in Jesus I have eternal life, nothing will separate me from His love, and I am sealed unto the day of redemption by the Holy Spirit, so any denomination that departs from that Biblical truth, I must question their doctrinal statements.

I am not saying that people cannot be saved in those denominations. I am saying that they cannot possibly live in the assurance, joy, and security that God intended. As we go through the Faith and Message, we will examine this issue more closely.

Baptists believe that God’s Word is complete.

The Bible tells us that God’s Word is complete.

Revelation 22:18–19 “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

There were other Christian religious writings that were not accepted into the biblical canon.

The biblical canonization was the process where the sacred books of the Bible were accepted as genuine which brings this to question. How was it decided which books belonged in the Bible since the Bible does not specifically say which books belong in the Bible?

If Scripture is to be our sole authority, on what authority do we know which books belong in the Bible since the Bible does not specifically say which books should be in the Bible? It is an incredibly important question because a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

If there is a weak link in the chain of communication from God to mankind, the whole chain fails, and the communication cannot be trusted. God’s communication to us consisted of several strong links.

The first link is God’s desire to communicate with mankind.

God’s desire to communicate with mankind was rooted in His love for His Creation.

The most loving thing God ever did for man was to reveal Himself in the form of Jesus Christ.

2. The second link is the transmission of God’s Word through human writers.

This is where inspiration comes in. If you look at 2 Timothy 3:16 again, the verse literally means that God breathed the words that the human writers wrote.

2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

God breathed the words the writers wrote, and I believe He used the writing styles of the different authors to reveal those words.

3. The third link is the dissemination and preservation of God’s Word.

How the Scripture was preserved and disseminated is really incredible. I have told you many times about how the letters were disseminated to the churches, but have you ever thought about how the Old Testament scrolls were preserved through the ages considering how many times Israel fell into enemy hands?

King Jehoiakim destroyed a scroll of Jeremiah because he did not like the words of that scroll because it contained words of judgment, but an angel delivered the words of the scroll to Jeremiah again, and that scroll was referenced by the prophet Daniel as he prayed concerning the end of Judah’s captivity.

Daniel 9:2 “In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.”

Jeremiah’s scroll survived Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius, and Daniel read the scroll and mentioned it in his prayer concerning the 70 year captivity.

God’s Word was incredibly preserved and disseminated, and that preservation and dissemination has continued into today and will continue throughout eternity.

4. The fourth link is the illumination of God’s Word.

It is the Holy Spirit that opens the believer’s understanding to receive the Word. No one can understand God’s Word without the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 1:17 “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Literally as you read God’s Word, it is God who speaks to you by His Spirit through that Word. That is the only way one can ever be illuminated to God’s Word.

Here is the kicker regarding the canonization of God’s Word.

Man did not determine the canon. It was God who determined the canon, and the church discovered it.

The canon of Scripture was not created by the church, rather, the church recognized it. In other words, God’s Word was inspired and authoritative from its inception.

God’s Word stands firm in the heavens, and the church simply recognized that fact and accepted it.

Psalm 119:89 “For ever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.”

God’s Word is settled. His Word is complete. There are not going to be any new revelations of Scripture. I am sorry! I do not know what the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Scientologists, Muslims, and Buddhists are going to do. To me, there is a passage in Hebrews that emphatically states that God’s revelation is complete.

Hebrews 1:1–2 “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”

If what I have said is true, and it is, how did the canon become recognized?

The church followed a stringent criteria for collecting and recognizing the Word of God.

Not every religious writing was included into the canon, and I will speak briefly on that shortly, but here is the criteria that the church followed:

(1) Was the book written by a prophet of God?

(2) Was the writer authenticated by miracles to confirm his message?

(3) Does the book tell the truth about God with no falsehood or contradiction?

(4) Does the book reveal a divine capacity to transform lives?

(5) Was the book accepted as God’s Word by the people to whom it was first delivered?

I am telling you this as an absolute fact. The early church guarded God’s Word. They took that responsibility very seriously, and guess what. You and I are to guard God’s Word in this church because we owe it to God, and we owe it to these younger that are going to follow in our footsteps one of these days. Everything that we do must be based on God’s Word.

Of these criteria, the most important was the first one-was the book written by a prophet? Did the book receive apostolic approval? That was the chief test in the early church, and that is logical if you know what an apostle was.

The apostles were gifted by God to be the founders and leaders of the church. Let’s test your New Testament knowledge.

What were the apostles promised (THIS IS INCREDIBLE)? The apostles were promised the Spirit of truth who would bring to their remembrance the words spoken by Christ and to guide them into “all truth.” (Jhn. 14:26, Jhn. 16:13)

John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

After the Ascension of Christ, the apostles received supernatural gifts to enable their work and confirm their message. The APOSTLES were given those to establish their authority in establishing the church. There is no indication whatsoever in Scripture that anyone receives those supernatural gifts today. (2 Cor. 12:12)

2 Corinthians 12:12 “Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.”

I am telling you that if you understand this verse you will understand the significance of the New Testament writings about testing the spirits. If God’s Word is complete, and if God has revealed everything to us about Jesus through the Holy Spirit, why would there be a need for apostolic miracles today?

Given the apostles’ special commission, it only makes sense that the church made apostleship the number one test of canonicity, and God guided the entire process.

When the New Testament was being written, the individual books and letters were immediately accepted as God’s Word and circulated for the benefit of others. The Church of Thessalonica received Paul’s words as the Word of God.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”

I have told you this before, but Paul’s letters, Peter’s letters, and John’s letters were circulated to the churches even during apostolic times.

Colossians 4:16 “And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.”

Peter recognized Paul’s writings as inspired by God and equated them with the rest of the Scriptures.

2 Peter 3:15–16 “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”

Paul quoted Luke’s gospel and called it Scripture.

1 Timothy 5:18 “For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.”

The books of the New Testament were widely accepted as they were circulated, but there were 19 books written later that were not included in the canon. Among those 19 are the Books of Enoch and the Apocrypha. As heresy grew, some within the church clamored for the acceptance of these books into the canon.

Wisely, and I believe under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the church held a council, the Council of Hippo, in 393 in North Africa, and the 27 books of the New Testament were officially canonized.

The Council concluded that they would stay with the books that were universally accepted. They determined to continue in the Apostles’ teaching.

The Son Rises: The Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus The Conspiracy Theory

The apocryphal books were never treated in the above manner. The apocryphal books were forgeries, which were written in the second century after Christ. They purported to be writings of the apostles and carried titles like the Gospel of Peter, the Gospel of Thomas, and so forth. It is a simple historical fact that during the first three hundred years, with one exception, no apocryphal gospel was ever even quoted by any known writer. In fact, there is no evidence that any forged gospel whatever existed in the first century, during which time the four gospels and Acts were written. The apocryphal gospels were never quoted, never read or preached upon in Christian assemblies, not collected into a volume, not included in the lists of authentic Scriptures, not appealed to by heretics, not noticed by Christianity’s enemies, not the subject of commentaries or harmonies, but were nearly universally rejected by Christian writers of that age.

Southern Baptists cling to the inerrant and completed Word of God.

Now, I want close with this absolute truth. God speaks to you through His Word, and his Word is complete. There are some, however, who tend to make an idol of God’s Word like the people of Israel did with the brazen serpent.

For instance, there are some that denominationally say that you should only use the 1611 King James Bible. You better be careful saying that kind of stuff because the 1611 King James Bible contained the Apocrypha which was rejected as canon at the Council of Hippo.

The best study tool ever invented is a Bible app that gives you access to many translations of the Scripture. By the way, do you know who first translated the Bible into English? (It was not King James) It was William Tyndale, and you need to do some research into him and see what happened to him as he attempted to make the Scripture “readable” by all men.