Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. - Psalm 119:105
This morning we are going to begin a new sermon series titled “Baptist Distinctives”. In this series we will summarize certain doctrines and beliefs that are held particularly by Baptists. Baptists are one of many Christian denominations that all share some common convictions with one another. This limited series will focus exclusively on beliefs that are most closely associated with Baptist faith and practice. In other words, “What makes Baptists uniquely different from other Christian denominations?”
It is not my intention to disparage or discount the sincerely held beliefs of other Christian groups or persuasions. I am certain that they are as earnestly convinced of their religious positions as we are of ours and that they’d vigorously and passionately defend them. That said, there is no denying that there are marked differences between the faith and practices of various Christian churches. This disparity does not necessarily make one right and the other wrong. The purpose of this series is simply to point out what makes Baptists distinct - nothing more.
Several years ago I preached a lengthy collection of messages called “What Do Baptists Believe?”. In that series, we addressed every article of The Baptist Faith and Message - the entire statement of faith for Southern Baptists. This study will be much shorter, as it has a more narrow scope, and will recover some of the same ground as before - albeit from a different angle. I am not preaching these sermons to be needlessly redundant, but rather to remind us of and reinforce some of the basic beliefs that make us who we are. Things that are important need to be repeated from time to time, wouldn’t you agree?
The first and arguably most important Baptist Distinctive is Biblical Authority. All of the other distinctives we’ll discuss rest upon this one. Baptists believe that the Bible - the written Word of God - is the sole, supreme, sacred, settled, and sufficient authority for all matters of religious faith and practice. Every question of life, both small and great, boils down to this: What does the Bible say about it?
I. THE SOLE AUTHORITY (Acts 17:11)
Baptists recognize the Bible as the one and only authoritative source for all aspects of Christian life. While creeds and confessions may be useful in some contexts, they do not replace or serve as a viable substitute for the Word of God. Likewise, theological commentaries, books, and other teachings - while they may be useful for interpreting and understanding Scripture - are not an alternative to the Bible itself. No human opinion (including those expressed by the most learned and respected religious leaders), no decree of any church group or council (which includes all ecclesiatical conventions and bodies), no religious traditions, customs, liturgies, or rites, indeed no other thing supplants the Bible.
II. THE SUPREME AUTHORITY (Acts 5:29)
Baptists recognize the Bible as the highest authoritative source for all matters of life. There are many voices that seek to exert influence and/or control over a person’s thoughts, speech, decisions, actions, and so forth. To a certain degree, these powers may be legitimate to the extent that they are rightly derived from God and consistent with His Word. However, the Bible always holds supreme and absolute authority over all other authorities. The teachings, truths, and commands of Scripture take precedence above everything else. Any decree, dictate, or other such rule is illegitimate and nonauthoritative if it conflicts with the Bible.
III. THE SACRED AUTHORITY (1 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Hebrews 4:12)
Baptists ascribe all authority to the Bible because of its holy nature and inception. The Bible was written by divinely inspired men who were moved by the Holy Spirit to record the very words of God. As such, it possesses the inherent authority of God Himself. The Bible is both infallible and inerrant, which is to say that it’s totally true and completely trustworthy. The contents of Scripture are timeless, and thus always relevant and contemporary in each generation. The Word of God is powerful and effective to always accomplish that which it intends. The Bible is a sacred text, not of human origin, and bears the supernatural traits of its divine and perfect Author, God Almighty, from Whom it derives its credibility. The Word of God is fully and flawlessly embodied in the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
IV. THE SETTLED AUTHORITY (Jude 1:3)
Baptists recognize the Bible as the final, unchanging authority for all matters of religious faith and practice. Its contents have been determined, settled, and do not evolve over time. They are not open to be edited, modified, appended, retracted, updated, or altered in any other way. While Baptists may debate and deliberate over the precise meaning of certain Biblical passages, they do not purport to change them. There are a variety of opinions on the methods and manners by which God speaks to believers today, but all Baptists agree that the Bible is the full and immutable revelation of God. All other subjective, personal, and/or charismatic voices or impressions attributed to God may be considered valid only if they contain no new or additional revelation. In other words, the Holy Spirit doesn’t provide us with new instructions or directives but rather guides us on the basis of those already given.
V. THE SUFFICIENT AUTHORITY (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Baptists recognize the Bible as the complete and sufficient authority for all areas of life. It contains every moral truth, standard, and instruction necessary for proper Christian faith and practice. Nothing is missing. While the Bible does not tell us everything we’d like to know about God, it does provide us with everything we need to know in order to rightly live for and serve Him. Therefore, all other religious writings or teachings are ultimately superfluous. Where the Bible speaks, we should listen and obey. Where the Bible is silent, we should freely follow our conscience in keeping with it’s more general principles. We should not seek answers from other non-Biblical, worldly sources.
CONCLUSION
In closing, Baptists have historically been nicknamed “The People of the Book”. This flattering description refers to their stringent and uncompromising stance on Biblical authority. Baptists insist that all of their beliefs and practices mirror those plainly taught in Scripture. They aspire to follow the model set by the New Testament churches as closely as possible. They are not overly concerned with religious trappings, relics, traditions, or opinions, but instead strive for Biblical consistency and fidelity.
To summarize what we’ve discussed this morning, Baptists uphold the Bible as:
The sole authority - it has no substitute or alternative
The supreme authority - it is the highest standard
The sacred authority - it is the Word of God, divinely-inspired and absolutely true
The settled authority - it is unchanging and timeless
The sufficient authority - it contains everything we need to know
Seeing that Baptists have such a high esteem for the Bible, it would seem reasonable to expect that they’d spend ample time reading, studying, and memorizing it. Sadly, all-too-often, this is not the case. Biblically illiteracy is rampant among Baptists today, which - not surprisingly - has led to many problems within the church. What a great and tragic irony!
That said, I urge you to read from the Bible everyday. Allow it to become the authoritative guide for your life. Wholly trust in the Word of God, which is manifested both in the written Scriptures and in the Person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! It (and He) will never let you down.
This morning we are going to begin a new sermon series titled “Baptist Distinctives”. In this series we will summarize certain doctrines and beliefs that are held particularly by Baptists. Baptists are one of many Christian denominations that all share some common convictions with one another. This limited series will focus exclusively on beliefs that are most closely associated with Baptist faith and practice. In other words, “What makes Baptists uniquely different from other Christian denominations?”
It is not my intention to disparage or discount the sincerely held beliefs of other Christian groups or persuasions. I am certain that they are as earnestly convinced of their religious positions as we are of ours and that they’d vigorously and passionately defend them. That said, there is no denying that there are marked differences between the faith and practices of various Christian churches. This disparity does not necessarily make one right and the other wrong. The purpose of this series is simply to point out what makes Baptists distinct - nothing more.
Several years ago I preached a lengthy collection of messages called “What Do Baptists Believe?”. In that series, we addressed every article of The Baptist Faith and Message - the entire statement of faith for Southern Baptists. This study will be much shorter, as it has a more narrow scope, and will recover some of the same ground as before - albeit from a different angle. I am not preaching these sermons to be needlessly redundant, but rather to remind us of and reinforce some of the basic beliefs that make us who we are. Things that are important need to be repeated from time to time, wouldn’t you agree?
The first and arguably most important Baptist Distinctive is Biblical Authority. All of the other distinctives we’ll discuss rest upon this one. Baptists believe that the Bible - the written Word of God - is the sole, supreme, sacred, settled, and sufficient authority for all matters of religious faith and practice. Every question of life, both small and great, boils down to this: What does the Bible say about it?
I. THE SOLE AUTHORITY (Acts 17:11)
Baptists recognize the Bible as the one and only authoritative source for all aspects of Christian life. While creeds and confessions may be useful in some contexts, they do not replace or serve as a viable substitute for the Word of God. Likewise, theological commentaries, books, and other teachings - while they may be useful for interpreting and understanding Scripture - are not an alternative to the Bible itself. No human opinion (including those expressed by the most learned and respected religious leaders), no decree of any church group or council (which includes all ecclesiatical conventions and bodies), no religious traditions, customs, liturgies, or rites, indeed no other thing supplants the Bible.
II. THE SUPREME AUTHORITY (Acts 5:29)
Baptists recognize the Bible as the highest authoritative source for all matters of life. There are many voices that seek to exert influence and/or control over a person’s thoughts, speech, decisions, actions, and so forth. To a certain degree, these powers may be legitimate to the extent that they are rightly derived from God and consistent with His Word. However, the Bible always holds supreme and absolute authority over all other authorities. The teachings, truths, and commands of Scripture take precedence above everything else. Any decree, dictate, or other such rule is illegitimate and nonauthoritative if it conflicts with the Bible.
III. THE SACRED AUTHORITY (1 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Hebrews 4:12)
Baptists ascribe all authority to the Bible because of its holy nature and inception. The Bible was written by divinely inspired men who were moved by the Holy Spirit to record the very words of God. As such, it possesses the inherent authority of God Himself. The Bible is both infallible and inerrant, which is to say that it’s totally true and completely trustworthy. The contents of Scripture are timeless, and thus always relevant and contemporary in each generation. The Word of God is powerful and effective to always accomplish that which it intends. The Bible is a sacred text, not of human origin, and bears the supernatural traits of its divine and perfect Author, God Almighty, from Whom it derives its credibility. The Word of God is fully and flawlessly embodied in the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
IV. THE SETTLED AUTHORITY (Jude 1:3)
Baptists recognize the Bible as the final, unchanging authority for all matters of religious faith and practice. Its contents have been determined, settled, and do not evolve over time. They are not open to be edited, modified, appended, retracted, updated, or altered in any other way. While Baptists may debate and deliberate over the precise meaning of certain Biblical passages, they do not purport to change them. There are a variety of opinions on the methods and manners by which God speaks to believers today, but all Baptists agree that the Bible is the full and immutable revelation of God. All other subjective, personal, and/or charismatic voices or impressions attributed to God may be considered valid only if they contain no new or additional revelation. In other words, the Holy Spirit doesn’t provide us with new instructions or directives but rather guides us on the basis of those already given.
V. THE SUFFICIENT AUTHORITY (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Baptists recognize the Bible as the complete and sufficient authority for all areas of life. It contains every moral truth, standard, and instruction necessary for proper Christian faith and practice. Nothing is missing. While the Bible does not tell us everything we’d like to know about God, it does provide us with everything we need to know in order to rightly live for and serve Him. Therefore, all other religious writings or teachings are ultimately superfluous. Where the Bible speaks, we should listen and obey. Where the Bible is silent, we should freely follow our conscience in keeping with it’s more general principles. We should not seek answers from other non-Biblical, worldly sources.
CONCLUSION
In closing, Baptists have historically been nicknamed “The People of the Book”. This flattering description refers to their stringent and uncompromising stance on Biblical authority. Baptists insist that all of their beliefs and practices mirror those plainly taught in Scripture. They aspire to follow the model set by the New Testament churches as closely as possible. They are not overly concerned with religious trappings, relics, traditions, or opinions, but instead strive for Biblical consistency and fidelity.
To summarize what we’ve discussed this morning, Baptists uphold the Bible as:
The sole authority - it has no substitute or alternative
The supreme authority - it is the highest standard
The sacred authority - it is the Word of God, divinely-inspired and absolutely true
The settled authority - it is unchanging and timeless
The sufficient authority - it contains everything we need to know
Seeing that Baptists have such a high esteem for the Bible, it would seem reasonable to expect that they’d spend ample time reading, studying, and memorizing it. Sadly, all-too-often, this is not the case. Biblically illiteracy is rampant among Baptists today, which - not surprisingly - has led to many problems within the church. What a great and tragic irony!
That said, I urge you to read from the Bible everyday. Allow it to become the authoritative guide for your life. Wholly trust in the Word of God, which is manifested both in the written Scriptures and in the Person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! It (and He) will never let you down.