St. Paul's Sarver
Coffee Talk 4.7.24
Denominations: Baptist Churches
Brief History
Unlike other traditions we’ve looked at, the beginnings of the Baptist church are quite murky…
The Baptist Church Today
Because of their birth as a reaction to the Government sponsored Church, Baptists are zealous advocates of religious liberty and are more centered on the local congregation in how they are organized. Some Baptists choose to be independent of larger organizations while others are part of international associations or even denominations while remaining congregationally centered. In America the largest of these is the Southern Baptist Convention which is also the largest Protestant body in our country. Their “Statement of Faith” aptly sums up the general view of how Baptist Churches interact with one another:
"Christ’s people should, as occasion requires, organize such associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation for the great objects of the Kingdom of God. Such organizations have no authority over one another or over the churches. They are voluntary and advisory bodies designed to elicit, combine, and direct the energies of our people in the most effective manner."
Beliefs
Related to their view of Church structure, Baptists tend to be rather diverse in their beliefs. Despite the diversity though, there are general traits that most Baptist Churches share in common. As it is for other Protestant Traditions, there are many beliefs they share in common with Lutherans such as a high view of the authority and accuracy of the Bible, the importance and reality of Jesus Christ and his work as our substitute, and the confession of mankind’s sin and need for the Savior, etc.
Sadly, despite the agreement, there are also disagreements concerning aspects of freewill, predestination, perseverance of the saints, understanding of the Lord’s Supper, and much more. Having said that, the most likely area where you will get into conflict with a Baptist is concerning Baptism. This is especially the case, as some Baptist Churches do door to door ministry and will question you on it. Thus, it’s good for Lutherans to have a general understanding of the difference.
Unlike Lutherans, Catholics, and other Mainline Protestants who acknowledge the validity of one another’s Baptismal practices; the Baptist Church considers Believers Baptism by Immersion to be the only valid form of Baptism. Thus, according to them, your Baptism is invalid. And depending on the Baptist tradition someone comes from, they’ll let you know it.
What's more, Baptists have a well thought out argument for their Baptismal Theology. With a Bible in hand, they will point to the adult only crowds of John the Baptist, examples from the book of Acts of only believers being baptized, or Peter’s instructions to the crowds at Pentecost to “Repent, and be baptized…” “Babies can’t repent,” they may say, “so why should they be baptized.”
This said, here’s a quick overview of how to answer such objections:
1) Babies are included in the words “all nations” in Jesus Commission found in Matthew 28:19, “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them.”
2) The promises of Salvation, according to Peter, are for our Children (See Acts 2:38-39).
3) Whole households are baptized in Acts 16:13-15, 25-34, and 1 Corinthians 1:16. These most likely included children.
4) Babies are sinful and need what Baptism promises—the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12, 18-19; John 3:5-6).
5) The Holy Spirit, according to Scripture is able to work faith even in babies (Psalm 22:9-10; 71:5-6; Matthew 18:6; 21:16; Luke 1:13-17, 39-45; 10:21; 18:16).
"Faith is not to be confused with intellectual ability. Those who argue for “believers baptism” and reject infants often wrongly maintain that (1) infants are not guilty of (or accountable for) sin or able to commit sinful acts; (2) faith is a human decision that infants cannot make; and (3) Baptism is primarily our promise to God rather than God’s promise to us. Not one of these views is based on Scripture." (Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation 288-89)
