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What is a Reformed Baptist Church?
I.
A church that which believes in the authority of the
Holy Scriptures
The importance of the truth of God,
objectively defined, and set forth in the Bible, can scarcely be
imagined when we realize that God cannot be gloried, and man
cannot be saved from his sins and know eternal life without it.
If a person is going to live a true Christian life, he should
realize that Christianity is not a religion that was made up by
a man, but that Christians claim to have received the only true
written revelation of God to men. This is the Word concerning
Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God which was given in
the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible. Without the
Bible, the truth about God and the truth about salvation through
our Lord Jesus Christ, could not be defined or understood.
Every person who is a true Christian accepts this and receives
the Bible as the Word of God. It is infallible, inerrant and
sufficient for all matters related to our fait and practice (2
Timothy 3:16).
It was because of the Roman Catholic church
had added doctrines and practices to the pure and sound doctrine
of the Scripture that the Reformation took place in the 16th
century, beginning with Martin Luther (Deut. 4:2). The writings
and traditions of the early church fathers and the edicts of the
popes became the basis of a Christianity which obscured the true
gospel and many sound doctrines clearly set forth in the
Scripture (Proverbs 30:5,6). It was the Reformers such as
Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingle and John Calvin who began the
reformation by returning to a careful examination and
proclamation of Scripture (2 Chronicles 34:15,21). Because of
their preaching, many people, in many countries in Europe,
seeing that the Roman Catholic Church would not be reformed,
left it, and founded what were called Protestant churches,
protesting against salvation by sacraments, the sale of
indulgences, and the worship of Mary and the saints. The papal
authority, to determine sound doctrine and practice, was called
into question in the minds of many people (Matthew 23:9). The
true authority of the living risen Christ, speaking to His
churches through the preaching of the Scriptures, was
re-established in many places (2 Timothy 4:12). Reformed
Baptists believe in the authority of the Scriptures.
II.
A church which believes in preaching that salvation is
all of God and His grace.
The reformation brought to light the
wonderful doctrines of God’s sovereignty in salvation. People
began to understand that salvation was by grace through faith in
Jesus Christ, and that it was not of themselves. As they heard
the Bible preached they began to understand that religious works
and ceremonies could not save anyone (Galatians 6:15). Once
again the doctrine of Justification by Faith alone was preached
to many people. The Bible truths of the doctrines of grace were
proclaimed from many pulpits. People began to see that they
could only be saved from their sins by hearing the preaching of
what Christ had done and accomplished in his life and death.
They began to understand that faith comes by hearing and hearing
by the word concerning Christ. They began to see that it was by
means of faith alone in Christ’s finished work that Christ was
received, and not by the sacrament or the sacrifice of the mass
(Hebrews 9:24-28, 10:1-14). People began to understand, when it
was preached to them, that the regeneration of a sinful man’s
heart did not take place by baptism (I Corinthians 1:17), but by
a sovereign work of the Spirit of God (Titus 3: 5-7). God
initiates in the salvation of men from sin. He must choose, He
must call, He must justify, He must give grace to preserve.
People were coming to understand that without grace from Christ
that they could not repent or be holy in the sense that pleased
God. Reformed Baptists believe in preaching a salvation which
is all of God’s sovereign grace.
III.
A church which believes in baptism for disciples only
One of the things that came far too slowly
to the minds of Protestant believers during the reformation is
the truth that baptism in the Scriptures is commanded only of
believers and disciples, and not of infants. Often, churches
try to say that baptism of infants places them in covenant with
God, or infuses or conveys grace in some way that gives them
salvation, or leads to salvation. People are wrongly taught to
believe that receiving the outward sign of water baptism will
save them, or their children from sin, without having the inward
reality of faith in the gospel, and without experiencing the New
Birth, or being born again (Romans 2:28,29). But, the Bible
consistently teaches that it is not the act of water baptism
itself which saves us from our sins, but God Himself by His
Spirit who convinces us of our need to receive Christ as the
only Savior from sin (John 1:12). Water baptism is our public
declaration of what we believe Christ has done for us. It
pictures and shows forth the believer’s union with Jesus Christ,
by faith in His death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:3-6).
The believer has died to sin and is raised to newness of life.
Being lowered under water pictures the fact that by faith all
our sins have been buried with Christ. Being raised out of the
water pictures the believer as having been raised with Christ to
live a life of righteousness by His power. The original sin of
infants is better cared for by God Himself applying the benefits
of Christ’s death to them rather than the church, which has no
command to do so (Matthew 18:3-5, 10,14). What the Church is
commanded to do is to baptize disciples as it says in Matthew
28:19,20. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit.”
IV.
A church which uses the regulative principle in Worship and
Evangelism
The regulative principle of Worship, simply
stated, is, that whatever the Bible has not commanded, either by
way of precept or by way of Apostolic example, we do not attempt
to introduce into the worship of the church in order to make
people happy. We do want people to experience the true
and joyful reality of the Lord’s special presence in public
worship. And so we use this helpful Biblical principle to keep
us from all the worldly and man-centered innovations that people
attempt to bring into worship and evangelism (Deut. 12:28-32).
It keeps us from bringing entertainment into worship, but does
not exclude the joy of congregational singing. It maintains
preaching at the center of worship, so that people will really
have their spiritual needs addressed and grow in grace and in
the knowledge of Christ. In our evangelism we declare what
Christ has done for sinners like us, and then we pray that God
would open the heart (Acts 16:14). This is the Bible way. The
apostles preached, they taught sound doctrine, they gave
themselves to prayer, and the Lord saved people and added them
to the church (Acts 2: 41, 42). We as Reformed Baptists desire
to follow that pattern and hope that you will come and worship
with us soon.
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