Baptists and Other Denominations

Memory Verse: 1John 5:25

Prayer: That the Lord will keep us true to the historic faith of Baptists as found in our Bible, the KJV.

Key Verses: Jude 1-25; 2Tim. 4:1-3: Titus 1:2; 2Tim. 4:4-5; Acts 20:20-27.

After a study of Baptist Doctrine from the Bible, for almost 3 years, surely there is no right thinking saved person who would be in doubt as to the identity, name and doctrine of the one true church of the Lord Jesus Christ.  With the facts presented in the previous 50 lessons, we are driven to the inevitable conclusion that Baptist churches are the only true churches of Christ and the only churches authorized by Him to carry out the commission and to administer His ordinances.  Take special note!  Neither Jesus nor His Apostles, ever gave to His followers, what is known today as a denominational name, such as “Catholic,” “Lutheran,” “Presbyterian,” “Episcopal,” and so forth (unless the name given by Christ to John was intended for such, “The Baptist,” “John the Baptist” (Matt. 11:11, 5:1, 14:2).  Jesus called the individual followers “disciples.”  The organization of disciples, whether at Jerusalem or Antioch or elsewhere, was called a Church.  There were no differing doctrines or various govern­mental types so there was no need for differentiating names, as there is in this day and age.

The world ordinarily thinks of Christendom as being divided into two groups.  Cath­olics and Protestants.  This is wrong since Baptists are in neither group.  Catholi­cism developed gradually over a number of the early centuries, and could be said to have come out of the Baptists (actually their beginnings go back to ancient Babylon, see Hislop’s “The Two Babylons”), while Protestantism arose in the Reformation in protest against Catholicism.  Baptists were in the world long before either of the others appeared.  But since they are here, and we work side by side with them in our comm­unities and throughout the world, what is our relationship to them and what shall our attitude toward them be?

Is one church as good as another?  Perhaps you, as well as myself, know of those who leave a Baptist church to join a church of another faith.  Years ago my church moved to a new location about 10 miles away.  One lady that I knew did not go along but joined the Church of God nearby.  The pastor went to talk to her about it, and she said, “This church is close by and I don’t think it makes any difference, just so you are saved.  One church is just as good as another.”  That statement sounded very nice to her and seems to be the attitude of a large number of people, but is it true?  It is true that the first thing is salvation.  Every person who has repented of his sins and trusted Christ as Saviour is saved, regardless of his church member­ship.  We believe that it is possible for saved people to be in all churches, but if they are saved, they have been saved in the same way.  If they have not repented and believed, they are lost.

There are hundreds of churches and denominations in the world today teaching almost every kind of doctrine conceivable.  They cannot all be right because they do not all teach the same thing.  Many of their teachings are in direct conflict, one church proclaiming a doctrine that another denies.  Can they both be right?  Is there a diff­erence between truth and error?  One must be right and the others wrong, and the one that is right in its teaching must admittedly be better than the one that is wrong.  Of course in these latter days the problem is compounded because many have their own new version of the Bible which will back up their erroneous views and doctrines.

H. B. Taylor has this to say, “Church membership is not left to your conscience or to your whims; it is a matter of loyalty and obedience to Jesus Christ, who saved us by His own precious blood.  If the church that Jesus built was a Baptist church, then no churches but Baptist churches are churches of Christ, and every man will have to face the Lord Jesus at the judgment and tell Him why he joined some church founded by an uninspired man, instead of the one founded by the Lord Jesus Himself.”

Some people want to be broadminded about their church membership.  But what right has any man to set up a rival organization to the one founded by the Son of God and to call it “just as good.”  Christ died for the love of the church (Eph. 5:25) and His church is very dear to His heart.  He has preserved and perpetuated His church.  A man ought to want to belong to a church that can claim Jesus for founder and Head, rather than to a man-founded institution.  Many churches join up in a “union” type of revival meeting, and the evangelist will tell the saved people to “join the church of their choice,” no matter which that might happen to be.  It is a great thing to point a lost person to Christ.  It is also a part of the great commission (Matt. 28:18-20) to point a saved person to the path of full obedience.

A church set up by a man is not as good as a church set up by the Lord.  We have already shown this truth.  A church that teaches error is not as good as a church that teaches truth.  Many churches have doctrines that deny almost every fundamental truth in the Bible.  Most harp on one string and have very little scripture (misapplied) to back up their false teaching.  Can a church that teaches such be said to be as good as one that teaches all the truth from the King James A.V. 1611 Bible?  Surely not.  A church that teaches only part of the truth is not as good as one that teaches all the truth.  There are many churches that teach some of the truth but will be wrong in other fundamental doctrines.  But we must contend that the church that teaches the whole message (Acts 20:20-21,27) is better than one that teaches only part of it. True New Testament Baptists believe and teach the whole Word of God.  A church whose doctrine gives glory to man is not as good as one whose doctrines give all glory to God.  Arminianism gives glory to man for his own efforts.  The Doctrines of Grace give all the glory to God.  Baptist doctrine gives all glory to God.  A church that refuses to obey Christ’s commands (John 15:14) and takes for doctrines the commandments of man is not as good as one whose sole authority is the Lord.  Baptists seek to be obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ in all things.

What is the Baptist attitude toward other Christians?  The fact that one church is not as good as another does not mean that we cannot have Christian fellowship with other true Christians.  We are united as brethren in Christ with all others who are “children of God by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”  We love all the saints and we desire that every man shall have the right to worship God as he sees fit, although we cannot approve the false doctrine he may be teaching.  Our attitude toward others is not one of arrogance, bitterness, or hostility; it is the attitude of broad, symp­athetic love alongside a clear definite loyalty to Christ and His Word.

All of the Protestant denominations can be shown to be started by some man after 1550 A.D. (wrong time), in various countries (not Palestine) with a doctrine of works in some form for salvation.  Although the members of these organizations will get to heaven because of salvation through Christ, none of them will be in the bride of Christ (Jn. 5:27-29; Rev. 19:6-9).  It is even questionable whether saved members of Arminian Baptist churches will make up a part of the “Bride of Christ.”  Now if a Sovereign Grace Baptist Church is the true church, should not every saved person be scripturally baptized, and become a member of that church, and go to work for His Lord through that church for the time of his life remaining on the earth (Eph. 2:8-10, 19-22)?.