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For Baptist, Read Biblical...
Baptists are historically those who seek to follow what the Bible says in these three areas:
Baptism of Believers
We only baptise those who profess saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
A Regenerate Church Membership
The church is to comprise only those who have professed faith in Jesus Christ and who are walking in obedience to His lordship.
Independence of Church Government
Baptists recognise Jesus Christ as Lord and Head of the Church. No monarch, pope or moderator dare take that title to himself. Each church is to be governed independently by elders from within the membership, with the consent of the membership. There are no bishops, presbyteries or synods outside the church that have any jurisdiction over them.
Where do Baptists come from?
Can you think who the first Baptist might have been? You’ll kick yourself when you think of it...
John the Baptist.
John came baptising in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.(Mark 1:4)
Jesus Himself was baptised saying, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness (Matthew 3:15).
We baptise people for two reasons.
1 - Jesus commanded us to baptise people. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit... (Matthew 28:19). And secondly,
2 - We are commanded to be baptised as new believers in Christ. "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins...” (Acts 2:38).
At the birth of Christ’s Church we notice that, “Then those who gladly received his word were baptised; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. (Acts 2:41)”
Why don’t we baptise babies?
Simply because we have no such instruction or example in the Bible. Nor was this the way baptism was practised from the beginning. But history and geography being what they are, infant baptism has greatly taken hold across Scotland. Nevertheless the majority of evangelical Christians worldwide practise Believers’ Baptism.
Belief is made the unique qualification for baptism when one asks, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may” (Acts 8:36-37). Babies cannot express belief.
Christian parents must faithfully raise their children in the fear and instruction of the Lord such that Christian belief becomes their own. Then they should be baptised as believers in their own right.
Acts 2:38-47 teaches us that the following 5 things comprise what could be called the 'Starter Package' for all new Christian disciples.
Belief in the gospel message
Repentance from sins
Baptism
Receiving the Gift of the Holy Spirit
Joining the Local Church
Baptism, then, is just one of the things becoming a disciple of Christ will mean for a new Christian.
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What is a Christian? »
Is it just a label? Non-Muslim? Born in the UK? Nice person? Or something more... find out here.
What is a Baptist? »
Are they as good as CofS? Aren't they a modern sect?
Find out here.
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the Christian message in a nutshell
"We believe that the Baptists are the original Christians. We did not commence our existence at the reformation, we were reformers before Luther and Calvin were born; we never came from the Church of Rome, for we were never in it, but we have an unbroken line up to the apostles themselves. We have always existed from the days of Christ, and our principles, sometimes veiled and forgotten, like a river which may travel under ground for a little season, have always had honest and holy adherents. Persecuted alike by Romanists and Protestants of almost every sect, yet there has never existed a Government holding Baptist principles which persecuted others; nor, I believe, any body of Baptists ever held it to be right to put the consciences of others under the control of man..."
—Charles H. Spurgeon
"This is the name which God gave to the first man who He called and commissioned to do any baptizing. He named him ‘John the Baptist.’ Hence, real Baptists have no reason to be ashamed of or to apologize for the Scriptural name they bear."
—A.W. Pink | 
