HISTORIC BAPTIST PRINCIPLES

PART ONE

Text:- Ephesians 4:5

"One Lord, one faith, one baptism."

INTRODUCTION:- There has been in every age since Christ, those churches, now usually called & quot;Baptists" who with martyrs blood, stood for certain principles of faith and practice. Humanists today say, "there are no absolutes." Men today live much like those in the times of the Judges where it is said, "every man did that which was right in his own eyes." History records the disaster of such thinking.

I wish to deal here with three principles which have withstood the test of time. Principles which are truly Scriptural ones, based upon the Word of God.

1. ONE LORD:-

A. Ruler:-

1. The head of the Church is JESUS CHRIST- Eph. 1:22-23

2. Christ rules in His kingdom-

The Christian is not his own, he was bought with a price- purchased with the blood of Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Peter 2:24; Col. 1:14.

B. Righteous:- God is a sovereign God of righteousness

1. Righteousness comes thru sovereign grace.

Eph. 2:8-9; 1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 11:5

• 2. Sovereign grace is applied to sovereign churches.
• Eph. 3:21

a) Churches are independent. By this we do not mean they never co-operate, but that no other church has Scriptural authority over a local body of believers.

• E.G.
• 1. Christ had John write to each individual church- Rev. 2-3.
• 2. Paul addressed local churches with his letters.
• 3. Christ instituted only one kind of church- Matthew 16:18
• 4. In matters of discipline, Christ said, "tell it to the Church," Matthew 18:15-17.
• 5. In the Scriptures, the use of the word "church", (Gr. ecclesia) is used all but three times in reference to a local assembly of believers. In the others, it is used in an institutional sense.

b) churches are channels of God's grace. The main purpose for the existence of churches, is to proclaim the gospel of the grace of God. In the Bible, all evangelism and mission work is done through the authority and ministry of the local New Testament Church.

· All of this comes under the authority of ONE LORD.

2. ONE FAITH:-

Definition:- The body of truth or system of teaching. Those doctrines which constitute what the church is, believes, and stands for.

A. Personal Faith:-

• 1. Faith worked in the sinner by God's effectual calling. Eph. 2:8; Matt. 16:17; 1 Cor. 2:10;
• Gal. 1:15-16; Rom. 8:30.

· 2. The response to God and His Word by an enlightened mind. Eph. 2:1,5.

3. Trust, reliance upon the grace and mercy of God, based upon revealed Scripture.

· Eph. 1:13; Rom. 10:9-13; 2 Timothy 3:15; Titus 3:5.

B. Practical Faith:-

· 1. Faith working out of the believer- Phil. 2:12.

· Once salvation has been worked in us by the operation of the Holy Spirit, it needs to be worked out through us in our daily life. We are to be Christ-like.

· e.g.- Peach trees bear peaches; apple trees bear apples, etc.

· 2. Allowing God to operate in and through us. This is an evidence of God's grace within, of our true salvation or deliverance. 1 Peter 1:13-18; 2 Peter 1:4-10; Col. 2:6.

· This involves:- (as seen in Romans 6)

a) Know- vs 3, 6, 9, 16.

b) Reckon- vs 11.

• c) Yield- vs 13, 16, 19.

• 3. The result of our Biblical faith is seen in our Christian conduct and service. Romans 6:17-18.

3. ONE BAPTISM:-

Definition:- Greek- baptizein - Immersion- one of a kind.

This refers to "water baptism" because:-

• A. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit had already taken place on the Day of Pentecost. Acts 2:4.
• B. Water Baptism was a continued practice after the Day of Pentecost-
• C. There is no "Baptism of the Holy Spirit." The Scriptures nowhere say the Holy Spirit baptizes anyone.
• D. Baptism is a symbol of death:- Romans 6:1
• 1. To sin.
• 2. unto the old life.
• 3. of the old nature (Adamic nature.)
• E. Separated for God:-
• Circumcision in the Old Testament was a symbol of separation of Israel as a nation for God.
• Baptism in the New Testament is a symbol of separation with reference to Christ.
• 1. Identification:
• a) Christ- with reference to
• b) Church- the door into- added-Acts 2:41.
• 2. Obedience:-
• a) To Christ's command- Matthew 28:19-20.
• b) a new life- a life of servitude to God.

CONCLUSION:-

Are these principles operating in our lives? We cannot fully declare ourselves as true follower's of Jesus Christ without them. These are some of several distinctives seen in a truly New Testament Church. We will look at this further in Part two.

Note:- This sermon is on cassette tape, available from Baptist Pulpit Ministries.

Please continue with Part 2