## We are not Protestants

## Psalms 16:1-6

Someone has said that "Those who are ignorant of history, are bound to repeat its mistakes." People who do not know their past, have no capacity to appreciate their present. Today, few Baptists could tell you what distinguishes their doctrine, or faith, from that of anyone else.

1. Time of Apostasy (falling away)

2. "Generic" Christianity: in order to accommodate

3. Wrong reasons to join GBT.

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" (1 Pet 3:15)

4. Don’t be like the young man who was questioned about his beliefs.

a. What do you believe? ... I believe what my church believes.

b. What does your church believe? ... what Baptists believe.

c. What do Baptists believe? ... that you get baptized.

d. Why do you believe it? ... uh ......?

Vance Havner said, "I am an American by birth, a Christian by faith, and a Baptist by conviction."

I. ORIGIN OF BAPTISTS

A. Isaiah's prophecy given about 700 B.C.

1. "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." (Isa 40:3)

2. "And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it." (Isa 40:5)

3. "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts." (Mal 3:1)

B. Let me introduce you to John the Baptist:

1. The Man:

a. He had a special birth Lu.1:13 - "But the angel said unto him, fear not Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John."

b. He was filled with the Holy Spirit Lu. 1:15 - "For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb."

c. He was a great soul-winner. Lu. 1 16 - "And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God."

d. He was a great & powerful preacher: the Divinely Appointed Forerunner of the Messiah. Luke 1:17 -"And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

2. His Message

a. Repentance (Matt. 3:2-"Repent, for the Kingdom...)

b. "Behold, the Lamb of God" (John 1:29).

1) Gospel: "Christ died for our sins"--all of them!

2) Substitutionary, atoning death of Jesus.

c. Christ-centered: "He must increase but I must decrease."

3. His Baptism

a. He baptized those who repented.

b. He baptized Jesus--who walked 60 miles to be baptized.

c. His baptism was necessary to be qualified to be an Apostle (Acts 1:21-22).

4. His Death....because he renounced sin (Matt. 14:1-11).

5. Jesus statement concerning John's greatness.

"Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist:" Mt. 11:11a

C. He was the first Baptist!

II.TWO STREAMS OF CHRISTIANITY

A. The Roman Catholic Bishop of El Paso, said: "There are only two streams of Christianity, the Roman Catholic and the Baptist."

B. All other denominations came from these two streams.

1. Reformation produced "Protestantism".

a. Lutheran (1520) founded by Martin Luther.

b. Presbyterian (1536) John Calvin.

c. Anglican (Church of England) (1534) Henry VIII.

d. Methodists (from Church of England) (1740) J. Wesley

2. The Reformation issue was "How are we saved? (justified)

a. Luther: "The just shall live by faith" (Rom. 1:17).

b. Justification by faith alone or Faith + Works + church

c. The reformers cry: "Sola Scriptura" only the Scriptures.

C. Baptists had been preaching that for 1500 years!

1. They were not called Baptists---until the 16th Century.

2. Persecuted by Rome, hated and despised, hunted like animals all over Europe.

3. Why?

a. For their refusal to join the established church.

b. Refused to allow their children to be confirmed.

D. Baptists did not come out of Rome (as did the Reformers).

1. We had a long DOCTRINAL HISTORY before the Reformation.

2. We did not "protest" Rome--we were never "in" her.

3. We were called

a. Monatists...

b. Donatists...

c. Paulicans...

d. Waldensians...

e. Independents....

f. Non-Conformists...

g. Ana-Baptists...

h. Baptists... (beginning in the 16th century)

III. "Baptist" is a Distinctive Doctrinal Position--Not a Denomination.

A. Distinctives:

1. Bible: Sole rule of faith and authority (no creeds)

2. Automony: Each local church, Sovereign (under the Lord-ship of Jesus Christ), independent, autonomous, self-governing, self- propagating, self-perpetuating.

3. Priesthood of each believer (no spiritual hierarchy)

4. Two ordinances: (cf. Sacraments)

a. Immersion of believers only

b. The Lord's Supper: a memorial of the sufferings Christ.

5. A regenerated church membership.

a. We don’t baptize babies

b. We don’t just open our doors to anyone who may want to join.

B. Distinctives:

1. Even in our own day, not all who are called ‘Baptists’ truly hold to Baptist distinctives.

2. And there are others who, while not called ‘Baptist’ hold to these doctrines.

IV. WE ARE NOT PROTESTANTS ... WE HAVE A GREAT HERITAGE!

A. We trace our doctrinal position back to John's ministry.

1. We hold the same doctrine-- repentance, faith, blood, Christ- centered ministry, soul-winning.

2. We have the same practice: Baptism by immersion-to show our repentance and faith in the gospel.

B. Of all the doctrines, we preach the Gospel of grace.

1. Christ died for our sins.

2. All of them--from the cradle to the grave.

C. To me there is no difference between Bible doctrine and Baptist doctrine.

1. They are one in the same.

2. God help us if we would preach anything that is contrary to the teaching of the Word of God.

Historically, Baptists are not Protestants Doctrinally, Baptists are not Protestants Practically, Baptists are not Protestants

Charles Spurgeon’s mother said to him: "Charles, I have often prayed the Lord that you might be converted, but never asked Him that you might be a Baptist!" He said: "Mother, God has answered your prayer with His usual bounty and has given you more than you could ever ask."

The question tonight is this: are you born again? Have you accepted the shed blood of Christ as the atonement for your sin?

If you are a Christian, then the question is where are you serving Christ? Jesus said we should put our light upon a candlestick...the local church. Why not come tonight?