Despite (or perhaps because of) the deluge of new church groups which poured upon the scene of history after the Reformation, the question of how to define the church still hovers in the atmosphere of our times and causes confusion and discomfort for those who claim the name Christian. Although Protestants seized upon a new theology of salvation founded upon faith, it could be argued that they failed to clarify or debunk the idea that salvation is received through the church. Exhibit A in this argument would be infant baptism. A baby who is baptized is a member of the church and thus, being inside the church so to speak, is granted salvation. Inseparable from the practice of infant baptism is the idea that entry into the church is, in some sense, entry into salvation. The great reformers not only retained infant baptism, but also embraced the medieval devotion to the state-supported church. To be born and baptized in Lutheran or any other Protestant territory was to receive salvation and also to be registered as a citizen. The question arises: are these biblical ideas?
Baptists, on the other hand, have always believed that one must be saved to be in the church. Believer's baptism is the baptizing of those who have made a conscious decision to follow Christ and, according to His word, have received salvation. Baptism is thus the public and symbolic expression of having already accepted redemption, reconciliation, and rebirth by faith in the promise of God accomplished by Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. The result is that to be in the church, one must be saved by faith. The church, then, is simply composed of those who are reconciled to God through Christ and publicly demonstrate this relationship through baptism. Baptists name this arrangement, which they claim is derived from Scripture, a believers' church or a regenerate church.
Without a commitment to believer's baptism, the scriptural concept of a church of believers is not possible. Any mixture of infant baptism into the formula introduces unscriptural ecclesiology and with it the questionable notion that salvation is through the church instead of through faith in Christ alone. The New Testament idea of church is that it is made up of those who have already trusted Him and are His disciples. Faith in Christ, therefore, is the groundwork for the establishment of the organic edifice He founded called the church (as Peter likened the church to a building made up of living stones). The temporal institution or organization, which is only the outward human structure, should never be the object of faith. To take the institutional approach is to veer badly from scriptural truth and introduce considerable confusion into people's minds as to the way of salvation.
In light of the importance of these issues, the aim of this book is to outline several distinctive Baptist beliefs. How are they unique? How can they be distinguished from other Christian denominations? As these questions are confronted, the author will access historical and biblical evidence in an attempt to answer them. Are you a Baptist? Perhaps this book will help you understand more thoroughly the principles that go with the name. If you are not a Baptist, then hopefully you will gain a clearer understanding of what Baptists believe. The book will explore seven crucial principles that make Baptists distinct: biblical authority, believer's baptism, a believers' church, congregational rule, cooperation for missions, the priesthood of every believer, and religious liberty.