“In those days came John the Baptist…” Matthew 3:1
The proper noun “Baptist” is an identity. An identity is not, nor does not, contain authority in or of itself. But those who are of and who have what the identity identifies, are legitimate in their claim of that identity.
A person can pin a sheriff’s badge on their chest, without being a sheriff. But a true sheriff will want to wear the badge that identifies him as sheriff. Does the badge make him a sheriff? No. But it is proper for one who is sheriff to wear the sheriff’s badge.
Baptist is the God given identity (thus precious) of the first New Testament preacher, whom God sent from heaven with New Testament baptism, with the mission of making ready a people prepared for the Lord (Luke 1:17), from which Lord and which people the first New Testament Church was made. Since baptism is the New Testament covenant seal, and that New Testament baptism was Baptist, it was Baptist baptism that sealed the membership of the first New Testament Church together.
The first local New Testament Church and all local New Testament churches mentioned in the New Testament are simply referred to as church or churches. Each and every one only had the New Testament baptism that God sent from heaven by John, that God identified as Baptist.
Neither baptism, not its God given identity, were ever an issue of controversy in the New Testament. All churches in the New Testament were true churches, with pristine baptism that all stemmed from the church which Jesus built, which had only the Baptist baptism which God had sent by John. They all knew the Lord, and their origin as a church, and the baptism it embraced, and they all knew it was Baptist.
At that time, there simply did not exist other man-made churches from which they needed to distinguish themselves. There was no other baptism they needed to distinguish themselves from. But just because there was nothing that required them to identify themselves with the name Baptist to distinguish themselves amongst other man originated churches or baptisms, did not mean they did not have Baptist baptism, nor did it mean they refused Baptist as a New Testament identity.
Should this question have been raised in their midst, and they would have given the true answer to what the name Baptist meant to them, they would have replied the same as you and I read in our Bibles as to the origin, the authority, and the identity that God gave John who was the heaven sent agent of New Testament baptism.
There should not be given more to the proper noun “Baptist” than what was given it in the New Testament. It was a God given identity. I never read where anyone in or of the New Testament sought to attack or belittle Baptist as an identity. It stands alone, sanctified and unchallenged in the sacredness of God’s Word.
Those who attack Baptist today as a New Testament identity, do so by trying to cast it into a role of something other than an identity. For instance, those who give the name Baptist prominence as a New Testament identity that is inseparable from the ordinance of New Testament baptism administered by the authority of the local New Testament church, are accused of using the identity of Baptist as being their authority, their power, and their assurance (pride) of being saved and right with God. But the Biblical name Baptist is an identification, NOT the authority, nor the power, nor the propitiation for God’s people.
Pinning the name Baptist on a religion does not give it the authority or power or sanction of God, any more than pinning a sheriff’s badge on a scarecrow would make it sheriff. However, I don’t know of a real sheriff who has a problem wearing the sheriff’s badge. Nor can I conceive how that a true New Testament church would have a problem with the God given, Holy Spirit inspired, and scripture sanctified identity Baptist.
Could it be that those who accuse the use of the identity “Baptist” to be a matter of pride, or accuse it of being used as one’s authority, power, or what makes one right with God…could it be because they have had their hearts and minds closed to what God really did when He sent John from heaven with New Testament baptism as the New Testament covenant seal and identified him as a Baptist?
Rather, to me, the reality of Baptist as the true New Testament identity that distinguishes true New Testament baptism, by which the obedient believer is joined in local New Testament church membership, is a glorious fact found in the wonderful counsel of God. SELAH. AMEN.
“And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.” Luke 7:29-30
SHARING
